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cosmogyros · 3 days ago

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language-learning advice from a pro

(I started writing this post just now as a message to a friend who asked for language-learning advice. But I’m a GIANT NERD when it comes to language learning, so it got wayyy too long to be a message. So I’m posting it here in the hopes that it might help others as well. I have not edited this or even read through it all yet – it just poured straight out of my fingers – so please let me know if you spot any typos!)

Okay, first of all, there are two parts to language learning: active learning and passive exposure. You can choose to do only one or the other, but you’ll have the most success if you do both.

ACTIVE LEARNING

Active learning is pretty much what it sounds like: actively focusing on the language, learning new words, sounds, phrases, idioms, etc. It’s often centered around a textbook, sometimes with accompanying audio, but you can do active learning in other ways too. For example, you can read a news article online and check a dictionary for every word you don’t know. Or do the same thing with a foreign film – when you hear a word you don’t know (or see it in the subtitles), pause the movie and look it up.

Active learning makes you progress fast, but it also tires out your brain and overwhelms it with new information, making it easier to forget things you’ve already learned. That’s why it’s best to space out your active learning sessions and fill the gaps with passive exposure.

PASSIVE EXPOSURE

The goal of passive exposure is for your brain to randomly encounter words and phrases it learned recently and go “Hey! I recognize that!” This is SO important not only for reviewing and consolidating your memory, but also keeping up your motivation! If the only place you ever encounter your TL (target language) is in your textbook, on some subconscious level your brain will think it’s not that important… because after all, you never encounter it out there in the real world, do you?

Passive exposure can include any of the following and much more: listening to music in your TL; watching a movie in your TL (either with English subs, or with no subs at all and just don’t worry if you don’t understand everything that’s going on); skim-reading a book or a short story or a news article or a blog post in your TL and looking for words you recognize, even if you can’t 100% remember what they mean; finding speakers of your TL in real life and eavesdropping on them; watching instructional YouTube videos or short documentaries in your TL (the visuals ought to help you understand some of what’s going on, even if there are no subtitles); etc.

The idea is to let your TL wash over you without straining your brain at all. Zero effort, just relaxation and fun. You will inevitably notice and understand a few words or phrases, and that percentage will increase as time goes on, but you’re not actively studying when you’re doing passive exposure. Remember the two things you’re trying to achieve with passive exposure: 1) effortless review/practice, by inevitably re-encountering some stuff you’ve already learned; 2) reminding your brain that this language is a real cool thing out there in the world, not just a boring chore located in a textbook.

But there are also two more extremely important benefits to passive exposure that are drastically neglected by most language-learners: 3) picking up the correct pronunciation and accent; 4) gaining an instinct for natural, native-sounding language.

These are two things you will not learn in a language class or from a textbook. You can’t learn them except by doing a LOT of listening and reading in your TL. But the good news is that it doesn’t need to be the “Active Learning” kind of reading and listening; it can absolutely be the “Passive Exposure” kind, and you will still pick this stuff up.

The most important thing, above all else, is to figure out a method of passive exposure that works for YOU personally. This means: do NOT force yourself to repeatedly do something that you don’t enjoy, because you won’t benefit from it. To pick the right method, think of your interests and the things you like to do in your free time: watching movies? reading books? listening to music? writing in your journal? surfing the internet? You can do any of this in your TL, too. Yes, you will encounter a lot of stuff you don’t understand at the beginning. But A) that’s good for you, it helps you learn patience, which every language-learner needs, and B) the internet has free translation tools everywhere you look.

COMBINING BOTH

Personally, I like to pick a well-respected textbook with accompanying audio (Assimil is my favorite; Teach Yourself and Colloquial can also be very good, especially the older editions; Linguaphone used to be fantastic but I’m not sure if it’s still around) and work my way through it, doing one lesson per day if possible. That takes only about 10 to 20 minutes, so that leaves a lot of time for passive exposure. My preferred method is listening to music (I learned a good 50% of my German from just obsessively listening to German pop music in high school), but here are some other things I like to do:

find an internet talk radio station in my TL and put it on in the background

same deal with a podcast

translate a few keywords related to my favorite hobbies/interests into the TL and then paste that text into YouTube and watch random videos in my TL

read a news article in English, and then find a news website in my TL and see if I can find an article about the same topic in that language

watch bad reality TV or soaps in my TL with no subtitles, just trying to guess what’s going on from context

etc.

No Duolingo. No Rosetta Stone. (I’ve written a whole post about the latter here.) You don’t need to spend any money at all, though if you e.g. use a pirated resource to learn and find that it really helps you, I strongly suggest buying it from the original producer after the fact, to say thank you.

MEMORIZATION

This is very much a “YMMV” piece of advice, but: if you’re having trouble memorizing stuff, just don’t. Don’t bother trying to remember anything. Remember that “passive exposure” bit? It does a lot of the heavy lifting in terms of memory. If you keep bumping into the same word or phrase over and over again, you will incorporate it into your body of knowledge almost effortlessly. Of course this is easier with more common words that turn up again and again – but you’d be surprised how well you can get by, especially at the lower levels, with only the more common words!

Intentionally memorizing vocabulary can of course be very beneficial, so there’s nothing wrong with it. But I notice that it’s often one of the biggest pain points for language learners, and I believe language learning should be pain-free.

FROM INPUT TO OUTPUT

Once you’ve gotten a good grasp of the basics of the language, a really effective way to consolidate the knowledge you’ve gained is to use it actively and creatively yourself, in speech or writing (or ideally both!). For speaking practice, besides simply making friends who are native speakers of the language, you can search for a physical or virtual tandem. This is when you meet up with someone who’s a native speaker of your TL and is trying to learn your own language. You can meet for, say, an hour, and chat together for half an hour in your native language, and then half an hour in their native language. So both of you benefit!

Don’t underestimate talking to yourself, too. Whether it’s narrating your actions, complaining to your pet (okay, I guess that’s not technically “talking to yourself”), or simply having an imaginary conversation with someone else, it’s actually a good way to practice.

I also really enjoy writing in my journal in my target languages. The act of hand-writing a word does a lot to help me remember it. If you like writing, of course, you could also look up penpals who speak your TL.

And that’s about it. As always, I am more than willing to answer specific questions on language learning, as this is something of a specialty of mine and I absolutely love to help other folks get started on their own language-learning journeys. Please feel free to drop me a line if you need any concrete advice or are struggling with some aspect of your current language-learning efforts!

#language #languages #language learning #learning languages #langblr #cosmo gyres #i am a dormant giant when it comes to this shit hahaha #i've been accumulating knowledge in this area for a couple of decades now and rarely get any chance to share it #so it genuinely makes my day when i get to share some tips and help folks out #language learning should not be scary! it should be fun! and more people should do it :D

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blogficsesp · 3 days ago

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I'll be waiting (ch. 4)

Prev |

When a wound puts you in the way of your almost ex-husband, the months without talking are over and perhaps it is the opportunity to resume your marriage or end it.

*English is not my first language

*Sorry for medical inaccuracies

Chapter 4

After the exams, you were waiting for Robby. The pain was bearable, but you wanted this to end. You were never good at waiting, and the messages on your phone about work related stuff were ending your patience. You heard a noise and raised your eyes.

“Hey, y/n, how everything is going here? Are we making your visit pleasant?”

You laughed at Dana’s salute. “Yes, of course, the best scores for all of you, especially for you”.

Dana came close, sat on the bed with you, and touched your hand. “It’s good to see you, even in these circumstances”.

You smiled to her, “I hope the next time will be with some wine and dinner.”

She smiled wider, “Of course, but first, have you talk to the police?”

You knew that it was required to talk to the police, the assault to medical personnel was a big problem, and it was important to file a complaint. “Not yet, but the security staff already talk with the police when they came for the dad, I think that they would contact me soon.”

She got up still with a little concern in her eyes. “OK, do you need anything?”

You took a breath and smiled. “Yes, get out of here”.

Both of you laughed. “Soon. See you later”.

While you were waiting, Robby was exiting trauma 2 with Collins by his side.

“I heard y/n is here, is she ok?”

Robby was still anxious but thanked that the staff was worried about you. Heather was now a dear friend, her heart always so big that when she knew about you and Robby, only said “you fit like a glove” and smiled.

“Yes, she is here, probably only a dislocated shoulder. In fact, I’m going to see if the results are ready…”

Robby approached the station and, on a tablet, reviewed your file, the results of the tests were ready, confirming his diagnosis.

“Yes, just the shoulder.”

Collins nodded. “Do you need help?”

Robby smiled. “No, thanks. Perlah could do it with me. Remined me, when the new guys would come?”

Collins knew that welcoming the new students and interns was not the favorite part of the day for Robby, even though he was a good teacher. “In two days”.

Robby started to walk to where Perlah was, still talking to Collins. “Right, well, this was a good case to learn, but whatever, shame on them to not be here now”.

Both laughed and parted ways.

After the reduction, Robby was putting you in a sling. “It would be a little difficult to make your daily activities, but everything will be alright in a couple of weeks, if something doesn’t feel right, call me or come here, we could check it out, ok, sweetheart?”

You were looking at your hand. “I was wondering how I’m going to work with my dominant hand restricted”

Robby looked at you like you were saying odd things. “Work? That’s what worries you?”

You nodded, if there was anything you two were alike in, it was that you both liked your work very much. “Yes, Robby. I need to work”.

“No, you need to rest. I’m sure someone can do your work while you recover.”

You looked at him, a little angry because if someone’s gonna lecture you about proper rest, it will not be Robby, the workaholic.

“We have a lot of work; the social service department is understaffed like everything around here. I cannot put that burden on someone else. You know how it is.”

Silently, Perlah got out, she liked to gossip, but this was an argument that she didn’t want to take part.

“Please, hear your doctor’s advice. If you don’t wanna listen to me, talk to Abbot, or I can bring you Collins or Mohan. They would say the same. I will bring Kiara, you can arrange something. Or I will call Gloria.”

You were surprised, Robby talking willingly to Gloria? Yeah, when the hell freezes.

“Robby, it’s not up to you”.

It was the turn of Robby to look surprised. He took a step back, but didn’t change his argument.

“Look, I know that I don’t have a word about your life anymore, but what you been through it’s not normal and you need to take some time off, please.”

You looked at each other for almost a minute in silence. You knew that he was worried about you, as a doctor and as a co-worker.

