#when I can figure out how to balance school and my free time now that I’m no longer dangerously depressed

[frogsafterdark]

I am once again thinking about Omega Zoro

[moonstruckme]

Your work has been a great source of joy and relief to me (at last after a day of shitty circumstance i get to thrive in my free time with your witing) and i just want to thank you for that...💗💗💗

But i do also wanna request a jealous reader to james or remus, I'm genuinely curious as to how they'll handle that and what will they do to satiate reader

Thank you, sweetheart! Love you <3

James Potter x fem!reader ♡ 2.1k words

James looks especially sightly today, his brown skin gleaming in the sun and hair stuck slick to his forehead. He’s shirtless, which is always a treat, muscled abdomen sometimes distorted beneath the pool water and sometimes slipping above, inadvertently teasing, and his shoulders look especially strapping with Lily’s pale thighs seated atop them. 

You really like Lily. You’re quite disappointed in yourself, actually, for the hot flash of malice that goes through you when she burrows her manicured fingers in your boyfriend’s hair, laughing about losing her balance. James moves his grip from her knees up to her thighs, promising he’s got her. Something foul and warmish curdles in your gut. 

On the other side of the pool, Sirius and Remus advance like a totem pole with two wildly different faces, one menacing and the other reluctant. They’d asked if you wanted to play chicken, but getting pushed and shoved by Sirius isn’t your idea of a good time. You figured you’d be more content here, sitting on the edge of the pool with your feet kicking idly in the cool water, but now you can see how it does sort of look like a couples activity, Sirius atop Remus’ shoulders and Lily on James’. It’s no secret that James had pined after Lily for years. It was back in their school days, before you met him, but it’s been brought up a few times in a teasing way that’s made it clear to you that everyone knew how he felt about her. You wonder if Lily ever thinks about it. If she’s assured, consciously or not, that she could have him back at any time of her choosing. It’s not something you love to dwell upon. 

The pairs are fairly evenly matched. Sirius fights dirty, splashing water up at Lily and trying to unhook one of her knees from around James’ shoulder, but Remus can’t be bothered to participate and looks like he’d be just as happy to be pushed over and call it done. Lily, meanwhile, isn’t as creative a fighter and is only shoving at Sirius’ shoulders, but James provides a strong base. His fingers dig into the soft flesh of her legs, calling up encouragements and occasionally freeing a hand to pinch upwards at Sirius’ side. Sirius shrieks and swears at this, claiming that it’s against the rules. Eventually, Remus gets tired of supporting his boyfriend’s weight and feigns a fall back into the water. Sirius squawks as he goes down, and Lily and James cheer and high-five before he helps her dismount with far more grace. 

You clap and smile like a good girlfriend. James beams as he swims over to you. Sometimes looking at James’ smile at full capacity is a bit like looking at the sun, and you feel like you need some special glasses to gaze directly at it. This is one of those times. 

He takes your calf in his big hand and leans his cool cheek on your warm knee and makes you feel like the most special girl in the world, and you can’t stop thinking that Lily probably knows this exact feeling. 

You make extra sure to be nice to Lily on your way out later that evening, guilty and vexed with yourself for the way you’ve been thinking about her. James waves a friendly goodbye to the group as you both step outside. 

Instantly, his arm is around your shoulders, pulling you into his warmth. James was prepared for the nighttime chill, pulling a sweatshirt out of his bag as soon as the sun set, whereas you’re in a tank top and shorts that have grown damp from your swimsuit. You lean into him gratefully. 

“Did you have a good time today?” he asks.

“Mhm.” 

“Yeah?” He tilts his head a bit, looking down at your face. “You seemed a bit off.” 

You shrug. You should have expected James would notice. “I guess I just wished I’d participated more.” 

He makes a contemplative humming sound. “You don’t mean that you think people didn’t want you to participate, right? They love you, angel, you know that.” 

“No, I…” You want to say I know, but you’re worried you’ll sound conceited. You never usually second-guess yourself like this around James. You sort of hate it. “I just didn’t realize that if I said no to playing chicken, Lily was going to be your partner instead.” 

He’s quiet for a second. Something in your gut twists uneasily. 

“I thought you liked Lily.” 

“I do.” 

“Are you jealous?” 

“No.” 

You answer without thinking, because whatever you might be feeling right now, you are not a jealous person. You won’t be that kind of girlfriend. The breeze picks up, and goosebumps prickle down your arms, making you shiver.

“Are you cold?” James asks. 

You know he’s going to want to give you his sweatshirt, and you really can’t be taking things from him right now. “I’m alright.” 

“You know you’ve got nothing to worry about with Lily,” he tells you, thumb brushing softly over the skin of your bare shoulder. It should be reassuring, but suddenly you’re thinking about how this same hand looked so comfortable wrapped around Lily’s thigh. You step out from under his arm, crossing your arms as casually as you can against the chill. 

“I’m not worried,” you reply. 

James looks perplexed, and also a little dubious. The thought of him not believing you, even if you are lying, fills you with a burning indignation. 

“I just don’t see why you had to be touching her so much,” you say. “You could’ve looked a bit less eager.” 

He actually laughs at that, but the look on your face stops him quickly. “Sorry, but did you really think I looked eager?” he asks, a little smile still teasing the corners of his lips like you’re a child he has to talk down from a fit. “That’s just part of the game, sweetheart.” 

The way he says it, sweetheart, suddenly feels less affectionate and more like a placation. Condescending. Heat builds behind your eyes, and you realize with horror that you feel like you might actually cry. You’ve never felt so distant from James. Not even when you’d first started dating. 

You pick up your pace, staying ahead to keep him from seeing your face. “You didn’t have to touch her legs so much,” you huff. 

“I was keeping her from falling off!” he laughs, incredulous. 

You roll your eyes. James lengthens his stride to catch up to you. 

“So let me get this straight,” he says. He sounds more serious than before, which you thought you’d wanted but now you’re not so sure. Your heart trembles. “You wanted me to throw the whole game to just avoid touching my friend’s legs?” 

“She wasn’t always your friend,” you remind him. 

“Yes, she was.”

You don’t know how to respond to that. From a factual standpoint, he’s not wrong, but you know that Lily was more than that in James’ head for quite some time. He can’t boil it down to something so simple. 

The silence stretches out between you, ice-thin and just as cold. Then you shiver again, and James sets a hand on your shoulder. It’s only there for a second before he retracts it, as if unsure what he’s allowed. Your heart throbs. 

“You are cold,” he says, and his tone is doting teetering on the brink of accusatory. He grabs the hem of his sweatshirt. “Here, have—”

“I don’t want your sweatshirt,” you say sharply. 

James pauses. “Why not?” 

“I just don’t.” 

“Sweetheart, you’re cold.” 

“So what?” You cross your arms harder, trying to hide your trembling under the guise of general agitation. “That’s not what we’re talking about.” 

“What are we talking about?” he asks you. “How I let Lily sit on my shoulders as part of a game and now I’ll surely leave you for her?” 

Even as a joke, it stings. “Would you?”

“Of course not!” His hands spread out in front of him, helpless. “What do you want me to do? Should I just never be friends with another girl again?” 

“No, it’s not—it’s not that.” Your eyes burn. You’re frustrated with him for intentionally missing the point, and frustrated with yourself for needing his reassurance in the first place. “I just want to know that you’d pick me over her.” 

“I have!”

“You didn’t pick, James.” Your breathing is starting to sound ragged. The words taste acidic in your mouth. “She picked for you.” 

“Angel, that was ages ago.” James softens his voice, likely hearing the tears in yours. “I don’t see her that way anymore. She was right, we wouldn’t have worked together.” 

“But how can you know that?” Your voice breaks just as a harsh shiver goes through you, and you wrap your arms more tightly around yourself. 

“Alright, that’s enough.” You don’t have to turn around to hear that James has stopped walking behind you, his footsteps halting. Reluctantly, you slow in response but don’t turn around, waiting to see what he’s doing. “Come here.” When you don’t move, his voice hardens into a tone you don’t hear often. “Come here.” 

You turn around, more curious than anything, and James has taken his sweatshirt off. He tugs it over your head before you can say anything. 

“James!” you protest, squirming, but his hold is strong. He manages to wrestle one of your arms into a sleeve before he seems to decide that’s good enough and leaves you be. 

“Quit being so stubborn,” he says, still in that same tone. You stop trying to get the sweatshirt off, hands dropping to your sides. James has never been so stern with you before. You don’t quite know how to react. “You’re freezing, and your hair’s still wet. There’s no sense in suffering through it just because you want to have a row.” 

“I don’t want to,” you tell him, but your words sound petulant even to your own ears. 

“Then listen.” He takes your jaw in hand, setting his eyes on yours. “I do not want to be in a relationship with Lily. I thought I did once, but I don’t anymore.” He waits a second, making sure this sinks in, before his voice softens. “I’m going to be friends with girls. That’s just…that’s the way I’ve always been. But I’m with you because I’m happiest with you, and this isn’t going to work if you don’t trust me.” 

You nod, suddenly flooded with self loathing. A tear skids down your face when you blink. “I’m sorry. It’s not about…I do trust you, I promise. I don’t know what’s wrong with me today.” 

“Honey,” James murmurs. The tear lands on his index finger, and his face pinches like it stings. “Listen, if I saw some guy with his hands all over you, I’d—”

“In a bathing suit,” you add tearfully. 

“With his hands all over you in a bathing suit,” he amends, “I’d probably be upset too. But you’ve got to tell me these things, you know? If you’d brought it up at the time, I could’ve told you I don’t feel that way about Lily and maybe you would’ve had a better afternoon.” 

“I didn’t want to be the jealous girlfriend,” you admit. “I really do like Lily, I didn’t mean to accuse either of you of anything.” 

“I think…I think some amount of jealousy has to be normal,” James says, brows bunched pensively even as his finger strokes at your cheek. “We’re each other’s, you know? It’s just letting it get in your head that’s the problem. If you’re thinking I’d pursue someone else while I’m with you, that doesn’t reflect very well on me.” 

You shake your head, leaning away from James’ hand to wipe your nose. “I don’t really. I know you’d be—you’d at least be nice about it. You’d tell me.” 

Pain etches itself into the indent between your boyfriend’s brows. He takes your face between both hands now, looking into your eyes determinedly. “I love you,” he says, bending to press a firm kiss between your brows. “Understand?” 

You wrap your arms around his middle, pushing past his face to tuck your head under his chin. “I love you too.” Your voice is ardent if a bit wobbly, tears that feel more like a reaction to a past fright than anything else still moving sluggishly down your face. “I’m sorry.” 

“It’s forgiven, sweetheart.” James’ big palm comes to rest between your shaking shoulder blades, scrubbing up and down firmly. “Let’s get home, yeah?”

[pathologicalreid]

you can wait if you dont want to do another smut right now but id love a fic where spencer has been helping reader study for her finals and after last exam is over she thanks spencer for all his help if you know what i mean �� (this has been stuck in my head all day)

ofc he is like no!!! you dont have to thank me but obviously reader just wants to finally celebrate being done with finals with her mans

i liveeee for your fics! im so happy youre doing requests again!

earned it | S.R.

when you finish your college course work, you only have one person to thank - your tutor

who? spencer reid x fem!reader category: smut (18+ mdni) content warnings: oral sex (m receiving), borderline ass play, fingering, established relationship, mild manhandling, i think that's it. word count: 1.46k a/n: so this request is definitely from when i reopened my requests last but i wanted to let y'all know that I'm probably gonna close them again soon so like get ur requests in ahahaha thank you for requesting please don't worry if this is incoherent

“How do you feel?” Spencer asked over the phone.

