#why am i only productive after midnight

[davishater]

Guys, I am so sorry.... This post might just break Tumblr.... If you see my post and your Tumblr breaks, I apologize IMMENSELY! I have just written a Winter Moriarty X Reader that is 5,284 words..... Please forgive me..... 🙏 At the end, there is a part where Winter and the reader watch TV. I got that idea from @kawasemy I hope that I have been able to feed my fellow, starving, Winter simps. Again, please forgive me for everything and read the tags for more humor. Also, masterlist link in the beginning, cause it's too long to scroll....

Masterlist

Winter shoves her pale hands into her pockets and watches the sky, as the heavens shed their tears on the city of London. She was never fond of the constant rainy weather, but it's where she's lived her entire life, so all she can do is accept the gloomy weather. At least, it was gloomy until she met a certain someone.

Winter exits the store she's in and runs towards a canopy in the park across the street. She watches her only friend jump in the puddles on the basketball court the rain created. Her laughter reaching Winter's cold ears, even from that distance.

"Y/n!"

Winter calls out to her friend and she waves with a bright smile on her face. Winter weakly waves back, but quickly returns her hand to her warmer pockets.

Y/n moved here for school, from a dry climate in America. They met in a cafe, when the clumsy girl tripped and dropped her books and computer on Winter, also spilling her coffee on her in the process. The coffee had also gotten all over Y/n's computer. Winter felt bad for what happened, and even though she doesn't make it a habit to help everyone who crosses her path, she offered to fix the girls computer. Y/n's outgoing personality had pushed the unwanted friendship onto her, but after sometime, Winter couldn't bother to avoid the strange girl. She finally accepted the friendship; the first one she's had since her younger sister died.

Winter calls out to her friend again and she comes running. She stands underneath the canopy with Winter and laughs from all the fun she was having.

"You've been out here forever, aren't you done?"

Winter slightly shivers as she shoves her hands deeper into her pockets.

"What? You're such a party pooper! Why don't you come join me? You'll have more fun."

Y/n pulls on Winter's arm.

"Hard pass. You know I'm not a fan of the rain."

"And yet, you're out here with me."

Winter goes quiet at her comment and looks back out at the rain. She then speaks up to divert from the topic.

"I can't believe you forgot your umbrella."

"Well, I didn't think it was going to rain." She replies.

"Y/n, it's London. It always rains here."

"Well, it's been sprinkling lately, so I didn't think it'd come down this hard..."

"Never trust the weather here." Winter advises.

She turns back to Y/n, wipes some wet hair off of her face and brushes it behind her ear.

"Did they look at your motorcycle?" Y/n asks, brushing the rest of her hair back with her fingers.

"Yeah, just some minor issues. I can pick it up tomorrow afternoon."

"That's good, it wasn't as bad as we thought."

Winter nods and shivers again.

"If we don't dry you off, you'll catch a cold." Winter says a little concerned.

"Nah, I'm sure I'll be fine!"

"What?" Winter smirks. "Cause 'idiots don't catch colds?'"

"What!? No!"

Y/n huffs and dramatically folds her arms across her chest. Winter chuckles at how naturally expressive she is. She's been surrounded for so long by people hiding their true feelings, it's refreshing seeing someone that's so easy to read.

"It's not that funny..." Y/n continues pouting.

Winter ignores her and grabs the back of her shoulders, pushing her towards the main road.

"Come on, let's get you something warm to drink."

Winter and Y/n walk alongside the sidewalk towards the cafe that's nearby. A truck drives by and Winter tries to shield Y/n from the large splash from the truck running over the puddle, but it drenched Winter and still got on Y/n.

"Oh my gosh, Winter! Are you ok?"

Winter sputters to try and get the muddy taste out of her mouth, but fails, and wipes the excess water from off her face with her hand.

"I'm fine. What about you?"

"I'm good, but most of the water got on you! Uhg, you're more soaked than I am! Man, what a jerk!" Y/n shouts, sounding annoyed.

Winter looks at her a little questioningly.

"It happens. Come on, let's head inside."

"Are they even gonna let us inside with how wet you are?"

"Yeah. It's normal to see people drenched walking into places to get dried off from the rain."

"I see."

The girls walk into the cafe and a hostess immediately runs up to them with two towels.

"I saw what happened through the window. Are you two alright?"

"Yeah." Winter replies, plainly.

She takes the towels and places one on her shoulders and the other on Y/n's head.

"Could we use your restroom to clean ourselves up?" Y/n asked the hostess.

"Of course! Follow me."

They followed the hostess to the restrooms meant for paying customers and unlocked the door for the drenched girls. They walk inside and Winter starts rubbing the towel over Y/n's head. She swats Winter's hand away and dries off her own hair.

"I'm fine, just take care of yourself."

Winter takes a step back and stares at Y/n out of the corner of her eye. She then goes to the sink and starts washing her mouth out from the dirt taste she had since earlier. Winter wipes her mouth on the towel around her shoulders and then slowly puts it over her head and starts drying off her hair. She glances at her friend again and sees the small pout on her face.

"Are you upset with me?" Winter asks quietly.

"What? Of course not! Why would you think that?"

"You're not you're usual happy self..."

"Oh... No, I'm upset with that truck driver... There's no way he didn't see us or the puddle! He should've slowed down! Driving through puddles like that can ruin your car and it gets people wet! It was so unnecessary and if I could, I'd definitely yell at him about it! I swear, some people are just so inconsiderate!"

"He really got you that upset?"

Winter looks a little surprised.

"Of course! Now there's a possibility of you getting sick! Oh, I swear, if you do, I'm going to hunt him down and give him a piece of my mind!"

Winter accidentally lets a chuckle escape her lips and she's shocked from her own reaction.

"What? I'm serious you know!"

"I know."

"Then why'd you laugh?"

"Well... I don't know myself... I guess, it's cause I'm seeing a new side of you. I don't think I've ever seen you get mad before. I almost thought you weren't capable of that kind of emotion."

"Huh? Well of course I get mad! That's a normal human reaction, so I wouldn't be a normal human otherwise."

"Oh, my bad! I didn't realize you were capable of being normal." Winter mocked.

"What? Hey! I can be normal!"

"I'd bet my life you can't be normal about anything."

"Now that's just mean!"

Y/n pouts and Winter chuckles again. She stares at Winter's face and sees black streaks running down her cheeks from her eyes.

"Oh dear, your makeup is running."

She grabs some toilet paper and wipes off the black streaks from Winter's cheeks. Winter stares into her eyes as she does so.

"I could've done that, you know."

"And I could've handled getting drenched, so we're even now."

Winter looks away and continues rubbing the towel over her head. She then frantically pulls out her wallet and phone from her pockets. The few bills and business cards she had in her wallet were far from saving and just made the wallet look like a mess. She puts her wallet on the sink and then tries turning on her phone, but it refuses to respond. Winter cusses underneath her breath.

"That bad?" Y/n asks.

"Well, I can't contact anyone, which isn't that big a deal, but I don't have access to money either."

"Oh... Yeah that's pretty bad."

"How's your phone?"

"Well, let's see."

She pulls out her phone, which has a heavy duty case on it, and tries turning it on.

"Oh yay! My phone works!"

"I bet the case is what saved it."

Y/n chuckles, a little embarrassed.

"Yeah, I tend to drop my phone often... I guess my clumsy nature helped us a little there?"

Winter smirks and shakes her head.

"Well we at least still have access to my money, if there's anything we need." Y/n says, hopeful.

"No, save your money. Use that for your school needs."

"But I want to help out, too."

"You don't have to worry about that."

"Ok, then have you figured out how we're going to get back to my apartment without using money? We came kinda far and it's too far to walk in the rain without an umbrella."

Winter goes silent and looks away. She takes off her leather jacket and hoodie and tosses them to the floor. She then starts pulling on her t-shirt that's sticking to her body and rings out some of the water. Y/n sighs and looks around the bathroom. She then grabs Winter's hand and leads her to the hand dryer.

"Come on, we can at least dry you off a little, while we come up with a plan."

Y/n turns on the hand dryer and it blows in Winter's face. She closes her eyes and winces from the sudden intensity. Winter takes the towel from off her head and shakes her head as the warm wind blows her hair dry. She then lifts up her shirt a little, showing her stomach and waist. Winter looks up and notices Y/n staring.

"Is there a problem?" Winter asks.

"Oh... No, it's nothing."

Y/n turns her head away and Winter notices her cheeks are slightly pinker than before. Winter pulls her friend closer to her as she looks surprised from the sudden notion.

"Dry yourself off with the hand dryer, too. I don't want you getting sick, either."

Y/n complies and starts to try and dry her clothes while they're still on. The feeling of her clothes slowly drying on her made them feel icky. She scrunches her nose from the feeling and feels awkward drying herself off with a small hand dryer and Winter standing closely next to her. She knows it was her idea, but didn't realize how awkward, or embarrassing, this situation would be. Lifting your arm up to dry your armpit, while someone you care about is standing so close to you, isn't the ideal situation...

"This isn't working. We'd be able to dry our clothes better if we took them off." Winter suggested, sounding a little annoyed.

She starts lifting her shirt even higher to take it off, but Y/n stops her.

"Wait, wait, wait!"

"What?"

"Well... I uh- I'm not exactly comfortable with that..."

"Oh..."

Winter put her shirt down, then picks both her jackets off the floor and starts ringing out the water in the sink.

"So? What should we do now?" Y/n asks.

"Well, this little hand dryer isn't going to be enough to dry us off. We're going to have to change into different clothes in order to get warmer."

"Well then, at least let me buy us some warm drinks as we come up with a plan."

Winter sighs and gives into the girls protests.

"Fine, but that's it! Nothing else."

"Deal."

Winter collects her things and they leave the bathroom and sit at one of the small tables next to the window. A waitress comes over and takes their orders. Y/n stares out the window as they sit in silence until their drinks come.

Once the waitress gives them their drinks, Y/n thanks her and drinks from her cup. Winter immediately puts her hands on her cup and keeps them there. Every so often, she sips from the mug.

"I swear, how does someone not bring an umbrella along when it's raining?" Winter mocks a second time.

"Hey! You don't have one, either!"

Winter sighs.

"Ok, that's fair."

"There's a hotel across the street there."

Y/n points out the building and Winter follows the direction she's pointing in.

"Why would we go to a hotel?"

"Well, we can shower, and they have a washing machine, and we can stay there until the weather lightens up. The forecast also says tomorrow won't have as much rain as today."

"And who's money are we going to use to stay there?"

Y/n goes silent and pouts again.

"I told you, you need to save your money for school. I'm sure the fees take up the majority of your allowance anyways."

"You don't know that." She says, still pouting.

"Ok, then how much do you usually have left after you've paid the fees?"

Y/n blows a bubble in her cheeks and pouts more.

"That's... None of your business."

"Which means it's not much."

She whines and turns her attention outside again as Winter shakes her head. After sometime, her friend starts chuckling.

"What's so funny?"

"No, sorry. I just realized, it's kind of like we're on a date and you're the guy who wants to pay for everything just to make a good impression."

Winter becomes flustered and rests her chin on her hand to hide her embarrassment and slightly pink cheeks. She looks out the window as she speaks quietly.

"O-oh, uh... Does it?"

Y/n sees through Winter's failed composure and continues chuckling.

"I'm sorry, maybe that was too much for me to say."

"No, you did nothing wrong."

Winter puts both her hands back on her cup and stares out the window, watching the rain fall as Y/n looks at her. She then turns her attention outside as well. After some time, Winter speaks up.

"If you let me pay you back, I'll let you use your money to at least pay for a taxi."

"Yes!"

Y/n's face brightens up.

"Let me use your phone to call a taxi." Winter says, putting her hand out.

"Why can't you use your phone?"

Winter's shoulders fall and she frowns at her friend.

"Oh right, I forgot."

Y/n pulls out her phone and gives it to Winter as she rolls her eyes and shakes her head, as she dials the number to order a taxi. After a few minutes of Winter talking on the phone and growing more annoyed, she scoffs and hangs up the phone.

"They're all gonna be busy for a while."

"Well should we wait until one is available? Or take the trains or bus?"

"Rather not be in a crowded place if I don't have to."

Winter replied, with her fist pushing into her cheek, and the way she spoke sounded silly. Y/n giggled and Winter paid her no mind.

"I remember you don't like crowds. If only your motorcycle could be ready in a few hours."

"We can't do anything about that. Why don't we just start walking? There's a small store around the corner from here. We can buy an umbrella there and dry off at your place."

"If you're ok with that."

"There's nothing else we can do and it won't be good if either of us get sick. Gotta do what we gotta do to get dried off as quickly as possible."

"Yeah, you got a point."

The two girls finish their drinks and Y/n goes up to the counter and pays. Winter holds both of her jackets and waits by the entrance. They walk out together and quickly head to the general store around the corner. Y/n grabs one umbrella, pays for it and then heads back to Winter, who's again waiting by the entrance.

"Give it to me."

Y/n gives the umbrella to Winter as they walk outside. She opens it up and holds it over both of their heads as they start walking towards her friends house.

"Why don't you let me walk on the outside of the road this time?"

"No, you stay on that side." Winter says, bluntly.

"But what if a car comes by and splashes you again?"

"I'm more aware of my surroundings, so I can move us out of the way faster if that happens."

"What about earlier? You didn't move out of the way then."

Winter sighs.

"I shielded you, didn't I?"

Y/n goes quiet and looks down at her feet as she walks. Winter notices her silence and mentally scolds herself for not being good at relaying exactly what she wants to say.

"Besides, I'd be more comfortable if I was the one next to the road." Winter continues.

"Alright fine. Guess I can't really say anything if that's the reason."

Winter pats her head and they continue walking down the street towards Y/n's apartment.

"What if you let me hold the umbrella?" Y/n ask after a minute of silence.

"No, I'll hold the umbrella."

"Well, I want to help with something, too."

"You've done enough."

Y/n huffs while Winter stares at her and sighs.

"You really want to do something more?"

"Obviously..."

"Here."

Winter hands her jackets over to her sulking friend.

"This helps me."

Y/n smiles a goofy grin and giggles contently as she holds Winter's jackets close to her. Winter looks away and scratches her cheek. Y/n looks up at her and swears she saw a light pink color dust Winter's cheeks, but it was too dark outside for her to tell. They walk in silence for a few minutes.

"So, what do you want to do once we get back to my place?" Y/n asks.

"I just want to get warm, I don't care about anything else."

Y/n hums in response.

"Are you gonna stay the night then?"

"No." Winter replies, furrowing her brow at her friend.

"How come?"

"I'm not going to intrude on you."

"But you won't be! Besides, how are you going to get home without your motorcycle?"

"I'll manage."

"What if I force you to stay?"

"Well, then I wouldn't have a choice now, would I?"

A wide grin is placed on Y/n's face and she hugs Winter's arm as they walk.

"Then I guess that's what I'm going to have to do! I'm forcing you to stay over!"

Y/n giggles with excitement and starts skipping.

"You're that happy to force me to stay over?"

"Of course! It means we get to hangout longer!"

Winter stares at Y/n.

"You're weird."

Y/n giggles again.

