#she used to be bossy. the one to come up with the games. always leading the way while Altairus followed her without questions

[schemelin]

Pros and cons of having a Guardian Demon.

[delicatebarness]

cry baby | chapter twenty three

Summary: CB takes Peter to meet her mom for the first time, which only leads to her feelings toward Bucky stirring in her mind more.

Warning: No Bucky in this one, there are only mentions of him.

Word Count: 1098

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A/N: I managed to write some more for this chapter. - Please feel free to leave feedback or let me know where and how you want the story to continue, this is just as much yours as it is mine. - B

Tags: @buckys0whore | @thezombieprostitute | @lanabuckybarnes | @mishkatelwarriorgoddess | @softieekayy | @noonespecial90 | @hello-therree | @randomawesomeperson102 | @whoreforbarnes | @thejutvtsupport | @somnorvos | @cjand10 | @plasticbottleholder | @birdenthusiastez

Everything: @hallecarey1 | @pattiemac1 | @uhmellamoanna | @scraftsku35 | @ozwriterchick

Peter seemed excited and a bit nervous as you drove, his fingers tapping against the skin of your thigh. Your mind drifted back to the complex web of emotions you were entangled in, yet you tried to keep the conversation light. Today was significant as you arranged for Peter to meet your mom for the first time.

“You okay?” you asked, glancing over at him with a reassuring smile.

“Yeah,” he replied, flashing you a smile before focusing back on the road. “Just a bit nervous, I guess.”

“Don’t be. She’s going to love you.” 

Arriving at your childhood home, the familiar row of townhouses brought a wave of nostalgia. Your mom was waiting up the steps, her face lighting up as she saw you pulled up. 

“Peter!” your mom exclaimed, “It’s so nice to finally meet you! I’ve heard so much about you,” your mom continued as she rushed down the steps, pulling Peter into a hug. 

“It’s great to meet you too, Ms Rogers,” he replied, his charm on full display as usual.

“Please, call me Sarah,” she insisted, leading you into the house. The warmth of the house enveloped you. Memories of family gatherings and childhood mischief flooding back to you. 

As you settled into the cozy living room, your mom’s warmth and humor shined through. She was a natural hostess, offering Peter a selection of drinks and snacks, wanting to make sure he felt completely at home. 

“Make yourself comfortable,” she said, handing him a cup of coffee. “I want to hear all about how you met my daughter.” 

She easily launched into the story, recounting that morning with a mix of humor and affection. Watching him, you felt a pang of guilt as you remembered your conflicted emotions. You forced a smile, yet your mom’s perceptive eyes didn’t miss the fleeting look of discomfort.

After a while, your mom shifted the conversation and began sharing stories from your childhood. She recounted tales of you and Steve, the room filling with laughter. 

“Do you remember when you, Steve, and James used to play in the backyard?” she asked, her eyes twinkling with amusement. “You were the bossy one, believe it or not,” she raised her eyebrow at Peter. “You made them play all sorts of games.” 

Chuckling, Peter looked at you curiously. “Really? What kind of games?” 

“Oh,” your mom started, her laughter booming around the room. “All sorts of games. But, there was one game she insisted on playing over and over– Your wedding day.” 

Your cheeks flushed as the memories flooded your mind. “Mom, come on, not that story.”

“Oh, it’s too adorable not to share!” she insisted. “You’d always make Steve and James play out weddings with you. Poor Stevie, always the minister or a guest, but you and James–” she paused, a fond smile spread across her face as she shook her head. “You insisted the two of you were to be wed, every time.” 

“You and Bucky?” Peter raised an eyebrow as he turned his attention to you. 

You nodded, a feeling of embarrassment coursing through you. “Yeah, it was just a silly children’s game.” 

After taking a sip of her tea, your mom continued. “You were so determined, making the poor boy hold your hand, and then you’d say the vows you heard from some Halloween-themed cartoon film,”

“The Corpse Bride,” you mumbled, your voice barely above a whisper as she continued. 

“It was the cutest thing.” she finished as the room filled with laughter once more. You couldn’t help but notice the pang of emotion, the childhood games felt like a lifetime ago. 

Peter smiled at the thought of your childhood antics as he took it all in stride. “Sounds like you had a lot of fun.” 

“We did,” you said softly, nodding despite the lump forming in your throat. Those memories had turned bittersweet, reminding you of simpler times. 

Peter excused himself as his phone rang, a call from work. Your mom sensed the shift in your mood, turning to you, her expression serious. 

“Baby, are you okay?” she asked gently.

You sighed, leaning back into the couch. “It’s complicated…” 

“By any chance does it have anything to do with James?” she asked, keeping her voice gentle and steady. 

You hesitated, tears welled in your eyes before you nodded. “I had this dream… and it was a, it was intense, Mom. I’ve never felt that way toward him before… or at least I thought I hadn’t.”

Reaching out, she took your hand in hers. “Dreams can bring out feelings we don’t always acknowledge when we’re awake. How did the dream make you feel?” 

“I didn’t know I could feel the way it made me,” you admitted, the tears threatening to spill. “It was so vivid, it almost seemed real. And, now, I’m questioning everything.” You glanced over to Peter standing in the kitchen, still deep in his conversation. “I love Peter, but this dream has my head all mixed up.”

She sighed softly. “Sometimes, feelings can be confusing, and that’s okay,” she said softly, squeezing your hand reassuringly. “Give yourself time to understand what you truly want, no one can make this decision for you.” 

You nodded, feeling the weight of her words. “I just… I don’t want to hurt anyone.” 

“Follow your heart, baby, even if it’s difficult,” she said softly. 

Taking a deep breath, you began to feel a sense of resolve. Your mom squeezed your hand again as Peter returned. Plastering on a smile, you were determined to get through the rest of the day and not let him see your inner turmoil. 

~

The afternoon continued with the stories, photo albums, and laughter. Yet, the tension inside you remained. And, as you and Peter prepared to leave, your mom pulled you aside once more. “Remember,” she started softly. “Take your time and follow your heart. You’ll find the answers you’re looking for.” 

Hugging her tightly, you nodded. “Thank you, Mom. I will.” 

Peter hugged your mom goodbye, he showed your mom his charm again as he thanked her for the lovely afternoon. “It was great meeting you, Sarah. I had a wonderful time.” 

“Likewise, Peter.” she gave him a warm smile. “Take care of my daughter.”

“I will,” he promised, his eyes locked with yours, filled with affection and concern.

As you stepped outside, the cool evening air hit your face. It brought a sense of reality that was hard to ignore. Entering the car, a comfortable silence falls over you and Peter. His hand found yours, giving it a gentle, reassuring squeeze. 

---

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[novelmonger]

6, 8, 10, and 18 for Susan Pevensie!

--Rain

6. What's something you have in common with this character?

I am the Susan Pevensie of my family - second-oldest, oldest girl, brown hair.... XD While the Edmund of my family is a sister, not a brother, I've always felt the most connection to Susan, at least in terms of sibling dynamics.

8. What's something the fandom does when it comes to this character that you despise?

ThE pRoBlEm Of SuSaN x.x Sure, I went through my own little journey of feeling betrayed by Susan when she rejected Narnia, but then I read what C.S. Lewis had to say about the matter, and how he thought she would probably come back to Aslan in the end, it just wasn't a story he really wanted to tell. I wish more fans would pay attention to what the author himself said, rather than running off in weird directions *cough*NeilGaiman*cough* or saying that it's all about anti-feminism or something. I whole-heartedly believe Susan will find her way to Aslan's country in the end. Her journey is just a bit more...circuitous.

10. Could you be best friends with this character?

Depending on when in her life it was...probably not. Certainly not during the time of her life where she was laughing at the "silly children's games" her siblings talk about; she would be far too "grown-up" for us to stand each other for very long. Maybe later on, when she grows old enough for fairy tales again.

18. How about a relationship they have in canon with another character that you admire?

I really like her relationship with Lucy. As an older sister myself, I know what it's like to sort of take on the "mom" role amongst the siblings. And yes, sometimes that leads to being rather bossy (and realizing you're being annoying even in the moment you're being annoying), but it also means your siblings turn to you for comfort - especially sisters. One of my favorite parts of the whole series, actually, is when Susan and Lucy sneak away to follow Aslan to the Stone Table, and then are there for his resurrection.

Character Ask Game

[mollusken]

That last post actually got me thinking and I'm about to be insufferable about Dungeon Meshi Survivor AU lol here's my headcanons:

- Laios is strong, he's going to be targeted as a challenge beast. But his social is not great so he's not going to be high on the list. With how long it took for his monster passion to come out I see it taking a while for him to truly get on people's nerves, but he would probably have a misunderstanding with Shuro and a bad reputation due to something he did/said being taken as a threat, or siding with the wrong person for a vote ala the gold strippers. He's really great for early challenge team leader, and would be able to win his own immunity. Great ally to be with, which makes him a big threat.

- Marcille is going to have a rocky time to start off. She can be opinionated, she makes a fuss, she gets paranoid and freaks out about vote. But she's good at social and puzzle challenges, so she keeps her tribe in the lead. Her alliances would help keep her head on straight, and she'd make it far because she's loyal. Once she's comfortable, she's playing strategy. She gets too cocky after a good move and it takes her out.

- Chilchuck's social would kill him in the beginning, because he's not going to share anything about himself (suspicious) & people are gonna find him too opinionated. He's bossy at camp. But he'd be great for puzzle challenges, and would find an idol that he would tell 0 people about so it surprises everyone when he whips it out for a tribal. I think he's good at studying the social game and knows what side to be on for votes. Once you get in with him he would protect his alliances but he's willing to flip to save himself because he always plays for himself first and foremost.

- Senshi would keep people fed so they would keep him around. There are points in the manga when he's carried in fights so I think for challenges that aren't based on strength he's going to have to be carried a bit. He's easy to talk to on a surface level, and Laios would have a strong relationship with him from day one. Loyal to his alliances and good at teamwork.

- I actually don't see Izutsumi playing tbh -- plus if you're being true to real life she can't play til she's 18 -- but she is going to struggle. Poor social play, bad at cooperating, definitely gets hostile with others ie. Senshi & food lol. Would do good in individual strength challenges but gives up on anything puzzle related like, immediately. If she didn't get voted out early she would have to reevaluate her game and once she learns to cooperate/make alliances, she's going to be okay for a while.

- Falin I don't see there especially with Laios already being, but she would be a well-rounded player. She's friendly with everyone so she is in a good place with the whole group, but that also makes her feel guilty when it comes to voting. She's decent at both physical and puzzle stuff but not the best in either. Good middle of the pack player who can make good alliances. Would gain an idol or advantage that she would sacrifice on her allies, leading to her vote-out.

- Kabru. Incredible social. Amazing manipulation, always on the right side of votes. Absolutely capable of huge blindsides, but he would be smart enough to keep his threat level down for as long as possible. Able to set up votes the way that he wants. Great at leading a team through challenges, mid strength, decent at puzzles. Probably would keep middle in individual challenges and never win, but gets taken on reward. Maybe loses at a fire making challenge since I doubt he has a lot of survival skills tbh, but I like the idea of him losing to Laios & see him getting Laios to take the credit for some moves to keep the heat off of himself until he makes his case to the jury. Laios has tighter alliances and his loyalty would push him ahead in the voting imo.

- Shuro: rich guy on the show that everyone is like. Why the fuck are you here. Good strength, awful social. Easy to use as a goat. Probably gets voted out post merge when they don't need the strength for team challenges.

- Namari: Decent social and strength, loyal to her alliances. Could go far but would be voted off early to save other alliances/voted out when an idol is played.

- Honestly I don't see Mithrun even applying but if we're going by fan favourites the main Canaries and Kabru's party would make up the majority of the players. He's going to merge just on the fact that he's great for challenges and has tight alliances very early on.

Cithis social, Lycion challenge beast (ha), Rin poor social but good puzzle. Most of Kabru's team doesn't get on the jury. Survivor can go any way depending on who gets placed where, personality clashes, etc. so I can see different votes in the beginning. But I definitely think most of Laios' party gets far.

[techouspeaks]

Quick Review of Hirogaru Sky Precure! CURE WING IS EVERYTHING!

As said, with Tumblr being a butt with allowing my reviews to show up in tags, I haven't done much reviews. I've been writing the review for Delicious Party Precure. I've just been super busy with other things and my anxiety had been for a while so haven't been in the mood but now with Cure Wing out, I feel like I should give my thoughts on the new series so far!

I feel like this has been a solid series so far. At first, I wasn't too won over in the first episode, even though Cure Sky/Sora is a power house and I relate to her in some ways, I wasn't buying it too much until we dove into more of Mashiro/Cure Prims, who up until now I gravitated towards but now that we have the BOY, wow!

Please note, I haven't watched episode 9 yet but I did see Cure Wing's transformation and attack and it is everything!

But before that, there are some stuff I wanted to get to. I like how this series as Leo from Magical Cinnamon Channel on Youtube has said, connects everything very neatly. Like how in episode 8 Mashiro explains that the kids were worried about Sora because she wasn't at school and everyone knows she's healthy and strong. I like how they try to give us a few twists and turns with certain scenarios we maybe familiar with. Like for one, our lead cure is not only a blue cure instead of a pink cure, but she's from another land and Mashiro is a Skylandian as well or at least descendant from one. We have a fairy turned cure that not only isn't the midseason cure but he's also the first male cure of the main team.

The animation is probably the best animation we've seen since probably in a while. I didn't hate Delicious Party Precure nor Healin Good Precure but in terms of animation, they really brought their A game with this one!

Sora I like okay, but maybe that's because she reminds me a bit of me that I think I don't gravitate to her as much. I mean, something about characters reminding me of myself too much has always been something off to me but I don't find her a bad character and she certainly is more interesting than any blue cure that came before her.

Mashiro is a great foil to Sora. She's not really the shy cute type and that's what makes her a great character. She seems one thing but she's also energetic without being a "Happy Go Lucky Type" or a "Shy Type". I like how she's logical too. She has common sense and brings everyone back down to earth!

Yoyo is also a nice little add as the mysterious grandmother but I'm glad she's doesn't know everything. I wasn't sure how I felt with her seemingly to know everything but when she shows legit concern, it comes across as natural and I started to like her more.

Ageha, I wasn't too sure of but she grew on me and I like the fact that she's kind of diva in which she can be bossy, but she's also understanding, supportive and ready to help. I was worried that she was gonna be another snob when we first got a look at her as Cure Butterfly but she's not and I'm glad.

