#there are a couple focusing issues ugh

[claypigeonpottery]

sold

I filmed this carving more than a year ago, and finally went through and edited it yesterday

[thir10th]

hi love! i'd like to req emily smut, maybe a little more on the rough side if you'd be comfortable with that, where she gets jealous over reader and shows that through sex

if you want something less vague, it could be when reader brings emily lunch to her office and morgan keeps flirting with her, leading to some action in emily's office

I'll be doing these two together cause why not. I hope you don't mind! thanks for requesting, and I hope you liked it!!

jealousy - Emily Prentiss x fem!reader

summary: see the asks, it's a mix of both, it kind of took a turn, but i hope you still enjoy it! tw: jealousy, a very poor try at dom Emily, fingering, breast play?, idk tws are so hard once you've finished writing🥲, i think that's it lmk if i'm missing smth a/n: no idea if there's a way for me to link both asks here, someone lmk if there is

It's only 8.00 am when you enter the police station, two bodies in the past 12 hours required the early hours, everyone had to be focused, your mind had to be only in one place. However, this wasn't the case for all the people on that room.

The local police officer at the head of the case had some other things in his mind.

He starts by boldly checking you out, looks at you up and down, stopping and staring at the short tank top you were wearing, which makes you uncomfortable enough to cover yourself with your arms as much as you can.

The look your girlfriend sends to him doesn't go unnoticed to you, you start to believe she will set him on fire just with her stare, she places herself covering your body to shake his hand, which she gripes a bit too harder than the usual.

If you didn't know her any better, you would say she is jealous.

But there was just no way, right? Emily Prentiss doesn't get jealous, she's too confident for that, she has you so well wrapped around her finger, she doesn't need to be jealous. Right?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

"so you think this... unsub like you call him, could be on a killing spree because of his mother?" the agent asks you, staring at the last picture you just sticked to the board with a puzzled look.

"we're positive, we've seen this modus before, it's a clear pattern" you explain

"ugh, so talking about mommy issues" you can't help the little snicker that scapes your lips.

He looks triumphant, fully believes he's got you under his spell. He couldn't be more wrong.

The familiar hand that slides behind you on your lower back makes you jump, Emily comes around you, standing closer than she usually does.

"hey, what were you talking about?" she asks, tilting her head.

"oh, nothing just the case" you say, unbothered.

"just the case huh?" you turn your head to see how she's staring at him, as he walks away from you both.

"Em? what is it?" you ask suspicoisly.

"nothing, i just don't understand, what could be so funny if you were just talking about the case..." she says sarcastically

"oh my god" you try to keep your voice down, but the excitement is still noticeable "oh my god, Emily, you're jealous!"

"what? What do you mean I'm jealous?" her voice a couple octaves higher, making it so obvious to you she's lying.

"that's not even a real answer!" you say.

"ugh..." she lets out one of those little sounds she always makes when she knows she's been caught, you think it's adorable.

"ok, so maybe... maybe I just... don't like the way he looks at my girlfriend, so sue me!" she tries defending herself, but you couldn't take it seriously for your life, you find it adorable, the slight pink tinting her cheeks, her reassuring hand still resting on your lower back.

"Emily, c'mon, you know i love you" you kiss her cheek, she kisses you back but still doesn't look so convinced.

The thing is, you could not be any less attracted to that man, there was no way in the world you would find his flirting any appealing, but the idea of teasing Emily sounds too exciting.

A little fun never hurt anyone, right?

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

"...hellooo, earth to Prentiss?"

Morgan waves a hand in front of Emily’s face and she’s brought back to reality.

"what?" she asks.

"i said, could you please put your frown away, you're scaring Reid" Spencer doesn't even hear the comment, too focused on the case file to even pay attention to the conversation that was taking place right beside him.

"my frown is just where it has to be, thank you" she says raising an eyebrow at that.

Derek gives a scoff, and Rossi chuckles at the whole stupidity of the situation. “If y/n can’t feel your stare burning a hole in her back, when she turns and sees you, she’s sure gonna think you're planning a murder.”

"i might just be" she mutters

"I think I know what's going on" Rossi intervenes "she isn't looking at y/n" he explains pointing at you "I think someone might be jealous"

You are only a few feet away, discussing your last findings with the detective, trying to laugh at every little thing he says, making sure Emily is watching.

"I'm not jealous" she defends "she is so clearly not interested, but what if she needs me to step in?" her attempt to make up a good excuse isn't good enough for any of them to buy it

"if that helps you, but all i can hear is jealousy" a big, cocky smile spread on Morgan's face, it's only making her angrier

"c'mon, or we will too have to face the consequences of the territorial monster of jealousy when it explodes" Rossi says, dragging Morgan away

"yeah, mark your territory" Morgan laughs, while Emily gives him the finger "go get her lover!"

It's your loud chuckle that draws the line for her. When you finally get away from the persistent officer, you turn to see Emily isn't there anymore, taking your phone you see 2 new message from her.

From Em💕: you better knock your shit off baby.

From Em💕: That's it. You're so in for it later.

That one makes your heart throb, it shortly makes you wonder if you had taken it too far. This was not gonna end well for you.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Hotch decides to call it for the day, sending you off to start fresh in the morning, when a male voice you had heard enough already, calls your name

"Agent, I was wondering if you would be in for a drink with me?" he asks, eyeing you up and down yet again.

You are so sure you would find it just as disgusting if you weren't so gay, and so in love with your girlfriend.

"oh, sorry but no, actually, I-" a much more familiar female voice interrupts you "she's with me" Emily says.

He can't believe his eyes, Emily wraps her arm around your waist pulling you close to her body "hi babe" she says, kissing your lips, you return the kiss, a bit amused at her jealousy, but loving the possessiveness she was showing.

"Sorry, you were saying?" she asks, the man still open-mouthed, he can't bring himself to even speak.

"nothing... ugh, good night, agents" he dismisses you, and walks away defeated.

Emily and you head out of the bullpen, her arm still securely wrapped around your waist, she slides her hand on your back pocket, grabbing a handful of your ass possessively, making you chuckle.

"wanna talk about it?" you ask her innocently

"oh we are gonna be doing a bit more than talking you and me"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Emily doesn't even leave time for the door to close, and you have a split second to register your thoughts before she closes the door and walks over in one long stride and slams you into the wall.

Her mouth attacks yours in a hungry, desperate kiss, her tongue invading in a fight for dominance, that you just let her win, she is determined to have her way with you, and you aren't going to stop her.

She wasted no time in getting her hands on you, roughly rubbing her hands over your exposed skin. You, however, delicately placed your arms around her neck and when you both pulled apart to breathe.

"what's wrong, Em?" you ask her, breathlessly

"you know what? For starters, I didn't like the way he was looking at you" she starts, her breath warm against your skin, she lowers her head getting your neck, kissing it so sweetly you feel you could melt

she is quick to find your pulse point, mouth-opened kisses all over your skin, she nips all over your spot, which makes you moan

"but then imagine my surprise when i saw you, flirting back" her hand finds her way underneath your shirt, reaching for your breast, she finds no more resistance as you aren't wearing a bra, your other nipple peaking through your shirt in excitement.

She uses her free hand to grip your ass, you jump at the feeling whimpering on her mouth, her closeness only making you more excited.

"but you don't like him, do you, baby?" she asks, teasing you, she leaves a soft kiss on your lips

"he wouldn't stand a chance, we both know men aren't really your type" Emily says lowly, nipping at the tender spot behind your ear. 

She slips her leg between yours, a soft moan escapes your lips.

"so you just wanted to make me jealous" you're too deep in her dominance to even register anything, letting out soft whimpers every time her thumb brushes against the nub and grips the soft skin of your breast

"god... Emily" you let out, as Emily pulls your thighs apart with her hand.

"you know, baby, if you wanted me to fuck you, you could've just asked" she attacks your neck again, sucking hard enough to leave purple marks you couldn't care any less about now.

Emily presses her fingertips against the crotch of your jeans "your clothes. Take them off or I'll rip them off" she commands, taking a step back from you, leaving too little space to maneuver.

You knew better than to tease her when she was like this. A shiver of excitement runs through your back, and you comply.

You take your jeans off then, your shirt, quickly throwing them somewhere far on the room.

You move to kiss her again, grabbing her by the waist and pulling her in for a kiss, but she doesn't let you, instead she grabs you by your thighs, lifting you up.

You wrap your legs around her waist, she carries you to bed, laying you down just harshly enough to make you even more excited for whats to come.

"you are gonna do exactly what i ask you to tonigh, you know why, baby?" you hold your breath, you're not sure if she actually wants you to answer, but you try nonetheless "because I'm yours"

Your answer seems to satisfy her, as she begins kissing her way down your body, taking special care to nip at your collarbone and stomach to leave more marks than the one's on your neck.

The soft cloth of her shirt rubs against your skin and as if just now realising she was still dressed, you grab the hem of her shirt and help her take it off, throwing it somewhere in the vicinity of the room, like you had done with your own clothes.

And not a moment later, she is back to kissing your body, stopping suddenly when she reached the hemline of your underwear.

Her hand navigates down them, she dips low enough to collect your arousal on her fingertips before rubbing your clit forcefully. Your body reacts immediately, curling forward. "Em!" you moan

"what's wrong baby? Cat got your tongue? use your words, if you want me to stop the teasing, just say it"

"fuck...Em, please, I'm yours, please Emily, yours" you confirm, closing your eyes and letting your hips rock against her hand.

“Who are you this wet for?” Emily demands, nipping at your earlobe.

"just you" you whimper, desperation starting to build in your lower stomach

"that's right baby" the cocky smile on her lips makes your eyes roll. You obviously loved slow, romantic love making with your grilfriend, but you'd be lying if you said you didn't love this side of her just as much.

She continued to move her fingers inside of you and you met each thrust but you almost fell apart when she pressed her thumb against your clit and rubbed hard.

She uses her free hand to play with your breast, you let out a gasp when her tongue moves over it spurred you on and she begins to gently suck on it while her hand still caressed your other breast. 

You melt into the mattress at her words. "let go, c'mon baby, I got you" you cum on the spot, as she fucks you through your orgasm, she let's you ride your high.

Emily lays down beside you as you come down from the climax, she kisses your lips softly, lovingly this time, less urgent.

"you know i didn't mean any of it right? I was just playing with you, i love you. He didn't stand a chance" you try to clarify

"yes baby, i know, i love you too, i wasn't so harsh with you right?" she asks concerned. Sometimes you can't believe how Emily's mood changes so fast, from all dominating, incredibly sexy, to concerned, soft girlfriend.

"Em, it was perfect" you say, grabbing her face and pecking her lips "you are perfect" you kiss her again.

"well, good, because we're just getting started, i'm not sure you've learned your lesson yet" she grins.

"Like i said, I'm all yours, agent Prentiss" she sits to straddle you, and you grab her face to pull her in for another kiss.

Emily caresses your neck with her thumb, looking at the purple marks she had previously left "this will be hard to cover tomorrow"

"who says I'm covering them?"

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

Sitting on your usual spot on the plane, you lay behind Emily's amr, resting your head on her shoulder as she reads.

You aren't oblivious of the look on Morgan's face, right in front of you.

The shirt you chose had your neck and cleavage all on display, small and big purple marks cover your skin.

He stares bluntly at you, a cheeky smile covering his face "So y/n, looks like you and Prentiss had yourselves a good night. Care to share?"

Emily gives him the finger.

"in your dreams" you say.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: .☽ . :☆ﾟ. ───

wow! a lot longer than i expected it to be! finishing this one gave me a headache so please like and reblog if you liked it, and as always feedback is greatly appreciated! <333 reqs still open as always!

[zorosangell]

hey! i've been thinking this christmas eve about where zoro and the reader spend their first christmas together. zoro still didn't understand the dynamics of a couple having never had one, so nami explains to him and tells him that since it's almost christmas he has to give her a gift. he didn't really know what to give her so he buys her a necklace with a sword pendant. Then the reader gives him several things as gifts and zoro feels bad for only giving him a small gift but the reader shows him that it's enough and shows him his love with a sinful night 👀 i know it's a bit long but i haven't been able to get this idea out of my head. thanks

⛥ﾟ・。 mistletoe

synopsis: nami has to school zoro in the art of gift-giving in order to save your first christmas together. luckily, he manages to wise up... and gives you a gift you won't ever forget.

cw: fluffy fluff, comfort, zoro is a lovable idiot, classic case of right idea wrong execution, christmas mentioned (duh), nsfw implied, what would we do without nami, this kinda combined two asks i got into one, anon u know who u are here you go <3

a/n: I AM SO SORRY IVE BEEN GONE! LIFE HAS BEEN UGH LATELY! enjoy this early holiday present as an apology <3

"YOU ABSOLUTE MORON!" Nami shouted, furious, as she punched the swordsman right the head, leaving a large welt in her wake. "I OUGHTA KICK YOU INTO NEXT WEEK!"

Zoro's eye shot wide, confused—and severely pained—as his hand snapped up to rub the afflicted area, forcing him to snap his head over to her.

"What did I do?!" he barked, thoroughly annoyed.

"Somehow, you always find a way to make it a matter of what you didn't do!"

With a sigh, Nami pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering a few curses under her breath as she marveled at the absolute stupidity of the man walking next to her.

Sometimes, she wondered if he did it on purpose.

"What?!" Zoro asked, snappy and sarcastic. "What did I mess up now?!"

"Christmas!" Nami exclaimed, exasperatedly. "One of the easiest holidays to get right!"

"How the hell did I mess up Christmas?!"

"How the hell did you forget to get your girlfriend a present?! On your first Christmas together, no less?!"

The navigator couldn't believe his ignorance, still disbelieving of the whole thing.

"So..." Nami smiled as she turned to the swordsman, intrigued. "What did you get (y/n) for Christmas?"

Zoro glanced around, eye focused on the snowy road ahead and the festive town surrounding the two as they walked side by side.

"What are you talking about?" he scoffed, confused. "Get her what?"

Concerned, Nami stopped in her tracks, completely forgetting about where they were supposed to be going.

"Her present," she emphasized, suspiciously. "I asked what you bought her for Christmas."

Zoro's brow quirked in confusion.

"Bought?"

Worry slowly began to creep into the navigator's chest, her brows slowly furrowing into a scolding expression, faintly hoping for a miracle

"You bought her something for Christmas... right?"

But the silence that followed told her everything, the wintery scene around them fading as he found her fist flying toward his head.