Winter looks out at the street, watches the cars drive by and the people traveling to their destinations. She sees the many different expressions and judges their thoughts accordingly. Some enjoy the rain, some aren't fond of the weather and some just accepts this as a part of their life. Winter remembers that she doesn't like the rain, but finds she doesn't mind the gloomy weather at this moment. She feels a shiver come on, but the feeling immediately goes away, and her body starts to warm up without the need to shiver.

She listens to her friend hum the chorus over and over from a popular song in London right now. It's a song Winter isn't fond of, but she finds herself fighting the urge to hum along to the stupid song. She hears splashing at her feet, along with the pitter patter of rain echoing all around her, and looks down. Y/n has continued to jump in each puddle they come across again today, but Winter pays her no mind. Her friend grips her arm, for support, as she jumps in ever puddle. Winter doesn't mind it when the water splashes up onto her shoes, or even the bottom of her pants. In fact, she finds it more comical, than anything.

"If you keep skipping like that, you're going to slip and fall."

"No I won't, cause you'll catch me!"

"Will I?"

"Mh hm!"

Winter stays silent and after a few seconds, she starts moving her body weight downwards. Y/n doesn't notice until she jumps in another puddle and her grip on Winter's arm becomes unstable, from her change in posture, causing her to slip. Y/n shrieks and Winter holds her up with her arm to keep her from falling to the ground. She smacks Winter's shoulder annoyed as she spots a small smile creep up on Winter's lips.

"You did that on purpose!" Y/n yells annoyed.

"Maybe that'll teach you to be more careful." Winter says, chuckling.

"You're so mean, betraying my trust like that!"

"Well, I never told you to trust me."

"I know, but I wanted to trust you."

"I don't know why."

"Well, obviously cause you're such a good person... Somewhere."

Winter chuckles again at the "somewhere" part.

Winter stops walking and pulls her friend back, before she walks out from underneath the umbrella.

"Where are you going?" Winter asks.

"Huh? What do you mean? Aren't we going to my apartment?"

"Yeah, it's right here."

"What?"

Y/n turns her head and sees they're standing right next to her apartment building.

"Oh, yeah, you're right! Wow, I thought we would have to walk further."

"Well, we have been walking for a while." Winter replied.

"Have we? I never noticed. I guess I was having so much fun with you, time had gone by much faster. Do you ever get that?"

Winter hesitates to speak, but decided to just say what's on her mind.

"Yeah. I wasn't expecting the walk to go by that quickly, either. I almost walked past your apartment building, too."

"You and I are just so silly, huh?" Y/n giggles.

"No, being with you just lowers my IQ."

"What!? You can't say that! That's so mean!"

Y/n hits Winter's shoulder again. She chuckles as she watches her friends reaction.

"Come on, let's head inside and dry off. I'm so done with being cold and wet."

"Ok, let's go!"

Y/n holds onto Winter's arm again and they walk to the front entrance. When they get to the door, Winter closes the umbrella and continues to walk up to her friends small apartment. When the girls walk in the entryway, Y/n shuts the door behind them. They both sigh loudly, in unison, and then look at each other chuckling.

"Why don't you take a shower first?" Y/n suggests.

"I can't do that. You go take the first one."

"I don't have the energy to argue with you. Give me your clothes to wash and hop in the shower, right now." Y/n says sternly.

"O-ok." Winter says a little surprised.

She starts lifting her shirt up and Y/n stares at the curves in her sides and back. Winter's pale skin, how curvy she is, the placement of her veins and the thickness of her spine, Y/n takes a mental note of all of it. She even becomes jealous of the few droplets of water sliding down her back and disappearing in the fabric of her jeans. She wishes her fingers could feel Winter's skin, just like the rain that soaked her today.

Y/n realizes she's staring and the kind of thoughts she's having, so she immediately covers her eyes with her hands. She hears the sounds of Winter stripping down and the wet fabric pulling away from her skin. Y/n feels a tap on her arm, and while keeping her eyes closed, she holds out her arms and Winter lays her clothes over her arms.

"I'll get you a towel and a change of clothes as soon as I start the laundry." Y/n says.

"K."

She hears Winter's bare feet walk across the floor towards the bathroom. When Y/n hears the door shut, she opens her eyes and sighs. She then goes to her laundry room, shoves Winter's clothes into the washing machine and strips down to put her own clothes in as well. After starting the machine, she grabs two towels and wraps herself in one. She goes to her kitchen and fills her kettle with water and puts it on the stove. Then, goes to her room and grabs some comfy clothes for Winter before knocking on the bathroom door.

"Winter, I'm coming in!"

"That's fine."

Y/n walks in the bathroom.

"I'm putting a towel and some clean clothes here on the counter. I'm also boiling some water, so you can come and make a hot drink for yourself while I shower."

"Alright."

"Is there anything else you need?"

"I'm probably fine. I'm almost done in here."

"Ok, I'll give you privacy, then."

Y/n leaves the bathroom and starts collecting clothes for her to change into once she's finished with her shower. She sits on her bed as she waits for Winter to finish up. Winter exits the bathroom and heads towards the kitchen with a towel wrapped around her shoulders and Y/n goes in the bathroom to shower.

When Y/n gets out of the bathroom, she's dressed in comfy clothes and heads towards the kitchen and living room area. She spots the back of Winter's head, tilted slightly to the side. She makes herself some tea and heads to the couch.

As she comes around the corner, she starts laughing. She spots Winter, curled up on the far end of the couch, mouth slightly a gaped, bowl of cereal in her hands resting in between her knees and chest, and one of Y/n's thin blankets wrapped around her legs. Winter breathes in deeply and sits up straight, rubbing her eyes. She starts to continue eating.

"Did you fall asleep?" Y/n asks, still laughing.

She's never had the opportunity to see Winter in such a vulnerable state.

"No... At least... Not completely..." Winter says quietly.

Y/n sets her cup down on the coffee table and takes the damp towel from around Winter's shoulders and puts it in the laundry. She comes back and relaxes on the opposite side of the couch.

"Did you want to sleep?"

"No, I'm fine."

"You sure? I don't mind if you do. We had a long day, after all."

Winter takes a few bites of her cereal before answering.

"Maybe."

She finishes up her cereal and then puts the bowl on the coffee table in front of her. She motions Y/n to move closer to her. Instead, Y/n picks up the bowl and takes it to the sink. Winter starts to untangle herself from the blanket to try and get up.

"That's not what I meant for you to do. I was going to take care of it later."

"I know, just stay there. Now you don't have to worry about it later."

Winter leans back on the couch when she sees Y/n coming back.

"Where's your phone?" Y/n asks.

Winter pulls out her phone, that had fallen in-between her and the couch cushion, and shows it to Y/n. She dramatically snatches it from Winter's grasp and Winter looks surprised as she watches her friend walk back to the kitchen.

"What are you-"

Y/n pulls out a bowl and a bag of rice. She then takes Winter's phone out of its case and places it in a bowl. She pours the rice over the phone, making sure it's completely surrounded by rice.

"And now we wait."

"Are you performing some kind of voodoo over there?"

"Um... No? Putting your phone in rice can actually get the water out and fix your phone. At least, it's supposed to do that. Doesn't always work, though."

"You don't have to do that. I can always get a new phone."

"But then you'll lose the silly messages I've sent you! I know if it was me, I'd be sad if that happened. This way, we can say we did all we could to fix your phone."

Y/n goes back over to the couch, picks up her and Winter's cup of tea, which was also on the coffee table, and brings the two cups with her as she sits next to Winter. She gives Winter her cup and Winter moved the blanket so it's covering Y/n as well.

"You don't have to do things for me. I'm capable of doing them myself." Winter says, a little irritated.

"Oh, don't be like that. You always help me out, so I wanna help you, too. Besides, if I didn't try to help fix your phone, I'd feel somewhat responsible that it broke."

Winter purses her lips together and then takes a sip of her tea.

"Thanks." She says quietly.

Y/n smiles wide. Winter then picks up the TV remote next to her and tosses it into Y/n's lap.

"Why don't you turn on that show you like?"

Y/n thinks for a bit.

"The baking one?"

"Yeah."

"Well, why don't we watch what you want to watch?"

"Cause I don't care. Just turn it on."

"Ok, ok." Y/n chuckles.

She turns on the TV and starts playing The Great British Bake Off.

"These people are so stupid."

Y/n laughs at Winter's comment.

"That's why I like it."

"Oh, that's right, they're your people."

Y/n looks at Winter confused.

"But I'm American?"

"No, it's cause you're not the smartest person."

"Wha-! You are so mean to me, and for what?"

"Are you saying you're smarter than these people?"

"Obviously."

Winter looks at Y/n questioningly and sips from her mug.

"You think these people are smart enough to stick a wet phone in rice to fix it?"

Winter starts laughing as she sips from her mug and almost chokes on her tea.

"Please, do not die on me, I would literally cry."

"You don't want a crime scene here?"

"No! I do not!"

Winter giggles and buries her forehead into Y/n's shoulder.

"What in the world is wrong with you?" Y/n laughs.

"I don't know. I never stay awake when I'm this tired!"

"Then sleep! I literally do not mind!"

"No."

Winter starts giggling again.

"Oh my gosh."

Y/n shakes her head.

"Uhg! Why am I like this!?" Winter leans her head back and whines.

"I like this side of you. It's fun watching you act in a way you usually don't."

Winter buries her face into Y/n's lap and groans. Y/n giggles and runs her fingers through Winter's hair.

"That's nice."

"You like it when I run my fingers through your hair?"

"Mmh."

Winter reaches over and puts her cup on the coffee table and then points at it.

"Stay."

Winter then rolls over and points up at Y/n as she giggles.

"Ok, I'll make sure the cup stays." Y/n says as if she's talking to a child.

Winter's arm falls onto Y/n's lap, next to her head and then positions her legs so they're hanging over the side of the couch. Y/n fixes the blanket so it covers Winter and continues playing with her hair.

Winter stares into Y/n's face curiously.

"It's a shame that you don't know how pretty you are..."

Y/n immediately stops playing with Winter's hair and feels her cheeks heat up. She watches as Winter starts to relax down and her eyes fight to stay open. Y/n recomposes herself and turns off the TV, then continues to play with Winter's hair to help her fall asleep. Her breathing slows and her finger wraps around the hem of Y/n's shirt. She smiles and watches Winter for a while, before she starts falling asleep herself. One hand entangled in Winter's hair, other hand resting on the cup at her side. She couldn't have asked for a better day.

Later, Winter wakes up and crouches on the bathroom floor, cursing herself for acting the way she did before she fell asleep. She decided to pretend as if she never acted all 'cute' like that and swears to force herself to never act that way again for as long as she lives. She'll never speak a word of that moment to anyone and hopes Y/n will forget all about it. Although, Y/n will probably only want to talk about that one moment as soon as she wakes up....

[yoonsenji]

Summary: their voice line! // part 2.

" She's mine, not yours "

Part 1 =

---------------------★

Genshin impact₊˚.༄

Character: Freminet, Zhongli, Furina, Heizou.

//Freminet ★

•CHAT: You.

" She told me that crying is a great way of getting rid of bad feelings, I have never been told such things... All my emotions pour out right infront of her, she didn't make fun of me... I feel much better after that, hence whenever I need someone she's the only one I can go to "

•CHAT: about 'Father' from you.

" I always believed that 'father' was somehow always right, but yet she prove me wrong most the time... She told me to do whatever I feel like, from that day my way of seeing 'father' change... "

•CHAT: Crush.

" Well... I like this one person... They're kind towards me... I feel safe around them, they're very supportive of my decision, around them... I can feel my confidence good up "

•CHAT: When it Rains.

" I don't enjoy when it rains... But, she told me to enjoy every moment of it tho, although I found it weird to enjoy watching rains... I guess some people have weird hobbies? "

•CHAT: Ocean water.

" You never know how deep those ocean water are... Do you? But if you don't take a chance you'll never be able to experiance the joy of the ocean water. That's what she told me... The first person to ever encourage me even when I fail over and over, it was her "

•CHAT: Special person.

" She's the type of person to encourage me and stay by my side even when I fail multiple times... Have anyone done that for you? To stay by yourside and encourage you to do what you love... Maybe that's why I always desire to be by her side. "

•CHAT: Comfort area.

" She doesn't force me to do anything unlike others who tried to 'help' me by forcing me out my comfort area... She... She tried to pull me out slowly and if she realised I don't feel comfortable she just stop. I just wish people respect my decision just like how she always did "

• CHAT: Crying.

" 'Father' doesn't allowed children to cry 'father' say's that crying is the product of weakness and emotions. I used to cry under the water so the ocean could cry with me... But, now I got someone... Someone who understands my feelings and cry with me "

• CHAT: feelings (Jealousy).

" whenever I see her close with Lyney I have a nasty feelings coming from my heart, Lyney and I are opposite of eachother... I'm afraid she'll fine someone better. But, I know that I'll never be able to find anyone better than her. "

• CHAT: Midnight.

" During midnight she would take me to her spot and we both would sit down and watch the ocean and the moon... She would told me everything about her day and stories, I often fall asleep but in the morning she always disappear, her jacket on me to protect me from the coldness of the night... Or it's either that she would be beside me sleeping as well... "

• CHAT: Pers.

" Pers is like a family to me... Often her and pers would play together, it's actually my first time seeing pers get along with anyone else but me "

• CHAT: Future.

" Why should I tell you...? Fine... I do plan on getting married one day... You don't need to know to who! It's a private matter "

------------------->

Lyney-

" I could tell that freminet like her alot! Although I'm a bit jealous of how good looking she is and how she acted towards my brother, guess luck run in the family! "

Lynette-

" Freminet like her I could tell... Anyone with brain could tell, those two are always by eachother side, it's weird to see them not by eachother side at this point "

//Zhongli★

• CHAT: Lover.

" Being so straight forward about my personal life I see... Since you have been honest to me I shall return the favour by being honest as well. I do not have a lover, although I am indeed fascinated by someone, well... I can't tell you their name, afterall I have already honestly answer one of your question "

• CHAT: Scents.

" You have good sense of smelling, one lady told me that this scent can increase the change of receiving love or complement from your significant other. It's a type of trick used by many sellers to sell their product, although I did indeed recieved a complement from them... I guess a lie can turn into truth as well "

• CHAT: the past.

" Although the memories I have shared with those who have long gone left this world will still be cherished by me, the memories I spend with her will forever be in my mind, I simply couldn't go a day without thinking about those memories. Still, I will continue to cherish the new memories I have create with her, promising to make them better each time I create a memory especially with them "

• CHAT: Life.

" For God like us life goes slowly for mortal like you life is fast... It isn't the smartest to simply spend your life lazily, so... Before you die you should find someone that you can cherish forever, spend the rest of your life with... Oh me? I have already found that person long ago, although I am not sure if they share the same feeling as I do for them "

• CHAT: Liyue.

" Liyue is the land of contract where contract is value and if you made one you cannot betrayed your own word... It's easy, although I do not remember making any contract with her, she have been staying by my side for years always accompanying me... It's fascinating on how one doesn't need contract to stay loyal to another individual "

• CHAT: Fate.

" War is apart of fate... No matter how much blood have to be shed you cannot out do fate it's self. If one fate is to die there is no escape, which is why I always have a close eyes on her... I'll do anything in my power to make sure that fate like that never cross her path "

• CHAT: love.