And then of course, we have Tsubasa and he is everything! He's sweet, he's smart, he's shy but knows when it's time to speak up. He has a dream that is relatable in which wanting to achieve something but people make fun of you for it, but I like how his dream is a little more on the down to earth side. Not that we didn't have cures with realistic dreams, but I like how he actually learns a bit of the science about how to fly. I feel like we've seen cures achieve dreams but not really explain the details about those dreams like the overall work put in it. Maybe we have and I just don't remember.

I hate the fact people make fun of Tsubasa's hair! Like seriously! I honestly think it makes him look unique. The hair piece on top makes sense especially considering some birds have feathered crowns which seems to represent that in Cure Wing! I also think the emo thing makes him look different and honestly, may represent him as a character. I mean most people who do the emo thing are outcasts and he certainly is that among his tribe, he's the only fairy so far in his season to transform and most of all, he's the first male cure of a main team and the only boy in his group. I even think that his hair may even represent a "broken wing" because he felt useless not being able to fly, only for "his wing to be repaired" once he becomes Cure Wing, this that part of his hair goes up when he transforms.

Elle Chan is okay. She's a baby and not much to her but I did get get misty eyed when she was missing her parents.

Now the I wouldn't say bad parts but yeah I don't like Kabaton. I think they were trying to do a "Close" type thing but make him more goofy so he didn't scare kids and he just doesn't do it for me. If you like him and many do, more power to you. I guess it makes sense cuz I thought he was saying "Underdog energy" when I realize he means "Under ground energy". So pigs are earthy creatures and he's an underdog because he's a punk but yeah...Not the best. I do like it when the cures literally tell him to shut up and stop hogging the screen time, that self awareness is beautiful! XD

Overall, I think this series is solid so far and may join the ranks among the best precure seasons if continues working like this. The animation is beautiful and stellar, sometimes the story is slow in some parts but overall, the music is solid and the characters are well likeable with the exception of a weak first henchman. I won't give it a rating just yet! We'll see how it goes!

[sercezgazety]

“So,” Edalyn says conversationally. “Bossy Boots got herself a new mentor, didya hear?”

It takes Lilith a second to understand who is her sister talking about, but when she does, she makes sure to keep her expression neutral. She inspects the contents of her cup with great care, perhaps even too great because now her glasses are completely fogged up. A lesser witch would probably be grateful for the additional time the ordeal gave them; a more insecure person would undoubtedly feel thankful for the distraction while wiping the glasses against the hem of the skirt. Not Lilith, though. Yes, she does what’s necessary and wipes the glasses, who wouldn’t. But she doesn’t stall.

“Indeed,” she just comments dryly. “I sure am glad. Luz is a marvelous glyph instructor, but there are things she simply cannot help with. Young Amity is a very talented witch, I noticed that immediately. A rough diamond of sorts, one could say.”

Edalyn just raises an eyebrow.

“With a bit of polishing, a couple years of studies and some more practice, I’m certain she can become a formidable witch,” Lilith continues.

The Owl Lady’s eyebrow shoots up even higher. Lilith ignores it, producing a pair of elegant tongs out of her handbag, and only then reaching for the sugar bowl. She’s been at Edalyn’s house enough times already to know her sister might be in possession of the most unnecessary and random pieces of cutlery imaginable, but never the ones that would allow her guests to drink their tea like witches, not animals. Lilith’s too well-mannered to make any comment on that. If Edalyn sees her visitors actively bringing the necessary appliances with themselves, she will eventually pick up on it and start providing people with the proper utensils.

“And practice she will get,” Lilith adds with a weary sigh.

“You sound like that’s a bad thing,” Edalyn comments, completely ignoring Lilith’s demonstration and picking up a sugar cube with her dirty fingers before putting it directly in her mouth. Lilith suppresses a shudder at the memory of the Owl Lady picking her nose just two minutes ago. She pointedly reaches for another cube with tongs.

Educating Edalyn on proper manners and social conventions has become something of a personal project of Lilith’s. If leading by example fails, there’s always shaming. For almost a month now, Lilith’s been openly wiping the rim of the offered cups with a handkerchief and examining the remains of red lipstick with open disgust. There’s no way Edalyn hasn’t noticed that, she’s called Lilith prissy at least twice this week. It’s obvious that at some point she will give up her childish games and wash the dishes properly. So far, Lilith’s efforts have been fruitless, but there are times when the Owl Lady just actively chooses to be obtuse.

“Not bad per se. Practice is a very useful part of magic. Some even call it crucial.” Lilith sticks out her pinky before she takes a sip of the tea. “But you have to admit, it’s truly a blessing that young witches are no longer required to seal their magic away with the sigils. Amity would soon come to regret her choice of the abomination track over the Emperor’s Coven.”

“Yes, Lily, that is exactly the reason why the sigils were bad,” Edalyn deadpans. “Literally, can’t think of anything else.”

Lilith does scoff, but not too loud.

“You know very well what I mean! You’re twisting my words just to make me look bad.”

“Nah, you don’t need my help doing that,” Edalyn says with a dismissive wave of a hand.

Lilith whisks away some lint that has already gathered on her dress. It’s as if one automatically became squalid the moment they took a seat in the Owl Lady’s living room. Frankly, it’s a bit disappointing that Hootsifer allows for this state of affairs to continue, but it is understandable. Lilith’s quite certain the house demon did all within his power to change the habits of his tenants. At some point, he must have given up. It’s hard to blame him, really. Who wouldn’t? Not everyone has Lilith’s conviction and perseverance.

“All I’m saying is that young Amity’s far too versatile to pursue just one interest in such a definitive manner. I saw a great potential in the girl when I noticed and took interest in her. Yes, she’s clearly inclined towards one specific type of magic, but she could be doing so much more. Before she commits, she should at least explore what other types of magic have to offer.

“Oh yeah, sis.” Edalyn smiles, and Lilith, painfully aware what’s coming, has to smother down the urge to wipe that grin off her hostess’ face. “Actually, I do remember her using some of the Construction Coven techniques back at the Covention. You were really making sure she knew there were other options, huh?”

Lilith can feel her lips tighten before she schools her features back into polite indifference. This is not something worth getting mimic wrinkles.

“Need I remind you, Edalyn, that you also stooped to deceit in order to help your own protégée back then?”

Edalyn just snorts and doesn’t seem in the least embarrassed by the memory. “Well, seems I was better at it. Since, you know. I still have mine.”

“Pardon?” Lilith inquires, even though she should have known better.

“I still have my prodigy,” her sister explains with deep satisfaction.

Lilith wrinkles her nose in annoyance. “It’s protégée.”

“Pretty sure you’re pronouncing it wrong,” Edalyn claims, stretching her back. One of her bones gives a sickening snap. “And since when are you such a prodigy expert? You don’t have one.”

“Yes, Edalyn, you’ve made that part abundantly clear. Even though you keep using the wrong word.” Lilith’s irritation must have become noticeable at some point because now Eda seems to enjoy herself even more. “But putting aside that matter, what I wanted to say is, it’s really good news. Splendid.” Lilith claps her hands once to show how genuine her excitement is. “The moment I noticed the Blight girl, I knew she would go far. A talent like that indeed should be nurtured, and I sure am glad she was noticed again. She’s gifted, yes, but more importantly, ambitious, driven and hardworking. I wouldn’t be shocked if she were to become one of the most powerful witches on the Isles within the next two decades. It’s amazing. And such a great news for Luz too, I imagine. I’m really happy for the both of them!”

“And Darius,” the ever-helpful Edalyn supplies.

“And Darius,” Lilith echoes gracefully. “It’s one of the best news we’ve gotten in weeks. Now it truly seems like the young generation is in good hands.” Lilith stretches her lips in a smile. “It is an amazing opportunity, training under such a skilled witch. Great for everyone involved. It’s very important that genuine talent is being recognized, just like I hoped it would be when I started tutoring her. Young Amity’s social standing is unquestionably going to improve even further now. That’s terrific. I sure am glad.”

“Yeah, Lily, you’ve mentioned that one already,” Eda says slowly. “Listen, we don’t need to talk about it anymore. Perhaps we should talk about your sugar intake or something like that?”

“Oh, but I am perfectly comfortable discussing Darius’ new mentee! Why wouldn’t I be?” Lilith hears her voice getting a bit too high, so she covers the momentary abashment with a sip out of her cup.

She doesn’t spit it out. She’s an adult and well-mannered witch, and they don’t do such things. She swallows the tea, and only then cards her hands over her mouth in order to stop the gagging noises from becoming too loud.

“I dunno, because you just spent like five minutes adding sugar to your tea without stopping?” Edalyn offers.

Lilith stares at the half empty sugar bowl. It was quite full the last time she looked at it. She lays the tongs down delicately and tries really hard not to grimace at the sugary bile rising in her throat.

Continue reading here

[tallmantall]

James Donaldson on Mental Health - Why Girls Apologize Too Much

How to help them stop saying 'sorry' and express confidence Writer: Rae Jacobson Clinical Experts: Rachel Busman, PsyD, ABPP , Stephen Hinshaw, PhD - Conflicting messages - The focus on empathy - The bossy problem - Watch your language - Praise directness - Keep apologies real - Tools for the future We often hear that women apologize more than men—and that it isn’t always a healthy or effective thing to do. Recently comedian Amy Schumer did a sketch about female thought leaders at a conference who were so busy apologizing on stage that they never got the opportunity to actually share their expertise.  Apologizing can be a good thing—a sign that a child is empathetic and has strong social skills. But saying you’re sorry too much can backfire. For instance, when a girl starts a statement by saying, “Sorry, but… ” or “I might be wrong, but …” she may think she’s being polite, but it undermines what she’s about to say. “It says ‘I don’t feel confident in what I’m about to say or my right to say it,’ ” explains Rachel Busman, PsyD, a clinical psychologist. So what causes girls to be prone to apologize, and what can parents do to help? Conflicting messages As girls grow up, the messages they receive about what “good” behavior looks like get more and more complicated and confusing. In his book The Triple Bind, Stephen Hinshaw, PhD, explains that as they reach adolescence, girls are increasingly asked to conform to what he views as “an impossible set of standards.” One of the key tasks of adolescence is what’s called “individuation,” or the process of becoming a unique individual, explains Dr. Hinshaw, who is a clinical psychologist. Boys, he says, “are traditionally seen as having more of the skills that lead to individuation: assertiveness, self-confidence, expressiveness, and commitment to one’s own agenda.” From a young age boys are praised and encouraged when they show direct, confident behaviors—winning a game or climbing to the highest branch. Girls, Dr. Hinshaw explains, are also told to be ambitious, smart, and successful. But for them the directive comes with conditions that hamper individuation. - Be confident, but not conceited - Be smart, but no one likes a know-it-all - Ambition is good, but trying too hard is bad - Be assertive, but only if it doesn’t upset anyone else The focus on empathy These confusing messages reflect the fact that girls are often expected to be empathetic and hyper-aware of how their actions affect others. In fact, one study of college age men and women claimed that both sexes apologized in equal proportion for what they considered to be offensive behavior, but women reported committing more offenses than men, indicating that their threshold for perceiving offense was much lower. This could be because girls and women are conditioned to be more attuned to—and responsible for—how their behavior affects others. This empathetic awareness complicates behaviors associated with success: winning, drive, and competition. For example, if a boy wins a race, he’s less likely to consider how his victory affected his competitors, whereas a girl might win and be happy for it, but downplay her success out of concern for the loser’s feelings. “Girls,” explains Dr. Hinshaw, “are more often rewarded for focusing on others’ feelings while boys are more often rewarded for asserting themselves.” The bossy problem Girls who don’t play by these rules often experience negative social feedback. A girl who is assertive might be called bossy, a girl who shows confidence in her ideas, conceited. Though still told to work hard, get ahead, and be successful, girls are often shamed, especially by other female peers, if they appear pushy, overly confident, or too forward. “No one wants to be seen as bossy,” says Dr. Busman. “So it can be tempting for a girl to use qualifying language to avoid being viewed in a negative light by her peers or authority figures.” Girls begin to pepper their language with apologies and qualifiers that turn statements into suggestions and make requests feel less demanding. “I know” becomes “I’m not sure, but…” “I have a question” turns into “Sorry, would it be okay if I asked a question?” Tuning into these conversational tics is the first step to helping your daughter use more confident language. Here are a few to listen for: Over-apologizing: Apologizing too often or when there’s no actual reason to do so. For example, a girl apologizing to a waitress for not being ready to order, or an automatic “Sorry!” if she brushes the arm of the person next to her in class. Starting sentences with “sorry”: This gets girls off on the wrong foot from the get-go, says Dr. Busman. “Beginning a comment with an apology immediately puts her in a one-down position,” she explains. “It instantly delegitimizes any authority she has.” Hedging: Another stealthier version of apologetic language is “hedging”—not exactly apologizing, but still expressing a lack of confidence. Examples of common hedges include: - “Excuse me, can I ask…” - “I might be wrong, but …” - “I don’t know, but…” So how can parents help girls learn speak more confidently? Watch your language The first thing parents can do is tune into their own linguistic habits. ”Kids are great imitators,” says Dr. Busman. Girls who hear parents—especially moms—over-apologizing or using hedging language are likely to pick up the habit themselves. Being mindful of your own language will set an example of confident speech and show her you support her learning to do the same. #James Donaldson notes:Welcome to the “next chapter” of my life… being a voice and an advocate for #mentalhealthawarenessandsuicideprevention, especially pertaining to our younger generation of students and student-athletes.Getting men to speak up and reach out for help and assistance is one of my passions. Us men need to not suffer in silence or drown our sorrows in alcohol, hang out at bars and strip joints, or get involved with drug use.Having gone through a recent bout of #depression and #suicidalthoughts myself, I realize now, that I can make a huge difference in the lives of so many by sharing my story, and by sharing various resources I come across as I work in this space.  #http://bit.ly/JamesMentalHealthArticleFind out more about the work I do on my 501c3 non-profit foundationwebsite www.yourgiftoflife.org Order your copy of James Donaldson's latest book,#CelebratingYourGiftofLife: From The Verge of Suicide to a Life of Purpose and Joy www.celebratingyourgiftoflife.com Link for 40 Habits Signupbit.ly/40HabitsofMentalHealth If you'd like to follow and receive my daily blog in to your inbox, just click on it with Follow It. Here's the link https://follow.it/james-donaldson-s-standing-above-the-crowd-s-blog-a-view-from-above-on-things-that-make-the-world-go-round?action=followPub Praise directness One of the reasons girls use hedging or apologetic language is because it feels more polite. Although all genders are encouraged to have good manners, a heavier value is often placed on girls’ ability to be nice, polite, and compliant. There’s nothing wrong with being polite—if the situation calls for it, says Dr. Busman. “Saying ‘excuse me,’ if she’s actually interrupting a conversation is completely reasonable and shows awareness. But prefacing questions with ‘excuse me’ when she’s not interrupting sends the message that she feels like she needs permission to express her ideas.” Instead of overprizing politeness, help your daughter focus on being direct first, and polite second. Using clear language demonstrates confidence and makes it more likely her point will be heard. Work together to test out alternative statements that are polite, but direct. For example, compare the following responses to a lab partner who is struggling with a task: - Indirect response: “Sorry, I’m not really an expert, but maybe I can help?” - “Direct response: “I know how to do this, would you like me to show you?” The direct response is still polite, but it also communicates that she’s comfortable taking the lead and confident in her skills. Disagreement is okay Another reason girls qualify and apologize is to defuse or avoid situations that could lead to disagreements. It can feel scary to commit to a statement that others might not like, but learning to be comfortable with disagreement and debate will make her more resilient and give her a healthy toolkit for managing adversity in the future. Keep apologies real Of course, not all apologies are unnecessary, but it’s important to know the difference between situations that call for a real, heartfelt apology and times when she’s just saying sorry out of habit. Start by asking her to be mindful of why she’s apologizing or being indirect. For example, if she has a question during a presentation in class there’s no reason to begin her statement with “I’m sorry, can I ask a question?” On the flip side, if she interrupts a classmate or talks out of turn, that might be something to apologize for. Bringing her awareness to when—and why—she’s apologizing will help her be more confident and make her true apologies more meaningful. Tools for the future Helping your daughter drop unnecessary apologies and begin using clear, direct language will give her a powerful tool for success in the future.   No matter who she’s speaking to—friends, teachers, co-workers, or even someday the employees of her own company—knowing how to communicate with confidence sends the message that she’s self-assured, proud of her skills, and comfortable expressing her ideas. And she’s not sorry about it one bit. Read the full article

