#so that was a fun time trying to pick which one to use

[for-your-modesty-dude]

Valentine

A/N: Purely self-indulgent. I was in need of a good crashout, and have no one to actually crash out to, so why not do so to the Hellfire boys and my one true love, Eddie Munson? - Hy <3

Summary: The hellfire boys love to tease you for your lack of a love life. It's funny, and all in good fun, until it's not.

Warnings: Maybe based on some true events that hurt my feelings? Angsty. No use of y/n.

Word Count: 1.9k

It was easy to ignore at first, because they were all your friends. Best friends, even. Hellfire was a safe space for all the nerds and outcasts who wanted to play D&D and be terrorized by their resident Dungeon Master. The group had been together in some form since high school - though they’d gone through lots of changes in that time. Members came and went, but a few stuck around. You’d joined halfway through college, when you moved to Hawkins from a nearby town in the same county both to be closer to the college you were commuting to and further from the horrible hometown you’d grown up in. They’d been welcoming, and kind, when you had known no one. You’d run into Dustin Henderson when getting coffee and a pastry at the local coffee shop, and when you’d seen his D&D cap sitting on his curls, you asked if he played - the rest was history. He’d been more than happy to give you all of the information you needed to know this was a group you’d be interested in trying out. After you’d gone to your first meeting, the rest was history. You loved the group, and they took a quick liking to you. For some reason, Eddie Munson, resident DM, had realized you had lots of similarities. You had similar interests, you both loved to talk, and you both loved that over-the-top way of telling stories that had your friends in stitches. It created an easy bond between you both, and soon you were the best of friends. 

Throughout your years of friendship, Eddie was known to go on dates, and even had a girlfriend or two. The other guys, too. You watched as they picked up girls, went on dates, broke up with or were broken up with. You were happy for them, sure. They were your friends and you loved them, of course you were happy for them. But they took note that you weren’t going on dates like they were. And at first, the jokes were tame. Again - easy to ignore. You loved them dearly, and they didn’t mean any harm, but it started to get a bit much. They teased you for never missing a session for a date, for never missing their shows for another guy, for never having a boyfriend to get jealous over your best friendship with Eddie. And Eddie often just chuckled along, which stung, but you knew he didn’t mean anything by it, either. 

So it was easy. At first. You’d roll your eyes and laugh along with them, or you’d tease them back. When you were teased for making it to a last minute one-shot session, you gave it right back to them, and they’d shut up, laughing and agreeing. But then there was the big Valentine’s session. The night before Valentine’s Day, the boys got together for a brutal one shot. They’d decided somewhat last minute, as Eddie was annoyed and had recently broken up with one of his short-term girlfriends. Even though it was the night before Valentine’s Day, most girls were with their boyfriends anyway, or going on dates then, too. But you were here, with the boys, in Gareth and Jeff’s apartment. 

When you’d walked in, nothing happened - at first. But then they started talking about how they all had hot dates the next day, and how Jeff had had to do some serious promising in order for his girlfriend not to be upset that he spent the night before the night of love with his friends instead of her. They started talking about the dates they had the next night, Eddie being the only one with too fresh a relationship end to really have a date planned. Well, Eddie and you. You just stayed quiet, listening and laughing along and asking about the boys’ plans. Gareth should’ve kept his big mouth shut, but he couldn’t resist, and finally asked you “no date again this year? You’re on a worse streak than us, dude,” with a playful laugh. 

You knew he didn’t mean anything by it. They saw you as one of the guys, and that was fine. But something about the reminder that it was a regular pattern stung. Still, you kept your smile on, rolling your eyes and opening your mouth to say something when Jeff piped in, also teasing. His joke was a little funnier, and hit less close to home, so you laughed. One of the other boys made another comment, and so it went, until Eddie raised an amused eyebrow at you. “I mean come on, you couldn’t even get a Valentine’s Day date?”

He meant it to sound silly. It felt less silly coming out of his mouth, but he didn’t know how to fix it, so he stayed quiet in wait for a response, not knowing how hurt you felt by his comment. Finally fed up, you stood abruptly, chair pushing out loudly behind you, and gathered your things. You wouldn’t be staying for the special session, damn their plans. 

Eddie, not one to know when to back down, instead doubled down. “Oh come on, you know that was just a joke. It’s just surprising to see a girl have worse game than us. And we’re all pretty bad,” he cracked the self deprecating joke, and again - it sounded so much worse out of his mouth than it did in his head. 

Something about that final joke was what made you snap. 

“I get it, okay?” You hissed. “It’s so funny, ha ha. Laugh it up, boys. You’re welcome to keep talking about how pathetic I am once I’m gone. I’m done. I’ll see you next week for the rest of the campaign.” You were clearly frustrated, and one of the boys tried to make it better, telling you they were just joking. It didn’t help. 

“I don’t care if it’s a joke! I don’t care! I’m tired of hearing it! You have no idea how much it sucks to have the people around you all have dates and partners, and never having one for yourself. It’s funny, until it’s not! I don’t enjoy being this way, okay? I am in my mid-twenties, I’m friends with a bunch of guys, and I still am apparently too undesirable to have ever received any romantic attention. I don’t know what it’s like to be flirted with, to be asked on a date, to be loved or even lusted after! I don’t know what that’s like! Is that what you wanted to hear? You’re right! I haven’t been on a date in years, but not because I don’t have game. Just because apparently, I’m not even worth asking for a phone number! You go out, and girls flirt with you! You flirt with them! You get numbers, you go on dates, you have girlfriends! Even the younger kids in the friend group have had partners galore! The girls have had boyfriends, they’ve been fought over! I’ve never even been flirted with. Do you have any idea how humiliating that is?” You hadn’t even noticed you were crying until your hot tears made it hard to see. You wiped at your eyes roughly and took as deep a breath as you could manage. “You laugh, and you joke, but you don’t get it. You’ve never been the most undesirable person in a friend group. Even in a group of self-proclaimed freaks, I manage to be the biggest freak of them all. The girl no one has ever looked at twice. So excuse me if I’m tired of the jokes, okay?” You finished loudly, and held your D&D folder to your chest, shoving your dice in your pockets and turning to leave, barely slipping your shoes on your feet before heading quickly out the front door. The cool fall air helped the tightness in your lungs from all the tears, and you paused just a moment to catch your breath. 

What hurt the most about all of it, was admitting it all. Not just to your friends - your best friends - but to Eddie. Eddie, who you’d been harboring a deep crush for since you’d met him all those years earlier. You had no idea how you’d face him now that he knew how absolutely pathetic you were - and had always been. You couldn’t even finish wallowing in peace, because before your feet had gotten you all the way to your car, you heard footsteps behind you, hurrying to reach you. 

“Hey, wait!” Eddie called, “listen, I’m so sorry. I feel like such an asshole for what I said back there. I didn’t know it was something that-” he searched for the words, reaching for your arm gently, “I didn’t know. I’m sorry. I never would’ve imagined. You’re like, one of the coolest girls we’ve ever met, none of us ever thought that you’d- be single because you couldn’t-” that sounded better in his head, too, which caused him to sigh deeply. You looked back at him and he was staring at you with those big doe eyes of his, clearly apologetic. “I’m sorry. I’m so bad with my words. You know I am. But for some reason today, I just keep shoving my foot into my own damn mouth. I just mean- you’re awesome. You’re amazing, we all think so. We teased you because we thought you wanted to be single. Independent. Tied to no one,” he finished with a wince, realizing he still wasn’t helping his case. 

“Eddie - it’s fine. You couldn’t have known. And I appreciate your sentiment, I really do. I know what you mean. I don’t hold your wording against you,” you gave him a small smile. “But I can’t go back in there. I feel horrible. I hate thinking about all of this, and I especially don’t like telling anyone about it. It feels so… pathetic.”

“Hey,” he stopped you, frowning. “Stop using that word. You’re not pathetic. You’re super awesome. We love you. We all do. And I get it, if you want to leave. But… can I call you once the session is over? I can fill you in on any of the stupid shit the boys do, and maybe I can distract you once you’re feeling up to a distraction.”

You stared up at him, once again in awe of how sweet he could be. It nearly broke your heart in two, because you really did love him. He was so kind. He’d just never be yours. 

“Yeah, Ed. Of course you can. I’ll be happy to hear all about it. Make one of the NPCs particularly difficult to deal with in my honor, year?” You joked, smiling shyly at him. 

He finally smiled and nodded, “obviously. She’ll be a super cool badass princess, and she won’t stop giving them shit, scout’s honor,” he gestured, and you couldn’t help but to giggle. 

“I’ll talk to you later then, Eddie.”

“Yeah. Later. Bye, sweetheart,” he smiled softly, walking backwards slowly, away from your car and back to the apartment. He still felt horrible, but he had no idea when would be a good time to tell you that he’d only ever dated girls who reminded him of you. 

It would just have to wait. 

[literaryvein-reblogs]

A Few More Writing Notes for your Sex Scenes

Whether your long-term relationship is in a rut, or you're looking for a way to connect with a new partner, sex games are a fun way to add some steamy novelty to your sex life.

Sex Games for Couples to Play

To get the most out of these sexy games, both of you should go in with a positive attitude and a willingness to try new sexual activities. Here are some sex games that may spice things up between you and your partner.

“Out of bed” sex checklist: For this game, commit to having sex in a different location either inside or outside your home for an entire month. The one rule is that the location can’t be your bed. Then every time you have sex, alternate who chooses the location. You may be surprised at how a change of scenery sparks your sexual creativity.