" I have once saw two old couple walking down the road of Liyue. I have seen them together when they were both youthful, such nice story... I wonder if mine will end like those two, inlove with eachother till death? Or a heartbroken love story? "

• CHAT: Future.

" I prefer to live in the present than the future nor the past, although the future will always appear the past is forever lost... I'm very careful around her I do not wish to make any problem to turn our relationship sour anytime soon, afterall one sour memory can ruin all of them "

• CHAT: Special time.

" Every time a full moon is present she'll force me to accompany her to watch the moon, I do think that it's beautiful but I simply can't even stare at it when she's around. It is as if my eyes are only set on her... I wish those memories would last forever "

• CHAT: Life of regret.

" One day she'll leave me... She's just a mortal with short life spam, unlike me... I just can't bear the fact that I'll have to be alone once again. Even the thought of her not by my side pain my heart... But, there is nothing I could possibly do to prevent such future "

--------------------->

Childe-

" Ah! The lady of Gold! I always see her with Zhongli smiling and giggling... They remind me of my parents being together, although both of them do not interact much when I'm around... Shame I wanted to atleast know more about their relationship! "

Hu Tao-

" Mister Zhongli and her are the best together! She's very supportive of us and our work. Oh god! I'm so happy to talk about her! Although mister Zhongli is a bit shy they both seem to get along just fine! I bet they will be in love very very soon! "

//Furina★

• CHAT: Lover.

" Hmm... Oh her? mon amour she always attend every trail! I love talking to her about anything! Always interesting and super fun to... I wonder if she would like to join my tea party again... It's not like she could reject such offer "

• CHAT: Trail.

" Whenever she talk in trail it's like a story unfolding it's self! Her voice is very calming and it feels like she's simply telling a tail...! Although she also lost some trail even a fail victory should be celebrated! "

• CHAT: Rain.

" It's raining again? Seriously? Ohhh... I wish she was here! Neuvillette doesn't allow me to visit when it rain since I might get sick... Who care? I'm the hydro archo, no sickness will ever seperate me from her! Although maybe the coldness might... Heh "

• CHAT: Performance.

" I only perform as a form of entertainment... And she would watch and correct my movements sometimes... Afterall I make no mistake that often! I should invite you when I get the chance! "

• CHAT: Water.

" I can't even think of being without her... All those years I spend without her was dark and lonely... The light of my life is her, I rather not go back to what I used to be... Afterall would you rather have a God that is nothing without the love of her life or A God with someone to love...? "

• CHAT: Order.

" I don't understand! I get that neuvillette is all about law but why can't I see her?! That's just talking control over my life! Ugh! It's not like I won't come back for years... Anyway I'm seeing her anyway one way or another! "

• CHAT: Sunny.

" So hot... Even water can dissolve at this point... Oh no! My love! She might melt if I'm not there... Ughhhh! Such an urgent matter! Tell neuvillette that I the archon is out to aid her people from melting like ice cream! "

• CHAT: Fatui.

" It's better to not keep such negative thoughts in head but... Fortunately for me... My dear can beat up any fatui! Afterall she's a fine fighter and lover... Even that girl would be on her knee upon seeing my love! I'm so lucky! See how strong she is? Do not mess with me, cause she say my pain is her's so mess with me you mess with her! "

• CHAT: Eyes.

" I was a bit unwell about how different my eyes are... Although I get praise for it, if felt as people were talking badly about it... Until she told me how unique it was... For the pass two hour she continued to praise me especially my eyes... I guess I'm special afterall! "

• CHAT: Tea party.

" The party is only held when I feel like it... Cake and tea any dessert you want I have it... From Liyue and also sumeru oh and I also have some from Inazuma... Although don't expect it to be good... How I get it? My darling always bring some back for me! Just for me! I guess I'm her favourite afterall! "

• CHAT: Hydro vision.

" If only neuvillette agree with me she would have a hydro vision already... I even send Letter to other archon not to grand my love any vision cause I want her to have hydro vision just like me... A soulmate should have same vision! But Neuvillette wouldn't agree with me! Saying she's not worthy something something... Ugh! Talking about it make me want to burst out... Just wait... She'll receive that hydro vision one day... "

------------------>

Neuvillette-

" I like her... Everyone around her are comfortable, if only furina stop pampering her with everything... She have been arguing with me to give her a vision yet I can't just agree... It's well known that the hydro archon favour her so it's unfair if she receives a hydro vision... I just know that furina will give her one anyway... Atleast she handle furina without any problem, other than that... I have nothing to say about her "

Arlecchino-

" The soft spot of the archon... Inorder to hurt the archon directly you just need to hurt the girl, although it is hard to capture her she's quite strong herself. But it won't be long till I get her, I'll take the gnosis and she'll be long gone... Afterall I can't have her following after me, a problem should be solved before it becomes to big to handle "

//Heizou★

• CHAT: Lover.

" Hm... Her? Isn't she just pretty? The first time I met her was like straight up from a romantic novel... Such girl like her approaching me is unbelievable... Although I won't like any competition so... Promise not to fall for her as well "

• CHAT: comission.

" Um... Well, the comission... It can be quite annoying but I always enjoy them since she would always be my partner! Inorder to make things fun you need the person you love the most to join you and things will get better. Am I right traveller? "

• CHAT: Justice.

" Justice is very important afterall how can I blindly let the law be destroyed infront of me right? Although... I might have made some expectations doesn't mean you are included traveller "

• CHAT: You.

" I can't stop thinking about them once again... Even at work they fill my mind which frustrate me at some point but... Their soft smile and touch I do miss it dearly, ugh! It's happening again. Quick traveller help me think of something else! "

• CHAT: kissing.

" At time I would hold hand with her but... Kissing? You must be joking, holding hand and cuddling I can understand but kissing her like nothing is wrong is just weird... You can't just kiss without thinking. I want this to be perfect for her, just like how things should be... "

• CHAT: Fish.

" Traveller! Would you like to go and catch some unique dish later? But they have to be alive tho... My love wanted to have a pet bug I think they're to lazy for energetic animals so a fish shall do it... So? Up for it? It can be our little hangout day to get to know each better? "

• CHAT: People.

" Most people think we're dating and each time I can't help but blush a little... But, unfortunately that isn't the care but I wish it was... I'm sure those rumours will be true in some week or years but just wait I'll get to confess one day! "

• CHAT: Sudden encounter.

" Whenever I encountered them suddenly my heart skip a beat... That should be a bad thing but I like the feeling. One time, I hide behind someone else when i suddenly see them, it was embarassing but... I just can't help it "

• CHAT: Assistant.

" Sometimes she wouldn't join me at work and talk about how good of a partner we were... I can't help but think that she secretly like me and I'd hinting that I should confess. Especially when she hold my hand at work, she definitely like me! "

• CHAT: Hair.

" I always enjoy it when she brush my hair or play with my hair, put me at ease but I always hate it when she stop... Everyday she would do my hair it doesn't matter how ugly it look I will always proudly walk around with it no matter what. Afterall would you make fun of the work of your lover? "

------------------->

Kazuha-

" Hm... I remember her and Heizou being extremely close together. I did bring it up one time only for Heizou to go red as a tomato... Guess you can say he did harbour feeling for the girl "

Itto-

" Ah! Her! Heizou and her are like bestfriend! Although most say they're in love I bet they are just so close that some people lost their mind! Although I do see them together always doesn't mean they're in love right? "

[jihyoruri]

LUCID DREAM— idol! yu jimin x idol!reader

warnings: 5th member reader, same yn and jimin from back to you, it doesn’t matter which one you read first

“no, no, no I can’t stop love.” yn’s soft but powerful voice sang into the mic, the eyes of the producer and her leader burn into her and repeats her lines of the song.

it made her uncomfortable and slightly nervous, it’s not like she hasn’t recorded songs that she’s written before, she does it all the time for demos, it’s the very reason that this time she’s singing a highly personal song, a song that was never supposed to be for the public, a song that was just supposed to be for her and her mind.

she curses aeri for convincing her into showing it to the production team, now she has the person singing the song that she wrote about them on a song with her and the rest of her members.

“you sound tense.” the producer says to her through the clear booth, yn laughs awkwardly at the comment, of course she’s tense, “that’s because I am.” yn blurts out, she curses at herself when both her leader and producer raise their brows at her honesty, she has to do something about her filter.

“this is your song yn.” the producer says leaning back in their seat, “and it’s your lyrics yn, loosen up.”

yn opens her mouth to respond but gets cut off by the girl seating in the seat behind the producer, “I think she should let some vulnerability into her voice, since it’s such vulnerable lyrics.” jimin says, she’s talking to the producer but has her eyes on yn, “the song seems to be a product of her fragile feelings, so I think letting some vulnerability into her voice would make her sound better, it always does.”

yn furrows her eyebrows at the last part, the groups producer doesn’t seem to pick up on jimin’s slick comments and nods their head in agreement at jimin’s statement, “I agree, yn let some of the thoughts that you had in your mind when you wrote this into your mind and keep it there.”

the only thing that runs through yn’s mind is why would she do that? why would she let all those thoughts into her mind?.

the only thoughts that ran through her mind that night when she wrote the song was, insecurity, hate and desperation, yn nods her head anyways because when she takes one look at her leader, she doesn’t even need to go back to that night, the thoughts are already in her mind.

“neon jakku jiteun eodum soge deo gipi.” she sings into the mic, letting all her thoughts of jimin and hers relationship, she closes her eyes as she sings not wanting to even take a glance at her leader, “no, no, no, I can't stop love.”

she opens her eyes and hears a cheer from the producer, “that sounded so good yn.” they say giving her a clap, “so much better, jimin was completely right.”

yn shifts her gaze to the girl that only smiles bitterly at her, “leader knows best I guess.” yn says, letting out another awkward laugh.

“well, that’s a wrap for today.” they say looking at the time on their phone, “it’s after midnight you two need to get home.”

the feeling of relief fills yn, as she takes off the headphones and walks out the booth, she bids goodbye to the producer before grabbing her tote bag and walking out the room, leaving jimin.

she feels the older girl walking close behind her, “yn wait up.” she doesn’t want to, but she does anyway.

yn tenses when she feels jimin’s arm wrap around her shoulders, she hates that she feels some sense of comfort with it around her.

“oh, so you’re not in one of your moods anymore?” yn asks lazily, peering up at her leader, jimin is like a switch when it comes to her and yn, sometimes she’s on sometimes she’s off, it’s so hard to understand her.

“shut up.” jimin mutters as she pulls yn closer to her, the two girls walk out of the building and head over to the black van that waits for them.

both girls get into the back as the greet the driver, jimin picks up the blanket that’s on her seat and throws it over her and yn’s legs.

this is why yn can never get out of this relationship no matter how hard she tries to, the moments like these are the highlights of her day, the moments when jimin is her jimin, the soft jimin and caring jimin.

but that never lasts long.

as yn’s focus is mainly on her phone she gets startled out of her phone by jimin’s head leaning on her shoulder.

she goes still for a couple of seconds, before turning off her phone, knowing if jimin saw who she was texting it wouldn’t end well.

yn stares into space trying her best to ignore the multiple buzz’s that come from her phone, she leans her head back when she feels jimin shift, “are you gonna answer it? the buzzing is getting annoying.”

“nah, it’s okay.” yn says trying her best to sound nonchalant but it comes out sounding very awkward, “just ignore it.”

“who are you talking to anyway?”

“no one important.”

yn wants to cry when she feels jimin reaching over for her phone, she side eyes the older girl awkwardly, she knows if she jumps for her phone it would make her even more suspicious.

“ryujin.” jimin hums before looking back up at yn, “I thought I said to stop talking to her?” she says with a strangely calm tone.

“yeah…” yn drags out scratching the back of her neck, looking outside the car window, “it’s just she’s a close friend of mine I’d feel bad if I just dropped her like that.”

“a friend that caused you to get into a scandal.” jimin says passing yn’s phone back to her, “that almost ruined our groups image you know? you’re lucky your stans know how much of a loser you are that you’d never get caught dead kissing someone outside of jyp building.”

yn let out a nervous laugh at the last comment, she’s happy that her fans came to defence, even if they were wrong , “I know jimin but-”

“do you wanna ruin our groups image?” jimin asks sternly cutting her off,her eyes burn into yn’s.

yn looks down defeated, she hates when jimin does that, making things seem like they’re her fault, “no… I don’t.”

“you’re right I’m sorry.”

jimin then smiles, completely satisfied at yn’s surrender, she then grabs yn’s hand and squeezes it, “good, I’m just telling you what’s best for you, that girl is bad news.”

yn just looks down at her lap nodding but jimin grabs her chin and turns yn’s head towards her, “I care about you a lot yn, you know that right?”

“yeah I know.” yn responds quietly, it doesn’t feel like it though, she says in her mind.

“good.” jimin then goes back to her position, putting her head on yn’s shoulder, “now that, that’s all settled, do you want to sleep in my room tonight?” jimin asks, “I’m not coming in yours, who knows what I’ll find, it always smells like marijuana in there.”

yn laughs softly at the last comment, “yeah, you’d probably have a heart attack if you came in my room, so yes I’ll expect your offer.”

“make sure bring your weighted blanket.” jimin says as she plays with yn’s chunky rings on her ringers.

“the one with the heat or the other one?”

“the one with the heat obviously.” she says looking up at yn’s face, smiling she brings her head up and places a kiss on yn’s cheek, “you’re so cute.”

“shut up.”

[disgruntled-screaming]

As my rewatch of Voltron season 6 comes to a close, here are my thoughts on it. Mind you, as I'm writing this, it is past midnight. I took my medication, and one of the pills I take makes me a bit sleepy. I wholeheartedly apologize for any repeated sentences, nonsensical phrases, poor spelling of certain words, and poor grammar.

Keith and Krolia's adventure to the area where the other Alteans are should have been at least two episodes - there are moments that should have been more fleshed out, but were unfortunately cut short by production, and possibly absences of Steven Yuen since he is a popular actor in both America and South Korea

Season 6 was ordered, it started production with a certain number of episodes, then one of the suits decided to cut down on the number of episodes - that explains the weird montages

Monsters and Mana, while the best episode of the season (and I stand by it) was definitely written as either a needed filler episode (which is fine) or a special episode to release between season 6 and season 7

Anything that I said about Lotor, in terms of how he ruined Allura's character, is wrong. Allura is just not a good character in this season. I can understand that she needs that connection to her people, and Lotor is able to help her. But I genuinely stand with Lance when comes to not trusting Lotor, since he could not shut the ever loving fuck up about their fathers being friends. My brother in Christ, Lotor, we fucking get it. Your dad and her dad rubbed elbows.

The kiss shared between Lotor and Allura still makes me gag. Nothing against the shippers of this specific ship. I just hate Lotor and how he manipulated Allura. I've been through my own kind of manipulation, so I can't seem to like the character as a person.

I am still right in the theory that Lance and Shiro's relationship was supposed to be important. As much as I adore the fight that Keith has with Kuron, and he tries to being Shiro back and Keith says "I love you", shocking the clone enough for Keith to get the final blow... Lance was given the shaft once again. I could try to work with this in my fix it fic, despite sacrificing my favorite moment in the finale. I'm still outlining my fic, and still on chapter 1, so only time will tell.