[watchmegetobsessed]

VALERIE - Part VII. (Harry Styles)

wow, its crazy we are on part 7 already! not much left of the story! thank you for the kind words on the previous post, i really need the encouraging, i’ve been having some rough days lately and they always make me smile, so please, if you enjoy this part, make sure to lik/reblog/leave a comment or basically do ANYTHING! please!

word count: 5.8k

SERIES MASTERPOST

masterlist

Staying up until six am was definitely one of your worst decisions, especially at a house with kids who do not know boundaries and do everything as they please. 

You growl in irritation when you hear muffled screaming from outside. Can’t a girl just sleep in?!

“Mmm,” you groan, burying your face further into the pillow.

“Harry! Harry!” Margaret’s bossy voice echoes out in the hallway and your eyes immediately snap open.

Sitting up you realize that you’re still in Harry’s room, more specifically in Harry’s bed, but he is not there next to you anymore, however Margaret’s footsteps are getting threateningly close. She can’t find you in Harry’s bed, she has such a big mouth, your whole family will talk about it in no time and that just can’t happen.

“Fuck, fuck, fuck!” you mumble in panic, jumping out of the bed and before you could process the running shower’s sound, you run into the bathroom and shut the door closed right before Margaret barges into Harry’s room. You even lock the door, knowing well she is nosy enough to come in there as well.

“Harry! Good morning!” her voice comes from the other side of the door and you rest your forehead against it huffing. That was close.

“Good morning to you too, princess!”

Harry’s voice comes from right behind you and it sends a shiver down your spine as your eyes widen. You didn’t even think that he might be in here, and apparently, he was. Turning around you find yourself standing almost toe to toe with a very much naked Harry who probably just got out of the shower. Your lips part first at the sight of him, then you suck them into your mouth, not even daring to move.

“Come and play with us!” Margaret demands. Harry’s green eyes burn into you intently, even when he answers your niece.

“Will be out to play with you in a minute. Go and grab the cards while I finish in here,” he calls out and for a few seconds you forget to breathe, trying your best to keep your eyes up on his face. 

His skin glistens in the light, still damp from the shower, droplets are running down his tattoo-covered chest and arms while his wet hair is falling into his forehead. He is surely a spectacular sight so early in the morning and you almost hate how your body reacts to him without your consent. 

Margaret’s little footsteps move over to the door before she runs out and you hear the door shutting, but the two of you still stand at the same spot. His arm reaches past you and you suck on your breath even though he doesn’t even touch you. Calmly he grabs the towel that was hanging on the door beside the door and he comfortably wraps it around his waist, eyes still burning down on you.

“I don’t mind you watching, but I think she is gone, so…” A small smirk is hiding in the corners of his mouth as he watches you snap out of your trance. 

“I, uhh--yeah. I’ll just… go. See you l-later I guess,” you stutter finally turning around and walking out of the bathroom, Harry’s soft chuckle following you. 

You make your way out of his room quite fast and sprint back to yours. Once the door is shut and locked behind you, back pressed to it you slide down to the floor in desperate need to take a few deep breaths. 

There’s no use to try and convince yourself you don’t find Harry attractive. That would be absolute bullshit, because then you wouldn’t have slept with him years ago in the first place. What frightens you however is that your newly funded friendship with him is taking away the hatred that kept you away from him all these years and you are starting to see him in a completely different light. And that cannot happen, not when you think your life is changing for the better.

You have Marcus now. You have a balanced, healthy relationship with a guy who seems to be the perfect fit for you. There’s no need to ruin everything because your stupid crush on Harry is making a comeback. 

“Get your shit together,” you tell yourself pushing yourself up from the floor, shaking your limbs out a little. You have an entire day ahead of you spent partly with Harry, you can’t lose your mind.

***

The weather is oddly warm, so following breakfast almost everyone moves outside to the backyard to soak the late december sunshine in. Aunt Teresa and your mom are taking a look at the little flower pots at the corner of the terrace, taking guesses what kind of plants will push out from the ground once spring comes. The kids are running around playing tag, making the best out of the huge backyard and endless possibilities of outside games while you sit with Lily and Jeremy, Valerie in your arms, feeling a little tired after her breakfast. Rosa put her into an overall and a fluffy hat, only her sweet little face is out, a hint of blush tinting her cheeks. 

From the corner of your eyes you see Harry walk out and he stops next to you, squatting down so he can take a look at Val.

“Hey there, Princess,” he grins widely and Valerie starts babbling to him, as if she was having a whole conversation with him while he hums along, pretending to understand every word.

If you are being honest, seeing him for the first time at breakfast after your bathroom encounter, especially with that smug smirk playing on his pink lips, you needed a few moments to get your thoughts straight, but luckily, Harry didn’t tease you about it, not even for a second, so soon enough your nerves settled and you were able to feel comfortable around him again. 

Valerie reaches out for him and he looks into your eyes asking for permission to take her from you.

“All yours,” you smile letting him lift her up from your arms and holding her in a sitting position he leaves to slowly walk around the backyard and show her the many wonders of nature around us. 

“He is so good with kids,” Lily speaks up and tearing your eyes away from Harry, you see that she is looking in his way too. 

“He is,” you nod turning back in his direction. He is showing her a dried out, brown leaf and she is watching him twirl it around in his hands as if it was one of the seven wonders.

“I’m glad Rosa chose him to be the godfather. I’m sure he and Valerie will be best friends. And she has you too,” Lily smiles at you. “You two are the perfect godparents.”

You just smile at her shyly before turning your gaze back to Harry. He catches you watching and murmurs something into Valerie’s ear before taking her little hand and making her wave in your way. Chuckling you wave back and mentally you not how you want to remember this picture forever. 

After lunch you help Teresa and Etta wash the dishes while Jeremy, Lily, Joe and Harry settle for a round of scrabble at the dining table. When you’re done in the kitchen you join them, pulling a chair next to Harry you take a look at his letters.

“I have absolutely no idea what to do,” he sighs, fingers tapping on the edge of the table.

“You have a word, and you could make it go through the triple,” you tell him, Joe and Jeremy looking up at you with a mixture of shock and anger.

“Hey, no help from outside!” Joe points at you, but you just chuckle taking Harry’s letters into your hands.

“Is it your turn?” you ask him before you’d put them down to the board. Harry nods and curiously watches you put his letters connecting to a T that was already there.

“Crottle?” Harry asks reading out the word once you are finished, the E ending up on the tile that triples the score of the word.

“I’m 99 percent sure it’s not a word,” Jeremy huffs, clearly annoyed Harry just took the lead with your word.

“It is,” you smile proudly, leaning back in your seat.

“And what does that mean?” Joe chimes in. 

“It’s a kind of lichen. In Scotland they use it to dye wool. Look it up, I’m telling the truth,” you chuckle seeing the doubtful looks.

“It is, look,” Lily tells him, handing her phone over, she probably just searched for it. Jeremy reads it then hands her back her phone, mumbling something under his breath before adding the scores to Harry’s column.

“How do you know this word?” Harry asks with a soft chuckle, but you just shrug your shoulders, folding your arms on your chest.

“I don’t know. Probably heard it somewhere.”

“Clever,” he smiles and as he turns back to the board his hand reaches over and gives a gentle squeeze to your thigh above your knee.

It’s such a short and insignificant action, doesn’t even last longer than just a second before his hand moves back to the table, but you find yourself thinking about how his touch felt even minutes later, when it’s his turn again. This time he has an idea of his own, luckily you don’t have to help him, because if he asked you to, you couldn’t have come up with anything, mind still stuck on that one touch.

Before dinner the kids find a few huge bags full of fallen leaves that must have been collected through the fall and they are quick to make a big mess, gathering the leaves into one enormous pile and they start jumping into it, no matter how many times their parents tell them to stop making such a mess. They just keep telling them that they’ll clean it up. 

“I used to love doing that,” you smile at them, sitting outside on the veranda. Harry turns to you grinning.

“Why don’t you join them?”

“What?” you chuckle. “I’m not a kid anymore.”

“Stop being so lame! Come on, I’ll jump in with you,” he offers and standing up he holds out a hand for you, but you just shake your head.

“I’ll pass.”

Harry rolls his eyes and you really think he’ll just move on, but the next thing you know is that he throws you over his shoulder, running down to the pile of leaves as you scream from the top of your lungs, demanding to be let go.

“Oh, I’ll let you go, don’t worry!” he chuckles and you already know you stand no chance against him. His strong arm is curled around your thighs too tight, there’s no way you can escape. 

“Harry! Please don’t thro--Fuck!” you scream when with one swift and elegant move he throws you off his shoulder, tossing you right into the middle of the pile, leaves flying everywhere as the pile swallows your body. 

You instantly hear the kids' laughter and when you push the leaves out of your face you stare up at a grinning Harry who is very much satisfied with the work he just did.

“Very funny and mature,” you grimace, but can’t hide the smile that tugs on your lips. 

“It is. Come on,” he chuckles holding out a hand with the intention of helping you out of the pile, but you have a better plan. 

Getting a strong grip of his hand you pull on him forcefully, hoping you have enough strength to pull him out of his balance and bring him down into the pile beside you. 

Luckily, your plan works out. He wasn’t expecting your revenge, so he easily loses balance once you pull on him, making him fly straight into the pile next to you, leaves rustling under his body, making an even bigger mess than it was before. 

“Hah! I bet you did not expect this!” you scoff once his head pops out from under the dry leaves. He shoots you a murderous look before launching right at you and soon enough a whole fight blossoms where the two of you are constantly throwing handfuls of leaves at each other, trying to bury the other into the pile. 

“Okay, okay, stop!” you shriek when your hair is full of crumbles and you’ve been rolling around for quite a while. Harry is kneeling beside you, hands full of leaves, ready to attack any moment.

“I only stop if you say that you’ll never plot anything against me and that I’m your one and only true king.”

“What?” you snort. “I’m not saying that!” Harry is quick to throw one handful of leaves right into your face making you scream again. “Alright! Alright! I will never plot anything against you!” you hold your hands up, trying to stop him from throwing the other bunch from his hand.

“And?”

“And…” You look at him, holding your laughter back as he patiently waits for you to finish. “And you are my one and only true king.”

He takes a deep breath through his nose before finally throwing the leaves away. He holds a hand out for you, but you stare at it hesitantly.

“Don’t be such a baby, I’m not gonna do anything,” he rolls his eyes, but you see the hidden smile on his lips. At last you take his hand and he helps out get op from the ground. Your pants and hoodie is filled with dirt stains and crumbles, it’s gonna take a while to get them out of your hair as well.

“You two are worse than the kids!” Lily laughs as you and Harry basically do a walk of shame, getting inside the house all dirty and muddy.

“All his fault!” you say, holding your hands up innocently.

“Uh-huh, no one believes that,” Harry snorts.

“Since I look like this because of you, I’m gonna take a shower in your bathroom. I need the luxury to wash this all off myself,” you state walking down the hallway.

“Only after I’m done in there.”

“Hey!” you snap pointing a finger at him. “The least you can do is to let me go first!”

“You have to beat me, Love,” he smirks and the two of you launch at the same time.

You knew you’d stand no chance, since you have to get all your stuff in your room before running into his, but you still tried. Holding your towels and showering and hair products to your chest you barge into his room, only to find it completely empty, the bathroom door closed.

“Ah, fuck you!” you call out with a frustrated growl, but just as you are about to leave, the door opens and Harry peeks out.

“It’s cute you thought you could beat me,” he chuckles walking out and holding the door open for you. Walking past him you stick your tongue out at him before you shut the door behind you and after a moment of hesitation you lock it. 

It feels great to wash the dirt off yourself and when you step out of the shower you feel like a new person. You wrap your hair up into one of the towels before curling the other one around your body. Gathering your things you hold everything to your chest tightly, this way holding the towel as well as you walk out of the bathroom. 

Harry is lying on his bed, scrolling through his phone when his eyes snap over to you. He doesn’t shy away from taking a long look at your uncovered legs as you walk around the bed heading to the door.

“The bathroom is all yours, thanks for the chance,” you smile shyly.

“So you’re not staying to wash my back? Not a nice way to treat your king!” he teases you, but you just roll your eyes at him before walking out of his room and shutting his door. 

