#these were fun but do please send lists separately!

[twostepstyless]

Elves Wanted

Main Masterlist

SFW

Author’s Note: Y/N and Harry are drama students from two separate drama schools just looking to make some extra money over the Christmas period. Colleagues to friends to lovers ig? No major warnings I don’t think, maybe a tiny little chat about Christmas being a hard time of year. 

This is my first piece of writing in a looooong long time, so please be gentle  

As always, likes, reblogs and feedback of any variety is encouraged and always appreciated - G x 

Word Count: 7.7K+

It was the middle of November when Y/N saw it. The poster looked threatening. A large font, emboldened and in scary looking shade of red. The paper had gone a bit wrinkly as if it had been clutched tightly in a hand full of piles of the same advert printed over and over again. A contact email was printed multiple times along the bottom on tear-off tabs of paper, the fact that only one tab containing the address was missing added to the overall unappealing look of the advertisement that Y/N found on the ‘Opportunities’ board in the reception of her drama school. It looked threating compared to the opportunity it was offering. 

ELVES WANTED was printed at the top of the sheet followed by a short, bulleted list of qualifications:

Must have an enthusiastic and friendly personality

No experience necessary

No maximum height limit!!!

Great pay for festive season!

DBS checks will be carried out. 

Illustrations of holly leaves and berries bordered the A4 advert and severe looking underlines on the next steps asking for a headshot and CV to be forwarded to the recruiter’s email attached to the tear-off slips. A mall elf. Santa’s little helper. Y/N didn’t think it was the worst gig she could have in the world. Another thing to add to her CV she supposed. She realises she’s trying to convince herself into doing it and she was of the mindset if you had to convince yourself something is a good idea, it probably isn’t. But the Christmas holidays were looming and her student loan never in a million years could stretch towards Christmas presents and the zero hours contract she had a greasy spoon café down the road from her flat was certainly not helping either. She was desperate for consistent income to see her through Christmas. So, with a sigh, she ripped off the email information. 

***

Across the city, Harry was stood in front of an advert on the ‘Opportunities’ board in the reception area of his drama school. Harry frowned, then leaned in closer to get a better look. He read the poster twice, then a third time, and despite his better judgment, he felt a strange pull. There was something ridiculous about it, something he couldn’t quite shake. The idea of becoming an elf at Santa’s Grotto in a shopping centre, a 6-foot (on a good day at least) elf at that, on the surface, was completely mental. But then again, he thought back to the acting gig he had over Christmas last year and thought anything would be better than that. Plus, he loved Christmas really, and getting to spread a bit of joy can only be a positive thing. He rubbed his temple as though to clear his thoughts, still staring at the flyer. ‘Great pay’, the poster said. That was tempting. What the hell? He could be an elf for a month. Maybe there was something strange and fun about playing a cheerful holiday character—something a little whimsical and different from his usual typecast as a tortured soul or brooding romantic lead. Harry's lips quirked into a smile. ��I can totally do this,” he muttered to himself, snapping a photo of the requirements and ripping off the contact email and shoving it into his pocket. 

***

Y/N trudged back to her flat after leaving uni, fell into her bed and fished out her laptop to send her email to the elf recruiter. She attached her most recent headshot and newly updated CV and sent it off to the email address she clung onto. As her laptop screen faded to black, she caught a glimpse of herself in the reflection of the screen. She didn’t look happy. She looked knackered actually, with heavy dark circles around her eyes. The past few months had been a lot. Exhausting, frustrating, and filled with self-doubt. She’d just finished a semester of intense Stanislavski system classes which were emotionally, physically and psychologically taxing when she was applying them to the acting pieces she was performing. She longed for a break, for something to remind her why she had fallen in love with performing and acting in the first place. Maybe this odd elf job would do that—maybe she could rediscover some joy in performing, even if it was just a month or so of prancing around in stripy tights and painted on rosy cheeks.

Y/N sighed and shook her head, but a small smile crept onto her lips. Why not? she thought again, maybe she could learn to appreciate Christmas again. 

***

Winter had truly set in the next week when Y/N arrived at the shopping centre’s service entrance. The wind nipped at her face, the only bit of her not covered up by woolly or fleece fabric. Despite the cold, there was a gentle hum of festive energy beginning to spark. She had her phone open directing her to the disused unit nearest the newly built grotto which they had turned into a dressing room and break room for all the actors who were going to be working there over the holidays. She had to agree there would be something distinctly unmagical about a child seeing the elf that had shown them to Santa, or the big man himself, walking through the mall with a backpack over their costume to catch the tube home.  

This was it—the first day of her “elf job,” as ridiculous as it seemed. She still wasn’t entirely sure what she’d gotten herself into. At least Noelle seemed nice enough as a manager when they’d spoken over zoom after Y/N applied. (Y/N still wasn’t sure if that was her actual name or that Noelle just loved Christmas that much, she’d given it to herself, she wouldn’t be shocked if it was the latter) And hey, it wasn’t like there was anything else on her schedule at the moment, classes having broken up for an extended Christmas break this week to allow the students to pick up winter acting gigs. 

The smell of cinnamon and something distinctly chocolatey wafted through the air as she hurried through the shopping centre, the disused unit between the small Boots (the big boots was on the second floor) and Clarks shoe shop was her end goal with a note to show up at 8:30 to be assigned her costume, meet their Santa and the other elves and to be talked through what their role was and what do before the kids started arriving to meet Saint Nick at 10:30 A.M. 

She was first there. Not a shock, she’s notoriously early to everything. Just Noelle in the space, ticking Y/N’s name off the list attached to her clipboard and urging her to pull up a chair until the rest of her colleagues arrived. Tubs of celebrations and heroes cracked open on the tables for the employees to pick at if they were on break. 

Y/N quickly snagged a Malteser one from the red tub knowing those were her favourite but always the first to run out in a box of Celebrations. As she rammed the chocolate into her mouth a deep, slow voice called out.

“Hey! Are y’here for the elf job too?”

Y/N looked up. A boy—no, a man—was walking toward her, a friendly smile on his face. He was tall, like worthy of stating in your dating profile tall, with chocolatey, perfectly tousled hair like he’d just ran his fingers through it and it fell perfectly. His cheeks were also flushed from the cold, and there was an energy about him, an air of confidence that could potentially approach cockiness, but not in a dickhead way, a way that made Y/N feel suddenly self-conscious. She straightened up, trying to look more confident.

“Uh, yeah.” Fuck, she still had the half-chewed Malteser sweet in her mouth, she swallowed it harshly. “I am, yeah,” she said, his voice coming out a little awkwardly. 

The man laughed lightly, as if sensing her discomfort, and stuck out his hand. “M’Harry. S’my first day, too. So, we’re in the same boat.”

Y/N hesitated for a second before shaking his hand. His grip was firm, and his-Harry’s eyes sparkled with a kind of warmth that she wasn’t used to.

“Harry,” she said. “Yeah, I figured I wasn’t the only one.”

Harry raised an eyebrow, glancing around. “Have y’seen the costumes?” he asked with a grin. “Noelle was pulling the rail out as I came in,” he nodded towards the rail now in Y/N’s peripheral, “and not that I’m biased towards the fact me n’you are here first… but I think we’re going to look the best.” 

Y/N snorted, suddenly picturing the pair of them in the green and red get up she could see swinging around on hangers that Harry pointed out. “Yeah, right. I’m not sure there is a looking the best in those but I’ll try not to look too much like a walking, talking Christmas tree.”

Harry laughed again, his voice light and carefree. “You could be a very stylish Christmas tree. And if not, I’m sure the kiddies will love you anyway. I mean, it’s hard t’look serious in tha’.”

Y/N had to agree. She could see tiny bells on the tips of the curly toed shoes and around the base of the pointy hat that were jingling in an absurdly cheerful way as Noelle pulled the rail up towards the congregating elves, more of whom had arrived in the time she had been speaking to Harry not that she noticed them arrive. 

“I’m guessing you’ve done this before?” she asked.

“Nope,” Harry replied with a shrug, his eyes crinkling with a smile. “But I’m an actor, so literally trained in fake it til I make it.” She glanced at him knowingly. “I’m sure you can, too.”

There was something about the way he said it, so effortlessly, as if being an actor was the most natural thing in the world. Y/N felt a pang of recognition. She was the same way, always pretending like she had her shit together when, in reality, she felt like she hanging by a thread the vast majority of the time.

“You’re an actor, too?” she asked, as Harry pulled a twirl out the box of heroes and snaffled it down just as quickly. 

“Yeah,” he said round the mouthful of chocolate, “Where d’you go?” 

 “Oh, I’m at RADA,” she said with a sheepish smile, as though it were no big deal. “How about you?”

“The Conservatoire,” Harry replied in a similar tone. “It’s… kind of intense there. Everyone’s obsessed with Shakespeare n’like fuckin’ Laurence Olivier,” he chuckled. His voice tinged with self-deprecation. “Which is fine, and y’know same but sometimes it feels like m’in an endless cycle of waiting. Auditions, classes, workshops, more auditions…” He trailed off, realizing he was rambling. “Though suppose you’re the same at RADA,” He finished.

Y/N’s eyes softened a little. “I get that. Sometimes it feels like I’m auditioning for my own bloody life instead of actually living it, and the constant seriousness can really knock the wind out of it and make you forget why you started acting in the first place.” She leaned back against her chair, crossing her arms. 

“At least this elf job is different. It’s kind of nice to do just… do something fun, you know?” Harry suggested.

Y/N nodded, a little surprised by the ease in which he found the bright side. There was a grounded quality to him that she hadn’t expected, especially when he said he attended the conservatoire. He didn’t seem to be caught up in the competitive, high-strung nature of their shared world, or if he did, he was doing a damn good job of hiding it.  Maybe it was his willingness to embrace something as silly as playing an elf that made him stand out to her.

“Yeah, you’re right,” she said, letting out a breath she hadn’t realised she was holding. “I think I’m just overthinking it. Like, this is the first thing I’ve gotten in a minute that’s actually paying me, and I’m being weird about it. Plus, I’ve got the perfect excuse to wear a fun outfit for a month,” she giggled, hoping to match his blasé attitude. 

Harry smiled back, a mischievous glint appearing in his eyes. “Exactly!” 

Before their conversation could go any further, Noelle, decked out in an obscene Christmas jumper with glittery yarn and flashing lights stood at the front of the now full room.

“Hiya chookies! Welcome to your first day as Santa’s helpers!” she said brightly in her bubbly Welsh accent, clapping her hands together. “I’ve spoken to you all before but just to reintroduce I’m Noelle and I’ll be your manager for the duration of this job! You’ll be working alongside our Santa Claus, Arthur, bringing the magic to life for all the little ones we’ll have coming to visit right up until the 24th of December. You’ll mostly be working in pairs which I can split you up into- or I see most of you have split into little groups already so that will do just lovely too!” 

At the mention of already being in pairs, Harry and Y/N’s eyes flickered up to each other’s with a small smile from Y/N and a wink from Harry that made Y/N’s stomach swoop as he mouthed ‘partner’ at her. 

Noelle continued, “so we’ll get you costumed and your elf’s name assigned to you, then we’ve got a few little training things to get through before we kick off the festive season with our first visitors at 10:30!” 

***

The rest of the morning was a blur of final costume adjustments, training videos about handling children, and learning the ropes of the “Santa meet-and-greet” routine. Introduce, smile, take the kid to Santa, reassure any nervous little ones, pass out candy canes til you’re blue in the face, and sprinkle as much magic and joy in there as possible as they went. As 10:30 approached, Harry found himself standing next to Y/N at the edge of Santa’s grotto ready for the first batch of children to arrive. 

Through the noise of the shopping centre, chatter and the beep of checkouts and the rush of activity, Harry caught Y/N’s eye and offered her a dazzling smile. “Well Sugarplum,” he said, now referring to Y/N as her Elf name, as was required in their training, his voice low enough for only her to hear, “here we go. Let’s see if we can make some Christmas magic without completely embarrassing ourselves.”

Y/N laughed softly, knocking her hip against his playfully. “You’ll do great. Just remember to smile like you mean it and even if we’re pretending that it’s the most magical moment of your life.”

Harry rolled his eyes but found himself smiling anyway. “I’ll try my best. Elf-ing is harder than it looks I reckon.”

As the first family approached the line, Y/N leaned closer to him, her voice playful. “Ready to bring some joy to the world, Jingles?”

“After you, my jolly little elf,” Harry said with a smile, feeling something spark between them that he couldn’t quite name, their shoes jingling as they bounced forwards to greet their first family. 

***

The first shift was chaotic.

Y/N had been bracing herself for the madness of it all, but nothing quite prepared her for the relentless pace of the Santa meet-and-greet. From the moment they arrived at the grotto and workshop themed area, complete with twinkling lights, piles of fake presents, an enormous, fluffy teddy bear in the corner and nutcrackers as tall as Harry, it was clear that the role of an elf was not as simple as it seemed.

The instructions from Noelle had been brief—"Smile, be enthusiastic, don't get in Santa's way, and make sure every child gets their gift!"—but in practice, it felt like a never-ending whirlwind. The line of eager little children accompanied by parents and carers lapped around the grotto and down the hallways of the mall and the air buzzed with the excited chatter of families, the high-pitched giggles of toddlers, and the occasional wail of a child whose feet hurt from waiting or was a little scared of the man with the round belly and red suit. 

Y/N was feeling the initial confidence boost Harry gave her, waver. The green tunic was a tad itchy, the makeup to paint her cheeks rosy was 100% going to cause her a spotty breakout and the pointy shoes, which she’d thought would be a fun novelty, now felt like they were cutting off the circulation to her toes. She was supposed to be cheerful and welcoming, but every time she smiled, it felt a little forced. And then there was the jingle. The tiny bells attached to the hem of her outfit, hat and tips of her curly shoes made every step a clinking reminder that she was no longer the serious actor she aspired to be. No, now she was an elf, and that meant every footstep seemed to ring with the joyful spirit of Christmas. 