That Galra robot that was programmed to have fun was amazing and the scene of it being tied to a rocket getting shot into space as Amazing Grace played in the background is iconic and I wish people talked about it more. Because it was insanely funny and I loved it too much. Fly high, random robot. I will always love you.

Despite me bashing Lotor for all that he is, I will still say that he is a well written character that I would love to punch in the face. Unfortunately he is like 7ft tall, and I am the same height as Krillin from DBZ. So I'm either going to have to learn how to do a Shoryuken a la Street Fighter.

As much as I love the finale of Season 6, I genuinely have to say that Keith's inclusion after being away from Team Voltron just seems convenient.

The Black Lion is the most disloyal bitch I have ever seen. I love the Black Lion's design, as I should. I'm a basic Voltron: Legendary Defender fan. But the Black Lion instantly took Keith back after leaving the team to be with the Blade of Marmora. Also the Black Lion had no problem with Kuron after a certain point, which is stupid. How dare it not be a continuous struggle for Kuron to gain its trust. Then again, this is the same lion that was still loyal to Zarkon despite the fact that Zarkon was evil. Never understood why Zarkon's bond with the Black Lion was so strong when Shiro proved himself to be the better paladin, but that's none of my business at this time.

I personally felt like the Blade of Marmora overstayed their welcome after a certain point. This could just be a me problem, and I am wholeheartedly willing to be the only person on this hill.

Coran is consistently amazing.

I don't know when the writers started making Hunk more of a tech savy character (I genuinely have no idea), but it's quite eye opening when you notice the change in archetypes.

Matt is still an okay character to me. When he was revealed, a good chunk of the fanbase was madly in love with him, which I understand, but I just look at him and shrug.

[taikk0]

PART 1 OF TAIKKO HATES HIS SENIOR ART COURSE AND WANTS TO RANT ABOUT IT ON TUMBLR <3

Hey guys, you may have noticed how art and animations have recently been slowing down. So I'm gonna vent out my frustrations for a lil bit to explain why because I need the world to know that there is hate in my heart :D

Outside of my HOUSE LEAKING causing major disruptions to my workflow both for personal and academic work,

Lately I've been going through insane crunch in order to meet my deadlines lately. This October has been very busy, I have the spreadsheet to prove it.

and I don't care if some terms on here reveals what school I go to, I think I deserve to make it fucking obvious with how poor this institution is. and personally, I don't think they're gonna file for defamation on some random 17 year old on Tumblr. If you know, you know.

See 👆 I got so busy I had to put cleaning my unkept room in the schedule because I was neglecting it so bad with how much work I had to do this month. 💀

My personal life away from academics is very busy, I'm often helping my family with our local business away from my computer. Which becomes a PROBLEM when time itself is a luxury I don't have very often. I don't always have the time to do my schoolwork when I come home, I don't always have the time to make art. So, in turn, I crunch at midnight. Adding commissions on top of that to help rack in extra money for personal expenses, to help support my family, and for any possible emergency expenses. It's a lot to handle.

This problem is then made even worse by how PERMANENTLY DAMAGING the pandemic was. I am a firm believer that if the pandemic never happened, schools wouldn't have switched to this shitty method of administering schoolwork. Not everyone comes home from school and immediately checks the schools shitty half assed broken website to do MORE schoolwork after they have already left school premises. I'm not the only person with this problem, TONS of other students have missed so many assigned tasks. So much so that the teacher announcing missing schoolwork to whichever student in front of the class and reminding everyone of their missing work is standard practice.

I don't want to come off as a petty student who wants all my work handed to me, but I really think that nowadays not many teachers put in the effort to make sure to announce projects for the class anymore.

WHICH BRINGS ME TO MY NEXT POINT. our art teacher is such a bundle of joy (LYING) she is so professional (INCORRECT BUZZER) and establishes boundaries between her and her students (RED ALARM SOUND) and is such a talented and proficient artist that I'm glad she became our art teacher (FIRE AND SCREAMING SOUND EFFECTS) and she knows how to teach her students well (SKIN PEELING OFF AS WE SPEAK) and is very considerate of production pipelines (FULL AUTO RIFLE AND HELICOPTER WHIRRING)

I don't like her.

She has done. A lot of questionable stuff, y'now, just as a person, but right now I wanna talk about her as a teacher.

SHE IS NOT GOOD AT IT.

Now I don't mean she doesn't explain things well or her methods are convoluted, I mean SHE DOES NOT DO HER JOB AT ALL.

She quite literally almost every time; either meets us in the classroom and says she has a meeting to go to and leaves us with no assigned task, or, she actually does stay in the classroom,

but doesn't teach us at all.

Hell, she makes the STUDENTS teach, not even in a report kind of way she just tells that student to sit in front with her, she shows them the presentation she was supposed to discuss, and makes THE STUDENT DISCUSS THE LESSON TO THEIR PEERS INSTEAD.

And even then there is a secret third option. She stays, and assigns us work.

However.

The work is a practical application of a lesson she did not teach the class.

For example, "Your assignment for today is to animate a pendulum swinging left to right on this program!"

Two problems.

None of the students are knowledgeable in the program because she never even tried to learn it in order to teach us.

She never taught us the animation principles.

The pendulum assignment requires knowledge of ease-ins and ease-outs, as well as the use of arcs and possibly timing charts.

My peers knew none of that in order to perform the task effectively.

Our teacher response to that? is to be so unfairly critical. The only reason why her students are failing, is because of her. She fails students for not making an appealing animation BECAUSE she never taught them how to in the first place.

Her grading is very biased and rooted in personal preference rather than a solid understanding of the principles, not even adding notes on what to improve upon.

I GOT A 100% ON AN ANIMATION EXAM, WITH THE SHITTIEST OUTPUT EVER. Like, If i actually went to art school and passed that as our exam, I would get such a low score.

We were told to animate a 10 second clip, no other instructions. Here was my output

THIS DID NOT DESERVE A 100%. it was rushed and I cut a lot of corners in order for it to be done on time. Just the fact that she considered this to have no flaws or room for improvement is telling. I know I should be thankful for a perfect score, but essentially saying that THIS is good enough shows that she has no idea what she's doing and I'm afraid that most likely I am going to walk away from senior high with no new information and being bombarded with skills I didn't learn beforehand when I'm in college.

In an art school I know what I'm signing up for, I want that crunch and that pressure to improve to be WARRANTED. I don't feel that drive to make artwork and animations (for academics) that I am proud of and want to put effort into for a passing grade. Instead I am simply doing the bare minimum with very little time to do so, so I just end up making shitty work that is "good enough" because the environment is made so mediocre by our art teacher.

You know what's more?

SHE IS NOT AN ART MAJOR.

SHE MAJORED IN INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY.

That is my rant for now. I'm thinking of doing three more entries. talking about how shitty the school is in of itself with very poor management as a PRIVATE SCHOOL, our art teacher is a WHOLE can of worms, and our current thesis film.

Right now I just want to focus on finishing all my commissions and then I can focus solely on rough animation on my student film. 👍 I currently have like, four fully rendered pieces lololol

[midnight-pluto]

COFFEE: PG.00 — 8 Shots of Espresso

COFFEE: Tim Drake x gn!reader

SYNOPSIS: Tim meets a barista that gives him what he needed most - a large coffee with way to many shots of espresso. Though what happens when just a single action changes the other’s life, forever?

coffee master list || next

SUNDAY, MARCH 19 2023 — 11:32 PM

'WHY WAS I scheduled these hours? Hell, why did I even decide to work here?’

Oh, right, you need money. Just living in Gotham was expensive, not to mention the fact that villains and vigilantes stormed the street at hours like this and insurance can only cover so many villains. You’re almost bound to have a window or two broken. Though luckily, most of the vigilantes offer to pay for the damages caused or someone else offers to pay for them.

Checking your phone’s lock screen, you see that the time was 11:34. The cafe you worked at closed at midnight but there were still a few customers scattered around, most of them being students studying for upcoming exams or projects most likely.

Hearing the ding from the door you turn to look at the person who entered the door, “What can I get for you?”

The boy that stood before you was wearing wearing a dark attire - black pants, matching boots, and a simple red hoodie - all of the dark tones complimented his light blue eyes but they were clouded with something you couldn’t put your finger on; it didn’t help that their were dark bags underneath them as well.

Snapping out of your daze you look at him for his order, “A black coffee but add fives shots of espresso to it,” he deadpans. Before adding that to his order, you pause.

You slowly turn to look up at him to see if he was serious. He was very serious. “Um, y-you do realize that you’re asking for seven shots of-“

“Yes.”

“Alrighty then, um,” you swallow thickly out of pure fear at what had driven this poor boy into needing that much espresso in his coffee. You have met some insane individuals in your lifetime - mainly because you live in Gotham - but none of them have been driven to this extent, “Anything else?”

“No, that’s it,” he replies, shoving his hand into his pocket for ( what you hoped to be ) his wallet.

“Name?”

“Tim.”

A few seconds of processing payments and discussing sizes later, you’re on your way to creating a large drink that could possibly kill the very customer you’re making it for.

Meanwhile, said customer is actually relieved and really grateful for you on the inside. Tim had been running at max four hours of sleep for the past week while working on a case nonstop, and on top of that, he had patrol duty in 20 minutes.

Originally, he had left at eleven for his cup of coffee but unfortunately, his previous requests have been denied because apparently giving customers that much of espresso in their coffee was against company policy even if a Wayne was asking for it.

Multiple coffee shop stops and rejections later, he came upon the cafe you worked at and was able to get the coffee he so desperately needed.

A few minutes later, you gently slid Tim’s drink towards him with a small, “Enjoy.”

Thanking you with a nod of his head and a small smile, he took a look at your name tag - Y/N L/N.

TIMESKIP

The next morning later, you wake up at eleven thirty, feeling like a bag of shit. Turning over on your back with your arms extended outwards and legs barely touching each other; like a shy starfish.

'Is this my punishment for not applying for colleges the moment I graduated high school? Probably.'

After a few more moments of doing absolutely nothing, you decide to attempt to be a productive member of society. Grabbing your phone from your bedside table, you see that you have multiple message notifications, twitter notifications, and that it was now 11:42.

Checking Twitter first, you see that Tim Drake had tweeted something.

'Wait hol' up, wait a minute. Why am I mentioned in that tweet and why am I mentioned by so many other people? Also, how did he manage to find my twitter?'

Smiling at the comments that replied to your tweets, you decide to try and attempt to be a productive member of society.

Starting by brushing your teeth.

SPECIAL NOTE: this is a repost of my old post but I’ve now re-created it in a slight smau format that it was originally supposed to be in this could be read as a standalone oneshot still tho so yk

Also please ignore the fact that none of them are verified, I was to lazy to change them so I apologize once again

[salvy-deldroid]

Hi there! I am pretty new to this site so I dunno if I'm doing this currently or not. I've read some of your works on Wattpad and am a bit familiar with your writing. Can you write me a few fix headcannons for an ABO creepypasta idea? Alpha Jeff the killer and his Fem omega darling in the classic mansion AU? Darling isnt much of a combat and kill person, however due to being a product of two omega parents, shee does have a mutation in her genes leading to extra powerful pheromones on will. The pheromones can help assert her will on anyone, much like midnight's quirk in MHA. Person feels sleepy and couldn't process shit apart from what they're being told, and then end up complying to it. Slenderman uses it to it's full extent, sending the darling out in recruiting missions and using her to make sealed lips speak. I would love headcannons on how they met and how Jeff sees her! You can make it a bit of dark yandere! I don't have much preferences on clothing but I'll like it if darling's dressed in a beautiful dress with a half faced kitsune mask, it adds to her innocently mysterious aesthetic! It's okay if you can't tho, lots of love <333

Hi there Hon!! That's one specific request XD but it makes things easier imo. I really love the described environment (and the ABO is just the cherry topping the cake!) and am excited to see how this is gonna turn out to be!!! 

So let's start! I'll make it in headcanon format! 

Being a child born of an affair between two omegas didn't make your life any easier. However, it did make it a hell lot of interesting and adventurous. A teeny tiny Lil mutation in your DNA had granted you with something akin to a quirk, and you're grateful for it. The mutation causes you to secrete a special type of pheromone (that too on will, talk about winning the jackpot), which makes it easier for you to control and brainwash someone. Once inhaled, their brain fogs up and the person is temporarily moved to a little space kind of mindset, the only thing they're able to fully register being you and your demands. And hence, you could ask them or command them to do anything and they'll happily oblige. The effect of the pheromones stay as long as they're inhaling it, and a few differences in dosage can make large differences.

When it comes to recruiting, your pheromones are just used as a tranquiliser. You tell the now fogged up creep about the mansion, the advantages and the reasons why they should come with you. And in most cases, they agree and follow you like a lost puppy. In a rare few cases where they refuse, you have to command them to yield, because if you come back empty handed Slender would personally make sure you're punished accordingly.

And that's how you and the asshole of the household first met, on yet another one of your recruition missions. The fairly new creepypasta had been going on a bloody rampage each week, his kill streak enough to catch Slenderman's attention. And off you were dispatched, just 3 weeks after his debut, to find and recruit him.

Oh, it was bloody hell finding that crusty sewer rat. It took you a total of 4 days just tracking his position down. However, you finally found him lurking near the woods the mansion was in, a pretty convenient place. Following your usual set of actions, you start secreting the pheromones before approaching.

For Jeffrey however, the first time seeing you was something akin to witnessing an angel on earth. The previous week's had been rough, the police hot on his trail, laying low during the day and murdering in the night, along with the scarcity of food and water due to his current homelessness. In this subsistence crisis of a life, that beautiful aroma coming from the woods surely caught him off guard. His brain fogged up, all the reasonable thoughts and warning bells muffled as his only concern became to try and find the source of such heavenly smell. 

And as you waltzed out of the woods, wearing that beautifully crafted dress and the intricate kitsune mask hiding the upper half of your face, he was awestruck. He should've ran away, he should've attack and kill you, He should've demanded to know how you found him and what you wanted. But he didn't- he couldn't. At that moment, the only thing that existent to him was you, your offer about joining this mansion family shit where he would be kept safe and provided for and whatever, the beautiful scent, and this dark urge to own you. Something so fucking beautiful needed protection from all the horrors of the world. Something so soft needed someone to hold her close and keep her safe and secure. Something so mystical needed to be looked away and provided for.

You needed him and his protection, and he would gladly give it to you. 

He had absolutely no qualms about the mansion at all, ready to follow you to the depths of hell if it meant being in your mystic presence. He melted at the sight of you, making things times easier. He followed you back to the mansion, up the stairs and to Slenderman's office without any objections, not caring about neither the fact that there were other people looking at him with either curiosity or distaste, nor the giant faceless person in front of him going on and on about having to stamp some pact to join them and becoming a part of the pack completely. All he cared about the soft gaze on your face and the supportive, understanding smile on your soft lips. 

Finally, after being taken to his assigned room, did the fog clear after you closed the door and left. The reality crashed in on him, as he slid down into the floor questioning what, how and why.

