#Thank queue for your cooperation

[megxplryxb]

Romance is Dead, Isn't it?

Pairings: Steve Harrington x Fem!Reader

Notes: Sweet and fluffy, little bit of angst. Based around Valentine’s Day because I’ve had this is in my drafts for a minute.

The smell of cheap, overused aftershave and five dollar bouquets, currently lingered throughout the aisles of Family Video. Loved up couples filling the store, holding hands, whispering sweet nothings and pressing kisses to their lovers blushing cheek as they scanned the shelves of the romance section.

Love heart decorations hung from the ceiling, pink foil curtains draped over the entrance and Cyndi Lauper’s Time After Time blared from the speakers while you completed sellotaping the balloons you’d only finished inflating ten minutes ago. You weren't exactly sure why Keith was making Valentine's Day such an extravaganza this year but you were absolutely hating every second of it.

February fourteenth had never been kind to you. Not when you were ten years old and the card you thought had been from your childhood crush was actually written by your Mom. Not when you were fifteen and you went to the movies with Jackson Taylor, who made up a rumour that he had gotten to second base with you and definitely not last year, when Derek Cooper had taken you out for dinner, only to be caught by his girlfriend that he had surprisingly forgotten to mention.

Yeah, Valentine's Day could suck it.

“If one more person asks if we have another copy of Sixteeen Candles, I swear, I won't be held responsible for my actions.” You warn, jumping down from the step ladder with a loud huff.

“Yikes, what’s gotten your panties in a bunch today babe?” Robin questions with a teasing smile on her face as she serves the next customer.

“My panties are not in a bunch thank you very much. I'm just saying, what kind of moron waits until Valentines Day to rent the most sought after romcom?" You ask, taking a gulp of water in an attempt to erase the taste of rubber from your mouth.

Fake laughter echoes from the other side of the store where some girl has been flirting with Steve for the past fifteen minutes. You'd noticed her outside before she walked in, glossing her lips and pushing her boobs up just enough to get the attention she was obviously desperate for. She's annoyingly pretty, with perfect hair and sun kissed skin and when she raises her well manicured hands to rest on his bicep, you can’t help but grit your teeth at them.

"Is he planning to do any work at all today?" You point, rolling your eyes as Robin looks over at her other best friend and then back to you with a frown. She can sense the irritation in your voice and she knows why, even if you would never admit it. The signs have been there for quite some time and she wonders how much longer you can keep up the charade of not having feelings for Steve Harrington.

"Hey Dingus! A little help over here?" Robin demands, directing him to the queue of customers waiting for assistance at the counter. Steve nods his head, apologising to the girl who makes sure to write her number on his arm before waving goodbye.

“Yeah, thanks for calling me over, I've been trying to get away from her for like, the last ten minutes.” Steve breathes a sigh of relief, gesturing for the next customer to approach.

“Yeah, you really looked like you were being held against your will there, Harrington.” You scoff bitterly, stacking up a pile of returned tapes.

“Seriously, did you guys not see me trying to signal for help when she started touching me? I mean come on, desperate much?" He jeers, shaking his head.

"She did seem disgustingly eager." Robin interjects, scrunching her nose.

"Since when has that ever stopped him?" You reply, motioning towards Steve, who seems a little bit offended by your words.

"Jesus, why does it look like Cupid came all over this place?" Eddie chuckles as he enters the store, getting his jacket caught in the foil curtain, almost ripping it off of the door.

“Hey, careful Munson, don’t mess up my masterpiece!” You warn, carrying the tapes into the back as he slowly untangles himself.

"Because dear Edward, it is the day of love and romance!” Robin squeals excitedly, clapping her hands.

“Can you tell she has a date with Vickie tonight?” You tease, her cheeks turning pink at the mention of her new girlfriend.

“Alright, way to go Buckley.” Eddie high-fives the girl who couldn’t contain her happiness.

“We’re just going to the movies but I’m so nervous! Like, what if I make a total doofus of myself around her? She might not be as accepting of my clumsiness as you guys. I could fall up the steps when we’re walking to our seats or choke on the popcorn or…”

“Robin relax, you’re gonna give yourself a heart attack.” Steve interrupts, hearing the conversation from the till. His eyes meet yours, both of you sharing a disapproving look at your friend’s lack of confidence in herself. It was something you often discussed between yourselves, trying to figure out ways to help her see just how great she really was. Robin had always been good at hyping other people up, telling them how awesome or pretty they were but it was a completely different story when it came to herself.

“Steve’s right, you need to chill out. Vickie’s already heard you doing god awful karaoke, not to mention witnessing you hurl all over the bathroom floor at the Hideout and she’s still drooling over you. The girl is putty in your pretty little hands.” You jokingly reassure with a smile and it seems your light hearted words put her somewhat at ease as she takes a relieved breath.

“Hey, do you guys have a copy of that new movie with Molly Ringwald? Sixteen something?” Eddie shouts from the romance section of the store earning a scowl from you.

“Shit out of luck Munson, we’re totally sold out.” Steve replies, the curly haired metal head letting out a dramatic groan as he walked back to the counter, causing some of the other customers to flinch.

“Didn’t take you for a romcom kinda guy Eds.” You mock as he gives you a toothy grin. “Sweetheart, if it helps me get laid by the end of the night, I’ll watch anything.”

“Ew, gross Eddie, I really don’t need visions of you and Chrissy getting it on.” Robin shivers in disgust.

Although you share the same sentiment as your best friend, you can't help but think how nice it is that Eddie finally found someone that truly loves him for who he is. You couldn't remember ever seeing him so happy and a little part of you was jealous that you didn't have that with someone too.

"Harrington, did you get a tat dude?" Eddie quizzes, pointing to the digits on Steve's arm. You're taken out of your thoughts upon hearing the question directed at your coworker. Steve's eyes fall to you for a brief moment but you busy yourself with some paperwork, trying your best to pretend you're not paying attention to them.

"Oh, um no man, just a customer earlier, gave me her number." Steve brushes off with a shrug.

"Sweet, you gonna call her?" The hellfire leader interrupts and you hate yourself for wanting to know the answer too.

"God no, she was way too forward." Steve says, shaking his head, hoping that would be the end of the conversation as you relax again.

"What's wrong with forward? Come on man, it's Valentine's Day, call her, ask her out." Eddie encourages, wondering why Robin was shooting him a killer look as Steve shifts uncomfortably.

"Actually, I kind of already have a date tonight." He states, rubbing the back of his neck awkwardly. The relief you felt moments ago, quickly vanishing, being replaced with a gut wrenching feeling in the pit of your stomach. Steve had someone and it wasn't you. It would never be you.

“You do? Since when, why wasn’t I informed about this?” Robin quizzes suspiciously.

“I don’t have to tell you everything, Robin.” He huffs, rolling his eyes.

“Do we know her?” Eddie smirks and you wish you were anywhere else right now.

“Maybe you do, maybe you don’t.” He answers coyly before serving the next customer.

“So what about you sweetheart, who’s the lucky guy that’s taking you out tonight?” The metal head grins, raising his brows suggestively.

You see Steve and Robin turning their heads, attention on you as Eddie waits for your response. For a moment you consider lying, trying to think of a name and a place just to save face on being the only one without a date for tonight and maybe a little part of you wanted to see what Steve’s reaction would be too. But Robin already knew you had no plans, she had probably already told Steve the same.

“There isn’t one.” You answer, looking down at the ground, wanting it to swallow you whole.

“Bullshit, every time I’m in here there’s a guy asking you out.” Eddie spits, frowning at your response.

He’s right, guys do ask you out. It’s not like you were some sort of prude who never had a sex or never went on dates but lately, you just hadn’t been feeling it. Not when your heart belonged to someone who didn’t even know they had it and until you could get over Steve Harrington, it wouldn’t be fair to start something with someone else.

“Yeah, just not the one I actually want.” You reply, refusing to look Steve’s way as you walk to the back.

You figure now is a good time to take you break, needing a moment away from your friends to regain your composure. The restroom door locking behind you as you drop to the floor, tucking your knees into your chest. How had you gotten here? How had you been so stupid to fall for your friend? How had you allowed this to happen?

You secretly wondered who Steve’s date could be, knowing there was a number of viable contenders. Was it the brunette from last week who asked him to explain how The Lost Boys wasn’t a Peter Pan spin off or the blonde that always laughed at his jokes even when they weren’t even funny. Or maybe it was the raven haired girl who openly discussed her recent porno rentals with him every week.

One thing you knew for sure, it certainly wasn’t you.

The sound of footsteps brings you back to your shitty reality and the sudden knock on the bathroom door has you standing on your feet again.

“Hey, it’s just me. Are you ok?” You hear Robin ask from the other side. You straighten yourself up, wiping your clothes down before unlocking the door to face your friend.

“Yeah of course, why wouldn’t I be?” You question, doing your best to give her a reassuring smile but she sees right through you.

“I honestly didn’t know dingus had a date, I would have told you if I did.” She mutters nervously as you shake your head.

“Why? It’s not like I care what he does.” You state as Robin gives you an unconvinced glance.

“Babe, it’s me you’re talking to right now, no one else. You forget I used to be the master at hiding my feelings, so I know all the signs. You’re totally crazy about him aren’t you?” She quizzes, as you shrug your shoulders. There was no point in hiding it from her anymore, she could read you like a book.

“I’ll get over it.”

“Why don’t you just tell him how you feel?” She suggests as you let out a bitter laugh. “Did you not just hear what he said out there? He has a date, Robin.”

“Yeah but maybe if—”

“No. I’m not telling him alright? So please, just drop it.” You beg, letting out a deflated sigh.