"Alright, Sugarplum!" Harry’s voice cut through the noise as he slid into place next to her. "You’re doing great! Just keep smiling!" His eyes twinkled with mischief, and Y/N couldn’t help but return his grin, even if it was more of a grimace.

“I’m not sure I’m pulling off the ‘joyful, Christmas spirit’ look,” she muttered, glancing at Harry. “I think the kids can tell I'm not really feeling it.”

“Oh, please,” he teased, adjusting his own costume, he had managed to twist one of the legs of his red tights around his leg as he peeled them up when he got changed and seemed completely unbothered by it. “You look like you just stepped off of an elf runway. Like we are North Pole Fashion Week right here. Autumn/Winter 2024’s finest!”

He was, in fact, a burst of holiday cheer. His costume fit well, minus the small problem with his tights. His movements were smooth and confident, and he had this way of leaning into his role that made it seem effortless. Every time a child came up to him, he greeted them with enthusiasm, making silly faces to the young ones who couldn’t talk yet, or twirling around to make them squeal and giggle.

Y/N, on the other hand, had already almost fell onto the nutcracker when a child approached her from behind. 

***

"Hey, Elves!" a little girl said in a high-pitched voice, her arms crossed in front of her chest. She was maybe seven years old, with a haughty expression on her face that both Harry and Y/N couldn’t help but find hilarious. "I want a unicorn for Christmas."

“Uh, okay, a unicorn,” Y/N repeated, trying to channel the enthusiasm Noelle had instructed them to have. “Is that, like, a stuffed unicorn or an actual unicorn?”

The little girl stared at her blankly. “A real one. With wings.” As if that was obvious, Y/N thought.

Y/N blinked. “Oh… right. Well, I think we’ll need to ask Santa if he can make that happen. Santa has magical powers, you know, isn’t that right Jingles?” she gestured to Harry, desperately wanting to involve him in this conversation to get it over with quicker.  

“That’s absolutely right Sugarplum, but I’m not sure the unicorn’s gonna make it through customs...” Harry trailed off

The girl raised an eyebrow. “I don’t care about that. I want a unicorn. With wings.”

“Understood.” Harry nodded seriously. “I’ll put in the request to Santa’s workshop immediately.” Y/N couldn’t help but laugh at Harry so turned away to get her giggles out as she organised the piles of gifts for the kids as the little girl continued on.

She gave a dramatic sniff before turning to her adult and questioning, “mummy why does that elf have all those on him?”

“All what, princess?” The little girl’s mother barely took her eyes off her phone while responding to her. 

“All those drawings,” she pointed her sticky looking hand to Harry while her mother finally looked up and over with distaste to see Harry’s lower arm exposed from where the fluffy cuffs on his tunic had ridden up, exposing the inky swirls that littered his arm.  

“I got these in prison,” Harry said to the child, seriously. 

“HARRY,” Y/N shouts whipping her head round from the reorganised piles of presents and a series of giggles. 

“Um, its Jingles to you, Miss Sugarplum,” he responded to Y/N with a sly look in his eye before turning back to the little girl, “I broke a lot of elf and safety rules,” he nodded with a sad sort of soft smile as the girl and her mother moved farther up the queue and away from Harry and Y’N’s section.

“You’re going to get sacked,” Y/N laughed. 

“Nah, no chance, I don’t reckon there’s any understudies for elves, I’m just trying to brighten the place up, they say Christmas cheer is spread through laughter,” Harry said reaching for one of the candy canes they had in a bowl to give out to customers.  

“No one says that” Y/N responded.

“Wel, I did just then,” Harry smirked before shoving his newly unwrapped candy cane between his lips. 

***

Y/N found herself laughing more, letting go of the relentless pressure she usually placed on herself. She still had moments of doubt, but they were becoming less frequent. And more often than not, Harry was there, laughing with her, encouraging her to embrace the more sparkly, joyful side of things.

By the end of the week, both Harry and Y/N were beginning to look forward to their shifts—not just for the pay check, but because of the time spent with each other. Their friendship was growing, deepening in those small moments of shared joy. They spent their breaks together, sharing their lunches and swapping stories about their schools, about their aspirations, about everything and nothing.

“I jus’ couldn’t face doing panto again this Christmas for some work experience, last year I ended up in a production of Cinderella at holiday park in the arse end of nowhere and let me just tell you never again,” Harry said round mouthfuls of the Subway sandwich he’d ran to go pick them up on their joint lunch break.

“You didn’t?!” Y/N gasped dramatically, putting her own sandwich down. 

“I did.” 

“Oh no you didn’t,” Y/N refuted.

“What y’on about? I did, I played Buttons.”

“Oh no you didn’t!” Y/N teased.

“Oh no you didn- OH ha ha, very funny,” Harry rolled his eyes playfully.  “But yeah I had to stay in a static caravan for the length of the run, and not one of those nice, posh static caravans with the deck and did y’know some of them have actual baths in ‘em too? It was a shit one, that smelt of damp and sand from the beach and had a scorch mark on the carpet from the fan radiator someone had put on upside down, the thing probably would’ve looked better if it had gone up in flames.”

***

It was the week before Christmas, when the shopping centre was at its peak. Crowds of shoppers were everywhere. Pushing, jostling, and frantically checking their lists. Santa’s grotto had gotten busier and busier and December went on, and Harry and Y/N were in the thick of it, dodging around children, parents, and cameras, keeping up the relentless pace of their elf duties. 

They were stationed in the photo line, dishing out candy canes left, right and centre to anyone who didn’t already have one clutched in their hands. The music overhead had transitioned from classic carols to the more upbeat, catchy tunes—"Jingle Bell Rock," "Last Christmas," and, of course what’s Christmas without a little bit of Mariah. 

“Honestly, feels like Christmas exploded all over this place,” Harry muttered to Y/N as a child skipped past them, jingling her own set of bells in her hair. He adjusted his own costume and shot a glance around at the sea of red and green. “I love Christmas but even I’m starting to feel a little less Santa n’a little more Scrooge.” 

Y/N’s grin was infectious. “I know, right? But I think I’m starting to really love it rather than seeing this as a quick, easy wage every week. It feels like a big Christmas party every day and really is starting to put me in the mood for the 25th.”

Harry snorted. “You’re a better elf than I’ll ever be then. I’m about two seconds from snapping the candy canes and calling it a day.” 

Y/N chuckled, her eyes glinting mischievously. “You could do that. But you’d be the elf who shows up on the ‘Naughty List,’ and frankly, I don’t think you want that reputation,” Y/N shrugged playfully.

“Well, there’s always next year,” Harry replied with a wink.

As the hours passed, the atmosphere only intensified. The mall was bursting with excited chatter, laughter, and the occasional tantrum from an upset child. Harry was starting to feel the weight of it all—the constant smiling, the relentless energy. He glanced over at Y/N, who seemed unaffected by it all. She was laughing, her face flushed from the warmth of the crowd, her energy infectious, but Harry couldn’t shake the feeling that she was hiding something—something more than the seemingly newly discovered holiday cheer that seemed to shine out of her pores like the lights round the Christmas trees. There was a depth to her that he couldn’t quite place. A vulnerability that was hidden beneath her new, bright exterior. He had seen it before, right at the start of their run—brief moments when her eyes grew a little distant or when she would zone out during a particularly quiet lull. She seemed melancholic a lot of the time at the beginning but the closer they got to Christmas her personality seemed to do a switch to the most utterly joyful person you could ever come across. Harry didn’t buy it, not completely anyway. 

After another round of photos, a break finally arrived. It wasn’t much—only fifteen minutes—but it was enough for them to run off to their break room to rest their jingled feet. Harry slumped down in his seat, taking a long, deep breath of the slightly cooler air of their break room. He caught sight of Y/N across the room, filling up a glass of water each for them from the cooler.

"Hey," Harry said, his voice a bit quieter now. “Y’alright?”

Y/N looked up at him, her eyes wide and a little startled by the question. She blinked a couple of times, as if trying to shake off some thought she’d been lost in.

“Yeah, of course,” she replied quickly, offering a bright smile. “I’m just… y’know. Trying t’make the most of the break.” She gestured vaguely around; the room was empty bar the pair of them.

“Right,” Harry said, but there was something in her tone that didn’t quite match the smile she was giving him. He knew her well enough by now to see that something was off. It was slight, subtle even, but it was there.

He took a deep breath, feeling that the awkwardness of the moment would pass if he just said it. “Look, Y/N... I don’t want to make you uncomfortable n’just tell me t’fuck off if I’m overstepping or anything… but I feel like there’s more going on with you than you’re letting on.”

She froze for a moment before placing the now full glass of water in front of Harry. Her eyes shifted to the floor, her expression briefly faltering before she met his gaze again.

“You’re talking about the personality transplant I’ve had in the last few days, aren’t you?” she asked with a small laugh, but it didn’t quite reach her eyes.

Harry shook his head. “No. I mean… yes. But not just that.” He pulled the chair next to him round to an angle so they would be basically facing each other eye to eye as he encouraged her to take a seat. Lowering his voice slightly. “I know m’not the best at reading people, but I can tell y’hiding something. You’re not as… I don’t know… there’s something not quite right about the smile you’re painting on, right?”

Y/N’s smile faltered, and she glanced away. “I’m fine, Harry. I promise.”

But Harry didn’t buy it. He didn’t know what it was, but there was something in her voice, a tone as if she was trying to convince herself of the fact and not just him, that made him feel that she wasn’t fine.

“Y/N, m’not trying to make you talk about anything you’re not ready to share,” Harry said gently. “But… you can’t just bury everything under the elf costume and the smiles. It’s okay to not be okay sometimes,” he said with a soft smile as he nudged his knee against her own. 

The room was silent. Y/N chewed on her bottom lip, clearly battling with something. Harry held his breath, waiting. Finally, she sighed deeply, as if the weight of it all had become too much to carry any longer.

“I didn’t want to bring it up, s’a bit of a mood killer at this time of year,” she said quietly, her voice thick with something Harry couldn’t quite place. “But... I guess I’m just tired. Not physically—well, kind of. But emotionally. I don’t know… I’ve been pretending a lot this year.”

Harry watched her, his brow furrowing. "Pretending?"

Y/N let out a shaky breath and nodded. “My family... my dad... this time of year is always hard for me. Christmas is supposed to be happy, right? But it just... reminds me of everything I’ve lost. Things that don’t work out. People who move on.” She paused, her voice trembling just slightly. “I didn’t want to let it affect my job here. I didn’t want to ruin the fun, or the magic… and I guess it’s been a lot.”

Harry felt a pang of sympathy for her. The words hung in the air like fragile glass, and he could see how much it had cost her to admit it. For a moment, he didn’t know what to say, he just nodded, understanding. “I get it,” he said eventually. “Y’don’t have to keep pretending, though. Not round me anyway.”

She gave him a small, relieved smile, but there was still sadness behind her eyes. “Thanks, Harry,” she whispered, almost as if she were speaking to herself. “I think I just needed someone to hear it. Even if it’s just for a second. I’m just… knackered,” she sighed.

Harry leant closer, offering gentle smile his hand reaching down to squeeze her knee. “Anytime. You know that.”

For the last few moments of their break, they just sat there, sipping on their water and cooling down for a bit, the noise of the shopping centre drifting in from the distance. Harry didn’t push her to say more, but they both knew something had shifted between them in that moment. Y/N wasn’t just his elf colleague anymore. She was a person with a past, with scars, with feelings. And Harry wanted to be there for her, even if it meant just offering an ear if she needed it.

And maybe she just needed to know that someone was there to listen, even someone she met working at Santa’s Grotto.

The break ended with the sound of a loud cheer coming from the main concourse of the shopping centre, where a new group of children had gathered to see Santa. Y/N downed the rest of her water and gave her cheeks a few quick pats to wake herself up, as if the moment of vulnerability had never happened, and smiled at Harry.

“Ready for round two?” she asked, her voice lighter than before.

Harry nodded. “Let’s do this Sugarplum.” And for the first time in a long while, Harry realized that sometimes, just being real with someone else was the greatest gift of all.

***

The day before Christmas was a blur of lights, music, and the constant hum of holiday energy. For such a manic day, it was a slow one. Harry had stopped counting the hours long ago of his shifts long ago; it was just a matter of getting through the day, but with Y/N by his side, it felt bearable. Their friendship had become a steady constant, something Harry looked forward to in the midst of the holiday madness. They spent their breaks together, talked about everything and nothing, and found little ways to make each other laugh.

But today felt different. There was a quiet tension in the air between them, an unspoken awareness that lingered longer than usual. It was approaching midday on Christmas Eve, the final shift before the big day. The mall was packed, the halls full of families rushing to get those last-minute photos with Santa, children buzzing with excitement. Harry and Y/N had just finished their break and were back on as Jingles and Sugarplum, standing in front of the grotto. They had gotten good at this—good at smiling until their cheeks hurt, good at posing for photos, good at handing out candy canes like it was second nature. But today, something felt… off. Something wasn’t quite as simple as it had been before.

“Last day,” Y/N said, adjusting her costume, the bells twinkling and punctuating her sentence, her tone almost too casual as she looked around at the busy area. “Can y’believe it’s finally Christmas Eve?”

Harry shrugged, trying to sound nonchalant. “It kind of feels like we’ve been doing this forever, doesn’t it? Like, time doesn’t even work anymore.”

“Yeah,” she said softly, her eyes scanning the crowd. Then, turning back to Harry, her gaze lingered a moment too long. “You know, I’ve actually really enjoyed this. Not the work, obviously, but… the time we’ve spent together. It’s been…” She hesitated, glancing down at her costume before meeting his eyes again. “Nice. A break from my usual, I guess.”

Harry’s heart skipped a beat. She didn’t say it directly, but there was something in her voice that made him wonder if she felt the same way he did.

“I get that,” he said, his voice a little quieter than before. “It’s kind of hard to explain, but I feel like we’ve gotten into this rhythm. You know what I mean?”

