#there’s a ton from old ones I haven’t touched in forever

[water-writings]

Me not really active with fanfiction lately and still learning AO3, forgets there’s an inbox and realizes I have a ton of comments I never looked at from like 4+ years

[missnxthingg]

Mood Rings

Summary: (Y/N) grew up in the Hollywood scene, being the amazing child star that she is. But when Tom Holland steps into her life for a photoshoot, her whole career gets overshadowed by Marvel's Golden Boy, making her annoyed by him. But what happens when she finds out that Tom is her soulmate?

A/N: I know I've been absent from Tumblr, but I wrote this in class the other day and I wanted to share it with the world :) Hope you enjoy it!

Words: 4.6K (a shortie compared to my other fics)

Pairing: Tom Holland x Actress!Reader (Soulmate AU)

Warnings: Mentions of sex, a whole lot of sexism in Hollywood and swearing

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The Oscars were that one night of the year when tons of celebrities gather in a big theatre to award the outstanding performances in that year in Hollywood. For (Y/N) (Y/L/N), it wouldn’t be the first time spending the whole day getting ready to pose on the red carpet for the whole world to see. Being a child actress dotted with a lot of talent, she has always been in the spotlight, meaning she would always attend every event in the Awards Season. This year it was special: she had been nominated for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series at the Emmys. And while the award night doesn’t arrive, she’s been jumping from ceremony to ceremony as a publicity stunt to make her name appear even more in the media. Even if she doesn’t win that award, it was still important to take this opportunity to promote herself. That’s why she had been putting a lot of effort to get among the best dressed at the Oscars list.

Tonight she was feeling herself. Her stylist dressed her in a bold transparent dress covered with crystals that made her feel like a silver version of the tiny man placed on the Oscars statuette. She was getting some final touches in the dressing room before heading back to the green room when someone entered the door: the last person she wanted to see right now.

“Finally found you.” Tom Holland leaned against the door frame while he was wearing a fancy Italian suit that only added to his Hollywood heartthrob image. “You haven’t been answering my calls.”

“I’ve never saved your contact on my phone.”

“You know we can’t avoid that conversation forever.” He said, this time firming his voice in order to convince her. “We need to talk about our rings.”

“There’s nothing to talk about, Tom.” (Y/N) glanced down at the ring placed on her right hand where the stone was burning in red from anger. For people outside the two of them, that would be only a clear stone placed on a beautiful silver ring, but for soulmates, the stone would burst into the colours of whatever emotion the person that was wearing the accessory felt.

“It’s been a full week, (Y/N). You’re gonna have to talk to me eventually.”

“No, I don’t have Tom.” She shouted at him.

“Of course we do. We’re soulmates, for fuck sake!” He stated, making her fall into silence. (Y/N) glanced at the ring on his right hand that showed a faint colour of green, which meant mixed emotions. The evidence was clear and there was nothing (Y/N) could do about it.

In the world, everyone starts to constantly wear rings right after they turn eight, when they are old enough to know they shouldn’t remove them from their hands. It’s not like it’s mandatory, but not wearing a ring all the time could easily make you look like a freak in society. When you and your soulmate touch hands for the first time, whatever ring you wearing would immediately turn into a mood ring where only your soulmate could see the colours.

(Y/N) grew up touching a lot of people’s hands due to her strong presence in Hollywood. She would always shake hands at events and acting involves a lot of touching most of the time. But it wasn’t until she was 25 years old that her ring finally burst into a shiny light, meaning that the soulmate connection had been made - and it happened with the worst person she could wish to have as a soulmate.

Tom Holland was new in the movie industry, but his role as Spider-Man set him on top of the world where everyone wanted to work with him in Hollywood. Even though the whole world was in love with him, Tom didn’t end up pleasing the industry’s princess (Y/N) (Y/L/N), known by everyone for starring in a big drama movie at a very early age, making her one of the youngest actresses to be nominated for an Oscar.

It only took a small modelling project together to make the whole world force them into the “besties” position, and some of the media took a step further into calling them “possible new Hollywood it-couple”, even though they haven’t been spotted together ever since that magazine cover. She didn’t like that all of her years working her ass off to be the best actress possible was overshadowed by an industry newbie white man. And what everyone thought was a beautiful friendship was actually a big lie behind the scenes.

"Look, I don't wanna talk about it tonight." (Y/N) said. "I am nervous enough to be presenting an award and I don't want this talk to get in the way of my presentation."

"I'm staying at the Chateau and they always host the after-party there. Maybe we could sneak out to talk?”

“I’m just making a quick stop by the party.” (Y/N) said. “And I’m going home right after.”

“You know we need to talk, (Y/N).” Tom pleaded. “I won’t say it will be a quick conversation because it won’t. But I think the sooner we do it, the better.”

“Not tonight. I’m sorry.” (Y/N) excused herself to go to the green room, where everyone who would step on stage tonight was waiting for their turn while sipping on their drinks and eating canapé. Tom popped in the room a few seconds later only to catch her by the bar. “Stop following me.”

“I’m not. I’m just presenting the award after yours.” He sighed. “And since you won’t talk to me, I’ll get myself a drink to wash all the tenseness away from my body.”

(Y/N) looked at the ring placed on his right hand, painted in black, meaning he was stressed and anxious. She felt bad for him, knowing he was going through a lot at that moment. But once again, her own ring was painted black - and it only got deeper the closer it got to her time to step on stage. Although she didn’t have to be worried at all considering she did great up there, getting her to be on top of the trending topics during a big night for Hollywood. Her PR team would be proud.

After she left the stage, (Y/N) went straight out of the green room to join a few friends in the crowd just to enjoy the rest of the ceremony for once, which meant she didn’t meet Tom after going on stage. Her strategy didn’t work very well since Tom appeared a few minutes later to present Best Original Song, taking a quick glance towards her, who was sitting at the front table. Luckily, no one noticed them exchanging glances all night

“Ready to go?” (Y/N)’s stylist asked once Best Picture was finally presented, meaning that the ceremony had come to an end. She simply nodded and said a few ‘see you at the afterparty” to a few people. Her conversation with Tom set her mood down, but she wouldn’t let him ruin the opportunity of getting the spotlight for her.

Her stylist prepared an extra dress that was more comfortable and just as beautiful as her Oscar dress. This time she showed up in a gorgeous midi dark pink dress that grabbed everyone’s attention as she walked by - including her soulmate’s, who was standing by the entrance just to see her arrive. (Y/N) could see from far away that his ring was shining in pink, which meant “love”. She tried to ignore it, but her ring was still black due to anxiety.

(Y/N) got to take a few pictures, did a few interviews before going into the event. As always, she had a casual small talk with most of the people around. Those parties were a great way to make connections and do your own network. That’s how she got a few of her Hollywood jobs through the years. But as the clock got closer to one in the morning, all she wanted was to sneak out of the party to go home.

“You look beautiful, by the way.” A voice she could recognize from anywhere commented, making her turn around to meet Tom with two glasses of whisky in hands. “I got for us both. Fancy one?”

“Actually, I won’t decline it.” She took the glass from his hand, taking a big gulp right after. “What a fucking night.”

“Pretty boring, isn’t it?” Tom shrugged. “As a kid, I thought the Oscars were magical. I’ve always wanted to attend. But it looks like it’s just a place where people from the film industry get to be pretentious.”

“It’s full of shit, right?” She asked with a frown. “I remember a stupid lady saying I wasn’t skinny enough to fit in the dress I was wearing to my first Oscars. I was only 9.”

“I guess the industry hasn’t been kind to you.”

“Not even once.” She sighed. “I’ve been working my ass off for years now and they reduced me to ‘Tom Holland’s allegedly new affair’. Awesome.”

“I despise how the media treats you,” Tom said. “And it’s bad that it got in the way of a potential friendship.”

“You don’t get to be nice. Not tonight.” (Y/N) shook her head and exited to the balcony, where she could have some fresh air to breathe. Tom followed her shortly after.

“I wanna go to my room.” He said. “And I think you should come with me.”

“I’m tired.”

“No, you’re not.” He said. “Look, my family is staying in their own room, so I have the place all to myself.”

“I have my own place, Tom.”

“Please.” Tom tried to hold her hand once again, but she took a step back. “I’m sorry.”

(Y/N) knew she couldn’t avoid that conversation forever, especially when she saw Tom’s ring changing from light green to blue, meaning was starting to feel sad. He watched her own ring turn green as her eyes softened in front of him. What was once black started to show hints of life right in front of him.

“Alright, but you’re sneaking food into your room. I’m starving.”

Tom led (Y/N) up to his room in just a few seconds, the loud music being left behind just to have a quiet place to talk. He was staying on the other side of the building, where the party seemed to be very far away. Since he was staying alone in a room, it wasn’t a big one. Still, it had enough luxury and space that any celebrity could need.

“You must be really uncomfortable in this dress,” Tom commented once the door closed. “You can borrow some of my clothes.”

“Not planning on staying long.” She said and Tom rolled his eyes.

“You’re staying the night, you idiot.” He said before tossing her one of his boxers and a shirt.

“God, you annoy me.” (Y/N) took a seat at his room’s dining table to try reaching for her heels, but the amount of fabrics was keeping her from getting to her feet. Tom finished removing his tie to kneel down and help her with the shoes. “Thank you.”

“Stop being stubborn,” Tom said as he took a seat next to her. “I don’t know why you are always like this with me. I didn’t do anything to you.”

“You know why we have this… between us. I used to be one of the youngest actresses to be nominated for an Oscar and now I’m reduced to Spider-Man’s possible new girlfriend. Guess what they are going to talk about us in the morning? About our performances on stage or a blind item about us sneaking to your room at the afterparty?”

“Yeah, I think you’re right.” He sighed. “But look, we know what we are. I don’t think we can ignore each other for much longer. Because I don’t know about you, but I can’t stop thinking about you ever since our hands touched.”

Tom was anxious. His ring turned into a dark shade of blue, almost turning black. (Y/N) wasn’t very far from that shade either. To say they were both nervous was an understatement, after all, it’s not every day that you meet your soulmate.

“Aren’t you scared?” (Y/N) asked him. “I mean, it’s scary to see your ring shine for the very first time.”

“I’ve never been more scared in my life.” He admitted. “I thought it would never happen to me because everyone around me had met their soulmates. But I don’t know, when our hands touched, it all made sense.”

“I guess I was angry that it was you. At least at first.” (Y/N) said. “And it triggered my anxiety as well. Every time I started to hang out with someone, the media would come all over me to ask if we were soulmates. I knew I wasn’t a match to any of them, but we were all just having fun. I didn’t want to take it to the public eye.”

“I guess you’re always harassed by the media. More than me, at least.”

“It’s all downhill when you’re a woman in Hollywood, Tom.” She sighed. “Yeah, it sucks most of the time. But my love for acting makes it all worth it.”

“I know what that is like.” He nodded in agreement and watched (Y/N) get up to see herself in front of a mirror.

“Zip me down, please.” She asked as she looked at him over the shoulder. Tom gulped but was quick to get to her. His hands flew to the zipper on her back where he slowly pulled them down. (Y/N) held the dress to her body and nodded as a ‘thank you’ before excusing herself to the bathroom to change. Tom just couldn’t believe how cold she could be around him, especially now that they both knew they were soulmates.

“I have micellar water in the bathroom if you want to remove the makeup.” Tom shouted.

“You have a full skincare routine in here.” She shouted back as her eyes went through all the products placed over the sink.

“I’m an actor, darling. I use makeup and I need my face to be perfect for the next day.” He said. “Are you dressed?”

“Yes, you can come in.” She opened the door for him and Tom already had his shirt unbuttoned, ready to be taken off.

“And skincare routines are like… really nice.” He smiled at her. “We should do face masks.”

“You have one?”

“Lucky enough, I have two.” He winked at her before taking two cotton pads and wetting them with micellar water.

“What a prepared boy.” She smiled at him, the first smile she genuinely showed all night. “I was mentally cursing you for not letting me go home to my skincare, but apparently you even have serums.”

“My makeup artist bought it for me. I have them, but normally I sleep too much and don’t have time to use them.” He admitted. “But it’s all yours, love.”

“Love? That’s new.” She commented. “You normally only call people the infamous British ‘darling’, right?”

“Yeah, but you’re not just anyone.” Tom shrugged. “I have to admit, I don’t know how to start the conversation we need to have.”

“I don’t know either.” (Y/N) agreed with a nod before turning to the mirror to remove the rest of her makeup.

“I mean, I thought I was one of those rare people that didn’t have a soulmate.”

“Me too.” He agreed. “Because I turned 25 and I saw everyone around me enjoying their life alongside their soulmates, but in a sea of people and a lot of amazing things, I didn’t have anyone to share.”

“I guess I felt the same. I think growing up as a child star made my life very lonely and I have only a few people that I trust and that I get to feel comfortable to be around. So seeing everyone I loved with a soulmate only made me lonelier.”

“We don’t have to feel lonely anymore." Tom said before pumping the cleanser one time on his hand and another one on (Y/N)'s.

"This cleanser is the best! I used to have a lot of acne growing up, but this totally changed my life."

"I use this one too." (Y/N) said. "Did you know I lost a role because of acne once? The director said my skin had to be flawless because the character was supposed to be a lady."

"What a whole lot of bullshit." Tom frowned in anger. "I played Spider-Man with acne on Homecoming."

(Y/N) shrugged before bending on the sink to rinse her face. Tom waited for her to come back with a towel in his hands, which she thanked with a smile.

"Yeah, I feel like the director did me a huge favour by taking me off the movie. The girl that got my role said he was very abusive on set." (Y/N) said as Tom rinsed his own face. "But I guess that's a trauma, you know? I had a lot of insecurities because of that one audition."

"Well, I think you are beautiful just the way you are." Tom kissed her cheek right after he came up from the sink. (Y/N) immediately cracked a smile at the gesture.

"We learned more about each other in half an hour than in five years of knowing each other."

"I like that already." Tom said before turning to get two face masks - one for him and another for her. "This is supposed to detox your face. And I have four pads for the eyes as well."

"I love a prepared man." (Y/N) giggled before ripping the package open. Both of them placed the masks on their faces and laughed at each other once they were done.

"We need to take a picture of us." Tom immediately popped his phone and (Y/N) leaned into his shoulder so he could take a photo in the mirror.

"Send it to me afterwards." She said to him. "I wanna remember this."

"You do?" He frowned with a smile on his face.

"Of course, you're my soulmate after all." That was the first time she ever admitted he was her soulmate out loud and it made both of them euphoric. Were things finally falling into place?

"I like you, (Y/N)." Tom said. "I know we have a long way to go and that we never really got along, but I've always liked you."

"I guess I like you too, Holland." She smiled at him. "I'm sorry for all the fighting over the years."

"Don't worry about it." He shrugged. "We have plenty of time now, don’t we?”

“I guess.” She shrugged. “Do you have anything to eat?”

“I have pizza leftovers from last night and a microwave to heat it up,” Tom suggested. “But we can always call the front desk to ask for food.”

“Nah, I just want something quick.” (Y/N) opened the mini-fridge and popped some pizza out of there. She was quick to put two slices in the microwave so they could share. “Can I take a can of soda?”

“Of course you can. Get one for me too, love.” Tom said as he prepared the bed for sleeping. “Do you want me to sleep on the couch?”

(Y/N) looked back at the bed, which was definitely bigger than the one she has back home, and shrugged. “I think it’s big enough for us. We have to get used to it, don’t we?”

“You talk as if we’re obligated to be with each other,” Tom said, now setting the pleasant mood down with just a few words.

“Well, isn’t it the whole concept of soulmates? You just have to accept that they are meant to be with you?”

“Soulmates don’t need to be this artificial.” Tom sighed. “They have an instant bond, a natural connection. They shouldn’t feel obligated to be with each other.”

“Tom, I really don’t want to fight right now.” She said. “I know we have a lot of issues and we still need to work this through conversation, but I had a long night. I’m sorry if I’m treating this like it’s an obligation, it’s just… so new to me.”

Tom closed his eyes and took a deep breath before nodding. Judging by the colour of his ring, he was very stressed. “You’re right, yeah. Sorry.”

Instead of saying anything, (Y/N) left the pizza in the microwave to give him a tight hug. She watched his dark ring turn into a pink and blue-ish colour, meaning he felt both loved and relaxed. Her own ring matched his colours and it was the very first time it showed any of those colours.

“Thank you for this.” He whispered in her ear. “I really, really want this to work. Because you’re special (Y/N), and I’ve known that for a while.”

“I know Tom. Just, give us a little more time, alright?” She pulled back, her hands never leaving his neck, just to see his face. He smiled before nodding at her words.

“More time. Yeah, I can do that.”

One year later

“(Y/N), wait for me.” Tom called from behind her through the current mess of Dolby Theatre during the Oscars. She stopped her walk just to see what he had to say. Just like a year ago, Tom’s ring was painted black for anxiety and stress.

“What’s wrong with you?” She frowned as her hand immediately flew to the one who held his ring.

“I’m nervous about the award.” He admitted. This had been the first time he had ever been nominated for an Oscar, let alone for Best Actor. Tom had been shitting himself ever since he found out he was nominated.

“You’re gonna be just fine.” She pulled him into a hug and his muscles immediately relaxed under her touch. Once again, as every time (Y/N) touches him, his ring turned blue with a faint hint of pink. “I’m already so proud of you.”

“Thank you, love.”

It had been one year since they shared a hotel room at the Chateau Marmont to talk about them being soulmates. Ever since then, a lot happened between (Y/N) and Tom. They became close friends, trying to build the best relationship after years of hatred. Now they were best friends who were very much in love with each other, but they were just waiting for the right time to take this to the next level. Both knew they were meant to be together, but the best part of starting to like someone is the butterflies in their stomach. They didn’t want to skip that.

So that means they never kissed, not even once. Although, (Y/N) and Tom have been inseparable lately, they just couldn’t have their first kiss right before leaving for work in the morning or drunk in the club late at night. They talked it through and they had their entire life to just be with each other, so it could wait until the universe said it was time.

But maybe both of them couldn’t resist for much longer.

“Will you sit with me?” Tom asked her, who this time was only attending the event as his guest. Last year she won the Emmys, but this year she was taking a break to focus on the following season for the show that took her name to television glory.

“Of course.” She nodded and Tom helped her get to the table.

People and the media were starting to get more and more suspicious about them being soulmates. Not only they were seen hanging out together all the time, a fan caught them one night playing with each other’s ring as they shared dinner to celebrate Tom’s Oscars nomination. After that photo went viral, people just couldn’t leave them alone. And maybe attending the red carpet together didn’t help the rumours at all.

But (Y/N) looked stunning, even if this was supposed to be Tom’s night. He was dressed in a double-breasted Prada black suit that made the perfect contrast with her champagne satin dress, which kept her outfit simple and classy, perfect for the Oscars. He thought she looked as beautiful as she ever does and he wanted to show everyone that that was his soulmate - even though they were taking things slow. And just to close the whole look, Tom gave her a brand new ring that has been shining in purple for adoration ever since he put it on her finger.

Both of them had a great time commenting on the ceremony, making bets about the winners and cursing the Academy every time a good movie lost an award. But as the night was coming to an end, the closer it got to the Best Actor category. As they read all the nominees' names, Tom searched for (Y/N)’s hand under the table and she gave him tight squeezes to calm him down.

“And the Oscar goes to…” Uma Thurman, who had been invited to present the award, started. “Tom Holland.”

Tom felt so relieved that the first thing he did was pull (Y/N) into a sweet and brief kiss, the first one they ever shared. It caught her by surprise, but she wasn’t mat at all. Actually, she very much liked it. After that, Tom was greeted by a few of his cast members and family before heading up to the stage to receive the award. He was on the verge of tears and (Y/N) was the only one who could see his ring shining green for mixed feelings.

“I’m still a little bit stunned by this.” He breathed out as he held the award in his hands. “Because little Tom would never imagine he would one day be standing on this stage to receive such an honour as an Oscar. I have a lot of people to thank and I am grateful for everything all of them have done for me over my career. But the work that got me this award couldn’t have been done without the help and support of my beautiful soulmate. (Y/N), I love you. This award is for both of us.”

The whole crowd broke into laugh claps and cheerings for Tom, but (Y/N) was too stunned to speak. She only arched her brows and smiled at him, reassuring him that it was fine. He continued to thank a few other people on the cast and crew, never forgetting his family as well, before coming down from the stage. (Y/N) immediately got up from her seat to meet him in the green room before they presented Best Picture.