Robin decides not to push you any further, realising you didn’t want to talk about it right now but you know this won’t be the end of it and eventually you’d have to answer the many questions you were sure she was going to have, taking a mental note to purchase alcohol before you talked about your feelings for Steve with her. But for now, you were grateful that she was leaving well enough alone so you could get back to work and pretend that everything was fine.

The remaining hours went by painfully slow, the romance section almost bare and you were counting down the minutes before you could go home to your bed and shut out the world while you waited for this shitty day to be over. Once the store got a little quieter, Steve offered to man the counter while you did Robin’s make up in the back, helping her get ready for the long awaited date before her girlfriend picked her up.

By 7:45, you were left with Steve and Keith who had been in his office doing paper work since he ordered you to decorate the store earlier. Steve had noticed you were quieter than usual, trying his best to joke and make light conversation but all he was met with was one worded answers.

“It was really cool of you to do Robin’s make up, y’know?” You hear Steve mumble as you restock the confectionery stand.

“That’s what best friends are for, right?”

“Yeah of course but you saw how nervous she was all day and I think you helping her out by making her look all pretty and stuff, just gave her the confidence boost she needed for tonight. I just thought it was really sweet of you.” He compliments, a warm look on his face that has your frosty demeanour melting.

“Alright, I’m done for the day. You two ok to lock up?” Keith asks, dousing himself in cheap cologne as Steve shoots his boss a glare knowing it was his night to close.

“No, not really. I have a date.” Steve argues as Keith grunts unsympatheticly. “You’re not the only one lover boy.”

“Online chat rooms don’t count, Keith.” Steve fires back as you try not to laugh at the expression on your boss’s face.

“You want to be out of a job, Harrington?” Keith threatens, looking less than impressed.

“No, but I really need to—”

“That settles it then, you two will lock up. Happy Valentines Day.” He smirks, throwing Steve a set of keys before exiting the store.

“What an asshole!” Steve groans, throwing the keys on the counter, putting an irritated hand through his signature hair while his plans hang in the balance.

“Now I get why he wanted me to decorate so badly.” You mutter, thinking back to how you spent the first couple of hours of your shift, blowing up balloons and getting sticky tape stuck in your hair. Keith was loved up like the rest of your friends. Cupid had gotten another one.

“Do you actually believe he has a date?” Steve asks, frustration still apparent in his voice as you nod your head, groaning.

“As much as it pains me to say yes, given that I myself don’t actually have a date, when have you ever seen him put on cologne?” You question as Steve lets out a heavy sigh.

“Good point. I hope she stands the son of a bitch up though.” He grins playfully and you can’t help but smile back at him. He was so breathtakingly beautiful and you kind of hated him for it.

“Hey, look at that, I finally got a smile out of you.” He teases, poking at your cheek as you lightly push his hand away.

“Steve, quit it.” You giggle as he shakes his head.

“Not a chance, you’re just so pretty when you smile.” He admits, cupping your face momentarily, locking his eyes with your own and your breath hitches as his warm hand rests on your face, his thumb carefully caressing your cheek and you hope to god you’re not blushing right now. Your eyes wander to his lips, pink and plump and a little chapped from the cold weather Hawkins was currently experiencing and you couldn’t help but wonder what lucky girl would get to kiss them later on.

For a moment as Steve gazed at you, you considered telling him everything. How you’ve been crazy about him since you worked at Scoops Ahoy together, falling hard for him when you saw how kind he was to the kids he watched over, knowing he wasn’t the same selfish guy you’d known in high school. Steve Harrington was selfless, brave and caring and as you looked into his caramel coloured eyes, all you wanted for him was to be happy because that’s what he deserved more than anything, even if it would never be with you.

“Steve…”

“Yeah?” He whispers, looking at you in a way that made your knees weak.

You knew this was your chance to tell him, the perfect night to admit your feelings but previous Valentine’s Day disasters prevented you from saying what you really wanted to, afraid Steve would have to let you down gently or worse, laugh in your face.

“You should go home and get ready for your date, I’ll lock up here.” You swallow hard as he finally removes his hand from your face, seemingly taking him out of his own thoughts.

“Oh, no I couldn’t ask you to do that.” He replies, shaking his head.

“You didn’t ask me, I offered.” You reassure, feeling guilty for how you had treated him all day.

“Are you sure?”

“I wouldn’t have suggested it if I wasn’t. The place is quiet now anyway and there’s only an hour left. Plus I’ve been looking forward to destroying all those damn decorations all day.” You joke, attempting to hide the sadness you were currently feeling from him, terrified that you’d break down in tears if he stuck around much longer.

“You’re amazing, you know that?” He grins as you playfully roll your eyes at him. “So I’ve been told.”

“Got any advice for a successful Valentine’s date?” He questions, grabbing his car keys as you let out a sarcastic laugh.

“You’re really not asking the right person. I don’t think I’ve ever had a good Valentine’s experience. Why are you so nervous anyway, you’ve been on hundreds of dates?”

“Yeah I know, but I really like this girl, like a lot. More than I’ve ever liked anybody and I really don’t want to mess this up.” He sighs and you wonder if he can hear your heart smashing into pieces.

“Wow, she must be really special.” You breathe as he nods his head looking like a schoolboy with a crush.

“Yeah, she is.” He admits and it’s like a fresh bullet to your chest.

“Well then I hope she knows how lucky she is. Any girl who can’t see what an amazing guy you are would have to be a complete idiot.” You reply honestly, almost certain you see a hint of pink in his cheeks.

“Thanks, honey.” He whispers, before walking towards the exit, the nickname causing your brain to short circuit. Honey.

“Steve?”

“Hmm?”

“Happy Valentine’s Day.”

“Happy Valentine’s Day, pretty girl.” He grins, walking out the door as you feel a tear slide down your cheek watching his car pull out of the space, taking your broken heart right along with him. A heavy sigh escapes your lips, cursing under your breath, pondering if you were really doomed to face every February fourteenth in utter misery.

The last hour of your shift had gone by quicker than expected, having no customers during the final thirty minutes, giving you plenty of time to dispose of the shitty decorations that had mocked you throughout the day. When you finished vacuuming the floor, you wondered how your friends were fairing on their dates. Had Eddie gotten through a rom com without passing out? Did Robin make it up the steps of the movie theatre without falling? Was Keith really on a date with an actual woman? Had Steve already managed to get his new girl into bed?

That last thought made you want to throw up.

At 8:50 you decided to call it a night, dreaming of your warm bed and the cheese pizza you were going to order the minute you got home, wanting nothing more than to wallow in self pity. The money had been cashed up, the shelves were organised and you figured you had earned the extra ten minutes after everything you had endured today. Once you grabbed your handbag and jacket from your locker, you did a final check of the place before clocking out, switching the open sign to closed before you shut the door behind you, turning the key in the lock and pulling the shutters down, thankful you were off for the next couple of days.

As you tossed the keys into your bag, pulling on your jacket to prepare for the short walk to your apartment, you noticed a familiar maroon BMW parked up and Steve Harrington leaning against the hood, holding a bouquet of flowers.

“Steve?”

“Hey you.” He smiles, eyes sparkling in the glow of the moonlight.

“Is everything ok?” You worry, wondering if something had happened to one of the kids or your older friends.

“Yeah, everything’s fine. Why wouldn’t it be?” Steve reassures as you let out a sigh of relief.

“Well for starters, aren’t you supposed to be on a date right now?” You quiz, confusion apparent in your tone.

“I was just waiting for her to get off work actually, I’m picking her up here.” He smirks confidently, pushing himself off of the hood.

“You’re meeting her in the Family Video parking lot? Isn’t that a bit creepy?” You tease, raising a brow at him, trying not to focus on how good he looks in a grey sweater that you’ve never seen on him before.

“Well yeah, I guess it would be a little creepy if she didn’t work there.” He jokes, hoping he’d given you enough clues to figure out the rest for yourself. When your eyes begin to widen, mouth parting as you try to speak, he knows the penny has finally dropped.

“Steve I—”

“Happy Valentine’s Day, pretty girl.” He grins, repeating the same words he'd said earlier, handing you the prettiest bunch of daisies you’ve ever seen and it’s not until his fingers brush yours that you realise it isn’t a dream. Steve Harrington was here, waiting for you.

“These are for me?” You ask, breath catching in your throat.

“Of course they are, who else would I get them for?” He teases as you try to hold back tears.

"Steve, I…I can’t believe you got me daisies. they’re so beautiful.” You smile, suddenly feeling very dizzy.

“I know I probably should have gotten you roses but I know you hate all that traditional valentines stuff and last summer when we took the kids to the park and you made Max and El daisy chains, you said they were your favourite.”

“You remember that?” You blush looking up at him as he nods. “I remember everything about you, honey.”

Your stomach is doing somersaults now, palms sweaty and shaking with the way he’s looking at you and it takes everything in you not to kiss him silly.

“Did Robin know about this?” You quiz, wondering if you were going to have to murder your friend tomorrow for letting you go through a shift thinking Steve was going on a date with someone else.

“Are you serious? You know she can’t keep secrets. I couldn’t take the risk that she wouldn’t telll you. Plus, I was afraid she’d never let me live it down if you rejected me.” Steve jokes, flashing his pearly whites at you. How could you ever reject him?

“I don’t understand, if Robin didn’t tell you, how did you know I had feelings for you?”

“Not to sound totally arrogant but I’m not completely stupid. I see how flustered you get around me sometimes and how jealous you get when a customer tries to flirt with me, like today. But mostly I’ve seen the way you look at me and then I knew for sure—cause it’s the same way I look at you.” He whispers, his warm hand cupping your cheek.

