#wow this changed subject real quick

[fear-is-truth]

wow i love the way you write nam-gyu! would you mind writing his attempt to make things right if he was given a second chance in a relationship? I’m basing this off of your last post with him where you said if he was given a second chance he would at least genuinely try. Have a great day! ❤️

NAM-GYU ❝ TRYING ❞ TO BE A GOOD BOYFRIEND. . .

content — gn!reader ・nam-gyu is still toxic & overall a shitty boyfriend・headcanons

a/n — i love this horrid man.

he starts overcompensating in small, almost pitiful ways. buying you gifts you didn’t ask for, running errands he wouldn’t have done before, doing the dishes without being asked. it’s as though he thinks he can earn your forgiveness through sheer persistence.

and it works because the bar is so low to begin with, it’s practically a tripping hazard in hell.

he’s not above love-bombing if it means keeping you. but it’s not entirely manipulative—there’s a small part of him that genuinely believes he can be better, even if he doesn’t know what that looks like.

he doesn’t like when you talk about the breakup. he’ll deflect, change the subject, or turn it into a joke. the idea of revisiting that time makes him feel pathetic, and he absolutely hates that.

keeps asking you if you’re happy. the question comes out of nowhere—he needs constant reassurance, like your happiness is the only proof he has that he’s not screwing this up again.

no matter how much he wants to try and fix things, he can’t completely shake the bitterness. deep down, he hates being the one begging for forgiveness. sometimes it slips out in muttered comments or passive-aggressive digs when he feels like he’s not being appreciated enough for trying.

gets this haunted look when you mention any moment from the time you were apart. it doesn’t matter if it’s innocent or unrelated to him—he’ll start overthinking it. where were you? who were you with?

paranoid about losing you again, and it shows in the way he checks your phone, asks too many questions about where you’ve been, or sulks when you spend time with other people.

if you call him out, he’ll switch gears fast. nam-gyu knows exactly what to say to deflect blame or make you second-guess your own feelings. he’s silver-tongued in a way that makes you want to forgive him, even when you know you probably shouldn’t.

despite his efforts, nam-gyu has a habit of reverting to old patterns. he gets frustrated when things don’t improve immediately and lashes out verbally. but as soon as he sees your hurt expression, he’s quick to backtrack, softening his tone and apologising—but the authenticity is up for debate.

there are sporadic bursts of effort. maybe he remembers a small detail you mentioned in passing and surprises you with it, or he takes you somewhere meaningful to “start fresh.” these moments feel real because, for a fleeting second, they are. but they’re often short-lived, drowned out by his issues.

he tries to hold back when you fight, but sometimes he just slips. the venom comes out before he can stop it, and the second he sees your face fall, he’s begging for forgiveness. the cycle exhausts you both.

tries to make up for his outbursts with affection. his hands are always on you—your waist, your wrist, the back of your neck. sure it’s possessive, but there’s a desperation to it too, because he’s trying to prove he still has a right to touch you.

there’s a subtle change in the way he looks at you now. before, there was always the arrogance of knowing you’d stick around no matter what. now, he’s bracing himself for the moment you’ll tell him it’s over for good.

he convinces himself that as long as you’re still there, things can get better. even if he doesn’t fully believe in his own ability to change, he holds onto the idea that you believe in him. it’s a crutch, one that keeps him from truly taking accountability but also keeps him trying—and he is. but there’s also a part of him that still believes he can’t fully change, that this is just who he is, and it’s up to you to decide if you can live with it.

[venusacrossthestars]

Carnival

Summary: You love your boyfriend and you love the edits of your boyfriend that are all over TikTok, however your dirty little secret is soon shared.

Pairing- Charles Leclerc x fem!reader

wc-923

warnings- not proofread, at all. Carnival by Kayne West is the song in question, one sexual innuendo at the end, swearing and FLUFF

f1 masterlist

You were no stranger to TikTok and the editing trends that made their rounds. You have seen your fair share of edits or both real and fictional men. You have even come across a few of your boyfriend and they were, well a sight to see. The first time you liked one with your main account, that had sent the comments and the poor editor into a frenzy. 

You wanted to interact with the fan base, especially the ones on TikTok without acting liked a crazed girlfriend who thirsted over her boyfriend publicly. So you did what any sane person would do and you made a fan account for your own boyfriend, you never posted anything just liking edits and commenting on how wonderful the edit was. 

Charles had no idea and to be honest you didn’t really want him finding out. This was your dirty little secret, something you only looked at when Charles wasn’t home. How was it that these editors were so talented. Putting together a bunch of random clips, the coloring, the transitions, the song choice, all of it was beautiful. 

The song of choice at the moment was Carnival and you weren’t complaining. Your entire saves was filled with edits of Charles to this song. You have probably seen hundreds and you ate it up everytime. 

It was a random wednesday and Charles was off doing his workout and you had thought that there was no better time than to open TikTok and go scroll through your saves. Too lost in your own little world you failed to notice the front door open a close, signaling that Charles was home. 

The only thing that Charles could hear throughout the apartment was a song he wasn’t familiar with. ‘Go Go, go, go, go Head so good, she a honor roll She'll ride the dick like a carnival’. What the hell were you watching? 

Coming up behind you Charles could see his own pictures flash across the screen to the song. He watched as you scrolled down and to his surprise it was another video of himself to the same song. 

“What are you watching?” Charles ask. 

You nearly screamed at Charles’ voice, not expecting him to be back so soon. You turned off your phone and flung it across the couch, “You’re home early!” 

“No, No, No. We aren’t changing the subject. What were you watching?” 

“Nothing…” you say sheepishly. 

Charles raises an eyebrow at your tone, “Are you sure?” 

“Mhmm,” you hum out, “Absolutely sure.” 

Charles moves next to you on the couch and grabs your phone. You go to reach for it but Charles is quick to grab it back. “I think I know what you were doing.” 

“Charles,” you groan out “Give me my phone please.” 

Charles continues to hold it out of reach, no matter how you move or where you move to, he is one step ahead. “Not until you tell me who that handsome man was on your screen.” 

“Charlie, stopppp.” You groan out, “It’s embarrassing.” 

“Then I’ll just have to keep this,” he says, pocketing your phone. 

“Fine! I was watching edits of you!” 

Charles giggles out at your admission and you hide your face in your hands, heat creeping up your neck. 

“I want to see,” Charles says, “show me your favorites.” 

“Wow, someones is a little vain.” 

“I’m not the one who was watching edits of their significant other.” Charles teases. 

“Well now I don’t want to.” 

“Mon amour, please.” Charles begs and you turn away from him. You won’t fall victim to his pleading eyes this time.

“Mon amour. Mon cheri. Please my love. I’m not making fun of you I swear.” 

You could never hold your resolve to Charles’ pleading, “Fine, can I have my phone?” 

Charles hands you your phone and you are quick to unlock it. You exit the edit you were currently watching to scroll back up to the top of your saves. 

“I made a separate account to like and comment. One time I liked with my personal account and I think I nearly sent the editor into a early grave. I wanted to interact with the fans but I thought you might think its strange for your girlfriend to be liking thirst edits of you.” 

“I think it’s adorable,” Charles says, pinching your cheeks. You swat his hands away in embarrassment. “But y’know you can thirst over me anytime, right?” 

“Of course I do, it’s just these edits do something to me. I can’t explain it.” 

“Well let me see.” 

“Fine,” you scroll down to where you know the edit is, “This one has been real popular lately. There are more to this song, the one that was playing when you walked in earlier, I really like them.” 

You hold your phone to at an angle so that Charles can see the edit play out. He sits in silence for the whole thing and once it loops you pause it and wait Charles reaction. 

“Wow,” he pauses, trying to think of what to say next, “people really make edits of me to songs like this.” 

“Yes and I don’t blame them. You are very sexy.” 

“I can see why you watch them. If there were edits of you I’d be watching them all the time. Can I see another?” 

“Sure.” You scroll down to another Carnival edit and you watch as Charles is encaptured by himself. 

“Well the song got one thing right-you do ride dick like a carnival.” Charles chuckles out. 

“CHARLES!” 

taglist- (crossed out names mean I couldn't tag you)

@arieslost @spookystitchery @tpwkstiles @oliveswiftly @morgonjinn @herondalism @softieekayy @deprxssed-loser @noreri @boiohboii @im-on-a-hellavator @captainchickadee @whatever7justchillin @outerudeth @jscircuit @loveyatopluto @saiteliites @asparklysoul @missmontiopath @helanahaadock @froggybij @slaygirlbossworld @vee2004dee @tennisloversblog @slvtforredheads @senna13sworld @hellobeauty-06 @jaxx-7 @anastasiamoony @reguluscrystals @gr1mes-cc @yoooooooogiiiiiiii @sharlsworld @janeholt3 @valtkitty @wondergirl101ks @georgeparisole @m4dyl @janegxi @amberpanda99 @itsmeimthedissapointment @jah0700 @non-binaryandy @sarahskomal @anedpev @xqwiser @apllo-axolotl @h34rts4maisey @anonymousjo @megsmclaren @charizznorizz @decadentlightchaos @adelinemack @bwormie @bonbonvz @hoodshair @bunbun9396 @fangirlika @vex-et-soleil @sillylittlegooselings @hlhclh @stvrlec16 @omgsuperstarg @luanasrta @its-cat-eyes @taytaythirteen @marekmybeloved @rqlstefanny @nickxcorpse @olivyamarvelgirl @violyn20 @emisaxols @thesouistone @hangmandruigandmav @embonbon

[puma-riki]

No One Noticed...

Warnings: consistent cursing, kms/kys jokes [Subject to change every chapter]

Status: Ongoing (Start: 092124)

Taglist: @bee-the-loser @iaintseggsy @channieismylove @yangjungwonnie @luluvhs @nikiswifiee @kingofthekards @skepvids @sammie217 @sh0dor1 @sirens-dreams @starfallia @polarisjisung @minhosimthings @mochiwonz @jiiyen @strawberrieswithchocolateo3o @ritzy-dream-boy @roseangelxfuma @sugarikiz @stvrriki @eczlipse @ddolleri @dangerousgardenchild @roarr-ki | Comment on any chapter from No One Noticed... saying you want to be added to the taglist!! or send me an ask !! | bold could not be tagged :c

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A/N: No header picture because there's a limit of 30 images my bad ANYWAY ENJOY OR WHATEVER There are written parts sprinkled in with the pictures!

16. 𝖎 𝖜𝖎𝖑𝖑 𝖕𝖗𝖔𝖙𝖊𝖈𝖙 𝖞𝖔𝖚…

6:52pm

Ni-ki stood outside the door to your apartment, taking a steadying breath. He checked his reflection in his phone, giving himself a quick once-over. Running a hand through his hair, he tried to look a little more put together before knocking.

It took a couple of minutes before he heard rushed footsteps approaching, and he jumped slightly when he heard a sudden, dull thud from the other side.

"Shit," he heard you mutter.

A small smile tugged at the corner of his mouth as the door swung open. You stood there, breathless, eyes wide with slight embarrassment.

"Hey," you said, a little flustered.

"Did you just run into the door?"

"No… must've been the wind you heard or something," you said biting your lip to stop a laugh from bubbling up and glancing to the side as your cheeks tinted pink.

Cute.

He stifled a snort, but the warmth in his smile gave him away. He liked this side of you—the side that was relaxed enough to laugh at yourself. Two months ago, you barely even looked him in the eye outside of tutoring sessions. Now, you were inviting him over, letting him into your space. And more than anything, you felt comfortable enough to make jokes with him, even silly ones like this.

"Anyway sorry, I'm still finishing getting ready, come inside!" You told him, stepping aside for him to enter.

When he did, you closed the door. He took a moment to look around from where he stood. Your place was minimalist, which he kind of expected since you were only here for college, but it still had so much of you written all over it.

Lamps scattered across the space, each unique in size, color, and style, providing a warm, almost cozy ambiance. It was so… you.

There was a single coaster on the coffee table holding a cat-themed mug that seemed to have been left there for a while. A Nintendo Switch rested in its dock below the TV. The dining area was just three bar stools facing the kitchen, simple but functional. It was clear you hadn’t lived here long, but it already had a kind of charm to it—a charm that felt uniquely yours.

Before he could look any further you rushed past him, "My rooms down this way." You turned to him to nod down the hallway, gesturing for him to follow.

He trailed after you, and by the time he entered, you were already sitting at your desk in front of a small mirror, makeup products scattered around. He couldn't help but smile to himself. Two months ago, this would’ve been unthinkable, he mused. Back then, you’d kept things strictly professional—biology, study notes, and maybe a little small talk. Now he was here, watching you get ready for a night out with him and his friends.

"Wow, I've only seen your room on Facetime. It's kinda weird being here for real," He awed as he looked around. He found it to be true that a girl's room was a museum of everything she ever loved. You had posters of different bands and music artists on the walls, your desk had piles of papers, that he assumed were a mix of schoolwork and study materials, and a bunch of random trinkets.

"Look, this is where you'd put me..." He joked in faux amazement as he stood beside your chair and touched the space you'd usually prop your phone up against when you called him (or more so when he called you)

"I know, is it everything you thought it would be?" Your tone was light as you rubbed your makeup brush in blush (?) is what Ni-ki wanted to say it was.

"Kind of, who knew you were a hoarder." he teased, picking up a small jar filled with buttons, stones, and little knick-knacks, turning it around in his hand.

"Don't insult my jar of things." You lightly elbowed his side from where you sat.

"Where do you even get this stuff, do you pick it up off the street?" Ni-ki was joking, and you knew that. He looked down at you and saw the smile you were fighting as you ran the brush over your cheeks.

"No, actually. Some of those were from my house, and some are things I just… collect" You shrugged, closing the blush pallet and moving to open a tube of mascara. "Which may or may not have been picked up off the street,"

He chuckled, but inside, his heart was doing a different sort of flip. This closeness with him standing right next to where you sat, this openness, this easygoing chatter—it was new, and it made him realize just how much he liked this version of you. He knew you were still a bit nervous about meeting his friends tonight, despite the fact that you’d messaged back and forth with them. But he also knew that this version of you, the one who could laugh about running into doors and defend jars of random knick-knacks, would be just fine.

Watching you apply your makeup, Ni-ki felt a little less nervous himself. It wasn’t just that he was here in your room; it was that you wanted him here. And though he didn’t dare voice it, he hoped you’d want him around for a while.

"Did you hear anything back from the cafe? I haven't heard anything from Jungwon about it yet." He returned the jar back to its spot next to your computer.

"I did! They actually called me a few minutes ago asking if I can come in next week for an interview." Ni-kis eyes lingered on your expression as you talked. Your smile reached your eyes and your eyes had small stars in them. "I'm really nervous, but I'm also excited because I think I'll get it- not to be egotistical." You suddenly turned away from the mirror and pointed your brush towards him as if to prove a point. Ni-ki only smiled, "I was thinking earlier."

"Yeah?" He began to leave his spot next to you and wonder towards the other side of your room.