“I will talk to Gloria, maybe I could stay at home today and tomorrow, that’s all the time I’m willing to take.”

You committed to that, not giving up another inch. Robby swiped the back of his hand across his forehead.

“Ok, at least take those days off. But really rest, please.”

You half smiled at him. “Yes, of course. But I need to do laundry, cook, you know, the normal things.”

Before his brain had time to think about it, he answered you. “I could bring you something to eat now and later I can bring you dinner.”

Both were surprised by his offer. Dinner? After so many months without talking?

But the love that you still have for Robby was bigger than your fears and doubts.

“Well, in that case, sure. You can bring me dinner and give me a sandwich while my papers are ready.”

Both of you smiled, and there was a gleam in his eyes that you had missed.

He started to walk backwards. “Right, a sandwich is on the way.”

You laughed and waited for him.

You were dressed and ready to go to talk to Gloria. So, you walked to the nurse station to say goodbye to Dana. “I’m going upstairs, just wanna say bye.”

She came close to you and gave you a light hug. “Everything is well between Robby and you? Perlah said that you were fighting.”

You puffed. “We weren’t fighting, it was a little exchange of arguments. Nothing serious. But yes, we are fine. We weren’t on the same page about my rest, but we made a deal, and everything is as well as it can be.”

She laughed at you. “Sure, honey. Oh, and, lo and behold, your husband!”

Behind you, you felt Robby’s presence.

“Well, it was a pleasure talking to you, Dana, as always.”

She laughed while you turned around to see Robby.

“I’m going to talk to Gloria, already talked with my co-workers to organize the activities.”

“Good, let me walk you to the elevator.”

He put his hand on your waist, and while you were walking, every sound of the ED fades away. The only thing that you could feel was the warmth of his hand, his perfume and his voice. When the doors of the elevator opened, you stepped in.

“Thanks, Robby, see you later?”

“Sure, I’ll bring you your favorite pizza.”

And that promise filled you with butterflies. Maybe, just maybe things can change.

______________________

Taglist: @emma8895eb @li22ie2017

#dr robby x reader #michael robinavitch x reader #the pitt

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wordy-little-witch · 15 hours ago

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Soooooo..... I've seen some stuff floating around about some of Moon's old behaviors/mannerisms creeping back, and I DO AGREE

However!

I have two ideas regarding it.

1) a natural touch point on mental health stuff - people can and do backslide. It happens. It's even a normal thing, especially when you're in stressful situations, new unknown territory, or for whatever reason in a position where you naturally fall back on ingrained habits - good or bad.

Moon may well be backsliding due to many factors, and I think it would be a good source of discussion on mental health stuff if that were addressed or touched upon. It can reaffirm boundaries, reassess needs/desires, and even touch on what can be done/changed moving forward to account for such things

And, as a fanfic writer and a lover of angst, that leads me to:

2) Moon is falling into bad habits, and eventually he may slip further. This can go one of a few ways that I think would be meaningful.

• this new dimension knows NOTHING about everyone's pasts. As a result, how do you think the other animatronics would react to witnessing Moon lose his temper on Sun, the one they are arguably closest to/most familiar with due to proximity? And as a shipper, how would NovaFrost react to learning about this, if they had a slowly growing crush? Oh ho ho~ I'm so normal, don't ask about my ideas-

• TERRA 👏 AND 👏 SUN 👏 CONTENT 👏 ((Bonus points for everyone being SHOCKED by what Moon used to actually, genuinely be like - and then addressing consequences, accountability, and ACTUAL FREAKING THERAPY MAYBE)) ((((Additional points that touch on Cosmos having KNOWN this, having KNOWN of the parallels between his relationship with Eclipse and Sun with Moon, and STILL NOT ADDRESSING IT bc honestly? Yeah I have OPINIONS on that))))

• Moon hits Sun. And Dazzle sees it happen. Sun is by no means a passive doormat anymore, but he's willing to offer grace - except when it could impact his daughter. And he will NOT raise her around that behavior, he REFUSES.

Money is tight. They can't just live at the pizzeria, there are no bunkers here, and shelters are human-exclusive. Who does Sun know that has space, relative stability, and a place - nay, a haven - for people like him...?

Dark Sun takes Sun and Dazzle in, though it is one sidedly icy and clipped, albeit polite and grateful. And it's... it's nice. It's actually wonderful. And Dark Sun is a Sun himself - he does not lie, doesn't maliciously withhold information or gatekeep pointlessly. He answers any questions Sun has, and for those that he can't or won't, he explains why.

Sun meets others - some like him, some different, all Suns with more than a few accompanying souls who have made this place a home.

I'll be so honest, the last one is reeeaaally tempting to make a story for. Like... hnnnngghh-!!!!! I have SO MANY IDEAS!!!!!

But yeah at the end of the day, the whole thing with Moon could be generic loosey-goosey psychology stuff (explanation, not excuse!!!!), or it could be something BIG - and any writers like me will be double fisting this small nugget of experience with A VENGEANCE

#tsams #the sun and moon show #tsams sun #tsams moon #tsams dazzle #ah yes the endless yearnings of a writer #i am mclosing it captain #crackships #hehehehe #i have so many ideas

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iknowiknowiknowtheend · 3 days ago

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HOLY THIS POST IS ALMOST 4 YEARS OLD. okay i need it out mydrafts

new friends !

based off this post

extras bc I love that shit-

to pass the time in the beginning, techno would let dream try to braid his hair and just talk ab random stuff. Greek mythology most commonly.

when The Simps (wil and Michael) showed up to free Dream and their plans were foiled, despite being Dream’s simps- Dream made them go sit in the corner. wil pulled a pack of cards out his back pocket and this started the first game of many. dream complain-writes in one of his books, the syndicate faces technos mild disappointment.

the syndicate came to free techno after he’d been in there so long- it didn’t go out well. dream now becomes lonely- doesn’t want to interact socially with the syndicate nor the simps (bc they can’t help him)

Tommy and Tubbo come for Ranboo, when they get thrown in too they just go sit with him. poor tommy.... quackity also shows up for a torture session but seeing there’s so many people in there he 1. doesn’t go through with it, and 2. can’t leave. he gets dirty looks from The Simps for obvious reasons.

las nevadas gang comes for quackity (minus purpled who can’t be bothered to care, and sam who’s the warden). fundy goes to sit with dad, fundy gets ignored though because the cards are wil’s life now. charlie talks with q of course because q was otherwise ignored/ getting dirty looks. foolish thinks the place is bland as shit.

eret came for foolish, but (like everyone else) was hopelessly foiled. on the bright side she’s finally figured out where half the server went ! foolish has learned to embrace the boring af cell and instead spends his time looking for patterns in the ceiling like it’s cloud gazing. he points some out to eret. the eggpire is also here for egg crimes (obviously), they aren’t even eggified so they don’t have to be here- but sams practically just trying to see how many people he can fit in one cell at this point.

also I might make another part? idk. I was awfully lazy when it came to this. hopefully I will- but no promises.

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tawghasa · 3 days ago

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I endorse all of this.

I had to change careers in my early 30s (grant-gunded research scientist + four years of no grants in my speciality = redundancy with no hiring opportunities). Here are a few things I learned from that journey:

Consider doing the same job for a different employer. I spent 5 years working for a lab that, in retrospect, had a really terrible workplace culture. I got a position in another lab in the same institute, and the experience was a LOT better.

(It was still rough at times, due to the bullshit I had internalised clashing with similar bullshit my lab supervisor had internalised. But I cried in the bathrooms WAY less.)

There can be a LOT of jobs that are tangentially related to your current job, that no one in your current job is really aware of. Or if they are aware, they overestimate the barriers to getting there.

(E.g., I moved from medical research into intellectual property. I assumed that you would need some kind of legal background for that... But nope!)

On a related note, be sceptical of any career advice you get from people at your hell-job. If they haven't gotten out themselves, they are sharing conjecture, not facts.

Most people have bad resumes and weak cover letters/responses to selection criteria. I highly recommend checking out Askamanager.org, in particular this masterpost of advice for resumes and cover letters. Alison also has a guide for preparing for job interviews that I've used with success (it's free when you sign-up to her mailing list. I think I've gotten maybe two e-mails in the six years since I signed up to get the free pdf).

Being older can be a benefit in the workplace. Some recent hires at my job are in their 50s, and were REALLY surprised they made the cut... But they both have so much experience under their belts, they're very familiar with the norms of a 9-to-5 job, etc. (They're also less likely to look for another job before they retire than younger hires.)

Also, you just know more stuff. You have more experience in having a job, talking to people, doing things. You have more years under your belt of troubleshooting, finding easier workflows, cleaning up messes.

E.g., I hated my time in retail but I know a LOT about how to talk to people: how to give someone bad news without them yelling at me, how to tell them they stuffed up without them yelling at me, how to tell them I stuffed up without them yelling at me...

I have an excellent phone manner and a "customer-centric commitment to issue resolution" which has been a huge asset in both of my post-retail careers - but neither of those jobs had any kind of intentional training/mentoring in those areas! Those are skills I developed in THE shittiest supermarket in South Australia while developing bone damage in my feet because I was standing for 10 hours a day.

A few other bits of advice:

It's hard to be productive outside of work when you work a terrible job that is corroding your soul. It's hard to write a good resume/apply to further education/whatever when you hate your job and you're exhausted and everything is pointless. Don't beat yourself up if it takes longer than you'd like to get anything done.

Make things easier for yourself by asking for/accepting help. Use the Ask A Manager resources, ask friends and family (ideally ones who have jobs they like) to help you with your job search and your application materials.

(Are we mutuals? Do you want some help with a resume? Send me a DM. I can also hop on a Discord call and chat with you about interview prep and technique.)

Try to start prepping now, BEFORE the dream opportunity crosses your path. It's easier to have an up-to-date master resume that you can tailor to the role, than to scramble to pull one together the night applications close.

Reddit can actually be really helpful. There are subreddits for a lot of careers/industries, with posts every few months asking how to either break in or get out. They can also be a good place to ask what the day-to-day is like in a career you're thinking of switching to, which can help you identify any skills you already have that would be an asset/consider whether you'd enjoy the reality of the job. Keep in mind that it's all subjective, and no two people's experiences will be the same.

