#shes v fun 2 draw so far

[swordbreakerz]

Ok 2 more. Goodnigth

[0nlythrowharrybeaux]

With Discretion - Part 2 **

Part 2 is here! We'll get to learn more about Harry's side of things and be exposed to a bit more of the mess Caleb is in, and of course...the reconnection of Y/N & Harry! I hope you guys like it! I think there will be a 3rd/final part to this fic:) Read Part 1 HERE & find my masterlist HERE.

Warnings: verbal argument, dirty talk, oral (f-receiving), hand job, p in v (unprotected), creampie, breast play, infidelity,

WC: 14.2K

… SIX MONTHS AGO …

When Harry saw your smiling face at the bar, asking him about some fictional business trip to Tokyo, his lips involuntarily turned up in a smile. He hadn’t forgotten about you because you had dropped a huge bomb on him when you revealed to him that his CFO was married. He didn’t care too much about his employees’ personal lives, but after learning that he started to notice how big of a flirt he was around the office. Those observations then led to him dedicating the occasional thought to you and how you might be fairing. He was pleased to see that you seemed to be doing well.

But there was also a part of him that felt sad for you . He thought that perhaps the knowledge of yet another lie Caleb had told you would weigh heavily on you and surely break you but he was surprised that as the night carried on you were the most composed out of your friends. You didn’t seem like you were upset in the slightest even as you drank, which was what usually drew the emotions out of people. You were having fun and singing and dancing, talking with everyone as if your life was a dream. Harry wanted to get in your head and see for himself what it was that you were thinking; he couldn’t stop looking at you…you were too beautiful to not draw his gaze so he kept looking until you were looking back just as much. And after an hour he was planted beside you, talking to you and flirting a bit and it didn’t seem to bother you. You were flirting back and he was having a lot of fun getting to know you. You were smart and kind and so much fun to be around! 

What he was enjoying the most was that you seemed to be on the same wavelength internally and that was rare for him to find. Harry was great at connecting with people on the surface, but it was special for him to meet someone who made him feel like they got him. And you seemed to get him really well, he could feel this pull…an attraction that he hadn’t felt to another person in far too long, and it was electrifying and it was keeping him on his toes. He knew that there was nothing he could do to fix your situation with Caleb, but he wanted to go out of his way and shower you with kindness and chivalry while he could and maybe something in your head would click and make you leave that sorry son of a bitch, Caleb. “Harry?” You said as you came up to him.

“Yeah?” He asked, placing a hand at the middle of your back as he leaned his ear down to your mouth.

“I think I’m gonna head out. Cecilia is way too drunk, I want to get her back to the hotel before she blacks out on me somewhere and I can’t do anything about it.” You explained, “But thank you for including us tonight, it was so kind of you!”

“S’not a problem! And look, I have a car waiting around the block, I can help you take Cecilia to her hotel. Are you also staying there?”

“Yeah, we all are! But don’t worry about it! Stay and enjoy, have fun!” You assured him.

“Don’t know how much fun I can have after you’re gone, love.” He flirted and you smiled bashfully and looked away for a moment.

“Sure, sure…”

“I’m serious and also about taking you guys! I’ll feel better knowing I left you both safe and sound, alright? Please, s’no bother at all.” He said over the music and you sighed.

“OK, alright. I really do appreciate it, Harry.” You said with gratitude drenching your expression.

“Not a problem. Alright, let’s get to it.” He said as you started to get your things together.

Of course, there was a bit of traffic, even at 1am, and he watched as you ran your fingers through the top of your friend’s hair before gently massaging her scalp after she had laid down in your lap. He wanted to feel you like that; to be close to you and to smell your perfume and feel your fingers in his hair as he dozed off. 

He continued talking to you, this time asking if you worked or if you had any projects you did in your spare time. And well, he learned that you ran your own event planning company, you had two masters degrees, one in Business Strategy & Leadership and the other in Finance & Accounting. You also enjoyed music, cooking, swimming, and traveling. Between the two of you, you had a lot in common, talking made the drive go by way too soon. But when you arrived at the hotel you two were in stitches as you tried to get Cecilia out of the car. 

“I wonder if they have a wheelchair? Or maybe they’ll let us use one of the little luggage carts the bell boys use?” You asked through your laughter and he sputtered out a laugh.

“Unlikely. I ummm, I’m positive I can carry her.” He said to you.

“Oh my god, no. You’ve done more than enough tonight, Harry-”

“Just let me show off a bit, alright Y/N?” He teased and you giggled.

“Don’t think you need to carry Ceclia for that, but alright…” you smirked and he chuckled. 

He was careful as he pulled her out of the car and well, he asked you to ensure the skirt of her dress wasn’t ridden up before you made your way inside. He noticed how friendly you were with the staff as well and that put a another good feeling about you in his chest. He wanted to know…to understand… to be able to rationalize Cal’s infidelity because from everything he had seen so far you were an angel in the flesh. Sure, some people were totally fake and had this dark side hidden within them. He’d fallen victim to that since he was young because of his family’s money and well, now his own money, so he could tell those people apart with ease now and if you were one of them he was none the wiser. 

Before he knew it you guys were in the lift and you were looking through your friend’s bag for her room key. You looked relieved to find it and then shared a story about how one time in university the “responsible friend” was given the room key but lost her purse at some bar, so you all had to wait to get a replacement at the front desk. However, they had all been quite drunk so it complicated a fairly simple plan and a few of them ended up blacked out in the hallway and you and another girl had to drag them into the room when you got the replacement key.

“Are you the put-together friend, then?” Harry asked and you giggled.

“After my undergrad, yes.” You said and he chuckled.

“Why’s that?”

“Well, I was the only one who was going to grad school. I got into the Marshall School of Business on a really good scholarship, I couldn’t do anything to risk losing that. I had to have my wits about me at all times. The USC network is just so extensive, especially in LA, so I would probably run into another alumnus randomly at a taco bell at midnight. They’re very gossipy as well so while in school it’s good to just be on your best behavior.” You explained to him. 

But soon enough you were leaving Cecilia in her room and he just wasn’t ready to leave you yet. So he offered to take you up to your room. Yeah, he’d been thinking about possibly kissing you or more throughout the night because there was chemistry between the two of you. The electricity was buzzing and he wanted so badly to see what would come of all of that attraction in an intimate setting, but you were married…to his CFO nonetheless! And well, he just had to ask you about what the deal was between you and Caleb. And he was shocked to learn that you’d been married to him for seven years though because Caleb had never once mentioned a wife and had always brought other dates around for parties or work outings and he felt angry at Caleb now. He wanted to tell you that this one affair wasn’t the only one, but that wasn’t his business to share. But it was shocking to him…he didn’t know how you kept your composure when you knew about his infidelity…he mentioned something about getting revenge on Caleb and he got a bit worried when your expression changed, maybe he had pushed you too far? And he was awaiting your response.

“I mean…thankfully, I don’t think I need that validation from anyone else.” You explained. Harry’s lips turned up in a smile as soon as he heard the words leaving your mouth, “I know who I am and I am happy with who I am, in every way. And not to sound arrogant, but I know what I bring to the table as a partner and if that’s not enough for someone then… their loss.” You said with ease.

Harry was absolutely blown away. He felt like his world had come to a screeching halt at your response. If he didn’t already like you before, he did a whole heck of a lot more now. He’d never met a person more put together than you and it was like a breath of fresh air. He had done a lot of challenging and painful work on himself in therapy, so he often found that most people lacked in self-worth or had no self-awareness, but you did. You were at his level mentally and emotionally and in truth, he had struggled finding partners because there was never really anyone out there who seemed to be on his level as well. If you’d been on a date he would’ve proposed to you then and there. 

“You’re absolutely extraordinary.” He said without a single hint of inhibition. 

And well, next thing he knew you were kissing ardently and then he was making you come over and over, showing you exactly how you deserved to be loved on. He was showing you how he would love on you if he were your man. And just getting to sink into you…he hadn’t had an experience that pleasurable in years. He was infatuated with your body and how it reacted to his. He wanted to ask you what felt good because he needed to make sure that he was doing exactly what you liked so that you could get off with intent. And hearing his name dripping from your beautiful lips was otherworldly. Everything about you was perfect and he made sure that he was treating you as such. You definitely needed the fuck, but you needed his tenderness and romancing just a little bit more. You needed to feel appreciated and seen above all else and he was going to give that to you while it was his chance to. Because as much as he was enamored with every part of you and longed to get lost in you, he knew that this was a first and last. A mere fluke of luck in his insignificant existence on this earth.

After everything he did to you, you had passed out almost immediately after he had cleaned you up. You were tucked safely into his side, cheek smushed against his brawny chest. His right leg was tucked securely in-between yours and his hand was smoothing up and down your lower back and just a bit of your bum. He couldn’t sleep without experiencing you like this for a bit. He wanted to see your soft and delicate features up close without alarming you in anyway. He wanted to get to smell you long enough to figure out what that perfume you were wearing was. He wanted to imprint in his memory what your skin felt like bare against his. 

Harry was infatuated in a way he hadn’t been since he was 12 years old! He used to get sick to his stomach with adoration for another person and he felt it now, that everything was stirring up inside of him. He’d always felt things very deeply, but he hadn’t felt something so big in quite a while. It could be overwhelming to feel so much, to be so vulnerable all the time, he’d been hurt so often in his youth due to the heart he so proudly wore on his sleeve. So he learned to toughen up, mastered stoicism, and became the level-headed tycoon he was today. He taught himself discipline, routine, predictability…so that he wouldn’t ever be caught off guard again. But then, there’s always someone who’s just so perfectly honey-sweet that they get through the cracks. And you were exactly that. Even after your first meeting he thought of you often…another pretty picture that lived in the gallery of faces in his brain. But yours always stood out. He did hope he’d see you again, and it seemed that fate was on his side because there you were resting safely, with total trust in his arms…

The stoicism returned the following day because he didn’t want to risk perhaps being a toy in a game between you and Caleb…because if you asked he would be there for you again however you wanted him. He’d be at your beck and call if it’s what you wanted. But even still, you were kind and assured him that he was right, that this couldn’t happen again and that was that.

…ONE WEEK AGO …

  Harry had imagined that it would be a while before the impression you’d left on him would fully wear off…that he’d stop fantasizing about you eventually…but here he was, six months later and feeling his irritation swelling as he watched Caleb flirting a bit with Tamika, his intern. Tamika was great. She was the top undergraduate business student at NYU. And yes, Tamika was a beautiful young woman, but he had boundaries unlike some people, and she was also gay. Maybe Cal didn’t know that, or perhaps he didn’t care…after his encounters with Y/N he started to realize just how much of a flirt he was. But as long as people weren’t complaining or Cal wasn’t wreaking havoc amongst his employees there was nothing Harry could really reprimand him about and that kind of pissed him off.

“You’re crazy, Cal!” Tamika laughed as she came up to his office door and opened it up the rest of the way, “Give me just a second and then I’ll leave you guys to it.” She assured him. “Harry, Dr. Dopico’s assistant called, her meetings are running about an hour late. I called Dean Sundaram and he said he’s flexible to what you decide. So do you want me to push your dinner plans or reschedule the meeting with NYU?” She asked him.

“Depends on what Caleb’s here to tell me…” Harry said as he smiled at Cal. He had been working on landing this potentially huge account that would be the thing that pushed him into billionaire status by the end of the year. There was some suspense in the air, but when Caleb started to grin, Harry chuckled knowingly.

“We got it.” Caleb confirmed and Harry was elated. Tamika was screaming, jumping up and down because she had been involved in the investment proposal writing and service planning that was presented to this client. This was huge for her resume and CV for grad school. Harry liked hiring students because he felt it was important for them to really apply what they learned in class, like he had. His dad was a beast in business and now Harry was too and he wanted to give others the same opportunities to learn and grow in a real world setting. But more importantly, being a billionaire would help him to launch forth tons of charitable and educational projects around the globe, like the one he was meeting Dr. Dopico for. He wanted to do more and be able to help more people and now, he could do it at a scale that actually made a difference.They all hugged briefly in celebration of what this meant for each of them.

“I’ll push your dinner reservations and update your talking points for the meeting with Dr. Dopico.” Tamika said before hurrying out of his office. 

“Excellent job, Caleb! This is great news.” Harry was beaming despite his internal irritation towards his CFO. And then his smile dropped a bit as he wondered if Caleb would be sharing his big news with you tonight or someone else?

“Man, we all put in our piece. I’m glad we understood the client and them us, that’s what it came down to.” He smiled happily.

“Great work leading the team for this account though…ummm, I know I’m more reserved at work but I think this calls for a celebration with the team that made this possible.” Harry said, as his mind shot back to you. He wanted to see you.

“Oh no Harry, don’t worry about that-”

“No please, I insist! This is huge, I just want to properly thank you all for your dedication. Nothing wild, just a dinner? A nice formal one at my home up in Quogue, we can do it there. Everyone can bring a date and I mean, as you know, I have plenty of guest rooms if anyone gets a little too drunk, there’s room for everyone.” He said and Caleb smiled.

“If you’re really up for it I’m sure the team would really go for it.” Caleb assured.

“Cool. I’ll get something together tonight and send you guys an invitation. Plan for next Saturday, alright?” He said.

“Sounds good, thanks Harry.” Caleb said before heading out.

… PRESENT DAY …

Harry wanted to see you again, that’s why he had planned this dinner. He knew that the chances of Caleb bringing you tonight were next to none, but he just needed to take the shot in the dark because he was losing his mind thinking about you and not knowing. And maybe seeing you on your husband’s arm would be the thing to snap him out of this infatuation he had over you. Harry was a bit nervous as he had just run off for a moment to make a quick phone call to his dad that he’d been putting off for the last hour since he was awaiting Caleb’s arrival. He hoped to God he didn’t miss you making your entrance if Cal did bring you along.

“Yes dad, we have exclusivity. Alright…yes, bye.” Harry mumbled and hung up before shutting off his phone, no more work, he deserved to celebrate tonight.

“Mr. Hargrove has arrived.” Gerard came up to him informing him, like Harry had requested he do earlier.

“Oh, wonderful! Ummm…did he… bring anyone with him?” Harry asked and Gerard nodded, “Anyone you recognized?”

“No, but ummm, sir. He’s…married? He’s brought his wife.” He said and Harry couldn’t even suppress his smile.

“Are you sure?” He asked he asked with a pounding heart.

“Yes. He introduced her as such.” Gerard shrugged.

“Was she the most effortlessly beautiful woman you’d ever seen?” Harry asked, twinkles of adoration were already visible in his eyes.

“I couldn’t say…the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen is my wife.” He said and Harry grinned.

“That’s really good, mate.” 

“Thank you, sir.” Gerard smiled timidly.

“Alright, I’ll go say hello.” Harry said and headed back to the large, bright dining room. He tried to be slow about it so that he could spot you first but you weren’t there. But he did see Caleb lingering near the bar, his eyes fixed on something else. He was alone, so he decided to approach him first. “Cal!” He called out to Caleb, who then turned quickly and immediately smiled. “It’s great to see you.” Harry stated with a bright, charismatic smile as he extended his hand to shake Caleb’s.

“Hey, likewise! Thanks for having us over.” He said as he shook Harry’s hand quickly. Harry smiled a bit brighter as he pulled his hand back, he didn’t miss the detail of Caleb thanking him for having “us” over. Maybe you were here. 

Harry was about to respond when a bright color in his peripheral vision diverged his attention from Caleb; he turned in it’s direction and he swore that the earth stood still as he saw you descending into the dining area. You were a vision. Your beauty and confidence commanded the attention of the room, he swore everyone grew silent as you looked around with a kind smile on your lips, eyes darting around to find a familiar face. Finally your eyes met his and he was fighting against every instinct that made him want to rush over to you with a smile so wide it hurt.

Harry felt the air being stolen from his lungs at the sight of you in that gorgeous gown and the way it framed your body. You looked sensational and his fingers were itching to get to touch your skin again. He longed to trace all of the spots that were exposed on you with his lips, kissing at you delicately and with reverie. He had no idea how he would be able to not just stare at you all evening long, it would certainly be a challenge. He was already shaking off the sinful thoughts he was having of you as you approached.

“Ah, perfect timing!” Caleb’s voice called him back down to reality, “Harry, this is Y/N, my wife. Sweetheart, this is Harry Styles, CEO of the firm.” Cal introduced you two. You were smiling up at him cooly, but he could see the sparkles in your eyes as they met his own once more. And oh…? Were you using the triangle method on him? Harry couldn’t help but gently bite down on his lip as his eyes glanced down to yours briefly.