She smiled, that familiar, easy smile that made him feel like he was the only one in the room. “Exactly. We’ve somehow survived this madness, and now it’s almost over.”

As they stood there, exchanging glances with the busy families waiting in line, Harry couldn’t help but feel a sense of… finality. He had been dreading the end of this gig, not because he didn’t want to go back to the conservatoire and his classes after break but because he didn’t want to not see Y/N every day. The idea of her becoming just another friendly face in the crowd of his life was akin to one of Shakespeare’s tragedies to him, he didn’t want that at all.

“You’re right,” he said slowly, “I don’t want it to be over. This... thing we’ve got going on, I mean.”

Y/N paused, her eyebrows furrowing in slight confusion. “What do you mean, ‘this thing’?” 

Fuck, Harry thought as looked down at his hands, suddenly feeling self-conscious, a rarity for him. Maybe he was reading too much into it. Maybe he was just imagining that there was something between them. But the way her voice softened when she spoke to him, the way they laughed together, the way he felt this inexplicable pull towards her. 

“This thing where it’s easy to talk t’you. Where we don’t have to pretend with each other,” he said carefully, his heart pounding a little harder in his chest. “Where… I don’t know… I feel like I can be myself at least.”

She blinked, processing his words. Her expression was unreadable for a moment, but then her lips curled into a slow, thoughtful smile. “I know what you mean,” she said softly. “It’s like… we don’t have to be perfect all the time, right? Like, we can just… be. Together.”

The way she said the word “together” sent a small shiver down Harry’s spine. He could feel the air between them shift, and suddenly, he wasn’t sure if it was just the holiday magic, or something more. Something deeper.

He took a deep breath, stepping a little closer to her. “Y/N, I—”

Before he could finish his sentence, a loud wail from a child pierced the air, cutting through the moment like a knife. The child, no older than six, was tugging at her mother’s sleeve, refusing to get anywhere near the front door of the grotto where on the other side she’d meet Santa. Her voice was a screech of fear almost, desperate to leave.

Harry and Y/N immediately snapped back into their roles, the brief, intimate moment forgotten in an instant. It was as though the world had snapped back into its chaotic rhythm. Harry plastered on his best elf smile and turned to the mother, ready to jump back into character.

“Everything okay here?” he asked, though his mind was still racing with the things he had almost said to Y/N.

Y/N, ever the professional, was immediately by Harry’s side, kneeling down to the little girls height. “Hey there sweetness, I’m Sugarplum and this is my pal Jingles,” she said in a gentle, soothing voice nodding to Harry who waved at the shy little girl. “Y’know, Santa’s not so bad. Look, we’re elves and have worked with the big man for forever, and we think he’s pretty cool, isn’t that right Jingles?” 

The little girl sniffed, wiping her nose on her sleeve of her little red coat, before glancing up at Y/N and Harry with watery eyes. “Really?”

“Absolutely!” Harry said with a wink, before he too knelt down to the girls’ level, his voice bright and reassuring. “Santa’s just a big teddy bear. In fact he gave me this,” Harry pulled a candy cane from his pocket with a flourish, “t’give to you before we go in and see him!”

The girl seemed to hesitate for a moment, before nodding slowly reaching out to wrap her fingers around the candy cane Harry held out to her, “Okay…”

As the little girl settled, Harry couldn’t help but glance over at Y/N. She had a way with the kids who were a little scared or nervous, a warmth that made him admire her even more. She always knew exactly what to say, always had the right level of energy to make them feel better. It was something he’d noticed before, but today, it felt like a piece of the larger picture. When the little girl finally took a seat on the stool next to Santa’s chair and was yapping away listing off things she wanted for Christmas as well as things she thinks he should give her baby brother, Harry and Y/N exchanged a smile at a job well done. 

As the rest of the day wore on, the mall’s energy peaked and then began to mellow. The final families arrived, children almost vibrating with excitement at Santa’s imminent arrival, parents frantically snapping photos. In the quiet moments between families, Harry found himself stealing glances at Y/N. She was still the same—cheerful, warm, effortlessly glowing—but there was a new layer between them now, an unspoken understanding.

Finally, as the evening came to a close, the last group of families having exited with their pictures in hand. Santa waving a big goodbye to any straggler groups citing that he had a long night ahead of him and had to go see Mrs Claus before he set off on his journey around the world. Harry and Y/N were left alone in the grotto, it was just the two of them now, standing in the glow of the Christmas lights, the last traces of holiday music playing softly in the background.

Y/N turned to Harry, her eyes locking with his. “I guess this is it,” she said softly, her voice quieter now, almost hesitant.

“Yeah,” Harry replied, his heart beating just a little faster. “It’s weird. I kind of thought it would feel like a relief when it was over, but… now it’s here, it feels… wrong, somehow.”

Y/N smiled softly, stepping a little closer to him. “It’s not over, Harry. It’s just… different now.”

He swallowed hard, his voice barely above a whisper. “I hope so.”

And then, as if drawn by an invisible force, they both leaned in, just inches apart. The air between them was charged, the magic of Christmas, the long month and a half of working side by side, and the undeniable pull they felt toward each other all converging in that one perfect instant.

Before Harry could think too much about it, Y/N closed the small gap, her lips meeting his in a kiss that was soft, tentative, but filled with something deeper—something neither of them could deny any longer.

The moment held, timeless and sweet, as they finally gave in to the feelings that had been building between them, and as they pulled back, breathing in the shared warmth of the kiss, it was clear to both of them: this was only the beginning.

“D’you think we can go get changed now? I never want to see or feel another pair of fucking tights anywhere near my legs for a long, long time,” Harry said as Y/N burst into fitful giggles her face slumping against his shoulder as she laughed

***

They had swapped numbers early on in their job, Harry’s suggestion since they were paired together in case one of the two were to be poorly or running late but had never used those numbers. As much as Harry’s fingers twitched to do so. 

They separated outside the mall after their kiss, both rushing off to get to their families to spend Christmas Day with them. Christmas morning came with a quiet calm. Y/N had expected to wake up feeling exhausted, her muscles sore from the constant running around, the endless hours of standing in character, smiling for the camera, but instead, she woke up in her bedroom at her Mum’s house… on edge. Like something had shifted, and now the world around her seemed to have rearranged itself, in ways she wasn��t quite sure she was ready for.

She also woke up to a text and her heart took off running. 

Harry 🧝‍♂️ 🎄 : Merry Christmas Sugarplum!! Hope your day is as magic as you are xx

Fucking hell, he sent kisses, KISSES… Should she send kisses back, never mind the kisses she needs to type the actual text first.

Y/N: and a merry christmas to you jingles. have a lovely day with your family Harry xx

He sent two kisses so she sent two kisses, that seemed a safe bet. 

Harry 🧝‍♂️ 🎄: When are you back in the city? Xxx

THREE KISSES!

Y/N:  i’m back on the 28th, you? :) xxx

Harry 🧝‍♂️ 🎄: Crazy, me too! I’m going to hope you don’t have New Years plans yet and wanted to ask if you wanted to do something with me? Ring in the new year together? Xxx 

A second text came in before Y/N even managed to process what the first one had said. 

Harry 🧝‍♂️ 🎄: Plus I’m not going to lie, going from seeing you and spending all day every day with you to not seeing you at all today is shit and I’ve decided I hate it xxx 

Y/N:  yes!!! let’s do it, i didn’t have any plans anyway so absolutely want to spend it with you xxx 

Y/N:  p.s i hate it too :( xxx 

***

They had met outside the tube station, a warm embrace on the pavement as a greeting as they began their walk to find a spot on Primrose Hill for the night, filling each other in on what they had been up to on Christmas Day and the days since. They had both booked a few auditions for the first few weeks of January and Y/N had decided she was changing her life in the New Year and had done a massive clear out and deep clean of her flat. And Harry? Well, he’d came home from his Mum’s with a pet cat in tow, one his Mum had recently been fostering and Harry fell in love within the space of a few hours. He’d called her Jingles. 

They found a spot on Primrose Hill, both of them unpacking the bags they had brought with them. A picnic blanket each they layered on top of each other to shield their bums from the cold ground. A flask of soup and a flask of tea to keep them warm as well as some snacks and tinned cocktails to see them through the night to the bells. Harry also had a half-sized bottle of champagne tucked in his bag for them to pop at midnight. 

They spent their evening wrapped up in each other in their own little bubble getting to know one another more than they already did and as Midnight came and fireworks began to pop and sizzle in the sky and people around them waved glittering sparklers around and the nearest church bells rang signifying a new hour and a new year Harry kissed Y/N again, this time with more certainty, feeling the warmth of his embrace, the joy of being with someone who understood her completely. For the first time, in what felt like forever, Y/N realized she didn’t need anything else.

They had everything right here and they thought that was pretty magical.

[ladytabletop]

If I may be so bold as to request two: a 1d10 list of heroic deeds a barbarian must accomplish to prove his/her honor. and 1d10 Dwarven folk tales.

Heroic Deeds as Tests of Merit

Climb the highest peak and retrieve a single egg from the snow eagle's nest. Raise the eaglet until it is grown.

Set aside weapons of all kind and traverse the continent from one end to another.

Hold up a waterfall.

Construct a bridge to unite two villages. Accept no help. Use no tools.

Race a cheetah and win.

Retrieve the shield of an ancient warrior, long sunk beneath a deadly whirlpool.

Slay a dragon and carve its skull into a cottage.

Find the bog witch and live with her for a year and a day, doing whatever she bids.

Find a fallen star and bring it to the king.

Scale the Tower and discover what is hidden within.

Dwarven Folk Tales

The Lady of Under is a figure of myth every dwarven child knows about. They say she comes from the deeps, from the very center of the earth, covered in the glitter of mineral and the dust of stone, to grant sweet dreams to those who are sleeping.

Have you heard the tale of the Lovers of Malachite? The trio separated by distance and politics? Their story is a tragic one, for when their knocked messages were heard by the kings of their respective nations, they were locked away forever.

Shadowmoles aren't real. They aren't! They're a made up creature used to explain away miners losing things in the tunnels. Some even say depth sickness is blamed on them.

They say there was once a dwarf so talented on the guitar that even tallfolk were enchanted. If you are lost and hear music, know that it is his songs guiding you.

Efri the Rash was a dwarf so strong and so quick to anger, they say she carved the vast canyon we now live in in a fit of pique after her prize badger was slain.

If you're very quiet near a tunnel's entrance, and the wind whistles across it, you can hear the weeping of a king under the mountain, now long dead. His spirit wanders above ground, unable to return home because of a curse.

Dwarves once were able to swim in the lava flows found deep underground, but a trickster god in the form of a tunnelworm robbed them of their fire immunity. That's why tunnelworms can now swim in lava lakes.

If legend is true, twas a dwarf that hung the moon and the sky. She so loved the stars that she gifted them a great rock to be near them. Some say her bones lie at the moon's center.

If ever you fall into a sinkhole, you have been chosen by the earth to hear and interpret her words. They say you will come back stronger and wiser - but forever changed.

The glowlark flowers that bloom in the caves only grow where a giant's tears have fallen as it laid down for final rest to let its body turn to stone.

all d10 random lists

[lightseoul]

zeeeeee !! pretty please if you can, can you do number 13 ??? i love you so much and thank you in advance 🎀🫶🏻🥹🥹🥹🥹

anything for the love of my life @samtf <3 tagging also @irenne-stans, thank you for playing! this one was slightly out of my comfort zone but like i said, biodiversity is important or sumn like that...

(this is lightseoul's 2k milestone event ft. bakugou katsuki! to play, view the numbered list of prompts here, then simply send an ask with your chosen number and i'll whip something up!)

warnings. minors dni, please!

13. "YOU DO KNOW THAT WE'RE IN PUBLIC, RIGHT?" (1.3k)

if you were to be completely frank, galas aren’t exactly your thing.

sure, the getting ready part can be extremely fun. there’s nothing like jamming to your favorite playlist while a full-on glam team bedazzles you with a shit ton of makeup and hairspray.

wearing designer gowns that cost way more than an arm and a leg for a night is great for pictures, too—pictures that you make sure to keep for days when the insecurities get to you more than they usually do and you need a reminder that you are a badass.

being able to reunite with your pro-hero friends is also an added bonus. you rarely get to see each other mainly because of their hectic and often conflicting schedules—usually, when most of the group are miraculously available, one or two are either assigned to an overseas mission or get called as an emergency contact.

but right now, as you’re moments from pulling up to the red carpet of the annual heroes’ gala, you wish for nothing more than to be in your comfy pajamas and baggy t-shirt, snuggled in your king-sized bed under a freshly washed duvet cover, finally making a dent on that new book you just picked up until you can’t keep your eyes open.

you take a shaky inhale, bracing yourself for the impending flash of cameras and the unfailingly overwhelming paparazzi experience.

your third year of this, and it’s still not getting any easier.

you sometimes forget why you endure this kind of torture.

but then that familiar, gruff voice reaches your ears.

“you okay?”

you look to your left and you’re instantly reminded of your why.

the smile that breaches your features is instinctive and not at all strained, despite the anticipatory anxiety stewing in your gut. you can’t help it—not when you’re met with the sight of him—all dapper in a freshly minted black suit with his usually unruly ash blonde hair styled and pushed back, revealing his handsome forehead.

you drink in the view a bit more, eyes roving over his face and down to his torso then back up.

you feel your smile growing.

“i am now.”

as if on cue, a tinge of scarlet shows up high on bakugou’s cheeks, and the man averts his gaze, evidently flustered.

“shut up.”

a delighted laugh erupts from you, which only causes the pro-hero who’s now staring at the road ahead of you, to flush even more.

relaxing into your seat, you sit in comfortable silence for a few more minutes until you finally arrive at the designated drop-off point, tens of cameramen and women pointed towards the car you’re in, all in anticipation for the arrival of #2 pro-hero dynamight.

you’re peering through the tinted window to your right when you feel a hand cover yours, and you shift to see bakugou looking at you expectantly.