This was only the start of the long spiral down the obsession lane for him. Those secret glances at you at the dining table would soon become hard glares at the other Alpha's you'd interact with. Before long he'd start tailing you during your missions, observing each and every interaction of yours. Soon small articles started going missing, nothing too much at first. Just a misplaced bracelet, lost earrings and forgotten scrunchies. Soon however, those little accesories turned into missing panties, lost bras and what not.

While this was going on behind the scenes, on the front stage Jeffrey had already started to get himself acquainted with you. Something out of your reach? Lemme geddit for ya shortie. Why so lonely? You can always play video games with me. He was everywhere, keeping an eye on you or straight up being the one hogging your attention. Oh, he just loved how your oblivious little self would squirm around, the queasiness of being watched. Those frightened little glaces you'd give while walking down the woods alone, your subconscious nagging at you about the presence of a viable alpha. Your jumpiness just added fuel to the fire, firming his belief that you needed someone to take care of you. You need him to take care of you.

A year or two passed by, the alpha within him getting more impatient as you went over to recruit more and more creeps. The thought that everyone here had smelt that sweet aroma of yours atleast once made his blood boil. He would need to act out soon, now that you had a fair amount of viable mates around you.

Soon, the time came. You had started to nest, getting ready for your bi monthly heats. Pillows, shirts and blankets thrown down into your little safe corner and molded into your fortress of fluff, your beautiful nest. This, coupled with your heat suppressants, would be enough for yet another heat without any trouble.

And as on que, our beloved yandere alpha started to put his plans to action. The minty suppressants in the bottle were replaced with mint candies, nothing too much for your oblivious self to notice. Sweet little omegas like you shouldn't use suppressants in that much amount, it would be bad for you. Soon little break in and sneaks into your room started to occur, all your stuff apart from your nest being lightly scented. Not enough for you to notice but prevalent enough for your hindbrain to go crazy. Most of the work had been done, now it's just about time….

Finally, the fateful day of your heart striked. Cramps times worse than what you've experienced in the last couple of years, your foggy brain not being coherent enough. The burning sensation throughout your entire body, you felt like crying. You had forgotten how painful heats can be. This was just one of the worse ones right? 

However, your world came crashing down as you opened your door, entering your room. The jar open door forgotten, all your attention got hogged by what has happened to your little den. 

The entire place just reeked of an alpha, from your bedding to your dresser and wardrobe. Taking low, dreadful steps into your defiled safe space, you should've felt bile rise up your throat. But your heart addled brain just added fuel to the fire, your subconscious screaming at you to go into your nest and wait for alpha instead of investigating. Taking slow, dreadful steps towards your nest, you held your breath in hoping for it all to be a dream 

But it wasn't. The scent of the foreign alpha was the most dense over your best, soon you found out why. Shirts, blankets and articles from your loved ones had been thrown out and replaced, as white hoodies, jackets, black shirts and unknown pillows and comforters lay in their place. All your stuffed toys now were aggressively scented and accompanied by larger toys you didn't recognise. Your nest, the safest place for an omega, had been thoroughly scented and 'perfected' by someone.

Your nest- your den had been marked by an Alpha. And as the realization dawned, you were broken out of your reverie by the sound of your door closing and locking. Snapping around, your eyes met with the figure of him, putting all the pieces together. You started backing away as he turned to meet you, the sickening smile on his face.

He'll make sure it would be a night you'll never forget. 

—------------------------------

Hope this is what you wanted! Sorry if I made any mistakes 😅

[hekateinhell]

you already know why i’m here. our house chapter seven please please please i’m nothing

I do know LMAO. As soon as I wrote it, I knew if anyone asked for it, it was going to be you. 🥹 So this would have been the immediate next chapter after what's already up on ao3. I started writing this version I think September 2022 and I just never continued?

We've seen Armand explore his feminine side and his relationship to that a bit already, so in this chapter, I wanted to focus on his more masculine side just for a minute. I also wanted to illustrate a bit of their lives outside of each other. I'll just put everything I have in the doc here, just for you! ♥️

“I don’t want to talk about it.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

“Well, I think it’s cute,” Daniel bent down to press a kiss to Armand’s scruffy cheek, the first time in four years he’d ever actually seen the product of Armand forgoing shaving for an entire week.

It took a moment’s getting used to; not quite a five-o-clock shadow anymore, not quite a beard yet, darker than the auburn on his head by a couple tones.

Armand sighed, shifting so that his lips caught Daniel’s, more touching, resting in place, than kissing. “I wish you could work home from today,” he whispered. “I keep thinking something’s going to happen. I know I’m crazy but…” Armand trailed off, his forehead coming to rest against Daniel’s shoulder. Daniel gently rubbed his back, feeling the tension he was carrying.

“I know, baby,” hard for Armand not to be tense these days, given everything. “It’s a short day for me, and then I’ll meet you at Dr. Lydia’s at 3:30?”

He tangled his fingers through Armand’s wild hair, trying to soothe him as if he were one of the cats. Armand hadn’t felt the house in a week, and it showed. Decided he could delegate the physical tasks to a temp and do everything else virtually.

Daniel didn’t think it was depression, exactly. Armand certainly seemed happy and animated whenever Daniel was around. He still showered, ate, and slept. His appetite, in regards to food and sex, was as healthy as could be. He wasn’t starved for company either; in fact, Daniel hadn’t come home to an apartment with less than five people in it all week.

Some people he knew well, some he didn’t. Bianca, Laurent, Felix, Santiago. Armand’s European friends. As soon as Daniel’s key turned in the lock, the crew cleared out with an overlapping chorus of hellos and goodbyes — did nobody work anymore? Daniel had asked and Armand had shrugged and said, “They get by, I suppose.” Then he hurled himself at Daniel, demanding to be carried to the bedroom for a pre-dinner romp.

It seemed to Daniel he was getting laid a lot lately. There had always been a disparity in their libidos, once the honeymoon phase wore off. And to be fair, when they’d met, Daniel was trying and failing at AA and snorting conspicuous amounts of coke to compensate. He might as well as have been on Viagra those first three months. Set some very unrealistic expectations, bit of false advertising and all that.

They hadn’t clued right away after he’d started NA, because for the first time in his life, this wasn’t a relationship he wanted to escape from. He wanted to do better, see what might happen if he showed up as his best, sober self.

Only Armand’s whining and bouncing on his lap, overlappingly sleep-deprived and aroused because Daniel’s been fucking his brains out since midnight and it was 3 AM and couldn’t they go one more round please oh please? Just like last time and the time before that and the time before that!

What was different tonight?

It had been so weird to say, looking down at his limp dick that was doing most of the talking as it was, “It doesn’t wanna work, babe, I don’t know what to tell you.” Hadn’t run into this problem in years.

Armand gave him a childish pout that Daniel was sure was more real than fake. He’d rolled off him and curled by his side, pressing his face against Daniel’s neck. Giggling when he said, “I ought to give you a hickey,” like they were teenagers.

“Go for it.”

He did, sucking hard at the skin on Daniel’s throat, subconsciously and then not-so-subconsciously humping Daniel’s hip until he finished a fourth time with a low, deep moan, finally satiated and worn out.

Lucky it was January, seeing as Daniel had to wear turtlenecks for the next two days after Armand had massacred him. The little vampire.

“I’m not sure I can keep up with you,” he’d mumbled over the cereal the next morning.

“What are you talking about?” Armand’s smiling at him, having opted to bring his chair beside Daniel’s instead of staying at the opposite end.

It hurt a bit to say, “What if I can’t keep with you, like with your sex drive, and you just get bored of me?”

“You can’t be serious!” Armand laughed before the look on Daniel’s face stopped him cold. “Danny,” he reached for Daniel’s much larger hand, intertwining their fingers and pressing their palms together.

“Danny, look…” He stared down at the granola in front of him, as if it might grant him the strength to get through what he was about to say. “I like you. I am a lot, I know that! But I don’t need you to ‘keep up with me’. I’m perfectly capable of keeping up with myself.”

[cycian]

Starfield request: Andreja preparing to cook a meal for everyone in the lodge, whatever that entails in your imagination. Perhaps Sarah is also around to help, which again, is up to you how that plays out.

I lost control. 4.9k words under the readmore, Andreja/Sarah pairing. Sorry not sorry. Will be posted to ao3 after some editing within the week. Oopsie doopsie, love you Ronqueesha but you knew precisely what this ask would do to me lol.

Blurring lines

It had been two weeks. Two weeks of eating nothing but takeout, deliveries. Countless Chunks menus had been ordered and promptly devoured by the ravenous Constellation members.

Sarah could hardly believe it as she added the expenses onto the budget. Until now, she hadn't realised that Barrett's favorite past time had been a blessing upon their budget, stomachs and waistlines.

Across from her, Andreja idly sharpened her blade, her eyes drifting around the warm light of day that filtered through the small greenhouse.

"I can't believe I'm going to have to say it, but Barrett's cooking is a cornerstone of our Lodge section of the budget." Sarah said, mostly to herself, as she hadn't expected Andreja to be paying attention to her mumblings and ravings.

The blade stopped on its block for an instant, before resuming its dance.

Sarah thought no more of it.

Until midnight struck.

She had moved from the pleasant warmth of the greenhouse for the quiet chaos of her room/office. She knew that if Noel were to catch her working so late, she'd get chastised. She was fine, she thought. Even if Sarah attempted to sleep, the nightmares would wake her up--might as well be productive.

She went down to the kitchen, located in the basement (Walter, why?), with the intent of indulging in more caffeine, only to be interrupted by curses hushed in the dead of night, in a tongue that she did not recognize. The voice, however, was very familiar to Sarah. She tried to silence her steps to figure out what was bothering Andreja to the point of using expletives, only to find the Va’ruun woman covered from head to toe in flour.

Sarah Morgan was not exactly known for being ‘stealthy’ or discreet or even remotely ‘subtle’. She was, at best, a terrormorph in a china shop. Despite her best efforts, she could not manage to repress the undignified snort that escaped her.

Andreja’s eyes snapped to her, narrowed into dark slits, before softening as the leader of Constellation stepped towards the light, clad in her very elegant pajamas. An old UC vanguard shirt, fraying at the edges (an umpteenth attempt from John to get her to enlist again) and her blue checkered pajama pants that bore countless coffee stains. Somehow, she felt underdressed, compared to Andreja and her endless supply of Va’ruun outfits, despite the former smuggler being covered in flour.

Sarah wondered how it was possible to always look so…stunning. Even looking like a child who got caught with their hand in the cookie jar, covered in flour in the late hours of the night, Andreja looked stunning as she attempted to pat the flour out of her clothes.

“Do not worry about the mess, Miss Morgan. I will clean this up. My apologies. I hope I did not wake you up.” Andreja’s words broke Sarah out of her daydream, forcing her to tear her eyes away from the defined biceps.

“Don’t worry about it, Andreja, I haven’t gone to bed yet.” She wiggled her favorite mug (it had one particularly cute cat drawn on it), moving past the flour-covered woman to pour herself more coffee. Sarah raised her eyebrow. The pot was empty. She usually was the one to siphon it throughout the night but—

“You don’t usually stay up this late. I hope everything is okay.” Sarah asked as she poured some water into the coffee maker, before adding some grounds. Some more patting sounds came from behind her, and as the machine came to life, Sarah turned around, only to find Andreja staring at the kitchen with a menacing glare.

“I am fine, Miss Morgan.” Poor thing. Even her back was covered in flour. Sarah carefully approached her, slowly letting her hand rest on Andreja’s shoulder and pushing the younger woman to look at her.

Andreja looked down, her eyes finally meeting Sarah’s. The Chair of Constellation was not used to looking up at someone—she usually towered over most people she met. But Andreja was tall. And not just lanky tall, either. She reminded Sarah of the stories she’d read about in books, about Amazonians of incredibly heights, strength and determination. Every inch of her was like a blade. Her cheekbones were sharp enough to cut, her eyes piercing like a knife’s tip, her body ever-coiled like a snake awaiting the occasion to strike. Even now, she felt those muscles tense under her touch.

“Miss Morgan?” Andreja tilted her head to the side quizzically, flour streaking her pitch-black hair. Sarah cursed herself internally.

“Sorry, lack of sleep can make me a little…disconnected.” Her hand moved off of Andreja’s shoulder, before hovering next to her hair. “May I help you with the flour situation? I wouldn’t want you to lose one of your garbs to pesky flour.”

Andreja nodded, a small smile lighting up her face. Sarah gently brushed the flour away from the Va’runn’s hair. How was it so soft? It was like touching silk, or a gentle stream.

“Ashta oil, mostly. Sam was kind enough to provide me with some.” Andreja explained while Sarah Morgan was busy wondering if the filter between her brain and her mouth had fully malfunctioned. Thankfully, Andreja did not seem to mind or care too much as she let Sarah pat her down.

“Well, at least, you can rest assured that white hair will suit you.” Sarah said, holding a strand of flour-covered hair.

Andreja’s lips tightened in a polite smile, before taking a step back. Sarah did not mind in the slightest. Nor was she shocked. Andreja had been here for well over a year, yet it was always two steps forward and one step back with her. She reminded Sarah of the black cat on her cup. Hard to predict, always on her guard, never knowing if she was about to cozy up to you or about to bolt.

“I suppose you must be wondering why I was in such a…situation.” Andreja broke the silence as Sarah stopped the coffee maker, pouring herself a cup, before turning around, coffee pot in hand. Andreja nodded, before retrieving one of the generic mugs that they kept in storage for the few visitors that sometimes came by the Lodge.

“I stopped asking our dear colleagues what they were up to, when caught in strange situations, about seven years ago. Better this way.” Sarah still remembered the five-hour tale Barrett weaved when she asked him why he hung his socks in the greenhouse.

Andreja nodded, letting Sarah pour her a cup of coffee, before leaning her hip against the counter.

“An unusual group of people, getting up to unusual activities. Hardly surprising. In my case, I was attempting something… mundane.”

“I’m guessing you were cooking.”

“Trying to.” Andreja gestured to her black garb, still bearing some faint traces of flour. Sarah gently brushed away some that lingered on Andreja’s thigh. “I know that Barrett’s absence is a strain on our budget—and morale. I wondered if perhaps I could attempt to replicate one of his recipes. He was kind enough to provide me with access to his cooking slates, but they’ve proven…challenging.”

Sarah’s eyes widened. Barrett’s recipes were his only secret. Even Noel had been forbidden from ever accessing this treasure. Sarah never bothered asking—cooking was not really something that interested her much.

“You seem surprised. I suppose that a smuggler covered in flour is surprising.” Andreja said, her voice uncharacteristically meek. Sarah pursed her lips.

“Former smuggler. And I am happy whenever a Constellation member decides to learn a new skillset. No teasing from me, Andreja, I promise. What were you trying to cook? Surely Barrett’s recipe can’t be that complicated.”

Oh, how wrong she had been.

Cursed be Barrett, and the amped-up hare that he had in place of a functioning brain.

The recipe’s title was simple enough. Homemade pasta with tomato sauce. However, the more she read on the data slate, the stronger the chance of a headache became. Barrett spent the two first pages of the slate describing the history of Italy and southern European Old Earth delights. He somehow managed to get lost within his historical ramblings, before even providing a list of the ingredients. With every line, the urge to hunt Barrett down and force him to be coherent became stronger. The instructions were hidden in between paragraphs of Barrett waxing poetry about the consistency of the dough (soft as a summer’s day and firm as a lover’s embrace was NOT helpful) and doodles of Constellation members.

