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nztsume · 27 days

Text

• waiting for the big twenty-five •

homelander x you

{“Only one more year till the big 25. Aren’t you excited?”

This piqued at his curiosity. “What’s the big 25?”

Even if you’re just kind of a glorified baby-sitter, you just want to see him happy - instead, you accidentally make him worse.

read on ao3

------

Hi yall!!! The voices won and I finally ended up starting to write the young homelander fic of my dreams where we find out how he ended up being the deranged insecure insane man we know and love!!

In this one, you're Madelyn Stilwell's niece who works at Vought- and have striken an unexpected soft spot for the company’s latest investment- this insecure, shy but sweet young hero called Homelander.

Enjoy!

• 1 •

July, 2005

Every single day, at exactly 5.30 a.m., Homelander was to be awoken by the smell of coffee on his kitchen table. The coffee had to be fresh, beans grinded that same morning, no sugar, no milk, no exceptions. To accompany it, he was to have his pills: two of creatin– for muscle growth, three of protein- to feed them, a weight gainer– so he would stop being so lanky, and an extra dose of vitamin D, to fight those pesky pimples guys his age still got sometimes. All of them should be in a small container, so he could swallow them at once with his first gulp.

Next to his coffee and his pills, he was to have a folder with any relevant document for the day- interviewer’s questions and the answers he was to give, profiles of important people he would meet, scripts for any ad he was to film. All of that, including his schedule for the day- except that was to be read to him by you. This is how Maddie had told you it had to be done, and how you’d done it since day one.

You looked at your wrist watch, holding his coffee on your hand- piping hot, just how you knew he liked it- and you yawned, watching the thinnest clock hand go round it, as the last minute before you could walk into his apartment went by.

Finally, it was 5.25, and you could already walk in- so you did.

You weren’t exactly his maid- he had several of those, but none of them were to do anything to his apartment whenever he was around. He wasn’t to have much contact with the normal civilians, the normies- as Maddie called them. You preferred to reserve your opinions at that- your aunt had changed a lot since she had started working here.

What you were was Maddie’s secretary- and Maddie was Mr. Edgar’s secretary- or something. There was a fancier title for that, but you couldn’t recall it. All you knew was that she was aiming for vice-CEO or something, as it was the only thing she talked about whenever she dragged you to a bar after office hours, and insisted on drinking glass after glass of whisky.

As you finished setting things up, you appreciated the result- his cup of coffee, his pills, his documents and ah, a special surprise. One big, obscene chocolate cupcake, the kind where the chocolate topping is so rich that it spills and drips all over, with one beautiful strawberry on top, and next to it, one single candle. You weren’t sure if chocolate was his favorite, but you knew he had a bit of a sweet tooth- so he’d appreciate it, at least some.

Finally, you took out your red lighter and lit the candle- and less than twenty seconds later, you looked up- and there he was.

"Good morning, John.”, you put the lighter back on your blazer’s pocket, smiling at him.

He blinked- eyes still not fully alert, as he scratched them. They were boring holes into the chocolate cupcake, and you couldn’t help to smirk a little- you knew he’d be interested in it.

“Is that for me?”, he asked, surprised, almost like a child- and you laughed. Ever since you’d met him, about five or six months ago now, you’d felt like he was younger than his actual age- there was something about the way he stood in the middle of his own massive penthouse, like a kid lost in a big, elegant furniture showroom. Alone, quiet and shy, even when wearing his own super suit. It didn’t help that it was actually way too big for one person, with its tall, tall roofs, marble everything and sleek furniture- much less for an overworked twenty-something with no time for a social life.

“Of course.”, you assured him. “It’s your birthday after all, right? Happy 24th!”

He pressed his lips awkwardly, trying to contain a smile- but that didn’t work, as he let out a laugh, and finally came to the kitchen island, almost a skip on his step. You couldn’t help to be glad- finally this kid was getting some happiness in him.

“Yeah, yeah, you’re welcome.”, you said, sarcastically, as he went to town on the cupcake, taking big bites out of it. He stopped for a second mid-bite, mouth full of chocolate, to look at you with a smile- and there was a gleeful glint in his eyes. Actually, that was enough of a thank for you. Anything that made that perpetual sadness that he always seemed to hold go away, even for just a few minutes, was worth it. You laughed at him. “Okay- just go for it. But don’t forget your pills!”

“I can’t believe it- this tastes so good!”, he finally said, after taking another bite- in less than thirty seconds he had eaten half of it. Unbelievable! “Best birthday gift ever!”

“Oh- shush.”, you crossed your arms, leaning back against the counter, watching him take a big gulp of coffee. “Just wait until you see what Maddie has gotten you- it’ll blow your mind.”

“I don’t think it’ll be better than having chocolate as breakfast.”- he set the last bite of the cupcake aside, finally taking the pill container, and eyeing them with disgust. You sighed- perhaps if they let the kid eat his breakfast he wouldn’t need those nasty pills- it wasn’t like he wasn’t going to burn it off in the training center literally thirty minutes later. You didn’t know much about supe genetics, but they couldn’t be too different from normal people’s, right?

You yawned again, this time covering your mouth to the side, as you let him have the rest of the cupcake and his coffee. You liked to give him some minutes of silence so he could enjoy it properly- you knew that that’s how you liked it when you had yours.

This morning in particular, you just wished you had gotten to drink your coffee alone- but your fiance was just arriving from a shift at the E.R., and you had to deal with his graphic description of a dick that had been cut in half by a broken wine glass. You were still trying to forget about it. At least you lived close enough to Vought- just a ten minute subway trip away - so you didn’t have to wake up much earlier than that. It was just lucky you knew how to do your make-up on the move, another time-saving skill you’d learnt in your college years.

You heard him drinking the last of his coffee- doing that big slurp noise he always did, and you finally decided to take the document with his schedule- ready to tell him about his day.

He was tired -he always was, but today he seemed particularly so, even behind the hint of a smile the cupcake had left him with. You could tell by his posture under those cheesy button up burgundy silk pajamas, shoulders too slumped, hips rested against the counter. You weren’t surprised- according to Maddie, ever since they’d debuted him close to two years ago to the public, he’d been worked non-stop. It was only time until he broke, you thought- but you could never say it to her. Your aunt had always been too good at pushing people further than they could reach, and too good at seeing only ahead of her; John was just another one of her subjects.

“Alright”, you finally said, seeing the subtle move of his shoulders straightening at your voice, “Ready to hear about your day, birthday boy?”

He groaned in response, the hint of his smile completely being wiped away, “I guess…”

You pressed a smile for him, but mentally frowned reading over his schedule- he was packed, of course. “What’s that? Not excited about being 24?”, they’d even put an interview right after his birthday celebration- his 1 hour long birthday celebration. They as in Maddie and Mr. Edgar. “Only one more year till the big 25. Aren’t you excited?”

This piqued at his curiosity. “What’s the big 25?”

“It’s when your brain finishes developing.”, you replied, remembering the information from back in the day, when you were still trying to get your Psychology’s degree. “Your frontal cortex- the one in charge of your personality and all- it stops growing at around 25 years old. So you get only one more year of acting like a dumbass without people holding it against you.”, you added that last one joke to make him laugh- it worked. He wasn’t used to people throwing curse words around him. “Congrats!”

“Just one more year, huh?”, he said, more seriously than you expected. “That’s kind of sad.”

“No way- it’s great.” you shook your head, “After 25… it’s like your brain rewires. You’re not embarrassed anymore, you get some self-esteem back from when you were a kid.”, you couldn’t help but smile to yourself, remembering how stupidly shy you were back when you were his age. It wasn’t that long ago, really, just four years- but it felt like another lifetime, somehow. “10 out of 10, if you ask me. Anyway–”, you gave one more sigh, before turning your attention back to him, “Let me tell you about your day. So- it officially starts at 9.10 where you- oh. I didn’t know this. You’re getting a new suit!”

His eyebrows rose, “I thought that wasn’t until September.”

“Hmm, maybe they wanted to launch it at today’s park inauguration for your birthday- which is at around 11.30, by the way. So you get your suit fitted and all, then it’s an one hour drive, and then the inauguration. After that, lunch, and after…”, she frowned. “You have to have tea with- with Margaret Pataki and her friends ...?” , no way they were making the kid spend his birthday with a bunch of rich old ladies that wanted to get in his pants. You couldn’t believe Maddie. What in the world could have they offered your aunt to get the privilege of The Homelander’ s time on his birthday? Unbelievable. You huffed. “Well… too bad you have your weekly marketing meeting. You’ll have to miss it.”

“I thought that wasn’t until Thursday.”, he frowned, but there was a hint of relief behind his confusion.

“It’s not-”, you shot a look at him, “But you should get to rest for a couple hours on your birthday, don’t ya?”, you winked at him- and then moved on, before he could protest any further. Better not to think about it too much, or you’d get extremely mad at your aunt. “And then… your birthday celebration!”

“You’re coming, right?”

You looked up from the paper, surprised at his sudden intensity as he cut you off. You found those crystal blue eyes boring at you- like you were another cupcake, expectating of your reply.

“ ‘Course.”, you simply smiled- surprisingly secretly pleased. You liked him- he was a nice guy, behind all the pizzazz that Vought put him through in front of the cameras. Perhaps too nice, in your opinion- there was some trauma somewhere in there, you could tell. But you didn’t weren’t close enough to him to recommend therapy or something, although you had suggested it to Maddie… who obviously shrieked at the thought of their golden child going to the shrink. “I wouldn’t miss it for the world, Johnny.”

“Thank god-”, he sighed, rolling his eyes in sass, “If I have to deal with Stan or Madelyn or any of the other old farts there by myself, I’ll laser my own foot.”

This made you laugh. It always surprised you whenever he showed a bit of bite, as it seemed like whenever he was with Maddie or Edgar, he seemed like the best behaved pupil in the boarding school- and whenever he was in front of the public, he was an absolute boy-scout. “Oh- come on. I’m sure Noir’s gonna be there too. I’m not your only friend here, you know?” She hoped so, at least. John seemed to like Black Noir, although his presence in the Vought building was far and apart, since they hadn’t officially re-debuted him under the company’s name yet.

He shot you one last skeptical look before taking the folder with the rest of the documents- this was your dismissal, and you took it. It was ten to six, and he had to be in the training center soon.

“Anyway- I’ll take my leave. Maddie’s probably sent me my tasks for the day already.”, you heard a low distracted hum coming from him, already walking to the door. Before you left, you peeked at him one last time, before saying: “Happy birthday.”

He looked up just as you waved, and there was a hint of a smile in his face- good. You smiled back, and finally, slammed the door closed.

When you worked at Vought- more specifically, in their superhero division, every single day felt like standing in the middle of the sea during a storm- wave after wave of issues and tasks coming at you, suffocating you at times. Truth be told, you weren’t supposed to be working there- you were far too unqualified, both emotionally and academically.

When your aunt Maddie had found out about your mother’s disease, she, of course, had refused to help her. She had always been resentful at how resentful your mom had been of her, at how she had chosen a professional life path while your mom chose to have you at just seventeen, dropping out of school to form a family. Just your average sisters’ feud, splashed with just a bit of new wave feminism and abandonment issues. However, knowing you had dropped out of college, Maddie was kind enough to offer you a job in her workplace- none other than Vought Enterprises. Big shot shit.

She had told you that she wouldn’t make any promises, she wouldn’t work with you, and she wouldn’t slide you in with the big supes, where she worked. She had hustled her ass off to be where she was- she wouldn’t let your wormy little self run on the path she had so laboriously paved. You were okay with that- any corporation job would pay more than what you were doing in the dingy bar downtown where you’d been working since you dropped off college. Besides, you knew your aunt had never been all there- the love-hate she always showed you wasn’t personal, it was just a thing she did.

It didn’t help that you weren’t even more than seven years younger than her, so a lot of your childhood memories involved playing with her teen self. She was more a cousin than an aunt, to be fair. So there were a lot of things you could easily let slide- her insane mood swings was one of them. You knew she meant well- behind all of her power plays and degradation.

Either way, that didn’t end up happening- you working for a less important division, like pharmacy. As soon as she suggested Mr. Edgar to give you a job he was into the idea- he liked to keep things between family. And in hindsight, it was understandable. The things that happened behind the scenes for supes weren’t half as glamorous or exciting as they seemed to be on camera.

This morning had been particularly busy, the waves of work slowly turning into a tsunami, as Homelander’s birthday was a top priority for the entire department. He was the star, after all- had been for almost three years now. He was Vought’s face and voice, their personality. The bright eyed, all-american, charming, strongest to ever exist superhero. America turned into the shape of a man. Everything they’d ever dreamed, they were training into this twenty-something-year-old. Any excuse to celebrate him was good enough for them- because it was as if they were celebrating Vought itself.

That’s why you’d been running all over New York the entire morning. The tailor had managed to mismeasure John’s shoulders, somehow, and they needed two more of the handmade eagle feather golden shapes that went… well, you didn’t know where they went. You had only gotten the gist of it, along with a brown envelope to take to the goldsmith- any goldsmith that would get them done before 11.30 a.m., when Homelander was supposed to debut his new suit to the world, to mark a new era or something.

