#well thank god i didn't skip the ad read this time!

[cementcornfield]

beat writers talking about ja'marr teasing joe in the locker room after the game 🥲

[eufezco]

THE MUSE

Benedict needs to practice female form. Naked female form. And who better to help him than his lifelong friend?

Benedict x fem!reader (smut with plot, friends to lovers) + no use of y/n. english isn't my first language (!)

Benedict didn't know how to ask you.

You had been friends for a long time, your families were practically one. Always so united, your mamas took walks every afternoon, gossiping about the ton and your fathers had been friends since childhood. You and Benedict were bound to meet.

You and he grew up together. You were friends with his siblings, you had held sleepovers with his sisters and won cricket matches against his brothers. Lady Violet Bridgerton loved you like a daughter and your mother loved Benedict like a son.

But your friendship with him had always been special.

When you were twelve, you ran away together to camp on the riverbank, just because Benedict wanted to draw the moon reflecting in the water at night. The following year, despite the scolding you received for your river adventure, you and Benedict sneaked onto private land just to pluck a few petals from the summer sunflowers to get him the perfect shade of yellow.

You and Benedict were very close. Of course, there had always been rumors about what kind of relationship you two had and that Lady Whistledown had only added more fuel to the fire writing about you two in her pamphlets. You and him never cared about that, and neither your families but it was true that you two have had to face some uncomfortable conversations with them about it.

That's why Benedict didn't know how to ask you. You had a lot of trust in each other, you had always supported his artistic vocation but perhaps this was too much.

—Oh, thank God you've come. I am in need of a model ��. It was the first thing Benedict said to you when you entered his studio. The maid closed the door behind you, leaving you alone with him. Thank goodness the Bridgertons' service was very discreet, if anyone found out that you and him were alone in a room it would cause quite a scandal.

—Good evening to you too, Benedict.

—My apologies. Good evening —. He leaned to kiss your cheek.— I need a model —. He let you know one more time.

—How have you been? Very stressed from what I can tell —. You tried to have a normal conversation with him before you paid attention to what he required.

—Indeed.

You sighed. —Well, what is it? I thought we were going for a walk.

He nodded. —We can go outside later. But I need to get this done by tomorrow and I feel like I'm losing my mind.

—And...?

—I need practice female form.

You slowly nodded. You were aware that Benedict had been recently attending this art academy, you were happy that he was finally able to pursue his passion and you couldn't deny that within the characteristic desperation of the artists, he looked very attractive. Benedict's hair was a mess, his white shirt was half-open, his sleeves were rolled up. He would never have allowed himself be seen in society like that and you were grateful because otherwise he would have all the girls after him.

—And you want me to...?

—Pose for me.

You weren't quite sure how to do it but it seemed easy and fun. All the times he had drawn you, he had done it when you were distracted, reading, having tea with his sisters... The pencil moved effortlessly across the paper when he saw you laughing with Daphne or playing with the cards that Colin had brought back from his trip to Spain. He was already too embarrassed to admit each time he drew you and Anthony teased him by saying that if he didn't propose to you, he would show you his drawings, and Benedict's heart skipped a beat because he knew that his older brother was not known for being a joker.

Benedict still didn't know how he was going to ask you, maybe it was better to just let it out.

—And what shall I do? Just stand here? Like this? —You laughed and made a dramatic pose like the ones you saw in the paintings in the gallery you visited together.

—I need you to ...

Benedict swallowed nervously. He looked down at your dress and then directly into your eyes. You raised your eyebrows, waiting for him to finish. You also looked at your dress to see if there was something wrong with it.

—Benedict I don't think I understand what you are trying to say—

—I need to practice naked female form.

Benedict immediately noticed your horrified face. He wanted to go back seconds ago when he hadn't even asked but if it wasn't you, who would it be? —I will not draw your face. No one will know it is you. It will be purely professional, I just need a few minutes.

You bit the inside of your cheeks and decided to trust him when he said that it would be for professional purposes only. The unfinished nude sketches that made your cheeks burn when you saw them as you entered his studio showed you that Benedict found no inspiration in the bodies of the academy models. After a nervous swallowing, you nodded and Benedict's face lit up. He hugged you but you didn't have time to hug him back because he quickly went to prepare the canvas.

—Is the door locked? —You asked him as you shed the little jacket that covered your shoulders along with your gloves. Benedict rushed off to lock it and before he returned to his position behind the canvas. You called his name and gulped, your hands failing in their attempts to unzip your own dress. —May I please get some help?

—Oh, yes, of course. My apologies.

Benedict stood behind you, his fingers brushing the skin on your back as he began to slowly unzip it until the dress slid down your body and fell at your feet. Benedict felt like he had to look away, as if in a few seconds you would not be completely exposed to his eyes. He offered you his hand to help you get up on a small pedestal that he had in his studio. Once you got rid of your underwear, you felt vulnerable but not as vulnerable as when Benedict ran his eyes over your body from his position and with the paintbrush already in his hand.

He let out all the air he had in his lungs, he couldn't take his eyes off you. Benedict could not deny that he had imagined it on many occasions, but reality far surpassed his imagination.

—What... What should I do, Benedict? —You hugged yourself.

—Put your arms down and stand like that. You look perfect, darling.

Your cheeks burned after that. You did as he said. His brow was slightly furrowed in concentration as his eyes went from the canvas to you and back to the canvas. Benedict asked you to turn around and he squeezed his eyes tightly after seeing your bare ass. Purely professional, this was purely professional, he had to remind himself.

Benedict grabbed a wooden chair and walked over to you. Your heart skipped a beat once he was so close to your naked body and he felt the exact same. He placed the chair next to you and invited you to sit on it. He nodded slowly when you did, focusing on the new position of your body. Benedict went back behind the canvas and made a few sketches.

He cleared his throat. —Would it be possible if you... Could you spread your legs?

Your cheeks grew hot and you squeezed your thighs together.

The knot you had in your stomach got tighter and you felt your chest rise and fall slowly thanks to your deep breathing. You straightened your back in the chair and you did as Benedict asked. You felt the air of the room caressing you in that warm and wet area and he held his breath, his chest puffing out as your legs slowly opened for him.

—You are beautiful, darling. Do not be ashamed —. Every new inch he discovered of your body made you look more perfect in his eyes. It was as nice to see you as it was to paint you.

Your cheeks grew even hotter but this time it wasn't just your cheeks, your whole body was in flames starting with the area between your legs that was so exposed to his eyes.

—Could we try another position?

You nodded, relieved, you were sure it was painfully obvious the way you had gotten wet and you just hoped he was busy enough to not notice.

He dropped the paintbrush and got up from the stool on which he was sitting. Benedict felt the knot in his stomach grow tighter with each step he took closer to your naked body. You moved in the chair out of nervousness. Benedict leaned slightly over you. —May I? —He asked before touching your leg. His voice made you shiver, he was so close, you felt his hand brush against the skin of your thigh. You nodded and looked up at him while he repositioned your leg. Benedict's eyes meet yours, so helpless, his lifelong friend, was that innocence in your eyes, or was that...?

Lust.

Your hand grabbed the back of Benedict's head and pressed his lips against yours. His eyes widened in surprise but immediately after, his hands went to cup your cheeks as he fell to his knees in front of you. You opened your legs so he could place himself between them and be closer to you. The shameless hands of your friend traveled down your neck until they reached your breasts. You moaned against his mouth once he gave them a gentle squeeze, the soft palm of his hand brushing against your nipples.

Benedict left a trail of soft kisses from your cheeks to your collarbones and your breasts. He took one in his mouth as his hand played with the other, his tongue moving in circles around your nipple and sucking on it at the same time. Your breathing quickened and your lips parted to let out soft moans when Benedict's teeth brushed your sensitive nipple.

He let go with a pop sound and watched you gasp for air. Benedict placed his hands on the inside of your thighs and caressed your skin there before he slowly pushed them to open even further. His hands prepared you for him, his eyes asked for your permission. You nodded and Benedict flashed you a smile, that was all he needed. He peppered your thighs with kisses, taking small bites and kissing your sore skin afterwards. Your breathing deepened as his mouth got closer to where you needed him the most. He was so close he could smell you and oh Lord, his dick got hard as a rock at that moment.

You took a sharp breath when he licked from your entrance to your clit and savored your juices in his mouth. The image was completely sinful, his blue eyes were locked on you while his lips sucked on your bundle of nerves, his hands forced your legs to stay open for him. Your head was thrown back, your mouth was open in a perfect "O" form, your fingers digging into his scalp. Once he noticed the desperation in the way your hips rolled against his mouth, two of his fingers entered you easily. You stifled a loud moan, throwing a hand over your mouth.

Benedict hummed, sending vibrations to your clit.

—Talk to me. How does this feel? —He required.

—So good. It feels... —You bit down your lower lip, his fingers sank deeper. —It feels like heaven.

He was satisfied with your answer.

Benedict fucked you with his fingers until you had to grab his wrist to get him to stop, it was too much. Your legs closed around his head but his lips were still attached to your clit and he didn't stop until he heard how your moans turned into whines and cries, not until he noticed how your back arched off the chair and your chest rose and fell uncontrolled thanks to your panting. Benedict didn't stop, not until he felt how your pussy was clenching so hard that almost pushed his fingers out of you and he heard you moan his name one last time as your grip on his hair tightened.

He gave you all the time you needed to catch your breath, kissing your legs and intertwining his fingers with yours while you came down from your high. Benedict's blue eyes were locked on you making every effort to later recall every single part of you.

—How are you feeling, darling? —Benedict stood on his feet and held your hands so that you would stand up as well. Before you could answer his question, you both realized how your legs were shaking and laughed. At the same time, you felt Benedict's grip on your hands grow stronger to keep you from falling.

Benedict leaned in and kissed your lips in the sweetest possible way. The tickling sensation in your body that you felt when you were naked in front of him had turned into a different kind of tickling, now focused on your stomach. It was so familiar, you had felt it so many times when you looked at him but now, with his lips on yours and his hands treating you with so much affection and care, it was different.

You could confirm that it was not only lust but also love.

You hummed against his lips. —Wait, did you finish your drawing?

Benedict shook his head. —But, please, do not worry about that. I will help you get dressed —. You frowned confused and he gave a quick kiss to your lips so, as he had told you, you would not worry. —I can finish later. There's no way I'm forgetting your body, my dear.

[mxkyu--x9e]

hiiii!!!!!!!! could I request best friend chan who confesses his feelings for reader on live not realizing they're watching? Hopefully this makes sense lol

|:: The chat's view on love

Author's note: Hii!!!! Thank you for much for this request!! I hope I wrote this to your expectations!! Thank you so much,I'm sorry if it's not to your expectations because it definitely did not make me happy!! But I hope it's good enough.

Synopsis: With Bang Chan's live, Stays swarm in, asking questions and such..and one slip of his tongue revealed a big detail on his life...poor boy's crush.

Warnings: Idol! Bang Chan|| fem! Reader|| nothing really, sorry if it's pretty short.

"No, Berry is actually doing good!! She's with Hannah in Australia, what are you talking about???" Chan asked the live with confused laughter, as he continued to talk with Stays on his chat. Almost a good few millions, actually.

As he answered questions, laughing softly it wasn't too big on his thoughts to really think everything through and see if Stays psycho-analyze everything he said or did. As he read out questions for himself, while playing random videos of his own entertainment.

"Chocolate or cookies and cream? I'm sorry...I gotta say cookies and cream, it's too bitter for me to eat chocolate in ice-cream." he said, shaking his head as he laughed. "How is your best-friend doing??" he read, and god was he delighted to talk about you!

He also took the time to check your texts from earlier this day, telling him to eat something, as he felt butterflies in his stomach and warmth in his chest, it was just adorable at how much you cared for him.

It felt delightful to get your texts, he didn't know why, it gave him some sort of joy...sure it meant he loved you, you're his best-friend after all, since his trainee years , but this just felt different...

Different from last month...He had no idea when it began, was it when you broke up with your stupid situationship type of boyfriend? Or was it when you personally came to see him after his group won and treated them all to dinner that night...

Maybe it was the fact that you cared for him so deeply, you got along well with Hannah and Berry and his entire family, the fact you always got a good morning and good night text for him in a weird way, how you're always ready to comfort him or others, how you're always the first to support him...It came naturally for him to fall in love with you, how couldn't he??

"They're actually doing pretty great. They recently got me a brand new rice cooker after my old one broke and I was crying to them about it...And god, was it so sweet!! It has bears drawn on it." Chan told the viewers, most commenting about "how cute!" they visualized it to be, how they'd like him to "show it!", and others as he laughed and nodded,

"I will, I will...when I can...But yeah, they've been good. I was texting them today about the new beats I was making and they told me very gently and sweetly, "go eat, la!!" and it's so cute! They're so adorable!!" he said, laughing, as he pressed his lips together to stop the biggest, giddy smile reaching his lips...

"I seriously adore them, they're such an important person in my life and I don't think I ever want to...I don't think I ever want them to leave me..or be apart and I don't want us to drift apart..I might not be making sense, but it's tr-true." he said,

"I ADORE them..." he said, before his eyes glanced up to catch the camera, and he quickly added, "Like a friend, of-course" His heart skipping a beat, as he thought of you again..perfect in his eyes, almost perfect.

He might have not noticed, but Stays definitely did. Speaking from the heart, his irises slightly growing large as he thought of you, an uncontrollable smile on his lips, the one smile where his tiny dimples start showing up as he smiles... That's love...not just admiration for a friend...

And you definitely knew it was love as you stared at the live with bright eyes, feeling flustered already, your stomach cramping in as if on a roller-coaster, you couldn't control your own smile after hearing his honey-dipped words...

The Stays watching knew the warmth those words spread, even in them...Like blankets on a particularly hard day when you simply want to cry, like the warm soup after feeling bad about yourself in the past few days, like the productivity you feel proud of after not living up to your standards, like that one friend's text after you feel left out...