If you've read this far, try to find time to update your resume this weekend. Even if you like your current job. (That's usually the best time to look at other jobs - you're not desperate, so you're in a strong position to negotiate any offers.) Because if you've read this far through a thread about changing jobs/careers, you're probably interested on some level in doing the thing.

I’m thinking of doing a complete career switch- or at the very least, making an attempt to start it- and the idea is frightening for so many reasons- money, feeling like I’m behind, insecurity, family- but then i think of just sticking to the path I’m on and it sends me into a crying fit so. I think I’m going to have to be brave

Be brave! I changed industries at age 41 and it was so good for both my career and mental health.

It sounds silly to have to outright say, but if the thought of going to your current job makes you cry every day, it is time to LEAVE. You are not the first person I have had to give this advice to this week. The longer you stay in a dead-end job, the more your skills will rust and the inertia will drag you down.

It feels frightening, but you can get through the imposter syndrome by becoming a thorough note taker (assuming you are white collar, but a lot of this also applies to blue):

Capture every conversation you have

Immediately distill meetings and emails into to-do lists

Review your to-dos daily

Most importantly: write down your accomplishments, no matter how small, at the end of every week

Notes by hand helped me so much, and my little treat to keep going was to begin a fresh mini-notebook every 2 weeks, which I could decorate with ink stamps and washing tape. I used a different color gel pen every day, too. My notebooks were fun and super helpful with keeping me organized.

You will catch up soon enough. It sucks to be an older person in a junior role, but you will be more mature and hopefully adept at handling work drama. I hit senior at age 47 after doing my time, and now I'm pretty indistinguishable from the folks who beat me here.

People aren't meant to do the same thing for all their lives, if it means sacrificing other opportunities. It's ok to say goodbye to a career or hobby or whatever else, to make room for something new. Don't feel guilty sampling from life. Specialization is for insects.

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pyros-hollow · 15 hours ago

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Being Neighborly

Old!Joel/F!Reader ao3 WC: 5.3k (this was a long one)

18+

Summary: After an unusual amount of snow in your part of Texas, you check on your grumpy old neighbor.

Tags: Unspecified age gap (Just younger than Joel), no outbreak! (solely because an adult Sarah is mentioned), Joel is very lonely, Joel is also a bit of a perv 🫢, Reader just trying to be helpful, vaginal sex, cunnilingus/face sitting (Joel Miller pussy eating king), some overstimulation, awkward boners, peepaw hurts his back oh no sad face

It was so damn cold outside. An unusual snow storm had blown through nearly the entire American south, and your entire street was caked in several inches of the stuff.

As you were wondering what to do, you realized you should probably check on your elderly neighbor, Mr. Miller. You knew him a little bit, very much a "get off my lawn" type. He was always alone in the house across from yours...

Just checking in to be neighborly, just to see if he's okay.

He couldn't possibly need your help, right?

The thing is, Joel was used to being alone. Sarah had gotten into school, a damn good school, but it was so far away that after she graduated he'd hardly seen her. The last time he did was about last year for his first grandchild's first birthday, and he wouldn't miss that for the world.

But being an empty nester for about twelve years now really drove a man crazy. Sure, he'd see Tommy now and again, but Joel finally retired. His old hands couldn't keep up with the demand of a job site, the one place they would have regularly met. And Tommy had his own family to look after.

He was lonely.

That was until he had noticed you. A pretty little thing that was renting the house across the street. He knew the landlords. Knew they'd rent it out to good people. And good people you were.

You would check on him a little too often. And he wasn't sure if you were taking pity on the elderly or if you were just a little dim upstairs. Or maybe airheaded? He wasn't sure what the right term was nowadays.

But Joel also noticed how damn pretty you were. The summer you'd moved in he practically eyeballed you strutting around in some daisy dukes the entire month of June. And for the first time in a couple years he felt his old friend downstairs finally perk back up, much to his surprise and frustration.

Whatever they say about old dogs and new tricks, Joel would tell the inventor of that saying to go to hell. Because he would love to learn some new tricks with you if you ever gave him the time of day.

But he had no way of knowing if you felt the same. Why would you? He was older than sin itself and rightfully more attracted to you than he should be.

Of course like by the lucky (or unlucky) grace of God, his doorbell rang that snowy day.

And he opened it to see you, nose a little wet from the cold, a dish in your hand. What in the world were you doing here?

"Hi, Mr. Miller." You breathed, air visibly puffing from your mouth into the cold air. Standing so cute in a thick sweater and jeans. Joel stood there at the threshold of his door in reasonable shock. What else could he do? "I, uh, made something. Figured you were by yourself here in the cold and, well..." You awkwardly raised the dish, giving a little half smile that could probably be taken as a nervous grimace.

Joel just stepped to the side, letting you pass through. He'd let you into his home only a few times, he could count it on one hand; and yet you still remembered where his kitchen was the way you were making a beeline for it to put the dish down. Joel cleared his throat, glancing around at his own home, closing the door to keep the cold at bay.

"So you're just checkin' in?" He asked, raising an eyebrow. After all these months he still couldn't figure you out. Crossing his arms, he just stared at you. At your back. At your ass- no, Joel!

It's been too damn long, it ain't right.

He shook his head, walking over to the kitchen to see just what you'd brought. You stepped aside, giving him space. For an old man he could be so imposing. Lifting the lid to the dish, he was taken aback by the smell. It had been so long since he truly cooked anything that wasn't hamburger helper, he hardly had the energy anymore. So the sight of whatever baked... pasta dish? That you had in here nearly made the old man cry.

"Looks good." Joel murmured, not wanting to outwardly show how much something so small could mean to him. That someone actually thought of him.

"Thanks, got the recipe online and all that." You smiled, taking the dish and placing it in his oven so it stayed good for a while. It was pretty early in the day, you doubted he'd want that now.

But now it was just the two of you standing in awkward silence. You'd checked in, now what? So you stood quietly, shifting awkwardly, trying to avoid his gaze.

"Well I guess I should be goi-"

"Well I guess you should be goi-"

And you both stopped.

It was almost comical. The fact you both tried to divert the uncomfortable situation before it somehow got way worse. And you both gave an awkward smile, a huffed out half-assed attempt of laughter, it was a pathetic display from the both of you.

Joel put his hand on the small of your back, trying to guide you to the front door and ignore the rush of life it sent through him to touch another human being after who knows how long. And just a little bit of that feeling made blood rush to his cock again. Quit it, Joel.

Though of course while you were being walked, you bumped into something, sending one of Joel's knickknacks rolling onto the ground. As you both went to pick it up there was a loud, resounding-

Crack!

That echoed in the quiet room. Joel gave a weak "fuck" before doubling over in pain.

"Oh my God- are you okay?" You gasped out, reaching for him but he held up a hand, intending to silence you.

"Threw my damn back out, just need to... just need to sit down." He groaned, reaching a hand out in attempt to wave you off; but you took it instead. Joel looked up at you, despite the pain in his eyes the surprise was apparent. He hadn't expected you to help, especially not since he was trying to nicely kick you out prior to his incident.

"Do you need me to get you anything?" You asked, leading him onto his ratty old couch that had definitely been bought when Clinton was president; all frayed edges and dulled colors. Joel just grit his teeth, stifling a groan of pain as he held a hand on his lower back.

"That pillow, over there." He vaguely gestured, and your gaze followed that gesture to a memory foam pillow on his recliner. An orthopedic pillow. How old was this guy? "My daughter mailed it to me. Or... Amazon-ed it to me? Ain't sure."

"Because you did construction?" You raised a brow, going to said recliner and bending to get the pillow. Joel had to try not and fixate on your ass, how good it looked in those jeans you had on. He could feel that rush of blood again, and just gave a "uh-huh" to your question.

Mentally attempting to will his dick down, like one would scold a rowdy dog, he didn't realize you were already back. Orthopedic pillow in hand, seemingly oblivious to the poor old man's bulge. Joel quickly sat up, letting you slide it beneath him before flopping back down with a groan. He had to hand it to Sarah, she could pick the good stuff.

But oh God above.

As you were backing up you noticed the outline of his cock on the front of his jeans. You weren't looking on purpose! Right? Right...

It was too late. Your eyes met his bulge (it hadn't died down like he hoped), then his, then back to his bulge and like an animal your flight instinct kicked in. Attempting to escape, to flee as quickly as you could from this awkward situation until a hand gripped your wrist.

Just as quickly as Joel grabbed you, he let go.

"I'm sorry. I don't want you thinkin' I'm a creep or nothin'. I ain't I swear." He shook his head, but the look in his eyes were plain old needy. "Just don't go... please." Joel whispered, puppy eyes on full display. You knew he was hurting, he was elderly. You were taught to respect your elders for goodness sakes.

"Okay..." Your voice came out with such a shaky unease, you hardly recognized it as your own in that moment. And it was quiet. You could hear the wind howling outside. Practically able to hear the cold. A weak attempt at ignoring the elephant or horse in the room.

"Just happens sometimes. You're a pretty lady, it's natural." Joel was trying to ease your discomfort.

"I know." You knew. Biting your lip, your eyes drifted down to the source of all this shame. "Does this happen a lot?" It was hardly audible. Just barely a whisper, but still important.

"Not since," Joel licked his lips, thinking. Should he really say it? The word vomit decided to leave his mouth though. "Not since you moved in across the street."

You should have slapped him. You really should have if you used that brain of yours this time. But another part of you... That ache between your legs and in your belly stoked like a fire over the hint at being desired. It had been so long. Being the smart woman you were, you cautiously, and maybe stupidly, moved to sit astride is lap.

Joel was floored. One awkward boner and here you were sitting on his lap, face framed by the light behind you like a halo. And maybe he did die and go to heaven, because there was no way you were doing this. Instinctively his hands settled on your hips, warm fingers stretching onto the edges of your denim clad ass, lightly moving your hips against his for something to help him.

"You sure?" He whispered, his tone was reverent, holding you gently like he thought you'd break. Though you felt just as greedy as you knew he was on the inside. Biting your lip and letting out a gasp when his denim clad cock bumped against your own covered clit.

"I... It's just been so long, maybe I should just lea-"

"No, please." It came out too quick to be considered as anything but pathetic. Anything but needy. Brown puppy dog eyes, like a sad basset hound, all wrinkled around the edges and glossy bore into yours. His lip pursed, and when you adjusted the way you sat there was the smallest hint of a whine hardly contained in his mouth. It almost made you feel powerful. Almost.