Tom, who was being congratulated by a few people around, dropped the conversation he was having with Uma Thurman just to hug (Y/N). They stood quiet for a few seconds, just enjoying each other’s embrace.

“You’re crazy.” She whispered in his ear.

“I know.” He giggled. “But I just couldn’t help myself.”

“The whole world knows about us now.” (Y/N) said and Tom shrugged. “You kissed me for the first time in front of the whole world.”

“I wanted to make this night unforgettable.” He admitted. “And it will always be the best night of my life.”

“I love you, Oscar Winner Tom Holland.”

“I love you too, Emmy Winner (Y/N) (Y/L/N).” He kissed her one more time before quickly pulling back, searching for two glasses of champagne to make a toast. “To happy years in our relationship and to many more awards.”

“And to us and every step we take from now on.”

“To us.”

[spxllcxstxr]

Teaching a Moderately Old Dog New Tricks • S.B

(Gif not mine)

Request: could you do a older sirius x younger (tonks' age) reader, maybe he's in denial about liking her because he thinks he's too old but she doesn't think that way. — @msmb

Summary: The man you fancy has been avoiding you. Tonks gives you an idea.

Warnings: alcohol consumption, mention of cigarettes, kissing, older man/younger woman (but reader is Tonks’ age), light mention of remadora (does that need a warning?), Sirius is a bit self deprecating, heated make out, Moody’s all seeing eye

Word Count: 1.6k

A.N: Inspiration hit at 1am. Uhhh Kissing can either be well written or extremely cringe. I can’t tell what category my kissing is in, so possibly sorry in advance? OotP Sirius is so hot and I will love him forever. Hope you guys enjoy. Love you all❤️

****

“So how’re you and Sirius?” Tonks asks, her hair a violent shade of violet as she swings her legs over the arm of the couch at Grimmauld Place. She takes a sip of her daisyroot draught, excited for any news.

“I don’t know.” You respond, swirling your own goblet in your hand. “How’re you and Remus?”

You smirk as she almost chokes at the mention of the man of her dreams.

“I asked you first.” She shoots back after her coughing fit goes away.

“You’re annoying.” You take another sip.

“Cry about it.” Tonks huffs. “But don’t change the subject.”

“Merlin, I wish I had an answer for you.” Groaning, you run a hand through your hair. “He seems to be pulling away from me, yet again.”

“Ugh, men.” Tonks mimes a fake gag.

“I mean, he pulls me into a broom closet for a quick snog and now he won’t even stay in the same room as me!” You cry out.

The draught is sweet in your mouth as you down the rest of your goblet. “‘Ugh, men’ is right. I will never understand them.”

“At least you get a snog.” Tonks retorts. “Remus barely grazes my fingertips passing me a piece of parchment and suddenly he’s all pink and avoiding me for weeks.”

“Are they that daft, or are we just shit at flirting?” You pour yourself some more daisyroot draught.

The murky pink of the draught bubbles and sizzles near the top of the cup.

Grimmauld Place is mostly quiet, the kids were all asleep and someone paces in the room above. There’s faint laughing coming from the kitchen, but that could be one of the Black family portraits, so it’s no concern of yours.

“It can’t possibly be the latter because if I remember correctly, flirting was our specialty back in school.” Tonks winks from her stretched out position.

“Oh yeah.” You muse sarcastically. “All those people we managed to seduce at Hogwarts...”

“Hey! I snogged Penny Haywood seventh year!” She declares.

“It was a game of truth or dare! We all snogged Penny Haywood!” You exclaim, almost spilling your drink all over your robes.

“My point still stands.”

The house groans and creaks in your comfortable silence, Kreature’s dragging gait echoes through the corridor.

“Sirius has nice lips.” You sigh dreamily, your thoughts once again preoccupied by him. “Would love to snog him again.”

“You should.” Your friend replies. “At least one of us needs a proper love life.”

“But he won’t talk to me...” You childishly whine. Pouting, you drink from your goblet.

“Well maybe you should be the one that pulls him into the cupboard next time.” Tonks shrugs, waving her wand to fill her goblet once more.

“You’re brilliant, y’know that?” You perk up at her idea.

“I’ve been trying to tell you that since we were eleven, (Y/n). Can’t believe you’re just now admitting it.”

The night gets cut short after that, mostly because the two of you have work in the morning and the Ministry of Magic was already unbearable sober. Hungover at the office meant a lot more suffering than usual.

You’ve never been more thankful for Molly’s desire to put the gaggle of kids to work around the house.

Even when you get back from the Ministry the the next night, they’re all still galavanting with doxycide upstairs, letting the exhausted adults have a moment to relax.

That’s when you decide to strike.

There’s an extremely convenient and mostly empty broom closet on the ground floor close to the kitchen that is just ripe with opportunity.

Tonks gives you a thumbs up and shoots you a wink as she passes you and strides into the kitchen. You’re leaning against the doorframe, pretending to be preoccupied with checking your nails, but in reality, you’re watching and waiting for Sirius to come a little closer.

His black curls with the occasional strand of grey rest on his shoulders. His velvet burgundy blazer stands out against the dark wood and blue theme Grimmauld Place seems to really enjoy and embrace. You watch his gold pocket watch glimmer in the flickering orange candlelight and how he twists the rings on his fingers.

Your heart flutters at the mere sight of him.

He finally breaks away from his conversation with Remus before turning around and making his way towards you.

He struts closer, heels clicking against the floorboards and your hands jitter in excitement. You’ve never been one to initiate these types of things before.

“Alright, (Y/n)—“ Sirius starts, reluctantly nodding his head in greeting.

But since he’s within arm’s reach, you grab his soft lapels and pull him into the broom closet.

With a flick of your wand the door shuts and you’re plunged into even dimmer lighting.

Your hands are still tightly grasping at his lapels and you have to admit, you’re a little breathless as you fervently press your lips to his.

Your eyes flutter shut and you press your chest to his own, effectively pushing him harder against the wall. You moan, feeling him kiss back. He tastes distinctly of firewhiskey and cigarettes and you’re loving every second of it. His lips are addicting as they move in tandem to yours. Sirius’ hands trail up to the back of your skull, pulling you closer to him, something you enjoy and gleefully let happen. The closer to him you are, the better.

The heatedly deep kiss sends a thrill throughout your body. Here you are, snogging the man you’ve fancied since the day you met him, in a broom closet of headquarters. Instinctively, your heart skips a beat.

One of Sirius’ hands detaches itself from your hair and instead, trails its way down your body to rest on your lower back. A jolt of excitement sparks and flares up inside. Goosebumps erupt underneath his warm hand. He squeezes your body tighter, quickly taking control of the situation.

Unfortunately, air becomes something that you’re losing fairly quickly and when you reluctantly spilt apart, you’re extremely aware of his swollen red lips. They stand out between the dark hair of his beard.

You’re panting as you cling on to his blazer for stability. The moment your lips touched, your knees practically gave out.

“What was that for, poppet?” Sirius pants as well, grey eyes looking into yours.

“Merlin, Sirius, do I really have to spell it out for you?” You smirk, still breathless. “I fancy you.”

“You what?” His eyebrows dart up in surprise.

“I fancy you? Like I want to go out for a drink sometime. Or I guess, stay in for a drink since—“ You ramble.

“You can’t fancy me, (Y/n).” He interjects, hands slipping away from you.

You carefully remove your hands from his figure in return. “Oh.” Awkwardly, you stuff your hands into your pockets. “And why’s that, then?”

Anxiously, he begins to twist the ruby ring around his thumb. The broom closet feels a lot smaller than before and the burn of embarrassment feels even harsher.

“I think you know why.” Sirius evades the question.

Your brows knit together in both confusion and annoyance. “No, I really don’t know why, Sirius, so please enlighten me.”

“Godric, (Y/n)!” He cries out. “I’m an old ex-convict with a fuck ton of issues! You don’t want that kind of baggage!”

Sirius scowls, not at you, but at himself.

“You’re in your thirties, Sirius. If that’s old than Mad-Eye’s ancient.” You try your best to joke and make light of the situation.

However, you see that your attempt doesn’t work.

“Hey, I don’t care that you’re older than me. I like you because you’re this handsomely charming and charismatic guy that shares my issues with authority.” Hesitantly, you bring your hand up to his neck. He leans into your warm touch. “And I really like you.”

“I’d be more of a burden than a boyfriend.” He mutters.

“You’re no burden. Not to me.” You reply, stroking his beard. “Never to me.”

“I’m a bit rusty.” Sirius confides. “Haven’t had a partner since the seventies. And I’m not the same person I used to be.”

“Neither am I.” You shrug. “Mostly because back then I was a wriggling little lump.”

Sirius snorts.

“Is that why you’ve been avoiding me?” You question, tucking a few strands of stray hair behind your ear.

“I felt bad.” Sirius confesses, straightening out his blazer. “Felt like I was manipulating you by leading you on so I was trying to get you to hate me. Trying to convince myself to get over you.”

“I’m guessing you didn’t succeed in that endeavor?” You tease your bottom lip with your teeth, innocently looking at the man in front of you.

His grey eyes are kind and soft gazing into yours even after years and years of torture and misery.

He’s someone to admire.

“Getting over you is probably the hardest thing I’ve attempted.” Sirius laughs. “And I escaped Azkaban.”

“Flattery will get you nowhere, Sirius.” You muse, rubbing the back on your neck in embarrassment.

“Flattery will get me everywhere, poppet.” He winks in return, amused by your gesture.

“So can we give it a shot?” You ask, praying to Merlin he agrees.

“Sure poppet, why not?” He grins, his white teeth poking out from the intense red.

In a swift movement he has you flipped, your back now pressed to the wall as he passionately places his lips back on yours.

You hands tangle themselves in his wild hair, his sneaking around your waist. You tug at the locks and he hums in approval.

Suddenly there’s a large bang against the door causing it to shake on its hinges.

“Oi!” Tonks’ voice rings out.

Sadly, Sirius pulls away just enough to rest his forehead on your own. His breath hot on your face.

“Mad-Eye says that if any clothes come off he’s barging in there, so wrap it up!”

Your mutter out a curse as you attempt to untangle yourself from Sirius.

“Also (Y/n),” Tonks yells again. “knew you had it in ya.”

•

Sirius Black Taglist: @fific7 @quindolyn @msmb @lunalovecroft

All Character Taglist: @aspiringsloth20 @amourtentiaa @cherie-draco

[forever-rogue]

I’m so excited that your doing these requests!🥳 could you please do prompt 36 from prompt list 1 with javier please, think I would cry😂💖 Thankyoux

Oh, okay, I see what you’re doing to me here! 🥺😌 Enjoy!

Prompt: 36. “Does he know about the baby?”

Javi x Fem!Reader ; warnings: language, pregnancy

Javier Masterlist

»»————-　♡　————-««

You knocked on Connie and Steve’s door, hesitating for just a moment before opening once you heard her call to you. As soon as you walked into the Murphy’s place, you were overwhelmed with the smell of her delicious cooking. You grinned as you walked in, following the smell of the percolating coffee. 

“Good morning,” you grinned at Steve who was setting the table. He looked up and smiled, offering you a small wave. You were just about in the kitchen when you felt a pair of arms wrap tightly around your waist before you were held against a strong chest. His smell immediately overwhelmed your senses as he pressed a few kisses to your bare shoulder; you’d purposely worn a sundress, one you knew he loved just to tease him a little...and for one other very specific purpose - but he wasn’t privy to that just yet, “good morning, Javier.”

“Good morning to you, Dulzura,” he whispered in your ear before pressing a kiss to your cheek, “you had to wear that little dress, didn’t you? You drive me crazy sometimes.”

“Hmmm,” you mused as you hastily pulled out of his grasp before turning to face him and pressing a kiss to his lips, “maybe I like to mess with you...maybe I just really like this dress.”

“You are…” his hands his found purchase on your hips as he gave them a gentle squeeze, kissing along your jaw before stopping at the shell of your ear, his warm breath tickling you, “an absolute little -”

“Hi babe!” Connie beamed when she stuck her head out from the kitchen, her smile stretching from ear to ear, “so glad you made it! Do you mind giving me a hand real quick with finishing up? Javi - let the poor thing breath for a moment.”

Javi sighed dramatically before hanging his head; but you didn’t let him down that easily, instead putting a few fingers under his chin and turning his face up so you could kiss him properly. He instantly lit up at your touch, those soft brown eyes crinkling in the corners as his dimple made its appearance, “te amo, Javier. Now go and help Steve or something. I’m all yours after brunch anyway.”

“Fine,” he pouted as you pushed him in Steve’s direction. You watched him go with a laugh before joining Connie in the kitchen. She just smirked at you, handing you a bowl of fresh fruit to cut up.

The two of you fell into easy conversation, and you thoroughly enjoyed her company. But as you kept chopping away at the fruit, your stomach started to churn more and more with each slice of your knife. When you were halfway through cutting up the mango, you couldn’t handle it anymore and practically threw down the knife as you dashed towards the bathroom. You almost kicked the door open as you got onto your knees and heaved up the contents of your stomach. 

Shit. Shit. Shit. You sighed at yourself when you were all done, wiping at the corners of your mouth. You’d thought you’d gotten over this part by now, hoping that it wouldn’t rear its ugly head again - especially not in front of your friends and boyfriend. No - the morning sickness should have been done by now.  

“Dulzura?” Javier stepped into the small bathroom and shut the door behind him, immediately dropping to his knees next to you. Flushing the toilet, you turned to him and put on the most innocent face you could. He grabbed your face gently in his hands, brushing a thumb over your cheek as he studied you intently, “what happened? Is everything okay?”

“Everything’s fine, Javi,” you promised him softly as you put your hands on his wrists and gave them a gentle squeeze. Although you were sure that the average person would have easily believed your little lie, Javier was no average man and he was able to easily see through your white lie. You sighed heavily before pulling his hands from your face and moving to stand up, “please don’t worry about me, it’s probably something I ate.”

“I do worry,” he insisted, just as firmly, as you turned on the tap and stuck your head under it to swish your mouth with water, “it’s my job-”

“Your job is to be my boyfriend,” you spit out the cold water, “and to trust me when I say everything is fine. One little upset stomach is nothing to worry about, Javier Peña. You have enough to worry about, don’t worry about this one too.”

“Fine,” he held up his hands in defeat, but you could tell that he wasn’t going to let this one go; for now probably, but forever, “but-"

"If it happens again, you'll be the first to know mi amor," you promised him, "now go and finish up with Steve and I'll finish the fruit."

Javier gave your hand a squeeze before slowly making his way out of the bathroom, with you quickly following on his kneel. Before he walked back over to Steve while you rejoined Connie in the kitchen.

She'd taken it upon herself to finish cutting up the fruit, but a knowing little look was on her face. You walked back over without saying a word, fully intending on not mentioning a word, but just like Javier, Connie was sharp and perceptive and wouldn't let it go. You'd surrounded yourself with a particular type of person and right now you were regretting intensely.

"Does he know about the baby?" she whispered under her breath as you stilled in your motions. Your breath hitched in your throat as you slowly met her eyes, wanting to cry at the little smirk on her face.

"I-I-I…don't know what you're talking about," you lied lamely, more so wondering if she would go along with what you were saying or call your bluff.

"Honey," she gave you an almost pitying look, "you just had a bout of morning sickness and you're starting to show. I've seen the old dress trick tons of times."

"How did you know that's what it was?" you asked in a rushed whisper. She was a nurse...of course she'd know.

"Randomly throwing up at the smell of food? And it's not the first time - it's happened not infrequently over the past two months," she stated as you groaned, "just because those two are oblivious, doesn't mean I am."

"Fine," you hissed quietly, making sure that Javier and Steve weren't paying attention, "how can you tell I'm showing?! I thought it wasn't...obvious yet."

"Not to the untrained eye," she admitted, "I'm guessing you just started to pop? You've been wearing looser clothes lately… I'm guessing...16 weeks?"

"14 weeks...shit Con," you sighed softly, "I...I've been too obvious! I haven't...I haven't told Javier! I haven't found the right time and I've been so nervous and I-I-I...just I'm scared, Con. What if…"

"No what ifs, honey," she said softly as she put her arm around and pulled you into a hug, "you need to tell Javier. He deserves to know...and I know you're scared, but you know how much he loves you and this won't change anything. You've turned Javier into the best version of him - he adores you. But you have to tell him...besides you're not going to be able to hide it much longer…"

"Fuck!" you whined softly.

"Just tell him," she stated firmly, "you have to tell Javier."

"Tell me what?" Javier and his impeccable timing struck again as he walked into the kitchen and grinned at the two of you. You exchanged a nervous look with her before turning back to him.

"How much I love you," you swallowed nervously before grinning at him with the best smile you could muster up, "which is a lot whole, mi amor."

He opened his mouth to say something, but you cut him off with a kiss. Javier made a small sound but said nothing, instead giving you another kiss. 

»»————-　♡　————-««

"What's wrong, Dulzura?" Javier asked as he pulled you into his lap; you had stiffened immediately upon his touch. As soon as you'd gotten back to his apartment, he was all over you, his touch was like fire and he was all consuming. It had been easy to get lost in his touch, the feel of his lips on yours,  his large hands roaming your body. 

But as soon as he had led you back to his bedroom and he flopped down on the bed and pulled you into him - sheer panic set in.

"N-nothing," you lied as you stood up and took a step back. A look of confusion crossed his features as you tried to keep it together, "just tired…"

"Okay," he sighed softly before running a hand over his face, "what the hell is going on? You've been acting off all day…"

"Nothing…"

"Dulzura."

"Javier, you're worrying over nothing again."

"You won't even let me touch you," he sighed lightly, "if you don't want me to let me know. We don't have to do anything…"

"I do, Javier...I'm just tired."

"Bullshit…"

"Javi…"

"You can tell me anything, Dulzura. I love you, you know that."

"I-"

"Anything at all."

"I-"

"Nothing will ever change that I love you."

"I'm pregnant."

It came out as an almost shout as you finally plucked up the courage to just say it. Javier's jaw dropped as he immediately looked at your stomach and then back at your face. A million different emotions flickered over his features as he tried to figure out what was happening. 

Oh, he'd heard you - he just couldn't come to terms with it.

"What?" he said softly as he met your eyes. His eyes were glossy as he tried to figure out if it was true, "Dulzura...what did you say?"

"I...I...I'm pregnant," you whispered softly, your own eyes starting to prick and burn. Slowly, you reached for the hem of your dress, pulling it up as gently as you watched his reaction. He sucked in his breath as he watched your stomach become revealed to him. It was small, still barely evident, but it was there - the sweetest of bumps, "I...I should have told you sooner, Javier. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry…"

"Why are you sorry?" his eyes were practically twinkling as his lips trembled slightly. He stood up and came over, a hand gingerly going to your stomach as he paused to see if you would stop. But you didn't - you let him put his hand on your belly before putting your own on top of his, "our baby...how far…"

"14 weeks," you said nervously as he nodded, trying to keep it together and not completely lose his mind, "I found out about 6 weeks ago and I-I-I panicked so much and I kept trying to figure out the perfect time to tell you and I keep not. I'm so sorry for that, Javier. You deserved to know sooner...and I completely understand if you don't want...anything to do with me or the baby."

"Why would you think I wouldn't want anything to do with…" he paused as he looked up and met your eyes, his free hand moving to your cheek, as you keened in to his touch, "did you think I was going to be mad...leave?"

"No," you admitted honestly, "I just didn't know what you'd...think. I'm scared and nervous and I didn't know what to do, and I just kept not telling you. And we didn't plan for a baby, I mean...its a mess."

"I love you," he whispered before kissing your forehead, "and - fuck - a few years ago I didn't think I'd ever love someone again or be in this situation. And now...I'm scared, don't get me wrong, absolutely terrified. But I am...I'm excited. This is...you...I love you."

"I'm scared too," your lips trembled, but in a quick measure of reassurance, he pressed a kiss to your lips in a sweet, gentle manner, "its a baby, Javier. What if-"

"Dulzura," he whispered softly, "I know there are a ton of things to think about - but I promise you this - it will be okay, we will be okay. I'm not going anywhere and I will protect you and the baby, and fuck - I'm happy. Scared but happy."

"Yeah?" you asked softly, not hesitating to throw your arms around his neck and holding him tightly, "I love you, Javier. More than you will ever know."