Sex dice: For this classic couple’s sex game, all you need is a pair of dice that will give you a sexy action (i.e. “lick,” “suck,” “nibble”) and a number of sexy body parts (i.e. “nipples,” “ear,” “neck”). Just purchase a pair of sex dice, role the dice, and do what they tell you to do.

Kinky truth or dare: For this kinky spin on the classic game Truth or Dare, all you have to do is make every truth and every dare sexual in nature. If selecting a dare for your partner, think of something that pushes them slightly out of their comfort zone like role play or a striptease performance. When asking for a truth, use it as an opportunity to learn about your partner's sexual fantasies. For example, you could ask "What untraditional sex position have you always wanted to try?" or "Tell me something that turns you on that I don't already know about."

Yes/No/Maybe: Making a “Yes/No/Maybe” list with your partner is exactly what it sounds like: a list of sexual activities that you can mark “Yes” (I definitely want to do this), “No” (I definitely do not want to do this), or “Maybe” (I’m not sure if I’d enjoy this, but I’m open to talking more about it and maybe trying it). You should each fill out a “Yes/No/Maybe” list separately and then compare to see where your sexual fantasies overlap. Here's a small sample of items to consider adding to your list: BDSM, mutual masturbation, nipple play, oral sex, anal sex, role-playing, dirty talk, dressing up, spanking, vibrator usage, dildo usage, and threesomes.

Honey hunt: This game is perfect for couples who have a sweet tooth and don't mind getting a little messy. To play, blindfold your partner and pour a small spot of honey anywhere on your body. It's your partner's job to find the honey, but they're only allowed to use their tongue. As they search for the honey, your partner may discover new erogenous zones on your body. This game can get sticky so when you're done playing, clean each other off with some shower sex.

Sex toy surprise: To play “sex toy surprise,” gather all your sex toys in a large bag, blindfold you or your partner, and pick one out of the bag to use during foreplay. Feel free to keep the blindfold on after you make your selection.

Strip games: You can turn any card game or board game into a sex game if you just alter the rules so that the loser has to remove a piece of clothing. Strip poker is the most popular strip game and you only need a classic deck of playing cards to play.

Sex Toy - any object or device made to enhance sexual pleasure or facilitate an orgasm. When safely used, sex toys can bring an entirely new element to a sexual encounter. There are several different types of sex toys, and each is designed for a unique form of pleasure.

Types of Sex Toys

Sex toys come in many shapes and sizes, but they typically fall within 7 categories.

Vibrators: These sex toys use vibration patterns to stimulate different parts of your body. External vibrators include clitoral stimulators like bullet vibrators and wands, which enhance pleasure around the clitoris and labia. Internal vibrators are shaped for comfortable vaginal and anal penetration. They usually include several vibration modes, so you can find the right intensity for you. Combination vibrators like rabbit vibrators include both internal and external functions. Rabbits are hybrid sex toys that allow for penatration while simultaneously simulating your clit.

Anal toys: Some sex toys are specifically designed to stimlute the nerve endings in your anus. Examples of anal toys include butt plugs, prostate massagers, and anal beads. The important thing to look for when choosing an anal toy is a flared base. This wider base ensures that the toy doesn’t accidentally slip inside your anus. Since the anus doesn’t naturally lubricate itself, anal toys require a lot of lubrication. Don’t forget to clean your anal toy after each use, especially if you’re sharing the toy with a partner or plan to use it on another part of your body.

BDSM gear: BDSM toys can enhance sexual pleasure by allowing for dominant and submissive roleplaying. If you are new to bondage, consider buying a pair of handcuffs, a blindfold, or wrist and ankle restraints. These simple items can add an exciting element to your sexual encounters by forcing you to focus on every physical sensation. If you enjoy erotic spanking, consider using a paddles, whips, or ticklers. When using BDSM gear, always be sure to have an agreed-upon safe word that you can use if you are ever feeling uncomfortable. Trust and communication are key for good bondage play.

Dildos: One of the most popular types of sex toys, dildo are often phallic in shape. They are designed to comfortably penetrate a vagina, anus, or mouth. Dildos come in many shapes and sizes, but they are often textured with pleasurable ribs or bumps and made out of silicone, glass, and even steel. If you are having solo sex, consider buying a dildo with a suction cup base that you can attach to a wall for hand-free use.

Cock rings: These toys wrap around the base of your penis to stop blood flow back into the body, which can help maintain and enhance an erection. Some cock rings wrap around the scrotum to apply extra pressure. The safest cock rings are made from a soft material like silicone, but they also come in materials like titanium or stainless steel. Vibrating cock rings can enhance sexual pleasure for the wearer and provide clitoral stimulation for a partner. Only wear a cock ring for brief sessions, and take it off immediately if it causes you any pain.

Harnesses: Harnesses allow you to attach a dildo to your body for strap-on play. Use a strap-on for penetrative sex, either vaginal or anal. Harnesses are often fit like underwear, but some have straps that tie around your thighs. You may also wear a harness for bondage purposes. For optimal mobility during sex, be sure to keep your harness snug and your dildo tightly attached.

Sex furniture: Constructed for intimacy, sex furniture can help you position your body in a way that is otherwise difficult or uncomfortable. A wedge pillow is an easy way to lift your pelvis and hold a good position for penetration. Other examples of sex furniture include sex swings, lounge chairs, and shower grips. If you’ve been struggling with a particular sex position, consider getting a piece of sex furniture to support you.

BDSM - a blanket term for a wide variety of erotic practices and kinks built upon power dynamics between consenting sexual partners.

“BDSM” is a combination of acronyms that stands for three similar but distinct communities that use power imbalance for sexual pleasure:

Bondage and discipline (B/D), domination and submission (D/s), and sadism and masochism (S/M).

In general, BDSM involves one partner acting in the dominant role (or “dom”), while the other embodies the submissive role (or “sub”) as they both act out consensual fantasies.

Both partners receive sexual pleasure and satisfaction from performing their role (whether dominant or submissive) during the sexual encounter.

Other “kinky” communities based on nonconforming sexual interests or fetishism are often included within the BDSM community, including those with rubber or leather fetishes or people who enjoy animal roleplay, where one partner takes on the role of an animal or pet.

Types of BDSM

BDSM is an umbrella term for many sexual preferences within the erotic community, all of which interact and overlap in various ways. The most common subcultures include:

Bondage play: Bondage is a sexual practice in which tools are used to restrain one partner during a sexual encounter. The most common restraints include rope, leather straps, bondage tape, ties, handcuffs, spreader bars, ball gags, blindfolds, and chains. These restraints aim to restrict the subject’s senses or freedom of movement to place control in the other partner’s hands and heighten mutual sexual stimulation.

Discipline: In the discipline community, the dominant partner will set rules that the submissive partner obeys. These rules can be sexual in nature (like requiring oral sex at particular times) or indirectly erotic (like forbidding speaking out of turn). If the submissive partner breaks a rule, the dominant partner will assign punishment, including withholding pleasure, inflicting pain (from spanking to flogging), or assigning additional rules. Both partners experience sexual pleasure in discipline roleplay.

Dominance and submission: Dominance and submission focus on the flow of power and energy between partners. In general, one partner dominates the other physically, mentally, emotionally, or sexually during a particular encounter (often called a “scene” or “session”), exploring the submissive partner’s desires, thoughts, and feelings and guiding the couple toward mutual pleasure. BDSM practitioners who like to switch between dominant and submissive roles in a relationship or even undergo a power exchange during a single encounter are known as “switches.” D/s often incorporates specific outfits or attire to be used during a scene—for instance, leather outfits, maid costumes, collars, leashes, and riding crops.

Sadomasochism: Sadomasochism is a community in which individuals derive sexual pleasure and a rush of endorphins from inflicting or receiving pain (always consensually). Those who enjoy inflicting this pain are known as sadists, while those who enjoy feeling this pain are called masochists. The pain inflicted can be physical (with whips, clamps, paddles, or electric stimulation) or emotional (through humiliation or total submission).

Tips for Practicing BDSM Safely

If you want to experiment with BDSM for the first time but are unsure where to start, here are a few tips to make sure your experiences are safe, consensual, and fun:

Set ground rules with your partner. To engage in healthy BDSM play, you and your partner should both agree on what you’re comfortable with before you begin—nobody should feel pressured into a particular role or feel as if they don’t have a choice. Have an open and honest dialogue with your partner about the roles you’re each drawn toward so that you both feel comfortable and confident experimenting. If you’re too nervous about bringing it up directly and you’re curious about your partner’s interest levels, consider watching light BDSM erotica together to broach the subject.

Select a safe word. Trust and mutual consent between one or more partners are the foundation of BDSM. However, it may be hard to distinguish between playful banter and an honest request to slow down or stop the experience in the middle of a session. Every BDSM practitioner should establish at least one safe word with their partner—something either person can say to signal that a boundary has been crossed and a break is necessary. Additionally, you and your partner can choose two different safe words—one that signals a stop in action and another that signals you’re coming close to a boundary and should ease off or move the session in a different direction.

Brainstorm roleplaying ideas. If you’re unsure how to begin a BDSM relationship with your partner or feeling self-conscious, consider some roleplay scenarios that can help jumpstart the action. Boss and employee, teacher and student, doctor and patient, or two strangers are all roles that you can take on to help distance yourself from the situation, which can be a great way to help you get over stage fright so that you can relax and enjoy yourself.