“ready?”

taking your nod as the signal, bakugou opens the door to his left and gracefully steps out of the vehicle. almost instantaneously, the flashes and clicks of the cameras go off, and you find yourself having to squint from the waves of light that permeate through the barrier separating you from the crowd.

you’re shielded from all the ruckus in a matter of seconds, however, when bakugou arrives just outside where you’re sitting. he knocks on the door twice—in warning—like he’s done the last two times you’ve been his plus-one, before grabbing the handle and officially revealing you to the press.

a new surge of camera flashes greets you, and you fight the urge to scrunch up your eyes. the pro-hero offers you a hand, which you happily take, legs wobbly as you extend a heeled foot onto the pavement below. the gown you went with for the evening wasn’t the most forgiving in terms of movement, the high slit being the only reason why you even have mobility in your lower region in the first place.

once you’re stable on your two feet, bakugou completely encases the hand of yours he’s been holding with his, before dropping them low between the two of you and leading you toward the main red carpet.

you smooth down the nonexistent wrinkles of your satin burnt orange gown with your free hand as you walk, acutely aware of the tens of eyes on you. you hear a man shout your boyfriend’s name, then another, and another who throws in yours, too.

you plaster on a smile when you hear them call out your name, like you’ve been instructed to by bakugou’s pr manager.

eventually, bakugou stops right at the center of the photo-op area, and you follow suit, pausing to stand at his right. you put forward your outer leg, the one that’s revealed under the slit, in order to elongate your form. at least, that’s what mina advised you to do while you were getting ready together back then for your first-ever red carpet event.

the motion prompts bakugou to glance at you, or your exposed leg, really, before mimicking your movement and forwarding his outer leg.

and that’s when you notice it.

“babe,” you start, “your—”

you turn toward the man, deciding it’s better if you just do the job yourself, before bending down to quickly tie his shoelaces. it takes you a minute, what with the heavily restricting fabric you’re wearing, but you eventually get it done.

when you straighten back up, though, you’re not greeted with a thanks.

instead, bakugou’s looking everywhere except at you, and that shade of scarlet from earlier is now back, decorating his beautiful features.

“what—”

you pause when bakugou shifts awkwardly beside you, and you barely catch him just as he hastily adjusts his suit pants.

the suit pants that are seemingly getting tighter by the second…

…because of his growing bulge.

you couldn’t stop yourself even if you wanted to—you snort the second you see it, which immediately grants you a side-eye from the man.

“shut up.”

“bro,” you cough out, “are you being for real right now?”

“shut the fuck up,” he hisses, just imperceptibly enough so that your spectators can’t read his mouth.

you’re failing to fight the grin that’s threatening to take over your entire face. “you do know that we’re in public, right?”

“this is your fucking fault,” he spits, his body now angled a bit more toward you, maybe in an attempt to hide what little modesty he has left.

you gape at him. “wha—how?”

at that, he turns his back toward the cameramen just enough to shoot you a glare without them seeing. “it’s that fucking v-neck.”

he pauses for a second, red now creeping down his neck and his gaze dipping down to your chest before he spews, incredulous: “are you even wearing a bra?”

you’re about to tell him you had to forego the undergarment because of the relatively plunging neckline, but you decide last minute there’s something you want to try out.

shifting slightly so that bakugou’s somewhat facing the crowd again, you lean forward, invading his space just until your mouth’s a breadth away from his ear. the movement is so minuscule that you almost miss it, but the pro-hero shudders when your breath tickles his skin.

hook.

line.

and sinker.

“…i guess we’ll find out, huh?”

and just like that, you pull away and wrap an arm around the man’s waist, once again posing for the cameras.

and as you feel him turn and wrap his arm around your waist a few beats after, you find that, if anything, at least you’re sure of one thing that’s going to get you through the rest of this cursed evening.

and that’s seeing the exact look on his face later in the news.

[flufftober]

🍂 🍃 Hello and welcome to our third annual Flufftober 🍂 🍃

We’re so excited to be back and to once again have you here!

As always, let’s fill the month of October with as much fluff as possible 🥰 and for that to happen, we not only have 31 prompts for you, no; we also have something special this year...

Prompt Extras

Last year's Prompt Substitutes were very well-loved and a lot of you used them to replace some prompts from the original list. You're more than welcome to do this again if there's a prompt that doesn't work for you for whatever reason - no explanation needed.

Once again, we offer you last year's top five fan favorites (as voted in the end survey). In addition to that, we also offer five scenario prompts.

If you don't want to replace any prompt from the original list but still love the additional ones - or you simply want to challenge yourself - you can also mix them all together!

So in whichever way you use these Prompt Extras, have fun with them and go wild 💚

Below the cut you'll find all our rules, posting info, all the prompts in writing, as well as some explanation for prompts we feel might need clarification. If you have any more questions, please feel free to send us an ask 🥰

We hope you like these prompts, and now

Happy Creating 🥳

Standard Blog Rules & FAQ

No inc*st or p*dophilia - we can’t keep you from writing it or creating art for it but it won’t be reblogged. See further down for clarification.

No hate or ship bashing - we’re all different and we all love different things. As long as it doesn’t go against rule #1, it’s allowed.

Tag correctly! Trigger warnings (including cheating!), ships, ratings, (pure) smut, etc - it’s all fine as long as you tag it.

There’s absolutely no word count restriction, write as little or as much as you like.

In regards to art, anything goes: drawings, paintings, collages, mood boards, gifsets, videos, playlists… the sky’s the limit (though not really…)

While we can’t force you to write fluff or create fluffy art, please try to keep in mind that this is a fluff event 😉

You can start writing and/or arting as soon as you see this - but please refrain from posting before the respective day.

You can participate on as many days as you like, even if it’s just one; you can also create multiple entries for the same day.

You can replace prompts from the original list with either or all of our prompt extras; you can also mix them with the original prompts or create for them in addition to the 31 original prompts, that's completely up to you.

It’s okay to write one story/a series for all the prompts as long as it’s separated into chapters and the respective chapter/work is posted on the given day.

You do not have to stick to one ship or even one fandom - switch as often as you like to or even write for multiple ships for one day.

The ship does not have to be a romantic one! Friendship and family feels are more than welcome (but this is not a way to get around rule #1!)

This event can be combined with other events as long as the other event allows it.

Late entries are always welcome, even if it is months later.

All fandoms and ships are welcome - fanon and canon - as long as they’re of age (in case you want to add smut) and not related.

Since this has often been asked in previous years, please let us clarify the no inc*st or p*dophilia rule:

No inc*st: This rule does not apply to distant cousins and such, as you might find in the LotR fandom (or basically in all of European Monarchy). The line we draw is at direct blood relations (siblings, parents, kids) and/or legal guardianship.

No p*dophilia: This rule does not rule out fandoms that feature teenagers such as Harry Potter, Heartstoppers, Hunger Games, etc. It also doesn't mean you can't write about their time together as teenagers! It was mostly aimed at ships in which one is a minor and the other is not - but since even that got complicated over time, the rule is now this: if you keep it SFW, all is good and allowed, we don't care; if it turns NSFW, be mindful of the legalaties of the world/society/times your characters live in.

Posting

Posting to tumblr

Please use the tag #flufftober2023

Since tags are sometimes wonky, make sure to also add @flufftober in your post

We will try to catch them all, but please don't be mad if we miss a post or if it gets reblogged a bit late

If you're absolutely certain a post has slipped past us, feel free to send an ask with the link to your post

To make reblogging easier for us, make sure to add the following tags: #flufftober2023 #day [xy] #[fandom] #[ship and/or main character(s)]

If you're using a prompt extra tag it as #alt [number]

Posting to ao3

You can add your creation to the collection flufftober2023 or flufftober_2023 (yes, we've once again claimed both)

Late entries are always welcome, on tumblr as well as the ao3 collection! Neither will close - but like always, reblogs will become less regular the more months have passed...

Prompts (and explanations)

1. “I’ve got you”

2. Family, Friends, Loved Ones

3. “Wait you love me?” - “I always have”

4. Cinderella Moment (the "ugly duckling" gets their moment to shine)

5. x + 1 (can be a classic "5+1 things" [or any number you want] creation or literally a plus one for an event or really anything else you can think of)

6. Corn Maze

7. Porch Swing

8. Rainy Day

9. (...) at first sight (think "love at first sight", "enemies at first sight"...)

10. Love of my Life (even this does not have to be romantic 😉)

11. Sweet Tooth

12. Fire & Ice

13. Wrong (...) (think "wrong number", "wrong train", "wrong person"...)

14. “I hate it” - “No, you don't”

15. Emergency, Confession, Adventure

16. Singing one another to sleep

17. Encouraging someone to achieve a goal

18. “Did you plan for this to happen?”

19. Keeping someone safe

20. Pumpkin

21. Swoon

22. Picking (think "picking flowers", "picking up someone", "picking out a dress", "picking a song for the wedding"...)

23. Trinket

24. [melting emoji] (does anyone even know what this emoji stands for? No? We neither but we would love for you to get creative with it 😉 but also, think "melting in the heat", "melting from embarrassment"... also, I would've loved to add it here but tumblr doesn't have this emoji yet)

25. Nook

26. Fireplace

27. Outdoor Event (think "hiking tour", "concert", "picnic"...)

28. Soothing Touch

29. “Hey, wake up!”

30. Self-Worth / Self-Love

31. Dreams Do Come True

Prompt Extras

Last Year's Favorites

Alt 1: Hot Chocolate

Alt 2: “You’ve told your parents?”

Alt 3: Wearing Each Other’s Clothes

Alt 4: Candles, Lanterns, Fairy Lights

Alt 5: “Oh no, you’re a Morning Person!”

Scenarios

Alt 6: Reverse all the Roles

Alt 7: Create a Fairytale Retelling

Alt 8: Give your character a new occupation

Alt 9: Create a crossover of two or more fandoms

Alt 10: Have your characters share the last table at a café

[goldenshrikecomic]

FAQ

Please read these before sending asks! It's also good to check the tags listed on the pinned post to see if it's already answered. Where can I read GS? On Comicfury or DeviantArt. Two pages ahead on both Patreon and Ko-fi.

Who works on this comic? Only me, ratt/doeprince. You can call me either, I usually refer to myself as doeprince when it's more official, otherwise ratt or some secret third thing. I'm an amateur artist and I draw these comics for fun without much ambition to gain greatness. I want to make enough money to be able to keep working on more comics, and buy trinkets.

How can I support what you do? Why thank you for asking! All my income comes from making comics, so the support on either Patreon or Ko-fi is literally making my comic endeavours possible.

Do you have other projects? I work on some secondary comics. Jet and Harley and Honey are currently updating, Corpse is finished. You can find my other art on doe-prince.

How long will Golden Shrike be? I don't know how many pages. I hope it's less than 1000.

What programs do you use? SAI for lineart, CSP for coloring and bubbles, PS for text and backgrounds. Hoooow do you draw the antlers from different perspectives? I've made 3D models for each recurring antlered character.

Is GS going to have physical merch? Will it be printed? Consider this a no, but I won't say never.

Does GS have a map, official wiki or dub or something like that? No. There's a fan wiki out there full of inaccurate information so take everything in there with tons of grains of salt. There's no map. The dub on YT is separate from me, I've had no hand in it.

Can I make a fan character? Can they interact with yours? You can absolutely make a fan character! I just ask you not to make them interact with mine, at least not in any kind of heavy way. It's a slippery slope and I've seen people treat my characters very rudely to make them suit their needs.

Can I make fanart/writing? Yes! All sfw and well-meaning works are welcome. Just tag me so I can see them! Why are the borders black and sometimes white? White borders means it's a flashback.

Deer don't do that!!!!! Or birds!! Or plants! The moon shouldn't be that shape right now. Everything in GS is fictional for this very reason. I shall not be shackled by the chains of realism when there's entire new worlds in my fingertips. I aim to make things believeable in its context, not realistic. Are other animals sentient, can they talk? Sure they are and can, but not outside their own species. A frog can't hold a conversation with a deer, but a deer and antelope could possibly make it work. There's exceptions though.

How old are main characters? They're fawns right? No they are not, they'd all be in their early 20s if they were humans.

What does sire mean? It keeps popping up in different contexts. You can liken this term to 'father', as in your dad but also something like a priest. The priest isn't your dad but "father forgive me for I've sinned". So sire is a) respected stag, b) very formal way to address your father. Dame is the female counterpart. Why are the does so small compared to stags.... are you a freak... do you just hate women..... Listen when I started GS I had been dwelling in a place where monster deer characters had insane size differences and it became some kind of norm to me and of course it found its way into my comic. Now I just have to keep drawing those tiny women to keep up the consistency. I've created bigger ladies nowadays because I too think it's a little silly now.

Please please will this character ever get a mate? Will this pairing be canon? Will you please make this pairing canon? I won't spoil any pairings, I think it'd be the most boring thing to do to my own work! I'll only confirm the ones already established in the comic.

Is this a speck of ember? Is it snow? What is that floating thing, is it relevant to the plot? IT'S JUST MY DUST BRUSH LEAVE ME ALONE.

[ectoberhaunt]

Ectoberhaunt 2023: Science VS Magic

Dear Phandom new and old, sorry for the delay but this here is our 2023 theme and prompt list! Once again we've changed it up a little to make it a little easier on all of us, and to invite fun and mayhem Phandom wide! Prompts are once again Monday-Friday, with Friday being singular prompts, and weekends being (mostly) free as catch up days. The only real change is our new 'isekai weekend' on the 21st and 22nd, with two different sub prompts for the days. Isekai is a subgenre of anime in which a character ends up in a different place or world all together. It literally translates to 'otherworld'! The two prompts for this weekend are 'past prompt', where we want to see the Phandom use a prompt from either of our previous calendars. The other is 'portal shenanigans'. We highly encourage you to create crossover content and AUs you've wanted to play with. As always, our last prompt day is October 24th to make way for the Ectober Week event. This means our free days are the 1st, 7th, 8th, 14th, 15th, with the 25th-31st being @ectoberweekofficial's time to shine. Please tag all prompt fills as "Ectoberhaunt23", and follow the additional posting guidelines below!

