#this is so entertaining LMAO i remember physically writing this down on a long thing of paper

[lokh]

yall i just found a star trek!ygo fic outline. i KNOW im not gonna write it. should i post it somewhere

[queenpiranhadon]

A/N: The chokehold this man has on me…sorry ik I haven’t been writing in a hot minute so bear with me 😭😭 I’ll resume writing some Katsuki fics too but I’m in a slump so send me requests I beg 🙏🙏Here's the masterlist!

Warning(s): f!reader, no curses au, Satoru and Suguru are basketball players, reader has a really crappy boyfriend, Satoru kinda kisses you without consent on a big screen but it’s okay because it’s cute lmao, this is seriously Wattpad Y/N coded but shush lemme fantasize, cursing, Satoru calls you pretty girl, ooc Satoru?, I know next to nothing about basketball

Pairing(s): Gojo Satoru x Reader

•─────•°•❀•°•──── ᴋɪꜱꜱ ᴄᴀᴍ ────•°•☁︎•°•────•

Can’t stop thinking about those kiss cam fails that expose a shitty boyfriend and it got me thinking..

Now, I have no idea if they do kiss cams at basketball games, but for the plot, let’s say they do.

It’s halftime- the players are resting before they continue on in the third quarter and thus for the span of the next fifteen minutes, the gigantic screen was showing funny prompts comparing audience members to popular characters and media personalities- going so far as to show Iori Utahime, manager of the Kyoko team as Kanae Kocho from the popular show Demon Slayer.

You thought it was amusing- the halftime entertainment on the jumbotron was most likely your favorite part about the game- considering you had come here with your boyfriend for a date. 

It wasn’t that you didn’t understand the game itself, basketball had very simple rules that you could follow and you found yourself very invested in the game…but so was your boyfriend. 

A little too invested, to be honest. He was always aggressive when it came to sports, you remember watching the World Cup at his house with some friends and he ended up physically breaking the TV once the team he was rooting for lost. You knew his anger issues were well…an issue, but you looked past it- he treated you decently and you weren’t entirely unhappy, so everything was fine.

Recently however, the both of you started to drift apart, and in fear of losing the man you had been dating since high school, you finally bought him tickets to the Tokyo vs Kyoto game. 

And well that was your first mistake. You were developing a migraine by the end of the first quarter, your boyfriend’s incessant screaming making you sink into your seat in embarrassment.

By now, the Jumbotron had moved into a different prospect- a kiss cam.

You felt your heart warm as an elderly couple kissed sweetly on camera- a testament to their long lasting love, only for the feeling to end once one of the cameras trained their focus on you and your boyfriend.

You couldn’t help the goofy grin that stretched across your face as you nudged your boyfriend, but the man in question was too engrossed in his phone call to notice his own face on the giant screen for all to see. Your smile died down a little as he waved you off for the third time now, and the camera decided to not embarrass you further by choosing a new target- hilariously a pair of siblings who understandably looked repulsed at the thought of complying.

To your dismay, not all of the cameramen that weaved their way through the masses took the hint, and another one circulating the stands puts you and your boyfriend on the screen again.

You managed a weak smile for the camera trained on you as you nudged him again, only for the asshole to wave you off yet again with a pissed off look on his face.

The audience pitied you, seeing your boyfriend disregard you completely - however, they weren’t the only ones who noticed.

“That bastard is a shitty asshole, eh Satoru?”

“Asshole is sugarcoating.” the snowy haired male mutters, wiping his forehead with the damp towel Shoko gave him. “ Tch. Look at how he’s treating her. Pretty little thing doesn’t deserve this.”

Suguru blinks. “Damn dude didn’t think you’d get so worked up about it.”

Satoru watches as you helplessly try to get your boyfriend to at least look up to no avail, annoyance bubbling inside him along with second hand frustration as he can physically see your heart break through your eyes.

Why was the cameraman still recording?!

Satoru always has good eyes- maybe that’s why you stood out to him so much, even before the kiss cam flashed your pretty face across the entire court. Your boyfriend was wearing a Kyoto jersey, and yet… your eyes were on him, intently watching the game with such a fervor that one would think you were playing the game yourself. All of his fans were obsessive, he knew that- most of the stadium comprised of his fans alone- thought that was probably because of his looks. However, you seemed to be interested in him for his skills,  instead of his looks, years of hard work and patience finally being recognized.

It was…refreshing.

And yet seeing that heartbroken expression on your face was like a dry desert wind, scratchy and arid, sweeping away the energizing feeling that came from you.

It wasn’t like him to get so worked up about a fan of all things…and yet, he couldn’t yet it. There was just something so captivating about you.

Before he realized what he was doing,  he got up and started walking towards you rapidly, ignoring the yells from Suguru, Shoko, and Coach Masamichii.

His long legs allowed him to make his way to your row quickly, and thankfully you were on the end, easier for him to reach.

You looked at him in shock, eyes wide and lips parted in surprise, just before he swoops in and presses his lips against yours.

“Wha- what are y- mmph!”

Your boyfriend stares at the both of you, aghast, his face turning bright red in anger but Satoru doesn’t care.

Neither does the audience, the stadium erupting and whoops and cheers and you’re saved by none other than the star player of the Toyko team, Satoru Gojo - both of your faces loud and clear on the Jumbotron.

Your brain isn’t able to process anything, starstruck and grateful and flustered and pissed at your boyfriend and…happy.

Satoru kissed you lovingly- which you thought was impossible considering the two of you had just met, but it was happening.

He tasted like candy, you think, kissing him back timidly - because this was wrong, you knew that, but why did it feel so right? His large palm snakes around to the back of your neck, slowly running his long fingers through your hair, before parting, your faces only millimeters away from each other.

You’re both left breathless, but not for long because Satoru regained his composure, squeezing your shoulder before swiftly grabbing the bucket on popcorn your boyfriend (soon to be ex) and dumping it on his head.

The audience roars in approval and you wanted to snort at the star basketball player’s childishness, before you remembered that the white haired man in front of you was a star basketball player.

You just kissed a star basketball player. On a Jumbotron.

Satoru turns back to you with a cheeky grin and you gape at him, awestruck.

He coos at your expression and takes your hand in his. “How about you join me up front, hm pretty girl? I’m sure you’ll have a way better view from down there.” He winks and you feel all the blood rush to your face.

“I uh…o-okay…” you manage to squeak out, letting Satoru lead you down to the benches where the rest of his team was.

Did…did that just happen?

[alexthesillybilly]

What if springtrap x reader but I write it from springtraps POV idk I wanna study him this is rlly similar to another thing I wrote btw if it feels familiar :P idk why but I love writing this exact scene lmao

God, how long has it been? Months? Years? Decades? How was I supposed to know? I haven't spoken to anyone since I was left in here, and I probably never will again. I'm still trying to figure out what to do to pass the time. At first my methods were a little more about escaping, but clawing at the walls and slamming my self against the door was both very painful, and was also not doing anything for me, so I stopped doing those pretty quickly. Then I remembered there were arcade machines in this room! But then I remembered that this is the parts and service room and they were out of order. And very unplayable. But that didn't stop me, I ended up disassembling and putting them back together a few times.

That got boring, too.

Now I'm not really sure what to do. I spend a lot of my time either fidgeting with loose wires or pacing around like some kind of scared animal. After I stopped having the indescribable dread of realizing I was trapped here, it changed to craving something. Anything, really. Whether it was hearing music from outside, seeing a color other than pitch black, feeling anything other than the freezing cold tile floor and my own pain.

I think I mostly craved company, though.

I was never into psychology, but speaking from experience, I'm pretty sure that completely depriving a human of any communication or entertainment for years (decades??) will fuck someone up.

There's some sort of noise around the door. It's happened a few times, usually someone who broke in trying to get into the room before discovering it's boarded up. I don't know who boarded up this room, but I'd like to have a talk with them. Only a little murder included. So I don't get my hopes up too much. They're not going to get in.

So maybe I get a little excited when for the first time, I actually DO hear the door crack open and light pour in.

Holy shit, it's happening.

I can finally get out of here.

I felt nearly manic at the sight. So imagine my thoughts when someone walked in.

I freeze. What do I do?

There is so much I want to say.

Can I even talk?

I don't know anymore.

Who is this?

I try to look at them without moving. Nobody I recognize. That's probably a good thing.

If I move, I might scare them.

On one hand, then I'd be able to leave.

But on the other hand, I need to talk to someone, ANYONE, so bad that I can't let then leave already.

So I stay still while they approach.

They must not be deterred by the sight of me, surprisingly, because they crouch down beside me like I'm not... like this.

"What the hell are you?" They laugh under their breath. Wow, okay. First words spoken to me in this long. I deserve that, though.

I need to talk so bad but how am I supposed to talk to anyone now? I don't even remember how it works, let alone if I physically could. I pray they'll ask a yes-or-no question soon.

They stand back up.

No. No, no, no, not already. They can't leave. I have to risk it.

I try my best to tell them not to go. It comes out as more of a noise you'd make on your deathbed, but it's enough to get them to stop in their tracks.

"No. Nope, I am NOT being your horror movie protagonist who dies first, nope. Not today." They turn to run out the door. This time I'm prepared. Kind of.

"No-" I manage to choke out before realizing how much it hurts to speak, and very pathetically falling against the wall in pain. I have to get the message through, though. "Don't go."

"Hooly shit." The person stares at me in horror. "I have so many questions."

Talking hurts so bad, but nothing hurts worse than my indescribable loneliness, so I'll just have to deal with that later. I have to say something.

"Me too."

[technodromes]

004. Do they prefer being alone or with others? 007. Is your character an optimist or a pessimist? [[ all three blorbs! ]] @countlessrealities | meme | accepting

004 // Subprime likes to command others around, make himself appear important, or just be a general pain to others. He can't do any of that when he's alone, so he does prefer some company. However, he can't stand company that isn't impressed by his antics and instead gives him a hard time. He has enough confidence to just swallow or shrug off blows directed at him and get back to his business after a failure. But when he knows he doesn't have the upper hand in a verbal or physical exchange of blows from the beginning, he'll get visibly more annoyed and aggressive for sure. That's where his bravery ends and his pettiness kicks in. When he can, he will start avoiding the ones that make him look bad in any way or shape and mind his own business instead.

007// Honestly Idk why this question makes me struggle as much as it does, but my brain seems to passionately hate making a clean pick between either optimist or pessimist for whatever reason. I was bashing my head in about that question already on Leck Idk why it's giving me such a headache every time. Really I think Subprime is neither? He's a narcissist. He's fairly optimistic as far as it serves himself and his goals but doesn't mind shitting on other's parades 24/7.

004 // Not unlike Subprime, Krang likes surrounding himself with people he can boss around as he pleases to boost his own vain ego. The big difference is, Krang has spent a long time with Shredder, who holds his own against his petty little antics and constantly knocks him down a peg or two again. And Krang learned to appreciate and like Shredder nonetheless. This is why Krang ultimately doesn't mind the company of strong-minded people and actually tolerates them around. So at the end of the day, he prefers company over solitude. Being alone with only his own thoughts is likely to depress him after a while and he finds strong-minded people quite more entertaining to really talk with over spineless ones.

007// *eye-twitch* Saby.exe stopped working here, quite literally. If I don't forget about it, I will make a post about optimism/pessimism and my muses some other time. I think I need to give this just... more thought? Right now I'm too bleeping tired and I wanna post this reply tonight anyway instead of drafting it. Maybe I also just wreck my brain too much about this and have to go with my gut but Idk man my gut is already asleep lmao

004 // Despite being so nice and caring towards others, Bishop ironically prefers solitude over company in quiet hours. He rather keeps an eye on things from a distance and only interferes when he's really needed. He does learn to become more social as time goes on tho, but he's still awkward about it when there's no job or task to be done to focus on. That level of awkwardness goes up a lot more when he's separated from his Norman suit. He's feeling more vulnerable and even a little shy without it when he's in the presence of humans or other beings.

007// I was going to write 'Ohh I can say for sure here that Bishop is an optimist' but then I remembered him breaking the news about the Triceratons to the Turtles, and well... I say he's mostly and foremost a realist. He won't sugarcoat a dire situation, but he won't just give up hope either as long as there are options left. Why is that question not letting us pick 'Realist' as a third option? That's a thing too, man.

[scolopendress-tag]

I said I'd make a post detailing my kid Asra working for Lucio theory in this post so here it is! 

So Let's get STARDED.

So! To start off, how it began. We do know when Asra and Muriel were kids, Lucio came to them each seperately with a deal.

Essentially: work for me, or I'll hurt your friend.

This was the sentiment he repeated for both of them. So, not wanting the other to be harmed, they both agree - unaware of the other's deal.

For Muriel, it was playing heel/excecutioner at the coleseium. For Asra, it was doing... Well, we never know, aside from he worked under Lucio. But that's what we are here to discuss in any case.

Continued under the read more, for the sake of people's dashes.

Now presumably, if I got my timeline right, Asra at this time would've been around 12 or 13. We don't know much about how Asra was when he was younger, other than that he has certainly changed.

It's also worth noting that it's not amiss to say they were both also still homeless at the time, and the hut hadn't come into the play until after.

Asra was still living on the streets.

This all isn't overly important for any of my claims later, but perhaps someone else could make something of it. It does provide us with some framing for the situation as a whole, though.

Now onto Asra's time under Lucio. I don't know that we have any indication of how long it was, but presumably at least a year if not more.

We do also know that Lucio knew who Asra was. Both in that he knew Aisha and Salim had a kid, and that he knew Asra was said kid.

This is bring this up because we know Aisha and Salim were incredibly talented, and likely incredibly powerful. Lucio wouldn't settle for any run of the mill magician or alchemist for the work he needed. So he must've had some idea that Asra may take after that power as well.

To top it off, he also interacted and talked with the dock kids he also used, (two of which would actually later become palace guards,) and seeing as this is seemingly how he learned of Muriel, it's not off to think that this is also how he heard of Asra again to start. The kids knew of Asra's magic, and roughly where he was, and could've even continued talking about both Muriel and Asra to Lucio for unknown amounts of time.

So now Lucio knows that the kid of his two powerful practitioners of magic is not only still around, but taking after them as well.

If Muriel's intimidating size and physical power are what drew Lucio to him, why wouldn't Asra's considerable metaphysical power and talents draw Lucio in as well?

We know how much Lucio loves power, and that he has an interest in magic because of it, as mentioned in the main story. (no ss sorry... If you have one send so I can add. )

Plus, homeless kid in a vulnerable spot. Easy pickings.

That's what I think this whole thing was about, really. It's all power. Though Asra likely didn't have the full scope of power he does in the current game, he was probably still considerably talented, and was only getting better.

What Lucio specifically probably wanted from Asra then was either to be taught how to use that power, to use Asra for things that required it, and/or use his power for entertainment akin to how he used Muriel.

I think out of these however, using him for his power was most likely. Why? (And teaching him now, more on that further down)

(Sorry for bad quality lmao it's a small image. Also thanks to @8-bit-space for showing these to me like months ago. As you can see I can't stop thinking abt it)

These are screenshots from the old prologue. While they're not canon any more, there's reason to believe they still hold merit as to how Lucio feels about Asra.

Two things to me are major here. First is the "powerful potent magic," and how it's the "real deal," equating to a large part of how he views Asra yet again tying back to a heavy interest in his power. Now, you could argue this relates to using his powers in the palace during the plague, but the second point stands out even more to me.

"The one who broke him for me?"

What this implies to me is that Lucio could never quite get all the way through to Asra or control him when he was younger, and he's been dying to do so. He wanted Asra broken, presumably so that he'll become essentially a tool for him to use for his skill and not put up a fight- something Asra likely did as a child.

Because it seems that Lucio for the most part relied on control through fear when it came to Asra, threatening to hurt Muriel, lying to him about how he executed his parents, likely other things as well. But things seem to point to that never quite working like he had hoped.

This could allude to this as well. Though "impossible" is something Asra's been called a few times, namely also by Julian, there's no reason to assume Lucio wasn't also including his work with him as a kid in "always". Impossible to hate could be his draw to Asra for his power, his talent, his skills, the prospect of which I'm sure Lucio found practically mouthwatering. Impossible to love could be his stubbornness or reluctance to do what Lucio wants, always pushing against him or being hard to deal with, both as a kid and during the plague.

And lines like this, where he calls him a coward. I find it hard to relate this to the plague ritual as he was for the most part willingly helping with that, so it could be resenment for when Asra eventually ran off as a kid, unwilling to put up with him any longer, or his reluctance to do certain things for him then in general.

We know, and it has even been mentioned by a character within the canon, that Asra can be incredibly stubborn, to back that up. Plus, he could've been even harder to work with then both being a kid and as I mentioned earlier he has changed from how he was then, so he could've had more spunk to him or such.

This also easily means that what Lucio was trying to get Asra to do then was something Asra was quite obviously opposed to. Being used for his power is already degrading enough, but there could be more to it.

You'll notice in the post that was linked at the top (the reason I'm writing this) I mentioned pushing Asra to his physical limits and magical extremes. This could be one of the reasons for a push back.

If Lucio was having Asra do things for him involving magic, it's not out of pocket to assume he'd practically run him into the ground- I'm sure he really wouldve loved testing the limits of what Asra could REALLY do.

Wether it be huge expendure of power all at once, or tons of smaller things one after the other, it would absolutely take it's toll. We are shown a few times that using magic can exhaust someone, and I don't remember if this is shown in canon ever (tell me if so!) but pushing it even further could definitely lead to other things such as passing out, (Or nosebleeds, for the aesthetic,) alongside likely being incredibly painful and draining, both mentally and physically.

Basically, abusing his powers and the body that commanded them. It's also possible that the stubborness to work with Lucio could also be partially percieved because of this- Lucio taking Asra's literal physical inability to continue as defiance.

