#which i bought because i happened to open it to that page. and read that poem.

[trickstersaint]

I won't lie, I have little to no interest in poetry most of the time, but stumbling across your work via a friends blog has perhaps changed that. Especially your poems about being trans/nonbinary, there's something almost earthshattering about feeling recognized when I've been struggling time and again to answer questions of what being trans feels like to friends and family. I feel like I've only properly begun my journey of self-discovery, but already I find immense comfort in your work 💜

as someone who loves poetry very dearly i think it's SO important to acknowledge that it's not an art form that speaks to everybody, OR, for that matter, an art form that is very accessible when you aren't actively interested in or haven't been taught to work with it. However. the thing about poetry is that it's an incredibly broad term for a lot of art in a lot of different forms, and i'm a huge believer in finding the right poetry for someone, rather than forcing "classic" or popular poetry onto people and trying to get it to stick. i'm so honored to be your little gateway into possibly liking poetry and i hope you can find more that hit for you like mine do :)

the thing about writing poetry to me is that it's SO deeply cathartic. learning to express these things and putting them onto (metaphorical) paper is so healing and revealing and it's so fantastic to be able to share it with people. the reason i love it so much is because it's such an important form of expression to me, and then it can go out into the world and help to express some things for other people too. i'm really happy that you're finding yourself in little ways as you go along your journey: you're doing great, and you'll only discover more about yourself as you go. sending my heart and soul with you <3

to maybe get you a little interested in poetry! throw some poems at the wall and see if they stick! i am going to toss some poem recommendations over to you for your (possible) reading pleasure.

gravity by maura o'connor (sorry for the mommy blog link. it's the only place it's really available online) kind of ripped out my heart the first time i read it. it was a great moment of self-recognition for me: not in being trans, but in being a person with a current of gentleness under my skin that i worry other people can't see, a person clinging to love as if it were an answer, someone talking to god in the coffin my room has become... it's an incredibly personal poem, for me, which is always a funny thing to say when someone else wrote it, but that's the beauty of it, right? that moment of resonance. love it when poems do that.

keaton st. james (@boykeats) is a poet that i always recommend: if you're looking for trans poets, he's one of my favorites. really stylistically cool poems with a great rhythm to them. luminescence is a good one by him and rural boys watch the apocalypse will always be a favorite of mine.

i also love dante émile (@orpheuslament) forever and ever their work is so great. the second coming... oh gosh. y'know

i will ALWAYS recommend finding trans poets for a little bit of that visceral feeling of being Seen. it hits every time. sending love best of luck to you and i hope you have a great day :)

[nostalgiclittlespace]

Tips for Regressors who struggle with birthdays

So, I recently had a birthday, and I noticed how much I dreaded it as it approached. I’ve always been someone who hates getting older, as it means things change. Especially since becoming a teenager, the idea that I’m leaving behind my childhood and taking on adult responsibilities is really scary. Age regression has helped somewhat, as I know I will always be able to reach out to childhood again, however it’s not perfect.

Anyway, here are a few tips I came up with for any regressors who also struggle with birthdays. Hope these help!

Plan a mini birthday party for yourself, and have it kid’s themed. I did this myself and had a Sonic party in my bedroom. I bought some fruit snacks, candy, juice, and crackers to be ‘refreshments’ earlier that week. I printed coloring pages and word searches, played party games with my stuffies, and watched a movie with them like a sleepover. Getting mystery packs/blind bags of toys or collectibles are cool ways to have presents, since you won’t know exactly what’s inside!

Write a letter to your past self and/or a letter to your older self (which you can read someday). This one was very therapeutic for me. Writing to my self ten years younger allowed me to confront the things like internalized homophobia, childhood trauma, insecurity, etc. And writing to myself ten years in the future allowed me to vent my current fears and ponder what my life will be like by the time I open the letter again. I honestly might make writing to myself a birthday tradition, and eventually I’ll be able to reopen what my younger self had written.

If possible, then treat yourself. That stuffed animal you’ve considered getting? Buy it! You want to make your favorite dessert? Go for it! Go on an adventure to the mall, play at the park, explore a bike trial, etc. I know that being on a budget can make this kind of treat difficult, but finding a small way to feel young and excited can definitely help.

Have an at home spa day. Have a bubble bath, put on lotion, paint your nails, put on music, etc. this one isn’t exactly birthday themed, but it’s a good way to relax and take care of yourself, especially if you’re feeling depressed or anxious.

Most importantly, remember that you don’t outgrow being a kid. It’s really a mindset, something we as regressors take advantage of. Just because you’re bodily another year older doesn’t mean you’re further away from being a kid; because that’s something you can carry with you for the rest of your life. Most grown ups just forget that.

I hope this helps. If you happen to have an upcoming birthday as you read this, then I’m giving you a big virtual hug as a present. (I’m sending love your way, and there’s nothing you can do to stop it 😇). Happy regressing and (maybe) happy birthdays too!

-Marty 🎁

[just-a-ghost00]

How did they feel the last time they saw you? [group 2]

This is the reading for group 2. If you picked group 1 or group 3, go to the respective posts to get your messages. You picked group 2 if you chose ATEEZ Hongjoong.

Group 2

Note from reader : right before I started shuffling for your reading, which I did on 11/11 if I may point that out, I had NewJeans ' Bubblegum playing on loop on the back of my mind. This song is very dreamy and sweet, reflective of a crush kind of energy. So this gave me the impression that the person you are thinking of feels very excited and mellow whenever they're around you. I had this warm feeling in my belly that kinda made me feel giddy. So that could be representative of this person's energy towards you at the moment.

9 of cups, page of cups, Death, 7 of cups, 9 of pentacles, knight of wands, back of the deck King of cups

The spread further confirms the energy I was picking up on before pulling the cards. When you last met, which may have been quite recently, this person was in a very good mood. They felt like they were on cloud nine because the context of the meeting felt ideal. Like both of you were in the best position and disposition to interact. It felt like a dream to this person and they may have had a hard time leaving you afterwards. The context of this meeting feels very intimate. It is possible that there were only the two of you. But if you were with other people, this person definitely felt like only you mattered. The were kinda like in a bubble and you were all they could see and think about. With the energy of the King of cups, this person may have felt very lovey dovey and in a romantic disposition towards you. They wanted to pour their heart out and surround you with their love and affection. You really opened this person's heart space and filled it with emotions. They were definitely turned on but that was more of an emotional attraction than a physical one. The conversations you may have had at that time could have revolved around romance, dating, the possibilities that both of you had when it comes to this connection. You and this person may have been single at the time but both were open to getting to know each other on a deeper level. It kinda feels like a date setting but it doesn't have to be. This person had a huge crush on you and they couldn't stop staring at you, basking in the moment, taking in your features and scent. They may have felt like an important page of their life was being written at this moment. Here I feel like the Death card speaks more of a deep transformation of this person's feelings for you the moment they saw you. Maybe in that moment they realized that they wanted more than just being friends. As I wrote that I felt a shiver running through my spine, so that to me is a confirmation that this is what was happening. Ever since that moment, this person can't stop thinking of you and day dreaming about you, hoping for more, wishing that you were in their arms. When they last saw you, I can definitely say that they felt the urge to kiss you and hold you in their arms but for some reason, they couldn't. They may have felt scared of destroying whatever chemistry you had. "If I do it, we may never go back" kind of feeling. They were hesitant to show you the extent of their true feelings but oh boy was the temptation there. You may have felt it in the air. You may have perceived that this person was acting a bit different than usual. There were things in what they said or what they did that may have been tell tale signs something was going on. Like this person drinking your favorite coffee when they explicitely mentioned several times that they were not fond of it. Or them wearing a different brand of cologne that you just so happened to talk about the other day, because you spent minutes sniffing it in the store before you bought it. That kind of subtle details. Or maybe they were talking a bit differently than usual, or just something about their energy felt off. Anyways, this person was trying very hard not to lose their composure. They did their very best to remain calm, reassuring, respectful. But all they could think about were "unholy" thoughts. I won't dive any further on that matter because this wasn't supposed to be an 18+ reading, but you get my drift. They may have felt compelled to by you a gift or do something they usually wouldn't do just for you, so that you could feel special. I particularly pick up on a very specific thing that is a bit personal, but maybe this could resonate with you.

When I was in highschool, I had a classmate that was very popular among our peers. We got along well and would talk from time to time because we were partners in science class and had to work on common projects. His friends didn't like me, so he sometimes felt a bit shy being seen with me but he didn't want me to think that he didn't appreciate me. So what he would do to make sure I knew he wasn't ignoring me or forgetting about me, is that when he walked in the corridors to greet his friends, he would walk past me and discreetly wink at me as a hello. That was something he only used with me. And it made me feel included and special. So maybe the person you were thinking of does similar things. When you are in group settings and they don't want you to feel left out, they may have a discreet interaction with you, a little sign that only you can notice and understand. This also tells me that the person on your mind may have felt cornered or too shy because of external factors such as being in public or just being surrounded by people that know you personally like family and friends. But also, they feel like they have a special bond with you that no one else has. This reminds me a bit of group 3's energy. If you felt drawn to group 3 as well, you may want to check that group's reading too. I don't know why but I feel like this connection may be something that both of you hide from your peers.

[firenati0n]

"who was that?" - a crack-ridden 500 word ficlet for @jafffacakess and a silly little addition to my unhinged Sims fic where Henry discovers something...wicked on Alex's laptop. reading that before this will make this infinitely funnier i swear. paging @indestructibleheart bc this universe is your fault fr (thank you ily) and @softboynick for the inspo! thank you all! and especially thanks to @anchoredarchangel for fact-checking my mpreg, which i steadfastly ignored. :) ilyyy

warning: SIMS-RELATED MPREG!! because wickedwhims is a menace of a mod!!! just like. a sentence or two. nothing graphic. but it is There. sorry for the mpreg debut. it won't happen again i swear!!!!

Alex’s computer is noisier than ever, and it’s driving Henry up the bloody wall. 

“What deranged scenario have you cooked up in your game now?” Henry asks, fearing the answer but knowing the outcome. “It’s only ever this loud when they’re either having gravitationally impossible sex on an appliance, or you’re testing the limits of our furniture. Our Sims neighbors must despise us.”

Alex’s resulting expression is a bad omen. “I’m…messing with some controls in the mod.”

The minute Alex leaves to use the toilet, Henry rushes to Alex’s laptop, still open and whirring. He is not prepared for what he finds.

Sim Henry and Alex are cuddling on the couch and watching a movie, the fireplace crackling. A serene evening in, all things considered. 

Sim Henry is also, by Henry’s estimate, seven months pregnant. 

Henry hears a flush and quickly goes back to his seat; he absolutely cannot wait to hear how Alex talks himself out of this one. 

Alex settles back in, a bright smile on his face. Henry is, against all odds, in deep and embarrassing love with this man.  

“How’s our baby doing?” Henry asks. 

Alex beams. “Artie’s great, he’s a toddler now, getting along so well with David and the horse.” After Henry bought Alex the pet expansion pack, all bets were off. Suddenly, Alex wanted the Horse Ranch and Aliens too. How their Sims had horses in their brownstone backyard in the city...outside the bounds of human logic, but perfectly acceptable in the game.

���No, I meant our other baby,” Henry says, working overtime to keep his face neutral. 

Alex freezes. “What baby?”

“The baby I’m carrying. Who was that, hm?”

“That’s scientifically impossible and you know it.”

“Alex, Artie is literally a science baby. My sim, however, is currently in the third trimester.” None of these words are in the English language.

Alex squints at the screen. “Damn, whose pregnant husband is that?”

“Alex.”

Alex laughs, cracking under Henry’s stare. “Listen, I’m not sorry. One day you had morning sickness and the game told me you were pregnant, which I didn’t even know was fucking possible. If I had to guess, it was the upside down fridge sixty-nine, I run that shit constantly. What should we name her, you got any suggestions?”

“You’re telling me oral got me pregnant?”

“Are you seriously nitpicking the realism of male pregnancy to my face?” Alex barrels on. “How about Cat, as a nod to both your mother and my sister? That could be cute. Art and Cat!”

“Art and Cat,” Henry echoes. “Yes, I quite like that.”

“Perfect, Cat it is,” Alex says with a grin. 

“To recap,” Henry starts. “We have a toddler, a puppy, a newborn on the way, and a horse—”

“I don’t want to hear a single fucking word about Nutter Butter,” Alex interjects. “He completes our family.”

“Of course,” Henry says seriously. “Wouldn’t dream of it.” He looks at Alex curiously. “How close am I to—”

“Labor? About thirteen minutes away.”

Henry pulls his chair around next to Alex. “Perfect.”

