#these artists deserve so much more attention and appreciation!

[cosmogyros]

I started by putting them in the tags but heck, why not take the opportunity to add a sample song for each artist. These musicians are fantastic and they deserve every bit of promotion I can give them:

Expendable Friend - Girl You Used to Know

Timothy Bracken - Can U Show Me I'm Wrong

Phil Norman - Your Love Is On My Mind

Kingsguard - Sorrows Son

Brian Larson - Dust Blue Sky

Jeff Caylor - Hoping You Would Understand

Willis Fireball - Palestine

Rick Amorphis - You Don't Rock 'n' Roll

Government Zero - Fuck Walmart

Chrishensongs - I Hate to Be That Guy

Becca Palm - The Moon Escapes Tonight

Haim Shim (with Julie M.S.) - This Is How I Live

Lorna Hunt - Sorrow

Singvøgel - Aus Atlantis

enough about taylor swift already. reblog and tag the smallest, least known artist you listen to

[cheeseceli]

Sides of SKZ they only show around their s/o

Pairing: ot8!skz × gn!reader (individually)

Genre: fluff and maybe a little bit of angst

A/n: idk if that makes sense and I'm sorry if it happens to be repetitive but ! I liked to write it so yeah. As always, not proofread

Bang Chan - He's Reckless

Being the eldest sibling, eldest member and the leader of stray kids, Chan became pretty much a parental figure for many. He's always looking out for everybody, making sure everything is okay and dealing with any problem. Don't get him wrong, he loves his job and the people in his life, but sometimes it's exhausting to take care of everything. When he met you though, everything changed. He feels that he can let go. He can be reckless and ask for attention some times. Because, for once, there's someone taking care of him.

Lee Know - He's scared

Usually, he is a confident and even cocky guy. With you though, he is scared. Scared that he might lose you. Scared that his job or personality might scare you. Scared that someone out there is better than him and you'd soon find out. He can't bear to lose you, he doesn't want to imagine a life without you in it. So he'll fight each one of his fears if that means you'll be with him till the very end.

Changbin - He doesn't care

I feel like he always wants to give people the right impression. He wants to say the right thing, behave the right way and hope people will be always satisfied. But suddenly he doesn't care that much anymore. Because he already managed to impress you and you're more than satisfied. Above all of that, you love him. People's opinions are not that important after all.

Hyunjin - He's aware

Always an artist, he knew how to appreciate the beauty in the world since a young age. But since he fell for you every moment seems like an epiphany. The autumn leaves are beautiful, falling with grace. The old lady talking to a kid brings tears to his eyes for an unknown reason. He realises how the breeze is refreshing and how he loves you dearly. He thinks for a second that maybe you're the one who brought life to this world, and he is so happy that he can see all this beauty when he's with you.

Han - He doesn't think

Most of the time, he's too self conscious about his actions and his words, like he needs to be super cautious with everything. Self doubt and overthinking is part of his routine at this point, except when you're with him. You're his safe place. Whenever you're with him, he just does or says whatever he thinks and is never scared you'll judge him, because he knows you never would.

Felix - He's protective

He has a kind nature. He usually doesn't look up for confrontation and is always gentle. But then you came to his life as the most precious treasure he ever saw and now he wants to protect it. Because you're the light of his life and he'll fight anything and anyone if that means you'll be safe. He would happily be your knight in a shining armour if you asked him.

Seungmin - He's vulnerable

Most people only see his "mean" personality or how he doesn't show a lot of affection towards others. We all know he actually is really caring but when it comes to you he's also vulnerable. He doesn't care if one can perceive him as "weak", and he's not scared of oversharing by accident. When he's with you, he's made of glass, but he doesn't mind as he knows you'd never break him.

I.N - He's perfeccionist

You're the best thing to ever happen to him and he is aware of that. He wants to give his all to you and he wants you to be treated like royalty. So he is always trying his best to make sure you're treated like one. He always wants everything to be perfect, because he believes that perfect is still so little compared to what you truly deserve.

Feedbacks and reblogs are always appreciated!

Dividers by @cafekitsune

[kittencomicslol]

Gyutaro x Artist but gyutaro is their Main Muse and they just lobe drawing or sketching him!

Gyutaro x Artist! Reader headcanons :3

______

LOVEEEE THIS IDEA UGHHH I LOVE DRAWING HIM SO BAD HE IS SO COOL AND BEAUTIFUL ❤️❤️❤️

His body is so so cool and I love drawing it and writing about it gyah he’s so cool.. you will definitely hear my rambles and interest in his funky little critter body in this.

Only possible tw would be Gyutaro struggling w why anyone would find him pretty but that’s a given so yah

I’m so sorry this took me a long time to put out, I know I say this like every blue moon I post but my life is fr crazy 😭 it’s getting better tho. I just do these for fun and comfort and i appreciate prompts/requests for when I’m in the need to relax and write about my favorite little guy

•Gyutaro has not a single clue why you seem to be so infatuated with creating art of specifically him

“The entertainment district has so many unique pretty people in it, those who are leaps and bounds more handsome than he is. So why him?

•At first he was even angry to think you would try to gaze upon him in an artistic light before anyone else. He was hideous, he didn’t deserve to be drawn or painted.

•But you didn’t seem to think so

•He would never admit it and prefer to only display his annoyance, but he really was flattered the first few times.

•When you asked to draw him he laughed, because why would you want to do such a thing? He thought you were joking. You were in the entertainment district, a place with some of the most beautiful people in all of Japan!

•But yet.. you insisted on doting upon his hideous form and praising his appearance. showering him with gifts from your natural talent of creativity and your dedication to craft.

•Of course he was envious at first.. of course you were talented. beautiful, nice, and talented. He hated all of those things.

•But he didn’t hate you.

•Gyutaro would unconsciously be annoyed due to thinking your artistic ability is natural born talent. It wasn’t fair how so many humans were blessed with those gifts while he himself seemed to only be cursed with suffering and imperfections.

•Though, after watching you work and create so many different pieces even he himself was able to notice how subtly you improved or when you messed up.

•And of course he noticed because no matter if he would express it or not at first, he adored you making art of him.

•Gyutaro was naturally a very attentive demon. The man grew up on the streets racked with danger and disease. Such living conditions were a constant battle to survive and in order to do so, he needed to be aware of his surroundings.

•His nature to pick up on smaller things only intensified when Ume was born because now he was watching over her, and he deemed her life as bounds more valuable than his own.

•He loved seeing you fail or mess up at your art.. and it wasn’t in an exactly sadistic or crude way like he would feel when seeing others fail. With you, it felt like he was watching you learn and grow. He was witnessing your failure and proof that your talent wasn’t natural, You had to work for it. And something about that struck a chord in him.

•Embarrassment was always a very common emotion for him to express when you asked for a better look at him.

•’I want to see your back better, I need to see the way your spine curves.’

•‘Let me see you up close so I can get your birthmarks right’

•‘Can you show me your hand?’

•Every single little question you asked always gave him butterflies, both from nerves and him becoming flustered.

•But over time as you two bonded; he became much more comfortable with sharing his body with you.

•His small crude comments about how ‘pointless’ your art of him was gradually turned into quiet mumbles of appreciation or gentle praise.

•Sometimes, if you get lucky he will allow you to touch him. Trailing your hand down his odd protruding spine, or delicately brushing your fingers over his ribs that were barely covered by his skin.

•One time he even let you feel his stomach.. if you could even call it that, and where his abs were just to see how his strange anatomy worked. That interaction didn’t last for long as he got far too flustered and anxious to let you continue, but it was still fascinating nonetheless.

•Gyutaro was almost constantly put off but your compliments about the parts of his body he hated the most.

•His disgusting marks? They were pretty, and looked like paint on a canvas to you.

•His visible ribs? They were unique, a wonderful oddity.

•His crooked spine? One of your ‘favorite parts’ of him to draw

•His bloodshot down turned eyes? They looked like gemstones to you, sparkled like the stars.

•It was like any aspect he found repulsive about himself, you saw it the exact opposite.

•There was one small interaction Gyutaro didn’t think he would ever forget, something that touched him in a way he had never felt before

•It was common for you to show Gyutaro new drawings you made of him.. working as Daki’s artist you only had so much time to ever gift him with full pieces.

•Not that he cared, at this point if you gave him a stick figure and said it was him he would be grateful you even thought of him.

•Perhaps that was only because of your close bond.. if another human did that things probably wouldn’t go so sweetly.

•He wished he had a better place to keep such cherished things though all he had was the little cave where him and Daki stored food and skeletons.

•Nevertheless, you liked to doodle him a lot in quick sketches that you almost always displayed to him. Usually you came to sit with him when you would draw him to get reference for something about his ghoulish unnatural form, especially for his birthmarks. He had so many he was used to you coming in with near finished drawings that still needed reference for where his spots were.

•Eventually, you stopped asking for such things and it almost made him sad. Did you just loose interest?.. he wouldn’t blame you, he was hideous.

•Of course that was him being overly negative and unrealistic. You still frequently showed him art you created of him, so he had no reason to think that. But he usually wasn’t very logical when it came to thoughts about his own body..

