#we're very proud of this and had so much fun working on it together!

[emilianadarling]

Fic: COMPLETE - Heart Beats Slow (Din/Luke Neo-Noir/Urban Fantasy AU)

fic: Heart Beats Slow authors: cam_elot | emilianadarling artist: lovey-dovey (full art on tumblr and ao3) chapter: Spin Velocity (3/3) series: The Neon Lights of Coruscant rating: E ship: Din Djarin/Luke Skywalker contains: Alternate Universe - Neo(n) Noir/Urban Fantasy, Werewolf!Din, Incubus!Luke, Coruscant, Sex Magic and Magical Sexual Urges, Rituals, Pining, Desperate Masturbation, Porn & Plot.

summary: Among the towers and gleaming neon lights of Coruscant, a grieving Mandalorian finds a half-starved incubus in the snow.

In a galaxy far, far away - where magical beings live alongside droids and sentients - their lives, once separated by class and species, are drawn together inextricably.

And all the while, something darker lurks in city shadows.

[cosmicporos]

What Arcane characters would gift you for Christmas!

Jinx, Vi, Ekko, Viktor, Jayce

(Semi crack Drabble… sorry for going super long with Viktor’s and Jayce’s HCs. I LOVE THEM SO MUCH)

(Jayce is Hispanic in my hc :3)

ENJOY AND HAVE FUN LOVE YALL<3

Not proofread

JINX

Hear me out… the first thing she would plan to gift you are decorated safety googles.

As a matter of fact everything she gifts you is handmade!

She knows you love to spend time with her when she’s in her workshop and the extra spare of googles she had were pretty crappy…

“Ugh, these old things? Pfft, they look like they’ve been through a freakin’ explosion… oh wait, they probably have! We gotta get you a new pair soon toots!”

They’d be totally decked out! Lots of character as she calls it.

“Okay toots check it out! Maximum protection but most importantly! They got style!”

The googles themselves would be in her classic style, very colorful paint, cute little heart scribbles all around! And of course lots of glitter….

“"I mean, you've got to stay safe while causing mayhem, right? And hey, if we're blowing stuff up together, you'll definitely need these. Plus, I made them perfectly for you. No one else will have goggles like these... trust me!"

I totally see her adding little handmade jewelry from her gears and spare parts, would totally make you a belt or choker out of spare bullets.

Vi

She would totally panic on what to get you for Christmas. Like what if you suddenly hate the thing you’ve loved since the very beginning she’s known you???

Would end up both buying and making you something!

She’s make you something small but meaningful

“Okay Okay fine! You can open mine now. Just don’t laugh too hard Cupcake…”

You’d open the poorly wrapped gift to uncover a bright pink scarf she knitted you! The stitching is a mess.. there a hole’s through the project (no doubt a missed stitch) but in all honesty it so cute you feel like your heart might explode.

"Yeah, I know I'm not, uh, the best at this kind of thing," she mutters, scratching the back of her neck, "but I figured you could use something to keep warm... and, you know, 'cause it's winter. And... you're important to me."

Guys please tell her she did an amazing job PLEASE.

She would also totally buy you a pair of combat boots! Totally saved up for months in advance.

She loves the idea of being able to match and have a bit of her style on you!

Ekko

Just like Jinx (sobs) he’d also make something for you!

The first thing he’d give you would be a little sketch book full of drawings of you from random moments throughout your relationship he remembers oh so clearly.

"I've been working on it for a while... It's... it's just a bunch of drawings. I mean, not just anything. Stuff that made me think of you. Stuff we've done, or things I hope we do. I don't know, it just felt like the best way to show how I feel about... well, us."

Okay he would also totally make you matching jewelry (matching clock hand necklaces?)

You’d force him to take the hour hand since it’s shorter (heheheh little man)

Once you explain your reasoning as to why he should take the smaller one he sighs disappointedly…

"Okay, okay, I get it," he finally says, a little less playful now, his voice softening. "I guess if you want me to wear it, I can..."

Then, a grin creeps back onto his face as he adds, "But don't think I'm letting you off the hook with the minute hand. You're wearing that one for sure." He places the hour hand necklace around his neck, the smaller pendant resting there, and looks up at you with that mischievous gleam in his eye.

He pauses, holding up his necklace, "I'm still the one with the bigger job. You'll just have to keep up." A proud smug smirk now rests on his face.

Viktor

FUCK WHERE DO I BEGIN I LOVE THIS MAN

o k a y. He would just like Vi panic… not because he doesn’t know what to get you but because he totally is going Christmas shopping late… very very late.

As much as I would love to say he’d make some little invention to make your day easier and give it to you for Christmas I don’t see it happening.

Not because he wouldn’t do it but because he already does it all the time! A little example, you’re late for work often? A little robot that hits you with a plastic squishy hammer every morning at 7 am waking you up when he can’t!

He’d definitely want to make Christmas special, I see him buying you something and then doing something special for you too!

Christmas morning would be greeted with warm hugs and kisses along with an even warmer bowl of potato soup!

He wanted to make sure he perfected his mother’s Bramboračka recipe. It was a once a year meal him and his mother shared every Christmas day.

He’s not a good cook by any means… but this is the one dish he can make and oh boy can he make it.

"Don't expect perfection," he says with a small, self-conscious smile, as you catch him sneaking a taste of the soup. Viktor looks up, his gaze softening. "I hope you like it," he says, and despite his usual perfectionism, there's a quiet pride in his voice. You take a sip, and the rich flavors of mushrooms, potatoes, and herbs immediately comfort you, just like his mother's love must've comforted him all those years ago.

OKAY for the making gift he planned I see him commissioning something due to the fact a lot of his inventions lack aesthetics.

Specifically I see him commissioning a music box that functions as a a jewelry box as well! He would have loved to make it himself but he was worried he wouldn’t have gotten the look right.

"Do you like it?" he asks, his voice softer than usual, as if he's worried about the reception. "I had it made... I thought... it might remind you of us."

The detail was breathtaking-floral patterns etched into the surface, with tiny gears and delicate metalwork accenting the edges. The craftsmanship was stunning, and you couldn't help but run your fingers over the smooth finish.

you lifted the lid, and a gentle, lilting melody began to play. It was slow and sweet, a tune that felt timeless, and as you stared at the tiny figurines inside, your breath caught.

His fingers fidgeted with the edge of his cane, his gaze flicking between you and the music box. "I commissioned it," he admitted, his voice quieter now. "I had the craftsman use a sketch I made. It's how I see us... in my mind. How I feel when I hold you." He paused, his expression softening. "I thought... I thought you deserved something that would remind you of that. Of... how much you mean to me."

Jayce

Oh hon… Jayce would spoil you rotten.

I’m talking presents are overflowing underneath the tree.

You thought you lost your favorite piece of clothing? WRONG! He commissioned for more to be made in different colors and textures for you.

All the fragrances in the world he knew you would enjoy.

Cozy adorable pajamas we would give you Christmas morning so you could cuddle up drinking hot chocolate.

Spends Christmas Eve spoiling you and cuddling and being so tooth rottenly sweet.

It’s Christmas Eve, the scene was almost overwhelming. The living room looked like a perfectly curated holiday catalog-twinkling lights, a roaring fireplace, and, of course, an absurd number of gifts. Jayce sat cross-legged beside the tree, an excited grin lighting up his face as he handed you the first box. He had merely grinned, sheepish yet unrepentant. "What can I say? I got carried away?.”

"Open this one first," he urged, nearly vibrating with excitement. Inside was a bottle of an exquisite fragrance, the glass etched with delicate, swirling designs. It smelled divine-rich, warm, and entirely you.

"I figured you'd like that," he said eyes carefully watching everyone expression you make. You swear if he had a tail it would be swishing uncontrollably right now.

Christmas Day would be you spending Christmas day at his mother’s house!

(Listen I’m hc them as hispanic because for one HIS MOMS NAME HIS XIMENA… and two because why not :3 )

You have a great relationship with his Mother, she absolutely adores you and sees you as her daughter.

There’s lots of yummy food she’s prepared… perhaps too much for just 3 people?

Nonetheless, a pot of pozole, tamales de puerco and de dulce! And of course she made jayce’s favorite choco flan!

God she urges to to eat until you nearly pop! You have to undo your belt by the end of the night…

"Come, sit!" his mom insisted, pulling out a chair for you. "Jayce told me you've never had my tamales. That's a crime! Here, start with this." She placed one on your plate, her eyes twinkling.

Jayce sat beside you, his grin widening as you took your first bite. "Good, right?" he asked, nudging you playfully.

You could only nod, savoring the perfectly seasoned masa and tender filling.

Later in the evening, when everyone was too full to move, Jayce leaned over and slipped his hand into yours. His eyes were soft, his voice low as he said, "I'm glad you're here. This—" he gestured to the lively scene around you, "—feels perfect with you."

[kiyo-cant-write]

Picture the couple dynamic of Riddle dating a male Yuu and Floyd. Just the fact a date night could be dancing the waltz with Riddle then Club dancing with Floyd.

dating floyd/riddle (florid x yuu) ✧･ﾟ

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Hello anon! I hope I interpreted this right! If I made a mistake please request it again and I will try to fix it >.< ;;

Regardless though, I am proud of how this turned out, I think it's cute, and I hope that you like it :D I read this as poly so wrote it as such. Which is easily done for me as a queer poly writer ww

Thank you for requesting!!! SORRY I ACCIDENTALLY USED THEY AND CANT CHANGE IT 😭🩵

Note for everyone that I have a few requests left from earlier to get done before the close of the year and then everything else sent from here on will not be posted until 2025 January. Please keep this in mind, thank you for supporting me!

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Summary: Date nights can be interesting when Floyd is in a mood and Riddle, after some prodding, feels competitive. [Name] is in for a ride tonight, huh? The homework will have to wait.

TW/CW: polyamory

Notes: established relationship, the reader is Ramshackle Prefect/Yuu, they/them, pronouns for the reader, FloRid, explicitly post Book 3

Guest Stars: Jade Leech (mentioned), Trey Clover (mentioned)

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FloRid x Yuu (Polycule)

Floyd was the one who approached you first but Riddle was the one who proposed an actual relationship. They've competed since.

For whatever reason [Name] is the reason they compete and the force that can make them work together all the same.

Dates with Floyd are spontaneous and fun.

He likes to go dancing or visit sights. He always buys weird things.

Depending on the outing, there may be a souvenir for Jade.

Riddle prefers quieter things mostly but bigger events are always classy as if from a storybook. Floyd makes fun of this.

Riddle has not had much relationship experience up until now.

Trey once told [Name] that it is "very like Riddle" to make the decision to "over-achieve" and have two partners instead of one.

Trey also notes that this might be a rebellion against his mother.

As much as they compete with each other to take [Name] on the best dates, they also work together for bigger events like [Name]'s birthday or an anniversary for the three of them.

Even if they seem at odds, Floyd and Riddle do care for each other in their own way. Their love for each other is expressed through their bickering, it seems. Please bear with them.

And, hey. [Name] gets discounts and Mostro Lounge now and has two "scary dogs" should anything go wrong.

"What did you say to Shrimpy? Wanna get squeezed?"

"I'll have you know that's against school rules. Off with y-"

"We should go," Floyd commented, lying on the couch in a way that made [Name] wonder if he had bones. This is boring."