"I love you too," he kissed the crown of your head as he gently rubbed your back in soothing circles. He held you silently for some time, letting you get your soft cries, these ones not of worry or sadness but nervous happiness out, "can I ask you something?"

"Anything."

"How did I never...notice? What if I hadn't found out and you'd gotten bigger?" he chuckled warmly as you snorted with laughter.

"Well, I've been keeping the lights off," you reminded him and he made a sound of 'oh yeah', "and this little bit just seemed to pop out the last few days...I don't know...I guess I would have blamed...bloating?"

"You are too much," he laughed as you gave him a sheepish look, "do me a favor?"

"Of course."

"Next time, just tell me as soon as you know," he insisted gently, "I...I want this - to be a part of this - and to experience it all with you."

"Next time?" you quirked an eyebrow gently, "you presume there's a next time?"

"Maybe…" he grinned with a cheeky smirk, "but seriously, Dulzura - I'm happy, scared, but happy. And I love you, always."

"I love you too," you promised, "con todo."

"I know," he whispered, "now - will you let me show you how much?"

"Javier…"

»»————-　♡　————-««

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[gb-patch]

Ask Answers: May 15th Part 1

It’s been longer than usual since our last answer session, so I’m answering a ton of questions today! It’s so big I split it into two parts. Thank you for the patience on getting a response to these.

Thanks for reaching out to us with your questions and kind words ^^!

Sorry if this has been asked before or isn't something you can say but is there anyway for Cove to confess in step 4? I wanted him to confess in step 3 and followed all the steps to make him do it but ended up texting my family instead of Cove at the end.

Yeah, Cove can confess in Step 4!

Hello! I heard that Cove is on the spectrum, albeit undiagnosed. As someone who is ND, this makes me UNBELIEVABLY happy. I literally was brought to tears! Thank you for that!

Out of curiosity, will Cove be diagnosed in Step 4? I have a strong feeling y’all won’t make it a HUGE deal/make it out to be negative, so I’m not worried about that whatsoever! I’m just curious just he’ll off handedly mention it? Or will it just not be touched upon at all (which is ok!)?

Either way is ok, I’m just curious!

I’m happy it made you happy! Admittedly, Cove simply being someone with autism that grew up not being diagnosed was something I included for myself. I didn’t really think anyone would notice or ask about it, aha. But players did start to have questions about his traits, so I started to talk about it outside of the game. It’s great to see it get such a positive response and now I do feel like having it be a non-topic may have been the wrong choice and bringing it up would’ve been good in terms of having positive representation for that. I don’t know if I’ll find a way to mention it in Step 4 now, with how far along the game is, but I am at least thinking about it when originally it wasn’t something I really even considered.

Hey!  Just wanted to say thank you for Our Life.  It's been a bright spot and a needed escape in what's otherwise been a crummy year.  I know you just did a Q&A post but I figured I'd ask anyway.  Was just curious about Step 4.  Will it be similar to the other Steps in that it consists of several different moments or will it just be one long sequence?

Step 4 is shorter than the prior Steps because it’s just an epilogue rather than a full arc of a story. It’ll consist of scenes that all happen in a set row one after the other. There won’t be a collection of Moments to choose from. But it’ll still be very sweet and fun.

¡hola!, you see, first I want to say that I love Our Life! (°◡°♡) and I have 2 important questions, would Cove cry watching titanic? and what is the saddest part according to him? (sorry for my english) 

Titanic would make him cry. He’d probably think the parts showing people who aren’t able to make it to the life boats/are choosing to stay and go down with the ship were the saddest.

Hello, I wanted to ask how much you earn with creating games? Like is it possible to make a living? Thank you >< <3 

How much I earn varies a lot month to month based on Steam sales, Patreon backers, and how many projects are in full production at the time. It’s also hard to say how much I make historically, since that also changes dramatically year by year. But I do earn enough to work on these games full time! I really appreciate all the support that allows me to do that.

Hey!! I was wondering for the 18+ Our Life moment, will there be an emphasis on safety/comfort for all involved? I feel like there  would be just going off of what the rest of the game is like, but I wanted to ask 

Yes! Cove is a nervous boy himself and also super cautious about doing anything the MC doesn’t like, so clear consent from both is absolutely needed for anything to happen. It’s a conversational sexy times Moment with stops/starts so the two can talk about how they’re feeling, rather than a heat of the moment just going for it kind of thing.

Hey!! I was wondering how long the wedding dlc would be? Will it be broken up into moments, or just one big event? 

It’s one long series of scenes all in a row rather than a collection of Moments to pick from. It’s the shortest and the least expensive of all the DLCs. It’s not super crucial to get and those who aren’t into big weddings can totally skip it without worry.

HELLO AMAZING DEVS 👋 i am hopelessly in love with the worst guy ever (jeremy king) and because of this i have a really stupid question: does he really hate people who are nice to him? TvT he’s too cute to be mean to istg it’s a miracle JB held the urge to be consistently nice to him bc just look at his FACE he is so cute! thank you for jeremy’s route it’s so lovely (and awful bc he’s scum 11/10) it gave me so much laughs LMAO i hope you guys have a good day!! 

Haha, thank you. He doesn’t hate them but he’s certainly not pleased with them. Jeremy is either uncomfortable with or annoyed by people being sweet on him, depending on how they approach it. He’s far more comfortable with jerkiness. It lets him relax and he can be himself without it being a problem, since he’s also a jerk. He feels a level of guilt being such a little punk to kind people, not enough to be a better person but still.

Has Cove dated or been interested in someone other than MC? 

Nope! He stays single over the course of the game if he’s not with the MC.

Is Step 4 more mature? Or it's gonna be set in similar atmosphere as Step 3? 

Step 4 is a similar atmosphere as Step 3. Though, it’s actually kind of less mature-topic heavy than Step 3 since it’s just a ‘hey, let’s check in on the gang to see what they’re up to’ style epilogue rather than a story arc with serious issues.

will there be new music for now and forever?? or will the old our life music be reused? 

It’s gonna be a brand new soundtrack. We’ll be opening up a job position for that soon.

Hi, is it okay if we use the assets in Our Life (like the sprites) for fanworks or fan content content, like edits? 

Sure! Just as long as you don’t use the assets made by those artists to make money.

Quick clarification on Step 3 choices: I hope I didn't come off rude (because I LOVE the game, really!!), I was just curious because the intro threw me off at times. For example, you could choose how you felt about Elizabeth in Step 2 (Dinner), but during the Step 3 intro, it says that you got closer to Liz and I didn't get a choice in it. 

For the example, it can’t be helped that you’re closer to Liz in Step 3 than you were in Step 2 because she’s inherently closer to the MC regardless of whether you liked her or not in Step 2. Her feelings are out of your control and the game isn’t so dramatic that you can push her affection away and not let her bond with you, haha. But ‘being closer’ can still be relative. For some people maybe that means you’re best buds now and for others it might just mean you’re not fighting all the time any more. If there’s other parts you want to mention, feel free to let us know.

Did the illustrator for Our Life change? 

We have many OL artists! The main artists who set the game’s style haven’t changed, but there’s multiple other artists who help finish assets.

So Miranda's type is confident and outgoing, huh? So...does that mean Terri's her type?? 👀 

Haha, sorry for the late reply on this. As you might’ve seen in our post yesterday- yeah that is her type.

Hey! First, I just want to say I've really enjoyed how detailed OL got with gender identity and sexuality and how respectful the topics were handled! It's been so wonderful to play since the experiences could be close to my own (I'd be lying if I said I didn't tear up at parts). Second, I was wondering, would future games explore the topic of polyamory? I'd love to see more visual novels allow room for that and I saw you've explored the topic before.

Keep up the amazing work! ♡

Thank you! We do want to include polyamory in at least some of our future projects. Floret Bond, which might be what you’re referring to when mentioning how we’ve explored the topic before, is on hold unfortunately. So right now I’m not sure when something might release or what will be the first game of ours to come out with poly relationships (we might do something else before FB is done). We’ll have see how things ends up coming together.

Hey um. I feel like im not allowed to ask this on the private discord cuz people will yell at me but why is there so much focus on OL2 and not finishing OL1 stuff? I like the new people but i kind of want to finish cove's story and get derek and baxter stuff first. didn't people pay for it? 

I’m sorry, I don’t understand entirely what’s making that situation a concern. There’s a channel in the discord for critique where no one is allowed to comment back. People can voice things they’re worried about without any way for others to push back on it. And the two teams working on the OL games are different. We try to post pretty often about how we’re hiring brand new people to start on Our Life: Now & Forever. The OL1 team is all still working on OL1 like normal. There’s only more updates on the Patreon for OL2 because the expansions to the first game are mostly script-based at this point while OL2 is just starting to get all its art, which means there’s a lot more to show off as previews.

Also, there was a Kickstarter for the first Our Life, if that’s what you mean by people paying for it. But one of the stretch goals was to start Our Life 2 early, before fully completing Our Life 1, so that the new game could be out sooner. It wouldn’t make sense to stop doing OL2 work because that would be going against what backers were promised. Maybe you didn’t get the full story before and hopefully this clears it up!

Hello! I know it's up to every player but.. What is your recommendation for playing order? Did you ever had any timeline  events planned? 

I didn’t make the events with a planned timeline. The events got made simply as I had ideas for them and then I just kind of organized them from left to right on the screen in an order to space out more dramatic ones between more lighthearted ones. Any order the player wants to go with is totally valid!

Hi! It's Step 4 a paid dlc or update? And how long it's planned to be? Ps. Love the game! 

The Step 4 epilogue is free! The Cove Wedding DLC does cost money, though. Those are planned to be shorter than the usual Steps/DLCs.

Will we have options for what sort of job the MC might have by the time step 4 takes place? 

Yeah, you can. It’s not super exact or detailed, but there are options about it.

Is there a pandemic in Our Life world, or is it just in a better timeline with no pestilence? 

Our Life is pandemic-free! That didn’t exist when we began working on the project and it’s not something we’d like to feature in this story now that it has unfortunately come along, aha.

Hi, you said that you can play tic-tac-toe or hangman with Cove in Boating if you're sick/scared but I keep getting tic-tac-toe. Am I doing something wrong?

After being sick/scared you have to continue to be upset/unwell. If you calm down and decide to just chill you’ll end up playing tic-tac-toe.

Hi, GB Patch! Since Lee was initially commissioned to only appear in two Steps does this mean she won't appear in the Wedding DLC? I really like her character so it'll be a little weird to not have our cousin at our wedding, aha.

She is gonna be in Step 4/the wedding DLC after all! We’re still working with her creator to make sure it fits with what they wanted.

Is Sunset Bird based on a real place? Asking for a friend, not trying to move there or anything. 👀

It’s based on small beach towns in So-Cal, but not one specific town you could go see in real life, I’m afraid. It’d be nice if it was real, though.

—– —– —– —–

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[blue-eyes-tattoos]

Here are my favourite fics written in 2020! ✨

(Obviously there’s tons of great 2020 fics I haven’t read yet)

Pt. I = everything over 20k words

Sorted by word count. Hope you enjoy!

📔 Mine Would Be You by crinkle-eyed-boo | @crinkle-eyed-boo 115k

(E, Larry, Exes to Lovers, Artist!Harry, Writer!Louis)

Louis returns to New York City five years after he left it – and the love of his life – behind. He didn't intend to see Harry again, but fate has a funny way of pulling them together, whether they like it or not. After making a begrudging truce, they both start to wonder: Would it be so bad if history repeated itself?

📔 Have Love, Will Travel by kingsofeverything | @kingsofeverything 97k

(E, Larry, Friends to Lovers, Road Trip)

Rather than spend the summer working at their desks, Louis and Harry are given the opportunity to crisscross the country together in a tiny camper, filming their adventures for a YouTube series. It soon becomes obvious to their viewers that there’s something more than friendship between them. Eventually, they figure it out.

📔 You’ve Got My Devotion (Hate You Sometimes) by lucythegoosey | @harryrainbows 95k

(E, Larry, Canon Compliant, Exes/Enemies to Lovers, Fake Relationship)

Harry and Louis are forced to fake-date after an old video from when they were dating emerges.

📔 The Murmur of Yearning by MediaWhore | @mediawhorefics 93k

(M, Larry, Historical AU, Slow Burn)

Four years ago, Harry Styles was forced into a marriage of convenience to enrich and ally both his and his promised's families. The sudden, and slightly suspicious, death of the Marquess of Haxshire, however, brings great disturbance to Crescentfield Hall and, as his late's husband's closest male relative, Harry unexpectedly finds himself the head of a family he never felt he belonged to.

📔 Nothing But You On My Mind by nonsensedarling | @absoloutenonsense 84k

(E, Larry, Enemies to Lovers, (modern) Royalty AU)

Louis Tomlinson is a PR manager hired to improve the image of royal bad-boy Prince Harry Styles. Unfortunately for him, that means being faced with the Prince's constant innuendos, incessant dirty jokes, and relentless flirting. Louis just wants to make it to Princess Gemma's coronation; once she's crowned Queen, his contract is up and he never has to see the Prince again.

📔 Untamed Hearts by Layne Faire | @laynefaire 69k

(E, Ziam, side Larry, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining)

It could have been the heat of the summer sun; it might have been the silvered sheen of an early harvest moon. If he dug deep enough, Liam could find every reason ever needed to explain away what happened. In the end, though, it all came down to two meddling friends, a touch of Prince, a bit of Keats, and the moon over the ocean. Its a recipe for disaster. Or love. Probably love.

📔 Live a Thousand Lifetimes by Layne Faire | @laynefaire 58k

(E, Ziam, very minor side Larry, Canon Compliant, Future Fic, Exes to Lovers, Farm)

It’s 2025. After secretly writing and producing their first album in ten years, One Direction is weeks away from releasing their first new single and announcing a world tour. With the whirlwind about to begin again, Liam re-evaluates the last ten years - the fame, the money, the people who changed his life forever - and the person who walked away.

📔 The Recklessness in Water by LarryOn 51k

(E, Larry, Enemies to Lovers, lifeguard!Harry, unemployed!Louis)

Louis Tomlinson is miserable. He's stuck on a family vacation at a lake cabin in New Hampshire when all he wants to do is bemoan his sorry existence and wallow in his sweatpants. As if the humidity and mosquitos weren't bad enough, he becomes the singular target of an obnoxious lifeguard named Harry.

📔 Need So Much Of You by lululawrence | @lululawrence 47k

(Not Rated, Larry, Canon Compliant, Fake Relationship, Friends to Lovers)

The would-have-been canon compliant, fake relationship, friends with benefits, friends to lovers fic where Louis wonders if this thing going on with Harry is going to break him or change everything for the better.

📔 We Can Take The Long Road Home by pinkcords | @pinkcords 46k

(E, Larry, Strangers to Lovers, Road Trip)

Harry and Louis fall in love down the coast of California.

📔 Caves End by jacaranda_bloom | @jacaranda-bloom 40k

(E, Larry, famous/non-famous, Farm)

The one where Harry has lost his future, Louis has lost his past, but maybe together, they can find a way through the dark.

📔 Say It Back by wordsnnotes | @quelsentiment 40k

(T, Larry, side Ziam, Strangers to Friends to Lovers, College/Uni AU, Asexual Character)

Harry doesn't know what he wants; Louis is too caught up in his problems to care about what he wants; Niall knows perfectly well what he wants, and that's to be everybody's best friend and comic relief; Zayn thought he knew what he wanted until he's reminded of the past; and Liam has come to terms with the fact that it's okay not to know what you want sometimes.

📔 Until by allwaswell16 | @allwaswell16 38k

(E, Larry, side Shiall, famous/non-famous, Enemies to Lovers, Farm)

Rural Eagle County, Colorado wasn’t the type of place to find a famous musician or actor. At least not until songwriter Louis Tomlinson showed up with pop star Niall Horan to visit his uncle’s horse ranch, and they just happened to find themselves next door to a reclusive former movie star.

📔 Love Moves Like The Sea by flamboyo | @chrysopon 33k

(M, Larry, Friends to Lovers, Pining, Sharing a Bed)

Spending two weeks in his uncle's old house by Lee Bay beach is not Louis' ideal holiday, but sadly is the only one he can afford this summer. Spending those alone with Harry, his best friend who he has spent the last five years in love with, may make everything a little better, though. Away from everyday reality, alone somewhere that makes you forget your past and gloss over your future, maybe it's time for two friends to finally explore what they haven't said (but felt) for years.

📔 If Love Was Easy, They’d Call It Hockey by drowninshallowwater | @drowninshallowwater 28k

(Not Rated - there is smut though, Larry, Hockey AU, Friends to Lovers, hockey player!Louis, doctor!Harry, feat one of my favourite bands in a supporting role)

The one where it takes a broken collarbone for Louis to get back what he lost, even if it is seven years down the road.

📔 Sunflower: Vol. 1 by ourownstrings | @ourownstrings 27k

(M, Larry, side Ziam, farmer!Louis, florist!Harry, Misunderstandings, Grief/Mourning, Depression)

“Real farmers love mornings.” Louis hated that sentiment. But then he wasn’t a real farmer. He just got stuck in the family business and drags himself to the farmers market where he put on his best sunny sales pitch. That is until he meets the new flower vendor. The flower boy who is even wearing floral-patterned clothes as he sells bouquets. Suddenly, Saturday mornings are the highlight of his week.

📔 Walls Are Just Walls (You Are My Home) by logogram | @et-y-etc 26k

(E, Larry, famous/non-famous, Friends to Lovers)

After being injured in a hiking accident, musician Harry and his bodyguard are stuck on the trail with no cell service, no supplies, and with nightfall coming. Louis, who’s a wilderness first responder, comes across them, gives first aid, and calls for a rescue.

📔 A Road To Something Better by taggiecb | @taggiecb 25k

(E, Larry, writer!Louis, mayor!Harry, Friends to Lovers)

Louis Tomlinson, famous romance novelist, has just had the rug pulled out from under his feet when his boyfriend leaves him without notice. What's the most appropriate response to this? Move a thousand miles away and seclude himself in a tiny lake town, of course. But nothing is as he expects it to be in the very best way, especially not the handsome mayor of McAll, Idaho.

📔 You Burn so Bright You can Blind Somebody by heartmeetsbreakx | @heartmeetsbreakx 20k

(GA, Ziam, minor side Larry, Friends to Lovers, Mutual Pining, YouTuber!Liam)

Liam is a popular YouTube vlogger and sometimes Zayn is his cameraman. Liam's subscribers start analyzing their relationship and it changes everything.

[adam-banks2024]

Bliss

Word Count: 2.1k

Summary: Adam steals you during a long study session to go play some hockey like the good old days.

The scent of parchment paper filled the Great Hall, along with that of fresh ink. You could see it shine on the paper if you were seated directly in front of a tall window. The most light comes through during sunrise and sunset, but at the time I’m studying, I wasn’t there during those hours. 

It was almost noon on a Saturday, but here I am, studying. These tables were a place I usually enjoyed, mostly because of the large quantities of food, but it soon had become the place that gave me migraines and a strong urge to doze off every now and then. 

Ever since I started my sixth year, the advanced potions class had turned into a monstrosity that I wasn’t sure I could handle. At first, it started with a few trips to the hall every month. Then it turned into weeks...and now I’m studying during most of my free time. 

I can’t understand why I’m struggling with this class in particular. In all of my other classes, I’m performing above average. Apparently, I just can’t get the hang of “the art that is potion-making.” God, if I hear one more uninspiring word from Snape I might jump from the Ravenclaw tower.

At this point I had been studying for at least four hours now, and I hadn’t even eaten anything that would resemble breakfast. Unless two stale crackers count. The best part about the whole situation is that I had only managed to memorize the ingredients of one potion in my whole time studying. One. So, still, I must persist. Because I do not want to spend a study hall with Snape. I let my grade fall once and suddenly I found out how awkward and unsettling an hour with the professor was. It’s not like he would even help me. He just told me to read from the book and stared at me the whole time. As much as I hate to admit it, having no time to relax was better than spending any extra time with Snape than I had to

As I reached across the table for more ink, a separate hand was already there. 

“Hey.”

 A long, dark robe hung from his shoulders, and a green and grey scarf was loosely wrapped around his neck. His cheeks and nose had a blush, while the rest of his face appeared icy. He carried a bag with him that had unorganized papers going every which way. 

“Oh hey, Adam. How’ve you been?”