"Mhm, I think it'll be really cute to work there during the holidays! You know how all the shops around the city set up for Christmas and whatnot, with all the lights and wreaths." You continued to ramble to him as he stopped in front of your bookshelf. You had some volumes of manga and manhwas, albums from different artists, regular books, and those figurines you'd get in blind boxes.

He picked one up and inspected it, It was a duck. Its eyes were drawn as small black circles and had overdramatic rosy cheeks. Its beak was sort of downturned into a child-like pout. To complete its dorky look it had thin silver framed glasses.

"...and I think it'd be-" You turned in your chair towards Ni-ki. You smiled seeing him holding the small duck figure with furrowed brows.

"I found that at a thrift shop, I think. Isn't he cute?"

"He looks dorky," He said disinterested and placing the duck back on the shelf,

"He's cute, you just think you're too tough to think so," You rolled your eyes and turned back to your mirror. You were done with your makeup, which was just mascara, eyeliner, and blush. Now you were focused on your hair.

Ni-ki left the bookshelf and plopped down on your bed, just behind where you sat. He leaned back on his hands and tilted his head, looking at you smooth out your hair.

For a moment, he watched you quietly, almost mesmerized by how natural this felt, just the two of you, getting ready together. He hesitated, then finally asked, “So, how are you feeling about tonight? The whole haunted Halloween event and, you know… meeting my friends?”

You paused, glancing at him in the mirror. ���Honestly? I’m nervous,” you admitted, setting down the brush and fidgeting with a loose strand of hair. “I mean, I’m not exactly used to stuff like this—big group outings or… being invited anywhere, really."You spun your chair around to face him, your hands pressed together and shoved between your legs shyly. "And I want your friends to like me, even though they already seem nice online. and stuff”

You felt kind of like a loser shying away from him and admitting to Ni-ki that you didn't get invited out often, But Ni-ki was fighting cuteness aggression as you did so.

Still, he nodded, listening intently, but couldn’t help feeling a bit proud. The fact that you cared about this, about them liking you, meant something to him. He nudged your shoe with his. “Hey, you’ve already won them over. Soon enough they'll start coddling you like annoying older siblings,” he said with a grin. Your lips were pressed into a thin line, still unsure. “I’m serious—they’re really excited to meet you, and they already think you’re great.”

You gave a small, bashful smile, lowering your gaze. “I don’t know… I just... don’t want to be the one weird, quiet person in the group.”

He chuckled. “First of all, that’s kind of my job. Second, you’ll be fine. Just be you—” He sat up and leaned in slightly, voice softer. “Plus, if you get freaked out at the haunted houses, you can use me as a shield.”

"I was already planning on that, don't worry." You rolled your eyes playfully, your heart settling to a steady rhythm.

Your eyes settled back onto Ni-ki. He pulled out his phone as it began to buzz. You assumed it was the others, asking where you were, however you felt no sense of urgency to get up and out the door. You felt perfectly content with Ni-ki, sitting on your bed in your room.

As he checked his phone, you took a quiet moment to watch him. It amazed you sometimes, just how natural it felt having him here, settled into your space as if he belonged. Not long ago, you couldn’t imagine anyone coming over, let alone Ni-ki, of all people—the one who kept showing up in your life, whether through FaceTime calls at random hours or by sliding into the seat next to you in biology. He always seemed to need your attention, as if your presence was somehow grounding for him.

It was new for you, this feeling of having someone who wanted you around, someone who not only noticed you but insisted on being close. And as you watched him now, texting away without any hurry, a soft warmth spread through you.

Ni-ki had become this steady presence, someone who didn’t mind your quieter moments or your quirks. He’d brought an energy to your life that you hadn’t expected, nudging you out of your routines and reminding you what it felt like to be seen and cared for. For the first time in a long time, you felt like your life was shifting, opening up. Maybe even expanding.

"You ready to go now?" He asked, pulling you out of your thoughts.

"Yeah, let's go!"

7:25pm

The moment you arrived with Ni-ki close by your side, it had been utter chaos in the best way. Jay and Sunghoon greeted you with a casual wave when they noticed you both approaching. Sunoo gave you a sweet smile, raising a hand in an overdramatic wave, his excitement visible in his eyes. Then Jungwon clasped your hands, grinning widely as he started bouncing in a circle, pulling you with him, his excitement contagious. Jake went for a dap, and though you fumbled through it with an awkward laugh, Jake chuckled, finding your attempt endearing in an older brother sort of way. Heeseung dapped you up too, then ushered you and Jake into a close circle to take a picture.

Watching the whole thing, Ni-ki had a stupid smile on his face (read: lovesick)

Now, you stand next to Ni-ki, arms crossed, trying to keep up with the chaos of everyone’s suggestions. The group has formed a loose circle just outside the amusement park entrance, and Jay holds one of the amusement park maps, pointing at different sections while everyone else bickers and talks over each other. The park is decorated with typical Halloween decorations, red and orange lights, fog that settles just above the crowd's feet, pumpkins and fake bloodies dummies scattered around the place, and of course, scare actors lurking about. You're looking all around you, taking in the scene the park has created especially for tonight. To be honest, you don't mind where you start in the park, you're just happy to be here.

Ni-ki, unbeknownst to you, has been attentive. He wants to make sure you're comfortable and not feeling left out. He wants you to have fun. He's looking at you now, your head is turned away from him, but he can still see the way your eyes flitter around in curiosity. He notices the way your mouth forms a 'o' shape when you see a guy, across the way, on stilts chug some sort of liquid and then spit out fire above the crowd, making them scream and laugh in amazement.

Ni-ki found himself fighting that feeling of cuteness aggression again. When he finally tears his eyes away from you and returns to the bickering coming from in front of him, he notices Sunoo giving him a pointed look. He raises his eyebrows at him to say 'What?'.

“Why would we go to the haunted house first? We basically get that experience out here.” Sunghoon complains, looking mildly distressed.

Heeseung grins at him, clearly enjoying the opportunity to tease. “Sunghoon, just admit you’re too scared to do the haunted house right off the bat,” he smirks.

“I’m not scared,” Sunghoon protests, but his eyes dart around the park nervously, as if he’s already anticipating the jump scares lurking within.

Meanwhile, Jake is trying to rally support for the roller coasters. “Listen, if we’re going to do this right, we start with a big coaster. It’s the only way to get our adrenaline going,” he argues, but Jungwon shakes his head, muttering something about “easing into it.”

Amid all this, you notice a shadowy figure moving among the crowd at the entrance. A few feet away, a scare actor in a clown mask, wielding a chainsaw with no blade, is prowling around, clearly on the lookout for his next target. You make the mistake of locking eyes with him. Immediately, the clown tilts his head, holding your gaze for just a moment too long before raising the chainsaw and revving it with a menacing roar.

Your heart leaps, and without thinking, you latch onto Ni-ki’s arm which is shoved in the pockets of his jacket. “Riki,” you say, eyes wide as the clown starts marching toward your group, the chainsaw’s roar growing louder. Ni-ki turns to you, grinning as he realizes the source of your panic.

“Riki, Riki, Riki!” You chant his name in growing alarm, gripping his arm tighter as you try to keep your nerves in check. It’s all part of the act, you know—but the thrill of it sends a giddy sort of panic through you as you cling to him, feeling the warmth of his arm through the cool October air.

Ni-ki laughs, finding it funny—and maybe a little surreal—that you’re hanging onto him so tightly. His heart starts racing, not at the clown, but at the way you’ve buried your face in his arm. His mind spins with the idea that out of everyone here, it’s him you chose to cling to.

The clown is practically upon you two, revving the chainsaw inches from where you stand. You squeal, face pressed into Ni-ki’s sleeve, and he chuckles, entertained and a little breathless from the nearness of you.

The clown eventually shifts focus and charges toward the rest of the group, who’ve remained blissfully unaware until now. Jay, Sunoo, and Jungwon immediately start tripping over each other and scatter, their screams a mix of laughter and terror as they sprint in opposite directions. Jake’s laughter turns to a yelp as he dodges behind Heeseung, who starts to back away, wide-eyed. Sunghoon finally breaks his cool, darting off with a scream, Jake following close behind.

“Not scared my ass!” Jake yells as he disappears into the fog, with the clown in hot pursuit.

Ni-ki laughs, watching his friends flee in all directions. You finally look up, cheeks warm as you let out a breathless laugh, loosening your grip on his arm.

“You good?” he teases, eyebrow raised. “See? I told you I’d be your shield.”

“Wow, my hero,” you reply with an eye-roll, though you can’t quite hide your smile. “You sure did a lot to fend him off.”

Ni-ki grins, his heart still pounding as he shrugs. “Hey, that’s what I’m here for,” he says, a bit softer than usual. His gaze lingers on you, feeling almost like he’s in a Halloween movie himself—just the two of you against the night, your friends’ laughter and screams filling the cool air around you.

A few yards away, Jay calls out breathlessly, “Alright, now that we’ve all survived... haunted house first?”

The group slowly circles back, shaking off the scare as they recover, everyone laughing at Sunghoon’s earlier bravado. Despite the spooky atmosphere and haunted music echoing from the park, you feel more excited than nervous now, especially standing close to Ni-ki.

He gives you a playful nudge as the group starts to huddle closer together to walk toward the haunted house. “Still feeling brave, or do I need to keep an eye out for any more clowns?”

You grin back at him, heart a little steadier now. “You’re not getting rid of me that easily.”

“Well, I'm not complaining,” he says quietly, his smile lingering as you fall into step beside him, the two of you ready to face the night together.

-

As everyone steps out of the haunted house, the group’s laughter fills the night air. You’re still riding the thrill of the scares, and Ni-ki has fallen a little behind, watching as you get pulled right into a lighthearted argument between Jay and Sunoo about who screamed the loudest.

“Oh please,” you scoff, nudging Sunoo. “That last jump scare? You practically launched yourself into the wall.”

Sunoo tries to defend himself, but Jake cuts in, backing you up with a grin. “She’s right, dude. Pretty sure the people behind us got scared just from your yell.”

Everyone laughs, and you lean into the playful teasing like you’ve been part of their group for ages.

Ni-ki, a few steps behind, watches with a quiet smile. He realizes that the little things—like the way you laugh at Sunghoon's jokes or casually tease Heeseung about screaming louder than anyone—are what he loves most. Two months ago, he couldn’t even get you to talk about anything other than school, and now here you are, effortlessly blending in with the people he’s closest to.

The others don’t seem to treat you like an outsider anymore either; Sunoo and Jungwon have practically adopted you as a new sibling, and even Sunghoon, the most reserved, has warmed up, tossing you a playful smirk whenever he catches you flinching from the lurking scare actors.

And in that moment, watching you interact with his friends, Ni-ki feels a surge of something he can’t quite name. Part of it is relief, a part of it pride—but mostly, it’s this unfamiliar warmth, knowing that you’ve somehow found a place in his life and his friends’ lives too. It hits him just how much he wants you to stay.

Just as he’s caught up in his thoughts, and mostly admiring you, You turn from side to side, like you're looking for something. You turn behind you and lock eyes with Ni-ki. You smile, having found what you're looking for.

"What are you doing all the way back there?" You stop in your tracks, letting Ni-ki catch up to you. "Scared of the roller coaster?" You tease, Ni-ki scoffs, and shakes his head.

"No, I'm not as jumpy as you are."

"Yeah right, I saw you jump a hundred times already."

[spidermans-l-o-v-e-r]

Elf, 2003

Pairing: Steve Rogers x Reader

Word count: 4.9k

Notes: Guys it’s 4:15 in the morning, I’m up gaming with my friend

Tony’s annual Christmas parties were always amazing, you watched as they worked on getting the absolutely enormous Christmas tree ready in the center of the room. It was going to be a fun night that was for sure…except for one little detail. 

“Are you kidding me?” you looked at the heavy envelope in your hands, not wanting to open it because you freaking knew what was in it. Every year a different person on the team was selected to play Mrs. Claus in Tony’s grand entrance… and there were absolutely no exceptions. Last year it was Peter, and he went all out with it, kitten heels and all, He begged Tony to bring in the best to help him get into drag.

Which incidentally was how you’d met Ru Paul. Which was possibly the greatest moment of your entire life, meeting true royalty. 

Bucky stands next to you by the railing, watching the tree going up.

“Hey, everyone has to take a turn” He shrugs and you glare at him 

“I’ve been around how long? I don’t see you taking a turn”

“You think for one second. I’m going to get my ass in a dress” 

You lean backward to check him out and he smacks your arm 

“Fuck off” 

You snicker and turn around, placing your elbows on the railing and letting your head hang back for a second.

“You should ask Steve to help by the way” He looks down, tapping his fingers together. 

“Why would I do that?” You blush a little, looking away and he rolls his eyes.

He was Steve’s wingman to the end of the line, which occasionally meant getting two lovesick idiots to realize how they felt about each other. 

“Because he’s had his hand in show business” 

“Wow seriously??” 

“Ask him how many times he’s punched Hitler” 

A half-hour later you’re in Steve’s room, it’s simple and clean, which you definitely expected of him. He told you to make yourself at home after you’d told him what Bucky said, and that he just had to go ask him a question real quick. 

You wander around a little bit, not being nosy but definitely poking around a little. It smells good in there, his scent clings to everything and you find yourself dragging your fingers along the clothes in his closet before selecting one of the large hoodies and taking it off the hanger. You wrap yourself up in it, walking over to the full-length mirror and checking yourself out. 

Steve is a monster of a man and his clothes reflect that. The hoodie hangs on your body and you stare at the mirror, imagining that being the only thing you’re wearing. How he’d unwrap you like a present as you laid beneath him. You sink to your knees and bat your eyelashes at your reflection, pretending to be looking up at his tall form… you wonder if he’d wrap your hair around his fist…using your face for his pleasure? 

Too bad he didn’t feel the same tension you did. 

Suddenly he comes back panting, breaking you from your thoughts as he races into his room and slams the door shut, you jump at the loud thud from the other side of the door.

“Steve??” 

Bucky was shouting something in a language you definitely didn’t understand and Steve looked over at you. 

“It’s cool, don’t worry about it, What are you doing on the floor?” 

You wait until you think Bucky stormed off and got up from the floor, walking over to the little kitchenette in Steve’s room. 

“I tripped?” You don’t sound convincing at all, but he goes along with it, and you’ve never been more glad he decided not to question things. 

“Are you okay?” 

“Uh-huh! So I thought we could have some tea?” You quickly change the subject, picking up the futuristic-looking tray and come over to the sitting area, setting it down on the coffee table 

“Sounds good to me” He sits next to you, taking the pot from your hands and pouring two cups, he drops a few sugar cubes into yours and pours a stupid amount of cream in, before handing you the cup and saucer. 

If it’s not tan it’s not right. 

“So what did you need help with?” He takes his own, plain, and sits back on the couch, crossing one leg over the other. He balances the cup and saucer on his leg so perfectly, that you’re almost envious of it. 

“So I don’t know if you know,” You take a sip before setting your cup down and grabbing the envelope from the couch, looking at it. “But it’s my year to be Mrs. Claus”

Steve takes a suspiciously long sip from his tea before setting it down and taking the envelope from you. Inside is everything you’re supposed to do, a little packet of your script, your schedule, and the place where you can pick up the dress Tony bought you. 