[knightyoomyoui]

Momo x M Reader - "Crazy Stupid Love"

So this is one of my requests and probably the LONGEST one I had to grant because I just realized today that one of my readers made this request since November 2022, so I just want to say my huge apologies to you Dumbledore_1 for taking me too long to finally make this piece. This one-shot is a sequel to my Set 4 Momo x M Reader work titled "Somebody That I Used To Know" so if yall haven't read that one, better do so because you might not understand a little on what this story is about to tell and to give you guys a background from what happened to Momo and the reader's past, although I tackled the main point of this story clearly though. Lastly, I labeled this as only for male reader to feature because the first one also features only male reader, so it might be a weird for the female ones to read this. However, it's still up for my female readers there if you want to imagine yourself as a guy or for others to take place rather for this to aid your curiosities. Here's my Ko-fi account where you can drop your donations or ask for a commission. You can check it out on my Tumblr profile too!  Buy knightyoomyoui a Coffee. ko-fi.com/knightyoomyoui - Ko-fi ❤️ Where creators get support from fans through donations, memberships, shop sales and more! The original 'Buy Me a Coffee' Page. Enjoy reading and have a happy Christmas season, everyone!

YN was shaken as the barrage of stomps and steps coming from the other passengers effectively woke him up. The bus had stopped moving, and he peeked from the window with squinted eyes. There he saw a very familiar view.

A smile crept up on his face, and he followed through the remaining people exiting the vehicle. Stepping out, he grabbed his bag and luggage before the bus left them there at the stop point.

YN started to walk while wandering his eyes around at the surroundings. It never changed, he thought. This is still one of the places where he could get use some time off away from every troubles he's having from the city.

And that being said, YN came here for one specific purpose. He wanted to stay in his province of Daegu for quite some time to help himself allow to recover from his heartbreak and improve his well-being for the better.

He has been disturbed day and night by what Momo revealed to him since their last talk, which was one month ago. It led him to the point where he needed to be delving deeply into reflection about the painful revelation she had brought to light. The next important person in his life to whom he has been closest, Dahyun, became aware of her cousin YN's odd conduct. She made one quick suggestion that she knew would assist her cousin, who is in a mess, knowing that he had recently ended a difficult and unpleasant relationship with Momo. She is a little upset at what her cousin did to her friend, but she still needs to show compassion and kindness for him because he is a loved one. She had always despised those who were internally disturbed by shattered hearts. She is thus making every effort to support Momo and YN during these challenging times. Aside from the fact that he genuinely misses their province, YN paid attention to what Dahyun advised her to do. He packed his belongings and traveled for hours to go to Daegu. His grandfather and other Dahyun's side relatives welcomed him when he got there. They greeted him with open arms upon his return, which undoubtedly helped YN feel at home. Then, after spending months there, he bought a house for himself, which his family allowed him to live in alone. During the months he had to stay apart from everything, he had the opportunity to experience living alone in the heart of such a vibrant and serene environment. even though at first he found it tough because he knew that being left alone is one of his worst fears.

Even so, he still tried to endure all the pain as he knew that he needed this for the sake of taking a rest for himself after what he'd gone through. There's been a saying that you will never heal from the pain if you never consider to give yourself a break.

Those created the thoughts that were unable for him to dodge all the memories that ties him back to his ex-girlfriend Momo. Because of her, it finally had him to slowly reprocess and understood everything wrong that thay had gone through in their relationship.

He had it discover pieces by pieces and he got some help coming from one of his interactions with some of the locals around his place, as he turned himself to be a volunteer to their town as a way to give himself things to distract him and make his time more valuable and less boring.

He walked back and got one for himself to begin eating with the locals, joining the elders, after serving some food to some of the kids seated at the table.

A notification beeped into his phone, causing it to open. He saw it for a second and turned it off, right before one of the elders asked him something.

"Who is that girl?"

He paused on directing his spoonful of food on his mouth as he heard the elder's question. He looked at him who has this curious look presented on him.

You opened the phone again and showed the rest your wallpaper that got seen, your own picture of Momo on the screen.

"Was that your partner?" His grandpa asked, tempting him to a frown on his lips.

He hesitated to answer for a while as he stared at Momo through the phone. Gulping his throat, he cleared his voice before speaking out his answer.

"She was mine."

All of them became quiet and his grandpa felt the sullen mood of his grandson. "Son, the world hasn't been very kind to both of you, hasn't it?"

He shook his head, denying the assumption. "I'm starting to think that it's not like that. It was only her, and i'm her world who didn't treated her well."

One of ahjumma (female elder) furrowed her eyebrows at his claim. "Did you do something wrong on her?"

"I did, ahjumma." He nodded his head, tightlipped at how guilty he was. "I broke her heart. I didn't mean to but I had to. I haven't got to explain it further."

"Was it that huge of an effect on her?" the first harabeoji (male elder) who asked him about Momo took the turn. He sipped on the soup and kept your head lowered.

"She erased my existence on her life, like she never met me." He smiled bitterly. His heart starts to get heavy, emotions were slowly rising up in his chest. "I guess she brought back the favor because I tried to get rid of her, to push her aside, to make her feel unwanted."

He received a slap on the shoulder by his own grandpa, earning a yelp of pain from him. "And how could you do that?! That's a wonderful girl you just had and you wasted it."

"Believe me, YN you've done a terrible mistake of inflicting heartbreak on that poor woman. Take me and your grandma as example. Even if we had many faults and fights in our relationship until she passed away, I never forgot her and I know so as she wherever she is right now.

And how did we do that? By making up to each other. Acknowledge what wrongful acts you have done. And I'm telling you, son; if you really loved that woman you won't let her be like that to you. Be sorry for everything that you did, understand?"

He nodded at his mixture of scolding and advice. "B-but, I'm afraid I might lure her away."

"She may not forget, but she may forgive you if you convincingly say everything from your heart."

The elders gasped and awwed when they saw a teardrop flowed out from his eye, he was so invested at the rant spoke by his grandpa that he didn't even noticed that his guilt urged his emotions to break loose.

"What's her name, son?"

"Hirai Momo." He noticed the slight amazement in his face. "She's Japanese."

"She's pretty, you got a foreign lover who surely looked up at you all the time not until you showed her the opposite." He expressed his dismay. "But I still feel sorry for you, son. Like what you said earlier, it seems like you got lost on the consequences of the stakes that was put upon you on your relationship with her."

"Do you still love her?"

He kept everything of his grandfather's advice in mind during the days that went by, including the last question that was posed to him and for which he is still unsure of the answer. He decided to give it some time for clarity even if there were some residual sentiments. He asked his cousin Dahyun, who is getting ready for their group schedule, a startling question during one of their video chats, even though Dahyun knew she would have it coming.

"Uhm... Dubu, is she there?"

"Who?"

"Momo."

"Yeah, but she went with Nayeon unnie on the cafeteria, why?"

"H- How is she doing, Dahyun-ah?" He questioned with a sorrowful tone.

Dahyun paused for a moment and just watched her cousin's misery displayed on the screen. She knew that until now he haven't gotten over her, but she didn't expected that he would spoke it out and make it known.

She knew YN to be very secretive of how he actually feels that's why she thought he would just rather do it through action, like what he did to Momo when he was loving her smoothly until the confusions took part.

But Dahyun isn't satisfied yet for that. She know that the two still haven't been getting along fine together and she hoped it'll come someday, and she believes that the only thing needed for that to happen is for her cousin to bravely show up and tell it all by himself to the woman he hurted the most.

"She's doing well, oppa. She's still laughing along with us... well we're trying to make her happy these days."

You nodded, relieved that Momo isn't suffering as much as you do today.

"But I don't know if it just because of us, because uhm... actually oppa- should I say it first to you?"

Dahyun's cautiousness grew an alarming tenseful feeling on him that is making him uncomfortable.

"Go ahead, i'll be fine." He said. Dahyun hoped the same. "Okay. Don't tell me you didn't let me be." Dahyun warned him one more time. "There's a guy who's courting Momo-unnie currently and based from how unnie is receiving his efforts, I think it's winning."

He heard enough and he became silent for a while. He knew it would be painful but he just let it sink in. He's the one who caused all of this to happen. It was all just a pure karma in return for him.

"Is that so?" He reacted bland. "That's great. I-I'm happy for the both of them in case... yeah." He smiled forcefully.

Dahyun clicked her tongue and sighed. "Oppa, you're hurting."

"As I should be."

The next days, his phase was on recollecting their memories together, in which he reminisce whenever he encounters something that Momo used to love before; he used to be in that place to witness it with his very own eyes.

Everywhere he goes, there's always one reason for him to remember her.

The kids he always entertain and taking care of. Momo loved children.

"Someday, if we will be lucky enough to get married. I want us to build a family with two kids! I hope we can have both a son and a daughter..."

The pig feet which was one of their foods for dinner. That is Momo's absolute favorite food she would be willing to die for.

"You should cook more jokbal, YN! This is so delicious!"

Their pictures together on his gallery that is almost full of her beautiful face. He opened one of the videos there which contains one of the clips they recorded during their anniversary.

He smiled as Momo kissed him on the lips and nuzzled her head on her neck. The next thing was soft and low, but her voice was always catchy for him to be able to hear it clearly.

This has to be the most anticipating turned devastating words you will ever remember from what she said.

Not only because this was like an oath for the goal to the next path he wanted to reach with her, but also because this will now end up instead in his  imagination to haunt him with his guilt and definitely hers to occur with her desires.

"To more anniversaries and hopefully, a wedding in the future with you, YN. I love you."

Lastly are the peaches in the farm where he helps some of the farmers there to harvest and the dogs from the neighborhood who randomly visits his house were the ones to sum up everything that ties him back to her.

And in his last days in the Daegu province, he has finally see and understand everything clearly.

Before he rode the bus, he looked back at his grandpa who guided him to the bus stop.

"Remember the question you asked me about, grandpa. If I still do... love her?"

"Have you found the answer?"

"I do." He smiled. "And I promise you that I will try to make her hear my apology to her once I return to Seoul."

"Great for you, then. I wish you good luck, son."

They hugged together before they parted ways, with YN focused on his way back to the destination where his objective lies ahead.

A month after his departure from the province, he is back at Seoul where he is now currently looking for a place to work with these days.

Dahyun notified him one day that they'll be celebrating Jihyo's successful solo debut and she wants to bring him there because the girls misses him.

Hesitant at first that he knew that out of nine of them, Momo is the only one who doesn't want to see her, but he instead accepted for the sake of seeing his friends and to celebrate her special day when Dahyun assured him that Momo isn't like that to him anymore.

YN and Dahyun arrived at the restaurant together. The girls saw them from the table and they all cheered, except for Momo who is sitting there in silent and avoiding his sight. He noticed it and felt a bit unease as he entertains the rest.

And there, the two ex-couple finally saw each other again after quite a long time. Awkward at first, they still managed to greet each other when YN tried to test his courage for his plan tonight. Thankfully, Momo greeted him back shyly.

They ordered, congratulated Jihyo again for her success, talked a lot about how they've been doing, and ate their respective delicious foods to savor the precious time they're having together as a group.

As they went to enjoy the night by doing some videoke and chugging beers, YN noticed that Momo went outside to freshen up.

"Dahyun." He called the woman sitting beside her, munching some pizza. "It's time. I'll be right back." He said as they gazed at Momo's back facing them through her stance at the railings of the balcony.

"Be careful, okay? Make it sentimental and don't force if she can't have it all too well."

"Got it."

Dahyun patted him on the back before he stood up and carefully opened the sliding doors. He silently stepped towards Momo's figure, breathing becoming heavy, heartbeat rising rapidly.

He let out one last sigh before he began to confront the woman he wanted to meet and talk after months of waiting, recovering, and changing.

"Momo?"

She heard that familiar voice, she remembered what she told him almost a year ago, prompting her to try not to slip off on her character.

"Now you're just somebody that I used to know, YN."

Turning her body around, she finally has come to face to face with the man she tries to completely forget in her heart and mind.

"Yes?" She responded. It was cold and plain, and YN understand what he's putting himself into. He just had to let it go and proceed with his main intention for her.

"I know you don't want having me near you, but c-can I please just... please have a short moment with you?" He said. "It won't last long, I promise but if you don't want me... then, it's fine but I really wanted to say something very quick to you."

Momo was startled when YN called for him. From the way he acted, Momo is quite intrigued that this version of YN infront of her is now more cautious, kind and soft to her. This is almost like... a different person from the one he used to know-and endure- before.

Momo would be deceiving herself and she knows how awful it is to feel regretful to herself if she lets that, if she doesn't admit to herself that it actually made her convince and push her wants to atleast see or know something of himself in personal.

"Don't waste any more time. Go on." She granted him his request. Crossing her arms, she leaned on the railings and watched this poor, broken, and lonely man she used to hate seeing being like this.

"T-Thank you." He bowed a little and straightened his posture, breathing deeply before he proceed to let out everything he's been keeping to his chest. "I know I shouldn't be in here because I know you're still mad at me. I almost didn't attend but for the girls-"

"For the record, I'm not mad at you anymore." Momo seriously said. "I set it all aside, because like I said... I don't want nothing to do with you. You're a nobody to me now, but I'm just letting you for once as long as you prove what brought youself here with me and dare to come close with me after how we ended things together."

"I know about that, and that's why I'm just here to say one thing that I've never ever said to you.

I'm sorry."