Posting for this event begins October 2nd!

Down below are our written out calendar prompts (for accessibility) AND our posting guidelines. Check 'em out!

The Prompts

Below are the listed prompts in date order, if it's blank it's a catch up day. First prompt is Science, second is Magic!

-

Tecnomancy vs Botonamancy

Black Cat vs White Crow

Aliens vs Zombies

Hunt vs Haunt

Tabletop

-

-

Robots vs Dragons

Pseudoscience vs Occultism

Dread vs Calm

Obsession vs Repression

Horror Flick

-

-

Revenant vs Death Echo

Blood vs Flesh

Unravel vs Intertwine

Claws vs Horns

Danse Macabre

Isekai: Past Prompts (2021 | 2022)

Isekai: Portal Shenanigans

Technus vs Magic

Science vs Dora Ectober Week!

coming soon

coming soon

coming soon

coming soon

coming soon

coming soon

coming soon

Post Guidelines

The following are the posting guidelines. Please follow them so we can reblog and share your posts without issue. We will also have this as a post available on our blog separately.

Tag all posts with “Ectoberhaunt23” so we can find it. If you do not use this tag, we may not find you.

Tag which calendar you're pulling from (“EH Science” or “EH Magic”), which day the prompt is for ("Day X"), and which prompt(s) you completed ("Eyes" "Teeth"). Example: #ectoberhaunt23 #EH science #day 5 #hunt Single day prompts, such as the ones on Friday, do not need a tag for which calendar it's for.

Put your fics under a readmore. Add a summary before the cut with a short preview, content warnings, and which prompts were used. Then, add a readmore no more than 150 words or 10 lines/groups of text under your summary. If you're using mobile, type :readmore: and hit enter to make a readmore. If you do not do this, we will NOT reblog your post.

Make sure to tag all common content warnings (blood, gore, death, drugs, body horror, existentialism, & vermin)

We will try to reblog every prompt we can. Feel free to @ us in the post too or send us a DM with the post!!

Feel free to shoot us an ask about rules/clarifications and any queries on prompts. Our discord is open as are our messages.

Here is a spreadsheet you can use to track your progress made by the talented @ajitated

Title graphic by @kawaiijohn | Calendar graphics by @ajitated

[borealwrites]

Plain text list can be found under the cut, along with many other things!!

Wow! Year three!

This is the third year I’m running a Monster March event, and excited!! Also I got the prompt list out super early so theres’s plenty of time!

The collection can be found here, but until then, here are the rules and FAQs. Oh and I guess posting guidelines. The rules and FAQs are taken right from the previous collections, with a few new additions.

Rules:

1. Please use archive warnings when they apply. On that note, Please tag your works appropriately and completely.

2. Be polite to other posters. That’s fairly simple, I think.

3. Don’t overwork or stress yourself. Please.

4. DO NOT use GenAI. Or at least be smart enough to not mention it.

5. All works must be newly created for this event. Sorry, no old or recycled works are allowed.

6. That’s it. Those are the rules.

Frequently Asked Questions

This is a lie I’ve only been asked one of these

Q: Do I have to fill every day?

A: Abso-fucking-lutely not. You could do one day, or you could do seven, or fifteen, or twenty seven, or all thirty-one! You could even do multiple works for each day, if you were so motivated and ambitious. The most important parts are to have fun and not stress yourself.

Q: Is this event 18+ only?

A: I’d prefer it if it was, but I don’t think I can stop people from contributing. Content-wise, no. Post whatever form of monster appreciation you want!

Q: Does my work have to be a certain length?

A: Nope!

Q: Can I post art for this?

A: Yes. I will love you if you do.

Q: Can I post the first chapter of a work but not finish it before March ends?

A: Of course!

Q: Can I combine this with another event?

A: As long as it’s fine with the other event, yes.

Q: Does each day have to be its own separate work? Can I make a chapter for every day?

A: You can, if you want, make one long work. I personally recommend not doing that, especially if you’re crossing fandoms and relationships. Also more individual works means more kudos. But you do you.

Q: Can I write or draw X monster instead of Y monster?

A: No

Q: Is there open posting/Can I post at a later date?

A: Yes! Post whenever you want. I’ll officially be closing the collection in September, so you have until then 😁

Q: Am I allowed to write or draw X tag?

A: Yes. I’m just hosting the collection and running the event. Please tag it, though.

Q: Why do you allow X?!

A: Again, I’m just hosting the collection and running the event.

Q: Does this have to be for a specific fandom? Are Original Works allowed?

A: It can be any fandom! It can be an original work! Let your imagination run free!

Q: Does it have to be about sex?

A: Nope. Love comes in many forms, and this is about appreciating monsters.

Q: Can I use GenAI?

A: No. You cannot. Not for writing, not for your summary, not for art. I guess you could use it for prompts but maybe just find a prompt generator instead. Or send me a message, I can help too. This is about human creativity.

Q: What you have for day X isn’t a monster!

A: To you. I asked one personally and they wanted to be on the list.

Posting Guidelines for Tumblr

My only asks for, if you post on tumblr, are to tag for triggers, and that you @ me. Oh and I suppose if whatever you’re posting has multiple parts to link them to each other.

I’m going to rb as many posts as I get, but if I miss a day, feel free to let me know! If it was a multi-parter, I’m only going to rb the first one, because I have a tendency to get them all mixed up, and then people miss certain parts and. Yeah.

So, tag for triggers, @ me, and link your multi-parters together.

Plain Text List

Monster March

March 1-31, 2025

Alraune

Nymph

Eldritch Being

Yokai

Snake/Human Hybrid

Drider

Dragon

Minotaur

Giant

Elemental Spirit

Robot

Satyr

Alien

Werewolf

Pixie/Fairy

Centaur

Succubus/Incubus

Sphinx

Demon

Angel

Merperson

Shapeshifter

Doppelgänger

Vampire

Nature Spirit

Cryptid

Ghost

Non-centaur Taur

Humanoid Animal

Fae

Free Day

[itasasubirthday]

ItaSasu Birthday Bash 2024: Prompts and Rules/FAQ

Banner done by @uchihasavior

Dates of posting: June 9th - July 23rd, 2024

Welcome to ItaSasu Birthday Bash 2024! This event is to celebrate Itachi and Sasuke's respective birthdays and content which features either of them. We are more than welcome to the Itachi x Sasuke (ItaSasu/SasuIta) ship, but ships featuring either of them in the dynamic are welcome. Come join us and enjoy the prompt fest. This post has the overview of prompts and rules/FAQ below the cut.

Prompt List

Prompts done by @likorys-shimenawa 

Prompt number, date, and prompt. Pick at least one prompt per day..

🍡 Set 1: Prompts 1-9, June 9-17

1, June 9: Nightmares / Sharing the bed

2, June 10: Uniform / Cross-dressing

3, June 11: First kill / First kiss

4, June 12: Blades / Training

5, June 13: Life or death / Shared mission

6, June 14: Kintsugi / Origami

7, June 15: Summons / Pets

8, June 16: Funeral / Birthday

9, June 17: free prompt day, break and catch up

🍡 Set 2: Prompts 10-18, June 18-26

10, June 18: Keepsake / Promise

11, June 19: Initiation / Embrace

12, June 20: Choking / Cuddling

13, June 21: Separation / Sightseeing

14, June 22: Sensory loss / Blind date

15, June 23: Night terrors / Illusions

16, June 24: Scars / Transformation

17, June 25: Memory loss / Anniversary

18, June 26: free prompt day, break and catch up

🍡 Set 3: Prompts 19-27, June 27-July 5 🍅

19, June 27: Hair cutting / Braids

20, June 28: Ceremony / Sacrifice

21, June 29: Loneliness / Festivals

22, June 30: Disguise / Dolls

23, July 1: De-aging / Growing old

24, July 2: Injury / Recovery

25, July 3: Failure / Promotion

26, July 4: Ghosts / Legacy

27, July 5: free prompt day, break and catch up

🍅 Set 4: Prompts 28-36, July 6-13

28, July 6: Bed-rest / Sickness

29, July 7: Kemonomimi / Storm

30, July 8: Panic attack / Teamwork

31, July 9: Arranged marriage / Soulmates

32, July 10: Paper lanterns / Fire

33, July 11: Butterflies / Needles

34, July 12: Wires / Puppets

35, July 13: Toys / Mind control

36, July 14: free prompt day, break and catch up

🍅 Set 5: Prompts 37-45, July 15-23

37, July 15: Betrayal / Vows

38, July 16: Team effort / Isolation

39, July 17: Children / Reincarnation

40, July 18: Stargazing / Exile

41, July 19: Change of season / Time-loop

42, July 20: White Day / Starvation

43, July 21: Cooking / Poison

44, July 22: Garden / Trap

45, July 23: free prompt day, break and catch up, event wrap up

Please click the jump for our rules/FAQ information. Send us an ask if you have a question. We hope you have fun!

Event Period

ItaSasu Birthday Bash 2024

June 9th - July 23rd, 2024

The event officially begins on June 9th and ends on July 23rd.

The Event

What is the event?

The event is an Itachi/Sasuke ship inspired prompt fest month style of event with a birthday theme. It is respectively for Itachi and Sasuke's birthdays on their own as well.

Do I have to sign up somewhere?

No. You can create works and post works at your will.

Is this a low stress event?

Yes. No pressure. Just posting Itachi/Sasuke or Itachi and Sasuke based content for everyone to enjoy.

How did the event start?

The members on the ItaSasu Discord server decided on the dates and put together a list of prompts. Prompts were randomly chosen and their dates. Originally, the idea of the birthday month fest was to celebrate ItaSasu during the time in between Sasuke and Itachi's birthdays. This year, we have opened things up for not only ItaSasu / SasuIta content but content that features either Itachi and Sasuke. This choice was made to give more options for creating works.

Where are all the places the event will be held I can follow?

Click here for our Tumblr.

Click here for our Twitter.

Click here for the ItaSasu Birthday Bash AO3 collection.

The ItaSasu Discord server

Server Discord link: https://discord.gg/sZAmmTMSDt

Do I have to be on the ItaSasu Discord server to join the event?

You do not have to be on the server. Anyone who isn’t using Discord can join in on the event and fill out the prompts. Participate in the way you want to participate.

I have a question that isn’t answered here!

Feel free to send an ask to this account or join our ItaSasu Discord server for questions you need answered for the event. In #events on the server you can discuss your work or ask questions.

Content

What types of media are allowed?

Anything you want to create is allowed. Fic, art, comics, icons, edits, moodboards, manips, headcanons, physical crafts, media, video, audio, etc.

What does “birthday” mean in the context on this event?

Birthday can mean anything from singing a cheerful happy birthday to receiving a wonderful present. It can mean something fluffy and sweet with characters coming closer together. It can be sad feelings someone forgot their birthday, or life isn't going quite right on a birthday. Birthdays can be full of memories. It is a nostalgic time of the year. Birthdays naturally lend different moods or surroundings as the year pass and things change overtime. Itachi and Sasuke have a relationship which hits these changes with their age and experience, so you can hit whichever side of the changes you want to tackle.

Do I have to use the birthday theme in my work?

It isn’t mandatory to use a birthday theme as a central focus alongside your prompt. But in the same vein as the theme, you can make your work completely birthday-themed with the listed prompts so it does take place during the birthday occasions, or you can give your work nods to a birthday theme in spirit. We are flexible on how this is done and how you want to handle your prompts.

Are OCs allowed?

Yes. Put your OCs in your work in any way you want.

Can I create works for just Sasuke or Itachi on their own?

Yes. You can create works for them separately.

Which ships are allowed?

ItaSasu / SasuIta content is of course allowed! Ships that include Itachi and Sasuke in some way are allowed as well. For example, you can create Itachi/Shisui or Sasuke/Naruto if that hits your fancy.

Are polyamory/threesome ships allowed?

Poly ships which include either Itachi or Sasuke or both of them somewhere in the relationship dynamic are allowed. For example, a poly ship could be Sasuke/Naruto/Sakura or Itachi/Sasuke/Shisui.

Can there be background characters and ships?

Yes. You can include background characters or ships that don't have Itachi or Sasuke in them. Itachi or Sasuke focused content or a ship with them should still have some type of content in your work.

Besides Naruto, can I include works with Boruto, AUs, or crossovers?

Yes, you can include them in your works, or other fandoms.

What will not be tolerated?

Hateful, offensive, or inflammatory content aimed towards other participants or the subject of the event. As long as content doesn’t bash or insult other participants for the content of their work (e.g. ships, characters, choice of tropes) and stays relevant to the atmosphere of the birthday bash, you can create for it.

Prompts

How many prompts do I have to use a day?

At least one prompt. We have only one prompt per line this time, so this prompt should be the one that is used in some interpretation.

Can I do more than one work per day?

Yes, of course you can!

Is there a length requirement?

No. You can create a work of any length.

Can I mix the types of content I want to create?

Mixing media types for separate prompts, or for the same prompt, is fine. You can write a fic for one prompt and create art for another prompt.

Is NSFW or trigger content allowed?

Absolutely! Do what you want with NSFW tropes, kinks, or triggering content. We do not have specific content restrictions or ratings for what you can create, so any type of ratings is fine to create.

Should I tag my work for sensitive content?

We ask you to tag your work appropriately for content like violence or sexual themes across the platform you post your works on. Warnings for triggers and NSFW count. Redirect to other sites for NSFW content that can’t be posted on Tumblr, give warnings in tweets, or put cuts on content that might need a cut, etc. The ItaSasu Discord server has NSFW channels for NSFW content.

Does my work have to be new for the event?