"Am I hurting you?" And he whined. The grumpy old man from across the street fucking whined beneath you. Because of you. "Your back, I meant."

"I don't think this old back is gonna be of much use to you, pretty lady." He murmured, though the attention he could have been giving to the pain was now being allocated much more productively. "I ain't completely useless, if you'll get those jeans off for me." Oh.

He seemed like a direct person. Of course he did. But hearing it directed at you, despite the fact he was hurting he still felt the need to voice what he wanted. What he needed. It made you feel a warmth pool again, in your tummy, in your cunt. Spreading up, up, up, through your body until before you knew what you were doing you were off his lap and already unbuttoning your jeans.

Pushing down the denim, revealing cute (but, at this point in time embarrassing) panties, the little smiley faces on them beaming at Joel. As if they were happy to be seen. Or perhaps saying "lucky you for getting into the pants of our owner!"

They made Joel smile though. And that provided a different kind of warmth.

You pushed them down as well, seeing the wet patch that had taken its own space on them was only partially embarrassing. But you were back on his lap just as quick as you left; your hands working at tugging his belt apart before his hands gently went atop yours.

"There's plenty of time for that in a minute, honey." His hands, a gentle guiding force, gently moved you up his body, up his chest, until you were above his face. "Back won't let up any time soon, so lemme just be useful from down here." Joel whispered, before he gave a slow swipe of his tongue from the bottom to the top of your slit.

Oh God.

Your thighs hurt from attempting to hover, and Joel was craning his neck to even attempt to lap at you. His head fell back with a groan.

"This ain't workin'."

"What?" You were a bit worried. Would he ask you to leave? Did you do something wrong? Did you taste bad?

"The way you're just hovering. I want you to sit." Joel grumbled. The grumpy old man within him shining through over something like this. So much for respecting your elders. "I said sit." Joel's big hands tugged on your hips, pulling you down until his mouth greedily latched on to your cunt. Finally sat where you belonged. And your thighs seemed to be the perfect earmuffs for the cold outside, but he wouldn't talk with his mouth full. He was raised better than that.

Oh God! Did you die? You think you might have died. Joel Miller was definitely a giver on all things in the bedroom, and you were learning that today. The way his tongue would curl at the end around your clit, putting all the pressure into the final lap; before he would give it a harsh little suck. It was loud, and such a deliciously gruesome sound from the smack of his tongue and spit on your needy cunt.

His big hands traveled from your hips to your folds, not so gently spreading you open for him, like he was opening the best damn present he'd ever received. Joel's tongue attacked your entrance, forcing its way in and out, prodding while his prominent nose bumped against your needy clit.

"Oh fuck-" You whined, hands clutching at the silver curls atop his head. Your hips instinctively moving against his tongue and nose, spreading your slick across his entire face. Swiping this poor old man's mouth on your pussy like you were using him to clean you off.

"Taste so fuckin' good." Joel moaned against you, the vibration making you gasp and your thigh muscles tighten ever so slightly. Those hands of his going up to grip at them to keep you steady while he practically attacked your clit with sucks and laps of his tongue like he needed you to survive. "You gonna let that pretty pussy come on my face?" He hummed between licks.

You nodded, murmuring out an "mhm!" in affirmation; and you could feel your orgasm building in you. That feeling of need deep in your cunt, spreading throughout the apex of your thighs until it was like a dam ready to burst all throughout your lower half. Joel flattened his tongue against you, using the leverage he had on your thighs to rock you back and forth on his tongue. It may be a little "lazy" of him but he didn't care. You tasted too damn good for him to think about anything else.

"Mm, that's it pretty girl. Use that tongue however you need it." He said in a slurred out growl, pressing a harsh kiss to your clit; before flattening his tongue for your use once more. Even though he was moving your hips, it felt like you had a little bit of power over him. Over the fact he was so willing to let himself be used for your pleasure alone.

And after a few more drags against your neighbor's tongue, you were coming. Your orgasm wracked your body, a choked sob escaping your lips as your pussy pulsed against is tongue. But Joel didn't seem to stop. His lips and tongue moved to keep sucking at your now spent clit, like he was trying to make out with your pretty little bud. It was too much. It made your jaw tremble and whines of overstimulation pass out of your pretty mouth.

Too much.

Not enough?

No. You couldn't handle another, not right this second. Weakly (but with your best effort) you pushed his head away from you and back onto the couch. And you tried so very hard to ignore the way the smallest whine came from him when you did so. Joel's eyes met yours, pleading. The entire lower half of his face soaked in your slick, big brown puppy eyes fixated on the way you looked like you were ruined.

"I can't." You managed, planting your palm firmly on the couch cushion behind him to steady yourself. And you almost wanted to reach out and swipe some of your come off his face, just to be nice like you had been all day, but decided against it.

"It's okay." Joel murmured, guiding you so you were no longer straddled on his face, but lower down. "You still wanna...?" There was no need to specify. You did still wanna, more than anything. So you nodded, shimmying so you were level with his crotch again, this time slowly undoing his belt. He could wait.

He had such a sour expression on his face when he realized what you were doing. You'd seen that face on him before. The summer you moved in some of the neighborhood kids decided it'd be funny to try and prank your house. But the sound of a firm scolding from outside made you investigate and there he was, a typical old man chastising the youth. You almost wondered what it would be like if he told you off just as severely...

"Don't." Joel clenched his jaw, his hands wrapping around yours to push them away. He tugged the prongs of the buckle from the holes, pulling the front of it apart before attempting to quickly undo his jeans. Those old hands fumbled a bit but it was weirdly attractive. But finally the zipper was down and Joel was pushing on the denim to break his aching cock free.

As it sprung from his old plaid boxers, going to rest against his tummy, it felt like your brain had buffered. This old man. This nice old man, who just cleaned out your gutters last week. This nice old man, who helped you do your oil change yourself because a real shop would "scam you". This nice old man, who just buried his face in your pussy like it was his last resort at life itself. Had the most intimidating cock you had ever seen in person.

Of course you had had sex before. Of course you had watched porn before and seen bigger, but this was right in front of you. And in a few moments, about to be inside of you. It was terribly thick, but not so thick to the point you'd need a gallon of lube to make it work; but thick nonetheless. And across every delightful inch on the underside you could see a prominent vein going up along the length of him. Disappearing as it faded into his uncut tip, slit leaking precum onto a wispy happy trail and the pièce de résistance, a thick wiry bush, the base of him nestled in (mostly) silver hair.

You had to have been dreaming. Never in your life would you have expected to be in this situation. But Joel's hands were on your hips again, holding you steady while one left to adjust his cock, nudging the tip against your clit making you whine. It slid along your slick, sensitive nub, humping against you despite your little whines of overstimulation.

"Been wantin' this." Joel muttered, still rutting his cock up against you. "Since you moved in. Since I saw that pretty little ass bent and pickin' up a cardboard box." He groaned and let his tip dip into you for a moment, and you both hissed, before he pulled it back out to grind against you.

"You mean it?" You managed, letting out a shaky exhale, everything felt too good, especially when things were slicked with spit and your own juices. Your gaze toward him was pitiful. And it was true that there was some self-doubt on your part. You were a woman who lived alone without a partner... it felt nice to be wanted. Especially by someone as attractive as Joel. Someone as helpful, as capable as this man that lived across the street.

"Oh I mean it, pretty lady." Joel nodded, his tip going back to your entrance once again. "Now are you ready for it? Or am I gonna have to eat that sweet lil' pussy again?" He teased, smirking up at you. And while the thought was very tempting, you knew you were tired of waiting.

"I'm ready, promise."

"Atta girl." Joel smiled, giving your ass a pat of encouragement, before finally sliding his cock inside your waiting hole. He grunted at the stretch, watching your pretty folds pull apart to accommodate his girth. Though, deep down a part of him knew they would, every girl he'd been with had to take some time, and he doubted you were any different. "You okay? Let's just take a breather, honey, in and out." His free hand laced through yours, thumb rubbing over the back of yours, tracing over your knuckles.

The reminder to breathe was a necessary and welcome one. The stretch stung, little by little as you went down. Joel breathed in deep, and you took it as your sign to follow along as he released a deep breath out. He repeated the process only a couple more times before settling his hands on your hips and slowly helping you push down onto his length.

"There we go, so good for me." He groaned once you had finally situated yourself at the base of his cock, a whine escaping your lips, and your palms immediately went to rest on his chest for support. The material of his flannel was so soft, grounding, distinctly him.

And you were even more beautiful to him in this moment. Face winced up in pleasure, but the tiniest bit of pain, oh how he wishes he could just wipe that all away. He bets that if he touched your face he could feel how warm you are, how flustered his cock made you, and it would burn him right up. One of his hands reached up to cup your face, bringing you down until your lips met in a slow kiss while you adjusted to the feeling of him inside you.

Joel's lips were soft, a dusty pale pink that were plush against your own, and they were like a dream when he sighed into your mouth. His other hand gripped at the flesh of your ass, and he moaned against you as he finally slipped his tongue against yours. He was so damn lonely, and human contact felt so damn good after so damn long of going without it. And in the very back of his brain he could hardly remember the last time he had sex, the last time he kissed, the last time he felt connected.

It might have been eight years ago. Tommy had tried and tried and tried to get Joel back in the dating game. Which only ended in a hookup in the back of Joel's pickup. But knowledge and experience over the years, and muscle memory, is a hell of a thing for a reason.

Joel pulled away from the kiss, running his thumb over your lower lip, biting at his own. "Bet I should've made you suck my cock, you got some pretty lips." He mumbled, dragging your bottom lip down before letting it go back up.

"I'd like to, some other time, if you'd want." And that made the man beneath you grin. He leaned back against the couch fully, gripping your hips again in assurance.

"Oh we will. But I think we got other things to knock out of the way if you don't mind." His eyes raked down your body to the spot where the both of you were joined, fitting together like missing pieces, but maybe it was too early to admit such a thing. He gave an experimental lift of your hips, just a slow glide for the first move. When he dragged you back down you mewled, and he knew that meant you were good to go. "Oh she likes it. What a good girl." He hummed to himself before repeating the motion, settling into a steady rhythm.