Another reason for push back from Asra would be making him do morally compromising things. This is a little more vague, but intimidation is a common headcanon I see for what Lucio made Asra do, and that could tie in here. Other things could be meddling in things and business he shouldn't, but again, it's a vague thing. Make of it what you will. Fucked up stuff all around.

[EDIT - TEACHING LUCIO]

(THANK YOU @tea-tye for showing me these, and credits to @hangedman-magician for the video they came from!!!!!!!)

...I cannot BELIEVE I forgot this, I KNEW I was missing something. Especially when I was fairly certain I remember Lucio being obsessed with the idea of magic. SO, MOVING ON,

There's not terribly much to pick apart here as it's rather direct- Asra saying he has in fact tried to teach Lucio magic. So in my eyes this solidifies that this was a component of Asra's time under Lucio. I still think my points about Lucio treatment (pushing Asra to his limits) stand, as well.

This can also tie in the stubborness mentioned as, well, can you imagine teaching Lucio? Asra backs this up by saying nothing he has ever said stuck with Lucio, and you know how Lucio gets when things don't go his way. He would've blamed his inability to learn on Asra, likely.

Looking to other quotes mentioned: the 'broke him' line still rings to me like he was trying to use Asra in other ways, and the 'coward' line could go either way from refusing to teach Lucio certain things, or refusing to do certain things for Lucio when he was merely being used. The "impossible" line could also go for others, as trying to teach someone like Lucio would've undoubtedly caused some head butting.

This is certainly really exciting and interesting to me as it gives a more complete picture on the exact situation at hand here. I still stay by my reasoning for Lucio simply using Asra as well on top of being taught because it seems highly likely that Lucio would've been too impatient to learn to do certain things himself, and like I said as well, I don't doubt he also just wanted to see what Asra was REALLY capable of. Something he could've saw as a tantalizing insight into the kind of power he could aquire of this kid would just... work with him.

NOW we have a MUCH clearer answer as to what exactly Asra was likely doing under Lucio, or at this point, almost certainly doing. It's a sad picture for Asra of course, but with this you can draw some interesting points as to how he could've been affected by this, as I'm sure it would've left some kind of imprint on him.

Sure it may not have been as traumatic as what Muriel went through, but when you look at it, it's hard to say it DIDN'T leave it's scars. If we consider all the points presented in this post truth we have:

A 12/13 yo homeless child, threatened with his friend's life to work for the Count that he knew was the one responsible for orphaning him and making him homeless in the first place.

Said child believing his parents are still alive, and as we see in Travel at Night, could very likely still be trying to find them. In a situation like Asra's that glimmer of hope probably was a big deal in helping him push on. This may also be a reason he agreed on top of Muriel's safety.

While working under the count, he is told that his parents were executed, no doubt devastating. The manner in which this was mentioned is up for debate, and could affect exactly how it was taken. Options could be Lucio joking or bragging about it (treating it as trivial or an accomplishment), or using it to threaten Asra, (as in I killed your parents, I'll kill you too,) both would work when it comes to controlling by fear.

It is also mentioned that Lucio told him the reason for his parents execution is that they messed up his gold arm, so Asra also has the knowledge that his parents were killed over something so unbelievably trivial.

Being used as a source of power and nothing else, both for teaching and pure work/entertainment, all for the man who killed his parents, day after day.

Being pushed to physically painful and mentally draining limits, expending so much energy that he completely exhausts himself, day after day.

Likely taking all sorts of verbal abuse from Lucio, day after day.

Like mentioned earlier, it seems clear that Lucio wanted to break Asra, so some other form of trying to chip away at his psyche to make him more convenient for Lucio is likely as well.

Those points alone, to yet again a CHILD no less, seem more than enough to cause some traumatic impact, and depending on certain specifics of what exactly went on during that time, it could be worse. I may make a post looking into the long lasting effects of this on Asra, I may not. It would mostly be headcanon regardless. If you want to add your hc relating to this situation though, I'll gladly reblog it!

And now that we are closing out, it's time to revise my summary. So, without further ado, THIS is what I think was going on during this time.

Lucio knows of Asras existence and parentage.

Lucio learns Asra is around and that he's got power.

Lucio LOVES power, so he threatens Asra into working for him.

Lucio uses Asra for his power and to be taught how to use it for himself.

While using Asra for his knowledge and power, runs him into the ground by pushing his limits to physical and magical degrees, possibly even moral.

Asra pushes back against a lot of this, or is at least percieved to, frustrating Lucio.

Lucio does what he can to try and control Asra even more, primarily via fear, but can't seem to crack him.

Eventually it's too much, and Asra leaves. Likely when the plague hit like Muriel, but it's possible it could've been somewhat sooner. Lucio is PISSED, because he wanted that magical power all to himself.

Less related, I can see Lucio trying to brush it off and pretending to be fine with it, excuse being "he was too difficult to work with, anyways," or something.

...And then... years later, as far as Lucio sees it, Asra comes crawling back- and he's tamed down to a degree! He's actually working with him. Lucio might not know what or who did it, but Asra is finally broke for him, and I'm sure he was absolutely ecstatic to have that power back in his hands- and more than ever before.

Think of all of this as you would like!

At the end this is all still speculative, so definitely feel free to make your own points or say if you feel any different abt anything- expansions or counters on this theory/headcanon welcome!

And if you also have any other screenshots or info not here that could add to the theory or change the outlook of certain things definitely add them!!! I feel like I'm missing stuff for sure, and my memory has probably muddled some things (hopefully I didn't get anything wrong, though.)

And @asrascherry thanks for the offer in helping word my hcs also! I forgot to say that. This one is just so long I wouldve felt bad bringing it all to you 😔 it's probably still messy as a result but I tried lmao (worried it's repetitive or unclear 😬)

Uh yeah! That's mostly it for NOW.

+All the love to Asra for going through so much I'm so sorry bb,,

Thanks for reading!

[princesscyr-fn]

Brothers x Autistic! MC Tidbits/Headcanons

I figured I’d do one as I’m autistic and I wanna be included in things. At the same time however, autism is a spectrum and each of us experience different behaviors and such. As such, each MC for each brother is different so everyone feels included! These are meant to be platonic but you can interpret this however you want. I’m asexual so writing actual romantic stuff makes me very uncomfortable lol.

|Masterlist is here|

MC is gender neutral, yall

Available on Ao3, Wattpad

Lucifer

♡ Clashing with one another from the get go. ♡ Lucifer tends to criticize you, and its mostly unintentional. He’s just looking out for you, though his pride prevents him from admitting that he cares about you. ♡ One day though, the usual comment that falls from his lips about you ends up making you snap. As a result, you are calling him every name under the blocked sun in the Devildom. (Satan LOVES this.) This is when Lucifer realizes he made a fucky wucky. (Thanks @error-code-606 lmao) ♡ Lucifer gets a super harsh reality check from Satan, reminding him that you are autistic and that constant put-downs is bad for a persons self-esteem/image issues. For once, pride feels guilt bubbling in his gut. ♡ From then on, Lucifer is more mindful of how he words his issues with you. (Still staying blunt, which you appreciate.) All the while he praises you from time to time for all the good stuff you’ve done thus far. ♡ Lucifer would keep mental notes of all your stims and triggers. ♡ Entertains stim toys and isn’t bothered by such as he tries to work. ♡ Lucifer would play soothing music for you, mostly classical or easy listening. Something to tingle your sensory. ♡ He stops your meltdowns before you could fully lose control of yourself. ♡ Soft hands are your weakness and Lucifer’s hands don’t disappoint. He’ll let you hold his hands anytime you desire. ♡ Lucifer's office is the best spot for you to have quiet time. ♡ You can talk his ear off and he would love every second of it, deep down.

Mammon

♡ He was quick to pick up on your behaviors before you could push him away. ♡ He is able to joke with you, both of you laughing like hyenas all the way. ♡ Mammon would never make fun of your stutter or mispronunciation of words. He’s patient and tries his best to help you. He absolutely hates when the other demons (not his brothers) make fun of you for something you have no control over. ♡ Both of you would find comfort in each other. ♡ You would absolutely adore his hair. Being a fan of bright colors and his hair being as white as angel wings. Bless his heart, he will allow you to play with it while denying how much he likes it. ♡ He knows the sound of coins is one of your favorite sounds sensory wise. He always makes sure to have some coins on him. ♡ Mammon would remember all of your fixations and then try to shower you in gifts relevant to your current likes. ♡ He loves music and will sing with you no matter how goofy you both sound. ♡ Late night Hell’s Kitchen runs are mandatory. ♡ You are the only person he would try so hard not to steal from. (He’d fail miserably and just keep your stuff instead of selling it.) ♡ Class would be hilarious with him, he’s a class clown. ♡ While he may be a class clown, I think he would somewhat try a bit harder on his work because you encourage him to do his best every single day.

Leviathan

♡ Things between the two of you are tense at first as both of you are socially awkward and standoffish. ♡ Though once you’re both comfortable, you will talk each others ears off about anime, video games, and everything under the blocked sun of the Devildom. ♡ You two will develop a secret language that the other brothers won’t understand. Imagine all that shit talk. ♡ You’re both stimmers! While Levi has physical and vocal stims, yours are mostly vocal with the occasional twitch and thigh slap. ♡ You both are major plushie enthusiasts. Prove me wrong. (You can’t.) ♡ Eye contact is difficult to maintain between the two of you, with both of you either yelping, blushing, and looking away while sputtering nonsense. ♡ Mention your love or interest in aquatic life or the sea and watch him fall in love with you, (he’s a sea monster, duh) though he will deny it smh. ♡ You both share a love for slime and will buy a lo of it on your trips to the human world. (When you two feel like doing things like that.) ♡ Levi will most certainly dress as a cat maid so long as you do it too. ♡ Stim games are 100% your favorite games to play with him. (Minecraft, Terraria, Fortnite, No Mans Sky...) ♡ Levi figures out that the sound of the ocean soothes you, and will imitate the sounds in his fish tanks to help you relax. ♡ You two make the best cosplay duo. No question about it.

Satan

♡ He is more understanding than you were led to believe. (Shame on you, Lucifer.) You avoided him at first until you found yourself in a heated debate with him regarding human world fauna kingdom. This conversation, though heated, gave you the chance to actually talk to him. It was then the realization hit that Lucifer intentionally kept you two apart. ♡ You two end up becoming close friends. ♡ You hate reading alone as its not engaging and gets boring quickly. So you tell Satan that you would like for him to read to you, which he’d accept without a second thought. ♡ He would remember your likes and dislikes. He would always encourage you to talk about your latest obsession. He’s always interested in hearing about what you have to say. ♡ Jingle cat ears. No explanation needed. (Might dress up as a cat maid with you and Levi, tho.) ♡ He would learn all your stims and triggers so he can help you when you need it. ♡ If you’re the artsy type, you bet he will learn all the crafts for you. ♡ The sound of turning pages satisfies your sound sensory. ♡ Nature walks, lots of them. Quiet moments together means the world to the two of you. ♡ Occasionally you fall asleep next to him as he reads to you. His voice is soothing enough to lull you to sleep. ♡ You two are so close in fact, he rubs it in Lucifer's face. ♡ Satan always finds himself holding your hand whenever you two go out to crowded public places.

Asmodeus

♡ Physical contact wasn’t your thing until you met the avatar of lust. ♡ He took it personally at first when you would stand awkwardly whenever he hugged you or how you would pull your hand away when he would try to hold it. ♡ Once you explain that you are autistic and physical contact was a weird subject for you, he is quick to understand. After all, he is all about consent and wanted to make sure you were comfortable. ♡ Friendship blossoms between the two of you quickly and smoothly. ♡ Asmo would help you with being more extroverted by inviting you to parties. ♡ He would make note of your stims and to satisfy your sensory, he would buy lotions and perfumes. ♡ Getting your nails done is fun and Asmo is perfect for that task. ♡ You have a best friend who will listen to you intently and give you good advice. ♡ Going shopping is less nerve wracking with him. Plus he would give you fashion tips so you can look and feel your best. ♡ The first time you gave him a hug on your own, he wept tears of joy. ♡ Spa days are mandatory. ♡ There is a love between the two of you that does not require a relationship to be valid.

Beelzebub

♡ Beel warmed up to you quickly, especially when he witnesses your appetite at dinner. ♡ He is always curious and asking you questions to better understand you. ♡ You are quick to share your food with him and vice versa. ♡ Eating competitions, though you would lose to him always, unless if he was going easy on you. (Good luck, chief) ♡ Playful and friendly flirting/banter. ♡ Beel would be interested in whatever you obsess with that week. ♡ He is patient with you and doesn’t judge you for things you have no control over. ♡ Includes you in all family activities because hes all about family first. ♡ You two will gush to each other about any and everything. ♡ Hell’s Kitchen dates? Fuck yeah. Those are mandatory. ♡ Though you are picky in terms of texture, Beel would gladly eat whatever food you won’t. ♡ You aren’t a very active person, but that will change with Beel. Eat first, then run it off, human.

Belphegor:

♡ Warmed up to you quickly despite killing you, mainly because you forgave him and still treated him with kindness despite the fact. (Simp *cough* *cough*) ♡ He is very understanding in regards to your sensory, stims, and meltdowns. ♡ Loves laying in silence with you (and vice versa) ♡ Belphie would show you constellations with his magic to help you sleep. ♡ Slime? You bet Belphie would be as entertained as you are on that subject. Cloud slime would be one of his favorites. ♡ You two communicate with each other better in silence. ♡ He would share his cow pillow with you. ♡ Your sensory craves anything that is soft. Belphie would be surprised at first when you mindlessly play with his hair as you lay together. ♡ Your troubling dreams became a little more peaceful with Belphie at your side. ♡ Both of you are big plushie enthusiasts and have a plushie club hangout spot with Levi. ♡ Belphies voice does satisfy your sensory. ♡ Tea time is a fun activity between the two of you. It leads to good naps as well.

[chrysalispen]

pursuit/predation (zenoswol)

This was a lot of fun LMAO I hope you all enjoy reading as much as i did writing it! Commission for @noxi-lumi featuring their WoL, Raziela Undeni <3

NSFW under cut. CW for mildly violent imagery (it is Zenos, after all).

======

Two and a half fulms below the angled opening of his makeshift bolthole, Zenos yae Galvus peered up at the sky with a borrowed face to watch the storm that had raged for two days. The levin-aspected aether in the northern hinterlands of Gyr Abania often lent itself to violent thunderstorms, with static bursts that rendered the escarpment too hazardous to cross. There were waypoints in the mountains to seek shelter from the weather but he had eschewed them, thinking that the fewer encounters to detain (and bore) him, the better. 

He had ever chafed at forced inactivity, but all in all, Zenos reasoned, this was but a temporary setback. Man was a beast bred for hunting, a pursuit predator, and he was nothing if not the pinnacle of that ideal. He would do as his ancient ancestors had done: bide his time and await his next opportunity. Once the storm had spent itself, he could go.

He whistled the opening bars of a parade ground march under his breath - a low and toneless sound like loch winds moaning around the corners of sandstone - and let his eyes fall shut.

Seconds and minutes passed as an age. Bereft of aught else to entertain him, his thoughts turned to his memories of the Eorzeans’ champion: that wild creature of sword and spell. Eikon-slayer. Saviour of the savages, so-called. Epithets overheard from idle barracks' chatter, although Zenos set little stock in the distinction between his own kind and the rest of the world as others did. Garleans bled the same, quailed in fear the same, and died screaming the same as any savage, and she had long since proven her mettle to his satisfaction. She strode the world as he did, towering above her fellows, a beast without peer. 

He still recalled with crystal clarity the day they had met. Then he had barely paid mind to her paltry attempts to halt his advance; countless enemies had attacked him out of fear or desperation to stave off the inevitable, after all. Even so, he had seen neither of those things in their hero's magenta eyes. A grim sort of determination, to be sure; the steely resolve he would expect of one well-versed in the path he walked himself- but no fear. 

There had been another emotion which he still couldn’t quite define, the faintest flicker of something. Curiosity, mayhap. His own exultation in the heat of the fight, mirrored in her mien. A reflection of himself, some alternate path he had never chanced to walk. 

Whatever it was he had seen that day, it had moved him to spare her life. 

And how right he had been to do it. She was worth a score of tribunes on her own-- fivescore, if the truth be told. Had she agreed to his proposal, or had he kept his word rather than indulge his lust for violence in that precise moment… 

How very different things might have been. 

Well, perhaps, he amended. They each had their parts to play. But upon the stage of his imaginings, anything was possible. There he could entertain to his heart’s content his fantasies of his friend returned to him, stronger still for her own tribulations. 

He meant to duel her again and had no doubt she would oblige him.  The prospect of it did not deter him; no, he yearned for the excitement of it. The surge of heat through the veins with each perfectly executed step, air burning the throat and whistling in the lungs, the ever-present specter of death looming over one’s shoulder-- what was violence, in truth, but a dance? Were not those dances with the most precarious, most intricate of steps best enjoyed with a partner of comparable skill? 

In the end that was what he had seen in her: a worthy partner, at long last. Whether to stand at his side or to test her blade against his, he would accept both, but to fight his most precious friend once more, to recapture that kindled flame-- that would be a fine thing.

Oh yes, that would be quite fine indeed.

Remembered delight shuddered its way across the surface of his skin, a delicious and almost delicate frisson that bored its way down his spine to curl and tighten in the pit of his belly. Zenos was no stranger to lust; since his majority plenty of his lessers had used their bodies to curry his favor for some petty reason or other, with naught in their hearts save ambition and fear. Carnal knowledge was both prosaic and vulgar, rutting the sole province of mindless beasts, and it had not taken him long to decide that such matters held little of interest or value to him. 