They sighed at Floyd's impatience. They had agreed, the three of them, to only go down to the city (with the permission of the faculty) after they had finished their work. Floyd didn't care much for homework, but Riddle had become so furious about the possibility of getting a zero on an assignment that both [Name] and Floyd ceded.

"I know it's boring but we promised Riddle," [Name] chose to say.

"I knowwwww," Floyd whined, "But you didn't say it would take this long. We're never going to make it down there at this rateeee."

Riddle turned to Floyd, glaring.

"Well maybe if someone helped build this model we'd be done by now. But a certain eel I know decided he wasn't in the mood for homework."

It was said through gritted teeth, Riddle was holding back his anger.

"Aww, Riddle is mad at me~" Floyd cooed at him.

The eelmer had only recently started calling Riddle and [Name] by their actual names and not some ocean creature nickname. Cute as the nicknames were (well [Name] liked theirs, Riddle hated his), it was nice to be seen as... people. And not fish. That might not make sense if it weren't about Floyd the chaos demon.

"I am mad at you. We need to finish this model or Professor Trein will... I don't know but I don't want to find out!" Riddle told them.

"Riddle... Maybe we should take a little break," [Name] suggested, reaching out to rest a hand on the boy's shoulder.

Riddle tensed slightly at the contact before relaxing against their hand. He was slowly becoming more used to things like this.

"See? [Name] gets me."

Floyd gave a big toothy grin their way.

"Floyd, I don't approve of you not helping, you know."

They shot him a glare.

"Sorrryyyy~" Floyd apologized though [Name] was unsure if he meant it genuinely, "Just bored out of my damn mind, here."

"I know you two want to go, but if we fail this..." Riddle trailed off for a second, looking toward the floor.

[Name] sighed again, looking between their boyfriends.

"I know, Riddle... Grades matter. But so does going out once in a while so we don't all get cabin fever."

Riddle nodded slowly.

"You're right...." he told [Name], though he seemed a bit unsure.

"And we have plans for later tonight," [Name] added, smiling.

They did have plans. Riddle and Floyd had worked out something so both of their ideas were able to come to fruition (though Floyd summarized in a much more crude way to [Name], saying "this date night being like if our ideas fucked!"). Floyd had said this in front of Trey Clover who pretended not to hear it. It had been... a day.

"We made a deal," Floyd added, now upsidedown on the couch for some reason, "Deals are serious in the mind of us merfolk, ya know. Azul'd tell you. Me first, then you, date night!"

"That's one way to summarize it, yes..." Riddle paused once more, "You're both right. Let's just... set it aside for now, and, um, go."

"Yay!" [Name] cheered.

"FUCK YEAH!"

Floyd tackled Riddle in a hug that knocked the Heartslabyul housewarden to the ground. Still, the redhead did not complain (this time anyway). Floyd would do as Floyd does.

"We need to get ready to go unless you want to wear uniforms?" [Name] said, looking between Floyd and Riddle dressed in their dorm attire, "Though I'm not sure that's appropriate dress..."

"I'll change into something."

"I have a whole thing planned, Shrimpy~"

[45 MINUTES LATER]

As it would seem. they still had plenty of time. While [Name] needed some time to get dressed and ready, it would seem the second years were both capable of clothes-changing magic. Riddle's the seamless and instant whereas Floyd took a few tries as his magic can be fickle.

"Ready!" [Name] called, running down the stairs towards the two boys they loved the most.

Riddle wearing a suit that [Name] thought looked expensive and Floyd dressed like he was some model (they were always impressed with his sense of style). It was a sight to see, for them only they liked to think. These two were something special.

Floyd took their hand in his.

"My turn first, Riddle said so."

"Just don't get arrested," Riddle quipped.

Heading into town, Floyd had managed to find a club that allowed high schoolers in some areas, a place where they could dance their cares away. [Name] was excited, they knew Floyd could dance well when he was in the mood for it. Jade had told them so.

Floyd pulled Riddle and [Name] onto the floor and guided them to the sound of the music, telling them about his day and making fun of Riddle's inability to dance to the club's choice of music.

"It's not the kind I'm used to!" Riddle protested.

"You look like a fish out of water," Floyd teased, "[Name] can do it, you try harder and maybe you'll catch up to us, Fishie~"

"You shut up, Floyd!"

Riddle's face was as bright red as his hair and [Name] almost wanted to laugh. They were sure it took a lot of planning and compromise to get Riddle to agree to come to a place like this with the two of them.

They couldn't help but wonder what Riddle's "turn" for date night would entail. Floyd took them somewhere Riddle didn't like... Would Riddle be messing with Floyd too? All in good fun, of course, part of being in a relationship is trying new things with and for each other.

As the minutes ticked by, the time came for Riddle to take over.

"This better not be something boring like studying," Floyd told him.

"I wouldn't take you out to the town to study," Riddle said, "A study date would happen at [Name]'s dorm or somewhere else."

"Blehh, study dates are so boring. You made us read advanced textbooks!" Floyd groaned.

"It will help your grades."

Riddle thought it would, anyway.

"My grades are fine!" Floyd told them.

Riddle was sure that was a lie. Floyd shifted drastically between getting high grades and low ones that scared the professors.

"Are they?" Riddle asked him.

[Name] raised a brow.

"Yeah... Are they, Floyd?"

Floyd ignored the question and Riddle led them towards an older-looking building, something similar to their school. Was it a dance hall? He held a hand in each of his as he guided them into what might as well be called "Riddle's version of a dance club." It was some kind of social club, everyone dressed in formal wear similar to Riddle's suit.

[Name] felt a bit out of place but remained comfortable with their hand in Riddle's and surrounded by the tall eelmer whose clothing was also mismatched to the event. They knew if something truly went wrong, Floyd would end everyone here... Even if that was a bit scary to imagine. They hoped it wouldn't come to that.

"Shall we?" Riddle asked [Name], guiding them towards the dancefloor.

Floyd let go of Riddle's hand at the same moment.

"This kinda thing is too stuffy for me, you guys have fun~ I'm gonna go see what food they have."

Floyd grinned and [Name] (and Riddle] felt bad for those at the food table. It would be okay... maybe.

[Name] turned to Riddle.

"Let's do this," they said, following him and allowing Riddle to guide them in a simple waltz to the beautiful music.

"I hope this is fun for you," Riddle whispered to his lover.

"I feel underdressed but this is nice," [Name] told him, "And there's even a fountain of shrimp for Floyd to gnaw on."

The two continued to dance in circles, every once in a while catching a glimpse of Floyd eating food and scaring guests with his teeth.

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Imagine the rest yourself~

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Thank you for reading! Likes and reblogs are appreciated! Do NOT repost my writing/headcanons as your own >:c Check the top of my blog for the inbox status and read the rules before requesting. This is not a twst-only blog! ^^

[skzimagines]

"A love story."

It was no secret that Hwang Hyunjin was in love. He hadn't meant to tell anyone, but he writes it in his poetry, paints it in his pictures, talks about it when his mind drifts off about her and doesn't ever realize he's even doing it.

He pictured their lives together, how perfect they would be. How perfect he would make sure to make it. He'd give her the moon if he could. Buy her a beautiful house, with a perfect garden, give her beautiful children, even a huge, family-oriented wedding. Anything for her. She'd name it and he'd get it for her. There was just one thing though....

She didn't feel the same.

It's not that she didn't "like" Hyunjin. He is sweet, caring, artistic and of course beautiful. She just knew she was way out of his league. He was a straight A student, a perfect dancer... hell, the guy knew how to paint like Van Gough.... just for fun! And she was struggling to get good grades, barely made it through the year without calling it quits.

Even if she thought she had a chance with him, it was quickly swept under the rug by the thought of him being able to find so much better.

The two shared friend groups, so they were often times around each other. Which Hyunjin loved and to which she hated... not because he was around, but because she fell for him more and more every time, she was within two feet of him.

The group decided to have a picnic at the nearby park, since everyone had the day off. Getting together was next to impossible these days.

"You're going to fall on your face, idiot!" "I am proud to let you know... Iam very good with my hands!" Changbin and Han bicker back and forth as Changbin hangs from the monkey bars upside down. His face turns red from being in the position for longer than he should have been. "Just get down, cause we're not going to the hospital if you get hurt. I want to go home." Han laughs.

Further down the lawn, where they've laid out a blanket in the grass, setting all of their things together. Sits Hyunjin and y/n. Everyone has ran along and started their own things, leaving the two behind.

"Do you ever think they'll stop bickering?" She chuckles, asking Hyunjin. "Probably, maybe when pigs learn to fly." His face contorts into a disgusted look, embarrassed by his dumb reply. She makes him nervous. Being around her caused his heart to race, palms to sweat and his brain to become a straight fog.

He looks down at the paper that's sitting in his lap, taking in the beautiful drawing that he's made of her, for the past 30 minutes. He takes in every detail of her features and pastes them into the drawing. But somehow, it's never as good as the real her. It's almost as if her beauty is unattainable by any means.

"Whatcha working on?" She asks him, moving closer to try and get a look at his book. Hyunjin quickly pulls his book away with a quick "Don't look!" She slowly backs away from him with her hands in the air in defeat. He shuts his drawing book and sets it beside him. "It... It's just not done yet. It's not even that good." He scrambles to say, giving her a small smile.

"Hyunjin, come look at this!" Felix yells from the other side of the park. He looks at her to which she gives him a small smile. He stands from his spot on the blanket and makes his way to Felix.

She notices the small black book on the blanket. Left right where Hyunjin has left it. She looks over to Hyunjin, seeing his distracted with whatever Felix has found fascinating. She knows it's wrong, that she shouldn't look inside of it. But she grabs the small black book anyway.... sifting through the pages. She comes across many photos of flowers, thinking to herself that it must be his favorite thing to draw, considering the number of drawings of them.

That's until she comes across another set of very interesting photos... Her. A drawing of her from a few weeks ago, when they were all hanging out at the beach together. She flips the page to see another, this time it's from a few days ago, sitting in the library where she thought she was the only one there. She flips the page one more time, revealing the picture Hyunjin had been so quick to hide from her. It was her, sitting on the blanket, hair being tussled in the small breeze. Her finger slowly slides against the lines of the drawing, taking it all in.

A sudden scream from Changbin scares her from her thoughts and she quickly shuts the book and sets it back down. "Everything okay?" She asks him. "Yup! I fell..." He says in defeat, laying on the ground under the monkey bars. "I told you to get down bro, you never listen." Han says, walking away from him.

She looks over at Felix and Hyunjin and sees he's making his way back to the blanket. She gives him a small smile when he arrives back and watches as he picks up his black book and pencil, before he looks up at her and sees her starring. "Everything okay?" He asks. She smiles at him before giving a small nod. "Everything is perfect.." She replies quietly, before sitting back into the position he was drawing her in.

[cellophaine]

Chapter IV: ALL

Masterlist

Pairing: Art Donaldson x F!Reader

Warnings: None.

Author's Note: I'm so sorry for uploading late! Editing this chapter took wayyyy longer than I thought.

Anything in italic is text messages (except for the very last line at the end of this chapter). Reader's messages start with –

GIF Source: Pinterest

The big window by the sink let the rectangle of sunlight into the kitchen, warming the tiled floor as you made your way to the dining area. You sat down with a bowl of cereal and the reading material for next week's lecture. Halfway through the bowl, the door to Ashley's room opened. Her footsteps sounded, bringing her into the kitchen. She whispered a soft hello as she walked by you and poured a cup of coffee that you had brewed earlier for her and Grace. Ashley raised her mug.