It was warm and it spread to Chan's veins as he glanced at his phone, smiling down, seeing it was yours as he opened, his eyes widening as he scanned the words...

Trying to hide his urge to scream in happiness...But he heard a ping, and he quickly turned back up at camera, eyes widening a bit more that he was still Live..as he reached and looked at his phone, before hurriedly smiling towards the live and Stays,

"I-uh-I gotta go, Stays, a little-...Uh. A littl-emergency, I'm late-late to practice!!" he said, hurriedly shutting off the camera and picking up his phone, his bag and running out to see you as he struggled to put on some shoes, rushing down his apartment...tripping over his own feet slightly as he ran, smiling down at your text.

"I love you too. More than a friend though :)"

© Mxkyu--e9e. I do not give permission to modify, translate, copy or repost ANY of my works. Reblogs are very much beloved!

[bloodlustngore]

Ask her out, Jareau - Jennifer Jareau

Another fluffy oneshot that has kinda been sat in my drafts since last month (are you surprised at this point, its me) and I'm finally uploading it. Is it proof-read? No. Should it of been? Probably. But oh well 🤷‍♀️

Penelope & Emily tease JJ about her crush on Y/n, who had been on the team for a year now. When both women tease her about it, JJ gives in. But Y/n already knows JJ has a crush on her, well more like she had a hunch, and would've caved in if JJ didn't any time soon.

This one was silly I know! I'll probs end up writing a part two to this :)

JJ had this crush on Y/n since the first few months the young woman joined the team. And it's been a year now, thinking that it was just a silly crush, but no.

The blonde had never really had a crush on women, well there was these silly crushes in Highschool, college, university, but she never acted on them. So for JJ, this was nerve racking. Especially when Y/n, was this beautiful, funny, caring & badass agent. That didn't help. And those butterflies she felt whenever she smiled at her, or they touched. It overwhelmed JJ with so many feelings, all positive though.

"Hey, JJ are you okay?" The blonde woman was snapped out of her thoughts, when she noticed Y/n stood in front of her desk, in her office. A cup of coffee in her hand. "Uh, yeah. This for me?" JJ questioned with a smile.

Y/n gave JJ a smile back, and the blonde swore her heart skipped a beat. "Yeah, of course gotta fuel my favourite agent" she chuckled. "Thank you." JJ added, taking the cup of coffee from Y/n and taking a sip.

"Just how I like it to".

"Of course Jayje only the best" Y/n added, giving JJ another smile. God, she was so pretty. "I'm finishing up a report for the previous case, but if you need me I'll be out here as usual".

"Okay, I'll be in here if you need me" JJ mentioned. With that they said their byes for now, and Y/n walked out of JJ' office with a smile.

"What's got you all smiling" Of, course Derek would want to know just so he could tease her about it. But Y/n wasn't about to let him know. "Wouldn't you like to know, Derek" she chuckled.

"Yeah I would actually" Derek chuckled, teasing her again. "Not happening" Y/n added, rolling her eyes.

"Oh cmon Princess gimme something."

"Uhm, no." A knock was heard at JJ' office, she sat up a little startled at the sudden knock but composed herself when Emily and Penelope walked in. "What's up you two?" JJ asked. Penelope giving her the 'I know something' grin. Emily giving JJ a small smile, folding her arms in front of her chest. "What's up with us? What's up with you and Y/n?" Penelope spoke, enthusiastically.

"What? What do you mean by that Pen? We're fine." JJ added, she knew what Penelope was hinting at, but she didn't want to admit it. "I tried to stop her, but now I'm curious" Emily chuckled.

JJ leaned back on the chair and rolled her eyes. "Jayje don't play the 'I don't know what you mean' card. Because you do." Penelope added.

"But I don't" JJ shrugged.

"Yes. You. Do."

"No Pen I don't."

JJ doesn't do the whole date a co-worker thing, well atleast that's what she thought until she met Y/n. She could make an exception for her, any day. "Oh for gods sake JJ, will you just ask Y/n on a date?" Penelope replied, Emily was amused by this, watching as the blonde woman went from confident to flustered, just over the mention of Y/n.

But JJ had quickly composed herself "okay first of all I'm pretty sure Y/n likes me as a friend, second I've never dated another woman, let alone kissed one." JJ mentioned. And to that Emily rolled her eyes with a slight laugh.

"First of all JJ, have you really never noticed the way Y/n looks at you with such adoration and love. Secondly Y/n is in love with you, it's obvious trust me. And you've never kissed a girl? Okay. Until now." Emily added, amused but also trying to be a wing woman for her friend. "You guys shouldn't be encouraging me" JJ mentions. Penelope went from giving her a confused look to a grin. "And why not?" Penelope asks. Before JJ could even speak Penelope spoke again. "Is it because its working?" She giggled.

"No?" JJ lied, this was in fact working. Its not that she didn't want to ask Y/n on a date, because of course she did. But also the fact they work together, and despite Emily saying that she knows Y/n likes her back, JJ still doesn't have it in her to ask or tell Y/n how she really feels. But if these two keep pushing her, she just might. "That was a lie, JJ, and you know it. You turned it into a question rather than a straight forward answer" Emily added, sounding serious.

Damn it, profilers.

"Its just that we work together, what if it gets complicated?" Another excuse. Not that JJ was too worried about that. Because they both know how to act preofessional during work hours. "Maybe. Right now you've gotta ask her on a date. Work is almost finished, since we have no case today." Emily replied, with a chuckle.

"If you and Y/n can flirt during work hours and remain professional, then you two can still do that while in a relationship during work hours". Okay Pen and Emily had points, The two women could work it out between them, when it gets complicated. But then, JJ was also scared to lose Y/n if shes wrong about this. Jennifer rolled her eyes "We don't flirt" but not even she was convincing enough. "Sure you don't" Emily chuckled.

"So, are you gonna ask her?" Emily asked.

"Right here, right now?!" JJ exclaimed, they were all still at work. The blonde would rather do this when shes alone with Y/n. Although, she may never do so unless pushed like she is now. "Go out there, get her in here and ask her alone." Penelope cheers. That moment JJ stands up from the chair, smirking to herself "fuck it I guess" she chuckles. Emily and Penelope silently cheer, as they leave JJ' office and go back to whatever they were doing beforehand.

JJ leaned against her opened door frame, adoring Y/n from afar for a few minutes. Y/n let out a small laugh at a joke Derek had just said, JJ loved Y/n' laugh she thought it was the most prettiest laugh shes ever heard, along with her smile. She took a deep breathe then exhaled.

"Hey Jayje, you okay?" Y/n caught her attention, the blonde must have zoned out for longer than she thought. JJ let out a nervous laugh "yeah, sorry I was staring."

"I don't mind if its you staring, beautiful" Y/n complimented. Making JJ' heart skip another beat. Thats when all her confidence seemed to have left her body. And her first instinct was to run away from this, but she couldn't run away from her feelings, not anymore. "You don't seem okay, come on we'll talk in your office." Y/n reached for JJ' hand and the blonde took it without hesitation. Both women could feel eyes on them, but that all stopped when JJ closed the door behind them.

"Whats bothering you JJ?" Y/n just came right out and said it, JJ sat on her desk in front of the h/c woman, and sighed. "I like this woman, and I've never really felt the way I do about this woman for any other. I've had silly crushes, which I thought this was, but over time its procressed and I don't even know if she likes me back. I'd be terrible in that sort of realtionship though beause I've never been with another woman, or even kissed one" JJ explained, she never once mentioned that Y/n was this woman.

Y/n smiled, she inched closer to the blonde in front of her, looking down slightly as she was stood up. Tucking some loose strands of JJ' hair behind her ear. JJ relaxed into her touch almost immedietely. "Well I'm sure if you tell this woman how you feel, then they'd be happy to reciprocate and show you" Y/n took a small step back, she bit her lip. As if she knew something that JJ didn't.

"Do you know something I don't?" JJ asked curiously, as she stood up from sitting on the desk, approaching Y/n. "No, I have no clue what you're on about?" Y/n chuckled, shrugging her shoulders.

"No, you know something." JJ added.

"No, I really don't" Y/n smirked, she was about to cave in herself, if JJ didn't any time soon. The urge to kiss the blonde woman in front of her was getting even stronger than it already was. "I don't believe you for a second Y/n, what do you know?" JJ asked, raising an eyebrow at Y/n. Who swore right then and there that she was about to cave in.

That was until...JJ had caved in already. Grabbing Y/n, turning her around and backing her up against the desk, Y/n had to sit down on it for balance. Their lips ghosting over each others. "I knew you liked me back" Y/n smirked.

"Wait- you knew? And you like me back that way?" JJ asked, confused. "Why didn't you say anything?" she then added.

"Because I was waiting for you, to see if I was right. Now are you going to kiss me?" JJ felt a bit nervous, of course she would. But without anymore sighing or hesitation, she crashed her lips against Y/n', JJ leaned forwards slightly as Y/n kissed back, her hands around the back of JJ' neck. JJ rested one hand on the desk beside Y/n, and the other on Y/n' thigh. This all just felt natural, felt right, and JJ no longer felt nervous.

Y/n bit JJ' bottom lip slightly as she pulled away. "Wow" JJ breathed out.

"Can I kiss you again?"

"You don't need to ask JJ" Y/n smirked, this time Y/n took charge of the kiss, tongues clashing, but JJ gave in and let Y/n win this one. Y/n standing up, but never breaking the kiss, turning JJ around, sitting her on the desk this time. Y/n eventually broke the kiss, as things got a little more heated, but the blonde woman followed her, kissing her again quickly. "Whoa there tiger, we don't wanna get caught at work" Y/n chuckled. JJ laughed along with her.

"How was that for your first kiss...actually more like make out with a woman?" Y/n asked. "Better than I imagined" JJ replied, no hesitation, because that was true, it was a whole lot better.

"Do you want to go out on a date later?" The blonde woman mentioned.

"I thought you'd never ask Jareau, of course. We have a hour of work left, see you later?" Y/n added. "Oh no, not so fast, you can bring the case report you need to finish in here. Then I'll drive you home" JJ chuckled, not wanting to be away from Y/n for the last hour, especially after those kisses. "Okay, okay whatever you want ma'am" Y/n added, instantly surrendering.

The two women smirking at each other before Y/n left to grab the case report. Both were excited for later, JJ was probably more nervous than Y/n though.

[sharkface-daydreams]

No, but, OK- Chilchuck and Church would literally be that joke of not liking each other until the moment they both tell everybody else to shut up at the same time and they share a moment- "We are the same... finally, somebody who GETS me". Tex is legit impressed with the union work Chilchuck has set up, she wants to get in on this, does he need a bodyguard?

Laios and Caboose are vibing. Laios also thinks Locus is So Cool, and they're both socially inept in opposite ways, but in the sense that it kinda fits together.

Tucker is over there trying to hit on Marcille and Falin, no need to be jealous ladies, plenty of him to go around, and he'd never want to ruin such a great friendship, just gals being pals. Kai is also flirting by she Knows.

Grif wants Senshi to adopt him (and Senshi is 100% cool with that, this poor boy is so hungry), and he has to ask Simmons- "Dude, is this how you feel about Sarge? Like, all the time?". Simmons is trying to math-hack all the fantasy rules.

Carolina just killed a dragon (what, like it's hard?). Wash is like- "Well, at least nothing is gonna run over me here in wacky magic land", and then the first car in this world ever hits him. Doc is having a FUN time learning about all the weird flora and fauna here, O'Malley is already trying to become some combination of dark wizard/necromancer (but he's not good at it).

Donut meets Evil Aslan, and is just- "OK, I'm just gonna skip ahead and kill you right now. I've been through this song and dance with demon-gods, I know how it goes".

Lopez can eat living armor. like, just "raw" or whatever.

There. RVB-Dungeon Meshi crossover. I got that out of my system

ok it's still airing so my watch buddy won't watch with me yet and i have yet to sit and read the manga so im taking notes

chilchuck is a chad, got it.

caboose immediately gets a new friend, that tracks XD <3 love that for him

simmons is me in an isekai, i hate this, thank you <3

of COURSE carolina kills a dragon. of course <3 i love that for her ('what like it's hard?' elle woods has done so much for this world thank u goddess 🙏) but wash omg 😭⚰ it would happen to him. someone invents THEE first like motorized soap box derby car and itjust fuckin. smashes his kneecaps and keeps going RIP king 🙏

i love. i love all of this. question for you though. i love the implications of Lopez eating living armor raw which i know nothing about. does this count as cannibalism do you think? or do you think lopez sees himself as the ghost within the shell, separate from his armor? (or do you hc there's an android in the armor? :o i do when it's convenient for fic alsdkjflkfd)

also. this makes me think of something i want to share finally. (ill put under a cut bc adding 13 pics is a lot)

a long time ago when this picrew was first available (it's only patreon now i think? ppl kept stealing the assets💢 and such so the artist got understandably mad and took it off picrew site :( i made... RVB RPG PORTRAITS!!!! (they still have an rpg maker one but its very different)

also dont kill me but its taken me 3 years to realise i didn't make tex 😭

Red Team:

Blue Team: (had to put Church between them or they'd fight ☺)

And the mercs <3

[sinshinelennypops]

Masky/Tim Wright x Reader {SFW}

A creepypasta/Marble Hornets fanfic. It is mostly SFW but can be a bit suggestive (no smut, don't worry). Read at your own risk. The full booklet can be found on Ao3 here:

https://archiveofourown.org/works/43587606/chapters/109835188

-------------------

Ah, yes, it's finally time for one of the manor's monthly sleepovers.