Luckily, it was 11 sharp as you ran through Vought’s main hall’s doors, and 11.04 as you knocked the costume division’s door on the 45th floor. You were breathless, knowing that he had to be on the other side of the city, to Fort Lee in less than half an hour- although seeing how tight they were, he was probably going to fly to the inauguration. The city council had granted him his very own children’s park after he’d saved a school bus from sinking into the Hudson a month ago, and they had chosen to inaugurate it the very day of his birthday. As if he had nothing else to do on that day.

Maddie opened the door, blonde waves all over the place, breath ragged. You knew the signs, she had been yelling at someone- and you were lucky it wasn’t you. You saw a flash of dark blue somewhere in the background and you knew it was John- and your curiosity was piqued. Would the new suit be too different? At least it seemed they’d keep his colors.

“Where are they?”, your aunt demanded.

Wordlessly, you took out a fancy necklace case out of the bag you were holding, “I had to find a different place- our goldsmith was taking too long to decide whether he could do them or in time or not.”, you explained, as she snatched it off your hands and opened to inspect them. While she did that, you subtly went on your tippy-toes, trying to catch the new suit without her knowing. “I think they look just like the mold-so…”

“Perfect.”, she concluded, slamming it closed, and she took one look at you, with those severe eyes of hers. “Go to the 72th. They need help with the party.”

After that, she slammed the door on your face. Oh well- you’d see it later, hopefully.

—

The 72th was a mess- as it always was, since it was the floor where most Vought only parties were held, the ones no outsiders should know about. Before, you would have thought that that meant something sexual- perhaps some sort of massive over the top superhero and congressmen orgy, the kind conspiracy theorists would talk about- but soon you found out it was not the case. Rather- it was the kind of party where millionaires would get drunk and discuss whether bombing another South Asian country would make them profits or not. You didn’t know which of the two types of parties were worse.

This time, though, at least the purpose of the preparations was much more innocent- just a small party for every person in Homelander’s life to celebrate him and his birthday. It was kind of impressive so many people showed up, in your opinion. It was the 4th of July, after all- most everyone would choose to celebrate it with their families at the park- or even just watch the fireworks from their TV at home. Instead, about twenty or more people were there, running around with you- decorating, inflating balloons, making every cookie in the dish look beautiful and photogenic. All for him- everyone wanted him to be pleased. You were sure that as long as he was allowed to eat enough of them, he’d be just as happy.

One thing you ended up noticing about the attendees was the variety, or more like, the lack of thereof. Most people there were some of Vought’s scientists, the ones you only knew of by their pictures on the Vought’s Best wall. You wondered what they had to do with Homelander, or if they were there just for protocol. Maybe these were the kind of people Edgar wanted him to surround himself with. Important people- people who did good for humanity.

And no, no Black Noir to be found.

Interestingly enough, even they were helping with the organization. Perhaps they were close, you wouldn’t know. You didn’t know much about John’s past aside from what you’d figured out by yourself- and what the public knew.

Either way, he was about to arrive, and you were to get Maddie’s gift ready for him. The box was a bit too big for it- but it needed the space, you guessed. You just wondered if the box was necessary at all.

Somebody heard the elevator sound starting to ding up- and began shushing everyone, as they started crowding around the room, hiding the big table with the cake and different foods that they had set up in the middle of the room behind them. You, of course, didn’t want to steal any spotlight from someone who could actually be important to him, so you placed yourself to the side, excited for him to arrive. You knew he was going to love this; he loved attention- even affection, as much as he tried to hide it.

The elevator finally dinged on their floor, and the doors opened, and-...

“Happy birthday!”, everyone shouted- only for Maddie to come out, her heels clicking as she saw on her that particular face she made when she scolded someone- her words drowned by their scream. Everyone made a confused noise- wasn’t it supposed to be…?

Then- a massive spot of blue walked in- a young man with wide shoulders, an unhesitant stroll and perfectly coiffed blonde hair- clad in an imposing red and blue suit. Homelander.

You began singing Happy Birthday- loudly, completely drowning everyone’s confusion and whatever Maddie was nagging the young supe about- and everyone was super quick to join. And you had the pleasure to see John’s face go from a slight frown to a bright expression- as everyone sang for him- claps and even stomps to go with it.

But… there was something off in his smile as he started recognizing the faces around him. You saw his eyes go through every person in the room with a strange restraint- like he was holding back something. Then- they fell on you, and they stayed there, somehow, it seemed that it made that off feeling fade off. You clapped and sang more excitedly.

“Happy birthday, dear… John-Homelan-Johnny !”, everyone laughed, as nobody quite knew how to address him, “Happy birthday to you!”

You saw him laugh- eyes looking around in surprise at the decorations. Everything was red, white and blue- with lots of golden details, that had been your touch. They were the expensive kind, but anyone could tell they weren’t set by professionals. You thought it added a homey touch that he’d enjoy- and he did, as he quite didn’t know what to do with himself, with his hands, as everyone clapped and whistled for him.

“Oh-!”, he finally said, “Thank you- thank you, guys!”, he was trying to play it cool, calming them awkwardly.

After that, the short event officially started. The attendees started mingling amongst each other, coming up in groups at times to talk to John, who seemed more interested on whatever was going on on the food table. You had caught him eyeing it from time to time whenever he was left alone for a second or two, as if he was deciding whether he could have a treat or not .

Meanwhile, you were busy guarding Maddie’s gift- which was secretly the only reason you were here at all. Not by your own volition, of course- you’d obviously come to John’s party if it was up to you. But… somehow, you felt that without your aunt’s express invitation it would have created problems for you. Sometimes it felt like Maddie got insanely possessive of the kid- as if anyone could come and snatch him away from under her management and steal her progress doing that. You didn’t quite know- all you really knew is that whenever you made a small observation, offered a small detail you’d noticed about him, she responded incredibly bad.

It wasn’t too bad, though. At least you were saving yourself from awkward conversations with strangers- plus, sometimes John caught your eyes and smiled at you. He had even tried to make his way to you a couple times, always interrupted by a new group of people who called for his attention.

He looked good in his new suit, you had to admit. A far cry from the leotardish one-piece he had before- that only worked to accentuate his still teensy physique, still too skinny and lanky for what he was supposed to be Edgar’s final vision of him- this new suit was magnificent. It looked like it was a two piece, for once- which he was probably thankful for- held by a strong golden (gold?) belt, and a high collar, covering just enough of his neck to draw attention to the slight v line it formed. He had some padding, she knew that- but it was just enough, not to transform his actual size, but to accentuate it. He looked more mature, more secure in his skin, and it showed - even if just a little bit.

Either way, you could hear her gift getting more and more agitated by the minute- so it was a relief when you heard her voice loud, commanding everyone’s attention.

“Let’s open your gifts, John.” Maddie said, coming up from behind and slapping a hand on his shoulder, making him jump a little.

The party moved to the gifts table, where a small pile laid. You dutifully took the box you’d been guarding on the corner of the room and started walking it by it with a bit of difficulty, mostly because it kept moving all over the surface- but also because it was making your nose itch.

By the time you had gotten there, John had already started opening some of his gifts. Someone got him an insanely expensive wine you knew he wasn’t even going to try, and someone else a piece of pottery. It was hard to make someone like him a gift- what could you even get someone who could have anything? Not that John ever asked for anything, though. But he could- and everyone was aware of that. Vought made sure they were.

As soon as Maddie saw you with the box, she took it from your hands and walked up to him- and the second he turned to it, his face illuminated.

“A dog?!”, he took it from her almost immediately, sitting on the floor with it on his lap- hands fighting to open the wrapping as soon as he was settled.

“Oh John!”, Maddie scoffed, annoyed, “You spoiled it for everyone else!”

He didn’t seem to hear her though- entranced on the unwrapping, and you couldn’t help to hold your hands together on your chest, excited with anticipation. You were sure he was going to love it.

And as soon as the little guy jumped from inside the box- you know he did.

“Oh, lord!”, he exclaimed, as the small dog started barking and twisting in his grasp- as excited to see him as he was, its tiny tail wagging so hard it was moving its entire little body with it. “Oh, my god!”

The dog, a small Jack Russel with a big, brown spot over one of his eyes, barked excitedly, and you were sure you could see John’s eyes shining with tears, sat on the floor while everyone else aww’d at them. You could tell that- for once- he had forgotten about the people around him, as he let the puppy jump on his legs, on his chest, licking his face, sat back on his hands, as if he was stopping himself from squeezing the little thing. He was happy, so happy , and the dog was too.

“I can’t believe it!”, he gasped, again, as he finally decided he needed to pet it, getting rid of the thick gloves that his new suit had, grabbing it with both hands. The puppy barked at him, tongue out, and a laugh escaped from his mouth. “You’re the cutest thing I’ve seen in my life !”

The puppy wriggled its way out of his grasp, and jumped at his face again, licking him- and everyone aww’d once again and clapped. You finally unglued your eyes from the adorable scene to your aunt- and she looked incredibly pleased with herself. You would be too, this was probably the first time you’ve seen him actively elated.

Suddenly, she was startled by something- and you saw her hand going to her blazer’s pocket, picking her cellphone in a second. As she walked away with it, you took a step closer to him- and he turned to you.

“Did you know about this!?”, he asked, incredulous, fighting against the dog’s excited licks, “I can’t believe it!”

You couldn’t help the smile on your lips as you saw him. “Obviously. I went to pick him with her!” you crossed your arms over your chest- still remembering the horrors of the testing lab you’d gone get the poor dog from. It had been a month ago, and the dog had stayed with Maddie until now, “He was not the youngest puppy in the uh- adoption center but…”

“Shush, he’s perfect.”, he interrupted you, holding it to his chest, and turning to you, “What’s his name?”

“I’m not sure actually-”, you turned towards where your aunt had left- and you saw her smiling into the phone, a small skip on her step- and you knew that body language. She was sucking up to someone on the other end of the line. “We could ask Maddie if she named him when she comes back.”

But as you said that, Maddie actually came back- almost running in the short steps her heels allowed.

“Let's get this over with”, she whispered to you, as she walked by you taking over the center of the small round that Had formed around him, “Hey, everyone! Let's cut the cake!”

Everyone agreed happily- but you frowned, running to follow her as she went to the food table, already starting to make space for it. You knew that this was supposed to come at the end of the party, but not even half an hour had gone by yet- what was she doing?

Out of the corner of your eye, you saw John's eyes shoot from you to her to Edgar, as he as well tried to figure out what was going on.

“Maddie-”

“Seems like his birthday interview got delayed a couple hours”, she whispered to you excitedly, almost like a secret, “Guess who'll get to make up for his fatal mistake of not seeing Mrs. Pataki and her friends!”

A sense of disgust immediately took over your stomach, as you realized why she was so happy. She was making John spend time with those women after all- she was going to get him to butter them up for Vought On his own fucking birthday.

“Go help with the cake.”

You felt sick.

Behind you, you heard John approach and Madelyn’s arm immediately shoot to get a hold of his forearm and guide him to the center of the table, the dog still in his arms.

Suddenly, a lot of things started happening simultaneously. Edgar was on the scene now, - a cameraman that you’d seen wandering about the event next to him - finally caring about this party at all, as he seemed to be giving him directions about how to encapsulate the happy event.

Maddie, on the other hand, stood next to Homelander- whose eyes seemed far, as he heard whatever she was telling him, his lips pressing in some sort of emotion you didn’t have time to figure out, eyes looking far away from the scene unfolding. You got closer, as you started fixing the cake decorations, and got to hear some of it.

“And you'll show off your fucking new suit and tell her ‘ You like it, Margie?’ like she's the woman of your dreams, okay? She needs to go home and tell Pataki that Vought's doing great things while she considers divorcing his ass. You need to make up for the time you made her lose, John.” she was instructing right next to his ear, and he seemed more out of it by the second, “You'll be so fucking sorry to her she won't doubt for a second that you made a honest mistake with your schedule.”

People started gathering as well- their loud chatter surrounding them like a massive beehive, buzzing so close to the table it was even starting to make you dizzy and desperate, as you fought to make one of the star decorations stay up. One of the scientists came up to you with a lighter, offering to turn the single candle on and you nodded, mindlessly as your focus kept shifting to him, and the way his gaze dissociated more and more- and you were actually worried now. You’d never seen him like this, not this badly.

“Homelander!”, Edgar called, his serious nasal voice adding a new layer to the buzz, just like the scientist's lighter he couldn't get lit on. “Move one step to the left and turn a little, the lighting's bad there!”

“Seriously - apologize like a fucking dog, you hear?”

“Fuck”, you cursed under your breath- snatching the lighter yourself and trying- getting to turn on.

The camera started snapping- and it added another layer. A group laughed loudly in the background. Edgar kept giving needless instruction. The dog started wriggling, running out of his grasp. Madelyn kept barking into his ear.

“You'll lick her feet- and…”

And you could almost hear it before it happened.

“Madelyn, I fucking GET it !”

The loud high sound- the sound his lasers made.

The crowd gasped, shocked- but more importantly, the dog started fucking screaming in pain.

“Oh- no!”

Someone screamed- and all hell broke loose. John ran from the table to the side- where his laser had left a dark, charred line that ended with… with the poor puppy laying on the floor, bleeding and crying. You ran after him.