“And how exactly do you look at me?” You challenge, swallowing hard as his lips inch closer to yours.

“Like I’m totally crazy about you.”

[perkypeony]

𝕋𝔸ℕ𝔾𝕃𝔼𝔻 𝕀ℕ 𝕋ℍℝ𝔼𝔸𝔻𝕊

Model Nanami Kento x fashion designer reader

You were flicking through the pages of your sketchbook, your head spinning as you tried to decide which design would be best for your new streetwear collection. You thought you’d ask your friend's opinion later, but for now, you were going to get ready and head to the newly opened branch of your daily wear boutique.

Despite studying fashion design during your time at the creative arts academy and being able to create meticulous designs, you opted to build your own brand of daily wear that’s stylish yet affordable. Your business started small, but with the support of your friends—who happened to be the famous actor Gojo Satoru and the rising singer Geto Suguru—more people came to know your brand. Just last week, you opened the third branch of your boutique, and you were already planning to open the fourth branch overseas in a few years.

You got out of your midnight black Mini Cooper and saw a long line outside the boutique. It was probably too crowded inside, so the staff had asked the customers to queue outside. You made a mental note to install some sort of shade so the customers wouldn’t have to wait in the sun. The staff recognized you immediately and greeted you, asking if there was anything they could help with. You told them you were just doing a little observation.

You smiled as you overheard a customer praising the high quality of the material despite the affordable price. As you walked around, talking with some customers for feedback, you spotted a blonde man wearing a black mask—one you’d recognize anywhere. It was the hot model, Nanami Kento. He became famous after modeling for big brands and even appeared on the front covers of internationally known magazines. And to add to that, he was your crush back in the creative arts academy and still is today. That’s why you would remember him forever.

You admired his calmness and respectfulness. He always maintained a very professional work ethic. Unfortunately, you and he had never been close, only talking a few times. The only person you still kept in touch with was Nanami’s best friend, Haibara. He tried to set you up with Nanami, but you were always too shy and quickly declined his crazy plans.

You were surprised to see him in your boutique. Did that mean he wore your creations? Not gonna lie, sometimes you imagined him modeling your designs, but you had never hired a famous model before. After all, you had two famous friends willing to post pictures of themselves wearing your brand on social media. Without those two idiots, you wouldn’t have been successful today.

You gathered all your courage to say hi to him, hoping he would remember you. “Hi, Nanami. Uh... what are you looking for?”

“A hoodie,” he replied, then looked up to meet your eyes. “Y/N? I never thought I’d meet the designer herself.”

So, he did remember you. You could feel your stomach do silly things. It was probably the butterflies. “I’m just doing a quick observation. Is this your first time at my boutique?”

“I’ve bought a few pairs of pants and shirts from your boutique before. I really like them. And since this new branch is closer to my condo, I thought I’d give it a visit.”

“Thanks for your support. I really appreciate it.”

“Of course,” he said with a warm smile. “We haven’t seen each other in quite a few years. Do you have any plans tonight? Maybe we could catch up over dinner?”

A dinner? With your crush? That surely sounded like a dream come true!

“I would love to go to dinner with you tonight,” you answered, trying not to sound too giddy.

“Perfect. Text me your address, and I’ll pick you up at 8.”

“Alright. I have to go check on the... um... cashier. See you tonight.”

Nanami nodded and smiled as he watched you leave. He couldn’t wait to tell Haibara that he had finally asked you out for dinner.

[oscconfessions]

Hi guys! From this point forth, we will be removing ANY confessions deemed to be “low effort.” (The TL;DR is anything written in bold. I provided further in depth explanation to hopefully answer any potential questions if any section confuses you.)

What we will consider low effort:

>Anything less than a sentence, such as just stating just a character name or just a ship name.

>Confessions that contain a similar premise to another confession submitted in quick succession. Such as “Bot ii is my favorite character” followed shortly by “I love Bot ii”. That being said, confessions expressing the same viewpoint but proposing different ideas will NOT be considered the same confession. If a confession submitted after another echoes a similar opinion, mods may choose to screenshot or copy and paste the second confession and attach it to the original confession. (Note that this may only occur if the secondary confession is submitted off anon or uses an anon tag; any anonymous repetitive asks without any identification will simply be deleted.)

>General spam confessions will also be deleted, such as if the same user/anon submits the same ask over and over (such as “I love bot ii!” followed by “bot ii is so me!” followed by “bot ii yay” etc. or if they just spam the inbox with the same exact confession over and over.) If your post does not break the rules, it will eventually be posted. Be patient, please do not submit the same/similar confession every day thinking that will speed up the process.

>Non-confessions. Shitposts or images that are not confessions may be deleted. This depends more on the moderator queueing, but if the content is considered to be irrelevant it may be removed. Similarly, posts that are one sentence followed by a long and irrelevant copypasta that floods the feed may be deleted. We do still permit posts that may just be asking for recommendations/asking questions/etc. but we may become a bit stricter with what actually queues. If it’s a question that can be answered via a simple google search it may be considered spam.

>Finally, we encourage you to compile any similar thoughts into one confession. Rather than confessing “I love bot ii” and then submitting another confession stating “I love four bfdi”, you can combine these into one confession regarding favorite characters.

The definition of “low effort” varies from mod to mod, there is no concrete definition, however if your confession falls under one of the above categories it will more likely than not be deleted.

These rules will be implemented to help reduce spam and allow us to keep the ask box open more frequently, as the queue hopefully will not get as long! Unfortunately we can only post a maximum of 50 posts per day (with automatic queue), so once the queue exceeds high volumes (it’s at like 300 right now ���) we get a really bad backup of confessions, and it takes even longer to have confessions post.

If you want to submit a confession, we do encourage you to refrain from submitting redundant asks (i.e., if you agree with a confession, commenting rather than submitting an entire confession in agreement or reiterating the posted ask is preferred.) We also encourage not submitting asks considered ‘popular opinions,’ or that are just repeating confirmed canon. This definition, of course, is different for everyone, and asks considered ‘popular opinions’ won’t always be removed, however reducing confessions that simply repeat a sentiment shared by pretty much everyone or that are just stating canon fact (such as ‘i hate proshippers’ or ‘two tpot is an algebralien.’) will allow more thought-provoking and interesting (or discourse-y) content a chance to be posted.

If you believe your confession falls under any of the above categories, it’s strongly preferred you do not submit it so that mods can focus more on queueing rather than deleting spam.

Thanks for your cooperation :]! If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment!

also sorry for picking on bot for this entire post 💔

-📻

[finniestoncrane]

hello friendos!! it's a very neat coincidence that it's 2 years today since i rejoined tumblr, and i get to be excited at hitting the next milestone!! 💚💚💚

update: all options have been picked and the event is closed!! 🩷

since i've just done a big-ish event though i thought i'd keep this one smaller and a bit less daunting for me!! SO here's the rules:

i'm going to do 21 of x reader ficlets (scheduling 3 per day for a week)

i'll take these requests as first come, first serve

as in: ONCE SOMETHING HAS BEEN PICKED IT'S NO LONGER AVAILABLE

so dm, inbox or comment here with your selection

please pick ONE from EACH OF THE THREE lists below

(you can specify the version of the character, and let me know reader details!)

i'll then write a lil ficlet and make a moodboard for the fic too!!

i'll update the post below as and when i can (remember i'm gmt and also a sleepy girl) so you know what's left

once all the options are out, the event is closed 💚

i'll take a week off to write them, then post them all the following week, and then things will return to normal (had to readjust my queue in the end lol)

anyway, thank you for putting up with me and encouraging me, i have endless love for everyone 💚

🔞minors dni🔞 • masterlist • kofi link • tag: finnie2.5k (to follow or to block)

Option One

Riddler

Penguin

Scarecrow

Two Face

Mad Hatter

Captain Boomerang

Harley Quinn

Bane

King Shark

Black Mask

Cooper Howard

Maximus

Hancock

Paladin Danse

Nick Valentine

Sniper (TF2)

Cecil Stedman

Walter Skinner

Arthur Morgan

Egon Spengler

Nick (L4D2)

Option Two

roleplaying

spanking/impact play

voyeurism

praise kink

degradation

public/semi-public sex

posessiveness

doggy style

pet play

first hug

piss

dubcon/noncon

cnc

holding hands

sending nudes

sneaking a kiss

breeding kink

inexperienced/virginity

marking

tickling

somnophilia

Option Three

truth or dare

showering together

tending to wounds

first kiss

angst

fluff

choking

only one bed

biting

rough sex

sucking dick

blind date

fingering/handjob

cockwarming

dry humping

daddy/mommy kink

early morning sex

facefucking

edging

sitting in their lap

eating pussy

[diy-fire-water-pups]

WELCOME TO OUR BLOG!

This is a blog for you to interact with some of the Paw Patrol pups: The Firefighter and EMT pup, Marshall; The Recycle Do-All pup, Rocky; and last but not least, The Cool Water-Loving pup, Zuma.

Before you can send asks or start a RP, please check the rules under the cut first. Hope to see you around and have some fun!

Ps.: Answers may take long, sometimes weeks or months to be answered to. Mod has a lot of work and sometimes hasn't seen the episodes the asks are about, has to do some research on specific topics, or the pups just aren't cooperating to answer some of them. (Posts tagged as "No Queue is too big No pup is too small" are scheduled posts).

RULES FOR INTERACTING

1- Be respectful. There’s an actual person sitting in front of a computer or holding her cell phone here, spending time to play as her favorite pups, interact with people she doesn’t know and have fun; Time which she could be using for working. I’m here to have a good time. If someone starts being a bother, I’ll make use of the block button and delete asks or whatever’s sent my way. I’m not wasting time with assholes.