Momo's eyes shut, biting her lip with her fist clenching after hearing that. "I'm sorry for everything. All I did was very wrong of me and I don't want you to force you to believe me but... I didn't intended to do that on you.

"I did love you from the first time I laid my eyes on you, to the time you gave back the same feelings as mine for you, and the beginning of our relationship together. I know I have been gotten cold to you as time passes but I want to clarify things that... it wasn't your fault at all, Momo. It was me."

Momo glared at him with a teary eyes. She hated it, but she had to recall all of the times she had to wonder every night why does this keep on happening and what did she do wrong that made him treat him with lack of affection. She wanted answers for a long time and gladly, the time has come for her to hear it straight away from the man responsible of putting her like that.

"I always wanted to be like you, on what you're doing for me and it's true. But I always look at myself lowly, thinking if what I'm doing rather wasn't enough for you." His voice began to crack, as his eyes became to get watery also from the immense emotions affecting him. "And instead of improving or sharing my worries to you, I chose rather to set you free from me. I did that, thinking it was for mercy but instead it looked like I wanted you to suffer more and it was so... so wrong for me to do so. I became so lost for that."

"I still love you up to this day, Momo."  With that, both synchronizably cried from that words that they used to say to each other as a vow but now, it turns out to be a forbidden phrase for them to exchange anymore.  "It's not that I didn't trust you it's just that... I was scared."

"My plead for you not to leave was true, I truly can't bear letting you go. But now, I think I believe that probably I deserve to be alone and unworthy of somebody's love to hold onto because what I did, I am willing to sacrifice my feelings for you, Momo."

"It hurts me so bad but I have to let you go now." He escaped a rough exhale before continuing. "I'm not going to plead for you to come back and ruin the happiness your getting with somebody else now. Again, I'm truly sorry again for rushing in our relationship, acting immature on times you needed my comfort and making you bring all the burden you never deserved to have to."

YN began to drop on his knees and positioned himself to kneel in front of Momo who was shocked at his action.

"YN! W-what are you doing, get up from there!" She dashed through him and lifted his body and in YN's disbelief, he made Momo envelope him into a longing and comforting embrace that belongs to one of the lovely things he wasted from an gracious woman like her.

They both sobbed in their own heartache and sympathized with their own struggles.

"I hate you for what you did to me YN but why!" Momo cried out. "Why did you kept it to yourself, huh?! Why did you let yourself struggling on your own?"

"You promised me that you'll try to be honest, but you didn't, and that made me think that being done with your fake love, I rather be going. You could've shared it all to me directly, I'm your girlfriend for god's sake, I could've helped you because I loved you!"

"I'm sorry.. I'm s-so sorry..."

Momo whined and screamed in a mixture of frustration, agony and disappointment for what their relationship had become and the complete clear revelations of how she got ended up suffocating and unpleased in his company.

"Get up." She helped him stand back to his wobbling weak legs again. "Finally you were now able to reflect yourself and tell to me that one words I just wanted to hear from you. I just wanted you to be accountable and say sorry to me.", Momo said, clarifying the last words she told to him back then.

"But now that you did and I've heard and seen enough your sincerity..." She grasped him in the shoulders and stared at him with a broken smile. "I forgive you, YN."

He nodded and cried again, finally getting the remorse and acceptance that he's been yearning and searching for months after realizing what he's done. "Thank you. I'm sorry again, Momo."

"That'll be your last, it's fine now." Momo warned him as he fixed his messy hair and wiped away his tears.

"I just have one more question to ask."

"What is it?"

"Have I... been a nice girlfriend to you?"

He stared at Momo's awaiting, curious and softened face. A teardrop flowed for one final time, to drain out every bit of pain he consumed.

He grabbed the back of her neck and gently pulled her close to land a tender kiss on her forehead. "You did more than enough for me, Momo. You're a great woman that I wasted the unconditional love you've been giving by being ungrateful and selfish, and I will forever bring that regret with me."

Momo timidly smiled for him and stepped away from his contact. Wanting to end this emotional moment between each other to avoid ruining the fun night, she came up something to talk with. "I know you have quite shared this with the girls earlier but I just wanted to know myself, how have you been doing these days?"

"I'm good, I'm still on my road to improve myself. I couldn't stand to let others see and continue to be the same guy that you used to encounter." He finally flashed the first bright smile for Momo away from their problems. Momo was proud and touched for his efforts and dedication that she implemented on him. "And you?"

"I'm happy. Even happier now that we've settled things peacefully."

"I've heard from Dahyun that there's this guy who's been seeing you these days, huh. How is he doing for you?"

Momo was taken back that he had to learn about that and mention it. "H-He's fine, but I want to make it clear to him that I don't want to be in a relationship yet." she shyly said.

"How about you? Will you be okay? Are you... gonna look for somebody to have an interest with?" Momo wondered.

"No, I don't think I will." He stated. "I'm not scared, I just want to be careful. I think it's better for me not to engage in this romance thing anymore, you know? I have learnt from my mistakes now." She understood and didn't spoke any further despite still having this pint of pity for the fallen man.

"And... why should I look for other, when you're still the one I choose?"

Momo stared at him, she blushed  and uncontrollably smiled in an embarassed way after hearing that glimpse of the charming YN that never disappeared from him.

She spreaded her arms wholesomely and looked at her with a smile.

"I know I've said that I wanted to disregard your existence but... I didn't want to be cruel now that I've heard your side and I'm sorry for that because I have to admit...

Although you broke my heart, I still couldn't deny the truth that you're one of the most important person I've met and the first man who helped me explore how love could led us into elsewhere.

You still made me happy, YN. I can't just have it easy to throw you out of my life so... should we be friends again?"

He listened to her patiently and it was overwhelming in the end. "I don't deserve this at all, but I'm highly grateful to take it, Momo. Let's start fresh again." He shook his head and smiled.

You accepted her hug one more time and both took time to indulge how great it must felt've again to their part that they don't have to try pretend, carry a hatred, and keep their unspoken troubles for theirselves.

They are now freed from their own personal chaos and has now created a clean slate of their closeness and connection to each other.

They returned back together where they are approached by the girls who've been watching their melancholic yet heartfelt moment they shared in which they paused their fun to express their happiness for their friends on burying the hatchet between each other.

Both learning that they are currently happy with their own lives and has finally washed away their conflict, they realized that somehow helped each other to realize that maybe having a crazy stupid love with somebody was never really required to be happy and contented in life.

[enh4s]

Tinder Date

╰┈➤ genre: smut

╰┈➤ pairing: tinder date! heeseung, female reader

╰┈➤ warnings: smutty smut, minors please leave this page asap, breeding, degrading kink, spitting kink, fingering, y/n is on birth control

╰┈➤ words: about 1900

╰┈➤ authors note: it's my first time posting a full one shot here so don't judge me too much kudasai?? you can request anything you want me to write about, inbox is open 🫶 I know I'm not the best creator on this planet but yeah I'm just doing it for fun, also if there's any grammar mistake which is possible, I'm sorry for that but English isn't my first language T_T have a nice time reading it tho!

Just an hour till you finally meet this boy you’ve met on tinder two weeks ago. At the first sight, you knew that this boy is DEFINITELY your type. His black hair, beautiful smile, and the smirk he got on one of those pics made your imagination run. 

Your phone buzzed and you instantly watched the screen.

Heeseung: Hey princess, I’ll be at your place in 30 minutes if it’s okay with you?

Fuck, boy, it was okay. You brushed your hair and finished your makeup, so you could sit on your bed and think about him a little longer. These two weeks of just texting were incredible, you had a lot of topics to talk about, he was the type of gentleman, but also had that flirty side you loved. You blushed at your phone as a young girl with her first crush, just because he said you look beautiful in a picture you’ve sent him.

You were about to go with him just for a trip around the city, maybe to take a walk around one of the amusement parks next to the city.

Your phone buzzed again. 

Heeseung: I’m here, come downstairs, beautiful girl ;)

You quickly put on shoes, and walked down to see him. 

He was really standing there, in front of his matte black car, with one hand in the pocket of his jeans, and the other one holding a rose for you.

You blushed again at the little gift. He gave you a warm hug, before he opened the car door for you. 

He sat next to you.

-So, beautiful, what amusement park do you want to visit today? I was thinking about having ice cream near the city, what do you think? -he asked.

You were amazed by his in-real-life look. He was even more handsome than these pictures and videos he sent.

You shake your head, asking.

-What? -you felt kind of stupid now, but it wasn’t your fault your tinder date happened to be the god like figure named Lee Heeseung.

He definitely knew what he was doing before he used the perfumes that everyone can smell from kilometers. 

He gave you a small laugh, before he asked again.

-I asked where do you want to go princess, because I’m in the mood for an ice cream date.

You just nodded your head before he laughed again. 

He loved the way you were shy and nervous all of the sudden when he met your eyes. 

Heeseung played some chill music and the adventure started.

He looked so handsome while driving, fully focused on the road, but had enough time to hold your thigh.

When you finally were at the planned spot, he again opened the door for you. 

You felt more relaxed after spending time in the car with him. You both again started to talk a lot, just like you texted each other. He bought ice cream for you as planned. Such a good start to the date. 

You can’t get your eyes out of him, so does he. It was the chemistry you needed to feel with someone. 

-It’s getting late, and you have to go to work tomorrow, why shouldn’t I drive you home? -He asked with a little smirk on his face.

-Yeah, that would be really nice of you. -You answered, winking at him.

You knew you wanted to do it. In your bed. Or in the kitchen. Or even on the floor. Or in his car… You felt the sexual tension which was built between you two. 

You were walking back to the car, next to each other. His hand casually wrapped around your waist. There were only you two, a dark parking lot, and a few lanterns next to the road. 

When you finally went inside, you opened your mouth to say something, but he stopped you. 

-Hey, are you cold? Your hands are all red. I told you the evenings are colder now. -He said, scolding you a little bit. 

-Maybe you told me something like this, but maybe I did it on purpose so you can make me warm now? -You answered, kissing your teeth. 

-So you want me to tell you that you're a bad girl? -He asked with a questioning face, even if he already knew the answer. 

-Heeseung, make me warm, now. 

He didn't think about it twice. The date was amazing, so it deserved an even better ending. He pulled you for a deep, sloppy kiss. 

You were so needy for him. Since you first saw him on this dating app you promised to yourself you'll never open again, you knew you needed him. The quick sexting chats you did with him was on another level. You wanted him to destroy you.

-It was so long since I had sex. -You whispered between the kisses. 

-Oh, so this is your way to make yourself warm? Acting like a slut in a stranger's car? 

He was now incredibly close, your head on the window, you opened your legs for him to get a better access. He could now see your panties because of the skirt you were wearing.

-Someone's love to be treated like a princess and then being railed? -He pointed at the wet stain formed between your legs. 

You wanted to scream, to beg him to do something with the mess your pussy made.

-Heeseung, please, just… -You moaned, when he pushed your panties to the side, exploring your folds. 

-You're so fucking wet. Were you like this for the past two weeks? We should meet earlier then. I didn't know you're that horny to feel my dick inside of you. 

You made a loud moan when he slid one of his fingers inside. They were so long, so slender, so perfect to reach your perfect spots. 

You opened your legs even more, pushing yourself deeper on his finger. 

He held your leg to make it more comfortable for you, while he decided to add another one finger inside. 

You were a moaning mess on the passenger seat, in the parking lot, where everyone could hear you. But it was too good to even care about it. You loved every single second this boy fingered you. 

He curled his fingers, and did a few more pushes. You were only louder and louder, digging your nails into his arm. 

-It's too early to cum, little slut. Wants me to mark you as my own, am I right? Now mouth open, princess. 

You did as he wished. You showed him your tongue, with half closed eyes, deep breathing was heard between soft whimpers. 

He closes his face to yours, now only millimeters were between you. You looked right into his eyes, they darkened while watching your fucked up face. He moved his hand to your neck, casually tightening the grip. 

Suddenly you felt his saliva on your tongue, going down to your chin. 

-I forgot to tell you that you have to swallow it all. Not even a single drop can go out of your pretty lips. You can just imagine you're swallowing my cum right now, because today it's not what I'll give to you. 

You nodded your head, waiting for him to spit into your mouth once again. He did. But your tongue was too far, to swallow it all in one take. That one, single drop, moved under your lips. 

He slapped your face and how awful it would be in someone's eyes, you loved it. You loved the way he treated you right now, and how he treated you three hours ago. Find a man who can do both, they said. 

-You're fucking dripping right now. You really like it when someone's treats you like a dumb fuck doll, huh? 

He slapped your pussy and you made the loudest whimper you could at that time. 

He did it a few more times before he pulled you again for a kiss. 

The words can't explain how needy and erotic this kiss was. You felt like a porn star in this scene. If this was recorded, you could be a millionaire right now. 

You reached to his belt, finally unzipping his jeans. He helped you by bucking his hips up. You did it with his boxers as well. 

You couldn't wait any longer for him, so did he. He helped you climb on him, stroking his dick a few times before he pulled his dick inside. 