“Mr. Styles, it’s wonderful to finally meet you.” You said to him as you extended your hand and he was gentle as he took your hand in his and gave it a shake.

“You as well, Y/N. Call me Harry, I insist.” He said with what he imagined was a polite smile, but to you he looked like a kid who was trying too hard to keep a secret to themselves. You wanted to hug him and it was almost cruel to have to pretend like you didn’t know of each other.

“Alright. Thank you, Harry.” You said and he smiled and nodded.

“Can I offer you guys a drink?” He asked and you were the first to nod.

“Please.” You said quietly, but with zeal.

*********

You nearly had a cardiac event when you saw that Harry was already with Caleb when you walked in. You were hoping to at least have something to hang on to prior to interacting with Harry. It excited you that he was so excited to see you, or so it seemed! You were just as thrilled to see him, even just feeling the warmth of his hand in yours made you start to spark up from the inside out. Your throat suddenly felt dry and you needed a drink, so you were quick to accept when he offered to head to the bar. 

“What can I get you, Harry?” The man at the bar asked with a smile.

“Just a whisky highball for me-”

“Make it two, please.” You spoke up and he glanced to you with a small smile.

“2 whisky highballs and for you, sir?” He asked Caleb.

“A scotch, neat.”

“Coming right up.” The guy said and turned to start on their drinks.

“Well it’s good to meet some fellow whisky lovers.” Harry said, sparking up some conversation. 

“Right! I got lucky with this one! Usually women can’t handle whisky.” Cal added and you saw how Cal’s mildly sexist statement made Harry furrow his brows a bit.

“I don’t think it’s so much a sex thing, it’s just the flavor is definitely one to train your palate for. Everyone struggles with it a bit at first.” Harry said and you nodded in agreement. “I mean, in my experience, women handle their liquor far better than any men I know.” Harry added and you smiled.

“I have to agree with Harry. Don’t see too many women forgetting to be decent human beings after a drink or two.” You said and Harry chuckled, but you could feel Cal’s unamused glance on you for a moment. “Well anyway, your house is gorgeous, by the way. Can’t wait to see it in the daylight.” You complimented and he nodded.

“Oh, so you two plan on staying tonight?” Harry asked with an arch in his eyebrows, his eyes quickly finding yours until Cal spoke up.

“Yeah, we’re staying. I want to let loose tonight and I do not trust her driving my Quattroporte.” Cal chuckled and you let out a fake chuckle, but Harry didn’t miss as you rolled your eyes.

“Well I hope you’ll enjoy the stay. I mean, if you’re early risers, the sunrise is definitely something you don’t want to miss.” Harry said, his eyes meeting yours briefly. 

“Here is the scotch neat.” The bartender said and when Caleb leaned forward to grab his drink you and Harry smiled at each other briefly, “And the two whisky highballs.” He added, causing you both to turn and also reach for your drinks. You all took a moment to try your drinks and you hummed.

“This is excellent. Thank you so much.” You complimented the bar tender.

“Thank you, enjoy.” He said before turning around to clean his area a bit.

“Well, now I know who to invite to the whisky bars.” Harry said with a charming smile and Cal chuckled.

“Definitely! We do know some pretty great ones in the city, don’t we sweetheart?” He turned to you and you nodded.

“Yeah. Haven’t been in a while but I’m sure they’re still stand up places.” You assured.

“What do you mean? We just went right around easter!” Cal looked at you incredulously and you knew that wasn’t true because he hadn’t been around consistently until the summer.

“Maybe you’ve gone with someone else more recently.” You said to him and his eyebrows furrowed, “A client or a friend perhaps, we haven’t gone there together since…at least a year ago.” You pointed out and he frowned a bit.

“Oh, you’re right…yeah, I think I went with someone else. Sorry, sweets.” He said and you smiled and shook your head.

“S’alright. You deal with lots of people so the outings blur together, I’m sure.” You assured him and he chuckled and nodded.

“Yeah. Ummm, I’m gonna go to the bathroom real quick, can you hold this for me?” Caleb asked you and you nodded.

“Sure.”

“When I’m back I’ll introduce you to everyone else.” He assured before he excused himself to you and Harry and then hurried off. As soon as he was gone you put down Cal’s drink on the bar top as you felt the tension between you and Harry becoming palpable. You turned around to say something to him when another woman walked up to both of you.

“Excuse me, Harry?” She said and he turned his attention to the young woman who had walked up.

“Hey, Tamika! Glad you could make it!” He greeted her happily with a hug. She then proceeded to introduce her girlfriend, Giselle to Harry as well.

“This place is incredible, thank you so much for inviting us.” Giselle said and he nodded with a smile.

“Of course, happy to have you guys here! Ummm, let me also introduce you guys to Y/N, Cal is her husband.” He said and Tamika’s eyes widened.

“Oh wow! I didn’t know Cal had gotten married. Congratulations! I’m Tamika, this is my girlfriend, Giselle.” She greeted and you smiled.

“Oh yeah, thanks! Nice to meet you Tamika and Giselle.” You said, extending a hand to one and then the other.

“Tamika is my intern/assistant. She’s the top business student at NYU and she’s just finishing up her undergrad.” Harry bragged and you smiled.

“Oh wow, congrats! Are you thinking about grad school?” You asked Tamika, who nodded.

“Yeah! Applications are due soon and I’m just trying to narrow down my options.” She explained to you.

“You know Y/N, Tamika is interested in USC…” Harry mentioned to you with a small, suggestive grin and your eyebrows arched up.

“Are you really?” You asked as you turned back to her and she nodded.

“Yeah, but it’s so competitive so I’m keeping my options open.” She explained.

“Well I ummm, I actually went to Marshall for my MS degrees. So I have connections, I still keep in touch with a lot of the faculty there. I can certainly put in a good word for you if you decide to apply.”

“Wait. Are you serious?” She asked with shock in her eyes and Giselle was just as shocked.

“Completely serious! I mean, if Harry’s working with you I’m sure it shows a lot of promise and potential. USC would be lucky to have you.” You said with a smile.

“Yes, she’ll take any help you can give her. I’m going there so please anything to help us reunite!” Giselle cut in and you all chuckled.

“I’ll give you one of my business cards before you leave, that way you can reach out to me when you apply. I’m sure I can set up a little meet and greet with someone on the admissions board.” You said to her.

“Wow, yes I would love that. Thank you so much.”

“Yeah, of course. What about you Giselle?” You asked her and then she went on to explain that she was actually also going to USC but to the Thornton School of Music, it was her first semester. This gave them all something more to talk about before Cal returned. Caleb seemed to have good rapport with Tamika, which aided in allowing you and Harry to continue stealing glances of each other as they spoke. 

But soon enough Caleb was excusing you both from Harry’s side and taking you around introducing you to a few others. He wasn’t really flaunting you like he said he wanted to though, something was off with him. You couldn’t put your finger on it, but he seemed distracted even, leaving you to do most of the talking to his coworkers while he just darted his eyes around the room. It was hard to focus on the people you were meeting when you could feel Harry’s gaze burning into you from across the room. It was making it hard to focus on the people who kept asking you questions about yourself and trying to hide their surprise as Caleb introduced you as his wife. Obviously, you knew about Cal omitting this information from Harry and from Gerard earlier, but it was getting to you the more it happened.

“Hey Cal, nice to see you!”

“Hey Amir! Likewise.” He said shaking the man’s hand.

“Thanks. This is my son, Louay. He is interested in business so I brought him along to show him how we reap the rewards of it.” He chuckled, smiling at the young man with pride. “And who’s this lovely lady on your arm?” Amir asked and Cal turned to you for a moment.

“Uh, this is my wife, Y/N.” He said and you politely extended your hand out to him. But Amir’s eyes rounded out as his eyebrows arched up in surprise.

“Oh wow! I had no idea you were married!” He said with a bright smile and shook your hand. You felt Cal’s wary gaze on you but just continued smiling at Amir as you greeted him and then his son. But Cal knew you well enough to notice the anger and frustration that were radiating off of you. You made some small talk with Amir and Louay and were interrupted by one of the staff announcing that dinner was about to be served. You glanced towards the table and your eyes met Harry’s who quickly glanced at the seats nearest to where you were before looking back at you. He wanted to sit beside you…but how? Unless you or him sat in the middle…which just wasn’t going to work.

“Cal, project leader, come here man.” Harry called and Cal grabbed your hand and pulled you along. You bit your lip as you thought of something and then slipped your hand out of his and he turned around and your eyes met.

“What’s the matter?” He asked and you gave him a look of irritation.

“Why’re your coworkers so shocked to meet me, Cal?” He sighed.

“Not now, Y/N.” He said lowly, pleading eyes on yours as you crossed your arms stubbornly.

“I don’t want to sit beside you.” You said and he sighed.

“Fine.” He accepted before he turned around to walk the few feet to the table, but you sped ahead of him.

“You can sit beside him, Harry.” You said and then took a seat beside a woman named Andrea. She’d been a bit shy, but you felt better knowing Harry was beside you and Tamika was settling in across from you. As soon as he scooted his chair in you felt his thigh brushing up against yours; it was a tight fit around the table, so you were all a bit close. Your lips twitched up in a smile when he glanced at you quickly. He spread his legs further and you nudged at him a bit, trying to keep a straight face. Caleb was distracted talking to the person on his left and so Harry reached off to the side, as if he was going to grab his chair, but then you felt his fingers just graze the outside of your thigh. The slit on your dress leaving your skin exposed and available for him to touch. You let out a breathy giggle and his lips twitched up in a small grin. When you glanced up at him through your lashes he bit his lip for a second.

“I wish I could have you as my main course.” He whispered with a smirk and then placed his hands back on the tabletop. Your body tingled as a chill passed through you, you wished that you could touch him at the very least. Every now and again your thighs would brush, but he was mostly talking to Caleb and you were just focused on your food because if you looked at Harry you would end up doing something stupid in front of all these people.

When the first course was brought in you smiled excitedly at just how beautiful and delicious the starter looked. It was a miso citrus salad, your mouth watered at the fresh scent emanating from the dish. And then you felt a gaze on you and you quickly looked up and your eyes met with the girl sitting at Tamika’s left, as soon as your eyes met her gaze flitted off to something else. Over and over it was happening, you kept making awkward eye contact with her. Finally you got the chance to look at her while something else had her attention; you wanted to see if maybe you knew each other from somewhere. you observed the slightly pained look in her eyes and the small frown on her lips. So you followed her line of sight and stopped at Harry, but he was leaned down eating his food. And when you leaned back a bit and saw Cal mirroring this woman’s expression the realization hit you like a ton of bricks. That was her! His mistress. Suddenly you lost your grip on your fork and it clanked against the porcelain plate loudly several times, causing everyone to look at you. You blinked a few times and forced a smile.

“Sorry, butter fingers.” You excused and everyone chuckled before they resumed their previous actions. You look down at your plate of food and suddenly felt disgusted by the fish and vegetables that had been unbelievably appetizing just moments before. Harry cleared his throat and you turned to him.

“Are you alright?” He asked lowly

“I ummm…I think so. I just…” you started and then just shook your head, “Never mind.” You smiled and forced yourself to have a bit more food. Thankfully, there was a nice break between the main course and dessert and so you took that time to go to the room and grab a business card for Tamika from your purse. You were just putting your wallet away when you heard the bedroom door open. You had hoped it was Harry, but when you heard the door click shut behind you quietly you knew it was Caleb. 

“Are you upset at me?” His voice was soft and had a hint of caution to it.

“You’ve been seeing someone else and she’s here tonight, isn’t she?” You said instead as you turned around, hands on your hips. You just wanted to know how much there was to it. You were ready to face this right now.

“Y/N-”

“She’s the only person you haven’t introduced me to, but she keeps looking at me from across the table and I saw how you two looked at each other-”

“She didn’t know I was married.” He said immediately and a sardonic smile came onto your lips.

“No one did! Apparently.” You said with irritation as you threw your hands up in irritation and he came closer to you.

“Look, we can be rational about this-”

“I think I’m responding pretty rationally to this situation, Caleb. Everyone thinks we’re fucking newly weds when I’ve given almost a decade of my life to you! We’ve been married seven years and you’ve been hiding it from people for three years?! Do you have any idea how this makes me feel? Why did you even ask me come tonight?” You questioned him and his lips dropped into a small frown. 

Maybe you didn’t love him like before, but having to hear over and over that no one knew about you was embarrassing and it was shaking your confidence to some extent. Why had he hidden your marriage so vehemently from everyone? Was it really just to be able to fuck around or was he ashamed of you for some reason? The not knowing was clawing at you horribly.

“I’m sorry. I just like to keep my personal life as separate as possible from my work and-”

“OK, that’s complete bullshit! Why would you do something as personal as fucking a coworker if you wanted to keep the personal and professional separate?” You challenged his rationale and he ran his hand down his face, a physical sign of his stress weighing him down.

“Y/N, I don’t think this is the time and place to talk about this.” He said cooly.

“Then I’d like to leave so we can discuss this at home.” You said with finality.

“I don’t want to go yet, Y/N. And I know I’m in no position to ask this of you, but I’d like to get my thoughts together before we talk about this. It’s…it’s a lot.” He said and you rolled your lips together as you felt your eyes starting to well up a bit as your simmering anger started to reach its boiling point.

“Fine.” You said softly and just walked past him and out of the bedroom. 

You closed the door behind you and just took a deep breath and exhaled it slowly to calm down. You hated so much that you cried when you were angry, but the emotion was just not one you felt often enough to know how to deal with it properly. You squeezed your eyes shut for a second to will the frustration away, but you were absolutely humiliated. It was believable and even excusable for Harry not to have known Cal was married. One typically does not to talk about their personal business with their boss, but to blatantly lie to everyone else he worked with and communicated with day to day? That was something else. Once you were calm enough you made your way back to the dining area. As soon as you sat down you felt the woman from across the table looking at you. You just glanced up to her, catching her gaze for a few seconds and she went beet red before looking away. 

You could only imagine how she felt having to see you there. He lied to her too and by the looks of it, she hadn’t taken it well. Suddenly everything started falling into place…the reason for why two months ago out of the blue Cal was home more and loving on you even more and spending time with you…something had happened between them and ruined the relationship, if he had been with her this entire time. He could’ve been with multiple people to your knowledge.

“Is everything alright?” Harry’s voice pulled you from your thoughts and you turned your head to him and shook your head.

“Is there another room I can stay in tonight? Or even just a motel or something nearby? I don’t want to be here anymore, Harry. I need to be as far away from Cal as possible.” You said softly and he frowned.

“Uh yeah, there are bedrooms upstairs as well. But I can find out about a motel nearby if you’d prefer that.” He offered. You saw Cal returning to the room from your peripherals.

“I’ll let you know.” You said before you turned back to the table and grabbed your cocktail and drank the remainder in one go. 

Shortly after, dessert was being placed before you all. It was a gorgeous tiramisu, one of your favorites, but you only picked at it for a bit, not really in the mood to eat or to chat with anyone any more. Harry would’ve probably talked to you, but Cal was engaged in a never-ending conversation with Harry so that he could constantly keep an eye on you; you could feel Cal’s scrutinous gaze on you. You just felt like the odd one out and you wanted this night to be over. 

Even when you all migrated to a lounge room to chat you noticed that he had tried and failed several times to approach this other woman. After about the third attempt Cal just started ordering drinks with reckless abandon and eventually headed off with a couple others to the billiard room, or at least that’s what you heard from their loud and drunken conversation. Harry was busy bidding farewell to those who were heading home for the night. It looked like Tamika was getting ready to go and you’d been meaning to chat with her again, but the woman from across the table had been with her the whole time. But as of now, she was nowhere to be found so you approached Tamika and Giselle before she returned from wherever she had gone to.

“Are you guys heading off as well?” You asked the two.

“Yeah. I’ve got a big exam on Monday that I need to study for tomorrow.” Tamika explained.

“Oh OK, best of luck! Ummm here’s my card though. If you decide to apply to Marshall let me know and like I said earlier, I’d be happy to help you network with the recruiters and faculty.” You reaffirmed.

“That’s just really kind of you, Y/N. Thank you so much. If there’s anything I can do to repay you for this-”

“Oh my gosh, no Tamika! If you decide to go there just keep doing your very best, that’s all.” You said, “Of course if only to make me look good…” You joked with a giggle, despite your low mood, and Tamika and Giselle laughed along with you.

“You’re too sweet. I hope Cal brings you around more!” She said and you just nodded and smiled, “If he doesn’t I’ll badger him about it.” She added with a playfully menacing tone and you just chuckled.

“You guys are all great, I’m glad I was able to come along tonight.” You said genuinely. You were about to ask them how far their drive was when Tamika lit up a bit.