“That’s… elaborate” 

“I know!! I’m worried I’m gonna mess it up and scar some kid for life!!” You fall back on the couch, smacking a pillow over your face and Steve chuckles, rubbing your thigh soothingly. You’re glad your face is covered so he doesn’t have to see the intense blush he’s causing. 

“Well, you won’t be scarring any kids, this is an adult party, remember? So really you’ll just be traumatizing a bunch of adults!” 

You kick his leg and he laughs, his hand coming down heavy on your thigh. Seriously what was with him and your thighs?? Maybe he was a thigh man, he kinda seemed like it, when you thought about it, late at night, in the comfort of your own bed…

Anyway. 

“Can you please just help me learn my lines and get the stupid dress” You sit up, tossing the pillow at him and he catches it, setting it to the side. 

“Of course I’ll help you” 

If there’s one thing you’ll say about Steve… he’s extremely organized. As soon as you’re done pouting on his couch he pulls out an old-fashioned chalkboard. You blink slowly, your brain churning immediately with joke after joke and he launches a pillow at your head. 

“This board has helped save your ass more times than you know. Give it some respect!” 

You bow down to it a couple times before putting your hands in your lap

“Okay. Go” 

“Smartass” He mumbles under his breath and you giggle, grabbing your telepad to copy his board. 

“We should first list out all the things you need to do, and what days you should have them done by” 

You copy it down in a nice pink color, he told you it was best to color-code things. As he’s writing you find yourself staring at that poor, poor, shirt doing its best to keep him modest. His waist is so slutty, he probably doesn’t even understand it. You wet your lips, trailing your eyes down appreciably when he suddenly turns around. 

“Did you hear me?” 

“Huh??” You break out of the perverted prison that is your mind and look at his face 

“I said did you want me to come with you to get the dress?” 

“Isn’t it kinda odd Tony is making me pick the dress up? I’d have thought he’d have it sent here and fitted.

Steve goes through the packet, finding the dress information “I thought so too… but he says apparently the people there can tailor it for you on the spot… and that it’s a pretty nice place” 

“I mean I guess…” you shrug “We can go whatever time works for you, I’d love it if you came with” 

“Alright, I suppose we can do that tomorrow around two? We should do that the soonest just in case there’s a lot of alterations to be made” 

“Sounds good to me… what else?” 

Steve plans out your entire week for you, down to the last minute. He makes three contingency plans and even has an idea of where to get a backup dress in case something happens to yours. You get up from the couch and go over to him as he stands aside, you look over your notes and the board, making sure it’s all in order and showing him. 

“Looks like we’re gonna be glued together” You nudge him playfully and he blushes a little

“If that’s okay with you. I know I kind of, inserted myself into the plan a lot”

“Steve,” you roll your eyes, putting your hand on his chest. You can practically feel his heart beating “I asked for your help, of course, you’re going to be a huge part of things” 

Crime apparently knows to stop for Christmas because you haven’t been sent out once. Steve stayed with you all day helping you learn your lines and he had absolutely no problem with this. 

Truth is, he liked being around you. And Bucky constantly wanted to harass him for it because he wouldn’t just make a freaking move?

The lingering glances, and giggling at all of his jokes, Sam and Bucky even devised an incredibly stupid genius plan to make sure you were sitting by him on the couch constantly. Eventually, he loosens up, putting his arm around your shoulders when you sit together, putting you in his lap when “Oh no! There’s not enough room for you” 

He has really…really embarrassing friends. 

And he didn’t miss the way you were wearing one of his hoodies, the way you stayed all snuggled in it, a little part of him hoped you liked it, liked him. 

He was embarrassed to admit seeing you on your knees had done something to him. He dreamed about what you’d look like, on your knees, hair wrapped around his fist, stuffing his cock down your throat, tears streaming down your pretty face. 

He wondered if you felt the same way? If you felt the electricity in the air whenever you two looked at each other? 

“Dude. What are you thinking about?” Sam stops moving around, letting his gloved hands drop and Steve blinks 

“Huh??” He looks around and Sam is pulling off his gloves and taking off his helmet 

“You’re my friend man, I love you, but uh excuse me if I say you’re not exactly my type” He nods downward and Steve looks down with him. His cock is rock hard, straining against his sweatpants and he blushes darkly, putting his gloves in front of his pants. 

“Crap. Shit. Sorry,” He turns away, shucking off his gloves and walking away to put them up.

“It’s fine… it happens. You’re going out with Y/N after this right?” Sam puts his gloves back on the hooks and Steve rolls his eyes 

“Yeah…why?” 

“You sportin’ that for her?” He snickers and Steve shoves him before walking away 

“I’m gonna go shower”

“Yeah make sure you rinse it out real good when you’re done!” 

Steve leans against the wall as he waits for you in the garage, his shower had been less than relaxing and more of a way to try and get you out of his head long enough to be in a small space with you. 

His head turns at the sound of your footsteps coming down the hallway. You smile as soon as you see him, and he melts. You’re in his hoodie, he hadn’t even realized you didn’t give it back and a pair of black leggings. You’re wearing your uniform boots and you’ve got a cute mini backpack.

“Hey sorry I took so long” you smile at him, “I couldn’t find the hairclip I wanted” 

He looks down at you, giving you a once over “You look nice” he says, his voice a little deeper than normal and you blush.

“Oh thanks”

“Shall we?” He takes your hand, leading you over to the car that is waiting to take you to the tailors. He opens the door for you, helping you in and you scoot over, so he can get in with you. For one of Tony’s cars, you realize it’s not as spacious as you thought it would be? You find yourself incredibly close to Steve, his warm body keeping you nice and toasty and you’re not even leaning into him. He makes sure you have your seatbelt on before tapping the window for the driver. 

“I wish he’d have just let me drive,” Steve says “I’m not too into the idea of having a driver” 

You look at your telepad, moving closer to him so that he can see it too and he puts his arm over your shoulders, something he’d gotten used to doing and something you were hoping he would do. 

“Well we kind of have a lot to get done today, maybe he just wanted to make sure we wouldn’t tire ourselves out?”

“I suppose”

You stay cuddled into his side the entire ride, showing him things on your telepad, both of you editing a few things in the schedule. He dips his head low, mumbling in your ear things to erase, things to add. The way his breath ghosts over your ear sends a shiver down your spine. His fingers find their way to your side, tracing little shapes onto the bare skin where your shirt has ridden up.

“Hey my shoes are gonna be there..too…right?” Your voice trails off as you look up at him, his face is so close to yours, that you can feel his soft breaths fanning over your face as you look into each other’s eyes. His are such a pretty shade of blue, they remind you of the waters back on your home planet. 

“They should be… yeah,” He says quietly, your lavender eyes send chills down his spine every time he sees them, you rarely show them, and with your ability to hide the odd color you normally leave them brown. So he likes it when he has the chance to see the pretty shade of purple they normally are. 

“Hey, Y/N?” He asks quietly

“Yeah?” Your voice is just as quiet as he is. He reaches out, cupping your face gently and you lean into him, smiling softly. 

“Can I…can I ki-“

Suddenly the car comes to a stop, parking outside the giant building and you and Steve break apart as the door on your side is opened. You squeeze Steve’s hand before stepping out of the car and thanking the man who shuts the door behind you both before getting back in.

“You ready?” You ask and he takes your hand again, pulling you into the large building 

“Where do you think we should-“

Before you can even finish your sentence a man comes up to you, dressed absolutely flawlessly and suddenly you feel wildly underdressed. 

“Mr. And Mrs. Rogers right? Oh, you two do look adorable together! Tony said to bring you up right away” 

Your mouth gapes, opening and closing and you look up at Steve who’s just as bewildered. He gestures awkwardly and you both follow the man to the elevators.

“I’m Jerry, I’ll be your designer for today” he introduces himself and goes through the steps for the fitting and what will be expected.

“Tony gave us your measurements but I asked for you to come here to make sure it’s perfect, You know? This is the biggest event of the season”

“Uh, I guess so, I think so” You nod along. 

“Are you nervous? I know I would be, god could you imagine having to get up in front of all those people for one of Tony’s entrances? Hell, I practically am! That’s my work you’re gonna be wearing”

“How will you sleep tonight?” Steve chimes in and you turn around, glaring at him and he snickers. You all exit the elevator to a large room, there’s a pedestal in the middle where a beautiful dress sits off to the side and a pair of matching heels. 

“Oh my god” Your hands cover your mouth as he walks you up to it, you walk in a circle, inspecting the gorgeous dress, and sigh. 

“Oh…oh it’s beautiful” 

“That’s stunning” Steve breathes and Jerry looks between the two of you for a second before walking over to the dress and starting to take it off the mannequin. 

“Why don’t you help her into it, hubby? It’s very easy to slip on”

He hands it to Steve who looks like he’s going to die if he even breathes on it 

“Uh no no I’m- no I’m not her-“

“He-he’s not my hus-“

“Off you two go!” Jerry puts the heels in your hand and pushes you off to the dressing rooms 

“Why don’t you try the first part of the dress? There’s a clasp that makes it into the shorter dress you’ll be wearing for the evening, it attaches to your waist. We made it as easy as possible to figure out!” 

With that he shuts you and Steve in the changing room, you hear the sounds of the door locking and you look up at Steve. 

“Just let us know when you’re ready!” 

You wait until you hear Jerry’s retreating footsteps before putting the dress carefully on the provided hanger.

“So I guess Jerry thinks we’re married, that's fun” You smirk as you set your bag down. It’s a good-sized dressing room, there's more than enough room for the both of you in here and then some. 

“I can step out, if you'd like” Steve is practically sweating bullets at this point and he’s praying you don't notice, he's too in his head to even realize you’re doing the same thing. 

“I think this dress was made to need two people to get into it” You smile sheepishly as you remove your hoodie and place it on the fancy chair. That's when it occurs to you just how this room is set up because there's another pedestal in the center and the chair is directly in front of it. You scoot the chair over a bit to make it less suggestive and Steve takes a deep breath. 

“I think we can handle a little awkwardness… We’re the Avengers! We’ve been through worse situations right?”

“Right!” You agree quickly. “We can handle this” 

“Alright. Let's figure out how to get you into this, why don’t you disrobe and I’ll get the dress ready?”

“Okay” 

He turns his back to you and you gulp quietly before removing your shirt, before you’d left Nat had come in with a little box and a wink and literally said nothing else. Was it weird? Oh yeah definitely. But as you take your clothes off you’re suddenly glad you agreed to wear the new lingerie set she’d given you. It’s dark blue, lacy, and sheer and you’re feeling pretty confident in it as you look at yourself in the mirror. 

“I’m ready” You look over your shoulder and Steve turns around 

“Alright, I think I’ve figured out how to disconnect the-“

He stops mid-sentence, his mouth falling open before he quickly shuts it, he clears his throat a couple times and continues, squaring his shoulders and looking straight into your eyes.

“I think I’ve figured out how to disconnect the long part of the dress” he pulls apart the snaps and puts the long part back on the mannequin then turns to you, holding it out. 

“Uh, here you can just- uh- here” He gets on one knee, holding the dress open for you and you walk over to him, putting your hands on his shoulders and stepping into the dress. He pulls it up and secures it around your waist then helps you into the sparkly red heels that match and looks up at you. 

“Does uh… does that feel okay?” He asks, his hands firmly on your hips and you nod. He stands up slowly, towering over you, and helps you into the spaghetti straps. His hands trail over your sides and he reaches for the zipper, closing you into the dress. 

“You ready to see yourself?” 

You nod again, unable to speak and he steps aside, taking your hand and leading you up to the pedestal. You step up and the lights automatically go down around you, leaving you in the spotlight. It suddenly moves you forward closer to the mirrors and you squeak. Steve holds your hand tighter, keeping you steady, and lets it go once the platform stops moving.

“Holy shit” You whisper, because this dress is truly a work of art. The white trim around the neckline and hem seems otherworldly soft. You do a little spin and it poofs up like a princess dress, making you giggle. The skirt is a deep red, it’s very full, making it fall down to about the middle of your thigh. The top is a sweetheart neckline with boning and white stitches outlining the entire thing. 

“How do I look?” You look at Steve in the mirror, his eyes are clouded and lusty as he looks into yours. He shifts a little discretely adjusting his jeans as best he can, trying to focus on you and not the growing bulge in his pants.

“I don't think I've ever seen anything more beautiful than you right now” his voice is low and seductive. 

You step off the pedestal and the lights come back up slowly, but not all the way, it’s weird but you ignore it in favor of staring at the gorgeous man in front of you who just called you beautiful. 

“You really think so?” You murmur and he nods, reaching his hand out to place on your waist. He pulls you flush against him and places his other hand on your waist, holding you close. 

“I really really think so. You’re, you’re really-“ He gets too flustered to speak and you reach up, wrapping your arms around his neck. 

“I’m really…?” You encourage him and he blushes, right to the tip of his ears, the tension in the room is heated and lusty, you can feel it flowing over you in thick waves. 

“Uh… sexy. I think I think you look very sexy. And I think that’s what uh- Jerry was trying to achieve with this part of the dress and- and he did it. Very classy, very…very sexy” 

“You have such a way with words Mr. America” You giggle and he leans in, nuzzling his nose against yours. 

“That’s Captain America to you, civilian” 

“You know I was first prime on my planet right?” You whisper, toying with the front of his shirt 

“And?” His hands smooth over your sides, gripping you possessively, like he just has to be holding you, like he wants to feel you and it sends a thrill through your body 

“Oh, It means I outrank you…by a lot. Think of me as a General” 

“You? A General? The same girl I had to pull out of the quicksand because you wanted to see if you could swim in it???”

“I think you’re forgetting the part where I could swim in it” 

“Uh huh and you’re forgetting the part where I had to drag your ass out with a rope because you couldn’t get out” 

“Just keepin’ you on your toes” 

“Right, right let’s maybe not do that huh?” 

You snicker and he rolls his eyes playfully, before looking at you again 

“Permission to speak freely, General Sir?” 

“Permission granted, Captain” 

“Did you… did you wear the uh…um” He clears his throat and you tilt his chin down to look at you 

“Use your words, Captain”

Your words shoot straight down to his cock, he can feel it throbbing in his pants, already rock solid and he licks his lips unconsciously. You slide your hand down his chest, stopping at his belt and tugging on it a little and he groans.

“Did you wear that lingerie on purpose?” 

“I did yeah” You slowly start to unbuckle it, giving him time to stop you but he doesn’t and you smile up at him. 

“It really uh- really brings out the color of your eyes” His voice cracks and you giggle, holding his pants up around his waist and he looks down at you.

“Are we really about to do what I think we’re about to do?” 

“Only if you want to,” you tell him honestly and he takes your hands, putting them around his neck and letting his pants drop. His hands are at your sides, snapping the clips for your skirt and laying it on the chair as nicely as he can while you push down his boxers, and your mouth waters when his cock springs free.

“Oh I definitely want to” 

He hooks his fingers in your panties and tugs them down your legs, tossing them aside. Then he’s pulling you over to the mirrors, pressing you into them as he lines up with your entrance. You squirm, feeling his thick cock head nudging at your hole.

