#so I was a little nervous that I'd have to struggle to learn it all over again but nah

[autobot-ratchet]

I've got the first expression challenge sketched out and lemme tell y'all

I still fuckin got it lmAO

[lolaandthens0me]

I get asked this all the time, "So, how did you get into this whole diaper thing in the first place?"

I thought I'd take a moment to talk about it!

I am not a "factory-installed" abdl, but rather an "after-market upgrade".  I was first introduced to diapers and the whole abdl scene through my ex. They, being a longtime DL, told me about their diaper fetish pretty early on in our relationship.  I was only 18 or 19 at the time and thus quite innocent and inexperienced in kink and sexuality in general. I was at first a little confused by the thought of being turned on by diapers, but very open-minded to learn about and discover why this fluffy, absorbent plastic-backed thing did it for them, and for so many others I came to find out!

They encouraged me to do a bit of investigating and education on my own into the world of AB/DL to see if I could find something about it that spoke to or resonated with me.  I popped my online-kink cherry on the Tumblr of old. The Tumblr where porn, especially diaper porn, reigned like golden rays of sunshine. You could find it all and see it all on Tumblr back in the day. I quickly stumbled upon lots of ddlg content, and here was this thing that seemed to incorporate my budding, but long held interest in being submissive *and* my ex's interest in diapers. And ~voila!~ MisterAndLola was born.

We focused on building a ddlg dynamic, including the use of some AB stuff like onesies, cute socks, Goodnites, and calling them Daddy. We started our first Tumblr blog, TheDiaperedandtheDamned.  We began to take some cute pictures and post them on Tumblr and Reddit. I bought a few toys and coloring books, decorated our Guest Room with some decals and fairy lights, and started to try to wet in my pull-ups. 

It turns out, it was a lot harder than I thought! I would practice wetting while sitting on the toilet and when home alone. I was extremely nervous about leaking, and was struggling to get my potty-trained brain and body to let go. My ex had the thought -  why not get some adult diapers and try those?  I would surely not leak using those and it might make me feel safer or more comfy in the thought of "unpotty-training" my mind. The crazy thing is, it worked. And there I was, wearing diapers.  I believe the first couple I tried were ABU Lavenders and DC Amors. I felt extremely silly, but also shyly naughty wearing these crinkly, poofy undergarments. And the thought of peeing my pants, wherever I was, started to turn me on.  The taboo factor of willingly peeing in my "underwear" as a thriving, strong adult woman felt delicious.  I loved the feeling of being naughty. 

The first time I finally full-on wet my diaper, I immediately felt burning humiliation. And that also made me feel deliciously naughty. It turns out, I really have a thing for pee. My own, others’, it excites me and always pushes my button.  I don’t have an inherent fetish for diapers, but I think I do for pee, or more generally, liquids.  Even the feel of my own slippery wetness when I’m aroused does it for me.  And being covered in cum…yup…that does it for me too.

After months of growing and exploring and trying on the role of “little girl”, I realized that I really don’t find a lot of joy or fulfillment in age play.  The ddlg dynamic wasn’t really working for me or my partner at the time. But the fondness and growing arousal for being in and peeing in diapers…that was just beginning. Thus, my diaper kink was born.

[emeritus-fuckers]

HI I LOVE Y'ALL'S BLOG SO MUCH!!! AAAA

Okay, I'll calm down now. I was wondering if you'd be interested by the idea of a newly summoned ghoul reader struggling to get to grips with their instrument and panicking about not being good enough for tour yet and being comforted by one of the ghouls?

I'm currently struggling to learn bass to get good enough for a band I have a chance to be in and it's really wreaking havoc on my mental health being so confused and getting it wrong over and over and y'all's writing in comfort scenarios always makes me feel better... So I thought I'd shoot my shot!

I hope you're having an amazing day, this blog brightens up my day every time! <3

Water ghouls helping a newly summoned ghoul learn their instrument

Chain (it/ghoul)

Chain is a fucking goofball.

Don't let its big, intimidating form fool you, Chain is a goofy dumbass who can barely keep up a "mysterious" act.

So when you come to ghoul and ask to learn how to play bass, it's delighted to help, all giggly and shit.

Ghoul's not the best teacher, he gets too excited and ahead of ghoulself, teaching you the "cool" riffs becore the easy ones.

It does get bonus points for being patient and hyping you up, though.

And the reward kisses. The reward kisses are nice.

Lake (he/him)

He comes accross very serious and when you ask him and you are pretty nervous.

He nods and gestures for you to follow him. He finds a cozy practice room well out of the way.

Despite his scary front he takes teaching you very seriously and is very supportive.

He's actually a really good teacher and takes time to show you good technique and teach you the songs you need to learn.

He rarely gives out compliments but when he does you know he completely means it.

Also when you get him to smile, either by a joke or playing well or just by being yourself.

You end up getting very close.

River (they/them)

They are a slut about it. A complete whore.

Every single dirty joke they can make while teaching you is made. Everything from fingering it correctly to thrusting with their own bass.

Shockingly, they are still a very good teacher. Only making the dirty jokes as you get closer to mastering each skill.

River definitely sits behind you to guide your hands on new notes and skills, hands on teacher when it’s needed. Only with consent of course.

Will absolutely bring you out for food after practice. They’re a slut but a classy slut. They buy you dinner before trying to get in your pants.

Cowbell (they/it)

It's a bit surprised to be your choice for bass lessons. After all, their only real performance was what landed them a name. And it was just trying to prank Papa.

But, the name stuck and it just couldn't go out of its way to change it, especially when you started to use "Cowie" as a cute little nickname that they just needed to hear every single day of its life.

But, fortunately for you, they just so happen to play bass as well, just like most water ghouls. They were just beginner level, but still.

You two practice together, figuring the instrument out.

It's a lot of fun, both you and Cowbell enjoy it a lot, even if it's a bit frustrating sometimes. At least you get frustrated together, right?

You end up better than it. Somehow, you end up tutoring them, instead of the other way around.

Mist (he/she)

He's thrilled to help out with that. Mist really likes alone time together, especially if you two just chill, enjoying a common hobby.

So she's happy to teach you guitar. Might offer playing Guitar Hero first so you can train your fingers a bit.

The first song you learn how to play is Gorillaz's Feel Good Inc., which is her favorite non-Ghost song. And the bass is very pleasant in the song.

He casually rests against your back, just listening to you play and giving small comments on what you can do better whenever you mess up.

There's this weird feeling of comfort during your practice sessions.

She starts a tickle fight the moment you put the guitar down.

Never let them know your next move type of shit.

Rain (he/she/ve)

He's a bit surprised when you ask, but doesn't see a reason to refuse.

But hey, ve's a good teacher! Really good, actually.

Rain sometimes even organizes classes for ghouls and Siblings who want to play bass.

She first gets you your own bass and lets you customize it with stickers. Not many people know this, but Sodo got the "YouSuck" sticker from her.

He's very patient with you, starting with basic notes and riffs before slowly moving to more complicated stuff.

Somehow, no matter who ve's teaching, her work is always excellent when it comes to teaching.

And he's very sweet with his rewards, if you catch my drift.

Storm (they/he)

They're chill with the idea. I mean, if you wanna learn, then who is he to deny you the fun that is playing bass?

Also, he doesn't say bass like the instrument, he says it like the fish, which is sorta funny during the lessons.

No, they will not be corrected on how to say it.

He's gonna sit you in his lap and show you everything, step by step.

They also let you experiment and play around, offering tips whenever you ask.

A decent teacher, not too great but not too bad, either.

~

Chain, Cowbell, Mist, Rain and Storm written by Nosferatu.

Lake written by Nyx.

River written by Death.

[livesworthlivingau]

Lives Worth Living Chapter 24

ISAT/Two Hats spoilers below! CW: Negative self talk.

"I... I heard you had a bit of an... 'episode'?" (Loo-... Vale asked, looking to you with a nervous glance. You finish pouring their cup of tea as they sat at the table, pausing for a second while looking away.)

"Y-Yeah... I... I found your star..." (You say, looking down at their chest, seeing a bit of that scar through their clothes. They bring a hand up to place over it, lowering their head a little.)

"... I'm sorry to have caused you so much worry." (You sit down across from them, staying silent for a moment before finally forcing some words out.)

"What happened?"

"... I made a wish... I wished for a life of my own, so you could keep yours and I wouldn't need to steal it from you... Of course the Universe couldn't just give me what I wanted without having a little fun first though, so it sent the star in my chest supernova~!" (They begin to explain with that oh so familiar smile plastered on their face... Despite them looking so different, you'd still recognize it anywhere.)

"So I had to tear it out of my chest... It hurt worse than anything I've felt before, even worse than swallowing it and feeling it burn out my insides... I did die for a moment there I think, if Nille hadn't been there it might have stuck." (They note with a playful smile, finally lifting their tea to sip it.)

"N-Nille?!" (You weakly shout, not having expected to hear her name during all of this.)

"Oh! Yes, I forgot to mention that, didn't I? After I... well.." (They fall silent for a moment, looking to you then away again... You lightly place a hand over your heart for just a moment, you both knew what they were referring to...)

"After that, I ran and ran and ran... And ran straight into Nille... Heh... Imagine that, running from my problems, only to run right into the person you all were looking for..." (You lower your head a little, unsure how to respond to that. They seem to notice this.)

"Sorry... These are my problems, not yours. Regardless, we started travelling together, and she's been helping me... figure myself out, I suppose? Where I fit in this universe now that there's no going back..."

"L-Loop-" (They wince heavily at being called that, you quickly cover your mouth with your hand.)

"S-Sorry... Vale, I... You'll always be welcome here." (You offer, you know the gesture probably won't mean anything, but it's the truth, and they need to know that.)

"... I don't think the others will feel that way when they learn what I did to you..." (You both fall silent for a while after that. They were right, your family loved you too much to just let that slide... but did they have to know?... Could you keep lying to them forever?...)

"Stop, Stardust... I know that look..." (You perk up, looking back over at them... you forgot how bad you got at hiding your 'thinking' faces over the years.)

"It has to come out, they deserve to know... and I deserve whatever punishment that brings..." (You pause for a moment, gathering your thoughts, trying to find some sort of solution to this. You look back at L-Vale, come on, get that into your head, VALE! VALE! VALE! They look really distressed about this. You lay your hand on the table, offering it for them to take. They blink a bit, looking back up at you, then your hand again, hesitantly bringing theirs up to lay onto it. You give theirs a firm, comforting squeeze.)

"I thought I'd lost you... twice now... I won't let a third time happen." (You say, as confident as you can through your raspy voice. They give a slight smile in response, squeezing your hand back.)

"Thank you, Stardust... I'll do my best to make things work this time..."

(You both sit in silence yet again, occasionally sipping your teas, it was a bit more of a comfortable quiet now as you were just glad to have them back.)

"So what happened to your voice?"

"... Do you remember when I said the island's name?" (They suddenly choke on their tea, coughing and struggling for air as it went down the wrong pipe.)

"Stardust?!" (They shriek with worry. You wince some, shrinking into your seat a bit again.)

"Long story... Really bad nightmare after losing you..." (You try to explain succinctly, They seem especially worried about the mention of a nightmare, furrowing your brow and tilting your head a bit.)

"What?"

"... What?"

"Why do you... did something happen?"