“Dani!” Tamika called out as she looked past you and waved at the person she was calling over. You turned around and saw that, that was the woman from across the table and she looked petrified, “Come here!” Tamika insisted and you swallowed thickly as she made her way over.  Her eyes darted around the room, probably trying to find Caleb, but he was drunk and playing pool in another room of the house. When she was finally within reach, Tamika dragged her into her side, “Dani, this is Y/N. She’s Caleb’s wife!” She informed her excitedly and you saw in real time how Dani’s face started to pale as she swallowed thickly, which could only mean one thing. You looked around, trying to act quickly before she puked all over you, her friends, and herself. Finally, you saw a garbage can near the entrance of the room and just grabbed her hand and dragged her over to it. You had just put it in her hands when she started to throw up. You looked away, starting to feel disgusted at the sounds of her heaving and Tamika and Giselle rushed over to her.

“Wow, good save.” Giselle said to you and you just nodded as you turned to Giselle with a relieved expression.

“Yeah, I’d know that look anywhere.” You said as Tamika rubbed over her friend’s back as she just spat the taste out of her mouth. Dani’s tearful eyes met yours and you just offered her a sympathetic smile. Poor woman.

“Thank you.” She rasped out and you nodded.

“Yeah, of course.” You assured her. Just then Harry walked in and his eyes widened a bit upon seeing you four huddled up at the entrance of the room. 

“Harry, have you got some mouth wash and pepto or something for Dani? She got sick to her stomach.” Tamika explained to him and he nodded.

“Yeah, of course! Follow me.” He said and they went off with him, trash can and all.

“If her boyfriend comes back can you tell him we’ll meet him in the foyer?” Giselle asked you and you nodded.

“Yeah, of course.” You said with a smile and a nod.

“Thank you. And it was so nice to meet you, thank you for being so kind.” Giselle said as she hugged you briefly.

“It’s no problem at all! Drive safe.” You said and she thanked you as she hurried off to catch up with Tamika. It was just moments later when the man who had been sitting beside the person you now knew as Dani, came into the room and glanced around. “You’re Dani’s boyfriend?” You asked him and he nodded. “She had something to take care of with Harry and Tamika, they told me to tell you that they will meet you in the foyer.”

“Oh, cool. Thanks.” He smiled before hurrying out of the room. 

There were just a few more people in the room you were in, but they were laughing and chatting amongst themselves, so you were once again the odd one out. You decided to head off to the bedroom you’d been given and just get the toiletries you had unpacked back into your bag so that you could be ready to relocate. A few light knocks on the door caught your attention and you hurried over to open it. You saw Gerard standing there with a polite smile.

“Good evening, Miss. Mr. Styles informed me that you wanted to change your sleeping arrangements?” He asked and you nodded.

“Yes, please.” You said and he nodded.

“Certainly. He mentioned that you wanted a bit of space. I can offer you a bedroom upstairs? I called the motels in town and they are all booked out unfortunately.” He explained.

“Upstairs is just fine.” You assured him with a smile, “Thank you, Gerard.” 

“Not a problem. Can I take your bag for you?”

“Oh no, it’s alright. Just show me where to go.”

“No Miss, I insist.” He said and you smiled at him as you grabbed your overnight bag and handed it to him and he smiled, “Wonderful, follow me.” He said and you followed him through the house. You could hear the absurd commotion from the billiard room and just rolled your eyes as you followed Gerard upstairs. The lights on the sconces were dimmed, but you could still see how beautiful everything was. “I’m going to give you the room that Mr. and Mrs. Styles stay in when they visit from England.” He informed you, “You’ll have a balcony and a lovely view of the water from it.”

“Oh wow, thank you. I hear the sunrises are to die for.” You hummed.

“They certainly are captivating.” He agreed with you. He opened up the door when you finally arrived and he switched on the lights. Your eyes widened at the beautiful, modern set up of the room. You swore you had seen this room on Pinterest or something. A king sized bed, all to yourself? Yes, please. You thought as you smiled.

“This is amazing.” You said as you looked around. Gerard had just set your bag down on the little bench in front of the bed.

“I’m glad it’s to your satisfaction. Now the lights can be controlled with this remote.” He explained, showing it to you and then placing it back down on the bench. “And your bathroom is through there.” He said pointing to a door in the far right of the bedroom, “There’s a small cabinet by the shower that contains extra towels and washcloths, you can just leave them in the hamper if you use anything. The closet is in there as well. And the balcony is just through those doors.” He said pointing to the double glass doors that were partially covered by some long, floor length curtains.

“Perfect, thank you.” 

“My pleasure. And, I am sorry if I contributed to any unpleasantness between you and Mr. Hargrove. I had no intent to stir up-”

“Oh my god, no.” you pouted at him in endearment, “Don’t feel bad about a thing, Gerard. Frankly it’s…been a long time coming. It wasn’t because of you.” You assured him, “I appreciate your help tonight.” You smiled at him.

“Is there anything else I can do for you before I head out for the night?” He asked.

“Can you just thank Harry for me? Just for, indulging me.” You said with a small smile.

“Certainly.” He nodded.

“Thank you, again for all your help. Good night.” You smiled at him.

“Good night, Miss.” he said before hurrying out of the room. 

Once you were alone you dimmed down the bedroom lights before drawing the heavy curtains and slipping out onto the balcony. You shivered for a few seconds as you adjusted to the slightly cooler temperature outside as you leaned against the railing of the balcony. The lack of light from the bedroom helped you see the starry sky even better. And you sighed in relief as you could hear the waves crashing into the shore not too far off in the distance. The peace and silence in your brain lasted for just a few minutes.

You just couldn’t stop thinking about Dani now…how she literally threw up at the sight of you. She probably felt awful and guilty and you wished you could just tell her that you weren’t angry at her. That you didn’t blame her. She had been deceived just as much as you had. What was frustrating for you was that you were completely in the dark about Cal. You thought you knew the man you were married to, but evidently that wasn’t the case. It didn’t even matter what you lost at this point, there was no way of moving past something like this. Your marriage was through…both of you had cheated now, so what was the point? 

The sound of a door closing startled you and you whipped around quickly and saw Harry leaning back on the bedroom door. He offered you a timid smile as he started to walk across the space, but it was contagious to see his smile widening the closer he came. He met you out on the balcony and as soon as he was before you he sighed in relief and grabbed your hands.

“You look absolutely divine. You’re exquisite. Literal perfection.” He hummed softly, “Been dying to tell you all night.” He complimented you. His voice was soft as he spoke to you and you smiled at him coyly.

“Thank you.” Was all you could say as every other thought in your head vanished as you stood before him. Finally.

“Want to talk about what happened?” He asked you.

“I probably should.” You said and he smiled.

“I’ll listen if you want me to.” He assured you and you sighed.

“So obviously no one knew Cal was married and like…I don’t know, it got to me. Like I just feel humiliated a bit. Like…I don’t know if he did it on purpose to just, push me over the edge? But like, how did he expect people to react? And I think…well, I know now actually, that he’s been sleeping with some woman named Dani.” Harry looked surprised, “I don’t know for how long or if there’s more. She’d been avoiding me all night and Tamika introduced us and she just…got sick. I mean, she obviously didn’t know he was married and god, she probably feels like the worst person, you know?” You said with a frown. “Like how could he do that to someone? Poor woman.” You shook your head.

“So you’re upset that the other woman is feeling guilty.” He asked with a small smile and you shrugged.

“I know how insane that makes me sound but like…she didn’t know about me. That’s not fair to her. And like, I’ve at least known for a bit and have made peace with it…but who knows how she found out that she was the other woman. From the way he’s been acting I’d say it wasn’t good.”

“So what now?” Harry asked. You knew that his question was a lot more complex than how he posed it. There were subliminal implications that were being addressed without him having to ask them directly and it made you feel just a little bit better about all of this. He still cared. Whether his interest in you was platonic, solely carnal, or even romantic, he was asking because he wanted to know what this could mean for you two.

“Cal said he wants to talk about it after he gathers his thoughts because “it’s a lot”, or something like that.” You responded as you turned back to the vast darkness ahead of you.

“Do you think he wants to end it?” Harry asked cautiously.

“I have no idea, but I want to end it.” You said with certainty and well, Harry had no business feeling happy about that (selfishly, of course) but he remained composed with a slight furrow in his brow as he listened to you, “I mean, what’s the point of this sham of a marriage?” You asked through a sardonic laugh. “He’s been unfaithful for who knows how long, I’ve stopped letting myself love him and have also…committed adultery. Thank you very much for that, by the way.” You added with a teasing grin and a side glance, he smirked in response.

“Happy to be of service. By the way.” He replied haughtily and you both laughed softly. “So you…you want a divorce?” He asked to clarify and you nodded.

“I first thought about it after we spent the night together.” You shared, “I just…realized how much of my own heart had been out of it to like…go through with what we did and not feel remorse or anything close to it. But then he started trying again and so I took that card off of the table. But now that I’ve learned he’s been lying to everyone and living a double life I feel like I’m married to a stranger. Like who was I kidding? This has been over for a long time. So stupid…” You sighed in disappointment.

“You’re not stupid. A marriage is a huge commitment. Of course you’re going to try if you see him trying. But hey, now you’ve seen all the facets of the situation and you’ve made a choice for yourself, yeah?”

“Yeah.” You responded softly.

“Are you…are you alright?”

“Yeah, I think so. Just…letting the reality of it all sink in.” You said before exhaling. The exhale felt cathartic, like all your troubles would be gone soon just like that little puff of air released from your lungs. The silence between you two was nice, only the sounds of the waves on the shore were detectable and it was perfect.

“Can I…hold you?” He asked, breaking the silence and you nodded up at him and he turned and stepped closer as he opened up his arms and you stepped into his embrace. You inhaled deeply as your head rested against his shoulder and his arms squeezed tight around your body, “What can I do to make you feel better?” He asked and you smiled.

“This.” You assured and he smiled, “This is perfect. I needed a hug after this shit show of a night.” You hummed and he smiled as he let his cheek rest atop of your head. A comfortable silence settled over you both before you spoke up.

“I’m sorry it sucked so much for you, but it was kind of perfect for me.” He shared and you smiled, “I threw this party just…hoping Cal would bring you along. It was a fucking long shot but he did!” he chuckled and you did as well, “And now you’re here and I couldn’t be more pleased.” He said happily. You could hear the smile in his voice.

“I didn’t know you were throwing the party until we were about to arrive.” You confessed and he chuckled, “He had said it was with a few work friends, so I had accepted because I was just excited to meet some people Cal worked with. He told me to look sexy so he could "show me off”. When I found out about this being your party I was scared that you’d think I was just trying to seduce you by showing up like this.” You said and he chuckled.

“I know we don’t know each other that well, but I know that’s not how you are.” He said and you smiled.

“Yeah, definitely not.” You assured.

“You do look sensational though, you definitely met the mark.” He said and you chuckled a bit before you both just settled into the comfortable silence. He felt like a friend you’d known for ages. He was a person who you could be your authentic self around. It was rare to feel so safe with someone.

“Harry…do you think there’s any left over tiramisu?” You asked randomly, “S’my favorite dessert but I couldn’t really stomach mine when they served it.” You explained and you felt his body shake a bit as he chuckled.

“S’my favorite too so I know they made extra if only for me to take it home.” He responded, the smile he was wearing made evident by the tone of his voice. “Wanna get changed or get down there like this?” He asked.

“I think change first. Don’t want to risk getting the dress dirty…knowing me, I eat like a child.” You said and he chuckled as he gave you a bit harder of a squeeze before he started to let go.

“Alright then. I’ll change as well and ummm, I’ll come by and get you, yeah?”

“OK.” You smiled. You walked back in with him and left him at the bedroom door before he was off down the hall. You watched him until he turned around and gave you a final smile as he disappeared behind the last door down the hall. 

You proceeded to slip back into your own room and got your pajamas out of your bag. You also decided to get your makeup off while you were at it and were just toning your face when there were a few knocks on the door. You hurried over and opened it up to let him in.

“Just need to get my moisturizer on and then we can go.” You said and he nodded and followed you inside. He busied himself with closing up the balcony and just waiting for you at the foot of the bed. “Ready.” You said as you came out of the bathroom and he smiled and started guiding you down stairs. Upon making it down you guys could hear the muffled sounds of the others who had stayed in the billiard room. It was nearing 1am and they were drunk, so hopefully they passed out quickly. Harry guided you down a dark hallway before he pushed open a swinging door and switched on the lights. You had to blink a few times to adjust your vision, but then he switched on a warmer pair before getting the fluorescent ones off.

“God, I forget how bright these are.” He whinged and you giggled.

“This is like a proper restaurant kitchen.” You hummed as you looked around.

“Yeah, I usually use this home for holidays. Obviously, we don’t want to do the cooking then so we hire a chef for when we stay here. Or we do a lot of parties here as well, so again, it’s just convenient for how it’s used.” He explained as he headed over to the refrigerator and then he turned around quickly, “By “we” I mean my parents and other family.” He clarified and you chuckled.

“I figured. Gerard mentioned something to me about how the room he gave me is your parents’ favorite room to stay in or something?”

“Yeah.” He smiled and then looked through it to find the extra serving of the cake and he finally did and pulled it out. “Here we are.” He said and put it down on the counter before grabbing some forks, “Are we being civilized or eating from the container?” He inquired.

“Whatever you think is best. But be warned that I might feel like I need to eat it all if we have it in the container.” You joked and he chuckled.

“Plates it is…” he played along and you giggled as he just grabbed one from a nearby cabinet, “We can share.” He said as he came back over and you sighed as he started digging into the surface of the cake to break off a piece for you two.

“Fine…” you accepted dramatically and he smirked. Without even asking he just stopped and pulled his fork further back to make the slice larger, which caused you to laugh softly. “I was joking.” You clarified and his eyes drew away from his task and met yours knowingly.

“No you weren’t.” He said with a grin and you just laughed. Once he got that done he put the container back in the fridge and when he turned he found you already digging your fork into the cake. “Didn’t even have the decency to wait?” He scoffed jokingly and you grinned.

“It looks incredible.”

“Yet you wasted a perfectly good slice at dinner…” he quipped back and you groaned and tossed your head back dramatically.

“I’m sorry!” You croaked out and he laughed and instinctually reached his arm out to wrap it around you and pull you into him. You went with him easily and when you glanced up at him he was smiling down at you.

“It’s alright, I forgive you.” He said softly and your lips curled up in an easy smile.

“There’s like…a vibe between us right? Like I’m not delusional, right?” You asked and you saw him flush a bit but he nodded.

“Yeah, definitely.” He said and you giggled.

“To there being a vibe with us or that I’m delusional?” You asked and his smile widened as he realized what he’d said and he chuckled, his eyes darted away from yours briefly out of the nerves he felt tickling through his body. Then there they were again, those gorgeous green eyes meeting yours again. They were so vibrant despite his widened pupils, a tell tale sign of his attraction. You wondered how big your pupils were right now.

“The vibe.” He clarified meekly and you hummed.

“I don’t know, but it just feels like I’ve known you for a really long time. It’s really nice.” You said with a simple shrug.

“Maybe we’ve met in other lives.” He said quietly.

“That’d be pretty cool actually.” You responded with a pensive look on your face. “Am I allowed to kiss you?” You asked him and he instantly bit his lip as he nodded and started to lean down. You started to press up on your toes to meet him halfway. It felt extraordinary to feels his smooth, warm lips pressing into yours gently.

And when you pulled back the smack of your lips felt like it echoed and your eyes blinked open and then his did as well. This hungry look was exchanged between you, practically forcing you to kiss again. And again, and again, and again in quick little pecks. After the next one he just groaned and smeared his mouth against yours sloppily before pushing his tongue into your mouth. You moaned at the intensity at which he came into it. Your skin was littered in goosebumps and a delicious tingle shot down your spine to your toes and then flew back up to your core. You sighed in pleasant surprise as your pussy’s muscles tightened up and fluttered around absolutely nothing at all in response to his hands sliding up under your flowy pajama shirt, sliding up your back and then scratching down it with a bit of force.

Your hands fisted at his shirt almost as if the action tethered you to reality. You loved the place your mind went to when you were around him. Again, a feeling of safety came to mind and you kissed him back harder and reached for his arms and pushed them down to feel your bottom. As soon as he got there he took over, feeling groping, squeezing your butt like he’d wanted to all night. He also wanted to kiss that little sliver of your lower back that was peeking out of the cutout on the dress you wore. 