“Oh Stevie” you gasp softly and he groans at your eagerness, he thrusts shallowly, teasing you, stretching you slowly. He can feel your pretty pussy begging for his cock, begging to be used and it takes every ounce of self-control he has not to slam into you immediately. 

He grips your hips, working you on his cock for a minute before sinking into you. Inch by mind-blowing inch, he just keeps coming as he presses into you. Once you’re sure you’re about to pop he finally stops, groaning as he keeps his hips still, savoring the tight flutters of your walls around his cock. You’re so warm and inviting, the feeling of being buried deep inside you making him dizzy with need. 

He finally pulls out teasingly slow, dragging the length of his cock almost all the way out before thrusting back in hard and you yelp, grinding your hips down on his cock

Steve sets a steady rhythm, his hips snapping against you as he drives into you again and again. Your eyes roll back in your head as you lean your head into his shoulder, your thighs shaking weakly. 

He buries his face in the crook of your neck, his teeth and tongue leaving marks on your skin as he loses himself in the pleasure. One hand slides up to palm your breast, kneading the soft flesh and pinching your nipple.

You like that, baby? He growls, and your toes curl at the vibrations sent through your body “You like feeling my cock stretching you open?”

His other hand moves between your bodies, his fingers finding your clit and rubbing tight circles around the sensitive bud, you keen softly and his trails from your breast to your neck squeezing gently 

“Shhh pretty girl, you don’t want everyone hearing us right?” 

You shake your head as he thrusts into you wildly, his cock pounding into your g spot over and over, making you see stars, You feel that deep familiar pressure starting to simmer at the surface as he smacks your clit, you jump and he chokes the whimper from your throat, keeping you nice and quiet. 

“Fuck you feel better than I ever imagined” His voice cracks, and he lets out a whimper as his thrusts become erratic, he rubs your clit faster, bringing you hurdling to the edge with him, and you both cum. Your cunt squeezes tightly around his fat cock, milking him dry with each harsh thrust into you as he bites down on your shoulder, trying to keep himself quiet.

He fucks you through your orgasm, your legs dangling as he lifts you onto his cock, he just keeps cumming and cumming, it spills down your thighs as he stuffs you full, his orgasm crashing over him in intense waves. You kick off your shoes to save them watching the way his cum drips down your thighs, dripping from your toes onto the hardwood floors. 

Steve staggers over to the chair, collapsing down on it and holding you close to his chest, both of you panting into each other. You kiss him softly, trailing wet kisses down his jaw and he smiles, letting his head fall back.

“You think they heard us?” He asks quietly as you suck a pretty bruise onto his neck. His fingers trail over the bruises on your hips, trying to soothe them and you shrug. 

“I’m not sure…this room seems pretty secure” 

“We’ve also been in here for like…half an hour” 

You groan embarrassedly and bury your face in his neck “Maybe they don’t know?” 

“We’ll just tell Jerry we couldn’t figure out how to get it on” Steve offers and you relax into his arms, nodding along. 

“Yeah okay, that should work” 

“Actually it won’t.” 

You shriek as Jerry unlocks the door and a little tea cart is pushed in with a stick. There’s a new set of lingerie for you, that suspiciously matches the dress and a new set of boxers for Steve, that also suspiciously matches your dress. There’s a stack of warm towels, three packages of baby wipes, and a wastebasket. 

“Whenever you’re ready darlings!” 

He doesn’t lock the door this time and it all comes crashing down on you.

“They planned this didn’t they” You whisper in horror and Steve looks back at the cart, there’s more than enough supplies to…clean things up and he knows Bucky had a hand in this as well. 

“They did, yeah.” 

[host-hubliminal]

>>START_LOG:

HostLog_10:

Subject: Host 2.6

Name: Clock

Species: Alarm Clock(?)

Source: It’s Time For The It’s Time For The It’s Time For The It’s Time For The It’s Time For The For The For The For The The // Channel 57

Gender: Unknown

Pronouns: he/him (source needed) ANY (source info from commentator on this post)

Description:

Clock is a mint-colored, traditional-faced alarm clock. Clock is notable due to having heavy algebrien features; much like Host 2.7, despite their dimensions not being near one another. Clock’s limbs are slim, lighter than his body color and resemble that of a mouse in structure, despite having notable paw pads. Clock has a cord plug tail.

It is worth noting that Clock’s current appearance differs from his (possible) previous appearance, which lacked the distinct algebrien features and instead was fully an object, implying that this transformation could happen to any ordinary object under the right circumstances. His past object appearance had more accurate mouse-like limbs. It is unknown if his past object appearance had a tail.

Surprisingly, his behavior is more like an algebrien in mannerisms than that of an Object. His speech is quick, choppy, and will sometimes seem to layer out of nowhere. Clock does not mess around when it comes to being quick about things and is very time-oriented.

[Addendum./ Wow. Like. Who the FUCK comes up with the names for these guys. Clock? Being a Clock? And being time oriented? What is this, a kids show? Next thing we know he’s going to get up and sing a song about time. Wow. Fuck man. My life feels like a joke knowing that this fucker is real, alive, and exists. Don’t even get me STARTED on Four and X being a number and a variable who are both obsessed with MATH. The most obvious fucking shit on the planet. I mean who just gives birth to a child and goes ‘oh yeah let’s call this one Clock because he’s a clock’. The only somewhat normal one here is Airy. He’s the only one whose name ISN’T the same as his object, but I’m also 80-90% sure he’s a ghost or something because he barely talks and has said he’s died twice. God. I don’t get paid enough for this bullshit.]

Clock is unpredictable. Unlike Host 2.9, his chaoticness is not out of violence, but at the same time he is proven to be capable of doing heavy damage. Like Host 2.8, Clock’s chaoticness is emotionally tied, but stronger and more exaggerated. 

Known Abilities:

Clock’s abilities mirror that of a standard algebrien. Only things worth noting is that his tail can extend long distances and he can ‘abstract’ objects much like Host 2.9. Whether or not this is due to their dimensions being in close proximity to one another is up for debate.

Another thing to note is his… ‘quality errors’. Static, bursts of sudden form changing, and the like. Sometimes these will get violent but so far they only seem to affect Clock and nobody else around him. Whether or not this is an ability or more of just a condition Clock has is up for debate.

Procedures to take:

A mix of Algebrien and Object power hindrance protocols will be put into place. Force may be applied if deemed necessary.

END_LOG.

[thelovers-2001]

Wow, who knew the two most dangerous adult villains are in a relationship? That definitely.

That definitely won't be a problem.

( P.S Click/Tap the Read More to learn about my KND s/i )

Madam M, real name Monica Machina (last name pronounced as Ma-KEE-na), is an adult villain and archnemesis of the Kids Next Door.

An advanced cyborg by her cybergenetic surgeries, mainly towards her brain. She started her experiment to create "the perfect adult" and made herself the subject. She's extremely observant, quick thinking on decisions and planning. She became highly intelligent equivalent to an AI.

These surgeries however took a toll on her. Mentally, it stunted her emotions in becoming flat and stoic. She lost the ability of fear; anger and sadness can become uncomfortable to catastrophic levels. Physically, the surgeries consequently cause body pain; mainly her back and shoulders. Her eyes went through the worse that it completely rotted, replaced with camera realistically look like eyes.

Her expertise is technology, unsurprising she's from a family of a tech business. Resides alone in her home, down beneath in her lair filled with television screens. Connected to camera secretly implanted in places, observing not only KND, but other adult villains as well (except Father). Cameras were also bugged on machinery built for the Delightful Children Down The Lane, all to observe and learn each KND operatives' actions.

She is the heir of the the British company, M Corp. Well established for their everyday electronics but mostly known as technological collaborators to adult villains. With her (adoptive) parents, Mr and Mrs M, who famously allied with the legendary Grandfather.

The two were close knit allies to the point of arranging a marriage with the Machinas' only child, Monica to Grandfather's first son, Monty, all for the sake of power. And they were still children at the time.

Young Monica however was more interested in his second son, Benedict. She secretly wanted to befriend instead. When Monty figured out their parents plan, decided to play along while having Monica and Benedict secretly bond. Their parents found out the secret friendship. But while the Machinas suggested changing the arranged marriage to Monica with Benedict, Grandfather furiously refused. Thus he cut off both his sons' interactions with Monica.

In the present, Madam M and Father reunited as adults, started as business partners but slowly becoming a close emotional relationship. This relationship was kept a secret from other villains, though they become more comfortable being seen together in public... without PDA. That's in private.

Madam M is now KND's second biggest threat, next to Father. She is Father's closest and safest ally, as well as the only person he genuinely cares for.

[marzipanandminutiae]

hate this brutalism discourse (am on your side before that phrasing scares you lol) like the only people I have ever seen criticizing brutalism are in situations where people are changing or dismantling houses or features that already exist. and brutalism is a style so like if you’re using the word brutalist that inherently implies that you’re not talking about buildings that look that way out of necessity, it implies that you’re talking about a stylistic choice and choosing that style over others. an unfortunately, that style is simply ugly

Yes exactly.

Here's the thing of it for me. If you like brutalism, fantastic. Amazing. I genuinely wish you the concrete-est, grayest, cube-iest gray concrete cube home to ever grace the earth. And in conversations about public architecture, your voice has a place at the table. It's public! Taste is subjective! I and my mental scrapbook full of High Victorian Madness HousesTM deserve to be there, and so do you with your concrete cubes. And so does everyone except those developers who throw up shoddy glass temples to get-rich-quick real estate schemes. Amen.

However. How. Ever. Your personal aesthetic taste is not deeper than just that. And saying that someone must care more about aesthetics than human life just because they say "wow, I sure wish that housing were in a different style, personally!" is just moral clout-chasing on the Nothing Is Nuanced website.

(also speaking of brutalism destroying existing buildings, a moment of silence for Boston's own Scollay Square, once full of working-class housing and businesses)

(1880s)

(1940s)

(which was torn down to build this)

(Older buildings in the foreground were not part of Scollay Square; it was where the skyscrapers and our brutalist City Hall are today)

[9mysterybook6]

Didn't I tell you to stop lying and making up untrue things and stop being whiny

Go back to where you belong

Rhylie

Guess who replied to me again🙄

Rhylie did the Post but she changed it

Here is the first post

Here is the second version

You really proved your stupidity

Seriously a uno card🥱🥱🥱

Did you think you were smart with this card?

This doesn't change anything or help you in anything, it just makes you stupid.

And again, there is no benefit in imitating my post.

Your words are cheap and stupid

(((You can't teach me a hard lesson And that is not me but you can’t just expose people without consequences.)))

No, I have the right to expose you.

You harassed me, bullied me, and did the same to others.

((((You’re lucky I always free and getting more support from me and you're expose rants are disgusting, weak, pathetic and yet useless against me (I'm still scared of you though).))))

Again with guilt trip and a manipulative

But if you're really afraid of me, that's a good thing. I'm punishing you for your actions.

This is not bad memories, but your past of bad crimes against others.

What about this stupidity?🤣🤣🤣

Did Used A Reverse Uno Card On Her?

(((Not Bad, You Also Roast Her Real Good.)))

(((Yep, You're Still A Coward And Awsome Revenge On Her!)))

(((Wow!, 9mysterybook6 Is One Pathetic Clown.)))

(((I Dunno, Hail Rhylie Caterfly For Her Reverse Uno Card!)))

(((Meh, That Was Very Interesting Revenge On Her.))

Roast me? a Good revenge?

😂😂😂😂😂😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

You are a real laughingstock

This is the worst response, even from your previous ones.

You idiot, did you really think this would help you? It didn't help you at all, it just made you more stupid and foolish.🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣

And even her tag is stupid and guilt trip🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️🤦‍♀️

#spread awareness about 9mysterybook6

#gacha case

#gacha community

#please don't report me

#please don't hate me

#I'm a victim of 9mysterybook6

#spread awareness

#spread the word

#galacticsomewhat

#gacha games

#reverse uno on 9mysterybook6

#roasting 9mysterybook6

#revenge on 9mysterybook6

Here are the rest of her posts

Again, you are changing the subject.

How about you tell the truth about the cause of the problem from the beginning, how you harassed and bullied everyon👺

Instead of trying to make yourself a character in a tragic story

What is this buffoonery, are you that desperate In not exposing you On your harassment and bullying😏

here we go again With poverty guilt trip and a manipulative And lie and play the victim

I'm Sad And Scared Of 9mysterybook6 After She Didn't Forget About My Pasts And Kept Exposing Me All The Time, I Just Wanted To Ask You All A Quick Question.

How the hell do I forget the person who attacked and bullied me? And harassed and stole from my posts🤬🤬🤬

(((Do We Need Manners?

((((Scoffs) Why Would We Need Manners, Who Cares?)))

(((It's Getting Boring From 9mysterybook6, But Thanks For Asking.)))

(((Nope, We Don't Need Rules Or Manners But We Only Need Opinions)).)))

Seriously, you are 21 years old, but you have the mind of an arrogant baby.

the tag is Just stupid and guilt trip

#curious #gacha community #galacticsomewhat #please don't report me #please don't banned me #please don't hate me #sad #im scared #i'm sad and scared

You really should go to asylum.

after 9mysterybook6 exposed Rhylie Caterfly which is myself, everybody in gacha community can't stand her dramas or actions or even expose rants against me.

All this is just in your head, imagination and delusions.

There is no one with you, no one to support a stalker like you.

You will be banned soon

OR hurry up and delete your blog.

Everyone mentioned spreading awareness about Rhylie and reporting her page.

@rhyliecaterflygivessucess4prome 

[master-of-the-game]

seeing you make oil paintings of elim garak has changed something about the way i perceive art, both in what others make but also in what i am capable of making.

it’s probably due to learning mostly euro-centric art history, but i’ve always thought of oil paintings as like the peak of painting ability? like, it’s fancy and it takes a while so i thought that it must be the best (ignoring the fact that my artistic field is mostly in acrylic paints and 3D sculpting and yet i still consider it very good). and i’m still working on disproving this sort of mentality that there are mediums inherently better than others, because it’s incredibly limiting to my creativity to impose a higharchy, and also it feels kind of xenophobic.

i digress a bit. point is, i’ve viewed oil paintings as a medium only deserving of gallery-type realistic portrait stuff, which is very much not what i do. i don’t make the sorts of fancy art rich people would pay for- the type of art i thought oils were for. i make paintings of comic book characters and sculptures of my personal heroes, i make jewelry and clothes and stuffed animals. stuff that i enjoy. which is good!

but still somewhere lurking in my brain was this voice telling me that on some level my works weren’t as meaningful or creative because they were fan works or made from materials i’m not an expert in or because the only people i draw and paint and sculpt are queer and trans, like me. that because my art was self-indulgent, on some level i suppose i thought it lesser.

but then i see your art. and holy shit! you’re work is INCREDIBLE! at first i was excited because, hey, i’m a big star trek fan, and garak is one of my favorite characters. i love coming across fan art of him, and it always manages to strike a chord with me. but then. as i looked at it closer, i realized it was on canvas. as i scrolled down i realize it was oil on canvas.

before, i’d pretty much only seen fanart as sketches on paper or digital drawings. one that is really only meant art-wise for quick sketches or planning of what will become “real” works, and one that doesn’t actually take up any physical space in our world, and is stored away in a little digital file.

but oil on canvas? that’s not meant to be thrown away, it’s meant to be held in gloved hands, as it is precious, and it’s not meant to be hidden away in the “files” on a laptop. no, those hang on the walls of museums or houses, meant to be displayed with pride for all to see.

and with those too colliding thoughts, that of fan works as some lesser form of art but oil paintings being the art of the rich and talented… well i realized that both were wrong. fan works are not in any way shape or form lesser than original works. what makes my layered ink painting of dream of the endless any less important than my painting of the ocean during a storm? nothing! they’re both good works. and on the other side, there is nothing that makes my oil paintings more important than my acrylic paintings or my sculpture or my knitting. it’s all art, lovely art, in the end. and the only thing that really matters is that i enjoy it.

seeing your art has helped me break some (minor) yet harmful thoughts i didn’t really even realize i had. so thank you for that. also your garak art is fucking good, and it really makes me think about what sort of life he would have after ds9. anyways, thank you. that’s what i’ve been meaning to say (that’s what this whole thing is). thanks for changing my vision for the better.