"Thank you for this."

You gave her a quick glance from behind your book. 

"You're welcome. When did you get home last night?"

"Hm, like 4 ish?"

She shrugged.

"Did anyone walk with you?"

"Yes, don't worry. Marissa's brother walked me home."

You put the book down.

"Speaking of Marissa, how did it go with her?"

Ashley's mouth widened into a smile, and she quickly dropped onto the chair beside yours. 

"It was amazing! She was amazing! We talked so much and she was everything I could've ever wanted in a girlfriend. We're going to a concert together in November."

Her happiness was so infectious that you found yourself smiling with her. She leaned into your chair and grabbed you by your shoulders.

"Thank you. Thank you for coming with me. If you didn't come with me and give me a confidence boost, I wouldn't have had the courage to even introduce myself."

You squeezed her hand. 

"You're very welcome. I'm glad it worked out for you."

She let you go but still maintained the closeness.

"What about you? Did you have fun?"

"It was … fine."

The memories of last night poured into your head and drew a soft smile on your lips. You tried to hide it, but Ashley's inquisitive eyes didn't let you off the hook that easily.

"Just fine? Didn't you leave with someone?"

"I–"

"Yes, you did. I remember him. Tall, blond guy. Real cute."

"Uh, yeah. He is blond. And tall, I guess."

And, of course, he was cute, but you didn't agree out loud. 

"Did you guys hook up last night?"

"Ashley!"

"Come on, it's a valid question."

"Doesn't make it appropriate."

She squinted at you. You relented.

"Okay, okay. We didn't… hook up. He just walked me home."

"And ... ?"

"I kissed him good night. Just his cheek, not on his lips."

Your face burned at the confession. Ashley seemed thrilled as she grabbed your shoulder.

"That's great! You're putting yourself out there. I'm so proud of you!"

"I wouldn't say that I'm putting myself out there."

"Baby steps. Besides, I just want you to enjoy yourself, you know? I basically ditched you last night after talking to Marissa, and also, you're always either cooped up in here or at the library."

You opened your mouth to deny it, but Ashley didn't let you.

"Yes, you are. I live with you. You don't go out with anyone, even with me or Grace. I know that we have our fun here, at home, but it's not the same. You should get out there and enjoy your youth while you can. Grace and I are here for you."

"I know, and I appreciate you two." 

Ashely gave you another squeeze on your shoulder, and you gave her a reassuring mind. You stood up and took the empty bowl with you.

"By the way, I didn't expect a lecture on a Saturday."

Ashley shrugged.

"Well, you needed it."

You waved her off as you made your way to your room. You checked your phone on the dresser and opened the new message that came in about eight minutes ago.

Hey, I know there's a rule of not texting a girl the 3 days after getting her number, but I can't wait that long.

So, good afternoon. I hope you slept well.

You smiled, thinking of a response when another message came through.

This is Art btw.

You chuckled to yourself, typing out a reply.

– Interesting. I didn't know that was a rule. That must mean you're a very impatient man :)

When it comes to you, I can be ;)

You shook your head at another relentless flirt. 

– I did sleep well. I hope you did as well.

It was one of the best sleep I've had this semester.

– Oh yeah? Did you dream about me?

You bit your lip, feeling your boldness surge and wane in a few seconds as you waited for his text. You were afraid that you were being too forward and regretted the text when your phone vibrated.

How did you know?

– Just a feeling :P

Weird question, but are you working today?

– Yes, my shift starts at 5. Why?

I'll see you then :)

Art showed up at the coffee shop, as promised. You made him a drink with a heart drawn on his cup. He kept you company throughout the idle night, and the four hours went by much quicker than it would have been if he wasn't there. You talked between customers, your conversation flowed easily. He helped you close the shop at the end of the night. You cleaned up behind the counter and kitchen while Art wiped down tables and set the chairs on top of them. After you were done inside, you headed out to bring the few patio seatings in. Art playfully pushed you aside as you reached for a table, shaking his head at you. He picked it up so effortlessly, making his biceps bulge in the form-fitting shirt. You held the door for him as he walked by.

"You don't have to do that."

"I want to."

"Why? You're not getting paid for this."

"I don't care about that. I just want to hang out with you."

"You're relentless."

After locking up the cafe, the two of you headed downtown and grabbed dinner from a food truck. You walked to the park nearby, found a bench and table, and sat down across from each other. The cool evening air caressed your heated skin like a soft kiss. Afterward, Art walked you home, and you departed with a peck on his cheek. You couldn't have asked for a more perfect day to follow the night before. And the idyll mood unfurled its reach into the following days. From time to time, you would walk to classes, to Art's practices, to the library. You'd trail the miles on campus ground, spending it in comfortable silence or indulgent conversations. You looked forward to his texts throughout the day, a call here and there from time to time. It felt like a dream; an unreal sequence kept unfolding into more of its splendour. 

One day, Art called you during your movie night with Grace and Ashley. You went to your room and closed the door.

"Hey, Art. What's up?"

"Hey. Remember the match I told you? They announced it this afternoon, and it's next Thursday at 2. Would you like to come?"

"Hold on, let me check my schedule."

Your heart dropped when you saw the schedule in your notebook. 

"I'd love to, but ... I have my modern poetry class at 2."

There was a brief silence on his end, but it came to an abrupt end. 

"That's okay. I understand."

"I'll make it up to you."

"Promise?"

"Promise. I'll buy you an ice cream."

The day of the match finally came. Besides a good luck text, which Art responded with a smiley face and not much else, you felt apprehensive. Even though you couldn't see his face, you could tell by the tone of his voice that he was disappointed. You remembered Art telling you that his parents rarely saw him play, and your heart wavered. Standing in front of the lecture hall, you stared at the time on your phone. Only seven minutes until two. 

You put your phone in your bag and ran. Your mind mapped out the quickest route to get to the court, your feet followed closely. You weaved through people, apologizing as they dodged you. Your bag bumped against your side, and at a particularly hard turn, it flew to the ground. You kneeled and hastily shoved the few things that fell out inside when you noticed that the strap was ripped from the spot where it was sewn onto the bag. You cursed, knowing that the patch-up job you did last time wasn't enough. But it'd have to wait. With one hand holding your broken bag to the side of your body, you picked up the pace. Your lungs burned in your chest, and the muscles in your legs begged you to slow down, but you pushed through. You ran for the gate to the audience seatings, and when you finally arrived, the pounding of your steps disturbed the silence of the court.

It looked like the match was about to start. The umpire looked at you from his seat, as did some others in the audience. One of them even shushed you. You said sorry in their direction and felt the embarrassment quickly seep in, but it quickly faded into the background when you saw Art with his gaze fixed on you. You were too far away to tell, but the smile on his lips told you that your presence here was welcomed. 

You nodded at him before breaking eye contact. You scurried to the first empty row, even though it was a little further back. 

The game began.

The way Art played was something. People's heads turned as the neon green ball bounced back and forth, but your focus was mainly on Art and the way he moved. There was a quiet confidence about him. His strokes were composed but never lacked precision and force, as if he anticipated the shots with great accuracy and calculation. The arch of his wingspan was beautiful as he followed through with the racquet, gracefully caught the ball, and bounced it back to the other side. His movement was fluid; his run to meet the ball was agile. Whenever he hit the ball, he let out a sound that was a cross between a grunt and a moan, and you wondered if he would verbalize the same noises if you kissed him. Art was graceful on the court, his demeanour calm, while his opponent seemed to run short on patience as he struggled to secure the lead.

The second set ended with Art temporarily holding the advantage. He went to his seat after the break was announced. As he took a sip of water, his gaze roamed around in the audience. You waved at him from your seat. His eyes found you, the corners softened as he looked at you. He winked before returning his attention to his coach. Your inside warmed, more so than the sun on your skin. 

Art won the match to the cheers from the audience. You stood up and joined them, pride blooming in your chest as he beamed. He found you in the audience, holding eye contact for a long moment. You hoped he could see just how happy you were for him. Eventually, he was the first to break. 

You met up near the recreation center a while after the match. Art had changed into a blue-green blouse with white stripes and blue jeans. He sauntered to you.

"Congratulations. I knew you would win."

He scratched the back of his neck.

"Maybe I only won because you're my lucky charm."

"Oh, please. It was all you."

"I'm serious. Did you skip class?"

"Yes, I did. It's fine, though. I liked seeing you play. You were great."

Art fell into silence. His eyes could barely contain the beginning of a deluge of emotion, and before you could dissect it, he drew you in for a hug. You went still for a moment before wrapping your arms around his torso. An artificial scent of apple invaded your senses, and you couldn't help but bring your nose closer to his neck. He eased his lips towards the shell of your ear and whispered.

"Thank you for being here."

The timbre of his voice was low, travelled through your ear and resonated deep in your stomach. You wanted to shiver so the effect that he had on you would have an outlet to express itself. Instead, you took a shaky breath, allowing more of his smell to occupy your mind.

"You're welcome."

After a long moment, Art pulled back. You found the absence of his warmth inflicted an unpleasant feeling.  

"Hey, uh, so … I was wondering if you would like to– you can say no, obviously, it's up to you ..."

He trailed off, leaving you with a question.

"What is it?"

"Do you want to stay and check out a match with me?"

You shrugged.

"Sure. I already skipped my class; I have nothing else to do anyway."

"Great. Let's go. We can get good seats if we go now."

/

Tashi Duncan walked onto the court after the announcement. There were more people here compared to Art's match, and most, if not all of them, were excited to see Tashi if the deafening cheer was any indication. Her confidence exuded from the way she walked to her chair to the way she did her stretch routine. You recognized her as the girl Art talked to at the party. The white dress she had on complimented her slim form, and she looked just as beautiful as you remembered. You turned to Art. 

"People seem to really like Tashi."

Art tore his gaze away from Tashi, giving you a split of attention.

"She's an excellent player. There's no one quite like her on court."

You nodded, taking in the high praise. 

"You'll see what I mean when you see her play."

"Great. I'm excited."

You debated with yourself for a brief second, but then, you decided to go for it.

"Do you guys know each other?"

Art looked at you through his lashes. There was hesitation in the way he came up with a response.

"Yeah, I'd say so. She's… seeing Patrick."

"Oh, right. Your friend from boarding school."

It took you a moment, but you recalled Patrick. He nodded. The match commenced shortly after that. 

You understood what Art meant. Tashi was mesmerizing to watch. She was relentless, making her opponent work for it. Her passion was palpable, and the tenacious grip she had over the game was impressive. 

"She's amazing."

You whispered to Art after the other player failed to return the ball. Without turning to look at you, he replied. 

"I know."

You observed Art as his eyes stuck on Tashi. Neither of them was the wiser to being perceived, but you witnessed it all. There was a look in his eyes like he was so far away; he had gone to a place you couldn't reach. An inkling of an idea slowly trickled into your mind, but you prevented yourself from exploring. You steered your thoughts away. You were well aware of your tendency to think of the worst possible thing in every situation. You ruined the good thing before it even had the chance to run its course or destroy itself.

As much as you had tried, the thought still bothered you as you fixed your bag later that night. Twin Peaks played on the TV as you absentmindedly listened to what was happening. Grace sat on the other end of the couch, knitting a sweater. After a while, she held it up and called your name.

"I'm almost done with my mom's gift. What do you think?"

You looked up from your own project. On the green sweater, there was a pixelated picture of a Golden Retriever with the name 'Cheese' at the bottom.