You see, ever since you became a proxy, you didn't expect things in the manor to be so lighthearted. Shopping trips, friendly family style dinners, and monthly sleepovers in the living room made things almost bearable. You've already had the pleasure of attending three so far, this one being your fourth. You've witnessed many dumb things during these slumber parties. It's everyone's chance to get absolutely hammered in participate in dumb games like Truth or Dare.

Tonight, you and the gang were already knee deep in another game. Jeff was just dared to go the rest of the game shirtless, Toby had to share his deepest sexual fantasy, and Brian had a makeshift tattoo sleeve because he was dared to let people draw on him. This was great. Everyone was at least somewhat drunk at this point.

You smiled as you looked around the room at everyone, until your eyes fell on Tim. God, he's adorably hot. Usually he's so stressed and tired, but right now he was just so perfect. He was laughing and chatting with everyone else, a soft blush on his cheeks from the alcohol. His hair was extra fluffy from all of the dares he had gone through tonight, most involving him proving his physical skills. You couldn't deny that Tim was your favorite part of these sorts of activities. Seeing him be able to relax and have fun just like everyone else was always a relief.

You blinked as he made eye contact with you, and you had to quickly look away, sipping at the beer in your hand sheepishly. For a moment, you felt all fluttery, his gaze lingering on you for just a few seconds before someone spoke up.

"Alright, alright, enough shit talking!" Jeff said loudly as he grabbed everyone's attention. "It's my turn and I choose.. Tim!" He pointed to the dark haired man to accentuate his point. "Truth or dare?"

Tim tilted his head back as he thought, closing his eyes for a moment. His mind was beginning to get all fuzzy from the two cans of beer he had already drank. "Ah.. Uh.. Dare, I guess," he said with a shrug as he ran a hand through his hair. He glanced at Jeff challengingly, smirking. "Hit me with your best shot, Woods," he sneered.

Jeff chuckled deviously, leaning forward slightly as if attempting to intimidate his poor victim. "Alright, I dare you to.." He trailed off, glancing around the room before his eyes landed on you. Unfortunately, he knew about your little crush on the manor's most notorious killer, and planned on using it against you as pay back for earlier shenanigans. "I dare you to show (Y/N) a good time."

A collective gasp went through the room, then it was silent. "What?" Tim asked softly, surprised as he glanced between you and Jeff. "Why.. Why would I do that?" Thank god he was already blushing or this would've been very awkward..

"You heard me. I see you two getting all cute and shit. I'm giving you an opening to have some fun~" Jeff teased, cackling afterwards. Tim felt the tips of his ears burning up from how much he was blushing. "Well, I mean, uh.. How the fuck would I even do that?" he asked quietly, keeping his gaze down as you squirmed a little from being put on the spot.

"7 minutes in heaven, of course!" Jeff responded while frowning. "Look, if it's too much, I can pick a different dare," he added while flopping back against the plush couch, bringing his drink up to his lips. He still seemed very smug about calling you two out. A few giggles started to bounce around the room as Tim hesitated. He glanced at you desperately, his expression apologetic. He mouthed the words "do you want to?" and your heart skipped a beat.

Your heart was racing and you felt all fluttery as you gave a vague nod in response. "Ok, ok, everybody hold your fuckin horses!" Tim growled as he put his hands up defensively. "I'll do it," he grumbled, glancing around at the group. Toby looked absolutely baffled. "W-Whoa! You're gonna do it?" the brunette asked curiously, a smirk coming to his scarred face afterwards. Jeff looked absolutely pumped. "Fuck yeah! I knew my wing man skills would come in handy!"

"Set a timer," Tim growled as he stood up, putting his beer on the coffee table and extending a hand towards you. "Oh, we will," Brian responded as he watched you two. "Go on, have some fun, we'll continue the game without you." He waved you guys off.

Tim looked absolutely flustered as he grabbed your wrist and practically dragged you away while the others giggled at your situation then got back to their game. "Fuckin stupid losers, trying to help me get laid.." he grumbled, causing you to blink in surprise. Was this all a big ploy to make you guys get close? How many people had this planned?

He dragged you to one of the hall closets and pulled you inside, shutting the door behind you. "Alright, so uh.. Look, I'm gonna be honest with you. I really, really like you, buut I don't want you to feel pressured, alright? If you wanna screw around, we can but otherwise.. Let's just uh.. Sit, I guess," Tim muttered as he sat down against the wall, keeping his gaze down so you couldn't see his face. Not like you could see much of anything anyway. It was dark as hell.

"Uh.. I guess.. We could sit," you mumbled as you sat down next to him. You still felt all fuzzy, but maybe it was because you had been drinking. It felt very tense and awkward now.

After what felt like forever, Tim spoke up. "Soo uh.. Besides this bullshit, are you enjoying tonight?" he asked quietly as he glanced towards you. His eyes adjusted to the dark much faster than yours did, probably because he's used to being in places like this.

"Oh! I'm having a ton of fun!" you responded with a smile, causing him to sigh in relief. "Well, good. We like to keep morale up, especially during times like this," he said with a light chuckle. What he meant by that, you didn't know. He always spoke pretty vaguely. You scrunched your nose slightly as you scooted closer, hesitantly leaning your head on his shoulder. He jumped a little at the sudden contact but didn't push you away.

"Crazy things happen at these slumber parties, huh?" you asked as you slowly moved one of your hands to his, feeling him tense again. "Ah, yeah, all kinds of stuff.." he mumbled, thankful for the darkness so you couldn't see how red his face was. "What's the dumbest thing you've seen happen?" you questioned, trying to keep the conversation going so it wouldn't feel so awkward again.

Tim chuckled and tilted his head back against the wall. "Oh, I've seen plenty of things happen," he started as you zoned out, slowly brushing you thumb over his knuckles as he spoke. You didn't really know what he was going on about but you enjoyed the sound of his voice and his soft laughs. You smiled as you slowly moved onto his lap, straddling him. "Keep talking," you whispered when he stumbled on his words.

You chuckled softly as his voice got all shaky, but he continued his rambling as you had requested. You hummed to yourself, leaning in and gently pressed a kiss against his neck, earning a shudder in response. His hands moved up and rested on your hips, lightly squeezing and encouraging you to continue.

"Come on, pretty boy, keep talking," you muttered against his skin, moving your head and pressing another kiss to his jaw. His breath hitched and he nodded, trying to focus on his story as you trailed kisses up and down his neck, careful to not overstep any boundaries. You were both drunk and fuzzy, so you didn't want to take things too far. Besides, you enjoyed this. Just being close and getting to kiss him and make him all fluttery.

"More?" he asked suddenly, one hand moving up your back while the other caressed your side. "More?" you repeated, smirking against his neck. You chuckled and lightly sunk your teeth into his skin, causing him to let out a low groan. "Thank you.." he mumbled, blushing like crazy. You felt your face heat up, your blush dipping lower down your body at his sounds.

You pulled away after that and looked up at his drunken expression. He cupped your face with one hand, causing your eyes to go wide as he leaned closer, your noses almost touching. Your breath caught in your throat and you squeaked in surprise as he pulled you into a kiss, his eyes closing in the process. You instinctively kissed back, your hands moving up and combing through his soft hair. One moved down his face, tracing over his sideburn and jaw.

Before things could get heated, there was a knock at the door and you both groaned in annoyance. Tim pulled back from the kiss, clearly annoyed. "Fuck.. I guess we can continue this later?" he asked softly, watching your expression fall. "Orrr I can tell them to fuck off?" he offered. He moved you to the side, leaning his weight against you slightly as he glared at the door. "Go away, we're busy!" he shouted, earning a laugh in response. "Ok, have fun!" Jeff responded as his footsteps descended.

Tim huffed then moved back so he could see your face. Before he could get a word in, you kissed him again, this time more needy and desperate with your actions. Not that he was complaining. He was sort of glad that Jeff dared him to do this..

[flowergirlmiwa]

Yu-Gi-Oh! TCG set analysis #1: Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon

[note: i wrote this months ago and i figured i'd post it here. might do more later. this was originally intended to be a script for a video but i didn't make it. it's written like a script for a youtube video though]

Let's take a deep dive into every Yu-Gi-Oh! set and find some fun stuff to talk about. Most importantly, what were the cards from each set that had lasting meta relevance, and how good was the set as a whole when viewed from the lens of 2022? I'd also like to give some thought to internal archetypes and themes for the set, along with strategies intended to be used with them.

Legend of BEWD was the first set in the TCG, coming out even before Starter Deck Yugi and Kaiba. This set released in March of 2002. Now, I don't know if you knew this, but the TCG is largely based on the Yu-Gi-Oh! OCG, which started three full years before the TCG. Upper Deck, the licensees of Yu-Gi-Oh! when it launched in America in 2002, definitely had some catching up to do.

This set in the TCG is mostly a combination of the OCG's Phantom God and Legend of Blue Eyes White Dragon reprint sets. Legend of BEWD is an interesting set, as it more or less sums up the first half year of the OCG, skipping past all the buildup for the eventual release of Exodia, having to track down various packs to find the rare card you need, and having a LOT of really terrible normal monsters. Don't get me wrong, this set does include plenty of terrible normal monsters, because this set basically had to serve as a representative for that early period in Yu-Gi-Oh! history. Starter Decks Yugi and Kaiba would also be responsible for introducing many of the notable early OCG cards to the TCG, though I'll save that for another time.

The power level of the game pretty much immediately starts to ramp up after this, leaving BEWD feeling pretty pedestrian in retrospect.

Legend of BEWD was a reprint set in the OCG, compiling cards from the original OCG Starter Box and Volume 1. In the OCG, Volume 1 served as the first set of the game, with the Starter Box releasing the following month and introducing many staple cards. The TCG's Legend of BEWD is over twice the size, adding in many of the more notable cards from Volumes 2 and 3 as well, including cards like Monster Reborn and Uraby from Volume 2, and Red Eyes Black Dragon and Man-Eater Bug from Volume 3.

Below is where all the cards in the set were first released in the OCG (use Copy Image Address if you can't read the text)

That all aside, how is it as an actual set? Well… this set, emulating the spirit of the OCG sets it was based on, can best be described like this. All of the commons are unusable and some of the super rares were must-have format-defining staples. Pound for pound, this set contains some fantastic cards that see play to this day, but let's just say the value for a consumer at the time would be up in the air. It was basically a gamble to see if you could pull the Super Rare Raigeki.

But anyway, let's actually talk about those commons, shall we?

This set contains many low stat normal monsters in the common slot, in fact, that's pretty much all there is with the exception of the classic field spells. Out of all the cards in this set's common slot, Umi must has definitely seen the most play. There were also some of the first (and most basic) cards that gave the player more life points and took away the opponent's, with Red Medicine, Hinotama, and the legendary Sparks. Remove Trap is the last Spell/Trap at common I haven't mentioned yet, and although it was pretty much useless upon release, it's a pretty simple niche removal card that served as a really budget option for some metas with a high amount of meta relevant continuous traps.

Now for those Normal Monsters. Skull Servant is here, and has seen all kinds of rogue play over the years thanks to the card getting its own archetype later down the line. As for your basic normal summonable beaters, the best you were getting was the 1550 ATK Skull Red Bird and the 1500 ATK Uraby. Players were given the privilege of a 1650 5 Star monster at common to encourage them to try the tribute summoning mechanic. Besides iconic manga and anime cards like Beaver Warrior and Masaki the Legendary Swordsman, there's nothing else to talk about here, so let's move on to the short prints.

You may already know this, but a short print card is a card that looks the same as your standard common but is harder to pull. For this set, the Short Print slot contained the basic Equip Spells. They actually assembled these in particular from all across the first three Volume sets after they had been introduced in Volume 1. All fifteen of them were the only occupants of the short print slot in this set.

Moving on to the Rare cards, this is where things start to get more interesting. Half of the cards in the Rare slot are terrible Fusion monsters not worth talking about, while the other half constitute monsters you'd set and better Spell/Traps. The obvious standouts here are Pot of Greed and Fissure, cards that were immediate staples and saw play for years. Pot of Greed was eventually banned for being insane, while Fissure saw use on and off by all variety of casual and comp decks for its reliable monster removal. On a less exciting note, the burn and life point theme returns with Final Flame and Goblin's Secret Remedy, and we have the world's worst D.D. Crow in Gravedigger Ghoul.

Stop Defense, while hardly being meta at any point, was a simple way to get over your opponent's walls. Speaking of… Spirit of the Harp, Mystical Elf, Aqua Madoor and Giant Soldier Stone were the first 2k defenders in the game, and they're all Rare or above. Nice. Mystical Elf isn't actually in the rare slot though as it was given the super rare treatment. At this point, these are some of the best monsters in the game, though beyond nostalgic value they haven't seen much use since these early days.

Next in the Rare slot we have Two-Pronged Attack and Dragon Capture Jar. If you're ever running these, you must be down bad, but they're classic early OCG cards all the same. Finally we have a trio of Flip Monsters. Hane-Hane is perhaps most notable here and has a pretty good effect to bounce a monster on the field. Armed Ninja targets a Spell on the field and destroys it, which hasn't historically been a very good effect, though the card did happen to fall into the Ninja archetype later on. Reaper of the Cards is a mistake.

Moving on to the Super Rare slot, this is where pretty much all of the best cards are. Dark Hole. Raigeki. Swords. Man Eater Bug…. okay, it's still not the best set. In fact, a bunch of the Super Rares are cards that would be quickly reprinted in a Starter Deck, making them extremely accessible at common rarity. This would end up being the case for Man Eater Bug, Celtic Guardian, Mystical Elf, Curse of Dragon, Trap Hole, and Dark Hole.

The Super Rares that remained exclusive to this set for a while were Swords of Revealing Light, and the extremely powerful Raigeki. Polymerization and Flame Swordsman would be exclusive for about a year when the Joey Starter Deck released. Overall, many of these are pretty good cards that would see play over the years, most notably Raigeki, Dark Hole, and Trap Hole, but the Starter Decks continue to loom large over the potential value of BEWD because of its many reprints.