“Can I pick you up?” He mumbled and you nodded before huffing out a yes. He reached down to your thighs and picked you up before placing you on the counter. His hands were on your face holding you still as he licked into you slowly, savoring your taste just in case your paths didn’t cross for a while again. “Can I go down on you?” His deep voice rasped out, lips smearing against yours as he spoke into the kiss. Your widening smile interrupted your kiss, “What?”

“I’m just…so happy to hear you ask that. Been getting off to the memory of how fucking good you are at that. I came so many times I think I saw God.” You laughed softly and he grinned.

“Like that you think of me when you play with yourself. I do too.” He confessed. “One time I even…said your name when I was with someone else.” He said and you winced.

“Ouch…how’d they take it?”

“Not too good.” He chuckled, “When we slept together…it was way too good.” He said with a reminiscent grin.

“Yeah, like oddly perfect!”

“Right. Like you were made for me. We fit so well.” He said as one of his hands came off your face and rubbed over the crotch of your shorts quickly. You sighed and parted your legs further, giving him more access to your achingly needy pussy. “Do you have underwear on?” He asked and you shook your head. He smiled and slid his fingers into your shorts through the leg opening. He rubbed over your sticky and swollen crease before wedging his fingers into it and swirling around your clit in slow and steady circles. You exhaled slowly in satisfaction, grinding your hips against him, getting yourself even more wet for him, he loved hearing it almost as much as feeling it, “God you’re so fucking wet for me.” He smiled and you hummed.

“Mhmm…Ready for a taste?” You asked and he nodded, “Go on then.” You encouraged him and he kissed you once more before dragging your shorts down by the elastic band. You lifted your hips up to help him out and he just dropped them on the ground as he crouched down and spread you open wider before delving in without a second to waste. You moaned in satisfaction as his thick, warm tongue lapped over your sensitive clit, catching just at the top of your opening every time he licked up. Your toes curled and your fingers dug in his hair as the edge of your orgasm caught you by surprise, hitting you almost as quickly as a strike of lightening. “Oh fuck, don’t stop! Don’t stop! I’m going to…I’m going to come!” You gasped out as you pushed his head closer, you were desperate and impressed by just how quickly your yearning for him caused your undoing. Harry sped up his licks and after one, two, and three accurate and precise licks right to your throbbing little clit your thighs started to tremble and your breathing to hitch a few times before you just moaned out his name. He moaned into you, staying true to his mission as you ground your pussy against his face, drawing your orgasm out, shivering as he kept licking at your clit like that until you felt like you were on fire. You stopped breathing for several moments, the feeling stunning your existence into a pause. Harry’s breathy chuckles against you interrupted the pleasure.

“Breathe, baby.” He reminded and your inhaled sharply.

“Fuck keep going!” You demanded, he didn’t hesitate before delving back in, this time sucking at your clit until you were trembling again, moaning in ecstasy as that double orgasm swept you into an orgasmic oblivion. Your ears rung and your brows furrowed as those magnificent and addicting feelings coursed through every inch of your body. “Thank you! Fuck that’s so fucking good…” you praised and he hummed against you, making your tummy flutter as he started to reduce the intensity of his mouth on you as your orgasm started to dwindle. You swore there were little shocks randomly nipping at your legs and you started to massage his scalp after the hard grip you had on his silky hair. He kissed your clit before kissing your left thigh and pushing himself up to attach your lips together. You loved the taste of yourself on his tongue, it was erotic and made you feel so proud of yourself. “Mmm…wanna feel you inside me.” You mumbled and he sighed.

“Should we go upstairs? I don’t have a condom on me.” He muttered against your cheek before kissing you there.

“S’okay. Want it just like this, just you and me.” You said softly, your eyes flickered up to his so that he could clearly see your intent.

“Don’t tempt me like that, baby.” He shook his head with a devilish grin twitching his lips up to the left.

“M’serious! I got an IUD after I found out that Cal was cheating.” You shared and his eyebrows arched up.

“Oh…I mean, if you really want to. I don’t mind either way.” He assured you.

“I want it. Like really, really badly.” You grinned and he smiled.

“OK.” He stated decidedly. His lips pressed to yours once more and you started to tug at his shirt. He reared back to strip it from his body and he dropped it to the ground before reaching for the hem of yours. You raised your arms to aid him as he undressed you. He smiled and his hands went right to your breasts. He gave them a firm squeeze and you chuckled as he groaned in excitement. “Sorry, I just fucking love your body. Been dying to touch you again.” He breathed out and you smiled. His hands then slid down to your hips as you reached for his sweats. You needed him now.

You tugged at the white ties that were fastening the bottoms to him more snuggly. Once they were untied you tugged down on them until they just dropped down his legs on their own. Your mouth watered as his thick cock fell forward, bouncing a few times from how heavy he was. You immediately brought your hand up and spit into it before wrapping it around his tip, playing with it as he moaned in pleasure. You stroked up and dragged his foreskin to the tip before stroking down and sliding it back away from his thick and leaking head. He filled you up so fucking good, it was too good to be true…

“Please fuck me, Harry.” You begged, inciting an absolutely feral response in him and he nodded before he pulled you back down to the ground, turned your around, and guided his tip to your entrance. He rubbed through your sopping folds, enjoying just how aroused you got for him, he pressed himself against your entrance and you moaned in anticipation of being stretched open around his enviable girth. Your eyes were screwed shut as you waited for him to push in. He started to surge forward, opening your little hole up with his ragingly stiff cock. Once he got about halfway he reached into your hair with one hand and grabbed you tight at your hip with the other as he plunged the rest of the way in hard. You both moaned, shrouded in ecstasy at the feeling of him being inside of you again. You’d both been waiting, dreaming, longing to be connected this way again. He pushed you down into the counter to properly bend you over and you gasped as your bare chest was smooshed into the tiramisu, the ceramic plate scraped against the counter from the collision.

“The cake!” You laughed quietly and he chuckled, but proceeded with thrusting into you and started increasing his pace.

“Fuck you feel so good!” He hummed in delight, relishing in the feeling of your slick walls creating a feeling of suction and pressure around his pulsating erection. He’d been dreaming of having you again and this felt better than the last time because now he knew that you wanted him just as badly. He shifted a bit and then grinned as he heard you gasp when he plunged right against your spot; he couldn’t forget that. He loved just how easily you’d fall apart in pleasure when you were stimulated there.

“Fuck!” You exclaimed as he started to quickly thrust into it, making your legs feel like jello. You reached down and found your clit and you started to rub, making your eyes rolled back as a satisfied smile curled onto your lips. Your fingers were a blur as you rubbed tight little circles against your clit and your tummy started to clench up and then inevitably your inner muscles and walls started to contract around Harry’s cock. He choked out a moan and squeezed your hips hard as he started to thrust harder, you were seeing stars now, “I’m about to come!” You warned and he groaned.

“Come on then, baby. Cream all over my big cock. Show me how fucking good we are together.” He grunted markedly and you moaned a bit too loudly but neither of you had a single fuck to give as his filthy talk pushed you over the edge. You smiled and dropped your head back against his shoulder as you started to come undone. He held you up as your legs became all wobbly beneath you with the aftershocks of your orgasm. He wasn’t slowing down just yet though, his thrusts were getting harder and more erratic; you were impressed by the strength he had. “I’m so fucking close…shit!” He hissed and you tightened up despite your sensitivity and he moaned deeply, “Fuck…I’m right there, baby!”

“Come inside me.” You suddenly requested and he groaned, “Please, Harry.” You keened and he swore he was imagining it.

“Yeah? Want me to finish inside your delicious little pussy?” He panted and you nodded.

“Please. Want it all inside! Need to feel you coming inside.” You begged and he panted heavily.

“Fuck, I’m…oh fuck, I’m coming!” He mumbled quickly before surging his hips forward and then tugging your hips back against him. He ground his cock into you as you felt him twitching with each rope of come he was unloading deep inside of you. Harry swore he was about to lose consciousness from how hard his orgasm hit him. He felt his knees trembling and one of his hands came up over yours on the counter, interlacing your fingers while simultaneously gripping to the counter for support. His deep moans were vibrating deep into your soul, or at least it felt that way as his body was smushed right against yours.

You could feel his warmth filling you up until you felt a bit dripping down your sticky folds. Harry caught his breath as he held himself in you for a few moments before slowly pulling out of you. “Oh shit, s’a lot.” He muttered quietly, “Hang on to the counter for a sec.” he instructed and you nodded as he hurried to grab a hand towel from the counter behind them. When he returned he dabbed at your entrance.

“I swear I’m in another dimension.” You mumbled and he chuckled.

“Push a little bit for me.” He instructed. You did as you were told and he ran the towel over your swollen and throbbing pussy again, the fibers of it tickling you just a bit. You then felt him drag it down your right inner thigh, before he sunk to the ground and cleaned whatever had dripped down to the floor. “Good to go.” He said softly as he pressed a kiss to the small of your back, to that spot he’d been dying to kiss ever since he saw you. 

He then got up and you turned around and he chuckled, your tits were certainly smeared over with mascarpone and coca powder. You shrieked as he lunged you onto the counter again and you grabbed the edge of it and squeezed as his lips found your already pebbled nipple and sucked it clean before licking over your supple breast, cleaning it of his favorite dessert. He hummed contently as he sucked a little mark against the the underside of it before moving over to the other one. Your fingers raked through his curls and you tugged a bit when he sucked at your nipple too harshly, pulling it into his mouth forcefully before biting down on it a bit until you giggled in slight discomfort until it dissolved into a moan and he smiled and popped off of it loudly. He chuckled and then kissed up your sternum, neck, jaw, and then your lips again. Your smile was sincere as he rubbed his forehead against yours a few times, making the moment feel a lot more intimate.

“Alright?” He asked you.

“Yeah, just still coming off it.” You assured him and he smiled.

“Good.” He hummed before closing his eyes and you did the same, just basking in the intimacy you shared until a thought crossed your mind.

“Once again I did not get my cake.” You sighed and he chuckled.

“Well you got something…” he joked and you sniggered, “Don’t worry, we’ll get you a new slice.” He assured you before planting a kiss on your cheek.

“Ummm…do you want to stay with me for a bit?” You asked timidly and he smiled.

“Definitely.” He confirmed.

So after getting dressed and getting another slice of the tiramisu, you were both making your way out of the kitchen quietly. You guys could still hear everyone else down the hall laughing and chatting animatedly, though you could tell they were all plastered. You made your way up the stairs and Harry dragged you down the hall to his bedroom, well it was more like a suite, so you cuddled up on to couch he had in front of the TV and you shared your cake as you watched Friends re-runs for a while.

“We should get you to bed.” You heard his voice through your drowsiness and yawned.

“Good idea.” You concurred, but you nuzzled closer to him instead of making a move to stand.

“Want me to carry you?” He asked and you smiled.

“If you really want to.”

“Yeah, come on then.” 

But after attempting and failing a few times because you both couldn’t stop laughing or making a serious attempt he just had you hop on piggy back. You leaned on his shoulder and held on tight as he walked you down the long hall and to the other bedroom. He walked you into the bathroom to brush your teeth and waited for you in the room. When you returned, a bit more awake now after dealing with the cold water, you cooed as he had turned down the bed for you. 

“Thank you, you’re too sweet.” You said caressing his cheek and he tutted.

“S’nothing. Get in.” He said and you did just that. The bed was as divine as it looked, you wanted one like this for yourself. He sat on the edge watching as you got comfy and once you were, you peered up to see him smiling down at you. Harry traced the high point of your cheekbone with his thumb, such a sweet and comforting gesture. 

“I ummm, I just want you to know that this isn’t just a sex thing to me.” He said quietly, “Like I’m not nice to you with the intent to fuck you. I like what I’ve seen of you so far and I just want to be there for you, you know? I want to get to know you. And I know things could get a bit complicated if you and Cal end things, so ummm we can just be friends until you resolve that if you want?” He asked.

“I think that would be wise.” You accepted. “I like you too and I also want to get to know more of you and I just don’t want to fall into something complex that could…hurt you while I’m already in the middle of this mess.” You said with a smile and he nodded.

“Sounds good. And I mean, I’m sure it’ll be hard even if your hearts aren’t in it anymore, so you call me when you need me, yeah?” He asked and you smiled.

“I will.” You assured and he smiled as he reached for the bedside table and handed over your phone so you could unlock it. He put his number in before setting it down on the bedside table again.

“There it is. I’m sorry it started out as a weird night, but I hope I made it a bit better for you.” He hummed and you giggled.

“That’s the understatement of the century, Harry.” You pointed out and he grinned bashfully.

“Don’t want to be too cocky, you know?” He said humbly and you shook your head with a grin. 

“Well yes, you made it better. Thank you again for everything tonight.” You expressed your gratitude.

“Course, love.” He said and kissed your lips quickly before making his way out of the room. 

You sighed and rolled onto your back with a big smile; you were completely enamored and taken by his way of being towards you. Of course, deep down you were a bit nervous about the big tell-all with Caleb, but you knew you were going to be alright after getting all of the information from him. There was nothing left to fight for with Caleb. Your heart was already drifting in another direction and you didn’t intend to do a single fucking thing about it.

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[kaledya]

Hello again !

Oh okay I understand!

Thank you for the explanation! Things make sense in that type it follow more the show seasons development. I forgot that in your SS AU Luci and Charlie are in a bad place. It will help (Not me panicking because Constantine come sooner and I always plan a VERY slow burn romance between him and Lolicia. Ahhh. So excited. Anyway) The more important is that Lucifer and Serenity coming later. Heaven arc last. I get it !

I will take care of your advices 🌸 So greatest showman mini arc incoming let's go!

Ps : glad you like my drawings!🌸 Thank you even if its not the best. Promise I will try to not butcher Constantine and Serenity fanarts ahah

Have a nice day! -marquisev

Hİ!

And I'm really glad to know that I could explain it properly! I hope I could help!

And yes, they are on bad terms right now, generally because Lucifer can't put his pride aside and admitted his mistake, or because he thinks knew what was best for Charlie and saying her plan is Unreasonable and far from reality .He doesn't even let Charlie explain herself and is upset about the fight they had the last time they met. Charlie thinks,

"He won't listen to me anyway, why am I trying any harder?"

Lucifer, on the other hand, cannot go to his daughter and admit that she is wrong, again because of his pride.

(This idea is seriously a wip, I didn't think of that arc in detail ) but when Lucifer comes to the hotel, Alastor criticizes him as a father.(Because by this time, Alastor has been spending a lot of time with Charlie, and they even fight back to back at one point. He can understand Charlie's relationship with Lucifer from her behavior.)

Extra: (Their current reaction is not the same as in this post, I drew this post before I started writing my AU, Alastor does not try to make fun of Constantine in any way (he knows what will happen if he does, he logically does not want to push his luck).)

And after this encounter and some events in between And after a long and touching conversation between Lucifer and Charlie, Their relationship is getting better. In my mind, this scene reminds me of the scene between Joel and Ellie in Last of Us 2.

But they still love each other sincerely. Lucifer was in a bad mood due to Lilith's disappearance and this widened the gap between them.But if they sit down and talk, they won't have much of a problem with time.

OH MY GOD REALLY?? I'm seriously already excited about how you're going to write their interactions! And I have full confidence that you will write a great slow burn romance. I can't wait to see their dynamics.

And yes, Constantine arrives at a time similar to when Lucifer arrives in the series.

Yes!, but it's not too early, I don't have an exact timeline, but seriously important events are happening at the hotel, maybe Angel is getting rid of Val.After the people in the hotel really start to trust each other and show their character development.

The reason I think this is because Charlie invited her brother over to show him her progress.For this, there was a need for arcs in which the team would experience character development.

Yes, Serenity comes to the hotel after the hotel's case with the Vees and after a while, at the right time, she reveals her identity to Alastor .Lucifer arrives shortly after this event.After this there is a heaven arc and the planning is this after this event it's completely blank page, I really don't know what will happen next.

And as I said before, you don't have to follow what I wrote, be free. This is your story.

And believe me, I love your drawing style, I think you draw very well.

And I'm really excited for the next arc!

By the way, I read the latest episodes. It was very nice to read Husk and Lolicia's interactions and I find Charlie's activity very creative!

And Lolicia's new outfit has a really interesting and creative design I love it! And reading that you were inspired by Baldurs Gate 3 really surprised me and brought back memories.I take that outfit in House of Hope too and after wearing it, Gale's comment made me laugh a lot😂

[wreckingtickles]

Tama v. Bakugo

Yep, this tickling fic was inspired by Tama's absolutely stellar Bakugo piece, which will live rent-free in my mind... probably forever?

Fun fact #1: Bakugo broken with ruthless foot tickling is my favorite thing in the world, it's not even a contest. No. 1 lee, no. 1 spot. Just perfect.