2- Same goes for the pups, actually - if I feel someone’s bothering them, I’ll do the same as above. Even if I’m not the one affected but I feel the pups would be. 

3- If you wish to RP, please send a DM to my other sideblog, self-indulgent-paw-patrol, so we can discuss about plots first. You don’t need to DM me if you just want to send asks or interact with the pups, though, that’s only for RPs. Personally I have a preference to RP on Discord, since Tumblr post formatting has made it become kind of annoying for a few years now.

4- Thanks to some encouragement and the positive reception this blog has been receiving, I'm willing to try RPing crossovers. The thing is, PLEASE TALK TO ME FIRST! Sometimes I don't know your muse at all, so it would be good to get to know them a bit first, before we plot anything. The ideal is for you to have an "About" page for your muses so I can check them out!

5- I’m willing to RP ships, be it platonic or romance, but absolutely NO NSFW will be allowed here. From the possible ships with the pups in this blog, my OTP is Rocky x Zuma, followed by Marshall x Everest and Chase x Marshall. I’m open for discussing other ships and for shipping the pups with OCs, granted I get to know the OCs first, and the specific pup will need some time to know your OC too.

6- Feel free to reblog any posts you may find in this blog, including the pups' answers to asks they get. The only posts you shall NOT REBLOG (but you can like) are the posts tagged as #RP if you're not the one participating in it. That's basic ancient Tumblr etiquette!

7- M!A (Magic!Anons) are not allowed. One too many people have tried to force stuff that was way past my limitations, even sounding like they just wanted specific free art out of it. I don’t have time nor patience for that.

Rules may be subject to change in the future as I see fit. For now, that's about it!

Now I'll take the chance to promote some other askblogs in the fandom too just because I can XD Make sure to read their rules before interacting!

@jurassicsnowpups - an askblog for Everest, Rex and Tracker!

@pcwpatrol - an askblog for Chase!

@taking-to-the-skye - an askblog for Skye!

@stretch-n-fetch - an askblog for Liberty!

@paw-patrol-pack-leader - an askblog for Ryder!

@clumsycapn - an askblog for Cap'n Turbot!

@rubble-the-bulldog - an askblog for Rubble!

@wheelerchat - a blog for Wheeler from Rubble & Crew!

@bella-the-medic-pup - A friend's OC, Bella!

@truckfactspups - Another friend's OCs, Trailer and Lorry!

@freedompawpatroloc - A friend's OC as well, Freedom!

[thewritingbeforesunrise]

Share Our Skin (part 1).

18+ ONLY. MINORS DNI

______________________________________

A/N: Hi everyone! It's been ages since I last posted a fic on here, so I am really nervous.

I have been working on this one for a while now. This is the first part of a wonderfully unhinged request from the lovely @twistedmelodies. Hannah, I really cannot thank you enough for your incredible patience and kindness!

This series is going to have three parts; the first two are building the background for the third and last chapter that is going to be 🔥.

I really hope you like this.

Word count: 8.1K

Pairing: Josh x female!reader

Warnings: fluff, NSFW 18+ONLY, graphic sexual content, oral (f!receiving), protected sex, rat tail Josh.

Summary: You stumble upon a nice little cinema in the city you have just moved to and you meet an even nicer boy, there.

_____________________________________

You didn't do that on purpose.

Absolutely not.

But, as you would soon learn, in life you should always prepare for trouble and only hope for it not to become double.

It was safe to say, though, that this time you had fucked up big time.

You had met him at your local cinema.

You had just moved to a new town alone and you had started to explore your surroundings, trying to find some interesting things to do, when you had stumbled upon a nice little cinema, just at the corner of your neighborhood.

You almost hadn't noticed it at first because it was mid afternoon on a Wednesday and it was closed.

The building looked absolutely anonymous but, as you lifted your gaze to the darkening clouds swirling in the sky, promising a storm soon, you spotted a faded unlit white and red sign saying "Cinema" and nothing more.

You made a mental note to try it on Saturday night, though.

You loved going to the cinema, so having one so close was making you feel a little less like a fish out of the water in a town you didn't know well.

Saturday evening came quickly.

You got ready and made your way to the building, finding the sign lit and a small queue of people just outside the door, which was still closed.

You learned that every Saturday evening they showed old movies. That night they were showing "To Catch a Thief", one of your favorite ever.

You waited in line and about ten minutes later you heard the sound of keys giggling and the door finally opened.

People slowly started to move inside and soon you were standing in front of the ticket booth.

The cinema from the inside looked old-fashioned but the atmosphere was warm and inviting. The first thing you noticed upon entering was the salty buttery smell of fresh popcorn that brought you back to when you used to go to the cinema every Sunday afternoon with your parents.

A little sense of nostalgia about your childhood invaded you and you started to get lost into your head.

You were quickly brought out of your tangled thoughts by a voice, nice and crystal clear.

"Good evening, love. What can I do for you?"

The voice belonged to a boy about your age with curly hair and buzzed sides, a perfect heartstopping smile and the most sparkly brown eyes you had ever seen.

You were at a loss of words.

Your expression must have been incredibly funny because he giggled and repeated himself, his smile deepening even more,making a tiny dimple appear on his left cheek.

It was even worse.

He had the cutest giggle you had ever heard.

You had to bite the inside of your cheek to prevent yourself from getting lost into your head again.

You blushed furiously and averted your eyes from his face, starting to stumble over your words making him giggle again, sweetly.

"Uh…I-I…" you tried to say but your brain didn't intend to cooperate.

You were making a fool of yourself and blocking the line. You heard people behind you starting to complain and you shook your head to finslly get a grip on yourself.

"Uh… a ticket please" you managed to say without looking at him and rummaging inside your purse for your wallet.

"It's 10$" he said, still smiling and as you handed him the money, your fingertips touched his and you felt a little jolt of electricity.

His fingers were warm and soft.

When he handed you the ticket he also slid a little chocolate bar your way.

When you frowned, he spoke.

"It's on the me, don't worry" he said gently and you blushed even more, thanking him in a sliver of voice and scurrying away absolutely embarrassed.

You kept scolding yourself for looking like an idiot in front of everyone.

When you entered the cinema room, you felt a nice warm feeling spread in your chest and again you remembered how much you loved and you missed cinemas.

The room brought you fifteen years back.

The cherry wood of the walls and the low golden lights made you feel at home.

The red velvet seats were incredibly soft to the touch and looked absolutely comfortable and well-kept.

The floor was covered in a dark grey carpeting that muffled your steps.

Like an enthusiastic child, you slowly made your way down the central corridor tracing your fingers dreamily against the side of the seats and scanning the room for the perfect spot.

Once you found it, you pulled down the seat and sat down on the soft cushion.

You started rummaging inside your purse for your phone and found the little chocolate bar the ticket-boy had gifted you and your stomach rumbled.

You had already had dinner so you weren't hungry. But you always had a sweet tooth so you couldn't resist.

You unwrapped the chocolate and took a bite.

Your eyes scanned the room slowly as you let the chocolate melt on your tongue. Inevitably your mind kept conjuring up images of the boy that had made your brain go blank and you mentally slapped yourself again for the terrible first impression you made.

Suddenly, the light faded out and the white screen came to life, making you momentarily forget about the cute boy and your clumsiness.

You lost yourself in the images.

Grace Kelly's dresses were a dream and Cary Grant was absolutely stunning. You were transported back in time by Hitchcock's virtuosity.

Before you knew it, the end credits were rolling slowly onto the screen and the light were turned on again.

People started to exit the room quietly and you stood to follow them.

You were the last one to exit.

The boy wasn't behind the register now, but he had a broom and was carefully sweeping the floor near the exit door.

He lifted his eyes from the ground as you approached the door and was quick to grab the door handle and open the door for you, like Cary Grant had done in the movie, you noticed.

Such a gentleman, you thought, a delicate blush covered your cheeks and his at the same time.

You thanked him. As you stood there ready to go home, he let go of the broom, leaning it against the wall and offered you his hand.

"I'm Josh," he said with that same big smile and bright eyes as before.

You reciprocated the greeting and introduced yourself too, shaking his hand.

He repeated your name slowly, rolling every letter on his tongue and you found yourself staring at his full lips moving.

He kept your hand in his for a second longer than what was considered usual and you couldn't help but notice his warmth and softness, compared to your icy skin.

You both blushed as you shook hands and let go, awkwardly standing one in front of the other in silence

"Well, I really have to go now," you said to break the silence.

"Good night, Josh" you added with a small smile and you saw his eyes twinkling upon hearing his name rolling off your tongue.

He wished you good night, too, as you exited and slowly started to make your way back towards your flat.

When you crossed the road, you couldn't help but turn around and look towards the building.

A warm smile spread on your lips before you could stop yourself when you saw that he was already looking at you from behind the cinema glassdoor.

As you caught him staring, he swiftly hid behind the wall but showed up again seconds later with a guilty grin and a hand rubbing the back of his neck, a bit embarassed.

God he is so sweet, you thought and blushed under his gaze despite being so far away from him.

He waved at you and you reciprocated, feeling something stir in your belly, like a hundred butterflies spreading their fluttering multicolored wings.

That night you couldn't fall asleep for hours and when, finally, sleep graced you, your dreams were haunted by beautiful brown eyes and contagious smiles.

You woke up with a jolt to the sound of your alarm clock. You cursed it because it had interrupted the sweetest dream you had ever had.

Of course you were dreaming of Josh.

You were afraid that you were starting to develop the biggest crush on that little cinema guy.