Ultra Rare slot is nothing but iconic cards, baby. Dark Magician. Blue Eyes. Gaia the Fierce Knight, Red Eyes, Monster Reborn, THE FIVE PIECES OF EXODIA! I think every card in the Ultra Rare slot later got its own archetype. Starter Deck thunder-stealing this time includes Reborn, the obvious Blue Eyes and Dark Magician, as well as Gaia the Fierce Knight. Compared to stuff like Raigeki, these iconic manga cards may not be as good on paper, but they usually ended up finding a way onto decklists anyway due to card requirements. This is why you'll still see people running your standard BEWD or Dark Magician in a comp deck.

Now, when I said before that these two got reprints in the Starter Decks, that's not completely accurate. Yes, the TCG was already getting a taste of alternate card arts. The Starter Decks contained the original OCG art while Legend of BEWD contained the card arts first introduced in December '99's EX Starter Box. While pulling a Monster Reborn from the pack represented a major bling upgrade, the fact that the two sets had different arts adds something special to Legend of BEWD. Finally in the Secret Rare slot we have Tri-Horned Dragon and Gaia the Dragon Champion. Gaia the Dragon Champion finishes out the set's suite of Fusion Monsters, while Tri-Horned Dragon represented something a bit more interesting. In the OCG, the card had originally been released as a Nationals participation card and was later reprinted in Premium Pack 3 (a set with ten cards in it). As such, it's the only card in the set that wasn't primarily available through a main set in the OCG (the Exodia pieces were reprinted in Phantom God, Tri-Horned Dragon went from promo to Premium Pack).

[cultivating-wildflowers]

Books of 2023 - June

Temporarily broke out of a reading funk by finding some easy sci-fi; but the rest of the series didn't exactly hold up, and I'm back to where I started (behind on my non-fic list, slogging through a good but thick historical fiction, and unable to focus on anything). It may be time for a reread that isn't Narnia.

Total books: 7  |  New reads: 6   |   2023 TBR completed: 1 (0 DNF) / 12/25 total   |   2023 Reading Goal: 43/50

May | July

#1 - Old Man's War by John Scalzi - 5/5 stars

*obligatory content advisory here: language, violence, and gore on a level with The Murderbot Diaries; sexual content on a level with the World of the Five Gods series (and easy to skip)*

The easiest way for me to describe this book is "Ender's Game but with retirees instead of children". And possibly a little less introspection on the part of our hero, not that I'm complaining.

I snagged a copy of this book from my local used bookstore after a friend heartily recommended it. (Thankfully the dust jacket was missing, because I found what the cover art probably looked like and. No thanks.) When a succession of historical fiction, children's fantasy, and classics left me feeling a little bored, I decided it was time to pick up Old Man's War.

I tore through it inside of 24 hours.

While the main character's voice is a little bland, the writing itself is fantastic: bantering dialogue, masterful strokes of world-building, a good balance of humor and gravity, just enough techno-babble to convey the stakes without bogging down the story, and moments of sincerity that made me tear up. Solid sci-fi all around.

#2 - Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery - 4/5 stars (audio)

Another hit from Montgomery. This one reminded me a lot of The Blue Castle, which was an automatic point in its favor. A straightforward, cozy sort of story; although, knowing it was Montgomery's last book and that she was working on the sequel when she died, I got to the last couple of chapters and really started to fret that we wouldn't get a resolution before "The End". (Spoiler: everything turned out alright.)

#3 - The Ghost Brigades by John Scalzi - 5/5 stars (audio)

This sequel to Old Man's War features a new POV character and a new cast, with a few familiar faces thrown in. I definitely found Jared's POV far more compelling and engaging than John's, but what I really loved were the underlying themes of home and belonging. I also appreciated a deeper dive into technicalities that were understandably brushed over in the first book. It worked well here, with characters who needed that deeper knowledge.

#4 - The Last Colony by John Scalzi - 4/5 stars (audio)

And back to John's POV for most of this one. John is just so...meh. I don't know why but he isn't compelling to me. He feels shallow, maybe?

The story itself is solid as ever and I really liked the conflict. A little predictable, but good all the same.

#5 - Zoe's Tale by John Scalzi - 3/5 stars (audio)

Scalzi's weak point really seems to be his characters. Somehow, despite not actually being related to him, Zoe suffers from the same "just some guy" syndrome as her father John (but not in the way that makes it fun). I think most of it stems from Mr. Scalzi not really knowing how to write teenagers.

As for the book itself? Decidedly meh. It's a retelling of the story from the previous book, told from the POV of John's adopted daughter. About 75% of the book tells about Zoe's experiences while her parents are trying to keep their new colony from collapsing, sprinkled here and there with details we didn't get in The Last Colony.

And it's frickin' boring. It feels plain old lazy, like Scalzi finished his trilogy and then had all these ideas of things he wished he'd added to The Last Colony, so he went back and added them in, and then swore the POV character and her friends to secrecy so it didn't look like retconning.

But hey, I got a title that starts with "Z" for my alphabet book challenge, so? (Also if anyone sees this, this is the book with the unhugging.)

#6 - The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis - 5/5 stars (reread)

I never noticed before this reread exactly how much Lewis loved the dynamic of "snarky boy and girl thrown into an adventure where half of their mistakes are because they're stubborn and the other half because they're showing off". Eustace and Jill, Aravis and Shasta, and now Digory and Polly.

This installment shot up into second place on my list of favorite Narnia books. There are so many little things to admire here, and so many intriguing questions it opens up for the world of Narnia. (Where did the Lady of the Green Kirtle come from if she was one of Jadis's race? What happened to the toffee tree? What happened to the guarding apple tree? Why don't we see more pegasuses in the other books? If Frank and Helen's kids married nymphs and dryads and the like...I don't really know what the question is but I have one.)

#7 - Ahab by E.B. Dawson - 3/5 stars ('23 TBR)

"It is the nature of man to fight his enemies. If none are readily available, he will create them for himself."

I would like to start by saying I've never read Moby Dick and possess only a passing understanding of the plot. So as for how this retelling holds up to and honors the original? No idea.

It had a strong opening that carried through to about the 40% mark, but after the first major confrontation the pace eased up and I got distracted for...well, several weeks. At that point it was easy to get back into, but somewhere around the 70% mark things switched gears and the ending felt incredibly rushed. Who are all of these new characters? Wait, this specific issue is what we should be focusing on? The final confrontation is happening NOW? And then the epilogue, which…again, felt rushed.

I loved the broad strokes of the worldbuilding and I liked what was happening with the characters, but it seemed like we needed a little more time to process a rush of information near the end and fully understand the stakes; or maybe when the pace eased up at the 40% point, we needed that time to learn the true stakes and character motivations, instead of taking a romance subplot sidetrack (which I wanted to like but, again: not enough time). Overall, it felt incomplete.

My only other complaint was that the dialogue was kind of stiff. I definitely skimmed a lot of that.

DNF

Synapse by Steven James - Talk about heavy-handed spiritual themes. They were Mjolnir-heavy, and I only got 3% of the way in before stopping.

World-building was clunky rather than organic, and not at all eased by general exposition. "There was an explosion. Ok, now that I have your attention, lemme info-dump on you about everything that looks different here compared to your world and time." (Side note: will someone please give us more sci-fi/futuristic stories where the main characters go "don't ask me how nano tech works; I'm in customer service!")

The search for tolerable modern Christian spec fic continues.

[daylightaftertherain]

finished s&b season 2, random thoughts below (spoilers obviously)

THE CROWS but esp wylan bc he's my son and I love him

not the biggest fan of how they ended up combining the two series together, the crows definitely deserve much more than this, and also I kind of hate how they're just pulling things out of both six of crows and crooked kingdom randomly with no regard for how the scenes reflected the characters' arcs

kaz and jordie though? TRAUMATIZING

idk why they included jesper's mom in there either, it was fun seeing him using his powers but the books do SO much better at realistically handling him overcoming his feelings of guilt and fear over an extended period of time with support from people he loves, rather than him suddenly gaining clarity because of a poison trip hallucination

also the last ep handled everything weirdly imo, like inej already hunting down slavers when that makes no sense for what her arc was in the books, and right after the "how will you have me" scene too (still iconic though)

wesper should've gotten their slowburn, but I will still happily replay their scenes until I feel something because I'm still a sucker for wesper being couply even if their relationship was super rushed

thank god for kit and jack doing the "just girls" scene during promo because the show's effectively eliminated any chance of that <3

ICE COURT ICE COURT ICE COURT ICE COURT >:D

JURDA PAREM

really really hope they handle wylan and van eck properly if we get a third season

overall I just think the writers either didn't fully understand the crows' personalities and stories and picked whatever was most popular within the book's fandom, which, yeah, you have to do some fan service, but this has zero regard for what people who've read the books actually wanted, and while I did enjoy watching, I really would've preferred their stories getting handled with care (even if it meant less screentime)

also can we stop with the whole pulling shit out of our asses that have nothing to do with adapting the books faithfully and don't even contribute to the plot of the show thank you

enough about the crows ahjsgjkhfdhf let's move on to shadow and bone

still despise alina with either mal or the darkling, I'm sorry but they both do not deserve her and she had better chemistry with nikolai in five minutes than those two ever did

tolya and tamar were some of my favorites unsurprisingly, they're iconic and I would do anything for them (and tamar getting her sapphic love story oh my god)

I also loved alina's interactions with the crew and basically anyone who wasn't mal or the darkling, she's thriving this season and I'm glad she's becoming her own person

nikolai was so well portrayed, really hope he gets his king of scars arc and we get to see more of him, but I think they should've kept in the bit where he was basically a volcra for a while (probabaly got cut because of budget or smth but it added so much to his character)

why would they kill off david (I'm half-holding onto the show/movie logic of not seeing the body yet but STILL) it's way too early in the overall plot of the book series, and I can't enjoy the show when they pull things from different points in the timeline without any reasoning behind it, it's just lazy and stupid. also genya did not deserve this much suffering in one season istfg

I skipped most of the darkling's scenes because that man pisses me off so much, but ben barnes did a good job at adding depth to him after baghra's death

speaking of baghra she's an a+ character, no notes

that's it I guess? def forgot some thoughts that I might add later, but yeah this season was fun and I had a good time, there's just some huge issues with how they adapted the books to the show, and their handling of all of the characters

[xcziel]

tagged by @alxina - thank you for the tag!

(i am in a very wordy phase so feel free to skip, people who are only here for gifset reblogs)

Three Ships: ummm, god there's too many. right now vegaspete (and really all the kp ships), heihua, and gahan are the top pairings? i seem to be addicted to almost every ship in the dmbj fandom because the writers are so good - and i'm so often a multishipper for any ship involving my favorite poor little meow meows. but. occasionally i hit a ship where my heart just doesn't really admit any other options and these are three of those (although *adding on* to those ships, well ... see the following answer)

First Ever Ship: i don't think i ever consciously "shipped" something before fandom - i still don't ship while actively consuming media, only when i'm looking at it from the outside (tumblr gifsets count!), so i was always just about canon ships. i'd say though that The Secret Garden was my first confusing ship conflict? mary/colin seemed destined but then mary/dickon was also so right? and thus i very early on hit on my preferred solution to such conflicts even if i didn't quantify it that way at the time - why choose? they each have two hands! ot3s all the way

Last Song: Bringin' On the Heartbreak - Def Leppard (mv version 1 and mv version 2 - y'know i've realized a LOT about what i like in media can probably be traced to early def leppard, joe elliot's thing for chains and arthurian-type mythos included. also long hair and tight pants lol)

Last Movie: was wanting watch Lighting Up the Stars but it's evidently only for rental? and since i'm so scattershot about watching things, i'm gonna have to plan a time when i will for sure sit down and finish it

Currently Reading: Winter's Orbit by Everina Maxwell - just started it, seeing what i think

Currently Watching: still going back to the middle of Love Between Fairy and Devil because i keep putting on eps and zoning out doing something else (sewing buttons, taking down christmas tree) and looking up realizing i've missed bits, even though i've seen the end already. but also keeping up with kinnporsche cast shenanigans on youtube

AND now i just started Blood of Youth bc tumblr has done it *again* - my viki pass is turning out to be my most useful subscription ever (i think there's a link to the novel it's based off of circulating on tumblr - i need to find again)

Currently Consuming: yuletide fics! kinda want to do a post on the ones i really enjoyed so far ...

also book rec lists of diverse literary romances (NOT romance genre romances, that would be too easy) for work because i personally do not usually care for either straight up romances (meaning i like sff mostly and if there's romance in that's fine and lovely) OR literary fiction, but it's getting to be that time of year (valentine's day approaching)

and: i made cupcakes! for me to consume! (and to test the process)

Currently Craving: the ability to better thermoregulate because it keeps being too cold at night to go without the heater but too warm during the day, so i'm always either chilly or slightly sweaty. i miss only ever being too warm :(

tagging: anybody who wants to share! i feel like i'm imposing too many @s on people lately but i am interested in what people are up to!

[acebean]

thank you for taking the time to give me such a thorough answer, i really appreciate that. I'll probably just skip over black flag for now and then come back to it once ive got the money for it then (i play on ps4, i cant stand the pc controls and also my laptop cannot run the ac games lol, i tried ac1 since thats the only one not on ps4 and it was super laggy despite being such an old game and again, i hate the pc controls very much)

i too am a slut for egyptian and greek mythology (i know a bit about norse too but not a ton), and i've played a fair bit of origins, though haven't finished it bc its long af, i remember having 0 interest in Layla at all even though I did look at her laptop and read some of the emails and stuff, I didn't really understand what was going on with her (I thought she still worked for Abstergo and was in the process of going rogue? Again though I haven't finished it yet so), and I thought the thing with her not needing to be related to Aya and Bayek was lame, I feel like needing to share DNA with whichever assassin whose memories you're seeing is kinda the point?