You were definitely not ready for how big he was, letting a small cry escape your lips. 

He pushed his whole dick inside of you, but not moving for a minute to let you adjust to his size. You were kissing the whole time, he let you decide when you were ready for him to fuck you. 

You moved your ass up and down with your eyes rolled back to your head. His hand slapped your butt, while another one was choking you. 

Your clit was so sensitive, so every touch with his abdomen made you crazy. 

-What a little doll, so needy, huh? You love my dick don't you? I knew you'll be in heaven. Don't stop baby doll, cum when I'm inside. I want you to clench around me like a good slut you are. 

He tightens the grip on your neck even harder. Your vision was blurry now, your legs were only weaker and weaker. 

When he saw that, he let your neck free, so you could finally catch a proper breath. You choke on the sudden feeling of air again, despite the only smell you could get in this car was the smell of sex and his perfumes. 

He was now fucking you so you could have kind of rest, bouncing your ass on his length. 

You felt your orgasm coming, when he hit your g-spot a few times. 

-Fuck, Heeseung, I'm..  I'm gonna cum, can I? Please, don't fucking stop, fuck, please, make me cum.

-What a desperate little thing. Cum for me baby doll. You were so good for me, letting me not go easy on you. 

You reached your high after his words, digging your nails incredibly hard on his back, hugging him like you were scared he's gonna leave you when you cum with him inside.

You clenched really well around him, giving him even more friction. He loved how warm and thigh you were. He could fuck you for hours, he already imagined where you can do it next time. 

-Heeseung, cum inside of me. Please. Please do it. I want to feel your cum inside. -You begged. You begged him to do it and you wished he would agree to do that. 

And he did. He did his final thrusts, exploding inside of you. His groans were so hot, like music to your ears. 

You were breathing so loud that you could wake up a corpse. 

He moved your hair behind your ear, and kissed you, more romantically this time. 

-I didn't know you'd really love calling you a slut that much. -He laughed, pulling his dick out of you. 

The white sperm was draining from your hole, and you wished this moment would last forever.

-I did. Thank you for that, Heeseung. -You smiled shyly.

-Don't be shy beautiful girl, you weren't that shy 5 minutes ago. -He winked. 

-Now we're really going home, I think you're warm enough now. -He continued. 

You were too tired to even respond, so you collapsed on the passenger seat. 

He was driving you home and looked at your sleeping figure in his car, smiling to himself. He was definitely planning the second date.

[livelaughlovekny]

Hello!! I saw you accept requests so I have a scenario I have in mind, about Muicuiro x demon slayer reader who gave him a little notebook to write things that are important to him because he easly forget things (He might forgot that little notebook tho so the reader will write "A note for important things not to forget") but turns out almost 90% of that book is about the reader! Thanks before, have a great day!

a/n: ahh im so glad you requested this!! ive actually been planning on writing that so your request is perfectly timed oml. unfortunately, i wasnt able to form a full story about this and changed your request slightly! i still hope youll enjoy it!!

  “Tada! This is for you!” Placing a mint green notebook onto his hands, you beamed at him. “I bought this a while ago after my mission but never got the chance to pass it to you.” Muichirou flipped open the book, all the pages were blank. He looked at you quizzically. “I read about it in a book, writing things down can help you remember them better! Even if it didn’t, at least if you forgot something important, you could just refer to this notebook.”

  “I see. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.” You smiled at his bland reply before leaving. Muichirou waited until you were completely out of his line of sight before closing his estate’s door. Placing the notebook on a table, he went back out to the yard to train. When night came, he left to complete missions. The notebook and its purpose were long forgotten.

  A couple weeks later, the both of you had had another training session at the Mist Estate again.  “Thank you for training with me again!” Sitting down on the porch, you swing your feet. “How have you been? Has your memory improved?” Tilting his head to the side, Muichirou thought about it.

  “No, I don’t think so.”

  “Aww, I was hoping that the notebook would help.”

  “Notebook?” You looked at him, blinking quickly as if to get rid of something stuck in your eye. “Yes, a few weeks ago I suggested you write down important things in the notebook I gave you. Did you lose it?” Muichirou looked as if he was enlightened. “Ah, so that was what the book was for. No, I still have it, I just forgot why you gave it to me.” It wasn’t that you expected this to happen but such things happened too often so you laughed it off. “I see, don’t worry about it. May I enter your home?” He nodded his head. You were the only one who was allowed to enter his estate, perhaps the only one who has even seen it.

  Walking towards his room, you gestured at the closed door, silently asking for permission to enter it which you received immediately. Stepping into his room, you quickly notice the notebook lying on his desk. Grabbing a pen, you wrote on the cover in your neatest handwriting. Leaning over your shoulder, Muichirou read the words aloud, “‘Important Things “smiley face”’.” You looked up and smiled at him. “There you go! Now you won’t forget what this book is for!” Muichirou hummed slightly in response. “Thank you. I’ll try my best to use it to its full potential.” You laughed. 

  Again, he watched you wave goodbye to him and walk away until you were no longer visible. He turned back and sat down in front of his desk. He picked up the pen you used and flipped to the first page of the notebook. He stared at it, wondering what to write. He decided to write the date in the top left corner. He placed the pen down and continued staring at the blank page. There was nothing important to note down at the moment. Muichirou tried recalling his memories, deciding that whatever he remembered was at least important enough to be remembered. The only thing that formed in his mind was your smile and laugh. 

  Not wanting to scribble on the date and wait till next time to write down something else, he decided that writing about you will do for now. “Nice smile and laugh.” He felt uncomfortable writing down your name. A weird feeling would rise up within his chest. Closing the notebook, Muichirou decided that he was done writing for the day and went to the yard to train.

  A few days later, he received a letter from you. The both of you would send each other letters and you usually write about your missions and days while Muichirou would write back just to acknowledge your letters and offer advice if you asked for it. This time, you were writing about how you came across a night fair after a mission, saw the “cutest fox shaped hair piece ever” and enjoyed the “best tasting castella cake ever” and how you wished that the both of you and the other Hashiras could participate in a night fair together. 

  Folding the letter neatly, Muichirou placed the letter in a drawer where he kept your letters. After sending his response, he sat at his desk for a while before taking out his notebook. He flipped to the next empty page. He wrote the date on the top left corner like before. “Likes foxes and castella. Wants everyone to go to night fairs.” Tilting his head to the side, Muichirou wondered what else to add on. Pulling open the drawer where he kept your letters, he took some recent ones out and read them, noting down the parts where you expressed your likes and dislikes. He could practically hear your voice reading them aloud.

  “I was fighting this really mean demon that attacks with flesh-eating slugs. I hate slugs now. I did see a slug-shaped cloud, that wasn’t bad. Cloud gazing is calming, you should try it! You probably do already.”

  “Dandelions are so fun! I finished a mission and on the way back, I walked past a dandelion field. The way they flew was so cool!! I ran around and they all started flying and it was so pretty! I think you might like it too!”

  “You would not believe what I found: a four-leaf clover!! Four-leaf clovers are really rare and lucky and they’re my favourite colour! In case you forgot the colour, it’s green. Green is such a soothing colour! Your hair and eyes are really nice to look at.”

  Carefully reading through your letters multiple times to ensure he didn’t miss out on anything, Muichirou forgot about his daily training. And for the next few days, he would anticipate your letters more than usual, excited to find out more things about you. So as per usual, he gently unfolded the letter he received and read it.

  “…Oh right, are you noting down the important things in the notebook I gave you? If you are, let me know if you think your memory has improved!!”

  “I have been writing down important things and am able to remember them better. Thank you. Would you like to cloud gaze with me after the Hashira meeting next week? I took up your suggestion and did enjoy it.”

Bonus: “The Mist Hashira has sent you a letter!” Smiling at your crow, you thanked it and untied the envelope from its leg. It was rare for him to use an envelope since the both of you only used one to deliver small items. Gently opening the envelope, you find a note and something neatly wrapped. You pick up both items. “Saw this the other day.” Undoing the green wrapping paper, you realised that Muichirou had sent you a fox hair clip.

a/n: wahh i think the "bonus" i write at the end of fics are just time skips since im bad at writing them :'( i tried to not write about mui thinking of you as important and you thinking and caring for him too obviously to show the light-heartedness of your relationship but i think i just kept telling and not showing ahh i hope you guys liked this ohmygosh this is turning into a mini rant

[everythingcanadian]

Marvey: domestic vinyl disco

If anything threw Harvey off it was what happened when Mike officially moved in.

The small amount of boxes they unpacked didn't worry him, he knew the whole story. The one full box of video games and a console and controllers didn't bother him, he rarely watched tv anymore. The ripped jeans didn't even cause him to blink.

What did throw him was the notebooks. Each with a year and date timeline on them. Mike had smiled as he put them away in a little fabric basket he'd put into the larger shelving unit they bought together. "Memories and idle thoughts." Mike had said.

"You write in diaries?" Harvey had teased. And all he got was a shrug and a cheeky smile. Harvey snorted in acted annoyance, squatting down and kept shelving the books Mike had packed.

A list had fallen out of one of the notebooks and was loose in the basket, so Harvey pulled it out, itching to open the flimsy lined paper and devour what his partner wrote. Instead, he called out, "Mike! Something slipped out of your diaries. I don't know which one."

It's a few moments before Mike comes out of the guest room turned home office. He holds put his hand for the paper and Harvey gives it to him. The dichotomy of their stance mirrored that of last night, except Harvey wasn't on his knees and Mike wasn't against the wall.

Mike's face lit up as he looked at the title of his own note. A small laugh coming out. "Oh- yeah I remember this. The first Christmas we actually were going to spend together and I was trying to think of things to get you." He hands over the page.

Harvey looks up at Mike before looking at the paper and taking it back. He frowns at first but as he reads past the fourth line he smiles in disbelief and then a full sunny grin. "Vinyls." He gives a huff of a laugh.

"Ones you had looked at online or in stores as we passed." Mike says bashfully, a light pink coming to his cheeks. "It's- become a list of records I'd get you randomly."

"Just because?" Harvey's face shifts into that of soft awe, the one he has when he melts inside from anything Mike does.

Mike nods, "just because."

Harvey looks back at the page and his brown eyes soften. "You have a few crossed out."

"Because they're in your shelf already."

"What?" Harvey looks to his home collection of records.

"Here and work." Mike says proudly. "I said I was sneaky."

"No you didn't."

"Oh but I did. Said I'd find ways to surprise you."

"I-. I didn't think you meant things like this?" Harvey looks at the list as he stands, seeing one he knows he didn't have here at home. He walks his shelf and looks at the A's. He grins and laughs when he sees it. Pulling it out the black and gold record sleeve is bold and bare. "Would you care for a dance?"

"To disco?"

"Mmhm, with me?"

Mike pauses and his whole body lights up with glee. "Yeah, yeah put it on. We deserve a bit of a break anyway."

"Yes we do." Harvey is reverent in slipping the black record out, the band's name emblazoned on the center with all the songs. "Do you have a preference for a side?"

"Start from the beginning."

Harvey's smile softens, the meaning of those words pulling his heart strings. "We can do that. We'll just change records when it ends." The little ritual of putting on a record is something almost sacred to Harvey, and Mike watches his delicate movements with his hands. The opening static and then a blast of piano and catchy notes fills the condo with delightful and cheesy music.

"ABBA, not something I'd pick for myself. But it does have its moments." Harvey comes over to Mike and grabs his hips, leading them to a more open space to move. His laugh is full of life as he watches Mike dance a shitty attempt at Travolta. "Oh my god. Come here." Harvey kisses him softly, smiling too much for it to be proper, only to join Mike in being a dork.

[kimberleyjean]

What did Adam change? (Part 1)

To follow up on my recent reblog about the baby swap, I'm going to take a closer look at Adam where we leave him at the end of S1. Because, by the end of S1, Adam had changed quite a few things... and I'm going to use both the TV show and the book to provide evidence.

To become the Young's real son, I don't think Adam really needed to change all that much. He just says the words to Satan, Satan disappears, and that should be it, right? But no, because Adam goes much further, and I think he does it because he can.

Because Adam has opinions, you see. Opinions on how the world should be and what he wants to happen. Except, unlike Agnes, who needs to write a prophecy and then wait 300 years for her descendant to enact it, Adam can just make it so.

The Other Two Babies

I originally thought about putting all the things Adam changes into a single post, but instead I'm going to make this a short series of posts, because he changes a fair bit. Let's start with where we left off with the baby swap, crack open a copy of the book and discuss the changes for Warlock and Greasy first.

Warlock

Here's some excerpts of Warlock flying home from Megiddo to America (my bolds for emphasis):

It was Sunday afternoon. High over England a 747 droned westwards. In the first-class cabin a boy called Warlock put down his comic and stared out of the window.

...

And now he was going back to the States. There had been some sort of problem with tickets or flights or airport destination-boards or something. It was weird; he was pretty sure his father had meant to go back to England. Warlock liked England. It was a nice country to be an American in.

...