But this sweet and languorous warmth, like honey in a well-steeped tea-- he realized that he did not mind it so very much. It reminded him of the menagerie, and his last sight of her before he had opened his own throat and bled out into the flowers. Joy, pure and transcendent. 

Yes, he decided; this pleased him.

With a soft grunt Zenos shifted his hips. The motion left him keenly aware of the physical evidence of his arousal against the mild rise below his navel, where it strained against twin cages of cloth and leather for freedom. That spreading ache was not a sensation entirely alien to him, but it did strike him strange how very aware it made him of this borrowed body on such a base level. Heat and hyperawareness punctured the fine invisible layers of his detachment with the pinpoint precision of a sewing needle through linen.

His eyes fell shut once more in a series of slow and lazy blinks: a contented feline drowsing atop a fresh kill. 

He settled one hand over the seam of his breeches where the fabric was pulling taut and palmed himself, running his fingers lazily along the firm ridge his cock had formed beneath the thick weave. If he paid heed only to those slow and teasing strokes, he could convince himself that it was her, touching him so intimately---her hand dragging those sharp and immaculate nails he had glimpsed up and down his length. Scratching their points with calculated ease along the underside of his shaft, applying just enough pressure through the fabric to leave tiny trails of fire in their wake. 

A soft groan rumbled deep in his chest, and Zenos tilted his chin back so as to rest his head against the rock, thighs spreading to accommodate his girth. What would she do, he mused, should she chance to see him caught in the web of his own desire? Driven to distraction by the mere thought of her, the very picture of the animal in full rut which he had so scorned? 

The irony of it would amuse her, he had no doubt about that. Perhaps she might grin at the spectacle. 

Perhaps she would even laugh. He presumed to imagine it, a sight and sound he had yet to experience. A wicked, throaty peal of mirth. The toss of short sable locks, the tilt and swivel of long tufted ears, the stretch of her long and graceful neck as she tossed her chin. Grinned at him, feral and dark, that smile he so loved to see before her inevitable riposte. 

Savagery to rival his own, swathed in leather and crimson.

So thinking, Zenos’ fingers drifted upward of their own accord, straying from the insistent need betwixt his opened thighs to work at the waistband of his breeches instead. 

Lashes fluttered like a courtesan’s fan at the edges of angular cheekbones, suffused with color and dewy with a light band of sweat despite the chill within his shelter. In his mind’s eye, she straddled him as her clever fingers worked the buttons and laces that bound him fast, impatient to pluck her prize from its confines. He fancied he could feel the contained heat of her core against his leg even through the barrier of her smalls, burning as though the sun itself had branded him. 

When he raised himself to pull the offending fabric to his knees, it was she who closed her hand about his cock, grasping him just a touch too snugly. Her thumb stroked tiny circles over the foreskin as the shaft lunged eagerly within the cage of her palm; he could almost hear a hum of low-pitched approval. Each stroke she made eased the smooth, hot skin to retract and expose his crown: deeply flushed, its tip already glistening with precum. Zenos sighed, his borrowed body rocking upward to thrust into her hand, seeking friction to accompany that narrow squeeze. Anything would do, really. Except he needed--

Shallow breaths rasped unsteadily in the close space as he slicked his palm with his own saliva, grimaced, then took himself in hand once more. 

Wet heat and resistance alone nearly undid him. His startled inhalation made a sharp and rasping echo that he barely heard, lost as he was in his fantasy. She had shed her duelist’s garb, laid herself bare to embrace him with long and powerful thighs, like velvet-wrapped steel. He shuddered at the effort it took to control himself, to let gravity carry her down to sheathe him in her depths, to let her move atop him to counter his thrusts with her own: a beautiful beast with lips for kissing and teeth for tearing. She laid both to work upon his throat and his shoulders with each upward snap of his hips-- drank deep of him, and he of her, until his stomach ached from ribcage to groin with unrelieved tension. 

Violence in its own sense, he thought. A dance most intimate, and as real and as pure as the day they had parted.

“Yes, my beast,” he hissed aloud. The sibilant sound of his pleasure rose and reverberated around him, a chorus of empty whispers. “Just so.” His free hand fisted in a handful of loose gravel and his mouth fell slack and the spare limbs and lean angles of this unfamiliar vessel, all wrong, not his, arched like a bowstring. His heels dug into unyielding rock rather than bedsheets for purchase. Her fingers entwined with his, sharp nails grazing his knuckles, tiny cuts to blend with the myriad small scars left by 

(hunting. a pale silver-white web of scar tissue in the center of his left palm - his true vessel's left palm - where his fourteen-year-old self pierced it with a crystal. a parting gift to the first man he ever killed. its tendrils radiate outward between each of his fingers like the cracks made in a pane of shattered glass)

arrows and fletching. She was close; he fancied he could hear the labored rattle of her breathing with each small moan she made. Bracing her weight against his torso and balancing upon his thighs to bounce, sounds only he could hear tumbling from imaginary lips parted and glistening, her cunt flexing about him like a silken vise as she approached the edge of release and swept him along like an incoming tide--

--and the pressure in his groin dropped, at last, and when he spilled, his seed splashing over his frantically moving fist and locked fingers and onto the muscled slope of his exposed belly, it was her name which fell from his lips, not hero or beast but Raziela, Raziela.

Long moments passed before he opened his eyes, chest heaving and fingers numb and loosely wrapped about his spent cock, still pulsing beneath his touch. The syllables of her name seemed to echo in his ears, a mantra to recite to himself until he had locked it into his memory to recall at a whim. 

He waited in patient silence, willing his pulse to slow and his lungs to expand in an unhurried rise and fall. There was a low rumble from the opening of his shelter and after long moments, a flicker of lightning. The storm was passing and with it the levinstrikes. He would be able to move soon.

With movements as slow and languid as a sleepwalker’s, Zenos reached for the belt he had removed upon entering the cave and dug through its pockets until he found something that would serve as a washcloth. His gaze, as he wiped himself down and rearranged drab layers of linen and oilcloth into some semblance of order, was very far away, fixed upon the thinning clouds and the wheel of stars beyond. The moon hung low in the sky, bloated and orange.

I wonder where you are, my friend, he thought. If you have given thought to our meeting at all. 

“Raziela,” he whispered once more, as if testing the sensation of her name on his tongue. In the darkness of the cavern, his eyes glittered like a hungry cat’s.

It was only a matter of time before they were reunited; he would make certain of it. Once he had regained his true form, they would have their dance. A grand reunion upon a great stage, two stars to burn bright, and oh, there would be such a burning. To capture this bliss and relive it with her-- he would give anything in his power, and the very star itself would tremble at their union.

When he emerged from the cavern at last to clear skies and a still night, the moon hid its face behind a passing cloudbank like prey that had caught his scent. And within the bounds of his stolen vessel, Zenos yae Galvus smiled to see it.

[tourist-in-teyvat]

Hello! I saw your matchup rules and it seems like fun! Would it be alright to ask for all three? If not, that’s perfectly fine, you can pick whichever you think would be the most fun for you to write, since that’s what’s most important overall, don’t overwhelm yourself ^^;

Vison:

Trying to organize this the best I can lol, but it’s kinda difficult when I don’t understand the tumblr ask controls, so sorry about that- Anyway, my MBTI type is INFP, although I’ll admit that I lost interest in and stopped researching the types after I figured out which one I was, so I’m not entirely sure what that means (at least assuming I’m remembering the result right, my memory isn’t the best so it’s entirely possible I’m wrong but I don’t feel like taking the test again lol-). I’m not the best at describing myself, but I’ve been told that I’m nice, smart, and funny. I’ve also been told I’m optimistic, but I personally thought I was pessimistic but eh who knows at this point. I’ve also been told I’m introverted I guess?? I’m really terrible at describing myself beyond what people tell me I’m sorry ahhh- I really want to do something to help people, if that counts as an ambition, but there’s really only so much I can do myself. I’m trying to work to become something in the entertainment industry, both because I like doing that and making people laugh, and because it’s easier to start charity fundraisers if you have some sort of following, which most often stems from those fields of work. I mainly want to help people who the world has sort of like betrayed if that makes sense, like homeless people who can’t get a job to stop being homeless BECAUSE they’re homeless, kids who are mistreated for literally just existing, those kinds of things. Worst case scenario I’ll just like start a revolution or something lol. (Only half joking- I WILL do that if I feel I have to. Watch out government I’m comin for ya lmao-) For challenges I usually try to fix the problem without people really knowing I fixed the problem, or the way that’s easiest. If I can’t do either of those for whatever reason I won’t do it normally, I’m going to do it in the most unreasonably over the top way because I think it’s funny. I don’t really handle gifts the best, unfortunately. My first thought if it’s not for like a specific event is “what do they want is this a trap-” but if it’s for something I skip that step and go right into “why did you spend money/time on me I’m so sorry-”. I don’t really feel happiness 90% of the time for whatever reason even though I am grateful, but it doesn’t seem like I am because I’m just sitting there like “I should be hyped right why do I feel nothing that’s weird am I broken???” Yeah idk either.

Character:

What kind of matchup it is I will leave entirely up to you, I honestly don’t mind either way. If you choose platonic, gender doesn’t matter to me, but if it’s romantic I’m asexual but I prefer guys. If you really want to write romantic and a girl though I don’t really care, be free lol. I don’t really go out of my way to interact with people. I only initiate interaction with someone I’m not already friends with if I need to talk to them to make my life easier, like if we’re assigned to work on the same thing together or they’re my best bet on getting the information I need. The issue is then they have to be like really persistent because i have ✨~Trust Issues~✨™️ so I’m immediately suspicious that they’re trying to mock me in some way, or are planning something against me, which I mean I guess can be the same thing but whatever. Once I’m relatively comfortable though I’m really loud and hate being serious. That can also cause some issues because my sense of humor is usually almost complet nonsense to anyone who isn’t me (or who shares my sense of humor) or relatively dark. Because of that, I really value people who can just roll with my jokes, because that’s honestly one of my favorite things to do and not many people can do that. I also usually like people who are confident since like thats the only way we’re probably going to interact at the start and also they can ask people for things for me lol. I can’t stand people who can’t understand what I’m trying to tell them when I’ve already tried to make it as simple as possible, doubt my knowledge on something I just told them I know about, or have absolutely no respect for anyone that isn’t them. I also don’t like people touching me (others don’t really like it either as my instinct reaction is usually to hit them before I realize what’s going on-), but I can tolerate it if it’s within my strangely specific boundaries, I know it’s coming, and I actually know and like the person. Then and only then, will my response not be to strike them down lol- I also have the bad habits of often accidentally rambling (like I’m doing right now in all of these replies wow so meta-), interrupting people when I have a thought (I try to say it before I forget, realize other people are still talking and try to shut up but I physically can’t until I finish the sentence), or lying to get out of situations I don’t think will end well for me (be it mildly embarrassing or we all die lol). So yeah that’s not great but it happens I guess.

Team:

Usually in groups I always somehow end up being the leader even though I really don’t want to and nobody really verbally agrees on it, it just happens. I always respond to what weapon I would use with now since I always play as bow users in games that have characters that use bows, but I think I would actually use a sword or a claymore were I to be put in that situation. Catalysts aren’t real so I’m not including them in my process of elimination, I’m extremely nearsighted so I doubt I’d be able to aim the bow well, I don’t understand polearms no matter how hard I try just like how do you hold it what-, so my best bet is probably a claymore or sword. Not sure which one though, but if I had to pick I’m not physically the fastest so the claymore makes more sense taking that into account. Yeah I don’t work in groups often idk what else to say for this specifically that I haven’t said in the others uhhhhhhhh-

Sorry this got so long, my bad lol. If you don’t want to respond I totally get it, and since this is so long it also makes sense if you want to not respond, so you can just indicate that it’s this one with this emoji if you want (✨). Sorry again and I hope you have a nice day! :)

If someone else had the same thought and wants to use ✨ that’s fine (wouldn’t be the first time) so if that happens you can use 🐀 as a backup lol. (BET NOBODY WILL USE THAT H A H I WIN jk lol-)

Vision: “Justice flows across the water’s surface.”  

> You feel a cool and soothing mist settle on your skin as a deep blue glow draws your attention to your hands. A hydro vision, it’s silver casing glimmering in the visions’ light. It seems your kind nature and your need to help others has granted you a hydro vision. How you wield this vision is completely up to you. 

Character: Thoma (romantic/platonic)

> You strike me as the type of person Thoma would get along with. Being born and raised in Mondstat, he keeps that relaxed and cheery aura around himself while in Inazuma. He’s got a keen eye for people and their character, and adapts to whoever he’s talking to. He would want to get to know you as soon as he caught wind of you. He’s energetic, but respectful, so you won’t have to worry about boundaries being pushed at all. And you certainly won’t have to worry about him dismissing your ideas. He wouldn’t have the job he has now if he didn’t learn to communicate with others and hear what they have to say as well. And believe it or not, he wouldn’t find your dark humor off-putting at all.

Team: Lisa, Kazuha, Bennett

> Being a hydro claymore user, I can see you being the main dps in this team dynamic. I feel as if Lisa’s electro would offer excellent super-conduct moves. and Kazuha being a support/sub dps would also compliment the team nicely. Bennett would also offer a nice addition to the team with his ult, making this a well rounded team. As for how the team dynamic goes? That’s entirely up to you 😉 You are the leader after all. 

[artificialqueens]

You're All I Want (for Christmas), Part 1 (Branjie) - Kiki

A/N: College ending for the semester means I am trying to force myself to feel as festive as I possibly can by writing Christmas fics lmao. I hope you guys enjoy this, it’s gonna have another two parts and I had so much fun writing it, hope you enjoy! 

Summary: A classic Christmas past, present & future fic. Brooke and Vanessa meet at a club one night and hope to have the best Christmas ever.

12th March 2018:

Brooke Lynn had never wanted to be at home more than she did right now. It was Detox’s birthday, one of her best friends from college, and while she should be excited to spend the night celebrating with her friends, all she wanted to do was go home, have a hot bath and go to sleep. She had been absolutely killing herself at work recently, trying to impress the senior partners at the law firm she worked at which had meant pretty much little to no relaxation time and the one night off she could afford to take would have to be spent in a club? Not ideal, at least not for Brooke.

She walked into the club with Nina at her side. Nina had spent the last ten minutes outside the club giving Brooke a pep-talk as to why she shouldn’t bail on this birthday party and eventually Brooke agreed to stay for at least an hour or two. Brooke knew that the reason Nina wanted her to stay so badly was so that she wouldn’t be left alone with Detox’s work friends but Brooke could understand that. She wouldn’t want to be left alone with complete strangers in a club either.

They handed their coats into the coat check and as soon as they turned the corner, they were straight in the middle of the club’s dancefloor. It didn’t take long for them to spot Detox in the massive booth that she had reserved for them, dancing on the table and drinking straight from a bottle of champagne. Nina rolled her eyes fondly at the birthday girl and Brooke knew deep down that this was going to be a messy night if Detox had her way.

It seemed as though they were the last two to make it to the club. There were only two empty seats left at the table and after they had said hi to Detox and wished her a happy birthday, the two girls sat down opposite each other. Brooke turned to her left to say hi to whoever she was sitting next to, just to be polite, but what she saw took her breath away. The girl next to her presumably worked with Detox and considering they worked in the fashion industry, all of Detox’s friends always looked phenomenal but Brooke was absolutely overwhelmed by this girl’s beauty. Brooke had to physically make an effort to close her mouth because if she didn’t her, her jaw would have probably been on the floor in a matter of seconds.

“Hey…I’m Vanessa.” The girl smiled brightly at Brooke and Brooke knew that she must look like an absolute creep considering that she had just been staring at her and not saying anything. Brooke quickly recovered and was able to hold a conversation with Vanessa without making herself look like an idiot. They talked about work, about how they knew Detox, just basic things that strangers would talk about. But there was something about how at ease Brooke Lynn felt the entire time she was talking to Vanessa. It was easy…almost familiar.

Detox kept ordering rounds of shots for the table and was refusing to let anyone get away with not taking one. Everybody had been on the dancefloor and doing things that normal people would do when they went to a club, but not Brooke and Vanessa. They had spent the entire evening getting closer and closer to each other on the couch after each shot was brought to them.

Brooke swore she had never laughed as much as she did that night. Vanessa’s stories were hilarious and the way she told them made Brooke captivated by her every word. She genuinely believed that Vanessa could read the phone book to her and Brooke would still be highly entertained. Vanessa’s humour aside, they seemed to have an amazing connection considering they had only met two hours ago. Brooke found herself opening up to Vanessa more than she would to her own family members and that said something about how approachable Vanessa was.

After the third hour of talking to Vanessa, Brooke knew she had to get her number. She couldn’t let her get away without asking her out on a date. She knew that they were both tipsy but surely Vanessa must feel how intense their connection is too, right? Brooke was working herself up to ask Vanessa, all of her usual confidence with flirting with women completely gone, when something ruined her chances.

That something was Nina. She had been out dancing with Detox and the rest of the group and came back to the table and loudly announced that she was going to puke all over the floor if she didn’t get out of there immediately. Any other night, Brooke would have laughed at Nina since she is notoriously known for being bad at holding her liquor, but tonight Brooke found herself being a bit upset that her night was being cut short, which was a big change to how she felt at the beginning of the night.

Brooke apologised to Vanessa but of course Vanessa understood that she had to take care of her friend. Nina bolted towards the exit of the club, leaving Brooke to grab all of their belongings and run after her, hoping that Nina didn’t puke on the floor before she got there.