Even though you know it was just a joke, your mind wanders over to the scene where the two of you shower together, hands touching and feeling up each other. You suck on your breath, shaking your head, trying to get rid of the thought as you lock yourself up in your own room while Harry is probably over at his bathroom, just getting under the hot water. 

***

After dinner you all gather in the sunroom, wrapped in fluffy blankets, drinking tea or hot chocolate, Aunt Monica of yourse scotch, and you start opening gifts one by one, watching everyone’s reaction.

Of course, the kids go first, tearing their presents’ wrapping apart as they reveal all the new toys. Dolls, board games, books and video games, they are truly spoiled, but with such a big family they can always expect some pretty cool gifts. Then it’s the adults’ turn. Sitting on the sofas and armchairs, you hand around the boxes and watch each other get surprised.

Your mom and dad have bought you a beautiful gold ring, one you’ve been talking about for ages after the first time you saw it at a shop. Rosa and Steven ordered a bunch of books from your Amazon wishlist and framed a montage of you and Val, it was truly a sweet gesture.

From your cousins and aunts you get some clothes and gift cards to your favorite places, just what you’ve been needing. 

“These ones are the last,” Rosa smiles up holding two not too big gifts, an excited smile pulling on her lips. “They are from Valerie, to her amazing godparents.”

She hands one to you and one to Harry and you place it carefully on your lap. Exchanging a look with Harry the two of you start opening the wrapping paper at the same time. As soon as the glittery paper is gone you can’t help the smile that pulls on your lips. Seems like Rosa had a thing with framing pictures this year, because you are looking down at a photo of you, Valerie and Harry from a few weeks ago.

It was taken in their backyard and you’re holding her in your arms, smiling widely as Valerie is giggling happily at her mother behind the camera. Harry is standing close to you, one arm around your shoulders, his other hand holding Val’s tiny hand. He is hunching down a little to lessen the height difference between the two of you, a genuine smile plastered across his handsome face. 

“Thank you,” you breathe out feeling a little sentimental about the photo. Seeing the three of you so happy and carefree in one picture reminds you how much things have changed since Valerie’s arrival. She really is the reason why you and Harry are now… friends. Yes, you definitely see him as a friend now instead of an enemy. 

Gift opening ends and you all just stay there in the sunroom, talking and laughing, but your eyes wander over to Harry, because there is one gift left that hasn’t been opened. You bought it quite randomly and you don’t even consider it a real Christmas gift, but you’ll give it to him anyway. Later, when it’s gonna be just the two of you.

“You know, if someone showed me this picture a few months ago I would have told them it must be photoshopped,” Harry chuckles sitting down next to you. The kids have whined long enough to play one round of UNO where everyone plays. You were the second one to get rid of all your cards, Harry following you in the next round so now you are left out of the game that is seemingly taken very seriously by everyone. Loser has to clean up all the wrapping paper, so no one shies away from throwing in their best cards.

Harry is holding the framed photo in his hands, he got the exact same one, but in a darker colored frame.

“Crazy, right?” you chuckle. “I think it’s our first photo together since the wedding,” you say thinking about it.

Harry nods realizing you’re right. You had one photo taken at the wedding. When Rosa and Steven were having their first dance they asked everyone else to join them at the end and Harry was quick to ask if you wanted to dance with him. Naturally, you said yes, so you slow danced, not even noticing that the photographer snapped the moment when your cheeks were pressed together, your arms hugging his neck as he held you close by your waist. 

You still have that photo saved on your phone, though it brought you quite some pain when you first saw it, the memories from that morning flooding back to you ruthlessly when you scrolled through the pictures a few weeks later.

“It was time we had a new one,” he smiles at you and that smile means a lot to you. It shows that your newly funded friendship is just as important to him as it is to you. It’s nice to know he is not just acting so Rosa wouldn’t worry about the two of you. You successfully overcome that stage by now. 

It’s nearing midnight when the party dies down and everyone slowly starts to return to their rooms. You do the same, using Harry’s bathroom to shower without even asking him. He just chuckles when you walk in. He is already in his night clothes, scrolling through his phone.

When you’re done you’re walking past his bed, but before you leave you stop at the door.

“Harry?”

“Hmm?” his eyes move up to you.

“I have something for you.” Harry looks at you a little puzzled, but you don’t go into details, just go back to your room.

Just as you were expecting, he follows you and by the time you throw your dirty clothes into your suitcase he is standing at the door. You grab the little box and sit on your bed gesturing to him to do the same. Curiously eyeing you, he closes the door and joins you, a small smile tugging on his lips.

“I got you a Christmas present,” you tell him smirking in excitement, and you see his face completely fall.

“Fuck, Y/N, I didn’t know you would, so I didn’t get you anything. If I would have known--”

“Shush, it’s not even a real gift. Just a little something that reminded me of you.”

You hold out your hand, palm facing up as the box sits in the middle. Harry hesitantly glances down at it, back at you and then his eyes settle on the box as he slowly takes it. You watch his fingers work on it, gently opening the little paper box that you didn’t even wrap.

The little silvery keychain slides out into his palm and he examines it with furrowed eyebrows, reading the two words it forms.

“For fuck’s sake,” he chuckles shaking his head when he finally realizes what it says, holding his gift up that reads ‘twerk it’ and it even lights up if he switches it on at the back.

“I just saw it and it screamed for you, I couldn’t not buy it,” you laugh, enjoying the scene a tad bit too much. It’s a subtle reference to the night in the bar when the two of you sang together at the karaoke machine and Harry swore he did not twerk in the middle of the performance, but you remember it clearly, no need to deny. You’ve been teasing him with it since then constantly and thought it would be funny to take it a step further.

“I’m… speechless,” he chuckles, carefully sliding it back into the box. “I’ll put it to my keys. I’ll always know which one is mine,” he shakes his head.

He stays in your room and the two of you are quick to start chatting about anything and everything. Harry tells you about Christmases at his family and you think how fun it all sounds, wishing you could go with him tomorrow. 

“When are you leaving in the morning?” you ask. The two of you are now comfortable in bed, an unspoken agreement has been settled that you’re sleeping together again. Deep down you were hoping for it to happen again, but you weren’t sure how it would stand with Harry, you thought he only agreed to it last night because you both were drunk. But when he slid under your covers when he was in the middle of a story you smiled, knowing he won’t be leaving tonight.

“Um, I have to leave before seven. My flight is at eleven and I need to get my stuff from my place before I head to the airport,” he sighs, fidgeting with the pillowcase as you are both lying on your sides facing each other. “Do you have a lift back home?”

“Yeah, already talked to Aunt Monica,” you nod into the pillow. 

Harry lets out a yawn and buries his head deeper into the pillow, making himself comfortable. His eyes flutter closed and you use this chance to take a good look at his peaceful features. He truly is a beautiful man, no doubt about that. You wonder if he realizes that about himself too, or he thinks otherwise.

Reaching to the nightstand you turn the lamp off, bringing darkness over the room and turning back to face Harry you try to relax and fall asleep, but it’s not really working. There are too many thoughts whirling around in your mind and quite a few questions you want to ask him. 

“Harry?” you whisper, hoping he hasn’t fallen asleep.

“I still think you have a good ass, if that’s what you want to ask,” he mumbles keeping his eyes closed. You let out a chuckle.

“It’s not.” You see his eyes open as he glances at you waiting for you to tell him what’s on your mind. “Why were you such an asshole that morning?”

Out of everything you’d ever wanted to ask, this is the most burning question you’ve been dying to find an answer to since day one. Now, after such a wonderful time spent around each other your confusion about his actions just grew way bigger and you just couldn’t keep it to yourself anymore. This side of him you got to see during the holidays is nowhere near the one that kicked you out of his room in the morning, but a lot like the one you first met the night before. The switch between these two sides was so fast and unexpected, you couldn’t wrap your head around it, not even years later.

His jaw clenches and he stays silent for quite a while, you start to think he won’t even answer, but then he speaks up. 

“I… don’t know. I panicked.”

“From what? Me?”

“I just…” Sucking his bottom lip in between his teeth he bites into it harshly before letting go of it. “This is how it has always been. This is what I always do.”

“With other girls?” you ask and he nods. 

“But I do realize that I was an asshole. I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

“I’ve never felt more humiliated.” Your voice dies at the end as you feel your throat closing up. Even after all these years you still remember clearly how his words made you feel. 

“I’m so sorry, you didn’t deserve to be treated like that,” he breathes out and reaching out he quickly pulls you into his embrace. You bury your face into his chest without a second thought as you try to swallow your tears. “I fucked up, I’m sorry.”

“You could have just told me you didn’t want anything serious. It wouldn’t have been that painful than being treated like a slut,” you mumble, his hands soothingly caressing your arm over his stomach and your back. 

There’s a short pause before he speaks again. “I know. I’m sorry, Y/N.”

It’s the last thing that’s spoken. Once you have gotten it all off your chest, you feel relief and calmness coming over you as Harry keeps gently stroking your skin. Sleep comes to you faster and easier than ever. 

It’s bright outside when you turn around in bed, arm reaching out, expecting to find Harry lying next to you, but it’s just the empty mattress. Taking a deep breath you open your eyes and realize that you in fact are alone in your bed. Checking the time on your phone you see that it’s already past nine, meaning that Harry might even be at the airport by now. Pulling your knees up to your chest you stare down at the side of the bed where Harry slept. You can’t help, but feel disappointed he didn’t even say goodbye, but he probably just didn’t want to wake you up.

You shuffle over to his room and it stands empty. Sitting down to the edge of the bed you stare out the window, an unsettling feeling boiling inside you as you think about Harry flying away from the country. It’s silly, you know he is just going to see his family, but selfishly you wish he stayed there with you the whole time and the two of you went back home together. 

Walking back to your room you see that you have a new text. It’s from Harry. Opening it you see that he just sent you a video. It’s nothing else, but his hand as he locks his home’s door, turning the key twice, his keychains and other keys jingling in his hold and that’s when you see the gift he got from you yesterday. You can’t push your smile down.

“Have fun at home! X” you write him quickly, and he is quick to like the message, no reply. 

It’s a whole blur between Christmas and New Year’s Eve, you spend time with Marcus, clean up your apartment for the new year like you usually do, get some work done between the holidays and go furniture shopping with Rosa and Steven. In just a blink of an eye you are getting ready to head out to this lowkey party Marcus invited you to tag along for New Year’s Eve. You didn’t really have plans, you usually did something spontaneous with one of your friends or colleagues. Last year you were with Rosa and Steve. She was already heavily pregnant so it was a rather quiet evening, you were in bed by one am. 

It seems like this year is gonna be a little more excited, but you are just not that thrilled to celebrate, if you’re being honest, but you go anyway. 

It really is just a small gathering with food and drinks in a nice apartment downtown. Everyone seems nice and Marcus makes sure to include you in every conversation so you don’t feel like a stranger. 

When the clock strikes midnight he pulls you close and kisses you softly as everyone cheers and glasses a clinking around you. Soon enough the phone calls and texts start flowing in and everyone seems caught up in all the well wishes as the first minutes of the new year pass by. 

Harry’s name is the last one to pop up on your screen, but he is calling you instead of just shooting you a text. Excusing yourself you step out to the balcony so you can hear him.

“Hey,” you breathe out answering the call.

“Happy New Year!” he cheers, some chatter coming from somewhere behind him and you wonder who he is celebrating with.

“Happy New Year,” you smile wrapping your free arm around your figure. You should have brought your coat with you. “Having fun?”

“Yeah, but no one wants to do karaoke, I have the lamest friends,” he tells you chuckling and you let out a laugh.

“Should have invited me too.”

“Definitely,” he huffs. “That way my face could have been the first thing you saw in the new year!” he jokes and you laugh letting your head fall back.

“I truly missed out on that, didn’t I?”

“Yeah, shame.” You hear someone call out his name and he shouts back a quick reply. “I gotta go, but happy new year again, Y/N,” he softly says into the phone, his voice sweet like honey.

“Happy new year, Harry,” you smile before the line cuts off.

Your gaze wanders over to the bright city lights ahead you and a thought runs over your head, sending a shiver down your spine.

Why did you enjoy this short conversation with Harry way more than the kiss you shared with Marcus at midnight?

***

You watched your sister and her new husband slow dance in awe. The bright shine in her eyes was something you were sure you’d never forget. You’ve seen the fill up with tears so many times, you wished you’d only see her like this for the rest of her life.

After the second half of the song couples started joining them on the dancefloor, including your parents and cousins with their spouses. A soft sigh escaped your lips that you wouldn’t share this feeling with them, but then a hand appeared in your sight.

“Want to dance?”

Harry was smiling down at you with so much charm, you felt a little stunned at first, just staring up at him with parted lips before you realized that he was waiting for your answer.

Sliding your hand into his, you tried to ignore how the warms of his palm made you shudder and after you stood up he walked you right to the dance floor, the two of you turning to face each other. It took a few seconds to figure out where your hands went, but eventually it all came together and you started dancing, chests pressed together and you were very aware of his hand on your waist. You’d had a few champagnes by now and you could definitely feel your cheeks heating up from being so close to him.

“I have to tell you this is my first time slow dancing with a guy,” you admitted biting into your bottom lip. Harry turned his head a little so he could look into your eyes.

“Really? What about school dances?”

“I was… I never had a proper date at them. Usually went with my friends.”

Harry’s eyes lingered over your gaze and for a heart beat, they wandered down to your lips before his green orbs returned to your eyes. You felt his hand squeeze your waist gently as a smile tugged on his lips.

“It’s an honor to be the first one.”