•One night the two of you ended up in the same room together for a while, Gyutaro glancing over to you for a moment..

•”(Y/N)..”

•He croaked out your name in his broken voice that you never seemed to comment on. Almost instantly you raised your head and turned all of your attention onto Gyutaro

•“Hm?”

*The demon let out a small huff. He felt pathetic asking something like this. He was an upper moon demon, he shouldn’t care.

•“Why did.. why did you stop visiting me whenever you draw?”

• he forced out, letting out a small sigh as soon as he did. He had to use restraint to hold himself back from hiding his face in his palms

•But instead of ignoring him or saying you got sick of looking at his ugly face, you chuckled.

•”Taro, I’ve drawn you so many times I already know what you look like. I even have your marks memorized.”

•He went quiet, his face flushing a crimson hue from your response. There was just.. no way. You couldn’t be real. What had he done to deserve you?..

•”Oh..”

•Was all he was able to manage out, too flustered and dumbfounded to come up with a proper response.

•If he wasn’t in love with you enough before, he was far past head over heels by now.

•The concept of abstract art interested him as well, and he would always be very grateful whenever you would explain how some people found deep interest in things that looked.. less than appealing.

•One of Gyutaro’s favorite small details he always picked up on was in your doodles of him.

•Sometimes you liked to add something extra onto your work to make it more lively, and whenever you did that with him it would always be little hearts around him.

•Things so small yet so meaningful were things he had always loved, and this was definitely no exception.

•When you displayed your art to others you could never exactly display him.. though you sometimes added little details that you knew he would notice

•Little black splotches around the canvas akin to his marks, small Kanji for the number six sometimes appearing.

•He knew you couldn’t exactly ‘show him off’ and he knew you probably wouldn’t want to if you could.. but even so, seeing you do something that still counted as showing him off meant a lot.

•Even if nobody else noticed or knew, he did.

•He noticed all of the little details, the stray lines, the mistakes. Every little thing about your art he adored

•The same way he adored you.

————

WAAA!! I wrote most of this months ago at like 12AM and I am astounded that it actually held up and I didn’t have to completly re-write it. Just finished it up

[motziedapul]

If you don't mind my sharing my own, probably less spicy POC rep in audio drama take: the AD community's tendency toward celebration of "representation" within the medium as if this rep applies to anything substancially besides queer characters is exausting. Sure, queer rep is important but so often reading "there's rep for everything!" and the cast is like, 95% white? Or, bafflingly, people claiming diversity for something that is entirely fanon? Mmh.

Hi anon!

My take is just about as spicy, honestly.

There's a tendency to value "racially ambiguous" characters played entirely by White actors over actual BIPOC characters

(usually with BIPOC actors, though I'm not as strict about this since I don't mind White actors playing BIPOC characters so long as BIPOC voice actors can play White characters and no BIPOC actors lose voice acting opportunities. And as long as more attention is given to BIPOC creators than we're getting currently).

It sometimes feels as though BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, People Of Colour) characters and creators are overlooked in favour of characters who are ostensibly White but drawn by fandom as BIPOC.

I've seen a lot of support in the community from fellow audio drama people; I've felt uplifted by my fellow creators who are White, and I always appreciate and value that. And obviously some shows are just well made and part of their success is based on other factors.

But as someone who's also aware of audio drama fandom, it's easy to see how much favour is given to White Characters drawn as BIPOC in comparison to characters who are BIPOC in text, and I'm not sure why.

That's my spicy opinion. I follow a few BIPOC creators but I can only name two that have an amount of success comparable to White audio drama creators (Gabriel Urbina of W359 fame and Octavia Bray of Atypical Artists), but my knowledge is limited.

And that's not even getting into female led audio drama, but I do love the success of creators such as Lauren Shippen in the space.

I'm not here to yuck anyone's yum or blame anyone for this phenomenon, but I do think it's worth thinking about. Why I see 50 brown Jonny Simses for every canonically brown Samama Khalid. Maybe it's all a coincidence based on other factors. Maybe White characters invite more imagination in their depiction or something.

I don't mind BIPOC depictions of ostensibly White or "racially ambiguous" characters, but I'm not a big fan of if they outnumber depictions of canon BIPOC characters. I just think the latter deserve more love.

I'm no expert. Also I'm mostly in the horror space, apart from my love of Life With Leoh (a sci fi romcom). My knowledge is very limited so if anyone would like to contradict me, I welcome it (especially if it means discovering more BIPOC led shows).

I don't want this to just be about complaining, so please feel free to shout out some fantastic BIPOC led audio drama (either created by or with a majority BIPOC cast) or even share some art you've done of characters from them and I'll happily share them.

My favorites are Wolf 359 (by Gabriel Urbina) and Life with Leoh (by Octavia Bray)!

[ziorre]

✨Commission info✨

I'm ready, I'm rested, I'm refreshed! And I'm completely charged to take care of your new ideas and characters!! I truly believe that every character is awesome and original and deserves to be shown with their own story! And I'll try to help you with this in a way that is more convenient for you! You just pick one below ;)

✨ PRICES:

- SEMI-REALISTIC STYLE (for the cases, when you want it looks more real without much stylizing)

- USUAL STYLE (for the cases, when you don’t mind it looks more stylized and a lil sketchy)

- CONCEPT SHEET (for the cases, when you want to present your character, their outfit and props)

* you can find more examples on my page by the commission tag ** a helpful post describing a right order for your refs

✨ DEADLINES: After you DM me with a brief description of your idea, I’ll tell you the approximate date when I’ll be able to proceed with your commission  !!!!Always warn me in advance if I need to draw art by a certain deadline!!!

✨ PAYMENT:  What: USD or RUB When: full pre-payment (when you sent me the email and we approved the art idea) Where: Boosty/Hypolink (russian platforms, support payment via PayPal)

✨ PROCESS: You write to me in private messages on Tumblr, briefly tell me your idea of our future art, what style and what slot you want (full body / half body / bust). Then I give you my email address and you send me an email (with your Tumblr name as the topic please) with all necessary references (your character's face claim, their pose, clothes, background etc.). You describe the idea of the art in details, where it takes place, and other things that I need to know so that I can base the sketch on all that info, because after you approve the sketch, I don’t change art much in the further stages of the work, just some details. I send you the payment link on my Boosty page. Send you the sketch. After you confirm that you like the sketch, I finish the work and send it on your email😊

✨ OTHER: - I don’t correct the art after you approved the finished version. - I don’t copy other artist’s work. - I publish every commission on my social media, if you don’t want it to be published, just let me know. - If you’re not sure about the art idea, I can suggest you 4 sketches with different poses/concepts/angles for extra $20 and you pick the one you like the most. - For significant corrections or a lot of small ones at any stage of work, an additional fee may be charged (this doesn’t apply to some small adjustments or details witch I missed). There are 3 free changes at the each stages of the work (sketch, finished version), further - $2-$5.

___________________________________

And of course I can't skip to say a huge thank you to those who commissioned and continue commissioning art from me! It means a lot! For real! This is not only material support, but also moral one, saying that I’m not wasting my time and energy in vain, that I’m moving in the right direction, that people like what I do! I can't tell how inspiring it is!! 300 commissions! I’ve never imagined that one day I would draw so many art for others! Just.. wow!! Thank you again so much for trusting me bringing to life your ideas! I truly appreciate it!😌

____________________________________

I think this is it, right? If you have any questions, feel free to DM me ;)  

I’ll be VERY grateful for your reblogs!! ❤❤❤❤❤❤ (and thank you very much for this in advance, it helps me A LOOOOOOOOOT, you are the ones who keep me alive literally! I see each and every one of you doing that! You’re the best!!!) Thanks for your attention! Have a good day =)

[9w1ft]

i declare

thinking about the tortured poets department the song, and the charlie puth line, and how maybe like, the act of declaring he should be a bigger artist helps place the song into the greater timeline.

because it’s a sort of weird thing to say in 2024 of an artist that’s no longer up and coming.

charlie puth got his start in youtube in the late 2000’s and released his debut single in february 2015. and leading up to that he had several EP’s and promotional singles. it made me curious, at what point might the people en masse start to pay him attention? i checked google trends and as you can see here he gets a huge jump between the 2014 and 2015 data.

(he then gets a further jump toward 2016 when he did a promo single featuring megan trainor, and then doing “see you again” with wiz khalifa. (coincidentally this song becomes one of the guest duets featured in the 1989 tour movie))

and i was looking around at articles from this time period, when i ran into this tasty morsel:

so i clicked on through

take a little ride with me

so to summarize, charlie puth had his breakout star peak over the course of roughly 2014-2016, during which he was up for an award at the 2015 MTV VMAs. he doesn’t win, and in fact, he loses out to taylor herself! later on in the article it talks about him going to an after party and hanging out with taylor selena and others. so it had me thinking, i could almost imagine taylor talking with her friends that year or that night, or even declaring to charlie himself in the wake of his loss and her win, in a giddy manner, at the party they are reported as having talked at, that he deserves more success than he gets. in this way i came to the conclusion that the timeframe of 2015-ish (rather than 2023) really fits the spirit of the lyric “we declared charlie puth should be a bigger artist”

and

yes.

yes fam.

the 2015 vmas was that vma’s.

that vmas.

let me pull quote an excerpt from the billboard article as i included above, just to emphasize:

4:40 PM: Charlie has the good fortune to walk the carpet in the wake of Taylor Swift’s gaggle of supermodel friends, including “Bad Blood” star Karlie Kloss, leading photographers to alternately yell “Charlie! Karlie! Charlie! Karlie!” as if it were a hectic version of Name Game. While on the carpet, Puth chats with multiple news outlets, and later he says of the dealing with the paparazzi, “It’s amazing that we view people in unnatural states and just love it. I don’t really understand it — it just makes me very uncomfortable. But, whatever. I’m so appreciative to be here.”

such a fun convergence of events, don’t ya think?

and just a few extra points i thought i’d add:

first, i don’t know how many of you remember how taylor was behaving that evening, but don’t you think she was giving major golden retriever energy??

both in how she was chasing after karlie that night,

and also… call me crazy but, her hairstyle??