"I didn't forget anything!" Zoro defended, fervently.

"And pigs can fly!" she scoffed, rolling her eyes as she glanced up at the sky with a sigh. "It's strokes of genius like this that force me to swoop in and save your relationship nearly every month..."

"I! DIDN'T! FORGET! ANYTHING!"

"Oh, then please inform me as to why it is nearly sunset on Christmas Eve, and you have yet to buy your kind-hearted, loving girlfriend a Christmas present!"

"She never told me what she wanted!"

Nami froze, her face and body turning completely numb as the words hit her ears.

'...Is he serious?'

If he was, she was going to hurt him.

"I've been waiting for (y/n) to tell me what she wants for months! I even saved up so I could get her whatever it was without any issues," he explained himself, showing proof by pulling a fat stack of berries out his coat pocket, its contents worth at least a hundred-thousand.

Nami's eyes widened.

She'd never seen him save so much.

Maybe there was hope.

"But when she didn't come around to tell me, I assumed she didn't want anything. So I kept it."

'Nevermind.'

She was going to hurt him.

Using her large, handheld wallet like a newspaper, she whacked him in the nose, wagging her finger and sucking her teeth like she was scolding an animal.

"OW!"

"Bad boyfriend," she shook her head. "She shouldn't have to ask. As her better half, or maybe lesser in this case, you should know her like the back of your hand. And thus, know what she wants as a present."

Zoro paused, taking a moment to process her words before his face lit up in realization, the concept finally clicking in his mind.

"Oh, I get it," he nodded, hand coming to rest pensively on his chin. "Because I know her best... I already know what she wants."

She cheered, happily clapping her hands together as a smile broke out on her face.

"You're learning!"

But her expression quickly shifted into one of fury, her brows furrowing as she pointed toward the road.

"NOW GO GET HER SOMETHING BEFORE ALL THE STORES CLOSE!"

"SHIT!"

"Should I be worried?" you asked, amused, as your moss-headed boyfriend hastily lead you over the threshold of the bathroom.

He was uncharacteristically smiley, and uncharacteristically eager as he positioned you in front of the mirror, using your hips as handles to practically plop you down in front of it.

"Only if you wanna," he answered, a slight grin rising to his lips. "But personally, I'd be preparing myself. This is gonna blow everyone else's gifts out the water, and I'd hate to have ya faint from shock."

"Hardy har..."

On the deck below, the Strawhat's First Annual Christmas Party was in full swing, music and laughter filling every nook and cranny of the ship as Brook, Usopp, and Franky serenaded the crew with their very own carols.

The smell of fresh baked cookies and gingerbread managed to waft their way to the upper levels, Luffy and Chopper in the kitchen pounding back cookies just as fast as Sanji could make them.

You, Nami, and Robin had gone into town earlier and bought matching outfits, the three of you decked out in cute, Santa mini-dresses with the hats and boots to match.

Safe to say, the night was looking up.

And it was only supposed to get better from there...

"Alright, close your eyes," Zoro ordered, turning around as he rummaged in his pocket.

"Now I'm really scared," you teased, your hands coming up to cover your eyes with delightful anticipation.

Zoro was never big on surprises, so to see him go through such lengths could only mean that whatever he was about to give you was really good.

"Gimme a sec," he grunted, still fumbling around. "Can't get this stupid latch open."

Big fingers... small clasp...

Your brows quirked at the word, confused.

'Latch?"

"Got it," he nodded, quickly bringing it around your neck and pulling it together in the back.

Taking a moment, he fooled with the damned thing once again before he finally got it secure, a proud smile rising to his face.

"Alright, open 'em."

Slowly opening your eyes, you gasped at the sight in the mirror before you, hands snapping up to your mouth in surprise.

"Oh, my Gods!"

Resting gracefully on your chest was a glittering, gold pendant of three swords, their handles conjoined at the tip and hung carefully on the chain around your neck.

They were the same gold as his earrings, matching so perfectly you'd think they all came together in a set.

Absolutely breathtaking.

"Zoro..." you marveled, turning to look at different angles. "It's beautiful!"

He crossed his arms over his chest, a proud smirk on his lips at your happy expression.

"You like it? It's one of a kind," he nodded. "The jeweler said this was the only one ever made."

"I love it!" you squealed, turning around and tossing yourself in his arms, the man unable to fight off his smile as you peppered his face with kisses. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou!"

Slightly pulling back, you flashed him a cheeky grin, staring deeply into his steel grey eyes as he rested his hands on your hips.

"How do I look?"

His gaze trailed down from your face to your chest, where the pendant sat just above your cleavage, almost like a badge of honor.

"Like mine," he stated, shamelessly, quickly moving to capture your lips in a kiss.

"Wait, wait, wait!" you cheesed, your hand covering his mouth as you pointed to the ceiling. "We have to do this nicely! Look at what we're under."

Glancing up, the swordsman's eyes landed on the minty green of a mistletoe, which was hung directly above you and tied with a nice, silk ribbon.

But he didn't give two shits.

Pulling his mouth away from your hand, he fixed his eyes on you with a look of hunger, completely disregarding the tradition.

"There's only one thing I'm doin' nicely..." he smirked, quickly swooping in to assault your neck before taking you down to the bathroom floor.

"Zoro!" you squealed, your hands grasping his broad shoulders as he pinned you to the ground.

It wasn't long before your shrieks of amusement turned into cries of pleasure, which were, thankfully, drowned out by the festivities going on outside.

Your swordsman had easily made this the best Christmas to date, something thoroughly appreciated given his usual hard time with gifts and grand gestures.

Not only did you get the best gift you'd ever received... but you also made a new Christmas tradition.

One that had Robin planning for onesies in next year's gift exchange.

[sato-s-only-wife5107]

Reborn!Wukong: First Date.

Word Count: 2697.

Content/Trigger Warnings: Implied daddy issues, mention of dead parent.

Authors Notes: This turned out a lot longer than I thought it would, but I'm happy nonetheless. Hope you enjoy! ^^

<---Previous | Start | Next--->

The next village you all got to was a mile away from your hometown. It turned out to be one of those hot spots for festivals and firework shows. It was the perfect place in his mind. So the second you all got lodged into an Inn, Wukong had disappeared somewhere without a word to any of you. You were curious about what that mischievous monkey was doing, but got concerned since he didn't return when the sun started to go down.

You wanted to spend the evening exploring the town with him, but with him nowhere to be found, you didn't think it would've been any fun had you gone alone or with any of the others. You sat boredly in your room at a very nice yet cheap Inn run by a cute old couple, who gave you cookies a while ago. 

You were doodling on a scroll, though you were supposed to be logging what you did for the last three days. You had started keeping logs to kill time, and it just ended up as something you enjoyed; even though Wukong teased you about being a nerd since you also logged any new plants or herbs you encountered.

You yawned softly and laid down on your arm as you started drawing Wukong. You liked doing that a lot and would absolutely bury yourself alive if he ever found out. Your eyes were getting heavy as you detailed his, they grew heavier and heavier till they couldn't open anymore, and the grip on your pencil loosened. 

“Pst,” the sound from the window made you jump a bit, but you chose to ignore it as your subconscious slowly took you over. This got an annoyed growl and the person jumped into the room with a soft thud. “Hey,” you heard Wukong's voice as he walked over and poked your cheek. “I know you're awake.”

“No I'm not,” you mumbled, which made him chuckle to himself. He guessed that you probably were asleep, or at least dozing off. 

“You wanna go on that date or not?” That woke you up, and you looked up at him as he folded his arms. 

“Right now?” you let out a defeated breath.

“Yes, right now. Get up and c'mon,” he walked to the window and leaned against it. 

“Ugh…” You sighed and stretched, cracking some bones before you slouched in your chair with a content sigh. 

“Don't make me throw water on you,” he threatened as he saw your eyes close. 

“I'm up,” you sighed and sat up straight. 

“Meet me on the roof when you freshen up,” he rolled his eyes.

“The roof?” you look at him like he was crazy.

“Yes, the roof,” he hopped onto the window sill with a grin, “you know what the roof is, don't you?”

“Moron,” you rolled your eyes and got off the bed and folded your arms. “Why the roof?”

“I'm waiting,” he dodged the question and left you on your lonesome. 

Did he leave earlier to prepare our date? The thought made your heart beat like a drum before you paled. Wait, did he see the drawing?! You thought to yourself in embarrassment at the mere possibility.

You shook off your bashful response and instead focused on freshening up; fixing your hair and your clothes. You walked to the window and looked at the drop. You gulped, trying not to think of what would happen if you fell. You looked up and jumped back with a startled yell. 

“Stop scaring me like that!” You whisper yelled at him. Wukong snickered to himself and held out his hand to you. You looked at his hand, but took it with a wary smile before you yelped when he pulled you out the room and you both landed on his cloud. “Show off.”

“You like it though,” He grinned at you. 

“Promise not to drop me?” you looked up at him nervously. 

“What kind of fool do you take me for?” he looked down at you as he held you close to his chest. If your own heartbeat was any indication to him, his words affected you greatly.

“Whoa…” You mumbled when you saw the things he'd prepared. 

On the roof of the Inn laid a blanket with a basket of treats, a tray of steaming buns, a bottle of what was no doubt alcohol, and two chalices you recognised at the ones you both use. 

Simple yet beautiful, the food smells reaaaally good too. He put a lot of effort into this. Your heart skipped a beat.

“Do you like it?” he asked as he carefully set you down before dropping beside you. 

“You did all this? For me?” you looked up at him. 

You have no idea what I'd do for you. He thought to himself and looked away.

“Let's eat,” he cleared his throat and sat down. You were careful as you sat down beside him and looked at the view. 

“This place really comes to life at night,” you marvelled since the town didn't seem like much when you all got there.

“The town of stars,” he offered you a bun, which you gladly took and took a bite. 

“It's so good!” you beamed, he smiled a bit as he watched you. 

“I'm glad,” he reached over and wiped a bit of the filling from the corner of your mouth before licking it off his thumb. “Hm, it is good.”

Cheeky monkey. You blushed at the action. Dirty move, that's cheating.

He smelled… clean. Not a trace of dirt or sweat, he even looked more neat now that you got a good look at him; you guessed he probably got all dolled up for you. You looked at the food to hide your embarrassment. Wukong watched you, the light of the town made you look more enchanting than ever… In his mind at least. He looked at the view and took a bite out of a stuffed bun he got. 

It is good… he thought as he looked down at the nun in his hand. Guess the merchant wasn't all talk after all, these really are worth it. 

He'd never admit to selling the fancy clothes he wore to that party to get the money to pay for the treats. He knew you'd be crossed and most definitely hit him while being a bit bashful. He got discounts too since, apparently, a lot of them saw how you looked at each other earlier and guessed he was trying to woo you… Which was true. 

“What’s your favourite childhood memory?” your voice caught his attention. 

“Don't have one,” he answered simply. 

“Really?” you looked up at him curiously. 

“I was born from a stone. No parents, no family,” 

“Must have been hard,” you placed a hand on his arm. 

“I got over it eventually,” he shrugged it off, trying to focus on the intimate atmosphere. 

“I don't believe you did,” he looked at you. Your gaze was gentle, and you had a small smile as you held his hand. “It's okay to feel lost and alone. Especially when you can cheer yourself up when you remind yourself that you're not alone anymore.”

Your words made him look away from you, but let you hold his hand. He had to admit that your warmth felt really good. He finished the bun and started to eat another as his tail swayed a bit. 

“What about you?”

“Me?” you tilted your head a bit. 

“Yeah, can't I ask questions too?” He gave a cheeky smile as he raised a brow. 

“Of course you can,” you squeezed his hand. “Well…” you trailed off, thinking back to your childhood. “I don't think I have any either… maybe stargazing with my dad before he died?” you smiled a bit. “He used to tell me all these stories and that if I ever bring a guy home, he’ll have to put him in his place,” you mused. 

“You miss him, huh?” Wukong looked at you with a soft look. 

“More than anything,” you looked up at him. “He’d like you a lot. He used to geek out all the time about your powers and how awesome flying on a cloud would be.”

“Hmph,” was his only response. 

He's embarrassed. You mused. He always gets embarrassed when people compliment him.

“What’s your favourite food?” you broke the silence. 

“Bananas,” he gave a smart ass grin, which got him elbowed. 

“C'mon, be serious,” you laughed a bit. 

“Hmmm,” he glanced away from you in thought. “I'd probably say… The peaches back home. They're the biggest and juiciest you'll ever find,” he looked at you.

“I look forward to trying them,” you smiled at him. “I like (f/f),”

“I know,” he chuckled. “You wouldn't shut up about it.”

“I'm a passionate person, leave me alone,�� you huffed. 

“Uh-huh,” he huffed. 

“Do you believe in love at first sight?” you blurted out.

I can't believe I just asked him that… You mentally slapped yourself.

I do now. He thought to himself.

“What?” he raised a brow. 

“It was just a question,” you looked away in a mental panic as your face burned from a blush. “You don't have to answer if you don't want to.”

“I guess,” he mumbled and your gaze shot up to meet his gaze. You honestly didn't think he was going to answer, he just kept on surprising you the longer you spent time with him. “Where'd you get all these questions anyway?”

“Just a random list I came up with a while ago. I struggled to make friends back home, so I made a list of some stuff to ask to help me.”

“Did it work?” He raised a brow.

“Not really,” you rubbed the back of her head. “I'm still not much of a people person.”

“Were you ever?”

“Not really. Even as a kid I was pretty timid and would only talk to my dad or when he’s around.”

“How'd you meet that rat from the party?” The reminder of that guy left a bad taste in Wukong's mouth, but let's just say you weren't the only one blurting out questions without really thinking them through.

“I almost forgot about him,” you laughed nervously. “We went to school together, the other three too. Honestly, thinking back, dad didn't like him at all,” she huffed softly. “But when he asked me out then asked to be his girlfriend, I was really happy and agreed without hesitation,” you found yourself leaning against Wukong's shoulder. 

“Hm…” He looked at the crowd, offering you the last of the steamed buns.

“This one time, I wanted to visit him after his birthday since he seemed down…” you took a bite out of the bun and sighed, “that's when I saw him with Daiyu, then he told me that our entire relationship was just a dare. They had a good laugh at my expense for a long time.”

“I should've killed that bastard when I had the chance.” he gritted his teeth and clenched his fists. 

“Thank you,” he looked down at her. “For being there with me… honestly, I had a panic attack when I first saw him there, but your voice helped me calm down.”