Sarah set down the data slate, before pinching the bridge of her nose.

“He is certainly passionate about cooking.” Andreja offered, while Sarah was contemplating telling Andreja to just order from yet another restaurant. But she couldn’t. Because when she turned around, she was met with knee-buckling soft brown eyes staring down at her.

“We are explorers. We spend our lives deciphering the Universe’s secret. Surely, we can wing a pasta recipe and get away with it.”

Andreja always tried to keep an eye on the time. It was an old habit that refused to die. Keeping track of time helped her know when a patrol might be coming by, or if she’d stayed in the same area for too long. However, in the dimly lit basement, with Sarah’s chuckles and occasional grumbles of discontentment, time had lost all meaning. They’d started over at least a dozen times. She was certain that the budget had yet suffered another blow, as they cracked open egg after egg, bags of flour hastily thrown in the garbage disposal after each failed attempt.

When Sarah had found her, she had been ready to give up. Yet, the coffee and company kept her going. Try after try, Andreja found that she cared little if the food turned out edible or not.

Because right next to her, perched on a camping chair, the Chair of Constellation, clad in her pajamas, was reading her a magazine.

It was hardly interesting. Just the New Atlantis daily. But what was interesting to Andreja, was to see Sarah come to life. Her eyes lit up as she told her that she had to visit the UC Museum (she’d rather die) or that they could go together (she’d love that). Sarah Morgan came alive when passion was involved. She sat up straighter, her hands dancing in the dim light as she described the first plant that sent her to the hospital and prompted her to take an interest in botany. Her voice, usually restrained to one precise register, one of calm and authority, would soar between highs (she was rather passionate about Old Earth pets) and rumblings lows (she did not seem to want to discuss her past with the UC).

The knowledge and worship of the Great Serpent had always brought her peace. It was an eternal, universal law. In a galaxy full of ever-changing tangents, it was her rock. Yet, as Sarah’s eyes started to droop, her temples resting on her closed fist, Andreja felt a brush of serenity pass her by.

It was how Noel found them. Passed out on camping chairs, in the early hours of the morning, boiling the galaxy’s worst pasta. Years of training had honed Andreja’s senses, yet, she did not even stir as the scientist retreated up the stairs, leaving a note on the door to not enter the basement until noon.

Thankfully, she did not sleep in that late.

Sounds of distress roused her from her sleep, only to find that the source was none other than Miss Morgan, her brow covered in a gleam of sweat. Andreja was no stranger to those demons that only came to those that had felt the fires of life’s kiss and had been left charred. She brought her hand close to Miss Morgan’s forehead, afraid to touch those golden and silver strands of hair that stuck to her forehead, before settling for her shoulder.

Miss Morgan had touched her shoulders before, it was alright, yes? It had comforted Andreja, had made her feel warm. Surely, it would help.

She gently squeezed her shoulder.

“Miss Morgan, wake up.” She spoke softly, afraid of scaring the blonde woman who writhed under Andreja’s robe’s overlayer. Miss Morgan’s hand grabbed hers, with such despair, even unconscious, that shattered Andreja’s heart. Andreja let her free hand rest atop hers, clutching it tight. “It’s me, Andreja.”

“Andreja.” Sarah repeated, her voice hoarse. She finally opened her eyes, green meeting dark brown. Her eyes widened, looking everywhere frantically.

“Calm down, you are safe, we are in the Lodge’s basement. You are safe.” She repeated. Sarah let her head fall back down against the chair, her free hand combing through her hair. Her chest heaved with rapid breaths, that she fought against. Andreja was familiar with this feeling. She leaned forward, slowly enough to give Miss Morgan plenty of opportunity to back away. She brought their conjoined hands to her own chest, taking deep, calming breaths. She let her forehead rest against Miss Morgan’s.

Andreja kept her eyes firmly set on the blonde woman. Miss Morgan’s hands entangled themselves from Andreja’s, shaking as she set them on her lap, her eyes softly opening. Although Andreja had spent more time than she would be willing to admit looking at the Chair, she still could not place the color of her eyes. Sometimes, they would be piercing blue, reminiscent of lakes on deep freeze planets, or forest green, so akin to fresh leaves as spring thawed nature.

In that dimly lit basement, they were of a blue so deep that Andreja was afraid that she might drown in them, her breath hitching as they locked eyes. For an instant, Andreja felt eternity as their eyes bore and blended in one another, before Miss Morgan pulled away.

“I…I am so sorry, Andreja. It shall not happen again, don’t worry,” The Chair spoke, as she pushed the chair back, getting out of the chair as fast as her legs would allow her. Andreja kept a hand out to stabilize her as Miss Morgan swayed on her feet, her hair sticking out in pikes and cowlicks that defied gravity. “I thank you for your help and I’ll—I’ll see you around, yeah?”

Before Andreja even had the chance to speak, the Chair bolted out of the basement as if pursued by a dozen terrormorphs, leaving a trail of flour on the flour, her favorite mug on the counter and an incredibly perplexed Andreja behind.

Sarah Morgan was mortified.

For a couple of reasons. Firstly, she’d been rash to a woman who had been kind and understanding to her. Secondly, in her haste to leave the premises, she had failed to notice that Andreja unfurled the cloth that she usually wore wrapped around her hips and over her shoulder, and had wrapped her in it. Which meant that Sam and Walter somersaulted to conclusions, with such vivacity and fervor that before Sarah could even make her way up the stairs, Vladimir had heard of it. Not only had he heard of it, but he had also already messaged her.

Threatening her to not even think of hurting Andreja’s feelings. And to do right by her.

Aja often told her that Constellation’s lines between work and family had blended the instant Banks had founded their organization. Sarah did not think much of it. She thought that she was good enough at separating her work/life balance that blurred lines would never be much of an issue for her.

Third reason for Sarah Morgan’s mortification: she could not, for the life of her, summon the willpower to remove Andreja’s cloth. It smelled just like her. A subtle drifting smell of something sharp like iron and a wafting, warm amber fragrance with hints of patchouli.

Sarah let herself fall upon her bed, after pushing the data slates of the unoccupied side. Maybe her work/life balance was not perfect.

Perhaps lines were starting to blur.

But despite the furious flush on her lips from her colleagues’ teasing, she could not find it in herself to stop a smile from creeping across her lips as she lifted Andreja’s cloth to her face.

Andreja watched, not without satisfaction, as her crepe browned in the pan. She had started to decipher Barrett’s recipe reliably enough to attempt the simplest recipes on his slates. The first one had not come out as expected—according to Vladimir, who had called her and decided to linger on the comms for a dozen minutes, it was a normal occurrence. He sounded happier than usual as he regaled her with tales of the deepest confines of space while she whisked the batter. But soon as the door to the basement opened, he excused himself, without finishing his story.

A shame. It had Aceles. Andreja loved Aceles.

“I am still not interested in a drink, Sam. But thank you all the same.” Andreja spoke over her shoulder, before flipping the crepe over once again. No response. Andreja turned her head, only to be greeted by Sarah Morgan, who held her neatly folded garb in one hand and a bottle of wine in the other. Not wine to be drunk from a straw. Wine with a cork, a corkscrew even poking out from the inside pocket of Miss Morgan’s jacket.

“Should I take that as a no to wine?” The Chair asked and though a smile was upon her lips, Andreja could see the tightness in her eyes. She shook her head and beckoned Miss Morgan closer.

“Expensive wine? What a rare treat, Miss Morgan. Have you given up on our budget altogether, then?” Andreja asked as she slid the crepe onto a plate, before pouring more batter into the pan. She heard a bottle being set down and a table being dragged. She heard her rummage through cupboards, before she finally turned around.

Miss Morgan had set up a table for two. A flower, bright purple, had found herself planted in a vase in the middle of the table, accompanied by the bottle of wine. Andreja’s garb had been set aside next to her mug, which had been refilled with warm coffee. Andreja watched as the Chair of Constellation, the fearless explorer that was Sarah Morgan, fretted over the napkins that she was attempting to fold in the shape of a flower. The result was less than picture perfect—Andreja loved it. She could not help but beam as Sarah proudly held the folded napkin in her hand.

Sarah Morgan loved the sound of wildlife chirping as daylight brought them out of their slumber. She loved the hum of a grav drive right before a jump. She found that the sound of Andreja laughing instantly beat all of her previous favorites. It made it all worth it. The long talk she had about Sam Coe on how to apologize to pretty women (he was an expert), the hour spent picking wine with Walter (he was an expert) and picking up an outfit (Noel and Matteo were useless but supportive). It was worth it because Andreja laughed as she folded her napkins to the best of her abilities. She’d watched a tutorial on how to make one in the shape of an Aceles, but was quickly humbled.

“I owe you an apology,” Sarah said as she set down the napkins, smoothing over her blue shirt. “It was inconsiderate of me, I just…”

Andreja held up a hand. “You owe me nothing. There is nothing that you must justify to me, unless you wish to.”

Sarah let out a breath that she had been holding for the last two decades, running a hand through the strands where silver and gold mingled freely. She let her shoulders sag. Andreja had seen her as she was. Tired. Irrational, sometimes. Prone to fleeing the instant any emotion went past what Sarah was comfortable with. Endlessly running towards the horizon, never daring to look back in fear of what she would find.

And still, she stayed.

Sarah Morgan took a step forward, past Andreja as she grabbed the pan’s handle. She gave it a quick shake, before beckoning Andreja closer.

“My parents were diplomats,” She began, feeling her voice weaken as it fought against the things it had kept quiet for so long. “My father was quite fond of crepes, he even tried to show me how to make them. I was never quite good but—”

She stepped back and directed Andreja’s hand to hold the handle just as she had, before wrapping her arms around the Va’ruun, her hands on Andreja’s. She felt the younger woman tense underneath her touch, before softening and gently leaning against her.

“Give it a tug, get the crepe unstuck. There you go, now, we’re going to do a sautee motion, push the pan forward, up, then back towards you quickly. Follow my movement.” In one swift motion, the crepe flew towards the ceiling, before landing back into the pan, perfectly flipped.

Andreja had watched with a hint of mirth as the crepe flew, a slow giggle slipping past her lips. But all Sarah could look at was her, at the smile held back with a hint of teeth, the way her eyes squinted, the hint of a crow’s nest forming at the corners of her eyes. The small smile line starting to make itself apparent.

“Thank you… Sarah.”

Just hearing her name from Andreja’s lips sent goosebumps all the way down to her arms—she hoped that Andreja hadn’t noticed as Sarah pulled away, nodding to the pan.

“Come on, give it a try.”

“I am afraid I might make a mess of it.”

“Look at my ‘flower’, it’s not exactly perfect, is it? Nothing has to be perfect. It just has to be.” Sarah encouraged her. Andreja nodded, before grabbing the handle, giving it a few tentative sweeps, before attempting to flip the crepe.

Sarah watched as the crepe soared in her direction, almost hitting her across the face. Thankfully, her reflexes were sharp. She caught it, twirling it in her hands, throwing it from hand to hand as it was still very much hot from the pan. Though Andreja’s skin was too dark for a blush to be visible, it was easy to tell that the Va’ruun was flustered, as her wide eyes seemingly couldn’t even blink anymore.

Sarah threw her a cheeky wink, before tearing the crepe and throwing it in the air, attempting to catch it with her mouth. She slid on her knees, ignoring the pain in her lower back (God, she wasn’t in her thirties anymore, and her body never failed to remind her), as the crepe fell in her mouth.

Andreja cackled, clapping her hands as Sarah rose to her knees, munching through her half with as much dignity as she could muster. She offered her audience a small bow.

“I did not know that you were so… silly.” Andreja said, a wide smile on her lips.

Darling, even I forgot that part of me.

But it was not the time to explain that with decades of self-set expectations to meet, with the scars that littered her body and mind, she’d let a rift grow between herself and the rest of the universe—friend or foe alike. Because Andreja had told her that she had no need to explain herself, unless she willed it. And tonight, just tonight, she wanted to be Sarah and Andreja, sharing crepes and wine. But deep down, she knew that when the abyss, the same that stared back every time she closed her eyes, would call her again, she knew what’d she do. She wouldn’t shy away from kind hands that would lead her to their own heartbeat to steady hers.

That night, she just said:

“Want to try?”

And she watched with glee as Andreja, the best shot she’d ever met, the sturdiest, steadiest and strongest person she’d ever met, throw a crepe up in the air and swallow it like an Old Earth seagull.

Though none of them were known for being the chattiest members of Constellation, every breath was spent on a tale, and when words ebbed, wine flowed. Andreja told her of her homeland, of the cities that lingered on the edge of the desert where she’d grown, of the pet she’d raised and slaughtered and the dagger she’d fashioned out of its skull. Of the tall beasts that would sometimes cross into their territory but that had fascinated her as a child. On an unfolded napkin, she’d drawn the outline of the beast, eyes closed in concentration, the tip of her pen dancing on cloth as she regaled Sarah with the uses for their venoms and chitin. It had reminded Sarah of scorpions, an old earth creature and they’d made plans to watch a documentary on the creatures of the desert from Sarah’s personal collection.

Sarah told her of her father’s smile, omitting his scorn. She told Andreja of his smooth hands as he pushed her on the swing, of the flaming passion for peace that got him out of bed. She spoke of her mother’s kindness and tendency to berate young Sarah for tracking mud everywhere she went.

The words they shared, those wounds that they willingly re-opened with kind hands, guided them through the night and the stack of crepes that they packed and put away for the others to enjoy in the morning.

They laughed, and for an instant, Andreja felt the caress of a youth that had been taken away from her before she could even think about enjoying it. And for an instant, Sarah Morgan’s eyes left the horizon, to instead appreciate what had been right in front of her all along.

Andreja offered to stay behind and clean up—she was starting to enjoy the freedom of a night owl. Sarah’s hand lingered on her forearm.

“If you have trouble sleeping… Come find me, Sarah.” Andreja’s tone did not offer Sarah the luxury of argumentation as her hand rested upon Sarah’s. She nodded, letting herself drift slowly into Andreja’s arms.

Andreja’s arms wrapped themselves around her, pulling her close. Words were wildly unnecessary by that point. No word could do justice to the quiet adoration pooling in Andreja’s eyes and the ever-burning fire rekindled in Sarah’s own. Sarah lifted herself on her tiptoes, letting Andreja handle the brunt of her weight as she wrapped her arms around Andreja’s neck, bringing her close, to her neck.

Andreja nuzzled in, a small peck on Sarah’s neck leaving a ripple of goosebumps to dance along her skin, echoed by Andreja’s own skin. Sarah’s hand tilted Andreja’s chin, letting herself get lost.

A small kiss, chaste, but oh, so electric. An instant that lasted an eternity and tasted of amber and wine. A lingering look, one that they were not willing to break, as Sarah retreated up the stairs, entirely forgetting her red leather jacket on her chair.

She let the door close behind her as she slid against it, her eyes fluttering close. One sweet kiss, the promise of so much more to come. She let herself bask in the glow as she rose to her knees. As she climbed up the stairs, she was interrupted by the clearing of a throat.