(also she’s in a houndstooth print, har har)

and i can kind of envision this taylor, who brought the whole bad blood music video crew as her entourage, having more than several bars of chocolate at hand for everyone that night, but ending up eating them all herself 😆

and another thing that helps tie the song to this time period (maybe some of you have guessed?) the line “who else decodes you?” is extra apt because… *da da-da daaaaa*

🤗 karlie had just embarked on her coding journey!

on a more solemn note? i don’t think it requires too much of a stretch of the imagination to see “but you awaken with dread” “i chose this cyclone with you” among other lines pointing to the new layer of stress taylor probably was harboring around being with karlie in public. because this is all taking place in the year directly following kissgate 🥺

so there you have it folks! this is why the tortured poets department is a kaylor song to me 😌

[thezombieprostitute]

Hummingbird - Part 2

Summary: You didn't want to break into someone's party but you were desperate to see the art at the gallery before it was gone. You're so busy trying to make sure no one sees you that you miss the ever present gaze of Steve Rogers who is wondering why you crashed his party.

Word Count: ~1500

A/N: Reader is female but no physical descriptors are used.

Warnings: I don't think there are any, but please let me know if I'm wrong on that!

Part 1 -- Part 3

Series Masterlist

You look over the party invite, feeling slightly guilty for receiving so many of them without ever actually going. You tell yourself all the excuses but ultimately it all comes down to you feeling like you’re taking advantage of Mr. Rogers generosity. You were only doing what any other good person should do. Why would anyone think that deserves a reward? Sighing, you put the invitation with the stack of others. 

While you’re pondering your dinner options you hear a knock at your door. Confused, you look through the peephole and freeze. That tall, thick build and blonde hair is definitely Mr. Rogers. You crack the door open, “hello, Sir. What…what are you doing here?”

“Honestly, Hummingbird, I’m a little hurt,” he chides. His hands are on his hips and his expression is stern. “It’s been a lot of months, a lot of invites, a lot of art shows and you haven’t once taken me up on my offer. I called the curator and she said she hadn’t seen you, even during normal gallery hours.” You drop your face in shame. “Are you not actually interested in art? Is it really just one artist that gets your attention?”

“N-no, Sir-”

“Steve.”

“No, Steve, I…I just…” your brain scrambles to come up with something. Just a few minutes ago you told yourself all of the excuses you needed but with his piercing, blue eyes seemingly looking into your soul, they all feel baseless. “I…I don’t have nice enough clothes.” 

He smiles, and not in a comforting way. It reminds you of the first smile he gave you, when he knew the perfect reward. “I was wondering if it was something like that. May I come in?” 

A part of you feels like you really shouldn’t but his demeanor has you opening up the door, gesturing for him to enter. He nods at you and comes inside, carrying a black box with a white ribbon. You close the door behind him and turn to see him holding out the box to you.

“A gift from Monica’s parents. Had to guess at the measurements, so I’m under orders to make sure it fits.” You take the box and set it on your kitchen table before opening it. Inside is the most beautiful dress you’ve ever seen. The embroidery is stunning. You gasp as you carefully lift the dress out of the box and see that it covers the dress. It’s the most expensive thing you’ve ever held and you’re scared you’ll somehow tear it or ruin it. 

“Si–Steve,” you whisper as tears start forming in your eyes, “it’s…it’s too much. It’s too beautiful. I…I can’t-”

“Hummingbird,” he grumbles, “if you tell me you can’t accept it, I’ll have to go back to Danvers and Rambeau with the bad news that their gift was not accepted.” You wince at the thought. “Not accepting my gift is one thing, you only saved my party and my reputation. Not accepting their gift is far more insulting since it’s a thank you for rescuing their daughter.”

“I never thought of it like that,” you mumble. 

“I figured.” He steps closer to you. “Now, as I said, I am under orders to make sure that the dress does fit you. While I am here, would you please try it on and inform me if there are spots where it doesn’t fit right? I promise to stay seated here at the table.”

“Um..but, we…we don’t, I don’t know you well enough. Can you come back another day and I’ll tell you how it fits? Or I could message you about the fit?”

“Are you asking for my number, Hummingbird?” Heat rushes to your face as he confidently smirks at you. “I appreciate your hesitation but, as I said, I’m under orders from Monica’s mothers and they are not the kind of ladies you want to disobey. I will stay just outside your apartment door, lock it behind me if you want, but I need you to try that dress on now.”

You nod and gesture to your apartment door. As he starts walking he notices the small pile of invites he’s sent you these past few months. 

“You didn’t throw them away?”

“No, of course not. They’re a nice reminder of that night.” He nods his head but doesn’t say anything, closing the door behind him. 

You lock the deadbolt and take the dress to your room. In truth you’re terrified of accidentally ripping the dress but you’re incredibly excited to try on the beautiful piece of clothing. As you strip your casual wear you hope you can do the dress justice. 

With the utmost care you put on the dress. The sleeve is a little confusing at first but the more of the dress that settles the easier it is to navigate. You’re amazed at how perfectly it fits. He said they had to guess your measurements. Well, whoever made the guess has a very good eye. You look at yourself in the mirror and gasp at the pretty woman looking back at you. The dress is a perfect fit and you’ve never felt more beautiful. With a confidence you’ve never felt before, you go back to the apartment door to let Steve know. 

The door opens and Steve greets you with a bouquet of pink and lavender roses. That burst of confidence is gone and you freeze, blinking at him.

“I see you’re ready for the party,” he beams. “We should show up a little early since I am hosting and need to double check some details. But don’t worry about those, you just have fun tonight, okay?”

“B..but the…the invite said…next month.”

“Oh that’s correct. There’s another party next month. Huh,” he mused, “the invite to this party must’ve been lost in the mail.”

“Si–Steve, that wasn’t nice to trick me.”

“It also wasn’t nice for you to snub my gift.”

“I…I didn’t, I didn’t mean…”

“It’s okay, Hummingbird,” he soothes. “Just this one, and if you still don’t want to attend any parties or visit the gallery, I’ll leave you be.”

“Thank you. Let me put these flowers in some water before we go?”

He gently kisses your hand, “of course.”

Steve holds the door to the gallery open for you. You’re hoping you can just spend the evening getting lost in the art and not drawing attention to yourself. You really don’t want to embarrass Steve by upsetting his guests or ruining the party in some other way. 

The two of you are greeted by the curator who says she’s pleased to finally meet you and she hopes to see you more often. You smile weakly, thinking she’s just being nice because Steve is there. She leads you both to the hall where the party is being set up. You’re a little surprised that it’s empty of people. Giving Steve a confused look you ask, “how early are we?”

“We’re exactly on time,” he smiles gently. “I still want to thank you for your actions so I’ve rented the place for just you. Take your time, enjoy yourself. If you need something to eat or drink, just ask and I’ll get it for you. If you want to do this without me around, I’ll stay back. If you want to talk about the artwork instead of just looking at it, I’ll be happy to join you. It’s all your decision.”

“Th..the dress?”

“I wasn’t lying about that. It is a thank you gift from Monica’s mothers.”

“How’d they get my measurements so right? They barely saw me.”

Steve smirks at that, “I gave them the measurements.” You look at him in surprise and he chuckles, “I’ve got a lot of experience in sizing people up.” Whether it’s nerves catching up with you or the absurdity of the situation you actually laugh at that and find yourself relaxing a little. His eyes light up at your laugh but he doesn’t say anything. 

“Okay, Steve,” you nod. “I think I’d like to walk with you. As much as I enjoyed the last show, it probably would’ve been more fun if I had someone to share the experience with.”

Steve offers you his arm and you don’t hesitate to take it. He’s happy to let you take the lead. You spend the next few hours walking together and talking about the different artists, techniques and mediums you see. Steve is delighted to see how excited you get the more comfortable you are. You’re brimming with energy and you flit back and forth between pieces while talking. 

As exciting as it all is, you do still get tired after a while. Every time you try to stifle a yawn you swear you see Steve’s eyes twinkle at you in amusement. Soon it’s impossible to even try.

“What do you say we get you home, Hummingbird?”

“But there’s so much more to see!”

“You’re barely awake,” he chuckles. “Let’s get you home. You can see more at the next party.”

“Next party?”