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[zosonils-art]

Do you have a robot master OC (of the eight plus Drum) that you’d say is your favorite? If you haven’t done an infodump for them yet then you should do that one next

i couldn't choose a favourite if i tried, i love them all, but since you mentioned drum i thought i'd give her some new art and a proper dedicated post too! infodrump [ayyy] under the cut

drum, serial number SWN-002, is my take on the popular [????? i'm still a bit of a mega man fandom newbie i don't know hjdfn] 'wily equivalent to roll' oc template! she keeps things running at the various castles and fortresses and hideouts and whatever else her dad holes up in, whether that's by doing housework, planning schemes, or dodging taxes. whenever wily is trying to take over the world, drum acts as his second-in-command, ensuring that everything goes according to plan and ordering around the latest group of robot masters

she's every bit the edgy mid-00s teenager she looks: sarcastic, apathetic, and always talking back to her dad. she's more obedient than bass is, but she doesn't care for her job at all and will resort to any flimsy excuse or act of malicious compliance she can come up with to slack off. due to her purpose as an organiser and commander, she's a bossy control freak who's quick to anger when things don't go exactly her way, although when she's off work the worst of these traits recede in favour of more conventional teenage apathy. she sees herself as above the time and effort it takes to go out of her way to be mean to people like wily and bass tend to do, but she's equally uninterested in being nice on purpose and her default attitude is squarely on the nastier side

when she doesn't have work to focus on - and sometimes when she does anyway - drum is the lead vocalist and guitarist in a garage band, of which she is [currently - a friend's ocs get involved later, but that's a whole different post] the only member. i'm not good with music terms but she's into whatever genre stuff like wake me up inside and crawling in my skin is [i know those aren't the names hdfjf it's just the words i know people will recognise]. the sort with the crunchy guitar and the very loud lyrics about being sad and/or angry. playing or blasting music helps her to calm down when she's in a bad mood, which is pretty much all the time. the first warning sign of a new wily plot is a spike in search popularity for my chemical romance

i haven't gotten around to designing it, but drum has a non-armoured form like most of the other more explicitly kid-like robots, which she mostly uses for loitering around malls when she has an excuse to not be at home. she rarely buys anything, just hangs out and radiates an aura that makes suburban white women hurry their three kids into the next shop. drum often ends up hanging out with like-minded teens in the same vague area of the goth/punk/emo venn diagram she occupies, and makes a bit of a game out of seeing how honest she can be about her life without revealing that she's one of the world's most wanted robots. she tells herself that it's just something she does out of boredom and curiosity towards humans, but it mostly stems from loneliness and the desire to have literally any friends that aren't her brother's dog

as a sort of contrast to the healthy and positive relationship between their lightbot counterparts, drum and bass absolutely DESPISE each other and make no secret of it. each of them thinks of the other as an insufferable prick and they'll get into petty arguments over just about anything, from whose turn it is on the xbox to who treble loves more. [for the record, it's drum. she lets him hang out in the kitchen while she's cooking and sneaks him food scraps when bass isn't looking. he's the only family member she has an even remotely positive relationship with.] pretty much the only thing that can get them to stop fighting is mutual hatred of a bigger prick, and so far the only person to consistently get them to put their differences aside like this is wily himself - as much as the wily kids hate each other, they hate their dad just a little more, and have a history of teaming up just to mess with him. sometimes mega man can spark that spiteful cooperation, but drum's total apathy towards the light-wily family rivalry means she usually sees him as not worth her time and just finds bass' obsession with beating him even more annoying

drum wasn't made for combat, and as such she doesn't have a signature weapon or any fancy tricks like the copy chip. usually she just orders other robots to do the fighting for her. however, she is equipped with a standard arm-mounted buster, and can hold her own in battle with a 'fight smarter, not harder' approach if she has to. she's also outfitted with the same treble adapter that bass has, so if she's backed into a corner she can call on him for a power boost. treble is capable of supporting both adapters simultaneously, so as an absolute last resort they can all combine into treble-boosted drum & bass, who theoretically has all the combat power of bass plus the strategic thinking from drum and the boost in power from treble. in practice, though, drum and bass are so at odds with each other that they can barely hold together in the same body without either fighting for control or outright splitting apart to argue harder. again, it takes a lot of spite to get them to work together, but if something draws their combined ire and convinces them to cooperate they're an utterly terrifying force to be reckoned with

the game idea i vaguely have in my mind would feature drum as the final-not-final boss before wily reveals he was the mastermind behind it all and surprises absolutely nobody. she was put in charge of the latest world domination attempt, probably as the result of a 'why don't YOU take over the world if you're so smart' conversation, and in true drum fashion she follows a standard wily plot outline to the letter - including the blatant flaws, like all eight of her chosen robot masters forming a rock-paper-scissors wheel just begging to be exploited by the copy chip, and making a clear path from just outside the death fortress to her base of operations. after she's defeated in combat, she sarcasically wonders aloud how mega man could have possibly bested her plan and then helpfully points rock directly to wily's castle. she didn't wanna do the stupid scheme in the first place

again, i love all my ocs too much to possibly choose a favourite, but i'd say drum was the most fun to come up with if only because i had the help of some mates in a discord server. someone was like 'hey if there's bass is there a roll equivalent called drum or something lol' and i SPRINTED to microsoft paint to rough out a character design and the next entire day was just a constant stream of all of us bouncing ideas off each other and creating the meanest girl in the universe. her design changed a little bit from the initial sketch, most notably she used to have the half-shaved hairstyle that every gay person tries at some point before that changed to a midpoint between phoenix wright and sonic the hedgehog, but overall everything about her as a character flowed really well from the start. while she's fallen mostly into my hands since the initial brainstorm, she absolutely wouldn't exist without those friends' input and i feel that that's important to mention!

i'm very tired and i've been working on this on and off for the past day so i'm gonna call the infodrump finished here - thanks for giving me the excuse to talk about her! unfiltered and transparent versions of the art below as always

[prettyricky187]

Devil Incarnate

Request: No- I was just feeling some type of way

A/N: Thank you to everyone who read, liked, reblogged, and commented on Reid To Me? It is very much appreciated. I hope you like this one as well. Requests are open.

Couple: Spencer/Fem!Reader  Category: Smut, just straight smut Content Warnings: public sex, oral (male receiving), porn without plot Word Count: 2.2K

------------

I swear I was in love with the devil incarnate. She got her entertainment from teasing me and making me flustered at the most inopportune moments. Even now, as we waited for our takeaway to be ready, she was standing in front of me, scrolling on her phone while casually circling her hips against my steadily growing erection.

“Stop moving.” I grunted quietly.

“Why? Is it bothering you?” She grinned up at me. I looked at her with a look that she knew all too well. It was the look that said I knew what she was up to, but refused to partake. She always took it as a challenge.

“Stop,” was all I said but it was only met with a giggle as my name was called.

We had almost made it to the car when she dragged me into the nearby alleyway. She backed me against the wall, pressing herself flush against me. Her lips were like a fucking drug, drawing me in despite the risks involved. The euphoria derived from her kisses was worth whatever consequences would follow. My hands framed her face as I kept her close to me. I could never get enough of her. My whole body felt like it was on fire.

There were always butterflies in my stomach whenever she touched me, but feeling her fingers drag across the skin above my pants sent them into a flurry that would’ve knocked me off my feet had I not been leaning against the wall.

She dropped the bag and made quick work of my belt. She silenced my protests with a harsh kiss when I felt my pants being opened. The sound of the buckle moving around rung out in the quiet air, making it obvious what was happening; as if my pants being mid-thigh wasn’t obvious enough.

“What are you doing? We can’t do this!” I whispered, looking around at all the different ways this poorly thought out plan could go wrong. This was a bad idea.

“Come on Spencer, live a little.” She giggled as she brought her hand to palm at my bulge.

“There are plenty of ways to live that don’t involve us getting arrested for indecent exposure or lewd acts in public!” I couldn’t help the rise in pitch of my voice as the nerves set in.

“The longer you argue with me, the longer you’re out here in your underwear.”

“You’re going to be the death of me.” I mumbled against her lips. I felt her grin when I bucked my hips into her hand, desperate for more friction. I hissed at the way she trailed a finger along the outline of my erection through my underwear.

“What a way to go, am I right?” She teased, dipping her finger under the band. She giggled as my cock bounced out once she pulled my briefs down.

“You’re already so hard. Is that for me?” She asked innocently, like she hadn’t been torturing me for the past 15 minutes and 46 seconds; grinding on my erection in the restaurant then giggling to herself whenever I shifted to try and hide it.

“You already know it is.” I growled, watching her closely. She smiled and began slowly lowering herself to her knees. Any protests I had died on my lips as her intentions became clearer.

“What…what are you doing?”

Logically, I knew where her actions would lead, but I couldn’t believe she would really try this in public. Anyone could walk by at any point and we would be in so much trouble.

“And you say you’re a genius.” She smirked without stopping. Goosebumps rose when her hot breath met the already flushed skin of my hips. “Keep an eye out. I’d hate for us to be interrupted.”

Once she was eye level with my dick, she placed a pert kiss on the tip.

“Oh fuck.” I moaned at the sensation. The sight of her on her knees before me was always something to marvel at. Although it seemed as though I was the one in control, the man towering over the woman, we both knew she held the power in this situation. I would always do anything she asked of me.

“That’s better.” She smirked up at me as she gently placed strategic kisses against my skin. I kept waiting for her to actually dosomething, but she kept avoiding the place where I needed her the most. Each kiss sent shockwaves throughout my body, building the anticipation to unbearable levels.  

“Don’t tease me.”

She grinned, continuing to press kisses along the sides, purposely ignoring my aching tip. She was a fucking tease and I loved it, but I also really hated it. She was truly the devil.

“I would never.” The look that accompanied her lie was sinful. She knew exactly what she was doing, and she relished in it; knowing that she could get me so wound up to the point that I snapped at her. It was a game to her, and I’d dare say it was one of her favorites.

“Then put your fucking mouth on me.” I ordered, pressing my hand on the back of her head. We didn’t have much time; the alley would only be empty for so long. As hot as this was, I really wasn’t keen on actually getting caught.

“So impatient.”

The initial warmth that spread through me as she wrapped her lips around me was always pure bliss. I let out a loud moan as my head hit the brick wall behind me, so distracted that I couldn’t even care about who might walk by and hear us. Her mouth tightened around me and I stifled a low groan, the little that remained of the logical part of my brain desperately trying not to draw any further attention to us.

Fuck she was way too good at this; she always knew how to turn me into putty for her.

“Lick it.”

I watched with rapt attention as she maintained eye contact, sticking her tongue out and sloppily licking at the tip before gliding her mouth along the underside of my dick.

“Fuck,” I hissed, “lick the tip.”

My instruction spurred her on. My abdomen clenched as she took more of me in before swirling her tongue around my tip like it was her favorite flavor ice cream cone. The heat from her tongue followed by the immediate cold from the night air was a conflicting sensation that felt beyond words.

“Please,” I begged, “I need more.” I bucked my hips as I spoke, needing more of her mouth on me. I couldn’t help it; I wanted my dick down her throat. Every time I tried to push further into her mouth, she would pull away with that damned smirk.

After a moment of the cat and mouse game, I finally put my hands on her head to keep her steady as I buried myself inside her mouth. I decidedly ignored her mumbled comment about how bossy I was as I lolled my head back, just losing myself in the sensations of the wet warmth surrounding my cock.

“Oh, sweet Jesus. Fucking…take it!” I bucked my hips forward and down her throat. As ordered, she took each thrust in stride before pulling off of me to breathe. The sight of the string of saliva that connected my tip to her lips was downright filthy, and I brought my thumb down to trace the side of her mouth. I was usually fairly thankful for my eidetic memory, but never more so than now, because it meant that I would never forget how she looked in that moment.

“You taste so good, Spencer.” She moaned, moving her hand up and down my dick. “I missed your cock, especially in my mouth. Been too long since I’ve gotten to suck you off.”

I couldn’t help the moan that escaped me at her words. I always loved her telling me how much she wanted me. Knowing that she wanted me was enough to make me feel proud as a peacock.

“I know, I’m sorry.”

Cases took me away from home far too often, but thankfully she understood and never held it against me. I loved her immensely for it. She shook her head and took me back in her mouth, bobbing at a steady pace. It wasn’t until she could feel my thighs tense before she pulled off once again.

“You gonna cum for me Spencer?” She asked, using her hand to jack me off in the absence of her mouth. “You want to cum on my face?”

Oh fuck; my heart stopped as I recalled an image of her face painted in my cum. That seemed like an incredibly appealing option. However, since I didn’t want to make a mess without a way to clean it up, that would have to wait for another day.

“You better put me back in your mouth. You’re not wasting this.”

The noise she made was halfway between a moan and a squeak, but she complied and wrapped her lips around me again. I watched in awe as she sloppily sucked on me. I’m sure some of the noises she made weren’t necessary, but fuck if they weren’t music to my ears. The combination of slurps and moans was enough to bring me even closer to the edge. She knew how to hit on each one of my senses to make it an all-consuming event every time.

“So fucking good. Always make me feel so good.” I knew she picked up on the tension in my voice. “Always look so pretty with my cock in your mouth.”

She let out a pleased moan and bobbed her head faster. My toes curled in my shoes as sparks shot up my spine as I neared my end.

“Stop.” I put my hands on the sides of head and held her still. “I want to fuck your face.”

The grin she returned told me she'd known exactly what I was going to say before I had even said it. I slowly began thrusting into her mouth, moaning as she kept swirling her tongue around me. I couldn’t help but moan at how slick everything felt as I slid past her lips. I sheathed myself particularly deep and held still for a moment, grunting at the feeling of her contracting around me before pulling back out. I felt my abdomen clench as I realized how wet my balls were, not doubt the spit that dribbled out as I fucked her face.

I stared at her face, unshed tears in her eyes and her wet lips, while I used my hand on myself. She practically whimpered, trying to lean forward to take me back in her mouth, but I held her back with my other hand.

“Don’t be greedy.” I chided, shaking my head.

“This was my idea.” Her eyes didn’t leave my hand and I could see the desire to be in its place. “Please.”

Oh, that breathy plea always did something to me; I could never say no to it.

Without saying anything, I let go of my cock and brought her head back down.

“You really do love my dick, don’t you?” I grunted. She moaned and nodded, swirling her tongue around as she sucked. Fuck, I loved her tongue.

“Suck it.” I moved my hips faster. I could almost imagine I was fucking her. “So good.” Everything was so warm, wet, and tight that I couldn’t take it any longer.

My jaw dropped as my orgasm hit me like freight truck, but I could hardly muster a sound. It felt like every muscle in my body tensed as I tried to get as deep in her throat as I could possibly go; it never felt like enough. My fingers threaded through her hair and pulled her flush against me as I shot my load down her throat. She made no noises of complaint as my hips rutted against her face with the aftershocks. The reality of what we’d just done crashed into me as I looked at the garbage dump mere feet from her.

“You are…evil.” I breathed out, drunkenly eying her in my post-orgasmic haze while she stood up with a salacious grin. “You’re the actual devil.”

“You love me.”