All around the Lodge’s main room, members were pretending to busy themselves. Cora was fast asleep on the sofa as Sam pretended to read a manual on astrophysics, while Matteo, next to him, was polishing his nails. Walter was sipping on a cognac, a book on his lap and a smile on his lips. Noel, with the subtlety of an Aceles whose testicles had been bitten in a china shop, leant against the doorframe and almost slipped, before asking.

Sarah couldn’t keep it at bay. Not after today. Not while she could still smell Andreja’s perfume on her skin and the taste of her lips on hers. Her face broke into a grin.

“It went amazingly. Thank you for your help, everyone.”

To her utmost discomfort, the Constellation members erupted into whoops, Noel all but grabbing her by her shoulders and shaking her vigorously, as if she were an athlete bringing home an impressive trophy.

Sarah raised her voices, hushing them down with her hands.

“Calm down, please! This is not a fraternity house!” She chided.

“But you got some!” Sam counter-attacked, his hands covering Cora’s ears, though the child could sleep through anything.

“What, no I did not, we just kissed.”

“Wait, so you guys locked me in my room all day just so they could kiss?” A voice rang from upstairs.

“Barrett!? You’re back?” Sarah looked, bewildered as the source of fifty percent of their ransom budget peaked his head over the balcony.

“Honestly, just for your face right now, worth it.”

The lines were blurring, Sarah thought, as she received claps on her backs and a beer was thrusted in her hands. But perhaps she needed friends more than she needed colleagues.

[s-u-m-i]

Give me Swaggersouls, the finest Swaggersouls you've got 🔫

author note: i just feel like he would be the sweetest around you and for you. man spends his days yelling at his dumbass friends and putting on the internet persona, but as soon as it comes to you it all melts away. anyways i hope you enjoy :D

SWAGGERSOULS sat at his desk wrapping up another csgo video. saying goodbye to all of his friends he closed the application, immediately opening his editing software. the yawning man took a peek at the clock,

10:23 PM

swagger sighed, taking his headphones off, and attempted to rub the sleep off his face. he needed to get something edited tonight in order to feel productive for the day, a toxic trait of his. looking through the footage he had, a quiet rustle disrupted his search. he turned, seeing you asleep in your shared bed. how you slept through the obnoxious recording session was beyond him, but he was glad you did. mouth slightly open, hair strewn about, swagger couldn't help but grab his phone and snap a picture. you would kill him in the morning for it, but for now it brought a smile to his face.

as much as he wanted to join you, he forced his focus back to the illuminated screen. looking for a project that wouldn't take him long, but would make him feel accomplished: the minecraft session from yesterday. in a perfect world swagger could have the footage completely ready for upload, besides the subtitles (there wasn't enough weed in the world to make that possible), and be asleep by midnight. its a shame that he doesn't live in a perfect world...

A LIGHT HAND brushing against his back accompanied by a soft whisper is what ended up stirring swagger from his short slumber.

"bear?" he looked up to meet the tired eyes of his girlfriend. he swore he was only taking a short break. "well goodmorning," you murmured. the man only groaned in response, "come on, time for bed."

"i can't, i gotta finish this."

"baby it's really late, there are plenty of hours in tomorrow's day to finish that. for now, you need sleep." swagger swore he was only resting his eyes, ten minutes tops. he glanced at the clock on his glowing computer screen,

1:54 AM

"holy fuck, when did it get so late?" you let out a small giggle in response.

"i'm not sure, i woke up to the sound of your clips looping. pretty annoying by the way..."

"sorry hun," the man stood, pulling you in and burying his head into the crook of your neck. after a long moment, your boyfriend pulled away from you. "go ahead and get in bed," his kissed between your eyebrows softly, "i'll just be one second."

you glanced up at him with a doubting look, at which he chuckled softly, "i swear," he reassured you, "some mouthwash and a piss. just gimme one minute." as he walked towards the bathroom, you made quick work of finding your spot in the bed again. shutting your eyes, you felt the side of the bed dip down. familiar arms grabbed your waist, pulling you into a warm chest.

"come 'ere, pretty," you twisted your body and pushed your head into his shoulder, as he wrapped his arms around your body. swagger pulled you tight against him; his nose in your hair and hands tracing small, invisible patterns on your back.

"bear?"

"hm?"

"i lied earlier"

"what?" the man pulled his head back to look in your eyes,

"it wasn't the clips that woke me up," you grinned up at him, "you snore, loud." he rolled his eyes dramatically as you laughed. moments like these were what brought swagger the most peace. just you and him shooting shit at two in the morning.

"why are you looking at me like that," your boyfriend had a small smile on his face, just staring at you. awestruck at the breathtaking woman that he miraculous had laying with him.

"i just love you is all" you reached your hand to his face, pulling his lips to yours,

"i love you too bear, now sleep." tucking your head back into his chest, he placed a small kiss on the top of your head. the two of you drifted off to sleep, still entangled in each other. swaggers snoring the only thing to be heard within the room.

[onewomancitadel]

A smattering of general updates:

I played Tears of the Kingdom. I didn't really enjoy it. I understand why it was popular though; I'm just not the demographic for these types of video games anymore. I didn't find it creatively rewarding and after a time I sat there thinking 'I would rather be writing right now', and since then I have learnt that writing is made easier by doing things which are not writing, because it makes me miss it. My dad also doesn't really like it but for some reason has played hundreds of hours in it. I don't know either - I think he will take anything called Zelda at this point.

I spectated the Doctor Who David Tennant Special and watched some clips of the new season. I'm not a fan of RTD, and not a DW fan anymore (not for a long time), but it was an interesting study in how studios try to attract old and new fans.

I read a lot of books, and that lie people tell you about all books being good for you is a lie, because a cyberpunk anthology of short stories made me so angry I got heartburn. I think people who say that are saying so because they wish that they could read a lot, in which case I say, yes I think reading is a gift and we should engage with it, however, sometimes I get so physically angry from something stupid/bad I've read because bad writers exist that it gives me actual pain. I am reading Howl's Moving Castle right now and it's very joyful; I am very surprised by the liberties the animated film took! However so far I do think both experiences are worthwhile, and if you enjoyed the Ghibli film, I very much recommend checking out the original book if you want to revisit that world again. The prose is straightforward but a little whimsical, and Howl is very, very funny. I have laughed aloud a few times.

Well, you know I rewatched Dark, and it's funny that during my exile I said 'this is like if RWBY got the ending it deserves' and then, er, I found out it's not renewed yet, and that's still up in the air, which for the entirety of RWBY I have only had one true moment of doubt of such a thing, and that was a while ago.

On that topic, yes, I still ship Jaune/Cinder, believe Cinder's redemption is likely, etc., although there are some more external concerns I would wager now than before. Before I thought it very possible to do without any commercial influence, and it depends what compromises they do or don't end up making or having already made. My analysis of Jaune's arc in V9 may not hold water as much (e.g. if you lean towards the view there were rewrites to cater to growing the audience, or perhaps it's two ideas married? I'm not sure) so I'm going to think about it more, and there always has been a tension in RWBY between what is being expected/baited and what is foreshadowed/said/actually happens.

I figured out how to write again and what was blocking me, so there's that. To talk about it a bit more, since my break I have worked every single day on writing. My key takeaways are that you need a delicate balance of delusion and self-doubt to get anything done - you don't know you can do something until you actually do it - and every excuse I invented for not writing was not the reason I was not writing. I can write with a migraine beginning to set in on an uncomfortable desk where I can't even rest my elbows properly on the end of a bed with no back support without aircon in the middle of summer before I've even taken my hair out from bedtime plaits in my pyjamas. I didn't even expect to get my fic done right before midnight, actually I was like 'well lol that's not going to happen, I'll write anyway though, fuck New Year's' because I wasn't doing anything, and then I finished and looked at the time and was like ooooh. I actually completed my goal! So I'm very proud of that. Anyway writing is breathing, to me, I go crazy if I don't do it, no matter what it is, and every single piece of nonsense advice of productivity was not helpful, ever, but I did figure it out. Also admittedly I got a fire burning under me again because I found out I was actually right about Raven, in which case I took that as a sign from heaven I was on the right track. One should hope.

I am excited about Dune Part Two, yes, although I am trying to avoid Villeneuve talking about the film because I know all the marketing is basically directed at people who aren't Dune fans, and I have to see it for myself to see what it's worth. I enjoyed the first film, and Villeneuve seems excited to direct Dune Messiah, in which case I am willing to do whatever possible to make that happen. Because that's about as complete a story you're going to get in a major motion picture adaptation and it would be So Fucking Good.

[clatterbane]

This shit is making me a little nervous, ngl. Maybe an hour ago, I went ahead and ate this pretty yummy tteokbokki cup (with some added kimchi and cheese), which I had actually been holding off on because it usually it is likely to hit my blood sugar like a truck even with loading up on plenty of insulin beforehand. Normally I would start out with 4 units in advance, and be prepared to get like 2-4 more units in later to cover that amount of concentrated particularly high glycemic rice carbs. By this time after eating it, I would likely be reaching for the insulin as the graph is shooting up into the red above the top range lines there. It's enough of a PITA that I just haven't felt like dealing with that enough to eat the thing.

But, tonight? One unit in advance just because it felt like maybe I shouldn't push my luck that hard to go totally without, and this is what the graph is doing:

(That's a new sensor put on yesterday, and it's wanting to be particularly noisy in the readings. Just ignore the aggravating spikiness of that line. I have double checked by finger sticks to calibrate, and it is accurate enough down the middle.)

Going by recent experience, I may actually need to grab a sweet snack before long, to keep that one freaking unit of insulin for a carb-dense meal from crashing my blood sugar right about when I want to go to bed.

Yeah, my three (3) remaining beta cells have apparently all decided to wake up at the same time recently, and go back to work cranking out their own insulin specifically in response to eating. And particularly later in the day. They seem to be night owls too.

It's apparently not unusual for later-onset folks like me to keep some level of insulin production going for longer. Which can change unpredictably.

Don't know if you can even call it a "honeymoon" at this point, since I do seem to be Stubborn Beta Cells Georg. They are still pulling this shit over 15 years in. That's kinda how the extended NHS medical negligence didn't just flat out kill me much faster. Kept limping along with just enough production to keep me progressively sicker and developing complications but only half-dead until that huge crash. Don't know how they managed it, or how they are this persistent even after it looked like they had finally keeled over for good. But, they're still going enough normally that I the endo has been surprised at how relatively little insulin I do normally need.

Some decent backup does seem to have let them recover enough to occasionally come back to work part time, though. This is just the biggest effort they've put in again so far. It's fucking weird.

Impossible to tell when that stubborn handful of beta cells will decide to go back on strike again, of course. But yeah, may as well take advantage of it while it lasts. Thus the post-midnight rice cake snack to begin with!

Maybe I should go ahead and cook some of the real deal over the weekend. I bought some tteokbokki a while back, because I do love it, but hadn't quite psyched myself up to fix it yet. May go for a cheesy variation, because why not.

Not my pic, but it is making me hungry.

[billpottsismygf]

That was a really well written episode, with some great sci-fi concepts and amazing character work. It obviously gives a slightly Midnight energy, with these mysterious creatures copying people, but it manages to be completely its own thing. The only place it really fell down were the effects, which is such a shame.

To get that out of the way, the body stretching stuff could have been really effective and creepy, but it mostly just came off very silly. After the incredible production values last episode, it's such a jump down. My suspicion is that The Star Beast and The Giggle were incredibly expensive, and that this was the budget-saving episode - just our main two actors and a spaceship set - but they tried to combine it with a story that required body horror to work, and sadly that element just didn't. Funnily enough, I noticed as the opening credits rolled that it was directed by Tom Kingsley, the original director of Ghosts, and I remember that the reason Ghosts hired him was because of his ability to do special effects on the cheap. Sadly, while I think he could get away with ghosts walking through walls in a budget-saving manner, here it just looks like David Tennant and Catherine Tate have been messed around awkwardly in photoshop and it totally took me out of the horror and the tension the episode was trying to build. It would have been far better, and still would have saved money, if we had barely been shown what they actually looked like and instead focused on Donna and the Doctor's reactions. Once the creatures started to stabilise and to look basically human, it was a fantastic episode, though.

Catherine Tate and David Tennant were on top form throughout, bringing so much comedy and also drama when necessary. I love the subtlety of their performances as the entities. When Donna started monologuing about how her family would react to her being gone, I thought it was an odd acting choice for the Doctor to be slightly smiling, but it turns out it was a genius acting choice.

Speaking of genius choices: Flux! Ahhhh, I cann't express how pleased I am with the way this episode tackled it. Trust RTD to do what Chris Chibnall totally failed to do and actually give it weight (gravity, one might say). Actually seeing the Doctor express emotions about it and have a complicated guilt over the whole thing was so goddamn cathartic. I've posted extensively in the past about how disappointing it was that the Flux seemed to not matter at all once it was over (Half the universe was destroyed, hello? The Doctor committed triple genocide without batting an eyelid, and both that and the destruction of the universe might as well have not happened by the next episode???), and RTD just swooped in and made it work with one scene. I also liked the acknowledgement that the Doctor doesn't know where they're from. I think that was perfect. I know there are people who want Chris Chibnall's run to be ignored, but I'd much rather the approach RTD is taking, which is to take those things and turn them into character moments.

This is one that I'm really looking forward to rewatching. Despite the goofy effects taking me out of what are meant to be suspenseful moments, it was a really effective episode, and what a joy to see David and Catherine at the height of their abilities bouncing off each other for an entire hour.

Small things:

Not so small, but Wilf! Wilf! Wilf! Wilf!!!! I'm so happy to see him <3 And the episode was dedicated to Bernard Cribbins' memory <3

Seeing Donna getting left behind genuinely had me terrified. I'd seen people speculating about Donna dying in these specials, which I rejected as not going to happen, but oh boy I really thought they might just do it here. My headache ramped right up as my heartrate did!

I loved seeing the Doctor having to get by without the TARDIS and the sonic, especially given how many new powers the latter was given last week.

The TARDIS was so extra this episode. Why was she playing Wild Blue Yonder as they arrived and left? I liked the anti-war discussion with Donna's teacher vs Wilf, echoed somewhat in the entities' experience of the universe, but I wonder if it'll have any further relevance.

The whole 'mavity' thing was very silly, but I also kind of liked it. Newton going for 'mavity' over gravity doesn't really make sense, given that gravity had an etymological reason to be called that - as my friend said, something like 'gravitude' or whatever would make more sense - but whatever. It was silly and kept making me laugh. I wonder if, as with the salt thing, there's an implication that messing with history might have a hand in summoning the Toymaker...

Oh, on the topic of Newton! Canon queer Fourteen! I like that the Doctor continues to be canonically queer now. I mean, my personal favourite Doctor headcanon is aro-ace all the way, but if I can't have that I'm overjoyed to have him think Newton is hot.

[blujayonthewing]

Heartbreak, midnight, mistake for Mel if they haven’t been asked and actually can you dow them for Felix too, cause why not.

heartbreak: Have they ever had a relationship that ended badly? Experienced some other kind of heartbreak? What happened?

biting my fist I wish I had better answers for this because I love this question. The problem with both felix and mel is that they are in their 50s and 60s respectively, which isn't very many for a gnome but is still just A Lot Of Years for me, an idiot, to fill with life experiences and I've mostly been really bad about doing that kfgjhdgj.