And Warlock flew on to America. He deserved something (after all, you never forget the first friends you ever had, even if you were all a few hours old at the time) and the power that was controlling the fate of all mankind at that precise time was thinking: Well, he's going to America, isn't he? Don't see how you could have anythin' better than going to America. They've got thirty-nine flavors of ice cream there. Maybe even more.

So it's Adam who has sent Warlock back to America, despite Warlock wanting (even, expecting) to be on his way to England. And he's controlling the fate of all mankind.

Greasy

Likewise, he has changes for Greasy Johnson too (the discarded baby who grows up to win prizes for his tropical fish).

The plane was at that point passing right above the Lower Tadfield bedroom of Greasy Johnson, who was aimlessly leafing through a photography magazine that he'd bought merely because it had a rather good picture of a tropical fish on the cover. A few pages below Greasy's listless finger was a spread on American football, and how it was really catching on in Europe. Which was odd… because when the magazine had been printed, those pages had been about photography in desert conditions. It was about to change his life.

Adam is deciding here how to alter Warlock and Greasy's paths. Warlock wants to be back in the UK, but Adam thinks America is better, while Greasy's magazine is changed to American football, which I guess is implying he's going to become an American footballer.

Now, not everyone may be aware, but these parts weren't in the first release of the novel. It only came about later, in the American edition. Apparently the changes were in response to prompting from the American editor, but they got "carried away" making those changes (source).

Season 3 (warning: speculation)

So, do you think this could be relevant for S3? For me personally, the fact that these bits were added later makes me wonder if this was helping to set up for a potential sequel. It's certainly poetic - just like the baby swap that originally involved all three, we are now implying a potential adolescent swap of Greasy, who is interested in American football, and Warlock, who is interested to return to the U.K.

If you've read at all about the hypothetical plot of the proposed written sequel, you'll know that it involved a trip to America, ostensibly to look for a lost Jesus. So, if the next book was originally meant to be about going and finding someone (Jesus?) in America, then Greasy or Warlock could make sense. It would be a switcheroo all over again if Warlock had left for the UK and Greasy for America.

Another alternative is that all three could end up converging in America, since Warlock already lives there and both Adam and Greasy have interests in going there. But if that's the intention, why mention that Warlock wants to be back "home" in the U.K.?

So, those are my possible takes on how this passage can be interpreted. I know there are some theories that either Greasy or Warlock may be the Second Coming. I've also seen a theory now that Adam himself could be a contender (both spawn of Satan and spawn of God - it'd certainly be interesting!). I'm not placing bets on any of these outcomes just yet.

In addition to this passage in the book, we also see some interesting changes made by Adam which are featured more prominently in the show - one's that have implications for the ineffable husbands.

Part 2 coming soon!

Thanks as always to everyone at the @ineffable-detective-agency (including @noneorother, @embracing-the-ineffable, @lookingatacupoftea, @251-dmr, @somehow-a-human, @maufungi, @havemyheartaziraphale, @theastrophysicistnextdoor, @dunkthebiscuit, @komorezuki, & @ghstptats).

[vanessaedp]

Sweetheart |•| Simon Riley x Fem Reader

fluff, angst if you use a magnifying glass 🔎, Ghost being a cutie patootie, sexual innuendo once, 141 meets ghost's s/o for the first time, soap ans gaz love cats, i hc gaz has celiac disease

not proof-read bc i cant be arsed soz lmfao 💀

also reblog pookies and i'll give you a free foot massage

~~~~

Three months without your boyfriend.

Your eyes scanned the new book you bought, 'Psycho by Robert Bloch'. It was a good book. 'I think everybody goes a little crazy sometimes' Norman bates said in the book. It was a line you related to heavily, especially when Simon went out on his missions. You were left all alone with your cat, Eleanor. Although, she was an adorable, orange tabby cat she reminded you of Simon since he bought her for you. Everything in this house reminded you of Simon. Half of the stuff in the living room he had bought because he'd rather gift you something than hug which you understood because he had opened up a tiny bit about his past and it seemed traumatic. Simon gifted you the most lavish things to equal the amount of times he wanted to hug you but couldn't due to his past. It was sad to think he had to buy your hugs but you appriciated the gesture.

~~~

"Right, I haven't had the chance to tell her that you lot are coming so if she freaks out don't worry." Simon grumbles.

The rest of the group nodded. Price was sitting in the drivers seat with Gaz beside him, they were both chatting about how the mission went while Simon and Soap were sitting at the back. For once, Simon showed some emotion. Nervousness. His leg was bouncing and his fist kept clenching and unclenching.

"You alright L.T?" Soap piped up, looking at his obviously anxious supervisor. Simon nodded.

"I hope she's doing alright." Simon stared at Soap with that stoic expression. Price and Gaz stopped talking and Price turned his head a little, keeping his eyes on the road.

"I'm sure she's fine. From what you've told us she can put up a fight so if something was to happen she'd be cool as a cucumber." Price smiled, trying to lighten the mood. Simon grimaced at the last part of his sentence but Price wasn't wrong. You knew Taekwando and you were flexible. Simon was shocked the first time you showed him how to do a backbend and that beautiful arch your back made that caused him to feel-

"Yeah, Ghost. She seems really nice. I've heard her while you two were on call. It's funny really. She sounds so sweet and bubbly and you-" Gaz stopped himself. "Well..." He trailed off when he saw Price shaking his head at him.

"He means that you two are polar opposites." Soap chimes in. "But you know what they say." He nudged Simon as if he already knew what he was going to say. "Opposites attract."

"Fucking hell." Simon let out a deep sigh. "Are we almost there?" He sounded impatient.

"Just around the corner, mate." Price reassured.

~~~

There was a knock at the door.

You poked your head from your book, folding the page over and stepping off the couch. You sighed. It could be Simon, then again it could be your SHEIN order that was due to arrive yesterday. You walked over to the door and opened it, gasping when you see your boyfriend, Simon.

"Simon!" You smile, stepping forward. Simons breath hitches and you notice this so you take a step back. He feels guilty. He had just been gone for three months and he's too scared to embrace his own girlfriend of 4 years? No. He won't let his fears get to him. Not when he's just left you for so long. Simon steps forward, pulling you close to him and hugging you. His arms stretched around your waist and he rested his face in the crook of your neck, you heard him inhale your perfume.

You were too distracted about the fact that Simon is hugging you that you don't realise his friends were here. You lifted your head to see them awkwardly looking away. "Simon, you never told me you brought your friends." You laughed when he pulled away, you could see the embarrassment in his eyes when he realised he had dived into your arms infront of his boss and co-workers.

"Yeah." He shuffled to the side and they all met your eyes. You smiled and waved and they did the same, mumbling some "hi's" and "hello's". "This is Soap."

"I believe he prefers-." Gaz speaks.

"Pipe down." Soap interrupts him.

Simon gave Soap a harsh pat on the back and Soap gave him a dirty look. He points to Price and Gaz. "Thats Price, my captain and Gaz."

"Oh, its so nice to meet you all. Come in, i'll get you all something to drink if you'd like.

"Um.. alright then." Price smiled back and entered, Gaz and Soap followed close behind and Ghost shut the door.

"I'm gluten free, by the way." Gaz says, looking around your massive living room. It has cat toys everywhere and Gaz nudges Soap. "They have a cat." He whispers and Soap looks thrilled, his head darts around in search for the feline.

While your in the kitchen making the men something to drink, they all settle down on the couch. Eleanor walks in and nuzzles against Ghost's leg. He leans over and pets her, scratching behind her ear. Soap looks in awe. "You never told us you have a cat." He scolds Ghost.

"You never asked." Ghost mumbled, picking Eleanor up and stroking her soft fur. "I missed you, Ellie." He whispers and holds the cat like a baby, loud purrs from Eleanor filled the room.

"Can I hold her?" Gaz asked, peeking over Soap's shoulder to look at the tabby cat.

"Me too, please." Soap asked, feeling his heart melt when Ghost placed Eleanor on Soap's lap. "Oh my god, who's a good kitty?" He says in a baby voice as Eleanor stretched across him and Gaz's lap. Their hands eagerly petting the cats fur.

You return with a tray of coca colas in bottles. "I made sure it was gluten free." You laugh and take a seat in an armchair. "I see Ellie has taken a liking to you both."

"Is that her name?" Gaz asked, looking up at you for a moment before sipping his cola and petting the kitten.

"Well, she's actually called Eleanor but me and Simon just call her Ellie." You smile.

"How old is she?" Price asked, scratching Eleanor's chin, smiling down at her. She purred away peacefully.

"Um.." You glanced at Simon who held up 3 fingers. "She's 3. She's a tabby cat so i'm just glad they don't grow too big."

Price nodded. "She's adorable. Be careful though, Soap and Gaz might want to steal her from you. They love animals." Gaz and Soap didn't even look up from the cat but they nodded. Eleanor let out a meow and they both went 'Aww'. "How long have you two lived together?"

"2 years I think. My dad left most of the inheritance to me so I asked Simon if he wanted to move in with me. And now we're here." You shrugged and Price nodded.

~~~

After about 2 hours of talking and joking Price checked his watch. "We should go now. Gaz and Soap have training tomorrow." He lifted up Eleanor from his lap and placed her on the couch. "Thank's for having us." Price smiled.

"Thanks." Gaz said with a smile before giving Eleanor a scratch on the chin. Soap did the same and nodded.

"Bye, you'll have to come over again!" You waved them off, shutting the door when they drive off. You re-enter the living room and sit beside Simon. "They seem lovely." You look up at him.

"You haven't known them as long as I have." Simon chuckled darkly, his arm hesitantly reaching over your shoulder and hooking around to pull you close to him. He looked down at you.

"So.. do you want to order a take-away or do you want to go out?" You nestled your cheek against the side of his chest.

"Can we stay here?" He asked, sinking into the couch. "Like how we are now. I don't want to let you go."