“Oh no- no, no, no, no…”, he was on his knees, and you fell next to him as he whispered the words to himself, holding the poor thing as it wriggled, its loud shrieks vibrating in your ears. His hands were starting to get covered in blood, and its fur was so bloody- flesh so mangled you couldn't make sense of any of it. “No- please !”

You were speechless, shocked, and the blood was draining from your face by the second. “It was an accident!”, you were immediate to comfort him, but his eyes were glued to the animal- unable to think, to do anything, “It was an accident, John, and-and…”

You looked around- but nobody thought like you- nobody else was stepping up to comfort him. Instead, everyone stared in… fright , taking fearful steps away from the scene like he was a monster- and that made you so insanely mad.

“I-I killed him!”, he exclaimed in horror. “Oh, God, I fucking killed him!”

“ No, you didn't! ”, your hands went to his shoulders, shaking him a little as his eyes filled up with tears- and your heart was going a mile a minute, “He's crying ! He's still alive!”

“N-no, no, I-”

“John!”, Maddie’s voice shouted- and you looked up to see her walking to you, angry, as she got out of her shock, “What the hell was that?! Are you insane?! Are you retarded ?!”

He turned slightly to her, eyes full of tears and remorse and pain- and you couldn't take it anymore.

You stood up like a spring and took a step between them.

“Madelyn!”, you looked at her in the eyes, heart still drumming, “ Are you fucking serious?!”

You saw her eyes widen and her mouth fall open.

She started sputtering your name, visibly shaken. You'd never ever had spoken like this to her. She was always the one that was right, the one whose decisions just weren't questioned.

“Y-you stay out of this!”, she finally managed, and tried to push you to the side- but you slapped her hand away.

“No, I won't! Not this fucking time, Aunt Maddie.” you stood your ground, stomping a foot.

There was a rage in you burning- and you instantly realized this wasn't just about this, right now. This was a rage that had been slowly burning- building up these last six months as you'd witnessed how they treated this kid, how they exploited every single second of his time. How tight his leash was. How simply sad and alone he looked all the time.

It had been burning since your mother had been diagnosed with that heart condition- and how ironically heartless her sister had been to her. How she'd offered you the job the same way someone offers leftovers to a starving stray dog, and how you had to swallow your dignity and take them.

It had been burning, you'd even say, after the first day Maddie had started this fucking job, and how she blew you off when you went to her apartment with a cake you'd made her to celebrate it- saying she had coworkers over and she couldn't deal with a child like you here, too, as if they were too important for you to even see them.

She growled your name one last time, “You're about to lose your job.”

“Then fucking do it, Maddie.”, you hissed back, feeling venom in your voice, “Fire me. Fire me! Who wants to work in a company that depends on how much they can exploit some twenty-year-old, anyway? Oh, but the second he makes one mistake you all look at him like he's a monster, right?!”

You couldn't help to turn around, including everyone in your rant now- every single person that was important in John’s life, who was looking at him like he was going to laser them next. Him, who was still holding onto the crying puppy, hands drenched in his blood.

“Don't look at him like that! God- look at him ! He didn't do it on purpose! You all pushed him to do it!”

You felt frustration building in you- as your eyes started to burn as well, angry. No, you couldn't let yourself cry, you needed to speak up!

You saw Maddie about to say something else when someone took a step forward- Mr. Edgar.

“Okay, okay everyone…” he had his hands raised up, voice infuriatingly calming and imposing. “Let’s calm down. You-”, he pointed at a random woman, who jumped at his calling, “Take the dog to the fifteenth, there must be a vet somewhere there.”

The woman quickly stepped forward- a middle aged with a messy bun hanging off of her head- arms in front of her, ready to take the still wailing dog from John while putting the most distance from him she could. Your eyes followed the movement as he extended the creature to her- his hands still shaking. For some reason, as this happened, you felt absolutely insane- like you were some schizoid character In a movie, and everyone else was just watching your crazy rants unfold.

“And you- miss… Stilwell?”, he continued, turning to you- and as you shook your head (you didn't share your aunt’s last name, thank you ), he held a hand up, like he didn't actually care about that, “Why don't you take Homelander here home? He's still a bit shaken.”

And you're the only one here not afraid of his lasers, seemed to be the tacit rest of his request.

At that, you stood straighter, facing him as a bitter bile pooled in your throat - desperate to keep jawing off about all you've been keeping, seeing these last months, about every single thing that they'd knowingly been doing to him- but you held back for him. Edgar was right, he needed to get away from this, he needed some peace- and perhaps not to have to spend his birthday with some old lady who would be pawing at him all night.

You swallowed it and nodded at him, chest still out and shoulders squared, like you were a shield and shot one last look at Maddie.

She was boring holes into you- mouth in a thin line, dark blue eyes unblinking in anger, hands fisted to her sides. You knew that look, your mother had been the end of it one too many times. But unlike her, you did not relent- and Maddie should better get used to it.

Then, you simply turned, falling to a kneel once again, as you grabbed his shoulder. His eyes were on you as well, those clear blue eyes, still watery, still shaking. His hands were drenched in blood, as was the rest of his new suit- he looked so small in that moment, so scared.

“John?”, you let your voice fall into a soft tone. At your call, his eyes tuned into an emotion you couldn't quite decipher- aside from intense gratefulness, “Let’s go home.”

#homelander #homelander the boys #homelander x you #homelander x oc #homelander x reader #homelander fanfiction #homelander fic #john x you #vought #madelyn stilwell #writing #my writing #my fics #fics

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otomiyaa · 4 months

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Better Setter!

BokuAkaKuroKen

[Fic Reupload] - Posting this oldie requested by anon, thanks to @wertzunge who still had it! I'd forgotten how wild this one is.....

Summary: A very crazy situation from Kenma’s point of view; Bokuto and Kuroo suddenly feel very determined to prove to each other that their setters - boyfriends - are more ticklish than the other. Things escalate, not just a little. (Also on AO3)

Word Count: 2.2K

“Look look look! And I go baaamm!” Kenma and Akaashi both exchanged tired glances when they heard Bokuto’s loud voice again. Who thought it was a smart idea to get together at Kuroo’s place and watch the recording of their latest Nekoma vs. Fukurodani match? Not them.

“HA! No that, your look was priceless when I almost smashed the ball into your face!”

Yeah. The game result was a draw, and since it was a simple practice match their coaches did not see the point in dragging it much longer to determine a winner. A draw. Draw! Of course that didn’t satisfy the dork captain duo in the least, and both Kenma and Akaashi ended up getting dragged along so that the captains could ‘see on their own who had won the match’.

“That point wasn’t a point!” Bokuto protested. Both of them sat glued to the screen while Kenma and Akaashi lounged on the big couch, each on one side. Kenma playing his games as always, and Akaashi lazily reading the news on his phone app.

“It was,” Akaashi said, and Kenma nodded, both of them intelligent enough to just be able to hear which part of the match they were at.

“Shut up Akaashi! God - look look! Isn’t Akaashi and my teamwork the greatest?” Bokuto’s snarl at Akaashi was instantly forgotten, and Kenma couldn’t help but snort at this. This couple was so cute.

“Nothing like what Kenma and I are doing. Here, look at that. He’s the best setter ever,” Kuroo said, and Kenma felt a subtle blush heat up his cheeks.

“Pardon me? I am 200% certain Akaashi’s the best setter.” Oh no. Was this really going where they thought this was going? Akaashi and Kenma exchanged glances again and both sighed. Here goes.

“No, Kenma is a much better setter. No offense, Akaashi,” Kuroo continued. It was Bokuto who took offense though, and he suddenly stood and shouted through the noises that came from the recording.

“Akaashi is the best! And he is also the sexiest cutest and most handsome setter in the world!”

“That’s not relevant Bokuto, but since we’re at it, have you ever seen Kenma’s smooth and silky skin? He is what you could call sexy. Nothing can beat that.” Talk about relevance! Kenma blushed like crazy and could see Akaashi was doing the same.

“Hohoho. Then you haven’t felt what Akaashi’s skin is like. I just have to…” Bokuto made a long swiping move with his finger into the air and closed his eyes with a dreamy smile “…do thiiiis and his skin feels so soft and smooth under my touch, and he’ll even share his angelic laugh because you see. Akaashi is very sensitive,” Bokuto continued as if he was promoting something in a commercial video, and Kenma felt embarrassed for Akaashi.

Poor Akaashi, why were they…

“Sensitive? You should see how ticklish Kenma is man! His laughter will make you pregnant!” Kenma’s face exploded. No fucking way did he say that!

“Kuroo!” he finally yelled, lowering his game and glaring at him while he breathed heavily.

Big mistake, since the two only now seemed to realize their bae’s were in the same room, and the smirks that appeared on their faces were anything but reassuring.

“What are they…” Akaashi mumbled, slowly lowering his phone as well.

“You dare say ‘ticklish’ without telling me Akaashi is the champion at being tickled?” Bokuto asked, slowly rising on his feet and walking over to where the setters were sitting.

“Why not let me demonstrate it then?” Kuroo asked, and Kenma swallowed as they started to circle around them. Oh no.

Both he and Akaashi ended up overwhelmed by the situation and jumped up from the couch, but before they could even flee they both got pulled back down onto the couch, each of them on a captain’s lap, opposite each other with Kuroo and Kenma sitting on the corner part of the seat, and Bokuto with Akaashi facing them and only inches away.

Both victims’ eyes made contact with each other and they trembled in anticipation.

“Bokuto, let me go…” Akaashi told his boyfriend calmly, and Kenma could see him squirm uncomfortably, but Bokuto pulled him tighter against his chest and trapped him with his arms.

“Heh Bokuto. What do you say, shall I show you my Kenma’s the most ticklish setter in the world?” Kuroo asked as Akaashi’s plea was ignored. He circled his arms around Kenma and pulled him closer onto his lap while he nuzzled the back of his head.

“K-Kuroo! This is silly! Don’t-” Kenma gulped when he noticed the way Bokuto moved his hands under Akaashi’s shirt, moving it up over his chest and making the latter squirm.

“Nothing matches how sexy and charming Akaashi is when I do this, Kuroo dear,” Bokuto lectured, and he made a claw of his hand and wiggled his fingers down Akaashi’s chest and toned tummy.

“HAahh!” Akaashi arched into Bokuto and threw his head back, his hand quickly shooting up to cover his mouth.

“Oh but watch this then.” Kenma was unprepared for when his own assault began. Kuroo wiggled his fingers up his sides and instantly went for those oversensitive spots in the hollows of his arms.

“Kuroooaaahh!” Kenma yelped, jumping suddenly in Kuroo’s lap but unable to escape his clutches.

Kuroo pulled him closer against his chest and Kenma’s mouth opened wide when he felt the demanding fingers ask for more.

“Ahaha nohoho s-stop it! Why are you doooh-aahaha wait!” Kenma gasped when his shirt was also moved all the way up as well, half-stripping him right before the eyes of Bokuto and a laughing Akaashi.

Kenma thrashed and bucked against Kuroo who continued to drill his fingers into his armpits, thumbs prodding and index fingers wiggling mischievously in a way that made him want to scream.

“STAhahap! Kuroo you know I’m - aahaha nohoho!”

It was embarrassing, very embarrassing to be tickled like this and actually witness how Akaashi was suffering from the same, and Kenma had to admit Bokuto was right about how sexy and charming he looked. There was just something about watching him laugh like that in such a helpless state, and it made his own heart flutter.

He’d probably enjoyed this immensely if it wasn’t for himself being tickled into a puddle of embarrassing laughs and tears. What was remarkable about Akaashi was how he was barely struggling at all, and that while Kenma was thrashing about like a wild animal and being totally uncharming unlike the ticklish guy in front of him…

From his point of view, Bokuto was winning this game with golden prizes.

“Your Kenma’s a wild one eh?” Bokuto asked as if he was reading Kenma’s mind, and Kenma automatically sucked in his own stomach when he saw the way Bokuto made a surprise claw-move at Akaashi’s stomach, making the exhausted guy choke on a laugh and mewl adorably.

“I know, right? You gotta know how to handle the wild kittens,” Kuroo said proudly, and without warning Kenma’s waist and sides were next to fall victim to some devious squeezing hands.

“FHAaha! Nohohho!”

He kicked his legs and threw his head around, his blond hair flying all over the place, while Akaashi was merely squirming charmingly and laughing at Bokuto’s equally assaulting fingers.

“Can I try?” Bokuto asked, and Kenma’s eyes snapped open.

“Sure.” Wait wha-

“Waahhh!” He squeaked when suddenly he and Akaashi were each thrown towards the other as both devil captains switched partners. Before he could comprehend what was going on, his arm was in a steady grip and Bokuto pulled him onto his lap.

“Heyheyheyyy Kenma, so how ticklish are you really? Why not show uncle Bo!” Kenma’s eyes opened wide when he felt Bokuto’s clawing hands he’d seen on Akaashi’s body earlier do the same to him; huge hands grabbed his sides and ribs and fingers wiggled in a rougher way than Kuroo would do.

“Shihihit no p-plehehease!” He struggled and thrashed and ended up flipping on his stomach so he was hanging over Bokuto’s lap.

“Wild he is, indeed,” Bokuto judged, and he proceeded to attack Kenma’s sides and hips with quick spidering fingers and squeezing movements that had Kenma buck like a wild animal on his lap.