“If, of course, you’re still interested. If not, that latest invite will be the last you receive, I promise.”

“Noooo,” you whimper tiredly. “I’ve had so much fun. Haven’t had this much fun in such a long time.”

“Me too, Hummingbird,” he murmurs. “Me, too.”

Part 1 -- Part 3

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[cosmichahn]

PINING

Melissa Schemmenti x Fem!Reader —☆

about: they always said what happens at PECSA, stays at PECSA...but not this one.

warning/s: mild cursing

word count: 2.6k

note/s: this has been sitting in my drafts for a while, whoops! but anw, hope you guys enjoy it :)

“Philadelphia 76ers tickets?” You whisper-ask whilst looking at Ava who had just announced it to everyone. “Yeah, I’ll pass.”

It’s teacher appreciation week, and to be fair, you just want to see the band club perform for tomorrow’s assembly. It’s a little piece that you helped them prepare for all of the teachers to watch. This one was kept as a little secret from Janine; no offense to her, but you thought she might twist the crooks and nooks a little with the performance if she found out.

“We have a strong contender, everyone.” Ava grins with malice after what you said which left everyone confused.

“Why are you passing on this opportunity?” Janine gasped, sounding as though she had just got offended.

“If it were a concert from an artist I liked, I wouldn’t pass.” You shrug. “It isn’t, and I might just get confused with everything.”

“I know who to give the two tickets now to, oh, yes.” The principal says which then catches everyone’s attention away from you.

Gregory then asks suspiciously. “What do you mean, two?”

“We only have two tickets and I was gonna give them two to only one teacher.” Ava explained, hearing groans from everyone while you decided to silently excuse yourself and head to your classroom which is on the second floor.

---

Some of the morning classes have passed, and thus, the first break of the day before lunch. Set in the teachers’ lounge, chaos was something not to be avoided, until Ava asked for everyone to go to the library for an emergency meeting, as well as ask for a Sprite.

As you were about to go on by yourself, Ava proceeded to send you a message that asked for said Sprite. With a silent groan, but a small feel of relief, you just went ahead quickly. Thankfully, the fast food place with Sprite was near the school anyway.

At first, you were a bit lazy to drive off, but on second thought, the meeting was gonna be about the tickets anyway; so it didn’t really bother you as much. You wouldn’t want to spend half an hour listening to others bickering about tickets, although it would be a funny sight to see them arguing and bantering over who gets the tickets, likewise what Ava would feel if she saw that scene herself.

You were then soon on your way to the library after about 15 minutes of driving there and back where you got yourself something while also including Ava’s Sprite. And as you entered the library, “Sorry for being late, Ava. Here’s your Spri-”

“Here is our winner, the owner of the two tickets!” She announced proudly, presenting you similarly to some kind of prize.

Your eyes widened, and your eyebrows furrowed. “Wait, Ava, no! You know what happened the last time you gave something similar to someone who didn’t want it.” Everyone’s stare then transferred to Daryl and his eyelashes. “And why me? Why not Mr. Johnson?”

“Yeah, she’s damn right. I deserve it!” Mr. Johnson preaches from behind with a broom in his hand, like a staff from some Dungeons & Dragons game.

“Because you don’t have anyone to go with and I can be the perfect match to accompany you to this game.” Ava says with a huge smile plastered on her face. “Unless you’re gonna bring your secret girlfriend to the game. Betrayal.” She then looks at Melissa who catches up on what she just said.

“Oh, she’s not- '' You try to explain, placing the fast food bag on one of the tables. “No, no, Ava, you got it wrong.” You add, chuckling nervously.

“Yeah, that’s not what my ears found out when I heard all the flirting in each other’s classrooms, huh?” Ava teased.

“I think this is a little more interesting than basketball right now.” Janine whispers to Jacob and Gregory with a little laugh that escapes her mouth.

“Didn’t we bet on this?” Jacob replies.

With Gregory saying, “Yes, you guys did.”

It started around when the school year started and you and Melissa began to grow closer to each other after a debacle about different cuisines. She mostly stuck with Italian, and you, on the other hand, explored different dishes from different cultures. It was a mutual love for food; that could perhaps have also turned into a mutual liking and interest for each other.

“It’s just a little flirting, Ava.” Melissa shrugs her shoulders, with you agreeing.

“A little friendly banter.” You add.

“PECSA Weekend.” Jacob says and coughs in between words that earned various curious looks from the other teachers and Janine’s eyes widening with her mouth trying to cover a stifled laugh.

You feel a little awkward while mouthing, ‘What the fuck?’ You shake your head at Jacob, with eyebrows furrowed.

‘For the sake of the tickets.’ He mouths back, giving you an apologetic and yet competitive smile.

After nodding your head at him with a ‘What the living Christ, dude?’ expression, you announce that you will be withdrawing from this ridiculous somewhat of a scam that the district offered to the teachers.

“Yeah, let me just slide out of this room. Settle this yourselves.” You purse your lip, before waving goodbye.

Jacob’s gaze transfers to Melissa’s who looks at him with threat as he gulps in an invisible lump in his throat, making his palms extra sweatier than usual.

---

Meanwhile, just as everyone left the library, Janine and Jacob huddled while walking to their classrooms; with Gregory following them from behind. “I knew it. Something did happen at PECSA.” Jacob says, looking behind him to see if Melissa was behind them or so. “You could say that I am a good guesser.”

“As intriguing as this is, we should just let them be.” Gregory interrupts, before getting laughter as a reply.

“And pass this opportunity for destined love to not intertwine?” Janine raises an eyebrow with a cheeky smile. “Not gonna happen.”

“I’m just thinking of those Basketball tickets.” He says in defense as the two agree.

While that conversation continued on to be about Philadelphia 76ers and board game night, Melissa and Barbara were having a little talk while also heading to their respective classrooms.

“Now how did Jacob know about it?” Melissa wondered with suspicion. She’s fine with people finding out, sure, but she’s thinking of your friendship with her and how some people can be a little extra nosy, which she isn’t a fan of.

“Well, you know Jacob and Janine. Almost always up for schemes and so on.” Barbara says before waving goodbye as she then arrives at her classroom.

Melissa thinks to herself quietly while beginning her class. She enjoyed each and every second with you that night. Intoxicated by alcohol or not, she likes listening to every word you say because it just keeps her ears up. She’s known you for only about a couple of months given that you were only a new teacher at Abbott.

You’ve melted her under your grasp, and though she may be older, you never once made her feel as though she is. You make her feel young and more alive, while at the same time keeping her on her toes. She likes that you reciprocate to her talking about firefighters and different Italian dishes, as well as her family. Melissa isn’t one to trust people too quickly, but she slowly found herself warming up to you.

This has been a constant thought in her head, as well as it’s yours. Just a constant loop. A game of tag. The type of unrequited love that’s obviously mutual love that everyone can see, but manages to not be for both you and Melissa.

---

After that small inconvenience, or say, exposing secrets in the library, you’re now behind your desk with your laptop in front of you while your class is writing an essay.

The laptop is opened just so you can occupy yourself with something. Just some numbers you’re crunching and a few tests that you’re checking up that you’ll return to your students soon.

Your thoughts then wander to that said PECSA weekend. Alcohol was involved, a bunch of Math-a-ritas later and you’re caught up making out with the hot redhead teacher who just so happens to be Melissa. No feelings were confessed that night, but surely those actions meant something. Hopefully. As you would think.

It remained in your head how it felt the way her hands lingered all over your body, the small groans, her lips against yours. It wasn’t a hookup or a one night stand that happened, as all of it was simply just kissing the whole night until who knows what time it was.

You brought it upon yourself to get drunk with Melissa and invite her to your room; it didn’t take her a second to say yes to you before feeling your back against the cold door with her hand trickling over to the door knob to lock it. She kissed you well, and touched you in places she left cold when she sneaked out the following morning.

‘Didn’t want suspicions to linger. Sorry.’  That was the message she sent when you woke up with your clothes disarray and your lipstick smudges, with her trailing on your neck.

That was about a month ago. Surely, some things changed over the course of a month. Exchanging text messages over those couple of weeks changed, you weren’t that close to each other anymore, and the constant ‘What are we?’ lingered in your mind for more than you want it to.

That night changed what you and Melissa had. For the worse or for the better? You didn’t know.

You sigh in your chair, waiting for the bell to ring as this calls for your next lesson, Music. This one is with Janine’s class.

“Deep in thought, Miss?” Amanda asks. She’s one of the students sitting near your desk. Not with worried intent, but with curiosity.

“Go back to your essay, kid.” You look at her as if denying something in mind.

“Ok, Mrs. Schemmenti.” She blurts out before everyone in the room echoed with ‘Oooh.’s Amanda laughs at your embarrassed demeanor before she apologizes that that might have ended up being a little too personal.

As it turns out word got out about Jacob mentioning PECSA weekend, and not only that, but it was heard by one of the students from Jacob and Gregory’s podcast club, This Abbott Life.

---

Music class went by like a quick second as it was just a little jamming session with the second graders from Janine’s class.