Adam passed the vial to me and I dipped my quill. He put his belongings on the table and sat on the bench. 

“Pretty good. You?” He ran a hand through his hair, trying to calm the mess. 

“Eh. I’ve been better.” My voice was laced with tiredness and a pang of hunger. Nothing that would have been noticed, though. 

He paused for a moment and then spoke again. “What’s wrong, Snape got you down because he couldn’t meet for a study session?” 

I snorted. Me missing Snape? Yeah, sure, in his dreams. It took me a few seconds to compose myself before I responded. “No. Quite the opposite actually.” Adam hummed in response and gave a small laugh. 

Once the noise subsided there was an awkward pause. I was waiting for him to respond, and I honestly didn’t know what to say. I hadn’t had a decent conversation with the kid since the beginning of fifth year. Now we’re almost done with our sixth. I decided that maybe if I returned to my studies, he’d take that as an opportunity to drop the conversation. 

I hadn’t even gotten the chance to open my book before he cleared his throat. “Gosh, I feel like I haven’t seen you in forever.” He leaned his arm against the table and rested his head in his palm, fingers twiddling with the feather of my quill. 

I sighed, slouching in the process. “Yeah. Social interaction has been foreign to me.” 

Adam moved his other arm to the table, resting his head in both hands now. “Well I’m glad that you were just studying and not being torn apart by the whomping willow.” 

“Haha, yeah. I think I would prefer the willow.” We both laughed, knowing that potions class was hell. Well, I assumed that he thought it was hell. 

“Ahh, don’t say that.” It looked as though he was trying to think of what words to say. Mouth opening and closing, eyes darting everywhere. He must have pieced together what he wanted to say.  “You should join me and the guys for some skating.” I shrugged my shoulders, not answering. I knew that if I entertained the idea at all then I wouldn’t be productive the rest of the day, so I decided to read over my notes to get my mind off the subject. Still, Adam persisted. “Maybe take away some of your stress?” I paused. A break sounded really nice, but could I really afford one right now, or even have enough energy? 

“I don’t know, Adam. I have an exam on Tuesday.” 

Adam stood up and walked around the table with a childlike bounce in his step. “C’mon, y/n, it’ll be fun. Just like old times.” Now he was sitting right beside me, his lip now forming a pout.

 “Well...I guess skating for an hour or two couldn’t hurt. What time were you thinking?” He pulled me up. “Right now!”

All of my belongings were still in the hall, but I don’t think Adam had any regard for that. He seemed extremely excited that I had agreed to go skating with him. Well, and other people. Obviously. It’s not like it was just an invitation with him. They probably just needed an extra player so the teams were even. Whatever the case, I was glad to leave my studies for a few hours. 

We earned glares from the portraits as we ran through the west wing haphazardly, bumping each other as we went. Giggling filled the air and it was just like it was a year ago. There was no awkwardness, no distance. It was like we had stayed in touch the whole time we were apart. I’ll have to make a mental note to not let that distance between Adam and I grow again. 

“So, this is where I leave you.” I smiled at him as I turned to enter the Hufflepuff common room. “Well, for a moment. I don’t really want to get yelled at for being in  another house.” Adam shifted his feet.

“Oh. lighten up, cake eater.” He didn’t say anything, just stared at me. “Okay fine. If you’re that much of a stickler to the rules, you can stay out here.” He gave a sheepish grin.

As I walked up the stairs to my dorm, I wondered how that kid was even in Slytherin. He follows the rules, he’s super kind, and he brightens the room. Then again, you find tons of kids who break their house’s stereotypes. 

I ended the thought as I reached to grab a coat, scarf, and my skates. It had been at least half a year since I used them, so there was no doubt that I would be a little rusty when I got back on the ice. Once I was all bundled up, I made my way back to the hall where I found an Adam Banks standing in the same position that I had left him.

He gave a small smirk as I exited. “Ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.”

He hooked his arm through my arm and started to tow me to the frozen lake that was above the Slytherin common room. A blush drew to my cheeks, but I wrote it off as the scarf I adorned. Thankfully he didn’t notice. He was so focused on getting to the makeshift rink that I don’t think anything could have phased him. Not even Dumbledore in a bright, pink dress. 

The trek was long, but there wasn’t a lot of snow, so that made the trip more enjoyable. As we neared the lake, I could see the other guys in the distance. I could only make out Connie and Guy because they were holding hands, but there were four other people that I couldn’t see out on the rink. 

“Who’s all gonna be there today?” I looked up at Adam. The blush on his nose was even darker now because of the cold.

“Umm, Charlie. He had the idea in the first place. Averman wanted to come too. I think Connie and Guy. And then we asked Julie and Goldberg so we had goalies.” He smiled as he spoke, his love for hockey apparent.

Adam and I had played together when we were first years, but we hadn’t really known each other then. That’s where I first learned how to even skate. While I was still getting the bearings, Adam was already an extremely skilled player. When we were closer he used to tease me about it all the time, but he eventually stopped, and then just stopped talking to me all together. Maybe that’s why I’m so excited to go skating with him. After all, there’s no better feeling than reconnecting with an old friend.

The lake was pretty bare aside from two makeshift goals on the ice, and a few benches on either side. There weren’t any blue or red lines that we would have for actual games. Just plain ice. 

“And you’re sure the lake is frozen enough?” Images of me falling through into the chilly water invaded my mind. 

Adam shrugged his bag from his shoulder, “I’m a hundred percent sure. And if I’m not, I personally allow you to punch me.”

I rolled my eyes as I started to sit on one of the benches, putting a skate on. “Wow. how convincing.” He didn’t respond, so I just laced up my skates. Looking at the other people skating around, I wasn’t so sure how good I was gonna be. It had been at least three years since I’d really played a game of hockey, and you could clearly tell that these people practiced consistently. 

I stood up once I laced my other skate, and started to make my way to the ice. Much to my surprise, my balance wasn’t awful. I could successfully skate and stop without much effort. There were still times where I would wobble or need to regain my balance, but I should be able to hold my own. 

Adam brought me a stick and nudged my shoulder. I almost tripped, but I caught myself before anything else could happen. 

“You’re real funny, Banks.” I spoke through gritted teeth, still struggling to stay afoot. He offered both of his hands out to help me gain my bearings again. To my surprise, he started skating backwards, pulling me forward. I laughed, “where are we going?”

I could see Adam’s breath as he laughed with me. “To play, silly goose.” An amused expression was painted on his face while speaking, and he gave a big smile after. I started to skate with him instead of just letting him drag me along. After a moment, he just stopped. Because physics exists, I kept sliding and bumped into him. I almost fell but Adam grabbed me by the elbows before I could drop to the ice.

When he pulled me up, our faces were only an inch or two apart. The world around me seemed to fade until it was just Adam. Neither of us had said a word, we just stood there. Staring at each other. It was in that moment when I realized the blades of my skates were slipping on the ice. I didn’t really know why, because the lake was definitely frozen over, like Adam had said. It might have been because my knees had locked

Then I noticed the slight tug on my arms. I realised I was being pulled, not slipping. I was being moved at such a tiny rate that it was almost unnoticeable. Almost. As I neared Adam’s chest, I simply stopped breathing. My heartbeat sped, and I slowly started to lose my hearing. This feeling that I was only now feeling, had it been there the whole day? At the table, running through the hall, walking to the lake. Was it there the whole time? I was just to blind to have seen it. All of the time Adam and I had spent before we lost touch, was the feeling there too? 

Once there was no more room between him and I, Adam started to part his lips. My stomach was instantly in knots, and my mind preparing myself for the moments that were to come. Nothing else was said, and Adam closed his eyes. With no hesitation, he closed the gap between us, and pressed his lips against mine. 

There were no fireworks. No sparks, no pits in my stomach. Just pure bliss, as I kissed the boy that I met in fifth year.

[binunus]

college bf!rocky

a/n next is our rock and aegyo king sorry sanha park minhyuk !! also I was going to post this yesterday :( but me and my roommates got a little too lit for valentine’s and I literally sat for 7 hours straight in zoom so I couldn’t finish it until now but !! I hope you loves enjoy!!

→ genre: fluff, smut

→ word count: 4.9k

_________________________________

alright aright alrightttt

we’re gonna switch it up a little bit

add a little flavor

because as much as I would love to say that college bf!astro all got their partners in a cute and smooth sailing way

we all know relationships aren’t that easy

but before we get into how you and rocky met

major: dance

are we surprised? no

rocky is a prodigy in dance

he’s been dancing since he could walk

he started choreographing at age 6

it just made sense for him, like even his parents were like go pursue dance, you’re not a law or business type of kid

he can master any type of dance from jazz, to ballet, to street, to contemporary, to tango, whatever you can think of

he’s roommates with music tech!jinjin

jin literally takes care of him all the time bc rocky??? when he comes back to the apt after dance practice?? dead weight

only passes his gen ed classes bc eunwoo tutors him

if it weren’t for the boys, rocky would literally live in the dance studio

they make sure to drag him out for fun and food at least once a week

or they join and keep him company while he’s practicing

have they gotten noise complaints before while messing around in the dance studio? yes

rocky is loud alright, especially when he’s with astro

he’s a perfectionist, literally will not leave the studio until he’s 100% satisfied with his progress

oh the amount of times myungjun and jin nag at him to take care of his health

now now

you’re also a dance major

people could say that you and rocky are the top two dancers of your year

gasp a rivals to lovers au??? you betcha baby

granted you switched into a dancer major your second year so rocky technically had seniority

but boom baby as soon as you made your appearance, it rocked his world

now im not saying rocky’s cocky bc obviously he’s a cute hardworking humble boy

but was he used to always being placed first in evaluations or getting the highest marks??? yeah

so the first time you placed first and he placed second??? it lit a bit of a fire in him

he’s seen a ton of good dancers in his time, but no one has ever matched his capabilities better than you

there was an unspoken rivalry between you two, everyone knew about it 

you both always wanted to upstage the other

there was always a tension whenever you two were in the same room

but like...have either of you ever really talked to each other besides side remarks in class?

no

and it didn’t really help that the whole dance department basically pit you up against each other to see who was really the best dancer of your year

so you and rocky never had the proper introduction to a friendship, it just went straight to rivalry 

and then came the announcements for the end of the year showcase

and instead of putting on a solo, the department chairs decided to have you and rocky perform a duet

and you’ve never worked with him before so you were dreading the first time you met up

you to your roommate: ugh i can’t believe im partnered up with rocky, that arrogant rude–

your roommate: have you ever even talked to him, y/n? he’s actually very nice

you: no...but that’s what he wants you to believe!

your ego sorta just went along with the whole thing

and rocky was 15 min late to your meeting bc he was out eating food with the guys so your patience?? very thin

literally as soon as he stepped into the dance studio, the air turned stuffy

rocky could feel you glaring at him and he just smirks?? 

rocky: did I make you wait long y/n?

you: yeah you did

he liked pushing your buttons?? idk he just felt satisfaction knowing that any small of action of his affected you that much

it made him feel like he was winning or whatever

and god it took literally forever for you two to decide on a song and genre of performance for the showcase

you wanted contemporary, he wanted ballet

you were literally disagreeing so much on it that you had to ask Siri to flip a coin

and then you fought and said that Siri was rigged when it chose tails (contemporary)

so you decided on a happy? mix of both

rocky at the end of your first meeting: i get that we’re not exactly friends, y/n, but we have to work together so let’s at least be professional

you: i can if you can

rocky: fine

you two literally bicker like five year olds on a playground

even the guys are like ???? why are you being so childish ???

you have 2 months of preparation until the showcase and you start meeting once a week for choreography and practice since given the assignment

you two are pretty civil for the most part, you make the contemporary parts and he makes the ballet parts and then you combine it when you meet up and see how it can incorporate and complement each other

there’s not much joking around ?? like you know how rocky’s a clown when he’s teaching astro choreography?? it’s not like that at all

and honestly you two are too caught up in your rivalry and tension to notice that your styles really match and highlight each other well??

there’s definitely a lot of “i could do this better than you” from both sides

i repeat: you are children

and then there’s this one practice where you and rocky are trying a pas de deux for the first time

(i literally looked this term up, it’s basically what jungkook and jimin from bts did during the 2020 mma black swan intro...if you haven’t seen it, watch it bc it is perfection mmm chefs kiss)

and you don’t know if it’s because you didn’t have enough momentum or rocky didn’t prep himself enough for the lift but he ends up dropping you and you both fall

and you both immediately start blaming each other for the mishap

until you lift your hand to point at him and it just hurts

it’s like a switch goes off, rocky’s immediately concerned and he’s like gently taking your hand like: holy shit are you okay??

you shake your head and you’re wincing whenever you try to move it

you: ow fuck rocky, I think it’s sprained

and he suddenly feels so guilty, like he goes silent

you: can we stop for today? I’m gonna go get this checked out, make sure it’s not broken

rocky: do you want me to go with you?

you: no. I’ll see you next week.

boy he feels so bad, he texts you throughout the course of the following week asking if you’re okay, asking your roommate if you’re okay, telling you he’s sorry that he dropped you

you didn’t respond much, not bc you felt weird texting him–well, you did a little bit shhh–but bc you were beating yourself up for getting injured a month before the showcase

you show up to practice the next week with your wrist in a compression bandage

and he doesn’t greet you with a quip like he usually does, he immediately grabs your wrist (gently) and he’s like inspecting the bandage

you: uh...the doctor said I should be careful with it for a week or two if i want it to heal faster. so don’t bitch at me if i’m not going all out

rocky: y/n...i’m so sorry...I didn’t mean to injure you, it was my fault that we didn’t execute the pas de deux

you just shrug: it was both our faults...if I didn’t fall on my wrist maybe we could have avoided this little obstacle

rocky: if I caught you correctly, you wouldn’t have even fallen

you: are we really arguing right now about this??

and then the two of you just laugh??? 

this is the first real pleasant interaction you’ve had with him

and you notice like wow rocky had a nice smile

you: i should be back to normal before the showcase so we should be fine

rocky: don’t push it though while we’re practicing alright? if your wrist starts hurting then stop, and don’t even think about doing any floor choreo

the atmosphere between you and rocky change after that

he becomes pretty concerned about your recovery–and maybe it’s bc he still blames himself for the cause of it

each night before your set practice days, he always shoots you a text asking how you’re feeling and how your wrist is doing

he brings ice packs, painkillers, and extra bandages during your practices just in case you need it

and you’re actually pretty touched by his concern

about two weeks before the showcase, your wrist is back to full movement and you’re like excited to actually practice to your best ability

from now on you see each other twice a week, just to get that detail and fine-tuning perfected

rocky’s still a bit hesitant to have you go full out but you reassure him that you’re fine

you both try the pas de deux again the day you take your bandage off 

and you can see that he’s nervous to try it

you: rocky, i’m fully healed now. we haven’t practiced this move since the first time and we need it in our routine

rocky: but...y/n, what if I drop you again??

you: you won’t...i trust you 

and you really did, that move requires a lot of trust between partners and you know? maybe it didn’t work out the first time because of the lack of trust between you two

and so you go through the full routine and rocky was holding his breath when that part of the choreography came up but you both successfully did it!! and it was a beautiful move

he was so excited at the end of the run through that he hugged you

and you were smiling too bc this was the first time you did a full run through without any stops in between

you both don’t even notice that all the hostility is gone??

and the tension suddenly changed from hatred to...dare I say it...sexual

oo baby the day of the showcase you two were hella nervous 

but c’mon you and rocky were the best of the best so ofc you absolutely killed the performance

your energies literally merged as soon as the music started

every move was flawless

and you both had to face each other during your ending pose and you were just like looking at him like ??? wtf ??? did you maybe wanna kiss him??

and you know the look that rocky has in his eyes when he’s dancing

imagine that literally piercing into your soul

you got the shivers waiting for the lights to dim 

you both received a standing ovation after your duet obviously

astro watching it bc they always support rocky: they’re gonna fuck 100%

fast forward to the next term bc you both didn’t really have a reason to contact each other during summer break now that the showcase was done

you and rocky had two classes together, dance research and advanced modern technique

it was then that you started to see his actual personality and how goofy of a person he was

you still had a rivalry of course, but now it was healthy

instead of trying to bring each other down, you both started motivating each other to do better

and yes you’ve always been impressed with how good of a dancer rocky was (and vice versa), but now whenever you saw him practice you start to feel a little bit of stir in your stomach and shit are you blushing??

and then you two get paired up again for your midterm evaluation

your teacher: i saw the chemistry you had for the showcase last term, i think you two would work well together for this project

and god is your teacher trying to murder you??? the theme of this midterm was “couple dance” to encourage collaboration or whatever

you were just thankful that the song choice she gave you was more upbeat and not sensual bc you know for a fact that you would not survive doing a sexy dance routine with rocky

but that didn’t stop the way your skin felt like it was on fire whenever he touched you for partner-dependent moves

this time around, you did the choreography process together and it was actually pretty fun??

you and him would bounce back ideas and joke around whenever something looked stupid

you and rocky did this by the way for reference

and then there was one late night when you two were practicing

it was around 2 am, no one else was in the music building and you both didn’t have class the next day so you two were just like fuck it let’s just practice until campus security kicks us out or whatever

you both were literally dancing for four hours, not just this new routine but old ones and freestyles as well

and then you were doing your new routine and during the part where he had to twirl and dip you, you both fall again

but no one got injured this time luckily

and you both just burst out laughing, maybe you were a little delirious at this point in the night

you: i can’t believe you dropped me again

rocky’s laughing and you both just look at each other, and he’s hovering above you right???

and your heart is beating so loudly in your chest you’re positive he can hear it

and you’re thankful that your face was already hot from dancing so that he couldn’t tell that you were in fact blushing

rocky’s like looking at you for a good minute or so and he’s just like thinking in his head: have you always been this cute?

and maybe it’s bc you guys have been getting along so well lately and the vibes are??? immaculate

but the atmosphere suddenly gets super thick and he !! just !! leans down !! and !! kisses !! you !!

and phew baby you bet that you immediately respond to it

you’re literally making out on the floor for like five minutes

and mind you, five minutes is a long time

until rocky’s phone rings loudly through the speaker and you both suddenly separate

he scurries to his phone and you sit up trying to compose yourself 

jinjin: park minhyuk where are you?! it’s 3 am!!

you literally hear jinjin scolding rocky through the phone and you laugh a little bc it’s so cute how he’s getting nagged right now

rocky: hyung...im practicing...

jinjin: do i need to drag you out of there?! i’ll literally call bin to carry your ass to our apartment! how long have you been practicing huh?? have you eaten dinner at all??

rocky: okay okay I’ll come back home

he turns to you after ending the call and he’s so !! shy !!

rocky: I guess that’s the end of our practice haha...do you want me to walk you back to your place?? it’s pretty late out

you: yeah that’d be nice...hm you sure your hyung’s not gonna call a search party for you??

you’re teasing him and he just pouts

rocky: i’ll be fine

rocky walks you back to your apartment and it’s a little?? awkward?? 

but before you bid him goodbye he’s like: uh...the kiss earlier...sorry if I surprised you

your cheeks are hot again: it’s um...it’s okay, I didn’t mind it...it was actually pretty nice...I guess...

and rocky’s heart skips a beat and now he’s blushing: yeah...it was...i’ll see you in class then??

you: yeah, i’ll see you. text me when you get home okay?

he nods and waits until you’re safely inside and then he just starts grumbling to himself

rocky: i’ll see you in class?? could i say anything more stupid??? 

rocky’s adorable okay

him texting you when he gets back: im home :)

you: that’s good! good night rocky :)

he goes to the guys the day after like: i have a predicament !! me and y/n kissed !! 

jinjin: that’s why you were late last night??

eunwoo: you dirty dog, doing it in the dance studio??

rocky: we didn’t do anything else hyung !!

bin: so did you ask them out??

rocky: no...i said...i’ll see you in class

myungjun: i’ll see you in class?!?! are you an idiot??

sanha: hyung even I’d ask y/n out after that

rocky: i know !! im dumb okay!! help me

sanha: you’re a lost case sorry

jinjin: why don’t you start with, hey y/n do you wanna get some food with me??

rocky: AHHHH

yes he does want to ask you out, yes he does want to kiss you again more than he’d like to admit, but he’s shy

you’re not faring any better, you and roommate were literally talking about it all weekend

the next time you see rocky (in class), you two are awkward as fuck

you both keep stealing glances at each other and then if one of you get caught, you both immediately look away

those 50 minutes of class could not go by any slower

and you were so ready to book it after the professor dismissed you but then you hear rocky call your name

rocky: hey y/n, are you free right now?