"N-No? Whatever do you mean?" (They stammer out, quickly bringing their fake smile back... You sigh a bit, but drop it for now.)

"So, you've been travelling with Nille?"

"Yes, she's really quite something else." (They chuckle a bit, a soft smile on their face now.)

"Yeah she is... she got me out of a few bad spirals..."

"Oh, right, she would have been there for all that time, wouldn't she?..." (Vale brought a hand up to the back of their neck, rubbing it lightly, seeming to be nervous about what they were going to ask.)

"... Was she happy?"

"Huh?"

"During that time... was she happy?... Did she have a good life with you all?..." (They looked back down at their cup, staring into the tea for a minute, you were a bit stunned, unsure what to even say to that until they look up back up at you expectantly.)

"... Y-Yeah?... Sorry, did you mean something specific or?"

"... Tell me about it, please?" (The look on their face almost looked... desperate?)

"O-Okay... Uhhh... Her and Bonnie opened a lil restaurant in Bambouche eventually? Her and Isa hang out a lot, they've got a lot in common actually." (You say with a bit of a chuckle, sipping at your tea to help soothe your still sore throat. You peek back over at Vale, who was looking away nervously... a light blush across their face...)

"V-Vale?..." (They jump back to attention, quickly shaking the look and blush away.)

"Yes~?"

"... D... Do you..." (You blink a couple times, trying to piece things out before the realization finally hits you like a boulder.)

"YOU AND NILLE?!"

"Wh-What?! Wh-What about us?!"

"YOU LIKE NILLE?!"

"TH-THAT'S PROPOSTEROUS!!"

"Oh that's so cute!! You two would be so good together!!"

"Sh-Shut up! Th-That's just ridiculous!!"

"Then why are you blushing so much~?" (You grin wide, their face nearly lightless from how deep the blush was. They looked furious, about to yell, only for your comment to completely shut them up, crossing their arms with a frustrated pout.)

"hehe... She never wound up with anyone by the way... I think she said something about never meeting the right person?"

"... Not like that's changed..."

"Hey..."

"J-Just... just drop it please, Stardust... She's far better than I deserve anyhow..."

"... I'm sure we both thought the same about Isa..."

"... You're the one who earned your happy ending, not me..."

"Vale... Come on, you know that's not fair to you..."

"Just drop it... There's nothing more to discuss..."

"... Does she feel the same?"

"Drop. It."

"Okay! okay!" (You surrender with your hands up and a slight chuckle. Your face falls to rest in a content little smile.)

"I'm really glad you're back, Vale." (They roll their eyes a bit in response, sipping their tea curtly with annoyance, causing you to laugh weakly again.)

[ohsohoney]

When it comes to love you're just as blinded.

Part Two

Eminem x Musician

Summary: It starts with a drunk embarrassing video, it spirals into something a whole lot more.

Note: Thank you for all the love on the last post! Figured I'd post the next part seeing as I said on the last update I have a whole story in mind for this but not sure how well it will go down:)

Set in 2014, just after the release of LP 2 || Em’s daughters are renamed here because it felt weird not to and also have different ages– doesn’t affect the story much but just a warning!

Masterlist

Weeks passed, during which I had spent a lot of my time back home dealing with Lottie’s schooling and making sure that she was mostly settled. She’d had a rough go of it last year, school being something that we both seemed to have had an issue with, but watching her struggle through some of the same problems I’d once faced was difficult and so I wanted her to know that she had the support I felt I’d never had. 

I’d been dragged off to shoots and studio sessions here and there, not much coming out of the latter in truth, but had stayed mostly confined to London. Which was why I was having a fucking mare over the fact that I was set to leave for a couple weeks without her. Not that I wasn’t excited about it all, nervous too, but it was work and that didn’t seem to trump whatever it was that was going on in Lottie’s life. Thankfully, she’d caught wind of my obvious anxiety and seemed to be happier than she’d been the previous term, had even gone out of her way to assure me that nothing would happen in the time I’d be gone.

So she was staying with her mum for a short time, my brother promising to check in on her from time to time too, even whilst he was still deployed overseas, as well as a couple friends of mine. Truthfully, if I’d had to leave her without those extra reassurances in place I don’t think I would have gone.

But here I was, across the pond doing an interview for a magazine spread and shooting in New York. 

It had been a long day, a plethora of outfit changes and little food due to the constant rush of things, so I was thankful for the short break we’d been gifted before the last set was meant to start. Although saying that, I was still stuck staring down at two pairs of heels that had been pushed into my arms the second I’d stumbled away from the cameras.

Eventually I grew tired of chewing on my lower lip and pulled out my phone.

Messages  Help Which shoes?

His response wasn’t immediate but came sooner than expected.

Messages  The Martian Why

With a roll of my eyes, accompanied by a semi-amused sigh, I shot another text back. Because in truth, what had I really expected? I’d learned all too quickly the man wasn’t made for texting.

Messages  I said help?? Forget it, can you call?

The ringing was practically instantaneous, enough so that the sound made me jump at its unexpectedness. 

“You got a foot fetish I don’t know ‘bout?”

I smiled at the sound of his voice and then laughed at the absurdity of his greeting. “Hi to you, too. And no, but if that’s something you’re into I’d rather not know.”

Marshall hummed around a mouthful of swallowed words before there was a slight sound of movement that echoed down the line alongside a door clicking shut.

“Did I interrupt?” I questioned, thinking back to the conversation we’d had earlier that same morning. He hadn't mentioned any set plans but I knew that he tended to frequent the studio at odd hours whenever inspiration hit. “I was just messing before, it’s not that important.”

“You’re fine, they can wait. Wanted to grab something anyway.” He said and the reply warmed me, there weren’t many who’d go out of their way to make time for me. Although that was just me assuming again. “You good?”

I slumped back into the dressing room chair at the ask, it was a ballache to get comfy in but I wouldn’t dare complain about it now, not after having spent two hours sat dead still in the fucking thing. “Just a long day. Got these last few shots to get done and then I’ll be free.”

My voice sounded wistful enough before my face then scrunched at the sudden gurgle given by my stomach. It must have been just loud enough for the mic to have picked up because Em was quick to question, “You eaten yet?”

I shook my head, forgetting for a split second that we weren’t on one of our usual Facetime calls. “Going to, after I get this done.”

A grunt resonated, broken up by the sound of cabinets being opened and closed, “Idiot.”

Smiling at the one word response I’d garnered, I peered back over at the shoes I still had to pick between. I sighed, “Swear it, I’m gonna head straight back to the hotel and order a shit ton of food. Probably pass out beside a bowl of gravy or summat before I have to be at the airport.”

There was a brief pause.

“Paul did sort the tickets right?”

“Yeah, Mila emailed them yesterday.” I reassured him as I reached up to rub at my eye, stopping a second short of actually doing so, having forgotten about the makeup that would have to be redone if I went and followed through on the action. “Again, you didn’t have to do that.”

“What I tell you?” He reminded me and I huffed out a small chuckle.

“To shut the fuck up about it?”

Marshall hummed once more, “Exactly. A car will be outside once you land.”

My lips pursed as I fought to dampen my appreciative grin, knowing he’d somehow hear it, even from a state away. Which was a strange thing to think about, having been an entire ocean apart for the majority of time we’d spoken. That first phone call felt like a lifetime ago almost. “Car’s a bit much, I don’t mind grabbing a cab or calling for one.”

He didn’t deign that with an audible answer.

“Em, I’m serious.” I laughed, the stress I’d felt earlier about the shoot slowly falling away, enough so that I let myself relax into the chair out of hell. “You’re already doing so much for me. I mean, the flights alone but, you’re already letting me stay with you too.” 

And wasn’t that an insane concept, but he’d been adamant on it, claimed it made no sense for me to rent some pricey room in the city when he had more than enough in that big old house of his. I had pressed in return though, told him it was more than fine, me holding up in some hotel, and that I didn’t want to feel as though I’d be stepping on anyone’s toes, or become this ominous presence that he had to keep sidestepping around in his own home. But then the topic of paps had come up, safety, keeping the album underwraps. I hadn’t been able to argue with him much after that. He was a paranoid fucker, but from what I’d heard from him in small snippets, he had his reasons.

“Car will be outside.” He repeated a second time, leaving no room for much more said on the topic, so I gave in, sliding down slightly further in the crappy chair just as a rep ran by the room calling out to me. “Got to go?” He asked, having heard the shout too.

I wet my lower lip, allowing my eyes to close for a moment. “Two minutes.” But I knew that I'd blink and they’d be over too soon.

I listened to his low chuckle resonate and let go of a slow breath at the sound, a sudden tiredness overcoming me. 

“Call me when you get back.” I heard him say, more background noise filtering through his end that told me his time was more than likely up too. “And, the blue.”

My brow pinched at the last comment he gave me before my eyes flickered back over to the two pairs of heels perched on the dresser, one black, one blue. I cracked a grin, “Go Lions?”

I could almost hear the smirk in his retort, “You know it.”

The shoot went over about as well as expected after the short break concluded. It seemed that everybody was about as ready to head out as I was, but I was just so grateful to all of them for the work and effort they’d put in that I made a quick round of thanking the few that hadn’t darted straight out the door the second they could, before I eventually followed.

So by the time I made it back to my hotel it was late enough that the lobby was rowdy with the usual partygoers and a rather large bridal party. I slipped into a lift as quickly as I could and headed straight up to my floor, all too relieved to finally kick off my shoes and topple into bed after having been on my feet since four that morning.

I didn’t earn much reprieve though, seeing as soon after I’d put in an order to room service that my phone started to ring. I groaned into the pillow petulantly before I finally heaved a large sigh and made my way down the duvet to grab at the mobile I’d dropped there upon entering.

“Yeah?”

“Ouch. Haven’t spoken in weeks and that’s the only greeting I get?”

I blinked at the startling sound of a familiar voice and forced myself back up into a sitting position, smiling brightly at the surprise. “I didn’t know it was you!” I retorted quickly, shocked by the sudden call, “I thought you would phone when you got to your next base!”

“There was a switch up, got a couple days off here after–” He paused and I knew then that something must have happened out there.

“You okay?” I murmured, voice quiet but not enough to go unheard. It was always hard hearing about the things my little brother experienced when he was out deployed, but he loved it. It had been his life since the moment he’d left home at eighteen and had enlisted. I felt foolish after I’d asked it and winced at my question, “Sorry, that was stupid. I just meant–”

Danny’s laughter filtered through then, making me feel a tad bit lighter. It was always so hard talking about serious shit with him sometimes, but if there was anyone who could brighten up a room, even one full of the walking dead, then it would have to be him. Which is why I let myself laugh too when he ribbed into me for the stumble, making fun of the way I’d gone and fretted over my poor choice of words.

“Fuck off! I’m running on like four hours sleep and have yet to eat!” I shot back at him, shaking my head at the entire conversation, grateful that we could just jump back and forth between both the good and the bad. I missed him a whole lot sometimes, it was hard not knowing if he was safe. “I’m tryna be a good sister here!”

“Uhuh,” He drolled, dragging the dull sound out. Before he switched things up, “Speaking of, you spoke to Lottie since you've been gone?”

I chewed on the inside of my cheek at the ask, falling back into the mountain of pillows the hotel offered only to glance up at the stark ceiling. “Yesterday. I’ll text her in a sec though, she’ll probably just be getting out of school.” I looked over at the clock to double check that and hummed. “Why, have you?”