Vanessa was sad to see Brooke go. She hadn’t felt a kind of connection like that with anyone in a long time. She awkwardly went to go and join Detox and the rest of her work friends on the dancefloor knowing she would immediately get teased by everyone for spending her entire night with a stranger. But damn, to Vanessa, it had been all worth it.

—

20th March 2018:

Brooke was sitting in a local brunch spot with Nina waiting for Detox to show up. She always knew in advance that Detox would be late to everything that wasn’t a night out in a club but every time it still managed to shock her. They had been waiting for half an hour now and Nina had not stopped apologising for how drunk she had gotten the week before at Detox’s birthday party. Brooke was hoping Detox would show up soon, not just so they could order their food but so she could stop listening to Nina apologise for the hundredth time in a row.

Finally, Detox decided to grace them with her presence and they all ordered their food and of course, Detox put an order in for three mimosas and Nina immediately turned it down. Nina started to, once again, apologise for how drunk she had gotten and Brooke had, once again, reassured her that it was no big deal and that it happened to all of them every once in a while. Detox told them the stories of what had happened after Brooke and Nina left the club and from the sounds of it, Detox had gotten even drunker than Nina had.

“Vanessa had to bring me back to my place, I could barely fucking remember my own address!” Detox laughed while telling the story which seemed to comfort Nina a lot, but Brooke couldn’t help becoming more interested in what Detox had to say once she mentioned Vanessa’s name.

“Vanessa seemed really nice…” Brooke said kind of quietly, trying not to show the effect that Vanessa had had on her. In reality, Brooke had not stopped thinking about her. She could still hear her laugh and could still picture the excited look on her face when she was talking about something she was passionate about…but Detox didn’t need to know that.

Detox raised her eyebrow, clearly picking up on Brooke’s unsubtle words. “Nice? Really, B?”

“Yeah, we talked for a bit and she was a really nice girl.” Brooke tried to act completely uninterested but she knew that it wasn’t going well for her.

“A bit? Brooke Lynn Hytes, you spent the entire night with her.” Nina said while laughing and Detox joined in, both of the girls clearly enjoying that they had something to tease Brooke about. Brooke rolled her eyes in annoyance and realised that this wasn’t going to be as easy as she had previously thought.

“Fine, can you please just give me her number, D? I really wanna talk to her again.” Brooke Lynn admitted and thankfully, Detox had a smile on her face and seemed impressed that Brooke had just asked for what she wanted instead of being too proud to admit that she had a crush on someone.

“Finally, I was waiting for you to ask…she’s been bugging me all week for me to give you her number, she can be the most annoying person when she gets her mind set on something,” Detox picked her bag up off of the floor and started searching through it, taking out a small business card and handing it to Brooke. “Here. Vanessa’s a wild one but she’s got a heart of gold, hope you enjoy.” Detox ended her sentence with a wink and Brooke could feel her cheeks heat up with embarrassment. She decided to wait until she got home to send the first message to Vanessa and she was beyond excited.

As soon as she got back to her apartment, she got changed into some comfier clothes and sat down on the couch with her phone in her hand. She didn’t know how to start off the text to Vanessa. She didn’t want to appear desperate or uncool. But she also didn’t want to sound like she didn’t care. She decided to just play it safe and say hi, even though she knew deep down that it would probably be an extremely boring text for Vanessa to receive.

B: Hey, it’s Brooke Lynn from the club. Detox gave me your number, how are you?

As Brooke pressed send, her heart rate immediately sped up. She hated how lame she sounded but she couldn’t help but stare at her phone waiting for a response. Thankfully, Vanessa replied almost immediately.

V: Well well well, Miss Brooke Lynn Hytes. You took your damn time texting me, didn’t you? ;) 

B: Actually, Detox only gave your number to me an hour ago. She made me ask for it before she gave it to me lol

V: Aww, so you wanted to talk to me again? That’s sweet :)

Brooke felt like she was in middle school again. Texting Vanessa was just as addictive as talking to her in real life had been. They hit it off again right away and started talking about random things; how their weeks had been, how work was going and how much Vanessa wanted to adopt a kitten. After an hour and a half of texting and enough flirting to last a lifetime, Vanessa had enough.

V: So Brookie, when are you gonna ask me out on a date?

B: Lol, how about I ask you now?

V: Seems like a good idea, you should never keep a lady waiting

B: Dinner next Saturday? Promise not to keep you waiting again

V: Can’t wait <3

—

27th October 2018:

Six months later, Vanessa and Brooke were still together. Brooke asked Vanessa to be her girlfriend on their second date and since then, they were inseparable. Every moment they had off work was spent in either Brooke or Vanessa’s apartment (usually Vanessa’s since it was bigger) and they would cook each other dinner and just hang out, enjoying each other’s company.

Vanessa was in her kitchen making pasta for her and Brooke to have for dinner that night. Brooke was coming over as soon as she finished work, which was any minute now, and Vanessa was nervous. She was going to ask Brooke to move in with her. Realistically, she knew that it might be too soon to ask but Brooke’s lease was coming to an end soon and she knew that Brooke hated her own apartment so the timing was perfect. Brooke hadn’t renewed her lease and that gave Vanessa hope that maybe she was thinking about moving in together too.

Another factor that made Vanessa think this was a good idea was that they had said “I love you” to each other after just one month of dating. Vanessa had a smile on her face as she stirred the pasta sauce whilst thinking about their relationship. She knew deep down in her heart that their relationship was meant to be and that moving in together was the next logical step.

Her thoughts were interrupted by a knock at the door and Brooke let herself in. As soon as Vanessa heard Brooke’s voice, the nerves came rushing back. She knew that there was no backing out now.

Vanessa had timed the dinner perfectly; it was ready as soon as Brooke had got there. She served the pasta into two bowls and handed one to Brooke and they sat down and enjoyed their meal together. Brooke noticed that Vanessa seemed different today, she was her usual energetic self but in a different way. Instead of seeming excited, she seemed nervous and jumpy. After they finished their meal, Brooke asked Vanessa what was going on and while Vanessa had an entire speech prepped in her mind about how she wanted to ask Brooke, all that came out was: “Move in with me.”

There was a deafening silence in the room that made Vanessa even more scared and just as she was about to start rambling all of the different reasons that had made her even think of saying that, Brooke simply replied by saying “Okay.”

“What?” Vanessa was shocked. Brooke planned everything out in advance. She had thought it would at least take some convincing to get Brooke to even consider the idea of moving in with her but no, she had agreed almost immediately.

“I said okay, I’ll move in with you.” Brooke replied like it was no big deal and got up to go hug Vanessa. Vanessa had an enormous grin on her face and decided that a hug was not enough. She grabbed Brooke’s face with her hands and gave her a massive kiss, not allowing either of them to come up for air until Vanessa was satisfied. Brooke picked Vanessa up with ease and brought her over to the couch where she laid her down and kissed her some more.

After a while, it hit Vanessa that this was really happening. Brooke was really going to move into her apartment. Their apartment. They were going to live together, see each other every single day. When she woke up in the morning, Brooke would be the first person she would see and when she went to sleep, Brooke would be the last person she spoke to. She was beyond excited.

“So what are you thinking about Christmas? What kind of decorations should we get?” Vanessa asked with a tone that was so serious yet so endearing to Brooke at the same time. She laughed at her girlfriend’s eagerness and wrapped her arm around her side.

“October isn’t even over yet, babe. Let’s make it through Halloween first.” Brooke said with a laugh while she placed a kiss on the top of Vanessa’s head which made Vanessa giggle.

“Okay, fine…but if I find out you’re one of those bitches who likes those tacky colourful lights on their Christmas tree instead of white ones, I’m not gonna be happy.”

—

10th December 2018:

Brooke Lynn walked out of the café near Vanessa’s office with two takeaway coffee cups and a paper bag in her hand. She had gone to work super early that morning so she could finish earlier and surprise Vanessa by picking her up from work. She picked up some of the luxurious hot chocolate and some champagne truffles (two of Vanessa’s absolute favourite treats) and walked into the large building in Manhattan where Vanessa worked. She took the elevator to the 42nd floor and walked over to the area where Vanessa’s office was located.

Vanessa’s eyes lit up every time Brooke walked into the room and Brooke didn’t think she could ever get tired of seeing it happen. Vanessa quickly ran over to her girlfriend and gave her a quick kiss on the lips before grabbing the hot chocolate and telling Brooke how much she loved her, which of course, Brooke replied to instantly.

“You guys make me nauseous, stop being so in love,” Detox said loudly as she walked by with a ton of files in her hand. “Some of us have to work, we can’t just have our girlfriend pick us up and leave at five o’clock on the dot.” Brooke rolled her eyes fondly and Vanessa turned around to face her.

“Shut the fuck up Detox, maybe if you arrived to work on time you could actually leave on time for once!” Vanessa stuck her tongue out at Detox which made Detox break her bitchy façade and laugh back at her. Brooke loved sharing a best friend with Vanessa, it always made hanging out with people so much easier when they already both wanted to hang out with the same people.

Brooke noticed that Vanessa had been a little down recently and she was on a mission to cheer her up. Her mom was going to visit her grandmother in Puerto Rico and Vanessa wasn’t able to take that much time off work to be able to go with her so it was going to be her first Christmas that she had ever spent without her mom. Therefore, Brooke had made it her own personal goal to make sure that the entire festive period was super fun for Vanessa so she didn’t even have time to think about missing her family.

As soon as they left Vanessa’s office, they went to pick out a Christmas tree for their apartment because Brooke insisted the real ones were nicer to look at and smelled better than the fake ones. Plus Vanessa had never owned a real tree before and Brooke’s Canadian heart just couldn’t accept that.

When they got the six-foot tree back to the apartment and got it all set up in its holder (meaning Brooke got it set up while Vanessa watched), Vanessa revealed all of the boxes of Christmas decorations that she had ordered in the last few weeks that she couldn’t wait to put up. There were a ton of different baubles for the tree, Vanessa had decided on a red and gold theme with, of course, the white Christmas tree lights. Vanessa even got a star to go on the top of the tree that had “B&V” written on it which made Brooke a lot more emotional than she cared to admit.

Once they were finally finished decorating and Vanessa had finished her rendition of All I Want for Christmas is You, the apartment looked like a Winter Wonderland. Vanessa knew that Brooke didn’t love Christmas as much as she did and that all of this was done to make sure that she was feeling okay about not being able to see her family and that made it all the better for Vanessa. Knowing that Brooke would do whatever she could just to make sure that she was okay made her happier than anything else ever could.

—

16th December 2018:

Vanessa had her surprise for Brooke planned since September and she was extremely proud of herself for not ruining the surprise and telling Brooke everything immediately. She even checked with Nina and Detox to make sure that Brooke would absolutely love what she had planned for her and they agreed that, yes, she would enjoy it a lot.

Brooke used to be a ballet dancer and was good enough to be a professional but had to quit because of an injury that didn’t heal properly. Vanessa figured out quite quickly after knowing Brooke that ballet still meant a lot to her and was still one of her passions, even if she couldn’t do it the same way she used to. Brooke told her stories of how her parents used to bring her to see a ton of different ballet performances any time they left their hometown of Toronto to visit New York City because, in Brooke’s opinion, that’s where all the best ballet shows are. Brooke especially loved it during the Christmas season because that’s when her absolute favourite ballet, The Nutcracker, was performed.

And that was exactly what Vanessa had bought them tickets to go and see. Vanessa knew that Brooke would never buy the tickets for herself. Working at a law firm was such a demanding job and she knew that if Brooke had time off, she would spend it with Vanessa instead of watching a ballet performance. So that’s why Vanessa felt that it was a necessity for her to spoil her girlfriend and treat her to something she wouldn’t even dream of buying for herself.

Since it was a Sunday, neither of them had to go to work and they spent the day relaxing in their apartment not doing much. But around three o’clock, Vanessa told Brooke that she had a surprise planned and that they needed to start getting ready and putting their fanciest outfits on and to be ready for six o’clock.

Vanessa worked for a fashion company, it was her job to choose and put together outfits for the brand to then go on and sell so when she saw how put together Brooke’s personal style, it made her very happy. Vanessa took her time curling her hair and noticed that Brooke was practically busting with excitement and Vanessa was overwhelmed with joy.

They hopped in an Uber and went to Brooke’s favourite French restaurant and Vanessa felt so sneaky that Brooke believed her when she said that was the surprise. Brooke was so happy with having dinner but little did she know what was coming next.

“I love you so much, V.” Brooke said as they were sipping on their wine and eating their meal.

Vanessa smiled and felt her heart tug with joy. “I love you too, baby,” Vanessa had to stop Brooke from taking the dessert menu when the waiter offered it to them and Brooke looked so disappointed. “We have places to be, Brooke Lynn. We can order your cake next time.” Vanessa paid the bill and took Brooke’s hand. Brooke was already asking her a million questions about where they were going next and it took every fibre of Vanessa’s being to stay quiet until they finally reached their destination: the Lincoln Centre for the Performing Arts.

Brooke’s jaw dropped when she realised what building they were standing outside. “V…you didn’t.” Vanessa reached into her clutch bag and took out two tickets that said “The New York City Ballet’s production of George Balanchine’s The Nutcracker”.

“Yup, Brookie…I did.” She waved the tickets in front of Brooke’s stunned face and Brooke grabbed them from her hands in shock. Vanessa watched as her girlfriend’s face went from shocked to ecstatic in just a matter of seconds and she was so happy that Brooke had reacted just how she had wanted her to. Brooke grabbed Vanessa’s face and kissed her like her life depended on it.

“Careful, babe…we’re going to the ballet, you can’t ruin my lipstick. I gotta look all fancy.” Vanessa said, taking out the small mirror she kept in her purse and making sure her makeup wasn’t ruined. Brooke laughed at her girlfriend’s dramatics and took her hand, leading her inside. They took their seats quickly and the show started at exactly eight o’clock.

Vanessa had never been to a ballet show before so she didn’t really know what to expect. She was grateful that she was at least a tiny bit familiar with the Nutcracker as it was probably one of the most well know ballet storylines. But she didn’t watch much of the dancing. Brooke’s eyes were glued to the stage, she had a massive smile on her face throughout the entire performance her eyes were sparkling with delight. Vanessa spent most of the performance watching Brooke. Watching how happy the surprise had made her made Vanessa feel so proud that something she did had made the person she loved so happy.

—

22nd December 2018:

Brooke woke up on Saturday morning to the sound of a text notification on her phone. She felt relieved when she saw that Vanessa’s side of the bed was empty. She had gone to finish off her Christmas shopping and Brooke needed her gone to be able to collect and set up her Christmas gift before she got home. She was beyond excited to see Vanessa’s reaction to what she had got her. She just knows that Vanessa is going to love it.

At first, Brooke had been a bit disappointed that she couldn’t keep the gift hidden until Christmas Day but that would have been impossible given the circumstances. Vanessa would definitely hear the gift making noise throughout the day. Plus, all of the shelters were closed on the 25th.

Brooke quickly got dressed and braced herself for the cold weather. She walked the short walk to the shelter near their apartment and almost immediately after she arrived, a tiny kitten in a travel cage was brought out to her. Brooke fell in love with him instantly.

She brought him home and was again thankful that Vanessa was gone for the morning so that she could get all of the supplies set up for their new family member. She had somehow managed to order most of the things online and keep them hidden from Vanessa which she thought would be a lot more difficult than it actually was. Usually Vanessa could tell when Brooke was hiding something but thankfully Brooke was able to keep it together this time. She went to the closet in the guest bedroom and lifted up the blanket that she had used to hide all of the supplies. She got him a new bed, a collar, some food and a food bowl, a litter tray and probably about twenty different toys. She knew that she may have gone slightly overboard with her purchases but could guarantee that Vanessa would love all of it.

After she gathered all the supplies and brought them to the living room, she opened the door to the cage and tried to coax the kitten out. The people at the shelter said it might take a while for him to be brave enough to come out so Brooke decided to start setting up his bed and give him the space he needed. As soon as she was done setting up his new sleeping area with all of the different blankets, he slowly walked over to where Brooke Lynn was sitting on the floor.

Brooke was so happy that she had met the little cutie a few times before bringing home. Now he wouldn’t be with total strangers as he had been able to get used to Brooke, even just a tiny bit. Brooke was being very still so that she wouldn’t frighten him and he immediately cuddled into her side and began purring. Brooke didn’t think she could love an animal as much as she currently did and she had only owned him for about ten minutes.

She picked his tiny little body up and sat down on the couch with him, gently stroking his head. The kitten started to fall asleep and Brooke swore she had never felt as peaceful as she did in that moment. That all changed when she heard Vanessa using her key to open the door. She leapt up off the couch and put the kitten into his new bed and rushed to the door to greet her.

“Hi baby,” Vanessa said as she opened up the door with about ten different bags in her hands. “What have you been up to?”

Brooke Lynn could barely contain herself. “I have a surprise for you.” As soon as Brooke said that, Vanessa heard a tiny bell ring and as she turned the corner into toe living room, she saw what created that noise. It was a bell attached to a collar…on a tiny little kitten. The exact type of kitten that she had told Brooke she wanted.

The kitten was standing in the middle of the room just staring up at her and Vanessa almost died from how cute he was. She ran straight to him and held him in her arms and it was clear that it was love at first sight for the both of them. The kitten rested his head in the crook of her arm and Vanessa never wanted to move a muscle again in case she disturbed his rest.

Vanessa immediately started crying and Brooke knew that it was a happy cry. Vanessa often cried when she was overcome with love and Brooke was so happy to see it happen now. Brooke walked over to her small family and wrapped her arms around Vanessa’s waist.

“So what are you gonna name him?” Brooke whispered, not wanting to startle the cat.

“Thackery. His name is Thackery.”