you: uh yeah! why what’s up

rocky: do you...um...wanna get some coffee with me?? or food or something??

you: do you mean like just to hang out or...uh like a date?

rocky: a date...if you want it to be

and cue the blushies again

you and rocky end up going to this cute cafe and get smoothies bc neither of you were feeling caffeine at the moment

and the whole time you two are just ??? so cute and shy and awkward with each other ???

which is such a contrast from how you two would dance together

rocky’s so sweet, really the cutest boy

gives you so many butterflies

the two of you end up going on little cafe dates before practice 

and you’re all cute and wholesome

and then he turns all passionate and dominant when you start dancing

like wow alright rocky giving you whiplash or whatever

when you show the routine for your midterm, the teacher and other students give you both high praises 

and he’s all giddy after class and he goes up to you: i think its safe to say that we have really good chemistry when we work together, don’t you think?

you’re smiling hehe but you wanna mess with him a little: hmm i think we’re alright, but who knows, i might mesh well with someone else

and then he’s all frowny, a little jealous: what do you mean someone else? do you make out with someone who just has alright chemistry with you??

your eyes go wide and you put your hand over his mouth: im kidding!!

rocky just smirks at your embarrassed reaction and he like tickles your sides

and then he just grabs your hand like: don’t find another dance partner y/n, just be mine

how could you say no to that??? especially when rocky’s just looking all handsome and charming and shit??? exactly. you can’t and why would you ever say no in the first place??

you and rocky dating?? biiiig news in the dance department

and even outside of it

bc lowkey rocky had a bit of a fanclub bc of how good he is at dancing, are we shocked? no

the boys are so happy for him !!

you meet his friends literally the day the two of you start dating

and you’re a bit nervous meeting them bc ofc you want them to like you, they’re his friends

but they’re so sweet...and headass

when rocky brings you to their dinner, the five of them literally start applauding at your entrance

you were so confused and rocky’s just out here with second hand embarrassment

he’s the cutest boyfriend

shy with pda in public (unless you’re dancing), most he’ll do is hold your hand

but in private he’s very clingy

loves backhugging you

he also tickles you when he wants to be a little shit

which is 50% of the time

very playful bf, will tease you at least once every day

if you two are just practicing dancing, he’ll make any sort of excuse to hold you or kiss you

asddfadsjf he’s so cute

gets very soft at night especially when you two are worn out from practice

just wants to go back to your (or his) apartment and cuddle and sleep

imagine just you two cuddling in bed after hours of dancing and he’s just spooning you and he mumbles tiredly into your shoulder: you’re amazing y/n...you’re one of the best dancers i’ve ever seen

and before, his pride would have never allowed him to say that, but now it can

not really one for pet names in my opinion, but he does call you “my y/n”

after you two start dating, you begin to call him by his real name, minhyuk

or you say hyukie

he lowkey loves it when you call him that, it’s so endearing

the guys teasing him, cooing at rocky all gross like : heyyy hyukkie

then rocky just like crosses his arms: only y/n can call me hyukie

he didn’t realize he loves couple dances so much until you and him are dating

well he only loves it because you’re his partner ofc

alright hear me out !! slow dancing with rocky

slow !! dancing !! with !! rocky !!

he dims the lights in the dance studio until it’s just a single spotlight and some slow romantic music comes on and he just grabs you by the hand and twirls you once before pulling you close and you’re just swaying side to side

and then he presses your foreheads together and he’s just looking into your eyes and gives you the softest smile

!!! im freaking out!! i want this so bad !!

that’s how the first i love you comes out

surprise, you say it first

okay but like in the moment, the atmosphere is literally so perfect, and you can just see how much he treasures you and you always feel butterflies whenever he does this, but there was just something that night that made you say it

like your chest was constricting so hard and you were thinking to yourself, i love this man

and so you just said it

and omg the smile on rocky’s face just widens and he kisses you so sweetly before he says it back

loves kissing you, your lips are like a drug to him

can literally make out with you for hours

has pushed you against the walls of the practice room just for a little make out session

ahhh here we go ladies and gents

sex !! with !! rocky !!

first and foremost, dance studio sex??? yes

especially if it’s just you two late night practicing like the first time you kissed?

mirror kink? maybe so

and bc y’all are ~flexible~, you bet he likes bending your back like a pretzel

he’s a very passionate lover, your pleasure is his #1 priority

loves foreplay just as much as the main event

but oof his hips?? grrrrr bark bark ram me over with a truck

his stroke game is so good

literally knows how to fuck you in all the right places

and his stamina??? god tier, can go at it for hours on end

into edging and overstimulation, oof you bet you’re cumming at least twice during every session

i cannot stress this enough!! thigh riding

you know he has thighs of steel

will make you cum just from riding his thigh

most of the time you guys start off slow and sweet, and then just boom it turns it hard sex

will definitely get turned on from doing a sexy dance routine

the amount of times he’s wanted to just fuck you in the middle of class bc you turned him on?? but ofc he has public decency he won’t do that

he knows you get turned on from his fingers oops

anal or vaginal fingering?? he’s all for it baby

he’s loud during sex, all the grunting, huffing, growling, oo im getting chills

not afraid to tell you how good you’re making him feel

not really into spanking, but he grips a lot, like his fingernails have definitely left some deep imprints in your hips or your ass

hair pulling?? yes, both sides receiving

okay but if you call him rocky during sex? big turn on

i can’t explain why, it just is

favorite position?? cowgirl

he loves when you’re on top of him

yes he likes seeing you try to fuck yourself on him

and then when he can’t take it anymore and just grabs your hips and thrusts up into you until your body literally collapses on him

he always tries to make you cum first but oops sometimes baby just busts a nut

yes you will probably tease him about it and then he’ll just shut you up by kissing you 

on another note, no way to turn rocky on faster than sucking on his bottom lip when you’re kissing

will cuddle you after cumming, like he doesn’t care if either of you are sweaty or messy, he’s hugging you for at least five minutes

honestly becomes a baby after sex so it’s more like you’re giving him after care sksksk

the switch he makes from being a sex fiend to a clingy cuddly boy? whiplash

like you need to go to the bathroom to pee or something and he’s like: but...i wanna hug u

i would risk it all for rocky yes

anyway after graduating, rocky becomes a choreographer for this really famous dance studio and get recruited to join a highly-competitive dance troupe

you both do long distance for a little bit bc obviously he’s back home but you have to travel with your group for competitions, sometimes even internationally

and so that caused some strain in your relationship bc distance sucks, but you would always make sure to call him every night before going to bed and despite any time zone difference, he would always answer

your biggest supporter !! literally flew out to surprise you during a big dance competition in london or whatever and you cried happy tears bc was he really there right now??

that’s when you knew that he was the one :’)

you spent the night w him in his hotel room and after a good couple rounds of reunion sex, you were like trying to test the waters a little bit: i missed you hyukie

rocky: i missed you too, but now that you’re here with me, nothing else matters

you: what do you really think about this long distance thing??

rocky: it sucks...but i know it made us stronger. i feel like we can get through anything now

you: yeah, i agree

rocky getting paranoid: omg why? are you thinking of living abroad?? y/n, do i need to start looking at dance studios out here??

you have to hold in your laughter bc he’s so cute: why? would you move out of the county for me if i wanted to??

rocky: i mean...if you’re thinking of leaving for good...then yeah.

he gets so shy and quiet and you’re just !! wow you love him !! he’s yours !!

you kiss him shortly and you smile: no, i’m not gonna live abroad. I miss being home and I miss seeing you all the time. I told you before, I’m thinking of leaving the troupe in two months and then gonna find a job back home for good.

he lets out a sigh of relief: you scared me a little

you just laugh: I only wanted to confirm something and hmm I was right

rocky: what did you wanna confirm??

you being a confident baddie: that I wanna be with you for the rest of my life

rocky feeling his heart implode: you mean it??

you scoffing: why would I be lying about this?

he just laughs and kisses you: I wanna be with you too...I’ve been thinking it since the last time you visited. How much I love you and how much I hated seeing you leave for who knows how long, but I didn’t wanna say anything bc you’re still living your life and I didn’t want a promise like this to influence you to come back if you didn’t want to yet.

two months later you’re back for good and move in with rocky

you end up becoming a choreographer at his dance studio too

you and rocky: the couple™

and you live happily ever after

somewhere down the line...

sanha: hey remember when you two hated each other?

eunwoo: remember when you injured y/n??

bin: remember when you freaked out to us about your first kiss together

myungjun: and you said i’LL sEe yOu iN cLaSs

jinjin: those were fun times, right hyukie?

rocky: i hate you all

__________________________________________________

2-16-21

[retroellie]

The Last of Us Headcannons

Summary: Headcannons about TLOU2 characters 

A/N: I’m sorry I haven’t posted in a bit, I’ve ben stressed so I thought I’d write for my comfort characters lmao 

Warnings: Slight NSFW mentions, TLOU2 spoilers 

Word count: 2.4K

Ellie

-This girl is the best girlfriend i swear

-She will always tell you she loves you when she leaves or even if she goes into the other room

-She’s lost a lot of people so she’s always telling you how much she loves you just in case

-Helping her when she has nightmares, especially after joel's death

-”Please don’t leave me.”

-“Ellie, I’m not going anywhere.” 

-She’s definitely a lover of old music

-80s and early 90s was definitely her favorite eras music and movies wise

-Gifting her records you found in abandoned buildings

-She draws you a lot, especially when you aren’t paying attention

-One time she couldn’t sleep so she drew you, she thought you looked peaceful asleep. That drawing is probably her favorite she’s ever done.

-You basically live with her in the garage she lives in

-Winters are always cold in the garage so y’all are basically attached to each other

-You both are cuddled up watching movies with tons of blankets on

-This girl is horny all the time, like if yall are alone she’s on top of you

-Dancing together at the dances

-This girl is so clingy omfg

-Ellie worries about the looks and comment yall get when showing affection in public so she tends to tone down her clinginess

-Joel loves you, point blank period

-When ellie tells you what joel did for her, you didn’t know if you should be happy or sad

-They were gonna take ellie away from you, you probably would've done the same

-”My life would have mattered.”

-”Your life matters to me.”

-You tried to make her feel better about it though, telling her that there would still be bad people and infected in the world

-Neck kisses from the back, my heart is melting holy shit

-She asks maria to put you on routes with her cause mama you are not going without her

-Puns, just puns all the time and you love it

-Definitely calls you babe and baby, you always make fun of her for it but she knows you loves it

-Yall make fun of each other but it’s all in good fun she will never take it too far

Joel

-You’re this mans baby idc

-No one hurts you or they will get tracked down and their knee caps will be gone

-Joel knows full well you can take care of yourself but he just gets so mad

-This man is so soft for you

-He tries to spoil you the best way he can, going out of his way to get you presents from abandon stores

-Teaches you how to play guitar

-He will have you sit in his lap and play the chords

-”Is it sounding better?”

-He just nods and kisses along your back

-He will sing you to sleep if you ask him

-This man has shown you some good ass music, yall sometimes just lay in bed and listen to old records

-He loves the way you look in his shirts, this man melts or bends you over the kitchen table

-He doesn’t cry often but this man is hurt

-The first time you saw him cry was when he broke down to you about ellie and the fireflies and what he did

-It hurt him a lot to admit it but he was so relieved that he could let go and someone be on his side for once

-Tells you all about sarah and how she would like you

-”She would’ve loved you.”

-”Yeah, casue i’m the coolest.”

-”You're a nerd.” He chuckled out

-He would happily tell you about life before the infection, what it was like to not have to look over your shoulder all the time

-He would never tell you about his time in boston

-He didn’t want to scare you, so you never asked but you had a good idea of what happened because of tommy

-Slow dancing in the kitchen while dinner is on the stove

-Forehead kisses in the morning when he has to leave for rounds and your dead to the world

-Calls you Babygirl and princess, IDK HE JUST SEEMS LIKE THE TYPE OKAY

-His voice in the morning>>>>>>

-Will watch you dance from a far while at dances

-Takes you out on little dates, he doesn’t even care about the stares yall (The age gap)

-He is prepared for anything to happen so he loves you like it’s his last day

-Talks about having kids with you but is okay if you don’t want them, i mean he’s not sure if he wants another one but hell, He said he wasn’t going to date anymore but here we are

-If you want kids he doesn't care hold old he is, he will try and try and try to give you a child 

-”Damn it i got my period.” 

-”Well then I reckon we gotta try again, huh baby girl.” He says with a smirk 

-This man has a daddy kink and that’s all i gotta say about that umm anyways

-He is madly in love with you and he shows it, he has lost too many people and he has the mindset of “Good things don’t last forever”

Tommy

-I love this man with all my heart, he’s my baby

-He’s very caring and will hold you anytime you need to be held

-He just wants to help people and make the world a little easier for them so he overworks himself to the max trying to keep everything in jackson in order

-”Tommy, it’s 3 am and you got rounds in the morning. Come to bed.”

-”Yeah i'll be in there in a minute, i just gotta figure out the food supply situation.”

-Having to drag his ass to bed

-He loves cuddling, he loves feeling close to you

- Your the fighter of the relationship, tommy doesn’t like to fight if he doesn’t have too so he lets you deal with the violent stuff

-Although tommy loves his brother, he has a hard time forgiving him for the violence he exposed him too

-He feels very undeserving of you and everything good in his life., you have to constantly reassure him that he is a good person and is doing a great job

-He does have nightmares of being in Boston but you were always there for him, he was so thankful for you.

-He loves your cooking, like it can be the most simple thing ever and he’d be like 

-”This is the best Cereal i have ever had, who taught you to cook like this?”

-He has mommy issues, like his mother wasn’t really around so he has a lot of issues with that ig

-He is the best kisser i said what i said

-He’s very passionate and possessive, it’s cute

-He gives you his jackets all the time, he thinks you look so cute in them

- This man is literally the softest i can’t

-He doesn’t cut his hair just because one time you told him you liked it long

-”Jeez honey, your hair is getting pretty long.”

-”Shoot, do I need to cut it again.”

-”No...I like it long, it flatters your face.”

-”I will literally never touch my hair again ever again now that you said that, Okay”

-You have expanded this mans music taste

-He only ever listened to country cause i mean he’s a simple man but then you came along

-You got him a walkman just so he can listen to the music you recommend him

-He tells ellie all about you and asks her for help because he doesn’t want to mess up anything

-He’s not good in relationships and he believes he’s not a very attractive man so he doesn’t really try but he sees himself marrying you

-Spoiler he asks you to marry him because he can’t see himself without you, he doesn’t want to imagine how the world would be so dark without you in it

-He’s not into cute nicknames so he’ll just call you honey

-After joel's death, he was broken and you didn’t think you can even put him back together, but your willing to try

Dina

-I think you would be dina’s first girlfriend but she would love you with all her heart 

-She kissed you at the dance and everything kinda clicked from there 

-She would sneak over to you house in the middle of the night 

-”Jesus, i could've killed you.”

-”But you didn’t silly, come on i’m cold lemme in.” 

-”You're gonna be the death of me dina.” 

-Your rounds with her were never boring, it was always an adventure with her 

-Making out behind building because she couldn’t wait till yall got home 

-This girl will tease you until your bright read in the face

-She will definitely love kissing you, like she will just randomly kiss you 

-She will try to smash you literally anywhere, when she’s wanting to do the nasty it doesn’t matter where you are she will pull you into a random room or bathroom

-She never bores you in bed too, she’s always up to do new things especially since your her first girlfriend 

-When she found out she was pregnant she wanted to give this child the best life so yall decided to move out into a farmhouse 

- Having a kid didn’t really change how she loves you

-She’s still crazy and wild but now she just has a kid on her hip

-You guys were co parents so you both would hunt and take care of JJ 

-You guys would do almost anything to make that kid laugh even if that was dancing like lunatics for an hour straight 

-You guys almost never get alone time so just laying in bed without the kid felt nice 

-Yall are cottagecore lesbians idc, yall are the best parents and i said what i said 

-From behind hugs and kisses, she will grab your hips and kiss your neck until you have no choice but to rip her clothes off 

-Vintage records and slow dancing with JJ 

-I feel like being in a relationship with dina feels like a vintage song about love 

-There's lots of dancing in this relationship because dina loves dancing 

-She’s always afraid that you will feel left out in the family though since your not JJs real parent but you always tell her you don’t mind and you love JJ just like how Jesse would 

-She finds it so hot when your all protective parent when it comes to JJ, as soon as he falls asleep mama yall wont get any sleep 

-Yall are the best parents, dina will fight anyone who hurts JJ and you make him feel loved 

-When he gets older you guys try to tell him about Jesse without making you seem like the outsider of the family if that makes sense 

-Taking care of the animals and plants as a family and reading books about how to while laying in bed 

-Dina makes the best food and she tries to teach you but it just doesn’t add up to what she does 

-Okay we don’t know much about her sister but by the picture we saw she looks hella cool and i think you would be like best friends with her 

Jesse 

- yall sleep on this man i swear, so this one is to all my jesse stans are there 

-He’s kinky, that’s all 

-He knows he’s hot and he’s super cocky about it 

-He’s not much of a cuddler ngl but he will fall asleep and wake up spooning you 

-Your really close to his mom, like she loves you so much 

-He’s very reckless and your kinda the opposite so you kinda tone him down abit so you think that’s why his mom likes you so much 

-Jesse isn’t much of a dancer and he doesn’t really listen to music but he does like to play video games 

-You always pick him up video games randomly and gets so excited 

-You force him to dance with you at dances and he’s so awkward about it 

-”I hate this.” 

-”Awe you love it.” 

-Always trying to grope you while dancing, like will have his hands on your ass and theres kids behind you like sir stoppp but like keep going 

-”Hey! watch those hands.” 

-”I have no idea what your talking about”

-You and dina are pretty good friends like even after their weird relationship, she’s happy for the both of you 

-Okay so let's pretend jesse didn’t die and he is alive and well 

-When he finds out dina is pregnant he freaks out, he’s still pretty young so he’s terrified he won’t be good enough 

-When the baby comes though he’s so excited, when he’s in the infirmary with dina your happy for him but you can’t help but feel an outsider 

-Dina is so sweet and tries to make you feel better 

-”You're gonna be the coolest step parent ever. I’m glad my son gets such a badass step mom damn.” 

-Dina does move out of jackson still though so yall only get JJ every other week, that was the agreement 

-He cooks in the morning for you and JJ while yall are laying in bed 

-I’m sorry but he’s literally the coolest dad, his entire life changes because of that kid 

-When JJ leaves to go over to his moms house Jesse won’t let you get out of bed, this mf hasn’t got any in a week

-He gets a bunch of cook books so he can better his ability to cook for little JJ 

-You guys decorate JJs room together and it’s the cutest thing ever 

-He takes you to romantic places in the abandon city when yall are on rounds together 

-Jesse has a lot of friends but he would much rather hang out with you 

-Yall call each other stupid and dumb a lot but it’s never used as an insult its just for fun 

-”Damn it, why do i always get the nasty ones.” 

-”Because your stupid, dummy.” 

-”That’s right, i forgot.” 

-Your guys bed is never made, you guys don’t even bother at this point. Like either the kid messes it up or you guys mess it up so what's the point 

-He picks you up when he hugs you, literally pick you up from the waist and lift you up 

!Credits to gif owners!

[plus-size-reader]

Solidarity

Stefan Salvatore x Plus size!reader

Word Count: 1483 words

Warnings: none

Summary: No one gets Stefan or why he would decide to become a ripper again, but who better than another ripper?

——————————————————————————————————

Stefan was gone.

Elena had come to terms with the fact that whatever Klaus did to him wasn't going to change. He was just gone, and frankly, she was pretty close to giving up on him entirely. She would rather he be out of her life forever than be what he was right now.

She hated how he'd been acting and couldn't be around him anymore. However, someone had to talk some sense into him and if she and Damon couldn't do it, there was only one other person who could try.

You.

The only solution that Damon could think up in that regard was getting in touch with you, Stefan's oldest friend. An old friend that neither of them had seen in a very long time.

The two of you were complete and total strangers at this point as you hadn't talked to either Salvatore boys in over fifty years. Though, there was nothing time could do to ease the bond that you had shared all those years ago.