I'm pretty iffy about the god/magic stuff too, like I'm interested in and will be playing Odyssey once I eventually finish Origins, since I bought them both in a double pack during the boxing day sale or whatever it was last year, but from what I've seen about Odyssey and Valahlla, alot of it seems waaaay to fantastical for a series that used to be (relatively) grounded in reality. (I've found myself not too bothered by spoilers for this series, which is unusual for me, but I've been reading fic and watching youtube videos doing story breakdowns and stuff since I was like halfway through AC2, and I'm still enjoying it alot despite knowing the gist of what happens to Desmond and how Ezio finds Altair and stuff) (Im getting off track lol I do that alot)

As for the Kassandra/Alexios thing, that's basically what happened yeah, it was 100% sexism, they did a pretty similar thing with Evie in Syndicate. IIRC the game was originally supposed to be just Evie, but the Ubisoft higher ups didn't want a female protangonist/didn't think one would sell as well, so they 'compromised' by adding Jacob, and then heavily focusing all the marketing on him. As much as I love Jacob (which is alot) that was originally supposed to be Evies story.

The staff thing sounds kinda...dumb? Though I guess that explains why I heard Kassandra shows up in Valhalla? (I am way too into this fandom for someone who hasn't even finished the Ezio trilogy yet lol, though hopefully I'll finish that either tonight or tomorrow, I'm starting Sequence 7 of Revelations as I'm writing this)

Everything I've heard about Valhalla makes it seem like it's really not for me, from the story to how heavily they went on the rpg mechanics to how goddamn long it is, so unless I find it cheap on marketplace on a time I can spare the cash, I'm pretty unlikely to play that one tbh, though Mirage might go on my christmas list if reception for it is good and they stick with releasing it on both ps4 and ps5 (fucking spiderman 2 crushing my heart like that wtf)

the tree thing sounds like it might be an interpretation of the world tree from norse myth? idk though, most of my norse knowledge comes from just general pop culture or the Magnus Chase series, but if that tree is somehow Desmond I will fucking scream

ANYWAY thank you so much for the reply lol, I'll probably do Rogue after AC3 then and Unity after that :)

does it matter what order you play the ac game in after ac3? Ive heard the modern day story kinda dies after that and from what i remember of playing syndicate that definitely seems to be true since iirc that was just some cutscenes between sequences plus the showdown cutscene at the end, so does it matter what one i play after ac3 or should it definitely be black flag?

[amber-michaelson]

Bratty Mood

geralt of rivia x reader

Summary:being the brat and getting the punishment you deserve

Read at own risk

Warning: swearing

geralt pov 

“don’t touch that” i muttered and grabbed the blade out yns hands “what i was gonna help you clean” she whined and walked and pouted next to me “darling i know you wanna help but these are dangerous” i warned and put it back on the table "then how can I help" she whined "go sit over there" I growled and pointed to the chair in the corner she whined walking over and grumpy sat on it "good girl" I smirked and went back to cleaning my weapons.

Yn pov

I waited and waited for geralt to finish or for something to happen, I blushed as he removed his shirt so he didn't dirty it "looking hot babe" I murmured teasingly "not as hot as you" he gave me a glance making him look hotter, I grew wet and became figaty "geralt" I whisper like a soft moan "not now princess" he warned not looking at me, I whimper to myself as I slowly slip my hand into my panties since I was only wear panties and one of geralt’s shirts, I slipped two of my fingers into my pussy and let out soft moans I don't want him to hear me because it was one of the rules I wasn't aloud to touch myself without his permission, i moaned thrusting my fingers in and out while using my thumb to massage my clit "geralt" I whimper a bit to loud my eyes widened I quickly look at geralt 'thank god he didn't hear me' I sign in relief looking up for a brief moment"having fun there princess" I squealed looking at him only for him to be two inches away from me "I'm sorry" I squeaked pulling my hand out and he grabbed it "naughty naughty" he shook his head bringing my hand up to his face and sucked on the fingers I used he knew I liked when he did it "you taste fantastic baby but you are in trouble" he growled "go to the room and strip" he commanded "bu-" "no buts 10" I scrambled to my feet "9" I ran to the bed room "8" I teared off my shirt and panties "7" I climbed onto the bed and spread my legs "6" I could hear his footsteps as he drew near he was taking longer to give me time "5" his voice gave the hall a soft echo "4,3,2" he lingered at the door "1" he growled lowly and stalked his way to the bed “good girl” he muttered and started pulling off his clothes piece by piece.

Geralt pov 

i watched as her body shivered “you were naughty” i growled “im sorry you were just to hot” she whispered her eyes pleading me to touch her “do you deserve me to touch you” i asked leaning to her “please i promise to be good just please help me” she begged slightly lifting her hips towards me “behave” i muttered eyeing her body “please geralt” she whimpered “ i *smack* said *smack* behave” i said slapping her but she whimpered “turn around” i growled she nodded and slowly turned around lifting her hips up “how many spanks should i give you” i murmured rubbing her ass “15″ she whispered “no how about 25″ i smirked “now count” i muttered "ok" she whispers.

Yn pov

I whined as he spanked me "one" "two"

▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎(Skip)▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎▪︎

"25" I cried "good girl you did so well" he praised rubbing my ass “now what do you want for your reward” he asked leaning down to me “fill me up please” i whispered  he growled in acknowledgment and moved himself so he was behind me "please make me cum geralt" I whined pushing back into him "you know I will darling" he groaned and slipped inside I moaned as he got balls deep "ready" he asked checking in I nodded eagerly and pushed back "please fuck me" I begged he started thrusting hard and fast, every thrust making my hips jolt forward "fuck baby" he growled and grabbed my hips "you feel fucking amazing" he added I moaned at his praises and the pleasure he was giving me "do you want me to rub your clit" geralt murmured breathing heavily still keeping his rhythm I nodded wordlessly and arched my back as he started rubbing "geralt" I cried shaking in pleasure "are you getting closer baby" he growled "fuck yes please please let me cum" I pleaded "cum for me baby" he groaned and did one final thrust causing both of us to cum "how did that feel baby" he asked and slowly pulled out "thank you geralt that was amazing" I tiredly smiled "ill run us a bath and get you more clothes" he said and stood up "what about cuddles" I whined stretching my arms out to him "I promise in the bath" he said and blew me a kiss before disappearing into the bathroom 'how did I get so lucky'.

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[0mrs-evans0]

You and Andy were highschool sweethearts and ended up having a kid young, a marriage young, and a divorce young. Your mom runs into one of her friends in a grocery store and her friend brags about her daughter and how she’s gonna marry a doctor and your mom slips up and says “my daughter is married to a district attorney” next thing you know you and Andy are at said mothers friends Christmas party pretending you’re still together (well, pretending up until you get caught hooking up in the bathroom, your mother seeming more than thrilled as if she had planned it the whole time…)

𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬, 𝐛𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐧𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬

𝐰𝐨𝐫𝐝𝐬: ~3,4k

𝐫𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩: ex-husband!Andy Barber x ex-wife!Reader

𝐰𝐚𝐫𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐬: explicit language; some fluff; shitty trying to flirt; young pregnancy (reader is 20 then); divorce; your mum being the matchmaker; getting back with the ex;

𝐚/𝐧: So… First of all, thank you nonnie so much for your request! It means a lot to me <3 I feel really sorry that it took me a little too long to write this and Christmas are almost over. I have to say, it’s different from my other fics. There’s a lot of times skips (in cursive), but I’m proud of this fic as well. I changed some things so they would be funnier?? Hope you’re all doing okay!

If you read and like my fics - please give a like, leave a comment and reblog so other people can find it ♥

if you want to be added to my taglist and be notified of any of my fics, please fill this form out

you can find my masterlist here

(no beta checked; all mistakes are mine)

My blog is 18+ only!! MINORS DO NOT INTERACT!!! The warning is given, you are responsible for what you read

𝐄𝐧𝐣𝐨𝐲!!

Andy was your everything. He always has been. From the right beginning, he was nothing but wonderful. Not only with you but your twins as well. But everything has its end…

------------------------ your teenage days ------------------------

You were new in Newton. Didn’t know anyone but your mum. The first few days in the new city weren’t easy. Even more when you’re going through your parents' divorce and changing school. You felt different from others and had no idea what to do about this situation.

You were going down the stairs when someone stumbled and knocked you over. “Oh, my god!” The boy, as it turned out, seemed to be really worried. He helped you stand up and then, you looked at him.

He was beautiful. The piercing blue eyes were the most beautiful you have ever seen. You couldn’t stop but watch him carefully. Didn’t want to miss anything from his behaviour or appearance.

“I’m Andy by the way.” The boy smiled at you and you felt weak in the knees. How someone you had just met, can make you feel this way? You didn’t know. “And what’s your name, beautiful?”

His smile faded immediately. “That sounds cheap, shit.” Andy murmured to himself, but you heard him perfectly well. You giggled at his words, he was funny though.

“I’m y/n.” Andy’s smile could brighten your worst days. “It’s nice to meet you, Andy.”

“Are you new here?” He asked. He looked really curious. “I have never seen you before.”

You smiled at his question. Maybe it wasn’t as bad, after all. It looked as if you found your first friend. “Yeah, just moved to Boston. My mum has to change her job.” You explained briefly, didn't want to tell your whole life story to a new boy you have just met.

“Maybe you would like to go for a coffee sometime?” Andy looked full of hope for you to agree.

“Yeah, why not!” His smile was even bigger after your words.

------------------------ a few weeks later ------------------------

“God, you’re so pretty, y/n.” Andy confessed. Your cheeks had reddish a little but you wouldn’t amid it to yourself or Andy especially. “And blush so cute…” He sounded dreamy.

“Oh, just shut up!” You hid your head in your hands. “I’m not blushing!” Andy just laughed at your behaviour.

He felt wrong about his crush on you. Even though, he needed to accept it. Spending most of his days with you was like a dream and nightmare at the same time.

You were good friends, so he didn’t want to fucked this up. Andy gave you all of his attention. He was affectionate, told you a lot of compliments, always made your days better. He never felt like this with anyone. Sometimes, he was thinking that you could be his first, true love.

And you were thinking similarly. The things he made was making you shy. With him, you felt like a better version of yourself.

The flirty atmosphere between you both almost felt innocent. He would tell you some not so good pick-up line and you would try to hide your blushing. The way you smiled at Andy, made his heart beat faster.

“Did it hurt when you fell from heaven?” He asked one day. You could swear that his sweet-talk was getting worse and worse every day.

“It ripped out my wings, so yes, it did hurt.” You answered. “It must be hard with your sense of direction, never being able to find your way to a decent pick-up line.” You said to Andy one day. Then, he was the one with reddish cheeks. You couldn’t stop but laugh at the cuteness of him.

There were a few things that made him go crazy. Like when you hugged him with so much passion he could feel butterflies going alive in his belly. Or when you both lied under the night sky - watching the stars carefully. Once you saw a falling one. “Andy look, look!” You were so fascinated by it, that you weren’t able to notice the way he looked at you. “Fast! We have to make a wish!” He didn’t need to think long. I wish you were mine.

You looked at him like there was no one else in the world. The admiration in your eyes was almost too obvious for him to not catch it. Wel… He didn’t.

------------------------ six months later ------------------------

It took Andy six months to finally ask you out. Both you and he were too scared to do it earlier.

“We’ve known each other for so long. I can’t imagine my life - myself - without you anymore. And I really don’t want to.” He said that day. His hands shaking and sweaty. The whole situation was making Andy stressed like never before. But god! Wasn’t it all worth its price? “You and I together… would that be weird?” He asked after a while.

“No. No, I don’t think so.” You were so happy, you ran into his arms - almost knocking over both of you. “We’re already basically an old married couple. What harm could it be to try it out for real?” Andy laughed so hard at this, butterflies appearing in his stomach again.

“So…” He started teasingly. “Will you give me the honour and let me take you to the fancy restaurant I can afford just because momma gave me pocket money yesterday, Mrs Barber?”

“With pleasure, Mr Barber.” The kiss Andy gave you after this felt so unrealistic. It was a loving one, lips brushing against each other. The feather-light touch made them both feel at home - signalling how deep they have already fallen.

------------------------ 20th birthday of reader ------------------------

Everything happened way too quickly. You were supposed to spend your birthday drinking cheap alcohol and dancing with your boyfriend until dawn in your new, small apartment.

But there you were… Sitting on the cold bathroom's floor with a pregnancy test in one hand, the other was covering your open mouth. You felt like you were about to die. Two the two distinctive lines nearly got you a heart attack. You weren’t prepared for that.

Both you and Andy just moved to a new place (too small for a baby) - wanting to plan a life together. But children weren’t a part of that. Not yet. You were way too young. He hasn’t even graduated from college yet. You were sure he wouldn't be ready to be a father any more than you were unprepared to be a mother.

You didn’t know how long you were sitting there. Andy made it already home, and you still were in a god damn bathroom.

“Honey, I’m back!” You heard from the door. Andy took off his coat, shoes as well and made his way into the house. He was so excited to tell you about his day at the university. “Honey?”

You took a deep breath and said with a sharp from crying voice: “ Here!”

Andy went to the bathroom, where he thought you were. The grimace replaced his smile. “Princess…” He crouched down. “What’s wrong?” He asked with a frown.

You couldn’t look him in the eyes. Not when you squandered both yours and his future. “I-I…” You weren’t able to find the right words to announce that. “I’m pregnant.”

Andy froze in place for a moment. But then he took you into his arms and lulled you like a baby. “It’s okay.” He whispered inside your ear. “We’ll figure it all out. You don’t have to worry, sweetheart.”