Oh wow! You know, it is very important and gratifying to know that results of your work make person rearrange their thoughts and views on something. Thank you for your sincerity! Now back to subject. I personally believe that fan work can be something fine and vice versa something fine can be a fan work. One thing that is very important to remember and remind yourself is that most of fine art that you've mentioned - gallery and most famous works (at least in european tradition) - are, well, derivative. Of Bible, of ancient myths. Yes. All this stuff can be considered maybe not fanart - but it is a subject for discussion - but illustration at least. And it is still fine art. Book illustrations - oh well. Sometimes I want to hang them on the wall, especially old ones. So - why not? Fan work always has a connotation of something derivative, and it certainly is... But just as well as most of the most prominent works. Dixi :D So that's the matter. Medium of course matters but medium does not always define the subject of art (except for common sense), as you've said. It's just maybe the cost of medium (some watercolor brushes for some reason cost... ehm. Too much :D) that defines its price, but not necessarily. I like thinking about this issue and discussing it... Plenty room for ideas. Thank you!

[yippeesizedifgohard]

best friends

this was inspired by this post bc it gave me the juices and i just had to write something with it...the potential was too great

-------

Nikki and Simon were best friends. Ever since kindergarten, the pair had never been apart. They each completed each other in a way. Nikki had never been all that good at communicating with others, especially not when she was younger. That was mostly caused by a speech impediment, leaving Nikki insecure and afraid that people would make fun of her. Oftentimes, that left Simon to do all the talking, which he was completely happy to do.

"Friends don't let friends be scared," He'd say with a wink whenever Nikki hid from someone new.

But now they were older, and Nikki had grown into a better, more well-adjusted teen. She had eliminated her speech impediment for the most part, and she had grown to be far more comfortable with people other than Simon, even if she didn't know them. Simon, though, hadn't changed. He still acted childishly and foolishly, often not thinking about the consequences of his actions before he did them. He got rougher with the ways he showed affection, always squeezing his hugs a little tight or hurting someone with what was intended as a playful slap on the back. Nikki had heard something about him tackling another person to the ground, but she hoped it wasn't true.

He had all these crazy ideas that usually ended in careless destruction, like her fifteenth birthday when he broke in through the window at six in the morning just so he could be the first to wish her a happy birthday. It was a sweet gesture, but the shards of glass that littered her floor after told a different story.

The worst of it was when Nikki could tell he was feeling bad about something, but when she asked he'd change the subject.

All of that was fine with Nikki, of course. She knew that he was still a good person. He was still a good friend, even if emotions made him run and he was never vulnerable with her. That didn't bother her. It didn't bother her at all.

...

Okay, maybe just a little. But Nikki had gotten closer to finally getting Simon to be real and not just some cartoon facade he put on to make himself seem more fun.

That was, until he found a raygun at a pawnshop and decided he wanted to surprise test it on Nikki.

He had asked her to meet him at their childhood playground, right by the swings they had shared many conversations on. She agreed, and she instantly spotted him when she made it to the park.

"Nikki! I bought something from the pawner!" Simon waved, kicking his legs out on the swing. She stood in front of him.

"What even is that?" She asked, pointing at the raygun.

"I don't know what it does," he admitted, fiddling with it in his hands, "but I was hoping we could test it out together?" He looked at her with a glow in his eyes.

"Okay, sure. I haven't got much else to do." Nikki shrugged.

"Great. Now hold still." He closed one eye and aimed the raygun at her.

"Wait, wha-"

ZAP.

Nikki closed her eyes the minute the bright light had fired, but after a few minutes, she opened them again. The mulch ground of the park now looked far, far bigger than it should have been, and as Nikki's heat began to pound in her chest, she looked up to see Simon squatting over her.

"Wow. Now you're really short." He snickered, setting the raygun down. "There's no way I could've guessed it would do this! This is so cool! Look at how tiny and cute you are!" Nikki's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets. How could this have even happened? It wasn't scientifically possible! She was snapped out of her thoughts as the shadow of Simon's hand descended upon her. She yelped, though she didn't scream, and pushed his fingers away. It did almost nothing, as Simon was quick to scoop her up.

She resisted the urge to scream again when he brought her right up close to his face and she saw a scratch on it which only reminded her more of his carelessness.

"S-Simon..." She stuttered, uncaring that her impediment had returned. "Ple-please...put-put me down." Her voice was at a whimper.

"Huh? It's...it's me, Nikki." He sounded nervous, which made her even more nervous. "It's just me-"

"That's-That's exactly the problem!" She yelped, and he pulled his face back a little in shock.

"What...do you mean?" His lower lip twitched, and for a minute Nikki thought she could see his eyes gloss over.

"Simon- you-you're loud! And clumsy! And you hurt people all the time without realizing it! I-I don't want my life in you're hands! Especially- Especially not if you're going to treat it like it's funny that now I'm the size of your finger!" She shakes as she says it, but letting it out makes her feel better. "Just- for once in your life! Treat this seriously!" Simon doesn't look at her, his fingers twitching.

"You know I'd never hurt you," Simon said, biting his lip, "right? You do know that, right?" He still couldn't look at her. Nikki glanced away, thinking about all the times he had grabbed her by the wrist and dragged her someplace he thought was cool, the times when she had come home bruised on the back from when he thought something was particularly funny and slapped her on the back. She looked at him and finally recognized the doubt on his face. At least he was taking this seriously.

"You're...scared of me?" Simon finally looked at her, sounding very close to tears. "I know I can be a lot...and I can be careless, but I-I'd...I thought you liked it?" Nikki slumped, feeling gross. "You...I...I can be gentle...with you." Nikki still couldn't look at him, now overcome with the weight of guilt. She felt humiliated and scared and guilty all at the same time.

"God...I'm such a coward," she admitted quietly to herself.

"No, no you're not...I'm the coward. I-I never took anything seriously, and that was wrong-"

"No, I-I shouldn't have snapped at you like that. That was wrong. I'm sorry. I'm just so tired...tired of feeling like you're acting like you're okay when I know you aren't." Nikki sighed in his hand.

"I...Sometimes I feel bad. Like the time I broke your window. But I don't know how to say sorry." Simon admitted, sitting on the ground after setting Nikki down. "I just feel like...maybe sometimes you don't want me around anymore."

"No! That's not true at all!" Nikki was quick to say. "I'd never want you out of my life! You were my first friend! There's no way I wouldn't want you around anymore!"

"You...do you mean that?" Simon asked, leaning forward.

"Yeah. You mean a lot to me."

"Thanks. You, uh, you mean a lot to me too."

[monstersinthecosmos]

Hi!! I would love to hear your thoughts about Marius' experience of captivity and how this affects his relationship with Armand. You alluded to this in Gallows Bird and I think that's a super interesting thread to pull

[ Let me drop these two fics real quick to get it out of the way for reference sorry if this is obnoxious LOL but Gallows Bird (Marius/Armand) and The Lotus Eater (Armand/Daniel) !! ]

Asdgahsdk oh boy

I have so many deep nuanced feelings about Marius de Romanus so be patient with me while I try to sketch this all out, I DON’T EVEN KNOW WHERE TO START!

So one thing I want to mention off the bat, which is not necessarily canon VC but is relevant to my fics and how I write, is that I process a lot of ND/ADHD stuff when I write, and this goes way back before I even knew I had ADHD. So even going back to like my earlier VC fics from like 5-6 years ago, I think I was constantly inserting traits of myself into my fics and trying to process them in the way that I thought they were just character flaws at the time. AND LIKE this is also relevant because I wrote Gallows Bird to be directly correlating to my Devil’s Minion fics. For example, in The Lotus Eater, one of my huge emotional cornerstones in that fic/me talking about my own perceived character flaws, was the “he had been careless with this boy” theme. And I repeated that in Gallows Bird on purpose to link them lol. So that example is like, I was really inspired by like how ADHD can ruin things on accident; like you don’t take care of something, miss a deadline, break something by being careless even though you DO CARE. At the time when I wrote The Lotus Eater I had no idea about ADHD so I just thought it was like this bad part of my personality that I was really struggling with. I am more forgiving of that now.

And I connect this also to Marius in Gallows Bird because like, something I really struggled with as a person is like the ND/ADHD impulse to like RELATE TO PEOPLE when they’re trying to talk, like bringing up my own experience as a way to say “Something like this happened to me too so I can empathize with you”, which is always well intentioned! And I’ve seen so much convo from ND folks that struggle with this because NT folks tend to misunderstand it as changing the subject/being narcissistic/whatever.

Anyway!!!!!!!!! Sorry for that preamble but I’m saying that like, I kind of approach writing Marius as a mix of canon & projection, because yknow it’s my fuckin story and I feel like it lol but I think like the fun of fanfic and what makes people’s styles unique and interesting is our mix of perspectives and personalities and like how we choose to fill in the blanks in canon or interpret characters, right?

Canon Marius makes a few comments when he meets Armand about how like, this is someone who is as bruised and damaged as he is, and someone who can heal him, and he feels their souls understand each other. And Canon Marius is like, arrogant enough (by his own admission!) to see the absolute HORRIFIC trauma the Armand went through and go “Oh yeah I had horrific trauma too.”

How do we compare Armand’s trauma to Marius’s trauma? Idk. No one can answer that because we all respond to trauma differently. So I think to some extent there’s some headcanon territory here of how everyone interprets Marius, and do we believe him that his trauma was SO SEVERE that it IS on par with what’s happened to Armand? Or do we believe what he went through isn’t so bad/was 1500 years ago and he’s being obnoxious by comparing the two because he should be healed by now?

I’d also ask like, to what extent is neither true/is it not that fucking deep, like is Marius simply saying “wow this looks really bad, I want to know him for centuries so he has time to grow and heal”; like perhaps Marius at this point sees his captivity & murder as this awful thing that happened to him 1500 years ago and maybe it feels sort of disconnected.

BUT I DON’T KNOW, the thing about Marius is that he’s so fucking stoic! Like I know I’ve brought it up a couple times recently but it’s because I was reading some Marcus Aurelius to put in Gallows Bird lol so using that to like fill in some blanks with Marius, he reads like someone who is constantly trying to rationalize away his own emotions. And like! IDK! Maybe beliefs about psychology are always a phases or temporary until we learn more, but reading him in 2023 I just call bullshit on that! It doesn’t work that way! So who’s to say that his 1500 year old trauma isn’t actually still very close to the surface, and who’s to say he can’t be easily retraumatized whenever it comes up because he’s never meaningfully recovered?

AND LIKE FOR PEOPLE WHO HAVE EXPERIENCED TRAUMA THE AFTERMATH IS SO OFTEN ABOUT JUST FINDING CONTROL OVER WHATEVER YOU CAN, NO MATTER HOW USELESS OR UNHEALTHY IT IS. And that's also the sort of central thesis of Gallows Bird; giving Armand a space to process his trauma where he's in control. And for Marius it's just really sad how often he tries to control his own personality, his own feelings, his own mask, the way people perceive him, and it's such a struggle for him that it always eventually collapses.

I want to pause here for a second too and bring up a couple old posts I’ve written so I’m not repeating myself too much LOL but let’s also consider:

Trauma Hole Theory and if vampires are stuck forever within the trauma of their turning

Marius & Armand’s equal-opposite religious trauma

Marius’s struggle with feeling emotion

I think if we start dissecting ANY vampire in VC we’ll see thematic ways that their turning has traumatized them forever, between the violence/trauma around the act itself but also whatever ways they’ve been frozen as their mortal selves. Lestat is a perpetually insecure 20 year old who can’t emotionally regulate and must prove himself to everybody, Louis is someone who didn’t want to live at all and was given eternal life rather than death, Armand is deeply wounded and fucked up but is having like 2 years of relative peace and safety. And Marius is like, older, has lived life, knows what he’s losing and gaining, and has his entire worldview shattered after spending a year resenting religious zealots only to find out that everything they believed was true.

So I bring all these points up because I don’t think there’s a simple answer or a direct correlation here. Marius recognizes that they’ve each suffered a trauma, but he hasn’t really dealt with his own in a meaningful way, therefore he is not equipped to help Armand deal with his either.

I constantly go back to when Marius hits him after they come back from Kiev and I think this really hammers it home for me—Marius is someone who wants to strangle all of his emotions into submission, and he’s really trying to believe that it’s a matter of willpower to simply NOT FEEL THINGS. So much of Marcus Aurelius is about this! AND IN SOME WAYS LIKE, YEAH THIS IS MAYBE AN ANCIENT VERSION OF CBT??? Like we do CBT to patiently teach ourselves to think differently, but it’s obviously not as easy as simply shutting your emotions off or bullying yourself out of feeling any. And he’s trying SO SO hard to be this way, and it doesn’t work, so it’s not going to work on Armand either!

And like it’s not Marius simply being a dickhead, simply being abusive; I do think he’s really trying, but he’s fucking lost! HE HAS LIVED LIES! And god it just really hurts to see him as someone who struggles with this shit and who lies to himself about it, LIKE WHO HASN’T BEEN THERE? How many of us who struggle with mental health haven’t had those moments like, those tiny glimpses seeing behind the veil and being honest with yourself, but being so fucking powerless and not knowing what to do with it.

I know I’ve personally had moments of realization like “I am going to be like this forever” and it’s SO defeating, and imagining that sentiment for someone who will LIVE FOREVER just hurts me so bad!

We see this trope in media sometimes—certainly it’s based in real life!—of parents projecting onto children, trying to correct mistakes by breaking a cycle, but which only serves to treat their child like an extension of themselves and not a whole individual. So I think of that, too—Marius seeing himself in someone who was also abducted, and even though he also plans to turn Armand, he wants it to be beautiful and gentle! (He even changes his mind about it several times before he does it in a panic because Armand is dying! {this is heavily referenced in Gallows Bird because he realizes he's fucked Armand up to much to let him live anyway.} ) He also is sorta trying to fake it till he makes it with all this emotional stuff; like even though he KNOWS he can’t simply shut emotions off, he’s still trying to teach Armand to. And going back to Marius being a lil arrogant, I think sometimes he does project himself onto other people, or treat people better if they remind him of himself. So like, projecting some wounded version of himself onto Armand to try to rescue, vs risking it all for Lestat a few centuries later because someone who reminds him of himself actually WANTS to be rescued.