Ideally, your work should be a new work for the event so your work can properly focus on the prompts we have provided here. All content should stand as a full work for the event and does not need other works for the content to make sense. However, if you want to draw inspiration from another work, you can use WIPs you haven’t posted yet or separate the entry into a unique and standalone work.

What should I do on the free prompt/break day option?

You can use any trope, kink, or idea you have in mind that otherwise appeals to you for a prompt of your choice. This day is helpful if you aren’t interested in the other prompts on the list or you want to work on something that might not fit the themes for ships or characters. You may work on prompts you need to for other days as well, or you can take a break from working on prompts. This day is very lenient.

Posting

Where can I post my work?

Anywhere you want! Tumblr, Twitter, AO3, FFN, Dreamwidth, etc. You can add your works to our ItaSasu Birthday Bash AO3 subcollection.

Can I submit my work to the Tumblr blog?

You can submit your work on the blog. You may send a message to us after a few days if we don’t post your work and make sure we received it, but we will do our best to post your submission as soon as we can. Submissions might close after the prompt period is finished and you won’t be able to submit anymore, so you’ll have to post those work entries without submitting them if that happens.

How can I make it easier to share my work?

Tumblr: Long posts can go behind cuts so it’s easier to share it. Put event tags in the first five tags. Submissions with NSFW content in the post may not be possible to post on the event blog since Tumblr doesn’t allow posting NSFW content, so please host that elsewhere and share a link to that content.

Twitter: Put warnings of important content in the first tweet of your thread, or at least somewhere that can be found easily if you post it in another tweet.

General: You should have content tags in place that can be seen.Include links to your works or tags. Art can have crops if you want to exclude NSFW in an image, and fics can have descriptive information like a summary or notes.

Where can I tag the event so my work will be retweeted/reblogged?

Tumblr: @ itasasubirthday​  

Twitter: @ itasasubirthday​

Post on the ItaSasu Discord server in #events or separate NSFW channels.

What tags should I use?

AO3: ItaSasu Birthday Bash, ItaSasu Birthday Bash 2023

Twitter, Tumblr, elsewhere: #ItaSasuBirthdayBash or #ItaSasuBirthdayBash2024

You can tag the prompt day such as #ItaSasuBirthdayBashDay1

Can I post early?

Please don’t post your works too early. Start posting works at whatever time is June 9th in your timezone. Or another timezone. Close enough.

Can I post my work late?

Late submissions are perfectly acceptable and encouraged even if you do them months after the event. We will still happily reblog/retweet your work as long as we see it after the event. We may see your works in the tags for the event at some point, but the best way for us to see your late work is to tag us directly.

Tags for @faneventshub

[hippolotamus]

summarizing my WIPs poorly

I was tagged by @indestructibleheart @stereopticons @welcometololaland @apothecarose Thank you lovelies

WIP is a very loose term in my world but I'm narrowing the list as usual. This was very fun and very challenging.

Eddie: fine, whatever, if I have to and it'll make you go away. Buck: like hell you will, pick anyone else. But not me (dear god please pick me)

boy meets boy, marries girl, they live queerily ever after... or do they? (buddie)

hippo's separated lovers era but make it Twylexis

i'm a witch, you're a cat... why not? (Buddie)

boy takes his bestie on a date, suffers years of repression. update at 11 (Buddie)

you were real... weren't you??? (Buddie)

Eddie: i might like it, can't hurt to try, no harm do- oh shit, what now?

Buck: wait, where the fuck did you come from? you wouldn't believe me if I told you.

Completely 100% straight, single Texas father has a night out with his highly toxic coworkers... what could possibly go wrong? (Buddie)

what's a little dom/sub overtones between completely platonic besties??? (Buddie)

It should have been 16, we'll do 17 instead (Twylexis)

let's not make things complicated by getting to know each other (Lutalia)

Eddie: i type these out all the time, it's not like i'm actually gonna send it (accidentally sends it)

remember that time before we got together and i ruined everything? about that... (buddie)

Eddie "show no feelings" Diaz + secret hoarding boyfriend Buck (co write with @diazsdimples)

Eddie: I can't love him more than I do. Buck: shows up with a toddler. Eddie: oh, FFS. Really?! i'm so fucked.

Buck: you're coming back, right? i can't do this without you

As a bonus, feel free to send me asks telling me which ones you wanna see next and/or to get more info about any of the above. You might get a snippet, or a bit of outline, or just some unhinged rambling

np tagging: my love @disasterbuckdiaz @shortsighted-owl @eddiebabygirldiaz @buddierights @tizniz @diazsdimples @wikiangela @hoodie-buck @say-bi-for-me @theotherbuckley @fortheloveofbuddie @lemonzestywrites @daffi-990 @jesuisici33 @elvensorceress @giddyupbuck @watchyourbuck @monsterrae1 @steadfastsaturnsrings @spotsandsocks @vanillahigh00 @wildlife4life @your-catfish-friend and anyone else who wants to play 😘

[jesterboystrick]

UPDATE! There is now a strawpage for submitting characters! The page also has some extra info and an FAQ like this post did, but from now on please refer to the strawpage for up to date info and FAQ. Information in the post below the cut may no longer be accurate.

Please send future submissions to the dedicated page if you can!

<3

NEW SERIES: I'm going to start collecting a list of OP characters that I will randomize to create made up pairings to write about. Whenever I feel like writing something short and fun, I'll go to the list, spin the wheel twice, and start writing whatever pairing it spits out at me. YOU, yes YOU, get to add characters to the list!

Submit whichever characters you want thrown into the hat to my askbox WITH some sort of indication they're meant to go on the list ("random character submissions!" "for the rando ship list:" etc), and they will be added! You can do so anonymously or not. I won't be publishing submissions publicly either way, I will just quietly add them to the list as I receive them. You can submit any time! The list is ongoing and always open to submissions unless I say otherwise.

Alright, GO!

More info/FAQ

You can:

submit as many characters and as often as you want

rig your fave's chances, duplicates still go on the list, there could be 20 sanjis on there for all you know

be as vague or specific as you want. 19yo zoro? marine sanji? fem doffy? go nuts, or don't, just plain "sanji" is as good as any other

I am looking for individual character submissions! If you submit a completed ship (accidentally or otherwise) I will put all the involved characters on the list separately with a note of which ship they were submitted with. For example: Let's pretend "Zoro/Sanji" and "Law" were both submitted. Those entries will go on the list as "Zoro (/sanji)", "Sanji (/zoro)", and "Law." If random selection spits out "Zoro (/sanji)" and "Law" at me, I will choose to write either just Zoro/Law OR possibly all three together, my choice. Do with that information what you will.

More:

Keep in mind when submitting that I usually write nsfw and/or dead dove, so that will most likely happen to whoever you send. I may write something that isn't either of those if the mood strikes, but don't count on it.

I've been asked before if I have any limits on ships, and the short answer as far as anyone submitting characters needs to worry about is no! Feel free to submit any characters/things you want. I won't judge! If it's not something I EVER want to write, I'll just quietly not put it on the list, (no harm done!) but it's more likely that I'll still include it. I might just write something less shippy/nsfw with that submission when/if it gets pulled. There are inhuman characters on the list, joke submissions, characters no one likes, characters with no tagged fics on ao3 at all, etc. Submit whatever you like!

Once a character is pulled, I'll remove that entry from the list, but you can add them right back if you want. Duplicates/alt versions of the character will remain.

Here's a link to the series so far on ao3

[kimdokjas]

tag games! 💌

i'm so late and i'm 100% sure i missed several of these because tumblr only keeps notifications for the last ??? who knows how many months. so sorry for the delay! i promise i wasn't ignoring them i genuinely just forgot 😭

edit: i had this drafted since january 18 and i forgot to post it. again 💀 i'm leaving it exactly as it was as a capsule in time for myself though

~~

tagged by @orviposition @karura @misakarose @hansooyung @milaghoul - thank you for the tag mira, may, tay, roy, and mila! 💕💕 these were actually three separate tag games but since they were really similar i decided to combine them!

tag someone you want to know AND/OR some of your besties

favorite color: blue!

3 ships: yoohankim (orv), llojavi (tged), shiguang (sgdr)

first ship ever: merthur (? genuinely can't remember sorry my liege)

last song: IS - sue

currently listening to: dizzy bezerko album by unlike pluto (nothing but bangers it's insane)

last movie: children who chase lost voices (2011)

currently watching: sabikui bisco, a sign of affection, cherry magic, mr. villain's day off, solo leveling, 7th time loop, dungeon meshi

other stuff I watched this last year: my main obsessions were buddy daddies, trigun stampede, moriarty the patriot

shows I dropped this last year/didn't finish: i rarely drop shows but i had to pause to your eternity bc it was making me cry too hard lmaoo

currently reading: the greatest estate developer, sabikui bisco, lord of the mysteries, thriller trainee, and a bunch of manhwa/manhua

currently consuming: coffee (decaf bc caffeine is now poison to me)

currently craving: idk i think a cinnamon roll could fix me actually

currently working on: crocheting a snoopy-themed gift for my mom's bday!

current obsession: tged brainrot babeyyy

sweet/spicy/savory? savory!

relationship status: happily single amen

last thing I googled: ranjatai

~~

tagged by @aomitois thank you tem! 💞

Which feeling that has no name are you?

~~

tagged by @userfrieren thank you sm for tagging me jenna! 💖

alias/name: gaby

birthday: sep 3

zodiac: virgo

height: too tall

hobbies: reading novels, playing video games, making gifs

favourite colour: blue

favourite book: omniscient reader's viewpoint !!!!! it changed my life please read it i am on my knees

last song: 云与海 - 阿YueYue

last movie/show: the middle

recent read: i think the last thing i finished was mdzs (i say this when i haven't even managed to finish the extras lol)

inspiration: finding something that hits like orv is what keeps me going ngl

story behind url: idc if i have a kim dokja url i WILL beat the kdj kinnie allegations 💪

fun fact: i know at least the basics of 11 languages!

what’s the colour palette of your name?

(duplicated image for sizing) i actually love this! these are all colors that i would normally wear bc i'm a big fan of subdued shades with a slight touch of earth tones!

~~

tagged by @sugaaz and @hansooyung to do this picrew! thank you moon and roy 💕

~~

tagged by @koushuwu to do this picrew! tysm mica this was so cool! 💖

~~

tagged by @sawaisanna to post a wip - thank you malina! 💞

i don't have any edits in the works atm, but here's a wip from a fic i'll likely never post.

~~

top six reads of 2023

tagged by @tls123 - tysm francesca! 💖

global examination by 木苏里 *

devil venerable also wants to know by 青色羽翼

thriller trainee by 妄鸦 *

the book of disquiet by fernando pessoa

mist unlimited by 微风几许

camera lucida by roland barthes

(*) haven't finished these yet

first things first can i just point out how fucking funny it looks to list danmei and philosophical books together bc it's sending me 😭

i read relatively "few" books in 2023 but that's only because i spent the most time reading two monstrous books that unfortunately didn't make it to my top 6 :/ (iykyk)

it seems like 2023 was the year of narratives that break out of their confines, self-awareness, and deconstructing paradigms <3

~~

💫 preference 💫

tagged by @aomitois - tysm tem!

ancient or modern

bitter or sweet

chocolate or vanilla

coffee or tea

create or destroy

day or night

early bird or night owl

freckles or dimples

gold or silver

greek mythology or egyptian mythology

macarons or eclairs

hot or cold

thunder or lightning

typewritten or handwritten

secret garden or secret library

spicy or mild

dark magic or light magic

virtue or vice

ocean or desert

moon or stars

rough or smooth

mermaids or sirens

known or unknown

rain or snow

~~

tagging for any of these: (no pressure!) @icythot-bakubitch @ruanbaijie @feitanporter @itoshisae @dokjaism

@mudanonaito @himawaari @aroacehirano @mauxanhduong @apparently-artless

@72g @miyamiwu @focryst @justapieceintheirgames @smol-ackerman + anyone else who wants to join!

[buggyboba]

⁺˚☽ Ꭺᏼꮻꮜꭲ ꮇꭼ⁺˚☾⁺

You know I realized I never did a full-blown about me that I can use as a pinned post and sort of hub for everything. I’m not very good at them, but we’ll make do. Also, I want everyone to congratulate me on being the dumbest bitch in the room, I finally figured out the 'small' text stuff....jfc.

Hello! I’m Buggy, She/They, disaster, well over 18, Jurassic even. I have two cats (Ezio & Ringo) and a pitbull (Cassie). 

Um, my primary fandom currently is Doctor Who, but I had been a roleplayer for too long across many fandoms (DC, Marvel, Sherlock, Supernatural, Harry Potter). I don’t roleplay anymore; I have focused on writing fanfiction instead, roleplaying with myself as you do. I do a few different things to keep myself busy; besides writing, I stream occasionally on Twitch. I am not a professional, but I have fun. I mainly yell and die in the game, but sometimes I’m really funny. 

As for writing, I am fairly new to the fanfiction game. I’ve only done it a few months; I started being actually active in April! I started as a Missy x Reader blog, and I like to think I have expanded more, being more comfortable in writing for The Master (Simm & starting to get a feel for Dhawan) in general, as well as adding a few more characters. Speaking of which, I am going to break down the characters I am comfortable writing; I have even thought about opening up to start writing for a few more fandoms. A pattern will become clear; Idk what it says about me. 

DOCTOR WHO|

Missy/The Master 9th Doctor/10th Doctor/12th Doctor/14th Doctor Kate Lethbridge-Stewart DC|

Jack Napier/The Joker (Dark Knight)  Jonathan Crane/The Scarecrow (Dark Knight, ArkhamVerse) 

HARRY POTTER| Bellatrix Lestrange Tom Riddle Draco Malfoy (*of age)

The pattern is that I primarily write the ‘villains'...oopsie daisy. 

ANYWAY, Requests are open; if you send one in, please tell me if you want sfw/nsfw. It might take me some time since I am drowning in kinktober, but I do try to do requests first, cause I love you all. Come 'ere, let me kiss your foreheads.