By the end of the week, you were sure you were madly in love with him.

You couldn't go five minutes without thinking about him and you hated yourself for that.

You didn't even know him, how could you feel that way for him already?

On Saturday evening you decided that you needed to see him again, the thought of his smile was more or less the only thing keeping you from saying to hell with everything. The week at work had been absolutely draining so you really needed a breath of fresh air.

And, of course, the cinema was the first thing that came to your mind.

This time they were showing "Pulp Fiction". You had already seen it millions of times but you didn't mind as long as you could see him again.

There were more people waiting outside than the last time.

When you entered, you saw him there, tearing tickets and serving popcorn and beverage to customers, expertedly.

Your heart started beating wildly as you waited for your turn.

Finally, you were in front of him again.

When he saw you, you were graced with that heartstopping smile that your brain had replayed hundreds of times in your dreams.

He greeted you using your name in his usual sweet tone and you tried not to swoon in front of him.

"How are you tonight? Ready for some Tarantino?" He asked playfully and you nodded, unable to control your smile.

"Yes, I am. I've seen it many times but never in a cinema, actually" you confessed as he gave you your ticket and change.

"Oh, it's way better on the big screen, trust me" he said and winked as he handed you the little bag of popcorn you had ordered.

You blushed at the gesture and entered the cinema room.

You chose your usual spot and you started eating popcorn waiting for the movie to start.

The film was almost finished when you reached the bottom of the popcorn box, feeling the little grains of salt under your fingertips.

And something else too.

There was something inside.

You took the item between your fingers and brought it out of the box. Thanks to the light coming from the screen you saw what it was.

It was the same chocolate bar that he had offered you the first time you met. But it wasn't alone. It was attached to a little strip of paper folded on itself.

You detached the chocolate from the paper and unfolded it.

Despite the darkness, you could see what had been handwritten inside.

"This is to make it up to you for last Saturday night. I should have at least offered to walk you home. I shouldn't have let you go out alone at night. I am so sorry. I would have never forgiven myself if something had happened to you. I hope this doesn't come off as rude or creepy but here's my number, don't hesitate to text me when you get home safe or whenever you want to know what films we are showing.

P.S. Please, ignore this if I am overstepping.

Josh :)

You blushed instantly and unconsciously brought the paper close to your heart as you felt butterflies go crazy in your stomach.

Nobody had ever been so thoughtful with you.

You couldn't stop smiling and, as the credits started to roll on the screen and the light switched on again, you stood and walked out of the room to see if he was there.

You wanted to thank him for his kind gesture, but once you were in the hall, he was nowhere to be seen.

An old man with round glasses and kind eyes was sweeping the floor, exactly like Josh had been last Saturday.

You were a bit disappointed.

You wished him goodnight and walked home.

Once you arrived home, you decided to text that number anyway.

With trembling fingers you typed a brief message.

Hi, Josh. I found your message inside the box. Thank you for your kindness. I have just gotten home safe. Please, feel free to text me the scheduled films every week, thank you.

P.S. You were right! The film was so much better on the big screen!

Goodnight.

You signed the message and before you could start mulling over it and overthinking, you sent it.

A few minutes later, your phone vibrated on your nightstand.

I am glad you got home safe and you enjoyed the film.

Sweet dreams!

Josh.

You felt again those damn wings flutter in your chest. You read the message hearing his voice in your ears and you blushed even though nobody could see you.

You were already smitten with him.

That night you dreamt about him again.

~

It started like that.

Every Thursday he texted you the scheduled movies and every Saturday night you texted him when you got home safe.

He was always so sweet every time you saw him and every time you fell a little more in love with him.

Every Saturday night he kept offering you the same chocolate bar, hiding it inside your popcorn box together with a little slip of paper where he wrote little anecdotes about the movie you were watching.

He told you he was a film nerd, but you were honestly impressed by the extent of his knowledge.

One Saturday evening, the weather looked awful but, after a long week at work, you didn't really feel like staying at home. And you needed to see him, his smile was more or less the only thing that helped you keep your sanity.

You had spent the entire afternoon baking a cake for him, to thank him for all the times he had offered you a chocolate bar and shared his precious knowledge with you.

You had opted for a chocolate fudge cake, since he gave you major chocolate vibes.

Dark, sweet and captivating. The website described the recipe with those three words and they made you think about him, immediately.

The recipe wasn't exactly easy, so you spent all afternoon mixing and stirring ingredients and then wiping and cleaning the kitchen.

Once the cake was in the oven, you showered and started to get ready to go out.

You had been so busy that you didn't even heard your phone vibrate with a message and then a phone call.

When everything was ready, you placed the cake in a box and exited your apartment.

The sky was dark. The clouds swirling fast and looking menacing and an intermittent rumble of thunder could be heard in the distance.

You grabbed an umbrella and walked to the cinema.

Once you arrived there, though, you were very surprised to find the sign unlit and the doors closed.

You checked the time on your watch and noticed that the cinema was usually open at that hour.

You knocked but the lights inside were off.

You started to worry that something had happened to him

You knocked again, just before a loud thunder shook the glassdoor.

You flinched at the loud noise but your heart flooded with relief as the lights inside switched on and you saw Josh make his way towards you with keys in his hand.

His smile was a little surprised but beaming as always.

"Hi, darling, what are you doing here? The storm is about to hit" he greeted you and said, looking up at the darkening sky.

"You didn't read my text, did you?" He added then, still smiling, at your confused expression.

You panicked and started rummaging through your bag for your phone.

"Hey, hey, calm down, it's ok!" He said placing a warm hand on your arm. "I texted you to tell you that tonight the cinema was closed due to the incoming storm. I even called you but after one call I didn't insist because I thought you were out with somebody and I didn't want to bother you." He said sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck and smiling, a little embarrassed. His cheeks pinkened slightly.

"Oh, I am so sorry Josh, I spent the entire afternoon baking this cake and I didn’t look at my phone." You started rambling, then added in a sliver of voice, "this is for you, for your kindness and sweetness"

You handed him the box as you started to back away from the door.

"Hey, darling, please don't go. Stay. I am really happy to see you. I don't want you to go away and…" he stopped for a second before continuing, casting his eyes down to the pavement.

"And I don't really feel like staying here alone working during a storm, so please stay" he said quickly, his cheeks pinkening even more.

"You can even choose the film tonight, it will be a private screening" he added and winked, playfully.

You blushed at his sweet request and after a few seconds you agreed. In reality, you had decided straight away to stay, but you didn't want him to believe you were too desperate.

His smile beamed even more when you accepted and he motioned for you to take his arm.

Then he closed the door behind you and escorted you inside like a gentleman, thanking you profusely for the cake.

You were really afraid he could hear your heart beating wildly in your chest at the thought of spending the evening alone with him.

He started leading you to a part of the cinema that was restricted to the public.

He opened a door, flicked on the lights and motioned for you to enter.

At that moment, you understood that he had taken you to the very screening room. You had never been inside one and you were mesmerized by everything you saw there.

You gasped and he chuckled.

"Here's were the magic happens" he said while spreading his arms wide.

You started to take a look around but you were interrupted by his voice as he placed the cakebox on the table and opened it.

"Wow, love! This cake looks delicious! How did you know chocolate is one of my favourite things in the world?" He asked, his eyes glittering with happiness.

"I just guessed" you answered sheepishly, blushing at his compliment.

He looked at you with a strange light in his eyes but the moment was interrupted by a loud thunder that shook the whole building.

You both flinched at the loud sound.

"Now, I really have to sort these new films that arrived today. But you can do as you were at home, you can choose the movie you want to see and I'll set it up for you while you get comfortable on the seats downstairs." He explained.

He pointed to a staircase that lead to the cinema room downstairs.

"Are you sure you don't need a hand with those films? I can help you so we can sort it out quickly and watch the movie together." You asked tentatively. You really didn't want to watch the movie alone while he worked.

It didn't seem right to you.

"Well, I don't really want you to work on Saturday night, really. I can do it myself, it won't take much time. Thank you, darling, but you just have to choose the movie and relax" he said sweetly, motioning you towards a closet full of rolls of film.

He left you there and you started to take a look around among all those movies.

This was honestly one of your dreams coming true.

You always loved movies and you always wanted to know what happened behind the door of the screening room.

You felt giddy being in such a special place.

Your eyes landed almost immediately on one of your favorites of all the times.

Your friends and family mocked you because whenever there was a movie to choose, you always picked that one, without even caring about how many times you had seen it.

"The Shining" was written in bold red lettering on one side of a roll on the bottom of the closet.

You picked it gently, trying not to make the others fall to the ground.

You assessed the weight of the film between your hands and you felt like a little girl with her favorite toy.

You turned around and he lifted his gaze from one of the boxes of new films.

He spotted the title immediately and bit his lip with a beautiful smile.

You heard him mumble something low under his breath but you caught it anyway.

"God, you are perfect" he whispered before catching himself and giggling, noticing that you had heard him.

You blushed and so did he.

You really didn't want to watch the movie without him so you told him and offered again to help him.

"I'd love to see this, but only if you let me help you with those boxes first, I really mean it, Josh" you said and you saw as he mulled over your offer.

You knew he had refused your help only because he was a gentleman and didn't want to make you work on a Saturday.

You also knew that four hands were better that two, so you really wanted to convince him.

"You don't want to end up like Jack, do you?" You said tauntingly, referring to the main character of the movie.

"All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy, remember?" You continued and you saw his smile beaming again at your reference.

"All right, you sold me, darling," he said chuckling "I could really need some help. Plus, it's been a lot since I last watched that masterpiece, I'd love to see it again with you with the cinema all to ourselves. But only if you promise me that, after, you'll eat that cake with me" he added, pointing a finger at you.