“You still love me?” You asked with fresh tears in your eyes. Andy felt something breaking in himself at that image. He was supposed to make you the happiest girl on the earth. And here, his princess was crying her heart out.

“Of course, I still love you, baby!” He said. “I will always love you.” The kiss onto the forehead he just gave you was the thing you needed the most. “No matter what, sunshine.”

------------------------ 2 years later ------------------------

Your wedding with Andy wasn’t big. There were only a few people there. But you didn’t anyone but him. He, and your little baby boy - Jacob, were your everything. You believed that he was feeling the same. Well… How wrong you were���

Andy was still at work. It wasn’t a surprise though. Lately, he’s been so inattentive it really was hurting you. He spent most of his time at his office, too preoccupied to notice his little family in the first place.

Your bed was too cold for your liking, he would sleep on the office couch instead. It put a strain on your once strong marriage. You didn’t feel loved anymore. Andy hasn’t said even one compliment to you for at least four months. He didn’t say “I love you” before falling asleep when one in some time he would sleep in your bed. You felt like strangers.

He was pulling you away, you felt that. Everything was important but you. Even Jake felt off these days. Even though he just had his first birthday, your little boy could tell something was happening between his mommy and daddy.

Even with him, Andy didn't spend as much time as he used to. It was tearing you apart. You tried to work things out, but couldn’t do it anymore. Your marriage was going to an end.

------------------------

You heard him tossing his briefcase aside. He was way too loud. You made your way to the hall when your ‘husband’ was.

“Can you be quieter for a god’s sake?” You asked with obvious anger. ”I’ve just put Jacob to sleep. He’s really uneasy those few days, but would you know?”

Andy was taken aback because of your disapproval. “What do you try to say?!”

“I told you to be quiet, Andrew!” You whisper-yelled at him. He really was making you see red. How can he pretend he doesn’t know about his absence?! “You’re rarely here, Andrew.” That was the right time to tell him. “And I’m sick of that.”

“Can we not talk about this right now?” He seemed irritated. But the whole thing was his fault. How can he act like that? “I would really like to just go to sleep and…”

You interrupted him. “And what?” He was pissing you off so, so much you thought you’re going o tear him apart. “And what, Andrew?! “It’s like you never really see me for god’s sake. I’m standing right in front of you and you don’t fucking see me, Andrew!”

He didn’t say a word. Didn’t know what to say to make it better.

“I want a divorce.” You finally say.

------------------------ sometime later ------------------------

It was over. Your fucking marriage was over and you felt so empty. It was like some weight was taken off of your shoulders but it hurt. It really hurt, because he was everything he needed and wanted this whole time.

The only thing that was keeping you alive was your little baby boy. You had to make it for him.

Even though, you weren’t together anymore - Andy was an amazing dad. He helped you a lot with raising this bond of happiness. But seeing him was making you feel so devastated, you had to make your mum the person who would pick Jacob up from Andy’s.

She didn’t mind that. Y/m/n loved his grandson like nothing else. He was her everything - just like yours.

She couldn’t believe it when you told her about your plans. For her, your marriage was perfect. She knew perfectly well how much both you and Andy loved each other and she was sure that that feeling was still there. She would make sure of that.

------------------------

The idea of how to make you and Andy get back together appeared in your mum’s head at the freaking grocery shop. She needed some more stuff for dinner. Y/m/n was walking down the aisle when someone said her name. It was old lady Mrs Walker - the worst gossip girl in the whole Newton. “How lovely. It’s good she moved from here” - your mom thought.

“It’s so good to see you, y/m/n!” She said with a fake smile plastered on her wrinkled face. “I have some news for you!”

“Oh, really?” Your mum pretended to be curious about it. To be truthful, she didn’t give a shit about it. “I can’t wait to hear it!”

“My daughter is getting married to some doctor!” Mrs Walker said with enthusiasm. “Monica got engaged last Friday!”

“Oh, how lovely!” She couldn’t help but feel a little jealous about it. The words just slip up… “My daughter is married to a district attorney!” Who is better now, bitch?!

“That’s so good to hear! Y/n must be lucky to have a husband like that.” Y/m/n knew lying was anything but good, but hearing the envy in this bitch voice was a pleasure to her ears. It was worth it after all.

“Sure she is!”

“I have a great idea!” Mrs Walker spoke again. “I’m throwing a Christmas party! How about you, your daughter and her mysterious husband come as well?”

“Yeah!” Your mum felt like kissing this old cow’s feet would be good then. It was a brilliant idea! “Why nor?!”

------------------------

“You did what?!” You couldn’t believe the words she said. She was your mother, but you could swear she was acting like a child sometimes. “Mum! How am I supposed to ask him about it?! Maybe you didn’t notice but we’re divorced.” You said bitterly. There was no way you would do that. Even for her.

“Y/n look!” Your mum was serious like never before. “Do it for me, okay? I want to make this stupid bitch jealous!” That was another lie. She wanted nothing more than you and Andy being together again. “You know how she is!”

“God!” You yelled. “I hate you sometimes, mum!”

She wasn’t offended at that. Y/m/n took you into her arms, kissing your cheeks like once you were five. “I love you so much, baby girl!”

------------------------

“You’re kidding, right?” Andy laughed at your plea.

“Look…” You breathed deeply. “I know it sounds like a joke, but my mum really wants us together at this stupid party. I can do nothing about it!”

“No.” He couldn’t pretend to be your husband. Andy knew it would make feelings grow even bigger than they were.

“Great.” You said with irony. “That’s all I wanted to hear.” You stood up and tried to make your way from the coffee you used to go with Andy so often. The old good times.

The look on your pretty face made Andy feel strange. He stood up as well and went after you. “Y/n, wait! Wait for me please!”. You couldn’t help but stop as if dead in your tracks. Your breath was shallow and you wondered why his voice still made you feel this way.

“Okay…” Andy said finally. “I’m gonna pretend to be your husband.

“You still have your ring, right?” You asked after a minute or two.

“Yes, of course!” He seemed almost offended at your question. “How would I throw it away?”

------------------------ Christmas party ------------------------

Everything was beautiful. You felt like you were in some kind of a Christmas film. You sat at the large, beautifully decorated table, your hand in Andy’s. You could swear it felt like the old times. When you both were just a couple of teenagers stupidly in love. It felt so right to be touched by him again. It was perfect.

You’ve almost ended your dinner when Andy escape his hand away from you and put it on your tight instead. You choke on your portion of mashed potatoes when he started making some circles on your skin.

The smirk that appeared on his stupidly handsome face told you everything. Little did you know about your mum, that was watching carefully every yours and Andy’s move. She was so happy when she saw how connected you still were. She knew that from the beginning. You and Andy were meant for each other.

After a few more minutes you excused yourself and made your way to the bathroom. Your ex-husband went right beside you. Y/m/n couldn’t stop the smile that appeared on her face at that sight. She did it! Everything was on the good path.

You were just about to close the bathroom’s door when someone put his foot between it. You wanted to scream, scared that someone was trying to hurt you. “It’s me.” A very well-known voice made it obvious who it was.

“Andy!” You hit his shoulder. “You scared the shit outta me!” He only laughed at your words. He went closer, pulling you to his body by the waist. “What are you doing?”

“What I should do a long time ago, honey.” He whispered into your ear before kissing you passionately. You made out for a few seconds but then it hit you. You pushed him away.

“We can’t!” You said. “We can’t Andy!”

“Why?” He was confused. He thought you wanted this as well.

“It won’t work.” The sadness in your voice was tearing his heart apart. “We tried, but it just didn’t work out. You know it!”

“Why not try again!” He needed you near him, you and Jacob. Not just for short visits. He wanted and needed it all the time. “I didn’t want to tell you like this, but I have no choice.”

Then, you were confused one. “Tell me what, exactly?”

“God! I can’t act like this anymore… We can’t ignore our feelings any longer! Both you and I or even your mother know that we still love each other.” He wasn’t scared anymore to talk about his real emotions. “Don’t deny it, please…”

You looked at his plump, just asking for some attention lips. You were standing so close to him, that you felt his chest touching yours. “I missed you, Mr Barber.” You latched yourself at him, wrapping your arms around him in a tight embrace.

“And I missed you, Mrs Barber.” He pulled you even closer by your neck, connecting your mouths together. This time, the kiss was more passionate, full tongue and teeth.

You were so preoccupied with yourselves that didn’t hear the door opening. Your mum stood in the entrance happier than ever.

“I was right!” She screamed. You and Andy you broke off from each other. You didn’t see her this happy for a long, long time.

“Mum!” You couldn’t believe she has just interrupted such a moment.

[danses-with-dogmeat]

Hello 😊 I absolutely adore everything you do for the characters you write for! You get the interactions and such perfect everytime I read something new 💕 I have a personal headcanon, not full blown request if you don't want it to be, question for you. If you could romance the companions in New Vegas like in 4, what would some of their lovers embrace quotes be? I love how you think and can't wait to hear what ideas you have for any of the characters ❤ have a good day

FO3 and FONV Companions' Lover's Embrace Quotes

Ahh, thank you so much lovely! You're so kind! 😩❤

And oh my goodness, I just love thinking about this! Thanks so much for the ask! 😁 I kind of went about it with the FO4 ones in mind, where there were a few ~suggestive~ responses, and just a few general characterization-type comments about waking up for each character, so I hope that's around what you had in mind!

I went ahead and took the liberty of adding the FO3 companions as well, just cuz why not? But as always, let me know if you wanna see anyone else!

Sorta NSFW below? But mostly just the implication.

FONV:

Arcade:

"You actually can't get up now. Doctor's orders."

"Well, I suppose there really are worse ways to start the morning."

"Irrumabo, puto sum amare te..."

"You expect me to function at this hour?"

"Mirus creatura..."

Boone:

*sighs*

"Morning, love."

"Damn... You're amazing."

*whispers* "Thank god."

"I love seeing you this way..."

Cass:

"Better be a good reason for getting me up at this hour."

"Let's do it again sometime."

"See anyone leave this place with a hammer? My head's poundin'."

"Sheesh, didn't know you had that in ya, partner."

"You seen my hat anywhere? ... Or my bra?"

Raul:

"Buenos dias, hermosa/o."

"Ay carajo, I think I pulled something."

"Mm, that was good, boss."

"Is it morning already?"

"Mierda, amor... should've gotten up earlier."

Veronica:

"Finally up, are ya?"

"One more kiss."

"Wakey wakey!"

"... Oh my god."

"Well, good morning, sweetness."

FO3:

Butch:

"Goddamn, babe, that was... wow."

"You. Are. Amazing."

"How was that?"

"You sure we gotta go now?"

"Damn, that sun's bright."

Charon:

"Sleep well?"

"Damn..."

"You alright?"

"Sun's up."

"Think you can walk?"

Clover:

"Rise and shine, sugar."

"You like the way I woke you this morning?"

"Just one more minute..."

"Damn, baby, you got me worn out before the day's even started."

"Aww, can't we just stay in bed?"

Cross:

"You wear me out, babe."

"Up and at 'em, soldier."

"Whew... think we can skip training this morning."

"Time to get up, love."

"Did you rest well?"

Fawkes:

"Good morning, my love."

"Shall we prepare for the day?"

"You never cease to amaze me..."

"You are brighter than even the sunrise, my love."

"Must we get up already?"

Gob:

*whispers* "You're still here..."

"Wish we could stay here for good."

"Can't believe I'm this lucky..."

"... Incredible."

*sighs* "Guess we have to get up some time."

Jericho:

"Fuck, that was good."

"Shit, you sore as I am?"

"If you think I'm getting up this fuckin' early..."

"Gotta catch my breath."

"Damn, fuckin' sore... Heh."

[neolovesneo]

SEE YOU MONDAY!

crush!jeno, classmate!6dream | fluff | highschool au, crush au (?)

note ; happy jeno day!!!! wishing nothing but the best for our pretty, pretty boy <3 + not quite sure what to feel about the ending? its so bad and my brain is fried,, rip

taglist ; @soobin-chois (lmk in comments, asks, or dms if you'd like to be added to my taglist! ^^)

You stifle a yawn as you sit up straight, barely listening to what Renjun, your classmate, is saying.

It's not like you didn't want to listen to him - you just couldn't.

English class has never been this boring, but it was just so for today. Perhaps it was because it was Friday, the weekend so close and yet so far.

Everyone else seems to be fine though, working away diligently in assigned pairs on a worksheet your teacher had just given out.

Mark is writing furiously on his worksheet while Haechan rambles answers, Chenle busy folding his own worksheet into a paper airplane while a confused Jisung tries to copy him, and Jaemin is reading his textbook while Jeno looks at you.

Wait.

Jeno's looking at you?

You momentarily freeze, a million thoughts racing through your mind as you lock eye contact with the blue-haired boy.

Maybe he was looking at someone behind you?

The wall is the only thing that greets you when you turn around to check, and your cheeks immediately flush red when you realize that he is looking at you.

Now, no one knows this, but you've recently developed a crush on Jeno.

It's the way his hair falls prettily over his sparkly eyes that gets your heart skipping a beat faster, as well as the way he adorably talks in pout when he gets excited.

Jeno always catches your eye wherever he goes too, be it coincidentally passing by each other down the corridors or when he just happens to be lining up in front of you during lunch at the cafeteria.

All of that is enough to make your heart race and face involuntarily tug up in a smile, but now?

With him looking right at you, maintaining heart fluttering eye contact across the room?

You panic.

Do you look away? Do you keep the eye contact? Do you pretend like you didn't notice it? Do you look at the floor? Do you look at the ceiling?

"Should we include point two in our summary?"

Renjun's question snaps you out of it, and you're grateful for the excuse it provides for you to break the eye contact.

"Y-Yeah, I think point two is fine." you stutter, face flushed as you tried to act cool.