But that is me in a nutshell; in the beginning, I didn’t know what was proper etiquette for interacting, so just I didn't, and that was my fault. I am getting better, I am just a little socially anxious bug, but I want to thank each and every one of you, to everyone who reads my works and likes/leaves kudos, comments, and reblogs; you all mean the world. Just know I get very happy about any interaction! And to everyone who follows me, welcome to Jackass baby! We have no clue what we are doing here, but it’s chaotic and wild. 

Under the read more will be the master list/tag list stuff.

MASTERLIST

Ao3 <—where you can find the fics all together.

*- Smut

━━━━━━━☆☆━━━━━━━

DOCTOR WHO |

★Kinktober 2024★* [ x ]

Series | 

★ Missy x reader ★

Surrender Your Mind 

Part One Part Two Part three*

↳ ○ You have had the worst kind of day, and it is only going to get worse when you get swept up in the life of one renegade time lady, taking on the part of an unwilling companion to find out why you are being targeted by assassins, if the target is her.

Drabbles | 

This Will Be The Day [x] ↳ ○ Reader wants a romantic date, Missy has an idea to spice it up. She was a seasoned swordsman, but you were not, you couldn’t win fair and square so you did what you had to, distraction and cheating.

 Me And The Devil [x] * {Vampire!Missy x Female Reader} ↳ ○A game of cat and mouse, leads to feeding your vampire alien and more. 

Within Your Heart I'll Place The Moon [x] ↳ ○Missy takes you to a masquerade ball, and well it feels very final.

Kiss My Eyes and Lay Me To Sleep [ x ] ↳ ○| Anon asked | I would like to please request a Missy x reader (I'm not sure if you have seen the Agent Carter show but if you haven't I'll let you know why I asked. One of the gadgets that Peggy has is a lipstick, which when she kisses someone that person falls asleep.) Where the reader has been separated from the Doctor and comes across Missy but doesn't know who she is and so when the time comes for Missy to escape she wants to take the reader with her so she uses that same idea with the lipstick to make the reader sleep so they can capture the reader and leave their real identity as a surprise.

So this is in which Missy kidnaps the reader using a sleeping toxin.

Imagines |

Imagine watching a horror movie with missy [ x ]

★ Dhawan!Master x reader ★

Drabbles |  Lazy Day [ x ] ↳ ○ Anonymous asked: hi love, i saw you said your requests were open and id like to ask if you could write something about dhawan!master, where he and the reader are married and he fusses over her lots and makes sure she has everything she needs and all that fluff. Abandon Thought and Let the Dream Decend [ x ] ↳ ○ Anon asked | I was wondering if I could please request a Dhawan!Master x reader (or you can choose another master instead if you want.) The reader is at a Halloween party dressed as Christine Daaé (from Phantom of the Opera.) The reader sees someone dressed as the Phantom and is almost compelled to follow the person and the reader ends up alone in a locked room with this person and a mirror but by the time the reader works out that it's the master it's too late and the reader is already hypnotized/captured.

★ Simm!Master x reader ★

Drabbles | 

His [ x ] ↳ ○ Anonymous asked: spare some simm!master x transmasc reader perhaps???

Taglists|

Surrender your Mind [x]

General Missy x reader [x] Kinktober 2024 [ x ]

[maybanksbabe]

Ok here are a few thots from my very long list for brat tamer!JJ cuz it’s horny hour for me rn:

Deciding to go brat mode and get on his nerves around the Pogues with a subtlety that is easily mistaken for normal teasing but JJ picks up on the subtext and the sharp warning glare he sends you🥵 he’s like “do that again I dare you”

JJ’s main methods of shutting you up real quick are mocking and humiliation during fun times iykwim

oh yeah and degradation kink goes crazy especially if you got him particularly moody

you trying to ahem tease him once and later than night he’s edging you for hoursss it’s pure torture

now he doesn’t rlly spend too much time on spanking like he doesn’t rlly do it as a separate session much but he does do it during yk with his RINGS on

Another kegger party and you’re seating on JJ’s lap as usual but you’re purposefully shifting around to get him hard and pissed off and so he grabs your jaw, tilting your head to the side and starts whispering in your ear and to everybody else around it looks like you guys are just being an overly affectionate couple but really he’s threatening you with the things he’s gonna do to you if you don’t sit still like a good girl

ok don’t judge me for this but…face slapping. Like not very hard to the point where you’re actually injured and in lots of pain, it’s like in between but holy shiiiii

CHOKING CHOKING CHOKING CHOKING

yeah and dacryphilia kink but obviously not when you’re actually upset

ok but…face fucking

ALSO ALL CONSENSUAL OFC!! I FEEL LIKE HE’D BE VERY HESITANT TO ROUGH YOU UP AT FIRST BUT AFTER MANY MANY DAYS OF ASSURANCE HE GETS MORE COMFY WITH IT

ALSO SAFE WORDS AND AFTERCARE ARE A MUST NO MATTER WHAT

HELP THIS IS PEAK WHORE BEHAVIOR WHAT AM I DOING

I AGREE WITH ALL OF THE ABOVE HOLY SHIT ANON HOLD ON YOU'RE GETTING A FULL RESPONSE IDC

do that again I dare you - sir?? challenge fuckin' accepted you're pushing his buttons aaalllll night until he can get you away

"is it too big baby? are you sure you can take it?" MY BRAIN IS MUSH RN he for sure knows that the quickest way to stop you from running your mouth when he's rocking your shit is to just mock tf outta you LORD -

he doesn't taking teasing lightly you're sO RIGHT! if you even try to rile him up by being a little too close to Pope or JB he's not going to let you cum until he damn well says so

PLEASE SPANKING WITH THE RINGS?? DURING DOGGY!!?!?! HE'S AN ANIMAL AND YOU LOVE THE STING OF THE METAL... He gets a couple of good smacks in before he refocuses on turning you into a boneless mess beneath him

IF YOU DON'T SIT STILL LIKE A GOOD GIRL YOU WON'T BE ABLE TO SIT AT ALL (see point above) he'd make sure you know you fucked up

No judgement here anon whatever floats your boat, but you're definitely right he wouldn't do it overly hard or a lot, but a couple of quick love-taps on the face when you're pinned beneath him really just takes it all up a notch -

HEAVY ON THE CHOKING ARE YOU KIDDING ME??! I feel like that one started as a joke but you both realised you were into it so it gets incorporated quite a lot into your... Sessions ;) bonus points for rings too (the rings stay on during sex ssshhh)

God just picturing the satisfaction on his face seeing you start to get all teary and overwhelmed and overstimulated, barely able to tell him how good you feel, just letting the tears free fall and ruin your makeup. motherfucker would probably lick the tears off your cheek once or twice -

AND YOU'RE SO RIGHT HE WANTS TO BE SURE THAT YOU'RE SURE YOU WANT IT BEFORE HE GOES ROUGHING YOU UP AND FEELS BAD ABOUT IT!!! JJ is all about the pleasure, but he 100% is a king afterwards too, getting you water, helping you clean up, telling you how good you did for him - I'll show myself out

[pastanest]

if you’re wondering why I’m having to repost this, or why you were perhaps previously following me but no longer are, please refer to this post. I was able to retrieve this thanks to @rosieathena - thanks so much!! ♡

Spencer Reid x she/her!reader

Play Pretend

- you and Spencer had been together for 6 months when you got offered a job working with the BAU

- at first, you and Spencer discussed how he was going to introduce you to the team, who had no idea he was even in a relationship

- but then you decided that instead you’d put the team at the butt of the joke, rather than Spencer

- not in a cruel way, just for a bit of fun (but also payback cuz sometimes the team do be assholes to Spencer tho)

- so you decided to show up at the BAU in your separate cars at different times, and act like you’d never met before

- and it was hilarious from the moment it started

- you and Spencer obviously got along really well from the get go, and the team noticed right away

- Spencer fully let himself swoon over you in front of the team, and upon forming friendships with the team yourself, you started to do the same

- you both talked to different people on the team, all of them quizzing you about how you felt about the other then relaying that information to the rest of the team

- they were DESPERATE to set you up

- ESPECIALLY Penelope

- she pretty much followed Spencer around listing reasons why he should ask you out

- so on the odd occasion when Spencer offered to drive you home, or you offered to drive him, the entire team would go into cardiac arrest

- because thanks to some careful address re-routing, none of them were aware that you were headed back to the same house

- the team loved forcing you and Spencer into the same room and leaving you by yourselves, JJ and Derek sending you both on coffee requests at the same time so that you’d meet by the machine, the entire team staring through the window and trying to read your lips to figure out what was being said

- over time, you both let more chemistry show between you, spending a little more time together naturally

- and there were, of course, moments that were unintentional. such as, you grabbing Spencer whenever you got scared, or him getting very protective of you whenever you were in danger or talking to a person who was being an asshole to you

- those werent played up, they were part of your love for each other that naturally shone through

- it went so much better than expected

- every time the two of you got home, you would share stories of what Penelope or JJ or Derek had said to one of you that day about something the other had said, or you’d talk about a particular moment they tried to force between you, and you’d laugh to no end

- it was sheer bliss, a mischevious ongoing prank, the greatest secret

- after a while, it started to feel like you were two lovesick teenagers having to hide your relationship from everyone, which added a whole other layer of excitement to everything

- you knew it couldnt go on forever because eventually the team would figure it out, or your relationship would progress to the extent of you wearing an engagement ring when the team didnt even know you’re in a relationship, whichever came first

- it was very sweet while it lasted, it was like reliving the start of your relationship in an entirely different setting and with a very entertaining audience

- but you knew it had to end, so the two of you started discussing how to reveal the truth

- eventually, you came up with a conclusive plan

- you had to wait for the right opportunity, which was kinda infuriating, because once you’d come up with a plan, you wanted to do it, especially with how funny you knew this was going to be

- the opportunity came after the next case

- the team left the jet and filed back into the building, everyone tired and ready to get home

- you and Spencer had been playing things up just a little more that day, sensing it was getting to the endgame, so everyone was watching you a little closer

- you both went over to Spencer’s desk and pretended to be flirtily discussing something very quietly, Spencer leaning to whisper in your ear with confidence he never would’ve had if you werent already in a relationship with him

- in his peripheral vision, Spencer saw Derek hold his arm out in front of the rest of the team, stopping them walking so that they could all see what was happening

- you giggled, mostly at the team and not at Spencer flirting, because he hadnt been flirting, he’d been telling you the existentialist and the lightbulb joke that never failed to make you smile

- nodding at him, you stepped back from him and took his hand, turning to the team

“We’ll be back in a minute, we left something in the storeroom!” You say, a flushed smile on your face, not giving the team anytime to say anything before you both ran off to the store room next to Penelope’s office

- Spencer pushed you up against the wall, which definitely wasnt necessary because the door was closed and the team wouldnt be able to hear that (despite them all being crowded around the door like horny teenagers), he just felt like being a tease

“Ready?” You asked him, and he nodded, both of you smiling

- with that, you took your phone out of your pocket and clicked into the tab you’d been waiting to use

- Penelope’s computer beeped, the two of you heard her run into her office

“Umm...guys and girls?” She called, and the footsteps of the rest of the team followed her into the office.

“What’s up babygirl?” Derek asked.

“Well, I know this borders on stalking, but I had this tab open on (Y/N)’s information, mainly her social media files but also her more private information, including her address. Which just changed.” Penelope explained hurriedly.

“(Y/N)’s address has changed? Where does she live now?”

“Not where does she live now, it’s where she has lived since she started working here. Take a look.” Penelope clarified, stepping back from her computer to let everyone else see.

- hearing the events unfold, you and Spencer left the store room, sprinting back towards the glass doors

- the team follow you having heard the door open, and they catch Spencer lifting you up by the waist and pulling you back down into a passionate kiss, before the two of you sprint out of the glass doors laughing hysterically

Derek chuckled and crossed his arms. “Damn, they really got us good.”

[specialagentlokitty]

Mr evershed x teen!reader - family isn’t always blood

Part 2:

Sitting in the staff room, you had your files rested in your folded legs, and you were correcting a few things with a pen.

The door was opened, and you flicked your gaze up to see a few teachers coming in, but they kept their distance from you.

You paid them no mind, setting one of your files down.

“(Y/N)?”

You looked up as Julie came in.

“Sebastian is here to talk about the meeting he held at the American boarding school last night.”

You nodded, closing your file and you gathered everything, making your way to the office with her.

Stepping inside, you set the files in the table, turning to the heavily tattooed man who was stood there with his arms crossed, looking at Ms Carter.

“Sebastian that is quite enough.”

He turned to you, grinning a little bit.

“Well hey boss, it’s been a while.”

You hummed, sitting down in the sofa and he dragged a chair over so he could sit in front of you.

“I’m busy, what do you want?”

“Well, due to new laws coming into force in America we’ve come to conclusion it isn’t safe for us to keep the school open any more. We’ve explored the option of transferring the students to other sites.”

“I see, have you given thought as to how this will work?”

“Yup, we’ll separate them by classification, the elite students will come here to study with the rest of the elites, the summoners to France, and so on. To learn with people and teachers who hold similar powers.”

He held his hand out, a small fire bringing a file into the palm of his hand and he handed it over to you.

You took it, looking through the listing of students and where they would go to carry on their studies.

“Even the council agree this is the best course of action, but of course we need your approval before we make anything happen. The council would also like your input on whether we’re safe to stay based in America or if we should contact everybody and assist in moving to safer locations.”

“Leave it with me, I’ll be in contact when I’ve reached a conclusion I would like to gather all the facts before I make a choice.”

He grinned a little bit.

“I expect nothing less.”

“As for now keep the students on lockdown, inform families to move to safer locations, or if need be to the school.”

“You got it, thanks.”

He got up, giving you a mock salute before he vanished from sight.

With a heavy sigh, you set the folder down, pinching the bridge of your nose.