Start small. If you’re new to BDSM, avoid buying a complicated rope system or a fancy leather outfit. Instead, let yourself ease in to see if this form of sex play suits you and your partner. Try light BDSM activities for starters; many discipline or D/s sessions only require two willing participants and some imagination. If you want to buy equipment, a blindfold and some wrist restraints are useful, inexpensive items that you can continue to use if you determine that hardcore BDSM activities are not for you.

Understand risk. There are two main schools of thought regarding how to treat risk during sessions—the “safe, sane, and consensual” model (SSC) and the “risk-aware consensual kink” model (RACK). Those who follow the SSC model emphasize safety, sticking to activities that you and your partner have designated as “safe” beforehand. Those who follow the RACK model believe that the word “safe” is problematic because most BDSM activities are inherently risky and that emphasizing safety takes away participants’ freedom to evaluate risk on their own or engage in higher-risk BDSM play. For those who follow the RACK model, the responsibility to determine risk and comfort is with each individual—making explicit consent even more crucial.

Aftercare is key. Many sexual activities—and BDSM sessions in particular—can be physically or emotionally intense for both participants, so partners must engage in healthy aftercare following the sexual experience. Discussion, cuddling, and cleaning up together are great ways to help everyone wind down and process the session, fostering a sense of calm, physical wellness, and emotional well-being.

Erotic Spanking - a type of impact play in which a person uses their hands, whip, paddle, crop, or flagger to spank parts of their partner’s body for consensual and mutual sexual pleasure.

Spanking is a light BDSM activity often used as foreplay before sexual intercourse or a kinky warm up during domination play.

Receiving an erotic spanking can increase blood flow in the groin area and releases pleasurable chemicals in the brain, including endorphins and dopamine, to enhance sexual pleasure.

Types of Erotic Spanking

In spanking role-play, each partner performs the part of a character—the spanking recipient will typically take on a submissive role, while the other partner performs a dominant one.

Domestic discipline is a practice between two consenting partners where the dominant partner uses spanking or corporal punishment to call out their submissive partner’s unwanted behaviors (which may have been performed intentionally in order to get spanked).

Self-spanking is when a person spanks their own body for sexual pleasure.

Ways to Practice Erotic Spanking

There are several different ways that couples and individuals can use erotic spanking in their sexual play:

Clothed or unclothed: You can spank or receive a spanking fully clothed, completely naked, or in various states of undress. Some people own special spanking outfits like chaps or a spanking skirt, which have unique cutouts around the buttocks to allow for easier spanking.

Over the knee: The prototypical position for spanking is when the receiving partner lies across the lap or over the spanking partner’s knee, with their buttocks in the air. However, many other positions offer easy access to the buttocks. For example, the receiving partner can lie on their stomach on the bed, or both partners can stand upright. Some people may invest in a spanking bench or spanking horse, a four-legged piece of furniture that the receiving partner lies on during spanking.

With the hand: The hands are the most common spanking tool. Some practitioners prefer to spank using their bare hands because they can also feel the impact on their palms and fingers.

With a spanking tool: Spanking tools can provide more impact or cover a greater surface area. Paddles, whips, riding crops, floggers, hairbrushes, belts, and canes are popular implements to use for spanking.

With bondage: Spanking falls under the umbrella of BDSM, which also includes other activities like bondage and domination. Many people like to combine spanking with these activities to enhance sexual arousal—for instance, tying up the receiving partner for a submissive BDSM spanking experience.

With role-play: Some couples use spanking as a role-playing element, acting out situations where the spanker is the dominant partner and the spankee needs to be punished with a spanking session.

Erotic Spanking Tips

If you want to try an erotic spanking session in the bedroom, here are some useful tips for beginners:

Choose a safe word. Different people respond differently to spanking—while some may find it immensely pleasurable, others may dislike it entirely or enjoy it only briefly before they’re ready to move on. To ensure that you and your partner have an open line of sexual communication, choose a memorable, safe word before you start so that if one of you needs to stop, you can use the word to end the session and take a break.

Start gently. Everyone has different sensitivity levels, and it’s important to listen to your partner to see what feels best for them. When starting with erotic spanking, the spanker should begin with gentle spanks—then, if your partner asks for more or harder impact, you can gradually increase the intensity. Easing into the spanking can help both of you discover your preferences.

Experiment with sensations. If you’re spanking with your hand, you can try different angles and styles to see what feels best. For instance, the palm offers a deeper thud, while the fingers can create more of a stinging sensation. Other spanking tools can provide new sensations—a paddle can cover more surface area with each impact, while a riding crop concentrates on a particular spot. Aftercare is also important—rubbing the spankee’s buttocks after a few spanks can extend the duration of the sensations and further increase the pleasure.

Pay attention to all four zones. The buttocks have four different zones that respond differently to spanking: the tops by your lower back, the sides near your hips, the undersides, and the fleshy center dome. When spanking, give each zone some attention, which will also help provide other zones with relief. As you ramp up the sexual arousal, focus most of the spanking on the underside zone, which will send vibrations up to your partner’s genital area for the most pleasure.

Go solo. You don’t need a partner to enjoy spanking. Add in some erotic spanking during a masturbation session—being on all fours or even standing up are both good positions to give you easy access to your buttocks area. If you’re having a hard time reaching, consider using a paddle or other spanking tool.

Sources: 1 2 3 4 ⚜ More: Notes & References ⚜ Writing Resources PDFs

[ravenclaw-for-all-seasons]

The Wedding Chronicles - Mattheo Riddle (4)

A/N: This is one of my personal favorites, just for the platonic sentimentality between Theo and Y/N…and it’s a super long one ❤️

Finding The Dress

As you and Mattheo continued basking in the moment, Pansy, ever the planner, clapped her hands together excitedly.

"Alright, lovebirds," she said, leaning in. "Since we finally have a date, we need to start looking at dresses. We should go to Hogsmeade this weekend—there's a boutique that carries gorgeous gowns. You need something breathtaking that will befit your new title as Mrs. Riddle."

You laughed, shaking your head. "Pansy, we literally just set the date two minutes ago."

"Exactly!" she said, smirking. "Which means we’re already behind schedule."

Enzo groaned dramatically. "Merlin, it's starting already."

Blaise chuckled. "You better get used to it. Pansy's not going to let this go."

Mattheo, still holding your hand, smirked at you. "You wanna go?"

You bit your lip, considering it. The idea of wedding dress shopping with Pansy—who would no doubt make a whole event of it—was actually exciting.

"Yeah," you said finally. "Let's do it."

Pansy beamed, looking triumphant. "Oh, this is going to be so much fun!"

That night, curled up in Mattheo’s arms, you found yourself thinking about the wedding plans. You knew Pansy would be by your side, but as you thought about the idea of dress shopping, something felt missing.

"Theo should come with us," you murmured suddenly.

Mattheo tilted his head, looking down at you. "To get your dress?"

You nodded. "My parents aren’t around, and Theo's basically my brother. I want him there."

Mattheo thought for a moment, then nodded. "Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. He’ll love it—though he’ll probably pretend he’s miserable the whole time."

You grinned. "Exactly."

The next morning, you made your way to the common room with Mattheo to find Theo lounging on the sofa, Enzo beside him. Pansy was perched on the armrest, flipping through a magazine.

"Oi, Theo," you called, making your way over.

He glanced up, raising an eyebrow. "What?"

"You’re coming dress shopping with me and Pansy this weekend."

Theo blinked. "I’m what?"

"You heard her," Mattheo said, smirking as he sat down. "She wants you there."

Theo scoffed, looking at you like you’d lost your mind. "Why would I—" He stopped himself, sighing. "Fine. But if I have to sit through hours of you trying on white dresses, I expect full control over the firewhiskey at your wedding."

"Deal," you said, grinning.

Pansy clapped her hands together. "Oh! And while we’re talking wedding stuff—" She turned to you, about to launch into another review of her mental checklist.

You smiled, interrupting her. "Pans, will you be my bridesmaid?"

Pansy let out a dramatic gasp before throwing her arms around you. "Obviously! Oh, this is going to be perfect."

Mattheo took that as his cue to turn to Theo and Enzo. "And while we’re at it—I want you two to be my best men."

Theo and Enzo exchanged a look before grinning.

"Like you even had a choice," Enzo joked.

"You two idiots are the best I’ve got," Mattheo said dryly.

"You wound me," Draco said from the corner, smirking.

Mattheo rolled his eyes. "You and Blaise are my groomsmen, obviously."

Draco gave a pleased nod while Blaise smirked.

"Well, looks like we’ve got our wedding party," Pansy said, grinning. "Now, let’s get planning."

Mattheo groaned. "Merlin help us."

As you all arrived in Hogsmeade, the crisp autumn air filled the streets, the scent of butterbeer and fresh parchment lingering from the nearby shops. Mattheo wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you close before you could disappear with Pansy and Theo.

“I called ahead to the dress shop,” he murmured, brushing a kiss against your temple. “They have access to my vault, so don’t even think about the price. Just pick whatever you love.”

Your mouth fell open slightly. “Mattheo, I—”

He gave you a firm look, the kind that left no room for argument. “I want you to have the best.”

Before you could respond, Enzo let out a loud whoop from behind him. “This is fantastic! We love a wealthy and devoted fiancé.”

Draco smirked. “No surprise there. Riddle's always been completely whipped for her.”

Mattheo shot them both a glare, but you could feel the warmth of his palm against your back, the way his fingers traced small circles against your coat.