The IRONY too that like he spends his whole time in captivity as a skeptic, not believing that there is a God in the Grove, and for that entity to turn out to be a vampire!!! Marius presenting HIMSELF as a god-figure to Armand, but trying to be safe and friendly about it! I don’t know man I’m really fucking hsdkjgladsghkjl upset right now lol

And after all that like, not really knowing what exactly happened to Armand to indoctrinate him into the cult, just knowing that he’s thriving with them, that he gave it all up to be their leader, is such a betrayal of everything and so traumatizing!

Gosh.

Anyway.

I DON’T’ KNOW WHERE TO START I DON’T KNOW WHERE TO END, THINKING ABOUT THIS FUCKS ME UP I HOPE THIS ANSWERS YOUR QUESTION LOL

[asherlockstudy]

Hi, I'm the We're Still Doing It-Anon, thank you for answering! Now I just hopped in here to suggest you might enjoy the new Flashback with Smosh video with Rhett and Link, especially towards the later part of it. They were so unsure about the "are you happy" question and kept changing the subject lol

Thanks for bringing it to my attention! It was a very interesting watch.

The “happy” part was certainly the juiciest part. Smosh openly expressed that they doubted they were being sincere when they said they were happy and eventually Link admitted they were lying and Rhett agreed they were only manifesting it. So, it is, canon fact, that they don’t feel happy. Given the context of the interview, I assume it was mostly from a creative perspective, but they were so stone faced, it was like they were struggling to force their faces into a smile. Real feel of unhappiness there, which is odd from dudes who supposedly count their blessings in every turn. Not so odd however if we remember once again Rhett’s old and very serious statement in Ear Biscuits “We are fundamentally sad people”. Which, by the way, was not said just for career creative aspirations at that time.

Other important moments IMO:

Rhett was quick to clarify they themselves wrote “We’re Still Doing It” and their crew was not involved at all. Yeah. Why am I not surprised.

I felt a little validated during watching the first GMM, current Link caught my eye as he was watching. He looked to me very pensive, melancholic while watching their younger selves. I thought “wow why does Link look so freaking sad he looks like he’s thinking so many things rn” and I kinda had a guess more or less but then I was like “okay you probably are overanalysing and misinterpreting, Link has a natural downwards lip curve, he’s fine” and just as I had persuaded myself I am imagining things , Link wiped a tear which he described as “sympathetic”. So yeah, turns out I wasn’t imagining things 👍

And of course right after discussing their huge hopes for the show and after the confession that they are not happy but they are manifesting it (which imo is directly linked to what they want to achieve with the show), Smosh gave them this R&L custom boxer figurines and after failing to make them fight, Link spent the next five minutes rubbing boxer!randl to each other, made them kiss (smosh added hearts), he also made them make some questionable motions and then had boxer doll Rhett give a long speech of love, devotion and admiration to boxer doll Link. Rhett was very chill with all that, this time. He only joked Link was having too much fun with this boxer set. The guys who feel uncomfortable with being shipped lol. These dudes beg to be shipped.

Those leg expansions were making Link feel a little uneasy.

[shushthisaintmytumbla]

I guess its the Summer Solstice so here we are again! 6/21/23

Wow I knew I neglected my last pot but here we are back even later than the last one! Like i say everytime it is wild to see how much has changed in my life the past couple of years. Ups down and everything in between I come back to this spot everytime and see the growth I’ve made. All by myself. All for myself. I cant always see it but moments where I read back on the past I am brought right back to those moments and never lose sight of how I felt in the past. 

I keep seeing on TikTok that today is a Summer Solstice meaning it is a great opportunity for manifestations so lets try this out why not! I guess I’ll start by giving a quick synopsyis of my life from the past 10 months or however long (wow sorry I abandoned this for that long!!!!)

Lets start with Work. I am still at the same OI job and feel like I have grown sooo much. I cant say im perfect at my job, but I know I have made a shit load of progress that i’m very proud of. I shifted off of working with my mngr which has made the biggest impact on my happiness at the job. I was going from having weekly panic attacks to not even having to review a single email anymore. I am really proud of myself for treading through the mud and getting to the point where I am at now. Now for the manifestation segment. I am going to get a promotion soon. This SUMMER! I FEEL IT. I am such a hard worker and really have gained the experience to move up in the company. I am confident it will happen in the next couple months. I cant wait to come back here and tell you all about it. It will be my first real promotion at a job which is something that I’ve really wanted to achieve since I havent gotten to this point at any of my previous jobs. You got this Case. 

Now for relationships. Tricky subject and yep you guessed it D is still around. I have tested a coupe other relationships with E and A and C... but somehow D makes it through the motions of every single season. I do want to touch on E for a sec. I have grown to build an amazing relationship with him, but I havent seen him for a few weeks and I feel like the relationship is starting to fade. Im sick of getting 100% and then a week later not even 1%. I am fully aware it has nothing to do with me and more so his own struggles, but I do need to realize at the end of the day that its ok to want more from someone and he cant give me what I need as much as hes shown me how I can be treated in a healthy way. He’s the boy Ive always dreamt of how someone can treat/care for you, but this story just isnt ours at this point in time. Who knows what the future holds. Now D. Oh boy. As we all know its been a fucking roller coaster. I have felt the highest of highs w him and the lowest of lows. I do hold love for him (but not so sure ive ever been in love... idk what that even is lmao). We’ve gotten to a point where I feel like I have been holding my power for quite some time now. I don’t have the same anxieties as I had for him in the past and i don’t prioritize him over others. We’ve tried not speaking (jan 2023) for a couple weeks and ultimately he just came back and I allowed it. I cant cut him out of it killed me. It’s so fucking hard. I am working on figuring out his place in my life and how we can carry on without hurt, but I feel like I am slowy falling back in the trap/cycle. We had a really nice day together the other weekend and I felt those anxious attachment feelings creeping in... I need to remember the things that have happened and try to prepare for the worst, but is it crazy to say that what if we are meant for each other? The other day I was able to imagine being in a relationship with him and it shocked me how I felt so good the whole day. Idk prob the worst thought ever but.. idk.. why are we magents to each other? Lastly I wanna touch on friendships and new york life. My friends here are still the same (but Karina now lives in Miami) and I love them so much, but I’ve been feeling myself longing for my relationships in LA. There are many weekends where my friends here are out of town and I feel left alone many times. In LA I would have the comfort of my family when friends arent around, but theyre 100s of miles away from me. I really miss them so fucking much it hurts. I think the longer I am away the more and more I realize how special my family is. I especially feel bad being away from my mom. She asks me nearly everytime we talk when I’ll come back and little does she know I’ve been toying with the idea of returning once my lease is up. If not that I think I have 1 year left in me. It still shocks me to say it and feel confident in that, but I really miss my family. Thats truly the only thing pulling me back bc I love this city and who I have become here so damn much. Im not putting too much pressure on the decision as I still have 10 months on my lease, but it is in the back of my mind. I feel like I’ll lead myself to the right choice soon though. So much would change though. I told D the other day about the idea and he said he would be so sad which kinda surprised me. It would be the end for us if I did move back which im not sure is a good or bad thing. Sometimes I tell myself the love of my life is not here and I wont meet them till I move back lol. Im not sure where the future is gonna bring me, but im confident in myself to do what is right for me. Leaving my friends here would also be horrible, but at the end of the day if they are the friendships I believe them to be, we will still be as close as ever and planes exist!! I guess thats kinda it for now. But this is still the start to an amazing summer with so much fun in store I can feel it!!! I have a trip to the shore coming up next weekend and then im going back home for my bday end of july - aug. Later in the summer I am going to portugal with my family!!! and something BIIGGGG is gonna happen in the fam :o Cant write it in words here till it happens. Until then, I love you. Im proud of you. and life is always working out in my favor. <3  Love,

C

[princessgriffin1998]

Specimen FX-23: Project Snow Fox // REBIRTH

This is a Bucky Barnes x AFAB!Reader/OC story. Reader does have a nickname/hero name.

Check out the rest of the story here!

Read here on Ao3!

Chapter Summary: Steve finally gets some time away from being ‘Captain America’ and you finally spend some one on one time with Steve Rogers. 

Word Count: 5.6k

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Chapter Six: Art Supply Store

The first complete day off Steve has, happens to line up with everyone else being away. 

Sam was visiting his family back in Louisiana. It was his sister's birthday this weekend so he'd been gone for two days but would be back later tonight. Wanda had a final exam she was studying for and was emphatically off limits for the day to anyone but Vision, who was only really interested in reading in her room with her. Bucky had to go with Natasha to DC for a meeting with some officials as a part of his pardons. He had technically been on a two week recon mission in the name of “amends” and was only just now reporting on it.

And so, on his first full day off Steve wanders into the kitchen wearing striped blue pyjamas and a white t-shirt to find you journaling at the island with some snacks. 

You look up and wave, pulling the earbuds out of your ears and marking your current page.

“Morning Cap. Bit of a late start for you, what’s on the agenda today?” you ask as Steve pours himself a black coffee and joins you at the table.

“I honestly don’t know,” Steve answers with an easy smile as sips from a blue mug with his shield on it, “I haven’t been off call in so long, I’m not sure where to start besides not going for a run this morning with Sam before he left,” 

You shrug, still unsure how to fill your own time at the compound without guidance most days. The only sounds in the kitchen are the scratches of your pencil across your page as the two of you sit in a comfortable quiet, sharing some of the sliced fruits, mixed nuts, and croissants that you’d ordered before Steve had wandered up from the fourth floor.

“What are you working on?” Steve finally asks, filling the room with something besides the scratching of your pencils on paper.

“It’s a picture of Shuri. I’m trying to experiment with faces more. I can do an outline but enough detail to make it look like the subject is a little trickier,” you mutter, erasing a smudge off the side of the paper before turning it to Steve.

Steve’s eyebrows raise to his hairline.

“Wow Snow Fox, that’s amazing! You said you’re struggling with details? Where?” Steve asks and you smile bashfully.

“It’s the proportions. It’s hard to line features up in a way that looks real on the face. I’m still not the level I want to be at before I try it with paints,” you muse, turning the book back to you, you hum quietly while Steve downs his coffee.

“Welp, I know what we’re gonna do today! Go get dressed and ready to leave the compound,” Steve says with a grin and a look on his face that leaves no room for arguing. 

With an amused smile, you collect your pencil case and journal and head to your room, excited to actually be seeing part of the country you’d travelled so far to live in. 

You start with brushing your teeth again, just so that your mouth feels clean as you give your face a quick wipe with a washcloth, then securing your hair back for the day. You hadn’t really spent time with Steve one on one like this. He was always with Sam and/or Bucky now that he was back at the compound. And that’s if Steve is around. For the most part he seems always away at the main building for the Avengers Initiate, working on things he obviously couldn’t share with you for security.

You change out of your pajamas and hesitate in your closet for a moment. Steve just said to leave the compound, but that could mean a lot of things. Deciding to pay it safe, you throw on a pair of black skinny jeans, a plain black long-sleeved shirt, followed by a pair of black socks and your combat boots from Shuri. You aren’t sure how long you’ll be gone, so after making sure your ID is secure in the pocket of your shield backpack, you stuff a black zip up in just to be safe.

You meet Steve back in the kitchen to see he’d changed into a pair of blue jeans, a grey t-shirt stretched tight across his chest, layered with a green plaid flannel and a brown leather jacket on top. He’s holding a black duffle bag, and his brown leather boots squeak on the tile as he turns to face you. Nodding his approval, the two of you head to the elevator. 

Steve seems content to keep you in suspense as to your exact destination until the two of you reach the ground floor and make your way to the jet hangar. 

“Taking the jet and landing at the tower is faster than driving into the city,” Steve grins, his arm sweeping towards the Quinjet’s descended ramp and the two of you climb into the cockpit. 

“So what have you been studying this last week? Feels like every time I look in the kitchen you and Wanda are reading something,” Steve asks.

“It’s embarrassing to tell you,” you said quietly with a laugh, Steve only raising a brow, “I was reviewing the U.S constitution and founding history since most of my history has been, well, older than the US,”

Steve laughs at your reluctant admission but is an active listener as you describe your study session last night with Wanda and Shuri where what was supposed to be an eastern european history lesson turned into celebrity history and gossip. You hadn’t noticed just how much Steve’s laugh made you want to join, the rich sound setting you at ease as you made yourself comfortable in your chair. 

The flight into New York City goes by faster and smoother than you could’ve imagined. Steve still hasn’t spilled what your final destination is within the city, but you’re just excited to be out of the compound and finally experiencing the “Big Apple”.

The jet is fast and sleek as it cuts stealthily through the sky and lands on the pad at the top of the tower. Tony isn’t around today, back in Miami with Pepper for work, so the two of you head straight to the private garage of the tower. 

Sleek sports cars line almost every wall, glossy paints gleaming in the industrial lights. At the end of the row sit several motorcycles. Steve walks over to a workbench, tosses his bag on it before opening the cabinet to the right of the table and selecting a set of keys. Riffling through the bag, Steve produces a sketchpad and a brown leather pencil case.

“I’ve been meaning to shop for some new coloured pencils for a while now, thought we should make a day out of it,” Steve smiles and you grin back.

He tucks the supplies into a saddle bag on the motorcycle before grabbing a baseball cap and some aviator sunglasses and tucking them into an interior pocket of his leather jacket. Moving over to the cabinet, he pulls out a round motorcycle helmet and holds it out to you, watching as you put it on and adjust the straps until it’s comfortable. 

He goes to sit on the bike but you hold your hand up to his chest. “And where’s your helmet?” you ask, brow quirked. 

Steve just blinks at you for a moment, as if he can’t believe someone is lecturing him somehow, before sheepishly turning and grabbing a helmet. He gets himself settled on the bike before turning the key. The sleek engine roars to life, and you admire the way the reflections of the garage dance in the glossy black paint as the engine rumbles. Steve helps you get settled on the back of the bike, feet propped on the supports and arms around his waist before he slowly takes the bike towards the ramp to the streets. He clicks a button on the handlebars of his bike and the door to the garage starts to lift.

“You ready?” Steve asks over the rumblings of the engine, and the slightly cheeky tone in his voice makes you pause before nodding. 

“Ready!” you call, a tentative smile forming on your cheeks that’s quickly wiped away with a gasp as Steve revs the engine then takes off up the ramp. 

You pop out onto the street with a slight squeak of rubber, and Steve uses his left leg to steady the bike slightly before veering out into the New York streets. 

You can’t help the breathless laugh that leaves you as the two of you zip in between cars and down the streets of the city. So many sounds, different kinds of chatter, all kinds of traffic and car sounds. It’s muffled by the helmet for the moment but you can already tell the city is loud. People hopping on and off buses, loud jackhammers from a construction site on your left, yelling from several blocks over. The sun glints off the towering glass structures, shining down on the hundreds of cars and people lining the streets below. 