Fun fact #2: Many of the lins the characters say are taken straight from Tama's drawings depicting Bakugo and her favorite teases.

Words: 2,678

What the fuck is happening?

Bakugo glances about in the infinite blank space. White everywhere the eye can see, even below him there isn’t so much as a hint of a floor; and yet, it’s undeniable the contraption he’s sitting in is resting on something; heck, he himself must be sitting on something, though he can see nothing under himself.

Right, the contraption: a set of purplish-gray stocks encasing his ankles, raising them just enough that they’re almost level with his chest, which juts prominently forward as massive manacles restrain his forearms together behind his back. The top of the stocks is a black and curved, and, on top of blocking Bakugo’s view of his feet, he can feel that each of his toes has been tied to it, keeping his soles perfectly spread, vulnerable and immobile.

The only other thing he can see is a small, round table right next to the stocks, lying on something that should be below the floor, and on top of the gray table, a squat bottle of clear fluid, purple-capped and purple-labeled.

Suddenly, a tall, curvy woman is standing right in front of him. Everything on her person is some shade of yellow. What stands out right away is her slip-on dress, barely cladding her buxom form; then, her sea witch-like hair, like carefully permed algae, and… is that a raw egg on her head?

Each of her fingers ends in a long, sharp nail, painted yellow, of course. She’s brandishing an oversized detailing brush, which is almost as big as Bakugo’s foot. There’s something ominous about its purple shell and the hundreds of bristles under it.

“And who the fuck are you?” asks Bakugo, resolute not to show any trace of doubt or fear.

The woman’s voice is saccharine. “Maybe someone who thinks you need an attitude adjustment. Maybe someone who wants to see you relax and laugh. Or maybe someone who’s about to torture you for information.”

She notices Bakugo stiffen at that last remark, so she presses on. “Wanna go ahead and tell me where your hero friends are??” Her request sounds both ecstatic and devious, like she’s not trying to wring information out of him, but about to pull a prank.

“Get fucked,” he deadpans.

“Suit yourself!!” she trills, far too happy at his refusal. But he has no time to linger on her response, because something is leaving a fiery trail on his left foot, starting from the heel and traveling up, towards his toes. Fuck no. Not that. He stills himself, biting his lower lip, determined not to make a sound, to keep his face expressionless.

Her fingernail completes its journey and withdraws, and for a single moment, Bakugo allows himself to hope that will be it; but then, he feels four nails gently scratching at his heel.

“How’s that?” she chirps. “Heels aren’t usually very sensitive, and I’m sure yours aren’t either, right?”

She lets her fingers roam the mound for a few more moments (damn his Quirk for keeping his soles soft and callous-free!), then a single nail starts scratching at the point where his heel begins to flatten into his arch.

“Now this tends to be a loooot more sensitive,” she continues, and Bakugo has to grind his teeth together to keep from making a sound. It’s just one finger. Shit.

But then all four fingernails are dragged up his arch, and the corner of his mouth threatens to betray him. She says nothing, dragging her nails up, then down, then up again. No, he won’t smile, he won’t laugh, he won’t break, he won’t, he won’t! But then the four wanderers reach the ball of his foot.

“Khh!” escapes his treacherous lips, fruitlessly attempting to jerk his foot for the first time, but he immediately regains his composure… or something that resembles it.

“Yes, I think this ball here is very, very sensitive! But where does it tickle the most? Under? Right in the middle? Just above? I think it looks even more ticklish than the base of these toes, and these look sooooo ticklish!”

Bakugo would be cussing her out if he wasn’t so intent on repressing peals of giggling – giggling, him! He won’t answer, not like he needs to, because his warped features, the unrestrained snorts, the twisting of his upper body tell Tama everything she needs to know.

Yes, indeed, it’s even more sensitive than those nice-looking toes. That ball is ticklish indeed, extremely, excruciatingly ticklish. And she’ll play a game with it and the foot it’s attached to.

She makes a show of resting the brush on the table, and Bakugo would be relieved if his eyes weren’t squeezed shut in a long-failed attempt to hide his reactions.

But then four more fingers start scratching at his right foot, and the seal of his lips breaks. “Keh! Shit… Shit-!”

Tama smirks deviously, her hands still moving with the theatrical deliberateness of a clairvoyant interrogating her sphere… except the answer to her question is already quite obvious.

She’s teasing his arches, still going slow, she told herself she won’t start being sort of mean until the dam breaks… and she knows it’s about to.

In fact, it only takes a couple more seconds for his helpless struggling to become that much more desperate, for the volume of his voice to increase so…

“KEH!” he exhales again through gritted teeth, his face flushing rapidly and… poor guy, he already has tears in his eyes.

Tama lingers just a fraction of a second longer on his toes – her nails can easily slip between them, reaching skin that was never meant to be touched – and…

“S-SHIHIT!!” tumbles out of Bakugo’s lips… giving Tama the go-ahead. And as her fingernails begin to move with practiced spit and masterful precision, the professional hero realizes he never stood a chance.

“BWHAAAAAA! BWHAHHAAHA HAHAAHA HAHAHAHA HAHAHA!! HAHAHA HAHAHAHAHA HAHAHAAHHAAHAH!! SHIHIHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAH!!!”

With pinpoint precision, Tama targets the top of his heel, then the base of his toes; the bottom of the ball of his foot, then the stems; the center of the arch, then the middle of the ball; the top of the ball, and between the toes. It’s an expert flurry that not even someone far less ticklish than Bakugo could resist, and with both feet at her disposal, perfectly vulnerable, she can target different spots on each foot, introducing Bakugo to a new level of hysteria.

“HAAAAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! HAHAHAH HAHAHAHA AHHAHAAHAHAH!! FUHAHAHAHHAHACK HAHAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAAH HAHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!!”

“Theeere we go!!” trills Tama, scratching at the pads of both big toes.

“Now that’s a happy face,” she continues, her left hand focusing on the right heel.

“Don’t you feel so much better just relaxing and laughing like this??” she questions as she slips a finger between each set of toes.

“Seriously, you’ll give yourself wrinkles if you constantly scowl!!” she advises while her right hand wreaks havoc just under the ball of his left foot.

“Happiness is a much better look on you!!” she proclaims, happily scribbling at the base of his toes.

“You are just EXPLODING with laighter!!” she quips right before all her fingernails converge right at the center of the balls of both feet, making Bakugo howl.

“FUUHUHHAHAHAHUCHK!! FUCK! FUCK! GggrrRAHAHHAHHHRRGHAAH!! Fucking stoOHOOP!! THIS IS TOHOOHOHORTURE!! AhGHAGAHGAAHAHAHAHH!!”

Tama doens’t bother pointing out that that is the point – as far as he knows. No, she just flexes every inch of her incomparable skill to make sure that she’s extracting the most distilled form of hysterical agony every second – each one of which feels like an eternity to tickle-addled Bakugo.

“Awwww, so ticklish!! Gitchy gitchy gitchy!! How about here~? Or here~? My my, you’re just a walking tickle spot, huh? Are you just soooo ticklish??? Tickle tickle!!” she teases, knowing full well that Bakugo can understand one word out of three, but her cooing tone is enough for him to realize he is being teased, and that stokes the fire of his powerless rage. He even tries to insult her through the deafening peals of laughter… too bad surge of high-pitched mirth cuts him off when she focuses on the ball of his right foot and the base of his left toes at the same time.

How deliciously he is thrashing, flushing, tearing up, laughing, laughing, laughing, hating her, but really his own off-the-charts sensitivity.

And naturally, Tama goes on teasing him. “You’re such a gigglebox!! Sooo cute!! You just gonna giggle yourself to death?? What if I get those toes, huh?? What are you gonna do then??”

Bakugo is in hell. The worst thing is that he doesn’t even care about the humiliation anymore. He just wants – NEEDS it to stop.

And she does, about ten minutes of desperate laughter later. Not because she’s taken pity on him, no. She needs his sense sharp, lest a single scratch of hers be sub-optimal. And she wants him to be able to make sense of her words.

So as the phantom tickles keep him flailing about, she reaches for the bottle and, calmly, opens the cap, squirts its content in the palm of her hand, puts it back on the table, closes it, and rubs the lotion into her palms.

By then, his laughter has tapered off into steady giggling, which is also dying down. She notices the tears in his eyes and smirks. Then, she proceedd to rub the red soles with her lathered hands.

His limp body instantly stiffens when he feels her touch – Ah, what delightful fear she’s instilled! – though he is too tired to pretend he can put up a fight, and warily lets her rub his ravaged soles, secretly relieved that her touch is dispelling the phantom tickles.

Poor guy, he has no idea how much worse this is about to get, and will keep getting. So she is extra nice with her massage, as if to make up for what she is about to do, while waiting for his sensitivity and his reactions to recover fully. How unfortunate that he has such good stamina!

“Sooo, anything you want to tell me?” she enquires.

It takes Bakugo a long time to answer. “G-get… fucked…” he repeats, his hoarse voice breaking as he’s still trying to project strength.

Tama chuckles. How delightful. But she wears her best scowl as she says, “That’s not nice at all!! I think someone owes me an apology!!”

Bakugo breathes in, then out. He sits upright, blinks off the tears to scowl at her. “Get… fucked.”

Oh, how hard she has to fight to suppress that chuckle! How thoroughly he’s taken that bait! Gobbled it right up, as soon as she lured him into a sense of self-possession, that maybe he could take this.

“Just know I won’t stop until you’re ready to apologize, ok??” she says, and then scratches.

Bakugo YELPS. As much as they’d tickled him, none of his friends had ever introduced him to baby oil. She pauses just long enough for the realization to sink in and register on his features.

Then the kiddy gloves come off.

“AGAGAGAGAGAHHAHAHHAHAHAHA!!! HAHHAHAHAHAGAGAGAGAAFFFFFFFHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! HAHAHAHAHAGAGAGAGAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!”

The next ten minutes are unadulterated, coerced hysteria, Bakugo caught in a losing battle between his will and his body. Tama says nothing, only humming to herself. She knows the last of his defenses are coming down. But that’s no good reason to go easy on those footsies, is it?

“RRRRHAHAHAHAGAGAGAGAGHHHH!!!! HAHAHAHAHFHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! PLHAHAHAHAHAHA!! PHEHEHHHAHAHAAHHA!!!”

She focuses on his toes.

“SSSSSTHAHAAHAHAHAHA!!! GHAHAHAGHAAGAHAGHAAA!! PPLHEHEHEHEHAASEHEHEHEHAHAHAHAHAH!!!”

His arches…

“HAHHAHA!! STOHOP!! PLEHEHASE!!! STHAHAHSTAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAP!!”

Begging, uh? Oh, if he could notice… No matter, he will, later. The ball of his foot.

“FUFUFHAHAHAHAHACCKK!! PLAHAHAHA!!! STHAHAHA!!!! PLEAPLEAHAHSEPLEASEHEHEHE!!! IHAHAH!!! I’M SOHAHAHAHAHAHAH!!! HAHAHAHHAAHAHAHAHA!!!”

There it is. He’s cracked. Though, to be fair, he probably hasn’t even realized it.

What he does realize is that Tama won’t pause to let him apologize. After all, if he’s too sensitive to even speak, that’s not her fault, is it?

“HAHAHAHAHSSOOSOHAHAHAHAHAH!!! MMHAHAHAHAH”” I’m SOHOHAHAHAHAH---!!”

Oh, he nearly did it! How tragic he’s been consigned to the pit of silent laughter, so close to the finish line! His eyes are vacuous, incredulous, his mouth open and frozen into a manical cackle that just won’t come.

Well, if he won’t apologize, he can take more. So Tama doesn’t stop, doesn’t relent. It takes him all of 30 seconds – probably two hours in Bakugo-time – for all the words he’d been wanting to say to erupt in pitiful string. “STOPPLEASESTOPOKAYI’MSORRYI’MSORRYSTOPITSOHOHAHAHAHAHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHA!!! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAAAA!!!”

How loud he is! But, always true to her word, Tama does stop.

Oh, how he instantly crumbles! Like a puppet whose strings have been cut. How he pants, like he’s just run three consecutive marathons! Beautiful. Just beautiful. “Theeere we go!! Now that wasn’t so hard!!”

She rubs his sore feet again – with more oil, of course. His crimson soles positively glisten.

Now for the offer he can’t accept. “Remind me again, where are your hero friends??”

He freezes. He’d forgotten. Ah, that surge of resolve! Now that he’s been reminded of why he has to endure, he’s somehow convinced himself he won’t falter again. She snickers. It’s too easy.

He says nothing – just stares at her defiantly, flushed though he is, tear-trails down his cheeks, soaked hair stuck to his forehead. She smiles. And grabs the brush.

And something inside Bakugo dies as he feels the bristles scratching at his right sole. “FFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHACK!!! HAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHAHHAAHA!!!! HAHAHAHAHHAHAHAHAH!!!! HAHAHAHHA AHHAHAHAAHHA!!!”

“Ohh, what a scream!! Is this the sweet spot, right at the top?? Perfect, I’ll just keep the brush right here for a while then- no?? Ahaha! Now why would I tickle you anywhere else, when this spot makes you beg for mercy so deliciously~?”

It was a half-lie – he didn’t have the capacity to beg for mercy anymore. Or maybe he does. Well, it is gone for sure the second her free hand makes contact with his left foot, all while the scrub keeps going up and down, up and down…

No amount of screaming or crying will save Bakugo. He’s just there to take it – he can’t, yet he will.

“Wow, your soles are so red. And look at all those nail marks. That must really, really tickle, huh?? Like seriously, it looks unbearable. Good thing you have to take it and not me, huh??”

He can’t understand her, but she keeps teasing to shatter whatever spec of ego is left. She moves the brush to the other foot, but her nails aren’t deserting the first.

He just screams, and laughs, and drools, and begs. Nothing else he can do. And soon, he can’t even do that anymore. Silent laughter. The brush switches foot. Screaming, crying, drooling, begging! He doesn’t even remember what he’s supposed to say to make it stop.

It is pure self-preservation that somehow cuts through the laughter as the brush scrubs up and down his right foot, and her fingernails focus on the very center of the ball of the left. The kill. “AUGKHAHA HAHA HA HAHA HAHA! I’LL TALK!!”

She doesn’t stop.

“BFHAHAHAHA! I’LL TALK!!”

How long until he burns himself out again?

“KGAHAH! KEE! MAKE IT STAHP!! GYA!”

She doesn’t stop. But he’s running on fumes, and he can understand her again. Not for long. So she trills, “In only 30 minutes? And you were such a little toughie, too!!”

She won’t stop. She sees it in his eyes, the moment the realization hits.

“Let’s make it an even hour.”

And a second brush materializes in her free hand. Bakugo bellows – screams – groans – this can’t be happening, but it is. He’s broken, defeated. Two brushes energetically scrubbing at his feet, and having gone through all four stages of grief without any of them diminishing the torment one bit, his mind short-circuits. He’s been reduced to a machine that can do nothing but laugh.

But he doesn’t make it through the hour, no. He doesn’t even last 10 minutes after the second brush is introduced before his body surrenders. He goes limp, still twitching, breathing deeply, passed out, with the biggest cackle frozen on his face.

Tama stops. Smiles. “Until the next drawing,” she trills.

[lylethewaterguy]

The New Gods (2024) #2 review time!!

Spoiler free:

I’m loving this series so much. Seeing all the New Gods interacting and being the centre of attention in a way they haven’t in so long is so fun. They are truly my favourite part of DC lore and so far Ram V and Evan Cagle are going above and beyond doing them justice. Everyone’s voice is so accurately presented and the story itself is so interesting I want the next issue as soon as I’ve read the last one. If you haven’t started reading New Gods do it! It’s amazing, and I’ve loved every single second of it.

Spoilers ahead:

I love Highfather being awaken by nightmares. There’s something about seeing the person who is usually the most composed, often to an inhumane degree, falling apart that really encapsulates the stakes for the story. Also Lightray is absolutely adorable. He just wants to help, and the way Cagle draws him is stunning.

“You were the promise past my final escape.” Why don’t you just kill me? Huh? Why don’t you just shoot me in the heart and take me out of my misery? They are not only the gold standard but the very definition of love.

First of all the art in these day panels (and the rest of the comic for that matter) are absolutely stunning. I love how dynamic Orion’s scenes are with Scott and Liv’s hands in the foreground. Also is this the design for Orion’s Astro-harness? Cause if so I love it. I mean whatever it is it looks so cool. And “I hold her hand in mine, and I’m afraid… afraid of ever putting you or her in harm’s way.” This man truly LOVES his family.