"Holy shit. It's amazing!"

"Thank you! I hope she'll like it."

"Is her birthday coming soon?"

"No, this is her Christmas gift."

"Halloween was only five days ago."

"I know. I just want to get it done so I won't be stressed out during finals."

"That's fair."

It was the beginning of November, and even though Christmas was over. a month away, Grace had already started on her family's gifts since September. You thought about your own list, wondering if you should get more despite knowing what your parents really wanted. You just need one more paycheck to complete it. 

An idea struck, and you turned to Grace.

"Can you teach me how to knit?"

/

Winter came along with finals. Between study sessions with your roommates, you couldn't hang out with Art much. He had his own grades to worry about. You would hang out whenever the two of you could find the time, and even then, it was far and few between. During a walk to the library, Art asked.

"Are you going home this Christmas?"

The question made dread crawl down your spine. Despite being together often, you avoided talking about your family.

"Yes, I am. What about you?"

"Me too. My family's going to Vermont to ski on the 27th."

"Have fun. Show me pictures when you get back."

Art told you that he wouldn't be back at Stanford until the 4th, and you solemnly nodded. That meant less time spent with him before the semester started, but he promised that the two of you would make up for it.

On the 18th, the day he left Stanford, Art asked to meet up at a bookstore near campus. The doorbell rang out in the quiet store, with Christmas music playing softly in the background. You sent Art a message. 

– I'm here. Where are you?

Come find me.

It took you about two minutes to find him standing in a random fiction aisle with a hand behind his back. The aisle was empty except for him, making you feel like you were the only people in this bookstore. You took your time as you ambled to him and only stopped when there was a small distance in between.

"Hi."

"Hi."

You looked around and asked.

"Why this aisle?"

"Because …"

Art pointed to the spot next to his shoulder.

"… one day, your name will be here."

You read the names beside the small empty spot and realized what he meant. Your last name would go there between these authors. You frowned, feeling your emotions surge in a way that you weren't sure you could control. Art took the hand out from behind, revealing a gift bag.

"For you."

You looked at him. 

"You didn't have to get me anything."

"I wanted to. Open it, please."

You pushed the tissue paper aside and gasped. Inside was a leather bag; its rich brown colour shone under the overhead light. There was a golden tennis racquet charm attached to the end of the strap. You held it in your hand, marvelling at its golden sheen.

"Now you'll have a piece of me anywhere you go."

"Not anywhere. Just classes."

He chuckled at your quick-witted joke. Overwhelmed, you managed to mutter.

"Thank you."

"You're welcome."

You dug into your old bag with one hand, pulling out a brown bag decorated with Christmas trees. 

"This is for you. Open it."

Art's eyes sparked an intrigue. You could barely contain the pounding of your heart as he reached into the bag and pulled out your gift. He pulled the entirety of it out, caressing the soft material with his hand. The Oxford blue scarf was theresult of your hard work and after many mistakes. Art ran his finger over the small heart you added at the end of the scarf. His lack of reaction worried you.

"I know it's not a fancy gift, and the stitching is off in some parts, and after I had already done half of it, I realized that this is California, so you probably won't get much use out of it anyway, so maybe I should get you a different gift ..."

Art stopped your rambling by taking hold of your trembling hand.

"I love it. It's perfect. Thank you."

A spark of happiness gleamed in his eyes. For a long moment, you basked in the silence together, the air weighed down with the things you didn't speak out loud. You didn't want to leave this place. That meant leaving this moment behind, even though all you wanted to do was bottle it up and bring it with you to the outside world, because the essence of the memory could never compare to this feeling. 

"I miss you already."

Art whispered, and an overwhelming urge took over. You stepped into his space, pressing your bodies together. You raised on your tiptoes and tilted your head up. His lips met yours halfway. You were careful with one another, and the touch was gentle. His lips were soft on yours, moving at a slow pace, discovering your shared rhythm. You needed more, so your hand winded around to rest at the nape of his neck, urging him closer. Your tongue darted out, tasting him. The way he eagerly responded to your call made your head spin. Your tongues found each other, licking and tasting at a fervent pace. His hand on your jaw drew you in, and the other rested on the small on your back, pulling you flush with his body. You gasped, allowing his tongue to dive deeper. You kissed until you were too breathless and had to pull back. You rested your forehead on his as you breathed hard, taking in each other's air into your lungs. His eyes were glossy and dazed, and there was so much want in them that you felt like you were the prized possession. You gravitated towards each other once more as if pulled by opposing magnetic forces, as if you couldn't help yourselves.

/

Back in your room, you admired the gift Art got you. You opened the bag, and in one of the compartments, there was a notebook. The cover was a mossy green colour, and you wondered if Art left it in there by accident. You opened the first page to find Art's neat handwriting. 

For you and your brilliant ideas. I can't wait to read your first book.

Likes, reblogs, and comments are greatly appreciated! I'd love to read your thoughts on the story!

For updates, please follow @cellophaine-archives

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

WIBTA for asking my SO to do something that they have trauma around?

I don't know when this will be posted but as of writing we are about 2 weeks post valentines day. Ages and genders irrelevant, we're in our 20s and queer.

So I have not been with Jordan long, but we knew each out for a few months as friends before we got together, and have been close pretty much all of the time we've known each other. This is to say, I know them pretty well despite us not actually having been dating that long.

Because we were already friends I knew going into the relationship, without Jordan specifically saying anything, that they had plans on Valentines day. They got tickets to a concert I wasn't interested in a decent amount of time before we got together.

Obviously, not an issue in the slightest, and neither of us brought up anything regarding Valentines day. It was a week day, so I was working all day, and then the time of the concert meant there was no possibility of meeting up after, just not meant to be this year. I thought we were in the same boat just silently agreeing that the timing wasn't right but that it wasn't a big enough deal to even be worth bringing up, especially in such a new relationship.

Some backstory on me: I'm a hopeless romantic and have a kind of cute aesthetic? I like dressing in bright colours, and some of my favourite outfits have prints of hearts, flowers, and cherries. Needless to say I really enjoy the aesthetic of Valentines day, and I've always kind of fantasised about being able to spend it with someone I have romantic feelings for. I've only had two romantic relationships before this and the first one only lasted 6 months and didn't make it to Valentines day, and in the second we both contracted the same bug and were horribly sick throughout February.

Obviously I don't think you should only do things for your SO on Valentines day, but I think it would be fun to have the chance to really get into it! In the past I've organised Valentines day events with my other single friends where we dress in pink and have heart shaped foods etc and those have been great, but haven't quite satisfied my desire to have a Romantic Valentines.

So, despite the fact that my SO was busy, I wanted to do a little something. I do digital art, so when I got home from work I drew a pun Valentines card featuring Jordan's favourite character. It took a few hours and I was pretty proud of how it came out. I knew they were at the concert still, but I texted it to them, so they could see it after.

They responded that night and their first message was just "oh." I've known Jordan long enough that i read the tone to be "oh, now I to have a conversation I didn't want to have." They went on to explain that they associate Valentines day with some past trauma. I won't give any details here, but the tone of the conversation was that they don't celebrate Valentines day because of their trauma, and this seemed like a very final stance.

Now. I don't think I'm TA for drawing the art and sending it, this had never been brought up before, so I didn't know I was crossing a boundary.

I do think Jordan is slightly TA for not saying anything about my art that I worked hard on, but only slightly bc I assume the trauma response just kind of took over.

But my question is, WIBTA if I asked my SO to celebrate Valentines day with me in future even though it's something they have trauma around?

I'm not planning to force them or anything and it doesn't even have to be in the next few years, but thinking long term it feels really gloomy to me to have to miss out on Valentines forever when my SO could be making new memories with me so that mentions of the holiday are less painful.

I don't expect them to just "get over" it magically or anything but I want to ask if it's something they'd possibly want to work up to? I swear I'm not trying to be dismissive their response is fully valid and I don't want to imply my silly fantasies are more important than their traumatic reality I just want to know if this would be an asshole move or not.

What are these acronyms?

[jolalibrary]

the yearly round up

so, i am not someone who tends to toot their own horn a lot, but i thought i could be forgiven since it's my birthday. if there were a party, i'd maybe give a speech, right? so, instead of talking about myself, i thought id talk about my work and some of my fave things I've written this year and a little bit as to why. for this list, i have not included late night texts purely because i gave it a lot of love on my last secret birthday. and equally, as do me yourself comes to a close during this one, i feel it's having such a hot moment in the sun, i didn't want to bore everyone. also because if you ask me anything about dmy i won't shut the fuck up. to ask anything about these just add an 🍊.

anytime javier p x f!reader

best friends who go to a wedding only to realise they're in love? sounds like jo. this story fell out of me upon seeing a moodboard by /wildemaven and god i love them. i think about them so often and it makes me want to write him like this again. just fun, easy. it helped me find my nerve to tackle him again after a break when LNT finished, so it was nice to hang with him again.

in my room javier p x f!reader

this idea lived in my head for so long, it went through so many variations until we landed on this. i loved writing it because i hadn't written him like this, and how closed off they both were was so much fun. not having a resolved ending was tough to, but it was also really nice?

i like the way you frankie m x f!reader

would it even be a list if i don't include this? it's a work that on the surface might just feel like a lot of fun. and it is, for sure. but also this fic really taught me a lot and helped create a new relationship with sex. i won't bore or dwell on sad things, but even with therapy, a solid and healthy relationship, this fic helped heal some lasting wounds with my relationship with sex. all through the eyes of two friends who were just trying not to confess they loved one another. so very jo.

up sky, low high frankie m x f!reader

im not sure why this man makes me write some incredible smut (IMO, ofc) but he does??? this one wouldn't exist without @morallyinept urging me on, because honestly i wouldn't have had the guts without her convincing me. but, god i think about this fic a lot? i write a lot of lovely romance, but the romance in this with the smut? i never EVER thought id find that balance. and i did, have, yay!

be good, be you joel miller x f!reader

never in a million years did i think this would have been so popular. and that's not why it's on this list. it's on this list because i lived with this fic for weeks. every bit of rain the UK we had, i thought of this. anyone who knows me, knows how much i love bill + frank joel, so this was like giving into an idea that i thought would only live in my head. and now, it's there, and I'm not ashamed to say i re-read it a lot.

meet you once, saw you thrice lucien flores x f!reader

who'd have thought this would make this list? not me. but it has, and god. i really tested myself with this one. creating him was days of churning over interviews of other actors, of finding who he is in the centre of fucking nothing. and then pouring my heart into it for lovely @pedgito and god am i grateful that's the moodboard i was given. i was terrified (ali will attest) but now i am so proud of it. i love it, and him. I'm almost terrified now to see the movie and watch this version die and wilt hahaha.

din and the travelling of planets din djarin x f!reader

not a one shot, but a collection, because i spent longer trying to choose than i did dwelling on choosing the rest and writing this post. i never thought id step back into star wars, but i'm so glad i did. din and his girl, seeing different planets together, letting us see the world through her eyes. there's a lot of my writing I'm proud of, but I'm most proud of the lines in this. because i get to describe in a way where i don't feel its redundant. because we're seeing it at the same time as she is. i also have so much fun each time i get to write him, and that, makes me happy.

[queenofbaws]

! Pride Month Challenge 2024 !