It’s the end of morning class which means that lunch is on its arrival. Lunch which meant that you have to face Melissa after what seemed like only a small incident that happened a while ago. And so upon pondering over what to do or where to go just to avoid an upcoming awkward situation, you exit the music room after dismissing the class and decide to go to your own classroom upstairs to eat lunch.

Walking from down the stairs was Jacob who saw you then gulped from nervousness with the awareness of what he did, but surprisingly, you didn’t notice it. Although behind you exiting a classroom was someone Jacob was a little more terrified of. Melissa. She then catches his eyes, making him rush towards the teachers’ lounge.

As you sit quietly in your classroom, on your desk is the lunch you brought and a book you’ve been reading lately. A couple moments pass and you’re indulged in the story you’re reading. It’s a nice book you’ve been wanting to read in a while, something Melissa recommended to you some time ago. You do miss the closeness you two had before PECSA.

Well, most people say that what happens in PECSA stays in PECSA, but in your case, it probably isn’t.

“I see you’re finally reading it.” Her familiar voice dances in between the words printed in the book, which catches your attention. She greets you with a smile.

“Oh! Hello, Melissa.” You greet with half a smile, inserting the bookmark into the book and carefully closing it so as for it not to crease, before welcoming her to come inside.

“How’s it so far?” Melissa leans on one of the windowsills. She seemed really intrigued as to what your thoughts were, but that wasn’t exactly the reason why she came up here to you.

“It’s so far so good.” You fidget with the printed cover of it. “It’s a very intriguing book with well written characters.”

Melissa grabs one of the chairs and places it beside you, ready to listen to your thoughts on the book, but instead, she was met by the silence of obvious thoughts that lingered through your mind.

“Are you alright, hon?” She worries.

You feel as though this is the perfect opportunity to talk about it after acting as though you were cool about it, about everything that happened. That nothing worried and haunted you.

“We should talk about, you know.” You say it as straightforward. “While we have time for lunch.”

“What about it?” She asks, her voice as gentle as the way she held you that night.

Your fingers begin to fiddle with each other out of habit. “Were there some feelings involved?” You went in straight to the flame. “Did you kiss me because I wanted to kiss you, or did you kiss me because you wanted to kiss me?”

“What do you think happened that night?” A question with curiosity that overflowed.

“Well, we got drunk, went to my room, started making out, then the next morning, you left.” Instead of receiving a proper response, you instead get a chuckle out of her. “What’s funny?”

In between soft chuckling, she says, “You’re missing a few details, sweetheart.”

“Is that so?” You ask anxiously before feeling her hand take yours, circling her thumb on your palm.

“You know, when we got on your bed you suddenly ran away.” She recalls. “You ran away to the bathroom and all I heard was vomit and gagging.”

You felt shivers behind your back, feeling embarrassed over something so blurry in your mind and barely there.

“After that, you just kept on crying.” Her gaze softens as she catches your eyes. “You were scared that me hearing you vomiting over the toilet made you lose your chances with me and so you didn’t want to kiss me again.” She purses and licks her lips. “You said stuff about how you feel as though I deserve someone better.”

“I would have helped you clean up, but you refused and just left me hanging there for a good half an hour.” Melissa placed her glasses on top of her head. “We ended up just hugging each other the whole night. I was gonna say something but you fell asleep.”

“You can say it to me now.”  You smile a little.

With hesitance, Melissa starts talking. “Look, I wanted to tell you the next day, but you know, I’m not the best at opening up.” Your hand creeps up onto the side of her neck as she takes this and places it on her cheek. “I have feelings for you too. I like you, and there isn’t a day where your chances of having me lessen.”

A smile of relief grows on your face, laughing out of embarrassment with Melissa soon following your laughter. “God, we are so naive.” You say, rolling your eyes playfully out of the ridiculousness of the situation.

You pull your chair closer to hers, getting a little closer to her. Your eyes trail to her lips and she notices this, letting go of your hand and holding your face to meet her lips with yours. The kiss felt more passionate, with the taste of morning coffee surprisingly still within her lips.

“We shouldn’t be doing this on school grounds.” You whisper in between kisses that Melissa continued to give you.

And so midway she stops. “Are you telling me that I should bring you home?” She looks at you with intent and need.

“Friday.”

[lovesickhughes]

nhl relationship alphabet | jack hughes

a/n: hi my loves ! here is my first post on this blog, it is just a simple little thing i put together for my beloved jack hughes, but i hope you enjoy !!

warnings: suggestive content

tags: jack hughes x fem!reader

word count: 3.3k

✧･ﾟ: *✧･ﾟ:*

a - actions. what sort of things do they do to show they love their s.o?

jack is super appreciative of you and the relationship you share, so he makes every effort to make you aware of how much he loves you. he’s not into grand gestures, but little sentiments like a bouquet of your favourite flowers with a handwritten note showing his adoration for you, making the quick stop after a game to pick up your favourite dessert; even if you consider it out of his way. he also is super affectionate, always kissing your forehead, cheek, hand, neck, shoulder, anywhere he can to show you his love physically. he will also always touch you, not in a suggestive way when it would be deemed inappropriate, but when in a group setting, having his hand on the small of your back or waist, around your shoulder, or wrapping both his arms around you as he sits and you stand leaning into his warmth and he hugs you. of course when it’s just the two of you, he makes you very aware of how much he loves you, being attentive, caring and praising you in all the ways you deserve. he also always verbally expresses his love to you, telling you how much he loves you and how much you’ve made his life better, how much it means to him when he sees you in his jersey in the stands watching him play.

b - beginnings. how did the relationship begin? how has it changed?

jack and you had already known each other before things were more serious. you had mutual friends, and coincidentally always ended up seeing each other in group settings. it was almost as if there was an invisible string pulling you two together, having each of you appear unexpectedly, but neither of you were complaining. as soon as jack had met you, he instantly knew there was something about you, you were different and it was a good thing. jack was eager to get to know you, and after that, you just had to win him over even further with your personality. you’re compassionate, caring, and thoughtful, always making small remarks when seeing each other after some time and making jack blush and think to himself: she remembers?

of course you would remember, he wasn’t the type of person you would forget easily. just something about him spoke out to you and said, “he’s the one”, and so when he pulled you aside the one evening at the local pub with his teammates, their wives and girlfriends, and your own friends, him asking you on a mini golf date with just the two of you, there was no way you could pass up on the opportunity.

the mini golf turned into going to the pier and eating frozen yogurt, which turned into a dinner date. about a month later, when jack had surprised you with a basket of gifts that included pair of tickets to your favourite artist, you found a little slip of paper at the bottom of the wicker basket that read, turn around. as you shifted your stance to face jack, you found the boy holding a large bouquet of your favourite flowers and a sign that asked you if he could be your boyfriend.

nothing drastically changed for you both once you made it official, if anything, the bond you shared continued to flourish and you each entered a new stage of your lives that was filled with so much love and happiness, you couldn’t be more grateful for each other.

c - comfortable. how comfy are they with each other? peeing with the door open close, or would they rather keep the mystery?

as time progressed in your relationship, you each grew more comfortable with one another. the first night jack spent over at your place, you could tell the nerves were coursing through his veins and altering his nervous system. he would stumble over his feet as he trailed behind you like a lost puppy wherever you went throughout the house. when it came time to head to bed, jack had relaxed and found himself behind you with his arms wrapped around your waist, inhaling your scent as you brushed your teeth in the ensuite bathroom. you were nervous yourself; this was the first time a boy you were serious about was staying the night, so you wanted to make a good impression.

as the two of you crawled into your bed and jack pulled you into his chest, you couldn’t help but feel your heart warm for how much love and admiration you had for the boy in front of you. you brushed his curls out of his face that covered his soft skin, which earned a laugh from the man you love. jack had begun kissing all over your faces, leaving small pecks of affection against your skin, making you endlessly giggle. needless to say, those small pecks became a little deeper, a little more intimate, and a little more steamy to end your night.

now, after being well established, jack could have the messiest of morning hair, or say whatever weird quirk came to his mind in the moment, and you wouldn’t have any problem in the world with him. he was your little dork and you were glad each of you were able to be true to yourselves and still love each other, and that was what was most important to you.

d - dates. do they consider dates to be important? what kind do they prefer?

dates are essential to jack. since he’s not always at home, constantly travelling and having a busy schedule, as do you, quality time and making up for the distance you share is what keeps such a healthy balance for each of you.

whether it’s going for dinner at one of your favourite restaurants, or even just staying in and making your own heart-shaped pizza and having a movie night, anything and everything you do together is important.

if jack had to choose which was his favourite type of date, he would definitely choose staying in and finding little activities to do with you, rather than being in the spotlight and putting you in an environment that can be overwhelming. you don’t mind the occasional venture out into the city, or if you travel with him for a game, going to experience what’s popular in the city you’re currently in. jack is more so a homebody, preferring a wine and paint night, or binge-watching a reality tv show and gossiping over the latest drama on the bachelor.

e - engagement. how would they propose? who would even pop the question?

it was a bit of a longshot when it popped in his head, but he knew from the moment he met you that he was going to marry you. given that it’s a big step in anyone’s life, he knew it was going to take time to make it the best experience and milestone in your lives. it would be during the off-season, when his time and commitment was fully dedicated to you and his family, and he knew you both shared the similarity of being family-oriented, so it would involve being surrounded by your friends and loved ones.

you would be somewhere with a beach on vacation with each of your families, exploring the country and enjoying the quality time together as a present courtesy of jack. it would be on one of the last nights of your trip, after a sunset dinner with your families (who were all in the loop, barely being able to handle the anticipation), and as everyone began to excuse themselves back to their hotels, jack took the opportunity to guide you down the path from the venue to the attached section of the coast of the island, hand in hand before letting yours go and having you lead. when you turned the corner of the path that were filled with trees and greenery on each side of the walkway, you were welcomed to a display of rocks and candles placed so intricately to form the words, “will you marry me?”. confused, you would turn around to look at your boyfriend who was already lowered onto one knee, pulling out a box from his pocket and revealing an engagement ring so beautiful you could drop to your knees and cry.