Smiling into the receiver, you made your way up the steps to the second floor of his apartment building as you answered, “I feel liberated,” You answered, balancing your phone between your ear and shoulder so you could knock on his front door.

He cleared his throat over the phone, “Hold on, someone’s at the door,” he told you, moving to open the door. “Hey,” he said, obviously surprised to find you at the door, “I thought you needed to pick your parents up at the airport?”

You shrugged, ending your phone call and stepping inside his apartment, “Their flight was delayed, so I’m now free as a bird for the rest of the day.”

“Most people want to relax after finishing their final exams,” Spencer suggested, setting his phone down before reaching out to you, pulling you closer to him by your waist, “How do you think it went?”

Beaming up at him, you slung your arms around his neck before pressing a soft kiss to his lips, “I think I aced it, and it’s all thanks to my tutor.” Slowly, you ushered him in the direction of the couch, hoping to coax him to the supple leather.

Following your lead, your boyfriend hummed thoughtfully, “Well, as your tutor, I’m glad to hear that.”

With a careful touch, you settled your hands on his shoulders and pushed him down, “And now that I’m done, I figured it was time to return the favor.” You offered, settling yourself down on the couch next to him and smoothing out the skirt of your sundress.

“I’m not in classes anymore,” he reminded you confusedly, tilting his head to the side so that he was closer to you. That much you remembered, he finished his philosophy degree rather unceremoniously last year, not even willing to humor you by putting on a cap and gown.

You nodded, adjusting yourself so that you could lean over until he pulled you into his lap, one knee on either side of his hips. “Yes, but I needed to figure out some way to express my gratitude,” you said, cocking your head to the side as you gave him a knowing look.

Spencer raised his eyebrows at you, “I helped you study because I love you, not because I expected anything in return.” This, of course, you knew, Spencer was too much of a gentleman to outright accept your offer of sexual favors in exchange for your study sessions.

“No, I know, but I don’t believe in unpaid labor,” you informed him, intertwining your fingers at the back of his neck, catching some of the hair at the nape of his neck, forcing him to lean his head back. Taking the opportunity that had presented itself, you attached your lips to the side of his neck, placing gentle kisses as you felt his grip on your hips tighten. “I just finished school and maybe I want to celebrate a little,” you murmured against his skin, reaching your hand up and fiddling with the knot of his tie.

Another thing that you knew was that Spencer was too much of a man to turn down head, so you weren’t surprised when the next thing he said was, “Then let’s celebrate.”

Moving away from him slightly, you giggled, “You’re so easy to convince.”

He rolled his eyes in response, “And you’re so pretty,” he mumbled, dragging your lips down to his as you grinned, letting him touch you everywhere he wanted as you moved to palm his half-hard cock through his slacks.

Getting him hard was easy, you had been so stressed during finals that the two of you hadn’t done much more than make out, but now that all you had to do was cross the stage, you each had a lot of pent-up hormones that needed to be released. You tried to undo his belt without pulling away from him, but you eventually needed to see what you were doing, leading you to pull away before undoing the belt buckle.

Desperate for more contact, Spencer ducked his head and kissed your shoulder, leaving open-mouthed kisses around the thin strap of your dress as you continued undoing the button and zipper of his slacks with ease. You let out a soft moan in response to him moving to your neck, watching the way his cock twitched beneath his boxers.

You gently slipped your fingers under the elastic band, taking his entire length in your hand, just holding him caused his head to fall back and lift his hips from the couch to move his pants and underwear down, giving you more access. You crouched down on the couch, ducking your head so that you could press a gentle kiss to the tip of his cock, continuing your motions by pressing similar little kisses down the shaft until you hit the base.

Skimming your fingertips down his member, you smiled at the way his hips bucked off of the couch before wrapping your lips around him, taking him as far as you could without gagging and staying like that while Spencer gathered your hair at the nape of your neck and secured it with his fingers. You bobbed your head slightly, resting one hand on his hip and moving the other to hold his free hand before you lifted your head to swirl your tongue around his bulbous tip.

“You’re so good at this,” he murmured, his hand holding your hair gripping tighter as you bobbed your head again, “fuck, baby.”

Even as he let go of your hand, you continued bobbing your head even as you felt Spencer’s hand fiddling with the skirt of your dress, letting out a gentle moan when you realized what he was doing.

Spencer pulled your panties down your thighs by the gusset, giving him perfect access to your pussy as you kept your lips around his cock, “My pretty girl,” he praised while gently pressing his index finger at your entrance, circling the wet hole before pushing it in. Because of the angle you were at, he couldn’t get his fingers very deep, but it did enable him to press his thumb against your clit.

You moaned around his cock, the vibrations causing him to hiss and leading you to reach your newly freed hand to gently cup his balls, squeezing them as you bent your finger and pressed the knuckle to his taint, massaging the sensitive area that always made him finish.

He slipped another finger into your cunt easily as he released a shuddering breath, “I’m close,” he let you know, grip on your hair tightening as he did.

Humming, you just continued your ministrations until he let you know that he was going to come, the white, hot liquid spurting directly into your mouth while you continued to work him through his orgasm, your movements slowly coming to a halt so you didn’t overstimulate him.

Swallowing his cum, you released him from your mouth as he pulled his hand from your wet hole. Careful not to get anything on your dress, he maneuvered you so that you were facing him, his hooded eyes had a hint of determination as he pushed two digits into your pussy, you whimpered at the depth he got at this new angle.

You rocked your hips so that you were riding his hand, placing your hands on his shoulders for support while he used his thumb to stimulate your clit. “Spence,” you whined, breath hitching as he curled his fingers inside of you.

“What is it, baby?” He asked without pausing his movements.

Opening your mouth to respond, only a high-pitched noise came out in place of words, causing your head to fall forward onto his shoulder. “Come,” you mumbled.

Continuing to curl his fingers inside of you, he gently kissed your temple, “Come on my fingers, baby. You earned it. You can let go,” he encouraged.

You gasped as you did just that, feeling your walls clench around his fingers as he continued moving them, “Fuck, yes, thank you,” you babbled into the crook of his neck, lifting your head and looking him in the eyes.

His cheeks were flushed pink as he leaned in to press a kiss to your lips, instinctively, you pulled back.

“I have cum dribbling down my chin,” you explained to him when he frowned at the rejection.

Shaking his head, he leaned back in, “I really don’t care,” he said, kissing you chastely – as if to prove a point – and placing his hands on either side of your waist before settling you on his lap. “When does your parents’ rescheduled flight get in?”

You hummed contentedly, “Not until tonight.”

“Perfect,” he responded.

[eskir]

domestic headcanons - sunday x gn!reader

after years of dating, engagement, and years after the marriage, sunday and you have a family now. set in an alternate universe and the children can be adopted or not, you choose! this is written before i've played the 2.7 sunday quest.

robin, the certified responsible aunt, would definitely sing your children to sleep. as a result, your children might not exactly understand that she's a famous star, and instead just think she's the cool aunt who takes care of them. and maybe also the cool aunt who sneaks them candy when you and sunday aren't looking.

however, if you also give them candy, make sure to give it to them in moderation or sunday might lovingly berate you. something along the lines of "they barely brush their teeth already" or "moderation is good." you choose to only laugh a little and shake your head.

while you and sunday might have your hands full with the children (as mischievous as they could be) it is a monthly ritual for you two to have a date night. whether it be going out to a fancy dinner place and spending the night at a hotel or merely enjoying a quiet moment together, you two try to keep that routine. of course, it can be hard when complications arrive, but it allows you and sunday to spend more quality time together.

robin will always volunteer to supervise your children if that happens, but if she isn't available (let's face it, she's most likely going on at least month long tours), there's always some friends of yours or someone you could hire. although when hiring someone, sunday would meticulously check their background.

additionally, when the children are young, sunday would sing them lullabies. he might do so when you're not around, and when you walk in he'll cover his face with his wings in embarrassment. the children would most likely laugh at the sight and ask him to do that again, and he would begrudgingly do so.

also, if you have halovian children, expect them to copy sunday's wings' behavior. also expect them to try to fly with their wings, much like sunday when he was younger. of course, the attempt will fail, and that child will be nursing a broken wing if they fall.

i honestly see sunday as being a very gentle father. of course he has his rules concerning bedtime, screentime, and foods, but if he can definitely be persuaded. once your children figure out how to do so...

well have fun.

there could also be family cuddle sessions, where you all position yourselves on a couch and watch tv. of course, sunday would fight to be next to you, but most times the children would win with a very very smug grin on their face(s).

although his pouting face always did make you snicker, the way his wings would droop and he would turn his head in protest. he might be a little dramatic.

while i did mention my headcanon of sunday was that he's a gentle father, he also doubles as the father who, when the children were younger, would sit next to their bed and watch over them with a melancholy look on his face.

he still remembers gopher wood, and he doesn't ever want to become like him. so he's always cautious to let his children fly and roam free, trying to not talk of any of his ideologies too much. he doesn't do too much guilt tripping and whenever one of them might break a dish or cause trouble, he's quick to comfort them first before gently telling them why they're in the wrong.

so make sure to shoo him out of the room sometimes. he can be a bit of a worrywart, especially when the children go off to school. eventually he'll learn how to cope, but the first time he took the day off of work and was just pacing around in the house.

side note, but i also believe sunday to have either the best work-life balance or it's absolute trash. he'll either immediately stop working and worrying about work after hours or continue working and stressing. you might even see some more white hairs in his head.

at those moments you might just call robin.

also, while he might be wary of giving the children too many sweets, if he starts eating a dessert, he'll reluctantly finish it all. you and the children might catch his wings fluttering, and your children will definitely use that to their advantage.

but, overall, it's a good family. one that you, sunday, and your children wouldn't trade for any other.

[seuonji]

彡 a different feeling — chwe vernon

notes ๑ x fem reader, fluff, college setting, long fic, friends to lovers, cursing, vernon is sooo oblivious (and unserious), vernon loves yn so much. they are so teenager here and they’re still figuring out how everything works. lowk dramatic.

2k words

「big thanks to my bestie who proofread this but also we both were in the middle of a food coma so there still might be some mistakes<3 」

—songs depicts how the characters feel at the moment.

first part + currently playing - your face by wisp

๑ 'i want to feel, only when im with you."

the door of your class finally opened after what felt like an eternity. "yo," vernon who had been waiting for you says as he puts his arm around your shoulders.

"hey," you responded still not making eye contact with him, you were busy queueing songs to play during your travel. once you were done you gave him your other earphone and leaned on him slightly, "thanks for waiting by the way." "always," he smiles at you softly.

as you walked with vernon and looked around your school you noticed the stares you got from certain vernon fangirls. you knew it was kinda unfair for you to keep clinging onto your best friend like this, but something gives you a bad feeling in your stomach when you think of seeing vernon with another person. of course if ever he got with another person you’d stop, but for now, he was yours to keep.

"i think the girls in my class like your cool-guy-stance, they couldn’t take their eyes off you seeing you outside the window," you teased, he was always there waiting for you as long as you guys didn't have a conflict in schedule, he would always be able to get you from class and commute with you to your home. it's been like that since you guys got close in the beginning of college and found out you guys live near each other.

"im flattered," is all vernon had to say. you softly chuckled at his emotionless face. you moved on from the topic and talked about anything interesting that happened that day.

second part + currently playing - by your side by flatsound

๑ 'but i don't want to say goodbye, because it’s safer when i'm by your side.’

you guys got on your train and you sat on the only available seat. you gave up offering the seat to vernon, he would never take it. he stood in front of you and held the bar at the top to keep balance as you continued on with your story about a girl you dislike.