“No,” Danny answered me carefully, “But I phoned mum.”

My tongue worked its way between my front teeth at the mere mention of her. “Right. What did she have to say then?” But I was already regretting asking. 

“Said she ain’t seen you. That Lotts got dropped off in some car with a suitcase a couple days ago.”

I felt the skin around my eyes tighten before I took a deep breath, “That so?” 

It was almost funny how much the woman could change and flip things around to better suit her narrative. Lotts had stayed at a friend’s the night before I’d been set to fly out here, she’d been more than happy to have been dropped off at her mums and so I didn’t know why it was now being made into a bigger deal, as though I’d shoved her in some randomer’s car without so much as a goodbye. 

He must have realised I was silently stewing because I didn’t miss the light chortle Danny tried to cover up with a cough.

“I know she’s hard work, El, trust me.” He commented after, always playing the role of referee, “Just surprised me, is all, when she said she hadn’t seen you.”

Hollowing out my cheeks to keep from taking out my agitation on him, I took a second to calm back down and find the best answer to give. “I haven’t seen her because I don’t go there.”

“What, to the house?”

My eyes slipped closed at the startled disbelief in his tone. “Where else? Why would I want to go back there, Dan?”

We knew each other so well that I could practically see his lazy shrug, it made me miss him that much more. “Just figured, you know?”

No, you don’t know. I wanted to say, but wouldn’t. I couldn’t be like her, have the kids running around trying to keep track of who said and did what. I hummed quietly to myself instead, feigning disinterest when really my skin had begun to itch at the reminder. “She okay then?” I asked just for something to say, figuring that there must have been something going on for him to have mentioned it.

“Reckon so,” He replied easy enough though, probably having recognised something or other in my voice to keep from prodding much more on the previous topic, “Sounded off on our call but didn’t mention anything. Still, figured I’d let you know seeing as Lotts is there with her.”

My eyes suddenly stung and I hissed out a curse, “What did she sound like? Slurred, or?”

He knew exactly what I was getting at with that and thankfully was quick to reassure me, “Nah, nothing like that I don’t think. Just sketchy, like all jumpy and shit– careful with her words almost.” 

“Right.” I dragged out in a slow exhale, thinking it over. The question of going back home now spun round in my mind.

“Don’t.” I heard Danny say not a moment later as though he knew exactly what train of thought I'd hopped on, “You’re working, things are fine. Lotts is fine. Everything's good. So just enjoy yourself, yeah? Stop worrying so much.”

“Hard not to.” I huffed and rubbed at my eye.

His next words sounded apologetic, which wasn’t heard too often with him. “Shouldn’t have mentioned it, just wanted to keep you in the know.”

Immediately I shook my head at his retort, “No, you were right to. I mean, you’re a world away and I’d want you to let me know if you thought something was up rather than keeping it quiet and something happening.” 

“You’re a world away too.” He laughed at me, and it was nice for just a moment to listen to the familiarity of it. 

Danny was only three years younger than me, but that gap in age had only ever felt so large when we’d been kids– me sheltering him from everything going on at home until he’d grown too old to not to understand– and now. What with me looking after Lottie practically fulltime and him being stationed thousands of miles away, us only seeing each other when the odds willed it. 

“Don’t mean that you should go and get all pissy over this.” He said, pulling my attention back, “Stressing will just fuck you up more so than you already are.”

I snorted at the irony of that. “Alright, pipe down Private Ryan.”

“Ha ha.” He deadpanned in a way that only your brother could, “When d’you get funny?”

Humoured, my scowl didn’t quite radiate enough scorn and neither did my reply seeing as I went and chuckled around it, “I’ve always been the funnier sibling. Just ask Lotts.”

“Nah, Lotts would say herself and then me.” Danny argued for the sake of it, “Face it, Els. You’re old.”

“Twat.” I shot back childishly, though he merely laughed.

“Yeah, but you’re the cause of it.” He quipped, grinning now, I was sure of it, before he went and changed the subject entirely, “How ‘bout them Giants, anyway?”

Rolling my eyes hard enough to feel a slight strain, I granted the idiot a small chuckle. “You actually care enough to ask?”

“Nah,” He breezed on through a heavy breath, “I’ll stick to the FC, thanks. Just figured since you mentioned you were out in New York.”

I hummed softly, peering over towards the window. The blinds were now open, not still pulled from when I’d forgotten about them in the rush I’d been in this morning, so I figured someone must’ve opened them when they’d come in to clean. Which, even after all these years, still made me feel weird. Sure, it was their job but I hated the thought of people clearing up after me. Even more so when I remembered having had the same role down at the local pub back home. 

“It’s fine, chilly, but it’s October, you know?”

Danny’s ever typical smirk was prominent in his next set of words, “Still warm over here, think I’m actually catching a tan.”

Chuckling, I kicked my legs out over the duvet. “I’m so jealous it hurts. How is it out there anyway? Never been to Cyprus, heard it’s lovely– that’s still where you’re at right?”

He acknowledged it in a soft hum, “Yeah we are, and it’s alright, not as good as Mali though. Miss it there, the food, the people.”

I smiled softly to myself at the nostalgic yearning he voiced. Vaguely remembering his few mentions of a girl during our short calls and odd texts when he’d been there, but I didn’t ask. Thing was with Danny, if he wanted to talk about something he would. Otherwise it was like squeezing water from a sodding stone. “You know where you’re headed next?”

“No, on leave for a bit after this so I’ll find out sooner or later.”

I perked up at that. “What, you headed home then?”

It had been a good few months since I’d last seen the kid in person, let alone had him back home with us.

Danny must have anticipated my excitement because he laughed brightly in turn and his voice was full of warmth, “Yeah, so you’d best get ready to see my mug in a couple weeks.”

My mind tallied up the next month or so of my schedule. I was in Detroit for the next two weeks on an odd sort of break I’d somehow managed to pull, seeing as I was still somewhat ‘working’ and had put in extra hours before flying out. Then I’d been asked to do a couple of video interviews, mostly to keep up appearances and hint at new music in the works– but I could do that anywhere. Everything after that was up in the air.

“You got a place to stay?” I was quick to query and he must have known what I was getting at by asking.

“I’ll swing by mum’s and pick up the spare set of keys I have there, make sure my room’s ready before I get to yours, yeah? Want fresh sheets and a gift basket waiting.”

The fucking cheek. “I haven’t touched it since you left the last time, so if you’ve got shitstained pants lying about or a goldfish in there, then I’ll expect you’ll be in for a right treat.”

“Ah shit! Forgot about Nemo.” He snarked, but it was followed by a snort, “Dick. Besides, I haven’t and you know it.”

I hummed dubiously and then laughed when he clucked his tongue at me, probably geering up to argue, but then the door sounded. I stopped short at the rapid taps and was instantly reminded of the call I’d put in earlier. “Sorry, it’s probably room service.” I told him, already sliding off the bed to head on over towards the knock, “Forgot about it when you rang.”

“No worries,” He said easily, “I’ll try and call you again in a couple days, yeah?”

I paused at that, “What? No, you don’t have to hang up!”

Danny just chuckled though and I could see him sat there humoured by my reaction as he shook that big old head of his. “It’s fine, if you look as tired as you fucking sound then you’ll be out like a light sooner or later. I’ve still got some time here to piss away anyway so I’ll text.”

I couldn’t find it in me to be much annoyed by his quip, he was probably right. “Okay, it was nice to hear your voice though.” I admitted as I went and opened the door to let in a guy with a silver trolley, I thanked him quietly with a smile of my own and a tip as he left.

“You’re welcome.” Danny teased snidely once the door had closed, “Always happy to shed a bit of laughter into your life. Can’t imagine you get too many people brightening up your day out there.”

I rolled my eyes. 

“They ain’t all bad.” I informed him in reply to that Yank reference of his, picking up a chip as I did so, they were still steaming and hot enough to scold my mouth. 

“That so?” Danny wondered out loud, “Got someone special out there, have ya?”

“Fuck off, Danny!” I all but sung, chuckling when he started calling out ‘I knew it’ and making stupid kissy noises into the phone, forever a fucking wind up. “You’re so far from right but whatever. Now can I go eat or you gonna bother me some more?”

“Yeah, yeah. Enjoy your food– and the mystery man!”

He hung up before I could even think to conjure up a word, leaving the room in relative silence. Baffled, I resorted to shaking my head then moved to pick up the few plates I’d ordered, taking them over towards the bed and turning on the tele more for sound than actual entertainment. 

I only glanced back down at my phone again when it buzzed against the plush white sheets beside me. I continued chewing, but felt my brow pinch slightly as I looked back on a few texts and emails I’d received whilst on my call with Danny. I reasoned that I could ignore most of them until tomorrow when I had time to waste waiting on my flight, but there was one that my eye got stuck on.

Messages  The Martian You get back ok?

Typically, it was me that texted and Em who called. But seeing as how the roles here had suddenly reversed I forgoed typing back and instead clicked on the little video camera icon in the top right corner of our chat. 

It rang for a beat, then two.

“The fuck’s this?”

I held the phone up a little higher at the voice, having gotten a bit lost in the lifetime show which had been playing on the tv as well as my food. Glancing down, I was glad to spot his surly face peering back into the camera and smiled, before I caught sight of myself in the small box at the bottom and grimaced. Danny had been right, I looked half dead.

“And what’s with the face?”

With a wrinkle of my nose, I pulled my gaze away from the box figuring that the first time this man had seen me was possibly at my worst so what difference did this make? Still, I answered him. “I look dead.”

He blew an amused breath out of his nose and I realised a second too late that he was walking around in a room I had yet to see, before he eventually fell back onto a plethora of dark sheets. I realised he must’ve been getting ready to turn in when I called. He looked a little tired too, eyes heavier under the dim lights of his bedroom. “You’ve got a black eye. Looks tough.”

The corner of my mouth tugged upwards at the odd compliment as I brought the phone in closer to get a better look at the eye I’d gone and rubbed earlier, smearing a shit ton of glitter and eyeliner all over my cheek. I droned in retort, wiping underneath my waterline in an attempt to somehow save it, but it seemed it didn’t work the way I hoped, not from the smug look Marshall was now sporting. I flipped him off and fell back further into the pillows, taking the plate of chips I’d ordered with me.

“I forgot to take it off when I got in.” I explained, huffing out a slight chuckle, “But I doubt that even I can make glitter look tough.”

Em appeared to tilt his head in a ‘whatever you say’ sort of way, before his eyes turned surveying. “You finally fillin’ up?”

My expression shifted at the way he’d phrased that but whilst he seemed humoured by the reaction he obviously wasn’t just asking for the fun of it. “Yeah, a strange assortment but I’ll take it.”

He looked a little bemused by my answer and so I shifted to better show him what I was talking about. I first pointed out the glass cup I had balancing nearby, perched beside a plate of gooey goods, “I got some weird iced tea ‘cause I forgot that you lot don’t know how to do it right, as well as this cake selection thing.” He hummed, hand coming up to rest on his chest just as I picked up another chip covered in ketchup. “And then just a bowl of chips. Don’t tell anyone but this hotel’s room service sucks ass.”

I watched on as he raised a brow at the shoddy American accent I’d equipped for the end of that sentence before he eventually replied, “Fries.”