I was hoping for a Big Barda “title screen” and Cagle, as always, does not disappoint. These titles are so perfect for these characters. Also just like with all the other characters his design for barda is absolutely perfect.

OMG!!!! She picked him up like a little kitten!!!! THEY ARE UNMATCHED!!! Also her being immediately pissed off at Orion, I love it.

AHHHHH!!!! A. Scott looks adorable here and b. This is so cute!!!! Just like in the previous issue I’m in love with how they take a break from the seriousness and vastness of the rest of the story to give us Scott and Barda being domestic.

I love this family. I just met them and I would protect them with my life. I’m also so happy that his parents didn’t die. I feel like it’s a lot more interesting if they’re still alive.

MAX! Stop smiling like a psycho while talking about your dad shooting himself! I know some people hate evil Max but personally I love him. Especially “corrupted” evil max, where he’s manipulated by outside forces. Impeccable.

Metron… what the hell?

1. KANTO MY LOVE!!! 2. “The thing that bothers me the most… Metron, crook-toungue, is when you start calling me “friend.”” There’s something so fun about the way literally no one ever trusts Metron but they also believe everything he says without question. They know he’s a snake. But at least he’s an honest snake. 3. Cagle why’d you draw Metron so hot?

[supernaturallyliterate]

Helluva Boss Episode 2

thoughts & SPOILERS

- In the flashback, we see Stolas wake up disgruntled, surrounded by grey tones. Stella is turned away from him, and grumbles at him to go get Via. This establishes that Stolas has always been the one to care for Via.

- The drawings in Via’s room show just her and Stolas. The family portrait doesn’t include her mom. Also I just love all the astronomy and stars everywhere in her room.

- kid Via: “I had a bad dream… I was looking all over the palace. And I couldn’t find you anywhere!” This demonstrates that Via’s deepest fear is that her dad will leave her all alone. She doesn’t feel the same connection with her mom, who isn’t even mentioned in the conversation and lullaby that Stolas sings to comfort her.

- Stolas: “You must remember, no matter what happens to me I will never be far away from my special little star fire.”

- Stolas: I used to think that this was home. I used to think love would be fun. Now all of my stories have been told except for one.”

- “As the stars start to align I hope you take it as a sign that you’ll be okay. Everything will be okay. And if the seven rings collapse although the day could be my last you will be okay. While I’m gonna you will be okay. When creation goes to die you can find me in the sky up on the last day. And you will be okay.” I feel like “You Will Be Okay” foreshadows what happens in season 2 and beyond: Stolas leaving Via, the threat of death he faces from Satan, him being banished.

- the scene jump from baby Via sleeping to teen Via

- “Do you want to fuck this one too?!”

- “my world is burning down around me. It’s by fuck you dad. It’s a band.”

- Stolas’s squeaky little slippers

- Stella yells at Stolas about him sleeping with an imp in front of Via. This is after Stolas and Blitz sleep together for the first time, after Blitz runs out the next morning and Stolas rips up the “Not Divorced!” Sign and announces that he wants a divorce.

-

- S: “now, I’m calling the only man who can fuck me!” V: “What?” S: “Who can protect me!”

- not sure how I feel about Blitz masturbating to Millie and Moxxie self-insert 😭

- Blitz to Stolas: I just had a chemical peel, so find somewhere else to plant that feathered ass.”

- Blitz has a poster of “The Incredible Blitzo!” on his office wall

- Blitz thinks that Stolas wants him to sleep with Via, and all he says is “make sure she washes it.” BLITZ ABSOLUTELY NOT. THAT IS YOUR FUTURE DAUGHTER.

- Blitz has to clarify with Stolas, “you’ll pay me what?” Stolas, all seductively, “Money.” Makes me think if Blitz got roped into something and it turned out to be something else

- More horse posters in Blitz’s office

- Looney’s “Shut the fuck up!” Is so goth teen. Love it.

- Blitz: “now remember, this is work and work only. Me and my crew are not here to satisfy any of your little perverted bird needs.”

- The first interaction we see between Via and Blitz is Via trying to get her dad’s attention and Blitz saying, “hold on right there, sweetie,” and then ignoring her while chastising Stolas about not trying to sleep with him. Oh boy. No wonder she fucking hates him.

- Millie used to come to Loo Loo Land as a kid. I want this flashback.

- Blitz tells Moxxie, “Listen to your hoe, Mox.” I think this speaks to Blitz’s perception of relationships at this time. He knows they’re married. But he can only see it as sexual. So he reduces them to sexual partners.

- All of the signs. “The lawsuit,” “funnel cakes and suffering,” “stop that soul.”

- Via: “You both need to get a room.” She’s making passive comments that she doesn’t approve of

- We get a small flashback of Via and Blitz being at the circus. We can infer from Stolas’s childhood experience at the circus that he takes Via there because HE loves the circus and he met Blitz there.

- I love that we see a small insight into Via and Blitz bonding: “I hate that fucking clown.” Even though Blitz will make us with Fizzarolli, I think this is important because it shows the audience (and maybe, upon reflection, both Blitz and Via) that they DO have things in common. They both hate this weird clown. And they both love Stolas.

- I love the casual assassination and kidnapping attempt.

- I love the whole interaction of Moxxie & Millie at the carnival game. He’s just trying to show off and get his wife the stuffed animal she wants.

- Stolas’s little chubby cheeks and clapping as the show finishes. But he’s so in his own world that he doesn’t see Via is upset until she says, “I can’t do this anymore!” And leaves.

- robot Fizzarolli: “real or not, though, people love me. Does anybody love you, Blitzo?” B: “No, but I’m really good with guns now!” BABY THATS NOT TRUE

- The torch falls on the circus tent. It’s an accident. Just like the one in Blitz’s past. Of course this time he IS trying to kill robot Fizz.

- Stolas can tell based on the shot that it wasn’t Blitz who killed his attacker. Just how many times has he hired Blitz to bodyguard?

- “some weird dickhead.” How Via describes Blitz

- “Home doesn’t even feel like home anymore. You’ve ruined it.” She blames him at this moment.

- Octavia: “Are you gonna run off with him? Leave me behind? Go somewhere where I can’t find you?”

- At this moment in time, all Octavia knows is that her dad slept with Blitz and wants to divorce Stella. We see Stolas try to explain that things with Stella were never really romantic or healthy. But, as Stolas says, “I can’t find the words.” He doesn’t want to shatter his daughter’s perception of her mom. He doesn’t want to lose her either.

- We see Stolas show a fraction of his powers by petrifying the imp attacker. Proving what everyone already knew: he doesn’t need Blitz to protect him, but he WANTS him to.

[felipe-v-fanblog]

Hi, my friend. I would like to clarify something. I watched a biography of Felipe V, and the biography states that the Alcazar real palace was burned, and some of the paintings were forever lost. People in the comment section accused Philip V of purposely burning the palace so he could rebuild it. Is this true or is it just a coincidence?

2. Who is Philip V's favorite child?

hi, friend . have been busy with college the past days. i will stalk your account right away as always after clearing out this cus i have never ever heard about that gossip ! it actually surprised me . as far as i know the burning was mostly suspected to be from an artist of the court ( Jean Ranc ), who you may know for making that one painting of Felipe V riding a horse with a rainbow in the background (its insane) . but i want to remember him for making this painting of this dog which is named " La perra Liceta " . she seems nice .

I heard Jean Ranc had some sort of blindness or vision problems (actually very normal between artists of the time) , so it makes sense for him to have made some mistake with fire . that was something i read a long time ago and cannot find it on wikipedia right now so this is just me thinking . it is true that it was weird that the royal family wasnt on the alcázar at the time but felipe v never actually liked the place and he was avoidant asf of the stuff he didnt liked so . i dont actually find it sus but yeah the spaniards of the time hated felipe and would have used anything that he did against him . love him he is blorbo .

2. he actually loved all his children but he loved a lot luis i which is kind of a pity because his death was literally . like . the death of him . like wtf . luis was his first one and he has some really funny stories with him and i love them a lot . luis took the gentle and reserved nature both from maria luisa de saboya and felipe . he also took his whore side from felipe v but i let him be . there is something funny ? which no one mentions but i noticed ? which is that felipe v dressed luis i like him ? it wasnt normal at the time to give kids really long wigs but luis i for some reason used them ? which i assume it was felipe v s idea as he also used really long wigs since he was very small ( also not normal from the time - he was just very coquette ) , he was always very french ( in terms of looking too much at himself in the mirror ) . anyway he loved all of them but didnt passed much time with any of them as he was very avoidant of anything tbh . but he personally teached them about religion and fernando vi was very attached to his father , so he probably did bonded with at least the first children he had . cannot say the same about the ones he had with isabel de farnesio as he was mostly depressed during that part of his life . isabel de farnesio loved carlos iii and filippo di parma btw . no one gives a fuck about don luis ( which is btw named after luis i , and was made an archbishop to take spiritual care ? of his family and specially the deceased luis i - he was born 3 years after his death . he also has a record guinnes for being world ' s youngest cardinal ever ? ) . i just finished to put a drawing of don luis on my backpack along with a felipe v as duc de anjou fun fact . may draw some other bourbons to accompany them .

[numbuh-72]

Artist's Message/Update

Hey everyone! Artsy_Lexi here!

Hope everyone has been doing all right and staying safe out there!

I have some stuff I would like to say in regards to Numbuh 72's blog and the plans for what's to come in the future, so buckle up and grab a can of soda!

First off, I wanna thank the people who've been around to support me and my work ever since I returned to Tumblr under Numbuh 72, you guys are all amazing and I've been having a blast starting to know some of you guys, through my fellow mutuals~. I will say, ideas continue to develop in my head for stuff to draw and interact with you guys and have some fun with our characters!

With that in mind, I'm already almost to 25 followers on here! I do plan on doing a small celebration for this milestone that's already about to be achieved, so once I hit it, stick around for a DTIYS art challenge and be on the lookout for a new hashtag that I will put for my oc, Gianna Chavez!

Aside from that though, allow me to give yall an update for what I plan to do to...better organize this blog;

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

So I have a lot of ideas for this blog that's been running around my head for ages now and I've been struggling on what idea to do first; This would include

Alternate Universes (FNF, Roblox, Little Brother, etc.)

Finishing up OC Ref sheets, well, updated versions of them-

RP Doodles for RPs that I'm doing as we speak

LOG Data (I've been typing away for days on some of these to catch up on the stuff-)

Creating my own Headcanon for Sector V and other canon characters (Basically a universe for Gianna-)

And so much more!!!!

Don't worry though, I'm gonna be taking as much time as needed to be able to properly organize all of these awesome ideas, though I think for the meantime, I'm gonna try and focus on Gianna's main storyline that involves her improvement on the Treatment Program and how she will successfully get out of it!

Most of her adventures she will have, I plan to maybe do them via roleplays or from doing asks with all my moots and at one point, involve them in the main storyline for Gianna! (That is of course, I get consent for those that see this~)

So the LOG Data you see, those are actual reflections from roleplays that I have completed or in progress that I think are considered worthy for Gianna to report, for this is part of her program to see if she has been improving or not during the course.

I might even at one point ask for help now and then from my friends to gib ideas and of course properly credit them since they are all amazing~

As far as how I will tell the story on here, I have some ideas of doing Arcs with chapters, following with illustrations now and then, or maybe attempt to do a comic series. Who knows, we shall see~

I'm hoping though to try and get more asks in her inbox since sadly it's been empty for the most part and I was hoping people were curious to know her more while I work on some stuff on the side.

Don't worry though! Everything's all good! I'm just pushing a gentle reminder that the Asks are open for Gianna and the ocs listed that are open for questions~ <3

Now inspired by the lovely @kandykatz's way of their organizing their master posts, I might go for that way of organizing my stuff properly, or might do some twists, who knows, still gotta figure that out-

I...think that's all I have for now in what's the plan for this blog, if anything comes to mind I will edit this post or maybe do a part 2.

Thanks guys for taking the time to read! I hope to continue cooking up in the kitchen with yall and have some fun here~

[cailynwrites]

Writing Patterns

Rules: List the first line of your last 10 (posted) fics and see if there’s a pattern!

Thank you @squibstress for tagging me in this. Though I’m not a writer (publicly, anyway), there’s clearly something about first lines that draws me to recording a podfic. This is such a fun idea. Working backward from my last posted podfic today (!), here goes …

1. “There was certainly something amiss with the temporal forces that morning, for Sybill Trelawney awoke with a splitting headache.”

From Ambiguity (podfic) by @vermin-disciple, Rated G

This is a perfect encapsulation of what’s to come. I already waxed rhapsodic about this character study in another post, but this first line crystallizes the dichotomy of the character and the world view, the tragedy and the comedy, the ethereal and the mundane, the two warring factions inside Sibyll Trelawney. She prances around dispersing her gift of Sight and great wisdom while at the same time completely wrapped up in the lowest level of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. It’s so hard to tell what’s real and what’s a sham with her, because she doesn’t even know herself. And all of that is in the first sentence! Masterful.

2. “The summer after Draco’s first year at Hogwarts was perfectly lovely.”

From there and back again (podfic), the 3rd installment in the dogfather AU series by @nonasuch, Rated G

Of course, the unspoken part is that nothing every would be again after that point. Draco fares much better in this AU than in canon or in many other fanfics. He reads The Hobbit, gets support from cousin Sirius, and ends up more or less on the right side of the war, though definitely not unscathed. @nonasuch is a whiz with a turn of phrase and leaves so much unsaid to be inferred. This fic in particular is almost like a series of interludes; it’s never telling the story as the exciting parts are going on, but rather it gives Draco's version of (semi-)canon events in the calm denouement periods after. As a reader, it keeps you on the edge of your seat because you don’t know when the next time jump will be or what things will have radically changed when you see Draco again on the other side.

(I’m going to cheat here and also give the first lines of the other fics in the series that I’ve recorded thus far, because I think they’re similar in an interesting way and I just want to celebrate every day what a masterful writer @nonasuch is.)

“Remus woke up warm and comfortable, and that was all wrong.”

From the black dog (podfic) by @nonasuch, part 2 of the dogfather AU, Rated M

A prequel to the original story, the dogfather, in which Sirius breaks out of prison and meets up with Remus much earlier than in canon. Again, this first line leaves us to infer so much and imagine what has changed, why Remus hadn’t been warm and comfortable before, what is to come. The first line presages all the angst and hurt/comfort to come.

“To begin with: this is a version of events where, on the morning of November 1st, 1981, the police are called to a house in Surrey.”

From the dogfather (podfic) by @nonasuch, Rated T

This one is slightly different and although this story also has very economical prose, it is much longer than its prequel and sequel above and has more room for details. The author spends a lot of time giving details and breaking the fourth wall, so to speak, to explain character motivations. But it’s all so blunt and bittersweet and funny. As I said in my original post, I think it might be my favorite wolfstar of all time, even though it barely wolfstars at all (especially compared to its M-rated prequel above).

3. “Looking at his watch for perhaps the twentieth time, Ron sighed loudly.”

From Libiamo! (amor fra' calici più caldi baci avrà) (podfic) by @khasael, Rated E

What better way to start a story than to drop our hero in media res at a restaurant with his future enemy-to-lover, Pansy Parkinson? And this is such a pitch perfect Ron characterization in my mind, all rough edges and a gooey, melty vanilla and caramel center.

4. “You can’t be serious?” The words were out of Hermione’s mouth before she could stop herself when Minerva broke the news about Hogwarts’ new Arithmancy professor.

From Stay (podfic) by vendettadays, Rated T

Another in media res and another pairing with Pansy. (I’ve been devouring Pansy fics since I recorded ‘tis the damn season (Pansy's version) by @the-francakes - podfic during the holidays and I can’t get enough of her, paired with just about anyone. I recorded this for @femslashfebruary and it really only features female characters, even the students.

5. “Poppy could feel sweat building around her temples as she continued to cast.”

From The Anniversary Quilt (podfic) by @vdoshu, Rated G

More in media res, with Poppy trying to heal her long-time partner, Minerva, after she gets hit with all those stunning spells. Throughout, we see Minerva through Poppy’s eyes and through the lens of their decades-long relationship.

6. “Severus found Hermione in the kitchens.”

From Mating for Life (podfic) by Arsenic, Rated T (sequel to Care of Magical Creatures (podfic), Rated E)

It may not be fair to compare a sequel opening line to the first in a series because it doesn’t have to do the same work. A first work needs to exert itself immediately to draw the reader in. But presumably, if you’re reading a seven-years-later sequel to a beautiful, pro-werewolf Remus/Hermione/Severus polyamory fic written almost 20 years ago before the book series was finished, you’re already hooked to the characters, the relationship, and the premise. You are drawn in by a desire to see a story you loved continue. And it does!