You and Stefan had always been inseparable, and that kind of history never really went away.

...Or at least, that's what Damon was counting on. No one could understand a ripper like a ripper.

Which was where you came in.

More than the history between the two of you, Damon figured that the fact that you'd been a ripper for quite some time wasn't going to hurt either. You could relate to him in a way that no one else could, because you were in the same state.

You could relate to what he was.

Now, you were shocked that Damon would reach out to you. As thrilled as you were to get his call, it just didn't make any sense at first. You hadn't talked to either of the Salvatore boys in a while, but it was always nice to catch up with an old friend.

Though, something told you that this call wasn't for catch up purposes. Even from the very first word, you could immediately tell there was something off.

"What's wrong? You sound grumpy" you wondered, keeping track of the ebbs and flows of his tone. That was one thing about Damon you had always appreciated, he was so easy to read, he always had been.

While you took vampirism as a viable excuse to never deal with messy human emotions again, Damon was just less affected by them in the first place. Still, when he did get upset, there was no hiding it. He was just the kind of person who wore his emotions on his sleeve.

Even now, you could hear it, even in his breath. "He turned it off, I need your help" he allowed, that depth still there in his voice. He was really shaken up but at least you knew why.

Stefan seemed to have finally joined the party.

Personally, you had been a ripper since the forties, at which point you decided that you were done worrying about all the pain and suffering that humanity could cause. Being a vampire meant that you didn't have to feel it, and what kind of absolute idiot would choose all that pain if they didn't have to.

It was a gift, and you had chosen to use it to its fullest.

"I knew it was only a matter of time before he'd want to leave it all behind" you hummed, holding the phone just a little tighter in your hands. You should have known what was coming after that, but you didn't see the problem with that in itself.

If Stefan wanted to turn it off, that was his right, and you weren't about to tell him that he couldn't. However, Damon was far from finished, and started telling you the tale of what had happened these last few weeks.

It was quite the story, one you hadn't seen coming, and by the time he'd finished, you were already in your car. Mystic Falls was a few hours away from where you were, and you could be there in two if you broke every law from here to there.

So, that's exactly what you did.

You had no idea what was waiting for you there, at the old Salvatore house, but you knew better than to have any expectations. The Salvatore boys had a wonderful talent for getting themselves into a ton of trouble.

It was easy to get wrapped up in it, but a little bit of solidarity wasn't going to hurt anything. Even if you wanted to help him, you could only do so much to make it better for everyone involved.

You had agreed to talk to him, but that was all you could do. At the end of the day, it was up to Stefan if he wanted to keep being empty or not.

~

Stefan was in much worse shape than you thought.

Perhaps it had something to do with the fact that he'd gone from Mr. All-American-Vegetarian-Vampire to a Ripper but he wasn't handling it well. He was lonely in the most odd, depraved sort of way. The kind of way that made you really rethink if being a ripper was for everyone.

On you, it was aloof and sexy but on Stefan, it came across as more constipated and moody. It wasn't cute, and you didn't hesitate to tell him that as soon as you saw him.

"What are you doing this for? No offense but you're kind of a dick when you're like this" you started, sitting down beside the male on the couch. You had no idea why he was even bothering when he clearly wasn't having a good time.

In fact, you had never seen him so down and grumpy. For someone who couldn't feel anything anymore, he was really gloomy.

"I like it better" he shrugged, as if you were just going to leave at that.  

You knew for a fact wasn't the real reason and you weren't about to just believe that just because he said it. If Stefan thought that he was better off that way, he needed some kind of a reality check.

...And lucky for him, that was your favorite kind of conversation.

"Well, I don't. So, here's how this is going to go down. You're gonna turn your humanity back on or I'm gonna force you to" you suggested, knowing that it was mostly just a bluff. There wasn't much you could do to physically force him.

However, there was one thing that Stefan had been asking of you for decades when the two of you were together, and maybe that could convince him somehow. So, you pulled out the big guns shortly after, just to entice him further.

"The people who care about you want you back, don't be an idiot. We both know you're better than this" you started, hoping it would help somehow. This wasn't just about how desperate Damon was, or how clearly miserable Stefan was.

Selfishly, you wanted him back to the way he used to be too.

This wasn't the way he was supposed to be, it just wasn't right.

"You don't know what I'm better than, we haven't seen each other in a lifetime" he spit, standing from where he was in his dramatics, heading for the other side of the room before you could even hope to stop him.

Though, there was one thing you could say that would stop him in his tracks.

"If you turn yours back on, I'll do the same"

It wasn't the sort of offer he had been expecting, but of everything that you could have said, that was quite possibly the best thing you could have brought up. For the longest time, the pacifist in Stefan had been begging you to turn on your feelings, but you had always refused.

Though, if turning them back on was going to be the secret to getting the real Stefan back, that was a sacrifice that you were willing to make. If nothing else, you could turn them off again if it sucked.

"Look, the offer has an expiration date cause I'm not exactly itching to start feeling again" you warned, knowing just how far you were willing to go. It was a terrible thing, what you were suggesting, but this was Stefan you were talking about.

You would do anything you could for him, even if you didn't want to.

If you wanted to be all about solidarity, you had to be willing to do things even when you didn't want to.

"Fine, you've got yourself a deal" it wasn't perfect, and may not work in the long haul but if he was willing to try it, you had to be too. That was the whole thing, and in all honesty, you just wanted to be done with Ripper Stefan.

He was a real dick when he didn't feel anything.

[publiccollectors]

From the discussion “Towards A Self Sustaining Publishing Model” hosted by Printed Matter.

Some things I have learned in over 30 years of publishing since my teenage days as a zine maker, administrating my project Public Collectors, and from working in the group Temporary Services and our publishing imprint Half Letter Press.

I have just ten minutes to speak. If only one or two things that I share are useful, that’s plenty! It took me decades to understand some of this stuff.

Use every exhibition invitation with a budget to print something. Use the whole budget to print something. Make something in a large enough print run so that you have something to give away and surplus that you can sell. Your publication can be a folded sheet of paper, a booklet, a newspaper, a poster, a book, or anything in between.

Be able to print at least something at home. Buy a cheap laser printer or inkjet printer, find a used copy machine, buy a RISO or some other duplicator, carve something into a potato or a piece of foam and print it. Being able to do at least some of the printing and production at home—even if it’s on a tiny scale—will compel you to print things that you might have convinced yourself not to send out or bring to a professional printer. Hopefully the ability to print impulsively and compulsively will result in good work. Figure out how to keep making things on every scale. Look for cheap used printing equipment on Craigslist. Team up with friends and buy equipment together that you can share. Start a printing collective in your basement.

Ideally your publication should cost 1/5th or 1/6th of the retail price to make. If you sell a $10.00 publication through a store, you are probably only going to make $6.00 or less after the store takes its cut. So ideally your $10.00 book costs $2.00 or less to make. Don’t aim to just break even. Aim to make a profit so you can keep making more publications and pay for your life. Publishing will probably never be your sole income but don’t lose money on purpose. Make things that are priced fairly and look like they justify what they cost to buy. The fact that you didn’t find a more affordable way to print something is not an excuse to sell something that feels cheap and shitty for a ridiculous sum of money. Good cheap printing is easier to find than ever before. Do your homework.

Figure out the cheapest and least wasteful ways to do everything. Ask other publishers where they get their work printed. Look for local printers so you can avoid shipping fees. Ask local printers if you can pay in cash for a discount. Ask printers if there is a cheaper way to do what you want to do by adjusting the size of your paper or the paper stock or some other small shift in form. If you print things yourself, buy the paper that is on sale. Design a publication around the paper that you found for cheap. Discount warehouses sometimes have good paper. Even dollar stores sometimes have good paper. I’ve even bought paper at flea markets. Costco sells an 800 sheet ream of 24 lb paper for $6.99. I use it all the time. It rules. I also recommend getting your jugs of organic olive oil there, but you can’t print with that.

Free printing is good printing. If you have access to free printing, use it. Free printing is like free food at art openings and conference receptions. It is one of those pleasures in life that never gets old. Come up with an idea that is based around the aesthetics of whatever free printing you have access to and make the publication that way. Eat the cheese and bread. Drink the wine. Make the copies at work.

Buy bulk shipping mailers on eBay. Find bubble wrap and other packing materials in the trash. Look out for neighbors who just bought new furniture—it’s usually wrapped in miles of packing material you can use for shipping books. Boycott terrible right wing fuckers like ULINE. Seriously, they give money to everyone horrible. Trump? Check. Ted Cruz? Check. Scott Walker? Check. ROY FUCKING MOORE? CHECK FUCKING CHECK! Tear up their catalogs and use them as packing material to protect your books. Make publications that have a consistent size so you can purchase cardboard mailers in bulk and get a discount on them. Buy packing tape in bulk. Buy everything in bulk. You can store your extra reams of paper under your bed or on top of your kitchen cabinets if necessary. Be like a wacko survivalist prepper, but for office supplies. Go to estate sales and look for the home office in the house. Buy the dead person’s extra tape and staples and rulers and scissors. I’ve been using some random dead person’s staples for years because I bought their staple hoard. Staples aren’t like meat and milk. They don’t expire.

I’m against competition. Try to avoid competing with other artists for resources. If you don’t truly need the money, don’t ask for it. Artists should have a section on their CV where they list grants they could have easily gotten but didn’t apply for because they are privileged enough that they don’t need the money as much as someone else. I almost never apply for anything but the one thing I do apply for and get every year is a part-time faculty development grant from Columbia College Chicago where I teach. It pays adjuncts up to $2,500 a year to fund their projects and seems to be completely non-competitive. My union negotiated to get us more money. I have used that grant to make over a dozen publications. The value of the publications I make and sell with each grant is about three or four times the value of the grant itself. Some years I make more from the grant than I do from the limited number of classes I teach. But I don’t depend on this grant to be a publisher and I’d still be able to make things without it.

Make things in different price ranges so everyone can afford your work, but also so that you can sustain your practice. Make a publication that costs $2.00, that costs $6.00, that costs $20.00, and make something special for the fancy ass institutional libraries that have a lot of money to spare and can buy something that costs $300.00. Likewise, make things in all different size print runs. Is there something you can print 1,000 of that you can keep selling and giving away for years, to enjoy that quantity discount that comes with offset printing a large number of publications?

Collaborate with people and pay them with publications (if they are cool with that) that they can sell on their own. Sometimes this ends up being better pay and more useful than an honorarium, and it helps justify a larger print run. But see what they need—don’t assume. Barter with other publishers and sell each other’s work and let each other keep the money. This helps with distribution. Sometimes it’s easier to sell their work than it is to sell your own. Help others expand the audience for their publications.

Fund your publishing practice by asking your friends who teach to invite you to talk to their college classes about your work. Use those guest speaker fees to print something. I sometimes tell people on social media: If three or four people will invite me to speak to their class, it could fund the entire next issue of X booklet series that you like so much. This has often worked. Also, sometimes their students end up ordering publications. Sometimes lectures about publications generate more income than the publications themselves.

Have an emailing list and write newsletters to announce new publications. Stay in touch with people who like what you do. Expect to spend a ton of time corresponding with people. Have some cheap things and cool ephemera on hand that you can send people for free when they mail order your publications. Reward people who support you directly with something nice that they didn’t expect. People like handwritten notes. It’s okay if they are very short but sign the packing slip and at least write “Thank you!”

Above all, know that publishing is a life journey and not a get rich quick scheme, or even a make very much money scheme. Enjoy the experience of meeting and working with others, trade your publications with other publishers and build up an amazing library of small press, hard to find artist books. Get vaccinated and travel and sleep on each other’s couches. Be generous with your time, knowledge, resources, and work. Tell Jeff Bezos to fuck off by never selling anything you make through Amazon. Find the bookstores that you love and work with them forever. It’s nicer to have deeper relationships with fewer bookstores than surface level interactions with dozens of shops run by people you don’t know.

Think about your publishing family. Bookstore people are your family. People that organize book fairs and zine fests are your publishing family. Other publishers are your family. People who follow your work for years on end are your family. Printers and binderies are your family. The postal workers that know you by name and that you know by name are your family. The person who doesn’t care if you make the free copies at work is your family. Over thirty years later, I’m still in contact with people I exchanged zines with through the mail when I was a teenager. In some cases I still haven’t met them in person. It’s fine! They are my family. Your students are your family—particularly once they graduate or drop out, as long as they continue making books and zines. Your family is your family, particularly if they value and support your publishing practice. And for this reason, this talk is dedicated to my late father Bruce Fischer, who let me use the company copier and postage meter when I was in high school, and to my mom who sat on the floor with me and helped me hand collate and staple my zines.

That’s what I’ve got for now. Stay in touch and with luck, and enough vaccines and masks and hand sanitizer, maybe I’ll see you at a book fair. – Marc Fischer • Thank you to Be Oakley of GenderFail for the invitation to present, to the other presenters Vivian Sming, Yuri Ogita, and Devin Troy Strother, and to the wonderful people at Printed Matter for hosting this! You should be able to find the video archived on Printed Matter’s YouTube Channel.  Presented on April 2, 2021

[drspencr]

dating matthew would include...

a/n: hi hi here’s a little short hc because i haven’t posted anything in a while :) but other than that my requests are open rn and i don’t have a lot to do nowaday!!

content warning: mentions of an age gap

masterlist

definitely keeping your relationship a secret for a while

spotted out in public in the early stages in the relationship

but everybody attacked you guys even when no one confirmed anything

especially getting on your guys asses for the substantial age gap

so ever since then, you two kept it on the downlow until everyone forgot about it

BUT two years later matthew finally convinced you to go public

you posted a nice picture of him sitting across from you and captioned it “happy anniversary, my love”

and matthew posted a pic of you just waking up and captioned it “i can’t believe i get to wake up to this every morning ❤️”

when you finally look at your notifications and see the photo he posted you completely freak

“matthew you chose the worst photo of me!!!”

“oh please, you’re beautiful”

the fans finally accepting you two as a couple

all of them coming to terms with your guys relationship and having to live vicariously through you

horsing around everywhere you go

he’s probably the kind of person to play tag at target

super! fun! dates!

picnic dates

water park dates

disneyland dates

bubble bath dates

but as playful the casual dates are, he seriously knows how to wine and dine

sneaking into abandoned places for fun and clinging onto his arm the whole time

“matthew can we please get out of here? this place is giving me the creeps”

“you don’t want to say hi to the ghosts? they’re really nice once you get to know them”

“matthew!”

“im kidding, im kidding”

color coordinated outfits

he insists

(tons of) naked mirror selfies

like getting out of the shower and putting your leg on his hips

or simply just standing in front of the mirror and hugging each other, skin to skin

he’ll probably be obsessed with your body and thinks it’s the most beautiful thing in the world

taking pictures, kissing and touching every inch of your skin, etc

it’s no doubt that he’s very intimate

calls you the step mom/dad of rumple buttercup

it was his way of saying that you’re somewhat of a family

CALLING EACH OTHER BUTTERCUP

and actually having a conversation about naming your first child rumple

kissing his forehead every chance you get

sometimes he gets insecure and thinks that he’s too touchy

so he’ll just stare at you from afar

probably looking up from his drawing every 30 seconds because he wants to hold you so badly

and you can feel him staring so you just open your arms and he just sheepishly walks over to you, sits down on your lap, and cuddles his head into your neck like a koala

buying him weird patterned socks to add to his collection!

it always brings a smile to his face no matter what it is

tickle fights

all the time

but you always end up winning and he always ends up on the floor with you on top of him

and he tries to ask you to stop but he can’t because he’s laughing too much

staying up because matthew literally doesn’t sleep until 4 am

but he realizes how much of a toll it’s putting on you so he starts going to sleep at a reasonable time

for your sake

watching binging criminal minds

matthew claiming that you probably like reid more than you like him

although, you were never going to admit that to his face jk

“you know that’s not true, baby. i love you and not the character you play, okay?”

“okay”

“but spencer reid still deserves better, fuck the cm writers”

“y/n!!”

“it’s true, don’t deny it”

letting you paint his nails

as long as it matched with the socks he was wearing that day

probably the hottest, wildest sex

like constantly experimenting and seeing what works best

and the aftercare? WHEW

he cooks you breakfast the morning after :)

matthew sneaking you onto set so you can watch him do his thing

also because he misses you

and when he has nothing to do and you’re not with him, he draws you from memory with flowers and hearts all around your face

“hey buttercup, how was work?”

“i drew you again”

“so a slow day, huh?”

dinners with his parents!

and it’s great because you and his mom get along so well and he loves seeing his two favorite people enjoying each other’s company

taking walks

like old couples

you would go in the morning, still in your pajamas probably

and just walk around the neighborhood talking about random shit and pointing out the chalk art on the sidewalk

he always has a new magic trick to show you and never runs out of cheesy jokes

sometimes he would pretend to be offended when you call him “grandpa” or “old man”

but other times, he would use his age as an excuse to get out of things

“matthew, do you want to eat dinner with me and my friend?”

“which friend?”

“bethany”

“oh uh,, i– my back hurts, yknow, old joints and all. maybe next time?”

you knowing damn well he just doesn’t want to see bethany

being friends with the whole cast (yk despite the drama and everything)

and going to all the cm parties

being friends with all of matthews friends honestly

another reason for him to love you so much

matthew wanting to propose for a long time but gets nervous and wants to wait for the right moment

he takes the ring with him everywhere he goes just in case

one day you’re just talking and laughing and he asks you out of nowhere

and takes the ring from his pocket like nothing

being matthew’s forever and having the most fulfilling married life 🥰

taglist:

@timey-wimey-lovi @harrys-creature @spencer-reid-in-a-pool @redbullchick @etherealsxnder @httpnxtt @blushingspencer @groovyreid @plazathehag @anditsdoctor @spenciereiddd @danandphilfan6 @estate-euphoric @yoongi-holland @la-vie-en-amour1

[madsthewordclown]

Fire Lily | Pt. 13

warnings: some angst?

summary: y/n is surprised to run into a person from her past. 

a/n: AGH I’m so so sorry this chapter took so much time and isn’t very long :/ I really struggled with motivation and inspiration this past week with my classes picking up again. But! I am back! This chapter takes place during “Sokka’s Master.” Hope you guys enjoy!

reminder: my taglist is OPEN! send me a message or ask to be added :)

Fire Lily Masterlist

Y/N had barely managed to fall asleep when she felt someone jostle her shoulder.

“Y/N, get up,” Katara said gently. Y/N groaned, rolling over uncomfortable on the lumpy ground.

“Y/N,” Katara repeated. “You need to see this.”

Y/N yawned, slowly coming to sit up, blinking slowly. She absentmindedly lit a fire in her palm to illuminate the space.

“No, we don’t need fire. Come on.”

Y/N reluctantly stood, letting the fire in her hands flicker out. Katara led Y/N out of the tree-covered area they had camped into a clearing on a hill, where Sokka, Aang, and Toph were waiting.

“What exactly am I looking at?” Y/N mumbled. What time was it? Two in the morning?

“Just look up,” Katara giggled. Y/N obeyed and raised her head to see the bright streaks painting the sky.

“Oh,” Y/N breathed, watching the spots of light soar across her vision. Y/N felt the tension leave her shoulders as she watched the sky. “It’s beautiful.”

“Yeah,” Aang agreed, reaching his arms out to invite them all to throw their arms around each other. Y/N moved closer and felt Katara’s arm settle across her shoulders, but she never took her eyes away from the sky.

Y/N had never seen a meteor shower before. It was better than she had imagined—the stars were so bright here, not like Ba Sing Se. The night sky went on forever, meteors leaving trails of brightness across the comforting deep blanket of darkness the sky provided.

Tiny stars blinked down at her, and Y/N felt the warmth growing in her stomach. It made her think of the tea shop, if only for a moment.

Something about staring up at the sky made her feel small, but it wasn’t an unwelcome feeling. There were so many small people in the world, and even though she was traveling with the Avatar, even though she was on the run, and even though her life had been upended, she could be one of those small people, if only for a moment.

“Um, guys,” Sokka pointed up at the sky. “That one looks a bit close.”

“Oh, really? Which one?” Toph panned sarcastically. Y/N suddenly remembered that Toph couldn’t see the meteor shower. The girl was sitting on the ground with her arms crossed a few feet away. “You’ve seen nothing once, you’ve seen it a million times.”