“are you serious?” you question in disbelief, bringing your hand to cover your opened mouth that fell in shock. jack couldn’t hold back a grin as he watched your eyes light up and fill with tears. he nodded slowly as you approached him to view the ring.

“y/n, it’s cliche, but- since the day i first met you, i knew i was gonna marry you. i knew you were the one. i would close my eyes and imagine my future, and every thought i had, you were in it. you’re painting my future every moment i’m with you, and i want to make my future our reality. so will you make me the happiest man on earth and marry me?” jack spoke, tears filling his own eyes as his voice shook and he locked eyes with you, meaning every word that fell off his tongue.

you couldn’t bring yourself to form words, only beginning to let the tears fall and nod, falling to your knees in the sand to be at level with your now future husband. your foreheads rested against each other as you both chuckled through your nerves, and as jack pulled back, you watched him reach for your left hand a delicately place the ring on your finger. your gazes met each other with the biggest grin on your faces, before he reached for your face, cupping your cheek and passionately meeting your lips, taking your scent, your taste, you, in.

f - fundamental. for them, what is the most fundamental part of a relationship?

jack’s fundamental part of your relationship is communication. not only to avoid anything being lost in translation, but being able to express his feelings to and about you is crucial to him. of course there had been a few rough patches when you didn’t always see eye-to-eye, or something sparked a meaningless argument, but what he loved about you and your relationship is how you fulfilled his need for communication, and he loved that each of you are able to take a step back from things and realize it was just in the heat of the moment.

g - gratitude. how do they show their appreciation for you?

any way and every way he can. whether it’s words of affirmation, physically showing you by kissing or hugging you, or among other ways…

he also will make it known to everyone outside of the relationship know about how much he loves you. he boasts about you to his team and training staff, always mentioning little things about you, or telling others about the exciting things your doing because he’s always just so proud of you.

h - home. a random domestic headcanon.

jack and you spending time with his family in michigan over the summer, after a long day out on the lake, hair dried by the hot sun with the lake water adding a satisfying grain, your skin also a little dry from the water and colour added to your complexion from the sun. you assisted in preparing dinner by cutting an assortment of vegetables with ellen in their kitchen as the setting sun bled through the windows and curtains, while the boys found themselves outside around the barbeque, cooking burgers and hotdogs. everyone gathered outside on the patio and enjoyed the food, laughing and reminiscing over the fun and accelerating activities from earlier in the day.

you would then insist on cleaning the table, despite ellen’s protests that you were their guest, which you then argued you were family so you further insisted.

after dinner was cleaned, everyone grabbed another round of drinks and you found yourself cuddled up against jack’s side in the outdoor livingroom couch, surrounding the fireplace that quinn began setting up. jack had his arm resting behind your back with a beer in his other hand, casually taking a swig every so often, and when he felt you shiver against him, he immediately looked over to see if you were okay, popping up off the cushion and running inside to grab you his hoodie as the sun slowly set.

you spent the rest of the evening talking about your lives and funny, joyful stories, and by the end of the night, jack led you upstairs to you shared room, hand-in-hand, quickly closing the door behind you before pressing your back delicately against the wood and finding your lips with his own.

you would smile into the kiss, softly pushing against his broad chest to part your lips and simply look up at your beloved boyfriend who then began again reaching down to kiss your jawline and neck as his hands found your waist.

“i love you so much,” he said in between kisses to your skin, “thank you for everything and making me feel like i am the luckiest man in the world. you don’t know how much it means to me to see you with my family.” he softly smiled.

you couldn’t help but shine a bright smile at his words, only responding, “i love you so much more, jack”, before reaching up on your toes and linking your arms around his neck and meeting his lips for yet another kiss.

i - infinite. do they believe their love is endless, or is there something that could break it?

jack had been unlucky with relationships before he met you. it was almost as if each relationship repeated itself, where many things were lost in translation, different outcomes were wanting to be reached, but when he met you, and when he came to realize what a blessing you had become in his life, he knew his love for you would be endless.

j - jokes. who's the funny one?

you’re each your own type of funny. jack tends to crack jokes in a way to make your eyes roll and fight the urge to giggle at how unserious he can be. whether it’s making a “that’s what he/she said” joke or tickling you mercilessly until you’re kicking your feet trying to fight the immense amount of serotonin rushing through your body. jack also finds it funny when you make an attempt to be mad at him when you don’t get the last oreo from the package, but his efforts to cheer you up inevitably work, much to your dismay, always turning into an endless laughter session.

jack also thinks you are the funniest person he knows, besides himself. whether it’s your under-the-breath comments when you’re in a mood, or simply just crack a joke here in there, he loves how light-hearted and joyful the dynamic you share is.

k - kiss. how do they kiss? favourite type?

jack kisses with so much intimacy and compassion. he loves kissing you. if there was one thing other than hockey that he could and would choose to do for the rest of his life, it would be kissing you. he loves how soft your lips feel against his, how meaningful a simple peck can be for him, and how he’ll surprise you any time of the day with a kiss.

he also loves kissing you when you two are in bed. he’ll always start with kissing you, taking his time with you until you both are ready, and when you give the go-ahead, moreover when you start to whine for him to do something, he’ll slowly and sloppily drag his lips down your jawline, onto your neck, leaving wet kisses and breathing heavily into your ear when he plants one right below your earlobe, making you squirm underneath him and reach for his defined shoulders.

his favourite type of kiss, is the anticipated kiss after coming home from an away game. it’s always filled with such passion and longingness from the time spent apart, and it makes him cherish the moments he has with you, because he really doesn’t know what he would do without you.

l - longing. who's the clingy one? how are they with long distance?

jack is the clingy one between the two of you, but he would never admit it. it would bruise his masculine ego and being the “strong, confident male of the relationship”. but when you answer his facetime call while he’s away in another city for a game, he immediately stretches out his words, adding a hint of a whine to every syllable.

he makes you aware that he misses you, sending you small texts throughout the day, saying he can’t wait to come home and see you, or how he can’t wait to kiss you (he really does love kissing you), or even how he’ll see something while he’s travelling that reminds him of you and he has to immediately show you.

and the first night he gets home from being away, he is like a big kid who doesn’t want to leave their parent on the first day of kindergarten, attaching himself to your side and having to have at least some sort of touch to any part of your body. then when it comes to heading to bed, you have to prepare yourself to be comfortable before he climbs into bed and attaches himself onto your side like an amoeba.

m - marriage. do they wanna get married?

1000% yes. again, he knew it may have been cliche or a bit of an overstatement, but he knew from the moment things became serious with you, that he was going to marry you.

n - nicknames. what ones do they like?

jack again, wouldn’t ever admit it, but he loves when you’re in a goofy mood and refer to him as j-dawg. to anyone else, he would be annoyed if they called him j-dawg as it was something his brothers tease him with. or when you’re in a bit of a rush and call him “j”. he also loves when you call him babe, or my love. the little things matter.

o - over the top. are they ever ott? or are they more low-key?

his career ever since the start has been in the spotlight, so when it comes to his personal life and relationship, he chooses to avoid putting his loved ones in an overwhelming environment, including you. that doesn’t mean he avoids showing you off and making it known to the world how much he loves you, but he is more on the low-key side of PDA, choosing to keep his personal life private. like going on dates, he’d much rather prefer a candlelit bubble bath with a shared bottle of wine.

p - picture. what's their favourite picture of them and their s.o?

his favourite picture of you is a series of pictures that were taken during your first trip with his family to the lakehouse:

q - quintessential. what is one they would refuse to compromise in their relationship? what's a deal-breaker for them?

he is extremely lucky to have you and it so grateful to have him in your life, so the only deal-breakers would be the extremes.

t - tattoo. would they ever get matching tattoos with their s.o, or a tattoo for them?

it’s something up in the air, neither of you have mentioned it to each other, so it’s not a yes, but it’s not a no. it depends on what that tattoo would be and your own opinion on the topic.

u - understanding. how understanding are they? or are they a little difficult?

generally, jack is extremely understanding, however there are times when you both don’t see eye to eye, or just don’t agree which is normal, so sometimes it’s a bit more difficult to come to agreements on how to resolve an issue, and he can be stubborn, but for the most part you’re able to work through it which both of you appreciate.

v - vases. do they buy flowers?