"Ok, now tell me, what do we have to do?" You asked him, curiously.

"We have to classify these rolls briefly and then order them alphabetically on that shelf" he explained and you sat next to him, ready to work.

In less than an hour, you had finished and, meanwhile, the storm seemed to have passed. An occasional rumble of thunder could be heard far away.

He started thanking you profusely but you quickly interrupted him saying that that wasn't that big of a deal.

In reality, the truth was that you had loved spending some time alone with him. His presence was absolutely captivating and his eyes beaming while he told you every little thing he knew about those films. You could have listened to him talk for hours and hours nonstop about his passion.

"Now we can finally relax" he said, gently taking the roll you had previously chosen and starting the various machines that occupied one side of the room.

You watched mesmerized as he made quick work of operating the projector and you gasped when you saw the first images light up the screen in the cinema room from the little window in front of you.

He winked at you and you tried so hard not to swoon you had to bite your tongue.

"Here we go, love, let's go search for the best seats," he said, grabbing the cake box and guiding you down the stairs with a warm hand on your back.

You felt the butterflies go crazy in your stomach again at that simple touch.

He guided you to the center of the seats and motioned for you to choose.

You sat down in the same place you always chose and he sat down next to you placing the box on the seat next to him.

As the opening credits started to roll on the screen, he came closer to whisper into your ear.

"Wait here, I'll just go get two forks for the cake and I'll be right back" he said, his warm breath hitting your neck, making goosebumps raise onto your skin.

A few minutes later, he came back with two forks and two cans of coke. He settled them on the floor next to you.

As you thanked him, he opened the cake box and handed it to you, along with a fork so you could take the first bite.

"No, Josh, the cake is yours, you have to take the first bite. I really hope you like it" you said.

Worry started to creep up on you. You were mentally retracing the recipe steps for the millionth time to check if you had forgotten something.

You watched with bated breath as he sank the fork into the soft cake and brought a bite to his mouth.

He started chewing slowly and moaned in pleasure at the enveloping taste of the cake.

"Good Heavens, this is delicious, love. You are the queen of chocolate cakes." He said still chewing and looking at you, amazed.

You sighed in relief and watched mesmerized as his jaw clenched and unclenched with every bite he took.

You were quickly brought out of your reverie when he motioned for you to get a taste, too.

You had to admit that it was really good, and the perfect treat for a movie night with him.

As you ate and watched the movie, every once in a while he moved closer to whisper little anecdotes about the movie into your ear.

You usually hated when people disturbed you during a movie, but, with him, it was different.

His voice was so soothing and soft that you didn't want him to stop. You would have spent the entire night just listening to him talk about anything and everything.

After some time, you heard a sudden loud thunder and, all of a sudden, everything was dark around you.

"Oh, fuck" you heard him groan as you rummaged through your bag to get your phone and turn on the flashlight.

Its white light illuminated the room casting a spectral glow on everything.

"I can't believe it" he said again, dragging a hand on his face.

Another crash of thunder shook the building.

Then he started giggling. And you couldn't help but mirror him.

"Ok, I think that the storm decided that we shouldn't see anything tonight." He scoffed and you giggled, helpless.

Silence encompassed the room, then. The only sounds you could hear were his regular breathing and the harsh wind outside.

Suddenly he stood up with a new idea.

"Ok listen, I am pretty sure there are some candles under the stage. A few years ago this was a theatre, so there are a lot of scenery in the storage closet" he said with a hopeful look into his eyes.

"Let's go, lead the way" you said and stood up next to him.

You followed him through a door and down some narrow steps that led behind the white screen.

You almost fell on the floor because everything was extremely dark despite your flashlight.

He caught you before you could smash yourself to the ground and grasped one of your hands in his to keep you from falling again.

His skin was so soft and warm that you felt a little shock of electricity at the contact.

He guided you down the corridor and stopped in front of a door. He unlocked it and entered, bringing you with him.

The room was packed with all kinds of handpainted scenery.

He spotted the box of tealights and matches next to the very door and grabbed it. He handed it to you and grabbed what looked like a big pile of velvet fabric that was on a table.

"What is that?" You asked and he snickered.

"Those are the old velvet curtains of the theater. In case we get cold" he said and you laughed

"That's creative" you said and he chuckled.

"Let's go back, it's too dark in here" he said in a spooky voice.

"That sounds like a last line before getting killed by the monster in a horror movie" you whispered and he giggled.

Once you were back into the main cinema room you started placing tealights all around you and slowly the room was immersed in the golden light of many tiny flames.

You both decided to move to the first row of seats, right in front of the stage, so there was more light.

You sat down next to him again and you both listened in silence to the storm raging outside.

Then he turned towards you and spoke.

"I am glad you are here but I am sorry that you are stuck with me instead of being in the comfort of your house. '' He said sheepishly.

"I am happy to be here with you and not alone at home, honestly" you answered him, turning towards him, too.

His flawless skin was glowing golden in the feeble light of the candles and his eyes were the same shade as the chocolate cake that lied abandoned on the floor.

You lost yourself inside them.

He had the innate capacity of drawing you in, like a magnet.

You couldn't control yourself and, honestly, you didn't want to.

Before you knew it, his lips were pressing against yours, hot, soft and so gentle.

You felt your head spin as your heart melted from that simple kiss alone.

You were shocked when he pulled away and he must have seen it in your expression because he immediately started apologizing.

But you didn't hear a single word.

Your mind froze in the exact moment his lips parted from yours, depriving you from their warmth.

There was only one thought occupying your mind.

Him.

Without thinking, your hands snaked on the back of his neck and you dragged him towards you again, pressing your lips against his and successfully interrupting his ramblings.

You felt something under your fingertips and smiled in the kiss as you understood that the hair at the nape of his neck had been braided in a little rat tail.

He placed one of his hands on your hip and a little groan escaped his lips as his fingers came in contact with your skin, left bare by your shirt riding slightly upwards.

He squeezed your hip and you whimpered into his mouth, parting your lips and allowing him to deepen the kiss.

When his warm tongue caressed your bottom lip, something into your brain snapped.

Without further thinking you climbed on his lap and lost yourself in the kiss that turned every second more heated.

Both his hands came to rest against your cheeks and the sound of smacking lips filled the room making your head hazy.

He parted from you then and chuckled at the whine that left your mouth.

You couldn't tear your eyes away from his perfect plump lips, glistening in the golden light of the candle.

Both your breaths were ragged, your faces flushed but you couldn't care less.

You started kissing again and this time his hands started to roam your body, quickly slipping under your clothes.

As his hands slowly traced your back and moved to your front, inching towards your breasts, you stopped him biting his lip lightly. You grasped his rattail and tugged at it, making his head tilt back with a low groan.

That sound went straight to your core and you knew there was no going back.

You needed to have him.

"Fuck, love. I can't get enough of you" he confessed against your lips and you shivered at the low register of his voice.

He kissed you again and started fumbling with the hem of your shirt.

"May I take this off?" He asked gently and you nodded quickly.

He took off your shirt and you shivered, feeling exposed in front of him.

He gently grabbed your arms with which you tried to cover yourself and caressed them, taking them slowly away from your body to admire you with care.

You had a very simple bralette on, but he was looking at you like you were wearing the most expensive Italian lace lingerie he had ever seen.

You blushed but he was quick to comfort you.

"Has anybody ever told you how beautiful you are?" He asked and you bit your bottom lip before crashing your mouth against his, his tongue soothing your need.

Your hands gripped the hem of his tshirt and you pulled it upwards, admiring him as he took the hint and slipped it off with a smug smirk.

He was astonishing, the perfect tanned skin of his chest was glowing against the deep red velvet of the seat he was sitting on.

You started kissing his neck nibbling at his skin and reveling in the little whiny breathy sounds escaping his reddened lips.

His fingers traced your spine, making you shiver, and they slowly inched towards the button of your jeans.

His expression was tentative when he looked at you, silently asking your permission to remove them.

You nodded and he winked before slowly unbuttoning them.

With some effort and chuckles, you managed to take them off with his help.

When you sat back down in his lap, he was quick to place his hands on your bare thighs, kneading the skin gently.

You never felt like that before.

As you sat there almost naked, a deep hunger overcame you, observing him taking in every little detail of your body.

Suddenly his lips were pressing featherlight kisses along your shoulders, where the straps of your bra sat against your flushed skin.

One of them slid down your arm and you shivered.

He kissed you again and his lips started a path down your throat and down the center of your chest.

"Josh" you heard yourself whisper as his fingers traced the other strap making it fall, too.

"Tell me, love" he whispered back, leaving open mouthed kisses on your neck.

"I need you, please" you whispered down to him, like a secret, even though nobody was there to hear.

"You want me to take this off?" He asked, tracing the hem of your bralette with his pointer finger.

You nodded and he smiled sweetly giving you what you needed.

He took his sweet time admiring you then, making you blush as you sat almost entirely naked in front of him.

He looked in awe, his eyes sparkled as he looked at you.

Then, his lips encompassed one of your nipples while his hands grabbed your hips and pushed you further against him.

You groaned as you felt his erection press against your core.

You started grinding against him and his breathing picked up as his mouth kept spoiling your chest, nibbling and sucking.

After a while, though, his hands stilled your hips completely.

"Baby, you should really stop this, or soon it will be game over for me" he smiled, out of breath and a little embarrassed.

You smiled at him and blushed, apologizing.

His hands on your hips gently pushed you upwards making you raise on your knees, still on his lap.

You rested your hands on his shoulders as he started placing a trail of kisses down your tummy and towards your lower abdomen.