"Okay, Simon." You nod and smile. And he didn't let you go. He made sure you fell asleep and woke up in his arms.

~~~

eat up guys

[kurisus]

Noragami: Final Chapter thoughts

For the last time :') I've been making these for roughly half the manga's runtime, both in chapter count and years. Which is wild to think, but anyway, spoilers under the cut. One final time.

I really spent the first half of this chapter with bated breath alternating between being relieved that Hiyori is okay and grew up to be a doctor and everything, and stressed about where Yato was and where her memories were. Then Yato showed up, and I think I burst into tears out of hysterics. They really got me, I thought he was gone.

That aside, it was an excellent chapter. I was right when I said that this would just be an epilogue and the true suffering was over, but god. god. I'm relieved they gave me that open ending and the chapter was mostly good old-fashioned Noragami silliness. With the expected gut punches.

It's probably a good thing that Yuka never got to reunite with her brother, but at least knows that he's resting in peace. That he was given a proper burial by someone who, at the time, barely knew him but wanted to make things right anyway. Great now I'm crying again.

Hiyori's pocket with the little capyper keychain she bought forever ago. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

Yato's CPR being so intense it cracked Hiyori's ribs. god he was so desperate to save her. WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH.

HER TOUCHING HER LIPS WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH

Fujisaki getting nostalgic seeing tall grass (as we know from the omake is called kaya) was weirdly touching. Though Father has faded, Kaya is the one that is still remembered. We never got to learn his real name, and while I am still curious about it, I can see the purpose--by not knowing his name, we the readers don't give him a lifeline.

That's not the only fourth wall lean in the final chapter. There was also Yato being able to save himself by becoming a meme, much like how the fandom and Adachitoka have memed on him for years as well.

Back to the chapter, it looks like Father's consciousness had always been lurking alongside Fujisaki's, maybe making him do things from time to time, which is really weird and creepy. Maybe he was dormant until the Yomi arc, but either way he's been doing this to a dozen other guys over the centuries. I'm glad the cycle was broken.

It's hilarious that Fujisaki tries to ask Hiyori out and she's just like haha not interested coo phone be upon ye.

I'm so glad the cherry blossom party has become an annual tradition with even more gods invited to the party. I'm also so glad that Yato refuses to release Kazuma and Bishamon apparently makes it a point to bully him about this whenever she sees him. But also, Kazuma doesn't seem to want to be released. He's just like yeah whatever man I'm glad you saved us. Cheers.

Side note, Kazuma's new glasses look a lot like the ones he was wearing in that 100 years ago flashback of him and Bishamon, around chapter 68 or 69 I think?

So we also get to see the aftermath of what happened to Yukine--he still transforms into a wolf every now and then, because much like how Nora transforms into a snakelike creature whenever she loses control of her emotions, his form is a wolf, and unlike Nora he's always been very emotional. So the nightmares come out and Yato's left with a giant wolf thrashing around in their shared living space lol, but at least his dad is there to hug him :')

WAIT STOP PAUSE EVERYTHING IT LOOKS LIKE THEY SHARE A BED NOW. I JUST COLLAPSED INTO A BALL.

AUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUGH

The panel of Yato hugging him made me lose it again. THEY'RE SOOOOOOOO.

So we never did get to find out what happened to Yukine's father--but as I pointed out in the reread I did during December, I don't think it matters. Yukine wasn't going to exact revenge on him anyway because he's not the kind of person to do so.

The page of Nora reading Hiyori's diary also made me so sad. Hiyori's right--she probably did have parents who loved her, but she never got to meet them. One thing I noticed throughout this manga is shinki habitually chasing something relating to their pasts. Yukine craves a good relationship with a father figure, Kazuma is obsessed with Bishamon because he missed out on marrying a girl he loved, Daikoku acts like a dad to every child he meets because he died before having his own kids, and like Yukine, Hiiro craves the parental love she never had. And as Hiyori pointed out, being given a name by Father was like being given life.

Since we didn't get to see what became of her name situation, but Yukine still bears the Hagusa name, she must still have Mizuchi. If her master is gone, can she still draw borderlines? Does she hang around with Yato and Yukine still? Adachitoka didn't say Kofuku DIDN'T name her, so...

The way Hiyori remembered Yato because of his scent had me SOBBING, yall. She didn't forget, but she did solve her problem and it was solved by people, just like they've been saying throughout the manga. But now, they can be together again. Yato was away from her for some years, and maybe he'll leave for several more (it's been a repeated thing in the manga that he'll insist he has to stay away for her own good), but the point is that even if it's been years and years, she'll always remember him. It's open-ended, but that just means it can be my preferred ending of Hiyori not forgetting but choosing to distance herself. She'll meet up with Yato and Yukine every once in a while living her own, separate, fulfilling life. They've been watching over her all these years anyway.

And so, that brings us to the close. It's as happy an ending as we could have possibly gotten, and above all else, I'm relieved. I've been saying for...years, probably, that I want an open ending, but I really thought it was off the table with recent events.

Final hangups are the same as they were in my final reread (tagged under #Noragami reread on my blog), so I won't repeat them, but the bottom line is that I got everything I wanted out of this ending--except maybe a trio hug? But that interior illustration of the four of them, all smiling and happy, Yato's arm around his sister, made up for that. I kind of wish there was a Yatori kiss for real, but the panel of her touching her lips also assuaged that.

Anyway, I'm not sure what other manga would/will make me unhinged enough to type up monthly thoughts posts for years, but I'll be tuned in to whatever new Adachitoka has coming up. Whether it's a full series, a short series, or just a oneshot, I'll be reading every word. I'm also looking forward to getting the final volume once it releases here, and praying for an artbook announcement.

Thank you for reading! I have some posts to make, some projects to plan, and I'll be diving into the tag once more for old times' sake. This won't be the last of me!

[onwriting-hrarby]

for you — rivamika fanfic notice

Dear everyone,

Knock-knock—is someone there? I truly hope so because my mind has been wondering about this story for a while. So, first things first: Hi, this is Hera, the author of "For You."

Because yes: a new chapter is coming. It has been coming for the past ten months, but now I only have 5 mini-chapters left to write and a 30- page chapter to revise. Let me break it to you: 2024 has been... eventful. In a letter in April (I believe) I told you that I needed to focus on my original novel for a while because I aimed to finish it after summer, and I did. In the process of completing the novel, I celebrated becoming a 30-year-old, I had a future crisis, I decided to take a master's, I submitted a proposal for a children's book, opened a Substack, bought myself a car (and I'm indebted for the rest of my life, probably) and basically, life happened. Which is exhausting but also nice. Being offline became my priority: I deleted my personal Twitter account, and dumbified my phone. I have so many inputs in my life that I didn't need any more.

September came, the 5 mini chapters still left to write. I got my first "no" for my original novel, but I got a "yes" for the children's book submission—so, happy to say that I'm going to be a published author! (If all goes according to plan. I do not celebrate before I have the book printed in front of me.) I am also in the middle of my teacher's practicum but still juggling with my ordinary job, so I'm dealing with quite a lot. However, as I was telling you, this story hasn't left my mind. I know some of you have been wondering, giving me courage through the comments, and I appreciate this so much. Whenever I think about the relationship of Mikasa and Levi in this fic I grow worried that I'm not going to have enough time to explore all the nuances and pain that comes with motherhood and love—but I need to tell myself that this is fanfiction, that Mikasa and Levi aren't going anywhere, and that it is fine in just trying.

I also had worries that no one was here anymore. But I read a Zutara fanfiction in May in which the author did several hiatus. The writing spanned during five years or more and it made me think that fanfiction shouldn't be a timing burden. I think a lot about the relationship of my online and offline persona and how it doesn't differ that much—I'm still the same imaginative, self-pushing, perfectionist girl—and this fanfiction told me that it's alright: I have a story to tell. I hope it finds someone. And even though I take time, I hope for that someone to come back here when they want and find the story again.

I need to submit the children's book by the end of January, and my master thesis by April (although I will have a lot of work from my master before and after too). But now that the life work is lessening, I hope I can finally sit in front of the computer and finish Chapter 4. I am envisioning this story to have 9 chapters in total, but we will see.

So, this story is coming. My goal is for it to come on the end of December or beginning of January—but it will come. If you want to know when I upload a chapter, you can subscribe to the fanfiction and you will receive the notification on your inbox, which is a cool feature. In fact, I have begun finishing Chapter 4... but god, my English is rusty. I take long.

Anyways. Hope to see you soon. Thank you for your comments and encouragement—it has made the offline Hera very happy, too.

—Hera

[desertdollranch]

Opening my Amy Elise doll

Meet Haley!

So I'm sure you all know I love rare and discontinued 18 inch dolls. It's a lot of fun finding out that they exist, hunting them down on the secondary market, receiving them in the mail, introducing them into my collection, seeing my collection become more diverse, and knowing that I'm one of the very few people who owns them. I also think it's fascinating to observe the individual differences between brands. While my 18 inch doll collection started with American Girl dolls, it certainly won't end there.

Haley was no exception to that. I first noticed her while searching for another brand of rare dolls. I stumbled across her listing, tried to research but couldn't find much about her, and so decided to think about it for a few weeks. She was so inexpensive (less than the price of a new Our Generation dolls) and yet looked like she was lovingly made with high quality materials. The mystery around her was so intriguing that I went ahead and bought her.

When I received her, the box gave me the URL of the now-defunct Amy Elise brand, and so I was able to plug it into the Wayback machine and see the site as it appeared when it was active. I also noticed the box refers to Amy Elise as "books and dolls with a purpose". What purpose could that be? I wondered if, based on Haley's lab coat and clipboard, that maybe these dolls encouraged young girls to consider careers in science. I didn't receive a book with my doll, so I could only speculate.

The lab coat was featured on Hayley's profile on the Amy Elise website, which was archived by the Wayback machine from 2007 to 2009.

The other available doll, Marissa, is a young detective who likes to solve mysteries. A good start to a later career in forensics, I guess?

But if you read the introductions closely, each mentions learning lessons about faith. And if you look closely at the pictures of the two dolls, you can see the golden cross necklace each of them is wearing.

I was way off in my assumption. Rather than being science-focused, Amy Elise was one of the many Christian alternatives to American Girl that began popping up in the 1990s. That's still happening today, although it's becoming less common as smaller brands realize how hard it is to compete with American Girl's massive advertising budget, as well as more budget-friendly alternatives like Our Generation. For that reason they tend to quietly go defunct within a few short years.

I think this calls for a deep dive into this small, obscure brand.

The Wayback machine doesn't always archive the complete sites, and especially not the pictures, but it seems to have gotten a pretty comprehensive shot of the site.

Here is the mission statement and letter from the CEO of Amy Elise.

Fortunately this statement manages to convey their purpose without insulting American Girl, or referring negatively to non-Christian girls. I also did Google the CEO's name to see if she's still involved in doll production of any kind, and I can't find evidence that she is.

Elsewhere on the site, there are a few other faith-related products sold separately from the dolls.

The images here are broken because they were not archived.

There are a few other outfits and accessories for Haley and Marissa as well. Larger images weren't archived. None of the outfit descriptions give any sort of link to the characters' stories.

That's about all that's interesting about the site. The author's blog is more of a journal of her life and thoughts. Only the first page was archived and nothing in it is related to the dolls or their stories.

So let's open the doll. (You might have already spotted her a few weeks ago when I made a post about my dolls visiting a pumpkin patch--Haley was there. I actually got her in October and just haven't gotten around to posting this until now, mid-December.)

Haley was never removed from her box, so she's in flawless condition. She came with a pretend clipboard, pretend pen, and a cross necklace.

Her outfit underneath the lab coat is very cute.

Everything fastens with snaps instead of Velcro.

Her shirt has buttons on the left shoulder.

Her jeans have snaps and a zipper.

Her wig is one of the nicest I've ever encountered! It's soft but not slippery, and feels very realistic.

It did come off pretty easily when I tugged on it, so I moved it over to give her a side part, which I think makes her look a bit younger than she does. To me she doesn't look ten years old like her book says. She definitely has a more mature look to her face.

Overall I'm really impressed at her high quality materials. She's made of vinyl, but it does look like porcelain. She has a cloth torso and the standard articulation at the hips, shoulders, and neck.

She fits nicely into American Girl clothes, despite being just a little bit slimmer.

She fits into Maplelea clothes too, and this robotics club outfit looks perfect on her. I like the pink and purple hair on her but I don't think this wig change will be permanent.

Her feet are slightly bigger than AG doll feet, as seen on the left. I tried Haley's shoes on my Maplelea doll Léonie, and they were a much better match!

[louiseolivier]

WIP

This was supposed to be 10 pages of fluff. It is now up to 30 pages of meandering. The plan was to post this by the end of June, write a short piece about Tommy finding out about the Buck baby, then a longer story about the Buckley parents, and then a LONG one where Tevan goes to Tommy's hometown for his mother's funeral. Lol, and all before season 8 starts. #imafool. Please enjoy this snippet because only god knows when the rest will see the light of day.

Wednesday he met Maddie with Jee and Mara for Drag Story Hour at a nearby library and then took them to a soft serve ice cream parlor next door. They had $2 mini ice cream cones. Maddie tried to protest, and she had a point that it was barely 11AM, but they were so cute! Including ice cream, they were just five inches tall. Buck bought them each two and took a dozen pictures. He picked out the best one of all three girls and texted it to Hen, Karen, and Chim. 

The rest of the day was dedicated to meal prep and laundry. He got lucky, Tommy had some downtime that day, so he could tell him about story time, the ice cream, and a documentary Buck had half-watched before Tommy had to go out on a call. All in all, it was a pretty good day.