The phrase “concrete jungle” finally clicks into place as you try to take in the chaos of the city surrounding you. 

Eventually Steve pulls into a parking spot and cuts the engine to the bike. You hope off and the two of you stash your helmets in the saddle bag and a compartment hidden beneath one of the seats. Steve quickly slides on the baseball cap to cover his blond locks and winks at you as he pulls out the sunglasses and slips them over his nose. 

“Does this really work?” you ask, following Steve as the two of you start walking down a not too crowded street. 

“You’d be surprised what people miss when they aren’t looking for something,” Steve says, leading you around a corner and up to a small cafe. “Most people, especially in the city, are usually too busy with themselves to notice us in public. No one thinks today is the day you bump into Captain America,”

A little brass bell chimes above your head as Steve opens the door and lets you in first. 

The cafe is all exposed brick and wood beams, the smell of roasting coffee beans fills your nose as Steve directs you over to the large chalkboards hanging above the back wall. You bite your lip for a moment before you spot a tea latte menu and look to Steve excitedly while he reads about the kinds of beans the cafe is currently roasted. The two of you order your drinks, and Steve buys both of you a croissant as your beverages are made. The walls of the cafe are covered in art from all kinds of artists. There are some shelves in a corner with handmade ceramic mugs being sold along with other ceramic trinket dishes and knick knacks.

“Black coffee and London Fog with almond milk for Grant!” a barista calls out and you smirk into your croissant at the fake name as Steve grabs your drinks and the two of you make your way back out onto the streets.

“What made you go with Grant?” you ask, taking a bite out of your treat and flipping back the mouthpiece on the plastic coffee lid.

“It’s my middle name,” Steve says around a mouthful of pastry.

“Can’t have them calling out ‘Cap’ in the cafe,”

Croissant finished, you blow into the lid of your cup before taking a sip. A rich sweetness blooms across your tongue, and Steve laughs at the way your eyes widen before eagerly taking another sip.

“Glad you like it,” he chuckles into his own coffee and you beam up at him as the two of you make your way down the street. 

“Is your middle name always your alias?” you ask as Steve directs you around a corner.

“For coffee shops usually, easy to remember since it’s technically true but for undercover work no. We try to switch things up as much as we can.”

“How do you come up with them?”

“Honestly? I don’t have to usually, the team will work out a story and someone else usually comes with it. By the time an undercover case crosses my desk they usually already have most of a cover story in mind and I’m just there to fill in the blanks for the strategy parts. I have a feeling it’s Nat though, since she’s usually the one taking charge on those kinds of cases. Why? Thinking about a new name?”

“Well, Wanda said ‘Snow Fox’ should be my hero name, not a name name a while ago, but I don’t have a middle name. I don’t have family to ask or someone to name myself after so I’m at a bit of a loss as to what to choose,” you sip your latte before continuing, “I’m not even sure where to begin. ‘FX-23’ was all I had before Shuri started calling me ‘Snow Fox’, and I like it just fine, but maybe Wanda has a point. Snow Fox or FX-23 would be a little weird to hear in a cafe,” you joke. 

Steve just smiles down at you, a large, warm palm coming to rest on your shoulder. 

“I think you should choose whatever makes you feel the most like yourself. You could always start with baby name books, get a feel for what you like or don’t like. And it should go without saying but I’ll say it anyway- whatever you decide on, whatever makes you feel like you when you hear it, see it written down, that’s what the team and everyone else will call you. Whatever you decide we’ll have your back,” Steve says. 

He’s looking at you with a smile so earnest and supportive that you have to look away as the heat rises to your cheeks. You manage a small nod and a meek ‘thank you’ as the two of you continue your journey.

You’re trying hard to focus on all the little stories and tidbits Steve knows about the city, but as the two of you walk the sun seems to keep getting brighter, the noises and chatter of the city louder and louder until you’ve slowed your pace. Your eyes clenched shut as you stand in the streets, trying to breathe deeply and fend off the head ache slowly building behind your eyes. Suddenly a large hand comes to rest gently on your shoulder.

“Are you alright?” Steve asks, concern laced in his words. 

You nod, trying to focus on taking deep breaths. 

“I’m fine. It’s just bright out,” you mutter, trying to keep moving, “It’s weird but I don’t think I’m used to sunlight. I’ve always been inside in a lab, and there’s so many sounds here,” 

Steve frowns but doesn’t argue and instead directs you into a small shop you hadn’t noticed on the street corner next to you. Another bell chimes and you distantly hear Steve asking the shop owner for something while you let the quiet of the bodega calm you back down. You turn to see Steve smiling with an older lady. She was maybe five feet tall, wearing a pink, floral blouse and she had grey wisps of hair escaping from a black bun at the nape of her neck. 

“No Capitan, your money is no good here. You take what you need,” the woman is insisting and you finally notice the flush on Steve’s cheeks. 

“Ma’am it’s alright please let me pay for the glasses,”

“No mijo, my shop has been here for ten years. I remember when those things attacked our city, and how you protected us. You take the glasses and a treat, okay?” she insists, coming around the counter to pat Steve’s cheek and press a white bag of something from the heated display case on the counter. 

Steve just flushes even more red and nods. 

You grin as Steve thanks the woman for her kind words and slips several bills (you’re pretty sure you only saw fifties in the stack) on the counter when she isn’t looking as the two of you slip out of the shop. 

Steve hands you the glasses once back out on the street, and you find with some of the light dampened that the streets are far more bearable. Still too loud, but with the lights no longer overstimulating you it’s much easier to focus on Steve’s words about the history in the city. He opens the bag to discover two beef empanadas (which he fist pumps in excitement when he thinks you aren’t looking before), offering the bag to you so you can choose yours first.

The two of you walk the busy streets- sipping the last of your now cooled tea latte, eating one of the most amazing things you’ve ever eaten in your life, and weaving through the crowds. Eventually the two of you make your way to a building carved from a beautiful stone. You throw your cup away in a black metal garbage can before turning to the grey bricks. You’re not sure exactly what the building is made of and you’re so distracted with your pondering you almost miss the “Art Supply Store” sign on the tall, iron gates. 

“Welcome to the League’s Fine Art Supply Store. They have everything you could possibly need here but we’ll start with coloured pencils,” Steve smiles as you take in the store. 

“I thought we could pick up some paints here, maybe just some primary colours so you can work your way up, but the point of art is to experiment and try new things. You don’t have to have the skills to try something new,” Steve says kindly, leading you through the small store. 

You’re blown away by the sheer number of paint tubes on the walls. 

The two of you browse the different paints, brushes, and varnishes in the shop. You get stumped at the wall of moleskin journals and Steve barely hides a chuckle as you run your fingers along the spines. Eventually, you both decide on some new journals, a few tubes of acrylic paints in black, white, and the primary colours, along with a set of water colours and brushes for you to try out. With your purchases safe in a plastic shopping bag, the two of you head back out onto the streets. You start to retrace your steps back to Steve’s harley but he shakes his head and gestures the other way.

“C’mon, I’ve got some other places I wanna show you before we head back to the tower,” Steve smiles. 

You smile back, seeing as how Steve has yet to steer you wrong. You follow him down a few more streets and gasp when you see Central Park come into view.

Steve just grins as he takes in your awe, thrilled to have picked another place you seem so excited about. The two of you get hot dogs from a passing cart, and take your snacks to a nearby bench where you both can people-watch while you eat. The guy running the cart was a little shocked when the two of you had rolled up and ordered five hotdogs each, but the temporary judgement on his face was entirely forgotten as the two of you polished off the rest of your lunch.

“Y’know, I’m so glad you guys get being hungry all the time. Like don’t get me wrong, I don’t go hungry at the compound, but man is it nice to not be the only one still eating,” you say, mouth partially full of your second hot dog.

Steve just snorts.

“Trust me I get it. I’m hungry literally all of the time. I’m just lucky that you can order food so conveniently at the compound, such a blessing,” Steve retorts, polishing off his second hot dog before offering you another. 

“It’s just another surreal thing, if I let myself sit with the thought too long it blows me away. There’s food at the touch of a button, I can have as much sugar in my coffee as I like, the flavours in food now, y’know we used to boil everything,” Steve says as he wipes his mouth with a napkin, ”I can’t tell you how amazed I was going to a Costco- you know what Costco is right? Well Sam was the one who took us for the first time. He reactivated his membership just to take Bucky and I once. We couldn’t believe the crates of fruit. It was February! And oh- the candy aisle?” 

You dissolve into more giggles as Steve tells you more about adjusting when he woke up in a new millennium and the two of you finish your meal. 

Once everything is eaten and your garbage in a nearby bin, the two of you sit and soak in the atmosphere of the park. Steve cracks open one of his new sketchbooks and begins drawing the outline of the fountain across from the hotdog cart in the center of the circular clearing the two of you had found your free bench in. You, however, are completely entranced by all the people walking past. 

You’ve mentioned your love of people-watching in the past, and Steve seems content to just sit and sketch with you and allow you your fill of observing. The weather is nice but there’s definitely still a little bite in the air. Being in the sun is warm today and New Yorkers seem buzzing to get their fill of sunshine but the sharpness in the breeze seems to slowly be corralling them out of the park. 

Eventually, the wind picks up and begins to thwart Steve’s attempts at drawing (the outline of the space he’d created was so impressive to you that you made him take a picture of your view from the bench so that he could finish if when you got back) so the two of you pack up and make your way out of the park. You come out of the park on the opposite side and decide to walk the streets back to the bike. You’re about a block away before Steve’s arm catched your elbow. “Oh wait, we gotta check out this shop, Snow Fox. You’re gonna love it,” Steve insists, pulling you down a different street. 

You can’t believe this side of Steve. 

It’s not that he isn’t kind and caring at the compound, the day he taught you to box comes to mind, but today he seems extra concerned with making sure you’re enjoying yourself. It’s sweet and you wonder if Steve has anyone that cares this much about him back. 

“I found this shop a few years ago and they’re great. It’s all second hand books and the owners are so sweet. Joan and Dianna always stock the best titles,” Steve rambles, telling you about the first time he stumbled into the store to get out of the rain and wound up talking with the manager for almost an hour about classic literature (and her wife).

All you can focus on while you enter the shop is the smell, the worn scent of old books strikes you from every angle, warm and comforting. You hear someone greet Steve as the two of you enter and you turn to see one of the most beautiful women you’ve ever seen. Her hair is a beautiful arrangement of blue, black, and purple braids piled on the top of her head and secured with a colourful silk scarf. Her skin is a beautiful deep umber, and her amber eyes are so warm you force yourself to look away and at the counter she’s sat behind.

“Hiya Cap! Looking for anything specific today?”

“Hey Dianna, great to see you! No thank you, just browsing today. How are Joan and the kids?” 

The two of them get lost in a conversation as you start to browse the shelves. 

The whole store is lined with and filled with book shelves, but the shelves aren’t so close that you feel claustrophobic. You hear Steve chatting with Dianna, something about a ballet recital, and you assume they’re occupied with each other while your eyes wander the well-loved spines.  They seem to be organized broadly by genre- romance, mystery, fantasy. But the sections seemed to change at random, sometimes from shelf to shelf and you find yourself in what you assume is their science fiction area. There are some glow in the dark stars stuck to the wooden shelves and someone’s taped a little alien head to the back of the display, peeking out at you from above a couple books. 

You’d been wanting to branch out in your reading since you’d largely been focused on educational reading and while you loved it, you needed something to “cleanse your palette” so to speak between books. Eventually, a big orange book with the word ‘Dune’ catches your eye and you pluck it off the shelf. The reviews on the back state it's a science fiction classic and you see if it was published in the sixties. Deciding a book that old could be a fun place to start your sci-fi journey, you take it to the counter where Steve is cooing over Dianna’s phone. Based on the grainy music you assume he’s catching the performance and wait politely before she spots you.

“Great choice! We’ve got all the sequels too if you enjoy that one,” Dianna smiles, leaving her phone with Steve and letting him fawn while she rings you up.

“That’ll be $27.62 after tax, cash or card hun?”

“Oh! I got it!” Steve says, rushing over to hand Dianna her phone back and pull out a black card. 

“Actually, Stark’s got it, You sure you don’t want anything else?” Steve asks with a cheeky wink and you roll your eyes. 

“I’m ok but thank you. Thank you for the book, you have a lovely store” you say as Dianna waves.

“Thanks! Come back anytime,” she calls as you and Steve exit the shop and make your way back to Steve’s harley. 

The two of you stow your purchases in the saddle bags and head back to the tower. Once you get back and the bike is parked in the garage, the two of you quickly divy the art supplies. Steve’s in his duffle bag and yours in your shield backpack after you put your hoodie on. The clattering of paint bottles against the books on your back left you feeling giddy as the two of you then make your way back up via elevator and get settled into the Quinjet. 

“Thank you so much for today, Steve,” you say once the jet’s engines are humming and Steve begins the maneuver to take off and head back. “It was amazing to see the city, somewhere so famous and I got to really be there! I had so much fun today, thank you,” 

You watch Steve beam in the reflection of the windshield. 

“Of course Snow Fox. And I meant what I said about that too. I don’t know what you’ll choose, but I’m sure whatever name you decide for yourself will be beautiful,” 

You grin and while you mean to ask Steve more about himself and the team, you must doze off looking at the lights of the city below you because before you know it you’re jolting awake at the feeling of a hand on your shoulder.

“Sorry, I called out but you were pretty out of it,” Steve says with a small smile and you shake your head with a yawn. 

The two of you head back up to the main floor where Sam, Wanda, and Vision are crowded around the kitchen table covered in chinese food. 

“Hey you two! We didn’t know when you’d be back so we ordered take out,” Sam greets you both with a grin as he gestures at the table with an open container of noodles.

The two of you join the team and you tell Sam and Wanda all about the things you saw while Steve sits back in his chair, face full of pride. Dinner is a relatively quick affair and once you’re full Wanda drags you back to her room so the two of you can call Shuri again. Her test was tomorrow and you knew she just wanted to unwind before bed so that she’d dream about something else other than the exam. 

You’re lounging on the floor against Wanda’s bed, propped up on pillows while Wanda lays on her stomach with her feet at the head of the bed when Shuri answers your call.

“Snow Fox! It’s so good to see you!” Shuri beams. 

Her hologram via kimoyo beads projects her from the shoulders up and the two of you gesture kissing each other on both cheeks.

“Hi Shuri! I have SO much to tell you about the city!” you gush, Wanda grinning and waving from her place on the bed behind you, “We took the Quinjet to the tower, then we took Steve’s motorcycle to the city center and went to an art store and I got so many paints! We got free empanadas from a lady that pinched Steve’s cheeks in a corner store, I saw 67 dogs-”

“Oh wow Snow you had a better day than me for sure!” Shuri says with a laugh.

“Oh sorry, is now a bad time?”

Shuri shakes her head, but her posture betrays her.

“No, just some disappointing results in the lab. We’re trying to recreate the purple heart again, and I’m still not making any headway,” you winced knowing how significant the flower was to Shuri and the people of Wakanda.