yes, it is one of his favourite things to do. he believes that a girl can never have enough flowers, and so by the time one bouquet is coming to an end of its liveliness, there is already a new one replacing it.

w - wandering. do they wanna travel? or immediately settle down?

depending on his career, he still wants to take time to fully live life by your side and experience new things with you before things wind down, but it’s always something he can envision happening with you.

x - ex. how many exes do they have? any horror stories?

no horror stories here, just exhausting relationships that never fulfilled him like you do.

y - you. favourite thing about their partner?

jack loves everything about you, but he especially loves your eyes, and the sparkle in them whenever you both catch yourselves staring at one another, having moments where words don’t need to be spoken in order to tell each other what you’re feeling.

z - zeal. how excitable are they? who's the calm one?

jack is relatively calm, however when he’s around his brothers? the testosterone surges and suddenly you feel like a babysitter to three 12-year-old boys who are hopped up on sugar. you’re calm as well, but every once in a while, you’ll get enthusiastic over one of your interests.

a/n: feel free to check out my writing FAQ’s & request something! thanks for reading 🫶🏻✨

[kimmiessimmies]

Simblr Gratitude Day

It came to my attention that today is Simblr Gratitude Day. That's such a lovely idea and wonderful gesture, and I hope it gets picked up by many. 💙

Today, some members of the simblr community will receive one or more sweet messages of people who appreciate them or the work they do. The CC creators for all their hard work, the graphic artists whose beautiful shots amaze us, and the storytellers whose stories always keep many readers wanting more. And that's totally deserved. The popularity of these members of the community is absolutely earned, and they should be celebrated and complimented. 💙

However... Many members of this community will probably receive nothing. The ones who don't create content, but just share shots of their gameplay, the ones who pour their hearts and souls into their stories, but average maybe 14 notes per post (🙋🏼‍♀️) and the ones who never or hardly ever post their own content but are here to follow and support others. The ask boxes of these members will probably stay empty and I know for some people this can trigger insecurities and feelings of not being good enough. While this is not anyone's intention, it is a natural social media effect; the lack of love can hurt as much as a bad reaction.

So, MY appreciation and gratitude on this day goes out to all these members of the community: If your pictures seem to go unnoticed, if your story only has a few loyal followers, if you’re only here to read and follow others; Thank you for being here. Thank you for supporting others. Thank you for sharing everything that means so much to you and allowing us to be a part of it. Please keep doing what you do.

And, to all MY followers, especially the ones who actually read, like, comment on and/or reblog my posts; I do not only thank you, I actually love you. Thank you for being here for me. 💙

[scp-niche-blorbo-beatdown]

WELCOME TO SCP NICHE BLORBO BEATDOWN

Do you have a blorbo nobody knows about? A glup shitto that you’re pretty sure you’re the only fan of? Do you want people offsite to read more SCP articles? Or are you a long-term fan looking for some new characters to be Normal about?

If any of these sound like you, then you're in the right place!

This SCP bracket will be for characters that are underappreciated or even unknown offsite. Meaning, characters that are well known offsite, such as Clef, Kondraki, Gears, etc, will not be allowed to participate in this. The winner will be crowned the Ultimate Niche Scp Blorbo, and get a crown or something. Maybe a nice sash. 

To count as niche, the character must be from at least one article on the SCP Wiki and be mostly unknown by tumblr. Rewrites of already popular characters— for example, SCP-7408’s Kondraki— will not be accepted for this poll. However, I strongly recommend reading SCP-7408, as well as Eventyr if you’re looking for some cool new takes on old characters.

SCP has grown so much since the early days of the site, but it often feels like new characters haven’t reached the offsite fandom. Newer characters deserve attention and love, and newer authors/artists deserve to have their creations seen and appreciated. I hope that this poll can introduce more people to new, interesting things on the wiki that they might not have known existed.

To submit a character, simply fill out the Google form right below. I plan to accept as many characters as possible, just to increase the amount of new things being read. You can fill out the form more than once, so submit as many blorbos as you like! All I ask is you keep it within reason and try not to have them all be from the same thing.

Happy blorbing!

[asleepyy]

THAT LAST CHAPTER!!!!???!!!!! SO BEAUTIFUL!!!! THE DIALOGUE IS INSANE, THE COLORS, THE LITTLE DETAILS AND HIDDEN THOUGHTS THE CHARACTERS HAVE, I COULD SPENT HOURS TALKING ABOUT IT.

But... i won't (at least for now) because there is another thing that i wanted to talk about that this new chapter made me think, the artistic improvement of the oopsie!omens comic, specially on the designs!!

Let's start with Azazel's owl forehead. Yes. His forehead. That's a very important topic for me, the way his forehead is drawn has improved significantly over the time. When i was reading the first chapters, i noticed that his forehead mark was drawn in the same way regardless of his facial expressions or the camera angle.

BUT as the story went along, I began to notice that this has started to change... for the better!!! His head mark started to be drawn attached to his eyebrows and IT LOOKS SO MUCH BETTER!?! Not only does it look more realistic ofc but it also looks a lot more expressive, SO IM TALKING ABOUT IT. CUZ IT DESERVES TO BE PRAISED.

Uurrrrgh ok so idk if you guys can see what i mean so i drew a little example to make it easier:

I know that i should go back to paying attention to more important details like character development, dialogue, etc but im just way too obsessed about every single detail i cant control myself im SORRY

FLIPP you know i love you!! i'm glad that these little quality improvements are being noticed and appreciated!!

to be quite honest, I only actually have around 2 days to work on each update; the first day I spend writing and sketching it out, and the next day I line it, colour it, and do all the text and paneling, so it's really hard for me to keep things improving, some updates look better than others, unfortunately. so i just really appreciate that you guys can see small improvements like this!!! <3

[applestoashes]

An update on Apples to Ashes

Hi, it's Prima, the creator and sole developer of Apples to Ashes.

Wow, it's been two years since I conceptualized Douglas and the idea for a visual novel. I think about how much has changed for me personally since March 2022, the different things that have happened to and for me. It's hard to sum it all up into a few words, but to put it plainly, there's been a lot of hardships I've encountered in my personal and professional life since starting this journey, along with some blessings that kept me going along the way.

When I first dreamed up this concept, I was experiencing a lot of new things. I was participating in fandoms for other indie "yandere" VNs, I was drawing a shit ton and garnering a following. I was actually becoming the active, well known artist I'd been striving to become since around 2015. I was so inspired and, somehow along the way, I gained the attention and respect from a lot of other creators. It was so insane to think so many talented people cared about what I was making, considered me worth following, etc.

That only grew as time went on, especially when I started the A2A project. From that point, I watched in absolute shock as people engaged with my own ideas, drew my own characters. They were hyped for this visual novel, they wanted to know more. Douglas started to get associated and drawn with other indie VN characters. This feeling of being put beside all these other amazing creators was disorienting to say the least.

Due to a lot of things I've been through, it feels like the magic wore off a bit. A lot of the drive I experienced at the peak of 2022 kind of plateaued, and... lots of things changed for me. I started taking commissions, I started doing more than just art, like getting back into video editing and voice acting. I got hired by a studio, I got a lead role in another visual novel. I told myself that I can do all these things that I want to, despite the additional need to work a regular job, and the fact that ADHD VERY much has hands. Financial hardship and mental illness... double homicide

A lot can change in two years. My inspirations for the setting in A2A came from my experiences with a job I had at the time. Well, needless to say I've had a few jobs since then, and been through a few very... jading experiences. The person I was when I conceptualized Apple to Ashes and the person I am now are two different people. I was very bright-eyed and inspired, especially by my peers. I wanted to attempt to do something I'd dreamed of for a long time: make a visual novel, and it felt possible, tangible.

I've learned a lot since then. There's a lot that goes into making a game, especially considering I'm largely pursuing it alone. Due to that, and the choices I've made, the things I've been through, Apple to Ashes progress has largely been halted. I feel a lot of pressure to make it something satisfying for everyone that's given love to this project. I feel a lot of guilt about the lack of progress, and feel like I'm earning the ire of people who are tired of waiting, or perhaps losing any momentum or interest I had originally garnered.

All that being said, I'm not saying all this to come to the conclusion that this project is canceled. It's not. I want this story to come to fruition. I want to give everyone waiting the experience they deserve. I want to reach the full potential this concept offers. I want to explore the themes I've attached, use the experiences I've had and witnessed. I want to bring light to these issues using this medium.

The TLDR of this is... Apples to Ashes will happen when it happens, but it is going to happen. To those of you who have offered your patience, I really appreciate it more than I can put into words.

Thank you for reading.

[thealexchen]

hi! i recently got back into lis2 again and that made me really curious - do you still agree with a majority of the critiques you made on lis2 in 2020? i know it's been 4 years since that post was made, but i actually do remember when you dropped this critique on a separate account and i'd thought it was an interesting one to keep in mind back then :)

i appreciated a lot of what you have to say, even if i respectfully disagree with almost all of it 😭 - i didn't want to drop a whole "why" i disagree discussion on here because it seems kind of rude to drop such a huge thing about it haha, but i would like to say that this critique actually did stick with me for a bit and i appreciate that you made it when you did! your account was a big lis2 acc that i remember back in the day, and i always loved seeing your posts!