Enzo wasn’t done. “Tell me, mate, does she have unlimited access to all your vaults? Because if so, I’m considering marrying you myself.”

Mattheo groaned, rolling his eyes, while Theo just smirked beside you. “You’ll be lucky if she doesn’t hex you before this trip is over.”

You shook your head, biting back a smile. “Alright, enough. You lot go drink yourselves stupid at the Three Broomsticks, and I’ll find something I actually like while you all get progressively worse at holding your liquor.”

Pansy looped her arm through yours, grinning. “Now that is a plan.”

Mattheo sighed, pressing one last kiss to your lips before reluctantly letting you go. “Don’t be too long, I miss you already.”

“Go drink your firewhiskey and let me shop in peace,” you teased, nudging him toward the others.

Enzo grinned. “Oh don’t worry, we’ll be raising a glass to the future Mrs. Riddle all afternoon.”

You rolled your eyes as the boys headed off, laughing amongst themselves, before turning toward the dress shop with Pansy and Theo at your side.

The bell chimed softly as you stepped inside, the room filled with rows of elegant gowns, shimmering in candlelight. Immediately the witch in charge set her enchanted tape measure on you to take your measurements and dresses were being pulled out for you to try.

As you disappeared into the changing area with the assistant, Pansy turned to Theo, crossing her arms with a pointed look.

“Listen up, Nott,” she said. “She values your opinion more than anyone’s—probably even more than Mattheo’s—so you better not be your usual broody, sarcastic self when she comes out.”

Theo raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. “You’re asking me to be peppy and upbeat?”

“Yes.” Pansy nodded firmly. “I know it’s not in your nature, but for today, pretend. She thinks of you like a brother, and if you roll your eyes or make some dry remark about wedding dresses, she’ll take it seriously.”

Theo sighed dramatically, dragging a hand through his hair. “Fine. But if I die of forced enthusiasm, make sure Mattheo puts ‘Killed by Pansy Parkinson’s demands’ on my tombstone.”

Pansy smirked. “Deal. Now get ready to gush over some dresses.”

Theo shook his head, muttering to himself, but when the assistant pulled back the curtain and you stepped out in the first dress, he straightened up immediately.

And to both your and Pansy’s surprise, he actually looked… impressed.

Pansy’s eyes lit up as she took you in. “Wow, you look stunning,” she admitted, tilting her head. “It really shows off your figure.”

Theo, sitting with one ankle resting on his opposite knee, gave a slow nod of approval. “Yeah, you look good,” he said simply. “But…”

You raised an eyebrow. “But?”

Pansy sighed, glancing at Theo before turning back to you. “It’s gorgeous, but I feel like something more classic might suit you better. Something timeless.”

Theo shrugged. “Agreed. This is hot, but I can’t picture you walking down the aisle in it. You need something that screams wealth.”

You laughed at his bluntness, smoothing your hands down the fabric. “Fair enough. Let’s try another.”

After a few more dresses that were all missing that certain something, the assistant brought the final dress over with a quiet flourish, a soft smile on her face. She knew she had something special. The ballgown was stunning—almost otherworldly. The dress exuded elegance, with a fitted bodice that flared dramatically into a voluminous skirt. The intricate lace details on the sleeves and the soft satin sheen of the fabric shimmered slightly in the light.

The assistant delicately placed a tiara atop your head and draped a veil over your face, completing the regal look. As she stepped back, you took a deep breath, feeling the weight of it all, the significance of the moment settling in.

You walked out, your heart racing with excitement.

Pansy’s eyes went wide as she gasped, clapping her hands dramatically. “Oh my god, this is it! You look like a princess.” She was practically bouncing on her heels, her face lighting up with pure joy. “This is the dress! It’s so you!” Her voice carried the enthusiasm and flair you had come to expect from her, but this time it was even more genuine.

You smiled, your heart swelling, but as you looked to Theo, you saw something different. He was staring at you with a soft, emotional expression, his usual teasing grin replaced by something more meaningful. Without a word, he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around you in a tight hug.

“You look amazing,” he said, his voice unusually soft. “Absolutely perfect.”

You pulled back slightly, your hands resting on his arms. “Theo…” you started, the words coming out slower than you expected. You swallowed the lump in your throat. “Would you... would you walk me down the aisle?”

Theo froze for a moment, his eyes widening in surprise. You could see the emotion flicker across his face before it softened into something warm. His smile became gentle, and he gave a small nod, his voice quiet but filled with sincerity.

“Of course I will,” he said, his words steady and heartfelt. “I’d be honored.” You gave him a grateful smile, and he squeezed your hand, looking at you like the big brother he had always been to you.

The moment was interrupted by the theatrical shrieks still coming from Pansy as she took you in. “Mattheo is going to die when he sees you in this on your wedding day,” she exclaimed, her voice filled with playful theatrics. “I mean, seriously, he won’t even know what hit him. This dress is perfect for you, and he’s going to be speechless. I might need to brace myself for the sheer shock on his face.”

Theo, ever the calming force but still smiling, leaned against the wall and crossed his arms. “I have to agree with her,” he said, his voice steady but amused. “When he sees you, all I can say is—good luck, Mattheo.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at their over-the-top reactions, the warmth of their friendship making everything feel more real and exciting. You spun once more in the dress, admiring the way it made you feel confident and beautiful. This was the one.

[changingplumbob]

First Round - Day two (Luther group)

Kristina: I love this place! It's so big

Nathalie: You don't think it's bugged do you

Alaina: We're on a reality show. If every single room doesn't have a microphone then someone didn't do their job. Aren't I smart *looks deliberately at camera*

Kay: I think is going to be fun!

Kristina: Kay did you get the room by mine? I reserved it for you

Nephinae: Of course you did

Nephinae storms off leaving the group confused.

Nephinae (voiceover): Kristina just gets on my nerves. And then she goes stealing my emotional support bestie? She's lucky I didn't clock her in the face- shout out to my past therapist Dale for teaching me not to punch people when I get angry. I just needed a minute to cool off

Alaina: She's interesting

Kristina: More like needlessly dramatic, I hope I didn't make you feel awkward Kay

Kay: *smiles* Not at all, it's nice to feel included

Abigail: Your ex sounds like utter garbage and I hope if I ever made him coffee it was terrible

Kristina: Oh you should have- no I probably shouldn't say what ingesting that plant does on tv

Alaina: *laughing* Remind me not to get on your bad side Kristina

Nathalie had disappeared outside to find Nephinae, but is it worth approaching a riled up hot head?

Nathalie: *scared* Thank goodness you're out here, there must be less microphones out here

Nephinae: *chuckling* the microphones are mainly where the cameras are Nat

Nathalie: That's what you think but I'm sure there's bugs hidden everywhere!

Sighing Nephinae leads Nathalie inside where they do a thorough inspection of the kitchen for any secret bugs.

Nephinae: See? Only two mics that aren't very hidden because they need to pick up sound

Nathalie: Someone must have moved the extras when we were outside! That'll be it darling

Upstairs Kay and Alaina have found the table tennis table, and decide to use it for its intended purpose.

Alaina: Best of five?

Kay: Have you ever played before

Alaina: No but how hard can it be

It was in fact very hard and most of the balls ended up raining down in the kitchen or front hall...

Nephinae (from the kitchen): Holy Cowplant! That one hit me on the head

Kay: Sorry!

Nathalie: I was just saying darling that if you dressed more your age-

Abigail: Save it. I don't want to listen to out there ideas all through lunch

Kristina: Abby Nathalie may have different fashion ideas than you do but it doesn't make her weird

Nephinae: She's just... adventurous

Alaina: Deanna there you are! Come sit by me for lunch

Deanna did not choose to sit by Alaina for lunch.

...

Alaina: I was just saying acting is a skill everyone- certainly every woman should have. Are you trying to say you've never acted to sell any of those nursery plants

Kristina: I say the truth about the plants, it's what the customers deserve

Nathalie: I was once a background actor in a laundry powder commercial. I had to fall in a patch of mud six times

Abigail: And I'm not allowed to say that was weird?

Kay: You didn't think of sticking to acting then Nathalie?

...

Nephinae: We found two in here

Nathalie: *nervous* But there's got to be more

Deanna: How else could they capture all the cute moments

Kristina: Yes we have to remember we are being recorded by cameras anyway

Kay: It's not so bad Nathalie. If you think about it maybe... I want to say 80% of what they record won't actually be used

Abigail: At least that many customers I serve don't even look at the latte art

...

Nephinae (voiceover): You could say my morning was... rough. Yeah my temper got the better of me so that kind of slowed the bonding. It was nice that Nathalie came to check on me though. At least I think she wanted to, she may just have wanted to unload her fears. Anyway for skill time I figured I should work on my charisma. I've fixed worse relationships than I have here so far, I can bring things back

Kay (voiceover): Things are going well. People seem to like me which is new, I don't really have friends outside my family anymore. And Deanna sat by me at lunch! We didn't get much talking done with some of the others having problems so hopefully I can get a solo date. In that mind I decided to work on charisma for the skill building time, I'll need to make the most of conversations I manage to fit in

Kristina (voiceover): Part of me wishes Nephinae could be a grown up and ignore whatever negative first impression she has of me... But the other part of me says be genuine. If you dislike me so be it, but don't think Deanna won't find out, her sister is co-producer after all. Anyway with all my brothers, I'm used to squabbles. I worked on charisma for the skill time today, I figured it was a good first choice

Abigail (voiceover): Something just got me annoyed this morning. Was it that I spilled my coffee or that some people seem to treat me like a child? Let's go with both! *sighs* I think they're all cool but I don't think it's mutual yet, maybe I should host a campaign on an off day. People can bond when faced with an army of goblins. Anyway I did logic for the skill time, very necessary

Alaina (voiceover): What a great start, love some drama I can appear superior to. Sure I invited Deanna to sit with me but I figured Kay would distract her. You bet I'm going to dazzle the industry with the time I'm here though, just watch me win Deanna back over. Anyway what was the question? Oh skill, right. I worked on charisma, not that I really need it but still

Nathalie (voiceover): My paranoia does get worse around strangers, I admit that darling. I may be *shudders* last but I am just going to show her what she is missing out on. Then when she inevitably breaks up with whichever patsy "wins" she'll know to call me. I spoke to my mirror for the skill time but really, why would I need more charisma? It already is my best strength

Another cloudy evening meant another indoor meal. Most of the contestants had settled down from the emotional roller-coaster of the morning and the talking was a lot lighter.