“HEhehe K-Kuroohohoho hehehelp!” he laughed, tears pricking in his eyes and his breath running short. This was different. He was used to Kuroo’s tickles, not Bokuto’s and somehow this was even harder to deal with. And that said a lot.

“How are you so calm? Ah coochie coochieee coo!” Kuroo was having full attention for Akaashi who was squirming in his lap now, snorting, laughing and giggling at his mercy.

“P-Plehease Kuroo dohohon’t!” Akaashi laughed, and he gulped when Kuroo suddenly threw him onto the couch and pounced on top of him.

“Come on, laugh for me Akaashi!” Kuroo sang, and from his position on Bokuto’s lap Kenma could see how Kuroo released his worst tickle monster powers on the poor Fukurodani setter.

“AHah! NOT Thehehre!” After wondering where Kuroo was tickling him to get Akaashi that hysterical, Kenma was suddenly a lot more worried about his own situation when Bokuto moved his hands down and gripped the sensitive flesh of his inner thighs.

“Gahhh oh nohoho pf-plehease! C-Can’t breheeathe!” Kenma warned through his wheezy laughter and giggles. Bokuto had the energy he feared he would have in a situation like this. Merciless tickling, a loud voice that told him playful taunting words, and on the background Kuroo’s voice that did just the same while Akaashi laughed just as loud.

This situation couldn’t get any crazier.

“Stoohohohp!” Kenma’s laughter had turned very whiney when Bokuto switched to tickling his sides and ribs again while his loud mouth blew raspberries on his bare back, down his spine, lower back and sometimes partially on his side.

“Eeeheheek!” Kenma squeaked, his legs kicking weakly and arms making one final flailing move before he felt his body go limp under Bokuto’s touch. The lips on his skin sent tingles and chills through his entire body all at once, and he gasped tiredly and giggled when he felt the tickling slowly come to its end.

“I have to say, Kenma is very ticklish and he’s a real cutie. You were right,” Bokuto said, and Kenma blushed when he felt how he was wrapped in a couple of strong muscled arms and cuddled against Bokuto’s chest.

“K-Kurooo…” he whined, but he didn’t struggle, feeling rather comfy in his boyfriend’s buddy’s arms. His eyes found Kuroo’s who was snuggling a very tickle-tired Akaashi closely, and the smirk on his face reassured him that this was going to be just fine.

“And I am amazed about Akaashi. He’s a lot better than I expected,” Kuroo said as if he was talking about sports rather than a person getting tickled, and Kenma was surprised how good his boyfriend and Akaashi looked together like that.

“So, it’s a draw again?” Bokuto asked, and Kenma felt tingles from his breath against his neck, and he scrunched up his shoulders.

“Yes. Let’s call it a draw.” And then it was proved that the situation could definitely get crazier than it already was.

Kenma felt how Bokuto hugged him closer when Kuroo and Akaashi joined them on their side of the couch, and he felt lips kiss his own sweetly and passionately. His head was still a little cloudy and his eyes still teary from the tickling, and only after opening his eyes he noticed he had been kissing Akaashi.

“Heh. How’s that?” Bokuto asked, watching Kenma snuggle closer to his own setter, and Kenma blushed. After witnessing Akaashi getting tickled like that in front of his eyes, kissing him had definitely been on his guilty mind. But…

“Kuroo will…” Kenma started, shyly watching his boyfriend and seeking consent, but Kuroo grabbed him closer and kissed him as well “…absolutely kill you,” Kuroo finished for him with a sinister wink, and Kenma could barely even blink when Kuroo started to tickle him mercilessly again.

“K-Kurohaaa-hmph!” Yes, that was Bokuto kissing him while Kuroo tickled him to pieces and suddenly Akaashi was joining in by nuzzling Kenma’s stomach.

“Gahaha-Guuys! Wahahaait!” It was probably because he was the smallest that they ended up teaming up on him, even Akaashi whose cheeks were still adorably flushed from his earlier predicament.

“Meheh-Mercy!” Kenma gasped when Bokuto and Kuroo took turns in blowing raspberries on his tummy. He then ended up kissing someone again, and he honestly thought he could recognize Kuroo’s kissing style in there.

It was as if he had gotten drunk, not from alcohol but from getting tickled too much, and no matter how stupid and crazy it would seem, it was how in the end Bokuto and Akaashi practically joined his relationship with Kuroo.

Now with suddenly two boyfriends more, Kenma could only chuckle in delight at the funny thought that Bokuto and Kuroo had never come to an agreement about who was a better setter. Looked like they were meant to play for a draw at all times, which was, of course, not necessarily a bad thing!

#reupload #haikyuu #bokuakakuroken #ot4 #tickling #tickle fic #kuroken #bokuaka #bokuto #akaashi #kenma #kuroo #otomiya!writes

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pinesfamilyguidetotheweird · 3 months

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If there was one thing I disagreed with Hana (or fordtato) is what year Gravity Falls takes place. They say 2013, but I thought 2012.

My only source was the calendar Stan held in 'Summerween'

And then, when you take account of when the science fair project took place (likely in the Stans' final year in high school) and the years that followed (Stan being homeless for 10 years, Ford being in the portal for the next 30), so 40 years since the incident, the year of the science fair was likely 1972.

This was further proven when, in Journal 3, Ford's timeline had him coming to Gravity Falls in 1975, which falls perfectly with Ford gaining his first PhD in three years (PhDs usually take 6, depending on the program).

In Journal 3, in the first entry, Ford said it had been six years since he arrived in Gravity Falls. This again falls perfectly into the timeline I thought.

1975 + 6 = 1981

So, if the June 8th entry was in 1981, then the January 17th entry would be in 1982.

Take all of this into account and Gravity Falls takes place in 2012.

And I thought that was it...

Until I decided to look at one more clue to the timeline.

The calendar in Carpet Diem.

First off, it has five days in a week instead of seven and it bothers me.

Second, I don't think I've registered the month. Just the year.

July of 1982...

In Journal 3 (both in-universe and out), the first entry was in June and the last dated entry before Ford was sucked into the portal was in January, likely in 1983 when keeping mind of the Carpet Diem calendar.

While evidence for 2012 being the year makes it more likely, this slight difference was enough to make a wrinkle that started to make cracks...

However, I just thought about this...Who says the calendar was still being used by Ford? What if it was Stan? I don't remember when he boarded up Ford's room, but I do remember a source saying that Stan kinda moped in this room for months (I don't remember if it was a post or fic; someone feel free to correct me). Now, it's kinda unknown when the brothers reunited before Ford went into the portal, I estimated it to be in March at the latest.

This is purely speculative on my part though. I'm sure that, in spirit, you can pick when it takes place (since that's what Alex was kinda going for, as he wanted to invoke the 90s feel into the show.)

I just like the details.

I am curious about the significance of July 4th being circled. Who was this relevant to, Stan or Ford? And why?

#gravity falls #gravity falls timeline #stanford pines #ford pines #grunkle ford #stanley pines #grunkle stan #stan pines

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inevitably-johnlocked · 6 months

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hello hello! I was wondering if you had any winged aus tucked away? the latest post I could find (though goodness knows tumblr’s search feature is iffy) was from 2019 and I was curious about an updated list if it isn’t too much trouble!

Hey Lovely!

You are correct, it's been a LONG time since I've put a new list together... I don't have any new personal recs (been a LONG time since I've read them), so what I'm going to do is do a tag search on my MFL list and put together a nice fresh list of fics suggested to me by you guys! Please note that I have NOT read any of the fics on this list so I'm probably wrong somewhere, LOL. They're not ALL winglock, for sure, but if anyone has anything relevant that they can add to this list, please do! Enjoy!

WINGLOCK / ANGELS / DEMONS Pt. 2 (MFLs)

See also:

Winglock / Angels / Demons (Updated Apr 2022)

Sherlock x Good Omens Crossovers (Updated Apr 2022)

The Detective and the Demon by oreganotea (G, 2,389 w., 1 Ch. || Supernatural Elements || Pre-Slash, Urban Fantasy, Demons, Humour, Friendship) – “Every demon on record is described as either monstrously terrifying or breathtakingly beautiful,” Sherlock says. “I have never heard of a demon with a forgettable face and a propensity for ugly jumpers.” The demon looks down at his jumper. Okay, so it might not be the most flattering article of clothing in the world, but it sure looks a hell of a lot more comfortable than Sherlock’s two-sizes-too-small shirt.

The Babadook by CatieBrie (T, 6,886 w., 1 Ch. || Babadook Fusion || Post-TRF, Horror, Demonic Possession, Violence, Halloween, Grief, Angst with Happy Ending) – “A children’s book,” John mutters as he flips it open. The pages are scrawled with beautiful charcoal lines and thick black ink. The cover, bright red, edges the open pages and something tugs at the back of John’s brain. It’s a familiar feeling, black and tarrish and thick in his thoughts. He shakes it off and picks the book up off his bed, turning so that he can sit on the edge and spread the book out across his knees. If it’s in a word or it’s in a look, you can’t get rid of the Babadook. He turns the page, ignoring the pressure building beneath his chest. There’s a closet on one page; paper doors meant to be opened by the reader flutter as John reads the text on the other page.

In The Arms Of The Angel by Watermelonsmellinfellon (M, 8,585 w., 3 Ch. || Fallen Angel AU || Friendship, Angels/Wings, BAMF John, Trust, Fluff, Romance, Eventual Happy Ending) – The human population possesses the ability to grow feathers from their spines, but less than even five million at a time ever actually grow any. A feather for a life. Every life saved, earned a feather. The feathers would overlap each other, until there was finally enough to create a wing and if some were lucky, two wings.

The Soldier And The Demon by LipstickDaddy (G, 8,998 w., 6 Ch. || Victorian / Demon AU || Strangers to Friends to Lovers, Soldier John, Demon Sherlock, Domestic Fluff, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Protective John, Protective Sherlock, Happy Ending) – Johnlock/Kuroshitsuji AU - 1879. Captain John H Watson of the Fifth Northumberland Fusiliers is dying from a near-fatal gunshot wound in the Kandahar desert; until a demon saves his life. There’s a catch, though; one day, his saviour will eat his soul.

You Don't Need Wings to Fly by Laiquilasse (T, 11,326 w., 11 Ch. || Wonderful Life AU || Bullying, Angels, Suicidal Ideation, Christmas) – John, an angel, is sent from Heaven to help a desperate Sherlock Holmes by showing him what life would have been like if he had never existed.

Tattered by SrebrnaFH (M, 15,857 w., 6 Ch. || Winglock || Family, Childhood, Society, Abuse, Electricity, Hurt John / Sherlock, Protective John, No Smut, Bullying, Sudden Relationship Change) – John visits Baker Street without any warning and gets an eyeful.

On Feathers and Bacon Sandwiches by Kryptaria(T, 21,092 w., 8 Ch. || Winglock AU || Demon John, Asexual Sherlock) – No one has ever stayed with Sherlock longer than a month. At least, no human. Fortunately, John Watson isn't about to let the little things - like biohazardous experiments and the constant threat of danger - get in the way of his friendship with a very special, very brilliant man like Sherlock Holmes. Part 1 of Feathers 'verse

The 13th Book by meet_me_in_samarra (T, 24,491 w., 13 Ch. || Magical Realism Winglock AU || Enemies to Friends, Friendship, Witty Banter, Interspecies Bromance, Demon Sherlock) – Summoning a demon was actually quite simple if you could avoid getting killed in the process. Therefore, only the powerful, the desperate or the stupid would attempt it. John Watson was likely the first, definitely the second but hopefully not one of the third kind.

This Is Family by SaraStarchild (T, 39,840 w., 16 Ch. || Hereditary AU || Psychological Horror, Body Horror, Demonic Possession, POV Third Person Limited, Protective Mycroft, Cults, Mycroft Whump, Sherlock Whump, Major Character Death, Graphic Violence, Retelling) – When the Holmes family's secretive mother and matriarch, Ellen Holmes, passes away, the family she leaves behind – father Martin, sons Mycroft and Sherlock, and daughter Eurus – begins to unravel cryptic and increasingly terrifying secrets about their ancestry. The more they discover, the more they find themselves trying to outrun the sinister fate they seem to have inherited. This is, pretty much, a word-for-word retelling of the 2018 Ari Aster film, Hereditary. Part 1 of Sherlock Halloween Stories

Though the brightest fell by BeMyGoldfish (M, 41,243 w., 7 Ch. || Celestial AU || Post THoB, Soulmates, Guardian Angels, Demons, Mystrade, Background Johnlock) – In his office, Mycroft (the Archangel) tries to recruit Greg (the ‘ex-angel’ mortal) on a celestial mission to save Sherlock from what he wants most. "This is some elaborate joke cooked up by your brother as revenge for me not asking him to help on the Islington Exsanguinations, isn't it? How did he get you in on it, Mycroft? Did he hide your trouser press? Or threaten to expose your secret ciggie habit to your mum? This isn't funny. It's weird and obscure, but it is not funny.”