Well hi there, everyone! With May winding down to a close and June just around the corner, it's about that time again...the time where @jadedsunshine, @unicornaffair, and I host our yearly create-a-thon! 🥳

What's the Pride Month Challenge, you might find yourself asking? Well, this year it's a little bingo game we've put together, featuring some classic tropes. The aim of this particular game? Make something!!! Anything! Just get those creative juices a-flowin' and see if you can snag a B-I-N-G-O along the way!

This challenge is open to everyone and anyone who wants to take part, whether you know the three of us or not! We're going to be using the tag #pridemonthchallenge2024 for the stuff we create, so if you decide to join in on the fun and games, feel free to stick that tag on whatever you make, too! If you're interested in more details, you can check below the cut or reach out and ask ;)c

Either way, happy almost-pride, and happy creating!!!

I don't write fic - can I still participate?

Ab. So. Lutely!!! We've done this challenge for a few years now (we've missed a year or two for weddings and other life stuff, whoops!), but in the past we've had people doodle, sketch, draw, make edits, create props or other physical art, and even curate playlists! The three of us are writers, so you're very likely to see fic or ficlets from us...but you? Oh. Oh, you can do whatever your heart desires!!!

Are there word limits/expectations for a finished product?

NO!!! :D Zero. Literally zero expectations. We aren't putting together an exchange, we aren't holding a competition, we're just trying to get the spirit of creation in the air. That's it! So whether you're writing 50 words or 5,000, whether you've made a rough sketch on a notebook page or fully lined/colored a scene, you're good! You're so good. As long as you've made something, you've earned a stamp on that bingo card, baby!!!

What if I don't want to do something fandom-y? Can it be OCs/original work?

OF COURSE!!! 100%. You don't even have to ask!!! Show the world your OCs! Tell the world about your story's worldbuilding! It's all fair game :)

What if I don't want to post what I made?

Don't sweat it! Again, this is...the farthest thing from official. This is for fun, and this is for the sake of making something. Sharing your work can be nerve-wracking - don't feel like you have to! We'd love to see you playing along with us, of course, but as long as you've made something that you're proud of, you've earned that stamp! No ifs, ands, or buts!

Is it cool if my creations aren't necessarily pride-themed?

Totally! We host this challenge during pride month because (1) it traditionally works better for the three of us than NaNoWriMo because of our schedules, and (2) we're queer creators ourselves! But if you're feeling a prompt and can't find a way to make it relevant to pride, PLEASE don't sweat it! As I've been known to say (and then get laughed at for saying), this challenge is no rules, just right, Outback Steakhouse :P

Let's say I get a bingo...what do I win?

:) Nothing. <3

Wait, really?

:) Really <3 Hehehe, in all seriousness, this challenge has been a fun way for us to sit down, take our minds off of life and our bigger projects and just...make some fun stuff! In our humble opinion(s), being able to point at a finished piece and say "I did that! I made that!" is its own kind of reward. The bingo board itself is really more for bragging rights ;)c Which, of course, we encourage wholeheartedly. Nothing wrong with a little bragging!!!

We hope to have you along for our month-long adventure! Again, we're going to be using the tag #pridemonthchallenge2024 for our own stuff, so if you'd like to use that tag - or tag any of us!!! - in whatever you end up creating, feel free!!! We love seeing what everyone comes up with, and this challenge is always so much more fun, knowing other people are taking part! <3 Hope to see you along for the ride!

*The bingo board was made by the lovely @jadedsunshine 🥰

[michanvalentine]

So, I played Baldur's Gate 3, and I played it later than many others. All thanks (or perhaps it would be better to say fault?) of a friend who told me "you absolutely have to play it"! And so I did, completely losing myself in the world of Faerûn. It was really difficult to reconcile my duties as a wife and mother with the desire to play and discover everything about the plot and the characters. In fact, it took me forever to finish! Also because I am the classic player who has to go and sift through every single jar, corner or place forgotten by the gods to make sure I don't leave anything out. I'll start by saying that I played it completely blind and that it was a heroic playthrough. So here I am with my thoughts after finishing my first run.

Morween: Hi! I am a Seldarine drow. I am a cleric of Selûne. I'm a heroine! I spit in my father Bhaal's face and I'm proud of it! Oops! I accidentally killed an innocent bard...

I don't want to talk about the game and how well made it is in its entirety. We all know this, I think. I only need to talk about my very personal relational experience with the character who won me over despite my resistance.

In a roundabout way, while I was trying to conquer the beautiful Shadowheart, I found myself in a relationship with Astarion. I had fun with him at the tiefling party more out of curiosity than anything else, plus I didn't even think he liked me and that it was just fun for him too. Up until that moment we had done nothing but argue and clash over our respective visions of the world. And the “disapprove” message was constantly over my head (along with that of Lae'zel)! Nonetheless, having him around was a delight for this reason too (in addition to the fact that I found his jokes funny). The contrast and our discussions made the interactions seem particularly real to me...

I wanted to talk with him. First of all because I found our hypothetical conversations about getting killed or which of our companions to drink extremely funny. But I wanted to understand. And I wanted him to understand too. And every time I saw "the glimmer" I felt even more motivated to bring out everything he had inside. A lot of stuff, I later discovered...

Obviously at the beginning, as a player, I was trying to understand how the game worked and my female Durge was trying to understand who the people around her were and where their misadventure would lead her. So I only understood many things later!

Morween: Wait, ehm… Whaaat?!?! Am I the weird one or... no, never mind.

In any case, when Astarion thanked me for not giving him up to the blood merchant, I wanted to make this clear to him, so I selected the "I care about you" dialogue option. But I honestly didn't realize that this would mark the beginning of my relationship with him. Afterwards I didn't feel like reloading. Even if I had to abandon the beautiful Shadoweart (with whom I had only shared a bottle of wine and a passionate kiss until then). I thought that things had happened that way for a reason and my game, my choices, had naturally led me that way. Honestly, I had to stop with Gale too, because even my favorite wizard didn't disdain the company of Bhaal's offspring too much. And it broke my heart, because every single one of them deserves to be loved, dammit!

Morween: We got problems, you and I. Big. Deadly. Serious problems. But we're also so dangerously cute together!

What followed was an intense journey full of very strong emotions, as I think it was for everyone who played Baldur's Gate 3. I became attached to my traveling companions as if they were friends in the flesh. And of course I ended up falling madly in love with my pixelated vampire boyfriend.

He's truly a well-rounded character. The thing that literally drives me crazy is that he's a fucking vampire, a real one. A vampire who acts like a vampire and has all the instincts of a vampire. He likes killing, the smell of blood intoxicates him, he has a hunger that devours him from the inside, and he can very well lose control. Finally! An accurate and truthful depiction of what it means to be a vampire. And not just a spicy detail to add to a story for horny teenagers. So the character of Astarion earned admiration points from me. Why? Because despite everything he is able to travel with different "blood bags" without necessarily attacking them and sucking them to the core. It takes great willpower to keep such appetites at bay. And yes, I know, there's that first night when the pale elf tries to attack you while you are sleeping... but hey, surprise of surprises, everyone makes mistakes. Few are those who learn from mistakes. And Astarion is more than willing to learn, another of his qualities, and he is willing to do so throughout the entire journey!

Morween: Yeah, sure, I could judge him... If I hadn't also tried to kill him while he slept...

Side note, when the urge calls and Astarion finds himself in the same situation, he is ready to forgive Durge's mistake in the blink of an eye. Because he knows, dammit. What's more, he is willing to stay there, next to them, to help them control themself. And there I thought: fuck, I want to be there for him too.

Of course Astarion has his own personality, his own flaws; and I love him for it. He's a chronic liar, yes, and he's quite selfish with a nice propensity for lust for power. All perfectly explainable and understandable, considering his past. I was shocked at the amount of abuse he had to endure. I didn't expect it, not so deep, not so real and so detailed, especially for the psychological aspects and the reaction to trauma, considering we're talking about a character from a video game. And my heart broke. 200 fucking years under Cazador. It's no wonder he's a broken man, but not finished. And it's wonderful to see his survival instinct gradually transform into a real desire to live. He is a dangerous man (elf?) but the moment you realize that he can change, he can be rehabilitated, he can heal and be better (up to a certain point, he is still a vampire, a predator with the instinct of kill and with a passion for blood), you know it was worth it. No matter if as a friend or a lover, you are the hero he has been waiting for 200 years. And, for heaven's sake, when he trusts you completely he is capable of unprecedented sweetness and sensitivity. Of course he's still the scoundrel with the sharp tongue and easy sarcasm, but after all that's why he's adorable!

Morween: I confess, Mother Superior, saving the innocent is right, but it is too obvious and easy. Redeeming the bad guys is sooooo much better, that's a real challenge! What heroine would I be otherwise? How do you say... you are not interested? Yes, right... let's talk about Shadowheart.

So when at the end of his quest he thanked me for saving him from himself (even though I only gave him a nudge), with that honest smile on his lips, my satisfaction was immense. He knows, he appreciates, he has grown. He knows exactly what loving him means and is grateful for it. It took patience and a lot of trust, even when it was an objectively stupid thing to do. It took the ability and the will to go further, to see something in him, that he could be better, and to believe in him. Believing that he was enough just the way he is. This is loving someone and making them feel loved. And it was a beautiful conclusion to his story arc.

It also took a lot of delicacy, I would add. I played the entire game and experienced my relationship with the character of Astarion with the concrete feeling that losing him would have been very easy. After all, running away, hiding, even attacking, are perfectly natural responses to fear. And as we know he is legitimately terrified of everyone.

About this: when I met Sebastian it was another shock for me. I wasn't prepared. The whole sequence is heartbreaking, but what blew my brain was the response I got from Astariom when I asked him if Sebastian had hurt him.

God. In my mind the picture suddenly became untenable. No god answered his prayers, no hero deigned to save him and the only worthy salvation for him would still have been a stake in the heart because he was considered a monster. Cazador forced him into prostitution and when he was lucky enough he only had to live with the horrible knowledge that he had delivered another innocent victim into the hands of his master. Otherwise even his own targets would do violence to him, as most were not good people. And maybe in case of a failed delivery, Cazador would also punish him later. It is no surprise that he has learned to completely dissociate himself from everything, to become numb to the events and people around him.

For him everything and everyone was suffering.

And another thing that I really appreciated was the possibility that the game gives you to allow Astarion to rediscover himself and his relationship with others, to experiment with his own limits within a finally safe space (the camp, the companions, Tav/Durge).

In any case, for me it was a truly satisfying experience. I regret nothing, not even releasing 7,000 vampiric spawn into the underdark. Perhaps this is also why I was surprised when by browsing through various social media I come across so many cruel comments and harsh opinions regarding the character of Astarion. Everyone has their own sensibilities and tastes, obviously. But damn... how much repressed anger and aggression...

Anyway, I could go on for hours writing, but a treatise on the phenomenology of the Astarion was not my project! I just wanted to vent my fangirl soul a little and share my experience with you.

I'm currently starting my second run as Astarion. My plan is to conquer the beautiful Shadowheart without a certain someone getting in the way. Maybe, if my daughter and husband don't abandon me on the highway first, I might even consider a third adventure to sink into Gale's arms (and library)! I still feel sooooo guilty for dumping him, he seemed really hurt.

But for now... and they all lived happily ever after...

[karlachismylife]

OK 🆗 this isn't a ask I just wanted to say

We all love you and we are amazed and proud of you every day for doing what you do I love your work and believe you are as a person too and I know I probably won't ever meet you in irl but I want you to know that we are here for you as much as you are here for us <3 Love you pumpkin🎃 stay bright! Were her if you fall.