Kay: You made this yourself? It's delicious

Deanna: Thank you, I'm trying to work on my cooking

Nephinae: You should try out using a juice fizzer, I think you'd enjoy it

Kristina: You can make all sorts in one of those right

Nephinae: Absolutely

...

Abigail: It is a lot of writing really. I mean you can't just do one path you know?

Deanna: In case the group want to like do something unconventional?

Abigail: Exactly! You don't want to be caught completely unaware

Kay: It sounds like a lot of fun! We should do a... what are they called? On our day off

Kristina: A campaign!

Nathalie: Or we could not act like 5 year olds and-

Alaina: How dare you, I am five years old

...

With dinner tidied away the group head to the lounge to watch a film.

Kay: I'm surprised we're not watching one of Devin's films

Alaina: No need, I've seen them all as a student of film

Nathalie: I thought you were a waitress

Alaina: I am, doesn't mean I don't know I'm going to end up acting. What are you trying to say about Abby?

Abigail: *sighs* Leave me out of it

Abigail (voiceover): Don't get me wrong, waitresses do much needed work. But I'm a barista. It's like calling a landscape architect a lawn mower. Those two seem determined to misunderstand each other

Kay: How do you think they built that set?

Nephinae: Most likely an overlay of plaster that has the detail on top of the existing structure

Kristina: That's fascinating. And they got the plants right. The amount of times I've seen movies with trees in the wrong climate. What do you think of the plot Abby?

Abigail: Huh? Oh well I did guess that he was really her father

Nathalie: Darling do you do black magic?

Abigail: No... I just know how stories are structured from playing so many games

Deanna: It's a very impressive trick

With the film over most of the ladies headed to bed. Deanna had some time chatting with Kristina, Kay and Nephinae who stuck around for another hour or two.

Nephinae: Goodnight Deanna, sorry about my attitude this morning

Deanna: That's fine, it's stressful

Nephinae: Thanks for understanding *embraces*

Nathalie (voiceover): Why should I have stayed talking to Deanna? Someone may as well wash the dishes

Sims created by: @bakersimmer, @berrysims-lp, @daedriyth, @hashimasims, @invisiblequeen, @lostinsixam

[parasolladyansy]

PKMN & spring rain

Why, hello again, Rain. Hehe. 🩵

It’s almost the first day of spring, my favorite time of year (even as I start to get allergies lol). It’s a cool, damp, overcast day, & thought I’d have a little fun with the plush team. ^u^

Welcome to my tiny, little rainy garden. 🌧️🪺🌱

She’s a little messy, & some flowers are still in the middle (or beginning) of growing. That’s okay though - so am I lol. ;u;

The little umbrella decoration Zephyr is Roosting on is supposed to be a bird feeder, but it’s a bit small - I mostly use it for the vibes. I did put a little birdseed though, just in case (thinking of just getting a tiny plant to grow in there lol).

I’m slowly getting more feathered friends visiting me, thanks to the bigger dish of birdseed I left out - a pair of mourning doves are my most regular visitors, but I saw a pair of cardinals this morning, along with a little finch. Now I just gotta find a way to stop the birdseed from falling down on my downstairs neighbor’s balcony…I’m so sorry neighbors, I swear I don’t mean it! >u>;;

I always get white geraniums & violas / pansies. The geraniums stick around for most of the year - I like how their flower bunches look like puffy cumulus clouds (especially in the sky blue pot it’s in). ☁️

Here’s a bit of rain lore 🌧️ It was believed that if you pick a pansy in the morning, it’ll rain later in the day. I think it might be from the fact that pansies / violas are one of the first & last flowers you plant in the year, which also is the time we see some more rainfall as the air & temperatures shift. Either way, that’s why they’d use pansies for rain spells.✨

I also have my paperwhites out here now, & planted some bird-eye speedwell seeds - we’ll see if they bloom / sprout. Meanwhile, I always dreamt of growing a pretty blue hydrangea (they were in my wedding bouquet 🩵). This was the spring I said, “heck - let’s try it!” We’ll see how she grows, & if she flowers this summer. 8u8

Oh, & where’s Cirrus? My little garden is a bit too messy for him lol, so he stayed in & helped me make harusame soup. “Harusame” means “spring rain”, I think because of the clear glass noodles. =u=

Thanks for spending this time with me. These days, I’ve been trying to just concentrate on what I can do, what hope, happiness, & / or peace I can find (& share). Luckily, spring is the perfect time to do just that. 🌱

[beemynumber127]

Pictures from Pinterest.

Oh no, he’s hot

→ Kindergarten teacher assistant!Reader x older brother of a student (it’s Taeyong)

→ heart-warming fluff, as the title suggests

→ inspired by an event that occured last week (yes, took me some time to process it; no, I don’t think it meant anything for either of us hopefully)

-> also inspired by the Taeyong pictures at military service :D

word count: ~592 words

—-

Nat was a sweet, intelligent girl in your assigned class who could be quite mischievous. She was precocious for her age - probably due to growing up around adults since young. Her boba eyes could melt even the head teacher’s frost-like temperament.

She did the same three things every morning when she arrived:

Firstly, arm wrestle (you let her win every time, to her dismay, so it was a win win situation - you didn’t become a statistic of her losses and she was technically the winner).

Secondly, check your ear lobes to see if you had put on new earrings, remarking if you changed and if you didn’t.

And last but not least; ask, “Do you have a boyfriend?”

“Nope.” “Why not?”

(You felt guys your age were too… immature? Undeveloped? In both brains and brawn, you suppose. A wise woman at the fish market once told you to wait till a guy had finished his military service before even considering to date him. You believe wholeheartedly in that after going through a high school relationship that left you traumatised for the foreseeable future.)

---

Nat waves goodbye to you with one hand, the other clinging onto her brother’s. Who is currently trying, with surgical precision, to manoeuvre her bag over to his arm without disrupting her waving.

“Nat’s brother is really good-looking, isn’t he?” The teachers gush in hushed tones near the cubby holes. You squeeze past them to get your bag.

You've never thought much about him. Sure, he was easy on the eyes. His style, immaculate. You’re sure he’ll never need to go through the relationship phase of needing his girlfriend to pick out clothes for him.

---

Nat talks about her brother constantly. Despite the large age gap, it seems that Nat adores him. Shows you his baby photos that she’d snuck into her books for safekeeping.

He’s off at army, she says. Comes back for the weekends to stay with the family.

It’s fun with him around because she usually doesn’t see him, ever, even on the weekends. You nod along sympathetically, picturing this lean guy you’d seen on brand advertisements or the occasional fancam appearing on your fyp. In a baggy shirt, bucket hat on his head when picking Nat up from school.

---

Then one fine day, you mistake him for a stranger. You blame his muscular back, and the fact that you’ve never seen him wear such… fitting clothes before.

You’re entering a mall to run errands when the person in front holds the door for you.You thank said person in your “public voice” - that kind which warrants a response, like a nod or a “you’re welcome”.

The person turns to face you, still holding the door, and you two make eye contact. It takes you a hot second to recognise him — Nat’s brother.

As if you hadn’t stared enough for the both of you, he looks, really looks at you.

Time stands still. Your heart thunders in your chest.

What is happening.

Those eyes. Sucked you right in.

And cut! You can almost hear someone shouting. Taeyong drops his gaze from yours and smiles softly.

He rushes ahead of you, rejoining his sister and mother who are browsing the menu of a restaurant further away.

You’re screwed, really screwed.

He really should’ve kept his eyes to himself.

[moldy-flowers]

Modern team 7 and their cooking youtube channel.

It didn't start off with cooking, originally it was just Naruto and occasionally Sakura with him just fucking around and doing random shit. But one day for funnies they convince Sasuke to do a Markiplier makes style video with them making something with no recipe. He is convinced because Naruto and Sakura are such horrific chefs that this can only end in disaster. Naruto is your typical "Forgets the water for the instant ramen and burns it" but Sakura? Oh man. Sakura is a genuine danger to society. Everything green she touches dies, she sets things on fire and breaks things despite how hard she tries. So after hearing that Sakura was going to be inside a kitchen Sasuke had to be there otherwise his two best friends would die.

The video ends with Sasukes being pretty good, a huge downstep from his normally exquisite food but he was trying so so hard to protect the kitchen from the monsters. Narutos is... well you could probably eat it and not die. Unlike Sakuras, which is an eldritch entity that spells the doom of humanity.