Trapped by Gem_Gem & harrylee94 (M, 41,311 w., 3 Ch. || Demon John AU || Demon John, Mild Gore, POV Sherlock, Mild Homophobic Language, Kiss, Bonding) – During his most recent case, Sherlock finds himself in the hands of the very people he had been trying to pursue. This mistake lands him in a cell, already occupied by a strange man who calls himself John. But who is John? And why does he look so... hungry? Part 3 of the Bonded by Words Stories series

Murderous Imprint by MojoFlower (E, 52,634 w., 24 Ch. || Winglock || Organ Theft, Imprinting, First Kiss / Time, Whump, Torture, Blow Jobs, Frottage, Hand Jobs, Case Fic, Magical Realism) – Sherlock should be focusing on the series of brutal vivisections Lestrade has brought to him. Instead he's distracted by a most amazing and unexpected experimental opportunity from the basement apartment of 221C. Will he figure out the one in time to stop the other? And does he need help in order to do it? Part 1 of the Hatch series

Not English But Angels by orphan_account (E, 203,251 w., 15 Ch. || Twisted Canon, Slow Burn, First Kiss/Time, Minor Character Death) – A sort-of canon, sort-of AU fic in which I twist and supplement canon to weave it into a new story in which Sherlock and John come from different worlds and nothing is quite what it seems.

WORKS IN PROGRESS

The Posthumous Game by S_IRIS (E, 58,695+ w., 12/19 Ch. || WiP || Supernatural Elements AU || S4 Fix It, Crack, Humour, Fluff, Demonic Possession, Friends to Lovers, First Kiss/Time, Sherlock Whump, Hurt Comfort, Hallucinations) – A Season 4 fix-it fic where Jim Moriarty really is dead but comes back as a demon to haunt Sherlock. The only problem is Jim is a total newbie at demonic possession so he tries to make-do and ends up making Johnlock happen. Only, it doesn’t happen the way you’d think.

Hellfire by HarleysCompass (E, 66,660+ w., 19/? Ch. || WiP || Fallen Angel AU || Biblical References, BAMF John, Sexual Content, Fallen Angel John) – In 1880 Dr. John H. Watson dies on foreign soil. The next thing he knows he's wandering the planes of Heaven. After betraying God, John is cast out, employed by the devil, and protecting a sociopath of a human with a penchant for trouble and pissing off Angels.

#steph replies #johnlock fic recs #winglock fics #angels and demons #supernatural fics #magical realism fics #my fic recs #marked for later fics #wip fics

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tehrevving · 2 months

Note

What has been Vincent's thoughts on reader? Especially the latest date fiasco and his moody reveal turning into probably the best bj of his life

Holy crap this answer got so long and drops so much unrevealed lore lmao. Enjoy!

My general characterisation of Vincent with regards to sex is that he is very interested in giving, but not so much receiving. Most of his sexual experience was with women at 'Turk Academy', who gravitated towards him because he was great at eating out and didn't expect too much in return. Vincent is demi and bi in my fic, but has a preference for women (because they make more mess lmao), not sure if that's relevant but *shrug*.

Due to him being demi, most of his experience being casual and how Lucrecia used him (which I've hinted at a little bit). He doesn't see fingering/eating out/etc as things that are overly emotional or complicated. Especially in the 'modern' day, as he can just keep his clothes on during all of it.

Reader made a deliberate effort in the beginning to understand him and get closer to him, just as a friend of course, but I don't think it's too surprising that he 'latched on' to the first person to take an interest in actually getting to know him in a long time. I do wish I'd added an extra chapter near the beginning to make this a bit more clear lol, but oh well.

After Hojo's experiments on him, he doesn't think anyone could ever want him. He actually is that person covering the bathroom mirrors and showering in the dark lol. He interprets Reader initially showing sexual interest in him, not as her actually wanting him, but as her wanting him to pleasure her, which he has no problem with doing.

She tries to address this in chapter 9 (the one after the stargazing but before the eating out), and explicitly tells him that she wants more, but he's so in denial that while he says he'll try and be better, in his mind he doesn't believe her, and to cope with it reverts to trying to ignore all of it with sex. Which was basically his relationship with Lucrecia lol, everything is too complicated so we'll just fuck and ignore all of it.

Vincent caught feelings after the fight where he transforms and the conversation afterwards. He didn't realise that's what was happening at the time, and has been in extreme denial about it. A lot of his back and forth behaviour has been him trying to reconcile his feelings with his own self-doubt and just general trauma and issues, and that he generally didn't see sex as a big deal, until suddenly it is.

All of this then builds up to the point where he just can't handle it anymore. He hasn't tried getting off after all of the experimentation, and finds that he can't on his own. I might write this as an extra chapter one day, but I feel like he can't push himself over that metaphorical edge because of his self-loathing, hatred and fear of losing control over his own body.

When he asks her for help getting off that first time, he's actually asking for a lot of unspoken things. The fact that she doesn't shy away from him, is very enthusiastic, and works within his boundaries, is a huge deal. That interaction gives Vincent hope that all of this might work.

Which brings us to the Gold Saucer date. I love this chapter. It might not be super obvious, but almost every single interaction that the two of them have with the attractions and the other group members has narrative significance. (send me another ask and I'll do a whole analysis on that lol)

Vincent decides that he is going to use this time at the Gold Saucer as a test, to see if he thinks that he can make this work. Vincent has a lot of hangups about his body and that he's not normal. He has quite an old fashioned mentality about courting someone, dating etc (but not fucking lmao). And is very aware that he can't take her out to share a meal/drinks, or do a lot of general date things. He considers this to be a huge deal.

He starts off in a good mood but grows continually frustrated throughout the night as he is reminded of all of his perceived shortcomings, and the fact that none of them seem to bother her.

By the time the G-bike VR is finished, that frustration reaches its peak and Vincent is sort of minutes away from losing control and transforming. She tries to comfort him, but he realises that nothing she says to him will work. Like, she says it's not a big deal that he can't play VR, when that's not the problem, the problem is that he is so inhuman that even a computer is rejecting him. He tries to remove himself from the situation as fast as he can and storms off. At the beginning of the date, he had some hope that he wouldn't have to reject her, but at this point he is completely convinced that he is going to, even if he has to be forceful about it.

He just stews in his own anger and self-loathing, not noticing anything around him or how his emotions are actually physically affecting her. When she calls him out on it and he actually looks at her and sees that she is basically shaking and paralysed with fear (I think I played this down in the actual chapter, but in my first draft this shit was intense), he realises that he needs to control himself. The fact that she followed him and is still trying to help him even though he is making her feel like that dissipates a lot of his anger and just leaves him with the frustration.

He doesn't want to reveal too much about the experimentations that were done to him, and honestly I think he doesn't quite understand the implications of a lot of it either. So he tries to explain while glossing over a lot of it, which means he ends up talking about more of his general human sexual trauma instead lol.

He figured that she might not shy away from the monster arm. He had hoped that showing her that would just explain everything, but of course it doesn't. I think that Vincent's self-loathing means that he's not that good at predicting how other people will react. When he thinks through conversations in his head, he assumes everyone has a terrible opinion of him to start with. So, she catches him off guard when she talks about how she already knows he's a 'monster' and doesn't care.

He continually keeps throwing out these bullshit reasons, that ignore her feelings on the matter and she's sick of it. She realises that she needs to hold him the fuck down, make him shut up and realise that she doesn't care about his dumb excuses. But at the same time, she's also smart enough to realise that it'll just make it worse if she forces him. It's important that it's him that takes his clothes off, exposes himself, pulls her into position etc. I really like that scene and the buildup because it's clear that they're both trying to show and enforce consent while being angry and not talking about it.

As for the actual blowjob. Look, she sucked his soul out through his dick and he is now 100% ride-or-die committed. He has never had anyone treat his body with any actual care. Obviously the experiments were bad, but even before that, having had mostly one night stands and then of course Lucrecia. He hasn't ever had someone care for him like that before. The fact that Reader is showing that care for the first time on his ruined, experimented-on body, destroys him. The way that she checks in on him, reassures him, and has taken note of his own cues (The 'I'm here', is so fucking important), convinces him. All of those things are the actual, polar opposite to how Lucrecia treated him (and I do intend to write a prequel about that too lol)

I love their little sex affirmations. My fave part of the fic honestly. The way that they can bounce off each other, reassure each other and show understanding with a just a few words or hair pulls. I love it lol.

Anyway, Vincent starts acting a bit differently after the Gold Saucer date, and I am so excited to show you all. I am writing furiously, but these things can't be rushed lol.

#rev replies #rev rambles #vincent valentine #chaos theory #holy crap i wrote so much here #literally ask me stuff about my fics #and I'll respond with lore lol

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shiny-jr · 6 months

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RAAAAAAAAAAAAAAGH I literally cannot put into words how much I loved the latest Damnation au chapter- I was literally seconds away from putting my phone down to get back to work but as soon as I saw a glimpse of the fic, I just couldn't help but put everything on hold

I was really impressed with how you included Epel into the story in a way that just about correlated to Epel in canon (like how he was actively opposed to hit position in the castle). Like taking into consideration of the time period and the possible reasons why Epel would be relevant there in the first place despite not being in the original tale- SO WELL DONE!! Not to mention Vil going out of his way to find potential successors really emphasizes his hatred for Neige (poor guy😭) Also the way you write about Rook??? I knew he'd be creepy but gyat damn your writing only increased the feeling of it ten-fold. Especially in that scene after he climbed through the window and interrupted MC and Vil- Literally foaming at the mouth i was like 'holy crap this is it, we're gonna get exposed' cause aint no way Rook WOULDN'T know. Everything about him was unnerving yet so charming?? I really don't know how you do it but the way you just write them is just so accurate👏

As a Vil simp, every scene with him in it had be giggling and kicking my feet✨ I was pleasantly surprised with his advances towards the MC though- like hubba hubba... I ain't complaining though! The tension in those scenes were just *chefs kiss* Every moment with him just oozed authority and power, like I'd be on the edge of my metaphorical seat just waiting for the moment he calls out the MC

Like holy crap you really know how to set your scenes- like legit every time I Rook or Vil were in a scene, it genuinely felt tense. Also props to MC for looking out for #1 (themselves) even at the expense of ruining someone else

Anyway excuse my rambling lmao i'm definitely gonna be re-reading it again ^^

Sounds like another happy reader. And yes, Epel's part was difficult. Mainly because, well, Epel is based off the poisoned apple, so how is he supposed to play that role? In my mind, the poisoned apple is a tool used by the Evil Queen. So, what is similar to a tool? A person to manipulate, which is how I came up with the idea of heir. Combined with the fact that Vil obviously takes a shine to Epel, as he spends time meticulously perfecting his habits and mannerisms in-game. Which fit the scenario I was to use, of a King claiming an heir and drilling instructions and behaviors in their mind to manipulate.

Rook and Vil were easy to place into roles, due to who they're based off of. But it was difficult coming up with scenes for them, since the Huntsman and Evil Queen don't have a lot in the movies. Especially the Huntsman.

For Rook, I actually considered writing a scene were MC followed him as he scoped out the meadow or the moment when Rook was to escort Neige to the meadow, but ultimately I decided against that as it would overcomplicate the plot and give more time to Neige instead of Rook. I needed a way to properly portray Rook's watchfulness and the unease it spawns, which I figured should fit the setting. A carefully worded conversation knit of lies and unsaid threats and fears is much more effective when the reader is picturing hollowed stone halls of a palace instead of a colorful meadow. At least, that was my thought process there, which is why most interactions with Rook are in settings such as those.

And finally, Vil, who I decided to write a few more interesting scenes for purely because I know a good amount of my followers love that pretty man. There were multiple concepts and scrapped ideas I've already forgotten by now, different things that never made it to my keyboard, like a tense dinner scene and back-and-forth bickering. But some of those just didn't fit the feeling I wanted, or was out of character for either the MC or others.

Anyways, now I'm rambling. Sorry. I hope the second read was just as enjoyable as the first!

#shiny speaks #damnation twst au

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emmie-writes-stuff · 6 months

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So latest chapter was something

First off, can we just talk about how fucking AWESOME Kunigami was here???

Like holy shit!!!

I love that second image of him full on just shoving Shidou to the side, (plus Kaiser’s face- he’s trying to be relevant where he doesn’t belong)

I had no idea that I needed to see Charles interact with Raichi but this made me giggle

Fifteen year olds are brutal, what else can I say?

HIORI LETS GO

I really love that he’s going back to the video game analogies, it’s one of the things that had me really loving his character at the start and it’s something I like trying to write in when I’m working on Hiorin fics in my limited spare time

I didn’t expect him to have this little rivalry with Charles but it’s fun so I can’t complain

Plus the video game boss Charles is SO FUCKIN COOL

Rin deserves better in this game, I’m kinda sad that he’s taking a backseat rn because he’s one of my favourites

But I do love how annoyed he is with Charles-

The only one who seems to like the kid rn is Shidou, so it makes sense that Rin would be annoyed by him, given that he hates Shidou and Charles is like a mini version of him

I really hope we get “kill mode” Rin in this game, I wanna see him go absolutely wild (I kinda really don’t want Bastard to win this game, I think it’s high time Isagi’s plot armour runs out)

Ah shit, I’ve run out of images I can include on a post-

Imma have to do a part two in order to include the rest of my commentary but OMG THIS CHAPTER WAS SO HYPE

This game was a long time coming and I’m so glad that it’s living up to most of my expectations so far!!!