So he should have known Thursday would turn into a shit show.

“Buckley!” Chimney called to him as soon as he passed the threshold. With his fists on his hips, he had what could only be described as an angry dad face. He threw a thumb over his shoulder, towards the changing room and said, “With me!”

Ravi came around the corner and vocalized as he passed, “Ohhh, you’re in trouble.” 

“Seriously?” Buck said to Ravi’s back. “That’s not helpful.”

Cautiously, he entered the changing room. Chim stood, phone in hand, with his arms folded over his chest. Buck let out a nervous laugh and said, “Hey, man, what’s up?”

Chimney held out his phone with the picture of everyone with their ice cream cones. Buck cooed, “Aren’t they cute? The place is pretty cool. They have, like, 15 ice cream options and 30 toppings. They had butterscotch dip, Chim. I ended up getting four. Hey, did you know that the soft serve machine was patented in 1926 and that that company makes the soft serve machines for McDonald's to this day?!” 

Buck was on a roll and was about to tell Chimney about preventing ice crystals when he cut Buck off and said, “Stop taking!.” He was still holding out his phone and shook it for emphasis. “And do you know what happened after that?”

“Ah, no?”

“Your sister, my wife, received a call from Hen and had to sit through a 20-minute dressing down. Now Maddie’s upset, I’m angry, and since Hen took the day off, I’ve decided to blame you.”

“Me? I took them to the library, which is educational, and then I took them out for some baby-sized ice cream. Which by the way, could have been educational if they had listened to me read the article I found!”

Chimney deflated in front of him and sat heavily on a bench. “I know,” he said wearily, “but the Wilsons have a no sweets before dinner rule, and your little treat happened before noon.”

&&&& I'll throw in some Tevan being cute &&&&

Buck pressed the doorbell with his elbow and waited with a coffee in each hand. The emerald green door swung open to a sweaty, shirtless Tommy on the other side. “Evan!” His brow creased in confusion, but his grin meant Tommy was happy to see him. He looked to have been in the middle of a workout, and Buck’s brain short-circuited as he watched a bead of sweat run down the side of Tommy's face. God, he wanted to lick it off.

“F-for you,” Buck said, and handed him a tall Americano with 4 Splendas. If it was hot, Tommy liked it sweet and black. If cold, his go-to was a sugar-free white chocolate mocha with an extra shot. 

Tommy moved close, held Buck by the chin, and firmly kissed him. “Thank you. Did you just come by to bring me coffee?”

Buck swayed towards Tommy when he pulled back, and Tommy had to steady him with a hand on his bicep. “Partially. Your place is on the way to the airport, and I left my toothbrush here. I had to use my finger last night and this morning. Sorry. I interrupted your workout.” Buck said gesturing to his sweaty tank and glistening skin.

“I was pretty much done,” Tommy told him and pulled off his sweat-soaked shirt. 

Buck took a shuddering breath and felt his dick twitch when Tommy then used the shirt to mop up his pits. “I can’t stay,” Buck said, hating how his voice cracked.

“This doing it for ya, huh?” Tommy gave him a cheeky smirk and turned, heading for the bathroom. 

As inadvisable as it probably was, Buck followed. “Pretty much everything you do does it for me.”

[froagie]

I 100% support u in everything u say abt zl and everyone else. Ur comics give me life fr

Thanks so much here are some more zhongli facts. (Source: Me)

his house is actually huge but only like 1.5 rooms are navigable because everywhere else is filled with random rocks and trinkets he "bought", hes like Oh the pattern on this cor lapis looks like a bird in flight it would be a shame not to buy it

he is Teyvat's Most Divorced Milf

he owns 7 copies of the same outfit and 1 of hu tao's outfit in his size that she kept trying to make him wear because it would be "cute if the funeral parlor was matching" (He doesnt wear it)

he used to just have his Tits Out all the time but realized when hed be giving orders to the adepti literally nobody would pay attention so he started wearing a shirt

knew shenhe when she was a kid and she would tug on his ponytail all the time and also bite his spear and the spear still has teethmarks in it to this day

every few centuries or so venti and zhongli get divorced again (for fun), the most recent time they tried to get a divorce (lantern rite) they couldn't afford it because Yanfei started hiking up her prices exponentially because she was sick of dealing with their bull shit

he has mastered the art of manipulation which is how he manages to almost always buy everything for the price of free and the manipulation in question is smiling at them shoujo manga love interest style, OR using childes fatui bank funds that he never bothered to change the PIN on, btw childe is in huge trouble with the harbingers for using exponentially more than his allotted share of fatui funds, thats why the last time he was in an event (the one with yoimiya) he was talking about how he has to keep an eye on his spending

xingqiu writes in-universe RPF about Rex Lapis under an alias, and gets into multi-page heated arguments in the comments with keqing (also commenting anonymously) about the characterization in the middle of which is user TartagliaLapis asking if he takes character x reader commissions. xiao went to the AO3 message board or whatever in the dead of night when no one can see him to read the rex lapis fanfiction then he adds another comment like "Rex Lapis would not fucking say that"

zhongli and baizhu play mahjong together with old grandmas at 5 in the morning #enrichment

the first time that zhongli painstakingly made almond tofu for xiao he didnt even eat it because he was like Rex Lapis Made This For Me. I Must Treasure This Forever And Preserve His Culinary Creation For All Of Eternity. and he put it in like one of those glass cases you put anime figures in. next time zhongli visited him he was like Oh dear... was the almond tofu not to your liking? Im sorry :( and xiao almost kills himself right then and there but hes like No my lord it was delicious and perfect like everything you do and he smashes the case open and shoves the entire plate in his mouth and swallows it in one go and starts gagging and choking because he didnt even chew and probably swallowed some glass too and then he faints and wakes up in baizhus office and hes like wtf happened then he sees zhongli waiting by his bedside looking worried and he remembers what he just did and passes out again from the sheer embarrassment

[kylobith]

Little Town Tails

Chapter 6: Something Fishy

Summary: A curious visitor comes to Emerald Grove.

Ship/Pairing: Halsin x Fem!Tav

Trope: Modern AU, Meet-cute, Little countryside town, Cosy

Word count: 4,831

Read it on Ao3 here

Listen to the dedicated playlist on Spotify here

‘Ah, Halsin, there you are!’

‘Good morning, Jaheira,’ he greets the florist back with a bright grin. He wipes his muddy shoes on the rubber mat outside until they are presentable enough to go in. Behind him, Scratch sits at the door, unleashed, waiting for Halsin to be done with his visit before heading home.

Jaheira grins at the white dog and whistles, calling him inside. The dog eyes his owner hesitantly, but when the latter gives him an approving nod, Scratch trots up behind the counter to be petted by his host. She grabs the banana she was snacking on and takes off a piece she offers him.

Halsin approaches the counter and smiles at the sight, always happy to see that his dog is accepted somewhere. While petting Scratch behind the ears, Jaheira looks at his visitor and smirks.

‘Walked around the forest this morning again?’

‘Indeed. The weather was perfect, but last night’s rain made the ground a bit soft, as you could tell from my boots.’

‘It’s always like that. At least they say that this spring will bring more sunny days than usual,’ she adds, chuckling as the dog lies down at her feet. ‘Anyway, did you happen to see Minsc at all? I’ve been trying to call him for two days because he ordered a fresh bouquet, but now the flowers are waning.’

He leans on his elbows and fidgets with one of her business cards on the counter.

‘I did, he was patrolling the area by the other bridge. Had I known, I would have reminded him.’

‘Oh, don’t bother. It’s always like that with him. He tends to forget what he orders on a whim. He’s always ready to support my shop since I opened but he never picks up his orders. He did, once, but that was a flower for Boo’s birthday and he ordered flax seeds. That was it.’

They share a laugh. Minsc certainly is quite the character, anyone meeting him can tell. Quite eccentric compared to the rest of Heawick, but he adds to the charm of the community. Whenever somebody needs help, whether when the flower shop was merely an idea sprouting into Jaheira’s mind or with Beaky’s incident with the bear trap, he never hesitates to lend a hand, even though it tends to distract him from his daily tasks and chores. Yet, there is no better forest warden.

Jaheira flips through the pages of her logbook and finds Halsin’s recent order.

‘So, the spider plant, was it?’ she says absent-mindedly. ‘Found a gorgeous one for you. Fluffy, in good health. Perfect for your counter.’

‘Eager to see it!’

She chuckles and heads to the back to fetch the plant. She returns with precisely what she promised him, setting it down on her counter for him to examine. He touches the long leaves between his fingers, sensing the freshness of their greenish white stripes and admiring the way that they curve elegantly around the gold-painted bucket serving as its display pot.

‘What a beauty!’ he coos, his eyes sparkling in awe. ‘How much do I owe you?’

‘Eighteen gold coins.’

‘Perfect, thank you.’

He takes out and begins to rummage through his coin purse, which takes Jaheira by surprise and causes her to smile. Shaped like the head of a teddy bear, its fur is made from light brown fleece, and the eyes and nose are embroidered in black and pink thread. He bought it at a flea market a few years ago on one of the rare holidays he allowed himself to take. Many raised an eyebrow to see a grown man buy it for himself, but even though he is far from materialistic, it is one of the few objects that he has grown particularly fond of.

He places the eighteen gold coins in the palm of Jaheira’s hand and slips two more into her tip jar.

‘Thank you,’ she says with a brief bow of her head. ‘Don’t forget to repot it from time to time, the roots tend to grow fast. And water it once to twice a week. It’s usually alright if you skip a week, as long as you don’t do it for a month straight.’

The veterinarian laughs and watches the florist remove the plant from the yellow pot. He purses his lips and tilts his head.

‘How much for that pot? It suits the plant quite well.’

Jaheira stops and eyes the bucket.

‘Oh, this? Ah, just take it. On the house.’

‘Certainly not,’ Halsin protests, unzipping his coin purse again and counting the coins in it. ‘Name your price.’

‘I insist, take it. I bought it years ago but it doesn’t suit my home, I use it for visualisation most of the time… Or as a pencil pot.’

She nudges it towards him with a wink. With a sigh and a heavy blush, Halsin slips ten gold coins into the tip jar and winks back. Once the plant is back in the bucket, he calls out for Scratch, who seeks one last pet from Jaheira, then rushes to his owner’s feet. The veterinarian and the florist exchange cheerful goodbyes, and the former exits the shop with his dog in tow and the spider plant tucked in the crook of his elbow.

Halsin whistles a tune as he crosses Heawick with his free hand buried in his pocket. He nods politely at everybody he sees with a smile and continues his walk back to Emerald Grove. The town is still awaking from its slumber and some of the shops are only just opening. Sometimes it still surprises him that Jaheira decides to open hers this early, but as she once said to him, she prefers to tackle her daily routine in the early hours, then close one or two hours before most shops so she can enjoy the town herself and have a longer evening to relax or meet up with her friends at the old pub on Westway Street.

Come to think of it, it is not such a bad idea. Shop owners and employees seldom have the opportunity to shop for themselves, unless they work half shifts or rely on partners who have the time to buy everything they need. More often, their only occasion to do so is on Saturdays, but the busy aisles deter quite a few. Since Heawick has a wider variety of establishments of all the nearing towns — not counting the city, of course —, its streets bustle with visitors on that particular day.

As he turns onto his street, he switches hands to hold the plant and fumbles through his pocket to find his keys. When he pulls them out and looks up to make sure that he does not walk too far, he notices the figure of a man peering through the windows of the practice. Dressed in black from head to toe, matching with his silky and spiky raven hair, the man does not seem to have come with a pet and does not seem particularly eager to enter.

‘Good morning,’ Halsin greets him with an eyebrow raised. ‘May I help you? Do you have or need an appointment?’

The man is startled despite the veterinarian’s soft tone. He straightens up and looks over at Halsin, seemingly analysing him in detail. The stranger rubs his index and thumb together and scowls at Scratch, who does not dare approach him at all. His demeanour already betrays the fact that he comes from the richer quarters of the city and is not used to visiting the area at all. There is a haughty air to him in the way that he carries himself, as if the word ‘peasant’ is about to slip off his tongue at any moment to describe Halsin and his shockingly unleashed pet.

‘No,’ he replies in a honeyed tone still tinted with firmness. ‘But I will come back later.’

Without uttering another word, the man spins around on his heel and walks away, leaving Halsin utterly confused with his key in hand. What a strange character.

The veterinarian shrugs it off and enters the dark practice, ushering Scratch inside before closing the door again behind him. He walks over to Karlach’s counter and finds a suitable spot for the plant, making sure to stand on both sides of the desk to ensure that the view is not obstructed for neither his assistant or a patient’s owner. But in the end, he finds that it does not quite fit there with the cards and flyers and tip jar, so he carries it over to the small coffee table in the centre of the waiting room. At least, if the anxious pets munch on the leaves, they will not be sick from it.

After a brief shower and a change into scrubs, he lets Scratch rest upstairs and heads back to the practice to follow the daily opening routine. As he takes a minute to make himself a cup of fruity tea — a bold decision considering how often he drinks his signature mint and honey infusion —, his mobile phone pings. Karlach’s name appears on the screen.

‘Morning doc, sorry but I’ll be late today, Vixen just won’t start! I’ll be there ASAP, promise promise!’

Halsin grins and immediately types back as he flicks the light switches on and shuffles towards the front door without paying much attention to his surroundings.

‘It should be quiet for the first hour, hopefully you will have found a way by then. Good luck finding an alternative! Perhaps you can ask Gale? Halsin. PS: I hope that Vixen will be alright. Too bad that she is not the type of vixen that I would treat at the practice :-).’

His wrist flicks to unlock the door while he re-reads the message to correct any typos he might have made. Eager to let some fresh air in, he opens the door wide.

‘Morning, doctor!’

Halsin nearly drops his phone when he jolts in surprise, not having expected that somebody might have already arrived. After all, he does not have any appointment planned before an hour. Outside, wiping her feet on the mat, Tav smiles at him with twinkling eyes and a light flush from noticing that her sudden greeting startled him.

His heart instantly leaps inside his chest and his lips mirror her grin.

‘Oh, good morning Miss Ashguard! I apologise for my reaction, I did not expect such an early visit. Is everything alright?’

Tav quickly combs her fingers through her freshly-cut curtain fringe. It suits her incredibly well, he catches himself thinking. The way that it sweeps across her eyebrows, its colour only highlighting the deep blue of her irises… It nearly steals the breath from his lungs.