“Yeah no.” I rolled my eyes, chewing on another chip just to spite him for the correction. It was one of the many things I couldn’t wrap my head around whenever I was visiting. 

“The hell they’re not.” Marshall was quick to shoot straight back, “You go out and ask for chips at some restaurant you’re gettin’ looked at like an odd fucker. And anyway, how's that a meal?”

“It’s food.” I enforced with a soft snort, pleased to have gotten him a little riled up, “At this point I’d eat gum off your shoe, I’m that hungry. And anyway, fries is only used here and in like, fast food chains?”

“Rolling back round to that foot fetish. This a hint?” He ragged, but his face remained stoic enough that I had to laugh, and loudly too. Marshall just continued on though, still stuck on the debate, “They’re legit french fries.”

“Fuck’s sake, only you call them that! Over there it’s just fried potato.”

“Exactly fuckin’ fries!” It was probably the most animated I’d seen him in a couple days, all because we were both so hellbent on being right. 

I groaned, mostly just to keep up the act. I didn’t much care either way at this point, far too exhausted from the early morning start and too little sleep, but it was nice to finally see him not stressing. Something which had become a recurrence over the passing weeks since the idea of the album had started to come into reality. 

“Whatever. We’ll just call up the Oxford Dictionary tomorrow or whatever, ask them.”

“Biased jury.” He remarked but then there was a barely audible creak and his attention was being redirected to something beyond the screen. “Hey, baby. You have a good time?” I heard him mumble, the phone having lowered a tad.

There was an excited retort that seemed to grow closer, but my breath was caught in the back of my throat at the sudden realisation of just who it had to have been.

Marshall sat up a little further, shoulders coming to rest against the headboard so that he could hug the girl that crept into the corners of the screen. He pressed a kiss to the side of her head, murmuring in her ear, and I let my eyes flicker back down to my food, feeling like I was intruding on a tender moment.

I’d always known that he had kids, anyone who listened to his music could tell you that much, and he’d briefly mentioned them a handful of times in the time we’d spoken too. But I had yet to meet either the infamous Rosie or his eldest daughter, seeing as she was fresh out of college and his youngest wasn’t often around when we did speak. 

They spoke back and forth in a soft cadence for a while and when I chanced a glance back down at my phone I found that Em had me perched on his knee, now sat up on the mattress so that he could better talk to his daughter who sat opposite. I didn’t want to interrupt or just hang up, so I took the time to tidy away the bowl I held, as well as the iced tea I didn’t much like the look of. I was quiet with it, pushing them back onto the trolley but kept hold of the small plate of cakes I had on the bedside table, having had an eye on one of the brownies since it had first been wheeled in.

I still had a couple of makeup wipes left in the packet I’d used that morning by the bed, so I used one to swipe away the heavy black sat under my eyes, internally promising myself that I would cleanse before I ultimately fell asleep.

“Really? Show me!”

I seemed to tune back in at the sound of the small voice, face a little glowy and a touch red from the wipe I’d just used but thankfully now free of smudgy panda patches. 

“You there?”

Blinking, I realised belatedly that Marshall had been addressing me there. I was confused and a little slow in reapproaching the screen, but smiled softly at the sight of Em and his actual mini me, because it was just maddening how much of him she had been given.

“I’m here.” I said, almost a little shyly, unsure but prepared to end the call so that he could spend some time with his daughter. But he went and surprised me, completely actually, because he handed the phone over to Rosie who beamed at the sudden sight of me, gaze lighting up with some sort of recognition.

She was young, I noted, younger than Lottie by a couple of years but not by many. She wore her long hair in a ponytail with a pretty bow at the very top, as well as a smile that seemed to only emphasise her bright eyes. “I can’t believe you’re the El Dad’s been talking about.”

Out of everything I’d expected her to say, that had been pretty low on the list– if it had even been there at all. My mouth parted just as my eyes darted over to where Marshall was sat just behind the girl, still in shot but off to the side. He acted as though he hadn’t heard a word, gaze stuck on the hand he was running through the end of the girl’s hair. Ah, so it was like that, was it?

“Oh yeah?” I ended up chuckling, mostly to ease my emotions and the whirling thoughts that had erupted, immensely glad that I’d had the foresight to wipe my face clean before she’d said hello. I could only guess that she’d probably heard some of my music from that reaction, before I was hastily reminded of the fact that she had been one of the few that had shown Em that video of me. 

There was a hurried nod of her head, “Your songs are some of my favourites!”

I grinned softly at that, immensely pleased by the sweet sentiment, and only hoped that her favourites were some of my newer stuff, instead of the few songs I’d realised before I’d gotten signed, those were angry and aimed at a whole other audience.

“I’ve listened to a couple of yours too.” I shot back teasingly, smile only growing when I caught sight of Em’s slight frown as well as Rosie’s own, “My favourite songs from your dad all feature you.”

She seemed to like that answer and giggled, going on to tell me a little about the last song she could remember helping with. I listened attentively, nodding along and commenting when I could, actually surprised by the amount of knowledge she seemed to have picked on whilst growing up around her dad.

It was just after she said something about the upcoming album that her eyes went wide in shock and she gasped, spinning back around to look at her dad over her shoulder. Marshall stared, baiting the kid into thinking she’d gone and let the big secret slip, which in itself had me fighting down a chuckle, before he soon cracked. 

He cowered playfully when Rosie jumped at him, giggling at the thought that she’d gone and ruined it all for him, only growing louder when the man tickled her sides to roll her off him. The camera followed the pair, landing with a thump somewhere on the floor, before Marshall was back, obviously having picked it up and holding it up high enough so that I could see the little girl’s narrowed eyed expression behind him. Her smile did little to infuse the scowl she bore. 

I bit back my own.

Em took a deep breath and steeled his expression a tad, “Try that again, girlie. I dare you.”

“Dad.” The girl complained as the man knocked her back down when she tried to kneel her way on closer to the phone. I laughed quietly at them and shook my head, catching him watching me for a second too long when I looked back, but then he was sitting over by the headboard again, encouraging the girl to join him too.

When she poked her tongue out at him, he pulled a face in return. It was a moment I was content to be a part of but which also reminded me of the days of when Lotts had been that young, back before I’d managed to score studio time or even a meeting with a label exec.

I must've been wearing an odd look because Marshall’s mouth twitched when he glanced back at me, lifting a single eyebrow. I knew what he was asking with the action and so I dipped my chin in a slow gesture to assure him I was okay.

The night continued on like that for a little while longer, just the three of us talking, Rosie telling us about the afternoon she’d spent with her sister, before Em finally managed to rouse her into getting ready for bed. I took that to be lights out for me too, listening quietly whilst he sent the little girl on her way, promising that he’d be there to tuck her into bed in just a second.

My smile was all mushy when his door rattled shut, I knew it too but was too tired to hide it so simply settled for relaxing my head further against the headboard. His face went through a rapid relay of emotions when he caught it though, before he eventually stamped out anything recognisable. I blinked blearily in return.

“‘Til tomorrow?” I assumed, chuckling softly whilst he dragged a hand over the top of his head. I noticed then that the blond was gone.

He gave a hum, voice low in the quiet of his room, “You gotta be up to catch a plane.”

A wave of anticipation hit me at the very reminder and even as sleepy as I felt, I continued to smile. “I do.”

A quiet pause dragged between us, an odd tension building. I waited for him to say something, perhaps another reminder or–

“Get some sleep.”

Or that.

I swallowed back my grin and then nodded. “You too.”

The tiniest beginnings of a curl could be made out on his lips before he shook his head and turned, leaving me with a black screen and a tally of our time spent on call.

3 hours 17 minutes

[daddysfangirls-dc]

The Arrangement

Ch 3 Meet the Butler (Grandfather)

Damian Wayne x OC!Female

Prev | Next

After breakfast, everyone disburst to their respective duties for the day, leaving only Damian and Alfred home. And with the events of the previous night Damian was relieved to be left alone. On one hand he didn't want to deal with the many questions and assumptions and on the other hand he wished to speak with Alfred alone. 

"Alferd"

"Damian"

"Do you wish to meet her?"

"... I'd very much like to meet your fiance," with emphasis on the word Fiance.

"She's free this afternoon."

"I'm sure your father-"

"The invitation was only extended to you."

Alfred stood silent for a moment. Only a moment. " Very well."

-

Learning she was compromised, she quickly left, taking any evidence of her presence. At Damian's insistence, she made plans to leave the city before nightfall but after she met with Alfred.

She was very excited to meet Alfred. Damian held him in high regard, higher than anyone else, and thought of him as a grandfather. His approval and acceptance were more important than anyone else's. (She believed it all stemmed from how he used to idolize Ra. Alfred was a much better role model.) He had all of Damian's respect, and with everything he had shared with her, she knew he deserved it. She was very excited to meet Damian's Grandfather. 

She was also very nervous as if he thought little of her or thought she was unfit for him. She had no doubt the relationship would cease or continue, but she struggled a great deal. She didn't want either of those, so she had to make a good first impression. He needed to like her. 

That is why she is currently sitting in a small tea house in the city. She is aware of Alfred's taste for tea and figures he likes it. And if he doesn't, well, this isn't his regular tea house, and they would never come back. She sat up straight as the bell rang, and she stood up as Damian stepped inside, with Alfred following. 

"Hello, Mr. Pennyworth. It is nice to finally meet you," she said as she bowed before him. 

"It's nice to meet you as well finally, Miss?" 

"Syn, Syn Minamoto Sir. Damian has told me so much about you." 

"All good things, I hope," he said, glancing at Damian as he pulled out their chairs.

"I wasn't aware there were any bad."

"There aren't," Damian said as he sat beside her. 

"He's too kind".

The waitress came, taking their orders before leaving them alone once again. 

"Ms. Minamoto, tell me about yourself?" the integration begins.

"As Damian has told you, we were arranged. My family is similar to the Al Ghul clan in some skills and values, but my family isn't trying to dominate or take over the world. They quite like their position." she quickly corrected herself at the end when she saw the skepticism on his face.

"And do you have the same values as your family?" she looks at Damian for a moment, and nervously wipes her hands on her dress. A green dress that he had picked out for her.

"In my Clan, family, and blood is very important, and I believe the same. My clan is okay with... killing. Blood will spill if it makes things easier or gets the job done. While I am more than able, I consider it the last option. When all else fails, when it is necessary. I know your family doesn't-" 

"I have values different from those of my son. I do not believe that everyone deserves life. Nor am I against taking one."

"Alferd was in the serves before he came to work for the family."

"And I served my queen well," he said with a smile. The waitress came with their order, and they waited until she was gone before continuing their conversation. " What brings you to our city?"

"Damian," she spoke without thinking and then blushed when she realized. Damian blushed as well. "I just wanted to see him, be with him even for a little while. Letters and phone calls aren't always enough. Not that your efforts weren't appreciated, but they very much were." Damian took her hand, squeezed it, and gave her a small smile. Letters were nothing compared to actually hearing each other, and calling was nothing compared to feeling each other. It was rare that they were never in each other's presence. They always treated it as something precious, as it was.

"Don't you two make a handsome couple"

-

Their meeting lasted about two hours before Syn had to depart. She left quickly, promising to stay in communication with both of them.