Part two of this ramble

#bllk #blue lock #bllk manga spoilers #bllk manga #shidou ryusei #hiori yo #isagi yoichi #charles chevalier #kunigami rensuke #raichi jingo #I’m so glad that Kunigami is starting to get his revenge on Shidou!!!#it’s just makin me so happy and hyped!!!#plus this sort of mini rivalry going on between Hiori and Charles #I didn’t expect it #but I’m so here for it #imma go absolutely nuts the next chapter that comes out #I’m takin more and more screenshots every time there’s a new chapter so maybe the next one will have to be three parts lmao #Emmie rambles about stuff

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verycharismaticdragon · 10 months

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Do you know why everyone and their mother keeps saying that Sheb Qingqiu's secluded cultivation lasts for a year or 3??? Last I checked, wasn't he only in the cave for several months??

...I haven't seen a fic use that timeframe in quite a while - am I the delusional one??

Having intensively cultivated for several months, he could freely control his spiritual energy and had risen one level above his original cultivation base.

... nope, still as I remembered from the official book, page 85 in my copy. Even my old Exiled Rebels translation puts it as, "several months." Last I checked, 12 (or 36) months is far too many to simply be considered "several", so what am I missing? It just- throws off the timeline so badly and greatly increases the amount of time poor Binghe is stuck in the woodshed, for what?

Okay, so the 3 years thing comes from the donghua, no need to look further. It's one of those things that directly go against canon but have stuck in people's minds, similar to 'the washerwoman was the one to pull baby Binghe out of the river' and 'Shen Qingqiu fainted dramatically several times early on in his transmigration'.

Then, I don't believe I have seen 1 year myself, but if I had to guess, it may come from the fact that Binghe is 14yo prior to SQQ entering seclusion and 15 once he leaves. That said, an entire year makes zero sense considering what we know of the timeline.

Which is where I confess that I tore out some hair over the length of SQQ's seclusion when constructing the timeline for Transmigrator Time Traveler, because for me 'several' months means 3 to 5, but given all the facts, SQQ's seclusion had to last somewhere between 6 and 10 instead. (I went with 9 in the end, for the fic, cause I've read that 9 is a significant number for spiritual practices cultivation is based on? the source was a little vague so i don't know how true that is, but I needed a number.)

Nevermind, to the aforementioned facts. MXTX confirmed the date of the first chapter publication - Sept.21 - to be the date of SQQ's transmigration. (Small note: I'll be using modern months, even though SV's world uses lunar calendar, because it's easier to gauge weather and stuff. For characters in the novel, they might see those as different months/seasons, but that doesn't really affect our purpose here.) Luo Binghe’s 15th birthday - which Shen Qingqiu missed in seclusion - is in winter ('coldest day' which I after some research came to hc as jan6, though that's not particularly relevant, because...) Demon invasion happened on a 'hot day' (SQQ mentions it in relation to how SHL is dressed) - which puts it in May at the earliest, August at the latest. So these are the 'borders' we are working with.

Now, to my actual calculations. We know SQQ spent some time on the Peak after transmigration, before the Skinner mission that led to him going to seclusion. So I'm gonna say that happened in October at the earliest, December if you stretch it (though I feel like his tatas would freeze off if the Skinner left him half-undressed in December...) - but definitely not later, cause Binghe’s birthday has to happen off-screen. So if we take the longest possible time frame, October to August, we get 10 months. The slimmest possible window - December to May - gives us 5 months, but between the aforementioned boob hypothermia issue and the fact that May is a bit of a stretch for the 'hot day', I think that 6 months is the shortest you can go.

Which, again, doesn't align with my understanding of what should be described as 'several' months, but what can you do... tbh, im not sure MXTX thought all that hard about the timeline, which is understandable as a writer - but as a fan, frustrating

So yeah - definitely less than a year (and absolutely not 3, donghua), though the math gets fuzzier after that.

#that said im pretty sure that donghua's 3 years is to save on Binghe models... he def has different ones pre and post seclusion #but im pretty sure that demon invasion and IAC binghes have at the very least the same head. not sure about if the clothes are a recolor too #still... feel like they couldve handled it more gracefully. like for example not mentioning the time frame at all 🙄#svsss #shen qingqiu #luo binghe #svsss meta

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acaplaya-musings · 1 month

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Geoff & Sanders Sides crossover fic thing

So basically this idea wouldn't leave my head until I got it written down, and also I partially blame FallingBlueRoses for this (affectionate).

Alright first of all, if you somehow found this through the Sanders Sides tag and you don't know who Geoff Castellucci is, go look him up on YouTube! Much more than just a pretty face ;). But you don't really have to know too much about Geoff to understand this fic - think of it as an Outsider POV fic, with a bit of a twist at the end. But also note that I haven't actually watched any Thomas Sanders videos since 2021 (it's just that Sanders Sides somehow continues to remain in my head rent-free and I can still hear all their voices clear as day), so their visual appearances are based off of what they all looked like back then (in case there have been any changes since - I really don't know).

To my followers and other Geoff fans who don't know Sanders Sides: this little fic basically explains all the relevant bits (except this is an AU where they're "real" of course) - you can learn along with Geoff!

This fic became a bit longer than planned but I still wanted to post this here rather than AO3.

Geoff yawned as he walked through the doors of Pattycake Studios. He was never really a fan of early wakeups, especially when it wasn’t even for a proper filming day, but he knew his latest video plan could benefit from some light rehearsal and blocking first, and for situations like this, it was easier to get things done when the studio was quieter. But he certainly wouldn’t say no to a bit of an energy boost first. Thank someone for the coffee machine…

Geoff made a beeline for Pattycake’s coffee-maker, while glancing down at the video notes he had typed out on his phone. It took him a couple moments to register the five men in his peripheral vision, sitting on the blue leather sofa in the breakroom. Must be filming a video here today, or doing prep work at least. Geoff knew Layne and Tony were often willing to hire out parts of the studio to anyone who needed such a space for filming, but he didn’t usually bother to keep up to date with such things, other than checking that certain sets would be available to use when desired. It wasn’t completely uncommon for Geoff to cross paths with different artists and performers in the studio, though, and often he would greet them with a smile and a nod, but currently, most of his brain was focused on obtaining coffee, and the remaining parts were thinking about his video plan. And so Geoff didn’t initially think much about the quiet whistle from the side of the room, until he happened to overhear what one of the men was saying.

“Hey! Hey Thomas! Look!” said one of the people on the couch.

There was a sigh, and then another voice – Thomas, presumably – spoke up. “What is it, Roman?” The voice had a similar timbre, brothers, perhaps.

The first one, “Roman”, spoke again, now sounding indignant. “Oh I’m sorry, have you somehow not noticed the definition of handsome that just walked into the room? I mean come on! The hair! The arms! The hair! Quite frankly I’m not sure what I feel more, love or envy!”

“Hey Thomas, why don’t you have arms like that? Ever thought about that?” asked a third voice, a little lower and with slightly more roughness to it than the first.

“Well I’m thinking about it now, obviously,” replied Thomas, sounding irked.

“Sorry, couldn’t help myself.”

Obviously the other men were talking about Geoff – there was nobody else in the room after all – but even now he still couldn’t fully understand how so many different people seemed to think of him as attractive. Furthermore, the first guy, (‘Roman’, was it?) who had spoken up had made no attempt to be quiet or subtle when talking, as if he thought Geoff wouldn’t be able to hear him, or he simply didn’t care. It’s too early in the morning for this…

Having reached the coffee-maker, Geoff finished reading through his notes, and then turned on the machine, while the conversation off to the side of the breakroom continued.

“Okay but just hear me out, Thomas,” said Roman. Geoff snuck a quick glance across the room, and identified Roman as the one wearing a Prince Charming-esque costume straight out of a Disney movie. Or a Pattycake Productions video, even. His white long-sleeve shirt was adorned with gold accents across the front, shoulders, and cuffs, and topped off with a red sash that ran from the top of the right shoulder down to the left hip. Roman continued. “All I’m saying is, that guy looks like he knows what he’s doing, like he’s been here multiple times before! He might even work here regularly!”

“Your point being?” asked Thomas, who sounded like he wasn’t entirely following.

“I’m saying that there could be multiple opportunities here for the taking! First you go up and say hi, make small talk, you could say you need help with your video, and you’re gonna have to come back here at least a couple more times before it’s done, so you exchange contact details, for purely Business Reasons of course, but then maybe-”

“I’m going to stop you right there,” cut in a different voice. It was stern, clear, and direct, almost like a schoolteacher. “During your flights of fancy and prolonged aesthetic appreciation of this man, did you take even a single moment to observe his hands?”

“His hands? Why would I- Oh, right. He’s got rings on.”

“Precisely – he’s married. And besides, who’s to say that he’s romantically attracted to other men anyway?”

Thomas sighed. “Yeah, you’re right, Logan, I know,” he said flatly.

Well, at least that got sorted out by itself. Geoff just had to wait a few more moments for his coffee to be ready, and then he could go get to work.

A fifth distinct voice spoke up, lighter and bubblier than the voices of the others. “Hey now, no need to let it get you down! After all, there’s no saying you can’t talk to him at all! You could go say hi, get to know him a little!”

“Nope, no way, nuh uh,” said the lower-voiced guy quickly and firmly. Geoff matched the voice to the one wearing a black hoodie covered in purple plaid patches. “Well, not right now at least,” he continued after a beat of silence. “Look, he’s here as early as we are, and he’s clearly busy with his own stuff, and probably the last thing he wants is to be distracted or held up by some random guy wanting a conversation.”

Geoff couldn’t help but feel a pang of sympathy for Thomas and the one in the hoodie. He recalled moments in his younger years, when he had had similar dialogues play out in his head, in regards to people he admired, or simply wanted to get to know better. And sure, he didn’t always have the biggest ‘social battery’, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be viewed as aloof and unapproachable. At least the coffee is finally ready.

He took a long drink of coffee, and relaxed his shoulders as he felt the hot, caffeinated beverage already begin to work its magic. Perhaps the video work could wait a little longer – after all, it was just basic courtesy to acknowledge these newcomers, wasn’t it?

Geoff took a step away from the coffee machine and towards the group of five, giving them a friendly smile. “It’s okay, I don’t bite,” he said. “Well, once I’ve had my morning coffee, anyway!”

Geoff wasn’t prepared for the shocked and surprised expressions on each of the men, as five pairs of eyes rapidly fixed upon him.

“Wait, you can hear us? And see us, too?” said Roman, gesturing to everyone else except the guy in the middle, who was currently shooting a half-panicked half-frustrated look in Roman’s direction.

Geoff raised an eyebrow. “Uh, yes? Am I not supposed to?” he replied, deeply confused.

The guy in the middle of the sofa chuckled nervously. “Oh just ignore him,” he said with a forced smile. This must be Thomas, based on the voice. “It’s like a… comedy bit, yeah, y’know, just a silly joke!”

“…Riiiiight,” said Geoff, having another drink of his coffee while side-eyeing the group. There was definitely something going on here – he just couldn’t fully put his finger on it yet.

The individual wearing a blue striped tie leaned his head over to Thomas. “I don’t think he fully believes us,” he said flatly.

“Yes, thank you Logan!” Thomas snapped, but there was more worry in his tone and demeanour than annoyance. He took a deep breath in, and looked back at Geoff. “I’m so sorry, we really didn’t mean to disturb you,” he said. “I’m sure you’ve got work to do, so we’ll leave you be and you can forget that any of this ever happened!”

Geoff took a final sip of coffee before setting the mug down. Perhaps video planning can wait a little longer. He folded his arms and took on a relaxed position, a smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. “Well, you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to, but there’s obviously a story here, and I must admit that now you’ve got me kinda curious!” he said. “And I’m in no real hurry to get started on my own stuff.”

Thomas glanced uncertainly at the men sitting either side of him. The one in the light blue polo shirt smiled encouragingly at him, but the other three looked uncertain. Thomas sighed. “Okay, but you have to promise not to tell anyone else-”

“-Not that anyone else will probably believe you,” said the one in the hoodie.

“…and promise not to freak out.”

Geoff gave a light-hearted scoff. “Please, I’ve been involved in a lot of crazy stuff over the years,” he said, thinking especially about some of the things Layne would come up with for video shoots. Geoff smiled, but paused when he saw Thomas’ expression. “I promise. Oh, and I’m Geoff, by the way.” He took another step towards the couch and held out his hand. Thomas stood up and shook it.

“I’m Thomas,” said Thomas, “and these-” he moved to stand next to Geoff. “-are, well, it might be better if I show you something first.” He then spoke to the other men still on the couch. “Okay guys, go back in please! I’ll call you all back shortly, probably.”

Geoff was about to ask Thomas what he meant by “show you something”, but then his gaze focused on the couch, and his eyes widened. Before his very eyes, the four other men had quite literally faded from view, going from solid, to translucent, to completely gone in just a few seconds, so that now it appeared that Geoff and Thomas were the only people in the room.

Thomas turned to Geoff. “Look, I know this is still probably gonna sound really crazy, but those were-, are literal representatives of different aspects of my personality – my “Sides”, I call them – and actually there’s a couple other Sides as well but those four are sorta the ‘main ones’, and I’m probably not doing great at explaining this because they’re usually only seen by others when they want to be seen by others! And we weren’t planning on you being able to see or hear them – not that I’m saying it's your ‘fault’ or anything, but…” Thomas trailed off helplessly.