7. “Oliver Wood had one single year left at Hogwarts.”

From messin’ up my mind (podfic) by SkyRose, Rated T

This one is so nice and simple, but it sets up the stakes for the whole fic, a mutual pining story of Oliver and Percy finally getting together, with a little help from some of their Quidditch teammates. A lot of this story is Oliver’s internal monologue, so it’s fitting that this first sentence lays out what governs Oliver’s motivations - that this is the beginning of a series of “lasts” and that he still has so much he wants to do before leaving school.

8. “What are you doing?”

From The Cat With The Stars in Her Eyes (podfic) by @peachonified, Rated G

The first line isn’t spoken by the main character, Luna, but rather Ginny as an audience proxy to lead us into the story. We also want to know what, in fact, Luna is doing. Turns out she’s creating beautiful magic tattoos and therapizing all of Hogwarts (and later all of the Wizarding World) at the same time. 

9. "Well, that's the last of them," Arthur said musingly, over breakfast on September second.

From Empty Burrow (podfic) by @copperbadge, Rated T

When I was looking for a little fic for Arthur’s birthday, I found this little gem, also written pre-Half Blood Prince. All the dialogue in this fic is sparse, like is so often the case with an older married couple who no longer need words to communicate most of what they want to say. 

10. "I must ask one more time," said Dumbledore, the picture of grave concern with his fingers steepled on his desk, "If you are entirely sure about this decision."

From the stranger in the shell of a lover (podfic) by @slashmarks

Once again, the first person to speak is not the most important to the story, nor even the second most important. But it sets the tension and has a good hook, and once you find out in the next line that he’s talking to Lily, you’ve got to wonder what he’s so worried about …

Looking back over my recent work, I think a few things are clear:

I like fics that start with dialogue. I work hard on my voice acting and my accents, and though they are by no means perfect, I think they add something to the work. Being able to come out of the gate with a Dumbledore or a Ginny voice is a joy.

I also like jumping into the action of a story. It’s easier to tune out audiobooks or podfics than a story you’re actively reading (at least that’s true for me), so making sure that I have a story with a good hook is important to me.

Ever since I did A Very Pair-y Christmas in December, I’ve been branching out with different characters and ships, as opposed to doing mostly Drarry and Dramione a year or two ago. It’s been an absolute joy, I’ve discovered so many amazing new authors, and I welcome any suggestions for future recordings, especially if they’re different than what I’ve already done.

On the other hand, as I've moved away from recording Dramione and into more queer pairings, I worry that a lot of the fics I record wouldn't pass the Bechdel test. I'm pleased to see that in the start of 2024, the majority of my protagonists have been women.

On the other other hand, there's only ONE Explicit-rated fic on this list?!?! What have I been doing? Well, I promise there's some smutty stuff coming very soon ... 😉

This ask was so fun! I love gushing about other people’s writing. Thank you @squibstress for tagging me. Send me more of these so I can procrastinate on the Spanish paper I’m supposed to be writing.

Tagging @teledild0nix, @sweatersinthesummer, and @theselittleponders.

[missellafitz]

So, extending upon my overall theory that Ella and Frank were long-term lovers, I am now theorizing that they were the loves of each other's lives. Hear me out:

If they were together for "over 20 years" that is over two decades of shared intimacy, far exceeding the years of all of their marriages (There's the argument that Barbara lasted 22 years, but "over 20 years" suggests that it could be on par with the time Barbara had with Frank or even longer).

The similarities between them would denote an inevitable attraction. Both dropped out of high school. Both headlined big bands. Both had a compulsion to sing and a love for it. Both had children they didn't really raise. Both had a string of failed marriages. Both travelled constantly, and, I'd argue, enjoyed not being tied down to a single place. Both loved to make "the people," the audience, happy. They came from the same generation. They came from the same general place (NJ/NY). They were fans of each other and attended each other's concerts long before they were household names. Fun fact, but they both LOVED shoes. They both were stylish and appreciated the finer things in life. They were diehard Dodgers fans. They both snapped while singing to keep an additional beat for some reason. Later in life, they lived a few blocks from each other. They were both insanely charitable, secretly so. Honestly, they're the male and female counterparts of each other, both in life and in entertainment. It would be more uncanny if they didn't have an affair.

I really think the fact that they couldn't get married was a draw for both of them. As we all know, interracial marriage wasn't legally allowed nationwide until 1967. They'd both been married a few times by that point, and all of those marriages failed. I think not having that possibility over their heads was a comfort really.

There is a specialness in having something private the world doesn't know about. I mean, let's be real, someone out there (probably dead) knew about this affair. Ella and Frank generally ran in the same circles. This may possibly be why Norman Granz hated Frank so much, because all the other explanations I've heard sound off. I mean, he said Frank was racist (come on...) and said Frank ran roughshod over Ella and Basie. Yeah yeah. Thing is, there were apparently rumors flying around that Ella and Norman had a thing going (and if so, it was the most extreme version of love/hate as they fought a ton). Also, I saw a clip a few weeks ago of Norman being weirdly affectionate towards Ella, as in, trying to kiss her forehead as they walked down a hallway and ALSO them later kissing on the lips before she cut her birthday cake sometime in the late 60s/early 70s (I'll link it when I find it: FOUND IT: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=4255296394495580). So, I mean, perhaps Norman hates Frank because Frank had Ella? Apparently, one of the arguments for their rift is that Frank kicked Norman off the set of his show after he tried to get Ella to sing different songs on Frank's show, which Frank did not like at all. Also, Frank tried to buy Norman's record company "Verve" and just so he couldn't, Norman sold it to MGM. Even funner fact, Frank ended up with his own "Reprise" label that Ella eventually ended up on in 1969.

Ella and marriages - So, although Ella had been married 2-3 times by 1963, she never married again, and not from lack of opportunity. Apparently, that pediatrician she was with on and off for years did propose to her on several occasions. But she turned him down, telling him it "wouldn't be fair." The argument of "fair" might mean that she didn't have the time or energy to be a traditional wife. It could mean that she refused to give up singing (Phoebe Jacobs' opinion). It could ALSO mean that she didn't want to give up other lovers. I've read that Ella had a thing for Scandinavian men, but I'd take that further to say she dated black men (the pediatrician and her first two husbands) and Italian men as well. She dated saxophonist Vido Musso in her early years and allegedly had gotten pregnant with his baby. She grew up in a mixed black/Italian neighborhood in Yonkers. I mean, perhaps she and Frank shared mutual cultural dynamics that could've made them work?

I'm still at work, but I'll add more as it comes to mind.

[gunpowder-tim]

so. podcast reccomendations

putting this under a read more it got l o n g

Ones i have listened to -

*Inkwyrm - COMPLETE, My ultimate fav podcast ever -id listen to the original first ep before the first ep redo cause i think it kinda makes more sense idk, Putting up with her boss is hard enough, but with the cutthroat fashion industry, and whatever is trying to kill everyone today, Mella and the gang have their hands full. One part sit-com, one part space opera.

*Kaleidotrope - COMPLETE, the cutest fucking shit ever filled with tropes and gayass idiots, The plot centers around Drew and Harrison, two reluctant college radio co-hosts-turned-accidental-advice-givers who find themselves in the middle of the campus’s oldest mystery: Do happy endings really happen at Sidlesmith? Can you really find your trope?

*Hell or High Rollers - 11 eps so far! dnd podcast but very rp based much less mechanic based /pos,  A table top role play podcast following the adventures of 4 Villains and their attempt to escape eternal damnation. theyre trying to escape hell and they have to get through all nine layers before they can!!

The Beacon - season 3 coming, After surviving a dangerous encounter with a monster, Bee discovers she has the magical ability to control fire. Confused and with no heroic aspirations, she reaches out online to try and find others with impossible powers like hers - but finding them is only half the battle. only listened to a few eps of this but its v enjoyable

Girl in Space - season 2 coming, Nothing fancy here -- just the simple audio diary of a girl in space. Also, there’s this weird and potentially ominous light in the distance that seems to be growing steadily closer. fun space stuff!

Violet Beach - COMPLETE, On New Year's Day, 2018, the lives of seven friends in the town of Violet Beach, Maryland, change forever. As weird sci-fi happenings become less "fi" and more reality every day, they begin keeping record of their experiences. These are those records. dont remember much abt the content (listened to it a long time ago lmao) but i remember enjoying it v much

Overkill - COMPLETE(?), After 19-year-old Aya Velasquez died mysteriously in Harding Park, no one seemed to care. At least not until a preteen medium accidentally summoned Aya herself to solve the mystery. With no memory of her death and no shortage of questions, Aya must make friends with her fellow ghosts and discover the truth behind the nation's most haunted park. v cool ghost shit but not horrory and also gay

Midnight Radio - COMPLETE, Drawing inspiration from 1950s radio serials and ghost stories, Midnight Radio follows two women finding love through an unlikely correspondence about community, leaving your small hometown, our relationship to the past, what it means to be haunted, and what we leave behind when we die. Remember: all ghost stories are love stories.

Death by Dying - season 2 in progress(?) The Obituary Writer of Crestfall, Idaho finds himself deeply in over his head as he investigates a series of strange and mysterious deaths… when he is supposed to simply be writing obituaries. Along the way he encounters murderous farmers, man-eating cats, haunted bicycles, and a healthy dose of ominous shadows. nightvale esque with a weird lil town, fun concept cool characters, the obituary writer is on the podcast tumblr like all the time and is v nice sauifgdsukf

36 Questions - COMPLETE, musical podcast! bit :/ cause its like got real celebs n shit in it but its good!!!!, In a last-ditch attempt to salvage their crumbling marriage, a couple uses the 36 questions—an experiment known for making strangers fall in love—to save their own relationship.

Directive - 2 seasons, when this came out the tumblr for the podcast messaged people to ask them to listen to it skjdfgdsk, listen to all of part 1 all at once, i didnt know there was a season two so idk abt that but this is sad so just bear that in mind , A Sci Fi series about a man stuck alone for 20 years, taking care of sleeping passengers on a ship to colonize a new planet.

*Love and Luck - hiatus since 2020 possibly finished, Love and Luck is a fictional radio play podcast, told via voicemails.  It’s a slice of life queer romance story with a touch of magic. very cute and nice and lighthearted

Dining in The Void - season 3 coming, When six alien celebrities are trapped onboard a space station, they will have to work together to survive--or die at the hands of an unknown monster. pretty sure i was/am mutuals (or sth) w someone who voice acts in this which i didnt know when i started listening, heavy themes i think kinda

Raising the Dead Again - indefinate hiatus, Raising the Dead Again is a triweekly podcast that follows a young, modern-day necromancer - a young man by the name of Quincy Bejanaro - before, during, and after making the biggest mistake of his life: resurrecting long-dead adventurers. really really loved this one sad theres only 9 eps :( and the story is unfinished

some of these do not have great input from me bc i listened to them years ago n my memory is garbage - starred ones are my favourites, pink is my opinion, italics are official descriptions

other ones i love but Do Not Reccomend are king falls am and eos 10 bc the creators r stupid ass losers and also the last season of eos 10 is so fucking stupid lmao

[ghostwise]

Self-Rec Tag Game 🌹

Rules: share five of your own fanworks (fic, art, etc.) Then, tag five more people to share the things they've made.

Tagged by @palipunk and @isayashai thank you sm ;v; 💞 I will tag @s1ithers @coldshrugs @arcann @vlwv @ruushes if you like!

Something you absolutely adore:

Four Little Crows off to Meet the Maker :: This is chapter 1 of my Antivan long-fic, Quinta de Talpa, and it sets up Zevran and Hamal's quest to oppose the Crows while also serving as a 'marriage proposal' fic. I think it's a punchy start to a really long project, and I adore it! It motivates me to continue. :)

The door to their room opened before he could knock, and Hamal looked at him, brow furrowed, eyes heavy with lack of sleep. In one quick sweep, he took in the blood-stained clothes. Zevran shook his head. He pushed his way in.

“I’m sorry,” he said. “I may have… underestimated things.”

2. Something that was challenging to create:

For Suffering is Such a Part :: AO3 :: This is the first long-fic I finished, and it took me years to complete. I found it incredibly daunting to work on anything longer than 1k, but I was deeply attached to the story and couldn't get it out of my head; I dedicated myself to completing it for several months after picking up an old draft. It's set during the Nature of the Beast quest in Origins. I uh still think about it a lot o_ o;

“My! Aren’t you a poet!” Zevran exclaimed, laughing into his wrist. “Am I just a hunk of meat to you?” Grinning broadly at him now, Hamal settled down on one knee, amid beams of sunlight. “Vhenan, to me you are the spring thaw, and all that comes with it.” Zevran looked at him. He blushed to the tips of his ears. He would definitely have to think of sweet things to tell Hamal in revenge—but he was far more poetic in Antivan, and had been caught off guard, so for now he acquiesced. “The things you say,” he told him softly. “Fine, you win. I’m a spring thaw.”

3. Something that makes you laugh (or smile, if that fits more comfortably):

The Reading Stone :: AO3 :: I love writing silly banter, but I often worry it goes too corny. I fear making anything too tonally dissonant. With this one I just had fun with it, and wrote some ensemble goofiness in Orzammar. :)

“And as I said, there is no need,” Hamal retorts. “You all sound like Ashalle. I can get by just fine without glasses.”

“Not if we go by all those bruises you’ve collected, walking into corners,” Alistair tuts. “How do you manage in a fight?”

“An enemy is just a big shape. I simply hit it until it stops moving!”

“Maker…”

4. Something that surprised you (in how it turned out, how much other people liked it, etc.):

All That Matters is That You've Kept on Living :: AO3 :: This was a sweet short piece between Zevran and Isabela. But it felt unpolished and I almost didn't post it! The response was very positive, I was happily surprised. I still feel I can expand on it. Maybe one day. :)They deserve so much love, two of my favorite characters.

Yanking her legs back she tucks them beneath herself and tackles him with a hug, affectionate but very much exasperated.

“You talk about your husband too much, Zevran! No one will ever want to sleep with you!”

Zevran draws in a sharp breath, then he collapses into laughter.

5. Something you want other people to see:

Not a Homecoming, But Something Like It :: AO3 :: Another fic set in Antiva. This one comes very close to being part of QDT, but ultimately it is able to stand alone. Adelmar is mentioned in FSISAP, too, but only through flashbacks. She's an important part of my extended worldstate, as she helps Zevran heal past traumas, and vice versa (she was a prostitute at the brothel he was born in).

“I’m so glad you’re doing well. So tell me,” she scoots closer and looks at him eagerly, “What sort of life did you have, after you were adopted?”

“Adopted?”

By the kitchen counter, Hamal catches the subtle edge in Zevran’s tone. He pauses, holding the knife in his hand as a lull falls over the kitchen table, but he doesn’t know enough Antivan to guess what’s happened.

What’s happened is this: Zevran and Adelmar came from the same place, and know enough about that life to instantly understand that a lie has been told.

“Oh,” Adelmar breathes after a moment. “You… you weren’t adopted.”

Zevran lets out a laugh. It’s his ‘stalling’ laugh, and now Hamal is looking over, arms crossed, searching his face for clues.

“I was not adopted,” he says.

[lobotoboy]

Today I ascended from this mortal plane and remembered why I love movies and want to pursue filmmaking.

For context, I watched Barbie, and the Miraculous Ladybug movie today.

So, I saw Barbie with my mom, in a theater full of women. The first five minutes, I was sat there like "Did the internet lie to me again?" cause I was genuinely confused about what the hell was happening onscreen. But once I managed to get into the groove of things, I really enjoyed myself. I didn't play with Barbies growing up, and it was still enjoyable to me. It was so campy and funny(thank you Kate McKinnon and Michael Cera for being a big source of that), but it had some pretty deep themes, such as criticism against both a patriarchy and a matriarchy, the struggles of women in society, existentialism, and mother-daughter relationships. Definitely a movie for the girlies, but I think it's enjoyable for everyone.

I think the music was great. My mom hates musicals, despises them with her whole heart, but she told me after the movie that she loved I'm Just Ken. And yeah, it was so much. My favorite bit was the fast paced "Can you feel the Kenergy" moments. I've been playing Identity V, and I use that to hype me up for matches. It gives 80s power ballad, and it's super fun to listen to over and over again. Ryan Gosling did a very good job with it. I can see I'm Just Ken and Peaces battling it out for Best Original Song. Push was great as well, despite being underused in the movie, the full version(which is a cover of an existing song) is very interesting, and lyrically fits the movie so well.