They spent the rest of the evening obsessing over his every move. Vanessa’s Instagram story was about thirty minutes long full of videos of her cuddling the cat and the cat playing with Brooke and even the cat falling asleep. It was safe to say that Brooke Lynn’s Christmas gift for Vanessa was a success.

—

24th December 2018:

Christmas Eve had always been one of the most peaceful days for Brooke and Vanessa. it was their first ever Christmas that they were spending together but they both had their own family traditions that helped make the day an extra special one.

Brooke woke up to the smell of pancakes being cooked and felt her stomach growl with hunger. As she walked to the kitchen, she felt herself being eternally grateful that the companies she and Vanessa worked for were one of the nice ones that actually closed on Christmas Eve.

When she reached the kitchen, she found Vanessa already dressed, flipping multiple pancakes on the stove and adding blueberries to them. The kitchen counters were full of bags from the grocery store and when Brooke took a peek inside them, she saw nothing but baking ingredients. Brooke simply raised an eyebrow at Vanessa who immediately began to explain.

“We have to make Christmas cookies because its my family’s tradition and we have to make the chocolate Christmas cake that you love because it’s your family’s tradition. Duh.” Brooke laughed at Vanessa’s response and was flattered that Vanessa always seemed to remember the little details about her childhood that Brooke told her.

“Babe, I don’t think we’ll be able to eat all of that.” Brooke said and watched as Vanessa immediately rolled her eyes when she heard Brooke’s words.

“We will eat nothing but dessert for the next few days if we have to, this is a necessity.” Vanessa said seriously and Brooke tried her best to hold back a laugh. She decided to just agree with whatever will keep Vanessa happy and once they finished their amazing blueberry pancakes, they got to work.

They spent at least three hours baking that day and both of their creations turned out really well which filled Vanessa with delight. What they failed to notice was Thackery climbing on the counter and getting flour all over his paws and leaving the tiniest little pawprints all around the apartment. Usually, a mess like that would make both of the women angry but they couldn’t find it in themselves to be angry at Thackery. He was just too cute to be mad at.

Once they had Thackery’s mess cleaned up, Brooke made them both a cup of hot chocolate and they sat down on the couch all cozied up with their blankets.

“What movie do you wanna watch, babe?” Brooke asked, knowing that Vanessa has an extensive list of favourite Christmas movies and that they would probably end up having a marathon of all of her favourites. As Vanessa began to list the pros and cons of each movie she was considering, Brooke knew that this was the best Christmas Eve she had ever had.

—

25th December 2018:

Vanessa had been lying in bed for what felt like hours. The alarm clock on her nightstand let her know that she had been awake since 6am and while that would have been an acceptable time for her to wake up at on Christmas morning as a child, she figured that Brooke wouldn’t appreciate being woken up at the crack of dawn as much as her mother used to.

As soon as the clock changed to 7am, Vanessa decided that she couldn’t possibly wait any longer and woke her girlfriend up by kissing her over and over again until her eyes began to flutter open.

“Merry Christmas, B.” Vanessa whispered as Brooke opened her eyes properly for the first time that morning. Brooke pouted her lips slightly, signalling that she wanted a kiss from her girlfriend, which Vanessa happily obliged to.

“Merry Christmas, Ness.” Brooke wrapped her arms around Vanessa and Vanessa lay her head on Brooke’s chest. For the first time that morning, she felt totally calm. But she knew that if they lay there for much longer, they would fall back asleep and Vanessa just couldn’t accept that. Not when there were gifts that they had to give.

Vanessa spoke to Brooke’s mom and found out that she always made French toast on Christmas morning so Vanessa had to carry on that tradition for Brooke. Vanessa finished her breakfast in about two minutes and spent the rest of her time telling to Brooke Lynn to eat faster so they could start exchanging gifts.

Brooke finally finished her food and they headed to the sitting room where the Christmas tree was (Brooke had managed to convince Vanessa to let her delay the process by making a quick cup of coffee so she could match Vanessa’s energy levels) and Vanessa immediately sat on the floor and got ready to give Brooke everything she had gotten her. There was one gift that she was the most excited about and she couldn’t anticipate how Brooke was going to react.

Brooke decided that she wanted to give Vanessa her gifts first which made Vanessa’s nerves grow slightly but she forgot about all of that when she was able to start opening up her gifts. Of course, Thackery was Vanessa’s main gift from Brooke and he sat watching his two moms from his bed, still not awake enough to join in on the fun.

Brooke had still made sure to get Vanessa lots of little things that she could put under the tree to keep her girlfriend excited. She got her a ton of her favourite makeup products and Vanessa was insanely happy about that. She also got her some massage vouchers for a new spa that opened up near where they lived and she got her some Italian cooking classes with a professional chef that they were gonna take together since Vanessa adored Italian food.

Vanessa was so happy with everything that Brooke had gotten her and decided that she would give Brooke her smaller presents before she gave her the big one. She got her some clothes that she had designed which made Brooke love them even more. She also got her a ton of books that she thought Brooke might be interested in and a bottle of her favourite perfume because she noticed Brooke was running low.

There was just one box left under the tree: it was a small box and Brooke guessed it must be some sort of jewellery item. She opened up the box and it was a necklace, but when she looked a bit closer, she saw that there was a ring on the necklace where a charm or diamond would usually be. She held her breath as she read what it said on the box: “I promise to be yours forever”. Brooke Lynn could feel the tears coming into her eyes and Vanessa was so happy that she didn’t react badly.

“Just to clarify, I’m not proposing to you or anything…it’s a promise ring that you can wear around your neck and one day, it’ll be your engagement ring.” Vanessa said softly, taking the necklace and moving Brooke’s long blonde hair out of the way so she can put the necklace on her. Brooke’s hands immediately went to hold the ring as soon as it was on her and she finally let the tears fall from her eyes.

“I fucking love you so much, Vanessa. I can’t wait to wear this ring one day.” Vanessa wrapped her arms around Brooke’s neck and they shared a kiss filled with so much love that Vanessa thought she might just get down on one knee and propose properly right then and there. But she contained herself. All she knew was, she had never felt so in love as she did in that moment.

[ikeservant]

Hehe back again!! Can I get hc for Kenshin, Ieyasu, and Mitsunari, being introduced to smartphones? lol let's say MC had those solar portable battery charger so her phone is still alive in Sengoku era (lmao things I come up with). I guess phone can only do so much without internet tho like playing music and taking photos, idk lol. TYSM I love your stuff!!

OH MY GOODNESS I WAS ABOUT TO DO A PROMPT JUST LIKE THIS! What a great coincidence holy smokes!  Thank u \^u^/. This was fun to write!

Setup: Sasuke found a way to charge smartphones by generating power from acidic fruit and a magnetic/metal conductive device (Apparently oranges can do this. Ya learn something new every day) and made this for MC to charge her phone.

Kenshin: “Is this advanced weaponry from the future?” “You could bonk someone on the head with it but no, it’s used for many things. In the future if you had a device like this you could instantly message and talk to others.” Wishes cellphones were invented 500 years ago for 2 reasons: 1) Easy contact of battle updates and keeping track of where different army troops are 2) so he could keep tabs on MC and hear her lovely voice when he was apart from her. Although a lot of features couldn’t be used, she showed and taught him the three most notable things the smartphone could do: take/save pictures and videos and play music. MC showed him photos of her and her friends and her family, letting Kenshin get to know her more and her life in her future and feel closer. Liked the hard rock music, most definitely has AC/DC playing in his head when he’s cutting down opponents. MC lets him borrow the phone whenever he wants and he promises to NOT kill it, no matter how many times it buffers or shuts off. MC noticed one day that there was a private photo album that she didn’t remember that had recent photos. The first five photos were horribly blurry or a thumb covering the lens so she figured Kenshin was just trying to figure out how to take pictures, but the next photos was of her petting the bunnies, one of her smiling and waving , and one of her passed out on the futon in the morning. “Hey Kenshin, are you trying to take candid pics of me?” she asked, slightly embarrassed. “You told me the reason people take photos are to commemorate things and let you see and remember things precious to you. There’s nothing more I want to recall and look at than you.” Cue MC taking a picture of Kenshin for that same reason.

Ieyasu: Is like an old man fumbling around with the smartphone. He drops the “I don’t care” attitude because he’s genuinely fascinated and wants to learn more about these futuristic, seemingly fantasy-sounding powers the phone has. MC shows him how to take pictures and shows him her photos of life in the future. Almost chokes and turns red when photos of MC with shorts or short sleeve shirts appear and would probably blank out if there’s any beach/pool photos of MC(Too scandalous for the 1500s >///<). Would be an internal softie and sentimental of MC’s memories and stories of the past, happy to learn more about her and putting faces to the names of people MC held dear to her that she told him about. Would play jazz music or something with good beats to play in the background as he’s working on grinding herbs or organizing his medicine cabinet and might tap his foot or finger to it without noticing (it’s adorable but don’t tell him that). When he finally figured out how to take videos his first video was of Mitsunari tripping and falling flat on his face (he watches it every once in a while on a bad day to cheer himself up). When MC had to leave for a couple nights with Nobunga and Hideyoshi pretending to be an Oda princess in order to help form an alliance, she left her phone for him to entertain himself with while she was gone. When it was nighttime he already missed her warmth and her goofy smile. He hesitantly pulled the phone into bed with him and pulled up some pictures he took of her smiling at him and making funny faces as well as a short video of her laughing to tears, making him feel better but also missing her even more. MC came home early the second night and was going to surprise Ieyasu but as she was creeping up behind him she saw a glimpse of his longing face looking at a picture of her, “I can make that face right now if you want.” *cue Ieyasu jumping up before hugging MC to hide his blushing face*

Mitsunari: Would be soaking up all the information like a sponge. Would be asking MC all sorts of questions over how smartphones work and the technology as a whole (slow down, sweetie. MC didn’t invent the smartphone). Would be looking through everything and asking what everything meant, even all of the settings and the terms and agreements section (prayers for MC). Would learn all there is to know about the smartphone and although boy can’t even make tea he sure can work a smartphone. Just make sure he’s using it sitting down on a stable surface or else accidents may happen. Loves learning about MC’s life through her pictures, ingraining them into his memory like he does with his books. Would be asking so many questions about the clothing and the architecture and everything in the picture that is not like his time period. He wouldn’t want to forget a thing when it comes to the love of his life and her lifestyle in her time. He’s a total nerd with the smartphone, testing taking pictures and videos. Would use it to record messages to go back to when he’s formulating battle strategies. Would be putting on some smooth jazz when doing tasks because it gets him in the zone to read and strategize. When MC had to leave for a small political trip with Nobunga and Hideyoshi without him, she told him the phone was his while she was gone and could do whatever he wanted with it. When she asked for it back she immediately realized her lock screen and homescreen were of her petting Kitty and of her excitedly talking. “When did you take these pictures of me?” “I’m sorry you just looked so cute I just had to take a picture. When you told me I could customize the phone while you were gone I wanted to make the wallpaper something I could look at as much as my books. It let me admire you even if you physically weren’t in front of me.” he’d answer with an angelic smile. “But now that you’re here I can admire you in more ways a mere picture.” he added, with a blush and a deep gaze. (MC almost choked and spit all over the smartphone)

[shaekingshitup]

Shae’s First Date

For anyone who is bored: the most brief (that I can recap because ya girl is a lengthy heaux) summary of my first date goes as follows:

EDIT: THIS SHIT AIN'T BRIEF. SORRY NOT SORRY 🤷🏿‍♀️🤷🏿‍♀️ But I put a TLDR at the end.

I matched with a guy on Bumble who had some cool hobbies and some of which overlapped with mine. We talked daily for almost 2 weeks before we met up in person and the guy was a very big charmer/woo-er. Like if I was messaging this kid I was constantly laughing and smiling

Tbh this was a lil bit of a red flag to me becauae I'm like: "no one is this charming. Something has gotta be up" & I legit came up with a few different scenarios. But I chose to shelf them because people do that to me all the time.

Like I'm just a really loving person and I will gas people up or go out of my way to make them happy if I can and people always want to try me like that can't truly be how/who I am or if I'm doing it it's because I'm trying to get at that person and they are always wrong. All the way from best friends to new acquaintances I really just like when people are happy. I mean the world's shitty already, if I can make your day easier or put smile on your face I'm game!

So we're on the phone one night (stayed up to 3 am sacrificing my sleep talking to this dude 🙄) talking more about who we are as people, what we're looking for in an ideal partner, etc. I told him straight up both via call and via message that honesty is really important to me. I value honesty with myself and also with others.

So also in this late night call things got a lil spicy 🌶 🌶 I was honest and told him that I'm pretty much a blank slate. Never fucked/sucked, etc or had anything like that done to me. He was taken aback like everyone I share this with is. Apparently I'm some sort of unicorn 🦄 out here in these streets to all y'all hoes. He makes a comment about stealing a kiss from me the next night and I said "I might allow it."

But the point is. I told him what it was. I was honest. That's my truth.

I didn't tell him that I'd never been on a date/kissed anyone because he didn't ask. Maybe if I would've said something, things would've been different. But I can't "what if" what's already happened y'all!

SO, day of. We messagin and snapping. I'm allll ready. We're going to a drive in and I'd never been to one before so I'm excited. I'm also just committed to making this a good time because I easily get distracted and often don't stop to take my experiences in to experience them fully. So I said not today!!

I got snacks. All of his favs and some of mine. I brought drinks and a blanket. I looked good.

Like I said in my pre-date post: I didn't have any lofty ideas about this dude being my soul mate or anything but I anticipated a good time.

He picked me up at our designated location. My sister met him and got his license plate; because apparently I had enough sense to realize I didn't know this nigga but not enough sense to later realize I didn't know this nigga.

It wasn't gonna take as long to get to the drive in as originally anticipated. So we went to a local park and sat in the car and talked because the park was PACKED and ya know RONA!

It was somewhat awkward because it was our first time talking face to face. But we found a groove and I'm extroverted af y'all. So, I can get people to have a conversation.

Topics range from our days, music and conspiracy theories which he's really into. What kind? Like: Shakespeare wrote the Bible is one. A lot of people that we know from media aren't really the original ones that we were introduced to is another. Ya know like that Beyoncé is not the real Beyoncé. There's two Trumps. There's two Hilary Clintons etc.

So at this point sensible me is like: this can be the point where you go home girl. You're 5 minutes away from your place. You can just say this ain't workin and cut it short.

OPTIMISTIC/BENEFIT OF THE DOUBT GIVIN/NAIVE SILLY ME IS LIKE: well, I 100% don't agree with anything you're saying just because you're saying it. But ya know, I don't know everything and I'm not in the business of judging people-especially since we just met and I don't want this human to feel uncomfortable. So, okay. I don't agree. But I won't judge. Let's just continue on.

If you haven't guessed by now which me I listened to, you may be just as silly as I am 🙃🙃🙃

But obviously I continued on and that's what I call mistake #1

So we're driving to the drive in. I'm realizing we're kind of different in ways. Most notable is that dude was raised Jehovah's Witnesses and celebrates 0 holidays & I'm in love with Halloween and at least birthdays.

We miss the drive in entrance due to my poor navi skills & he decides to smoke before we pull in. He offers it to me and I accept. This is mistake #2

Ya girl hasn't smoked in 6 years. I tried edibles recently. But that shit ain't the same. I really just feel like I said I wanted to be present and then I smoked and I was tired and everything was kind of dull?

So I'm high and sleepy but still a lil excited because it's my first drive in!! We get there and park and the drive in is really just a giant protection screen we all park in front of. Lmao. 😅 Idk what I was expectin but not that. But it was still cool. It's 10 and this movie still hasn't started because the last one is still showin credits.

Dude says he wants to chill in the back but he's going to the bathroom. I AM SLEEPY. THAT IS WHAT WEED DOES TO ME. Plus I was on the phone til 3 AM. So I'm like imma close my eyes before this thing starts since it's already late.

So while he goes to the bathroom I legit laid down in the back on a pillow because ya girl is a sleepy heaux 😴

He comes back and pits the pillow in his lap and is talking to me because this movie ain't started yet. My eyes are closed but I'm listening and everything and he's massaging my shoulders and whatnot. Eventually advertisements about common courtesy come on and what not. But that's not important and I don't move.

Soo he says something I'M ASSUMING IT WAS ABOUT THE KISS (I don't remember y'all. I'm about to skimp on some of these details because that high was really kickin in and I was feelin foggy.) But, I said "I would allow it." And he kissed me.

It honestly felt anticlimactic as fuck. Yeah my mind is kind of foggy because of the weed so I feel like I wasn't as fully cognizant as I would have been if I was sober minded. But also, it just happened

I'm in my head af. I've never done this and I'm sure I'm shit at it but I'm trying not to be ya know? Dude's tongue is in my mouth. His hand is under my romper.

So, I'm a roll with the punches kind of human and the rest of the film we pretty much are making out (lowkey meh), groping (I hate this word) & watching Deadpool ( for people who needed that detail)

As previously stated, all of this shit is new to me. But, I'm also not a "prude". I chose not to kiss/fuck anyone prior to this because it was what I wanted for a period of time. I couldn't do much in the date department because I was just not approached often or by people I wanted to entertain. But the opportunities for all that physical shit were presented and I chose not to just like I chose to engage in those activities on this date. I'm real big on not judging nor regretting those choices because those were what I wanted at one point and that's it. Soo if you got opinions about what I was out here doin, keep em to yaself.

We ended up making out and I feel like it was cool.. but just not great. We did other shit minus actual fucking. But it all just felt pretty muted to me. Not bad. Not uncomfortable. Just not great and I think in hindsight it was because I a) really didn't know and have an established connection with this dude and b) I was high.