That's such a sweet thing to receive, love, thank you! I'm holding this message right to my heart and feel it calming down. I'm really not proud of myself in general, but as long as I can make people smile and want them to tell other people kind words, I think that's my mission successful.

Since you gave me this pretty pumpkin and we're approaching Halloween, here are some headcanons about task force 141 carving pumpkins.

CW: gn!reader, mild injury mentioned in Gaz's part.

Used the cutest dividers by @saradika-graphics

Soap is the Halloween kid. This might be his favourite holiday of the year (maybe second after Christmas), and the older he got, the more elaborate his celebration became. So you shouldn't have been surprised when one day he grabbed you and dragged along to a proper farmer's market. You just followed him, as he circled around stalls filled with rich harvest, wagging his metaphorical tail, and loaded a little trolley with pumpkins - you surely weren't naive enough to expect him to just choose one, but when he struggled to balance five on top of each other, you had to pat him on his shoulder and caefully suggest that maybe five was more than enough.

You can't really tell how he managed to convince you to help him carry two more, while all thee gaps too small for pumpkins in the trolley got filled with turnips.

At home, you took one look at his sparkling blue eyes, bright asa deep loch on a cool autumn morning, and started covering the whole kitchen in newspapers and oilcloths. And judjing by the whole arsenal of tools Soap whipped out, you made the right call - you only solidified in your decision to cover the floor and windowsills when he grabbed a powerdrill. "Tae scoop all the shite from th' inside," he explained, checking the circular blade and whatever that constructional whisk was.

"Johny, love, are you sure we can't empty them the normal way-"

"Aye we can, tha's nae fun tho, right, bonnie? C'mere, Ah'll show ye."

Yeah, you certainly didn't overprepare with the covers. Everything got covered in pumpkin guts, Johnny's palms were two shades oranger and you had to tug him down to get a few strings stuck in his mohawk,

"Mm, sweet. We can make soup from the scraps," you licked the juice from your thumb, smiling a little to broadly to pretend that going ham on pumpkins with powertools wasn't fun. Johnny, wiping sweat off his forehead and panting after he took on the biggest one - a real monster - solo, grinned like an idiot in return and kissed the sweet taste off your lips.

"Aye. Or cookies. Ah'll clean up, bonnie, and ye collect the seeds, aye? Gonnae fry them too."

After you cleaned the kitchen together from the main carniage, Soap pulled a chair out for you and finally reached for some more traditional tools for the job - although you had to cower a few times when he drilled starter holes to get some work space for the blade.

Johnny was extremely protective over his designs, hiding his work from you and turning his pumpkins away, only showing you the end results with the proudest chest puff ever. They were quite detailed and drastically different from one another, but all scowly, sharp pumpkin fangs and triangle eyes - very, very spooky. When you showed him yours, with round silly eyes, he looked at it for a few moments, tilting his head to one shoulder and then the other, and finally gave his verdict.

"Very cute. Wanntae drill 'im a mouth?"

You spent the whole evening carving all the pumpkins - and the turnips had to wait for a whole another weekend before you managed to go through the giant veggie pile together. There were enough cut scraps for soup and cookies both. Your drill had an orange hue that couldn't be washed off easily.

But the look on Johnny's face, when you lit up all the candles inside them and fixed some fake cobweb he pulled out along all the other decorations, was so worth it all.

As soon as you told Gaz that you wanted to carve pumpkins together, he planted a kiss on your knuckles and grabbed his cap off the shelf to go to the store. Sure, you would've loved to choose them together, but you trusted he would bring back some nice ones - which is why you were surprised to see him with two completely different pumpkins, a small pale one and a much bigger, bright orange.

"Don't look at them like that, angel, I have an idea," you must've looked really upset with the unfair pumpkin difference, because Kyle laughed softly and pulled you into a hug, kissing your forehead and temples. "How about we make a pumpkinburster? You know, the little one clawing its way out from the big one, like in Alien? Pretty creepy, innit?"

That was damn clever, you couldn't lie. Together, you sat down with your respective pumpkins next to you, and sketched for a bit, coming to an agreement over one of the designs - Kyle promised he'll make sure the combined construction would hold together, and you chose the vibe and the way your little pumpkinburster would creep out of the deseased bigger gourd.

Kyle made sure to stock up on snacks and drinks, and put yet another movie from your horror marathon - every day since October 1st, several rounds on days off - on, preparing for your carving session. He took the big boy on himself, leaving you to work on the little guy with all the time for details you could ask for. You sat there, the tip of your tongue stuck between your teeth, going with a tiny scalpeel blade on the little scary teeth of your pumpkinburster, when suddenly the knife slipped on the juice slick covering the place you were diging into, and with a surprised gasp you cut the pad of your thumb.

"Ouch, love, wait, let me see, shush, stay still-" Kyle dropped his knife faster than you even fully realized what happened. Carefully, he grabbed your hand, wiping off pumpkin waste and quickly gathering blood, and inspected the cut with a concentrated look on his face. "Hm. I'm no medic, but I suppose your survival rates are quite high."

Earning a chuckle, he kissed your hurting thumb and then you, before getting up to fetch some better, sterile wipes and a bandaid - after some rummaging, he returned and presented you Halloween-themed bandaids.

"Saw them at the store the other day, couldn't resist, lovie. Wanna have a pumpkin one to remember what battle gave you that scar?" - "No, thank you, I'll take the one with skeletons."

Needless to say, Kyle hovered over you for the rest of the evening, making sure to watch you with all the sharp blades. Somehow, he managed to finish his "chestbursted" pumpkin too, and under your supervision he carefully combined the two, creating your gore galore.

"Do you think we can put a candle in there too?" You asked, leaning your head on his shoulder to admire your work. Chuckling in response, Gaz kissed the crown of your head and sighed dreamily.

"Of course, angel. Whatever you want."

Price took your suggestion to decorate your shared home with a carved pumpkin very seriously. You saw him going through the next few days, stopping at random times and staring into the void - and each time he responded to your concerned questions that he just got another idea for a nice pumpkin design.

Once he had enough of brainsstroming, he took you to go pumpkin shopping; grumbling all the way about how there aren't any "proper" pumpkins left, he, however, trusted your choice completely, agreeing with each and every one you pointed one to him. "Yes, love, that one would be perfect. Oh, you're right, this is even better, look at 'er, so bright... ya wanted another shape? Sure, darling, whatever ya say."

When you brought your prize home, though, everything completely changed: without as much as allowing you to cut the gourd open and take the insides out, John stole it and dragged to his woodwoking table, muttering something under his nose. You were baffled: never would you take him for a greedy pumpkin hoarder, but the truth was right there, all the creative control concentrated in his capable hands.

You waited for hours for him to come out so that you could give him a piece of your mind for cutting you off from the fun, but eventually all the outrage subsided, leaving you to worry about John - he didn't even show his nose when you called for lunch, and all you heard from his workshop area was constant tool buzzing and muffled curses.

Finally, you decided no pumpkin was worth starving himself, so you took a plate with his lunch and carefully entered the working area, immediately inhaling rich pumpkin smell.

"Love, I brought you something to eat... maybe take a little break?" Not wanting to startle him while he was working with a woodcarver, you stopped a few feet shy from his table and reached your neck to sneak a peek at his work.

The rough shape of the face his pumpkin had was terrifying. The ugliest mug you could imagine, something between a scowling smile and... and a Monster INC monster. Even half-done, it looked incredibly detailed, and judging by the amount of tools covered in orangy waste laid out, John used almost everything from his arsenal to carve it.

"Sorry, love, you said something?" Finally noticing you, he put the tool down and turned to you, blinking in confusion when you burst into laughter - how could you not, though, with his beard having te perfect orange shade, thoroughly moisturized with pumpkin juice too.

"I see you've had your lunch break already, but maybe eat something a bit more filling? The pumpkin's not gonna run away. Although it looks capable of anything. Did you have to make it that creepy?"

You leaned down to kiss John, his cheeks clearly blushing from your praise of his ablities to create the ugliest pumpkin critter possible - or from realization how he must look, since you took a napkin and tried wiping his beard clean.

"'Course, darling. How else are we going to scare all the kids away from eating our sweets?"

You were cozying up with Ghost with The Nightmare Before Christmas on - part of your attempts to convince him to wear a Jack Skellington costume - when you hummed at some of the movie background beauty and muttered: "Gotta make sure to go shopping before they buy all the nice pumpkins... wanna come with me? Choose yourself which one you want to do?"

The silence that followed was deafening enough for you to shake the mild sleepiness off and toss in Simon's lap, turning over like a sausage on a stick, tangling in the oversized hoodie (also Simon's, obviously) until you finally managed to push the hood that was obstricting your view off your face and stare at the man himself. Did you even ask out loud or did you even think the question?

"Which one I want to what?" Finally asked Simon, looking at you a little too seriously - his blond eyebrows furrowed as if you asked him a rather complicated mathematical equation, not if he wants to choose his own Halloween entertainment.

"Which one you want to carve? Like, make a Jack-o'-lantern? I thought we could just have each our own pumpkin, make them matching or something. You don't want to?" It was your turn to look confused, but you let your head fall back into his lap and looked at him with a smile. "Don't worry, I won't force you. I can just do a little one for myself."

"No." Simon finally managed a word out and found your thigh to squeeze - for moral support. He looked like he was processing the whole concept of sitting down as a family and carving Halloween decorations together, and you scanned his face, trying to guess what exactly he was thinking. "Let's do each one. But you choose 'em, lovie, I don't know shit 'bout 'em pumpkins."

You wondered if that would be his first time doing this at all or just in a really long time - so you picked up a nice, beginner-friendly, almost cartoon-perfect pumpkin for him and a slighly more lumpy for yourself. "It's got character!" defended you it when Simon looked at your yellowish monster and said it looked "more interbred than the royal family tree".

All that smugness vanished, though, once you sat him down at the kitchen table with a Halloween playlist in the background and dove head first into carving, your enthusiasm making up for the lack of technique.

Simon barely moved, constantly peeking at you and your stabbed interbred gourd. He just managed to start cutting out the circle cap in its head by the time you had already been scraping the inner walls with a spoon - you've never seen him less confident with a knife. Usually it was you who had to be extra attentive with all kinds of blades, while Simon cut anything and everything with a few efficient swipes.

Right now he looked no more capable than a toddler with a plastic knife.

"Need some help, baby?" You asked carefully, and after thirty seconds of inner turmoil, Simon responded with a defeated grunt. Chuckling, you got up, kissed the corner of his scarred lips and snuck behind him, intending to guide his hands Ghost style. Pottery might be more suited, but it still felt heartwarming to show him how to finish that top hole, leaving more or less curvy lines instead of the sharp corners he made with his cuts. "Ooh, look how bright the pulp is! Must be yummy."

You cut yourself a little piece of that bright orange sweetness - as a tax for helping him - and laughed, kissing Simon right after to share it. Then you gave him a sharpie and advised to draw his design on first. It might've been the sightly dimmed lighting in the kitchen, where you already put a few candles for the vibes, or the light reflecting off your bright pumpkins, but his ears definitely seemed quite glowy.

"Hey, no peeking! You have to make up your own face!" You covered your pumpkin from him, but Simon leaned to grumble into your ear, kissing and nibbling on it ticklishly, and seized the moment to grab your creation and turn it around.

There was a pause.