I nodded in agreement because she wasn’t wrong. I watched as she fixed my pants before pressing a gentle kiss to my lips. Such a loving action after such a filthy moment, that I couldn’t help but laugh at the juxtaposition.

“What?” Her smile was so sweet and lovely.

“I can’t believe you just sucked me off in an alleyway.”

I didn’t even want to think about how many risks we had taken just then. The fact that anyone could’ve walked by and seen us, never mind the amount of trouble that I could’ve gotten in, was something that we would never mention again.

“I can’t believe you let me.” She countered almost immediately. We both knew I was powerless to stop her, nor did I want to. “Don’t lie though, I know you enjoyed yourself.”

Well she wasn’t wrong there.

[postwarlevi]

Hehe hi love, for the ask game: ✨ 🎂 🦋 <33

Hi Hazel <3

✨- which fictional character (book, show, or movie) do you relate to most?

The first one that comes to mind is Clarke from The 100. She get's a lot put on her shoulders and doesn't always know the right thing but does her best. When things go wrong she will take the blame and try again. This is true when no one else is stepping up or the only other plan is a horrible one and someone has to do something. I may not want to but it's got to get solved so let's just come up with a solution. Tries to put those friends and family closest to her first which can sometimes lead to a decision not favorable to another group of people. Tries to lead with her head but her heart sometimes gets in the way.

🎂- if you had 3 wishes, what would they be?

The correct answer should be no more war, money or healthcare problems. But here's my ME list.

Silent fireworks. I hate loud noises but I don't want to ruin anyone's fun. But it hurts my ears to wear headphones for days leading up to the 4th of July or New Years. I have neighbors who shoot them off whenever.

No more strays. (if this starts something then so be it) I am not a fan of people being allowed to sell cats and dogs for hundreds of dollars when there's mutts and strays that need homes. It is not their fault. If people would take care of them and spay them and not leave them in boxes saying 'free', we could cut down on the animal shelters needs to ask for money and items to take care of them when there's still things like puppy mills and pet shops in operation.

My family together. When I was younger the entire family would get together. There were grandparents, aunts and uncles and so many cousins. Now everyone is older and spread all around and busy of course and it's been years since I've seen some of them. Some of the older generation is gone now but there's a lot for us left and new family members to meet. I'd love to be able to get everyone together for a couple days at least once a year.

🦋- how do you think others perceive you?

Sarcastic and bossy. And I'll be the first to admit they are correct. My bossy side shows when things need to get done that aren't getting done a lot and I have no problem taking over to make sure they get done. And I'm just sarcastic my nature. But once you get to know me I'm a caring person and just want what's best for everyone around me.

[ageof9thhouse]

Signs in the Fifth House

This is the part of our chart where our heart’s desires lie and the inner child lives on. Leo rules this house and with the sign of Leo we associate the sun and The Sun Gods, Titan Helios and Olympian Apollo. Both are also associated with oaths, prophecies and being true to one’s self. Helios, rides the sun as his chariot and brings the day, while Apollo (the son of Zeus and Leto, and twin brother of Artemis) is the God of Light, music, poetry and healing. His mother Leto, first delivered Artemis, the Goddess of the Moon and the guardian of innocence, and Artemis helped her mother deliver his brother after she was born - for this we can call Apollo the embodiment of “innocence”. In astrology, the 5th house tells us about what we were like as a child, our creative energy, our hobbies and what type of children we will have.

♈︎Aries / Mars in the 5th House:

As a child, the native was very active and felt like they were on the top of the world. There might have been some anger management issues but if the fire inside was directed into sports or some activity they were passionate about it was easier to manage. As a grown-up, the inner child within is the first thing the native consults to. They are very good at initiating creativity in other people as well as themselves. Seeing things not go their way can make them angry and almost violent - in that case, they should once again express their frustrations in a healthy way. Their hobbies might involve any type of sports, martial arts, playing music (that is more aggressive), video games in the same fields of sports and violence. They also love to give advice to people and teach them to be more open to new experiences as they do so themselves. At least one of their children might have Aries placements in their chart or a lot of aspects to Mars. They will also be interested in sports but there might be a sense of competition between their children and the native. The owner of the chart might take the things their children choose to do way too personally and have a desire to control them.  

♉︎Taurus / Venus in the 5th House:

As a child, the native was very artistic and comfortable with who they were. They might have had a fear of growing up and there was a desire to slow down the time if the childhood environment was peaceful. They might have had been very stubborn children, who only did what they wanted to do which might have had caused some friction when interacting with other people. They loved to indulge in pleasurable things like there were no consequences which they had to learn in the hard way in their later years. As a child, they loved to sing, paint, eat, cook and sleep a lot. To this day they pursue these things as a hobby and if they don’t they should… even allow themselves to sleep a couple of extra hours every now and then as it increases their creativity. They have to be patient with themselves when they feel creatively stuck because taking things slow and relaxing works wonders for them. Surrounding themselves with art will keep the happy child within alive. At least one of their children might have Taurus placements in their chart or a lot of aspects to Venus. The children will be interested in the arts or perhaps cooking. Cooking together or indulging in simple pleasures with their children will bring them closer. The children will be as stubborn as the native themselves - they will have a taste of their medicine. The chart owner will have the desire to have beautiful children and might become too possessive towards them which might slow the kids down. They have to watch out with their tendency to be too attached to their children.

♊︎Gemini / Mercury in the 5th House:

As a child, the native was very curious and intelligent. People around them might have viewed them as a genius-child. They just seem to have a talent in every field which might have caused people around them to be kind of jealous or gossip about them in their youth. They were equally interested in other people as other people were with them. Since they were very talented in a lot of things it is hard to say what is one specific hobby the native is interested in. What can be said though is that they will keep the child within alive if they never stop being curious and learning about new things. Making new discoveries and telling people about all of it what makes them the happiest. They like seeing the good and the bad in everything make logical decisions for themselves and others. At least one of their children might have Gemini placements in their chart or a lot of aspects to Mercury. They will encourage their children to be curious and will love to answer their questions. They have to be careful with not forgetting that their kids are just kids and telling them much more than they can handle. Their children will also be tricksters and might cause minor troubles for the native.

♋︎Cancer / Moon in the 5th House:

As a child, the native was very emotional and creative but probably prefer to hide it away. Feeling secure was their priority and since they were very sensitive they wouldn’t share much of their creativity with the outer world. But the mother probably was very supportive of their creativity and it was encouraged by them. To this day their hobbies involve things that remind them of their childhood selves but now they are ready to show it off. They are at their happiest when they feel safe to share their feelings with other people. Bonding with other people on a deeper level increases their happiness and creativity, also diving deep into their memories. They like children a lot and even if they don’t they can’t deny that they have a special connection with them. At least one of their children might have Cancer placements in their chart or a lot of aspects to the Moon. A deep bond will bless the native and their children. Like their own mother, the native will encourage their children to be creative and artistic. Their children will be open to them emotionally but the native might be too protective of their kids. Being so sensitive about anything bad happening to their kids will not be for the benefit of the child.

♌︎Leo / Sun in the 5th House:

As a child, the native was very creative and confident in themselves. They were courageous about showing themselves and their talents off. They loved to play games and were probably pretty bossy to other children. Despite this, they were very well-liked by their friends. As a child, they felt like they were in a movie and they were in the leading role. Their hobbies as an adult have deep roots reaching out to their childhood. They are very talented and creative when it comes to music, poetry and acting as well. They still shine when they do the things they truly love. They are very supportive of others who follow their heart’s true desires bravely. When they find the same braveness in themselves and pursue what they truly want in life also, there is nothing stopping them. At least one of their children might have Leo placements in their chart or a lot of aspects to the Sun. The native will be delighted with their children even though their kids will have a flair of drama, like their parent. The kids will likely be better than the parent in what they do, and of course, the native of the chart has no problem with that. Their kids might be the answer to understand their soul’s purpose.    

♍︎Virgo / Ceres in the 5th House:

As a child, the native was very well behaved and smart. Clever and mature for their age, from a young age they knew what they wanted to do as a job. They were realistic about what they can achieve and what they cannot. For these people, it is important to have a job that is satisfying for their creative sides. They probably will not pursue any other profession outside of their interest which pretty much stayed the same throughout their lives. As a child, they might have had been a little anxious about socializing with people they viewed as strangers but with practice, they learned to be better at it. Now as an adult they are so curious about childhood and creativity. They are eager to have those creativity sparks children tend to have at all times but they have to learn to be more relaxed about it. Inspiration will come when you least expect it.  At least one of their children might have Virgo placements in their chart or a lot of aspects to the Ceres or Mercury. They will be very fussy about them. They might have a tendency to try to be a perfect parent making them vulnerable to any criticism from their children.

♎︎Libra / Venus in the 5th House:

As a child, the native was very romantic and charming. They loved to indulge in romantic stories and listen to love songs. They learned from a very early age how to charm people. They might have had tendencies to be a human pleaser, always seeking other people’s approval. They also always had a thing for debate. The native is very good at defending their points of view that they could be great lawyers. Other than that they enjoy anything that is beautiful. Beauty inspires them like no other thing. They are also good at styling themselves and other people since they have got an eye for knowing what looks good and what does not. At least one of their children might have Libra placements in their chart or a lot of aspects to Venus. The kids will be beautiful and even if they are not they will be dolled up beautifully thanks to the influence of the parent. The relationship they will have with their children might be a little more on the surface level but no matter what the native will treat them all equally. Maybe even treat them like any other person they would come across to in their lives. There is no place for bias for this person. Well… maybe themselves occasionally.

♏︎Scorpio / Pluto in the 5th House:

As a child the native might have felt like the whole world was against them. They felt everything intensely but the darkness blessed them with a very creative mind. Art and music touch them on a deeper level than most people. They are very intrigued by occult things and their hobbies involve a lot of mysterious and perhaps dark things that most people would stay away from. They like to solve mysteries and be the “mystery” themselves. They might have been affected deeply after a death of someone as a child. This death might have been a very extreme change in some they were close to. They really wanted to understand what had happened. They are magnified by the unknown and the things they can not really explain. The native's creative energy is sparked by losing something significant to them. They might subconsciously attract a lot of unstable relationships for this reason. At least one of their children might have Scorpio placements in their chart or a lot of aspects to Pluto. They have to be careful not to be obsessed with their children. They might want to hide them away from the cruel World and keep them untouched but as they know very well change is growth for the soul. Other than that, their children will be people who are very powerful in whatever field they are interested in.  

♐︎Sagittarius / Jupiter in the 5th House:

As a child, the native might have felt very joyful and like they were the boss of the world. In some cases, the chart owners have always felt like a stranger to the place they were present at. But there is always a feeling of superiority on their part. They like to feel like they are strange in some ways. They always attracted a lot of attention to them. The native is confident in themselves and thinks they can do anything they set their minds into but over-confidence might have had to lead them to fail big time and taught them to stay humble. Once they get their confidence back their child-hood creativity will revive. They enjoy traveling and learning about philosophy. Deep and philosophic conversations and talking about their adventures is the best idea of a pass time for them. They also enjoy humor more than anything. At least one of their children might have Sagittarius placements in their chart or a lot of aspects to Jupiter. Their children might live abroad or enjoy traveling with the parent as the bond will grow closer. The children will be as funny as the chart owner but will have a tendency to not take them seriously. The children will have a desire to feel superior to their parents.

♑︎Capricorn / Saturn in the 5th House:

As a child, the native might have felt like they did not get to live their childhood as they wished. They might have had to grow up faster than their peers due to circumstances or it was just rooted in their characters. Their own father might have had come across too childish for them and they just gave up the role to him. In a different scenario, the native might feel like they can allow themselves to be a child in the presence of the father only. The chart owner was very ambitious as a child and this still continues. They have a desire to be known for what they do, and whatever they do they want to be so good at it that no one else can outdo them. This amount of ambition can turn out badly for them and when they discover it will take more time for them to get better at it, they will be greatly disappointing. Once they learn to pace and have the patience to slowly build themselves they will achieve their goals. At least one of their children might have Capricorn placements in their chart or a lot of aspects to Saturn. They might not want to have children ideally because they tend to have high expectations and are afraid of being a disappointment once again. But once they do, the children will be successful, perhaps fulfilling the desires of the parent themselves. However, this can play out more like the parent forcing their own desires onto the children which will cause friction naturally.

♒︎Aquarius / Uranus in the 5th House:

As a child, the native felt very different from the people they were surrounded by. They were an oddball who also had a rebellious streak. They loved and still love anything that is labeled weird by society. From a young age, they have always been interested in technology as well. The like to spend their time on the internet more than anything and they are very creative when they are online. They will also be lucky when it comes to being popular on the net. These people spread big nerdy vibes and they love it! Creativity comes to them out of nowhere and they are quick to respond to their sudden urges. With this placement, there might have some unexpected things that happened to them in their childhood which affected the family’s plans for the future. The same kind of surprise will happen when they’ll have children of their own. At least one of their children might have Aquarius placements in their chart or a lot of aspects to Uranus. They will be very interesting people who are very open to new opportunities. The native with this chart might be one of those “I’m a cool mom/dad” attitude towards their parenting. They will be good friends with their children but when it comes to “parenting” at least their partner has to be more disciplined.

♓︎Pisces / Neptune in the 5th House:

As a child, the native was easily influenced by other people. They might not have a clear image in their mind of what they were like as a child or might have a hard time understanding their actions. But they were very imaginative children as well who most likely lived in another world than the one they were actually present at. This has allowed them to be a very peculiar child. As an adult, they might have very insightful dreams or visions which spark their creativity. They might be prone to being addicted to anything that increases their imagination. This is a strong placement which when is taken care of will work wonders for the native. They have the potential to create beautiful things that will influence a generation. They just seem to be one those people who seem to be good at anything they do - they just have got to believe in themselves which is a challenge sometimes. They are afraid of being disappointed by themselves which is the reason why they prefer to allow other people to tell them what to do. It is easier on their ego that way when they are not that good at it - they can blame it on others.  At least one of their children might have Pisces placements in their chart or a lot of aspects to Neptune. The children will be as imaginative and idealistic as their parents. There might be some confusion when it comes to the dynamic between them though. The children might blame the parent for any mishaps which will be very hard for the native of the chart. But on the contrary, they have the power of giving birth to the child of their dreams.

(Art: “Apollo” by Briton Rivière)

[cutie1365]

Hello Detective Chapter 71

Pairing: Sherlock x Reader

Word Count: 3k

A/N: This is my first time writing in months oof, but I’ve had these next few chapters outlined for a while so I’m really excited about this idea and where it’s going. 