He really wanted me to suck his dick and I was really hesitant to do that. Not even that much because I was checking off a lot of "firsts' or anything like that but because I swore I was gonna be shit at it due to 0 experience and that was what I told him. Like, I wanna be good at shit and also I would like if the person I was hooking up with was actually enjoying being with me ya know? Is that not a thing? Y'all just be out here tryna get ya nut and say fuck it to whomever you with? Lemme be a unicorn then. 🦄

But anyways, I did this and he says like nothing. I'm in my head af trying to recall upon all of my BP smut I've read and trying not to suck at sucking (SO THANKS TO ALL OF Y'ALL WHO BE WRITING SMUT!!). After a few minutes the car turns off and Ryan Reynold's ain't talking anymore. Sooo I take this as a sign that I should stop and tell him as much.

He turns the car back on so we can still hear the movie & I'm pretty much like half watching the movie and talking to him like: "Soooo. I did that and I feel like I was right." To which he responds, "I've had worse," which is like ya know the compliment of the century and the most reassuring feedback you can give someone who is insecure about shit they've never done.

We still ended up making out and I gave him a handjob and finished the movie. I can't recall if it was at this point or when he drove me home but he basically implied that I was a liar and that is the shit that literally makes me wanna go back in time and tell former me to never say yes to a date with this nigga.

He drove me home and I was pretty quiet listening to Ari Lennox (💕) and thinking/processing. He gets to my place and we're talking now that we're parked and tells me that he thought I probably wasn't right about never having sex before. He told me I probably just had sex like 3 years ago and it had been so long that's why I said that and that's why my pussy is so tight.

So, I'm real life hurt. I like to consider myself to be someone who has a good character and I am really big on honesty.

So I asked him why he said that if I told him from jump what it was. He told me that his ex lied a lot and that he just couldn't believe me..

And I know for certain that his assumption was independent of any of my actions. He literally just told me so. He projected his insecurities onto me. But I'm a sensitive ass heaux and that shit still shook me. PBS raised me right. I don't be out here lyin & I don't like when people try to tell me who tf I am.

We pretty much just ended up arguing about the night and he was doing it on purpose because he thinks it's sexy when women are mad. But when I get mad, I get done. If I let enough shit slide and you have the audacity to try and flip my script, I will fucking write you out of it.

Then I looked up at the time and realized I was sitting in this car arguing with nigga for at least 25 minutes. So I was just like: bitch, why are you still here?

I told him straight up that when I got out of that car he could forget about talking to me altogether and he was like: "I'll let you know when I make it home."

I told him he need not bother because apparently I'd finally gained some damn sense. I exited the car. He left. He hit me up when he made it home but I just deleted the app and removed him off of snap because I meant that shit.

TLDR; Went on my first date with a conspiracy theorist I matched with on Bumble and he told me I lied about my lack of sexual history.

[eldritchsurveys]

831.

1: when you have cereal, do you have more milk than cereal or more cereal than milk? >> I don’t eat cereal anymore, but from what I can remember, I didn’t really like having a lot of milk in the bowl.

2: do you like the feeling of cold air on your cheeks on a wintery day? >> Not usually.

3: what random objects do you use to bookmark your books? >> On the occasion that I’m reading a paper book, if it’s my own, I just dog-ear it. If it’s a library book, I use the receipt that I got from checking out the book.

4: how do you take your coffee/tea? >> Black (or in the case of some teas, with a little honey).

5: are you self-conscious of your smile? >> I’m self-conscious of my entire face.

6: do you keep plants? >> I just have the one spider plant in my room. It looks pretty done for, but like... it’s not dead, exactly, so I have no idea what to do with it. Sparrow, on the other hand, has about fifteen plants on the balcony, two in her room, etc.

7: do you name your plants? >> Sparrow has named at least one of hers.

8: what artistic medium do you use to express your feelings? >> I just wrangle the written word the best I can.

9: do you like singing/humming to yourself? >> Absolutely.

10: do you sleep on your back, side, or stomach? >> Side.

11: what’s an inner joke you have with your friends? >> Sparrow and I have this thing where we just mangle words as badly as possible. Like “chicken” has become “chimkin”, stuff like that.

12: what’s your favorite planet? >> Mercury and Pluto, for completely opposite reasons (as I’m sure is obvious).

13: what’s something that made you smile today? >> I saw a random crop of mushrooms while walking. It was just... random! I don’t know what died there or whatever that made the mushrooms grow in that one little spot, but it was adorable.

14: if you were to live with your best friend in an old flat in a big city, what would it look like? >> ---

15: go google a weird space fact and tell us what it is! >> I don’t feel like it.

16: what’s your favorite pasta dish? >> I don’t have one.

17: what color do you really want to dye your hair? >> I don’t.

18: tell us about something dumb/funny you did that has since gone down in history between you and your friends and is always brought up. >> ---

19: do you keep a journal? what do you write/draw/ in it? >> I technically have one, on Dreamwidth, but I never bother updating it. This is my journal, along with my personal blog.

20: what’s your favorite eye color? >> ---

21: talk about your favorite bag, the one that’s been to hell and back with you and that you love to pieces. >> I don’t have one of those. I have three different bags for different purposes.

22: are you a morning person? >> Sure.

23: what’s your favorite thing to do on lazy days where you have 0 obligations? >> I usually have 0 real obligations (aside from ones I impose on myself), so I have no idea how to answer this.

24: is there someone out there you would trust with every single one of your secrets? >> ---

25: what’s the weirdest place you’ve ever broken into? >> I’m not sure.

26: what are the shoes you’ve had for forever and wear with every single outfit? >> There are no shoes that I’ve had for forever. I only have two pairs of shoes, so basically both of them get worn with every single outfit (the boots in the cooler months, the sneakers in the summer and for walking).

27: what’s your favorite bubblegum flavor? >> Well, isn’t bubble gum only one flavour?

28: sunrise or sunset? >> Both are good. Although I like saying hello to the Sun more than I like saying goodbye to it.

29: what’s something really cute that one of your friends does and is totally endearing? >> ---

30: think of it: have you ever been truly scared? >> Sure.

31: what is your opinion of socks? do you like wearing weird socks? do you sleep with socks? do you confine yourself to white sock hell? really, just talk about socks. >> I like wearing socks with funky patterns and designs on them, and sometimes I mismatch them on purpose for my own amusement. I do not sleep with socks.

32: tell us a story of something that happened to you after 3AM when you were with friends. >> I can’t really think of one right now.

33: what’s your fave pastry? >> ---

34: tell us about the stuffed animal you kept as a kid. what is it called? what does it look like? do you still keep it? >> I don’t remember what I kept as a child. I think I had a lion or two. I only remember that because my father is fucking obsessed with lions so of course I had lion plushies.

35: do you like stationery and pretty pens and so on? do you use them often? >> I do like them, but I don’t have occasion to use them.

36: which band’s sound would fit your mood right now? >> I don’t know.

37: do you like keeping your room messy or clean? >> I like keeping it tidy.

38: tell us about your pet peeves! >> I’d really rather not right now.

39: what color do you wear the most? >> Black.

40: think of a piece of jewelry you own: what’s it’s story? does it have any meaning to you? >> I don’t really have any stories behind any of the jewelry I own.

41: what’s the last book you remember really, really loving? >> Well, I reread The Phantom Tollbooth recently and I’ve been fond of that book for almost as long as I’ve been alive.

42: do you have a favorite coffee shop? describe it! >> No.

43: who was the last person you gazed at the stars with? >> I don’t remember.

44: when was the last time you remember feeling completely serene and at peace with everything? >> Oof...

45: do you trust your instincts a lot? >> I don’t know.

46: tell us the worst pun you can think of. Any burger of the day ever written on the board at Bob’s Burgers. I love them though. <-- I’m going to stick with that, those are just utterly shameless puns lmao

47: what food do you think should be banned from the universe? >> ---

48: what was your biggest fear as a kid? is it the same today? >> I was afraid of thunderstorms and flying insects. I still have a reflexive aversion to flying insects when they’re flying around me (even though I actually like a lot of flying insects, like bees and moths and stuff), but I am definitely not afraid of thunderstorms anymore.

49: do you like buying CDs and records? what was the last one you bought? >> I don’t buy CDs and I rarely buy records. I think the last record I bought was a deluxe copy of Pearl Jam’s Ten that I found at ALDI, of all places.

50: what’s an odd thing you collect? >> I don’t collect things.

51: think of a person. what song do you associate with them? >> ---

52: what are your favorite memes of the year so far? >> I don’t remember what memes came out this year.

53: have you ever watched the rocky horror picture show? heathers? beetlejuice? pulp fiction? what do you think of them? >> I tried watching RHPS and Beetlejuice and didn’t like either one. Didn’t even finish them, in fact. Heathers was okay. Pulp Fiction was entertaining.

54: who’s the last person you saw with a true look of sadness on their face? >> *shrug* What even is a true look of sadness.

55: what’s the most dramatic thing you’ve ever done to prove a point? >> I have no idea.

56: what are some things you find endearing in people? >> Meh.

57: go listen to bohemian rhapsody. how did it make you feel? did you dramatically reenact the lyrics? >> Listening to Bohemian Rhapsody doesn’t really make me feel anything, but it’s fun to reenact sometimes, yeah. Especially in a car, Wayne’s World style.

58: who’s the wine mom and who’s the vodka aunt in your group of friends? why? >> ---

59: what’s your favorite myth? >> Oh god, that’s the worst question. I love so many different myths.

60: do you like poetry? what are some of your faves? >> I can’t usually get into poetry, a lot of it is inscrutable in a way that’s just annoying to me instead of intriguing. There are some poems I like, though, but don’t ask me to remember them right now.

61: what’s the stupidest gift you’ve ever given? the stupidest one you’ve ever received? >> ---

62: do you drink juice in the morning? which kind? >> Not usually.

63: are you fussy about your books and music? do you keep them meticulously organized or kinda leave them be? >> I’m fussy about my everything. I don’t own enough books or physical copies of music to really warrant being meticulous about their organisation, though.

64: what color is the sky where you are right now? >> Pale blue.

65: is there anyone you haven’t seen in a long time who you’d love to hang out with? >> I mean, sure, why not.

66: what would your ideal flower crown look like? >> I used to have a really big one that someone on tumblr made for me a long time ago, lmao. That was good.

67: how do gloomy days where the sky is dark and the world is misty make you feel? >> It depends on how I already felt. If I was having an okay day, then it’s just dreamy and ~goth~ and I will probably make 100 Silent Hill jokes. If I’m having an off day, then the fact that the Sun isn’t even out just makes me feel worse.

68: what’s winter like where you live? >> Cold.

69: what are your favorite board games? >> I don’t have one.

70: have you ever used a ouija board? >> No, never got a chance.

71: what’s your favorite kind of tea? >> Ginger, peppermint, etc.

72: are you a person who needs to note everything down or else you’ll forget it? >> No.

73: what are some of your worst habits? >> Picking at my lips, mainly.

74: describe a good friend of yours without using their name or gendered pronouns. >> ---

75: tell us about your pets! >> ---

76: is there anything you should be doing right now but aren’t? >> No.

77: pink or yellow lemonade? >> Either is fine.

78: are you in the minion hateclub or fanclub? >> I can’t stand them.

79: what’s one of the cutest things someone has ever done for you? >> ---

80: what color are your bedroom walls? did you choose that color? if so, why? They are the colour of Nothing and I did not choose it. I rent. <-- “the colour of Nothing” is exactly what the fuck it is.

81: describe one of your friend’s eyes using the most abstract imagery you can think of. >> ---

82: are/were you good in school? >> I was great as a child. Once puberty (and trauma) hit everything went out the window.

83: what’s some of your favorite album art? >> I don’t even know where to begin with this... there are so many album covers I like, but I don’t feel like expending all my survey energy on one question, you dig...

84: are you planning on getting tattoos? which ones? >> No, I’m not planning on it.

85: do you read comics? what are your faves? >> Sure. Promethea, Sandman, Preacher, Doctor Strange, various Lovecraftian comics, etc.

86: do you like concept albums? which ones? >> I do like concept albums. Dream Theater has done some pretty interesting ones, and so did Vanden Plas with Christ 0.

87: what are some movies you think everyone should watch at least once in their lives? >> ---

88: are there any artistic movements you particularly enjoy? >> I had been reblogging a lot of art recently that had a similar look and feel to it, and I was wondering if they were related, like part of a certain art movement... and then I was watching a Youtube video about the movie Silence the other day and I accidentally found my answer in that video! It was the Baroque movement. I really like the feel of some of those pieces, particularly the darker-hued paintings.

89: are you close to your parents? >> No.

90: talk about your one of you favorite cities. >> What can I possibly say about New Orleans that hasn’t already been said by more poetic minds than mine, tbh.

91: where do you plan on traveling this year? >> I don’t plan on travelling this year, thanks to the whole pandemic business.

92: are you a person who drowns their pasta in cheese or a person who barely sprinkles a pinch? >> Er, somewhere in the middle...?

93: what’s the hairstyle you wear the most? >> I only have one hairstyle.

94: who was the last person you know to have a birthday? >> Somebody on one of the Discord servers I’m in.

95: what are your plans for this weekend? >> We’re going to the Wayland house for the first time since... early March, I think. Besides that, just the farmer’s market and grocery shopping as usual.

96: do you install your computer updates really quickly or do you procrastinate on them a lot? >> My computers run on SSDs, so it takes like 2 minutes to do system updates and I’m right back in business. No point in procrastinating that.

97: myer briggs type, zodiac sign, and hogwarts house? >> I get a different result every time I take a Myers-Briggs test (which makes sense to me). My Sun sign is Gemini. My Hogwarts house is Slytherin, but being complex-natured like any other human being I know that I straddle both Slytherin and Ravenclaw.

98: when’s the last time you went hiking? did you enjoy it? >> I don’t remember the last time I went on a true hike. I would love to do that at some point, but aside from the M6 trail (which is just... parallel to a highway and not all that scenic), all the good hiking places in this region require me to be driven to the location first.

99: list some songs that resonate to your soul whenever you hear them. >> Death Is the Road to Awe by Clint Mansell, Walker by Master Boot Record, Ich dachte schon by Selig, Little Black Submarines by the Black Keys, Nothing As It Seems by Pearl Jam.

100: if you were presented with two buttons, one that allows you to go 5 years into the past, the other 5 years into the future, which one would you press? why? >> No.

[elegiesforshiva]

This is a review for the amazing sasusaku fanfic Perpetual Winter by @thefangirlslair It’s a brilliant modern AU and I highly recommend it!!!  You can read it on fanfiction.net or tumblr :)))) FF: c l i c kkkk Tumblr: Part I, Special Chapter, Part II And time for a criminally late and obscenely long review!!!

Pt I

Winter has never been his favorite season

Damn what an intro, I’m already getting angst vibes lmao.  I really like how you set the scene and stage the world of this AU.  I didn’t expect the existence of clans in this piece, with it being a modern AU, but this is such a fascinating twist on the setting to me. I loved how you described Naruto’s endurance as unnatural, “like there’s a demon living inside him” and Sasuke and his clan have inexplicable warmth….inexplicable do I dare say…fire ???? ;))))))

Lmao seriously what a great way to pay homage to canon though.  I love these attributes!

Modern au Sasuke that reads poetry and drinks coffee is a brand of pretentiousness I can get behind

Aaaaaaa omg I really REALLY REALLY fucking love this intro!  I love how you describe Sasuke as appreciating liveliness, and vibrance—which we can honestly assume is canon with how his two closest people are the embodiment of these traits.  And I love how you tie it back into the seasons.  This really gives so much life to that motif in this story, and the title. That was clever af

…he was taken back to the time where winter was just a mere season, Bon Iver was playing on their shared earphones, and Sakura was his. 

WHAT THE FUCK YOU JUST FUCKING DESTROYED ME WHAT A WAY TO SEGWAY INTO THE NEXT SCENE OOOOF IM KSJDFHLJSAKFL

There are so many things I love about this following scene…  you really know how to write a couple in casual, mutual love.  The banter and candidness of their interaction just has me floored. I also REALLY love that this is from Sasuke’s perspective, and how even though he doesn’t have an overwhelming amount of dialogue, we’re in his head, and his appreciation and love for Sakura just radiates.  Lines like these:  

From her latest discovered band to a recent discovery in medicine by a genius dude whose name he doesn’t even remember, she shares it with him. Favorite anime character, favorite memory with him, favorite pair of underwear — he knows it all because she’s that open to him about things she love.

They’re just….so good. I can hear his voice, his ardor, and his impeccable understanding of Sakura’s personality while also expressiong his own.  The choice of having the narrative skewed through his lens was def a good decision. And ugh this piece is just overwhelmingly amazing already

He doesn’t know the pain to be dealt with when you’ve broken up with someone because Sakura was his first girlfriend. And honestly, he doesn’t, couldn’t, even think about being apart from her. Just the thought of them breaking up already makes him panic a little. He always thought to himself, ‘I will never let that happen.’

Okay this paragraph……………this paragraph tho……..dropping this.  KNOWING. They’re gonna break up……….HOW DARE U

Seriously, what powerful writing.  I don’t know how you do it……

I think it’s incredibly interesting that you chose music to be the catalyst for this beautiful, climactic moment of closeness  My best friend/partner and I have had convos before about it, and she and i once talked about how we think of sex with music lol.  I don’t know how to entirely explain myself on that, or where I’m really going with this, but I get the same vibe here too.  Music that’s close to you is like an artistic intimacy and there’s something very personal and vulnerable about it.  Maybe it’s an auditory thing, like getting lost in one of those guided meditations.  (idk if you’ve ever had one that actually worked, they don’t always for me, but when they do god damn, it’s unreal)  Either way, I really loved the way this scene played out, it was highly relatable and highly emotional, and I feel serenity and ardor just reading it.  Beautifully done.