Hi there and thanks for your ask! I think I may know who you are, but you did get me thinking about that critique again (has it been four years already?? Jesus). After rereading it again, I have to say my overall opinions haven’t changed… I’m just not as invested in them as I used to be.

Since DE came out, I’ve seen a drastic shift from favoring D9 to DN, but I really think the reception comes down to their creative choices (or lack thereof). When I gave my initial thoughts on DE in May, I said that D9’s games rely heavily on fanservice to be marketable, while LiS2 was divisive from the jump because it was so obviously rooted in DN’s prioritization of making a game out of passion and not what would sell well (a continuation of Max and Chloe’s story). People have mostly been complaining that DE feels written without much thought or care for the original game, with lazy offscreen narrative decisions. Unfortunately, I believe this output is really due to D9 being puppeteered by Square to “corporatize” this series to death, which I find really depressing.

When LiS1 first debuted in 2015, the gaming industry was still recovering from Gamergate (which proved how misogynistic it still was) and LGBT+ issues were finally achieving mainstream attention, both positive and negative. The media storm surrounding LiS1 all focused on how different it was. It was truly radical at the time to turn what would be a typical Sundance indie film plot into an interactive AA game and make it mainstream. I think both the positive attention from gamers starved for a story like this and the negative attention calling it “Life is Tumblr” contributed to its massive popularity and attention that hasn’t been matched since.

I have always, always believed (like since 2018) in LiS being an anthology series and letting Max and Chloe’s story end. “Farewell” was supposed to be that, and I was really excited to see what DN was making next and hopeful I could fall in love with LiS2 like I did the first game. Even if I found LiS2’s narrative choices really frustrating, I still respect DN for sticking to their vision. Honestly, Michel Koch deserves his flowers so much for staying active on Twitter through years of fan hate and complaining and posting consistently respectful replies, even as his own characters have likely become unrecognizable to him.

But while DN stuck to their vision about LiS2, I think the main contextual issue with the game (and where my critiques came from) is there was too much pressure to follow up an accidental hit. DN wanted to follow up LiS1 with an even bigger, more serious, more ambitious, maybe more “artistic” and “daring” game that was boldly political… but I just don’t think they achieved that. The game still looks beautiful, with a strong soundtrack, art direction, moments of calm, and great environmental storytelling like the first game. But while LiS1 lured you into a false sense of security with its cozy vibes and high school setting, only to blindside gamers with heartbreaking and shocking plot twists late in the game, LiS2 is just a misery fest from start to end in an attempt to be as serious and memorable as the first game. There isn’t enough joy and nostalgia (DN is SO good at nostalgia) to contrast the sorrow, and the game wasn’t as memorable or fun to play for me.

My main critique in 2020 was the game relies too much on a violent trauma narrative without proper research and content warnings. Looking back on it now, I think DN internalized the praise too strongly that LiS1 was daring and different. They tried to be even more topical and bold without regard to how actual players of color might react to the racial violence onscreen. In addition, I critiqued LiS2 for not showcasing the positive aspects of Sean and Daniel’s Mexican heritage to contrast all the racism, and I thought True Colors did a better job at including meaningful and positive cultural details for Alex and Gabe’s family. They likely didn’t think to research more carefully how to depict POC (and how the standards for sensitive representation might be different in the U.S. compared to France). American politics are also wayyyy more complex than what’s on the news, and have a massive historical, social, and economic background, and nowadays, I’ll cut DN some slack and say I think that’s too much to tackle for any game. Yes, DN could’ve done better, but I wouldn’t critique them as harshly today, and I know they had good intentions.

If the pressure to follow up LiS1 wasn’t there, maybe LiS2 could’ve been different. Maybe DN wouldn’t have bit off more they could chew, or maybe this game could’ve been made independently of the LiS series and judged on its own merit. A game like Tell Me Why shows how DN is at their best when they tell smaller, nostalgic stories and are able to do the right research and collaborate with the right consultants and actors. I hope Lost Records can be the same, since DN is pitching it from the jump as an anthology and likely their do-over of LiS as their own independent studio.

Thank you again for asking! It was nice to revisit my critique. If you’d still like to talk about it, I am down for a friendly debate!

[goldfades]

🍵 for Alex cause Turcs deserve more love and attention

HEHEHEH OF COURSE, i love turcs so much he's the cutest

this is def on my bucket list i need a man who lets me do his eyebrows

you sat on alex's lap as you plucked his eyebrows. the music played throughout your room as alex ranted about his week and you focused on the task at hand, still listening to his rant.

as you carefully plucked alex's eyebrows, you could feel the tension in his muscles slowly melting away. the music in the background created a nice atmosphere in your room, providing the perfect backdrop for him to vent about his week.

you had told him his eyebrows his eyebrows were getting out of hand and he needed some plucking and to your surprise, he agreed. and now, he was relaxed as he talked about what was currently happening within his friend-group.

as alex's rant came to an end, he let out a deep sigh, finally feeling like he had released some of the pent-up stress from the week. he turned his head up to look at you, a grateful smile spreading across his face.

"thanks for doing this," he said, his voice softer now, filled with appreciation. "and for listening to me ramble. you always know how to make me feel better."

you set the tweezers down and leaned in to give him a gentle kiss on the cheek. "of course, alex. that's what i'm here for. and hey, your eyebrows look amazing now!"

alex let out a laugh as he pulled out his phone camera, his face morphing into a surprised one. "whoa, they actually look so good."

you couldn't help but feel a sense of accomplishment as alex checked out his newly groomed eyebrows. the change was subtle but significant, and it seemed to have lifted not only the weight of unruly brow hairs but also the stress of his week.

alex, amazed by the results, continued to inspect his brows from different angles. "whoa, they actually look so good," he remarked, his surprise evident in his expression.

you grinned, proud of your handiwork. "i told you, i'm practically a brow artist. i've been plucking my own since i was like, 15."

he chuckled, turning to you with a playful glint in his eye. "well, i'll have to book an appointment with you more often then."

"you don't have to do that, baby, that's what i'm here for." you smiled as you gave him a small kiss.

as you leaned away, he continued. "gotta snap a picture of my new eyebrows to the boys group-chat, you're gonna have a bunch of new clients."

"i'm not sure about that, sweetheart," you replied, amused by the thought of becoming the unofficial eyebrow artist for alex's friends.

[wolsalwastaken]

Friendly reminder that reblogging my posts with hate for what I’m doing not only gives me free engagement but promotes me. Whatever irks you so much about me hosting a fun community event, I’m not sure, especially since I’m working within canon limitations! If you’re the type of person who feels the need to personally share my content to make fun of it or tell me to stop, thanks for the sentiment, but I’ll pass.

While I’m sorry your stellar sense of humor didn’t appreciate a funny joke, it wasn’t targeting your audience! Anyways, wanna be clear on the fact that I am not upset or angry or hurt or whatever by these replies. They just give me something to laugh at, and free engagement. Keep it up if you want, because I don’t care, but I really think you should take a moment to reflect on yourself on why you feel personally attacked at someone drawing the cat devil in short shorts. Here, accept my YouTube apology video!

Regardless of whether you despise or love my work, any engagement helps me in the algorithm and spreads my art. So, I give my thanks to all of those supporting my art, intentional or not.

…

Ok ok, jokes aside, seriously thank you guys for all the support on the FHN event! Really didn’t actually think anyone would participate, but lo and behold, here we are! I’ve genuinely really enjoyed looking at all of your amazing art (you guys are so talented btw wtf???). Wanted to acknowledge all the talented participants, and I hope to see more! Thank you all for your artwork, I’ve gotten lots of giggles, because you guys are as funny as you are talented artists.

Now, wanna clarify, my above statement on haters isn’t vague posting any 1 person, I’ve had a few people do this, but wanted to mention it because it’s honestly hilarious. If you see anyone doing it don’t harass them obviously, but don’t harass or shame others for drawing this stuff either! Kindness goes both ways.

I also wanna say, just in general, wow you guys are so nice. Like genuinely. The amount of amazingly kind people I’ve had reblog + comment on my art who genuinely enjoyed it is like… crazy. I’m not used to getting much positive feedback on my art, and like I wanna sincerely say I really appreciate it. It makes my day, like really. You guys are so accepting and nice to newcomers and it’s just really nice to see! Ending the sappiness here, I hope you continue to enjoy my art!

Leaving on that note, here’s a compilation of the wonderful people who have submitted their art thus far (in order of submission time), be sure to give them some love because they deserve it! (Imo the posts aren’t getting even half the attention they deserve- really there are some incredibly artists)

More to come soon, as this challenge is never ending!

1. @tectonicatomic

2. @eckodrawsgoobers

3. @rataartista

4. @donutfloats

5. @abyssal-enby

6. @ciaosonounapersonalol

7. @/Shadow (certified gay)

8. @a-peachie

9. @multifandommadnessblog

10. @theskeleton117

11. @calamaricollie

12. @adairtrashart

13. @woodlandwildfolk

14. @itsartlee

15. @of-fallen-gods-cotl

16. @rainy-intel

Edit: just realized all the hate is literally slut shaming Narinder omg…