You gripped onto his flannel again with a whiny moan, his cock felt too good to be real, and yet at the same time you were glad it was. Big strong hands holding you steady, spearing you up and down his length like you belonged to him. Like you mattered to him, even if you didn't know each other well enough to truly say such a thing.

His cock stretched so good, and it clouded all sense of rational thought in your mind. The tip nudging up against your cervix, mushing against the slick walls of your pussy. The hairs at the base tickling against your clit every time you ground down on him. And the pace he set thrusting his hips up into you. It was all too much for you and not enough at the same time.

"Fuck, just let me-" You groaned a bit, bracing against him before beginning to move your hips of your own accord, up and down up and down. "Oh God..." You whined, going quicker than he had you before, it had been too long. "Oh God, just fuck me please." You whined out.

"I'm tryin' to." Joel huffed out a small laugh, maybe lack of dick for who knows how long had made you feel a bit dumb, but it didn't matter. Not now when he was trapped beneath you, at the mercy of your tight cunt wrapped around him like a constrictor. "Have mercy on an old man, honey. Going so damn fast." He groaned out before pushing your thick sweater up, exposing your bra covered tits. "Let's get these out, huh? Been thinking about them too." Joel admitted, pushing up your bra so your tits spilled out, the garment resting atop them.

A low, appreciative whistle escaped his mouth as he finally took you in. Hands pawing at your breasts, they're so warm compared to the cold outside. "Fuck, look at these," He said in awe before giving them both a light squeeze. "Shoulda done this sooner if I knew you were holdin' out on me." Joel smiled before tugging at your nipples lightly, the sensation making you gasp.

"Please, they're really sensitive." You put your hands on his wrists as an attempt to get him to let go, and he did. Opting to just keep your breasts in his big palms like he was your one means of support. You sighed in relief, moving your hips up and down again. Your pace was rather quick, of course it was, you were needy and desperate for something, anything. Mostly, another orgasm.

"Can you...?" You trailed off, batting at one of his hands and pushing it to your aching clit. He knew what you meant, of course he did, this wasn't his first rodeo. His hands left your breasts, one settling on your hip and the other drifting slowly down your front to settle on your bud. The calloused tips of his fingers rubbed at you up and down, eventually settling in a motion he could tell you liked with the way you tightened around his cock.

Constant circling and stimulation was driving you absolutely crazy with need. Your hips and thighs clapped against his own, your hands squeezing at the soft flesh of his chest and tummy to keep yourself grounded, while his cock stretched you so perfectly you never wanted to go anywhere else. Every slide up the tip of him would hit that spot within you, the one that practically ripped the moans from your throat without a second thought. Brain absolutely clouded with "so good, so good, oh my god" over and over again.

"God, you're squeezing me so damn tight." Joel grunted, bucking up into you; his body involuntarily attempting to chase his own release. "Want you to come for me, just a lil more then we're good." His fingers circled a bit faster, the little tip of your clit mushed under warmth and slick like it was his tongue all over again but more firm. That familiar feeling was spreading through your body, starting as an ache in your cunt, traveling up to your tummy, and building up like a knot that was made just for Joel to unravel.

You panted, tightening around his cock before feeling your eager walls convulse around him; your orgasm rippling through your body like a wave. It was a bit duller than the first, but felt just as amazing.

Joel groaned beneath you, your tightness practically milking him for all he was worth. Then you felt it. The warm spurts of his cum filling your walls, how Joel's grip on you tightened as he grit his teeth. The sight of the little shake of his jaw and his trembling lip as his orgasm subsided... This must be heaven, and you don't know what you did to get there, but you're glad you did it.

Like a pushed domino, you collapsed on top of him. Your exposed (and quite cold) breasts squishing against the fuzzy fabric of his flannel. He felt nice, safe. Most importantly, warm. Your head subconsciously nuzzled into him, and his hand went to your back, gently rubbing up and down.

"I'm sorry if everything got too... carried away." He said under his breath, as if he didn't want the reality of you not enjoying yourself to be possible. "You're very beautiful, and I don't know if I ever woulda done anything on my own to approach you," Joel swallowed, his gaze meeting yours, deep, hypnotic pools of coffee brown. "But I'm glad whatever just happened, happened."

"What 'just happened' is we had sex, Joel." You smiled, tracing a pattern along his chest. "And I didn't mind. If anything, I'm glad it happened too." It was a good thing to admit, because the next thing you knew, Joel's lips were planting kisses on your forehead. Sweet and tender.

"I'll take you out for real if you want. I wanna do it right." He murmured against your skin, his arms pulled you in closer, keeping you warm and satisfied all at once.

"Maybe we could do a dinner date." You hummed, snuggling impossibly closer, attracted to his body heat.

"Oh yeah? When?" Joel gave your side a little pinch. Being treated like this was so different, but it felt good.

"Right now, in your kitchen." You lifted your head with a smile, moving to sit up on his lap again. "I did bring over that dish, and I'd say we worked up an appetite if you're game."

"Oh I am." Joel smiled, taking his time to sit up as well, keeping you and his slightly still aching back steady, before giving your neck a little bite. "As long as you let me make you dessert after."

"I think that is a great idea." You giggled, baring your neck to more kisses and bites that he had to offer. Before his hands gripped your ass and pulled you close while he stood up off the couch and made his way with you into his kitchen.

Being neighborly had its perks.

#joel miller #the last of us #the last of us hbo #tlou #joel miller x reader

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sillygoofyqueer · 16 hours ago

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Uhhh hi! I've been seeing your mad scientist Wei Wuxian AU on my dash for a while now and I finally decided to screw it (and by it I mean all the stuff I am supposed to be reading for lab haha wdym I have stuff to do that isn't scrolling tumblr) and binge it all the way from the bottom and may I just say

AJSBWKDNXMDNDMDNDMMDMSMZMSDSNDNDMDMDMSMSSMSN I ABSOLUTELY LOVE THE WAY YOUR GALAXY BRAIN WORKS TY FOR BLESSING US WITH YOUR THOUGHTS

(I might be going only slightly feral I promise (that is a lie I am vibrating with the joy this has brought me) but honestly if I could give you a cookie (or any other treat of your choice) I absolutely would)

Anyway I hope you know that I am giving your brain a gentle smooch and I hope you have a wonderful day ahead <3333 (also I am shamelessly asking for any more tidbits that you might be willing to throw our way. Pls and ty)

Sniffle sniffle.....I love you so much new person in my inbox AKA happy-bookworm...you're so kind and you've made me very happy. Who needs to read things to do with lab when you can read about blorbo being a mad scientist!?!? I certainly don't!! Be-Because I'm writing it, y'see, so it shows that I care much more about mad scientist Wei Wuxian than anything lucrative-

Anyway thank you so much for appearing in my inbox with such aggressive affection, like a cat that you stroked once and now will not leave you alone. It very much made me feel alive and like I could take on the world so you can take a post about the mad scientist man. When Wen Qing comes back to camp with Xue Yang and Wen Ning pressed into her sides, the most distressed she's ever been, Lan Wangji is concerned. He immediately walks over to assist in any way she can because he's worried and trying to learn how to react in an appropriate manner when it came to situations like this. Of course, then he sees that Xue Yang is clutching A-Yuan in only one hand because it is also being held up with a stump because Xue Yang is missing a hand. Wen Ning has some sort of stab wound in his side and looks incredibly pale, which is not a good sign, so Lan Wangji takes A-Yuan from the young boy and (despite how much he dislikes touch) hooks Wen Ning's arm around his shoulder to take his weight off Wen Qing. Wen Ning is obviously trying to stay upright on his own but his feet keep stumbling and dragging against the floor, and he's shaking against him.

A-Yuan is thankfully asleep and looks to be fine, so he supposes it's one less concern, but Wen Ning is getting more sluggish by the second and that's a big worry right now. They get to the medical tent, shoving aside bodies of all sects to the side with muttered apologies because they don't have time for courtesy and placing the two into patient beds. This is where Lan Wangji's ability to help drops off, because he has no medical knowledge, but Wen Qing does so he rocks A-Yuan with one hand while darting around to grab anything she snaps for so that he isn't just standing around and becoming more worried by the second. No, he's moving around and becoming more worried by the second. Wen Ning either falls unconscious or is knocked out by one of Wen Qing's needles - he isn't quite sure which, but Wen Qing isn't panicking so he assumes it's the latter - and Xue Yang is staring at nothing, not even reacting to the tight bandages tied around his wrist in place of his arm guard becoming red with his blood and having to be changed.

A-Yuan eventually wakes up and starts crying instantly, which is nothing but fair, and Lan Wangji is soon busy trying to soothe him to keep on staring at the two in the beds and letting his concern override his logic. He stumbles out of the medical tent with the only thought in his mind being "make A-Yuan feel better," and bumps into Wei Ying as the other boy is rushing over to the medical tent from information sent with one of the crows by Gege. Wei Ying actually stops to check over him, noticing the crying baby in his arms, and Lan Wangji feels inclined to say "I am going to get him some food" so he doesn't look like a horrible human being that can't soothe babies. Wei Ying nods, grips his arm tightly for a second, before darting off into the medical tent because he apparently does just trust Lan Wangji with A-Yuan even outside of emergencies and without his supervision. That is something to be unpacked later, because A-Yuan is still sobbing and he of course comes before anything.

The war camp is in complete disarray, and he has to just focus on A-Yuan because he does not stop crying as he's carried through the camp, breathing through any other thoughts at the back of his mind. The kitchen tent of the Lan is completely empty, everyone likely helping out outside, so he takes it upon himself to tuck A-Yuan into the front of his robes and go about making congee for the baby; it's not the first time he's made congee. Shufu had never been one for 'one-on-one time' (as Wei Ying would put it) that didn't involve learning of some kind - playing music, reading books, even just meditating with one another - and so one of the things they learned together as 'one-on-one time' was how to cook. It was entirely due to a spur of the moment decision that involved Lan Wangji accidentally dropping his food when he was young and getting rather upset over it because someone's time had been put into making it.

Shufu had found him in a state of emotional turmoil over it, and so led him to the kitchens both so he could apologise and then learn how to make the congee he had dropped so that he could do it himself if it happened again. Of course, Shufu also didn't know how to make congee, so this was the start of them learning how to make food together. It's easy to move through the steps of making the congee, muscle memory at this point, allowing him to enter a meditative state while he works through it, then waits for it to cool down before finally feeding it to a bawling A-Yuan. There's a moment of tenseness where he's ready to watch the baby start crying once again, but then A-Yuan relaxes and allows himself to be fed until the bowl is empty, before finally going back to sleep because there was truly nothing more to babies that doesn't involve eating, sleeping or crying.