“Happy to help,” he mumbled.

I knew she was breathing really heavily, but I didn't know why.

“What are you most afraid of?” she started back her questions.

Losing you. 

“Nothing,” he shrugged. 

“C'mon, there must be something even the Great Sage is afraid of,”

“No,” he looked at the view again and leaned back on his hands. You positioned yourself and laid your head on his lap.

“This okay?” you asked sheepishly. 

“It's fine,” he looked away, unable to look at you. “Any more questions?”

“Hmmm…” you hummed softly in thought. “What do you enjoy most about travelling?”

“Freedom,” he looked at the sky. “Soaring through the sky… it feels…”

“Amazing,” you smiled up at him and he looked down at you. 

“Yeah,” 

“What makes you happy?”

You do.

“Same thing,” he stated. 

“That makes sense,” you mused. “Being able to fly on the cloud… you looked like you had fun every time.”

“I'll take you flying for our next date,” he smirked at you.

“Next date, huh?” you teased. 

“What, you don't wanna do it again?”

“I really do,” you smiled at him. 

“Then I'll take you out on my cloud next time,” he waved it off. 

“I can't wait,” you smiled up at him and sat up, much to his dismay but he kept a straight face. “What’s something that not many people know about you?”

“Again with the questions,” he let out an annoyed breath.

“One last one?”

“No more questions,” he pulled your cheek, which made you whine.

“C'mon, just this last one,” you pouted up at him as you rubbed your sore cheek when he let go. Who was he kidding? He can't say no when you look this cute. 

“Hm,” he rested his cheek on top of your head. “I love you.”

That sentence made you tense, the blush causing your face to heat up like a hell fire. You'd never expected him to say it so casually, like he was used to saying it. It made your heart race so fast you thought it would jump out of your chest. 

Wukong… Well, he was in an even worse state. He'd managed to keep those comments to himself, but that one slipped out without really meaning to. He was embarrassed to say the least, but he simply remained quiet and listened to your heartbeat. He stared at the sky as you stared ahead.

“I love you too…” Your voice was soft, but in the night air, even if the town was alive, it was loud and clear. 

“It's getting late,” he cleared his throat before he glanced down at you.

“So?” you looked up at him, he smirked a bit seeing the blush on your ‘cocky' face.

“Are you gonna complain tomorrow?” he raised a brow. 

“Your stubborn embarrassed face is kinda cute,” you giggled softly, which only served to embarrass him more as he looked away. 

The sudden sound of fireworks made you jump and momentarily grip his clothes. He looked at you from the corner of his eye before he looked at the fireworks show. 

“Oh yeah, I remember. The granny said something about a firework show tonight,” you suddenly remembered the old woman's words when she gave you the cookies. “Oh! I almost forgot!”

“What?” he watched as you dug into your pocket and took out a small bag. You took out a cookie and offered it to him.“She gave me these cookies! They're really good. Wanna try one?”

“You're too trusting,” he sighed and sniffed it before he took a small bite, which made you blush as you basically just fed him.

“You should be more welcoming, it could help in future,”

“You say that after everything we've endured?” He raised a brow. 

“That's true, but is it so bad to be optimistic?”

“You can be that all you want,” he looked at the cookie and took another bite. 

“It's good, right?” you grinned at him. 

“It's alright,” he begrudgingly grumbled. 

“Lighten up,” you smiled at him, “for someone over 500 years old, you're such a downer,” you reached up and pushed up the corner of his mouth. “You should smile more, you look really handsome when you do.”

“You think so?” he looked at you. You froze for a second, realizing what you said made you look away and rest your hand on your lap. 

“W-Well, yes, of course,” you stuttered. “You're attractive for a demon.”

“Good to know,” he mumbled.

“Wukong?”

“Hm?”

“I'm serious,” you looked up at him.

“About what?” He raised a brow. 

“About loving you,” your voice got soft.

“Me too,” he looked at you and lifted your chin before he placed a soft kiss on your lips. 

It took you by surprise, but you melted into it nonetheless. The fireworks went off once more and made it feel like a New Year's kiss. All in all, it was a pretty amazing first date. 

[changbinsboobs]

I.n. reading and we finish series boobie

Skz Husband Series: I.N

One of the best ones so far, if not the best🙌🏻

He would be a very loving husband, putting lots of emphasize on romance, quality time together, showing love towards one another and just being happily in love! Thats literally the first card i pulled which jumped out so quick before i even finished my question. This is also the card/energy that sets the tone for the whole reading, like im feeling that presence in all of the following cards afterwards.

He's very very giving and very devoted, in fact sometimes he may even give a bit too much, where his partner may begin taking him for granted so that may be something he should watch out for. When in love and in a committed relationship like marriage, i see him being very focused on the relationship and placing it really really high on his priority list, if not even at the very top. Most of his energy and thought goes towards it, i see him as someone that, when its long term and promising - really doesn't fear "investing" so much into it because in the long run its worth it.

I see him having high emotional understanding, maturity even, idk what exact word for it is but when you understand ur own feelings, can operate them in situations...ugh just in general he's good with feelings thats what im trying to say. He doesn't shy away from them, he feels them, accepts them, can express them - appropriately and knows what they mean for him and for others.

This is a great quality, tho it may result in some frustration if his partner isn't on the same emotional literacy level as him, or isn't that much into touchy feely stuff. I see him sometimes missing that or feeling a bit neglected/unfulfilled/rejected. Tho im not seeing that being a very big issue, just something little that would come up often throughout the marriage, at least initially.

Furthermore i see him being a big team player, and having the mindset of "we together". Idk why (probably cuz i've been rewatching himym for the 87th time) but this energy reminds me a bit of marshal and lily when they started merging into one person😂 i think this is something he would love. Ughhh how to put that energy into word?! He just loves being a part of a team, especially when that team member is the love of his life and he gets to build a family with them and be their partner in crime and their best friend and their advisor and their lover and their teacher and get to be their healer, friend, and much much more. U get what i mean? Also he's very easy to work and partner with, im really getting that strongly. (And immediately im getting the polar opposite of comparisons like changbin, han or chan (lol 3racha) that i think have a very difficult energy to partner with in general...different aspects, in different ways, but regardless even if they try and actually manage to play well for an amount if time, int he long run they fail, whilst I.N is just a natural in teamwork/partnership)

He's passionate, has a high libido, loves having sex, wants lots of it, is easily excitable and is good at it. Or at least like giving pleasure as much as receiving. His goal is cumming - for both. His all for the amazing experience.

Theres also a sense of childlike wonder here i think the relationship/marriage will be all in all very innocent and pure in nature, will flow easily without much turbulations and problems, again pure in intentions, communication, love etc. and i can see them becoming this middle aged and even old couple where both of them are still very young at heart and still love each other very much, despite being 80, u would think they're still in their 20s and just started dating (🥺thats so cute omg😭✨🙌🏻💗)

Now i literally have the death card and heard "till death do us apart" - idk what else to say to that, it speaks for itself. He has (will have) an undying love for his spouse, needless to say he will be loyal and faithful and have their back. He's ready to put in effort to progress the relationship, keep the spark alive after years, keep the love between the two, have a beautiful healthy marriage, keep both of them happy and just be a good husband, father, son and whatever else. Of course that would be most likely reciprocated, i hope so. But since thats the energy im getting from him i assume his partner will be similar.

[astroa3h]

Composite Mars in Libra

Blake and Ryan are the epitome of what we imagine as the “ideal” couple—good looks, great banter, and a picture-perfect family. But with their Composite Mars sitting in Libra, you better believe that all those smooth, Instagram-worthy moments might be covering up a whole lot of tension bubbling beneath the surface. Composite Mars in Libra is frustrating because it’s like trying to drive a car with one foot on the gas and the other on the brake. You both have desires, needs, and ambitions, but instead of going after them directly, you’re caught up in this endless loop of overthinking and second-guessing. It’s like, “Should I say something? Should I not? What if they get upset? What if it’s not the right time?” Honey, by the time you’ve decided whether or not to make a move, the moment has passed, and you’re both left feeling like, “Why didn’t we just do something?”

Now, let’s talk about conflict—or rather, the lack thereof. Mars is all about action, right? It’s the planet that drives you to fight for what you want, to assert yourself, to claim territory. But in Libra, Mars is like, “Ugh, do we have to fight? Can’t we just talk it out?” And while talking is great, sometimes it just turns into endless debates where nothing actually gets resolved. You both might end up tiptoeing around real issues because neither of you wants to rock the boat. The result? Resentment. Deep, simmering, passive-aggressive resentment.

You might find yourselves in situations where instead of confronting issues head-on, you both play this subtle game of one-upmanship. It’s all about who can stay the most composed while silently stewing inside. The problem is, this doesn’t just create tension; it creates distance. You might start to feel like you’re walking on eggshells around each other, never quite sure when something small will blow up because it’s been left to fester for too long.

In relationships, this can be downright toxic. You’re supposed to be a team, but with Mars in Libra, you might feel like you’re constantly in this unspoken competition—who’s more agreeable? Who’s more accommodating? It’s exhausting! And when it comes to decision-making, don’t even get me started. You could spend forever weighing pros and cons, trying to find a solution that makes both of you happy, but end up doing nothing at all because you’re too afraid to make the wrong choice. It’s paralyzing.

And then there’s the bedroom. Mars in Libra wants everything to be balanced and beautiful, which sounds nice, right? But sometimes it feels more like performance art than passion. You’re both so concerned with making sure the other person is comfortable and satisfied that you forget to actually let loose and enjoy the moment. The result? A love life that can feel a bit…meh. All the ingredients are there, but the heat is turned way down because you’re both too polite to really go for what you want. Composite Mars in Libra can make it hard to trust each other. Not because you’re dishonest, but because there’s always this underlying question of, “Are they just saying that to keep the peace? Do they really mean it, or are they just trying to be nice?” That doubt can erode the foundation of your relationship over time, making it hard to feel truly secure with each other.

So, what’s the bottom line? Composite Mars in Libra will create a relationship that looks perfect on the surface—like one of those glossy Instagram couples—but underneath, it’s all about unspoken frustrations, missed opportunities, and a lot of unfulfilled potential. If you don’t address it head-on, this placement can slowly drain the passion and vitality out of your relationship, leaving you both feeling like you’re stuck in a beautiful but lifeless partnership. My advice? Don’t be afraid to get messy. Stop worrying so much about keeping the peace and start focusing on keeping it real. Otherwise, you risk ending up in a relationship that’s more about appearances than true connection, and darling, that’s no way to live.

Blessings,

Ash ✨

Get your own reading at astroash.net

[trashc-anon]

hazbin hotel is polluting my mind so if I were the editor's intern: reco

• either stretch the season into 16 episodes or cut the plotlines in half;

• definitaly cut Alastor's screen time in half (if not more)

• make up your mind how much of the pilot is canon (especially regarding Lucifer)

• episode 1 is good as is, a soft reboot from the pilot without getting in too much detail and I love hating Adam, "Hell is Forever" is banger (i hope the music writers were properly paid and Disney learns why AI is a bad idea!)

• episode 2 is a problem, because Sir Pentious presence is only because of the V's, make that episode 2/2;

• ep 1/2 - Charlie and Vaggie leave the hotel to recruit; Sir Pentious attacks, all on schedule

• Charlie or Vaggie save some of the eggs from being crushed; when the "battle" is over, Pentious is cautiosly agrees to entertain their hospitalty; angel is untrusting;

• "Starts with Sorry"

• leave the Vs as unseen foes, and Alastor's only appearance is his shadow at the end of the episode (Overlords are mysterious unseen threat)

• episode 2/2 - Vs are anxious that Alastor is with the princess;

• see, the first couple of episodes make sense, but they take away from the girls and the hotel

• but "Stayed Gone" is sooo good! maybe use at a later date?

nevermind

• "Stayed Gone" is a fun song, BUT it doesn't make sense for Alastor, mysterious serial killer, to have childish rivalries; why didn't he kill Vox back when he rejected him and Vox got 'pissy'?

• either make Vox less pathetic or less there;

• soooo, episode 3/1 is would be trust exercises

• i actually liked Angel's plan with BDSM, he's not wrong and I wished he had the chance to be an adult that LIKES sex separate from the victim that uses overtsexuality as a defence mechanism

• each character could have their own moment to show what trust means to them; trust comes in different shades;

• between Angel and Maggie we see sexual intimacy and surviving extreme situations; Husk has issues with openess; Niffty with intrusive thoughts;

• IN FACT! actually stablish WHY Husk and Niffty are part of the exercises! they're not guests, Husk says as much, they are employees LOANED by Alastor; they're not there to earn redemption; *vague hand gesture in confusion*

• OKAY - Overlord meeting... ehhhhhh

• i still want to cut Alastor's screentime! whats the point of the meeting? screentime for the overlords, the dead angel (which we know, but main cast won't until episode 7) Carmila being responsible is important, we need to know who to ask for help, but ugh. I get its also, prelude that you need love to fight and win against angels, but its never stablished in canon, Carmila says it to Maggie to use as internal compass to keep her fighting beyond pain and fear; bloodlust is distracting, love is focused;

• my delight with Zestial being all dark and yummy need to take a hike for the sake of - what am i even doing any more?

• I can't help but think how much of these decision are also based on Voice Actor salaries; because Keith David (Husk) gotta be expensive and for a character that is literaly always presented he almost never talks; and just, ALL of them being expensive and ~ahahah better make fewer episodes if you want big names in your projects~

• ughhhh that's when you know a series has issues, when trying to fix you run into a thousand more problems;

• i would respect how much they put into 8 episodes, ONLY IF it's true they didn't know they would get season 2. Because in that case a bunch of these plot lines needed to be dropped, I don't care how fanfavorite the character is;

• the Vs serve no purpose what so ever, you can easily have Valentino as a lone villain (also less confusion about hells social rules about SA and abuse);

• Lucifer should've been the last big name to enter screen; work up to the trial with Heaven for S2E01 (why even a trial)

• just how PLOT heavy is this series that Viv needed Lilith's bomb to drop in season 1? which is a major inconsistancy for a series based on the theme of redemption, a CHARACTER heavy theme;

• as it is, i don't see how Sir Pentious being redeemed is a good thing, because he died before entering Heaven, so other souls need to die too and hope it's not forever? wouldn't that fuel Exterminators cause to kill in name of 'clensing'? (holy shit, the more I write the worse it gets)

• IS there an primordial EVIL to scare the angels so badly?