"and then, when i walked into the room kel said "hi yn!" and she hugged me!?" you expressed your disgust with your tone. "isn't kel the girl that talked shit about you?" vernon asked, super intrigued with your gossip. "EXACTLY- hey vern you missed your stop," you noticed when you took a looked at the train route. "huh- no i didn't?"

"you're going to seungkwan's place no?" seungkwan was vernon’s best friend from highschool. "i'm bringing you home first tho?" he mimicked your tone and rhymed. you laughed slightly and played with the hem of his jacket, "you don't have to bring me all the time.”

you lied. you preferred it when he stayed. train rides were more bearable with him.

he gently held your wrists in his hands and fiddled with the charms of the bracelet he gave you, “i’m not doing this cause i have to, i’m doing this because i want to.”

he was telling the truth. he loved being around you more than anyone else. that isn’t to say he didn’t want to meet his friends it’s just, a few more minutes with you, if he can take it, he will.

you grinned and leaned your head on his arm. he looked down and patted your head with his free hand. you don’t know why but something in you screamed that you wanted something more than this.

something felt different.

third part + currently playing - theres this girl by sign crushes motorist

๑ 'theres this girl, i hope she knows, how much she means to me.'

vernon got the key to seungkwan’s apartment that kwan gave him after realising vernon practically lives there. also one time vernon had to pee really bad and he was just outside the door knocking profusely— but seungkwan was wearing earphones and couldn’t hear him. but generally it could just be convenient and good for emergencies!

he quickly opened the door and threw his stuff on the floor along with his shoes.

“KWAN,” vernon stands infront of his friend that’s sitting in his living room, head rested on his hands like he was in a midlife crisis (he was). seungkwan slowly lifts his head revealing his bloodshot eyes with the glare that screamed don’t mess with me. vernon calmed down and pushed his suffering friends bangs away to touch his forehead, “you good bro?” “fuck college.” “true that.”

“hey vern,” seungkwan's roommate jeonghan walked in from the hall. they’ve been livng together since college started. "hey.”

“i'm taking a break and what’s up with you? you seem tense,” seungkwan got up from the floor and walked to the kitchen.

“i think i want to confess to yn," vernon stood in the center of the house like a lost cat.

both seungkwan and jeonghan froze. two people that hear at least 5 stories about yn per day. is it actually happening? is their otp actually getting together?

"excuse me?" seungkwan furrowed his eyebrows. "woahhh," jeonghan still stood in the hallway like the standing emoji. "who slipped up first?" he added.

"no one slipped up? i don't even think yn sees me that way."

"you oblivious gremlin- you two are closer than some married couples i know." seungkwan hissed. "that's just how we've always been." seungkwan slammed his hands on the dining table that was separating him from throwing hands at his blunt friend. jeonghan picked up the conversation as he hung his arm on the youngest's shoulder, "okay, why do you want to confess?"

"i can't really see myself being with anyone else."

"that's a good reason."

"i think i only have eyes for her." "okay this is getting cheesy," seungkwan cuts him off.

"but what if yn isn't interested and then our friendship becomes weird and then i have to live a life without her," vernon lays on the couch out of frustration.

"vernon, you and yn already act like a couple what makes you think a label changes anything," jeonghan stated while seungkwan nodded in agreement and took a sip from his glass while his free hand was on his hip. he was serving wine aunt.

jeonghan leaned against the wall and watched the helpless boy sulk, "i'm only gonna tell you this once, you'll never actually get together unless you try. and it's better to try. before you know it, she might be taken away by another guy, yknow?"

"yea," vernon replied defeatedly.

"you guys are close enough for you to try and it would be crazy for her to not have caught feelings, especially with the way she reciprocates your actions." he continued.

“kinda true.”

“unless she’s only close with you to make her crush jealous," seungkwan sips again as both stared at him, jeonghan with a hateful gaze and vernon with a, 'i thought you were on my side' look.

jeonghan instantly got up and ruffed up seungkwan's already messy hair and they bickered about why kwan would even say that. but anyways, regardless of what these two said, it all depended on vernon to make his move.

+ currently playing - ur so pretty by wasia project

๑ 'i'm so scared that the moments we shared won't happen again, i don't want this to end."

the typical routine of you clinging onto vernon happened again the next day. your arm was wrapped around his left arm, his right hand held your phone and it was his turn to queue the music today. you were expressing your joy with slightly jumping and tugging his arm over knowing that tomorrow would be the weekend but vernon was thinking about how you two might not be doing this anymore by tomorrow.

as you calmed down there was a silence but vernon broke it, “yknow you’re never going to get a boyfriend if you keep doing this.”

your heart sunk to your stomach, ‘where is this coming from?’ you thought but you maintained your composure and muttered, “i know.”

vernon looked at you, “you don’t want one?”

“i do.”

as you said that, vernon felt the world fall from behind him. could you be talking about the crush seungkwan made up— vernon was practically losing hair and sleep over a sentence he heard yesterday. having a crush on his best friend was one thing. realising he might have been inconsiderate to you was another. he knew how physically affectionate he is with you but he never bothered to ask you, was there someone else in your life that you wanted to share these experiences with. actually that was more or less a question he didn’t want the answer to.

at this point you both stopped walking and the air was heavy. your voice reached his ears but he didn’t know if it felt as sweet as before, “vern?” you stood in front of him reaching for his arm.

eventually he couldn’t bottle his feelings anymore.

he cupped your hands and spoke, “yn i really like you, like since we got close— since i met you probably so if you like someone else just tell me i can handle it,” he can’t handle it, but this was the right thing to do, right?

it was so silent you could hear the breeze.

vernon continued “i don’t want to hold you back, i want you to be with the person you like—“

+ still playing - ur so pretty by wasia project

๑ 'so hold me, don’t leave me.’

you launched yourself onto him and hugged him.

vernon couldn’t tell why you did that. was it out of pity? a friendly hug?— you guys hug all the time but why did this feel different from the one last week? in the end, he couldn’t find it in him to care if there was a motive or something of that sort. he just wanted you. in that moment all he could do was absorb it. he closed his eyes and caressed you in his arms.

“vernon?”

“yea?”

“i like you too. you idiot.”

vernon stood there dumbstruck. ‘no way,’ he mouthed.

he would’ve called you out for pranking him if it wasn’t for your overly sentimental voice that pierced his heart.

there was a long pause before he responded, “you sure?”

you slightly parted from the hug to face him, “fuck you mean ‘you sure’? does it really look like i’m looking at other people?” you sandwiched his face in between your hands. his arms were still around your waist and he laughed at your reaction, “sorry, sorry.”

you beamed at his gentleness and he got so lost in your eyes. “do you want to date me?” he said breathily. you jumped back into the hug, “of course!?”

—

‘there’s no way that worked,’ vernon thought. you two continued your walk to the train, while holding hands! but also vernon’s legs felt like jelly from the shock. he was walking so slow you thought you were going to miss your train.

fortunately you both got onto the train and got to your usual position. you got on your phone with one hand to reply to any messages you had while the other was holding vernon’s.

vernon was also on his phone and he couldn’t fully pay attention to you, “sorry, give me a second i need to tweet this to seungkwan and jeonghan.” you snickered at his seriousness and way of phrasing.

———

vern, kwan & han

vern: i did it

kwan: you burnt something down?

vern: i’m dating yn

han: WOAHHHH 👏

han: i told you!

kwan: don’t get too happy, this could be another one of his dating yn dreams. did you just wake up?

vern: *attachment of you two holding hands*

———

he instantly got a phone call from the two and it ended within mere seconds. you could still hear someone talking on the other line but vernon hung up.

“seungkwan and jeonghan invited you to dinner tomorrow.”

“are they your parents or something.”

“more or less.”

it was a calm train ride until you realised something. “why did you keep talking about me liking someone earlier?”

vernon sighed, “fucking seungkwan.”

[delphi-shield]

I was just thinking to myself Leon or Jill teaching their kid self defence 🥲

so real tbh

i put this under a cut bc i got carried away thinking about this, so sorry

i think jill is very intentional about it. sits them down beforehand and explains the ins and outs, what situation you want to use whatever technique in. the fundamentals are important and she starts them out young.

she drilled paranoia into your kid's skull since they were little. she didn't mean to - it was just basic advice, little facts sprinkled in throughout the day. keep your head on a swivel. be kind, not naive. watch your surroundings. here's how you throw a punch. here's where the solar plexus is. the elbow is the hardest point on the human body. it only takes eight pounds of pressure to break someone's nose.

she's really averse to putting them in a class with kids their age. like 1.) why would she pay for that. she can do it herself and then she doesn't have to shuffle schedules around to figure out how to get her kid to class and 2.) this is not a social activity, this is not a sport, to her this is a skill. she's heard enough horror stories about misinformation and shitty instructors.

i also think jill's kind of bad at balancing normal family activities. she's a homebody and she knows her kid needs to be around other kids and to be socialized, but it's tough. i think as a young adult jill struggled to form connections and feel like she really belonged anywhere, so she filled the pit in her stomach with skills and accomplishments and even though that's changed and gotten easier as she aged, she struggles now to fulfill that need for her kid.

leon i think wants to keep the illusion of Normal a little more. he puts a ton of pressure on himself in a family setting, really lives two lives and tries so hard to keep them separate. jill chose this life, but leon was dragged into it and he keeps work and home as separate as possible. like there's leon :) and then there's Special Agent Kennedy and those two guys do not mingle. when he gets home from work, he does the family annihilator special and sits in the car, dead eyed, hands on the wheel, reforming himself into who he wants to be by the time he steps in the house.

i think he focuses a lot more on defensive skills, on ways to disengage and de-escalate. he incorporates it into play time shockingly well, gathers his kids wrists gently in his hand, watches them giggle and try to get free before he shows them the proper way to do it. ("try it on me. watch," he says, lets his kids tiny hands wrap around his wrist. he breaks free where their hands don't quite clasp. they giggle, try to cage his arm in their grip again. "see? you try now.")

it's kind of at odds with the way he also instills his own sense of justice into them. he tells them to stand up for people who cant do it themselves and for yourself and expects his kid not to get into fights. leon has a blind spot the size and shape of his child. his initial reaction to hearing his kid put someone into the dirt at school is "nice. sorry - i meant, 'oh, no'." followed by "did they deserve it?" leon would never admit it, but he's got big "my kids would NEVER" energy (his kid absolutely would and it'll be a big strain when his kid does fuck up but i digress).

when they get older and he actually tries to teach them the basics instead of disguising it as play, it causes some friction. it runs a little too close to his line of work for him to keep himself entirely separate. he's sharper, more firm. no more fun dad. probably his kids first real reckoning with the dissonance of their father tbh.

[theflixdiaryproject]

"no. no, I actually broke up with you because you don't look like a guy." - Simon

Love, Simon tells the story of Simon Spier (Nick Robinson), a high school student who has yet to come out as gay. living in the suburbs, Simon leads a seemingly normal life, with supportive friends and a loving family. he’s been communicating with a fellow student named Blue online, but their secret relationship is now complicated when Simon’s private messages are exposed.

read my review below (may contain spoilers):

watched July 28th, 2024 on netflix

I expected a cute, fun teen rom-com from Love, Simon but what I got is something much deeper. this movie is full of emotions that really catch me off guard. I grin.. I laugh.. I cry.. and sometimes it can feels like a punch to the gut. even though I don’t see myself as part of the LGBTQ+ community, I still feel connected to Simon’s journey. this movie is not just about being gay; it’s also brings a subtle message to everyone who feels trapped and wants to break free to show the world their true selves. I really really love how this movie handles the coming-out theme. Simon’s struggle feels so relatable. it’s like something everyone can understand, even if the details of the story are different for us. the way Simon balances his secret online relationship with his real life is both thrilling and heartbreaking. it makes me think of my own online friends, the ones who truly get me, unlike some people around me. sometimes, people you’ve never met can know you better than your own family.