"The fock is tha', lovie." Looking at his dumbfounded face, you snorted and reached to peck him on his nose bump. You knew he'd looove seeing his skull mask recreated in a pumpkin with your less than finesse artistic additions.

"That's my Ghostunkin. You like him? You should, he's your twin!"

"Oi, c'mere ya little shit!"

[houseofsnarry]

With Love

With the saddest of hearts, we want to let people know that a much-adored member of our moderating team, Scarlet (@givereadersahug), passed away on the 26th December.

Scarlet was vivacious. She was caring. She was so much fun to know. She was passion personified. She’d write a drabble for a friend because they’d had a bad morning, and another because she heard a song that inspired her. She could work out what fic you were trying to remember from the vaguest of descriptions – pulling up something from a webpage no one else had visited for 15 years until she unearthed it.

Our community, the fandom, everyone, has lost a truly unique and wonderful person.

She left behind a legacy that we hope to continue on for a long time yet.

She was so happy with the collection of fanart in this blog. We discussed not long ago how it was probably the largest collection of Harry and Severus separate character fanart, and Snarry, on Tumblr – and we hope to keep that going at a minimum.

When the grief is less fresh, we hope to bring together some ideas for other ways to celebrate the things Scarlet would have wanted celebrating, and in that, celebrate Scarlet herself.

Scarlet participated in so, so many fests across her time in fandom. Her AO3 account is spilling over with a treasure-trove of fic. She was the most multi-shipper, multi-fandom positive person you could imagine. And this made it even more special she gave so much of herself and her time to the House of Snarry, helping us build and enjoy a community we're very proud of.

Last year alone, Scarlet founded three Harry Potter fests:

@harryjamespotterweek

@hpcottagecorefest

@hprecfest

And helped us yet again in running @snarryauctoberfest, which she did such an incredible amount of work on.

Her influence on the lives of many will be felt for a long time yet. She will not be forgotten. We couldn't have asked for a better co-mod or friend. Scarlet made our little House of Snarry a true home for so many.

Our thoughts are with her family.

[i4bellingham]

INSTAGRAM FILES: joão felix x singer!reader

SYNOPSIS: in which you and joão slowly unveil your relationship together as you announce your new EP.

WARNING: incorrect portuguese to english translation

yourusername

❤️ 💭 ↗️ 　　　　　• •

Liked by oliviarodrigo, kaiagerber and 1,245,657 others

yourusername cooking something in the lab ⚗️

tagged: yourproducer

user1 are we having another album soon ? 👀

user2 after a year and a half the drought is finally oveeeeeeeer

user3 omg imagine if she features someone in a track with her 😣

user4 hmm, miss olivia rodrigo liked her post

user5 she literally follows y/n of course there's a possibility that she could like her posts lmao y'all reaching sometimes

oliviarodrigo 😍😍

　　　

yourusername

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Liked by joaofelix79, jennaortega and 2,457,097 others

yourusername after eight months of working on this EP, i am very happy to finally announce that OUT OF THE BLUE will be out in a week!! the entire song genre is something that i’ve never worked with before but it is heavily inspired by the experiences, memories and happenings that i went through this year and i am proud to say that the songs featured in this EP are my ultimate favorites in all of my creations! i hope you guys will enjoy listening to my craft as much as i enjoyed preparing it!

p.s. to my muse, to the sole reason of this EP (you know who you are) thank you so much for the support and love you have given me relentlessly. this one is for you ❤️

conangray slay miss bae 😍

madisonbeer can’t wait for the release!!! 💗

user1 wAIT A DAMN MINUTE-

user1 EP LAUNCH WITH A SOFT LAUNCH-

user1 MISS MA'AM WE MISSED AN ENTIRE CHAPTER WHAT THE FUCK

user2 this is a live broadcast of y/n stans losing their minds bcs of this ep announcement + the soft launch 😭

user3 user1 mood 😭😭

jennaortega ❤️❤️❤️

user4 joao what r u doing here fam

user5 can he not be a y/n stan like the majority of us lingering in her ig posts my god

　　　

joaofelix79

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Liked by yourusername, enzojfernandez, chelseafc and 987,463 others

joaofelix79 an out of the blue beach trip ⛱️

user1 damn u look fine as fuck

user2 ive never wanted to be a seat so bad in my entire life

user3 that caption ???? anyone noticing something ???

user4 wait are u a y/n fan too? 😭

user3 user4 she's my wife ❤️

user5 please provide context for us uncultured people in the back

user3 user5 so basically y/n posted her new ep entitled OUT OF THE BLUE just last week and joao has been liking her ig posts and now we have his caption 🤔

user4 not only that but y/n soft launched someone in her ig feed too and then we have joao posting that middle pic holding hands with someone AND Y/N LIKED IT

enzojfernandez have fun brother!

chelseafc enjoy joaofelix79 ☺️

　

yourusername

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Liked by jenassainte, madisonbeer and 5,675,870 others

yourusername guess we're doing this out of the blue 🤷🏻‍♀️ the last year had been absolutely memorable for me with you by my side. i can never thank the universe enough for letting our paths cross, for letting us create all the beautiful memories we have together. i love you always, my muse ❤️

tagged: joaofelix79

jennaortega you guys are so cute please 😭

masonmount the cat’s finally out of the bag!!

oliviarodrigo finding someone willing to change spots with me when they start acting all lovey-dovey 😍

chelseafc beautiful couple ❤️

joaofelix79 poderia escrever muitas páginas para dizer o quanto te amo, mas agora ambos sabemos que nenhuma palavra poderia ser suficiente para o quanto significas para mim e o quanto te amo. por causa disso, continuarei a fazê-lo mostrando-te o quanto em vez disso. tu fazes de mim o amor mais feliz, eu amo-te tanto ❤️ i could write a plenty of pages to say how much i love you but by now we both know no words could suffice to how much you mean to me and how much i love you. because of that, i will continue doing so by showing you how much instead. you make me the happiest love, i love you so much.

comments on this post have been limited.

[callofdudes]

Dropping all my AU thoughts on you. (Lovingly) pt1??

Hunger Games AU: All of 141 bring previous victors from their games who find solace with each other in the capital. Would go through what they experienced in their individual games and how they won. But when the victors face off comes they all have to work together to end the games permanently.

Skyrim AU: Ghost works with the Dark Brotherhood. Johnny is 1000% a Companion. Gaz is a bard who is also attending the College of Winterhold to become a mage. Price is either a leader of the Companions, or he's a captain of the Imperial Guard. Don't exactly have a proper plot. And Gaz is obviously a redguard. Price is definitely a Nord. John is probably a mix of either Breton and Nord or something. It just makes sense. And Ghost is an Imperial. It just makes sense and I can't explain why!

Or, another Skyrim idea: Johnny as the dragonborn and Simon as a Daedric Prince of Akotosh who chooses to serve Johnny after doubting Alduin's reign.

Transformers AU: It could go either way, I envision it with Ghost as a Tranformer. He's the last of his squad who escaped captivity (I hope you catch on) and is sent to earth to protect Intel and find a place to stay. Runs into the annoying Scottish mechanic when his paint is dinged up. Or Simon as the angry mechanic who does not want to fix this alien thing that keeps yapping all day.

Rise of the Guardians AU: All the characters are there. If Y/n was present in this I'd make Ghost the angry easter Bunny who "hates his job". But if they weren't he's hands down Jack Frost. Sorry. Gaz can be Sandy (sandman) we all know who Price is, and Johnny can be the tooth fairy. If you know why, you know why.

Obviously a httyd AU: because everyone needs one. I'm already conjuring up things for Ghost's backstory it's insane.

Gaming AU: Price is a moderator for a large gaming community channel and streaming platform. He greenlights a lot of games that go through and plays them occasionally. RDR games and those likes. Johnny and Gaz definitely play the sims together. They'd play those games like Lethal Company and such. They try to play horror games but it doesn't always go well. Simon, (known to fans as Ghost) wears his mask or has one of those cool avatars. Plays horror games religiously and first person shooters which has attracted a glamorized following. Friends with Price and that's how he ended up getting together in the streaming group with Gaz and Johnny. They're annoying, but ok, they're cool.

Assassin's Creed AU: I've been working slowly on this for a while but Johnny as a sword/bow for hire whose work has slowed in the city he's at. So he packs up with friend Gaz who is going to a different city to study as a medic. Price is probably the king of said place. (I'm thinking of setting up in Greece or we're going to old Britain.) And Ghost is our famous assassin. And they meet and some stuff happens!

Not sure what to call this one (AU) As a young kid Johnny was diagnosed with ADHD and went to weekly day camp for kids like him. It wasn't particularly boring and Johnny had lots of fun. Until a new kid who is very socially awkward and reclusive starts coming. He's quiet and fidgety and doesn't make much eye contact. Johnny wants to be his friend. The story where Autistic Simon and ADHD Johnny become inseparable childhood friends.

Winged AU. I did a little thing on this a couple months ago. Some 30% of the popular are born with wings. Johnny is one of them. He's incredibly proud of his wings and it gives him some advantages and disadvantages in the military. Simon seems to hate Johnny for the sake of it. But every time Simon sees John's wings, he remembers the scars on his back and the pain of when his wings were torn off...

[orchideous-nox]

Talk more about Peter please!!!!

Okay I've let this sit here for a hot minute while I think.

I think Peter is not only underutilised by the fandom, but also a victim of his own future. So many headcanons about Peter come from what he does years down the lines as if his past is a consequence of his later betrayal. I hate this because it means he's never truly made his own character.

I'm going to try my best to yap about him in my own way and not just whatever I ingest from conversations with @futurequibblerjournalist about him.

Yes, Peter is fat. I don't want to talk about that though, but we're getting it out of the way because I won't stand for an Dane DeHaan fancasts when I feel like we're better than making fat characters skinny.

I love that idea that Peter and Marlene were friends before Hogwarts, his limited muggle knowledge comes from her family. They know each other through their parents and Marlene is just glad to have someone her age to play with and Peter is used to being around girls because of his older sisters.

When they got to Hogwarts and found other friends, they weren't necessarily as close anymore. Peter shared a dorm with the boys and they all became friends. With Sirius and James being so loud and energetic, Peter felt drawn to the quieter Remus and they became friends, and he ultimately was the reason Peter became part of the Marauders.

Peter is an observer, he notices so much because people either ignore him or don't think much of him. He sits in corners and listens and this is his contributing factor to the pranks. While they're planning them, he'll notice weak spots like "well this won't work because X said that they were going to the library at that time so won't be in the dorm". When they realise how good he is at spying for them, they start sending him off to scout information in the lead up to pranks.

I think there's so much emphasis on the other Marauders and music, but I like to think Pete was really into music too. He would have loved Madness, Ralph McTell and he gained a love of Fairport Convention from his dad who had discovered muggle music, they were hiting up Cropredy Festival every year. I think he would deny his love of folk music to his friends though, that was something he kept to himself.

Okay and now for the fun part that's been brewing for a little bit. Peter and Sybill were an unexpected couple, I think the Marauders noticed that he was sneaking off sometimes and would go missing in Hogsmeade and started placing bets on who it was but none of them had said Sybill Trelawney. They hadn't crossed paths very much, she's a Ravenclaw and he's a Gryffindor, but she'd noticed him in the library struggling to find a charms book. Sybill was known to have been able to produce a non-corporeal Patronus at some point so was gifted in charms and helped Peter to become more confident in his own capability.