• omg I hope they won't try to bring actual GOD into the series; I know there is concept art floating around, but please, do not;

• Supernatural barely got away with it in Season 5 because it was a funny 'what if' and made it got bad in Season 10 (?) (no series should ever emulate Supernatural, its a warning I mean it, don't, not worth it, you don't have 10+ years of dead horse to beat)(the fans, me, stayed out of, idk, regretfull loyalty)

• my english is not good enough for this... KAY IM DONE NOW! BYEEEE

[iameliseposts]

Deafening - Diavolo x Fallen Noble!MC

In which MC, a noble fallen from grace is engaged to the future Demon King. The slander they hear behind their back is loud, but the silence in their office from being too busy to see Diavolo is louder.

So… it’s been a while… 😭 I’m really sorry for not being more consistent. I’ve been really busy with school and been in a writing slump. I’ll be trying to post more once finals end, so I hope you enjoy!

Bags under their eyes, MC drags the pen across the paper. Their study was eerily quiet, as it was most of the time. MC didn’t know what was worse, their family accidentally blowing up the study or having to work endlessly in silence. Their lady in waiting claimed it was silence.

“Could you all resist the urge to blow up my private study every time I leave?” MC asked, wrinkles forming on their forehead, “Or at the very least, not have this occur every week?”

“Come now! Isn’t the silence working alone deafening?”

Such was true this time. The sound of their pen scratching the paper wasn’t enough for their head. Their study was filled with papers left and right. Documents lined their cupboards and dressers. Scattered around, there was an accessory left behind by the fifth born or a pen gifted by the eldest.

They missed the vibrant sound of laughter after they got electrocuted by a suspicious sticky note by their desk. They missed the gasps and hushed whispers (which turned into whisper shouts) after certain people dropped some documents.

They missed the prince’s arms around their shoulders at the end of the day, dragging them to bed. They were stuck in their room for the past couple days, focusing on the paperwork in front of them. A dispute of sorts between two powerful noble houses. One was a side-branch of Mephistopheles’ house and the other was a prominent figure in external Devildom affairs. Ugh, they’ve been at it for how long? Yet now, this problem has become a serious issue.

The noble in charge of external Devildom affairs has been withholding certain goods from the other house, causing throngs of issues. Conferences between both houses have been heated. Hell, even conferences not about either house or external issues in general have the two houses arguing. And who got the short end of the stick? The people who deal with the aftermath of a group of petty nobles.

Worst of all, no matter how much work MC does, how much effort they put in, it’s always ignored. They’re just the leftovers of the more important nobles or so they say. Neither house were all too happy with MC taking over their problem, which pissed off Diavolo more than he’d admit to any noble. In his words, ‘Why complain about a problem, then proceed to complain about a solution presented in your hands?’

What could MC do other than work harder? They needed their social position to improve, so whatever could they do? They didn’t even have a debutante ball like all nobles do during their first step into high society. They was invited to gatherings, only to listen to nobles ramble about Diavolo. It was tiring, but nothing could be done because of MC’s house circumstances. And it was something they never could have controlled and never can be fixed.

Another document done. Too many left to go. All the while the sounds of the castle being drowned out of the room with the soundproof door. They’ve been doing nothing but eating, working and sleeping for the past weeks. They barely have time to go to the House of Lamentation and it breaks their own heart.

Even Diavolo has been busy with the same problem. He’s been in his personal study, dealing with this, the exchange program and probably even more shit. And while MC does understand; they truly do, they wish the situation didn’t suck ass. The emptiness in the room was deafening on MC’s ears.

MC barely registered the sound of the door opening as they focused on their work. Calculate these numbers, write this down, feel a warm presence on your shoulder… wait what? The hand on their shoulder gripped tight enough to make MC’s shoulders relax, but not hurt them. They felt their will to keep working weaken and wither away as their fiance massages their stiff shoulders. If only their work wasn’t urgent.

Diavolo bends his head down into the crook of MC’s shoulder. “You should rest, my monarch.” He whispers into their ear. “You have been working for long hours for several days.”

“I can’t.” MC shakes their head, shrugging their shoulders away from Diavolo’s hands. “I need to fix this situation as soon as possible.”

Their head hurt, like a burning pit within the depths of their brain. It’s the stress, it’s usually stress. Back to back long work days take a toll on people, even on demons. It was an ache that doesn’t leave with sleep and stayed for a while. Ouch.

“Now, this work isn’t more important than your health…”

MC believes he’s still speaking. They thinks so at least. They can’t hear him, but they feels his mouth against their ear. They feel light. Their head feels light.

“...care…don’t…”

Hurts. Hurts too much. The headache hurts too much.

“M… MC!”

Lights dimmed then went black. MC felt their body fall forward, but some hands held them up.

…

The lights started to flicker in rays. Slowly the rays multiplied, leading way to MC’s surroundings. Their vision, at first blurry and gradually becoming clearer, depicts Diavolo looking horrified.

“Oh- thank goodness you’re awake MC! I’m.. so thankful…”

His last couple words came out hitched. He held MC’s upper body up beside him using his arm supporting the front of their shoulders. MC noted they was still on their chair, meaning they blacked out briefly. They leaned back.

“Careful now…” Diavolo gently reclined them, cupping the back of their head with his palm.

“Sorry, did I worry you?” MC asked, massaging their temples harshly. Their headache was a bit fainter, yet persistent. How irritating.

“Worry me- MC you just passed out! Surely you believe you need the rest now.” Diavolo firmly said. It was clearly a statement rather than an option.

“...no.”

“MC-”

“No, I need to finish this.”

Diavolo stands in between MC and their desk with his hands on their shoulders, looking into their eyes. “I understand you need to get it done. However, running yourself ragged like this-”

“Is a necessity.” MC cuts him off, trying to maneuver around him to reach their pen. However they was stopped by Diavolo taking their hands in his. It would have been a romantic gesture if tensions weren’t high. MC’s headache intensified, spinning and squeezing, clearly doing a number on them.

“Enough MC.” His voice was completely serious. To anyone who didn’t know him personally, it would have sounded menacing. “You shouldn’t work yourself to the bone.”

MC put their head down into their hands, trying to blunten the pain in their head. “But I need to.” They felt the stress getting into their head, seeping deep.

“You don’t need to-”

“YES I DO-” They had cut herself off with a sob. The pain, stress, work. It’s day in, day out torture that hurts. They took a breath, hiding their face with their hands away from Diavolo, “If I don’t, neither House will respect me nor my solution.” They tried taking more gasps of air, but it ended out as airy sobs. “Then I won’t be able to take a place by your side. My name is disgraced, but I won’t allow yours to be as well.”

Diavolo stood there, listening. He was silent, but heard them clearly. They needed to talk and he’s happy to listen. He kneeled in front of them, placing his hand on their knee. He squeezed their knee, comfortingly.

He only wished they’d brought this forward sooner.

“..What about this compromise? You go rest for now,” He held up a hand before they could interject, “and I’ll go over it myself at the end. This way, this will be your work, but pre-approved by me.”

MC pursed their lips. “...Wouldn’t that be more work for you?”

“If it’s your report, I know it’ll be interesting.” Diavolo laughed loudly.

At least the room wasn’t deafening anymore.

[endcrman]

Allostasis

(Chapter 4)

As a general rule of thumb, Grian doesn’t do public servers for a multitude of reasons. This one hadn’t even made it onto the list.

TW for PTSD symptoms, Self-Neglect, and minor Disordered Eating (All of these very minor in this chapter)

Read the whole fic here. (Here for Ao3/mobile.)

-

Getting back into the swing of things was easier said than done, Grian quickly found out. Nobody expected him to be normal again immediately, nobody except for himself, which was enough of a stressor he didn’t need.

He wasn’t prepared for the effort it took him to not just start wallowing in bed again, every morning began with a fight to get himself out of bed. Most days he managed, others he needed a little help. He tried not to think about how when he wasn’t out in a couple hours, somebody was flying by and checking in on him, he tried not to think about how much work he was being for everyone else.

He didn't like being work, he didn't like being an issue, even if everyone insisted he wasn't, he knew better.

He knew if it weren't for the week he spent in bed by himself, he wouldn't be receiving so many gifted meals. “Leftovers” he was told they were, as if anyone had leftovers in this server, he was being coddled; but damn if it wasn't the best he'd eaten in months, even with the guilt that piled on with every meal.

When he could, he threw himself into his own work, be it fishing, building, or being harassed by his friends at the permit office. It helped him feel normal again, being able to pretend nothing had been wrong in the first place.

“Hey Grian!”

Like he’d been doing just now.

“How’s the fishing going?” Gem had come up behind him without him noticing, which seemed to happen often while he was focused on the river. Not Gem specifically, just in general.

“Lots of junk,” he glanced over to see Gem without pulling his attention away from the bobber in the water for too long. “Plenty of fish though too, you hungry?”

She laughed a little, sitting on a nearby barrel. “I think I’m doing alright. What are you fishing for today anyways?”

What was he fishing for? He already caught his mending book a while ago, it was just a good mindless activity. He shrugged, reeling in the next bite, a cod. “Good to get me out and moving,” he admitted, casting again. “Keeps me from wasting away in bed all day.”

Gem was quiet for a bit, which made him nervous. “I’m proud of you,” she said after a while, which made him scrunch up his face.

“Ugh, no, no serious talk,” he said, laughing a little to try and lighten the mood. “Come be normal and fish with me. I need normal.”

“Okay, okay,” she laughed right back, getting off the barrel to join him on the dock, sitting down to dip her feet in the water as she rummaged around for her own rod. “Let’s be normal together, whatever that is.”

“Normal for us,” Grian reiterated, soon realizing just how much his own feet were starting to hurt, just how long had he been out here? Eventually he was joining Gem, sitting cross-legged next to her. “So what’s your angle here?”

“My angle,” Gem repeated, reeling in and casting out again before she continued. “Why do I need an angle? Can’t I just want to hang out with my fishing buddy?”

“Nobody wants to just hang out with me right now,” Grian realized how bad that sounded as soon as it came out of his mouth, wincing. “I mean- that’s not-”

“I get it,” Gem interrupted him, and he let out a relieved sigh at not having to explain himself. “I’m not here to mother hen you, if that’s what you’re worried about. I just missed you.”

“Thank you,” he mumbled, watching as his bobber sank beneath the water, too distracted to pull it back. “You wouldn't believe all the attention I'm getting right now, it's embarrassing.”

Another successful catch and cast from Gem. “We all feel a little guilty for not noticing sooner,” she explained, keeping her own gaze focused on the water. “I can't speak for everyone, of course, but we're trying to make up for it, I think.”

“We're veering off into serious territory again, Gem,” Grian warned, though he did nothing to stop it, hypocritical as he was. “Don't feel guilty, okay? It's not your fault, it's not anybody's fault.” Just his own. 

She barked a laugh at that, finally tearing her eyes away from the water again. “Easier said than done, but I'll try. You'll just have to convince everyone else now. You know Mumbo's worked himself up into a mess about all this, right?”

He grimaced, reeling in his empty line to set the rod aside, laying back on the dock to look up at the sky. Yeah, he knew. “I'm fine now, obviously. He knows he can just come talk to me, instead of sending you to do it.”

“Hey! I came here of my own volition!” Gem scoffed, sounding teasingly offended. “My ulterior motive is totally different from whatever he's got going on.”

Grian quirked a brow, turning his head to look at Gem again, who had a grin on her face now. “Ulterior motive, you say?”

“Well…” She drawled, reeling in another catch before setting her rod aside as well. There was a mischievous twinkle in her eyes when she finally looked back over at him. “You didn't hear it from me, but I think my little snail friend has been missing her usual company as well.”

It was almost embarrassing, how quickly he sat up at the mere mention of mischief. “Aw, I'm sorry to hear that. I could probably pass the message along,” he hummed, resting his chin on his hand as if deep in thought. That didn't last long though, soon enough he had a grin that matched Gem's, far too excited at the prospect to play coy. “I wonder if they’d like to see just how much Scar’s train has grown since the last time they visited.”

Gem threw her head back and laughed, scrambling to her feet. “I’m sure that’d be fantastic enrichment for them, we should see what they think.”

Grian followed her up, groaning as he was standing again on his own aching feet, but he was too excited to complain, adrenaline already pumping through his veins. “I bet I can beat you there,” he challenged, darting off before Gem could even react and cackling when she finally did shout out behind him.

He could almost hear her footsteps in the grass behind him, her own laughter quiet compared to the wind whipping past his ears as he picked up speed. Scar’s build wasn’t too far from his dock, thankfully, but he could already feel his lungs aching. He yelped as he tripped, just about falling head over heels as he rolled the last couple of feet, sprawled out on the grass as the world spun around him.

“Grian!” Gem sounded worried, and her steps slowed down as she stopped next to him, looking down from above. “Are you okay?”

He blinked, the world finally settling around him, then he cackled again and the worried look slid right off of Gem's face. “Never better!” He wheezed, starting to push himself up. Once he was sitting and catching his breath, he fluffed up his wings for a second so the feathers would lay flat again, slightly askew from his tumble. He was sure he looked like a mess in other ways too, grass stains on his knees and elbows, wild-eyed and flushed, but he couldn't bring himself to care, laughing again as Gem offered a hand to help haul him up on his feet once more.

Hearing Gem's laughter in return, he felt lighter than he had in a long time. “You are ridiculous,” she scolded, snickering regardless. “If that was a fair race I totally would have beat you.”

“Pfft, what? That was absolutely fair,” he bluffed, crossing his arms, though the look Gem gave him had him laughing yet again. “Okay. Okay, next time it'll be fair. Snails now?”

There was a pause, Gem narrowing her gaze as she crossed her own arms, but soon enough her grin was breaking through once more. “Alright, snails now.”

The two of them definitely didn't do anything but supervise as the snails did their work, eager to harass Scar and his build yet again. It really was a beautiful train so far, Grian almost felt guilty setting loose base-eating snails on it. Almost. They were small enough that the damage was barely there, just enough to be annoying, which was always his goal.

He and Gem were giggling again when they finally parted ways for the evening, prank left behind for Scar to find later, depending on when he decided to return home. Grian had his own goal now, the time with Gem making him realize just how much he missed his other friends too. Even when he was actively trying to take care of himself he was isolating and he hadn't even realized it. What else was he doing wrong?