Now that A-Yuan is asleep, however, there is nothing distracting Lan Wangji from what has just happened. He steps out into the general disorder of the camp, staring down at the bodies that he had pushed aside and walked over in his panic earlier, seeing faces that he recognises from just helping around camp. While the war camp is still a war camp, this has been where he has slept for the last few months. This is the safest place he has known since the war began. And now, not even this place is safe for him, for A-Yuan. He has a baby to look after now. He wants to go home. He wants to go home and cling to Shufu like he's a little boy who had a nightmare. He misses his mama. He doesn't know how long he stands there, staring at the corpses, before a familiar, gruff "Wangji?" breaks through the haze. He looks up sluggishly, and Nie Mingjue is looking at him with genuine concern in his eyes.

Whatever the man sees there, he doesn't seem to know what to do with it, because his eyes widen and he wraps an arm around Lan Wangji's shoulders. He's walked through the camp of death and piles of corpses until he's suddenly sitting down in a tent of sorts and Nie Mingjue is gone, saying something that sounds really muffled. He holds A-Yuan closer, hand stroking against his face, and then Gege is in front of him. His mouth is moving, forming the word 'A-Zhan?' He never calls him A-Zhan unless he's really worried. Why is he worried? Lan Zhan opens his mouth to speak, but all that comes out is a strange sound and oh. Oh. It's a sob. He's crying. Even though he's now cognisant of it, he can't seem to stop. He's wrapped up into Gege's arms and he just can't stop crying, face pressed against his shoulder and steadily getting the fabric there wet.

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idrawgaystffs · 2 years ago

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Working on a Behemoth of a WiP right now

Edit: it’s done! Check notes

#my art #any portal fans following me may know where this is from #I need to learn some new stuff to make this #like wolf anatomy :)#and actually use my guitar #played a chord!#if only as a ref #gods I’m kinda tired #busy later today so I’ll continue working tommorrow but I hope to get it done by the end of this week #art Harddddd #tags I guess:#portal #portal au #oh you’ve read this long? then read ‘The Ressurection Project’ by Sarcasticgaypotato #:))#heck I spelt resurrection wrong #oh well the wip is done btw!

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fantasticalleigh · 2 days ago

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Thanks for the tag! This is such an interesting idea and I’ve enjoyed seeing all the responses. I had to do some digging to find my oldest art and turns out i don’t remember where much of it is and i guess i haven’t backed it up anywhere so as of now some of the oldest stuff i have is from 2017/18.

OLDEST ART I CAN FIND: 2017-18

For a long time I considered myself as mostly a portrait artist. I loved drawing people's faces and had a fear and aversion to drawing full bodies. All of these are from 2018 (the black and white one might be 2017) but I wish I'd been able to find even older art than these because the skill jump was huge between high school and my first couple years in uni. In high school I never really used references when drawing and despite taking a ton of art classes I never really paid attention to the fundamentals so whatever I made would come out looking wonky. So fast forward to freshman year of uni and I really started taking that more seriously and I would find images I liked of celebrities and draw them as closely as I could. I was also dabbling in ballpoint pen drawings at the time but couldn't crack a proper technique until later.

I mainly did only traditional art until I got my first job after high school and could save up for an XP Pen drawing monitor and I started dabbling in digital art. I'd owned a pen tablet before from Wacom years before but it was also the kind that had no screen on it and I hated the experience of drawing on a blank slate but needing to keep my eyes on my laptop screen. It felt extremely unnatural so I only used it a few times and then gave up. So having a tablet with a screen directly on it opened up a whole new world for me but I really struggled with learning the ins and outs of digital art. I hated everything I was making but was determined to get better, and the most important thing was I knew I didn't want to go for the level of realism that I usually liked in traditional art. I liked doing cartoony stuff a lot too so I wanted to explore new styles through digital.

FIRST ART POSTED ONLINE

It was difficult to find the actual first art I ever posted online! I have some ancient Deviant Art accounts that probably still have that old art but I don't have the login stuff anymore ;-; I started using instagram in 2012 but sort of don't use that account on the left anymore. Once Instagram implemented AI a couple years ago I sort of nuked it and ended up deleting most of my archive on that account. I mainly use that account to message irl friends. But my earliest art on IG was all straight from my sketchbooks and most of it was like chicken scratch. Very messy, unpolished, and rushed.

I've pretty much always done tons of fan art. I drew the Draco Malfoy thing in the middle for a Dramione fic I was writing at the time--this must have been 2016 or 17... I was/am obsessed with Kylo Ren (and reylo in general) so I drew him a ton. I also was working on my own OCs (the Knight lady in the second image at the top of this post). My art professors at uni kept pushing me to get out of my box and focus on more conceptual/non fan art stuff which I found terrifying. By this point I was growing more comfortable with digital art--in 2020 I (perhaps irresponsibly) used my pandemic stimulus check to buy an ipad and apple pencil and procreate and having a smaller, more portable tablet made it so much easier to practice more often and I think that's when digital art really started clicking for me even though it took a lot longer to actually start developing my own style. I made a second art account on instagram (with this current username) to post all my fanart in since one professor told me it might be unprofessional for me to host fan art on my "serious" art account.

MOST RECENT STUFF:

The top two are admittedly from 2021 but I was and still am super proud of that entire body of work. For my art major senior 'thesis' I had to develop a body of work and set it up in an exhibition at uni. I threw myself into that and by then had really managed to nail down a good ballpoint pen technique that satisfied what I wanted to portray in my art. This process involved layers and layers of delicate hatching with ballpoint pens and it ruined my eyesight and because each piece took me so long I was experiencing wrist pain often. The whole series was supposed to be about fear and madness, hence the super garish and intense colors and weird imagery. I made like 10 or so drawings like this but I haven't really made any more ballpoint stuff since. It just takes way too long and I burnt myself out severely just completing that body of work but I'm still really proud of it. Maybe I'll return to the pens one day...

As for the digital stuff, since I graduated uni I jumped headlong into further developing my digital body of work. Most of it still is admittedly fan art but nothing else has helped me grow quite like fan art so no issue there. I've made several short and long form comics and worked on more illustrative stuff. I have other/new OCs and ships that I draw quite often when I'm not making wrestling fan art and I try to push myself to keep going out of my comfort zone. I have always haaated drawing backgrounds or ornamental stuff but for the past while I've challenged myself to really give a shit and actually put in the effort and it's slowly paying off. I'm still not 100% satisfied with where I am now but compared to where I started I think it's pretty neat :')

Ok here's a little thing i thought would fun for any artists to show off their progress at learning art (plus I'm nosey🤭).

Show off the oldest drawings you did (or the oldest that you can still find), the first things you were confident enough to upload online, and your most recent drawings and talk about them and show off how much you've progressed :)

Probably gonna end up missing some people, but I'm tagging a bunch of cool artists I follow/am mutuals with and am nosey to see how they started out, but no pressure :)

@fantasticalleigh, @thlayli-ra, @heelhausen, @stupidmarkzone, @2ndcitynightmare, @punk-o-ween, @normallypassingby, @tvheit, @seasonal-depression-of-punk

And if you wanna have a look at my old stuff, I've got it below =)

Oldest Drawings I Can Find

Of course, the first is an OC. Never did anything with her tho. Notice the lack of forehead and elbows, the arms that barely reach the hips, how indishtinguishable each part of the body is from one another. They're a perfectly smooth pole. and of course those wings. This is the first thing in my first proper sketchbook when I decided I was gonna start taking art more seriously. This would have been when i started secondary in 2014 at 11 years old. And I can't find anything from before that, since I never kept anything in a proper book/folder.

Second image is another of the first drawings in the book. It was my first closeup of a face, and also my first time drawing anime. I know I'm not the only artist who was desperate to learn to draw an anime-style as a kid. I remember doing this while on holiday, trying to follow an online tutorial, taking about 4 hours to get the outcome I did, and getting so frustrated that I couldn't get it to look right, that I was almost brought to tears. I'm pretty sure this was one of those "I'm never drawing again! >:(" moments, lol. Looking back, it was a pretty good first attempt. But I guess I was always a bit of a perfectionist, lol. Funnily enough, while I carried the anime eyes forward in my art style for years, to this day, I still can't draw a proper full anime style character.

First Drawings I Uploaded Online

I put these on insta to show my mates from school. The first picture was an attempt at a close up face with the new brush markers i'd got for christmas. This was 2017 just before i turned 14. Pretty sure I copied the design from an art tutorial book, that was supposed to be hyper-realistic (another christmas present). But I just couldn't bring that to life so just did what I could. Also, first time I used a signature. My signature's very different nowadays cos it's based on my tumblr username and not me actual name. But yeah. I was tryna get more professional I guess.

Second pic is the first full body piece I uploaded a few days later. Again, used the drawing books trying to learn how to draw flowy clothes. Think it was a book about drawing anime clothes that I used for this (another christmas present). By this point, each body part could move seperately and had joints. Also note the anime eyes, cos my simpler-but-still-anime-inspired eyes were something I stuck with a long ass time. This was the style I drew most often, and could usually do without having references (but obviously for this drawing specifically, I had the reference for the clothes). Had a lot of trouble with perspective, so all my characters faced forward, and later they would always face a 3/4 angle. And they could never lean or reach forwards cos I just couldn't get that to look right.

Most Recent Pieces

The most most recent is on the left, being my most recent closeup of a face. Still has a cartoonish edge with the lineart but much more realistic. And I'm fucking with this semi-realistic look atm. Tbh I dunno if i'd have the patience for the tiny details in hyperrealism. Also, fun story, in 2021 when I was doing my a-levels, I did an art piece that we were free to do in any style we wanted, and my teacher saw mine and was like “I wish you’d done it as realism instead of a cartoon style :(“ but it was actually my best attempt at realism and she hadn’t even realised. So I dunno, maybe I’m not cut out for realism 😂😂 I like my style rn tho so who cares

Then I got my most recent drawing of a (almost) full body. I got joints and decent hands and proportions and more body details.