Simon’s secret online relationship is a big part of the story, and it’s beautifully done. his anonymous friendship with Blue feels authentic and sweet. it’s the kind of connection that probably will make you believe in people again, if you've lost it. watching Simon figure out these emotions while hiding such a big part of himself feels so raw and honest. the family dynamic in this movie is also really nice. Simon’s parents (played by Jennifer Garner and Josh Duhamel) are great, and they stay in the background. this is important because it lets the story focus on Simon. they don’t steal the spotlight, and I appreciate that. they’re there to support Simon, not to take over the movie. it feels very balanced. by the time the movie ends, I’m filled with so many feelings. Love, Simon hits me the right way. it’s authentic and refreshing, especially in the teen romance genre. it doesn’t try too hard, but it’s powerful in its simplicity. it shows that coming out, love, and figuring out who you are doesn’t have to be over-the-top to feel real. whether you’re part of the LGBTQ+ community or not, this movie is worth watching.

final verdict: I think it was okay/watchable

maturity rating: 13+ genre: comedy, drama, romance duration: 1h 50m (110 mins) country of origin: USA language: English screenplay: Greg Berlanti, Isaac Aptaker, Elizabeth Berger based on: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda novel by Becky Albertalli major cast: Nick Robinson, Katherine Langford, Alexandra Shipp, Logan Miller, Jennifer Garner, Josh Duhamel, Keiynan Lonsdale

[gonzo-rella]

Headcanons: Abed Nadir and Annie Edison Taking Care of Their Sick S/O

MASTERLIST | AO3 | KO-FI

Requested by: Anon

if you’re still open to doing the Sick reader headcanons, could you maybe do one that’s Abed Nadir x reader (in a romantic way)? Thank you so much, I love your work!!

Relationship(s): Abed Nadir x sick!gn!reader (romantic), Annie Edison x sick!gn!reader (romantic)

Warnings: The reader has a cold so... yeah. Also, since I'm sick myself, my brain isn't working at it's normal level so apologies for any mistakes! (Let me know if I need to add any)

(A/N: Thanks, Anon- that's incredibly kind! Anyway, I'll always have time to write about Abed, my beloved. I figured I'd throw in Annie too, to make up for how short these are going to be and because if I'd want anyone taking care of me right now, it'd probably be Annie. Also, feel free to request more characters from different fandoms for the sick!reader hcs series I seem to be doing now (I've already done the Yellowjackets ladies).)

ABED

Abed is more than happy to keep you company whilst you recover.

If you go to Greendale with him, he’ll ask Annie if you can borrow her notes to help you catch up when you’re feeling better.

He will also ask Annie for advice on what to do to help you recover.

He’ll bring you snacks and water, and pick up any medicine you might need.

But, his main strategy in taking care of you is hanging out with you to take your mind off of how awful you’re feeling.

He doesn’t really care about getting sick himself, so he’s more than happy to sit in bed with you.

He just loves to spend time with you whether or not you’re disgustingly sick.

He’ll bring over his favourite movies that he watches when he’s sick, and even when he has to go to college he’ll leave you with plenty of DVDs to get through when you’re by yourself.

He’ll also watch whatever you want to watch, regardless of whether or not he actually likes it.

(Again, he just likes spending time with you)

If you haven’t yet watched Inspector Spacetime with him, he might use your bedridden state as an excuse to force you to watch it with him.

ANNIE

Annie is very much a natural caretaker, and she’s completely prepared to take care of you and help you get better.

She can be a little strict, but it comes from a place of love.

If you go to Greendale with her and share some classes, she’ll make sure to catch you up when you’re better.

And, if you plead with her enough, she’ll complete any assignments you might have missed.

She’s able to balance school and taking care of you.

Between classes and at lunch, she’ll call you to make sure you’re alright and to make sure you’ve drank a sufficient amount of water, eaten and taken any medicine you need to take.

And, to everyone’s surprise, she’ll skip her study group meetings to take care of you.

Well, she’ll still study, just in your room instead.

She’s also pretty cautious not to get sick herself, so she insists on keeping a safe distance and limiting physical contact with you.

She can be guilted into giving you a hug, though.

Also, not to completely recycle my Misty Quigley headcanon but I can 100% see Annie feeding you soup.

[kaen-ace-of-diamonds]

Roller Jam

Word Count: 2300+ (oneshot)

[AO3]

Genre: Fluff/Romance

Characters: Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie, Lie Ren

Pairings: Arkos, Renora

Summary: Team JNPR decide to spend a free night learning something new together. To that end, they visit a roller disco.

Written for @rwbygotcha4gaza

~0~

“Hey everybody, let's have some fun

You only live but once, and when you're dead you're done

So let the good times roll, let the good times roll.”

-Let the Good Times Roll, Louis Jordan and His Tympany Five

~0~

“You know, my — whoa! — my dad says that he used to do this back when he was in school!”

Pyrrha blinks, looking down at him curiously. “This…exactly?”

Jaune’s laugh is sheepish and breathless, as he tries to figure out how to get back to his feet without the treacherous wheels sliding back out from under him and actually cracking his tailbone this time. 

Sure, he’d made some attempts at boosting his strength before he’d left home, but since coming to Beacon he’s been suddenly, intensely more active. Of course, there’s training sessions with Pyrrha, but there’s also Nora dragging him to the Academy gym for workouts and Ren inviting him to start trying yoga. The latter two are the reasons he can tell now that it’s his triceps and core straining to push him back up from the reverse table position he’s somehow managed to upend himself into. 

He almost manages to keep his feet underneath him as he gets back up to a standing position, but at the last second the world turns abruptly back to a startling blur of colorful roving lights.

Reflexively, his eyes squeeze shut and he braces himself for the smack of hardwood again, only to stop in midair and feel himself yanked back forward. 

“Not again!” Pyrrha’s nearly laughing as she steps back, holding both his hands tight in her own. “I was going to say we should try and move over to the middle, but maybe we stick to the wall for now?”

Despite what his brain immediately insists, Jaune knows that that suggestion isn’t just for his benefit; Pyrrha’s side is still resting against the wall of the rink to keep her balance. Turns out that staying upright on wheels isn’t actually on Pyrrha’s very long list of talents, and for once the two of them are on a learning curve together. 

“Maybe, but I think if we — ”

Before he can finish that thought, there’s a sharp squealing sound just behind them, and then they’re both pressing themselves against the wall to avoid the streak of orange and pink zooming around the arena again, sparks practically flying off of her. 

“Nora!” Ren is...well, he’s doing his best to follow in hot pursuit, but his insistence on keeping his arms spread like wings to avoid the indignity of losing his balance on his skates is slowing him down. “It’s not a race!” 

“I know!” Nora practically sings back, leaning forward and gracefully raising one leg out behind her as she whooshes around the next corner. It’s a little difficult to hear most people over the booming, energetic beat of the music, but she’s not one of them. Despite her speed, she’s sailing past the other skaters with no fear of collision, easily weaving her way through the relatively small crowd.

“She’s a natural,” Pyrrha observes with a grin.

“Yeah. Kind of makes me want to move up from the wall.”

“Hm…I don’t think we’re quite on that level yet.” Pyrrha’s tone is more teasing than legitimately reluctant. “Maybe someday?”

“Well, I don’t see any reason why we can’t start today.” 

As usual, Jaune starts speaking not at all sure if he’s saying the right thing, but the way Pyrrha follows his gaze towards the center of the arena. It’s kind of like the reverse of the ice skating lessons his sister Viola had taken when she was little; he’d spent the hour slipping and stumbling around the border of the rink while her class’ lesson went on in the middle. 

“Want to give it a better go?”

She only hesitates a moment before giving his hand another squeeze. “I’m game if you are!”

He’s glad again that they went on a relatively calm weekday night; there’s plenty of room for them to slide over and try to get a final hold on their sea legs. Or, skate legs, he guesses. 

“So, I was reading about this before we left,” Pyrrha is saying, tentatively shifting her weight on her skates. Jaune nods, remembering her back in the dorm room absorbed in a sports magazine, Ren leaning over her shoulder with equally intense focus. “It seems like...this is a pretty basic move?”

She shuffles her skates back and forth, trying to move in time with the music, and Jaune does the same. “It’s...kind of like training, isn’t it? Getting your balance, being in tune with your body, until you can do what you want? Isn’t that what you were saying?” 

In a sudden moment of daring, he tries spinning, and manages one complete rotation before a slip of one foot has him throwing his arms out wide to keep that balance. It would look pretty goofy, he thinks, to take another dive right when he’d just been talking about staying up. But Pyrrha’s grinning in delight rather than embarrassment.

“Exactly! Though, I can’t say I’d mind if it wasn’t so familiar.” She goes on, as if it’s only just occurring to her, “It’s… honestly been a while since I learned anything new.”

“Really?”

“More or less, my whole life’s been school, training, and tournaments since I was twelve. I didn’t have anyone to go out and do things with, so I just…never did.”

Jaune blinks. It’s not like he really talks to the guys he hung out with before Beacon, but at least he’d had some people to call if he wanted to get out of the house. Even after the dance, he still gets surprised; he just can’t imagine actively choosing not to be around Pyrrha.

“Bet this is a little more fun, huh?” 

Hoping he won’t instantly regret trying to copy the moves of a pair he’d watched for maybe a minute when they’d walked in, he shuffles to his left side and then back right, heel to toe and back, kind of like the way he was taught to move his feet when his family went skiing in Mistral. Or, probably more accurately, like an oddly rhythmic crab. 

Pyrrha watches like she’s not entirely sure what he’s doing, but she gives him an encouraging thumbs-up anyway. “Looks like you’ve got it!”

Her voice, more than his success, is a straight shot of confidence straight to his head, and he’s suddenly bold enough to try keeping his balance in a different way. He bends his knees and pushes off with his back foot, arms cautiously out, gliding in a surprisingly smooth circle around Pyrrha, who starts making short turns on her heel again and again to follow him, grinning.

“Jaune, what are you doing?”

“Oh, am I making you dizzy?” he teases. 

“Not quite. Am I?” Pyrrha moves hesitantly at first — it’s a move she’d been trying out before with one hand gripping the wall — then faster as she gets the hang of it, in an increasingly confident step-and-twist, turning and pivoting as careful as she is lively.

“Look at you guys, getting into the spirit!” 

They both startle, turn, and then startle again when they see Nora practically soar by, holding Ren high above her head like a figure skating pair. The realization quickly hits them that the whooping of the crowd isn’t just general zest for life: a solid number of them are now excitedly following behind Nora, like kittens traipsing after a mama cat.

“Nora be careful!” Jaune bursts out, knowing full well that Nora knows better than to drop her poor partner on his face, but glancing down to check her footwork just in case.

“Are...are you all right, Ren?” Pyrrha calls up.

“It’s fine!” Ren calls back breathlessly. His eyes are wide with shock, but his reflexes are taking care of things; his arms are spread even wider, like a swan in flight, and he’s tentatively extending a leg out behind him. “It’s...actually pretty nice up here!”