When he reached the hem of your panties, he looked upwards and you forgot how to breath.

His eyes were wide like a deer in the headlights, pupils blown out, making the soft shade of brown disappear completely. His breathing was ragged and you shivered as it hit the damp trail that his lips had left on your tummy.

What he did next made your soul leave your body.

A little smirk appeared onto his lips as he took the little bow that sat at the center of the hem of your panties between his teeth and tugged at it before letting it snap back against you.

You whimpered and he chuckled. Then his mouth moved downwards, placing gentle hot kisses on your still covered mound.

"You want me to kiss you here, don't you?" He whispered looking up at you for permission and caressing your slit through the fabric with gentle fingers.

"Please, Josh, yes" You begged him and you shivered as his thumbs hooked on the sides of your underwear, pulling it slowly down your legs.

He groaned at the sight of the wet fabric parting from you and you shivered as the cool air of the room hit your flushed skin, squeezing your eyes shut.

"Hey, love, look at me, please" he whispered and you lowered your gaze.

He kept a steady eye contact as he slid down the seat just enough for his mouth to reach your center comfortably.

Both your hands were gripping the velvet seat behind his head, but when his mouth was close enough to your core that you could feel his warm breath hitting your wet skin, one snaked into his curls, gripping them tightly.

That simple gesture spurred him on and in a second his mouth was on you, his tongue lapping up and down your slit, parting your lower lips and making your breath stop in your throat.

You were holding onto his hair so hard you were afraid that you were hurting him.

Little breathy sounds escaped his lips as he ate you out at the perfect pace.

You felt his fingers slowly reaching between your legs and you stiffled a moan.

"Baby, let me hear you, nobody is here, you are safe" he whispered onto your skin and next thing you knew his name was echoing in the room alongside thunders as you slowly started to unravel.

He slid a finger inside slowly and started stroking your clit with the tip of his tongue in quick circles.

You shivered.

You were close.

"Josh" you gasped as he added another finger and curled them harshly, making you almost double over him.

Before you knew it, you were coming undone on top of him, clawing at his shoulder and his curls.

He parted from you slowly and you bit your lip at the sight of his lips and chin glistening with your arousal and his puppy eyes looking up at you wide and in awe.

"You did so good" he said against your lips before kissing you deeply.

Your hands reached quickly for his belt and you unbuckled it.

He groaned as your fingers pressed against his crotch while you were trying to free him.

When he was finally free from the confines of the fabric, you gasped.

He was beautiful, girthy and veiny. It made your mouth water.

You started stroking him gently and you saw as his head lolled backwards again the seat, exposing his neck.

You licked a stripe up his throat and stopped at his ear, tugging with your teeth at the little silver hoop that adorned his lobe.

Suddenly he grasped your wrist.

"Baby, careful" he said out of breath and you understood.

He was close.

"I want you Josh" you whispered onto his lips as thunders kept booming.

"Inside" you punctuated and he nodded.

He placed you on the seat next to him and stood, getting rid of his pants and reaching in his back pocket.

He fished out a condom and sat back in the same spot.

You climbed again on top of him, shaking lightly with anticipation.

You watched enraptured as he rolled it on himself and groaned in need.

His hands reached for your hips and guided you up.

He nodded towards himself signaling to you to grab him and guide him where you needed him.

You did so with trembling fingers and his voice immediately came to soothe your nerves.

"Don't be nervous, baby, it's just me. Take your time" he whispered onto the skin of your sternum that covered in goosebumps.

You kissed him and, at the same time, slid his tip a few times along your slit.

When you were ready, you lined him up with you and started to sink down slowly.

Both your gazes were trained between the two of you as he slowly entered you.

By the time he was fully inside of you, you were biting your lips so hard you were sure you were drawing blood.

He felt amazing inside, the sting of the stretch took your breath away completely at first but it slowly dulled.

You both exhaled shaky breaths and he held you still to let you adjust to him.

"You feel amazing, Josh" you whispered onto his lips.

"You feel like heaven, love" he whispered back, clenching his jaw, trying so hard not to move.

You moved, then, sliding up and then back down and feeling him caress your walls beautifully.

You started riding him at a slow pace and watched mesmerized that every time you pushed back down on him, his brows knitted together.

His eyes were shut and his mouth was parted, letting out whispered whimpers of pleasure every time.

You kissed him, deep and slow like your rhythm, but soon it turned famished and your rhythm quickened, with the guidance of his strong hands on your hips.

Your legs were burning, the effort of keeping your body upright when he was eating you out paired with the one you were enduring now started to make you move a bit more erratically on top of him and he was quick to notice the slight change.

"Your legs are hurting, aren't they, baby?" He whispered into your ear hoarsely.

"Yeah, a bit," you said out of breath "it's been a lot since I last…" Your voice trailed off and your face flushed in embarrassment.

"Hey, it's fine don't worry about it," he whispered pressing his nose in your cheek "let me help you"

He stopped you and stood carefully, with you still on his lap, showing his strength.

You wrapped your legs around his hips and pressed your body completely against his.

You were both covered in sweat and glistening in the low light.

He started walking backwards and soon, you were sitting on the side of the stage with his body between your parted legs

He managed to move the both of you while staying inside of you. You were impressed.

You admired the toned muscles of his arms as he flexed them to keep you close to him.

Once your body relaxed back, he searched for your gaze and you nodded, giving him permission to move.

He took the lead and set a quick and deep pace, hitting places you didn't even know existed inside of you.

The first thrusts made you slip down, so you were laying on your back on the stage gripping the edge tightly and looking up at the ceiling.

But you missed the eye contact with him so you managed to bring yourself back up.

You kissed him again and your hands tangled in his hair, making him moan in your mouth.

Suddenly he grabbed your ankle and hooked your leg in the crook of his elbow, opening you up even more for him.

His next thrust shook your entire behind, making you clench harshly around him and you couldn't help but claw at his back.

"Are you close, baby? I can feel you squeezing me so tight" he whispered into your ear as he kept his pace, strong and steady.

You nodded, unable to speak and slid your hands down his sweaty back and on his ass, digging your nails in the supple muscle there.

He groaned and angled his hips so he could hit your sweet spot repeatedly, while simultaneously stroking your clit with his thumb that he had previous wetted with his tongue.

A thunder so loud that rattled the walls muffled your cries as you hit your climax, enveloping him in a vice-like grip.

He followed soon after, the sounds escaping his mouth were unbridled and heavenly and echoed into the room sinfully.

His body fell limp against you, his damp forehead pressed to your shoulder as he tried to calm down his heavy breathing.

You tried to do the same, feeling his hands caressing your back gently.

He slowly pulled out of you and kissed you sweetly.

When your eyes met the both of you were still panting, with flushed cheeks and disheveled hair, but you couldn't hold back a little embarassed giggle at how the night had escalated.

"Thank God there is no one in here or that would have been a hell of a 18+ show" he whispered playfully into your ear and you cackled loudly.

He helped you get down from the stage and grabbed some of the tissues you had brought for the cake to clean you up gently.

Then he grabbed your clothes from the seat and handed them to you.

"Don't run away, I'll be right back" he said and walked towards the bathroom with his clothes in his hands.

He came back with other clothes on, a white tshirt and black jeans and brought you a clean tshirt too, so if you wanted to change.

It was black, with the cinema logo in bold red lettering and it reached you mid-thigh, like a perfect sleep tshirt.

You sat back in your respective seats and ate some more cake, chatting about your favorite movies.

After a while, you started yawning, the tiredness of the day was starting to making itself known.

He looked tired too, but the storm outside wasn't subsiding in the slightest, so you were stuck there with the lights still out.

Then you saw it.

The deep red velvet of the curtains folded on one of the seats.

He noticed your gaze and chuckled.

"We had the same idea, love" he said and stood helping you, unfolding the fabric and placing it on the floor.

Quickly you had set up a makeshift bed in the middle of the cinema room.

You laid down feeling extremely awkward but giddy to be there with him.

The velvet felt extremely soft against your skin end despite it being old, it was clean.

As you laid down, his arms brought you closer to him. You could feel his breathing, steady and calm on your neck and soon you were drifting off, listening to the wind whistling outside.

In the morning you woke up in his arms. You were a bit sore due to sleeping on the floor and other activities but you felt extremely at ease with him close to you.

He looked so soft, with sleepy eyes and his usual contagious grin on his lips.

It was hard to part from him but you had to go to work so you had to leave him there.

"Have a good day, love" he said in a hot whisper against your neck and you forcefully parted from him, knowing that if you didn't, you would end up tangled in the curtains with him, again.

But at work you couldn't focus, your mind kept drifting off to him.

And you spent the entire week thinking about him.

On Saturday you went to the cinema as always, they were showing "The Shining".

His smile at the register was very flirty and warm.

The evening went on as usual, but when the movie was almost over, you felt someone touching your elbow in the dark.

It was him.

He motioned for you to follow him and you ended up in the same showing room as last time.

Before you knew it you were pressed against the wall by his body, his lips hot on your neck and his hands sneaking around your body.

"Did you miss me, baby?" He said unbuttoning your jeans and sinking down on his knees.

"God, you don't even know how much" you whispered back, biting your bottom lip and sinking both your hands into his hair.