Any and all feedback is appreciated and encouraged!

Masterlist in bio, taglist in reblog.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

“Wow,” Charles said in shock as he took a sip of his martini. Sitting across from him in a dark secluded corner of the expensive restaurant you explained everything to him and how your life had changed over the last few weeks.

“Are you really surprised? You know how crazy my life is. This can’t be that much of a stretch.” You chuckled. Looking back, shocking things happened to you all the time. Serial killers, faked deaths, assassins.

“I just can’t believe you got married.” He shook his head. You were no longer the cold hearted grieving girl he once knew.

“Actually I’m kind of shocked about that one too. Everything happened so fast.” You gazed off out the window. You’d gone from married to fake broken up so fast that it almost gave you whiplash.

“Are you ok with all of this?” Charles asked with a raised brow, uncertain.

“It’s our jobs, I know it’s never going to be easy. You and I have each done worse for a case.” You tried to convince him, and maybe yourself.

“God I know,” He almost shivered, “Remember Barcelona?”

“Don’t remind me.” You cringed, shaking your head, before looking up and smiling at the man across from you. The two of you sure had some wild adventures.

“So when’s the last time you saw him?” He asked, changing the subject.

“Hm, guess it’s been about three weeks. We texted for the first two, but he told me he’d have to cut off contact. Guess a break in the case. Hopefully this will all be over soon and things can go back to normal.” You said, taking a sip of your wine.

“Our lives are never normal Y/N,” Charles teased, “How’s work been? I mean, obviously can’t be that great, I’m not there.”

“Ask me something else.” You groaned, stabbing at your plate as you pictured Magnussen’s face.

“O come on, do you need me to kill someone for you?” He asked, and you knew he wasn't joking.

“That’s so sweet, Charles, really chivalrous of you.” You smirked, placing a hand over your heart.

“You know I’ll do it darling, drop of a hat.” He sipped his drink once more.

“Oh I know you will. Work’s fine. I like it, I do. I hate the politics of it though.” You shrug.

“We need to get a gun back in your hand and get you back to MI6.” He said.

“What, do you not like your new partner?” You asked with a smirk, knowing he didn’t play well with others. Hence the whole reason you were assigned to work with him in the first place.

“Well they’re not you darling, so obviously.” He flattered you.

“Do you want a desk job at MI5?” You teased.

“Oh shoot me.” He scoffed, causing you to laugh.

You’d missed this, the shenanigans you two got into. Of course you were happy to be catching up with him again, you just wish it wasn’t under these circumstances. You were thankful to have someone to confide in though.

“Why don’t you come see the office tomorrow, I’m free in the morning. Take a break from the River House.” You suggested, tempting him with your puppy dog eyes.

“I might...” He smiled, knowing he could never say no to you. His voice trailed off as you noticed your waiter approaching your table.

“Are you ready for the check, sir?” The waiter asked, only making eye contact with Charles, not even acknowledging you.

“Yes please.” Charles took the leather booklet from the man who promptly turned and left. You reached across the table to snatch it out of his hand but he pulled away out of your reach.

“A gentleman never lets a lady pay.” He shook his head.

“Well we both know you’re not a gentleman. And this lady promised you dinner, for you know, saving the entire country from a nuclear explosion.” You argued.

“If you insist.” He smirked, bringing the check closer, now within your reach.

“I do.” You snatched it, slipping your card in without even looking at the price. Perks of the new job. Hell if Mycroft had told you how much you were gonna make you would have gone off to work with him a long time ago.

As Charles walked you back to your flat, you slipped your arm under his as you noticed the photographer on the other side of the street. They seemed to be camped out with a direct view of your house. Of course you pretended not to notice them.

“What do you say Gregson, gonna invite me up for old times sake?” Charles smirked as you’d made it to your front door.

“I say, we’ve got eyes on us at your six and my husband needs the world thinking we broke up. So you’re going to kiss me on the cheek and then I will invite you inside.” You smiled sweetly, you had to make these photos look convincing. Surely they’d be on the front page come tomorrow morning.

“Have you always been this bossy?” He smiled, rolling his eyes and slowly moving in to kiss you on the cheek, giving the photographer time to make sure he got a shot.

“Of course I have.” You whispered back with a chuckle.

“Happy?” He smiled, pulling away.

“Come on, my couch misses you sleeping on it. And I’ve got some Glenlivet 25 with your name on it.” You slipped your arm around his back and pulled him into the flat, no doubt giving the photographers a couple more shots.

“Oh Gregson, you know me so well.” He smirked.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

The next morning you were giving Charles the grand tour of the Thames House, MI5 HQ. You were hoping for a calm, quiet, peaceful morning. Of course in your world that was never likely.

As you’d made it to the top floor of the building and stepped into your corner office Charles immediately strode in like he owned the place.

“So this is your office, hmm, I could get used to this.” He smirked as he plopped himself down into your desk chair and spun to face the windows. They were floor to ceiling and made up the whole wall. Of course they were bullet proof for security purposes.

“You wouldn’t last a week.” You joked as you approached the window and admired your beautiful view of the river.

Suddenly, you felt your phone buzz in your pocket, you were pulling it out as you turned back to Charles and chuckled at his behavior.

Who knew a world class assassin could be won over by a cover office and a swivel chair. Your face went pale as you glanced at the text that lit up your lock screen.

911 Barts

-JW

“Oh my god,” You muttered.

“What is it?” Charles asked, he knew it was serious from the look on your face.

“911 Barts Hospital.” You turned the phone so he could see as you snatched your purse off of your desk.

“Come on, I’ll drive.” Bass jumped into action, leading you out the door and down to the garage as your mind wandered. Something was wrong. John wouldn’t have texted you if it wasn’t. Was it Mrs. Hudson? Was it Sherlock?

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As you burst into the lab that the receptionist had directed you towards you heard the hard slap of flesh on flesh as Molly’s hand came down onto Sherlock’s face. He was alive, hell he looked like shit but he was alive. He’d told you this case would take a physical toll on him, you knew it could mean a relapse.

“Oo, can I go next?” You ask, annoyed as you stood in the doorway, Charles lingering behind you.

“Y/N? What are you doing here?” Sherlock spat, matching your energy, making sure to hold up his end of the charade. You saw his head tilt to view the man standing behind you. He almost looked intimidated for a moment, as his face flashed in a “That’s Charles?” sort of manner.

“John texted me ‘911’, I thought it would be important, I was on a date. Clearly I can see we’ve wasted our time.” You retorted, crossing your arms as you stepped into the room. This was as close as you’ve gotten to Sherlock in nearly a month.

“I’m confused.” John chimed in, furrowing his brows as he looked between you and Sherlock.

“We broke up.” Sherlock explained with an eye roll, as if it wasn’t obvious.

“You’re joking.” John almost laughed, not thinking he was serious. The hint of laughter left his lips as he looked back at you and Charles, “You’re not joking. So you two...”

You nodded as Charles stepped to your side to introduce himself.

“Charles Bass,” He shook John’s hand with a smirk. For an extra touch he slipped his hand to the small of your back.

“Right.” John nodded, still confused as to how so much had happened while he was away on his honeymoon. To him it seemed like his whole world had turned upside down.

“Maybe one more slap for good measure, Molly.” You smiled at the girl who looked just as shocked as John at the news of the break up. Glancing down you noticed the missing ring on her ringer, and hoped she wouldn’t get any ideas.

“If you were anywhere near this kind of thing again you could have called, you could have talked to me.” John moved towards Sherlock, obviously he wasn’t clean. Rock bottom always meant a certain 7% solution. You hated how it always came back to this.

“Oh, please, do relax. This is all for a case.” Sherlock rolled his eyes at John’s scolding.

“Isn’t it always. Can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard that one.” You scoffed.

“What kind of case would need you doing this?” John asked, still not amused.

“I might as well ask you why you’ve started cycling to work?” Sherlock said to John, trying to change the subject as you glanced at the wrinkles in John’s shirt and followed his deduction.

“No, we’re not playing this game.” John shook his head.

“I drove all the way here for this?” You raised a brow, annoyed.

Sherlock looked to you as John had his back turned. A smirk lingered on his lips, he was enjoying this little game. That or he was still high. You had to admit, it almost was fun, and a bit like role playing. The smirk dropped as he put back on his mask and turned to John.

“Quite recently, I’d say, you’re very determined about it.” He just loved to get under John’s skin.

“Not interested.” John said, and you nodded in agreement as you turned to walk back towards the door.

“I am. Ow!” You recognized a voice coming from behind Sherlock and turned around at the sound of his yelp. You tilted your head to see around him, your eyes landing on a familiar face.

“Wiggins? What’re you doing here?” You asked, your brows furrowed in genuine confusion.

“How do you know him?” Sherlock asked with hostility, but something in his voice told you he was scared. He didn’t like not knowing things, and he couldn’t comprehend how you could possibly know this man. You weren’t supposed to know him, this wasn’t part of the ruse.

“We’re old friends,” You said sarcastically, rolling your eyes, “What do you think?”. His eyes widened in realization. Well there’s anothering thing the two of you had in common, same dealer. Although for you it was more of a one time thing.

“Is it his shirt?” Wiggins butt in, changing the subject and breaking the unintentional staring contest you and Sherlock were having.

“I’m sorry?” Sherlock turned back to Wiggins.

“Well, it’s the creases, innit?” Wiggins said, “The two creases down the front? It’s been recently folded but it's not new. You must have dressed in a hurry this morning. So all your shirts must be kept like that. But why? Maybe ‘cause you cycle to work every morning, shower when you get there, and then dress in the clothes you brought with you. You keep your shirts folded, ready to pack.” He said, shocking nearly everyone in the room.

John and Mary were so focused on Wiggins that you and Sherlock were able to share a quick smile, almost a laugh. It quickly faded to ensure no one else noticed.

“Not bad...” Sherlock said.

“There you go, a new toy to play with. Have fun,” You scowled at Sherlock as you made your way towards the door once more, “Molly, Watsons, Wiggins, it’s been a pleasure.” You nodded at the rest of them, ignoring Sherlock as you left the room.

As you walked down the hall, you weren’t sure whether to feel angry or happy that you at least got to see your husband and know that he’s alive.

“Well that was unexpected.” Charles said, breaking your train of thought as you walked back to the car.

“Welcome to my world.” You scoffed, a ‘quiet morning’ was unheard of for you.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Just as you began the drive back to your office your phone lit up with a call from Mycroft, causing you to roll your eyes.

“My brother’s drug habit is about to hit the newspaper. Did you know about this?” He asked, and if you didn’t know any better it sounded like an accusation.

“Well that’s not really my problem anymore is it?” You retorted.

You’d spent the last few weeks convincing him that you and Sherlock had broken up. Making sure to mention plans with Charles more in his presence to really sell it. Luckily after some initial shock and a brief conversation with his brother, he believed you. But surely he wouldn’t think you would leak a relapse to the press for some sort of petty revenge.

“Did you know?” He asked once more, more forcefully.

“No, I just found out. He’s at Saint Barts, John texted me.” You explained, rolling your eyes once more.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to block all of these articles. Will you meet me at Baker Street, I may need back up.” He asked, but you knew it wasn’t really a question. You tapped Charles on the shoulder and mouthed ‘Baker Street’ to him and spun your finger to instruct him to turn the car around. He nodded and complied.

“Should I bring my gun?” You asked sarcastically. What kind of back up did he think he was going to need, it’s his baby brother for christ sake.

“I don’t think that will be necessary.” He said, unamused.

“Well if you’re not wanting me to crack any skulls I’m not sure why I have to tag along.” You said, you had a very certain skill set and if he wasn’t looking to utilize it, there was really no point beyond moral support.

“Don’t make me order you.” He threatened and you scoffed, as if he could.

“Mycroft, I don’t want to have to see him. Surely you can understand why. It’s not my job to look after him anymore.” You pleaded.

“No, but it is mine. So you will be there.” He said sternly, and you sighed and hung up.

Of course you had already instructed Charles to turn around and head to Baker Street, you just wanted to push back against Mycroft a little to make this whole break up seem more convincing.

When you pulled up Mycroft was waiting outside. Charles got out and made his way around the car to open the door for you. You leaned back against the closed door as you smiled sadly at Charles.

“Thank you, sorry your tour gott cut short.” You smiled, making sure to keep your voice at a whisper so Mycroft didn’t overhear anything.

“Oh my morning was much more interesting, you’re one hell of an actress darling.” He whispered back with a smirk, placing one hand next to you on the car and leaning closer casually.

“You’re just figuring that out? By the way, we have a very important audience right now.” You informed him.

“That the brother?” He asked, and you nodded.

“Then we’ll just have to be convincing,” Bass said, leaning down to leave a chaste kiss on your lips. It wasn’t the first time you’d kissed for a case, public displays of affection make people uncomfortable and tend to prove very useful in spywork.

“I’ll call you later.” He waved with a wink as you walked towards Mycroft. You smiled and waved back with a nod.

Mycroft raised a brow, his face in its usual look of disgust.

“Well that was unpleasant to watch.” He said once you were now standing in front of him.

“I told you I was busy and I don’t want to be here, you don’t get to judge.” You scolded, raising your finger at him. You turned to face the famous black door of 221 Baker Street, realizing how long it’s been since you’d been here.

“No, but I do get to say I was right.” He smirked, causing you to furrow your brows and turn back to him.

“About what?” You asked, genuinely confused.

“I always knew there was more between you and 007.” He said, with the tilt of his head, as if he took pleasure in being right. Of course he wasn’t really right.

“Spare me, Mycroft. Let's just get this over with.” You rolled your eyes and crossed the threshold into 221B, an eerie feeling starting to settle in. Your gut told you not to walk up those seventeen steps, it warned you, it screamed ‘Danger Ahead”, but of course you didn’t listen. You never did.

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Any and all feedback is greatly appreciated and encouraged.

TAGLIST IN REBLOG

Comment or reblog, and like to stay on my taglist. 

[justjstuff]

Ramblings for a SK fic I wanna write

. Amaru isn’t all bad, she’s evil and conniving but she’s also smart and resourceful. Kate learns with her.. She hates how much she enjoys the power, her previously innocent confidence sharpened into something meaner and that allowed her to be better.

. Kate cries for the girl she was but what keeps her up at night is the fact that she doesn’t want to go back to that.