“I’m sorry Shuri, I know you’re doing your best. I’m sure you’ll get it eventually,” you smile and Shuri takes a deep breath before smiling back at you.

“Me too. Now what kinds of dogs were they?” 

You’re all too happy to gush over the different breeds you saw today walking around, Wanda chiming in occasionally to help you with a breed name if you couldn’t remember it, and the three of you eventually begin talking about Steve.

“It’s so weird, it’s like he was really worried about me having fun today, but not like you or Sam would be. He’s such a hover parent? Is that the right phrase? He made me put on a helmet but was fully going to get on that bike without one himself,”

Wanda let out a dry chuckle.

“Yeah that sounds like him. Totally worried about the safety of everyone else,”

“It sounds like he really is a boy scout, huh?” Shuri jokes and you laugh but shake your head.

“No it’s something else, I don’t know how to explain it. Not like I have any basis or comparison for this, but it’s what I think a Dad would be like?” you try to explain before Wanda erupts into giggles.

“Oh my gosh he totally is the Dad friend. We’ve teased him about it before, I wasn’t there but apparently he told Tony “language” over the comms once a few years ago?” Shuri let out a snort at that.

“But he’s totally the ‘Team Dad’. Nat’s a little like my ‘Team Mom’ but she’s still a little too scary to say that too,” Wanda admits prompting a laugh from you and Shuri.

“He said that the team would support me if I decided to change to a name name not ‘FX-23’ or Snow Fox. It was a little overwhelming, but he was so supportive it was really nice. Not that you guys aren’t!” you rush to explain but Shuri waves a hand. 

“I get it, it’s different. He’s the leader of your team, not your best friends,” She says with an easy smile and a gesture towards Wanda who beams.

“He said I should start with baby books,” you say and Shuri and Wanda both nod. 

Wanda grabs her laptop and slides to the floor next to you while Shuri’s projection moves to show her body at a standing desk flicking through a tablet.

“Okay top baby names for girls in 2017,” Wanda says.

“I’ve got top baby girl names for the decade so we can expand,” Shuri chimes in and you beam, so grateful for your friends and the support in your life. 

“Serena?”

“Asha?”

“Asterid?”

“Imani?”

“Oh that’s pretty!” Wanda exclaims, “What about Imogen?”

The girls continue throwing names at you and you try to keep up, smiling and shaking your head politely at each suggestion.

“Lucille,”

“Aaliyah,”

“Charlotte?”

“Athena,”

“Wow we’re really on a roll with the A’s,” Wanda jokes.

“Well they are usually at the top of lists,”

“It’s ok if we don’t find it tonight,” you finally say with a laugh.

“C’mon this is fun! Maybe it won’t click tonight, but you can sleep on all these options and maybe you’ll know later,” Shuri says, her projection shaking a tiny tablet at you prompting more laughter.

You let the girls continue, thinking to yourself you’ll give them another five, ten minutes tops before you head to bed when Shuri says one that suddenly sticks out.

“Wait, what was that last one?” you ask, 

Shuri repeats it and you feel it out on your own tongue.

“Something is special about that one, isn’t it?” Wanda asks knowingly and you nod, looking at the floor in a slight daze. 

You really didn’t think you’d find a name you actually liked tonight, but you hear Wanda repeating it and you look up at her and suddenly it clicks into place for you. 

That’s what you want to be called. 

It makes you feel like yourself, your true self. 

It sounds like someone who wasn’t designed to be the perfect killer, but someone who could be so much more. 

Someone who could be whatever she wants to be if she can just be brave enough to chase it. 

You tune back into the video call where Wanda and Shuri’s little projection are watching you with an indescribable warmth and you smile. Wanda, having slid her laptop onto the floor, turns and opens her arms to you.

“Welcome to the team, Y/N,”

You waste no time wrapping your arms around her in excitement, Shuri’s laughter over the call echoing through the room. 

Next Chapter ______________________________

A/N: Wow I hope you liked this chapter! I hope the way I incorporated a name for the reader was alright, and I really hope you come back for the next one!

[veloravisuals]

Capturing the Market: The Power of Real Estate Photos and Drone Photography!

In the digital real estate market, it is not only important but also essential. The customers often decide on the homes that will be available according to online lists. This means your photos are first - and sometimes only to create an impression. While traditional realistic photographs remain essential, drone photograph becomes a change of play, with the potential to fill a single and perfect subject. Professional photos with immovable and drone immobilizing pictures, catching the perfect image can make the most of the high difference and pinning of a property.

Real Estate Photosare the cornerstone of each list of properties. High-quality photos equate the best features at home to create an emotional attraction, and offer a clear history of what you buy when an agent could take some quick photos with a Smartphone and call a day. Now the professional photograph is considered indispensable. Brief property pictures cover a range of main spaces - bath, rooms, and external chambers. Lighting, angles, and scenes are essential in presenting the house in the best possible light.

Professional photographers understand how these elements create images, not just as ambitious but also for professional use. The best real estate photos combine traditional photography with drone views. An interval integer gives buyers a detailed home layout and design layout, while the aircraft of air offers a context and a wow factor. To influence strategic photography in the visual narrative of a property, real estate agents can create a more extreme shot and make it convenient for potential operations.

Why Drone Real Estate Photography Matters?

The Drone Real Estate Photography can include vertical images that reflect the limits of property. This improves the list and helps potential buyers understand the scale and the household of the edge of the education. There are many reasons why immobilized photography has become a hot trend in the industry. A bird's look can make a bigger, cleaner, and more visually attractive house. Put the whole property in perspective, especially when the presentation equipment such as hourglass, pools, or very hectares.

Drone photography can improve the views of parks, schools, and facilities for commercial properties. The best real estate photography combines traditional photography with drone views. An interval integer gives buyers a detailed home layout and design layout, while the aircraft of air offers a context and a wow factor. To influence strategic photography in the visual narrative of a property, real estate agents can create a more extreme shot and make it convenient for potential operations.

The Rise of Drone Real Estate Photography

This is especially valuable in peripheral lists where the vicinity of community characteristics is essential to the buyers. Sequencing can create an immersive property video combining aerial and internal. Real Estate Drone Photography is ideal for social media promotion, websites, and YouTube ads. Including the drone photograph in a list displays professionalism and attention to the highest details, which can increase the perception of property and real estate.

Some areas have flight restrictions, and a license can be necessary. The wind and rain can impact the drones, so the film planning for the movie predictions is essential. Provided responsibility is firmly recommended for drone operators to cover as much as possible to prevent accidents. That's why many real estate professionals are the best photographers rather. An approved professional platform like Velora Visualsprovides technical knowledge, consulting, and creative knowledge.

Conclusion

In a rapid digital era, where buyers wait for high-quality visual and immersive photographs, it has become more than a strategic phenomenon. At the same time, traditional photos serve as a basic picture of drone real estate, adding an enchanting layer that can bring properties to a plump market. In a competitive market, where buyers move tens, houses with high-quality photos receive much more attention and engagement. The property of drone photography uses air-handled vehicles with high-resolution cameras to capture excellent-class views and video equipment. These views offer a wider and more dynamic perspective on their wealth and environment.

[aversiteespabilas]

I've been summoned yet again!!

I LOVELOVELOVE all the illustrations you've been doing for SL and ROTMR and I've returned to yell at you about it 💗💗

first i wanna talk about the illustration you made for the first chapter of SL. I wanna be not normal about framing real quick, because it struck me as a very specific artistic choice. Our perspective as the audience is placed outside the main setting. Literally. we're peeking through bushes.

we are Not a part of the scene currently unfolding. You could have very easily framed the scene to feel more like Yusuke's pov, but you chose not to. In the written version we're very much reading from Yusuke's perspective, but the audience is never Truly seeing through his eyes, it's not a i/me situation. The audience sort of looks over his shoulder. which, in the illustrated version of the scene, is exactly the position the audience is placed in!

I like that Testuya's gaze isn't on *us, this is a moment between them and them alone. It feels intimate. We're outsiders looking in on a story we have no place in. but ur so gawd darn good at this shit that it doesn't change the power and connection i feel as a viewer. Anyways, all that's to say, I think the connection you made between the two mediums was really neat and very well done. Infinite kudos!! 

NEXT!! the most recent one you did

i mean. WOW. what a way to visualize tension!! I love how the rabbits are framed by the broken glass, it looks like they're trapped. they're walking on glass but scratch that bc the glass is already broken and unless they wanna cut up their toe beans they have to be veryyy careful. 

Also, i love the silly little background yokai they're all so rise coded i love them sosososo much! The little wormy dude? he's literally the love of my life, i'm obsessed with him 

on the topic of background stuff, ny is TRASHED. (referring to the illustration you posted for ROTMR chap. 2) 

I knew there was a ton of rubble and destruction but i don't think i really digested the implications of it all. the purple veins choking metal and concrete? the strong buildings trusted by new yorkers to shelter and protect reduced to unrecognizable rubble?? It evokes such a feeling of horror…and considering possible real world events that may or may not be canon in ROTMR, it hits Really close to home. the whole ordeal is just such a terrible trauma.

on a lighter note, the puppies are adorable as ever! I enjoyed them so much on your cover art for the fic and it's such a treat to see the puppers closer up. I actually love this scene, it's so goofy! poor yuki is concerned for todd's safety on SO many levels 😭😭

Also, i have to bring it up every time, I love the paw shapes 🥺

i love all your shapes but im a BIG fan of the rabbit shapes. They're so rabbity i'm obsessed!!!!!! the ears and the paws get me every time 🥺🙏

and i never mentioned your drawings from a while back, i yelled at Rhin about it at the time but they Just reblogged ur tetsutoshi thingy and i got blown away all over again AWWOOOGA HUF HUF WOOF WOOF WOOF!!!! im never gonna get over it!! All your little spicys are great 😭😭🙏 

I dont think any of us are getting past the furry porn allegations. 💀

And while i'm on the subject of spicy tetsutoshi, the new chapter of H&H was BEYOND phenomenal!! It was SO worth the wait, you put your whole soul into that thing 😭🙏 

I honestly haven't fully collected my thoughts on it, there's so much to digest and think about. I might invade ur ao3 inbox sometime soon but i just wanna let u know that i at least read it

anyways, back into the abyss i go, I'm fully submerged in the sand box, you guys buried me under the sand and placed a makeshift flag on the mountain of sand covering my body. lots of hugs and kisses, until next time!!

- 😎

WELCOME BACK SUNNYYYY

The way I just JUMPED from my bed this morning when I saw I had an ask from you HIIIII OMG

My Illustration Era is afoot buddy! Listen, I have a to-draw list that lately just keeps getting full of composition and background ideas for specific scenes and what am I supposed to do about it? NOT deliver??

It's just. I feel like I found it, I found a winning formula for creating immersive ambience that involves having at least three layers of objects (foreground, background, and the characters), and it's funny how by adding that bit of distance from the characters, that "obstacle", suddenly the audience acknowledges they're there, like there's a camera they could move in the space. Plus the blur effect, it creates some DELIGHTFUL pictures, and I've been exploring the potential of that method in as many creative ways as I can find with these scenes! Might not be long until I try to tackle landscapes... Myself from a year ago would be so proud...

For SL Chapter 1 my original idea was actually very different. I was thinking of putting the camera well above both of them, inspired by that line that says their ancestors and Grandfather Jotaro are watching them from the wooden beams. In the end I decided against it cause it was a weird angle to find reference for, cause they'd look a bit awkward from above and mostly cause I realized I was particularly interested in showing Tetsuya's face, since in SL this is the lasting impression of Tetsuya that's going to linger throughout the entire fic, and I wanted the viewer to have a clear look at the person we're talking about. The resulting composition was not as "confrontational" as I had originally intended, it actually feels more intimate and warm, although I did make use of sharp light and shadows to create more tension. I feel like it does work in service to the fic as a whole, though 😌 And Rhin also mentioned that "outside looking in" vibe! It plays within the character-centric, present tense third person that Rhin's narration uses, although of course I'm not planning for all the illustrations to be from over Yusuke's shoulder. I'm kind of approaching it like I would movie scenes! This is Yusuke's movie and we'll need to see his face too from time to time adgsffs

Like with the Chapter 5 art! I really really wanted to have a clear view of all three characters, so I was thinking of an interesting and dynamic way to see all of them confronting the oni. Then I got the idea of the broken glass! I was very excited to see what it would look like framed with that transparency. I also had a lot of fun with the little marketplace yokai, finally those weird critter doodles I made on the corners of high school notes can come in handy- Admittedly, it's not exactly the big crowd I was envisioning? But it gets the point across that they're not the only people there.

Regarding ROTMR Chapter 2, oh boy I feel you. With this one I wanted to achieve a sort of contrast between the destruction and the cute comedic puppy rescue moment, which would reflect the duality of that scene and, in a way, the fic itself. I wanted the environment to accurately represent how messed up everything is, cause it really does hit different when you're seeing it in a picture. I actually took reference from the Rise movie, and how New York actually looked during the krang invasion, and was kind of surprised at how much utter destruction is depicted, including the pink/purple goo EVERYWHERE. In contrast with the bleak nighttime setting of the movie, though, this scene is set in broad daylight, so you can see the goo and the buildings and the dusty environment very clearly, but there's also an intended air of calm and you can see a bit of construction going on in the background. The danger has passed, and they're going through the recovery stage now. I'm actually very proud of the puppy designs, they're such cute little goobers, and especially had a lot of fun with the curly haired one- Just a mop hopping across krang rubble don't worry about it.

COME BE SO INCREDIBLY NORMAL ABOUT RABBIT PAWS WITH MEEEE every single time I draw them I imbue in them all the insanity I feel from not being able to touch them. Fantasy is a cruel, cruel mistress my friend.

I'M SO SO HAPPY WITH THAT SPICY TETSUTOSHI, I was taking pose reference from a photograph but dang, I didn't imagine it turning out SO pretty and on-model, I couldn't even decide on which palette to use with it, which is why I just posted two versions. Fun fact, the ref actually didn't have clothing, but I decided to add clothes after the fact cause get this: ruffled clothing actually makes the whole thing so much more sensual. Just trust me on this, it suddenly made everything x10 times better. Listen, the posing gets you in the moment, but the clothing is the story. It tells you where those hands have been before and what they've done. Same with the places where fur is ruffled. This is one of the reasons I don't often draw the strands of fur on my rabbits (even though I love doing it), cause I want them to be purposeful when I do draw them, to really convey that idea of untidyness. AND SO I CONTINUE ON MY QUEST TO DRAW STUFF I WISH TO TOUCH- ahem ahem

Gosh I'm so completely OVERJOYED that you're liking H&H, that one's a bit of a drama fest compared to ROTMR but it's truly a labor of love, I put all the care I possibly can in crafting every chapter. I'm aware my chapters are very chonky and intense, they're full stories more than they are individual scenes; I think that's a style that suits me well, but I also know it's a bit of a daunting task to discuss them in length. Just knowing that you're sticking with us in our madness makes me so warm and fuzzy inside 💕💕💕💕 I treasure every comment and I love you FOREVER!! Pop in anytime so I can infodump at you some more! 🥰