Renjun hums in response and scribbles something down on his worksheet, and you fight the curious urge to see if Jeno is still looking at you.

Which he probably wasn't.

In fact, he probably was looking at the wall earlier.

Or zoning out in your direction.

It seemed impossible that he'd be looking at you.

Or was it?

A quick peek answers your burning question, and this time he smiles at you, eyes creasing up into the little crescent moons that you loved to see every day.

"Oh my God." you mumble, physically feeling your heart beat faster as you quickly jerk your head back down to your worksheet. "Are you okay?" Renjun asks concernedly, frowning.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. Just uh - stepped on my own foot." you lie blatantly.

It's obvious Renjun doesn't buy it, raising an eyebrow at you in confusion.

He's about to question you further about it till your teacher interrupts, clapping her hands twice. "Alright, class's over! Thank you, you're dismissed." she calls.

Immediately, everyone makes a beeline for the door, and you scramble to get your things too. The last thing you needed was to be late for your next cla-

"Woah!"

You flinch and let out a surprised gasp when you almost get run into by someone, and you glance up to see it's... Jeno?

"I'm so sorry! Are you okay?" he asks worriedly.

"I'm fine, yeah, I'm fine, don't worry, nothing to worry about here!" you ramble, flustered at how close the two of you were.

But the breath is taken out of you as you note how much more prettier he is up close - the usual boyish glint in his eyes now like the countless stars of the galaxy.

"Okay, that's good." Jeno chuckles. "Well, see you Monday then!" he chirps, softly nudging your arm.

With that, he leaves the classroom and into the bustle of the crowd and the swarming hallways.

Yet the feeling of his fluffy, sweater-clad arm against yours remains, burning right through the fabric of your jacket and onto your skin, leaving a tingly, electrical rush coursing through your body.

Truly, only Jeno could make you feel this way, and you couldn't wait to see him again - next Monday.

© neolovesneo, 2022.

[dandelionlovesyou]

My Shelter - Chapter 4

Confession Day!

https://archiveofourown.org/works/39255591/chapters/102282369

https://www.fanfiction.net/s/14086779/4/My-Shelter

.......

Here we go! This is the last chapter for now. An epilogue will come later, but I'm not sure when I can write it since on-site work restarted again. Life will be super busy, with commuting and all, but I am very excited to get out of the house! Don't fret, though, for I will write this epilogue, and there will be more cats in it. =)

A special thank you to my friend, @jhsgf82​, for beta reading this chapter. Your support, input, and appreciation for this fic mean the world to me. Thank you, too, for the cat info! I learned a lot about cats from you =D

….….

Here we go. Everything begins today.

Peeta rounds the curb to Katniss' house and then parks his car in the driveway overlooking the small house. The Everdeens’ house is a home, really, despite its lack of wealth. Before Mr. Everdeen passed away, he made sure that his girls had a permanent roof over their heads. It was one of his dreams being a blue-collar worker and growing up in a life of poverty. Toiling away and doing odd jobs was tough for years, but he did them all for his small family.  

Peeta admired the man.

Painted mustard yellow with a gray and white door, the bungalow house is simple and quaint. It's surrounded by Prim's herb and flower garden, adding character and color to the exterior. On more than one occasion, Peeta helped them fix a leak on the roof or replace a pipe under the sink. Nothing too out of the ordinary or something that Katniss herself cannot fix. But he would always volunteer, anyways‒if only to spend more time with his best friend.

"Hi, Peeta!" Prim chirps from the doorstep. She's growing too fast and looks radiant in her cobalt blue and yellow summer dress. Skipping on along the path, her sweet smile brings levity to Peeta's heart. It's always good to see Prim very happy.

"Hey there, Prim," Peeta greets back, checking his car for any last-minute item that needs to be cleaned. He spent two hours yesterday under the summer heat, vacuuming, washing, and polishing his new (but old) Honda Civic.

"Can I ride in front? Katniss and mom aren't done yet, so I get first dibs on the seats."

"Yeah, sure." Peeta exits his side and hustles to open the car door for Prim.

"You didn't have to do that," Prim says, then rolls her eyes. "I'm not my sister."

Peeta lets out a nervous laugh. At this point, it's only Katniss who doesn't know about his intentions. Mrs. Everdeen gave him her permission to court her eldest daughter last December. That was a long time ago, and she's been giving him expectant looks every time he brings Katniss home.

"Cool car," Prim interrupts his unease. He closes the door gently and then leans in on the window.

“What do you think about my baby?”

"She's nice and tidy. Smells good. Soft seats too, but … your radio's ooold, Peeta." Prim scans the archaic device; no doubt it's something Peeta found in his dad's attic. "Haven't seen a tape player before in my life. That's probably ten times older than me." She chuckles and flips the opening where the cassette tapes go in.

“Hey, don’t insult the merchandise. It still works pretty well, I tell you.”

"Yeah, if you want to impress grandmas," she banters back and wrinkles her cute button nose in an adorable smirk.

"It's just bodywork, Prim. The engine is good; the wheels are relatively new, and the heater and AC haven't stopped working for three months now."

"I suppose so… Katniss did say that your body looks good." Prim giggles at her not-so-subtle insinuation.

Really? Katniss said that about my body.

“I mean the car, Peeta,” Prim coughs out, smiling mischievously. She’s definitely not the innocent little sister Peeta is used to.

Prim continues, “Not your body. God knows Katniss thinks your body is more than alright. She can't stop talking about how strong you are." Prim shifts in her seat and tries in the most comical way to exaggerate and mimic her older sister, "Did you know that he can lift hundred-pound bags of flour? That's not nothing, Prim. Peeta's strong!"

"No way she said that!" Peeta protests, though the slight flush on his cheeks must give away how happy he is about such revelation.

Did she really notice that? I mean, did Katniss really?

“She said that over dinner many times before, Peeta. Too many to count, actually. My sister would defend your honor to her grave.”

“You’re kidding now.”

“Nope. I’ll send you a video if I have to.”

They both laugh at each other, easily conversing as if they were family. Prim transfers to the driver's seat and asks about all the buttons and pedals while killing time. She honks the horn thrice, telling her sister to hurry up.

"You better not do that again, Prim!" Katniss yells back from the house. For good measure, Prim honks the horn again. Peeta can’t stop the monkey grin from spreading on his face.

“So?” Prim turns to him. He is now sitting in the passenger seat and biting his nails as he watches the front door.

"So," Peeta answers back, then stops himself from looking at Prim, who undoubtedly is sporting a naughty grin.

Damn, Prim’s going to grill me now.

"Why didn't you take my sister to prom?" she queries and taps his shoulder like a demanding little sister. Buttercup startles him by jumping through the back window and stretching before loafing in the back seat. Gossipy cat.

"I mean, you could have confessed your undying love then!" Prim presses, not so quietly.

"Prim, keep it down. She could hear you," Peeta pleads under his breath. Prim just smiles at him, and they both ease back into their seats.

With a huff, Peeta brings out his phone from his pocket. “It was the same day as the annual adoption fair,” he explains. “Here, take a look.”

On his phone are hundreds of pictures of dogs, cats, volunteers, and the crowds of people in the park; no doubt he was documenting the entire event three weeks ago. "There was a concert in the evening, and Katniss didn't want to leave until everything was finished and packed away. It's important to her, and I couldn't take that away from her."

Prim scans through his gallery. The event did look fun and meaningful. There were various booths from sponsors, basic obedience training sessions, and a spread of tables where possible adoptions were processed.

Sliding the screen further up, she opens a folder with a heart on the corner named "My Shelter." Inside are pictures and pictures of Katniss throughout their growing-up years. Some were taken candidly, but most with her permission.

“Peeta …,” Prim sighs.

"I know," he breathes out and joins her in looking at the photos of the one who holds his heart. "I'm a goner, Prim."

"That you are," she concurs sympathetically. She hands Peeta back his mobile, lingering on a selfie of the two of them with Whitney and Rye-Rye at the fair. They both smiled from ear to ear, clearly ecstatic because the two dogs were finally adopted into loving homes.

“For what it’s worth, you already had my vote years ago.” Prim squeezes his shoulder. “I knew you would take care of my sister and make her happy. She’s better with you, Peeta. You’re always hopeful, kind, and patient. My sister needs that in her life.”

“Thanks, Prim. That means a lot coming from you.”

Peeta swipes the screen and taps it to enlarge a file. "Want to see a video of her dancing at the fair?"

“With you?”

"Nah, I'm always behind the camera," he says, unsure if he should be happy that he got the chance to capture so many memories of Katniss before she leaves for university, or sad because it means that he hasn't taken the leap yet. "She's swaying with the cats as usual."

"That's my sister…except with Buttercup," Prim utters with a chuckle. "Okay, let's see it."

In the video, the park was lit with warm yellow lights above the dance floor, and a country band was playing a familiar love song. In Katniss' arms was Pepper, a brown and white, short-haired Tabby cat that was one of the kittens they rescued.

Last fall, an emaciated, young female cat appeared in Peeta's backyard. She was scavenging in the garbage bin when he saw her that afternoon. Noticing some milk in her teats, he was unsure whether the female cat was pregnant or if she’d already had her kittens. Peeta gave her some cat food and named her Paprika because of her red and white coloring. When he told Katniss about her, they set up a birthing box on his porch. But after a few days, it was obvious that Paprika had given birth somewhere else. Worried about the kittens, they set out to follow her when she would leave at night. Peeta had a hard time with his prosthetic, often staying farther behind so as not to alarm her with his loud footsteps. It was difficult, and Paprika was quick and so sneaky that even Katniss couldn't keep up with her. It was Jo who came up with the bright idea of putting a GPS collar on the feline. Paprika protested and pawed at the collar when Peeta put it on her, but eventually, she got used to it. Three days later, they found her kittens.

Paprika had five kittens. Two females and three males in all. They were Tabby cats with red, white, and brown coloring. They named them Pepper, Cardamom, Ginger, Sage, and Wasabi. Pepper was the last one to be adopted from the litter of five. It was a miracle she survived because she developed a severe upper respiratory infection a month after being rescued. She was sneezing, had a runny nose and eyes, was feverish, and lost her appetite. Many thought she was going to die with her swift decline, but Katniss and Peeta both took turns nursing her back to health. The Everdeens fostered Pepper, and Peeta helped tend to her until the wee hours of the night before sneaking back into his house. He cared for her and decongested her with the steamy shower running every night. Katniss slept while Peeta was with Pepper, so she could take the night shift. It was a grueling two weeks. They were falling asleep in their morning classes from exhaustion. In the cafeteria, they were often seen napping together during lunch breaks, which caused suspicion from their homeroom adviser.

Katniss and Peeta were ecstatic when Pepper was eventually given the all-clear by Doc Wiress. It took a while for the little runt to return to her old self. Loafing, scratching her cat pole, and climbing the kitchen cabinets at the Everdeens’ became her favorite pastimes when she got her strength back, though. Prim enjoyed having another cat in the house, and Katniss relished seeing Buttercup being ruffled-up by another feline with no boundaries yet. Two weeks later, Pepper was back in the shelter, and Jo began training her for adoption.

That night at the fair, Pepper finally found a home with Madge Undersee, the mayor's daughter.

As the band was playing, Pepper placed her head on the nook of Katniss' arm as she was cradled like a baby. Katniss had wanted a last dance with her. With a gentle gaze, she seemed to memorize the features of the cuddling bundle in her arms. Peeta couldn't resist taking a video of them, smiling at them, and loving them. His heart overflowed.

"She's really magnificent, isn't she?" Peeta whispers as his finger skims over Katniss' face on the screen. "Fierce, protective, devoted …" He longs for these moments of vulnerability. Tender and soft instances when Katniss wears her heart on her sleeve.

Just perfect the way she is.

"Prim, come in for a second, please," Mrs. Everdeen all of a sudden calls from inside the house.

"Okay, Mama," Prim replies, shifting in the driver's seat and giving Peeta a hopeful smile. "Just go for it, Peeta. Tell my sister you love her already. Don't be scared; she won't bite."

“I will … Thanks, Prim.”

Snapping back to her bright and witty self, Prim walks back to the house to attend to her mother's request. Buttercup follows her, but not before rubbing his face on Peeta's shoulders. He gracefully leaps through the window, meowing about as he parades himself lazily.

Stepping out of his car, Peeta can hear the youngest Everdeen scolding her sister and mother for being so slow and making Peeta wait for ages. Katniss grumbles back, saying that Peeta is always early anyways. This earns a snicker from him, delighted as he is that Katniss knows him so well.

I’m always early for you, my love.

Except ... for telling you that I love you.

Well, no more. Today’s the day!

Five more minutes pass, and it's Prim who exits the door first. She skips to Peeta's car, hastily opening the door herself in the back seat. Mrs. Everdeen then comes out next, greeting Peeta with a cheerful smile. He meets her halfway and escorts her to the car. Smooth, but totally natural for him to do.

Opening the car door, Mrs. Everdeen gives him a kiss on the cheek. “Congratulations, Peeta. You did wonderfully all these years,” she praises him, patting his rosy cheek.

He closes the passenger door and takes a few steps toward the house to wait for Katniss. He almost misses the moment she strolls out the door because he notices a watermark on the windshield. Promptly searching his pocket for a handkerchief, his whole body stills when he briefly glances at the gray and white door. There, under the soft morning sun, is his everything.

[… … …]

No word, no image, no thought revolves around his head. Only the beating of his heart exists.

Tha-thump. Tha-thump. Tha-thump.

When she smiles at him, the ballad "Can't Fight This Feeling" by REO Speedwagon begins to play in the background. His blue eyes go into tunnel vision, zooming and ending only on Katniss. She's wearing a flowing, evergreen summer dress with a mockingbird pin on her chest. Her dark, majestic hair is in an elaborate braid that their art teacher Cinna would surely praise. Her cheeks are a modest pink, and her lips are a subtle crimson.