“You’ve never not seen anything like this,” Sokka said. The ground seemed to shake for a moment, and Y/N watched as the meteor dipped out of view behind some trees. The ground seemed to shake, a loud crash echoing.

“Oh,” Toph started, standing. “You’re right, Sokka.”

Y/N followed the others through the trees, seeing the meteor, a ball of flame that was already beginning to catch the surrounding grass.

“The fire is going to destroy that town!” Katara shouted. Y/N could see the rooftops in the distance. Katara was right, and before Y/N could come up with any sort of response, they were rushing into action.

Katara was already heading to a nearby creek, bending the water towards the flames while Aang and Toph lifted large chunks of earth from the ground.

“What can I do?” Sokka asked. Y/N could tell how much he wanted to be helpful.

“Umm…” Aang replied, continuing to create a trench, “watch Momo?”

Sokka turned to Y/N. “Aren’t you going to help?”

“I barely know how to make fire, Sokka,” Y/N replied, sighing as they watched their friends go to work. “I haven’t figured out how to stop it. Plus,” Y/N smiled, “this is space fire.”

“Pretty sure it’s just regular fire,” Sokka grumbled, but Y/N saw the corners of his mouth upturn slightly. It was better than nothing.

---

Sokka was a shopaholic, Y/N decided. He’d been in a sour mood since the night before, when he was left to babysit Momo. But Katara had offered to let him look around in a weaponry store, and suddenly he was acting like a giddy little kid.

Y/N wandered around on her own in the shop. She could hear Sokka’s giggles from across the store. She looked around at the distinctly Fire Nation items—swords with red accents in the hilt, armor pieces made of dark, gleaming metal. It was much different from the craftsmanship of Jet’s swords. These were made with aesthetic in mind, with the time to add the red embellishments and tassels and inscriptions.

Jet’s swords were finely made, but they weren’t things to marvel at. They were made to work, work well, and nothing more. The blades were getting dull—she’d have to figure out how to sharpen them later. Y/N ran a finger along the inscription of a dagger on the wall—Honor and country—and started when someone coughed behind her.

Y/N whipped around, hands poised on the swords at her waist. Behind her stood a boy, with dark hair and a little bit of stubble on his jaw. He looked oddly familiar, and then the realization hit.

“Jain!” Y/N cried. She didn’t move her hands from her swords. He was dressed in a dark red tunic and black pants, his hair in a bun on top of his head.

“So, it is you.” Jain gave Y/N a once-over, his dark eyes taking in the blades and the Fire Nation clothes. “I wondered where you went off to.”

“What are you doing here, Jain?” Y/N couldn’t decide whether or not to be angry. She wasn’t sure if Jain was an enemy or not.

“Just visiting my homeland,” Jain drawled, as if it was obvious. Y/N supposed it was. Jain glanced around, assuring no one was near.

“Look,” he sighed, “I can’t here, but if you want to talk, I can meet you later.”

“What?” Y/N gaped. She still couldn’t process the fact that Jain was here. In front of her. Right now. More handsome than she remembered, though she’d never admit it. He wasn’t a string bean anymore.

“I can catch you up on what’s happening back home,” Jain offered. “I can take a message back for you, if you want.”

“Okay.” Y/N didn’t hesitate to answer. Jain would know about her parents. Maybe Bihun was back. Y/N hadn’t heard anything about her colony since she had left.

“I can meet you in the marketplace this afternoon,” Jain said, already turning away. Y/N diverted her eyes back to the dagger in front of her. Honor and country.

“Alright,” Y/N agreed, listening to Jain’s footsteps fade.

---

“You what?!” Katara cried. “Y/N, we can’t trust Fire Nation.”

“Why are you just telling us now?” Aang added in agreement.

“I knew Sokka wouldn’t like it,” Y/N admitted. She had been relieved when she learned that Sokka would be away to train under a master, and not just because she was happy for him. He wouldn’t have let her go meet with Jain. Or worse; he’d insist on coming along.

“Well, we don’t like it either,” Toph piped in. “Why do you need to go talk to this guy anyway?”

“He was a friend of my brother’s,” Y/N explained. She could remember Jain from Bihun’s first years at school. He was one of the few friends that Y/N’s parents allowed to visit the house. “He lives in the colony. He can tell me what’s happening at my home.”

“I don’t know…” Katara trailed off, her eyes sharp.

“He can tell me about my parents, Katara,” Y/N pleaded. “I… I don’t know what happened to them after I left.”

Katara thought for a moment, but Aang spoke for her.

“Okay,” he said. “If it’s important to you, it’s important to us. But if you aren’t back by sundown, we’ll come to look for you.”

“Thank you, thank you, thank you!” Y/N surged forward, pulling Aang into a hug. “I’ll be careful, I promise.”

“I still don’t like it,” Katara said, and Toph nodded, “but we’re here for you. Be safe.”

“I will,” Y/N promised. She didn’t think Jain would hurt her, but the words kept ringing through her head. Honor and country. Would they outweigh his care for her? She thought of Zuko.

Y/N tried to remember that she had no reason to hide while she walked through the marketplace, keeping an eye out for Jain. He was taller than she remembered, and definitely looked older. She wondered if that was how old Bihun would look, if he were here.

She spotted Jain by a food stand and did her best to approach casually. Jain turned around and faced her, two bags of fire flakes in his hands.

“Why are you walking like that?” Jain gave her an odd look, an eyebrow raised. Y/N immediately straightened her posture, her cheeks warming. So much for being casual.

“Come on,” Jain beckoned after a moment, leading Y/N around a street corner. He handed her one of the bags of fire flakes, using his now free hand to fumble with the doorknob on the nearest home.

Y/N’s eyes widened. “I hope you’re not breaking in.”

“No, I—” Jain jimmied the handle some more, and it finally turned, the door opening. “There we go.”

Y/N followed Jain inside, her nerves building. It was a nice enough place. Small. Flammable, if it came down to that. Y/N hoped it wouldn’t.

“Whose house is this?” Y/N asked, looking around at the many potted plants that filled the room.

“My aunt’s,” Jain replied, stuffing a handful of fire flakes in his mouth. He noticed Y/N looking at the greenery. “I know, she has a ton of plants. She’s a little crazy.”

“I think they’re nice,” Y/N frowned, gently touching the leaf of a small, white-flowering plant by the window. She still hadn’t taken a bite from her fire flakes. “Why did you buy me these?”

“Hospitality,” Jain answered simply, like it wasn’t weird. Y/N was fairly sure it was weird. They were in the Fire Nation, and the Fire Nation would be anything but hospitable if they knew she were here, with the Avatar, no less. “Don’t tell me you’ve never had them.”

“I have,” Y/N scoffed. She took small handful of flakes and popped them into her mouth. Damn, they were spicy. She tried to stifle her reaction, taking a seat across from him at the table. “What are you doing here?”

“Like I said, visiting the homeland.” Jain took a seat at the small wooden table in the center of the room. “My aunt is gone to the capital for a few weeks, so she said I should come here to ‘experience the true national culture.’” Jain made air quotes with his hands. “I think she just wanted a plant sitter.”

Y/N nodded, looking down at her hands that were still wrapped around the back of fire flakes.

“What are you, doing here, Y/N? I thought…”

Y/N wasn’t sure she wanted to know what he had thought. He probably thought she was dead or imprisoned like her brother.

“I went to Ba Sing Se,” Y/N explained. “And I met friends. We’re traveling together.”

It wasn’t a total lie. Really, it wasn’t a lie at all, Y/N rationalized. Just an omission of some details. Jain had a look on his face that said he knew that wasn’t the whole story.

“Do…” Y/N trailed off, unsure of how to continue. “Does everyone know? About me?”

“You nearly burned down your parents’ house and singed the eyebrows off of two soldiers, Y/N.” Jain chomped down another handful of fire flakes.

“Oh.” Yes, she had done that. Of course everyone knew.

“Not much has changed since you left,” Jain reassured. “Well, it did at first. A lot of soldiers came through at first, looking for you. The village is doing well enough.”

“What about my parents?”

Jain’s expression darkened. “The Fire Nation believes that your parents committed a crime by hiding you from them. Your… father is looking for you.” Jain shimmied uncomfortably at the word ‘father,’ and Y/N felt her stomach churn.

“Are they okay?” They had to be okay. That was the whole point of her leaving. If they weren’t okay… it was all for nothing.

“Yeah, for now. There are soldiers stationed at your house, in case you try to return. But your parents are safe. Your father was too close to the Earth King before Ba Sing Se fell, and he’s still got powerful allies in the smaller cities that are left. They won’t touch them until they know where you are. Some people are dead set on finding you, Y/N.”

“And you aren’t going to turn me in?”

“Of course not, Y/N.” Jain’s expression seemed hurt. “Bihun is my best friend, and he’d want me to help you. And you haven’t done anything wrong.”

Y/N wanted to correct him. I’m helping the Avatar to defeat your nation. We’re planning to invade your capital as we speak. She tried to hold back the question at the tip of her tongue. “Have you heard anything about my brother?”

Jain frowned and shook his head. “I’ve actually managed to do some asking around, but I haven’t found anything. I’m sorry, Y/N.”

Y/N stared at the table as her eyes stung.

“I miss him, too.” Jain put his hand out, resting it on the table in front of her. “He’d be happy for you, you know. That you made it out of that house. I know you’ve struggled,” Jain eyed the scars on her hands from her months of traveling and fighting that hadn’t been there before, “but he’d be happy. And I’m not going to stop trying to find him.”

“Neither will I.” A warm tear traveled its way down Y/N’s face. “Will you check in on my parents for me, when you can?”

“Yes, anything,” Jain offered a smile. “I can bring back a message for them?”

Y/N shook her head. “I think it’s best they don’t hear from me until it’s all over.”

Jain nodded understandingly. “Y/N, I want you to know that my allegiance is to my family first. Bihun is like a brother to me, so you’re my family too. If you ever need anything, you can ask.”

“Thank you, Jain.” Y/N glanced out the window, the sun beginning to dip in the sky. “I should go.”

“Alright,” Jain said, standing. Y/N stood with him, leaving her fire flakes on the table. She’d pass on those. Before she could convince herself not to, Y/N pulled Jain in for a hug, letting out a shaky breath when he wrapped his arms around her. “Take care of yourself, Y/N,” Jain whispered softly.

“I will,” Y/N promised again. “You too.”

---

“How did it go?” Katara asked as soon as Y/N came into view of their camp outside of town.

“Good.” She noticed Sokka pouting on the ground. “How was Sokka’s training?”

“I can’t believe you didn’t tell me about this!” Sokka cried indignantly. “It’s not safe to be talking to the Fire Nation!”

“She’s obviously fine,” Toph groaned. “And no one followed her here. And we all look like Fire Nation anyway!”

“Hmph,” Sokka grumbled.

“What did he tell you?” Aang asked curiously. Y/N recounted what Jain had told her, about her parents. About her father. When she was done, Katara smiled.

“I’m glad you went to talk to him, Y/N. It’s great that your parents are safe.”

“Yeah,” Aang agreed. “And after we defeat the Fire Lord, you’ll be able to go back home. I promise.”

Fire Lily Masterlist

taglist: @kaylove12, @akariblue, @wolfiemichele, @aquatickanye, @sunflowerr-mami, @nadiblue. @la3divine, @sarsky, @aangsupremacy, @good-ones-are-taken

[popculturebuffet]

Sparkshortstravaganza! (Commissioned by WeirdKev27)

Well this was a needed kick in the pants. When I first heard of the Sparkshorts program I was excited. As a kid I loved PIxar, as an adult I love pixar and as an old man dealing with the loss of his partner floating away in my balloon house, i’ll still love pixar. So the idea of a program focused on giving new fresh talent the room to do whatever they wanted and make content that would be on Disney Plus, a platform BADLY bereft of original animation? It was a dream come true and the first one I saw Kitbull is easily a masterpiece and something that I can vividly recall every part of to this day, which for my terrible short term memory recalling EVERYTHING is a rare feat few works have achived.  But given I have a REALLY bad habit of letting things I want to watch sit there if I don’t jump on them immediately.. I let it sit there and didn’t touch any of the shorts and mostly forgot about the program until now. Until Kev, my patron and the only person paying for reviews at the moment, though others are more than welcome wink wonk, just decided what the heck and to test out comissioning shorts picked these ones because why not. And given I had been dragging my feet and reading the descriptions found creative and suprisingly heavy premises... I was fully on board And better late than never because along with Soul this program has EASILY restored my faith in the company after Onward really disapointed. Granted they’ve done worse, while there are pixar films I haven’t seen I need to like Coco or Cars 3, I’ve vowed NEVER to watch Cars 2 unless I have to and that vow has served me well so far. The shorts here are as a whole beautifully animated, have a ton of wonderful concepts and even the two weaker ones are still gorgeous to look at and a decent watch regardless and both come from a very well meaning place with a very well meant message. So yeah i’m thankful for this comission and to show you why let’s go through every Sparkshorts so far and see why their so awesome.. after some background of course. 

Sparkshorts, for the uniniated, is a program by pixar where animators are given six months and a limited budget to create a film based on personal experince. The program was designed to test out new ways of animating, directing and creating and to find a creative “spark” in it’s employees. Thus each film feels unique, has it’s own style.. and is utterly charming. I’ll be looking at them chronologically as while this wasn’t my watch order, I feel it’s a bit neater that way. I’ve already taken long enough to get to watching these, let’s open these films up and see what makes them tick shall we?

Purl: An Adorable Yarn Ball Vs Toxic Masculinity  Purl.. was better the more I thought about it. The first short released, it DOES have a good message and killer animation. The film takes place at B.R.O., a dude broey brockerage firm that’s painfully relasitic both in how broey it is and in how it looks. That’s to contrast our heroine: Purl, an adorable ball of yarn who just wants to be accepted but is instead ignored by the rest of the company till she changes herself up, donning a suit like her co workers she badly wants to fit in with and adopting their wolf of wallstreet esque douchebaggery. She finally gets accepted.. but ends up shedding her new self to help another Yarn Ball starting up.  Director Kristen Lester drew from personal experince, starting work at animation in a mostly male dominated workplace and thus having to adapt and only letting the femine side she’d repressed out when she moved to working at pixar, which had more female employees. The film DOES have a good message about toxic workplaces and toxic masulinty and learning the personal story did raise it a few notches as it made it clear to me that what SEEMED like an over exageration.. was probably just a light exageration given the kind of bro antics we’ve heard about at companies like Ubisoft. So while I didn’t like the film much at first honestly.. it’s over the top because it NEEDS to be because even though it’s 2021.. some idiots STILL don’t get it and kids are better off learning it now so it’ll hopefully stick when their entering the workforce. So we’ll get more people like perl willing to make a change and stick up for those like her and less dude bros. Still a decent and clever short with Perl’s bro form looking really neat and the animation on her in general is really fucking gorgeous. All in all not the best of these but still pretty good and while a bit thick on the message.. it kinda has to be. 

Smash And Grab: A Jaunty Ride to Freedom

This was a really fun one. Directed by Brian Larson and inspried by his need for a break from routine this follows two robots, the titular smash and grab who are designed to well.. smash and grab coal-like energy things for a train and have for years and years. The two long to high five, but can’t because their hooked to tubes so they can’t escape. But one day Smash looks out the window and not only sees fellow robots living a better life.. but a way to power him and his buddy/love intrest? I mean bromance or romance, either way it works. Point is our heroes escape, and have to fight security.  It’s just a really damn fun and creative movie. While robots wanting a better life isn’t new, the crisp art deco animation, breakneck pace, fun gags and heartwearming relationship between the two bots is just charming as hell. It’s just a fun ride the whole way through with a lot of heart and creativity with the two’s way they throw coal to one another used to take out the guards, and all together just some really good set pieces. Easily one of my faviorites here and that’s a high water mark to pass. 

Kitbull: Tiny Orphan Kitty + Big Abused Doggo = Best Friends

As I said this is the only one of these I saw before today and as I said it’s stuck with me. I love dogs. I have one of my own named Yoshi whose just a sweet boy. So i’ve always loved ALL DOGS.. and was thus horrified years ago when I learned about the stigma Bulldogs get. Seen as “agressive’ and “Mean’ and victious.. when really a lot of them, including my grandpa’s own pitbull when I was little, are just loveable as any other dogs. And having also known a former fighting dog my friend owned, if a much smaller min pin rather than a pitbull, who by the time I met him had become the sweetest dog you’d ever meet.. yeah.. don’t mistreat a dog just because some assholes force it to fight to the death because their sick, horrible, ghastly human beings.. if they can even be CALLED human beings after doing that to these poor animals.  My point is it’s nice to have a short about such a needed subject. Director Rosana Sullivan actually had the idea for the short for years and intended to do it as a side project, but when the program cropped up she moved it to pixar and the result is one of the most popular and easily one of the best of an already bright bunch, brought on by her love of animals and working in a shelter. It’s also one of Pixar’s first 2d animated projects and proves their just as good at that as cgi.  It’s the touching story of a kitty whose alone in the world and initally mistrustful and hissy at a big dog she finds and is naturally scared of.. until she grows to bond with the dog, realizing much like a LOT of fucking people need to that pitbulls.. are just dogs and often victims of circumstance and the poor, sweet pooch who just wants his owner to love him.. is instead thrown into a fighting pit, nearly killed and forced to make a daring escape with their new forever friends help. It’s through this wonderful, heartrending friendship that the dog finds freedom and the cat.. finds them both a home, no longer running from people but instead making sure they both get a person. It’s often brutal at times, with the scene of the dog being forced to fight being one of the most striking: while we thankfully don’t see the action, we HEAR IT, as does the poor kitty, and we see the aftermath: a friendly harmless dog thrown out into the cold just because it dosen’t WANT to fight. It’s just really heartrending stuff that makes the happy ending all the better. It’s also gorgeiously animated which I mentioned but i’ll say it again; the animation here is GOREGOUS, unqiue and stunning. Go watch this if you haven’t. 

Float: This is Why Krakoa Exists

This.. has easily been the hardest to review of the bunch. While ALL of these stories are very personal, very inclusive and very intresting, this one.. is a bit rougher than most of them and hits REALLY close to home. See this one was built out of director Bobby Rubio’s experinces raising his son who has autisim. 

It’s about a dad who discovers his infant son can float... and thus gets stares of fear or judgment from eveyrone around him slowly getting broken down by this. So he makes a HORRIBLE judgment call and rather than just accept some people are assholes, weighs his son’s backpack down with stones despite him hating it then drags him away when he ends up floating off, before screaming at the poor kid WHY CAN’T YOU BE DIFFRENT.. He DOES instantly regret this and the ending is genuinely touching as the father finally accepts his son is different and throws him into the air while on a swing, letting his son soar as he always should’ve. It is a beautifully animated and well meant film and the filipino representation is truly great: Rubio originally was going to have the characters as white but his fellow animators convinced him to go for represntation and be true to himself and honestly in a time when disney itself has had to be fought to get queer representation most of the time, it’s nice that pixar at least is a part of it that throughly encourages representation and will gladly put diversity and representation over any bullshit “risk factors”.  That being said.. while this was a decent short with a very well intentioned message and it clearly connected with a lot of people.. it wasn’t for me and I say this as someone who has autisim. As someone who has worn down people’s patince and been starred at by a freak for something I was way too young to properly deal with.  I’ve been in this Kid’s shoes. 

And that’s the problem: The metaphor dosen’t really work for me. While auitism CAN have some benifits and I wouldn’t be any other way i’d be lying if I said it was easy having trouble commuincating, constnatly misreading people, constnatly worrying if someone’s going to like you, and hyperfocusing on a problem instead of being able to set it and forget it for a bit to my own detriment. There’s other problems and not ALL of my issues come from anxiety disorder: I also have anxiety and depression. They just bleed badly INTO said autisim sometimes, as it’s hard to effectively combat anxiety sometimes when your mind won’t let you. 