Instead of dwelling, he found himself outside of Mumbo's base, the Mothball or whatever— surely he could come up with a better name than that, right? Cupping his hands around his mouth, he realized how helpful a horn would be in this situation. “Hey! Mumbo!”

Mumbo’s face looking through the barred windows startled him, he was almost expecting to have to go on a server-wide search he didn’t think he had the energy for. “Grian?” His eyes widened, and Grian could see his mustache curl into a smile even from this distance. “Hang on a moment, I’ll be right down!” And he disappeared again.

Grian had to stifle his laughter as Mumbo all but fell out of the hanging base, a hand clamped over his mouth as he tried to keep quiet. He mostly had it under control by the time Mumbo was up on his feet again, suit rumpled and hair sticking up in all sorts of directions. “Hi Mumbo,” his amusement was obvious, even without the laughter.

Before anything else could happen he was swept up in Mumbo’s arms, the sudden action forcing a squeak out of him as his feet left the ground, kicking a little. “Mumboooo!” He wailed, the dam holding back his laughter bursting once again. He stumbled when he was finally allowed to touch the ground again, arms out to keep his balance.

“Sorry, sorry,” Mumbo didn’t sound too sorry, more for the inconvenience than what he’d actually done, mirroring Grian’s smile with laughter in his own voice. “I just- I’ve missed you is all,” his tone petered off into something a bit more nervous as he wrung his hands together, “Scar told me a bit of what happened.”

Those words were spine chilling, and Grian felt his face fall. “He did?”

“No details!” Mumbo quickly assured him, hands landing on his shoulders. “He- he told me you weren’t telling Joel either so-” Grian felt himself relaxing a little as Mumbo squeezed gently. “He told me that something… serious happened, when we went offworld. I thought that maybe- but I- you were-” He sighed, hanging his head. “I’m sorry, Grian, truly.”

“Oh, Mumbo, no,” Grian tilted his own head forwards, bumping foreheads with his friend. “Is that why you haven’t come to see me yet?” He asked, trying to tease, “too busy feeling guilty?” Mumbo opened his mouth and closed it again, gaping a little like a fish, which meant his answer was yes, and he just didn’t want to admit it. Grian sighed, pulling away a little so Mumbo’s hands slid off his shoulders, taking one of them in his own. “Come on. We’re hanging out, no guilty feelings on my watch. Done and over with, show me what you’ve been working on.”

Mumbo perked up at that, like he always did when Grian asked about his redstone. “Well, you see, since I figured out how to get up into my base, I’ve started working on a way to categorize and organize my builds,” he said beginning to tug Grian along to show him just what he was working on, gesturing as he spoke, “if you break it down to it’s bare components it’s quite simple actually-”

Grian almost laughed at that— simple, as if— but instead he let Mumbo’s words wash over him, nodding and humming as expected. He might not have been picking up on too much of the specifics of the redstone, but it wasn’t like it was something he’d be using himself, the time spent with Mumbo was much more valuable than any redstone engineering.

“—and you’re not listening to a word I’m saying, are you?”

The words Mumbo was actually saying finally parsed in Grian’s brain, after however long of just listening without comprehending, and it made him squawk in offense. “I am too! You’ve got a- um- it’s like… a modified passcode kind of thing,” Grian bit his lower lip, waving his hand a little. “Right?”

Mumbo smiled so warmly at that, and the nod he got almost had him celebrating outwardly too. “Did you guess that, or were you actually listening to me?”

“A little bit of both,” Grian admitted with a snicker, shrugging slightly. “Sorry, I just like being here with you.” He didn’t mean for that to come out as mushy as it did, but Mumbo only looked even happier at the confession, so he didn’t mind quite too much. “Don't let it go to your head,” he tried to save.

“Aw, Grian,” Mumbo wrapped an arm around him, pulling him into a side hug even as he pouted. “I like being here with you too.”

Grian huffed, reluctantly leaning into the other, his hesitance more for show than anything else. “Yeah, yeah, whatever,” he sighed, relaxing even more after a moment. He definitely didn’t stretch out a wing around Mumbo, and thankfully the other knew better than to comment on it, eventually continuing to explain the redstone in front of them; and Grian was actually starting to pick up on a couple of things. It wasn’t like he was clueless about redstone, he’d built a couple of contraptions at this point! He just hadn’t picked up quite the amount of knowledge Mumbo had yet.

“Are you getting tired?” Were the next couple of words directed at him, having Grian blinking his eyes open and lifting his head off of Mumbo’s shoulder.

“Huh?”

He heard Mumbo’s laugh, shaking him awake from his half-asleep daze, bringing him back to reality. “I asked if you were getting tired, but I think that’s answer enough. Let’s get you home, birdie.”

He scrunched up his face at the nickname, which just made Mumbo laugh again. “No, I’m fine. I don’t need to,” he protested, even as he allowed Mumbo to take the lead, undoubtedly leading him back to his base regardless.

“You’ve practically been sleepwalking the past half hour,” he sounded amused at least, rather than bothered or annoyed. “I appreciate the company, especially after so long, but you don’t need to stay up for my sake, G.”

“I can take care of myself, you know,” Grian huffed, falling in step with him, “nobody thinks so but I can, I’m a grown man damn it,” he wasn’t even mad at Mumbo specifically, he didn’t think he could be truly. “I shouldn’t have to be anybody’s responsibility.”

Mumbo was quiet, waiting for him to finish it seemed, because he only spoke when it seemed Grian wasn’t going to continue. “Nobody’s saying you aren’t, Grian,” his voice was purposefully even and patient, “but you’re going through a rough time, and we don’t want you to come out the other end hurt, or worse.”

He scowled a little at the thought, shaking his head. “But I’m fine now, I don’t need everyone babying me because they’re scared I’m going to- to-” He gestured with his hands, something he couldn’t describe. “-I don’t even know! But I’m not going to, I’m fine!” Even hanging out with Gem earlier, even though she had promised she wasn’t going to treat him like that, there was something unspoken in the air; and now with Mumbo too.

“Grian, I’m not trying to start an argument with you right now,” Mumbo rolled his eyes, Grian was sure of it, even if he couldn’t see it. He was being ridiculous after all. “Everybody here needs a bit of help sometimes, you just got unlucky enough that everyone else noticed, instead of just me or Pearl.”

“Scar and Joel and their blabbermouths,” Grian mumbled, kicking at the grass as they continued to walk.

“They mean well,” he was reminded.

“I know, that’s why it sucks that I can’t be mad at them,” he sighed, “everybody here means well. Bane of my existence, being cared for,” he snorted, even if Mumbo didn’t laugh with him that time.

“Grian…”

“I just wish you guys would tell me when I’m too much, I know I am sometimes,” he pouted, “I’ve been told before.” Mostly it was just when a prank went a little too far, and he had to help clean up and was told not to do it again. Which was just fine and totally fair, he just wished they’d do the same here.

“Grian, that’s not-”

“I wouldn’t get upset, even! I’d rather you guys tell me instead of working so hard to coddle me,” Grian cut him off. “Let me handle myself before I scare everyone away,” he sighed, voice dropping in volume as he crossed his arms tightly, almost hugging himself. “Sorry.”

Mumbo stopped walking, turning to face him again, and Grian couldn’t help but shrink even more under his gaze. “Grian…” Hands on his cheeks gently tilted his head up, forcing him to make eye contact as much as he was trying to avoid it. “Everyone’s trying to help because they want to, not because they feel like they have to. We like you, you’re our friend, and we hate seeing you hurt. I know you have a hard time accepting it, but you deserve it, okay? You’re not too much, and you’re not scaring anyone away.”

He wasn’t going to cry, he refused. He sniffled softly, looking away. “Okay.” Grian took a deep breath, eyes closing for a moment. “... Thank you.”

“Any time, G.” Mumbo’s hand found his shoulder again, just a gentle pressure that soon slid off. “Will you be okay tonight, when you get home?” Alone remained unsaid, though implied.

He opened his eyes again, meeting Mumbo’s eyes on purpose now. “I think so, yeah. You could always check in on me tomorrow, make sure I’m not getting up to any trouble?”

That made Mumbo smile again, easing the growing tension. “You are known to get up to trouble, true. I suppose I better put it on my calendar.” 

Grian laughed, finally starting towards his base again, checking behind himself to make sure he was being followed. “Don’t lie to me, you don’t have a calendar.”

“I could! You don’t know that,” Mumbo protested, then after a moment or two he sighed, hanging his head. “No, you’re right. I don’t.”

“I know you,” Grian scolded, snickering softly, he almost didn’t notice as they finally made it to his base, sun setting in the distance. “... No more avoiding me, okay?”

“I wasn’t avoiding you,” Mumbo’s answer was immediate, then he looked a little guilty again. “No, I… I’m sorry. I’ll be over tomorrow, I promise.”

He smiled softly, nodding. “Good, I'll hold you to that,” he hummed, hesitating before giving Mumbo a quick hug, pulling away just as quickly. Mumbo had his own smile back, and Grian considered that a success. They split easily after that, Mumbo headed back to his base as Grian made his way up into his own.

Honestly, he was almost too excited to sleep. He found himself in his bed too easily, comfortable under the covers, but otherwise tossing and turning, thinking about tomorrow. It was a little ridiculous, he thought, they hadn't even made proper plans, but he couldn't help it, eager for things to be like they were again.

He was finally pulled out of his futile attempts at sleep by his comm going off, notification distinct from that 

samgladiator: hey. i know youre ignoring me and that's totally fine and i get it, i promise.

samgladiator: but ellen found out i had your comm address and basically begged me to let you know they say hi, lol. they said they miss you

Grian's stomach lurched, and he quickly hit the power again, turning off the screen. No, he wasn't thinking about this tonight. He took a deep breath, holding it in. He hadn’t spoken to Ellen in ages, he’d wager it had been over a decade even. They still thought about him?

He let out a slow breath, feeling his heartbeat slowing just a bit, he hadn’t even noticed how much it had sped up in the first place. He wasn’t going to freak out, he refused. Grian took another deep breath, setting his comm aside as he continued breathing deeply, laying back onto his bed.

Tomorrow. This was all a problem for tomorrow.

[arcaneniffler]

Sharing my thoughts for Bridgerton season 3 cause I’m a hater

spoilers obviously i guess?

Disclaimer: i have not read the books but I have enjoyed both previous seasons more

Things I didn’t like (there’ll be things I liked too we just need to get this out of the way):

They tried to swamp in SO MANY side plots that I kinda lost the fact that this was Penelope and Colin’s love story?

Benedict and that random woman? I mean okay she’s cool but I guess it was unnecessary. Like it didn’t add anything to the plot, it would’ve been more interesting to see more about his artistic career but no, we have to see that he’s a rake (like every single Bridgerton man lol)

Colin’s Littlefinger moment? (You know what I’m talking about corporate can’t find the difference between them, they’re the same picture) wtf

WAY too few moments with my baddies Lady Danbury and Queen Charlotte

I just didn’t feel the chemistry between Pen and Colin, sue me.

Colin didn’t grovel enough. You can’t change my mind

Also Colin’s personality is… nonexistent? Like yeah did he get hotter? But did he have any distinguishable traits that weren’t “i have studied abroad and now I think I’m cooler than everyone”, “i’m such a rake lol” or “wow was Pen always this pretty?”

I didn’t feel the VIBES with them I’m sorry Colin could’ve done better😭

The WINK (deserves jail time)

The balloon scene was goofy AF. My girl had 5-8 business days to run away but she just stood there like 👁️👄👁️

Lord Debling nature guy just slipping down to her and spooning her like what’s that gonna do? Bro had 1 braincell and it was focused on those endangered birds

Colin and friends ™️ leaving everything behind to stop the balloon from taking off, then 5 seconds later balloon guy just levitating away as if nothing had happened? xdd

I’m all for Violet finding happiness but idk that guy just seemed random. Also something’s definitely off — other than him being a rake — cause Lady Danbury does NOT like him

The fact that it’s two parts ugh

Queerbaiting at its finest when we know they’re going to keep the book couples…

Things I liked (finally)

Penelope!! She’s so beautiful

Queen Charlotte’s wigs? Otherwordly

Francesca and her guy? My introvert babies

Anthony and Kate omg

The Featherington sisters were so funny actually. Like I didn’t like them before but they made this whole season better

Snow on the beach and Pitbull is the combo we didn’t know we needed in the bridgerton soundtrack

The fact that *the dream* was Colin’s and not Pen’s 🥹

Cressida and Eloise!! Most likely nothing will happen but I am here for the barest hint of sapphics

I also like Cressida’s redemption arc. She was an awful person but everyone deserves second chances and I think her friendship with Eloise is truly helping her become a better person. It was nice to see her side too, her conflicts about life as a woman and her issues with her parents. She’s still not an overly “positive” or “supporting” character, but I believe she’s on the way. I’d jump out of my window in happiness if something more than friendship happened with her and El🤭

All in all, part 1 so far was disappointing in my opinion. I am eagerly awaiting part 2, hoping it’ll make up for it and not let me down. I hope the Lady Whistledown reveal won’t be downplayed and Colin won’t be like “oh you’re Lady W? Whatever no worries idc” (although idk how it happens in the book)

What are your thoughts? Theories?

[random-imagines-blog]

Imagine dating the Lost Boys, and having sensory overload issues.

Multiple imagines below the cut.

David, Dwayne, Paul, Marko, Michael, Star.

David

It was just far too much. Too much everything. The blurred lights of the rides as they swung in the air, creating lines of neon in your vision that danced around. Music blasting from three different rides, all different songs. Shouts from carnies inviting people to play their games. And the smell of the cotton candy - it was nauseating.

“Have to go - bathroom -” You said quickly, unlinking David’s arm from your shoulders and ran into the nearest bathroom. Once you were in there, you were able to take a deep breath. The fluorescent lighting was not only ugly, but loud, with a humming. A couple of flies buzzed in the corner. You could faintly hear the music from outside still. But it all wasn’t as bad as it was outside.

You didn’t go into one of the stalls, fearing claustrophobia, so you just paced back and forth in front of the sinks, trying to breathe, trying to calm yourself down, trying not to start crying. A few others in the bathroom looked at you, gossiped while walking out. You didn’t want to be seen, why did you have to be perceived by anyone?

The door opened, an annoying creak which made you wince. And then the lock on the top of the door was dropped down, which made you entirely freeze. “It’s just me,” David said, his hair glowing even brighter in the harsh lighting. He looked somewhat concerned. “Too much?”