Bellissima.

Peeta deliberates if he has already died and gone to heaven.

I can't fight this feeling any longer

And yet I'm still afraid to let it flow

What started out as friendship has grown stronger

I only wish I had the strength to let it show

I tell myself that I can't hold out forever

I said there is no reason for my fear

'Cause I feel so secure when we're together

You give my life direction

You make everything so clear

"Is this real or not real?" he whispers to himself before his feet start moving of their own accord. It feels like walking on pillowy clouds.

My life has been such a whirlwind since I saw you

I've been running 'round in circles in my mind

And it always seems that I'm followin' you, girl

'Cause you take me to the places

That alone I'd never find

"I'm not waiting any longer," he says next, halfway through the narrow path where Katniss is waiting. Everything feels warm and fuzzy under his gray suit. He's crawling out of his own skin.

And even as I wander

I'm keeping you in sight

You're a candle in the window

On a cold, dark winter's night

And I'm getting closer than I ever thought I might

“Hi, Peeta.” Katniss’ sultry voice penetrates through Kevin Cronin’s singing in his head. “Sorry to keep you waiting. My mom…and my hair…”

“You look beautiful.” Peeta swoons, reaching for her hand and placing a gentle kiss there. Katniss' cheeks turn a slight pink, and she bites the insides of her bottom lip.

Blue eyes meet grey ones.

Like lightning, though, a moment of panic pricks Peeta’s gut.

What did I just do?!

His eyes start to go wild.

BEEP! Beep! Beep! The sound of the car horn snaps them out of their trance (or dilemma?)

“Hurry up! You both won’t make it to your graduation!” Prim yells out, leaning on the driver’s seat and pressing the horn again.

“Shut up, Prim!” Katniss reluctantly shouts back. She squeezes Peeta’s hand in hers and tugs it before briskly walking together to the car.

…..

Graduation flows smoothly as the newly promoted Assistant Vice Principal Fulvia Purpletown runs the whole ceremony. Emilia Fernsby, also known as 'Foxface,' gives an impassioned valedictorian speech, earning a standing ovation from three teachers‒Mr. Flavius (Trigonometry), Ms. Venia (Human Anatomy), and Mrs. Octavia (Logic).

As Pomp and Circumstance Marches plays, the seniors climb up to the wide-open stage. Everyone takes their turn on the wooden platform receiving their rolled-up fake diploma and moving the tassels on their dark blue graduation caps. Peeta and Katniss cheer profusely, whistling and clapping their hands as the other marches up to shake Mr. Heavensbee's hand. Proud as ever and moved by the momentous music, they are both teary-eyed as they accept their diploma.

High school was not easy. Juggling it with their families’ situation and their time at the animal shelter made studying very trying, but they succeeded. Together. Effie and Haymitch advised them from the start of their high school days that they could accomplish anything as long as they remained as a team.

Twenty more photos and a lengthy video of Katniss' march were added to Peeta’s favorite gallery folder by the end of her turn. Both their families stood up to watch them, glowing with happiness under the breezy summer day.

After Principal Heavensbee gives the final message to the graduates‒a highly philosophical speech about history lessons and the human condition‒the song "Glory Days" by Bruce Springsteen unexpectedly booms in the background. He’s startled by Bruce’s “Let’s go!” causing him to spill his juice from his teacher’s mug all over his brown, tailor-made suit.

The entire faculty scrambles to their feet, some briskly walking backstage to find the source of the loud rock music that is causing young hips and shoulders to shake rhythmically. Principal Heavensbee is red as a ripe beet, pointing at all sorts of icons on Vice Principal Fulvia’s controller. The tech crew, wearing black shirts, tries to stop the music to bring back the solemnity of the ceremony, but to no avail. The crowd is already wild!

Tough luck, Mr. Heavensbee!

The whole assembly dances and sings like the crazy teenagers they are. Thresh and Marvel run across the field, shedding their togas and shirts and popping confetti guns with suspicious-looking colored powders. All the while the school’s Golden Victor mascot is chased around by Mr. Flickerman because he is running buck naked and flashing everyone. All color drains out of the teachers’ faces.

That’s the 74th batch of Panem High for you folks.

"Oh, this is definitely Cato's doing!" Peeta announces to Katniss, leaning near her ear to be heard above the loud music. "It's got his signature written all over it!"

“Well, they can’t expel him now!” Katniss all but shouts as she stands on tiptoes to reach his ear as well.

Peeta’s warm cheek grazes hers.

Katniss steadies herself, grabbing his solid arms. She leans into his masculine jaw.

For a moment, they both freeze at the contact. Had they rotated their heads just a little more, their lips would have certainly met. Actually…

Akjfkjdfsdfjdsvdsnvj!

But the moment is not right, Peeta thinks. So he just holds her close and envelopes her in his arms. Following suit, Katniss lets her palms crawl up the expanse of his back, keeping them flushed against each other's graduation gown-covered bodies. They both breathe in each other's scent.

Cinnamon and dill.

Lavender and oatmeal.

The scent of forever.

Their schoolmates continue to sing in chorus; some throw their graduation caps in the air, and many stand on their chairs to take a live video. But Katniss and Peeta are frozen in time, existing in a unit of space where their shelter is each other's heart. All too soon, the music stops, and a tech crew laughs mightily from pulling out the main electrical plug, killing the mood. Principal Heavensbee chestily declares without a mic, "With the power vested in me by the Committee of Education, I now pronounce you all as graduates! This concludes the year and your entire high school education." He emphasizes the word 'concludes’ and makes a shooing gesture to everyone out in the field after he finishes.

"Congratulations, Katniss," Peeta whispers, his joy expanding to her as he holds her.

“Congratulations, Peeta,” Katniss murmurs against his chest. Her ear rests over his heart, listening to every beat it makes. “We did it.”

Gingerly, they break away from each other, slowly letting go of the other with closed eyes. Their families find them amidst the rowdy crowd, and they all take obligatory pictures, reluctantly setting aside the closeness they had only seconds ago.

Wheaton holds the camera, and everyone smiles at the count of three. Always the fun-loving one, Rye demands that they all say 'cheese buns' instead when Wheaton takes their photos.

Peeta shoots his brother a death glare.

“I’ll see you all for dinner at our house at eight,” invites Mr. Mellark. Mrs. Mellark stands beside him, surprisingly in a good mood. She must have been a fan of Bruce Springsteen.

"We'll be there with some soup and cider," Mrs. Everdeen replies, then gives Peeta and Katniss a final congratulatory hug.

Everyone then piles out to attend to their regular work. The Mellarks have tons of cakes and pastries to deliver, and the Everdeens have patients to attend to.

“You ready?” Peeta asks Katniss once everyone is out of earshot.

“Ready,” she replies, a lopsided grin on her face. “Let’s go!”

Their plan had been forged since they were in freshman year. They promised each other that when they graduated, they'd take selfies in all their favorite spots in school. But since Katniss is leaving for university, they've expanded the plan to taking photos around the district as well. It’s easy, all they need to do is ride on Haymitch's bus. The D12 stops in all their favorite places, except the park. They will just take Peeta’s car later to go there.

The first stop in school is in front of the bust sculpture of the Committee of Education's Chairman Coriolanus Snow. Many despise him for his overly intellectual and competitive revision of the curriculum, which slashed the art budget by half. Peeta positions his index finger to pick Snow's nose while Katniss scowls and puts a whole cabbage on top of his head. They take three shots, switching positions and snickering like naughty children while making funny faces at the bearded old man.

Next is their usual lunch table in the cafeteria. Producing a marker from his suit pocket, Peeta quickly draws a bow and arrow and a loaf of bread underneath. Symbols, no doubt of themselves, they’ve claimed the orange table. They spent many conversations on this worn-out furniture‒lots of friendly banter, catching up on homework, and planning for shelter events or foster care.

A picture of their lockers follows, which thanks to Peeta's silver tongue was never changed for four years. Katniss' was locker E518, and Peeta's was M314. They slip a thin note inside for the next freshman who will inherit the green metal compartments. It lists invaluable tips for surviving high school in Panem.

#1. Respect Mr. Cinna.

#2. Don’t sit in the first row of Mr. Flickerman’s class…unless you want a shower!

#3. Mr. Flavius always gives a pop quiz on the first Wednesday of the month, so study up!

#4. Library. SC-081-019-62. Best book ever!

#5. A friend that gives you a loaf of bread is a keeper.

#6. Eat breakfast. Seriously, it’s the most important meal of the day :)

…

#12. Volunteer at the animal shelter. You’ll find good people there.

Their last stop in school is Mr. Cinna's art studio. It's been their quiet space for four years. When the school crowd became too much, they often retreated there, either alone or together, for some peace. A spacious room meant for free expression and creativity, Mr. Cinna never once locked the doors, so anyone wanting to express their feelings on a blank canvas could. Not once was the room vandalized or taken for granted by any of the students in Panem High. They all respected and loved Mr. Cinna.

"Remember this window, Peeta?" Katniss asks as she stares out across the school's field. "You loved sitting here and watching the sky change color."

I also loved watching you from here when you trained for archery. I often melted like ice cream from your awesomeness.

"Do you still have some artwork here?" Katniss walks away from the glass window and scans the nearby wall filled with sketches from students. It's a nifty wall, really. Anyone who appreciates art could get lost in the many works students have left throughout the years.

Peeta walks toward the other end of the vast wall, joining her as she tries to identify one of his works. Truth be told, he had already taken every one of them down, except for one. He purposely left one for her to find. Today.

Just a little bit more to the right, my love. I hope you’ll like it.

A not too subtle "Oh” escapes Katniss' lips. She covers her open mouth with her palm, clearly in awe of the painting in front of her.

Peeta holds his breath.

"What do you think?" he finally asks as he stands beside her. Katniss' index finger brushes his. Courageously, Peeta takes her hand, interlacing his calloused fingers with her slender ones. It feels so natural, so perfect, like the easy swirl of fresh paint on canvas. Not one of them dares to let go.

"You did this for me?" Katniss marvels at the painting of her aiming her bow and arrow in the field. "It's beautiful."

“You’re beautiful,” Peeta follows smoothly. For once, his thoughts of her now have a voice. “And I have always loved you all these years.”

A companionable silence stands between them, then a few tears escape Katniss’ eyes. Her other hand hovers over the canvas. “You have?” she asks, lips quivering from the rush of emotions flooding her.

Peeta smiles and meaningfully bobs his head in answer. The twinkle in his eyes is clearly visible from the joy of finally letting his heart out. "Since we were five…took me thirteen years to finally muster up the courage to tell you. But yeah …" Peeta turns to Katniss, unafraid and determined to hold her gaze now. “I love you, Katniss Everdeen.”

"Oh, Peeta," she breathes out, and he tenderly brushes away the tears falling down her rosy olive cheeks with his thumb.

"I only have four weeks to win your heart…make you fall in love with me. I don't want to waste any more time being afraid or doubting myself. I'm running out of time to make you love me as more than just your silly old best friend... I know, I'm not perfect…”

"You don't have to ...," Katniss cuts him off, placing her trembling fingers over his lips. She surely feels the rush of air he takes from her unexpected gesture, then the warm breath he steadily exhales after. Slowly, Peeta takes her hand away from his tingling lips and slides it down to a distinct place on his torso‒over the muscular organ pumping blood throughout his body.

The one that beats only for Katniss Everdeen.

"You already won my heart, Peeta," Katniss follows, ghosting her index finger over the thumping in Peeta's chest. "It has always been yours." She then moves her gaze from his chest to his handsome face. The bluest, gentlest eyes meet her. She smiles at him, softly and a little playful. "But I always thought yours belonged to Delly Cartwright, so ..."

"Oh, Katniss, I'm such a fool..."

"Maybe," she snickers, then pauses. "Now…are you gonna kiss me, or should I wait a couple more years?"

Laughter bubbles up in Peeta's chest. He can't believe this is all happening. He had only hoped for a chance, yet here is Katniss giving her heart to him in return.

Her heart to me. Peeta Mellark.

"So?" Katniss scowls from being made to wait again. Peeta beams.

"Come here."

Their lips meet in a sure kiss, taking each other's breath away. Greedily, they seek more before slowing down to take their time. Katniss wraps her arms around Peeta's neck, tickling him as he pulls her closer. They chuckle between kisses as Peeta confesses about all the cheese buns he’s shoved her way. He’s all too endearing, and Katniss can’t help but fall in love even more with her best friend.

Woof! woof! woof! The loud barking of Driver sounds from the field outside the window.

"I don't believe it," Peeta says, pulling his mouth away and leaving Katniss mid-kiss. Sometimes he really can’t help but become a tease.

"Peeta, what?" Katniss breathily complains, eyes closed and confused but still feeling like she’s in a fairy tale.

"Driver's here, love."

Hmmm, love. I can call her that now.

"I guess it's time to go to the park," Peeta follows and rubs the back of his neck.

Together they meet Driver in the grassy field, peppering him with hugs and getting slobbery kisses. They take Peeta's car to the park, the tune of Bruce Springsteen's “Glory Days” echoing from Peeta's cassette player. With Driver leading the way and Katniss and Peeta holding hands while stealing kisses, they find the evergreen tree where they first got "married" as children. Around the "K+P" Peeta carved out when they were seven, Katniss adds a perfect heart around it, sealing it with an arrow for good measure.

I love that my cheese buns and I are not the only cheesy things around here.

Kisses then follow ‒ lots of them ‒ punctuated with adorable wet licks from Driver. All is perfect under the evergreen tree and the silky orange sunset on the horizon as Katniss and Peeta finally give their hearts away. To each other.

“My shelter,” Peeta coos.

“My shelter,” Katniss repeats with a kiss.

 -- The end --

.……………

Thank you for reading! I hope you enjoyed this little fic.