A small bell of familiarity was ringing in the back of Geoff’s mind, but the rest of his brain was trying to process the whole ‘different aspects of one personality’ thing. “…Like Inside Out?” he asked, remembering the sequel he had watched at the cinema not too long ago.

Thomas brightened a little. “Yeah! Sorta!” he replied. “But a bit more complex than that, I guess you could say. I could introduce them properly if you’d like?”

“Please, go right ahead!”

“Alright, first of all, meet Roman.” Thomas lifted up his hand in the direction of the couch, and Roman faded back into view. “He represents my creativity, my imagination, and, well, he’s also my romantic side.”

Roman looked away, a reddish hue on his cheeks. “I’m sorry again about all that,” he said to Geoff, not meeting his eyes. “I honestly wouldn’t have acted that way if I knew you could hear me!”

Geoff smiled reassuringly at him. “It’s all good, no harm done,” he replied.

“Next up: Logan!” said Thomas, again lifting his hand. Logan, who wore thick, black square glasses, a black polo shirt, and a dark blue striped tie, faded back onto the couch just as Roman had, and nodded at Thomas in greeting. “Logan is my logical side,” Thomas explained, “he represents my knowledge, my rational thinking, my reasoning, that sort of thing.”

“Yes, and may I highlight the fact that I was the one who stopped Roman from taking things too far just before?” said Logan with more than a hint of smugness.

“Yes, well done,” Geoff replied. Roman folded his arms and made an indignant humph sound. “…but I can’t exactly stop people from fantasising, and it’s not Roman’s fault that I heard what was obviously meant to be a private conversation!” Roman brightened at that, and turned to Logan and poked his tongue out at him. Geoff laughed. Oh yes, I know this dynamic well.

Thomas then introduced another Side. “Now it’s Patton’s turn!” Patton wore glasses similar to Logan’s, though a little more rounded. His polo shirt was like Logan’s as well, but sky blue instead of black, and he had some sort of grey hoodie tied over his shoulders. “Patton represents my emotions, as well as my moral compass and inner child.” Patton beamed and waved happily at Geoff. Geoff waved back, and noticed the symbol on Patton’s polo shirt, which wasn’t a brand logo like Geoff had initially assumed. It was a small picture of a smiling heart with glasses on it. Geoff looked at Logan’s polo and was unsurprised to see a picture of similar form, but this one a brain wearing glasses.

“Let me guess,” said Geoff to Thomas, “Logan represents the brain, and Patton represents the heart?”

Logan smiled approvingly. “Very astute!” he said. Patton nodded eagerly and clapped his hands in delight.

“Well finally,” said Thomas, “meet Virgil!” Geoff was a little surprised when Virgil, instead of fading in gradually like the other three, instead simply popped into view in the blink of an eye. His hair was tinted with purple, his face was paler than the others, and he wore heavy black eyeshadow underneath his eyes. “Virgil represents my anxiety, but he’s also my self-preservation and my fight-or-flight response!” Virgil gave Geoff a nod and a two-fingered salute in greeting.

Geoff turned to Thomas. “So you said none of them can usually be seen out in the open except when they want to be? Is that right?” he asked.

Thomas shrugged. “Don’t ask me how it works, but basically, yeah,” he said. “I’m a YouTuber, and sometimes these guys get involved in some of my videos, and that’s when we can pass it off as it all being ‘me’ the whole time, y’know?”

The bell that had been ringing in Geoff’s brain grew louder. “Actually, I think I do know,” he replied, “and I think I might have an idea why I could see and hear your Sides? It might be totally unrelated, but…”

Thomas looked at him curiously. “Oh?

Geoff rubbed the back of his neck. “I guess you could kind of say I have something similar,” he said. “Not exactly a ‘different aspects of personality’ situation, but, well, I suppose I might as well show you?”

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This Geoff guy has Sides too? Okay, well, maybe not Sides exactly, but still, of all the explanations for Geoff being able to see and hear the Sides when he wasn’t supposed to, Thomas hadn’t considered this one.

Geoff took a couple steps away from Thomas and turned his back. “Alright you four! Your presence is required! Right now!” he said.

It was as if Geoff had been multiplied four additional times, but with slight variations each time – bigger muscles, or more stubble, or more grey hair; one even had glasses on. Thomas wasn’t quite sure whether this made things make sense or whether he was just now more confused, but either way, it seemed like he and Geoff did have something to talk about after all.

((I totally could have written more than this, and definitely have at least a couple ideas for interactions between Geoff's Clones and Thomas' Sides, but again, this turned out to be longer than expected, so I'm ending it here. No guarantees for a part 2! Idk! We'll see!))

#geoff castellucci #sanders sides #castellucci clones #jeff jeoph goff and daryl #acaplaya writings #Four Clones Aside

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niki-phoria · 2 years

Note

i would love to see a heeseung x m!reader fic that have an academic rivals to lovers trope when they're both fighting for the valedictorian spot and both realizes their feelings for each other🥰🥰

he's so AKNENSKLNS sir pls have mercy i beg of you

pairing: student!heeseung x student!male!reader (he/him pronouns) genre: fluff word count: 1.4k

warnings: mentions of internalized homophobia

includes: reader being bad at math (specifically calculus), heeseung being good at math (specifically calculus), pls notice how i tried to reference the beginning at the end of the fic lmao i hope the self insertness of this one isn't too obvious

got a ton of inspo from this prompt list by @urfriendlywriter !!

a/n: thank you for requesting !! i really like the rivals to lovers trope but this is mostly pining oops this idea is really cute :)) i hope you like it <33

requests open !! read my rules first

lee heeseung.

you’ve been competing with him for the acclaimed position as valedictorian since he first arrived at your high school with big brown doe eyes three years ago. despite never really interacting with him, an unspoken rivalry had formed between you over the years. his presence alone seemed to drive you into wanting to be better than him.

which is exactly why your current situation was less than ideal.

“i’m sorry, y/n,” mina sighs. she had been your seatmate for the past month. you almost envied her ability to master any subject without studying nearly as much as you did. “i don’t really understand it either.” you can barely hide your disappointment at yet another failed attempt to find a study partner for your upcoming calculus test. math was never your best subject. “maybe you can ask heeseung. i’ve heard he’s really good at it. and he does tutoring on the side!”

“yeah, maybe.” you glance over your shoulder at said boy. he’s sitting at his desk, flipping through a textbook as you wait for the bell to ring and officially release you from the class.

you glance down at the set of problems you need to learn before sighing once again. they’re too complex for you to learn in time for your final exam and you can’t risk losing top spot. not when you’re so close to graduation.

the shrill ring of the bell confirms your decision for you. you quickly shove the textbook into your bag before walking over to heeseung. “hey,” you say.

he startles, looking up at you with wide eyes. they mirror the nervousness you had first seen in him on the first day of school when he awkwardly stumbled through the various hallways in search of his classes. “hi.” his voice is sweet as he greets you.

“i’m really sorry to ask but i could use some help on the latest unit,” your hands anxiously play with your backpack straps. “mina said you tutor people on the side and i wasn’t sure who else to ask.”

“i’d love to help,” to your surprise, heeseung agrees immediately. he smiles at you as he stands up. “when are you free? we can meet up at a coffee shop or something.”

“i have some time tonight. i’ll meet you by the south doors?”

“sounds good. i’ll see you there.”

“great!” you watch as heeseung slips away into the crowd, making his way to his next class among the sea of students. you’re quick to follow his lead, clutching your bag a little tighter as you walk across the school to your own classroom - history.

after a short introduction, your teacher writes down a group of pages in your textbook to take notes from. as you scan through the various different paragraphs to search for any relevant information to write down your mind drifts.

your building anxiety about your math final is soon overtaken by heeseung. you’ve always found him handsome - ever since you first saw him when he was accidentally late to your science class because he had gotten lost in the school’s corridors. you had drowned yourself in your studies in a poor attempt to forget about him, soon replacing any concerns about making friends or potential romantic relationships with hours of meticulous notetaking and practice quizzes.

heeseung had gotten taller over the years you had spent in school together. he had grown his hair out from a blunt bowl cut. the strands framed his face perfectly; even when disheveled after a rough gym class or a long night of studying. his voice had gotten deeper, too. you had slowly watched his interests evolve in the form of rotating keychains hanging off of his backpack.

despite all of the changes you had noticed, some things remained the same. heeseung had kept the same friend group throughout the years - six other boys you often found yourself jealous of, though you were never fully sure why. he had taken choir and music theory every year. sometimes you passed by him playing basketball while you were walking home. during your brief interactions, he had remained the same quiet, kind, studious boy you shared a few classes with.

your thoughts are interrupted by the final ring of the bell. you make a mental note to finish taking your notes once you get home as you quickly shove your things into your backpack before making your way to the south entrance.

heeseung is already standing there by the time you arrive. he shoves his phone into his pocket, greeting you with another sweet smile. “ready to go?”

“yeah.” you walk side by side in silence as heeseung leads you to a small local coffee shop you hadn’t noticed before. vines crawl along the walls, creating a calming atmosphere as you sit down at a table in the corner. quiet ambient noise plays from unseen speakers.

heeseung slides a cup over to you before sitting down across from you. you take a small sip from it, pleasantly surprised at the taste. “it’s good,” you say. “thank you.”

“i’m glad,” he smiles, pulling his own textbook out of his bag. “so, which concept do you want to start with?”

you quickly find yourself falling into a routine with heeseung. every tuesday and thursday you meet him by the south entrance of school before walking to the same coffee shop and working through a new concept until you’ve mastered it.

over time, your meetings had become less about studying and slowly turned into time you spending time laughing and joking around with each other. you had memorized his coffee order after your second meeting. by the fourth you had moved to sit next to him.

you were increasingly aware of your upcoming math exam as the weeks went by. though you’re grateful for the help, a part of you was disappointed at potentially not seeing heeseung as much as you do currently. it had been nearly two months since you had first begun meeting up.

your hands accidentally brush against each other, causing a spark of electricity to pass through your body. in the corner of your eye you can see a growing flush spread across heeseung’s cheeks. his reaction makes you smile a little. maybe he also gets nervous around you.

“sorry,” he whispers.

you shake your head. “don’t be.”

heeseung turns to face you, staring until you turn to look at him as well. he doesn’t look away as you make eye contact. instead, he shifts slightly so he’s a little closer to you.

something about him makes you nervous. at some point during your meetings your pristine perfect student persona slipped away, exposing you. the real you -. a teenage boy desperate to be the best, even when your social life suffered and after you lost count of the countless amount of nights you had spent staying up far too late to study.

heeseung’s eyes just barely flicker from yours down to your lips. the flush on his ears deepens when you unconsciously lick them. he leans in a little closer; almost as if he’s testing the limits of your relationship. you don’t pull away. instead, you reciprocate heeseung’s actions, further minimizing the small space between you.

“heeseung,” you whisper.

his eyes shift back up to yours for a second. “y/n,” he raises a hand to cup your cheek. “can i kiss you?”

you don’t trust your mouth to say any of the words running through your mind. your feelings make sense now. the jealousy over heeseung’s friends, why you’re so nervous around him, the sparks when you touch him.

years of denial and repressed feelings are ignored as you refocus on heeseung’s lips. they’re tinted a light pink. you desperately want to know what it would feel like to love him. to be loved by him.

finally, you nod, letting your eyes flutter shut as heeseung slowly leans forwards to pull you into a sweet kiss. his lips feel soft as they gently press against your own. the small sparks of electricity you got from touching his hand are amplified. happiness courses through you. it’s a feeling stronger than you ever thought was possible before.

you’re nearly panting when he finally pulls away, staring at you with a small smile. you can’t help the way your lips quirk upwards into one of your own. “i love you,” he whispers.

your response comes in the form of another sweet kiss. you’re both smiling into it, though neither of you mind. suddenly it feels like everything makes sense. love.

you’re in love with lee heeseung.

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that-student-that-has-homework · 6 months

Note

Heyy, I’ve been reading your wonderful one piece works for a while — and I couldn’t stop wondering how are you actually doing those magnificent headers?

Like… hello? The great quality, with additional 3D-alike details I could catch by my eyes? I got only Ibis Paint X on mobile, since I’m only a young man that literally two months ago went on a life-time ‘adventure’ of living alone in a small apartment.

In short — I got no money to pay for additional graphics/drawing programs, not yet at least

Hello!

Thank you! I'm glad you enjoy my writing - I'm curious to know what's your favorite piece / part? Also I'm so happy you like my headers? Makes it feel worth it to spend time on them! :D

I have excellent news for you, I used a mix of Canva and Photopea. They're both FREE!

I'll be explaining the process for making these two kinda? The full tutorial is below the cut, to be courteous to the other folks, hope you don't mind?

Though I am hearing that Canva has given people some grief. But Photopea is just *chefs kiss*

If you've ever used photoshop, Photopea is essentially a free photoshop, and it even has the automation tools! An absolute lifesaver when you have multiple layers you want to export (but that's for larger projects not this)

I'm going to assume you have basic knowledge of layers in digital drawing programs for this. If anything isn't clear: ask me, I'll clarify!

//-------------------------------------------------

My General Process is:

Search for official art / images

bring it into canva / photopea

crop / arrange images to match the dimensions

select a thematic color that is associated with the character

separate the foreground from the background

mess around and test things until they work

//--------------------------------------------------

Given "Louder than Words" is the latest one I've made, I'll start with the process for it.