“Y-yeah,” You admitted, your hands shaking as you kept on pacing. You couldn’t stop yourself, your body needed some sort of calming action. It came to a quick end when David put his arm around you, pulled you into his chest. He didn’t give words of affirmation. He didn’t tell you everything was going to be okay. He wasn’t the talking sorta guy. But he did put his hands over top of your ears to block out the sounds. Gone were the flies. Gone was the music. All that was left was .. him.

It was very calming. The leather smell of his jacket was what you focused on. And the texture of it against your face. The blackness of it, and his hands over your hears blocked out two of your more overstimulated senses. You were able to calm down. Able to breathe again. Just focus on the softness. The smell. Your breathing grew more regulated. Your heartbeat went to normal levels. You lightly tapped his chest and he let loose the pressure he had against your ears, but continued to touch the sides of your head, a reassuring touch.

“Better?”

“Much. Thank you, David.”

He kissed your forehead, and put his arm around your shoulders again. You knew he’d pull you in if he noticed you getting overwhelmed again, and that alone was a comfort. For someone so cold looking, he could be the warmest guy alive.

Dwayne

Although the summer was the prime hunting time for the boys, it was the season that you hated the most. It was too hot, too sticky in your opinion. And you couldn’t walk down the boardwalk without someone in a bathing suit bumping up against you, feeling their sweaty skin against your arm. And you couldn’t wear long sleeves either, because they’d stick too much. Ugh, it was the worst. You took to wearing looser clothes than usual so that it wouldn’t cling, so you wouldn’t have to feel the texture of the wet cotton against your skin. It always gave you this weird shuddery feeling from your toes to your teeth.

It was affecting you particularly bad tonight. The nights were a little cooler than the days, but it was still just so - not good feeling. You joined the guys when they went out for the hunt, ending up at a small bonfire on the beach. You didn’t understand the appeal. It was already hot. Why would you want to stand near a fire? You wondered if you looked as miserable as you truly felt.

You felt a little tug on the back of your baggy t-shirt. It was Dwayne. He seemed to be the most observant out of the group, probably because he was the most quiet. He had more time to take things in than to think about what to say next.

“What’s going on?” I asked, as he continued to hold onto the back of my shirt, looking like he was amused with it.

“You’re uncomfortable.”

“It’s the middle of August, of course I’m uncomfortable,” I muttered. “I feel like a lit candle and my sweat is the wax.”

“How poetic,” He stated, making me roll my eyes.

“Where are you taking me?”

“To cool down.”

By that, he had apparently meant taking me away from the fire, the warm bodies all gathering together, the very warm breeze that wasn’t doing anything to cool anyone down, and bring me to the boardwalk. Not just anywhere on the boardwalk though. He went ahead and bought me a sno-cone.

“You know this is just ice and syrup right?” You said, taking it nonetheless. Blue raspberry. He remembered that it was your favorite, because there just was something so funny about the entirely made up fruit.

“That’s the point. Cool you down.”

He even sat with you on a bench as you ate it. “Are you sure you don’t want to join the guys?” I asked, knowing the feast would be beginning soon. He waved the thought away.

“I wouldn’t have fun knowing you were suffering.”

“That’s ... almost sweet.”

“Like your wrong-colored raspberry?”

“I’d say more.”

Paul

Paul was a generous sort of guy. He loved bringing gifts to people, especially you, because he knew that you appreciated it. It was the look on your face when he gave you something that made it so special. So when he bought you a t-shirt that he saw out on the board walk with a stupid slogan - ‘I’m with Stupid’, he wanted you to put it on right away. You agreed willingly enough - you planned on sneaking up behind the other guys while wearing it, with the arrow pointing towards them just for Paul’s entertainment - but it was quickly turning into a nightmare.

Paul didn’t really understand your sensitivities. And he often forgot about them because it was something that he didn’t understand. He didn’t do it on purpose, he didn’t want to irritate you on purpose - unless he was pulling a prank - he just didn’t always think. He didn’t cut the tag off of the back of the shirt when he gave it to you. And you didn’t want to say anything because he was just so happy that you were wearing it.

“Do you like it?” He asked, and then started to laugh. “Nooo - you love it.”

You would absolutely love it, if you couldn’t feel the tag rubbing against your skin, creating the most unwanted friction in the world. Still, you grinned, just thinking that if he were to go on a ride or get distracted, you could try to go into a shop and find some scissors, just snip it right off. “It’s one of the funniest shirts I’ve ever seen,” You cracked up.

Sneaking up beside Marco with the most innocent expression was the highlight of the night. Paul kept cracking up, and then Marco would look at you, and you’d cover the shirt with your arm or something, looking like you also didn’t know why he was laughing.

But because of this attentiveness, you couldn’t do what you needed to do and eventually, you couldn’t take it anymore. You wanted to just .. cry. It didn’t hurt, it was just so ... wrong feeling. Like why did clothing brands do this, it wasn’t fair. How did people not complain? You started to fall silent, sulky, your shoulders constantly rotating, trying to push the tag into a different place so it wasn’t lying on the skin that it so irritated.

Paul was paying close attention as you quieted down. You were usually his partner in crime. And he shot you all of these concerned looks. When he finally had you more or less on your own, on the carousel, your shoulder blades still subtly moving, he mentioned it.

“You hate it, don’t you?” He asked, his face fallen like a puppy. “The shirt?”

“No, no, of course not,” You insisted. “It’s really funny.”

“Then what is it?”

“It’s the - Paul, it’s the tag, I hate tags. That’s why I cut them all off of my own clothes,” I reminded him. Realization filled his face and he physically hit himself in the forehead, sweeping his hair out of his face.

“Well why didn’t you say so?” He asked. He came up beside you on the carousel, made sure that your body was hiding  him from others, and used his sharp teeth to tear the tag right out of the shirt. He spit it onto the ground and your relief started to flood in. It was like you went from wearing steel wool to cashmere. “Better?”

“Much.”

He’d remember the next time he bought you something, but forget after that. And you couldn’t be mad at him. That was just .. Paul.

Marko

What was it about the Summer months that made everything feel so much louder?

It probably had to do with the fact that you lived in a tourist town. It might be the murder capital of the world, as the sign said, but it also had the boardwalk which people flocked to during the hot and sticky weather. Riding roller coasters, checking out babes on the beach, eating greasy and fried food that should in reality be neither but somehow, through human intervention, became both. You hated the summer. You hated the people. The noise.

But you could never turn down the opportunity to spend time with Marko and the boys when they went out on their nightly walks and hunts. You didn’t take part in the latter, since you were still a human being, but the former, absolutely. You were regretting it now though, as you walked with Marko near the rides, holding his hand, squeezing it.

Kids running on the wooden boardwalk, their shoes making constant noise. The sound of dough frying in oil inside of the food stalls, bubbling, bubbling. The waves hitting the shoreline down below, crashing. Voices everywhere. Screams from the rides. It was all giving you a headache, combined with the warmth of the night and the crowding of people, those bumping into you without even giving you a first glance let alone a second.

“I’m - going back to the cave,” I said to Marko, stopping, my feet refusing to let me walk any further.

“Shit,” Marko said, rubbing the back of his neck. “That bad?”

“Just - wake me up when it’s the winter and everything is pretty and quiet please.” That’s what you were waiting for. Even if there wasn’t much snow, considering it was California, you barely got a sprinkle, everything felt so much more muted in the winter. The water barely trickled, the boardwalk was closed, people stayed home.

Marko looked conflicted. He was hungry. He needed to feed. But he also didn’t want to leave you alone like this. But it didn’t take him all that long to make up his mind. “I’ll catch up with you later guys, I’m taking y/n home,” Marko said. The guys just nodded, understanding, and didn’t let that stop them from continuing with their night.

Seeing as a loud motorcycle and traffic would probably make you worse, Marko scooped you up and then shot up into the sky, quick as a dart, flying you towards the cave, over the waters. You clutched onto him, but had to admit, up in the sky, things were quieter. You were escaping from the noise and your senses were thanking you for it, bringing you into a feeling of calm. Though the waves were hitting the rocks rather hard, the inside of the cave, the fallen down hotel, kept you at ease. Marko set you down upon the couch and sat with you, stroking your arm. “You good now, babe?”

“I’m a lot better. I’m sorry - I don’t mean to keep ruining your nights...”

“You don’t,” Marko protested, that cherub-like grin coming onto his face. “You could never ruin anything.”

Michael

Just don’t think about it. Just don’t think about it. Just don’t think about it.

Really, it was all David’s fault. Ever since he had tried to turn you and your boyfriend Michael into vampires, eating rice and noodles has become impossible. But Lucy had invited you and Michael to a Chinese restaurant to to celebrate your engagement. And of course, her attempting to be helpful, she had spooned some of the rice and noodles, along with other more appetizing things, onto your plate.

You looked over at Michael who had also turned a bit pale. A bit green.

“Thanks Lucy,” you said, smiling weakly, and picked up my fork. All you could picture were maggots. Maggots and worms. It was making you feel a little sick. At first you started to eat around it. And then you thought, well, maybe you’ll just disguise it with other things. You put a little rice with the orange chicken and tried to eat it but the texture. The way the sauce mixed with it and made it feel gooey. You tried to swallow it down. Okay, chicken and rice bad idea. Try the noodles. Noodles with the broccoli, that should work.

But your senses were going against it. The texture. The texture never got better. Maggots and worms, squirming on your tongue. You could feel it moving. You could -

“Excuse me,” You said quickly, getting up, napkin to your mouth, spitting the food into it as you ran for the nearest bathroom to try to catch your breath. To try to get rid of this feeling. Taps - you ran towards the row of sinks and started the cold water in a heavy stream, then put your face under it. You wanted to clean your tongue. Totally clean palatte. But even the water tasted a bit metallic. It wasn’t good enough.

“Hey, hey,” Michael said, coming into the bathroom, after looking around to make sure there was no one watching. “Look at me, you okay?”

“The - the fucking maggots, Michael,” You said, going into one of the stalls and ripped off some toilet paper. You were really going to start scrapping off your taste buds if this feeling didn’t go away soon. “I can still feel them -”

“I know, I can too, I came prepared,” He said, lightly taking hold of your wrist to stop you from putting the cheap toilet paper on your mouth. “That won’t help. Here...”

He took out a container of tictacs. The plain kind, nothing too overstimulating, like mint or fruits. He shook one out and put it right onto my tongue for me. I immediately began to suck on it, and my shoulders drooped as I started to feel better.

“I used to like noodles,” I said, grumpily, making him chuckle.

“Yeah, me too. We just gotta suffer together.”

Star

There was a lot going on at once. And by that, you really meant a LOT. The telephone was ringing off of the hook, probably another telemarketer. They’ve been spamming you lately, despite how many times you complained and asked to be taken off of their call list. The pot was boiling over on the stove, sending a mess of boiling sauce all over the stove top. There was a knock on the door as your neighbor was complaining about the noise. And the noise was your cat had decided to - yet again - step on the volume button of the television remote, sending it soaring high, and then freaked out and kicked it under the couch.

So there I was, reaching under the couch, frustrated tears seeping out of my eyes because of all that was going on, fingers outstretched and reaching absolutely nothing. I couldn’t feel it. I was done. I was too overwhelmed by it and I just laid my head down on the floor, letting it all happen, feeling stressed because You know you should take care of at least one of those things. Just one would make my life easier. Just hang up the phone or go thte tv and turn it down that way, which would take care of two problems, or stir the pasta sauce -

“What is going-” Star said, coming out of her bedroom and then noticing, well, everything. Including you being shut down, lying on the floor, my arm stuck underneath the couch, and the cat coming over to sit upon your back, thinking of you as the best pillow in the world.

“Help,” You squeaked.

Star was so effortless. And efficient. Once she saw what was happening, she went to the stove, and turned down the heat on the burner. She picked up the telephone and hung it up so that it stopped ringing. She rushed over to the television and pressed the power button so the noise shut off instantly and told the neighbors it’s dealt with and they can screw off now.

“It’s okay, it’s okay,” She said, kneeling next to you and ran her hand over your back, shooing away the cat who had started to try to make biscuits with your shirt. She pet you as if you were the cat, cooing you, making you start to feel safer, calmer. This wasn’t the first time that she had to do this. Nor was it going to be the last. She had a good voice for it.

“I ruined dinner,” You frowned, thinking about how much pasta sauce must be spilled over the stovetop.

“That’s what takeout is for,” She assured you. “I’ll go get our usual. Are you going to be okay for a couple of minutes?”

“Yeah, I’m feeling better now,” You said, sitting up and wiping floor lint off of your shirt.

“Don’t forget to turn the volume down on the tv when you start it,” She giggled, standing up, her skirt brushing past your face, the familiar smell of her laundry detergent helping you to feel even more calm.

“I won’t,” You chuckled a little, knowing you probably weren’t going to touch it until she got home and you could deal with it together.

[fangirlwriting-stories]

Afterlife Lessons

Masterlist

Chapter Four:

Phantom showed an hour and a half after school was technically over.  She and Tucker had spent most of the time he was gone in the living room practicing with intangibility, since Tucker’s parents weren’t home yet.  Since that was apparently going to be the biggest annoyance, and the biggest potential reveal to others that they weren’t exactly human anymore, they figured they should practice with that first.  There was also the other benefit of it also being the only thing they knew how to do right now.  Sam for one was hoping they’d get more powers like Phantom later.

When Phantom found them both, however, they were both taking a break and watching TV, aiming for a sense of normalcy.  The fact that they both had to float every now and then so they didn’t fall into the earth was making that more difficult, though.

Phantom appeared through the wall, looking relieved to be there, or maybe to be leaving behind whatever he’d just been doing.  But Sam hadn’t heard anything about ghost fights that afternoon, so it must have been something else.

Actually, when she thought about it, Sam had no idea what Phantom did with the time he didn’t spend ghost fighting.  As far as she knew, no one did.

She wondered if she and Tucker would find out.

“Sorry I’m late,” Phantom said, settling down on the couch so casually it caught Sam off guard.  But he leaned back against the couch with a long sigh, the kind you give when coming home after a long day.  “I had important, uh, ghost things to take care of.”

“That’s okay,” Tucker said.  “We figured you wouldn’t be able to be here all the time.”

“We’ve just been practicing,” Sam said.  “Didn’t get very far, though.”

“I’m not surprised,” Phantom said.  “It’s going to take a while.”

“How long is a while?” Sam asked.  “I doubt we’ll be allowed to miss that much school.”