‘Yes, yes, everything’s fine!’

He steps aside and invites her inside. As she passes him by with a light step, he closes his eyes for a second, savouring the aroma of her flowery perfume. As he realises what he is doing, he clears his throat and follows her to the reception.

‘Do you need anything more for the case against Mr Bongle? Perhaps I have forgotten to include some information in the report?’

She leans her elbows on the counter and does not seem able to eff the smile across her rosy cheeks. The sight, however sweet and pleasant, does stir something within him and he curses himself internally for reacting the way that he does.

‘No, not at all. The lawyer said it was quite complete, actually. She’s revising the case and I just have to wait now,’ she chimes with a shrug. ‘I’ve come here because there’s a stray cat in my street that’s been going around for a while but lately he’s been looking quite thinner. The old lady who used to feed it everyday died a few weeks ago, and I’m not sure anyone feeds him anymore.’

Her gaze wanders over to the rows of kibble bags on the display shelves.

‘I’d like to buy some food for him just to be on the safe side, and since I don’t want to risk giving him the wrong stuff, I thought I’d buy it here.’

‘I see,’ he responds with a nod. His eyes brighten up at the thought that she cares for an animal that is not hers. Most people he has seen refuse to approach stray animals out of fear that they might catch diseases or fleas, and while some caution is always advised, too many of them end up suffering all sorts of infections that go untreated and only cause them agony. Knowing that there is someone like Tav out there caring enough to notice the change in the cat’s weight gives him hope.

Halsin steps back to peruse the selection he has got, heading straight to the cat section.

‘Do you know how old the cat is, approximately?’ he asks.

‘Mmh, he doesn’t look too old. Hears and sees properly from what I know, his fur isn’t too patchy. Some neighbour said the old lady fed him for about three years.’

‘Then let us take one for adult cats to be on the safe side. I suppose that you do not happen to know what type of kibble she gave him?’

‘Not at all. Sorry.’

He nods and asks her a few more questions about what behaviours she has noticed from the cat in general. Once he is able to define a clearer profile of the animal, he picks a bag and sets it down on the counter, pointing at the information written on it with his pen.

‘This is food that is perfect for a cat used to the outdoors, aged five years or more. If it turns out that he is slightly younger, that should not cause any trouble. Since you said that he is on the lighter side, I would recommend thirty grammes of kibble per day. See how much he manages to eat and add a little more if he starts gaining a bit of weight again. But do not give him more than forty-five grammes, since it is likely that he hunts mice or birds on the side.’

‘Noted!’

Reaching into a cabinet behind the reception, he takes out a measuring cup and places it next to the bag.

‘This should help you measure the food without a kitchen scale.’

‘Practical. Alright, let’s take it!’

Halsin smiles and circles the recommended doses on the bag so she does not forget the amount he has told her to give the stray cat. He signs in to his software and enters the right reference to log the sale.

‘Would you like me to add it to your patient account in case you need to buy some new kibble later on?’

‘Gladly,’ she responds cheerfully, leaning her cheek into the palm of her hand while watching him typing on the keyboard.

‘Done! That will be twenty-two gold coins, please. The measuring cup is free.’

Tav takes out her credit card and pays for the bag. Once her wallet is stored away into her small cross-body bag, she carries the dry food under her arm and holds the measuring cup between her fingers.

‘Thank you very much, doctor.’

‘You are most welcome. If anything, I should thank you for caring for the cat.’

She returns his smile and tucks her hair behind her pointy ear, whose tip is reddening. Before he starts staring at it, Halsin drums his fingers on the counter.

‘Oh, before I forget, I beg you not to leave out milk for the cat, because—’

‘— because cats are naturally lactose intolerant,’ she completes his sentence with a smug expression that can be likened to this of a pupil who is proud to show that they have learnt their lessons by heart.

‘Indeed,’ he chuckles. ‘Well, it seems that the cat is in most capable hands, I can sleep soundly at night.’

Tav laughs and readjusts her grip on the bag.

‘When I’m released into society, I’m the type to always bring up that fact and everyone gets annoyed,’ she laughs.

‘At least you are spreading the good word out there. I did not know that you were doing public service on top of jingle compositions.’

‘I’m full of surprises, doctor.’

They share a playful grin, which lingers perhaps a bit longer than it should. His heart stirs when he notices the twinkle in her eye and the subtle reddening of her cheekbones. When her fingers unconsciously loosen around the measuring cup and it slips out of her grasp, he skilfully catches it before it bounces on the floor and hands it back to her.

‘Oh, thanks,’ she mumbles bashfully, tucking it under her free arm. ‘If anything goes wrong with the cat, can I try and bring him here?’

‘Of course. I will be happy to help.’

‘You’re the best! Thanks again. Have a lovely day, doctor.’

‘You too, Miss Ashguard. If you have any doubts, you can always contact me.’

‘I will!’

She waves at him and walks out of the practice. His eyes follow her as he sighs dreamily. However, his distraction is quickly cut short when he finds himself face to face with Astarion stepping inside with a cup of blood from the butcher.

‘Morning.’

‘Ah, good morning, my friend! Could I ask you a favour?’

The vampire grunts and slides his sunglasses up, letting them rest on top of his head. His ruby irises scowl at the veterinarian. Favours are never good in the younger man’s book. Or rarely.

‘I suppose I don’t have a choice,’ he mumbles. ‘What do you want?’

Halsin crosses his arms. No matter how much he tries to connect with him, even if just on a superficial level, Astarion always keeps his guard up and his distance. Honeyed words sometimes ornate his speech, but they never feel genuine, merely a façade that shelters him from others. He does not need to befriend him, of course, but he wishes that they could get along as well as he and Karlach do. But again, everything is easier with her. Sometimes, she might be too social and kind in a world that does not always value such qualities.

‘Karlach’s motorcycle broke down this morning, so she will be late. Do you mind working the reception until she arrives?’

Panic fills Astarion’s eyes right away. He furrows his brow and tries to act nonchalant, but his hesitation clearly stands out.

‘Wh— I don’t even know how any of this works!’

‘Do not worry, I am not saying that you must do all her tasks. If you could keep an eye on the appointments list and welcome the patients, that will help tremendously already. If the phone rings, answer it and write down the names and numbers, I will call them back between consultations. If it is urgent, do not hang up; call for me instead.’

‘Mh. That sounds doable. Alright.’

Astarion walks to the kitchen to drop his jacket and sunglasses, then comes back to the reception. He sits behind the desk and Halsin shows him everything he needs to know. Then, the veterinarian walks into his office and logs in to the general inbox and answers some emails himself.

Soon enough, the first appointment of the day arrives and Astarion directs them to the waiting room, where Halsin eventually comes to call them in. The consultation goes smoothly despite the very reticent puppy howling dramatically at the prospect of receiving one of her first shots. When he is done, Halsin guides the owner and the pet to the reception and registers the payment himself, before offering a treat to the brave puppy.

When they walk out, Halsin’s phone pings again.

‘Found a way, Dammon is bringing me. Be there in ten. Btw, doc, did you just make a joke?? And use a smiley??! Who are you and what did you do to Doc Halsin???’

Halsin laughs and updates Astarion on Karlach’s estimated time of arrival. Before the second consultation, a grumpy customer enters and asks for an anti-flea treatment suitable for a corgi. Once he has explained how to apply the solution efficiently, the veterinarian slithers back behind the desk and Astarion rolls a few inches away with his chair to give him enough space to deal with it all. 

‘Do you already have an account?’ Halsin asks the amber-eyed tiefling, whose tail is whipping around behind him in annoyance.

‘This little shit is not my dog, thank the Gods!’ the customer answers with a scoff and a roll of his eyes. ‘He’s my sister’s.’

‘I see. Does she have an account?’

‘Listen, can I just buy the treatment and go? I feel like I’m being devoured by fleas myself as we speak!’

‘Of course.’

Without protesting, he processes the sale and gives the little pipettes to the young man, who turns around with another scoff and leaves as fast as he can, scratching his head harder than he probably should.

Eyeing the man with concern, Halsin leans towards Astarion.

‘Do you think the dog is at risk with him?’

Much to his surprise, the vampire laughs while filing his nails and admiring the result.

‘Most likely. I know him. Well, know is perhaps a strong word, but I’ve spoken to him a few times. As you can clearly tell, he’s from the city. He’s one of the most arrogant pricks I’ve talked to, and it takes one to know one. He owns a bookshop specialised in academic publications of all sorts, and my husband happens to love the place.’

Could it be? Is he actually opening up by accepting to gossip with him? Not that Halsin particularly likes hearsay and talking negatively about people in their backs, but this exchange already brightens up his day.

The vampire carefully taps his glass nail file on the edge of the bin under the desk to rid it of dust, then tucks it away in its little sleeve.

‘But don’t worry, Rolan’s all bark and no bite, he won’t hurt that pup,’ he continues while shoving the file inside his shirt pocket. ‘You know, he’s clever and all, but Gale took him down a notch a couple of times. You know what? I think my husband’s at his hottest when he gives arrogant people a reality check.’

‘That is good to know, I suppose.’

‘Trust me, doc, I think your next appointment’s here.’

Indeed, the next patient comes in and Halsin welcomes him warmly. Halfway through the consultation, he hears the faint sounds of the sewing machine upstairs, and he concludes that Karlach must have arrived in the meantime and relieved Astarion of his temporary duty.

Halsin does not see her until he finishes the next examination and logs everything into the computer. His assistant pokes her head in when the patient leaves and speaks in a hushed voice.

‘Morning, doc! Uh… There’s an odd chum lurking around in the lobby, doesn’t have a pet or anything and he keeps ignoring me when I ask him if I can help him.’

The veterinarian turns around with an eyebrow raised and instantly rises from his high stool.

‘Go back to the reception, I will talk to him.’

Karlach nods and does as he instructed her, sitting back on her chair and anxiously browsing playlists for something that will calm her nerves while being acceptable to play from the practice’s speakers. Situations like this one is among those she has been dreading most about working at Emerald Grove. Owners losing their pets and leaving without their furry or feathery friends remains the worst of all, but weird and creepy people are close.

In previous jobs, she had her fair share of lurking visitors and customers who made her feel uncomfortable, but the employee handbooks always stated that she could not shoo them away outright. Either a manager or security had to do it. Sadly, it often left her feeling incapable of fending for herself and infantilised.

Soon enough and much to her relief, help is on the way and Halsin arrives, clicking a pen. Without making himself look menacing either, he puffs up his chest slightly. If anybody seeks trouble, he is hoping that his size and his brawn will dissuade whoever stands before him. But as he catches a glimpse of the man in question, his stomach tightens. Intent on not showing his discomfort to Karlach, he smiles and speaks as naturally as possible.

‘Good afternoon, sir. I believe we have met this morning, you were looking inside the practice before opening time?’

The man turns around with a smug smile and a mischievous glint in his eyes so dark that one cannot quite pinpoint their colour. Now that Halsin is closer, he can discern the man’s outfit more clearly. Tucked into high-waisted trousers, his tailored black silk shirt with the top five buttons left undone allows his black chest hair to peek out. His overcoat adorned with golden embroideries has its collar upturned, completely covering the back of his neck. If anything, it gives him a menacing look, as though he is the villain of a fairytale come to life, but dressed as a model.

‘You are the veterinarian who owns the practice, aren’t you?’ the man answers at last with a brief squint of his eyes.

‘Indeed, I am. May I be of any help?’

‘Oh, I am merely looking around.’

As he says so, the stranger buries his hands into his pockets and paces around, inspecting the walls and the layout of the reception and the waiting room. Karlach sneaks a glance towards her boss, wondering how he is going to handle this most peculiar situation. Without blinking, Halsin steps forward, tucking his pen into the breast pocket of his scrubs.

‘May I know what you are looking for, sir?’

‘This is a beautiful working space you’ve got here. Most impressive.’

Before he can press him on, the stranger faces Halsin with a smirk, rubbing his fingers together in the same unsettling way that he did earlier this morning.

‘Tell me, have you ever considered selling this practice?’

Halsin crosses his arms. This time, he has no intention to behave in the same friendly manner. While he knows that escalating such a ridiculous situation would be useless, he knows now that he does not want this man lurking around anymore.

‘No, sir. We have only just opened, thank you very much. Now, if you do not wish to make an appointment or buy anything for a pet, I kindly ask you to leave. I must soon tend to another patient.’

‘Oh, that’s a bloody shame. Well. I’ll see what I can do.’

The man reaches into his inside pocket and takes out a business card, which he hands the veterinarian by tucking it between two well-groomed fingers.

‘In case you change your mind, I would be very happy to discuss it with you. Here’s my contact information. The name’s Enver Gortash.’

Without as much as a goodbye, Gortash walks out of the practice, leaving a dumbfounded pair at the reception. Karlach stands up from her chair, her gaze shifting between the door and Halsin.

‘What in the hells just happened, doc? What the fuck was that about?’

Her boss examines the business card he is holding with a deep frown.

‘I have no clue, Karlach. I am quite at a loss, to be honest with you.’

‘What did he say his name was?’

Halsin hands her the business card. Before she even gives it a look, she sits back on her chair and drags her keyboard towards herself, instantly typing the name in her browser. His curiosity piqued by the results, he joins her behind the desk and leans in to read what comes up on the screen. Karlach clicks on a biographical article from a business-centred media website and begins to skim it.

‘Fuck me, Gortash’s quite the big guy,’ she mumbles pensively. ‘Owns a big company that owns lots of brands itself. Apparently, he’s known for gentrifying the shit out of many neighbourhoods in several cities already. He’s kicked out independent shops to establish a coffee chain and turning flats into offices.’

His eyes scan the same words and the more they read, the tighter the lump in his throat feels. Karlach hands him the mouse so he can peruse the article himself and open others. He checks several sources, and much to his dismay, the information they read in the first article seem to be confirmed through others.

‘I do not like how that sounds,’ he whispers.

‘Me neither, doc. But now that you told him off, he’ll lose interest, right?’

‘Mh. I doubt it. But now I wonder if he has shown interest in other places in Heawick. There is only one way to know.’

The assistant looks up quizzically as he sighs heavily and crosses his arms.

‘If anybody in Heawick knows anything, it is Melly.’

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