“Well, you look very graceful!” Pyrrha assures them both as they sail around another corner, surrounded by their adoring fans, then begins musing, half to herself: “Though, I have to wonder, is that any part of an actual dance? Mm...I bet my father would have known. I don’t remember all that well, but he talked sometimes about going out dancing with my mother. Like yours, Jaune?”

“Hm? I don’t know, it was...what, thirty years ago? My dad was out there doing this!” 

He promptly starts swinging his hips back and forth and his index finger from his shoulder to his other hip, knowing full well that there’s no way he’s doing the move right. Despite how utterly lame he looks (or, perhaps, because of it), Pyrrha bursts out laughing.

“I know!” he says, joining in as he drops his hand. “And my mom married him anyway!”

He’d been hoping to distract her from a potentially depressing train of thought, but her next words both make it clear he’s failed at that and that it might not be such a bad thing.

“Papa would have liked you. I know he would have.” Bittersweet as it must be for her to say, Pyrrha’s still smiling like she can’t stop. “I can’t wait to introduce you all to my mother. She’ll love you too.”

The sincerity in her voice makes Jaune’s heart skip a beat. He blurts out, “You think so?”

“I know so. They both always did want me to make more friends.” 

“So when we visit your mom, we can show her…this?” 

Rather than redo his own goofy dance, Jaune bends his knees and, as if presenting her on a stage, holds his hands out at Pyrrha, who happily gives a fancy step-in-place another go, sliding on her front wheels one foot around the other in steadily smoother crescents. Her skates clack sharply together on one too-strong diagonal slide, nearly tripping her, but she quickly catches herself, giggling at her own mistake.

“These things have a mind of their own, don’t they?” She reaches out to him, eyes bright. “Do you want to try...maybe another dance?”

He glides forward and takes her hand, more moving reflexively than thinking about what they’re going to do. But they’ll do what they can. Which is getting pretty good, if he says so.

Leaving their small area to start circling around the edge, they don’t quite give themselves the freedom to try and move like some of the other pairs are, practically floating around the rink with flawless footwork, hand in hand. Their movements are shaky, amateurish, and unlike on the field, they’re not quite sure who should be leading: they’re kind of switching off every other turn. Still, it seems to be working out. 

Turning, gliding, backward and forward and then back again, they don’t quite find a rhythm, but stick close together anyway. Pyrrha’s practically glowing with excitement, never taking her eyes off him even as the lights spin and the other skaters weave around. Not that Jaune could look anywhere but her, either, even if he wanted to. It’s almost better than sparring, he thinks, almost laughing.

When he lifts a hand to properly guide her around in a spin, Pyrrha goes for it with such enthusiasm that she doesn’t quite complete the rotation, the momentum sending her leg shooting out from under her instead of around again. She lets out a surprised yelp, but she’s not falling for any longer than that before Jaune dives after her, throwing his other arm around her shoulders.

It takes a moment of standing frozen there, blinking at each other, before Jaune realizes that he’s just caught Pyrrha in the world’s most awkward dip. From the way Pyrrha’s eyes light up, it’s clear she has too: part of him wonders why she seems so happy about it. 

“Well...we almost pulled it off,” she says, giving his hand a squeeze. “Thanks for catching me.”

Jaune smiles. “Yeah — it was pretty good, right?” 

One of Pyrrha’s skates jutting back again reminds them that they can’t hang out down here forever. But they’ve barely started trying to straighten back up when the world’s most powerful hug not only propels them back up to their feet but nearly knocks them right out of their skates.

“You’re naturals too!” Nora crows, squeezing them both tight enough to elicit some joint cracks. “Are you sure you’ve never been here before?”

“Us? What about you?” Jaune laughs. “Won’t your fan club over there miss you?”

“Oh, I got them going, they’ll be fine without me,” Nora says, gesturing back over her shoulder to the other skaters, and grinning at the double take he does when he sees the massive conga line on wheels they’ve formed, happily dancing along even without their new leaders. “Anyone want to switch partners for a minute?”

“...Just for a minute.” Pyrrha smiles at Jaune and offers her hand to Nora, who gleefully takes it as the two skate off. 

“Let me see if I can lift you too!”

“We both know you can!”

Ren, meanwhile, is giving Jaune a very serious look that he recognizes immediately. “Okay. You remember the other steps, right?”

Fighting back a smirk, Jaune tilts his head in a show of innocent curiosity. “Hm? Remember what?”

He’s successfully made the muscle just under Ren’s left eye twitch, but to his teammate’s credit, he doesn’t slip once as he re-demonstrates the moves, even on wheels. “It’s kick, step, kick, step, body roll! You did not forget!”

Jaune laughs, stretching his arms out and sliding his skates back and forth in preparation. They’re probably not ready to do another impromptu dance performance here; he’s pretty sure that that would end with him being carted out on a gurney. Still, he makes sure of his balance and assumes the stance. The four of them have got plenty of time to get a hold of some kind of style, brave enough to attempt bigger and better moves under the neon lights.

“Okay, okay — let me give it a try!”

[the-expired-tofu]

The Devil's Trumpets | Pt. 2

|| A 'The Glory' fanfic || MINORS DNI [18+]

************************************************************************

************************************************************************

a/n: Hey there, this is my first time writing a fan fiction. I might change a few things in my fictions later on. Also, my English isn't my first language so my writing might lack some fluency. Hope you enjoy :)

trigger warnings: lots of swearing, bullying, murder, gore, depression, abuse, mature content, violence, sexual themes.

pairing: reader x multi

************************************************************************

Y/N

Heaven never appeared to be on my side since I was born. My prayers were never answered. I dreaded waking up everyday when I was in highschool. You see, I never asked for any of this. I simply wished to lead a normal life. Is that too much to ask for?

My parents divorced when I was seven years old. My mother chose to marry a wealthy man and take my sister with her. While I were to stay with my alcoholic father. Even though I shared the same roof with him, I always felt lonely. He was always spending all of my money on more alcohol. Luckily he never abused me. I had to take care of him. Each and everyday became more difficult for me. Leaving with my mother would have been a very different experience. I'm curious of what made her change her mind. She always gave me the same reason for leaving me with my dad.

“Someone has to stay behind to look after him.” She did send us money from her husband’s account to cover up my father’s medication. That’s how we kept in contact with each other. The day she left us was the last time I saw her and my sister. My mother never bothered to make a call nor visit us, or even check on us. I figured she left us for her own good.

However, I was quite close to my sister. Even our parents' divorce couldn't properly separate us. We used to write letters to one another every day since I couldn’t afford a cell-phone for myself. I kept all her letters in a box till this day.

Living like this in Semyeong never really bothered me. Taking care of my dad all by myself was quite difficult if I say, but other than that, I was fine. Until one day, I was walking on the school grounds to get to the cafeteria, when I heard a horrifying  scream coming from the gym. There were quite many students casually walking near the place. How come nobody heard that?

Now that I even think about it, I realize I should have exercised caution while being curious. I decided to check out the issue. And that’s when everything started.

I was peeking through the door when I noticed a group of four students crowding near the stage. I could here some laughs when I noticed a girl with straight long hair coming out of the crowd. That’s when I saw her for the first time.

Moon Dong-Eun. Both her hands were tightly held by two more students, Son Myeong-Oh and Choi Hye-Jeong, while Lee Sa-Ra was holding Yeon-jin’s hair curling iron.

“Hey!”

I lost my balance and fell on my back. It was a guy holding a basketball and stood right over me.

“Oh come on do I look that bad?” He asked as he grabbed me by my hair.

“NO, NO, NO, PLEASE NO!! HELP!! ” I yelled for help and not one student wandering outside the gym came for my help.

“Yeah you’re fucking ugly Jae-joon, no wonder why she fell when she saw you.” That was Lee Sa-ra. She held a cigarette in her mouth while curling Yeon-jin’s hair.

He dragged me near the place where Moon Dong-Eun was lying. I noticed a burn on her right arm that resembled the shape of the curling iron. I had to get away from this place. I have to call the police.

I tried to free myself from his grasp but he dragged me back to the same place where Dong-Eun was. She was almost unconscious when I called out for her.

“Call her all you want. Neither can she help you, nor can anyone else.” Hye-Jeong let out a laugh when she dangled the keys in front of me.

“Oh look! Dong-eun has a friend now,” said Yeon-jin with a pout on her face.”Isn’t that adorable?” She said as she cupped my face with her hands.

“What’s your name?” she asked me while she looked down at my legs.

“She asked you a fucking question, you bitch,” asked Jae-joon who still held me by my hair with a painful grip.

“Well what does it say on her nametag?” said Yeon-jin as she opens the pin of the tag from my shirt. “Y/N. What a pretty name, and such pretty legs,” she took a few steps back to take a look at my legs again. “I wonder how my cigarettes would look on them.”

“Look, please, I swear I wont tell anybody, please let me go, I have to go back, I have to take care of my dad, he is not doing well. Please let me go” I started crying because I knew, I have no way out.

“Well the show hasn’t even started yet and you already want to go back?” said Yeon-Jin. She started backing away from me when she raised her thumb at me and then all of them started grabbing me at the edge of the stage. Myeong-oh and Hye-jeong grabbed me by my arms. I started panicking when I saw Sa-ra walking towards me with three burnt cigarettes together.

“NO PLEASE NO!!”

She shushed me with her finger on my lips. “This is high quality weed. Nobody can say no to these babies,” She said as she pointed the cigarettes towards me. She took a puff out of the three cigarettes together and grabbed me by my thighs. Before I even knew it, she pressed those together on my thighs.

My scream echoed on the walls of the gym. I tried flinging my legs in the air but she held them with a firm grip.

After she was done with my left leg, she went on to press them on my right one.

My screams became more and more distorted as I choked on my tears. My lungs, my throat, my legs, everything hurt.

“Oh my god, this bitch is fucking loud. Can someone shut her up?” said Yeon-jin.

“On it,” said Jae-joon. He threw the basketball away he was playing with a while ago and put his hand inside his pocket to take out a small bottle eye drops. He pressed a few drops on his eyes and put it back inside. I remember that it was that day he brutally beat up another guy who made fun of his colorblindness. His knuckles were still red from that guy’s blood.

“Imagine if she ever screamed my name,” said Jae-joon with a smirk on his face as he threw the ball away.

"Can you just shut the fuck up and shut her up?"

He grabbed my waist firmly and put his palm over my mouth tight shut.

Sa-ra continued pressing the cigarettes on my skin. My muffled screams died down eventually when I started feeling numb. This went on for quite long as I remember.

“Yeah that’ll do.”

Sa-ra removes the cigarettes from my thighs and lets go of my legs. I slid down the table and dropped to the floor. The stinging pain in my legs grew worser.

“She’s already out? Damn she’s weak as fuck,” Yeon-jin said as she nudged with her shoes on my thighs.

“Why did you do this to me? What harm did I ever do to you people?” I muttered.

“Because bitch if we didn’t, you would have told someone about us. Even though nobody even gives a shit about what we do. Nobody will ever believe you, and nobody will ever come to save your day” Yeon-jin said in a sing-song voice and the others laughed as she stood towered over me.

“What a whore,” said Myeong-oh. He kicked me at the back as I winced from the pain.

“Hey let’s go to the karaoke bar, it’s opened by now,” said Hye-jeong.

“Bye hoes,” Sa-ra waved as she walked away with others.

I laid there, barely conscious. My tears didn’t stop and my eyes were stinging. The world grew blurry around me. The burning pain, the bruises, the wounds, my head, the ringing in my ears, everything felt worse. I couldn’t even move. Before I knew anything else, I passed out on the gym floor.