Phantom snorted.  “No, if you had to wait until you could completely control your powers, you’d miss the rest of the semester.  We’re shooting for being able to control going completely intangible.  Your arms and legs are going to go intangible randomly for a while, but full body stuff is easier to control.”

Sam nodded.  “That makes sense,” she said.  “I have no problem causing it to happen, it’s just getting it to stop that’s the issue.”

Phantom blinked.  “What do you mean you have no problem causing it to happen?”

“Oh, we’ve both done it a couple times,” Tucker said.  “Still can’t make it go away, but it’s easy enough to turn intangible in the first place if you think about it.”

Phantom stared at them both for a second.

“Uh,” Tucker said.  “Is that not normal?”

Phantom shook his head.  “It took my friend a week to be able to control it in either direction,” he said.  “What did you do?”

“Uh, just focused on what it felt like the first time,” Sam said.  “It kind of just happened.  It wasn’t that hard.”

“Huh,” Phantom said.  “If it was just one of you, I’d say it was a flukey thing, but both of you did that?”

Tucker nodded.

“Then I don’t know what’s going on,” Phantom said, looking more to be thinking to himself.  “Maybe…” he trailed off, then shook himself a second later.  “Well either way, that’s probably a good thing.  Just keep practicing for now.  But first we should figure things out with your parents.  Since your parents—” he turned to Tucker and then stopped.  “At least uh, I’m assuming your parents won’t be back until later?  Since they’re not here now?”

“Yeah, they get home later,” Tucker said with a nod.

“Okay,” Phantom said.  “Then I think the best idea would be to call your parents,” he said, pointing at Sam.  “You know, assuming they’re home and all, and tell them you’re coming over after school and spending the night here.”

“Ugh, they’re always home,” Sam muttered.  “Whenever I’m there they’re constantly breathing over my shoulder.  I’ll go use your phone, Tucker, you cool with that?”

“Sure,” Tucker said.  “You know where it is.”

“Thanks,” Sam said, and headed into the kitchen.  She grabbed the phone off the hook and took a mental breath to prepare herself before dialing her home number.

She carried the phone towards the back of the kitchen, so she could talk to her parents without either Tucker or Phantom hearing.

She wasn’t expecting anything to be different than normal, but when Mom picked up with a casual “Hello, this is Pamela,” suddenly Sam felt her words stuck in her throat.

Which was the weirdest thing.  She’d lied to her mother about school and/or asked to stay with Tucker millions of times, what was different about—

The phone hit the ground with a clatter, and Sam glanced over to see the hand that was holding it had gone intangible.

Oh, yeah.

She was dead.

Sam shook the feeling off and reached down with her solid hand to pick up the phone, which her mother’s voice was coming muffled through.

“If this is a prank call it’s not funny—” she was saying.

“Sorry Mom,” she said, cutting off her mother’s voice.  “I dropped the phone.”

“Oh, Samantha,” her mother said, and Sam ground her teeth together.  “That’s alright sweetheart, just be more careful in the future.”

Well apparently, that’s about to get harder.

“Tucker invited me over tonight, I think I’m gonna stay for dinner, is that okay?” Sam asked, ignoring her mother’s comment.

Her mother gave a long sigh, and Sam rolled her eyes.  But then at least she said, “Alright, but be home before 9:00.  It is a school night.”

“Yeah, yeah, thanks,” Sam grumbled, and hung up the phone before her mother could comment on her attitude.

“Alright, that’s done,” Sam called as she started back into the living room.  Phantom and Tucker were both sitting talking on the couch, and they turned to face her.

“I got the okay for dinner but not spending the night,” Sam said.  “We’re gonna have to fake food poisoning with dinner or something for the sickness plan.”

“Well that’ll be easy enough for me, I’ll be eating meat,” Tucker said.

Sam crossed her arms with a glare.  “You know you can get food poisoning from things other than meat, right?  And even if you couldn’t, you’d just be admitting to my diet being healthier than yours?”

“I never said it wasn’t,” Tucker said.  “I take my junk food meat diet as a source of pride.”

Phantom snorted, and Tucker grinned at him a second later.

“Oh great, don’t tell me there’s two of you now,” Sam groaned, flopping back on the couch and lifting up her involuntarily intangible arm when it fell right through it.  “You’re a ghost, what do you even eat, anyway?”

“The souls of the innocent, haven’t you heard?” Phantom deadpanned.  “But uh, actually, that brings up a good point.  You’re probably gonna be hungrier than usual as your… everything… changes, but it’ll even out after a couple weeks.  But you are gonna have to start supplementing with ectoplasm, and as far as I know, that’s a permanent thing.”

“Is ectoplasm vegetarian?” Sam and Tucker both asked at the same time, though Sam knew they were likely hoping for very different answers.

Phantom laughed a little bit, and made a “so-so” motion with his hand.

“It’s not a direct comparison to human food,” he said.  “I’d probably think of it more like… vitamins?  With a side of energy drink?  It’s not an animal product,” he directed that part at Sam.  “And it’s not a vegetable,” he said, glancing at Tucker as he opened his mouth.

Sam considered that for a minute.  Finally, she nodded.  “Vitamins,” she said.  “I can live with that.  Where do we get it?”

“Don’t worry about it, I gotcha,” Phantom said, waving his hand dismissively.  “I’ll bring you some tomorrow.  How do you want it?  I tend to stir mine into coffee.”

“You have it too?” Sam asked in surprise.  “So it’s not just a half ghost thing?”

“Oh uh, nope,” Phantom said.  “It’s a ‘ghost of any kind who spends too much time away from the ghost zone,’ kind of thing.”

“We have to spend time in the ghost zone?” Tucker asked weakly.

“No,” Phantom said, holding up his hands reassuringly.  “No, you don’t.  That’s exactly what the ectoplasm is for.”

Tucker gave a relieved nod.  “Okay.”  He thought for a minute, then said, “Can I actually drink it in an energy drink?”

“Sure,” Phantom said.  “Sam?”

“Tea?” Sam asked.  “Or an Arnold Palmer if you want to be really nice to me.”

“You got it,” Phantom said with a nod.

“Thanks,” Sam said.  She leaned back on the couch with a sigh.  “You know, I think I’ve had enough shop talk.  You’re gonna be around a lot, right?” she asked Phantom.

Phantom nodded.

“Then I’m done with ghost stuff for the day.  Let’s watch a stupid horror movie.”

Tucker groaned.

“Tucker, you are a ghost now,” Sam said.  “You can’t be scared of horror movies anymore!”

“I don’t remember that rule,” Tucker said.

“Hey, cut me some slack and let me watch a comfort movie, I died today.”

“I did too!”

“Alright, you guys have fun with that, then,” Phantom said, floating up from the couch towards the ceiling.

“Wait, you’re leaving?” Sam asked in surprise.

“Well, yeah,” Phantom said, turning to her in confusion.  “If you’re done with ghost stuff, I don’t really need to be here.”

“Oh, right, yeah,” Sam said, shaking off the ridiculous feeling of disappointment.  She hadn’t realized when she said she was done with ghost stuff that it meant Phantom would leave, but of course he was super busy.  He had ghosts to fight and a town to protect, he couldn’t spend all his time helping them.

“Okay,” Tucker said, seeming to have come to the same conclusion Sam had.  “See you tomorrow?”

Phantom gave a tiny smile and a two finger salute before flying up through the ceiling.  Sam stared after him for a minute, wondering why that smile felt so familiar.

“Hey,” she said, turning to Tucker.  “We should call Danny.”

Tucker turned to her.  “I thought we told Phantom we wouldn’t—”

“Not to tell him,” Sam said, waving her hands.  “Not yet.  Just so we’re not hanging out without him.  Just because he’s not going through this too doesn’t mean we should totally ghost him.”

“Pun intended?”

Sam groaned.  “No.  I’m not Danny.”

Tucker laughed, then nodded.  “Alright,” he said.  “I’ll go call Danny.  Or whoever’s there, if he’s not home from school yet.”

“I’ll go make some popcorn while you do that,” Sam said.  “We can wait for him.”

“Ah, popcorn,” Tucker said.  “The one food we can both agree on.”

Sam rolled her eyes but went to go pull the bag of popcorn kernels out of Tucker’s cabinet.

“Hey Sam,” Tucker asked from the other side of the kitchen as he reached for the phone.  “When you say we’re not telling him yet…”

“We’ll tell him eventually,” Sam said with a nod.  “Of course we will.  I think Phantom just has to get to know him first.  Learn it’s safe.”

Tucker nodded, giving her a smile.  “Alright, let’s do it,” he said.  “Starting with your stupid horror movies.”

Sam blew a raspberry at Tucker and grabbed a pot for the popcorn.

Before any plans, a night with her two best friends and a cheesy horror movie sounded heavenly.

[astarryvamp]

Chapter 3

previous chapter || first chapter || ao3

Just his luck.

Astarion had been about to sink his fangs into a would be mugger when that annoying bit of magic dragged him back into the past once more. Now he was still starved and stuck in a forest in broad daylight. Anything worth hunting, in sheer size alone, was nocturnal. Now the question was; use up valuable energy to find a mere snack- such as rabbit or a squirrel- or bide his time until nightfall and get something that would, hopefully, sate his thirst before he ran into Halsin.

Shit.

Halsin.

He was so hungry he had forgotten for a moment that the magic of the amulet would make it so that Astarion would not be too far from the druid. That would not do. Astarion had a great control over his sanguine hunger, but it had been more than a couple of days since he had even a drop.

Ugh. Find some disgusting little rodent it was. Dear Halsin had best appreciate everything the vampire spawn was doing for him.

So, like a shadow, Astarion made his way through the forest in search of a snack. A predator in his prime moving through the trees. He would feel powerful if not for the feeling of phantom coals burning in the back of his throat. He’d put that feeling aside for now. Now was time for hunting.

There.

In the distance was a hare. Perfect. Just the thing to get him through until he could get his hands on something bigger.

Not a single twig or pebble betrayed his presence as he slinked closer to his quarry. So focused was Astarion, that he didn’t notice the beast stalking him until it’s body slammed him into the ground.

“Astarion!” Halsin cried enthusiastically from atop the vampire. If Astarion had to guess; he would put the druid’s age in the young twenties.

“Darling,” Astarion drawled narrowing crimson eyes at the other in an annoyed huff. “You had better have a good reason for scaring off my lunch. And giving me a tumble in the dirt.”

The laugh Halsin gave was deep and throaty. A very pleasant sound. If he wasn’t starving.

“Forgive me, Astarion. I caught your scent in the wind and my excitement got the better of me.” The druid rose to his feet and offered a helping hand to the vampire. Astarion stared at the proffered hand and aimed another stern look just so Halsin could feel exactly how annoyed he was. Infuriatingly, the smile never left Halsin’s face. In fact, he seemed rather amused that the vampire was staring at him, arms crossed and laying on the ground. Fair enough. It probably was an amusing sight. Still didn’t erase the fact that he was annoyed… and still hungry.

“Fine. Fine. Give me you arm again, you giant ox of a man.”

Once he was back on his feet, the druid clapped him on the back and gifted the vampire another wide smile. This young man had a roguish charm, in a way that his own seasoned druid didn’t. Astarion could definitely see why so many hearts had been broken by the elf.

“I’ve some rations in my camp not to far from here. It’s the least I could do after costing you your lunch.”

“Ugh, you’re enough to give someone tooth rot” Astarion scoffed, though a smile played at the edges of his lips, charmed by the other despite himself. “Thank you darling, but no. Stale bread and molding cheese aren’t going to help me with this particular hunger.”

Hazel gaze immediately dropped to the vampires lips and Astarion gave a sharp laugh. “What you have in mind won’t help me either, but I suppose I wouldn’t say ‘no’ once I’ve been situated.”

Oh, the confused look on look on Halsin’s face was delicious.

“If it’s meat you’re after, I do have some venison jerky as well.”

“Any excuse to get you’re meat in me, I see,” the vampire said with a sardonic grin. “Don’t give me that look, you know I’m teasing, love.” Astarion took a deep breath, carding his fingers through his hair in an uncharacteristic show of anxiety. He had always found it suspicious that, upon being freed from the goblin camp, Halsin never once had an issue with Astarion being a vampire spawn.

Of course, now in hindsight; he knew it was because Halsin had already been privy to that information. He wasn’t very keen on now being the time where the other had their tantrum, outburst or what have you. Astarion heaved a heavy sigh, practically stomping a few yards away from the other. He never pegged Halsin for the punching type, but then again, people had gotten away with all sorts of naughty things as young adults. Best get the space if he could.

“Astarion? What troubles you?”

“It’s not what’s troubling me that I’m worried about, my dear. I’m about to tell you something and-” another moment to sigh and give the auburn-haired elf a pleading look- “I just want you to remember that we are friends and we shall be friends for a long time. You may be cross with me, but please remember that you can trust me.” Goodness, he felt like a virgin about to declare their undying love to someone. Of course, only the undying part was correct.

“Wha-” Halsin took a step forward, concern evident on every inch of that handsome, freckled face. “I have full trust in you Astarion, certainly. Whatever it is you have to tell me, surely it can’t be so awful as to challenge that”

“Ha, well we are about to put that to the test darling. Of that, I can assure you. As it happens, I- I’m a vampire,’ he finished with a nervous giggle. “A spawn actually, but people usually feel the same about both.”

“A- spawn?” Halsin said, giving a chuckle of his own. “As far as jokes go, this is not one of your better ones.”

“Dear, if I were to play a prank on you, it would be a tad more imaginative than lying about being a vampire.”

“Spawn.” Halsin corrected with a smile.

“I know what I am, thank you!” Astarion snapped.

Halsin rolled his eyes and stepped closer still to Astarion. They were still an arm’s length away, but the druid didn’t step any closer than that. Probably because of the sheer annoyance on the silver haired elf’s face.

“If you are a spawn- how is it-”

“That I’m in the sun?” he said, throwing his hands out to his sides, giving a vague wave to the sky. “I have a separate condition giving me all sorts of useful advantages. I can’t say what!” Astarion cut off as soon as Halsin opened his mouth. “You’ll learn of that one in good time, but for now, yes darling, I am a vampire spawn. Despite me being in all this glorious sunshine.”

It would seem it was Halsin’s turn to sigh. “I don’t mean to question you at your word, Astarion, but this is-”

“Difficult to believe, I know. You know what, fine. Have a look at my fangs yourself if you need some proof.”