Also this last year is the first time I've really got into digital. I always used to just do pen and paper. I even got a cheap drawing tablet, but couldn't get used to drawing on one surface and the image being up on a seperate screen. So I could never get the lines right. I did draw on my old ipad for a while which was easier, but the stylus was one of those with the thick rubber ball on the end, rather than a fine nib. Again, I had trouble cos I couldn't tell where it would register the contact with the screen and draw the line, which made it hard to do details. I got a new ipad a little while back that supports apple pencil, so I got one for it. And it's so much easier now that I've got a fine nib and can see where I'm drawing. I'm in love with drawing digital atm.

But yeah. That's how i've drawn over the years. Mental to see how much my style has changed and improved :) makes me feel better when I get frustrated with a drawnig and think I'm shit. Cos I know I'm getting better with each new drawing, even if it's only baby steps.

First: Now:

#yikes this came out so long lol #i prob put too many images in here sorry lol i just feel the two wolves in me (traditional art vs digital art) needed explaining #fantasticalleigh's art #felt like i was giving a ted talk ngl XD #also the amount of people at my uni who looked down on fanartists was willdddd #i felt even some of my friends judged me for it but you just gotta not care sometimes :)

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kagooleo · 6 months ago

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happy new years 2025! it's been nearly a whole year since I started posting about fluffyriceshipping here, and my art has changed a lot since then! what better way to start the new year than with some sweet potatoes with their partners 🍠🌅

#kagarts #champion lance #lance pokemon #trainer riley #stat trainer riley #dragonite #lucario #dratini #pokemon hgss #pokemon dppt #fluffyriceshipping #🐉🍚🌊#trying a light noise filter + watermark with my fish! better precautions for the future...hopefully!#happy one year of fluffyrice! i think about these guys a lot ever since i posted about them so long ago #and a lot has changed since then! i want to properly compile my thoughts with a visual novel or neocities shrine for them #they're also part of why i'm learning how to use ren'py. these two are making me LEARN how to CODE things because i'm Insane.#on an actual art level though holy hell. i'm understanding colors somewhat. i can draw multiple characters in one scene #art goals this year: try out adopts(?) or merch (??); do more studies; show my original stuff (???); maybe draw some creatures #might put up a interest check for merch to make if anyone is interested? i'll need actual advice for international shipping costs though #i Am still trying to find a job admittedly (which is. not necessarily a fun addition) but i want to make building a portfolio fun somehow #year for trying out new things though! i'll show my site eventually once i get riley's shrine down if people haven't already found it bfdhf

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ganondoodle · 6 days ago

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game dev is such an alluring thing to try to do bc its a kind of media that allows for such an active and direct way to interact with others like most things just dont

im still dreaming of trying it every now and again but, among my other problems, i run into the more unique problem of .. not knowing or not wanting to start bc i cant find tutorials that teach me about how i structure code, where do i begin, where does a script go, what makes sense to seperate into its own piece of code and what should stay together, what do i do first?? i have found ones that teach you about single things but never really how to structure it all, how it should look like as a whole, and idk what mental wall i run into but i need to know before i can even try!! its the not knowing where to start that keeps blocking me bc i dont want to make a mess, i am very chaotic and code is something hard to get right and hard to untangle so i dont want to just .. do stuff that wont work

#ganondoodles talks #personal #also if anything id want to use godot since that is an open source engine but its even harder to find anything there #maybe im not lookign at the right things #................ if could write well i could at least write some things while i cant draw #but i cant seem to be able to do anything but waste away and its infuriating #my writings gotten just as bad and messy as my art and im just #so fucking sick of it all #cant i just work for once- cant i just be functional for ONCE cant i just FUCKING enjoy doing things again for ONCE in months #im promising you im trying so hard to let go of all pressure but it just wont work regardless #i just keep doing very wrong looking shitty sketches of a vague horse shape and even that is like BOOM battery out goodnight #hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh #when i do pixel art i start to think about coding and how to make thigns work and what is even possible to make at all #then wondering if any effort put inot it is even worth it if its not doable for me or at all #when i listen to toby foxs music i want to try it so bad too but im a noob at everything #if i cant put in the effort to DRAW -somethign i have been doing sicne being able to hold a pencil- then how can i learn literally anything #i know brains need new stuff and need to learn new things but i am so incapable of even trying even though i want to #its that god dman clash of two sides- unlimited passion and need and want and an absolute blockage of fearing to waste time #i probably suck at everything i want to try but how will i know if i dont try it seriously at least a few times im hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhrrrr

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faggotisaacfloofs · 16 hours ago

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Okayyyy so. I will try. All your first thoughts are correct. Here are some of the things key to success. Some things you did touch on. But i'm including them again as they are indeed huge factors.

1. Are the devices out, charged, within reach and available 100% of the time?

2. How much modeling is happening? I'm gonna guess that it sounds like zero / minimal modeling. People can't really learn a new language if it is never modeled or used by others. The teacher and aides in the classrooms should be modeling AAC every single day, frequently and often. They should also model communicating to other adults through AAC. AAC needs to be modeled as a legitimate way of communication.

3. Are the students' other communication attempts being taken seriously? You mentioned this but i'm also gonna. I'm gonna go ahead and say no because that basically never happens for children. If their general communication about being uncomfortable and not wanting to do something is being ignored, there is no reason for them to try to use AAC, as experience says that will just be ignored too. (And it often is). Sometimes you can give the kid power with aac by modeling the No or other boundary buttons and then RESPECTING THEM. Kids have got to see there is a point to communicating!! Which means adults have to make it worthwhile for them to communicate!

4. Is AAC being modeled for *meaningful* communication (commenting, expressing feelings, expressing boundaries, making suggestions - aka not just requests)?

5. Is AAC being used a communication aid or as a part of lessons and school work? Are/have kids been drilled on aac? Been forced to use it for other lessons or academic purposes?

6. Is the voice on the device chosen by the kid? Do they have access to their favorite stuff on their device? Have they had the connection made yet that the device corresponds to actions that can happen or nouns that they can have? Have they been given AAC as a tool of agency or out of compliance (so they can answer questions adults ask them)?

7. Have considerations like need for a key guard been considered for easier use? Different colors?

8. Are other people taking the device, modeling on the individual's device, or other things that don't reinforce the device being the kid's voice and under their agency? Modeling should happen on a separate device. Adults should always ask before touching, moving, or using a kid's device. It sounds like there has been no agency or ownership over device established so I would focus a lot on that. Adults have to actually respect the agency of the children and autonomy for this to work.

9. What has happened when they have used the device before? Are students punished for stimming on the device or "playing" around on it? Have they been before? Have they been shown the device in the context outside of answering questions only?

10. Has AAC been used in play scenarios or only "work" scenarios (class/speech therapy etc)?

11. How many hours of exposure to modeling have these students had? Children who speak spend hundreds of thousands of hours having spoken language modeled at them before they speak. Have these kids had even 100 hours of modeling AAC? How about even 10 solid hours of modeling outside speech therapy? I doubt it.

12. Is the device out, available, charged, at home? Are parents modeling? Usually they're not...but bringing them on board is essential too.

13. Learning AAC takes tons of time. How long have they had? How long does it compare to the length we give speaking children to babble and learn and develop the motor skills? It can take several years of consistent modeling before some people show interest in AAC. Just like speech...

If students arent using their devices, that's the failure of the adults around them, especially if it's *all* the students. Like. Wow. How dare they blame the kids.

Anyway generally I would say it sounds like demands for using the device should be *reduced* if they are trying to prompt and get the kids to use them. I would suggest focusing heavily on Modeling Without Expectation, keeping their devices available but not asking or prompting the kid to use it, instead encouraging play and modeling with play (even just jokes or small amusing sentences here and there, or funny words). Make it fun, and reduce the pressure, and don't involve it directly in lessons.

Some links that may help, highly encourage them be shared with the school too if possible

https://anotherqueerautistic.wordpress.com/2020/06/12/top-5-signs-youre-modeling-wrong/

https://montgomerycal.wordpress.com/2020/07/15/the-first-tendrils-of-communication/

favor to request from any mutuals who are AAC users!

my mom is currently trying to advocate for several students at the public school where she works who are AAC users. She keeps dealing with IEPs that state the student is refusing to use their device and asked if I could reach out to any AAC users I know to see what sort of things might be barriers to using AAC in elementary school, things people wish their teachers would have known, what kinds of support would be helpful for using AAC in elementary school. Most students have high tech AAC systems like touchchat or prologue2go.

my first thoughts were that she should absolutely double check to make sure that the students actually always have access to their devices, that they are programmed with words that are relevant and include the students interests, and to make sure that the teachers at the school aren’t just refusing to support and then documenting it like it’s the students fault. I also know that AAC devices can be overwhelming and exhausting to use, that students might be communicating in other ways that teachers are ignoring, and that many of these students are really young and might not have ever been offered support or modeling for how use their AAC device.

if any mutuals or followers have any thoughts they could share that I could pass on to my mom it would be SO appreciated 💜

#also thr FB group “Ask Me I'm An AAC User (24hour rule)”#is highly recommended #this question posed there could get lots of ideas #sorry if this is all obvious/unhelpful #(if want me to post anyonymously in the group i can)#feel like i am rambling and repeating myself a lot sorty #tried to edit for clarity at least #aac #most of this is stuff i am repeating from other people who did start using aac young #since i did not start til adult

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the-zephyr-zone · 3 months ago

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Some season 13 episode 1 studies!! Simple screenshot redraw on the first one, and i just wanted to have a bit of fun with like 5-10 minute studies of the boys! SO excited for episode 2 to come out in less than 24 hours?!!!!

#feels good to be back!!#i can finally tell yall about my break!!#i went to new orleans!!#helped out with some hurricane relief and just general volunteering stuff!!!#had such a blast #it was genuinely so so so awesome and fun and cool #and i learned SO much!!#THE FOOD #oughhhh ive missed southern food yall #that shit was GOOD #so glad i didn't explode #yes im going to bring up me almost exploding again #cause that shit was wild #0 oil pressure make car go boom ig #im still recovering #need to catch up on my sleep and stuff #plus i think i twinged my wrist #so im trying to take it easy and do my physical therapy stuff #but its finals season #yay.... :(#so yall will probably see a lot less art from me in the coming month and change #i also gotta prioritize my schoolwork especially if my wrist keeps acting up #dont wanna overwork myself #ok ill stop yapping but im so so so happy yall #for everything. things are really good right now!!#jet lag the game #zeph's art #sam denby #ben doyle #adam chase

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softquietsteadylove · 2 months ago

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Hello love, how are you?