"Your father isn't going to be happy about this," Alfred said, glancing at Damian from the side. He chose to sit up with him on the way home this time. 

"Did you like her?" he ignores his previous statement. 

"She's lovely-"

"Alfred," he sighs 

"She cares about you. She is kind and has a soft heart but is not weak. She's strong."

"Strong enough to survive our family?" 

"I don't know"

Damian closes his eyes and leans his head back. "I don't care what he thinks or feels. Any of them. I'm not going to let her be ambushed and villainized for a profession I myself took part in at a time, and Red Hood still takes part in. Or affiliations which Red Hood, Red Robin, Cain, and myself have. It's uncalled for and unfair." he says 

"Your father isn't going to like this," Alfred warns 

"Unfortunate for him," Alfred takes a deep breath, " I don't actually care."

"Today's action will have consequences."

"Let them come."

-

[mebemilena]

We'll make Heaven a place on Earth

A/N: i can't watch Euphoria because it gets me stressed. I got to learn about cassie and i think she deserves some loving. let's writte fluff. Also i only write for cassie howard because sydney sweeney is an adult herself.

tittle from Heaven Is a Place on Earth, by Belinda Carlisle

Artist female reader but i guess i didn't use pronouns.

warnings: mentions of sex and nudity

-

Summary: you're an artist, you paint angels. Cassie asks you to paint her. Naked.

-

The morning sun could barely shine behind the heavy clouds, the chance of a storm hitting the city again. Cassie woke up to an empty bed and frowned. She walked around your apartment, knowing exactly where to find you, and entered the small studio, a smile already growing on her face. 

"What are you up to?", she approached you, placing herself behind you and her arms around your shoulders.

You hummed at her warmth, putting your paintbrush in the cup with dirty water you've used all morning. "Just another piece.", you said, your hand resting on her forearm.

Cassie stared at your painting, a cloudy sky with a few cupids flying around. Her eyes wandered through the angels you had made out of ink as she rested her chin on the top of your head, still standing behind you. "They don't have faces...?", she questioned.

You took a deep breath before speaking, trying not to stutter. "Well.. i was thinking i could, you know... borrow your features?", you asked, biting your lip and closing your eyes, bracing yourself for a negative answer.

Cassie didn't respond though. She moved so she could look at you and smiled, yet to give you an answer.

"I understand if you don't feel comfortable about it, i can ju-", you started but she kissed your lips before you could finish.

"I'd love to.', she nudged your nose with her own and kissed you again, her eyes holding a mischeave that could make Satan blush. "On one condition though.", she bit her lip, her eyes never leaving yours.

"I want you to paint me.", she pecked your lips.  "Full body.", she kissed you again. "Naked.", she whispered, licking your lips softly and sensually.

-

The studio held a dim light, something you had prepared earlier. You had brought the chair from the living room, together with the baby blue fabric to cover Cassie's torso and part of her legs. She got to the room but didn't enter just yet, waiting by the door as she looked inside. You seemed more nervous than she ever would.

"You've painted lots of nude women, Y/N. I'm pretty sure you can paint one more.", Cassie mocked, giving you a playful smile.

You set your brushes and inks, bringing a new blank canvas closer. You watched Cassie undress nonchalantly, it wasn't her first time. She sits on the small sofa, waiting for your instructions.

"Can you lay a little? Your back to the arm of the chair. Put your arm above your head.", you instructed, holding the fabric, deciding how it would go on your model.

Cassie followed your instructions diligently, a straight face at your words. She recognized your professional tone when you were in work mode. It made her feel professional too, like this was something in between one of her fantasies and a possibility for her near future.   She had been your model before, for the painting classes you offered when you needed extra money. She had volunteered when your usual model had a problem and couldn't make it. "You're paying me to see me naked? Kinky", she joked at that time, hiding her nervousness.

"There is nothing sexual about nude painting, really. You're gonna get sore from keeping the same position and we are gonna struggle to find the right shades of ink to match the lights.", you had explained. In fact, the experience was much more professional than she had anticipated. She was sore, indeed. And the students applauded her by the end of the class, thanking her for the effort of being there like a statue, helping them study and learn. They looked at her with gratitude and respect, not like some horny teenagers watching a big boobies woman on a porn video.

Cassie smiled at the memory, lifting her head just enough to plant a small kiss to your cheek as you leaned down to adjust the fabric. You looked at her in awe, giggling when she winked at you.

The atmosphere was light and easy, the kind of atmosphere Cassie came to love while in college, peace becoming one of her favorite feelings. She did feel at peace when she met you, letting you learn about her and showing genuine interest in knowing you too. When you started dating, she'd remind herself that love is calm and gentle. Patient and kind. Like you.

-

The baby blue fabric was mostly between Cassie's legs, creating some volume under her body, the color mimicking her eyes almost perfectly . Cassie had her breasts and collarbones on display though she laid with her back to the ceiling. The position would get tiring soon, one arm folded onto her middle and the other supporting her head. 

As you sketched Cassie, she'd try not to laugh. She remembered you saying there was nothing sexual about nude painting, but she found it extremely intimate to watch you paint her alone. She'd keep your expreions to her memory. The way you blush when you look directly into her eyes, the way you lick your lips when they get too dry. 

"Stop moving.", you warned with a smile, your eyes not leaving the canvas.

Cassie's smile grew. "I feel like we're on Titanic. We should have gotten some jewelry.", she suggested.

You were finishing the sketch when she cleared her throat, watching as your eyes left the canvas and stopped at her again, curious.

Cassie got up from the chair, bringing the fabric with her, letting it  fall at her feet on the floor, revealing every little detail of her nudeness. She said no word, just stared at you, slowly walking in your direction, captivating your eyes with her own as if hypnotizing you. 

A serpent. A goddess. A woman.

Cassie.

Her firm steps took her to you and she gently took the charcoal from your hand, bringing your dirty finger to her lips, kissing them.

Cassie made you get up from your chair, pulling you  by your shirt, walking back to her previous spot by the chair and the fabric on the floor. She sits, bringing you down with her, her lips hovering above yours.

"Make love to me.", she demanded, eyes clouded with desire. "Here, now. With your angels watching us and blushing for all the noises we'll make.", she kissed your neck, biting softly on your skin. 

It would have sounded like she was teasing you, but Cassie looked very serious.

And you'd burn this building down before denying her every wish.

[definesanity]

SAGAU, wherein you teach UNO to Hu Tao, Kuki Shinobu and Collei:

There you were, thonking. Or, thinking, maybe. Point being, you were pondering, when you had an epiphany; Teyvat has card games (or, well, a Trading Card Game; yeah did you know that TCG stood for that? I didn't for a long while), so why not introduce one from your world?

It was simple; invite some calm individuals to play a round of Uno. Naturally, it came quickly, and so you say at the table, cards already out, as three stepped on through.

From Sumeru, Collei; albeit nervous, she nevertheless sat down, smiling and waving shortly.

From Inazuma, Kuki Shinobu; level-headed and calm, she was the ideal player for any card game, and seemed intrigued as well, if her eyebrows raised indict anything.

And, finally, from Liyue, Hu Tao; a given, really, for as soon as you said you could trick others, she basically jumped at the opportunity.

"Thanks for joining me," you started, smiling. "I'd hate to take away your time, but I thought that, maybe, this could be a learning experience."

The three nodded; Collei seemed less tense now, but still kept glancing around the table.

"Ah, but, I suppose introductions are in order? You don't need to say much; just your name will do."

Shinobu nodded back. "I'll start, then: I'm Kuki Shinobu, Deputy Head of the Arataki Gang. Pleasure to meet you both."

"Pleasures all mine, Miss Shinobu~" came the voice of Hu Tao. "Me? I'm Hu Tao, the Seventy-Seventh Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor! Also nice to meet you~"

"...Ahem," Collei cleared her throat, not for attention, but to prevent the nerves in her. "I'm, ah, Collei. T-Trainee Forest Ranger. Nicetomeetyouboth." she finished in a hurry, causing you to raise your eyebrow.

"Are you completely fine, Collei? I'm not forcing you to play," your voice was gentle, and you knew not to make her uncomfortable.

Collei shook her head, however. "A-Ah, no, I'm good. Just a little nervous, is all."

Hu Tao smiled back. "Aw~ Don't worry, Collei! We're all friends here; don't worry, I don't bite~"

Shinobu nodded. "The same with me; we're all here to have fun, right?"

Collei returned the gesture, and then looked at the cards in front of her.

"Right, the game; this is called UNO. The goal is simple; the player with no cards left wins. As for the rules..." you cleared your throat. "In front of you is seven cards; to not show them to anyone unless you play the card. The cards go up from one to nine, and are in four colours, as you can see; red, blue, yellow and green. You can only play a card that is the same colour or the same number. With me so far?"

The three nodded, though Collei's was a bit late, and so you continued, "When you reach one card, you must declare it and say, 'Uno'; if you don't, you'll be called out and be forced to draw two cards; should you not have any cards matching the colour or number, you must draw until you get the colour, number, or a Wildcard. I'll get to that in a moment.

"Next, Special Cards; the Plus-Two you may have, if placed down, makes it that the next player must pick up two cards; however, if they play a Plus-Two, it will stack, and will become the next player's problem."

"So, say if I placed a Plus-Two, followed by Hu Tao, you, and then Collei..."

"...Then, you will be made to pick up six cards, yes, heh."

Shinobu shook her head. "I guess we must be careful with that..."

"Next, the Uno Reverse, or the No U card; it reverses the order of player rotation; say, Collei used it, instead of it going to Kuki next, it would go to me, and then follow reversed order until another Reverse card is played."

"Uu..." Collei groaned, rubbing her temple. "Who designed this?! Why does it have so many rules?!"

"If it helps, you won't struggle for long; you'll pick up on it soon enough, Col." smiling, the green-haired girl shakily gave one back, with a thumbs up to follow, of which you also mirrored.

"Now, the Wildcards; the one with a circle, if played, allows the one to change the colour of the card to anything they want, regardless of previous colours."

"So if I played it after Hu Tao placed down a red..."

"...You could very well make it another colour yes, Collei~" a giggle then followed. "Or, ya know, keep it the same for me to win, hm~?"

"...And the four allows you first change the colour of the rotation, and make the next person draw four cards."

"...What if I placed a Plus Four on top?"

"Then you unleash hell, Shinobu."

"...Hmm..."

"Well, if that's everything?" three nods followed. "Then, let's begin!"

This is going to be something, alright, heh.

[smolwritingchick]

We Should NOT Be Doing This

Another one I found! I will most likely change the song they dance to but for now, I kept everything like it was with some minor changes. JenKook alone in a practice room, dancing. I guess a little suggestive at the end! Not sure when I'd put it in the story but a smol brainstorm! Years ago when I watched Tinashe's Company video, I loved it and thought about JenKook doing something like this.

---------

“You ready?” Jungkook asked, stretching his arms with a huge smile.

“A little. I just hope I get this right.” Jen responded.

“Hey, you’re dancing with me. You’ll get it right.” he winked.

She giggled and nodded before going to pick a song on her phone. Jen had asked him to help her with this routine she’d been learning for fun. It so happened to have grinding in it and Jungkook was more than happy to help with that, making the dance a duet instead. After putting her music on shuffle, ironically Body Party by Ciara came on as they glanced at each other with knowing looks.

“Wow.” Jungkook chuckled softly.