*

I wiped the steam off my mirror as I stood naked in front of it. Some of the burnt skin on my thighs grew pinkish red over the years.

        I wore some clothes on and started drying my hair. Min-hee is fast asleep in her room. I collected all the dishes from the table and put them in the sink. It’s 11.45 p.m. My sleep can wait.

        I turned my phone on and opened Facebook. I searched up Moon Dong-Eun. I found a profile under the same name but there weren’t any pictures. I wonder if it’s really hers.

        I was staring at her profile. Should I search them up as well? I mean, I have to if I want to change my mind.

        I searched up Yeon-jin’s profile first. She worked as a weather forecaster at a news channel and married the CEO of Jaepyeong Construction in Semyeong, Ha Do-yeong. She had a child named Ha Ye-sol, same age as Min-hee.

        Jeon Jae-joon is a wealthy heir to a country club and helped up scaling a clothing boutique named Siesta.

        Lee Sa-ra became an artist.

        Choi Hye-jeong works as a flight attendant.

        For Son Myeong-oh, I couldn’t gather much information about him except maybe he works for Jeon Jae-joon.

        This much was quite enough for me. I put my phone down on the table and rested my head on my arms. I kept staring at the ceiling. The yellow light from the street outside illuminated my room. I looked over at Min-hee, she’s fast asleep.

        I took my phone and went over to the common balcony. I opened up my call logs on my phone as I closed the door behind me to make sure Min-hee doesn’t wake up. At the top of my call logs displayed Moon Dong-eun’s name. I almost made the call  when I paused.

        Wait, no. Am I doing the right thing?

        I didn’t press on her name yet. Instead, I stretched back by holding on the railings and looked over at the city before me. Seoul looks beautiful especially at night. The city lights flickered like the stars in the sky. All the quietness up here and the distant hustle of the people and traffic made me calm.

I closed my eyes and let out my breath. I looked back at my phone and pressed her name. I pressed the phone against my ear. After a few rings at my end, ”Hello Moon Dong-Eun? It’s me,  Y/N.”

************************************************************************

[ceasarslegion]

Hey man I just wanted to give you condolences for how hard this work shit is causing you to struggle. Just one of those things everyone has their own crosses to bear in regards to toxic workplaces. If you are considering a change in careers I'm sure it can't be too hard to translate your experience to somewhere less intense.

Thank you 😭

I just need to get out of this specific place to somewhere that let's me rest and get my ducks in a row from here. It sucks to be at a part of my life where I realize I'm not doing what makes me happy and I have to start all over. My 20s have felt like an endless cycle of starting all over honestly, but my family tells me that's normal for your 20s and it's why they suck so bad and that I'm doing fine for a 25 year old. They've told me in a worst case scenario I could come crash with them and be a paid farmhand at my aunt and uncles cattle ranch while I figure things out, but I'm not a country guy at all. It would make me so much mentally worse to leave the city, but at least I have a nuclear option if things really blow up in my face. I'm not in danger of being utterly out of work with no roof over my head or food to eat.

I think the security industry has just gone to hell honestly. It used to be a respectable and livable job where you were trusted to handle things and weren't expected to put your life on the line for customer service experience or whatever. You could bring your books and little things to play with while on guard duty because no one expected you to just stare at the fucking wall for 8 straight hours if there was nothing to respond to. I actually first got into security early on in uni because it allowed me to do my schoolwork at work so I could balance school and finances without being utterly devoid of free time or sacrificing my sleep. As long as the checklist got done and the building was still standing at the end of my shift, they were happy.

Now they treat us like a hybrid between emergency responders and customer service representatives. We aren't emergency responders, we're supposed to be the mid ground responders. Yknow, the incidents that need intervention but aren't threats to public safety. You don't call the cops on someone screaming at the service staff or the fire department when you lock yourself out, you call security. In recent years it's turned into "well what can you do to both curtail actual emergencies and make their *experience* better?" That's not my job!! Nowhere in my job description or certifications does it say I'm a first responder! I'm not supposed to be! I'm the guy who assigns tasks and keeps everyone's head screwed on when the emergencies happen but I am not the guy who puts my own life in danger to solve them. Do not ask me to do that for 23 bucks an hour and no mental health benefits and then ask me why the guy screaming at me wasnt happy with his experience today, what's wrong with all of you

Luckily my old work friend got out and found work doing like, proper big boy government aviation security for celebrities and political figures. She tells me there's no drama or mean girl bullshit there because there's only like 5 of them and there's no need to prove themselves to each other. And it starts a whole wealth bracket above what I make now. I gave her my credentials and CV and she said she'd pass them on and put in a good word for me, so I hope that goes somewhere. Other than that my like regular schedule now is waking up and going right to my pc to open the city job board and hitting apply on everything I even remotely could do

Sorry this turned into a bit of a rant man, I really do appreciate the gesture. And as a general sentiment, please be nice to security guards. We're going through enough as it is

[spicywhenspeaking]

If I'm There : Chapter Ten

read from part one

Noah and Natalie meet in high school and developed a relationship through their love of music and art. Falling in love, innocent and young, they think nothing can keep them apart. However, sometimes in the pursuit of your dreams the things we love the most get left behind

warnings: mentions of alcohol abuse and overdose, no death.

no beta reader so there might be a couple errors.

Noah was rubbing my back in soothing circles and looking at me full of concern. Kyle took a deep breath and finally told me what happened. “She was unresponsive, I called 911 and when they got there they said she barely had a pulse. She practically drank herself to death this time.” There’s pain in his voice but he seems to be calming down . “I’m with her and dads on the way. We’re at St.Peters Memorial. Can you get here?” I get out of bed and scramble to throw on my jeans with my phone cradled between my shoulder and ear. “Yeah, um I can ask Noah for a ride.” I look at him and he nods his answer, rubbing the sleep out of his eyes and getting up to get himself dressed as well. “I’ll be there soon Kyle. We’ll figure this out.” I say to him. “Okay, I’ll see you soon.” The line disconnects. 

“What happened?” Noah asks as I’m frantically searching for where my bra got thrown last night. Finding it I put it on and answer. “It’s my mom. She- I don't know. Kyle found her unconscious this morning.” I trip over Noah’s guitar case getting my bra on. “Oh fuck!” He jumps up to help me up but I manage to get my balance on his desk and find my shirt. Throwing it on I grab my bag and wait for Noah to finish getting ready. In the car, my mind is racing and I bite my nail so badly that I jerk back into reality at the pain. Noah reaches his hand over to take my hand in his. “It’s all going to be okay” he tries to reassure me. “I don't know, my mom- this thing with her, it's getting so much worse,” I say leaning my head on the window, looking out and watching the road and the grass blur into one. “I just don’t know what to do anymore. My Dad tried for a while but he has no patience. One of the reasons he left her. Left all of us.” Noah squeezes my hand attempting to offer some comfort but the reality of how bad the situation with my Mom has gotten is hitting me hard. “I’ve just been ignoring it, to be honest, she and my Dad used to really get into it, yelling and screaming. After he left she got worse and I just kept to myself, focused on school and art.” I take a deep breath before going on. “Kyle, as you can tell, handled things differently.” I busy my free hand by pulling at the frayed edges that surround the hole in my jeans. “we used to be really close, you know? Twins that did everything together. After our Dad left, Mom started drinking a lot more, he would try to talk to her about it, begging her to stop.” I can feel my eyes burning with tears. I’ve told Noah a little about my mom but I was hoping it would never get this bad. “She would be embarrassed in the morning. Promising she would get better. That would last about 4 hours.” I scoff. “Pathetic.” 

Noah having been silent for so long just rubbed his thumb against the top of my hand in a gentle caress. “I’m so sorry Natty, why didn’t you tell me how bad it was?” He asks. I let out an aggravated harumph. “Not something I particularly enjoy talking about on top of how Kyle was acting. Things between us are good and I didn’t want to talk about my stupid mom's stupid drinking problem.” He nods his head “I understand, but you can always talk to me about that kind of stuff you know?” Noah is trying to reassure me, but in the few months we’ve been together we rarely talk about stuff like this. He doesn’t ever talk about his family stuff and I don’t ask. Does that make me a bad girlfriend? Ugh, I don’t know, but there’s too much going on right now for me to start worrying about my relationship. “I know, I know. You know the same goes for you too” I turn to face him and he smiles softly at him. “I know Nat.”

We finally arrive at the hospital and Noah drops me off at the ground entrance. “I think maybe I should go by myself. Kyle is likely to be pretty emotional right now, I don’t know how he would react to you being there.” He nods slowly and I can see the hesitation in his eyes. “Are you sure?” He asks. I unclip my seatbelt and gather my bag together. “Yes, it should just be us while we wait for our Dad. But thank you.” I say pulling him into a hug from across the center console. “Thank you for bringing me and I’ll call you later okay?” He hugs me back and kisses me on top of the head before pulling back and resting his head against mine. “Okay,” he kisses me softly. “Nick and I will be at the show out of town tonight but…I can cancel if you need me to?” I shake my head, “No, no don’t cancel.” The last thing I want is for him to cancel because of me.  “Just call me in the morning when you wake up and I’ll update you.” He kisses me again. “Okay, I will. I love you, Nat.” And with one last kiss, I head out of the car. “ I love you too.”

Walking into the hospital I’m hit with the thick nose-burning scent of antiseptic. Kyle told me they're on the 5th floor so I follow the signs to the elevator and make my way up. I meet Kyle in the room the assigned our mom. Kyle is sitting with his hands buried in his hands when I arrive and my Mom is asleep in the bed with wires and some tubes connected to her. The faint beat of the heart monitor is the only sound for a few moments before I make my entrance known with a soft cough. “Hey, Kyle. How are you?” I ask and he lifts his head up, standing and coming to pull me into a bone-crushing hug. I freeze not knowing what to do with my hands. “Umm okay, what's going on Kyle.” He releases me and takes a step back. “Sorry, it's just been a crazy few hours.” He holds my shoulders and looks at me and I see his red puffy eyes and tear-stained cheeks. “I thought she was dead and I-” his voice catches. “I just was so scared Sissy, what are we going to do?” Tears filling my own eyes I look between Kyle and our Mom, asleep in the hospital bed. “I don’t know Ky, what can we do? We can't make her get better, she has to want to.” Tears of sadness and anger are falling down my face. “Would she even go to rehab? She won't even go to her AA meetings anymore.” We sit in the chairs next to a large window in the far corner of her room. Kyle recounts the events of the morning. He woke up and found Mom on the couch and tried to move her before noticing she was completely unresponsive. Kyle with tear-filled eyes and panic coursing through his veins tried to find a pulse and was instructed by the 9-1-1 operator to perform CPR until the paramedics arrived. “Oh my god Ky, that's- that's a lot. Are you okay?” I ask, knowing the answer for all of us is no. “I’m okay, I’m alright, I'll be okay and so will Mom.” He's nodding his head emphatically, “She will be okay, she’ll get better.” He takes a deep breath. "She will get better.” I rest my head on his shoulder, “yeah, she’ll get better.” We sit there for a while longer and then our Dad walks in.

My Dad rushes to Mom’s bedside and takes her hand in his. “Damnit Kelly, what did you do to yourself?” He goes to his knees and brushes the hair off of her head. “This isn't the life we had planned for ourselves.” My Dad's voice goes soft and the room is silent as Kyle and I take in what's happening. So now he cares? Running to her bedside? After all this time.