The video goes viral and ends up making the channel monetised and obviously this means they HAVE to make another video!!! This time Sakura makes Sasuke wear duct tape on his mouth to make him shut up and stop telling her off, Sasuke never gets any cooking done and ends up losing cause he spent the whole time making sure what Naruto and Sakura both made (there was an accident and their meals combined together but they just went with it.) was somewhat edible. It wasn't. But good try Sasuke!

Time goes on and they just kept making the videos because 1 it was really fun 2 money!!!!!!!!!!!! 3 people kept making jokes about how Sasuke was actually probably not even that good of a chef but he just looks like he is bc Naruto and Sakura are so bad, and that pissed Sasuke off so much that he vowed to teach Naruto and Sakura how to not burn down kitchens so he could actually make something good.

Sasukes also not nearly as active on social media but after all the jokes he makes an insta or Tumblr (bc Tumblr is the only social media I use...) to show off the food he makes. Eventually just to prove it further he makes short videos (shorts of tiktoks or whatever) of him making things, using his own special recipies yk. And then on the main channel you see Naruto and Sakura brutally ruin his precious recipes.

Sakura has a blog dedicated to disproving medical lies and raising awareness for lesser known illnesses. Everyone who comes across it goes through a wave of shock bc... no way that's the same girl who put a sandwich in a toaster then accidentally set it on fire... AND she's studying to be a surgeon?? AND she's top of her class?? Just because she has steady hands does NOT mean she can make pasta.

Naruto has a blog that gives like I-am-a-fish mixed with Pukicho vibes. Idk I couldn't think of anything for him. He makes 17 posts a day and he doesn't remember what any of them are. He comes across his post that someone reposted and he thought "Man this guy is so stupid haha" and never realised that it was him.

After like 5, 7 years give or take Naruto and Sakura Eventually do get better at cooking. Naruto is a decent chef and Sakura makes edible things. Everyone but Sasuke and Naruto hate her cooking, but because they're so used to the charred or often poisonous food this feels like a godsend.

Uh anyway they post like 5 times a year nowadays bc they. Have jobs. Sakuras a surgeon, Naruto is a teacher for a special needs school and Sasuke is uhmm. He's either a Vet a firefighter or a Doctor. I couldn't pick. They still do cooking vids but it's diverted from that a little bit. Mainly because Sakuras patients kept getting nervous when the girl who famously spent 14 minutes trying to remember the word 'dough' was the person rummaging around their organs.

[eoe-1379]

Avalanche Part 1

(Trying to get used to 2nd person, while continuing the story. Bear with me. I also put a lot less work into this. Writing it in tumblr drafts and doing only the most basic of editing. I've given up trying to make it perfect I just want the ideas out of my head.)

This one is all fluff and fun! Not explicit, but the next part will be, which is why I'm leaving the 18+ warning up on this one.

A small warning for mentions of drugs and alcohol

The year was 1986. You’re in college now, just trying to get through your preliminaries before you have to finally pick a major. Unlike you, Caleb had everything planned. He was almost done with his degree and already had a job lined up at the DAA for when he graduated. It was different for you. You didn’t excel at school, at anything, the way Caleb did. He was a born natural at whatever he tried his hand at. Meanwhile, you needed a tutor to pass entry-level trig.

Caleb wasn’t happy about your choice, but Zayne was the smartest person you knew. Book smart, at least. Plus Caleb was so busy now with graduation prep and getting in his hours on the simulator he didn’t have the time to teach you the principles of imaginary numbers. Zayne did.

Zayne was going for his PhD, and he too was almost finished with his schooling. Next would be his residency, and he wasn’t looking forward to that. Mingling around with the other young doctors and nurses had never been where he felt comfortable. He wished he could just skip to the end where he was established in his career, but that wasn’t the way things worked. He was all too pleased when you asked him for help with something basic like Trigonometry. Math, and you, were definitely his comfort zone.

“I just don’t understand where I’m even going to need this.” You groan, pushing the textbook away with an air of disgust.

“You likely won’t once you graduate, but you will if you want to cross that stage.” Zayne put his pencil between his teeth as he pulled the book back to rest in front of you on the dining table. “One more try, then we’ll take a break. Let’s focus on this equation…”

“Ugh” You toss your head back and sink into the chair like a toddler. “Couldn’t we take a break now? We’ve been at it for hours, doc.”

Zayne can’t help the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. He liked that you called him Doctor, even though he was still years away from being one.

“Alright, but not too long.” He leaned back, relaxing. “Your breaks have a habit of hijacking the day.”

The sound of keys at the door makes both of you turn. Caleb is home.

He enters the apartment with his head bowed, a sack of groceries dangling from his wrist as he wriggles the keys from the lock. When he looks up and meets your gaze, his brow furrows.

“Another study sesh?” He asks, walking into the kitchen to set the groceries on the counter.

“We’ve almost solved one equation.” You jest.

“That so?” Caleb says absently, stocking the fridge. He seems distracted, avoiding your gaze.

You get up from the table and walk over to him, wrapping your arms around his waist.

Behind you, Zayne takes a long sip of Dr. Pepper and watches the wall.

“Welcome home.” You muse, snuggling into Caleb’s chest. “I missed you.”

Caleb softens, wrapping his arms around you as he presses a light kiss to the top of your head.

“Missed you too, pipsqueak.” You watch his eyes flick across to the dining table before settling back on you. “I thought we could celebrate tonight, just the two of us.”

You glance over your shoulder to where Zayne is awkwardly trying to look occupied.

“What exactly are we celebrating?” You ask in a softer tone.

“I finally finished my hours on the simulator.” Caleb’s prideful smile breaks through his demeanor. “I bought us some champagne to share, and I was going to cook a special dinner but…” he trailed off before raising his voice to include Zayne in the conversation, “I only got enough for two. Sorry man.”

“That’s alright.” Zayne went to stand, brushing off his shirt, “We can finish studying later.”

You move away from Caleb, feeling guilty for making Zayne feel so unwelcome. You turn back, eyes pleading. Caleb sighs.

“No, wait,” he gives you a stern look, but when you don’t relent your pouting he continues, “Stay. I heard you’ve got something to celebrate as well.”

You whip around, finding Zayne frozen in the tiny apartment foyer.

“What’s he talking about?”

Zayne sighs. He’d been hoping to avoid this.

“Oh, nothing extravagant.” He breathed, bashfully rubbing his neck.

“That’s not what I heard.” Caleb went on, “I heard you saved some chick's life in the food court.”

Your eyes widen in awe.

“What?! Zayne! Why didn’t you say something?”

He winced slightly as you tugged on his sleeve, making apologetic eye contact with your boyfriend over your shoulder.

“It isn’t a big deal.” He shrugged, “She choked, that’s all.”

Caleb looked at Zayne knowingly but did not correct him further.

“Either way, you’re welcome to celebrate with us. This one hardly eats what I make her anyways, I’m sure we’ll have plenty of food for you.”

You shoot Caleb a glare.

“It’s not my fault I can’t keep up with your portion sizes, I don’t have that kind of metabolism.” You turn back to Zayne, grabbing his cold hand in yours. “Do stay.” You plead with a smile. “I promised you a break, after all, and if you go home you’ll just start working again and you know it.”

Zayne exhaled heavily through his nose, holding his coat in one hand, you in the other, one foot still pointed toward the door. You watch as his brow creases and relaxes with thought as if he’s weighing every outcome in his mind. Finally, he speaks.

“I suppose I could stay for dinner.” He set his coat back on the rack and moved away from the door.

“Bitchin'!” You shake him a little with excitement, planting a kiss on his cheek. The action wasn’t planned and startled you almost as much as it startled him, but nothing prepared you for Caleb’s burning stare. “Sorry.” You say, backing off. “I get too enthusiastic sometimes.”

“No worries.” Zayne hums, rubbing the spot on his cheek with a barely concealed grin.

“Who wants a drink?” Caleb interjects from the kitchen, already pouring a glass.

“Me!” you and Zayne say in unison.

Night sneaks up on all of you. The dining table was littered with messy dishes and dirty napkins, two empty bottles of champagne, and three half-full glasses remaining.

You twirl yours between nimble fingers, watching the golden liquid swirl. Your head feels heavy, your cheeks warm, and you aren't wasted but you're buzzing.

Zayne is also flushed, leaning back in his seat laughing at another one of Caleb’s anecdotes. The two men warmed to each other rather quickly once the alcohol started flowing. Laughing and joking in the way that men do. You cherished seeing them together like this, your two favorite people in the whole world. You couldn't wipe the smile from your face if you tried.

Caleb took another sip, still humming in amusement.

“I tried to tell Patrick he couldn't handle the altitude but he just wouldn't listen.” the pilot-to-be shook his head, “I've never seen anyone vomit that much in the simulator.”

“Sounds like a classmate of mine.” Zayne mused, “He gets sick at the sight of blood, yet wants to be a doctor? I don't think I will ever understand.”

Both men reach for the bottle, their hands colliding on the glass before pulling away clumsily.

“Sorry, you go ahead.”

“No, it's all yours.”

You sigh, grabbing the empty bottle and giving it a shake for their benefit.

“It's empty, dinguses,” you say with a sloppy grin. “Should someone go to the store for more?”

“No need,” Caleb grunts a bit as he stands, heading to the bedroom for a couple of confusing moments before reappearing with an ornate glass bottle of brown liquid. “I keep this for rainy days. Pip can't handle it, but what about you?”

Zayne smirks, sliding his glass over.

“I do have a fondness for whiskey,” he replies.