. It takes a bit of time for Seth and Richie to get used to it. Seth wants to give her life back, but doesn’t quite understand how she could want this life with them.

. Richie understands the freedom that comes with being burned alive and reborn from your own ashes.

. Amaru taught her body how to fight, how to entice and command—and Kate was already bossy before, a natural leader when needed, a great liar always—she taught Kate how to take what she was owed. 

. Kate has nightmares most of the nights except they’re not dark images her mind came up with, they’re real memories of what she had done when Amaru was in charge of her body.

. She had been tired. Kate had been tired and Amaru loved to play games. It had started with simple things, let me have this night to do what I want without you fighting me every step of the way and I’ll never bring up the memory of you shooting Seth full of poison again.

. Amaru was many things, but she wasn’t a liar and she always kept her promises. Kate couldn’t help but learn how to play the game. Watch your cues and adapt, Seth had taught her once in their car just before a heist and Kate had always been a stellar student.

. The thing with a mental bond like the one they had is that it’s never just one way. Whatever Amaru had managed to glimpse from Kate’s mind, Kate could see right back in hers. 

. In six months, Kate has lived millennia. She had watched the dawn of day and the dusk falling all around her and even when Amaru was gone, a part of it remained, it had already shaped her body and mind into something else.

. Her muscles were strong from months of training, the register her voice fell in no longer the sweet tilt her Daddy and Momma had always preferred. It was now lower, huskier, like she wasn’t used to talking anymore. In a way, that was true. Kate had screamed during those six months and nothing much else.  

. There was still light inside of her, she knew. It wasn’t the purity that Professor Tanner had been obsessed with, no. It was something sharper, more potent in a way. It was like a beam of light sharpened by the Sun God himself; Kate could say that with certainty because she had him in the palm of her hands once, at her mercy. Kate was strong.

. Time spent with Richie was calm and she could truly be herself. The words of anger and hurt she had spoken to him as she bled out at his feet were long forgotten, influenced at that time by the dark, heavy magic of the sacred ground she had died on. That anger and resentfulness was gone, she never really blamed the brothers even when she probably should have, but there was still a restless energy that demanded she take back what was taken from her that he could understand. 

. Time spent with Seth was… unsettlingly hard. It had never been quite like this between the two of them, even back then on the dirt roads of small Mexican towns. Back then they had clashed and fought but found that they fit in a way that was both unexpected and comforting (maybe too comforting and that had made them both push back and build already crumbling walls between them).

. Now… Seth was afraid. He was afraid to have to lose her again, to see her walk away from them when she got tired like his mother had done. He was afraid to fall back into their same routine because he had gotten comfortable with it once only to lose it, lose her and experience had only made him wary.

. That grated heavily on Kate’s already irritable personality, only this time Seth took a step back every time the tension between them became too much. It took three weeks of constantly being circling around each other for Kate to find just which buttons to push to get him to come back to himself.

. Their fight could be heard all the way up in Jacknife Jed’s bar. It was massive and explosive like their usual fights during their four months alone, only this time it felt cathartic and didn’t leave either of them regretting their words.

. This fight ended with a kiss, because of course it did, it was always leading towards that between the two of them, and Seth looked for a second like he would step back and give her an out. Kate’s eyes told him clearly and without room for interpretation that she would fucking kick his ass if he backed out at that moment.

Post S3, Seth/Kate, The Tres Geckos and how they left Matanzas. I haven’t finished rewatching the series (I watched it as it was releasing lol) and there’s probably a lot wrong here but I just wanted to put it out there bc these two won’t leave me alone and I’m so interested in how Amaru affected Kate and how the Gecko Brothers dealt with it all.

I have so many headcanons for it it’s insane. Someone help.

[sithlordmando]

agent jack ‘whiskey’ daniels nsfw alphabet

i saw someone do one of these for mando so i thought why don’t i give it a shot!

also give credit to @sithmando​ because she helped with a lot of this too!

WARNING: this is pure filth so, read at your own discretion. 

nsfw alphabet — agent jack ‘whiskey’ daniels

a = aftercare (what they’re like after sex)

jack is a snuggler. he won’t admit it but the best sleep he gets is after fucking you senseless. he prefers being the big spoon so he can nestle his head in the crook of your neck. he loves the way you smell and this gives him an excuse to enjoy it. when you’re done having sex, he’ll lazily pull you into him and kiss your forehead and you’ll fall asleep like that.

b = body part (their favorite body part of theirs and also their partner’s)

jack is very proud of his legs, particularly his thighs and ass. he looks good in a pair of well-fitting jeans and he knows it. he really loves when you sit on his lap and grind yourself into him, humming as he tells you what a good girl you are.

jack is very much an ass man. he loves checking your ass out when you’re walking ahead of him or leaving a room. he appreciates a girl who can wear jeans just as well as he can. he likes to keep his hand on your ass and will give it a light squeeze or smack to remind you (and everyone else) who you belong to. sometimes he’ll stick his hand into your back pocket just to remind you that he's there. he also loves the view he has while he’s fucking you doggy style, seeing your ass bounce against his dick just hits different. 

c = cum (anything to do with cum basically)

jack cums a lot. he knows that you know how to work him so that he cums quick. (quickies bent over his desk are a common thing.) he held back when he could, wanting to wait for you to reach your orgasm first. it’s super important to jack that you cum first. jack definitely prefers to finish inside of you, feeling that anything else is cheap and dirty, and that’s not how he feels about you.

d= dirty secret (pretty self-explanatory, a dirty secret of theirs)

though he would never ask, jack wants to try anal. he can only imagine the way that it would feel around his cock. he would ease you into it, not wanting to hurt you. he always wonders but never has the balls to actually mention it. he knew that it was something that was over the line, and boy, did he not want to cross it. 

e= experience (how experienced are they? do they know what they’re doing?)

he knows how to fuck. he fucks good. he knows how to hit every spot like it’s clockwork, loving the sound of you whimpering beneath him. he knows that you love it when he sucks on your nipples, gently biting when he switches between the two. he knows you love when he finger fucks you into your first orgasm on the way home from dinner. he knows you like being on top, but only because of the way he pounds into from below. 

jack knows how to eat pussy. he knows exactly how to work your clit and bring you so close to an orgasm to then stop and act like he did nothing wrong. jack could cum at the sight of your reaction when he’s sucking on your clit while slowly finger fucking you at the same time. 

f = favorite position (this goes without saying.)

hands down, jack loves when you ride him. he loves the view, the feeling, and loves that when you get tired he can still rail you from the bottom and make you scream his name. he also loves missionary, it gives him the perfect view of your entire body and he loves being able to tell when you’re about just from your facial expressions. it gives him even more confidence to know that he’s the one making you feel like that. 

g = goofy (are they more serious in the moment, or are they humorous, etc)

jack likes to tease you a bit, and depending on the situation, can be a bit giggly with you when you’re both getting undressed. however, once he gets going, he gets going. when he’s close to finishing, he has no time for funny business because he’s so fucking ready to fall apart that he can barely string a thought together.

h= hair (how well groomed are they, does the carpet match the drapes, etc.)

jack takes pride in his mustache, so it only makes sense that he would maintain himself down there too. nothing crazy, but he does like to trim the hedges once in awhile and keep it clean. he has a bit of a happy trail leading to a well-groomed patch of hair.

i = intimacy (how are they during the moment, romantic aspect…) 

it depends. Sometimes jack enjoys a quickie and will pound into you relentlessly to chase his own release. however, if you’ve got the time, he’s a generous and romantic lover and genuinely wants to make you feel good. he paces himself, touching and kissing you as he fucks you slowly. after losing his wife, jack wants to savour every moment he has with you and show you just how much he loves and adores you.

j = jack off (masturbation headcanon)

jack is horny, like, all the time. usually, he’ll fuck you to get himself off but if he’s out of town on a mission, his hand gets the job done. sometimes he’ll shamelessly call you while he’s doing it, telling you how much he wishes you were there sucking his cock or bent over the table taking it. 

k = kink (one or more of their kinks)

jack is a kinky motherfucker. he’s down for anything. frankly the man is a poet with a lasso and knows how to use that shit in other ways too. he loves bringing a little bit of cowboy roleplay into the bedroom and will lasso you to him and tie your hands with it as he pleasures you relentlessly. sometimes, if you’re both feeling adventurous, you’ll have some fun with the whip too.

jack loves orgasm denial and overstimulation. he loves bringing you so close to the edge then backing away, watching as you’re a panting mess begging for him to fuck you. then there are the times where he fucks you into orgasm after orgasm with no mercy.

jack is also a dom. he likes being bossy and punishing you when you’re being a whiny brat. he’ll lay you on his lap and give your ass a few good smacks if you’re misbehaving. however, he can also appreciate when you’re riding him and telling him how good he feels inside you. it turns him on knowing he can pleasure you like this and he never gets tired of you telling him how good he makes you feel.

l = location (favorite places to do the do)

jack will literally fuck you anywhere as long as you’re okay with it. after a couple of drinks at the bar, you’ll be all over each other and go back to his bronco so you can ride him in the driver’s seat. sometimes, you can’t even make it to the truck and he’ll lean you over the sink in the bathroom of the bar and fuck you from behind, watching your face twist in pleasure in the mirror as he brings you to your release over and over again.

one time you even joined the mile high club on the statesman plane. after a particularly tough mission, he bent you over the pool table and fucked you senseless before moving you to the plane’s bedroom and taking his proper time with you on the bed.

m = motivation (what turns them on, gets them going)

literally a cool breeze.

n = no (something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

jack does not like sharing. you’re his and no one else’s. the idea of someone else making you feel as good as he does has him seeing red.

although jack is into mild bdsm and choking, he doesn’t like hurting you. he’s very careful and makes sure that you’re 100% okay with whatever kinky shit he wants to try with you. above all, he just wants to make you feel good and show you how special you are to him.

o = oral (preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

don't get me wrong, jack loves top. he loves watching you suck him off, with the occasional deepthroat that he knows you struggle with. but good lord does it feel great. he loves when you’re on your knees, face full of slobber and you’re looking up at him through your lashes. you always say “i probably look gross,” but he thinks it’s fucking hot and seeing you like that drives him crazy. 

he loves when (on occasion) he can mouth fuck you. your mouth is so warm and cozy, and God, you know how to use that tongue. he won’t admit it because you’ve only done it a few times, but he loves when you suck on his balls. it’s like he’s transported to another dimension and he doesn’t want to come back. 

when it comes to eating you out, jack is a pro. if eating pussy was an olympic sport, he’d win the gold everytime. he knows your body, so he knows exactly where to lick and suck to push you into oblivion. he loves the way you taste and will never not want to go down on you. you love the feeling of his mustache on your sensitive areas and how jack occasionally looks up at you with those big brown eyes while nestled between your legs.

p = pace (are they fast and rough? alow and sensual? etc.)

it all depends on the mood. if it’s a quickie, he’s fast and rough with his thrusts. he’s looking for a quick nut and it shows in how he fucks. when he can take his time, he starts off slow. he teases you by letting himself sit in you, feeling how you adjust to him and convulse around his cock. once he’s comfortable, he’ll start pounding into you like it’s the last thing he’ll ever do.

q = quickie (their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

jack is always down for a quickie. some days you’ll visit him at the office and the moment you walk in the door he’s ready to take you over his desk or on the sofa meant for sleeping on his long nights. you’ll be at dinner and he’ll keep teasing you so that the moment you two leave, you’re fucking in the backseat of his truck. even in the mornings, you’ll wake up to him feeling up your body and lingering kisses all over, leading to a quickie before you can even completely wake up. 

r = risk (are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

when it comes to risk, you guys take one each time that you decide to fuck in his office, or anywhere in the new york headquarters. there’s always the risk of another agent walking in or an intern coming to take lunch orders. the two of you were caught once, that poor intern. she walked into jack taking you against the glass window overlooking the city. now everyone knows to knock first.  

s = stamina (how many rounds can they go for, how long do they last…)

jack has stamina. he’ll fuck you and cum, then continue fucking you until he cums again. with jack, it’s like he can actually communicate with his dick, “ok this is gonna be a quickie, now i wanna last longer, now we’re going to go a few rounds.” he loves pleasuring you so he makes sure that you always cum at least twice before he does. if not, he feels like he didn’t do well enough. 

t = toy (do they own toys? do they use them? on a partner or themselves?)

he takes the strap. no, i will not elaborate.

he doesn’t like using toys on you. it’s a pride thing. what toy can make you feel better than his own tongue swirling around your clit? no dildo can elicit the noises out of you that his cock does.

u = unfair (how much they like to tease)

jack is a fucking TEASE. fuck. he’ll feel you up in public when you’re in a bar seated at a table full of people he’ll sneak his hand up your thigh and start rubbing circles around your clit as he leans over to you and whispers filthy things in your ear.

v = volume (how loud they are, what sounds they make)

jack is a dirty talker, especially when he’s bottomed out inside you and you’re clenched around him like a vice. he runs his mouth and calls you all kinds of things, tells you all the things he’d like to do you. he loses his mind when you’re fucking and has no filter. he’ll let out low groans occasionally and lets out an animalistic noise bordering on a growl when he cums. 

w = wild card (get a random headcanon for the character of your choice)

jack would love to teach you how to work a lasso or whip. he thinks that’d he would have so much fun showing you, and that’d you look sexy as fuck doing it. he’s already brought you the gun range dozens of times with him. teaching you how to kick someone’s ass a bit old fashion? good heavens, he’d melt. 

x = x-ray (Let’s see what’s going on in those pants)

the man is packing. his dick is LOUD and he knows it. we’re talking 7 inches, uncut, and thick. Sometimes he catches you staring at the bulge in his jeans and smirks to himself because he just knows. 

y = yearning (how high is their sex drive?)

jack is a flirt. he’s utterly shameless. he’s always calling you pet names in public (darlin’, sugar, baby girl, etc.). he’s down to fuck wherever, whenever. at the office, in his bronco, in the bathroom of a bar, it doesn’t matter as long as you’re down. he can’t keep his hands off you, always feeling you up and whispering in your ear the things he’d like to do to you later when you’re alone. it seems like he’s always ready to go, it doesn’t take much to turn him on.

z = zzz (… how quickly they fall asleep afterward) 

for jack, its easy to fall asleep with you by his side. he usually waits until you’re asleep, then he can rest for the night with you by his side. he’s a cuddler, so your back is either pressed up against his chest or you’re snuggled up by his side.