“Julie please get the council to send over everything they have so far as I can review it.”

“Of course.”

She left and you got up, walking to the filing cabinet to put the files away that you had previously gotten out.

You turned around to see Ms Carter looking at you.

“You have question, ask them. You will not learn anything about us if you don’t ask.”

“How do you manage?” She asked.

You furrowed your brows slightly.

“Elaborate.”

“I mean come on, managing a school as an adult? That’s hard enough. I can’t even imagine running multiple schools at your age.”

You slowly nodded your head, walking back over to the sofa so you could sit down and properly go through the new file.

“However old you may think I am Ms Carter I can assure you that I am much older. Running a school for mutants is very different to running a school such as this.”

“Can I ask what makes it so different?”

You looked at her, setting the file down.

“Handling teenagers is hard, they have no patience or interest in learning, they’re still learning how to be adults themselves while wanting to have fun. Now, when you add a mutation into that mix, whatever that mutation will be, they have to learn to grow up a lot faster than normal. They need to learn about that mutation, learn about where it comes from, how to control it, its limitations, things like this.”

She nodded her head.

“It is why we follow strict procedures and regulations when it comes to teaching the students at MTA, they must be prepared for a world that will not accept them for who they are, and they must be ready for the final exam which will determine whether or not they’ll be allowed to life a normal life or not.”

“What happens if they can’t?”

“They’ll be confined to a life in one of the world’s most secure facilities.”

“A prison? They’re just children.”

“It does not matter, if the governments deem them a danger, that’s where they’ll go. Some will have the ability to retake this test, but it’s rare they’ll be allowed out after that. Now, don’t get me wrong, unless they’re convicted of a crime this is not a bad place, they’ll be offered work, a salary, food, things like this to life a semi normal life.”

“That’s not fair.”

You shrugged a little bit, picking up the file again.

“Life is not fair.”

Ms Carter watched as you read through the file, and she turned back to her own work.

The room went silent as you both worked on whatever it is that you needed to do.

When the bell went again to signal the end of lunch you stood up, making your way into the now empty hallways.

You flicked to another paper, pausing to read through the list of other MTA schools, and you began marking which ones were for which students.

Closing the folder, you held it under your arm and rolled up your sleeve so that you could look at your watch before you went to your classroom.

Setting the file in the draw if your desk you closed it again, taking your jacket you pulled it on as you made your way outside.

Your students were on the field, practicing how to summon their familiars.

“How are they doing Yato?”

The man looked at you, clasping his hands behind his back as he turned to the students.

“They have the basic technique down, only a few have manage to harness the power to summon their familiars however.”

You nodded your head.

“As elites they should be able to control every aspect of being a mutant, from summoning to illusion.”

He hummed in agreement.

“Yes, but with the changes of conjoining with a normal school they are distracted, a few of them are having issues with some of the students from the school.”

“They’ll have to accept these changes as it’s out of our hands.”

Yato glanced down at you.

“You could have refused.”

“Perhaps I could have, but either way they need to learn that they are not better than normal people, we are all the same. They’re not going to learn that by being kept separated.”

“You know I’ve never questioned you before, but I have to ask (Y/N), are you sure this is the right way to go about this?”

You turned a little so you could look up at Yato.

“Do you think there is a mistake being made here?”

He gave a half shrug.

“Perhaps we should reconsider merging with this school, we have the capacity to open a new school for our own students.”

“You’re correct, we do. But this world is changing Yato, ordinary people and mutants are drifting further and further away through miscommunication, I would think we can change that but merging the next generation together, let them see they are really no different.”

He nodded his head.

“Very well, I trust your judgement.”

You turned back to the student.

“Have them focus on connecting their energy with the vail, that’ll enable them to call out to a familiar.”

With that you left, heading back to your classroom and you sat down at the desk to go through some test papers.

There was a knock on the door and you looked over to see Mr Evershed standing there.

“Oh, I was actually hoping to find Julie or Ben.”

“What does this regard?”

He walked over, setting some papers down.

“I had MTA do a test paper, the majority of the students never attempted the paper.”

You took them, flicking through them.

“I see, this is unacceptable behaviour, but you must understand your classes are not normally what they would learn, so perhaps they feel slightly lost on what to do.”

“What do you suggest I do? You know these students better than any other teacher, and I know a few of the others are having the same problem.”

“I will have a word with them, but perhaps after school sessions won’t go a miss if you have the time, if not you can pass the work along to Lilly, she runs the dormitory and can hold the sessions there.”

He took a chair, bribing it over to your desk and sat down.

“I could manage once a week if that will help.”

You nodded, writing down the list of students you were going to make retake the test.

“You have to see these students are ordinary people Mr Evershed.”

He sighed.

“I know, it’s easier said than done, a lot of people are here are on edge.”

“You are all scared because you know nothing about mutants, you know the lies that were spread to you over the years.”

You looked at him, leaning back in your chair as you grabbed your cup, taking a sip of tea.

“I respect perhaps you are not comfortable conversing with somebody who appears as young as me as you would one of your colleagues, but if you have any questions about my students I am perhaps the most qualified person to answer these.”

He nodded his head.

“Thank you for being patient. Maybe with the extra hour the students stay after school has finished we can arrange something for extra core lessons?”

“Yes, I can arrange that.”

He smiled at you.

“Thank you, I think it would help them a lot.”

You nodded your head, setting your cup down as you turned your attention back to your work.

He got up and left, and you began lesson plans for the next week.

You had back to back meetings that for the next week, so you weren’t around much, but when you came back you were straight back to work.

You knew the teachers of Ackley didn’t exactly take well to you being part of the staff, most of the time they went over your head, going to one of your colleagues instead of you if there was an issue.

You didn’t bother trying to correct this behaviour, you were in the process of moving another handful of students into the school and getting them settled.

You didn’t have time trying to correct the ego of teachers who clearly didn’t care enough to learn anything new.

You were stood in the canteen, hands clasped behind your back as you overlooked your students.

“Hey teach!?” A student called.

“Yes?”

You looked after at him.

“Can we go outside?”

You nodded, gesturing to the door.

“Yes, just remember to come inside for your next class.”

A few students ran outside, and you glanced down the hallway to make sure the others were behaving.

You recognised the familiar grinning face walking down and you sighed, going to meet him halfway.

“We’ll go elsewhere, follow me.”

You led him down the hallways towards the office, and you opened the door to let him inside.

“Sorry Mr Evershed, we just need a quiet space to go.”

“That’s fine, I can leave if you want.”

You shook your head, gesturing for him to sit back down as you sat on the sofa with Sebastian.

“The council need a decision (Y/N).” He said.

“Tell them to move everybody, I’ve already made the preparations, I’ve sent them over. It’s safer for them to be moved.”

“Alright, I’ll give the green light.”

He got up, disappearing from the room.

“The council?” Mr Evershed asked.

You looked over.

“They are a small group of older mutants who deal with the whole mutant population.”

“Including you?”

You shook your head.

“No. The council have no say when it comes to me, in fact, I tell them what to do. People go to them for help, if they cannot help they refer the matter to me.”

“Can I ask why?”

You gave a half nod.

“Yes, you can. I am one person, as the CEO of MTA I am responsible for bringing up and training the next generation of mutants, I simply do not have the time to organise everything or deal with problems everybody has. The more important ones come to me.”

“Everybody is okay with the council dealing with them? Even if the question was meant for you?”

“I trained them myself, every solution they give will be carefully thought out and be decided as the best course of action.”

“Don’t you want to spend time just being a teenager?”

You leant back in your seat.

“No, I passed my teenage years many years ago. I do not have time for trivial things such as parties or day out.”

“How old are you?”

You stood up, brushing a hand down your suit as you made your way to the door.

“I am older than you could guess.”

With that, you left and Mr Evershed watched as the door closed.

Whenever it came to asking questions about mutants or your students you were more than ready to answer but when it came to any question about you, you turned your answer into cryptic responses.

You never gave a direct answer, and nobody else would offer any help with it.

You were shrouded in mystery, and you seemed to make it an active choice to keep any information about yourself a secret.

Mr Evershed wondered about you, why did you appear as a teenager if you were older than you actually looked?

Was it a choice you made?

Was it something else?

He didn’t know, but he wanted to know.

Because he felt like there was a reason behind it, because nobody would willingly keep the appearance of a teenager, especially not you, because you were quick to remind people you were old, so he had a feeling it wasn’t by choice.

Right now all he had to go on was small things he picked up along the way, and if he wanted to understand mutants, help them learn, he felt like his first point of call was to earn your trust

[wordy-little-witch]

Hiii i miss sending u anon stuff isjzjsz im studying for exams😭😭💀💀 i wish i have the discipline to study consistently aaaaa

Can i request the 7 minutes in heaven shuggy prompt? And maybe a treasure hunt w/ the crossgild trouple? Tysm wordy ur posts have been like a destressor somewhat (also an angst fest cuz wtf the rayeligh shit HURTED- do u have more of it? Lmao also shanks in the tags, him being protective is wat i live for platonically or romantically❤️❤️)

Hiiii honey!!! I'm happy to hear from you ♡♡ I'm proud of you for studying and good luck with your exams, you can do it!!!! ♡♡♡♡♡ ((Also mood I struggle with routine and yet thrive with routine. It's a cosmic pain))

I can do two lil bits I think for this ♡ I'll separate them out, so one here, another later on ((I'll add on to this one)) ♡

As for the Rayliegh bit - hhhh yeah. Listen. LiStEn. If I can't afford therapy to resolve my parental and sibling issues then I'll sure as shit hurt my blorbo and make everyone watch teehee dw about it cute boy things.

And Shanks is plveru protective and also so dynamic. He has Le Range. He's a beloved character with a laundry list of Traumatic Lore and so little screen time you could do damn near anything and it's arguably canonical. I love him. I also love to make him an absolute hot mess gremlin bc he deserves it ♡♡

Onto the fun stuff!!!!!

Shuggy -> Seven Minutes in Heaven

This was worse than the get along shirt, Buggy grumbled angrily, screwing his eyes shut and bonking his head into the wall. A foot pressed against his shin, igniting the sudden, vicious urge to kick out and hope to hit something Specific in the dark. He held it at bay, just giving a slow sigh.

Voices drifted by overhead, mostly chipper, a decent chunk slurred. Buggy pouted.

"Um... Bugs?"

"What," he snapped, curling tighter into a ball. He heard more than saw Shanks flinch back a little.

"I... um.... I just...." There was a shuffle in the tiny storage closet, earning a blind glower from the blue haired cabin boy.

"Spit it out, fuckface!"

"I'm sorry."

There was silence for a moment. Buggy tried breathing slowly, in through the nose, out through the mouth, just the way Cap had taught him. He let out the breath for a few second, one, two, three, four. "It's.... not your fault," he said at last, trying to keep his breathing steady. "We weren't even really fighting."

"Old man Rayleigh should learn to tell the difference," the redhead scoffed quietly. "We were training...." He shifted slightly. "I didn't mean to hit you that hard."

Buggy snorted. "Please. You punch like a civilian."

"Civilians can punch heads off of necks," Shanks shot back teasingly, moving blindly in the dark to nudge the other's leg. "I'll have to keep that in mind."

"No, dumbass, but they could knock my head off. I'm still not.... used to this." He popped off his fingers, one at a time. The soft clicks or detachment and reattachment echoed in the dark.

"... I'm sorry for that too."

"Shut up, I don't need your pity."

The other moved suddenly, and Buggy bit back a squeak as hands grappled in the black before clamping onto his shoulders. A forehead bumped his own, a bit too high before nuzzling lower. He could feel the heat from the other boy's skin sinking into his own, and he prayed that the force of his blush didn't ACTUALLY make his nose glow the way Cap and Crocus teased him about.

"It's not pity," Shanks said roughly. He shook the other the slightest bit before sighing. "It's empathy."

"The hell are you-?!"

"Just-! Listen, Buggy!" Shanks tilted his head, his nose brushing Buggy's and drawing a soft sound from the younger boy. "You wanted the treasure and I startled you. The map fell into the sea. And I'm sorry. You loved swimming, and even I could see how much the sea loved you, too. You've got sea salt in your veins and waves in your hair, you always always have, and now you can't lay out in the water like a siren anymore and it hurts you! I know it does. You're my best friend, my better half, and I hurt you. I caused your pain. And I will never forgive that. So I'm sorry."

".... they'renot real."

"What?"

Buggy swallowed, his own hands moving, one gripping to a strong forearm, the other at a baggy shirt on the redhead's side. "Sirens. They're not real. Just stories, remember? Even Captain said."

There was a brief moment before Shanks chuckled. "Maybe," he breathed, his lashes tickling against Buggy's own. "But I believe in them. Beautiful beings who sing wonderful songs and lure sailors into parts unknown...."

"Why?"

"Because I'd never hesitate to follow you anywhere, Buggy. You say my name and I'm yours. I know sirens are real because you're real."

Suddenly the cramped darkness felt far warmer. Buggy tried to quiet his gasp. "S-Stupid Shanks...?"

"Pretty Buggy."

There was movement and then there was heat on his nose, his cheeks, his lips. And Buggy squirmed, pushing and pulling until their bodies slotted together perfectly, a hand dipping under his beanie to grip cerulean hair as straw tickled his wrist as his own cupped the back of a neck. Breathless, boneless, they clung and basked and pulled closer, closer closer. Buggy was growing dizzy, but it was pleasant, comfortable, warm, safe and he'd never felt so-

Blinded.

His body suddenly was sent sprawling, light piercing his eyes, and then he coughed a wheeze as a heavy weight crushed his ribcage, his lip smarting as teeth sunk into it.

Shanks pushed himself up, rubbing his eyes and squinting.

Buggy glared through his tears.

Rayleigh looked gobsmacked. "Oh. I was... not expecting that. Hmm." He glanced between the two for a moment before turning on his heel. "Use protection, this is above my pay grade."

Shanks huffed a mild, embarassed laugh. Buggy simply wanted to die.