I love the way you moved back to the present and we immediately feel the differences and the similarities.  The fondness and affection is still there, if not a little more muted, and it’s so obvious they still have feelings for each other.  But there’s definitely moments that speak to their separation too, with the little differences in Sakura that Sasuke notices, or instances like her no longer drinking coffee or him deciding to open the door.

I really like how you inserted the interaction with Kakashi too.  One thing I’m quickly noticing about this fic and your writing is how you very stealthily relay information to us readers.  It’s seamless and entertaining, and I’m learning about this world and the past in ways that are so attention grabbing I don’t even notice it.

Also Itachi’s death and the way you handled it from Sasuke’s pov is so reminiscent of canon and also so gut wrenching.  The lines 

How dare Itachi leave him alone? How dare Itachi sacrifice himself and die? How dare Itachi pass his responsibilities onto his shoulders… 

especially gutted me because of how is stands in stark parallels to the Sasuke we know in canon.  This really smacked my head around with feels….poor Sasuke

OMFG POOR SASUKE !!!?!?!??!?!??!? THAT ENDING OOOLOGDSLGFSLKDGHLSDHFLKDFHVSLKV WHAT A FUCKING CURVE BALL LMAO

I mean maybe I should have seen that coming because like of course!!!  But also I’M LOSING M Y SHIT HAHAHAHAAA

I can’t wait to see how this unfolds!!!!!

Special Chapter

This is such a powerful scene to start with.  Itachi’s entire character was such a major influence in canon and seeing the way his death is affecting everyone now is so emotional.  I feel so bad for Sasuke, having to take on all the burdens Itachi had left behind for him.

Also these lines:

“Mikoto cried, “Don’t you think it’s too soon? I just buried my first-born just barely a week ago and now we’re discussing how you’re gonna ruin my youngest’s life just like you did with Itachi?!”

The way her voice cracked when she said his brother’s name broke his heart. She’s still grieving, probably forever, and here they are talking about Sasuke’s suicide.”

Literally killed me. Dead.  Deceased.  Fallen to the Void.  It’s so brilliant and powerful, and speaks so deeply on their dysfunctional family dynamics and feelings with so few lines.  Really loved this…

This next scene was so stark and sad and beautiful.  I meant to comment and pull lines again, but I couldn't stop reading tbh.  Sasuke's thoughts and emotions concerning Sakura are so vividly gentle and full of praise.  There's such a soft worship in the way you write his feelings towards her and tbh it's my absolute and only interpretation of feelings I care for concerning the depiction of their relationship.  Still, you do this with a certain cleverness and mastery.  It's really so moving for me...

The dream sequence that follows is absolutely debilitating, but so well done.  I got the sense it was a dream only a few lines in just from the bluntness of the lines.  It was truly very dream-like lol.  I really could feel the panic and guilt along all of his inner turmoil.  It's incredibly horrific to have such a dream about murder just after Itachi's too.  This was devastating.

I really loved the way Sakura calms him groom the panic/anxiety attack.  I've actually had a similar experience once, where I woke up from a nightmare and I was very frightened and stiff and couldn't really articulate myself.  I remember I had felt deep horror and self loathing and nothing else.  (I still remember the nightmare too, it was horrible.)  My best friend at the time just threw herself on the bed and held me.

It's so crazy how grounding touch can be.  I really felt that with Sasuke and Sakura too.  The comfort she offers him is so seamless to her character and so ardently palpable.  The repetition of "I got you" really touched me especially.  It breaks my heart knowing the inevitable end of their relationship to come.

Oooooohhhh daaamnnnnn

I did NOT see the raunchy sex coming lmfao!!  Although in hindsight, I probably should have.  You already told us how they tend to get down and dirty when emotions run high with the arguments and make-up sex.  I imagine this is instigated by Sasuke often, with him struggling to articulate his need for Sakura verbally so he does so physically.  And I imagine Sakura is just kinky enough to crave this sort of animal want.  

I do love how sexual interactions are easily moving in tandem with their emotions, how it just feels like another mode of communication.  Sasuke breaking down during it leaves me feeling so tender too.  It's tragic

She smiled. Sasuke doesn't know if he wants that smile or not.

These exit lines are going to fucking kill me istg

The following events honestly hurts to read because Damn haven't we all been there...  the fallout of a relationship to the point where you're just dragging it through the mud… it’s a true deterioration of soul and you capture that slow death so well.  I really feel terrible for Sakura—Sasuke too—but it sucks for her to be in the dark like this.  

I love the way you write Karin!!!  Honestly, I think it really mirrors the way she's written in canon.  She's cold and strategically loud and generally calculating and overall kind of apathetic.  She doesn't really know the value of meaningful relationships (and therefore doesn't prioritize them) until much later on in the series.  I definitely get this sense of her here too.  She's a little cold, but not cruel, and she has the pragmatic values of her and Sasuke's union in mind as she agrees to it all.  I really like how you made her personality come through here.

Meanwhile there’s him, sucking all the hard traits from their father. His competitive streak, arrogant way of speaking, harsh words — it’s all Fugaku. And suddenly, he feels so exhausted.

This line hit me so hard. I love this fic already for an endless number of reasons but a striking one is how well you interrogate the relationships between family.  When you described Itachi’s death as Sasuke losing a part of him, I really felt that. And here when you write about the way Sasuke takes after Fugaku and hates it and is also exasperated from it, just like how his father likely is, it just runs bone deep.  You really know how to speak to life experiences and relationships in consistently intimate ways.  I love that about you

This is his reality now — no more dream, no more Itachi; and pretty soon, no more Sakura.

’It hurts,’ Sasuke thought. 'It hurts, aniki.’  

Wow death by angst lmao thanks for the pain, maren, glad to know you like to torture your readers as much as our ninja babies.  Srsly tho the cadence of these lines and the material itself sync up perfectly.  It’s such powerful writing

This entire scene is stuffed to the brim with dread and turbulence, and it’s so lifelike, I feel it’s haunting.  The way you describe the suffocating atmosphere of the car ride, how Sasuke snaps at Sakura for simply knowing that something is up, the awkwardness of the dinner… You really brought so much passion into these scenes, I feel like I’m being tortured right with them lol

I looooooove the drama of this playing out omg.  The way you have this convo go down is like a punch to the gut.  Sakura announcing her acceptance to Harvard, and then her refusal to go. Sasuke knowing he’s the reason why…the guilt…the anger…

Also omfg these lines:

Sasuke hardened his resolve and stiffly said, “No. I don’t need you, Sakura.”

’Yes, I do.’

Sakura shook her head, “Yes, you do.”

I DIED.  Sakura callin’ him out on his bull shit I fucking LOST IT lmaooOOooo   I love this so much and I love how you write their dynamic!  It’s funny how this fic plays into a lot of romantic clichés but also subverts them—gives them a twist that knocks the reader right off their feet. It’s honestly incredible

I loved the way you brought in winter into this scene too.  The image of it, the feel of it, the terrible, lonely tone.  It suits the entire mood of it all.

This is going to sound super dumb but I genuinely love how much agency you give Sakura btw.  You probably know I’m a raging, batshit feminist by now and I gotta say, her dialogue is consistently powerful and reeks of someone who knows who they are, and their worth, even when in the fallout of a relationship where they are getting the short end of the stick.  Like I’m just sitting here reading “Sasuke, you dumb jackass, what are you doing” lmfaoooo LIKE GURL I WOULD TREAT U SO GOOD…. SAKU BB IM SO SORRY BUT ALSO TRUST I KNOW HOW IT BE

I really do love it.  And I love how you wrote Sakura as an orphan too.  It really flips the script on the canon material (eat shit, kishimoto!!  Women can have trauma and real backstories not centered around men, u misogynistic pile of adskjfhsklhfalkd)  I just feel she’s very well written, and tangible, and powerfully human.  I’d be just as smitten as Sasuke tbh

The last scene is so upsetting… it’s also strangely warming too though.  It’s terrible Sasuke’s been broken down like this, but there’s something about this scene where he feels raw, and expresses his pain in a very infantile way, literally crying out to his mother about how it hurts.  I really feel he’s been stripped of not just his life, but himself, under the weight of Itachi’s death and all that’s come with it, and it makes my heart ache.  I loved this chapter, in all it’s infinite sadness.

Part II

He closed his eyes and thought about his talk with his father earlier, “We’re okay now. He called me while I was with Itachi.”

Love the ease and depth of this single line of dialogue.  How Itachi is not alive but is still with him, and how it speaks to the way we humans grieve and the continuity and strength of relationships even after someone leaves.  It’s just very simple and human, and it popped out at me.

He couldn’t even remember the last time they talked on the phone, or the last time he heard Fugaku as a father, not as the Uchiha patriarch.

Uggghhhhhhh this is exactly how I felt Fugaku was like in canon too.  This fic is just full of brilliance, I really adore the way you describe all the relationships, but the complexity between Sasuke’s and Fugaku’s is really striking to me.  You nail it perfectly.

And this whole intro where Fugaku apologizes to Sasuke and tells him he is proud…. I feel as if a major levee has been broken.  While he’s in front of Itachi’s grave too.  This Sasuke really has that same parallel with the one in canonverse where I feel he is held back by his family trauma, family obligations, the weight of blood.  And this scene feels like a breaking point.  Where Sasuke can be a man instead of an Uchiha, in the same way Fugaku gives him this moment as a father instead of an Uchiha patriarch.  It certainly feels like a cleansing of sorts.

Once you thought you’re over it, one pink-haired beacon of spring will bloom in your eternal winter and blow all your progress into next week. What a woman. He will never find anyone better.

AaaaaaaAAAAAAAAAAA !!!! this IS what I mean!!!  His inner thoughts of her ugh….i’m so weak…Sasuke you lovesick fool…. And the return of the beautiful seasons motif.  I love this so much

 You can say they were drunk — with liquor, with each other, with love.

I just adore this line. It really emphasizes the vibe of their past relationship and the picture as a whole, and just that electric feeling of being consumed with someone.  The description and cadence of it is just really catching, and I love it

 God, this entire scene. Damn, maren.  It’s criminal how well you write the tension of such a casual conversation.  It feels as if an interrogation of sorts is occurring, and yet it’s still a heartwarming kind. Sakura is not vicious or mal-intentioned in inquiries and yet it still leaves Sasuke weak and defenseless if only because of his feelings for her.  There’s so many ways you assert it too.  It’s in every line, every detail.  This one in particular stood out to me:

Sasuke clenched his fist under the table and scoffed, “I hope my mother didn’t tell you how miserable I was.”

'Still am,’ he corrected in his mind. 'How miserable I still am.’

I remember you used this particular tactic when also describing Itachi’s feelings from Sasuke’s POV. (Something along the lines of how he does became how he did because he is gone)  In this fic where time is moving back and forward in a non-linear fashion, these details are especially striking.  Despite the changes and pushes and pull, this one fact is consistent—Sasuke loves Sakura.  And we, as readers, relearn it with every line.

Also I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOvE that Mikoto saw Sakura off, and that there is this undertone of a bond. Like ughhhhh I’ve so been there, where there’s that depth of understanding between women and relationships that men don’t always know about or know how to grapple with it.  My ex resented me for it lmfao

Adkjfasklfalsjdkfakls SASUKE CAN RELATE TO HIM APPARENTLY AHAHAHAAHHA B SNAPPEDDDD I totally get it though, it’s a little intrusive of Sakura to ask for that, but we all also know why she did.  Poor saku bb is in love with this emotionally constipated idiot lmao.  Oh I love the endless pining and miscommunication of it all !!!

“I thought you’d be here,” a voice came and knocked on the closed door of his heart. He turned his face towards it, he saw her and suddenly his doors came opening again.

The winter sun was directly behind her, giving her this eerie glow. Like a nymph; a spring nymph being born in his perpetual winter. He shivered inside.

Back at it again with that seasonal motif !!!! ugh you are killing me.  I also really loved the phrase “knocked on the closed door of his hear.”  You really have such a way with these metaphors and images, it’s so striking and makes the narrative of this piece so brilliant

and silence is a comfortable companion back then. When they became lovers, it was like their platonic third-wheel aside from Naruto.

Ngl I busted out laughing on that one.  “aside from Naruto” hahaaaa I love the way you include him in this fic tbh.  He’s not a very big focus, but he still feels like an integral part of this story, not just as Sasuke’s best friend, but also as another device to unite Sasuke and Sakura.  Also he’s pretty fantastic comic relief, probably just as much for the two of them as for the reader.

I really love the way this convo goes down, and the change of scenery from the coffee shop to the playground.  Considering the way their love at this point is founded in nostalgia (and perhaps something else, but let’s ignore that for a second) it’s so fitting for them to finally stripping away the masks and cloaks and being genuine with one another—Sakura talking about how she knew all along, and Sasuke finally admitting he still loves her.

I also loved that Karin broke off the engagement!!!!!!  And how she did it and how you described it ughghhghg I love this.  You really spoke to her character growth and development in canon too.  It’s trivial compared to everything else that’s going on, but I love it.

…the pink of her hair, the green of her irises and the gold of the sun slowly setting down behind her.

Sasuke couldn’t see her clearly anymore, only the faint glow of her weeping eyes and the halo on her head made by the sun.

You think you’re slick don’t you…you think you’re some kind of mastermind with these subtle references/images…..well guess what bitch….YOU ARE

  I looooove how you tied the music back in.  Ugh this departure!!  MY HEART!!! Also I’m seeing a handful of songs I love including OUR BOIIIII !!!! rex orange county uhhghhgjak maren this is the romance of a lifetime I AM WEAK

Ughh the forehead kiss…..that was so sweet.  I loved Sakura’s choice to give him that bit of affection.  This scene is so beautifully intimate, despite their positions.

Omg I FINISHED HOLY SHIT!!! And Sasuke doesn’t get back with her! Wow!  Honestly, as much as my shipper heart is like, violently frothing at the mouth and saying “okay they totally got back together down the line tho like THEY HAD TO THEY ARE MADE FOR EACH OTHER WHAT IS TH—" I actually have such a deep appreciation for this ending.  Their relationship in this almost feels dream-like, and with the way the story unfolds, even if they still loved each other in the end (and I really don’t doubt that they do.  We don’t have Sakura’s perspective, but we also don’t need it.  the affections are clear) it doesn’t mean they will end up together or are even really suited for each other in such a way.  

Their love in this actually really reminds me of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind.  Have you seen that movie?  I just really get that vibe at the end.  This entire romance cuts very deep and is very passionate and leaves me feeling so whimsical.  I really loved this story, Maren…  thank you for sharing it with all of us.  thank you for writing it.  You’re really one of a kind and you and this story has my whole heart <333

Also I’m sorry this is so late, but when I said I am going to write you a review, what I meant was I am going to write you a review.  This English degree is good for nothing but sending elaborate love letters to friends and writers in the form of literary analyses and stupid overreactions and BY GOD I WILL NOT LET THIS CRIPPLING COLLEGE DEBT GO TO WASTE !!!

[generallynerdy]

Tiny (Bucky Barnes X Male!Reader)

Summary: Tony Stark and Bruce Banner have one rule-- well, one rule that everyone actually tries to listen to-- in the compound. And that’s not to mess around in their lab. But when the cat’s away, the mice will play. Then, one of the mice will get hit with a shrink ray and actually become mouse-sized.

Requested by HauntRavensong (AO3): I had a prompt in mind. Only if you don't mind and I know you're busy. The prompt is that male reader (again, only if you don't mind) and Bucky are playing with the electronics in the lab and reader gets shrunk so Bucky takes up the mantle of watching out for him until it gets reversed. Maybe some snark and teasing from any of the others about the situation :3

Key: (Y/N) - your name

Warnings: Cursing probably, what’s an infinity wade

Word Count: 1,470

Note: i used this thing called Fighter’s Block (google it) and wrote this in like 20 minutes??? holy shit. also babe i will write whatever pronouns reader u want, i am physically incapable of being consistent anyway lmao

Tony had exactly one rule in the compound. Well, admittedly, he had a lot of rules. But there was only one that the team actually paid attention to. Tony and Bruce were very touchy about their labs and their rule was that no one-- no one-- was allowed to mess with stuff in the lab. Of course, it's the Avengers, so one would think they have the sense to listen to each other, at least on occasion.

You are an Avenger and you know this to be false.

If there is one team in the world that won't listen to orders, it's them.

One day, you and one of your best friends of the team, Bucky, were bored. You were bored out of your minds, because no bad guys decided to come out of hiding for the day and none of your teammates were around to entertain you. Bucky wasn't allowed out of the compound since the whole Civil War incident, so there wasn't much to do otherwise. That said, you probably shouldn't have agreed to his idea of sneaking into Tony and Bruce's lab, no matter how bored you were. But you agreed anyway.

Most of the lab's toys were pretty standard, but once you figured out Tony's passcode to the back part of the lab-- it was Morgan, of course-- things got way more fun.

"What does this look like to you?" Bucky hummed, holding up a box painted in Cap's signature colours.

You shrugged. "Something for Cap probably."

"Well, yeah, but what does he have in mind for the punk?" He teased.

Weapons were plentiful in the lab, but so were suits of armour. You found a few updated War Machine sets, a few bow and arrow upgrades for Clint, and even an anesthetic meant for the Hulk. A label warned that it hadn't been tested yet, though.

"Woah," Bucky breathed out, holding up a ray-gun looking thing. "What's this?"

"Freeze ray?" You asked.

He laughed. "Wouldn't put it past Stark. It doesn't really look like one, though, does it?"

You walked over to him and plucked the gun from his hands, turning it around with curiosity. "Weird," you muttered to yourself.

Upon later consideration, you decided you should've been safer when handling a gun. Alas, present you had the genius idea to look down the barrel directly, trying to get an idea of what powered it.