“Well, this song brings back memories.” she set the phone down and walked over to him. “I remember being so nervous the first time we had to do something like this. I kept freaking out on the inside and you kept telling me to relax.”

Getting behind her, he kissed her cheek. “Not so nervous anymore, huh?”

“Yeah, thanks to you. All right, let’s run it from the top and find a rhythm.”

Going over the choreography, things went smoothly and then they went to focus on the grinding. With her back against him, he guided her as they made sure their movements were in sync. As time went on, her hips came to a halt when she heard him groan softly near her ear. 

“You good back there?” she asked as she felt him hold her hips tighter.

“I’m great,” he answered with some strain in his voice.

“You sure? Sounds like you’re struggling to me.” she teased.

“Real funny.”

“I mean if you can’t handle what I got back there, just let me know.” she decided to grind against him abruptly.

“Jennie,” he warned in a hiss which made her snicker. 

That sparked a competitive streak in him. He wanted to prove to her that he could handle everything. Suddenly, she felt his hands begin to wander and his warm breath on her neck as it made her tremble softly.

Maybe she had spoken too soon.

“F—focus, Kook.”

“I am focused. What are you doing?” a playful glint was in his eyes from what she had seen in the mirror.

“Okay, now you’re just distracting.”

“Nah, you’re just getting a little sensitive.”

“Oh, okay. This the game we’re playing, now—ah! Behave!” she exclaimed with laughter when he abruptly squeezed her ass.

She pulled away from his grasp and smacked him on the chest as he kept giggling. “You play too much!” she complained with an amused smile.

After playing around and repeating the routine a few more times, they decided to perform it. Say It by Tony Lanez blared out in the studio as they got in position.

“Five, six, seven, eight,” she called out as they began to dance. 

He was behind her, following her movements as they became in sync.

You gon have to do more than just (say it)

You gon have to do less when you (do it)

The two glanced at each other with smiles as they danced next to each other, having fun vibing off each other’s energy.

And you know, you know

And you know, in this foreign car let it go

Grabbing him by the shirt, she turned her back to him, pressing her body against his. They slowly grind to the beat with his hands on her hips. After body rolling behind her, he had made her laugh when he whispered in her ear, encircling his arms around her waist. 

But now you know that I want you, and you want me

But I don’t know, you know I know

Getting back into the dance, they continue their routine, with occasional strong chest pops and freestyle dancing.

Say it baby, do it baby

Show it baby, prove it baby

Crouching down, Jungkook crouched close behind her, following her. The dance was going so well thanks to him. Her movements were solid and on beat and the best part was that she was enjoying herself.

When she slowly body rolled as his hand wandered down her body, Jennie was gently pushed down on the floor unexpectedly.

Bewildered that she was looking up at the ceiling, she turned her head to Jungkook, staring at him in confusion. “What the heck are you doin—“

Cut off, she was kissed instantaneously as he hovered over her. He had been wanting to do that all day. This was the most time they spent alone this month thanks to his hyungs always being around and their busy schedule. Having this moment was enough and he wanted to take advantage while they could. To kiss and touch her without the rest of the guys around to tease them.

As their kiss deepened, the sultry beat and last verse played out while she ran a hand through his sweaty hair. The routine was long forgotten as they got lost in each other.

All I’m tryin’ say

I just wanna see your body move in different ways

He soon began to travel down to her neck as her breath quickened. Whatever had gotten into him, she was sure enjoying it. But they were in the studio, what if someone walked in?

All I wanna do is, come close to you

You make me come��thru, I get so close to you

As the song faded out, her music shuffled to The Weeknd’s Acquainted, playing in the background while they continued their heated lip lock.

“Jungkook…we can’t do this here, we’re going to get caught,” she warned breathlessly, gripping tightly onto his shirt.

“The music is loud and I locked the door. I have been trying to get you alone all month. We’re alone here, relax. We’re fine.” 

"You want to do this, here?" she looked at him in surprise as she squirmed under his touch. "We are not doing this in the studio,"

"You want me to stop?" he searched her eyes for any reluctance.

"I...we're in a dance studio!"

"Alone," he grinned and went back to kiss around her neck, making her sigh. "With loud music to drown out any sounds,"

"Ah...we should not be doing this..." she sighed under his touch.

"Tell me to stop and I will stop," he whispered in her ear.

"Don't stop," she moaned softly and closed her eyes.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes..."

"Okay," he easily lifted her from the floor as she wrapped her legs around his waist.

With his lips never leaving hers, he walked straight to the mirror, pressing her up against it.

[pelorsdyke]

ronancetober - day ten: modern au [featuring a piece of my fic with every guitar string scar on my hand]

Unknown: Um, hey! Don't know what Steve told you about me, but I read your piece on the unionization efforts at the capitol and it was super awesome. I totally don't mean to be creepy at all, but I'd love to hear more about what you learned.

Nancy feels herself smile, a little bit, when she reads the message. It's clearly stilted and awkward, Steve's friend strangely nervous, and Nancy wonders what this girl knows about her.

Nancy Wheeler: Hey! Not much, if I'm honest. Steve said he had this friend who read my latest article and could she chat with me a little bit. Don't worry, he didn't have time to say anything too embarrassing in a single text message.

There's a beat where Nancy watches the ellipses appear, disappear, appear, disappear, on and on and on. Steve's friend seems uncertain about how to respond. Nancy wonders if this girl is one of Steve's many adopted children. No way to know, she guesses. Finally, a response appears.

Unknown: I wouldn't discount Steve's ability to embarrass me in a single text.

Unknown: But I guess that's about the shape of it, yeah. I was a union steward back when I used to work at an ice cream chain with Steve, so the subject is near and dear to my heart. Plus, and I hope this isn't too forward, you write absolutely beautifully.

So not a high schooler, Nancy assumes. There's something warm that settles at the base of her spine at the compliment, even from some unknown friend of Steve's. She's had to work hard for her place among fellow staff writers, so it's always nice to hear people say she's earned it.

Nancy Wheeler: Not forward at all. I mean, I know you're Steve's friend who worked at an ice cream shop and who loves unions. We're practically best friends already.

This time, the reply is immediate.

Unknown: Are you being sarcastic, Nancy Wheeler?

Nancy smirks at her phone, pleased no one is in her apartment to see her staring at it like an idiot.

Nancy Wheeler: Me? Never.

Nancy Wheeler: Maybe a little bit.

Unknown: I see how it is.

Unknown: You're lucky you're cute.

Nancy flushes. Are they flirting? Can you flirt with someone you know nothing about? She does seem sweet, awkward and unfairly charming for a few minutes of text conversation, and Nancy knows Steve likes her. No, Nancy reassures herself, she doesn't even know what this girl looks like. Hang on, she doesn't even know her name.

Nancy Wheeler: You seem to have me at an unfair advantage.

Nancy Wheeler: What's your name, Steve's Friend?

The ellipses appear again. Nancy didn't exactly think that was a hard question, but Steve's friend seems to be struggling with it.

Unknown: Is it super serial killer-y if I say you can call me R?

Nancy Wheeler: Absolutely.

Nancy Wheeler: But I'll figure you out, Steve's Friend. You can be R for now, but don't underestimate my detective abilities.

There's another pause, but the ellipses are quickly replaced with a reply.

Unknown: That's what I'm afraid of, Wheeler.

[thesymphonytrue]

Ten Questions

Instructions: prev asks ten questions and you answer them, then ask ten new ones and tag ten people to keep the chain going!

Thanks for the tag @aragarna!! <3

Favorite movie/tv show of 2024?

Favorite Movie was definitely Wicked. (lol if you can't tell by my blog recently LOL) It is probably my favorite movie I've seen in the past ten years to be honest! Maybe my favorite movie ever. 👀

2. Favorite movie/tv show of all times?

I mean, if I'm being honest, it might end up being Wicked. I loved the musical, but I didn't obsess over it as a teen (besides learning all the songs lol), but the movie is just something special. It has a magic to it and every single ingredient I need for a favorite movie: fantastic singing AND acting (they got singers who could act and that is SO important for a musical), morally gray characters, beautiful set, diverse cast, excellent plot, and PLATONIC SOULMATES (my weakness) (and yes, I kno in canon and in the book they could be more than platonic and I'm fine with that too, but their relationship in the musical is so beautiful).

For TV show, of course, WHITE COLLAR!

3. Favorite book?

oh I have so many! This is very hard so I will go with the favorite one I read in 2024 and that would be The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue--the combination of exploring art throughout the years and also how one makes a "mark" in the world was so well done and VE Schwab is just such an excellent writer---love all her books.

4. Do you read or watch non-fictions?

I do! I try to read 4-5 nonfiction books per year. This year I read "Nuclear War" by Annie Jacobson (it was terrifying) and a few self-help books (lol) and some parenting books (I'm trying my best, it's so hard).

5. DVD, streams or downloads?

I do like the old fashioned DVD, but we stream everything these days and I will say not having to store DVDs is great.

6. What is the weirdest thing you’ve eaten?

I am such a plain eater---I am not adventurous at all so this is probably super dull, but Caviar LOL and it was delicious! *muah!*

7. If you were rich enough not to have to work, what would you do?

I would totally sing in broadway shows. 😭

8. Dream place to visit one day?

I have always wanted to explore France outside of Paris, as Paris is the only place I have ever been in France! Perhaps somewhere by the coast? Nice maybe? Like I said, I know very little outside of Paris and would love to explore!

9. Someone (dead or alive) you'd love to spend a one-on-one hour with?

Oh my. There are few people I know that I would spend one-on-one for an hour without feeling socially nervous LOL 😂 HOWEVER---I would love to spend an hour with Julie Andrews teaching me how to sing, dance, act, etc. Now, that, I could do. 😉 Or an hour singing duets WITH Josh Groban hahah I'd love that too. 🤣 No talking required.

10. Aspirations, resolutions for 2025?

hmmm! Well, a big aspiration is just to accept myself more I guess? I've always struggled with a negative self-image and self-hatred and I'm really tire of it. I'd love to love myself a little bit this year.

On a lighter note, I'd love to figure out a way to sing more. I just don't know how.

NEW QUESTIONS:

Favorite song you listened to this year?

What's something you are really good at?

What is something that makes you smile?

Favorite place to relax?

Best book you read this year?

Favorite hot drink?

Comfort item?

Favorite way to be creative?

Mountains or Beach and why?

Favorite thing about yourself? <3

Okay, no pressure tagging:

@twisted-tales-told @ssk374 @bluebellsinburbank @babydollbucky @idkimoutofideas and whoever would like to participate!!

[greenlightbulbonawire]

Misfits (yeah like the Arcane song)

LVI.

______________________________________________________________

Summary: From the dark musty cell of Stillwater all the way to the very base of Firelights, but where to from there? Guess you'll just have to let fate lead you.

Author's note: Hello my precious readers, I've cometh with another chapter, admittedly two days late, but I had no access to my pc on the weekend so the fic had to wait. I also come bearing bad news as the fic will be put on pause for some time now as I'd like to focus on my studies and my personal life as of right now. Do not fret as that doesn't mean than I'm giving up on this fic because that is not the case and I will continue it once my personal life calms down. In the meantime, I hope you all will do well and that my absence won't affect you greatly.