“Are you kids okay?” He turns to address us. Kyle is silent in his presence so I manage out a small “Yeah, we're okay.” The doctor chose this awkward moment to come in and check in on Mom and give us an update on her recovery. He tells us that the excessive drinking will kill her if she doesn't get help and he gives my Dad some pamphlets on rehab centers nearby before heading back out the door. “Okay, here's what's gonna happen.” My Dad starts, “Your Mother is going to this treatment center until she's better.”

Kyle and I both nod in agreement. “And I’ll move in to keep an eye on you two while she's away.” My nodding stops and Kyles does as well. “Like Hell,” Kyle responds. “Nat and I have been taking care of ourselves for long enough already, we don’t need you moving in and taking over again.” I still don't know what happened between Dad and Kyle this summer but by the tone my brother is using im guessing things aren't peachy-keen with the two of them. “Watch that tone boy, I know you think you’re all grown up now but you still live in the house I pay for.” My eyes roll at that. “You don't pay for anything anymore Dad. Plus, we’re 18. You don't need to play babysitter.” He tenses up at us talking back. “Listen, your mother is sick, she needs us all to be there for her.”

My sadness is turning into anger quickly. “She needs us? Thats rich. And you're talking to us about being there for her? Are you serious?” My voice is rising. “You want to come home and play house like Mom is just off on a retreat? Kyle? What do you think?” I turn to my brother for his reaction. “Mom should go to the center, I agree with that, but you made it clear this summer how you felt about me. I’d hate to be just another disappointment you’re forced to live with.” A dissapointment? That's what my dad said to him? Ironic that it's coming from the embodiment of disappointment itself. “Ky, you know I didn't mean it.” Dad tries to soothe the sting of the words that have festered in Kyles's heart. “Stop, I don't want to hear it. If you come back to the house to be closer to Mom I won't stop you, but I’m not following orders or household rules or any of the bullshit you want to try. Nat and I are legally adults and will be out of the house soon. I’ll stay out of your hair, you’ll stay out of my life.” Dad's stern face nods sharply and he goes back down to sitting next to Mom.

Kyle exits the room and goes down the hall. I follow and call after him “Kyle, wait up.” He stops and turns around. “Can you believe him? Bastard. I shouldn't have called him” 

“No, no. it's good you did. He can help Mom more than we could. Unfortunately, she’ll listen to him.” We continue walking until we reach the elevators, taking them down and walking out of the hospital into the fresh air. “Dad kicked me out after the summer.” Kyle starts. “I was stupid on the job site. Got into a fight with one of the guys, dude broke his arm.” He runs a frustrated hand through his hair. “He fired me and told me to pack my bag. Called me a loser, a waste of space. A disappointment. Said I was the worst part of himself. The parts that he hated.. the thing that sucks is that he's right.”

I take my hand and place it on his shoulders, “No, he's not right Kyle. You're not any of those things.” pushing off my hand he backs away, “How can you say that? How can you defend me? After all of that shit last spring? After how much of a dick i’ve been? How can you see anything good in me, Nat?” He plops down on a bench and rests his head on his knees. I come to sit next to him and start softly. “Last spring was hard, you became someone I didn’t recognize. Everything with Mom and Dad has been hard on both of us and we should have been there for each other. I should have been there for you.” He looks up at me. “I should have been there for you too Sis.” We sit there in silence for a while. “Why don't we go to a movie or something. I’m sure Dad has all of this handled.” I wave absent-mindedly at the hospital behind us. “Yeah, that would be fun.”

We take the bus to the mall and get tickets to see some action movie. After sharing a large bucket of popcorn we call our Dad for an update and he lets us know Mom will be discharged tomorrow and that he will take her to the treatment center on Monday morning. By the time we get home after grabbing a bite to eat, I head up to my room. Crashing on my bed, I turn on some music and text Noah. 

Natalie: Finally home. 8:45pm

Noah: How did everything go with you Mom? 8:50pm

Natalie: eh, it’ll be okay I guess. She’s going to rehab on monday so we will see. 8:51pm

Noah: thats good news ! 9:00pm

Noah: we’re about to go on! I’ll call you tomorrow babe, Love you <3 9:00

Natalie: have a good show :) love you 2 9:02pm

I take a hot shower and put on my pajamas, falling into bed I am asleep instantly.

I wake up in the morning as the sun shines into my room, I text Noah but dont get a response, he’s probably still asleep. Heading downstairs I make a cup of coffee and sit in the living room and watch some tv. Kyle joins me later and we watch reruns of spongebob, laughing at the stupid jokes. I text Noah again but he still hasnt responded. Strange but I’m assuming that he stayed out late after the show so it makes sense he would still be asleep, especially since he woke up so early yesterday.

Dad brings Mom home a little later and she's weepy and apologetic, I don’t feel like fighting so I accept her hug and head back into my room.

It's close to 2pm and I decide to call Noah. It rings a few times before he answers with a sleepy yawn. “Hey baby, are you okay?” I laugh at his tired voice. “Yes, I’m okay. Are you okay? I texted you this morning and didn't hear back.” I hear rustling on the other side of the phone and the faint sound of Nick grumbling at Noah to be quiet. “Yeah, sorry Natty. We ended up staying out late, someone had a party after the show. Didn't get home until like 4am.” My eyes widen in surprise, “wow, that is late.” There's continued rustling and I hear the click of a door being shut. “haha, yeah. Sorry, I should have texted you that I would probably be asleep for a while.” I sigh and lay back in my bed. “It’s okay. How was the show?” And then it's like he just drank a Redbull, he's full of energy when he tells me, “Holy shit Natty, I have HUGE news! You’re going to freak out!”  

page divider from here!

Next chapter here!

taglist : @lma1986 @cookiesupplier @notingridslurkaccount @blackveilomens

thank you for reading! might be a few days before part 11! I have another one shot in my brain that I'm wanting to get out lol.

anywhooo love you!!! let me know what ya think!

[bigfan-fanfic]

Inoculation (Institute!Sole Survivor Reader x MacCready)

Can you do a fic with Institute Sole Survivor and MacReady being domestic with Duncan in the Institute? Having a conversation about raising Duncan and they reassured each other about their situation

Free time is... a relatively foreign concept for MacCready.

Out There... you always have to be doing something.

Foraging, boiling water to purify it, watching out for Raiders or Feral Ghouls or something.

And your moments not spent in direct activity are spent in resting and recharging for more of the same.

But here in the Institute...

MacCready compulsively brushes off the white jumpsuit he wears, the black lines designating him a part of the SRB division. These may be the cleanest clothes he's ever worn, and he still worries about getting them dirty.

Some of the SRB brainiacs gave MacCready dirty looks the first few days - until they saw him in Advanced Systems with a plasma rifle.

Now he's an asset. One of them. They're glad to have him on their side.

No one could say he gets a pass just because he's sleeping with the Director.

They said from the start that he's your husband. It eases their sensibilities, and MacCready's happy that it keeps anyone else from flirting with him.

But in any case, the people in the Institute are quite free with their time - they take breaks, have long lunches, and everyone gets to leave to pick up their kids from school.

MacCready will sometimes have nearly an hour to kill before Duncan gets out of the school.

It's hard to have time to think. Thinking was counterproductive to survival before. You avoid having time on your hands to contemplate all the horror.

But here, there's just... everything's clean. The air is crisp, carefully filtered. It's temperature controlled. Just cool enough.

"Out here all by your lonesome, Mac?" Your hands slip around his waist, and you kiss him on the cheek. MacCready closes his eyes and basks in the sudden solidity you bring him. "What's wrong? You been thinkin'? I told you to cut that out, you'll hurt yourself-"

MacCready looks at you. "You get out early, Director?"

"Yeah. Figured we'd do somethin fun with Duncan."

"Hmm..."

"Mac..."

"Don't get me wrong - I like it here. I like that Duncan can grow up... safe. Actually safe. I guess... I just wonder if it's worth it. Not seeing the sun."

"We can take him out when he's older. When it's safer. Give my operations a chance to work. Let's give the water the chance to be cleaned and the Commonwealth at least to be cleared and de-rad-i-fied."

"And how are you holding up there, Boss? Been a while since you... you know. Took over from, uh, Father, and uh... took charge."

"Yeah. I worry. Am I like he was? Am I doing better? Am I crazy? And then balancing this all out with Duncan..."

"Duncan loves ya. And I guess... we'll just have to wait and see on the rest of it, yeah?'

Another kiss, until-

"Ew." Duncan smirks as he approaches.

MacCready chuckles. "You watch it, little bugger. I'll remember this when you get old enough to kiss."

Duncan runs ahead to get home.

He's safe. We're safe. I promise."

[thelostacademicblog]

Goals Are So Big and I Am Not

Or the one where Finn gets off-topic and rambles about music

Well, university is finally hitting that level of difficulty that they told me about in high school. Last semester, I was able to breeze through and only really focus on two classes. This semester is a different story. All of my classes are major classes, and I’m actually feeling academically challenged for once. It’s tiring and hard, but I know it will be worth it.

The part I’m really struggling with is every other aspect of life. Like many others, I’ve been in and out of jobs since the summer. I have a really hard time doing anything outside of working, so I either have to focus on work (including school) or my domestic duties. Not only that, but I have been thinking I’m autistic for a long time, even more so after my brother was diagnosed. Knowing if I have autism would put this struggle into perspective and make me feel like less of a failure, but I don’t plan to pursue an official diagnosis for a myriad of reasons. So, I guess I’ll never actually know.

Currently, I have a tutoring gig lined up that will hopefully hold me over until the summer. In the meantime, I’ve been looking at different seasonal positions and internships, but they pay nothing. It’s absolutely baffling to me that I can make more working at the local gas station, but the jobs I need for a career are expecting me to live on scraps or a wage of experience. I’m never moving out at this rate.

I should reach out for support because my tuition pays for it and everything, but it’s scary. I don’t even know what I’m scared of… it’s just scary. (Asking for help, I guess?) There’s free counseling services, and I’ve been looking to go back to therapy (even though I despise it — more on that later), but how can I trust that it won’t affect my academics. They’re not supposed to break contracts, but none of these institutions have ever been particularly good to queer people. Regardless, it would be my only option since my lovely insurance ran out already. (Pros of living with a disabled family in America!!)

There’s also the fact that it’s all so overwhelming. Every single office is in a different building, and there are jobs I didn’t even know existed! There’s a difference between research and internships? It’s frustrating when my socially anxious self finally is brave enough to talk to my advisor only to be told to walk across campus (in the -3 ℉ weather) to see someone else. Right now, I’m thinking I should go see the career center to check out my resume and see what job options there are for my major, but it’s all very daunting and makes me want to shrivel up into an albino raisin.

It’s well known that I hate work and want to be a forever student, but I know it’s not possible because I wasn’t born to billionaires. Another well known fact is that I kind of hate my major and have breakdowns about it all the time. I originally chose bio because my whole life I had wanted to go into veterinary medicine. I had spent my entire K-12 career researching, prepping, and volunteering in preparation for this. After many wrenches in my plans, which you can read about in My Academic Journey, I quickly learned I can’t handle the high stress environment of veterinary medicine. When it came time to transfer, I decided to keep bio as my major because it’s familiar, diverse, and I’m good at it, but now I’m left scrambling to figure out what I’m going to do for the next 15 or so years of my life by 2027.

My current plan is to just intern and volunteer until I find something I’ll be okay enough with; knowing I will inevitably change careers at some point. Unfortunately, all careers that would bring me joy and be a good fit are not the ones that make money. I think work-life balance is the biggest priority if I’ll be stuck in a job I hate. Maybe two part-time jobs could be a good fit?