You fold your arms in a pout.

“What? And I'm just expected to sober up?”

Caleb smiles, pouring Zayne a shot.

“Check your bedside table.”

You smile at him in question, but he gestures you off with a nod of his head. “Go on.”

With an excited leap, you lurch from your chair, skipping to the bedroom to hunt for your present...whatever it is.

After some glancing around in the dark, you spot it. Illuminated by the smallest sliver of moonlight, near the shadow of your lamp, is a crinkled stick made of paper. You can smell its contents the moment you lay eyes on it, a heavenly sour blend of earth that you knew all too well. You snatch the joint without hesitation and fish a lighter from the drawer. Caleb always got you the best Kush. You didn't know where from, and you didn't care a wink. His little gifts were the only thing getting you through college free of a mental breakdown.

After blazing up and taking a couple much much-needed long hits, you saunter back into the living area with a more relaxed gait. The tension in your shoulders melts as the herb stings your lips, smoke trickling from your nostrils as you plop back down happily in your seat.

Caleb smiles over you in that warm, endearing way that makes your insides dance. He looked so handsome in the dim light. His purple eyes sparkled with mischief as he tossed back another shot.

You can't restrain your affections any longer.

Once Caleb was back in his seat, you moved to his lap, straddling him with a grin and a kiss. He welcomes you with a warm hand cupping your ass, squeezing just hard enough to hurt a little, and you loved it.

“Let’s all play a game.” you giggle, turning around on top of him so your upper body weight is supported by the table while he still cradles your hips. You look at Zayne with a warm smile, one he can never say no to. “It will be fun.”

Zayne looks at Caleb for a long moment before he looks back at you.

“What do you have in mind?”

You sit up, taking another long drag on your joint.

“Truth.” You lean forward again, breasts almost spilling from the top of your shirt. “Or dare.”

“Pipsqueak,” Caleb utters your name like a warning, his thumb stroking circles over the denim of your jeans. “I’m not so sure that’s a good idea.”

“Oh come on!” You whine, throwing your head against the polished wood. “It’s not a true celebration unless we do something silly.” You look at them both with doe eyes. “Please?”

“Fine, but let’s move to the couch.” Caleb picks you up, and drops you on your feet, patting your ass playfully as you skip toward the sofa.

Zayne follows, drink in hand.

Once the three of you are settled on the cushions comfortably, Caleb and Zayne share another shot over your head, cheering their glasses with a clink.

You pull your legs up, curling them underneath you so you don’t have to crane so much to see their faces.

“I’ll go first. Ask me.” You turn to Caleb expectantly, batting your lashes as he tucks your hair back.

“Truth or dare?” He hums, still gazing deep into your eyes.

“Dare.”

Caleb grins.

“I dare you to take a shot with us.”

Rolling your eyes, you smile. You saw that one coming a mile away. Caleb offered you his glass as he picked up the Jameson, pouring one out for you and Zayne and keeping the bottle for himself.

You hated whiskey. It was too rich, too strong, and the bittersweet sting of it lingered on your tongue for hours to come. Yet, you tossed it back without a single complaint, handing the glass back to your boyfriend with a superior smirk.

“My turn.” you shift, spinning on the cushion to face Zayne. “Truth or dare?”

“Truth, I suppose.” Zayne wipes a drop from his lip with a calculated swipe of his fingers.

“What happened with the girl in the food court?”

He smiled, almost laughing. He should have expected the question from you.

“She choked, that was true. Only, I wasn't present for that. The man who gave her the Heimlich punctured her lung. He couldn't have known, but she had dislocated a rib earlier at her rugby game. The resulting pressure from him trying to save her ended up putting her at even more dire risk.” His brow knit together as he recalled the events, his smile fading, “When I got there she wasn't breathing. I had to perform emergency thoracentesis to remove the excess fluid while we waited for paramedics.”

“Shit.” Caleb hissed under his breath, taking another drink.

“Whats, Thora-cent..ysis?” you ask, clumsily fumbling over the word.

Zayne lights up just slightly, inching closer to you to explain with his hands. He touches a spot between your lower ribs, and you twitch as it tickles.

“I poke a hole right here, to release the fluid buildup. Once she could breathe again, I kept the pressure on the wound until the medics arrived.” he removes his cold hand from your side, reaching for his drink again. He was starting to look red in the face. You wondered how drunk he was.

“That's incredible Zayne.” you breathe in awe, “They really should just make you a surgeon already.”

He chuckled.

“I still have a ways to go before I get there.” his green eyes flick up to Caleb over your shoulder. “Truth or dare, captain?”

The word hangs for a while in the air between them. An old taunt from childhood, in those formative years before Caleb matched Zayne in size, and could still be teased without consequence. You feel Caleb tense beside you, but his expression remains playful.

“Dare,” he commands.

“How predictable.” Zayne scoffs, tapping his chin as he thinks. “Alright. I dare you…to let me kiss your girlfriend.”

“Zayne!” You gasp, covering your mouth both from the shock but also to hide your unshakable grin.

Caleb, to your surprise, laughs.

“Trying to get me out this early in the game? Nuh-uh.” he chided, pulling your face forcefully into his lips as he planted a passionate, slobbering kiss on you. When he released you, he smeared his spit across your mouth with a wicked grin, practically pushing you into Zayne’s arms. “She's all yours.”

Zayne raised an eyebrow. He hadn't truly expected Caleb to allow this, he just wanted to win the game. Though, as you look up at him patiently, he wonders if he maybe had ulterior motives after all.

Zayne’s cool fingers brush your cheek before gently pulling you toward him. His arms wrapped around you, and he shifted to let you settle in his lap as he bent to meet your lips. Your breath catches as his tenderness soaks into your bones, the kiss light and sensitive. He doesn't stop after one or two. No. He holds you firm until he's had his fill of little kisses, passionate in his quiet way.

By the time he's done with you, your chest is heaving, and your face is red. You're afraid to look back at your boyfriend, who undoubtedly regrets his decision to stay in the game. Yet when you finally look at Caleb again, he seems unphased, tossing back another shot with only a subtle flush under his eyes.

“Truth or dare?” he asks you bluntly, keeping his eyes locked on Zayne.

“Truth.” You whisper, wanting to steer the game in a different direction - though the palpable tension in the air suggested it was much too late for that.

“Did you like him kissing you?” Caleb asks immediately.

“Caleb…” you move toward him, but one strong hand grabs you by the wrist, stopping you from touching him.

“Answer.”

“…yes.” your reply is scarcely audible over your heartbeat, pounding like drums against your skull.

“Zayne? Truth or dare?” Caleb continued, letting you go.

Zayne’s brow tightened, he knew he was being backed into a corner. Caleb always did this, even when they were kids. Zayne might've been the oldest but Caleb was always the one in control, and neither of them cared to lose. Not then, not now.

“Dare.”

You sank back between them, just praying things didn't escalate the same way they did on the playground all those years ago.

“Kiss her again.” Caleb's tone darkened as he took another shot.

You sit up, shocked.

“Caleb!”

Zayne wasted no time, he cupped your face and pulled you into another deliciously tender kiss.

You push him off with a grunt, fighting the pleasure back into its hiding place deep inside you.

“Enough!” you snap, standing from the couch in a huff, “I’m not a stick to measure your dicks with!”

Silence.

What had you just said? Was that what you meant to say? “No, I mean,” you stutter, a smile cracking your serious expression, “The stick isn't me, just that you two - stop -” you chuckle despite yourself “I'm not a toy, is what I mean!”

You look up, your cheeks burning from embarrassment. The two young men share a look of confusion before they too break into laughter.

“Come’ere Pipsqueak,” Caleb opens his arms in wait, and you happily fly to him. He wraps you in a comforting embrace, stroking your hair. “We know what you meant. I'm sorry.”

“Me too.” Zayne agreed. “I'm so very sorry. That was…childish of me.”

“Of both of us,” Caleb adds, kissing your forehead. “Forgive us?”

You rub your eyes with a grin, nodding. You couldn't stay mad even if you wanted to, the weed saw to that.

“You were right. This game was a bad idea.”

“No…” Caleb hummed reassuringly, “To be honest, watching you two was kinda hot.”

Zayne chuckled, thinking Caleb was joking, but you knew better. His tone was sincere, aroused even.

“Really?” you ask, surprised.

Caleb shrugs and nods.

“What? I can't have kinks?” He tickles you, making you laugh and wriggle in his arms.

“Of course you can!” you exclaim, trying to break away. “I just would never expect that to be one.”

“Wait, are you serious?” Zayne asks, finally catching on. His cheeks were bright red.

“Relax Doctor,” Caleb said, nuzzling your neck as he crawled over you. You giggled, scooting back until you were in Zayne’s lap again, Caleb still nibbling at your throat. “We don't bite.”

He pulls off of you, his violet eyes lidded with lust. You look up at Zayne, who is in a similar state of distress.

“Truth or dare?” you ask the green-eyed boy behind you, your voice shaking with excitement.

He lets out a stuttered gasp.

“Dare.”

[my-rose-tinted-glasses]

Pick Nine: Characters I Dream About

So I was tagged in this post by 🐠Dori @dramalove247. This particular list was started by @nabi-unveiled here. And as I said in a response to them, my ace ass doesn't really think that way. I neither have a special desire to see two characters get it on with each other in my dream nor do I ever imagine myself with them like that. I hope this goes without saying but I'll still say it, no judgement though. This is me. But Dori was very kind to offer me some alternatives, which I appreciate cause it saves me some time.