Anyway, enjoy another chapter and don't ask me why I wrote the note as some victorian child for I do not know.

previous chapter: Fifty fifth chapter

next chapter: -

Masterlist (doesn't work properly)

______________________________________________________________

You threw on your clothes as the first rays of sunlight seeped into your room. The low hum of hoverboards alongside various voices filled the silence as you got ready for the day. Today was very important to you actually, because today was the day you finally brought Fae back to the Firelights base. Honestly this was the most excitement you felt in a while, obviously you felt quite nervous too, but that's besides the point. You put on your beloved cloak and secured your hoverboard onto it with the device that held them in place, the one you still didn't know the name of. Flying on the board still gave you a little anxiety ever since Ekko fixed it, because now you were actually aware of all of the work that went into it and you didn’t really want to add to Ekkos already full plate.

The pendant that Ekko gave you for saving his life dangled on your neck and you fiddled with it as you walked out of your room and down the stairs. It’s been quite some time since the bridge fight happened, but it still stayed lingering in the back of your mind, always reminding you how easy it is to get hurt or die in this place. You shook your hand and made your way towards the circular boulder aka the entrance to the base, rolling it away without much of a struggle. Since you weren’t locked in a prison cell the whole day, it was easier to get stronger by just living. Not that you didn’t work out in the prison, Vi made sure you did, and even if you never really learned how to throw a punch until Ekko started training you, you sure learned how to take one and that was probably the better option too.

The dark and quiet engulfed you as you entered the sewers and let the stone close the gap behind you, taking away your only source of light too. At this point, you weren’t even a slighted bit fazed by it and just continued to walk in the dark, relying solely on using your memory to tell you where to go. Once you stood under the sewer grate that let a little bit of light seep in, you pushed it off and pulled yourself out of the tunnels and left it open. You would have to go through it again if you planned on getting Fae to the base so you might as well just leave it be. The busy streets up ahead replaced the silence of the tunnels with various voices, each one saying something, and there was one other thing you had to do before you went to get Fae.

You picked your board off of your back and hopped onto it. With the busier streets like the one you were heading for, it was just easier to fly above the people instead of trying to walk through the throng. The destination was clear and you made sure to not lose time getting there, and as soon as you stood in front of a little stand with boxes of greenery, you pulled out a little bag of coins from your pocket. “Felix?” You called out, wondering if your first friend was still here and alive, and also because you didn’t really wanted to deal with his grumpy dad. “[Reader]? Hi! Good to see you’re still alive and well.” The red headed young male popped out of the window of a nearby house and quickly jumped out of it, making his way to the stand. “You know, leaving your stand unattended isn’t a smart choice.” “And you’re a businessman now what? I assume you’re here for these right?” He retorted with a chuckle and pointed at a box with Faes favourite fruit inside.

“Okay, well, we’re even now, but I have to ask, what’s up with you and the viocories? They’re the only thing I’ve ever seen you buy.” “Oh well, I don’t really know how to explain it, but I suppose I could show you instead?” You shrugged and tied the bag with the fruit to your belt, making sure to secure it properly. Felix didn’t protest at your offer and so you let him hop on your hoverboard and carefully flew you both back to the street with the entrance to the sewers. There was no way you were gonna tell him how to find the Firelights, but you trusted him enough to let him see Fae, in the end, he was the one who helped you in the first place. “So, anything new with your life?” “Actually, yeah, I found out that my mom, her name’s Renni, who I previously thought died already, is actually alive and works for Silco so that’s great. But at least he’s dead now. Plus it turns out that I had a younger brother too and she made him work in a shimmer factory, and now he’s dead too because some prick from Piltover with a big hammer or something and some pink haired girl tried to dismantle the factory and killed him in the process. How are you?”

… The chatter coming from the streets that you were now leaving behind slowly faded into the background and your footsteps echoed as you walked a familiar path. When you finally reached the place that your lizard friend refused to leave, she was already waiting for you, welcoming you with shrieks and murrows. You picked up you pace and flew towards her in a much less careful manner and Felix grabbed onto your shoulders to help himself balance. Which turned out to be a bad decision because now, both of you were sliding on the ground towards Fae and your board was rolling off to somewhere with a scraping noise. Well shit. Immediately realising it, you scrambled yourself up and ran for the device, hoping and praying that it wasn’t damaged again. A sigh came out of you as you inspected it and couldn’t find anything more than a few scratches. In the meantime, Felix also stood up and was now standing face to face with Fae, who didn’t look like she was very happy with his presence while Felix looked more confused than anything.

[cawthorntales]

"You wanted to see us love?" Johnny asked as he and his family took a seat at the table.

"I do." To say I was nervous would be an understatement. What I was about to tell them all could change everything.

"Is everything ok?" Geoffrey asked.

"I just have a few things to talk about." I replied. "First I want to tell you how my Johnny died. I had never planned to, but I felt it was only right you know the truth. As you know his family disowned him when he wanted to pursue his dream instead of theirs. They had no contact with him for years, but eventually word got to his family that he was married to a man. They were outraged.

They felt he tainted the family name by being with a man even though they had told him the day they kicked him out he was no longer a Landgraab. When he refused to leave me they set their plan in mothion. Malcolm called Johnny under the lie of wanting to make amends and be in his brother's life again. Malcolm also said he wanted to meet me. Johnny was so excited and happy to hear from his little brother for the first time in years and all he wanted was Malcolm back in his life. He agreed to meet Malcolm at Cherry Park. I felt something was off, but it meant so much to him I agreed we could go.

When we got to the spot Malcolm said to meet him at he wasn't there. Instead a man with a gun and reflexes much faster than mine was. He shot Johnny in front of me before I could do anything and in my shock and trying to help my Johnny he got away from me. I knew immediately who did it. But money talks and the Landgraabs played the grieving family well. They were never suspects.

They even tried to say I may have been involved. I knew if I was going to get justice for Johnny I'd have to get involved. Since they weren't in his life they had no idea I am a spellcaster. I didn't give them a second to think when I showed up at Landgraab manor. I cast a truth spell on them. It's a spell unique to prism spellcasters. And I made sure it was a spell of perma truth so they could never lie again. Once they confessed to the crime all the money in the world couldn't save them. They were sentenced to life in prison. I also learned just how cruel they all were. Geoffrey found the man to murder Johnny. Malcolm was the bait to get Johnny to the location. Nancy was the one who paid him and it was her cold heartless idea for me to be there to witness his murder. In fact she apparently insisted I be there.

I wasn't in a good place for a long time. I never thought I could have love or happiness again. Even at the start of the show I felt that, but then I got to know you Johnny and I fell in love all over again, but finding out about your family scared me. When I think of Malcolm, Nancy and Geoffrey Landgraab all I could think about and see were the monsters that destroyed my life. I was terrified of bringing them here, but I knew how much your family meant to you. So I took the chance. I am so glad I did. I want to make it clear you three are nothing like the monsters I knew. You're kind, compassionate, loving, supportive and warm. All the things they weren't. I really struggled with sharing this story, but I felt you all deserved to know."

The Landgraabs sat in silence for a long time before Nancy spoke first.

"How could they? How could they be so heartless?" Nancy asked tears running down her face for a son that wasn't hers, but was at the same time.

"How could stupid money and status mean that much to them over his life." Malcolm said through his on tears.

"You've been through a lot." Geoffrey said. "It makes sense now why you seemed so nervous and on edge meeting us."

I could tell he wanted to cry too, but felt he needed to keep it together.

"I'm so sorry love." Johnny said taking my hand. "I can't even imagine what you or Johnny from this universe went through because of those creatures. I don't think I'd ever be as strong as you've been."

He was crying too, but I could tell his tears weren't for himself. They were for me. He was upset that I had been through something so horrible. And they were for his family finding out that a version of themselves could be so cold and heartless. He was just a selfless as my Johnny. He always thought of others before himself too.

"I'm ok now. I promise. Falling for Johnny and meeting the three of you and learning that love and change is possible has helped me to heal. I won't ever not miss my Johnny, but I also don't want to keep holding onto the anger and hurt from the past."

Nancy pulled me into a hug. Malcolm, Johnny and Geoffrey quickly followed. We stayed like that for as long as we all needed. Taking comfort in each other.

~

@changingplumbob

[not-poignant]

Assumptions!

You are slow to friendships but you value the ones you’ve made greatly.

You are good with boundaries.

Thank you! You are amazing!

Oooo this is really interesting.

You are slow to friendships but you value the ones you’ve made greatly.

So, yes and no? I am very quick to spark up connections with people

(For example: the radiologist who did my carotid ultrasound: I know that she celebrates Christmas, that she has two children who are 15 and 11, the 15 year old is a really generous extrovert who loves her friends and wants to go to university, but she doesn't clean up after herself, and the Mum is frustrated because she was a 'good girl' growing up and doesn't quite know how to deal with a rebellious 15 yo. Her son is very empathetic and sweet, and asks how his Mum is doing when she comes home from work. She worries about him for that reason and doesn't want him to become burdened with her stuff.

She's married. Her family are back in Zimbabwe (I didn't ask because I think it's rude to ask, but she volunteered this), and she visits every two years, recently they came over for 3 months but had to cut the visit short by a month due to a family member with ill-health. They're doing better now. She misses her Mum. Her daughter goes to a private school that is a bus, train and bus to get there, her son will be going to a local high school and he's really nervous!! She recently moved to another suburb, and she likes it there.

She loves her job more than anything, and she finds it really interesting, but the hardest days or the most challenging days are the ones when she does pregnancy ultrasounds, and the baby has passed away, and the parents don't yet know, or even when they do know. She said it's hard for her to see that and be the first person in the chain of specialists/techs they will see. But she said conversely the happiest days are when she does new pregnancies, or scans in general for happy parents, and all is going well.)

(And this is what I do with new people. I can know you for 20 minutes, and many people will tend to fall into sharing a fairly significant part of their life story. Whether it's the broad details, or having a 80 yo man crying on my shoulder on the bus because he started talking to me about a war because I asked the right (or wrong, that day) questions.)

...So I am probably too quick to spark up connections with people (the trick honestly is that most people are struggling and most people want someone to listen to them, they like to feel heard on things that matter - it's extremely useful for character work when this is how you end up talking to people in all walks of life), and a lot of the time I really hold back because I sense it might be too much for the other person.

But I'm also very self-protective due to some negative experiences. So I used to be much, much faster at friendship online, and now I would say I'm just fast to make connections. For example, the sonographer didn't learn anything about me except that I have tumours, and the first year I had my tumour out / carotid artery resected, which was relevant to the ultrasound.

Irl, I can want to be friends with someone based off a single encounter, but I am very...unfortunately skilled at setting up one-sided friendships so that can be dangerous and I have to tread carefully.

but you value the ones you’ve made greatly.

I do, for sure, at least a little because I don't have many very close friends. I have a lot of people who hover in the acquaintance-friend space, people who I want to get to know better, people who I'm shy around, people who I don't know how to progress to the next level of friendship with, and people who I'm happy to let stay in that space, etc.

I'm a socially anxious shy introvert, so the reality is that while I know many people conversationally and think of them fondly, there's very few people I'd go to in a crisis.

Well actually there's no one I'd go to in a crisis, but that's something I have to keep working on lmao.

You are good with boundaries.