Then, it shot you straight in the face and you blacked out.

When you came to, presumably hours later, you could hear nothing but Bucky freaking out. He was talking to himself and pacing, from what you could hear, but when you opened your eyes…

You weren't sure where you were. You were on metal ground and something akin to a giant stapler was beside you, but it was all you could see before you looked up. Holy. Shit.

Bucky was a lot taller than you remembered. In fact, you didn't remember anyone ever being that tall.

"Uh...Buck?" You asked, looking down at your hands.

He turned to you in a sort of slow-motion movement. "Oh thank God, you're awake. Are you okay? Except for the tiny thing, I mean..."

"Tiny...?" You looked down at yourself and suddenly it all made sense. "A SHRINK RAY!?"

"It's okay! It's okay!" Bucky instantly said. "Don't freak out. I'm gonna go find Stark and we'll figure everything out. Let's get going."

"Oh no," you whined as he held out his hand for you to climb onto. "The others are never gonna let this one go."

"What do you MEAN (Y/N) shrunk himself?" Tony raved over the phone.

Bucky sighed. "Just what I said. He pointed the gun at his face--"

Bruce, who was standing beside Tony from what you could see on the screen, sighed and rubbed his face. "We have one rule, you guys. One, single rule."

"Sorry!" You squeaked, having to shout for them to hear you. "We were really bored and, well, Tony's passcode is like the easiest thing ever."

"I'll kill you," he hissed. "I'll kill both of you."

"Whatever," Bucky said, diverting the conversation. "Just come back here and fix him already."

"That's gonna be a problem, guys."

"Uh oh," you said as soon as the words left his mouth.

Bucky clenched his free fist, seeing as his left was holding you up for them to see. "What kind of problem are we talking?"

"We just got called to a situation out here," Tony explained. "HYDRA is all over this stinking place."

Bruce chimed in. "We won't be free to go until it's cleared up. We don't know how long it'll take."

Bucky facepalmed. "Great. Just...great."

For the next few days, it was you and Bucky against the world. And it wasn't a pretty world to say the least.

Being tiny was much more difficult than people gave it credit for and not 5'2" kind of tiny, but more like a few inches kind of tiny. How Scott Lang ever managed it, you have no idea. Everything you wanted to do required help, because everything you needed was made for big people.

Even making a cup of coffee just to feel life in your veins in the morning was a pain.

Everyone thought it was pretty hilarious, too, except for Bucky. Sam would burst into laughter at the sight of you jumping up and down on the TV remote just to get to the channel you wanted. Thor thought you putting PopTarts in the toaster was pretty great, too. Bucky was the only one who took your frustration seriously.

In fact, he was the one to come up with a solution.

"Now, I'm not saying it's ideal..." He started.

"Please," you interrupted, "I just need to not have to ask someone to do everything for me anytime I need something."

Okay, so his plan did include that, but it was a specific person: him.

He wore shirts with pockets. It was a miraculous little thing, but it made your whole life terrifyingly simple. He carried you everywhere and anywhere, all over the compound.

After talking to Scott, he even had a few more ideas. There was a little makeshift bed for you on his nightstand, just in case of midnight emergencies, that was made out of a shoe. Scott gave you a few of his shrinking disks to shrink down some silverware and other necessities, so eating became impossibly easier. Admittedly, you had gone swimming in a cup of coffee more than once. Nobody thought that was funny. They either thought it was relatable, like Peter and Shuri, or kind of disgusting.

But Buck stayed with you the whole time.

Four days into it, you were sleeping peacefully when he poked at your shoe-bed.

"Leave me alone," you muttered into the blankets. "I don't wanna get up."

"C'mon, (Y/N)," he said. "You've made it this far. Just give it a few more days."

You groaned. "If this has to go on for a few more days, I will die. If Sam has Redwing chase me around anymore I'm just gonna jump off the roof."

"Hey, don't talk like that." He huffed at your silence. "(Y/N), you're not dying."

"Really?" You asked drowsily. "Because it feels like it."

Bucky sighed and, despite your protests, grabbed your PJ shirt between his index finger and his thumb, pulling you from the bed. He held you up in front of his face. "(Y/N)," he chided.

"I don't like being manhandled," you muttered mutinously, crossing your arms.

The soldier gave a devilish grin. "Speaking of being manhandled...I know how to cheer you up."

Bucky knew the way to your heart. A good movie and great snacks was an instant win. Of course, it helped that the movie was Night at the Museum, then the second one, then the third one after it. He just knew all the ways to get you to like him and, to be honest, you liked him a lot more than you would like to admit.

Anyway, you really related to the tiny cowboy and his Roman boyfriend. Being tiny sucked.

Nobody understood the struggle like they did. Maybe it was why Bucky wanted to watch the movie with you. That was sweet of him.

You were just finishing up the third movie when FRIDAY spoke over the PA system.

"Sergeant Barnes, Agent (Y/N)," she said. "Boss said to tell you he's home."

"OH THANK GOD!" You exclaimed. You leapt from the edge of the popcorn bowl by instinct and landed on Bucky's hand, which was outstretched for you already.

Okay, so maybe you had gotten used to the tiny thing. And maybe you had gotten used to being with Bucky 24/7. But your point still stood. Being tiny sucked.

Masterlist

[dandelionpath]

Hello! I was wondering if you had any advice on how to astral travel? If it’s not too much to ask, would it be possible to share your first experience here??? Thank you ~ ♥️♥️♥️

Hello!! Thanks for the ask, I love a chance to ramble lol! I’ll try to keep it short and sweet since I know that many ppl like the tl;dr version of things haha!I’m going to answer both your questions at the same time, sort of! I’ll write out my experiences, and explain some tips and tricks that I learned and used and figured out along the way! I think that’s the best way to make this post for me personally, and hopefully it’ll be somewhat interesting/entertaining to read!

My first time astral travelling? Hmm, that’s actually difficult to answer tbh! I had a lot of “firsts”, and a lot of my beginning astral stuff was very gradual. I think my first time ever doing anything astral, was helping to apply some medicine to Jo because they’d been injured on their way over to me for the first time (‘twasn’t the spirit shops fault, I think it might have actually been my first attempt wards….). I basically just imagined myself opening my eyes with the intent of applying the medicine on Jo, and I opened my eyes to find myself in a tiny room, very white and clinical and sparse. I did what I needed to do and got out. Every day that week, I had to apply the medicine until Jo got strong enough to apply it themself, so it was a lot of continuous practice in baby step astral traveling! That’s what really helped me git gud at astral traveling when I first started I think! The continuous small chipping away at learning. Also I didn’t really have a choice in whether I was going to learn or not, because I was virtually the only person who could help Jo out, and seeing as they were my companion…. I didn’t really want them to die or suffer lmao, so I HAD to figure it out otherwise it would’ve been awful.

After that, I started overthinking it too much, and then got “busy” (aka too lazy to find or make time to practice astralling), and fell out of practice. DON’T OVERTHINK IT. DO NOT. Just go with what feels right in your gut, okay? I honestly let my intuition guide me a lot when I was first starting out in astral traveling! The only helpful thing I ever got out of the thirtyish guides I read on how to astral travel was the idea of walking through a mirror, and even that was thought up by me because the original post said to just step into a pond in your imagination! I thought “huh, I don’t connect well with water really, but I love the idea of mirrors, why don’t I just try this…” AND IT WORKED. 

Also? You can have as little or as big of a ritual to astral travel as you want. And it might change over time! When I first started out (again, after the whole Jo stuff), I had a fairly elaborate ritual thing that I did every time before I traveled. I’ll uhh… link a post to it so as to keep this post a bit shorter lol! Eventually, though, I started removing parts of it, until I just decided to drop it completely (this happened fairly quickly, because again: I’M LAZY). 

MAKE TIME FOR PRACTICE. I cannot stress this enough!!! A lot of people say that they really want to learn something, whether it be energy work, astral travel, or even mundane things like knitting or whatever, YET THEY DON’T PRACTICE. You have to practice to git gud!!! Set aside some time, even just ten minutes a day, to do a bit of practice with astral traveling! It doesn’t matter what you do, if you get there, just use that time to work on your skills! Even if it’s just meditating for ten minutes, this will still be useful for astral traveling later on (it’s good to be able to focus and keep a clear mind - for me personally, anyways). If you want to be able to do something well, or even at all for that matter, you need to practice!!! 

I personally would try to set aside fifteen minutes a day for metaphysical work. I’m implementing this into my daily routine (I’m working on it - mental health and grad stuff have kept me pretty tied down, though) and I suggest you do it, or at least something similar, too. I have ten minutes to practice energy work or astral travel (or get astral chores done or cleanse my room using energy work) and the other five minutes is my mandantory check in with my spirit family that I’ve put in place for myself since I’m scatterbrained and will otherwise forget or put off checking in with everyone. But that’s another post for another time. 

One of the earliest times I can remember well from beginning astral traveling is after I made my first astral home (which is now burnt down…….). I was walking through the astral forest that I had my treehouse in, when I found a treehouse that looked like mine! By the way, I didn’t have very good astral sight, and even now, I have astral glasses that help me to see a bit better bc apparently I’m hard of seeing in the astral RIP. ANYWAYS. I walked into the treehouse to grab something for my companion Goldie who was waiting outside for me. I walked into the treehouse and was immediately swept off my feet, having been scooped off the floor. I found myself to be in a giant’s hand! The giant was all squashed up inside this treehouse, it was very strange. He looked at me, holding me up to his face, and was giving off strong confused vibes. I squeaked out a quick, “Oops! Wrong house, sorry!” and hopped out of his hand and scrambled out of there. When I made it back outside, I found Goldie laughing his ass off, literally rolling on the ground laughing. I was a tad bit peeved (understatement lmao), but it’s a funny story to tell now.

Another thing I’d suggest you do is have a spirit help you out. Leaf and Primrose helped me out a lot at the beginning, just hauling my ass into the astral pretty much, and Goldie and Jo helped me out with telling if I was making stuff up or if it was real. AKA, I kept asking them if they could somehow show me that things were real and eventually they both got so fed up with me asking that Goldie set fire to my foot (I felt that in the physical, y'all) and Jo resorted to biting me. All gently, all not doing permanent damage. But it got their point across. Also I stopped being annoying and insecure, so it worked out for all parties involved lmao. Get spirits to help you out, in whatever manner that looks like for you! There’s no one who knows the astral better than it’s inhabitants!

Also don’t question yourself, especially at the beginning. It’s going to be weird, it’s going to be confusing, and it’s going to feel like you’re making everything up, but just go with the flow and analyze later. If you question yourself constantly, you’re only going to end up getting frustrated and discouraged and give up (been there, done that). However, if you stop freaking out and just go with it, eventually you’ll get to a place where you’ll be able to tell the difference between what’s real and what’s made up. Discernment is important but don’t let it get in the way.

TL;DR: follow your intuition, PRACTICE!!!, baby steps, have a spirit help you out, and believe in yourself! You’ll get there eventually! I know people who picked up astral travelling in a week, and I know people who have been trying for months, even years, and are still working on it, but they’re making progress! I think it all comes down to how much you practice, tbh. Keep up with practicing and you should be fine.

Best of luck! I’m always open to more questions! Hopefully that wasn’t too long of an answer lmao, I just wanted to be clear!

[hootpoop12]

Ok, Meat route feelings:

Ok, this is...by FAR the superior route just saying. Not. That that is saying much seeing what the candy route was but every time I fall into despair over this I just grit my teeth and think about how parts of meat weren’t terrible pfft

-Lets get the johnrezi out of the way cause that’s kinda my thing. So. Good shit pfft I will admit I was little worried that Calliope and mainly Dirk could have tampered with them a bit but I’m pretty sure for the most part they didn’t? Dirk kinda made John feel weird post coital which kinda pissed me off but other than that. Them feelings 100% legit. These two people genuinely love each other. In both routes John’s thought would ALWAYS drift back to Terezi and Terezi’s only comfort was having John’s body with her after it all. Their romance is both cathartic because they are two MISERABLE people who only have each other to understand their feelings and fucking tragic because in candy all he had was a picture and in meat they had a physical confirmation of their feelings only for it to be voyeur’d and then ripped away by fucking John’s death. If there is more to come- I can only image there is- Terezi and Vriska will hopefully somehow team up and look for a way to revive John. Even If their romance was fleeting like 95% ship in Homestuck their support and care for one another is fucking REAL. It was straight UP the only real thing in Candy and I will fight others who say differently. 

-John going back in time to round everyone up felt weird. For the first time they all really felt like children and them all fighting lord english? WOW. Ouch. Especially Dave?? This Dave was the last to go and in the most brutal fucking way?? Kid had to watch Rose and Jade die and still fought pretty well, though. which goes to show Dave is a fucked up dude but when it comes to shit that needs to get done he can hold his own. Thaaaaaats why Adult Dave in both epilogues kinda grated on me a little? Not to fucking say UGH Dave is now more healed and stable this sucks!! I’m more saying there’s a lot of fics that whumpify Dave into a soft boi who too pure for this world and it slightly reminds me of it. That’s probably more of me just being to attached to MY view and headcanons of Dave, though, and maybe I need to let that go a little? 

-Davekat finally fucking happened. Ten years is too long of a slow burn for me I’m sorry lmao seriously I sound like Dirk when I say this but I really thought they sac’d up during the meteor and were already in a relationship. Dave’s whole conversation with John on the lilypad.......literally sounded like he was in a relationship with Karkat.......what the hell, honestly...........I’m glad it was on Dave’s own volition rather than’s Dirk’s gross as fuck pushing at least.

-That brings us to Dirk. The man who has been making my stomach church whenever I remember. My feelings about him are...............fucking complicated. I’ve been reblogging and bitching about him being “ruined” or whatever but.......That really is the simplified version of what I’ve been thinking. I think.....He’s been corrupted by his aspect or he’s just taking this heel “must be the new villain” too seriously. Like, I fucking despise it when people go off and say Bro was corrupted by Cal or Gamzee was corrupted by literally anything cause those two are just fucking trash, I’m sorry. I think I’m mostly upset by Dirk more than anything because his WHOLE thing was that he was a controlling dude with the potential to become an atrocious man and that he was starting to really take control of his path and work his way into becoming a better person. His talk with Jane on his sacrificial slab? His talk with Dave on the roof..........His heart aspect had begun to bring all his splinters together for his ultimate self and when the majority of your splinters carry a very sociopathic personality..............Man, there was literally no hope for him ever, huh? Literally none. The theme of working towards a better version of yourself is MEANINGLESS if your name is Dirk Strider. A character who struggles with depression, suicide, and absolute self loathing and his only path is this. Become the monster he was always terrified to become. Like I’m straight up about to cry writing this holy shit. Dirk is one of my favorite characters of all time- my FIRST favorite character when reading the comic- one of my MAIN reasons for reading it because I heard there was a canon gay character and I needed that in that time of my life. What almost hurts just as much as Dirk being a good guy and forcefully having this fate thrust upon him is that Roxy, the person Dirk cared about the most,.........Like............misgendering them. and being incredibly flippant and rude about trans stuff.......I can’t even begin to describe how much it hurt to read the character you looked up so much fucking being terrible about something that means so much to you. I’m agender and it just hurt is all I’m saying. This leads back to the bizarre issue of Dirk also being sexist and using gay in a strangely duragatory way. Like, Dirk grew up not really putting values on labels so for him to be weirdly transphobic does lead back to the ideas of this being a corrupted Dirk or him just playing the role of a villain. I do believe there is still the old Dirk we know in there, however, as even now Dirk states he could NOT hurt Dave. So some hope?

-Jake. I’m pretty sure Hussie fucking hates the dude like holy shit lmao......lmao in the least funniest way..............In both route Jake is jerked around like a plaything, having his personality dampened by the oppressive narrative. The one time we see Jake have repreive from such a shitty fate is when he’s talking to davekat about the election. That was the single moment we saw the curtain fall and the “intelligence” reenter the dude. I know this is like the “fanon” version of Jake. Every single character has fallen to that: whumpified Dave, puppet master dirk, bitchy mean jane, ect but litereally reading about him coming back to himself fucking HURT. Him being made to be obsessed with Dirk was so fucking gross I was cringing the entire time. The last few months I’ve been slowly accepting DirkJake back into my heart and this just fucking SHATTERED that warmth holy shit. Jake’s struggles with non-consensual bullshit is really starting to wear me down I just want him to be happy and RESPECTED. 

-Alrighty heavy stuff out of the way I will say this: I read candy first and at the end where Alt!Calliope is speaking to Aradia I had almost no goddamn idea what the fuck she was talking about. I even started to get kinda angry cause Homestuck tends to not take itself TOO seriously? There are some philosopical mind melting shit to read and consider but never too much where it’s incomprehensible to me? So when I finished candy I was like alright. Hussie just wanted to jerk himself off. whatever. Then I read meat and was like. OH. This.......this is actually fantastically interesting I can do this meta bullshit! and despite everything I just said about Dirk..........I fucking MISSED reading in his voice and it caught me off guard SO much which is what I love about Homestuck. There were a lot of tip offs but the one that really stood out to me before finding out was the Jake and Jane makeout. It kept going back to Dirk and I was very surprised by that? Jake sounded like he was over Dirk and yet here he was......unable to stop thinking about it? Shit makes. SO much sense I definitely am gonna reread it to look for other stuff, too. The tug of war via the narrative was incrediably entertaining as well.....Dirk is like a super sensitve incel now (caliborn would be proud) so it was hilarious to see him lose grip of it to Calliope. UGH I’m a little guilty to say it but I’m such a slut for anything Dirk I’m also KINDA looking forward to see where this goes and enjoying him being a villain A LITTLE. I know I sound wish washy but hey sometimes feelings contradict!