Dimensions: 3000 x 1055 px dpi: 96

//-------------------------------------------

Let's Get Crackin'

Alright let's grab some official art so we're not using any fanart without the artist's permission

I try to pick images that feel relevant enough to what I'm trying to make. For example: the image for the Matching banner shows the ASCE tattoo which is super important in that fic

2. Let's arrange them onto a banner where each individual image has the same/similar dimensions to the rest

That's probably part of why you like these. To a certain extent they have similar dimensions, so they have a uniformity that's pleasing to the eye! (It's not perfect because I threw perfectionism to the wind because this is tumblr not my portfolio) Tip: if you have 3 images and only 2 that have similar dimensions, and the 3rd one can't be cropped logically: but the one that's a different aspect ratio in the middle!

3. lets arrange them in such a way that the borders all feel like they're the same/equal width/thickness

you might find that you have to shrink some images for this, that's fine.

ALTERNATIVELY: if you're going with one image crop it so it's just the relevant info and it matches the dimensions (3000 x 1055 px)

We have our base! Now let's add some color, and direct the viewer's eye together!

4. pick out a color that you think matches your character / vibe - that color is going to be your background Given I'm making an Ace banner: orange is the color I'm going with

I went and named my layers for this lol. The numbers represent the opacity, and they aren't important. I just kept changing the opacity until I liked the way things looks. But here's the secret to the 3D feel:

Motionblur (+ moving it about)

Separating the foreground and background and dulling out the background.

I'm going to show you my process so you can see the effects, but first let's give you some quick skills:

//------------------------------------

SKILLS / THINGS I THINK ARE HELPFUL

//------- Select Similar

magic wand -> select something -> right-click -> select similar This works best when you have high contrast images (like manga panels that are black and white). You can select the black or the white areas. Depending on what works better for you. TIP! Invert selections with ctrl + i Say you know that you want to select everything but Ace's face in the second panel. Select his face with the magic wand then ctrl + i, and that's the only thing NOT selected

TIP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Please, please, please, duplicate your original image and work on the duplicate layer. This helps you SO much. !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! TIP! Check your selection tolerance! This could be why too little, or too much is being selected.

//------- The Move Tool

Shortcut key: v While the move tool is active, you can nudge the stuff on whatever layer with your arrow keys Shift + arrow key = 10 px move (generally)

//------- Layer Locking

1- Layer Blending Mode (see Overlay vs Multiply vs Normal) for how this can affect results) 2- Opacity: how see through it is / isn't 3- Lock Transparency (it's the little checker board) 4- Lock Layer (looks like a lock) 5- Lock icon that appears when anything on the layer has been locked More on 3 Lock Transparency: You can only paint on / modify what's on that layer. You CANNOT add anything to any area that is already transparent Here's a demo of what you can do with this power:

Here's the original Image - notice how it's just the lineart with a transparent background.

It's powerful: abuse it

//------- Overlay vs Multiply vs Normal

I think seeing this is the best way to visualize how different modes can affect the color.

//--------------------------------

Back to the Tutorial

!!I IMPORTANT NOTE !!

Please play around with the opacity slider to figure out what opacity works best for you on the multiple different layers we're about to make / work with. It's up to your own style to figure this out. Next: please feel free to not follow all of it. Add more layers, add less layers, take the base principles and go wild! :D

5. Separate the lineart from the background and save it as a new layer 6. Duplicate it and set it to overlay, or set it to overlay immediately

7. Duplicate that lineart layer twice and set the blending mode to overlay 8. lock transparency on the top one and change it to be a dark grey 9. Apply motion blur to both:

Main menu bar -> Filter -> Motion Blur I made it so that the grey layer was blurrier than the black layer

10. More them around a little to give it a "3D effect" as you called it.

It creates shadows under the lines - I was aiming for an effect similar to chromatic aberration (chromatic aberration is a valid way to add punch to your stuff too!)

So this is what things look like now - painful, but let's keep going

11. Duplicate the ORIGINAL / BASE lineart layer, that you DID not apply motion blur to -> set the blend mode to multiply (reduce opacity for it to actually take effect)

okay that's less painful here's what the layers look like right now:

let's bring more focus to Ace's face, and push the background farther away:

12. Use the magic wand tool to quickly select large areas of the faces / focal area / foreground and the lasso tool to refine things

TIP! Hold shift + click -> add to selection Hold Alt + click -> subtract from selection

13. On a new layer with blending mode -> lighten, fill that selection to be white

If you look at it, you'll notice that it is ALREADY starting to draw our attention to his face, but the background is kinda aggressive, so let's dim that down

TIP! Right-click on the gradient tool to find the paint-bucket tool

TIP! Sample All Layers: Turning this option off makes it so that you only work with the content on THAT specific layer. Turning it on makes it so that it is working while taking all other layers into consideration.

14. ctrl + click on the "white foreground" layer to select the contents of that specific layer (pink thing is your mouse)

15. ctrl + i to invert selection and ON A NEW LAYER (layer mode -> multiply) fill that with a complementary color

16. I did one last thing where I took the original base (before we separated the lineart) and added it to the very top and played with the opacity to get something less in your face (layer blend mode was set to NORMAL)

And that's it!

More considerations that I take:

I want the banner to be "thin" or not square, so it doesn't take up too much screen real estate on people's devices

I don't want readers having to scroll too much to get to my writing (which is the whole point of the post, let's not waste their time making them look for things)

I want the banner content to be relevant enough?

ie: with Matching: I wanted the ASCE tattoo to be visible. With matching I wanted Ace to not look too happy in some of them.

I'm also trying to avoid spoilers, I hated getting things spoiled, so I'm trying to be careful that the images I pick don't spoil anything really.

Congrats on starting life on your own! I did that whole living by myself thing too! Tip: keep the pantry stocked with lentils, beans, pastas, baking essentials, rice. They really come in a clutch when you're hungry.

#photopea resources #photopea psd #tutorial #tutorials #tumblr banner #photoshop #photoshop tutorial #digital art #fuck adobe #adobe photoshop

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kc5rings · 1 year

Note

If you're doing the sticker prompts I rolled 1 for Nian

I more intended it as a game for folks who want a prompt for themselves for art or fic, but luck is on your side because I happened to be thinking about Nian already this morning after seeing some metal gear that made me insane

(Not taking any other prompts at the moment but the game is here if anyone wants to use it for themselves)

Under the cut: Chastity, heat reference, improper use of medical equipment, improper definitions of medical equipment, Nian Gets Trolled.png

“I should have figured when Hibiscus messaged me to come drag you out of medical that it would be something ridiculous like this.”

Nian crossed her arms, grinning and unrepentant, as ever immune to Lava’s scathing reprimands.

“All I’m saying, is you’d think an open minded medical facility like Rhodes Island would be a little more receptive to a holistic, non medication approach to a very common medical concern for many of its op-“

Lava cut into Nian’s speech before she wound herself up into full pitch mode, leaning heavily on her cane with one hand while gesturing vaguely at what Nian was wearing.

“Is that what we’re calling….. all this then?”

Far from being deterred Nian’s grin only widened as she did a little turn to make sure Lava got a good look, which she happily did, taking a moment to appreciate forge hewn muscle before sighing and taking in Nian’s “outfit”

Her regular clothing had been discarded the moment Lava had shut the door to her quarters, Nian having been in a hurry to show off her latest project. Across her chest was a tight band of steel, with a cup covering the entirety of each breast. Continuing down from there revealed a steel waist corset cinched reasonably tight, though Lava couldn’t begin to imagine how that was accomplished with metal.

Finally, there was the belt.

Just a bit below the edge of the corset sat the waist band of what could only be described as what it was, a chastity belt. Perfectly shaped to fit the lines of Nian’s body, with a ring in the waistband to settle at the thick base of Nian’s tail, a sturdy, contoured, front shield and capped off by a pair of wide metal bands on her thighs. As with the rest of the ensemble it was all secured with ornate locks and polished to a near mirror shine.

Lava pinched the bridge of her nose

“Nian, this is obviously fetishwe-“

“Medical aids, Lil Lava, please”

“Not calling it that.”

Despite her curt tone Lava knew this was a losing battle, once Nian had a concept she wanted to talk about she refused to let it go until someone heard her out and that someone was usually Lava

“Fine. I’ll bite.”

“Promise?”

“Just make your pitch Nian. How is any of this possibly medical?”

Lava could swear she saw a literal flame in Nian’s eye for a moment before Nian gave her an overly dramatic bow, setting the many locks adorning her accessories jingling

“It’d be my pleasure. Ya see I’ve done my research and found that a sizable number of Terran species experience heat, now heat is the common term for-“

“I know what heat is Nian, you know I do.”

“Fine, fine, I’ll skip ahead.”

Nian made a placating gesture and rolled on with her pitch, pointing to each relevant piece of gear as she went

“The cups on the top prevent contact with sensitive nipples even during rigorous activity or while laden with equipment, the front shield prevents contact that might worsen symptoms and splits at the back for comfort, the bands on the thighs and tail help keep everything in place and secure. Obviously it’s all padded, every measure had been taken to ensure both comfort and hygiene during long term wear while-“

“And the corset? What “medical” benefit is that providing”

Nian flashed her teeth again, despite her protests Lava was an excellent “yes and” partner when she felt like it, and now Nian had gotten her to play.

“Well you see.” Nian drew herself up to her full height, head and shoulders over Lava to the point she almost loomed.

“They are great for your posture.”

Lava rolled her eyes, sure that Nian was familiar enough with the movement that she’d recognize it even with Lava wearing her visor

“Right. Well putting aside the frankly astounding number of ethical problems with all of that, it still wouldn’t work here at Rhodes.”

Nian tilted her head, curious.

“Oh? And why’s that?”

It was Lava’s turn to grin, she knew she was playing Nian’s game now, no helping that. But they’d been at this for years and Lava had gotten very good at playing.

“Haven’t you ever seen the combat logs of some of our operators once they get riled up in a fight? That pretty belt of yours wouldn’t last a second against someone like operator Horn in heat, no chance in hell”

“Lil Lava you wound me! In my pride as an artisan no less.” Using her tail Nian fished something out of her pile of discarded clothes and with a flick, sent something through the air at Lava. “Catch.”

Lava snatched the object with one hand before taking a moment to look it over. “Key” would be an accurate description but a very reductive one, the body of the key was cylindrical, with the teeth numbering in the dozens all around its circumference. Stranger though, was the fact that as Lava stared at the key it’s teeth became less defined and fuzzy, seeming to almost move.

“Give me fifty years and I *might* be able to produce that same exact key from memory, anybody who’s not me though? No chance.” Only Nian could make admitting she couldn’t do something in less than fifty years sound like a boast. “And that’s not all.”

Nian lifted one clawed finger up for Lava to see, the tip glowing forge hot after a moments concentration, and reached down to drag it up the front shield of the belt. Lava winced at the terrible screech and sparks the contact made, but when Nian finished her little display the belt hadn’t even lost its shine. “I built this piece as sturdy as I can make something, trust me when I say that without that exact key it’s not going anywhere.”

“….. Ok I’ll admit it, that’s pretty impressive.” Lava had seen Nian shape ingots by hand and shear chunks off of them with those same claws, that belt really was something else.

Lava pocketed the key.

From the same pocket she’d stored the key in Lava produced a small injection gun, with casual ease she reached out and pressed it against the exposed skin of Nian’s hip, right in the gap between the bottom of the corset and the top of the belt and pulled the trigger.

Nian, for her part, made no move to stop Lava and barely reacted to the injection. Lava had the basic medical training afforded to all higher level Rhodes Island operators and had long since become adept in administering her own meds so Nian hardly felt a thing.

Aside from a sudden burning curiosity.

“What was-“

“Highly concentrated heat inducer.” Lava let the now empty injector clatter onto a nearby table. “Gavial slipped it to me when I was coming to get you, mentioned something about how she owed you a prize after handing her a string of losses and that because you never had a proper physical she had to take a “Gavial Guess” at the dosage.”

Lava took advantage of a rare moment of stunned Nian silence to close the gap between them. “You’re so sure this stuff is a good answer to heat? Fine, but you’re doing the testing. Be sure to record your findings while I’m gone.”

Lava allowed herself a smile only after turning away from Nian’s dumbfounded expression, trying to process what had just happened. Only the last word of “gone” snapped her out of it. “Wait, what do mean by “gone” Lil Lava?”

Lava tossed a hand up in farewell as she headed out the door. “Oh didn’t I mention? I’m leading an away mission of new recruits later today, shouldn’t be gone more than three weeks, probably.”

With that, Lava turned down the hallway, the staccato rhythm of her cane on metal flooring slowly growing distant. Leaving Nian reeling.

“Ok Lil Lava I get it, you got me fair and square this time, you can come back now!” The only answer Nian received was a sudden involuntary muscle clench, a spike in temperature and sweat slowly beading on her brow.

“L-Lava?!”

#arknights #nsft #once again I can’t keep things short to save my life #my writing #Nian and Lava’s dynamic is so fun to me #I’m firmly in the Domme leaning switch Lava camp #Nian is an immortal brat #all this because I saw some gear and thought of Nian this morning #also Lava has her cane because I feel like it gets forgotten a lot #and there needs to be more disabled dommes in things

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