Honestly, my true passion lies in music, sociology, and writing. At the moment, my dream career would be a music journalist/historian for alternative bands. Unfortunately, I have the worst social anxiety in the world and would rather die than approach even a local band. There are a few running jokes (are they even jokes anymore?) about me and my music. The first is that I’m going to marry a musician, even though I’d never tour because I hate travel. Another is that my job is only to fund my concert addiction. I am in fact at concerts at least six months out of the year. (I already have three major ones lined up, and I am saving up for another.)

The current plan is to just write a little music blog on the side (kind of like this one) and maybe one day I’ll magically get picked up by a university or publisher. I’ve written for the school paper in the past, but it feels very high stakes. I had never done anything like it before and was brand new to interviewing, APA format, and leaving my work to an unknown editor. I’ll need to work back up to that. Submitting on someone else’s timeline is rough on top of the 60 hours we are expected to spend on studying.

Not to stroke my own ego, but I truly believe I could find a gap to fill in music writing. I love staying up way too late at night scouring message boards on The Internet Archive to find groupie stories. They’re often a very misunderstood group, and I fully intend to write a long essay about it once I compile all my research. In fact, I just recently picked up Pamela Des Barres’ books at the local bookstore after probably freaking out the owner by stimming so hard. Also, nobody talks about the boy bands of the 2000s having groupies, but they did!! Other than that, very few publications follow small punk and industrial bands or give the history of dead bands. I don’t care about the Dave Grohl drama, but please tell me about that one song TikTok found in a porn video.

Unfortunately for me, passions (especially art) don’t pay the bills, so I’m stuck looking in bright microscopes that hurt my eyes just to keep a roof over my head. Perhaps I’ll find a way to get closer to my dream via a master’s degree, but that’s for future me to work out. Until then, I will stare at the blinking cursor in outlook and pray that it gives me the courage to reach out for the help I need to navigate the labyrinth called university.

[bloodboundsiege]

project update/where i've been/other stuff

Hey everyone! I know it's been a loooooooong time since I posted anything or gave any updates, but since I just updated the demo with some bug fixes--you can go here or to the pinned post on my page to download the new patch if you want to take the demo out for another spin--, I figured it was as good a time as any to talk about what's been going on.

This is probably going to turn into a long post, so if you don't want to read all of that, here's the tl;dr: Bloodbound: The Siege is still underway, I just was going through a really difficult period. Thank you all for your support of me and your continued enthusiasm for this project. It doesn't go unnoticed, and I'm really thankful for it.

Where I've Been

You know how sometimes someone will take forever to post an update to their fic and then the author's note will be like hey, sorry it took me so long to upload a new chapter, I was kidnapped? This is nothing like that. It's a lot less juicy, but I figured I'd still talk about it.

When I first started working on this visual novel, I was doing some freelance social media work, living with my family, and had a ton of free time on my hands. I would literally wake up every day and sit at my desk for 9+ hours a day, working on this project, making music, or writing screenplays.

At the end of last summer, I moved across the country, started grad school, and started working a pretty demanding job to support myself. It was also the first time since 2020 that I was doing any kind of significant socializing, and I was still working on this project, along with my other endeavors.

I felt like I was killing it. It didn't matter that wasn't getting a lot of sleep or really taking care of myself. I was somehow doing everything I wanted to do and needed to do.

And then...it caught up with me, right around when I released the demo for BBTS. I was having panic attacks at work, barely making deadlines for school, and it would take me half the day to work up the energy to get out of bed. It felt like I could do was sit in my room, watch Netflix, and doomscroll. Everything else was left to the wayside. Even though I was able to finish out my spring semester with good grades and left my job on good terms, I was hanging by the skin of my teeth. I also had some really messy stuff going on in my personal life that exacerbated these issues.

I had to spend this summer trying to rebuild myself and find a balance again. I'm in a much better place now--I started working out, which has been great for my anxiety, I quit vaping, I'm starting to be more conscious about what I put in my body and how it affects me, but I had to prioritize myself and my well being in order to get to this place.

As a side note, the experience of announcing this project and releasing this demo has been...strange. I put a lot of work into this project, from teaching myself how to code to writing the story, and this is the most visible thing I've ever put out. I was hoping maybe fifty people would play this demo and be like cool, but it's a much higher number, and a lot more feedback.

And that's both really cool and really scary. Cool because it's awesome that people appreciate something I created. Scary because now I want to make it good. I don't want to disappoint you all.

A Brief Tangent On How People Interact With Fandom Creators Sometimes

Even though I'm not always super active/interactive on here, I really enjoy getting asks about the project, whether it's hype, an inquiry, or feedback. Even if it's negative feedback, I know that it's coming from a good place. I also am really appreciative of messages that are either letting me know about bugs, or expressing any concerns about the story I am planning to tell. I don't take those kinds of things personally at all.

But I have noticed--and this is not just exclusive to the Choices fandom--that sometimes, people will interact with fic writers, fan devs, or really anyone that makes any kind of ContentTM in a way that isn't any of the aforementioned things I described above. Sometimes, the way that people interact with me--or other creators--is demanding, passive aggressive, or outright hostile. Other times, it may be well-intentioned, but it still feels like it's crossing some boundaries.

I'm extremely thankful to everyone who has reached out to check on me, but there's a huge difference between doing that and accusing me of abandoning this project and framing it as a deep moral failing on my part. I know I'm not the only person in this fandom that's experienced this. It really doesn't feel good, and it isn't helpful. Even if I had just decided I was no longer feeling BBTS and decided to dip, that isn't okay.

I additionally ask that in the event of another pause in posting on this project, people not reach out to me on my personal tumblr to ask about the status of this project, or to tell me to check my DMs or inbox on this page, or anything of that sort. To my recollection, I have never posted the URL my personal tumblr on this page. Like I said before, I'm appreciative of the fact that people are passionate about this project, but it's important to me to be able to keep this space and that space separate from one another.

I would absolutely understand any of this kind of behavior if there was money involved. If I had investors to answer to, or people pre-ordered the completed game from me and paid up front, people would absolutely be within their right to be frustrated with the radio silence that's been coming from my end and reach out to ask about the status of the game, or even be upset with me. But that isn't what's happening here.

This project is supposed to be fun. There's something really liberating about the fact that I can't ever monetize this or put it into a portfolio. It means it's for me and for you. We're all just supposed to be here because we like being here.

But part of the reason why the burnout and the anxiety I was experiencing spilled over into this project was because of these more pushy interactions. It made me feel like I was letting people down, or like the stakes of this were higher than they actually are.

I don't want to sound ungrateful, or like a diva. Like I said, I'm really appreciative of the reception of this project, and I'm grateful for any and all feedback, inquiries, or curiosities. But I just ask that everyone be respectful, and I don't think that's an unreasonable request. We'll all have a good time--both here and in the larger Choices fandom--if we're kind to one another, and if we're respectful of each other's boundaries.

Is Bloodbound: The Siege Still Happening?

Bloodbound: The Siege is still happening, but it is not going to be coming out this year, unless I somehow gain the ability to freeze time. Most of the sprite work is done--though I might do another round of retrofitting sprites into their respective dialogue boxes because I'm a glutton for punishment--and I'm pretty close to completing the more detailed outline of this story.

While I'm not ready to do this yet, it is extremely likely that by the end of the year, I'll start seeking out additional help for this project, mostly with programming. There will be a more detailed post about that when the time comes.

Until then, it's good to be back. Catch you on the flipside.

[fizzigigsimmer]

i wanna hear about all your fics!! so bachelor au, blinding baby like city lights, news paper au and love aint fair at all!!

Ahh bless you nonny. Some of these are still just outlines but a few have chapters posted.

Starting with OUTLINES

The Bachelor Au: This is still one of my favorite ideas lol, born of my love of the insanity that is the bachelor franchise and the poorly concealed producer plants who are clearly just there for the drama. You can't tell me Billy wouldn't make a perfect Chad. The gist is Steve is the first Bisexual bachelor contestant. An icon, An American sweetheart looking for love. Robin and The Party are crew members and all the stranger things teens are contestants (Nancy, Chrissy, Eddie, Jason, Argyle, Heather) vying for his hand and represent various types of typical bachelor contestants. The funny ones, the good guys, the people there for clout, the people who somehow think they can get away with going on a dating show while still involved in a situationship back home, and the people who decide to do a reality show instead of go to therapy for their bag of issues. Billy is an instagram model hired by producers to be the seasons 'villian' and be hated by the audience. It's just supposed to be a free vacation where he gets to make some extra cash to be his most extra before he's finally sent home. But oops, they fall in love. Leaving them to figure out how they build a life together after the show when there are NDA's involved and they are the most hated ship in America.

Newspaper Club Au: This is a no upside down college fic featuring Billy/Nancy friendship, nerd!billy and jock!Steve. I haven't decided yet whether it's modern, 80s, or an ambiguous setting but the basic gist is the boys meet in college. Steve is there on a sports scholarship and chose California to follow Nancy, now his ex-girlfriend. Billy's an English major who works on the school paper with Nancy (one of his electives). He's pissed when she puts him on the sports column as it means he actually has to attend the games. He starts using the column to flirt with/aka harass swimmer Steve through increasingly ridiculous and suggestive commentary. The campus thinks it's a riot. Steve thinks Billy's an asshole and making him the butt of a joke just because he's a "dumb jock". Nancy plays matchmaker and also saves the integrity of her paper by finagling Billy into helping Steve write an essay for his English literature elective. Billy takes the opportunity to show him he was 1000 percent serious about wanting to know if his dick is even bigger out of the speedo.

Onto the POSTED fics

Blinding Baby Like City Lights: Is a dom/sub au where everyone is either a dominant, submissive, or switch. Basically some people need to dominate to stay balanced and others need to submit, or some mix of the two. And everyone responds differently to different things, creating many different 'types.' Naturally not all types are good for each other. Billy is a masochistic sub, has known it for a long time but wasn't safe to explore it growing up with an abusive sadist for a father. He's managed to claw his way out of his abusive home and become a successful business man who is often mistaken for a dom. He found family in Heather & Chrissy, but never a dominant he can trust enough to handle him and give him exactly what he needs. Steve's a recovering sadist. Too much privilege and neglectful parents lead him to some pretty unhealthy and toxic tendencies in his relationship with his first love Nancy. Losing his sub nearly broke him, but he broke good and has been rebuilding his life with his best friend Robin for the last few years. He just wants to take care of people by making good food, and find someone he can take care of always, without having to be afraid of his own desires. Steve might just be perfect for Billy, and Billy might just be what Steve needs to finally embrace who he is.

*** EDIT

When you have so many WIPs you confuse two of them.

Love Aint Fair At All: Werewolf au + a/b/o dynamics. This is a retelling of Snow White that takes place in an alternate version of Hawkins where magic exists. Some peoples magic makes them Wolf Shifters (people who are born with the ability to turn into wolves) and others use their magic to bend the external elements, these people are called Hags. Steve lives in the Cold Zone, a portion of the country that is suffering under a powerful Hags curse. Billy is a Wolf Shifter, exiled from their former pack in California, he and Neil make their way as huntsmen for hire. But everything goes to shit wen Neil brings the family to Hawkins to serve Steve's cousin Elsie, a powerful and mysterious Hag whose obsession with beauty and power threatens to cover the world in ice. The only thing holding her at bay is an old curse that limits her powers and a prophecy that promised one day an omega child would be born who was fairer than her. Good thing Steve is a perfectly normal bland beta boy - until he isn't.