“You mean to bite me?” Halsin asked with a raised brow, not sounding the least bit anxious. In defense of his status as a predator, the other did not believe him. Not yet anyways.

“I ask before I bite,” he said with a scoff. “Usually. No, love, I’m not going to bite. I mean it quite literally. Come have a look for yourself.”

The larger elf stepped forward, the very air about him said he was simply humoring Astarion’s request. A warm, calloused palm cupped Astarion’s cheek. If so much wasn’t riding on this moment, he might have leaned into the touch. Instead, he stood there stiffly, crimson eyes watching a bit warily as Halsin’s own hazel gaze was fixed on the vampire’s lips. Ever so softly did a thumb trail over Astarion’s mouth; first his bottom lip, then his top, drinking in the vampire’s pale features. Finally, that digit parted his lips, tracing down his fanged canine. The taste of blood swelled over his tongue, the rich heady flavor almost making him moan before he caught himself.

“So, it is true,” the auburn haired elf whispered, drawing his hand back to look at the small puncture wound.

“Now, you see why some jerky and bread won’t help me,” he said not quite able to look at Halsin’s face. He wouldn’t say he was ashamed, but it was hard to look the other in the eye when all he could think of was getting a mouthful of the druid’s blood in his mouth.

“I imagine not,” he said simply, deep timbre soft, despite the news that he was friends with a monster.

Ruby eyes finally braved looking up, an already novel concept given the vampires own considerable height. Astarion found no malice, no fear, but more importantly, not the faintest hint of hatred. Slowly, giving Halsin enough time to withdraw if he wished, Astarion reached up to cup the right side of the other man’s face.

“You look different without your tattoos,” he said, voice barely above a whisper. And without the scars from the she-bear, but he wasn’t going to reveal too much of Halsin’s future to him.

“I have tattoos?” the druid replies with a tender smile. “What sort?”

“Spoilers, my dear. Besides, the future isn’t set in stone. You can do whatever you wish to your face. Provided you keep your good looks, of course.”

“You haven’t said what you planned to do for food.”

“Go hunting. What other choice do I have? I’ll find another small beastie to get me through until something bigger wakes up.”

Halsin moved to cover Astarion’s hand, warmth pleasantly sinking into the perpetual coolness of Astarion’s. “You- you won’t ask to feed from me?”

“Darling, I didn’t befriend you so you could be my meal ticket. You’re dear to me.” He wasn’t sure just when their bodies pressed into one another… but he wasn’t going to pull away. Not if Halsin wasn’t.

“Can you not control it then? Your hunger?” There was no judgment in his words, but, he supposed that’s was all the more reason to be annoyed. Did the druid have no sense of self preservation whatsoever?

“Don’t be absurd,” he snapped, narrowing his eyes at the other, although, he did not move away. “I can control myself just fine, thank you. But you, you’re just finding out everything. Who’s to say you won’t feel differently tomorrow? Or even an hour from now? You might not be so keen to have a vampire for a friend once the shock wears off.”

“Spawn,” the druid corrected, giving a small chuckle when Astarion gave him a stern look. Hazel eyes studied Astarion’s pale features once more. “You said we were friends in the future, Astarion.”

“We are.”

“Then why are you so certain I will have a change of heart?”

The vampire’s other hand moved to settle over Halsin’s chest, resting just above his heart, finding comfort in the strong, steady rhythm. “Call it; trepidation. Few know my secret, fewer still accept me despite it.”

Halsin’s face was so close to his own now, that the druid’s breath fanned over Astarion’s face like a summer breeze. “Why don’t you ask me how I feel about your secret, my heart.” Funny, how a little pet name could make his stomach flutter.

“Go on then,” he said, feigning disinterest. “Tell me how you feel then.”

Halsin laughed at the other’s theatrics and leaned forward until they were nose to nose, then leaned in closer still until their lips pressed against each other in the most chaste of kisses. When Astarion didn’t object, the druid held Astarion’s face in both hands gently, and went for a second, deeper kiss. It was a gesture so sweet that, for a moment, Astarion had to fight tears.

Who would have thought? The big, bad nightmare spawn moved to tears by a sweet little kiss.

Halsin opened his mouth-

What he had to say was lost in that bright flash of Chronomancy…

please reblog or leave a comment if you enjoy! if you would like to be added to tagged notifications for future chapters let me know <3

[frogiwi]

3, 6, 27 for ao3 wrapped !!!!!! blease 🥰

HI HIDEY OKAY YAYYY

3. What work are you most proud of (regardless of kudos/hits)?

i'm actually gonna go back to a tokyo revengers fic for this, partially because my bouba fics are all still a litle fresh for me and i think that makes it a little harder to be wholly proud of them and not have little issues i'm hung up on, but i also do genuinely think this tokrev fic was an absolute banger and love how it turned out.

how did it end up like this?, written for my tokrev rarepair week this past july! a pseudo hate-sex fic (it just didn't up as hate-y as i thought it would kdsjghs) where chifuyu, having realized both of the people he's in love with are dating each other and he truly can't have them, is drinking his sorrows away when he encounters hanma, who he can't FUCKING stand but who has also realized the object of his affections doesn't love him back.

god, this one was just SO FUCKING FUN. chifuyu and hanma are two characters who like.... i hate 100% of chifuyu's fanon and dislike all of his popular ships. and hanma, i only shipped with kisaki. so i don't think of chifuyu in a shippy way p much ever and i basically monoship hanma. but their dynamic is so hilarious because chifuyu (rightfully) hates hanma's guts, but hanma's just kind of like vibing. like he really doesn't care. it's just fun for him to mess with people. so i've seen this sort of instigating dynamic between hanfuyu before but i'm not into a romance aspect with them at all. fwb though? fuck yeah.

chifuyu is a fun and pathetic kind of guy and the best usage of him to me is making him miserable! so i had a lot of fun torturing him in this one by making him want to fuck a guy he can't stand.

ok i'm off topic again but in terms of why i'm proud of this work, i think it just ended up being very much exactly what i wanted it to be. it was the longest fic i'd written in a WHILE (but now has been surpassed 3 times somehow 😭 help me), but it doesn't feel long winded or overly drawn out. i hadn't intended for it to be the length it is, but i think it ended up really helping with slowly raising the tension between the characters, bc these two need a LOT of banter (and some drinks) to get comfortable together (mostly chifuyu).

i think after i started shooing them out of the bar and increasing the physical touch between them and getting them to hanma's house, there were a lot of parts in there that i am actually still floored by when i reread it and think "how the FUCK is that so sexy". ugh actually there are a couple parts from this fic i could've put for #29 too.

Hanma stops a few steps down the sidewalk, pausing under a streetlamp to pull a pack of cigarettes from his coat pocket and shake one out. He lights it with a hand cupped around the flame, the warm glow illuminating his focused eyes. The cherry at the end of the stick smolders a deep red. When Hanma exhales, smoke blows out of his mouth in a slow stream.

Hanma lets go of his arm and Chifuyu stares down at the slight redness left behind from the strength of his grip. When he looks back up, Hanma has his cigarette between his lips, running his hand through his ungelled hair in annoyance, his profile sharp in the moonlight. Shit. Why did that do something to him?

mmmm when i wrote the first one i was like. fuck that's a sexy description. for both of these, the image is just really clear in my head and i feel that way for the entire rest of the fic after this too. this was the first time in a while i had written something this intimate and sexual and remains, so far, the only explicit work posted on my main account LOL. i didn't decide to show them going all the way but i did write them doing foreplay and stuff y'know and i was like. really really pleased with how it came out. i mostly had been avoiding writing nsfw before this because it never felt like it was coming out right or i would get stuck. but now i kind of wonder if i have this fic to thank for my growing comfort with it and how much more frequently i've been writing things like this since then. thank you hanfuyu!

6. Favorite title you used?

OK THIS ANSWER CAN BE SHORT. YAY. ugh actually i have a few contenders for this..... i think i'm gonna go with "pretend it's the same". this is from the song how i learned to love the bomb by glass animals, and it's a song that's basically about loving someone who has a dark side, who scares you and hurts you, but who you're drawn to and love anyway. that's not what the fic is about, and the lyric, which is about pretending things are the same after an altercation or something like that, is also used in a different meaning for my title. i'm using it to encapsulate the idea of chihaya pretending the person he's cheating with gives him the same feeling of love and comfort that his actual boyfriend does. but even though the overall meaning is different, in the end, both the song and the fic are about hurting someone you love. while the song is from the perspective of the victim, the fic is from the perspective of the perpetrator. despite the difference in meaning, the song makes me think about chihaya a lot anyway. so basically, i've thought about this song and fic title a lot, and i like it a lot, so yeah.

my next fave title is "the remains of my wasted youth" which is from coffee shop soundtrack by all time low, and i just think its another fitting title/song for the fic. and lastly "eyes on the prize" which isn't a song lyric title, but just an extremely funny one to me bc i feel like it feels like a sports phrase but the fic is about like. one guy looking at the other guy a lot. KSJDHGKJS

27. What do you listen to while writing?

A LOT OF STUFF! AND IT DEPENDS! i think for most of this year, it's been stuff by unlike pluto! i like pretty much all of his music, but i think for like half of the fics i wrote this year, i was listening to the albums "ghost gardens" and "pluto tapes: volume 4" on loop. i like these for fics that are a bit more on the angsty or sexy side LOL as well as the album "nowhere" by friday pilots club which joined this rotation a few months ago. for fluffier fics it kind of depends 🤔 lately it's been a lot of the japanese music that chihaya listens to, by the groups awesome city club and alexandros. the ones i have saved have like a nice light rock vibe to em which works well for the lighter hearted and simpler fics i work on. if i'm trying to channel some chaos, i usually use my japanese music playlist which has a Lot of vocaloid on it ksdjgh. i think for a bit a while ago though i was watching no commentary animal crossing new horizons videos in the background while i was writing bc actual music was distracting me LOL but i stopped doing that already. rn i've been listening to the music i saved from last week's discovery weekly on spotify bc all of the songs on it fucked hard. so yeah idk it depends kjhgkjsdg

THANK U HIDEY <3

ao3 wrapped asks

[childofsquidward]

Books I Read In 2022 (and by read I mean actually liked)

Strobe Edge, Vol. 4 by Io Sakisaka

We can find the answer together. That's what being together means, right?

⭐⭐⭐⭐(4.5 STARS)

Oh WOW, I forgot how heavily this volume focused on SayurixDaiki! I genuinely adore their relationship and this was the first time they were given a chance to not only shine as a couple, but as individuals. I think their relationship is so underrated and re-reading the series has really made me see Daiki in a different light. I actually think I've only ever read this particular volume twice as opposed to some of the others that I have done multiple re-reads of, so this was kind of refreshing for me, weirdly enough. Daiki and Sayuri love each other so much and it's not the kind of high school romance that I would find myself rolling my eyes at because their relationship is one where they are open and willing to work through their issues with effective communication, which when compared to RenxMayuka is so bizarre because they're supposed to be this mature couple, but they don't how to communicate properly with one another. I also like how Daiki, who is so loud and goofy, was making the hard choices and trying to be practical whereas Sayuri, who is seen as the wisest and most sensible of them all, is all in and all she wants is to be with Daiki no matter what and wow, are SayurixDaiki my favourite couple? Damn, they just might be. (Shout out to Ninako for being the true MVP and quite literally knocking some sense into her dumb best-friend. I really wish we got more of Ninako and Daiki's friendship.) Also, I completely forgot this was the beginning of the Tsukasa/Manabu shenanigans, I love the little details that are so significant, and yet they're shown in this very 'blink and you'll miss it' sort of way. Manabu's heart is in the right place, but be a little patient and let Ren figure it out before you start plotting to get them together (I hate agreeing with Yū, but alas). Ninako and Ren are that couple that shares the exact same brain cell and you can't tell me otherwise. They're so in sync, like, Ninako's known Ren for a few months and she can tell something's wrong even if his friends can't. Also, Mayuka, sweetie, even DAIKI can see that Ren is probably one of the least mature people in this series, I don't care what the rest of you say.

(Can I just say that the pages of their "kiss" were absolutely gorgeous?! The hands? The leaves? The eyes??? Sheer perfection!)

Certain details that I wanted to point out...

I love how Ninako just lost it and straight-up demanded that Ren stay in bed. Him mentioning his shift was literally the angriest I've seen her!

These girls have no chill, Tsukasa did not hesitate to say that she would never be into Daiki and Sayuri took that personally. Ugh, just let us have an anime for more friendship scenes, that's all I want.

Wow, I'm old, I thought the scarf scene was in volume 5 or 6, my bad.

Kyo looking at their school work was so funny to me, like, same dude, SAME.

[acepandemi]

I'm currently in the grey area of "technically diabetic"/pre-diabetic.

Basically, my blood-sugar levels have been too high for a while, but not high enough that I require medication, yet. Diabetes type 2 runs in the family, half the people on my Dad's side (including the Old Man himself) are type 2 diabetics.

Every couple of months I have to get my blood-sugar and other stuff checked by the diabetic specialist at my GP's office. It's not fun but I want to talk about it anyway because y'all...

This woman is amazing, and I need to share something with you that she's told me.

I've struggled with my weight pretty much since I was 12, and all I ever hear is "eat less and excersize more", as if losing weight is easy and not a ridiculous struggle, especially with my mental health issues and disabilities.

Guess what most people said when I told them about being pre-diabetic? "Guess now you'll finally have to eat less and excersize more. Time to stop being lazy!" As if it's just a matter of will-power, mind over matter, yada yada yada. UGH!

But this wonderful woman looked me in the eyes and said: "I want you to listen carefully and remember this: This is not a personal failing of yours! Your blood-sugar levels going up is not because you ate too many sweets, and if we have to put you on medication (which we will have to at some point, be it in three months or three years) it will not be your fault. I don't want you to think having diabetes is a personal fault of yours, because it's not. It's because your pancreas doesn't work properly, and that runs in your family. I repeat, it is not your fault if you have to take medication for this."

And that? That was so important for me to hear. I legit almost cried.

(We still talked about lifestyle stuff, because eating healthy is important for many reasons, but she listens when I explain why I struggle with it, and focuses on what I can do and not on what I can't. She was also very interested to learn the word "fatphobia", and actually took notes when I explained about Autism and food-issues.)

(I never really had issues with my previous GP's, but seriously people, going from practices run by middle-aged white men to one run by a relatively young woman has made a pretty big difference!)