I have a little request for the Arranged marriage Au. What if insted of getting a job, Thena goes to some classes, like fashion dessing or something with art. Maybe something she did not have the resources for before. And i also think she would be very good for something creative/artistic and Gil would be her biggest fan and love everithing she does.

As always thank you for your works 🩷🤍

"Need some help?"

Thena looked away from the map of the sprawling campus. Of course even the smallest university had a complex system of halls, whether just to host basic open classes or not.

"Are you enrolling this year?"

Heavens no, and it was entirely because of teenagers and twenty-somethings - like him - that she wasn't. "No, I'm looking for the open classes that are being held-"

"Oh yes, the community workshops!" the young man beamed with excitement. He was still hovering a little close for her taste, though. "Wonderful idea, if I do say so myself."

"Were they your idea?" she droned, uninterested in speaking with anyone except the actual workshop instructors. She looked behind her.

Gil was parking the car.

He had insisted on driving her to and from, which she had tried to decline. He usually would just send her with a personal driver, perhaps a bodyguard or two. But Gil insisted he do it himself.

He wanted her to have the normal life experience, he said. If she wanted to take a sewing or a drawing class, then he wanted to take her, as a dutiful husband should. She wasn't sure if that was necessary, but she knew it was sweetly intended.

"I'm a graduate, but I still lead the odd lab here and there," the ball of hair continued to try and charm her. He was making it clear he wasn't a student, maybe in hopes of enticing her.

"Congratulations," she grumbled. She still couldn't find what building her basic seamstress lessons would be in, but asking this peacock was simply not an option. Maybe Gil would know. She looked behind her again.

"Waiting for someone?" he asked, even more brazenly, leaning against the map signage. "Partner? Boyfriend--girlfriend?"

She glared at him. She didn't know what had made her seem so approachable to this boy and his hair but she would have to figure it out and dispose of it immediately. "Husband."

"Ah!" his eyes lit up, but she got the distinct impression that it was only because it made her more of a challenge in his eyes. "Married young?--school sweethearts or childhood chums?"

That wasn't any of his goddamn business, now was it? Thena gripped the strap of the bag extending from her far shoulder over to her other hip. "He's...older."

And he was going to cause quite a scene if he arrived to her being harassed.

"Hm," the Little Prince shifted against the sign, sprawling out against the post. He was quite tall, she had to concede, although with Gil in her mind he seemed lanky and stretched out in comparison. "Ever had a craving for something...younger?"

She stepped away from the map. Perhaps it would be better just to wander around until she found where she was looking for, even if it made her late. She could excuse herself upon the mistake, surely.

The last time she took a class of any kind was for basic administrative training, and that was really more about keeping a closer eye on her father than for her own betterment. She had never thought of expanding her own horizons--no time for such things.

"Are you sure you're married?"

She took the bait (unfortunately), spinning around to glare at him. Something about his tone had annoyed her so sharply it was as if he'd poked his finger right into a soft spot. "What?"

He shrugged at her once he had her attention, though. It was like a tactic a little boy would use, annoying her for her attention whether it was positive or negative. He ran his fingers through his hair (he was probably quite popular with the young pups around here). "You've no ring, you're here on your own. I'm starting to think you're just trying to get rid of me."

She didn't have a wedding ring, that was true. Well, they didn't exactly have a wedding, in a sense. She had a piece of paper with their names on it. "Not everyone sees the need for such things."

"I would think a flower like you deserves to be gilded with the finest of treasures," he schmoozed.

"I am not a flower," she turned away from him again, determined to wait for Gil to join her. How far away had he parked the car?!

"No, you are a masterpiece."

Thena bristled. He sounded closer to her, no matter how much she refused to look and verify. "Is telling you I'm not interested not enough?"

"Would your husband let it deter him?"

He had some gall comparing himself to Gil. Gil was many things, and being a law-abiding citizen was not one of them. But she would take his ridiculous penchant for spoiling her any day, only because he was so genuinely kind at heart. And he didn't lean himself into her personal space liberally.

"Maybe he's more boyfriend material," the hairball chuckled at the thought.

"Y'okay, sweetheart?"

Thena brightened as Gil finally strode over. He had his hands in his pockets, but she knew they were balled up into fists. He looked good in the casual clothes she had picked out for him.

In her own words, he couldn't be wearing suits all day, everyday, everywhere; he looked like a mob boss.

"Darling," she smiled at him, and it wouldn't have taken someone who lived with her to see how strained it was.

"Hm," Gil puffed through tight lips. He came right over, extracting his hand to pull her closer to him by the waist. "Who's this?"

"Just offering to show her around," the young upstart spoke for himself, determined not to back down from Gil's intimidation. "I'm Eros."

"Gilgamesh." Thena watched on, some of her annoyance giving way to amusement as the two shook hands. Gil made it clear that he was going to crush this kid into dust if need be. "I'm her husband."

"Ah," Eros made a civil smile, trying not to seem like he was massaging his sore hand. "She mentioned she was married; I admit, I looked for a ring."

"I'm having them polished," Gil was quick to answer. He looked at her with that glint in his eye--the dangerous one. "Our anniversary is coming up."

She shook her head at him microscopically. What a liar he was.

"Shall we?" Gil released her waist only to offer his arm more formally. "Don't wanna be late, hon."

"Of course," she took Gil's elbow, which still required both hands to get around. She nudged him, swerving them away from her new acquaintance.

"I'll be seeing you, lovely!"

"Does he not know how to take a hint?" Gil snarled openly, looking over their shoulders to glare at him and everything.

"Obviously not," Thena tugged at his jacket to turn him around again. This was a good choice; the fabric was heavy but not stiff and the rich black brought out the shades of brown in his eyes and even his hair in the right light.

"Are you okay?"

She smiled at him. He had on his puppy dog eyes, regretting having to leave her side for any reason. "Gil-"

"I should have known you'd draw attention," he lamented, his eyes drifting over her face, making a visible stop at her lips before drifting down her neck and her long hair drifting over her shoulder.

Thena let him lift her bag to pull it out from under the strap for her.

"I was looking at the layout of the school. I never imagined it was quite so vast."

"We're looking for the east hall, named after some old dude named Arishem," Gil snorted. But of course he had memorized the locations of each of her classes.

"I knew you would know."

Gil peeked at her, although she made an effort not to look at him. Sometimes when she did she would feel a little...funny--a little twisting sensation in her naval. It was as uncomfortable as it was intriguing. "You ready?"

She sighed faintly. In truth, she didn't know. But if she didn't do something, Gil would either buy her a business to run or a university to attend, neither of which were appealing. This was simple enough, to learn some basic skills, explore some interests.

He nudged her with his elbow, trying to pull her out of any negatively tinged thoughts. "You'll be designing my suits in no time."

She laughed, nudging him in return. "I will not. I might be able to repair a rip and tear on occasion, at best."

"Well, picking out my clothes is good practice, right?"

She smiled at him again. She was rather proud of her selections for him, actually. He obviously knew it, too, letting her tug at the collar of his jacket. "I won't deny that."

He pouted at her. "Guess I don't look good enough to keep the wolves away from you, though."

She shook her head at him. "I'm sure you scared him well, enough."

"Apparently I have to get you a big, fat diamond for that."

"Gil," she chided him immediately. "Don't--you know very well that I'm not going to wear some behemoth on my finger anyway, so don't bother."

"Fine," he sighed, as if she were telling him to take out the garbage, rather than advising against an engagement ring worth thousands of pounds. "Just a plain wedding ring, got it."

"Gil-"

"We're here!"

She eyed him; she wasn't going to forget this. But he opened the door for her, ushering her inside. "I know what you're trying to do."

"Don't wanna be late," he grinned at her, taking her hand and walking just faster than her by enough to make her have to trot to keep up.

"You've dropped me off, you can go," she urged, before he could introduce himself and make a big show of being her husband to anyone else.

If he wanted her to live a normal, inconspicuous life then he had to stop drawing attention to them.

"What, you don't wanna show off your husband to the other ladies?" he grinned.

"It may not just be ladies," she corrected him, although that apparently was an entirely different trap laid by him.

"Then I've really gotta make sure I walk you to the door."

"Gil," she rolled her eyes at him. But he gave her hand a squeeze.

"Don't be nervous."

He knew her too well. She looked at the walls, with the occasional bulletin board or display of the school's accolades. "I'm not."

"You're terrible at lying, sweetheart," he chuckled and leaned in to kiss her cheek. "You're gonna do great."

She refused to admit that she liked his little affection. Her hand patted his chest. "I'll text you when I'm done."

"Sure thing." He liked living the casual life, she could tell. He liked not having to be 'Boss' or appear cold and dangerous. "Hey."

Thena's eyes went wide, and then closed completely as he pulled her into a real kiss--a much deeper one. Her hand slid up his chest. It gripped his collar at first, but then the kiss made all thoughts leave her mind. Her tongue mingled with his and a sound escaped her that she would not be acknowledging.

Gil pulled away, giving her such a devillish grin that he was looking more like his mob boss self. "Have fun, sweetie."

She huffed, releasing him with a bit of a push. Her face was flushed hot, but she glared at him. "Inconspicuous my ass."

#Thenamesh Marriage Contract AU #thank you so much for the ask my dear!!!#you have such great ideas #I love the idea of Thena getting to experience things she couldn't before #she gets to think about what she really wants to do #how she wants to live her own life #and she has a very supportive husband to help her with it #I love the idea of Thena liking fashion #she is kind of particular about her personal style #and she gets stuff for Gil because she has a good fashion sense #and Gil is like how do you like my new suit my WIFE picked it out for me #he makes the guys working under him admire how his tie matches his cufflinks and they're like.....okay??#anyway Thena takes some classes locally #just some beginner classes on learning to sew and draw and some design basics #she wants to start small #and Gil knows she's going to be admired anywhere she goes #he does look into getting her a proper ring #he wants to get the biggest gaudiest solitaire available but Thena has a point she won't wear it #so he needs to find something sensible #also she's like I don't need a wedding ring we didn't have a wedding #Gil tells her well design your wedding dress and we'll get it done

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