"Best looking meat suit" "Character I wanna see with their shirt off" "Character I want to cuddle in bed" "Character with the best on screen chemistry" "Character I wanna make eye contact with" "Character I would actually give 5 minutes of my time"

So from that I kinda decided to do a variation on a couple of them. Only ql, as usual, to make it easier on me. Despite not wanting to be with any of these characters, I do find some of them aesthetically pleasing. Basically people that have me saying to myself - He's so pretty. I want him to take me in his arms and...the end lol No, there are different endings so I will basically be using that as my guide. Let's go.

Lan Wangji - The Untamed

He's so pretty. I want him to take me in his arms and... fly to Cloud Recess where he will play for me for a while I just look at him, hours if possible. He's so beautiful it hurts me.

Joker - Jack and Joker

He's so pretty. I want him to take me in his arms and...go on a some sort of mission where we have to hide for a long time somewhere like a closet or something and I can just be close to them for a while. But good lighting in the hidden spot because I wanna see his face.

Yu Zhen - Be Loved in House: I Do

He's so pretty. I want him to take me in his arms and.... go into the workshop where I would try on the jewellery while watching him work. (also, you're welcome)

Togawa - Old Fashion Cupcake

He's so pretty. I want him to take me in his arms and... go out for pancakes and I would just watch him eat. Also I'm craving pancakes so it works out.

Karan - Cherry Magic Thailand

He's so pretty.I want him to take me in his arms and...go somewhere to hear him talk about stationery. I really love stationery btw so he could talk about that for a while and I would just watch him.

Kiyoi - My Beautiful Man

He's so pretty. I want him to take me in his arms and... go somewhere beautiful where I can just spend an afternoon taking pictures of him. Beautiful man indeed. What perfect casting.

Jane - The Trainee

He's so pretty. I want him to take me in his arms and... bring me to a meeting room and have him make any sort of work presentation just for me. Or watch him while he's on set. Basically watch him be good at his job while looking good.

Po - ThamePo Heart That Skips a Beat

He's so pretty. I want him to take me in his arms and... go into the shop where I can watch him make a suit, or several.

Wen - Moonlight Chicken

He's so pretty. I want him to take me in his arms and... nothing. Ok, gotta be honest, this one is completely on Mix not Wen. I just love his eyes an unreasonable amount. But MC was where he looked the best imo. The colouring and the wardrobe was working for me. Look at that colour on him? Gorgeous. So I just wanna him to look at me. We could have a coffee or something I guess.

This was fun, at least I got to make some gifs of my beloveds today. Thank you so much Dori! I'm gonna tag some people but you really don't have to play. You can if you want of course. What I mean is just that I don't wanna bug anyone with this cause I've been tagging people in stuff lately. I just want to share my list with some moots. @thisonelikesaliens @colourme-feral @emotionallychargedtowel @mikuni14 @troubled-mind @theside-b @abstractelysium @dribs-and-drabbles @sparklyeyedhimbo @clairedaring @incandescentflower also if you see this and want to do a variation on it, please consider yourself tagged here and tag me so I can see more pretty people. 💜💜💜

[rogerbarel]

Omg so my MC, Lenore, is multilingual! She speaks Filipino and English fluently (mostly Filipino with her family and English outside of the home), and she can carry a basic conversation in Spanish. Her English isn't too heavily accented since she grew up in England and the only other Filipinos she got to meet were her immediate and extended family. But the faster she speaks, the more she sounds like her mom and tita.

Since there were very few Filipinos living in England at the time, I doubt any of Crown is particularly familiar with the language. Will might know a little bit because he's full of surprises, and he might pick up on words with Spanish origins. Nora would be shocked if he could call it out while she's swearing lol. Liam would like to know all about growing up bilingual just for the sake of knowing, and Harry would likely have questions about reading in multiple languages and Filipino literature (which probably would have been very difficult if not impossible to acquire in England--and I doubt anything was translated). I can see the boys keeping an eye out for things (not just books but in general), though, because growing up in England would have been extremely culturally alienating. That's getting a bit away from the topic of language, though.

Nora would try to teach the boys some basic words, but she's not a great teacher. She likes making them try to pronounce words by sight or make them repeat anything with the /ŋ/ sound anywhere it doesn't belong in English lol. She wanted to avoid letting them know any obscenities, but Alfons fooled this plan by picking up on interjections/expletives she refused to translate and misusing them so egregiously that she caved.

Nora sometimes says things in Filipino specifically because she doesn't want anybody to understand her, but she has to be more careful with it as some of the boys start learning a little. I'm sure she's gotten herself in a pickle at least once where she said something uncharacteristically affectionate to Roger in Filipino and he unexpectedly knew or guessed one of the key words she used. She also specifically teaches him more as their relationship grows.

Idk how this fits in here but I'm also very dedicated to Roger having a bit of a Scottish accent, and it sounds downright chaotic whenever he and Nora are harassing each other. He rarely yells, but his voice definitely carries unless he's deliberately speaking more quietly, especially when he's having fun. Nora is also naturally loud but worse at moderating her volume and more prone to getting worked up... If you listen for noise coming from the lab, you'll pretty frequently hear him say *something* just low enough that you can't decipher it, hear Nora shouting at 500 miles per minute in definitely-English-but-there-are-some-interesting-pronunciation-choices-and-stumbles-here, then Roger's booming laugh followed by some raunchy thing no one else wanted to hear (and more shouting from Nora).

This got longer than I meant for it to be. Sorry! 😭 @william-rex also has a bilingual MC! Diana speaks Spanish, I believe natively.

Ik that ikevil mc (kate) is from London meaning she speaks English as her first language (lets all ignore the fact that the game is voiced in japanese for a moment) and she propably doesn't speak a second language but I just can't help but wonder what would crowns reaction be to an mc who has a foreign language as their mother tongue?? Like imagine mc hitting her toe on the table while at breakfast with the rest of crown and cursing in a language they dont understand;; I think that the initial reaction would be something like : 👀👁👁 especially liams! He would be SO curious to know what you just said! chances are that victor already knows about the fact that you can speak more than one languages but he would still be suprised, also I honestly can't imagine william having a different reaction other than his usual smile 🙂 hmmm maybe he would comment about their darling Robin being smart or something? Anyways I couldn't stop thinking about this it literally has been inside my head running around in circles for atleast a month now and I finally stopped procrastinating and wrote it ���️

[pertinax--loculos]

Find the Word Tag Game

Tagged by the always brilliant @thegreatobsesso; as always, thank you! ^_^ I'm going to tag you back, plus @winterandwords, @revenantlore, @space-writes, @sarahlizziewrites, @oh-no-another-idea, @kd-holloman and @artdecosupernova-writing to search their WIPs for the words (or variations thereof): plunge, coy, valid, naked, and rose.

I'm diving into the Old [Redacted] WIP for this (and also chucked it into Scrivener to make the searching easier -- turns out it's only 166k words total so far, which is somehow less than I thought it would be? Honestly this WIP is a fucking beast).

time

Raleigh POV

The stranger narrowed his eyes, raising a hand to block the light. "Who the hell is- wait. You think I'm fucking working with you fundie dicks? The fuck gave you that impression?"

Raleigh had to fight not to splutter. Between the cursing, the casual use of the insult for Members, and the denial of being in on the test, his nervousness was abruptly back full force.

The smirk on the stranger's face intensified. "Take your time. And get that fucking light out of my face."

hono(u)r

Raleigh POV

Raleigh swallowed against a tight throat. This wasn’t an assignment, this was a freaking funeral, a gathering supposed to honour the memory of a passionate young man taken far too soon. And here he was, with the Brotherhood, slithering into the midst of the mourners to poke and prod and tease out information from people at their most vulnerable.

peace

Dash POV

Dash’s jaw locked. He looked away, again, knowing it was cowardly and revealing but unable to stop himself. He was too hungover to deal with this. With all of this, any of this; it was too much, grating against his raw nerves. The modicum of peace he’d felt for those few moments in bed with Alec seemed like a very long time ago. The oxy wasn’t kicking hard enough to smooth the sharpness of all these edges.

war

Raleigh POV

Peter grinned in a way that was clearly supposed to be gregarious but failed to reach his eyes. "Excellent! Okay, so, this place has been abandoned since the War. An old brainbent woman used to live here, a prophecisor, and rumour has it that when she saw the Church was going to win, she hung herself in the attic. Your assignment is to retrieve the rope she used to do the deed."

[vynnyal]

Of all games why this one

[robininthewindow]

Silly Game Time: What are the first and the second foods you associate with the classical element of Air/Wind?

Air and wind separately? Air or Wind? Air and wind together? Air and Wind in a romantic relationship? The slash is confusing me.

Anyways- In my head meringue is very air-coded because my mom calls those little pretty meringue things 'flavored air'. Then cotton candy cause it's very cloudy- tho I guess clouds are more water than air. It doesn't matter. Cotton candy is still air.

For water, first lettuce. then watermelon. Because of course.

So I think the most Air/Water food, based on my responses, that isn't completely horrible, would be watermelon flavored cotton candy.

[racingmiku2018]

work was such a shitshow in the morning that it trailed into the afternoon and evening and now im just hit with this sinking dread of having to go and do it all again tomorrow

[insert-game]

i’ve been meaning to add a couple things to my etsy store and make new things as well but the crushing weight of being alive under the current administration has been severely impeding my ability to do anything in general

[opens-up-4-nobody]

...