I think there was a gentle quietness to their relationship, they weren't loud like Rosekiller or as affectionate as Wolfstar or as tragic as Jegulus. They would sit together at meals or in the library, they'd talk walks by the lake. Peter would love sitting with Sybill while she yaps enthusiastically about divination and prophecies because he loved seeing her light up. He shows a lot of interest when she talks about Cassandra Trelawney who she is proud to be a descended of, which is new for her.

We know that Sybill ends up (briefly) married to another man after Hogwarts but I don't see these two having a big eventful break up, they have different priorities for their futures and decide that after school ends they will go their seperate ways fairly amicably. I think Sybill doesn't particularly like the Marauders and thinks they make Peter reckless, and Peter doesn't like her cat (for obvious reasons) but she won't part with it. There's no drama, they still love each other but they don't want to sacrifice a part of themself for their relationship to work. We know Sybill ends up divorced in canon because she won't change her surname, she knows what she wants, she's stubborn and I love that for her.

After Hogwarts, Peter dates but never really settles down and does feel a bit of regret about Sybill, especially all those years later returning to the school and seeing her there.

[idontactuallywherepjs]

pt.3 BOOK 2!!!!

Halt is a Dad. He is such a Dad. I loved him in this book. Sending Will away on a "safe" mission (honey, you've got a big storm coming) so he can relax even in a time of war and regain trust in himself is so sweet.

He was so like, idk loving? when talking to Gilan about this mission. The vibe to me was just "I'm proud of you and trust you, you have nothing to worry about. I've seen what you've become and know you can do this"

All three of them ribbing on each other when Gilan first arrives, they're so comfy with each other!

Also recommending Horace in part because he's Will's friend and he wants to let these kids just, be kids together? I have cavities.

And THEN. They've gone on the mission. His two boys are out of the house, off on a journey and he's stuck in Araluen. And he's coping. He's coping in a very healthy and normal manner.

He's coping by throwing people into moats. Hilarious.

Arald, Rhodney and Lady Pauline put their heads together, figure out that it's empty nest syndrome, and decide to shove a happy child who needs a little bit of reassurance in his general direction: Alyss.

They think this will solve him chucking people into moats.

She tells him to do it again. Beautiful, this is so fun. Half the time they're on this mini journey Halt's thinking about Will. It's great.

I have a lot of feelings for this family can you tell?

The romance is clunky. That's like my big negative for this book. Alyss declaring when she was young that she was going to marry Will? Very cute. Her telling his dad that? Why? that's my only complaint with it why would she tell him that?

Also everyone being hung up on Pauline and Halt maybe being a thing in the past? It wasn't really confirmed, heavily implied maybe, and I think that two people who are dedicated to their jobs drifting apart and ending a relationship, then years later getting back together as they've both grown and missed the other person in that way and coming out of it stronger is a super sweet story. It'd be adorable. But it's like, thrown in there by other characters? and it's out of place almost? especially since their country just entered war?

I had a similar problem with the kiss in book one. Objectively? very sweet, i didn't mind it. But their was a lack of build up that made it a bit shoehorned in? It was a lot more obvious in this book though.

Thankfully, we don't spend all that much time on the romance subplots because those were not working at this moment.

I was very surprised when the war kicked off immediately. I was expecting it to build for at least a few books, and it to take like six to get sorted or something, but no. We're just in it now.

It didn't feel too sudden though. It felt very much like this was something Morgarath had set up over that past fifteen years, and the events of the story only started because He was finally ready, not because our heroes were ready to confront him.

I like that. He wasn't dragged out as the ultimate evil of the world, nobody can stop him except these young upstarts. He's a warlord, and he's acting like it. He didn't have much of a character, just a menacing presence for our protagonists to shiver at, but he did serve the story well.

pt 4 incoming super fast, that one will focus on the goings on in Celtica, and then pt 5 should be focusing more on the end of the book. I had a lot more to gush about in book 2 then i thought.

[the-larry-way]

Writing Self-Evaluation 2024

thank you @red-pandaaa for tagging me! (I'm going to be including some personal evaluation as well since the actual template seems very published works focused)

1. Number of stories posted to AO3: 30 (out of which 21 were posted in 2024 (all in December))

2. Word count posted for the year: 60,178 (plus 102,016 unpublished words)

3. Fandoms I wrote for: One Direction (Band)

4. Pairings: Louis Tomlinson/Harry Styles — I might branch out one day, but so far I'm happy writing about the two people who bring me so much joy.

5. Story with the most (2024): Kudos: we got all night (we're going nowhere) 64, Bookmarks: baby, it's cold (inside) and Knot Together 20, Comments (Threads): there's a devil in your smile, it's chasing me 11

Story with the most (all time): Kudos and Bookmarks: Whatever Floats Your Boat 650 and 365 respectively, (Fake/Pretend, Cruise Larry, one of my proudest works) Comment Threads: Little Heartbeat 42, (not my best. based on a teenager's understanding of love and life. I was 14 when I started writing it)

6. Work I’m most proud of (and why): I'm probably most proud of my (Coming Soon) One Direction Big Bang fic. It's the longest thing I've ever written and the most fun I've had writing. As far as published works are concerned, I want to chicken and say I like my advent calendar but that's a cop out. So I probably will say the quinquagenarian. I think there aren't enough Older Larry fics in the fandom and I'm quite pleased with the banter in the fic. In general though, I'm really pleased with the Advent Calendar. It was a major challenge to come up with and write so many prompts (i'm still 5 short) but I think I rose well to the challenge!

7. Work I’m least proud of (and why): I always say that I try to be proud of all of my works because they all made me the writer that I am today (who I am very proud of) but in the spirit of answering the question I would say Green Apple Daiquiri. The plot isn't meaningful or compelling and I feel like I show a lack of understanding of interpersonal relationships that isn't justified at 14. It feels very fake deep but I still remember being thrilled with my brilliance when I initially wrote it. Such is young naivety. And although it shows up as my first work on ao3, it's actually my third, so I feel like I had enough writing experience that I should've been doing better.

8. Share or describe a favourite review you received: There is a few that come to mind and I'll share all of them because I can't appreciate my readers enough.

Someone said something about something reading like a movie. I know that's terribly vague but I've pored over my inbox and failed to find it.

@statementlou (apologies if this isn't your ao3 name and i've unnecessarily tagged you) with their encouragement when I was feeling bad for not being able to catch up with my advent calendar

@nyxdaughterofkhaos she is probably the big reason why I've written as much as I have this year but specifically this comment "Ahhhh!!! Loved this so freaking much!!! I think I'm gonna have to stop saying i have favorite! You keep surprising me with these little amazing and adorable fics!!!" I had been taking so much delight in all her lovely comments but something about this felt like her kissing my forehead and telling me they're all my favorite and it made me teary eyed

@signofcomfort my other wonderful beta. she described a scene in my big bang fic as something in a sitcom (intended as a compliment) and in general has been singing praises of the banter in the fic.

@parmahamlarrie in this specific rec she said about a naughty little christmas miracle 'Something about this one has stuck with me all month. I loved it!' and it just made my heart soar.

Thank you to all readers and especially to those who leave comments.

9. A time when writing was really, really hard: I didn't write much all year, but I've been on a roll since October. This last chapter of Knot Together was really hard. For the first time ever I rewrote the whole thing twice. I'm not a big rewriter so this was SO difficult. Especially doing the rewrites on that 24 hour timeline for 12 days of ficmas and all the while my beta was stuck without internet so I couldn't bounce ideas off anyone

10. A scene or character you wrote that surprised you: I'm really bad at writing scenes with a lot of physicality. But I wrote a scene of Harry and Louis being goofy (the sitcom scene) that I was very pleased with.

11. A favourite excerpt of your writing: oh this is so hard. I never remember anything I write!! Full disclosure, this is basically the first thing I saw. But I am quite proud of it. It marks a massive turning point in the character's relationship with that kind of vulnerability (while still bantering). This is also the first publicly shared snippet of my @onedirectionbigbang fic. yay!!

Louis drifted in and out of sleep as he kept an eye on the bathroom door, eagerly awaiting his boy’s return. He grinned when the door opened. “Well hello, Little Harry,” Louis smirked, dragging his gaze slowly up Harry’s body till he met his eyes, a smug smirk on Harry’s lips as he stood in the doorway, towelling his hair, fully nude. “Little?” Harry looked down and scoffed. “Your scale is broken,” Harry hung up his towel on the towel rack before crawling into bed, getting under the covers. “Oooh bed’s all warm.” he murmured, smiling when Louis snuggled up to him immediately. “You did miss me, huh?” Harry chuckled, playing with his hair. “I did. More than you know,” he confessed. “Yeah? What would you do if I had decided I wanted to sleep in the guest room?” Harry teased. “Cried,” Louis said bluntly. “Begged you to let me sleep in the guestroom with you.” Harry’s face openly reflected his surprise at the raw honesty. “I didn’t sleep for a second last night, Harry,” he finally confessed.

12. How did you grow as a writer this year: i wrote a LOT. a lot of tropes and a lot of POVs. Practice makes perfect right? I think I wrote a strict POV for the first time. and it's alright. But I do enjoy telling my stories through third person omniscient/limited a LOT more

13. How do you hope to grow next year: I was supposed to write 500 words a day for 2024. Given that I didn't write for nearly the first 11 months of the year (i wrote for a week in january and then really started writing the week before halloween) the fact that I still ended up averaging 444 words a day is a resounding success. And something about angel numbers and stuff.

For next year, I plan on maintaining that goal. I have a few fics in mind that should help me accomplish that goal but I imagine it won't be easy between graduating college and starting my (anticipated to be very demanding) job.

14. Who was your greatest positive influence this year as a writer (could be another writer or beta or cheerleader or muse etc etc): @indiaalphawhiskey is always an inspiration. she is probably one of, if not the best writer I've ever read.

@nyxdaughterofkhaos has been a massive help in both encouragement and brainstorming

@chai-hat-tea has been another rock with brainstorming and cheerleading.

@justanothershadeofblue for helping me brainstorm and plan Knot Together even when my other friends were discouraging me. For creating a space where i can be pouty and uncharitable without hurting people. for everything

I think a lot of thanks goes to my sweet little cat Kimchi who has not only inspired fics directly, but also is the muse for a lot of cats that are showing up in my fics here and there. But more directly, my desire to stay in and cuddle with her often resulted in writing.

15. Anything from your real life show up in your writing this year: yes actually!!

there's a devil in your smile, it's chasing me was inspired by the first ice hockey match I ever attended just days before! (i did not get ditched by a date and kissed by the devil)

calm down, girl was inspired by my own anxieties of boarding my Kimchi. (i did not have a cute employee volunteer to send me daily pictures)

16. Any new wisdom you can share with other writers: just write. stop waiting for the perfect time, the perfect prompt, the perfect mood. just write. The more you write the more easily it'll come to you. And don't be afraid to ask for help.

17. Any projects you’re looking forward to starting (or finishing) in the new year: so many!! I'm looking forward to getting back to writing (and finishing) my big bang fic, and I intend on making both my girl dad louis and shapeshifting fics into full length fics! I haven't given a lot of thought to the latter two just yet but I fully intend to.

18. Tag some writers whose answers you’d like to read.

no pressure to do this but would love to hear from you all! @justanothershadeofblue, @chai-hat-tea, @larry-hiatus, @indiaalphawhiskey, @twopoppies, @allwaswell16