I'm not typically a fan of bright colors in movies, catch me watching The Batman any day, but Barbie is the exception, as it just made certain scenes feel so much more important. Mattel offices being cold and gray, really sold that corporate vibes, and the soft white at the ending with Ruth definitely made it feel like Barbie was reaching a life-changing conclusion. It's a wonderful use of color.

Now the themes are the big draw of the movie. Regarding the patriarchy, matriarchy, and daily struggles of women, those themes are definitely hard to miss, but they do so much good with them. Showing Ken being essentially brainwashed by the idea of the patriarchy is interesting, and definitely rings home for anyone who grew up with boys as friends. I've seen a few guy friends of mine turn from sweet guys, into womanizers as they grew older. And it also shows that a matriarchy isn't good either, by showing how the Kens feel less than in BarbieLand. The Ken's situation is a muted version of women's situations in the real world. The Kens aren't sexualized or hated, but they're ignored. In the real world, both in the movie and real life, women have it worse than the Kens, and feel in a similar position. Makes it easy to enjoy both perspectives. Barbie focusing on thoughts of death and change as a whole hits with me on a personal level, as I have a lot of issues with existentialism, and any movie with death as a major theme usually brings me close to tears(such as Puss in Boots 2, curse you good movies). Seeing Barbie meet her creator in Ruth was so sweet, and was incredibly heartwarming.

Special mention to the line "We mother stand still so our daughters can look back to see how far they've come". It made me want to give my mom the biggest hug, and I'm in no way a hugger.

Then I went home, and watched the Miraculous Ladybug movie because I had nothing else to do. I've been with the show since 2020, which isn't as long as other fans, but the show still sticks in my brain the same. I knew the animation was going to be great, and that the art direction would make up for any shortcomings in the story. And while yes, the plot was rushed (duh, like, how many years has it taken to get to this point in the show? its gonna feel rushed) but the art was absolutely stunning. My favorite moment was from Hawkmoth's villain song, Chaos Will Reign(available on Spotify) when they pulled out the Disney Villain lime green color. I love that color, and seeing Hawkmoth with it made me ascend. I really love the ending battle as well, the use of colors, lightning effects, butterfly textures, was just perfect. The animation was also really smooth, down to the small details of hair movements, such as when Nino and Alya are on the roller coaster, or when Chat Noir's hair gets wet.

The music was probably my least favorite part, just because I think Cristina Vee could've slayed it, and that the songs sounded kind of generic. But Oh My God, Chaos Will Reign had me bopping and replaying it. In fact, I'm listening to Chaos Will Reign and I'm Just Ken while writing this. It definitely gave me old Disney villain song vibes, mixed with the slightest hint of a Danny Elfman soundtrack. It just sounded so evil, but in a way that I can get behind. Keith Silverstein can actually sing, and that note at the end was wonderful. The vibrato gave me life. I was lowkey hoping Nooroo would stop talking so I could hear more. The chanting was awesome, and gave Friends on the Other Side vibes. I was (and still am) a big fan of villain songs, and this is a throwback to my theater kid days when I exclusively played villains and enjoyed it. Definitely overthrew the Hawkmoth Rap as my favorite Miraculous Ladybug song, but the Hawkmoth Rap is like, second place still. The only crime this song had was being too short. Release the ten hour cut.

Finally, aside from the glory that is Chaos Will Reign, I want to say that the two identity reveal scenes were amazing. I'll start off with Adrien and Marinette's, just because I care about that one the least. I think it was a creative way to go about it, with the masquerade masks. Fanfiction wins again. But I have so much to squeal about when it comes to the Adrien and Gabriel reveal. This version of Gabriel was definitely way more sympathetic than his show counterpart, despite committing atrocious acts. I actually wanted this Gabriel to get some redemption, and I think that bit of forgiveness from Adrien is just that. Let them have a good bond, PLEASE! The whole battle scene was just amazing, the fact that Hawkmoth was willing to do literally anything, and very nearly came close to winning. I knew he wasn't going to win, it's a kid's movie, but I was still on the edge of my seat and biting my nails.

I need both of these movies injected into my bloodstream ASAP.

Do I recommend them? Depends on your preferences. For Barbie, I can see why people wouldn't like it, it's campy(in a fun way), and it's anti-patriarchy and anti-matriarchy, which would make the misogynists and misandrists mad. But I think if you're open to a goofy time that will make you appreciate the women in your life, then give it a watch. It's definitely worth it.

For Miraculous Ladybug, it's a kid's movie, based on a show with a big following spanning years. I think it's something to watch if you're a fan, former or current, of the show. If you're just starting to watch Miraculous, it'll be a better watch if you sit through the show. But, it's a good movie, and still enjoyable for novice Miraculers.

I'm definitely watching these over and over again.

[tiredgremlintime]

Arc-v Month Day 3: Duetto of Duelist and Spirit

@arcvmonth

ok so I’m going to talk about three decks! Performapals, melodious, and lyrilusc!!

So performapals! The first arc-v deck I wanted to play

As the zexal era in duel links was drawing closer to its end, I knew arc-v world was next, and I was excited, I was super excited to play Yuya and try out Zuzu, I knew I wanted my first deck to be Yuya’s, especially the performapals focus one, with odd eyes and some magicans of course since Yuya is one of my favorite characters, I tried to study his deck by watching the anime, yes, I was and still am unhinged thank you. So when arc-v world dropped, I couldn’t really play Yuya’s deck. See the problem with duel links is that when new decks come in, some of the cards from said deck is from older boxes, which meant spending a bunch of gems, until last month I couldn’t have Yuya’s deck, considering how EXPENSIVE he was, thankfully I could still play his deck, I just couldn’t bring it online. it was performapal focus! Just like I wanted! Sure it probably wasn’t THAT good but it was fun :). Thankfully, thanks to the campaign that happened last month I can now FINALLY play his deck and main Yuya! Fully compatible, fun to play, AND can be brought online, yippee!!! Even though I have to play with LESS performapals, I still get to play with some! So there’s that atleast! I’m just happy I can finally play my boy :)

Now with that knowledge, you may be wondering, since I been struggling to actually play as Yuya this past year, who else did I play in arc-v world? Who’s deck did I fully have? All the cards and such? Well that’s a pretty easy answer, which leads us to our next point!

Melodious! The deck that gave me confidence again

Now, I really like Zuzu! She’s one of my favorite arc-v characters! Back then though since I was still watching arc-v season 1, she was just a character I liked. Now when arc-v world dropped and the new tier list dropped melodious was actually tier 1! Unfortunately I missed that era cause it lasted like 2 months and it took me 3 months to get Zuzu, but when I DID get her my brother encouraged me to built her deck! I did and she became one of my dl mains! Melodious might have been tier 3 but I was playing GREAT with it online, this deck actually helped me re-gain the confidence to duel online! I’m forever thankful to this deck for helping me gain pvp courage, even if the deck isn’t consider powerful anymore. And this deck also made me love Zuzu even more! So another great thing this deck did for me!

so those are my two arc-v decks in duel links! How about tcg wise? Well this leads to the next and last deck I’m going to talk about in this post

Lyrilusc, baby’s first irl deck

SO, I’m going to talk about this more later, but spring last year I started to really like Lulu, like she was becoming a fav of mine, to the point where I made a daily doodle blog for her, but during this stage where I started to really like her, my brother got the synchro storm box, the newest Yugo box! So we opened it up together, and as a result I got a LOT of lyrilusc support from it, I actually got almost all the cards I needed for the base deck! Because of this my brother suggested that my tcg deck should be lyrilusc, I was a little nervous but also excited about this, so I agreed! It took a long time for the deck to be built however, because believe it or not playing Yugioh actually cause a LOT of money!!!! I didn’t really think I get to actually play the deck, but then Christmas approached, and one of my brother’s gifts for me was the rest of the cards I needed for lyrilusc tri-birgade!!! One of the best versions of the lyrilusc deck is to play it with tri-brigade, so that’s the deck I now own!! Now that it’s officially summer I can finally take the time to learn the deck, I been wanting to play with this deck for awhile so now I’m really excited to learn! I can’t wait to see how far I can go with this deck I was gifted!

So yeah that’s it for my arc-v decks! Thank you to anyone who read this far!!

[ferrocyan]

answering some otp ask game questions abt lighthunter just bc i want to and i love thinking abt them

1. who fell for the other one first?

tart did! she was interested in reeq bc he's cute and his excitement reminded her of the good ol days of adventuring

2. was it love at first sight?

yep. this happens a lot w tart ww

3. was it lust at first sight?

nah not really. tart's more of a romantic than a horndog

4. what physical traits do they love the most about each other?

tart: reeq's hands!! they're so soft and smooth and smell good and nice to hold!!!

reeq: tart's ears, they're v expressive, much more than her face. and she always wears beautiful earrings that complement her outfits, seeing them is always such a treat. also she's awfully ticklish there >:3c it's the most fun for teasing

5. what personality trait do they love the most about each other?

tart: reeq's strength of will. despite everything, he knows his duty and sees it done at all costs. he never gives up on what he wants to do even when everyone else gives up on him. tart finds this side of him admirable

reeq: tart's considerateness. she gives everyone the time of day, even while being the hero who must save the world. she cares a lot about so many people; she helps everyone however she can; she gives those who wrong her a second chance, always; she pays attention and sees you for who you truly are. there are many, many more things to admire about tart; reeq chooses the one she doesn't see

6. what random everyday object/activity makes them think of each other?

tart: she keeps a drawing of reeq in her journal (drawn by alphinaud) and looks at it every night :)

reeq: the sun, the moon, and every star on the night sky!!! tfw your gf restored the day/night cycle of the world so every sunrise and sunset remind you of her :'3 (the other hunters find him so insufferable, yes)

7. what is something they'd want to change about the other if they could?

tart: reeq doesn't give up on anything... except his relationships to others. he's quick to assume that one mistake burns the entire bridge at once and ends up severing friendships that could've been mended. tart wishes he'd see more value in himself and not think everyone wants to discard him when they see fit...

reeq: tart's considerateness very rarely extends to herself. she gives up far too much far too willingly and has no limits. having "selfish motives" does not matter if the thing it motivates you to do is sacrificing your life for the sake of the world!! it's still extremely selfless and insane and you shouldn't have done it!!! also you need to eat more, make time for meals before helping people!!!!!

both: can you wash the fucking dishes when it's your turn and not leave it to whoever's next, aka me. god

8. do they get along with each other's friends and family?

tart: oh yeah she thinks of ms olvara and the virtue hunters as family. she's so fond of them and comes to visit everyone often. actually when reeq moved to the crystarium to join the hunters tart scolded him for leaving ms olvara alone but it was actually for the best bc reeq isn't good at keeping up w chores and is just adding to her housework... she loves him but just move out already son....

reeq: he finds the scions kinda.. intimidating... he doesn't wanna butt into tart's relationships and is content watching from afar

9. do their friends and family like their significant other?

tart: uhh not really;;;; the scions overall don't rly know reeq and don't care to, lol. alphinaud is the only one who's gotten to know reeq and likes him. as for family... well they can't meet bc of the "living in different worlds" situation. but if they do... man i should ramble abt this in another post but the gist of it is that hubert adores reeq and would adopt him as a son. why? because this is the funniest outcome possible and i write lore based on comedy first and foremost

reeq: definitely, ms olvara adores tart and the virtue hunters are her besties too

10. have they had romantic partners before?

tart: yes, she had 3 partners before reeq. and is still casually seeing one of them (kurenai) after getting together w him

reeq: no, he's gone on dates and had sex w others but no one that can be called a romantic partner. before tart his relationships were pretty much all transactional (what about lanbyrd? well. i always call him reeq's ex but honestly i'm undecided. maybe his feelings were unrequited by reeq, and though lanbyrd thought of him as a romantic partner it didn't go both ways)

[icicledream-archive]

part 2 of portal robot size post

(because i am still obsessing over this)

continuation of this post where i posted this image which is a screenshot from this video showcasing the size of portal 2 characters. and also i included my height of 5′3 for fun!

the post got a comment basically saying “model sizes don’t always = canon sizes” and that is indeed true! especially given how the game seems to handle how things look when they’re picked up. personally i can find these sizes believable, especially comparing them to how big glados appears in robot repair vr.

anyways, i’ve been thinking about that comment a lot! like i said, i personally find all these sizes believable, but i wondered how much different they would be if i resized them based on certain robots with canon measurements: atlas and p-body!

these blueprints are shown in portal 2 co-op loading screens! i specifically chose the blueprint of atlas facing the right because the front facing version’s head size seemed to include the frame that holds it, which added little over an inch.

ALSO, this was just something i did for fun! please don’t treat this post as the Definitive Portal Character Sizes Post. personally, as much as i love how huge the in-game model sizes are, i’m going by my resizes from now on because while they’re still decently big, they’re a lot more manageable to draw lol.

if you DO want to use this post as a reference to their sizes, by all means go for it! :D  credit isn’t necessary, but it would be nice just because of how much time i spent on this ;w;/

the rest of this post will be under a read more due to its length!! as a tl;dr, here’s a direct comparison image!

feel free to share your own thoughts and whatnot if you would like!! ^v^ just a few more things before i continue...

THERE WILL BE A PRETTY BIG PORTAL 2 SPOILER GOING FORWARD!

i bolded character names + their heights because it was easier for me to read :o

i did all of this in.... gmod..... because i couldn’t find all of the models i needed, and i couldn’t be bothered to rip models from a freakin’ source game. SO i just, carefully lined everything up in gmod to the best of my ability and took screenshots, which i edited in my art program!! i’m a bit of a perfectionist, so hopefully things aren’t toooo far off... but yeah, just a heads up.

i’m, really bad at math, so not everything will be 100% accurate, especially the full glados size measurements. i used the website mrinitialman and a lot of measurement calculator websites to be sure things seemed alright. still, if there’s errors i apologize!

ANYWAYS let’s go!!

SO, here’s a new size comparison image i made. sorry if my writing isn’t readable! i’ll be restating the important things written on the images as this post goes on ;v;/

p-body is around 6′7.5″ (201.9cm), atlas is around 6′1.3″ (186.2cm).

for chell i decided to go with her height from her heels rather than from her tiptoes. she’s still pretty tall at 5′11″ (180.3cm)!

wheatley’s model is around 2′7″ (78.7cm) in diameter, which is hilariously big and i love it BUT it’s probably not what his actual height is. same goes for the turret’s 4′10″ (147.3), and glados’ head being around 6′10″ (208.3cm) (i do wish these were the For Sure canon heights because glados' full model being ~50' (15.24m) long is so very funny to me. Giant.)

i’ve seen a few people say that atlas and p-body may be based on personality spheres and turrets respectively, and i like to think so too! so i resized wheatley and the turret based on those two. also, considering that wheatley’s model size stays the same size when he is on glados’ body, i resized them at the same time, as their sizes are relative to each other.

anyways with that, here’s my resize!!

as i said: wheatley (and the other cores, of course) ends up being the same size as atlas’ head, so that makes him around 1′8.4″ (51.8cm) in diameter!

the turret ended up being around 3′10.5″ (118.1cm) tall.

glados’ head is around 4′6.4″ (138.2cm)! which makes glados head + body around 18′1.4″ (5.5m), and her entire model around 34′2.8″ (10.43m)! (btw for reference, movie theater screens are generally 30′ (9.14m) tall!!).

aand that’s it for my resizes, really! :O like i said earlier, this is what i'm personally gonna go with for my headcanons and whatnot.

that’s not the end, though. when i went back into gmod to get a screenshot of chassis wheatley, i somehow noticed for the first time that there’s just. straight up smaller models of a core and glados’ head, so i thought “eh! why not!” and measured those out to the best of my ability! here’s the results of that. 

the smaller gmod core model is around 1′3.8″ (40.1cm), and glados’ head is 3′3.6″ (100.6cm)! this would make her head + body be around 13′2.4″ (4.02m), and her entire model around 24′11.3″ (7.6m)! i imagine this is what the “actual sizes” of cores and glados would be? who knows though!

with all of this being done, here’s the quick direct comparison image again :D

oh and also for fun, here’s portal 1 glados’ head compared to the portal 2 glados head models and the resize i did! i always thought the portal 2 glados in portal 1 mod looked weird, turns out it’s because her main p2 model is much bigger than her p1 model!

and well! i don’t really have anything else to say, so that’s the end!

like i said, this is NOT the Definitive Portal Character Sizes Post ;o; i did this entirely for fun!! and even if this was the Definitive Portal Character Sizes Post, you can do whatever you want with these characters and their sizes! but again if you would like to use this post as a reference then by all means, go for it!! :D again, credit isn’t necessary, but it would be nice just because of how much time i spent on this... 

ANYWAYS thanks for reading!!! :D