What i’m saying is... there aren’t any FAULTS in his powers. See i’m a fan of x-men, so I can only see this boy as a mutant, and yes I know they usually manfifest at puberty but there have been exceptions so don’t at me.. and one of them who has no real downsides other than the unfair stigma of being a mutant. He’s more like storm, who can control the elements and whose power only enhances her life nad lesss like say Rogue, who looks normal.. but can’t touch anyone without knocking them out at best or horribly abosrbing them into her head at worst. There’s no downside other than the fact people judge him and his dad is a dick about it.  And the dad part is hard because I get what Rubio is going for: parents make mistakes, parents mess up and their only human even if they should embrace their kids anyway. That’s a good message and one I support.. I just think Rubio was way TOO hard on himself and thus made his stand in into an unlikeable asshole, one whose more concerned with how everyone ELSE thinks and does the horribly abusive action of basically tying his son’s wings down so he can’t fly. He mans well, it’s so his son dosen’t float off.. but instead of finding a way to help him and work with him on it.. he just stuffs rocks in his back and forces the kid to be miserable so other people can be happy. It just goes way too far in the other direction to work. As I said I think it’s the guy being too hard on himself, manifesting his worst moments with his kids and his biggest regrets and making himself into a very hard to like character because he has trouble forgviing himself for how he acted. So I want to say if you ever read this bobby while I wasn’t hte biggest fan of your film.. I do wholly support you and your son.. and the fact you made an entire FILM just to show your sturggle and show people there not alone was a beautiful act. You are not a bad person , we all make mistakes and we’re all just human. You are a good man Bobby Rubio. I may of not liked your metaphor... but your message is beautiful. 

Wind: Immigration by Way of Rocket Science

Thankfully moving on.. this one is tied with Kitbull for my faviorite. It has a truly intriguing premise, a great metaphor, stunning animation, and is just really moving, gripping and fun to watch. This one was by Edwin Chang, and as is usualy by now, it was built on personal experince.. but not his. It was built on the fact his father was an immigrant who had to leave his mother, Chang’s grandmother, behind to a better life. She rejoined them eventually but it left an impact on his father and thus serves as the core of this story. And honestly knowing that only STRENGTHENS an already impresssive sci fi short.  It’s the story of a boy, apparently named Ellis so i’ll use that, and his grandmother who live in a bizzare, hauntingly beautifuly stygian sinkhole that has floating rocks and debris. The two spend their day farming potatoes and grabbing whatever they can to hopefully make their way out. But it becomes clear to young Ellis after they find a plane his grandmother wants HIM to go alone and escape and is willing to sacrifice herself.. and ends up having to trick the boy into thinking sh’es going along in order to get him to do what he needs to surivive and thrive. It’s a truly gut wrenching story as even when she seems to have found a way for them both to leave.. it’s very clear she’s simply training him with all the welding tools and what not so he has skills to make it out there on his own in the unknown. So he can live without her.. but more importantly.. so he CAN LIVE. Away from the darkness, not having to scrape and to surivive and hopefully find something better out there. While the old parental figure sacrifciing thsmelves so the youngun can start hteir journey isn’t new.. it’s the unique, beautiful and haunting setting and the emotoin, conveyed only through the utterly beautiful animation that make this story feel fresh, along with it’s great metaphor. This short is just haunting, beauitful and really damn sad, and I only dont’ have all that much to say because it’s all in the visuals. The only thing I have left is like all of these really, watch it. But especailly this one. 

Loop: Enough Said

This is part of the reason I didn’t like Float all that much. Loop is just.. way better at conveying the experinces of having auitism. While Renee is a more severe case than me I can relate to what kicks off the film: Renee, usually paired with an adult at the camp she at, is forcibley paired with a chatty boy named Marcus. While Marcus is eager to go home and has no idea how to interact with the two the two genuinely bond, with Marcus slowly getting into Renee’s world. The key scene for this and the one that clinches the film is Renee waving her hands over the reeeds in the water, throughly enjoying it with marcus not getting it.. till he tries himself. Director Erica Milsom, whose worked with autistic children and picked this medium entriely because i’ts perfect for a non verbal character and is one that can tackle heavy issues like this in a way to help people understan, really wanted to counter most depections of severe autisim, paticuarlly sensory issues. While we see the good in them instead of JUST her freaking out or being overwhelemed: how her sounds and the things she feels truly relax her and how she really DOES enjoy nature and is perfectly at home there. It’s just a beautiful way to show this disablility is not ALL bad, as many works tend to focus soley on the drawbacks. While I had my issues with Float part of it was it had too much good.. but Loop is superior at this simply because it shows both with unflinching honesty: The beauty of something that calms and relaxes your brain or a touch or sensation that just FEEELS really good, things that while again i’m not on the same level as Renee.. I can still fully relate to.  But what puts it over float besides not having a messy metaphor is it DOES show the issues that come with it.. but does so WELL and with nuance. It shows how isolating autisim can be, especially for someone like Renee who can’t talk, how people are sometimes freaked out by you and don’t know how to interact with you and how adults can MEAN WELL, and the counsler setting them off was a good idea in the end... but can also be misguided and not fully know how to handle you without overwhelming you. It shows just how bad a panic attack can be, how you can just.. shut down and drive away. It was easily the sequence that hit the hartest and resonated the most as I’ve had those, and i’ve just shut down with no one able to reach me.. and it makes it all the more touching as Marcus eventually realizes how to handle things, and gives her space despite the setting son and the peril of being stranded.. because he realizes she needs it and offers to simply be there when she’s ready. It’s a touching, wonderful gesture, capped by him giving her a reed.. and the two heading home finally udnerstanding one another.This one is very close to wind in my heart and I think I found even more love for it writing this review and realizing just how much it hit me. And that ain’t bad. 

Out: Be Proud of Who You Are.. with the help of a gay cosmic space cat 

Speaking of hitting close to home and really resonating with me, we have Pixar’s first short with a gay main character, with his sexuality being the center of this. And as a bi person who had struggle accepting his sexuality let alone telling anyone, even when you know someoen will likely accept you.. this naturally hit hard. I took some time to realize I was bi, and when I did I was terrified of telling my mom, despite her being loving, supportive and just wonderful, same with my brother. Both fully accepted me as I figured and had no issue with it, esepcially sine my romantic history is nearly non existant anyways, but I related to our hero Greg’s fears of coming out to his parents despite them being utterly wonderful, well meaning people. It’s hard to come out, it’s hard to admit that about yourself, and it’s hard knowing you may not be accepted or things may change. I had an even harder time coming out to my dad, who I fully expected being a trump supporter and having said “if gay marriage is leagal I should be able to marry my cat”, to not support me and to loose him.. and was proud and suprised when nope, he was utterly supportive and happy for me.. if a bit awkward with the “be careful with sex” advice.. to someone whose had none and may never will due to being awkward as shit. But he meant well and the point is I really related to this, and it’s easily one of the best coming out stories of this kind, tied handily with Schitt’s Creek’s episode about Patrick coming out to his parents that dealt with the same theme.  And naturally given the nature of these shorts it was a story close to Stephen Clay Hunter’s heart, as he group up a gay nerd in the 80′s a time when homophobia was even worse and representation was near non-existent. So when given the shot he wanted to make something for a young him, something they can look at and point to and tha’ts me. And the behind the scenes short for this one sold just how... big this felt for him. To draw two men in love and embrcing, to see guys mo capping that. To see someone LIKE him on screen. It shows just how important representation is and how dumb it is it took 20 goddamn years at pixar for them to get gay. 

The short itsel is delightful as we open with a gay space cat and dog appearing in a rainbow. The Cat and Dog are watching Greg, a nice young man whose moving out of his small town with his boyfriend Manuel.. only to panic when his parents who he hasn’t come out to show up to help move and try and hide the one photo he has of them. And despite Manuel seeing it as a very easy thing to do to come out.. it’s not for Greg. He knows it’s hard and a scene of him practicing shows the poor guy breaking down at the thought of telling them despite getting every indicatio their nice people.  It’s then the whole Space Cat thing comes in as the cat enchanted Greg’s dog’s collar, so when greg puts it on as  a jest, it’s a body swap! So naturally we get tons of REALLY well animated shenanigans as Greg has to get his body back. Seriously the animation here is gorgeous with director Hunter choosing the painted on , impercet style to give it a storybook feel which fits the story perfectly.. seriously if Disney hasn’t made a story book of this do so.. and if they won’t someone on etsy do it because Etsy is apparently where the merch companies should be making happens.

The point is it’s fun, furious and leads to some great gags.. and then we get the emotional punch to the godnand as Greg bites his mom’s hand in order to prevent her finding a photo of him and his boyfriend. He instnatly regrets it, and breaking the photo in the process and goes to comfort her.. and we get easily the most emotinal, most beautiful part of it as Greg finds out his mom is hurt as she can clearly tell he’s keeping her at arms length and dosen’t want to loose him.. and she’s known all along he was gay.. just like the Schitts Creek example it’s clear she’s hurt a bit her son is scared to tell her but just wants him to be happy. So with a brilliant use of a squeaky toy greg switches back.. and comes out, with his dad warmly hugging miguel when he introduces himn and the space dog crying. Just a beautiful, charming, fun, and gorgeously animated short with some badly needed representation.

Also... one last note. This isn’t related to the short.. but Disney, who once again proves they can’t be progressive without stabbing themselves in the foot and no I will not stop giving out about this. This time’s especailly bad as while Out was heavily promoted.. the descripton DOSEN’T mention it having Pixar’s first gay lead and goes out of it’s way to hide Greg being gay despite the fact the short dosen’t and his being in the closet is the whole conflict of the short. And the not mnentiong the first gay lead thing is noticable because Loop DID rightly point out it was their first non verbal proganist. You can’t.. brag about being progressive about one thing and then try to hide your being progressive about another you idiots. Plus the “pleasing the bible belt” ship has sailed and left port. Ducktales is gay as hell with Penny being gay, even if Disney won’t let her just come out and say it, the crew still had her say it as much as they could, Violet’s dad’s being gay, Della being bi and Webby and Lena being as close to a couple you can get without disney screaming at them no. Andi Mack is fully avaliable on D+ as well.. well okay not fully because the dad turned out to be a pedophile, but still a series with a fully gay character is out there. And finally Owl House got TONS of press for having a bi progatanist and having her love intrest be a girl. Even if Dana Terrance had to FIGHT for that, and rightly so good on her, the point is you have queer characters already. The groups that hate you for that aren’t going to magically stop hating you because you hide the fact a short anyone can see from minute one is very , beautifully gay, I mean it starts with a very swishy space cat emerging from a rainbow atop a pink dog. COME ON. I only have a few words left for disney..

Okay whew, one more and we’re out of here. 

Burrow: It’s Okay to Ask for Help and To Bang a Willing Salamander This was the first one I watched today. In hindsight had I properly researched the shorts and realized how heavy they were I probably would’ve saved this one for later to help balance out the deep feels of some of these. While Burrow is VERY VERY good, as all these shorts have been even Float, it’s subject matter is a lot lighter. I mean so far we’ve had stories about toxic masculinity, animal abuse, issues accepting your child is diffrent, sacrficing yourself so your loved one can have a better life, autisim and coming out of the closet. Even Smash and Grab which is light and breezy.. still has a disney death, and is still about a heroic rush to freedom from slavery whenyou think about it. This one.. is about an insecure bunny whose afraid to ask for help and ends up learning to get it while ending up plumiting through a bunch of comedic set pieces. It’s basically if Winnie the Pooh and Bugs Bunny had a baby comedy wise, it has the warm feeling of pooh art wise, a storybook quality tha’ts utterly adoring.. but director Madeline Sharafan specifccally wanted the animators to take after chuck jones, using lots of great expressions and reactions. It has a real classic theatrical screwball comedy vibe and given The Looney Tunes, Droopy, and Tom and Jerry mean the world to me and i’m glad nto reocnnect with 2/3 thanks to HBO Max.. I fucking loved it. 

Burrow is still a personal story and is based on Sharifan’s experinces having trouble colaberating, wanting something to be fully baked before showing it off, something I agian relate to. She often hid from the others and refused to show her work until it was done while everyone else was happy to help. And as the previously used to slam disney hard with something they own Hickman Era of X-men has shown.. colaboration is just better and more freeing. By having friends and colleuge s to bounce off of you refine ideas, see how people react to them and grow a bit and that’s what the shorts about. 

The plot is easily the simpliest of these: A young bunny wants to build her dream burrow but gets self concious when she runs into a friendly mole and rat living next door to where she wants to build and keeps digging to find both privacy and her own place.. and instead ends up digging into various shenangians and other burrows from frogs, to hedgehogs to most memorably some Salmanders taking a sauna.. and in the best and most ‘how the fuck did they get away with this bit of it”, one of the salamanders ends up .. gladly removing his town and being liike “You wanna do this? I mean I got an hour free” And i’m just saying while now wasn’t the time and the offer was a little awkward i’d go for it if I was her. I mean at least ask him out for coffee later. He seems nice enough if low on boundries. Then ride him until the morning light girl, ride it. She also finds the Demon Bear from New Mutants at one point.. so that’s where he retried to after danny kicked his ass again. Neat. 

But eventually our heroione digs herself too deep and ends up hitting water before finding a 

Who sees her crumpled plans and then does the stygian call of the badger to call all the other animals to help and after they escape the flood, the bunny finally realizes their good people and lets them see the plans. So we end on our heroine and her new friends and possible salamander lover helping her settle in as she finallyg ets the home she wanted, complete with disco. I mean every home should have a disco. If I didn’t have a ceeling fan i’d have a disco ball.. and I still want one just to set somewhere or hang away from the fan . Let me dream dammit. Overally a fun, hilarious, mad dash short with a good message and a good note to go out on.

Final Thoughts: Overall.. the Sparkshorts program is fucking spectacular, a great way to let some of Pixar’s staff get into the directors chair and really shine, and a way to tackle issues that they may not be able to get greenlit into a full film. Lushily animated, well produced, Pixar has announced MORE are coming and I cannot wait. Thank you kev for comissioning this, and thank you all for reading. If your new and liked this review, follow this blog as I talk disney all the time: when they come back i’ll be doing regular coverage of Amphibia, Ducktales and the Owl House as new episodes come out every week, and i’m currently doing a retropsective on the three cablleros kev also paid for, with the finale of it, an episode by episode look at the legend of the three cablleros, starting this week. I’m also covering LIfe and times of scrooge mcduck (though infrequently for a bit), and finishing up a look at darkwing duck’s just us justice ducks, started with looks at all the players involved and finshing next week with the episode itself.  So if any of that sounds good to you, check out the archives, but goodbye, goodbye, goodbye for now. 

[takoyakitenchou]

masquerade ch.9

If anyone at Totsuki’s 92nd scouting gala a few years ago had told Souma that he would earn three Michelin stars within three and a half years of graduation, celebrate for all of thirty minutes with his girl best friend, then be dragged by said journalist to Evanston to start prepping for his second restaurant — which had somehow magically been constructed and staffed (again, by said journalist) without him knowing — he would have laughed and passed the recruiter another champagne.

But alas, as fate would have it, he was dozing off on a stool under a recently replaced lightbulb in Origin half a block down from Northwestern U on the waterfront of Lake Michigan when his best friend/relationship counselor walked in wearing her varsity volleyball uniform. She was typing furiously on her phone, an NU pen stuck between her teeth as she expertly maneuvered through the labyrinthine setup of the dining hall. 

“Your posture never ceases to amaze me,” she said through closed lips without looking up.

Souma yawned, got off the stool, and picked up the faulty lightbulb.

Marina finished her email, opened the battered Wildcats duffel bag slipping off her shoulder, dug through neatly folded gear, and spiked a wrapped something at him. “Coach’s Gateau Breton is to die for and I’m betting you haven’t eaten anything today. What the hell is the point of being a god-tier chef if you can’t even make yourself an instant ramen? Basic necessity, Souma. Food and sleep. You do zero of that shit.”

“You noticed?”

“No shit, Sherlock,” she frowned, taking the pen out of her mouth. “You haven’t been in your flat since last week. I bet you’ve been sleeping in the backroom.”

Ah, that was true.

She glanced over the hall. “At least you got all the deco done.”

“No shit, Sherlock,” Souma mimicked.

She rolled her eyes. “We both have a big night ahead,” she reminded him. “I’m going to have to write a shit ton of articles.”

“I’m assuming that’s a friendly warning not to fuck up, right?”

Marina gave an exaggerated gasp. “You know me so well!” Then her expression turned serious. “Is Erina coming?”

Souma paused, the French cake half in his mouth. “Actually, I don’t know. I asked but she hasn’t texted back in a few days.”

“Don’t you have her Google calendar on your phone?”

“Oh, she made me sign out,” he said dejectedly. “Now I have nothing to do on my phone.”

Marina laughed. “Trust me, you should just call her until she picks up.”

“She’ll block me,” Souma pointed out.

“Erina might be a tsundere, but even I know that she’s soft for you, and I have yet to talk to her in person. Girl’s gotta have a limit. She can’t keep up the masquerade forever.”

Souma gestured with the Gateau Breton. “You think that’s true?”

“I know it’s true. Try it out, and if she blocks you I’ll just get you a new phone. But in the meantime, go sleep while I do finishing touches. As your official relationship counselor, I absolutely forbid you to look like a caffeine-dependent brick when the love of your life walks through those doors. AND! I said sleep, not cold storage! You’ve already checked on the fish sixty-four times today.”

-

It was five minutes into the debut of Origin, and Takumi Aldini figured that Yukihira Souma had never been so nervously excited in his entire life, not even when the investors had agreed to support his first enterprise with Fountainhead. He was practically a goddamn newborn lamb; it didn’t take much brainpower to guess why. Nakiri Erina had texted him earlier when they were getting the house ready for opening, letting him know that she was going to be there and threatening him with a multitude of god tongue-esque punishments should he disappoint her. That text had completely unwound Souma, and try as he might, temporary sous chef Takumi had been unfortunately incapable of getting his best friend’s shit back together until the doors were actually open.

Souma literally went to the front doors to wait for them, to hell with all the inquisitive stares directed his way, but then Erina walked in and barely spared him half a glance before she breezed cooly past him. Takumi swore he saw something shatter inside Souma.

“I read it wrong?” Souma asked as he returned to the kitchen, sounding more annoyed than confused as a hostess seated her, Alice, Hisako, Ryo, and Akira at the best table in the house. 

“Yukihira…” 

“Love is hard, bro.”

Takumi gave him a sympathetic shoulder pat and said, “Never said it was easy, bro.”

“Then it wouldn’t be worth it. You’re right, man, let’s do this.”

-

When the night was over and the journalists had had their fill of his (forced) witty banter, Souma grinned his billion-watt smile and posed for final pictures with Takumi but the only thing on his mind was that lilac-eyed blonde lingering at the front doors. As if she had any right to do so. After ignoring him the entire night, Souma wouldn’t have been surprised if she’d bolted from the place like a damn jet the second she’d finished her food. 

“Night, Yukihira,” Takumi said finally. “You sure you’ll be okay talking to her?”

Souma nodded. “Yeah. Thanks for helping out. Night, Takumi.”

The Italian took his leave with a final wave, and then it was just the two in the restaurant.

Souma took his time changing out of his whites, checking storage, running through ingredient orders for the next week, hoping that by the time he had nothing else to do, she would be long gone.

But alas, it seemed the universe loved screwing around with Yukihira Souma as much as his old man did. Erina approached him as he headed past the dining hall towards the front doors.

“Sup,” he said tersely as he passed her.

“Yukihira,” she began. “You’re ignoring me?”

Souma scoffed, knowing how petty he was being but not really caring, because there was no way in hell he was letting her off so damn easily. “I’m ignoring you? You’re one to talk.” Then whatever half-assed mode of anger had been brewing in his stomach during dinner service dissipated and he gave a long sigh. “Sorry. I’m just tired. But you literally didn’t even say hi.”

“Look, I just wasn’t sure where we stood. I’m sorry about my indiscretion.”

“Yeah, I know,” Souma replied. “It’s fine. How was the food?”

Erina gave a Nakiri-esque roll of her lilac eyes. “I couldn’t tell if I was eating food or your irritation.”

“So it was good, then. The whole face of the chef type shit.”

“Don’t delude yourself.” She squinted at him carefully. “Hey, are we cool, Yukihira?”

“Of course, Nakiri. Since when are we not?”

The god tongue released a repressed sigh of relief, but Souma wasn’t done. He grabbed her by the wrist, closed the distance between them, and kissed her, a lot longer and harder than he should have (to be honest, it shouldn’t have happened at all). Erina’s lips parted for his almost immediately and she started kissing him back, running her fingers up his spine until her hand was at the nape of his neck, the other locked in place by his, but before long they realized what in fuck’s name they were doing and jerked away from each other.

“I’m sorry,” he said, looking anything but. “I just wanted to make sure I remember.”

Erina replied, her cheeks flushed, “Remember what?”

“How to kiss you.”