Melliwyk has always been really bad at relationships in general; she's dated a little, mostly very casually, but especially once she was in the academy she fell pretty hard into 'yes yes yes I'll go socialize when I'm done working on this' chaining one project into the next ad infinitum, especially after the experiment backfire explosion that gave her a reputation as this sort of ruthless researcher and resulted in kind of a feedback loop of people assuming she preferred to be left alone, which meant fewer people bugging her into socializing once in awhile, which reinforced her perception as a loner, etc. I think she's been in at least a handful of relationships with people she really liked that could have been serious but just... sort of fell apart; more regrets than outright heartbreaks.

Honestly as of current canon, I think the worst outright heartbreak Mel's had that I know of was being attacked by, and then losing, her house's ghost as soon as she found out he was real the whole time; aside from Baxter, he was her only friend for years and years, even if only an 'imaginary' one, and it was a gut punch to, essentially, finally find him but then immediately lose him forever.

Felix has even less canon backstory I could tell you about right now, alas :') He's been in very few meaningful relationships; he's not good at putting himself out there, and having a brief encounter with a stranger is a lot easier to navigate than... well, someone else being disappointed with the way he is as a whole person. To be fair, I don't think he's been openly rejected a lot, but the way he sort of expects it shapes his behavior such that it makes it harder for others to get that close to him in the first place. I can very much see him having had his heart broken before, but I'd have to get back to you on specifics ^^; These days he mostly keeps to himself; he likes people, but it's easier for him to be around them than to be one of them.

I am incapable of brevity! The rest under the cut!

midnight: What keeps your OC up at night? Do they have nightmares? Fears? Anxieties? What do they do in the small hours of the morning when they should be sleeping?

Melliwyk is up working. She'd be up working anyway, but especially if she's upset-- working tirelessly, if not relentlessly. She's not good with emotions; she processes things by keeping busy, either looking for Solutions or just looking to throw herself into something productive rather than having to feel her feelings. This is overlapping really neatly with her current major source of stress, which is that everything she's working on is deeply important, and anything she neglects in order to work on those things is also deeply important, and other people are getting hurt and will continue to get hurt if she can't prioritize tasks correctly or do enough quickly enough and well enough. She doesn't have time for fears! Or anxieties! Or sleep! Or dinner! And it's great! After all, she loves her work! She's interested! Passionate! No downsides!! She doesn't have nightmares because the reason she wears that goofy hat at all times is literally to magically prevent nightmares, but I bet if she slept without it her nightmares would be real interesting right now :)

The facetious answer for Felix is: his sleep schedule is sort of unusual, so when he's up in the small hours it's normal and he's getting up to whatever his normal gnome business is, lol. But in the proper spirit of the question:

He lost a lot of sleep after the mysterious encounter that took a chunk of his memory and left a strange mark on his skin. In general, Felix is not immune to getting too invested in [area of interest] and staying up way too late, so he's certainly lost sleep working on/ thinking over really interesting mysteries before, but that situation has so many unknowns, has so many worrying or grim implications, has given him so much to think about and yet so little to actually work with...! The fact that he can't remember getting back to town is what upsets him the most. He's found himself (or put himself) in a lot of really dangerous situations, but he's always had control of his own mind and body before, even when he's been physically overpowered by others.

More generally, sometimes he'll learn something or uncover some secret that he ends up losing sleep over, especially if it's information about something bad that he doesn't feel like he can actually act on. The city he spends most of his time in is less-than-secretly controlled by a powerful criminal guild, so he has to maintain a really delicate balance between snooping around a lot just because that's what interests him anyway, helping others as much as he can, but also staying out of the way of the guild and the law enough that the worst either of them do is, you know, beat him up a little and/or throw him in jail for a couple days, rather than deciding it'd be better if he Just Disappeared.

If he's worried or anxious and can't sleep over it, he'll generally go for a walk, or go sit on a roof for awhile, or sit somewhere and draw if the weather's bad. He doesn't have a lot of nightmares, but when he does they're often about being trapped somewhere and being unable to call for help, or seeing people pass by who can't seem to see or hear him (all of which he stubbornly refuses to read into).

mistake: What’s the worst mistake your OC ever made? What led to them making it? Have they been able to fix it? How have they moved on?

A little while back, Melliwyk's party returned from a ground excursion to find our airship under attack by a powerful archmage, her personal bodyguard, a bunch of summoned fiends, and a crew of elite soldiers; as soon as she managed to get back on deck Melliwyk launched a fireball at the archmage and then moved toward the cabin looking to get cover inside, and the archmage returned with a massive flamestrike right on top of Mel, who... had just run directly to where most of the crew of the ship were, all of whom had already taken damage before we got there. Our first mate went down, and we managed to get him just inside the door to the stairs leading belowdecks, but before any healers could reach him a previously invisible imp stung him, killing him instantly, right at Melliwyk's feet.

And the thing is. Maybe it wouldn't have mattered whether she, personally, drew fire to him; he had already been pretty hurt, and it was a rough battle for everyone, and there's no reason to believe the archmage still wouldn't have dropped a big AOE on half the ship. And maybe it's perfectly reasonable that Melliwyk, a wizard, a transmutation wizard, didn't try to use her entire action in the middle of a pitched battle to try to stabilize him when there were no obvious enemies nearby, and an actual healer was literally feet away, running to help him. Maybe. But she can only think that it was so, so stupid of her, that if she'd just thought for one second, for once-- ... anyway. The next week or so were all 'Mel doesn't leave her room or speak to anyone' days. Working. Relentlessly. She'd already been working on figuring out a method to use her newly-learned insights into artificing to cast spells, but the first spells she actually programmed into the device she was working on were spare the dying, cure wounds, and revivify.

Felix bit off more than he could chew; he was following the trail of some weird rumors in a smaller town, hoping to find a connection to a string of recent petty thefts he'd been looking into, but he underestimated what kind of people he was dealing with-- both in terms of skills, and of how serious their operation actually was. He got caught pretty deep into their base of operations, way too deep for any attempt at plausible deniability, and after beating the shit out of him they opted to just tie him up and leave him in an abandoned and mostly blocked-off sewer passage to die, rather than kill him outright. He only escaped by convincing the rats to chew through the ropes, quickly made his way out of the city by staying belowground for as long as possible, and has never been back since-- there's a chance they forgot about him immediately, but there's also a very good chance that they'd be really upset if that guy who Knows Too Much is still just running around like a dangerous loose thread.

It was just-- well, maybe not cockiness, he's not exactly the cocky type, but certainly carelessness. He got sloppy, over-interested and under-cautious; he hadn't really expected to be dealing with people who'd be able to catch him so easily, much less that he'd be in any serious danger if they did. He was expecting, like, a gang of teenagers at worst-- not not a threat, but people he could maybe stand up to in a fight, or wriggle free from pretty easily, or who at the very least wouldn't try to fucking kill him. This would have been fairly early in his career (so to speak) of trying to tail people and break into places for actual, like, private investigation reasons rather than pure curiosity, so he didn't have a good handle on the risks, or the stakes; he's (usually) a lot more careful nowadays, although sometimes he still can't resist pushing his luck.

ask about my OCs?

[volantedesign]

10 Years of Volante Design

Today marks the 10 year anniversary of two kids filing some paperwork at Western New England Law School. David and I were younger than the graduate students who were learning how to file for a business license, and I remember thinking that their suits didn’t fit them that well.  They asked us to think about how we were going to split the shares. I don’t think we really understood what shares were. They tried to explain that if we were going to sell the business or one of us left then the shares would be really important. We didn’t think too highly of either of those options. So we split them 67% to David and 33% to me. Neither of us had any money or any idea how to run a business, so it didn’t seem that important. Most of the rest of the process was stacks of pages that needed to be approved and signed. I did my best to read them through — a practice I still do with all our legal paperwork.

In the beginning, every idea and every design felt like our best thing yet. We stayed up until 3 and 4 in the morning working on the next design so that we could bring the sample to NYCC and show it off. I distinctly remember that I lost weight before the company’s first time trip to NYCC, because I was working so much and would forget to eat. For a hobbit like me, this is a big deal.  The following year we only stayed up until 2am the night before NYCC. I think the year after that maybe it was midnight. Little by little we became better at planning our time, and we became realists. Sometimes I miss the days of headlong enthusiasm, although I don’t think I could live through them now. That’s the sort of thing that is made for a 22 year old.

I’ve written a lot of retrospectives in the 10 years that Volante Design has been around. I’ve referred to this business as my kid, as my obsession, as a passion, as a calling, as a community. What really stands out to me now is the difference from one year to the next. It feels a little like watching a tree grow. If you walk by it everyday on your way out the door it changes with the seasons, but you barely perceive the changes that happen year over year. When you look back at a photo of your house 10 years ago, that tree looks totally different. Only with that perspective can you really appreciate what has passed.

This year the collective team stands out to me. Maybe it’s because I’ve had kids since last year, and maybe it’s because I’ve stepped down as Marketing Director so that I can be a better CEO. It’s no longer just David and me making the big choices. I find myself teaching more, doing less, trying to help others with the doing. I think this is how we grow. I think this is how we evolve. Maybe it took David and me being completely overrun with having twins to let other people help run our company. We’re trying to be an organization that can scale. One that has directors and leaders who can handle the key areas that David and I used to spend most of our time working on. It’s not easy to try and articulate why you would do it a certain way, and why these new leaders need to find a way to do it that’s right for them and still fits with the Volante Design we’ve spent all these years building. They need to find their own way to sit at the table. We are growing new muscles as a team. If you’d asked me five years ago if I thought we could share the management of certain aspects of Volante Design, I’d have said hypothetically yes, but I can’t imagine how we would get there.

It’s a new perspective to be removed a little from the day to day work of keeping things running. I am still helping to shape the company, less by writing individual posts and more by working on the future, the products, the big questions: how do we scale up, what’s missing, and what’s next? I hope I can do what this team needs from me. I hope I can grow to be the CEO that they need.

Maybe because the anniversary of Volante Design happens in the spring when the world is starting to blossom again, but it feels like an exciting time is right around the corner. We have made it through the winter and now we get to kick ass. -Willow Volante CEO Volante Design, Inc.

[awigglycultist]

Incorrect quotes except it's really just mine and @indigos-shits-and-giggles Hatchetfield rp characters & ocs and also @peterstankoffski & @atty-goldstein at one point and also this has been in my drafts forever so over half of these I put in here were months ago

Toby: I only have two emotions: exhaustion and stress. And I'm somehow always feeling both simultaneously.

~~~

Arche: Yeah, I don't like people

Sunny: Oh, well now that's not fair Arche. Have you met all of them?

Arche: I've met enough of them. People. What a bunch of bastards!

~~~

Toby & Ted: *accidentally set the kitchen on fire*

Ted: We need an adult!

Toby: Ted, you are an adult!

Ted: We need an adultier adult! Get Kurtis!

~~~

Pete: You need a hobby

Ted: I have a hobby!

Pete: Hitting on Gary Goldstein isn't a hobby

~~~

Lily: Arche and I were crossing the street, and this man drove by and honked at us

David: What did you do?

Lily: They chased him to the next red light, and reached into his window, and-

Arche: *walking in* Who wants a steering wheel

~~~

Jas: A decision had to be made

Toby: And you fucked it up!

~~~

Arche: Do you always have to attack me with your words?

Neptune: Would you prefer me to use a brick?

~~~

Jas: I made lightly fried fish fillets for dinner

Alice: Jas, It's 1:15 am, what the fuck

Jas: Do you want the lightly fried fish fillets or not

Alice: Well, I mean yeah

Jas: So come downstairs while they're still hot

Alice: Wait, you just made them?

Jas: Yeah, I wasn't tired so I decided to make lightly fried fish fillets

Alice: Say lightly fried fish fillets one more time Jas

~~~

Kidnapper: I have your partner

Sunny: What? I don't have a partner...

Kidnapper: Then who just called me a lowlife bitch and spit in my face?

Sunny: Oh my god, you have Neptune

~~~

Alfie: You’re kind of a pushover, aren’t you, Lily?

Lily: …I’m sorry

Alfie: See!? That’s exactly what I’m talking about!

~~~

Ted: Look, I'm glad everyone's on the same page

Ted: But it's the last page in a book titled "we're all going to die".

Jas: That's not even clever

~~~

Arche, to Sunny: You have room temperature IQ

Sunny: What's room temperature IQ?

Toby: 73°

Sunny: Oh, okay

Sunny: How much is that in IQ?

~~~

Ted: Don't stay up all night, Toby. Last time you got this sleep-deprived, you tried to eat your own shirt

~~~

David: Knock, knock

Neptune: Who's there?

David: Boo!

Neptune: Boo who?

David: Why are you crying?

Neptune: I'm not crying

David: Hello notcrying, I'm Mr. Anderson

~~~

Ted: How the hell are you still alive?

Toby: Honestly, I'm just as confused as you are

~~~

Ted: I didn't drink that much last night

Pete: You were flirting with Gary

Ted: So what? He's my boyfriend

Pete: You asked if he was single

Pete: And then you cried when he said he wasn't

~~~

Sunny: Welcome to my very first vlog, in which I try different hair products!

Sunny: *sprays hairspray in their mouth*

Sunny: Well, right off the bat I can tell you this one is not very good

~~~

Wesly: Self-care is suppressing all your trauma until it comes back and hits you in the face with the force of 7 very large trucks.

~~~

Arche: I wouldn’t wish that upon my worse enemy!

Arche: Unless of course. . We’re talking about my enemy, Neptune. Fuck you Neptune, you know what you did!

~~~

Jas: I’m in love with you

Toby: We called off the prank war last night at midnight, dork

Jas: I know

Toby: Ah. Okay. Um. Cool. Neat. Very cool. Cool. Cool. Coolcoolcool-

~~~

Neptune: I’m in love with you

Sunny: We called off the prank war last night at midnight, dork

Neptune: I know

Sunny: Ah. Okay. Um. Cool. Neat. Very cool. Cool. Cool. Coolcoolcool-

~~~

Neptune, in a high voice, holding Barbie: Hey, Ken! I was thinking about going back to school and starting a career!

Sunny, in a deep voice, holding Ken: Nonsense, Barbie. You’re staying home and having my kids

David, walking back into class after printing out papers: What the fuck are you guys doing?

Neptune: Playing systemic oppression

~~~

Sunny: Look, I know you think my judgement's clouded because I like Neptune a little bit

Arche, holding Sunny's notepad: You doodled your wedding invitation

Sunny: No, that's our joint tombstone

Arche: My mistake

~~~

Wesley: I don’t think the therapist is supposed to say ‘wow’ that many times during their first session with a client, but here we are

~~~

Arche: Could you guys at least try to see this from my perspective?

Sunny: *crouches down*

Lily: *kneels down*

Neptune: *sits on the floor*

Arche:

Arche: I hate all of you

~~~

Alfie: ATTENTION: I HAVE BREACHED CONTAINMENT.

Alfie: DO NOT PANIC, I AM SIMPLY GETTING A SNACK.