Ohhhh no. Oh boy, I am not good at boundaries. I've gotten better over time, in that I have them at all, except the ones I have now tend to be too rigid and not flexible/permeable based off shifting circumstances which can be very hard interpersonally.

I'm shit at boundaries. My nickname for a little while as a teen (i.e. many years) was 'the doormat.' There's a reason I keep writing about characters who need to learn how to stand up for themselves and/or stand up for themselves but in pretty intense ways! I think that's a pretty common problem for many people.

These days I tend to maintain a lot of boundaries by (and don't do this at home folks) not letting folks get close enough to me that I feel they can violate my boundaries at all. Which means I lose out because I push back connection, and other people lose out, because otherwise I can be pretty awesome to connect with!

But yeah, no, I've been in therapy on and off since 1997, and I'm still shit at boundaries. The pendulum just swung in the opposite direction.

~

From the Assumptions meme!

[blueesnow]

(3/6) Otori Eiichi's Private Story [Utapri Live Emotion]

Ch 1: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 6 with Eiichi)

-Photographic Studio- Eiichi: So this is my standing position. The lightning…looks a little dim. Looks like it'll be much better if I hold the perfume with my right hand…hmm. Haruka: …Eiichi-san! Thank you for your hard work. Eiichi: Oh, Nanami Haruka. I heard that you'll be the one in charge for the CM's song. So you came here to observe huh. Haruka: Yes, I heard that you were having a visual photoshoot here. Congratulations on being appointed as an ambassador! Eiichi: Why thank you. I, for one, am honored to be entrusted with the role of a face of such a traditional brand. Eiichi: To think that the name of Ootori Eiichi will be recorded and engraved in the long history that has been passed down throughout the years. Just thinking about it gives me shivers! And with this, HE★VENS's name shall be spreading around… Eiichi: What's wrong, you had quite a look on your face. Were you having problems on your composing? Haruka: You can sense it huh… Truth to be told, I've been told to take a retake on the demo song that I sent before. Although they said the direction was already good, there's something quite off with it… Eiichi: …I see. Well then will you let me listen to that demo. (choices) <Please do!> Haruka: Please do! To think that I could hear the opinions of the cast members, especially from Eiichi-san…I would be very grateful. Eiichi: Such a greedy and optimistic attitude towards music itself… Very good, Nanami Haruka! Eiichi: Standing still will gain you nothing. Only those who can move forward shall be the one who reach the highest level. <I'm sorry to bother you> Haruka: I'd like you to listen to it… but somehow I kinda feel bad for bothering you. Since I've been to told to take a retake and all. Eiichi: It's still a demo right. There's no need for you to apologize since it's still an unfinished song. Eiichi: The hesitations and struggles that a composer faces along the way as they went to go and create a music… To be able to witness that is quite a blessing for myself. (back to story) Eiichi: You had the data on your phone, right? I'm going to listen to it here, so let me borrow it. Haruka: O-okay, here. Haruka: (I wonder what kind of feedbacks that he would make after listening to it. Oh no, I'm getting nervous…)

Ch 2: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 11 with Eiichi)

-Photographic Studio- Eiichi: …Indeed, this won't do. Haruka: Right… I do feel that it's quite half-baked too. But is it because the tempo is bad…or maybe… Eiichi: Not only just the tempo, but the overall composition seems unbalanced. The strings are way too strong and it drowns out the goodness of the melody. Eiichi: It seems that you're too fixated on the brand image, that you've lost sight of the sound that you need to accentuate. Haruka: (It's true that I'm still confused as to what exactly should I convey into this song. And it even shows through the sound…) Eiichi: There's no need to make that face. Don't you have this photoshoot for today? Eiichi: Take a look and feel the concept of this project in person. I'm sure that this will be a great experience for you to learn more and help your songwriting. Eiichi: Make sure to burn that image into your mind and the answer will surely become clear to you. Don't forget that you're the composer that we've acknowledged. Haruka: …I understand! - Eiichi: … Haruka: (What a nice photoshoot… But, somehow I feel like there's something different than the usual Eiichi-san. I wonder why…) Eiichi: Can I please check the picture that we took just now? ...Thank you, I really appreciate it. Eiichi: …Should I move my hand a little more forward? Or wait, maybe I could also change the angle too… Got it. Eiichi: Can we go with the sideway pose for the next one, please? With this, I'm sure that it'll make this beautiful perfume shine more brightly. Haruka: (…Ah. That's it…!)

Ch 3: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 21 with Eiichi)

-Photographic Studio- Haruka: Eiichi-san, thank you for all of your hard work on the photoshoot! Eiichi: Thanks. From the looks of it, it seems like you finally figured out something. Haruka: Yes. I realized that the important thing was to bring out the charm of the perfume itself. Haruka: With this song, I was so preoccupied with all of the feelings that I put in it… I lost sight of what I was asked to do. Eiichi: That's right. It's fine to have a grasp of the brand color, but it's meaningless if you can't convey the merits of this particular product. Eiichi: And besides, the song and I are nothing more than just personification of the concept. Our job is to able to make the main character stand out and glamorously attract the audience. Eiichi: If I am remembered in everyone's memories as a result, then that means I have done my best job in it. Haruka: Yes, Eiichi-san's appearance during the photoshoot is still etched in my memory. You give off a sexy aura, it was a perfect image for the perfume… Haruka: The fact that you were able to bring out that much charm must be due to your deep understanding of the brand, isn't it? Eiichi: Thanks for the feedback. But if we're talking about effort, the same goes for you as well. Eiichi: With how you came here yourself to the photoshoot and get yourself inspired, it was all your own effort that you made it this far. Haruka: Yes, I'm really glad that I came here to watch this photoshoot. Also thank you for making me realize something important. Eiichi: I simply just did what I had to do. In order to make the best CM, every single element must be perfect. Eiichi: Obviously the song is also one of the important elements. I'm sure that you will create something that exceeds my imagination. I have high expectation of it. Haruka: Thank you so much, I'll do my best…!

Ch 4: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 31 with Eiichi)

Ch 5: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 41 with Eiichi)

Ch 6: (unlocked if you reached intimacy lvl 51 with Eiichi)

[makeyoumine69]

"did i give you permission to do that?" + "have it your way, then. just be prepared for the consequences." + "aw, it hurts? too bad. you're gonna keep taking it until i’m satisfied." + "i'd hate to do this, but you're giving me no choice."

Kinks: Dubcon, Teasing (received and given), Whipping, chains(literal)

Petnames: slut, kitten, darling, my love

Hello, my dear! Thank you so much for another request, I really hope you like it! I really couldn't stop myself writing it, lol.

— [MASTERLIST]; [1k Followers Celebration Masterlist]

It seemed that your role-playing had gone too far when Patrick blindfolded you and took you to an unknown place where you were eventually stripped and chained to the floor by the metal collar-like necklace.

When he finally removed the blindfold, your eyes watered from the dim light around you, but then they were wide open at the sight of him, playing with the whip in his so-fucking-skilful hands.

"What's wrong, kitten?" Bateman inquired mysteriously, looking down at you standing on all fours. "Nervous?"

Gasping, you swallowed hard and tried to move into a more comfortable position, only to be whipped; the sound of the blow echoing painfully in your ears before a piteous wail escaped your half-open lips.

"Did I give you permission to do that, slut?" he growled, tracing the tip of the whip along your cheek. "You really need to learn how to behave."

Bateman crouched beside you, pulling on the chain and grabbing your neck, enjoying every miserable sound you made.

"Pat," you hiccupped as he teasingly pinched your hard nipple, accompanying it with another whip stroke. "Please, s-stop!"

"Why should I, darling?" he hissed as his fingers continued to work on your swollen peak. "You didn't listen when I told you to stop seeing Paul Allen."

"But I didn't! We just met in the restaurant and… a-aaww!" you cried as the whip struck the sensitive skin of your thigh, causing tears to form in the corners of your eyes. "It was just an accident ..."

"Aha," he grinned, tugging on your hair. "Get down on your knees and open your mouth for me. Open it wide so I can see your fucking throat."

Trembling, you had no choice but to obey. The current situation became even worse when you felt yourself dripping so badly that you were about to scream from the way your body reacted to all the things Patrick did to you, even when they crossed the line. This man was a wholesome red flag, but still he set you on fire just by looking into your eyes.

"Uh, such a bratty little kitten," his mocking, low voice sent shivers down your spine. "I told you once, that I would let you have your way with Paul, but you should be prepared for the consequences if you made a mistake. Do you remember?"

Meantime, Bateman unzipped his pants with his free hand, the whip roaming across your rapidly rising chest.

"'Yes," you gasped, so close to passing out from the tension in your lower belly. "I'm really sorry."

Patrick hummed to himself, towering over your shivering little form. "I hate to do this, but you gave me no choice."

With a dark smile on his perfect face, he slapped one of your breasts - you instantly ached from the burning sensation on your skin, but he didn't even give you a chance to struggle as he shoved his beefy dick into your mouth.

"If you use your teeth, I'll kill you," his statement was so cold-blooded, while the way he thrust down your throat was so damned savage. "Mmm … you take me so fucking well ... "

Whimpering, you concentrated on saving your ability to breathe, helping yourself with both hands as his cock was really huge, you were drooling hard, you could feel the mixture of your liquids running down your chin and falling on the scorching skin of your breasts. From time to time, Bateman would force you to look up at him, because he always liked to see you choking on his dick, with your eyebrows knitted together, and he also liked your high-pitched, pathetic squeals when you struggled to take his length as far as you could.

"My slutty girl … arrghh, so slutty," he croaked, pushing his hips harder against your face and growling as you massaged his tensed sac. "Yes-s, mmhhm … I love your mouth, but I still have to fuck you."

You gasped loudly as he pulled out of your mouth with a squelch, and then Patrick moved away for a short period of time that you used to pull yourself together.

God, you didn't even know what was going to happen next. Just a few minutes later, you were shaking immensely as this bastard plunged a powerful vibrator into your slick pussy and put tight clamps on your sore nipples. To silence your wretched screams, he was about to use a gag, but first he bent down to your face to grab your chin as he craved to make eye contact with you.

"Any last words, slut?"

"Fuck y-you." You retorted in a challenging manner.

Chuckling, Bateman just admired the cunning smile on your face, stroked your cheek for a moment, and then gagged you a little harder than he had planned, but he enjoyed your pitiful whimpers anyway.

Whistling playfully, Patrick positioned himself behind your writhing body as the vibrator buzzed painfully inside your pussy, causing your inner walls to spasm so intensely. After he brought you down to all fours, he quickly spit on your tight asshole, rubbing a few circular motions into it before he began to ram in, causing you to wriggle underneath him in seething pain. It was crazy wet mess, your eyes rolling back in your head as he began to pound into you, his huge dick seemed to be hitting your brain.

"Aw, it hurts, darling? Too bad, argh… you're going to take it until I'm satisfied."

You only manage to mumble some nonsense in reply, finding yourself full as never before and trying to break free, but all Patrick had to do was pull on the chain to keep you close and soon he had you spread out on the floor, pinning you down and holding you there with his massive muscles; his hips rolling against yours, trying to find the most sick angle as he wanted to fuck you into oblivion.

"Shit, you're so fucking tight … gonna fill all your holes," your pathetic attempts to pronounce something only threw gasoline on fire, spurring him to slam into you even harder. "You're going to learn to obey me, my love ... I promise ya."