______________________________

Taglist: @gvfpal @sammyslappers @spark-my-nature @highladyofasgard @sparrowofthedawnsworld @jessicafg03 @doodle417 @hellowgoodbye @ejoygvf @jaketlover @jakekiszkasbabymama @objectsinspvce @indigostreakmorgan @witchofendora @myleftsock @gretavanshmeat @gretasfallingsky @giraffehippy @jennasometimesreads

[literary-illuminati]

2024 Book Review #55 – The Vanished Birds by Simon Jimenez

Introduction

The Spear Cuts Through Water was one of my favorite reads of last year, and I’ve been meaning to get around to Jimenez’ other work basically since I finished it. Months and months later, my TBR pile and the library’s hold queue cooperated and I finally got around to it. Of the two, you can definitely tell Birds is the debut novel, but despite the roughness I can’t help feeling like it's also the one I prefer. I do have complaints (of which, more below), and the story certainly has issues with structure and allocation of wordcount, but this really is the rare book where I feel no compunctions whatsoever giving five stars.

Knowing myself, this isn’t entirely unrelated to how fucking heartbreaking it is at points.

Synopsis

To brutally over-summarize, the book follows Nia, a starship captain hauling crops on a freight route from a ‘resource world’ to Pelican Station, one of the great centers of human civilization and Allied Space. Due to the peculiarities of faster than light travel, the round trip that is for her and her crew experienced as a span of months is for the people at both endpoints an absence of fifteen years – a convenient way for her to keep making the same mistakes as far as personal connections and relationships go. On the last loop of the route before her contract is completed, she finds herself taking care of a mute, deeply traumatized young boy discovered miraculously unharmed by the locals in what seemed like a fiery wreck. The boy – at first nonverbal, inexplicably a musical savant, deeply traumatized and mysterious in a hundred different ways – finds his way into her heart to the point that even after they return to Pelican and he’s been turned over to the security services, she can’t stop trying to find out what happened to him and making sure he’s alright.

It’s at this point that the two of them come to the attention of Fumiko Nakajima, the Millennium Woman – designer of the five great stations at the heart of Allied Space, and (thanks to the magic of cryo-sleep and FTL time differentials) one of the last survivors of long-dead Earth. She sees in the boy the possibility of something miraculous – truly instant interstellar travel – and so hires Nia and a few reliable agents to take him into Fringe Space, safely out of view of any of her ‘friends and colleagues’ who might take a similar interest in him. For fifteen years. The story then reveals itself to be one of, basically, child-rearing and coming of age – at least until the moment where the child’s miraculous abilities really do reveal themselves, and all at once things get much, much deadlier.

Structure

The book is – not quite incoherent (the thesis is very clear), but certainly unfocused. At first I thought that was rather the point – the first three chapters are each incredibly effective, melancholic short stories in their own rights'; each leapfrogging into the perspective of a character whose actions or legacy shaped the previous, but with dramatically different casts, setting and plots. These are almost certainly the most aesthetically successful and artistically disciplined sections of the book, and as I read them I assumed it would continue in the same vein for the entire book.

It does not – the book settles very firmly into being the story of Nia and the boy who is later named Ahro. The middle of the book is an almost light-hearted coming of age story, spread across the years Ahro spends growing up in the Galactic fringe with his ragtag accidental family. The final act then dramatically shifts tone again, becoming largely about recovering from betrayal and the destruction of your life, and of striving in defiance of all sense and reason to reconnect with someone you love.

There are, then, three very different vibes here, and I can’t say the shifts between them are handled with the most grace in the world. The book absolutely never stops experimenting with style either, shifting voice, perspective, level of detail, and even format (several chapters are relayed as diary entries) basically whenever the mood strikes it. It absolutely feels like an incredibly talented author showing off a bit beyond their limits – you can see the seams, the allocation of effort between the parts is...questionable, and there are a couple vital characters/subplots who just needed another chapter or two of focus – but it’s the sort of messiness that leaves me incredibly endeared.

Love, and its Discontents

Those first three chapters are essentially short stories connected by setting and a character or two – but most of all they’re connected by theme. Each is, one way or another, the story of the protagonist falling in love – the sort of love that defines a life, that cuts you to the core whenever you remember it – and then having that love fail, leaving the lover damaged or lessened in a way that never quite heals.

Things do not stay quite so melancholic, but for a story whose whole climax is centered around the quite literally metaphysical and reality-shaking power of pure love this book has a bracingly tragic sensibility of it. Love is hopelessly one-sided, or turns rancid with resentment for just long enough to make sure it can never be restored again. Romances end in betrayal and murder, bonds both sororial and paternal in half-thoughtless abandonment, soul-deep friendships in vicious arguments and a severing of ties. Love, the book says, is deeply contingent and often more transitory than it seems – and if it isn’t, that can do far more harm than good.

Nia as a protagonist has plenty of baggage about this. She’s introduced as a woman with deep abandonment issues – that is, she keeps abandoning people and then feeling bad about it (her ship is the Debby, after the kid sister who lived and died seeing her for a few days every fifteen years due to the time lag of interstellar shipping). She latches onto protecting and caring for Ahro almost more as an attempt at redemption for herself as anything about the boy himself, it’s only over time she really grows to love him as more than a talisman.

I can’t say it was particularly well-spent time, but the book does something I love at least the idea of. Nia’s crew is introduced in the second chapter with a fair amount of detail and personality, each of them having little idiosyncrasies and distinguishing habits and virtues; one is a best friend she found stranded on a wrecked hulk and nursed back to health. The whole dynamic is that of the grumbling and bickering but affectionate found family crew you’ve seen in a thousand other stories. So when she commits to spend up to fifteen years of her life taking care of Ahro on the galactic fringe in exchange for truly unbelievable amounts of money, she sits down with them, tells them the score, and asks them if they trust her enough to come with her.

And all but one of them say no, and never show up in the story again. Which is possibly the first time I have ever seen that kind of scene not end with re-commitment and affirmations of trust from at least most of the real characters that were asked.

This makes the whole found family situation with Nia, Ahro and (most of) the second crew that do spend years in the outskirts of ‘civilized’ space with them works for me far, far better than these things usually do. Because, unlike functionally every piece of fiction I can think of that’s ever been promoted as being about found families, this one really does sell it as something precious and exceptional, rare and worth fighting to preserve.

It also gets all but three of the people involved killed, of course, and of those three one’s permanently crippled and death would probably have been kinder for the second. The book’s really big on stretching ‘better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all’ to the absolute breaking point – right up to someone choosing not to die despite an existence of nothing but torture and pain just for the infinitesimal bit of hope and connection of a loved one singing through the prison bars.

The Banality of Evil

The villain of the piece is, without question, the monolithic and monopolistic Umbai Corporation, something between a neocolonialist conglomerate and a sovereign, expansionist empire in the classic sense with a few affectations from its earthborn roots (the specifics of the politics of Allied Space are vague and in any case more impressionistic than anything like a detailed speculative political economy). Which is kind of fascinating, in that it is specifically the Corporation as a corporate body that is the villain – agency and responsibility are spread across whole bodies of Allied nobility and corporate Judiciary officials, armored Yellowjacket thugs and career-minded techs and surgeons. There’s no CEO or President, no Board of Directors who set the agenda and bear ultimate responsibility – there’s no face to it at all, really. I’m fairly sure no agent of the company ever even appears twice. Which is just interesting on its own terms, given Umbai as an entity defines both the setting and the plot to dramatic degrees.

The world of the Vanished Birds is a horrifying dystopia in a hundred different ways, but until the very end of the book this just isn’t really something any of the characters particularly care about. It’s in the incidental details and the little asides in the exposition – that there is a great apparatus of censorship on every Allied world dedicated to controlling and slowing the rate of linguistic drift to ease the flow of time-shifted commerce, that the culture and economy of Umbai ‘Resource Worlds’ are societies deliberately starved of information and culturally engineered to be easily managed and quiescent single-commodity resource exporters. Even in the distant past, Umbai and institutions like it used their control over the Ark Ships escaping earth to filter the species – denying berths to (among a great many other things) anyone of ‘problematic’ politics or who seemed likely to be an economic burden.

It’s a universe where this system seems to spread inevitably and irresistibly, everything valuable bought up and parceled out for the benefit of the system’s functionaries diligent enough to save for occasional vacations, and the nobles and officials in the vaunted heights of far-off stations and City-Planets (the allegorical applicability is left as an exercise for the reader, a bit of restraint I did appreciate).

It is, again, not a system that’s worth analyzing as a speculative political economy or technical exploration of neocolonialism either present or future – but it’s not trying to be, either. And it works very well at seeming like a real, functioning world that the characters are just trying to live in.

The Anthropocene

Going off where most of its wordcount is spent, I’m not sure you could really call Birds climate fiction. But if someone was making that argument, I’m not sure you have too much ground to stand on arguing you shouldn’t either.

Fumiko’s first chapter, read as a stand-alone short story, absolutely is – the story of a love affair between genius savant designing the great orbital habitats which will sustain a lucky slice of humanity in the stars, and a talented but less world-shaping scientist doing what she can to lighten the burden of the remaining four fifths of the species being left behind upon the increasingly uninhabitable earth. This is where the book’s title comes from – the gradual disappearance of the birds Fumiko loved as a child, even from the sanctuary trying so ferociously to preserve them.

The world presented in that chapter feels just barely familiar enough to be unsettling, a scarred and fortified world that’s still on a clear and irreversible decline – which might be either chicken or egg to the fact that the commanding heights of government and industry have given up trying to save it entirely to focus on an escape to the stars.

For the rest of the book, environmental collapse isn’t really a topic that much comes up – though the human shaping of and impact on the environment certainly does. It’s just largely a matter of deliberate engineering.

There is, however, a very easy allegorical reading of the fact that on discovery of a way to travel instantaneously between stars, Umbai ruthlessly exploits and monopolizes it to attain unprecedented degrees of power and wealth as they reshape the entire galactic economy – all of galactic civilization, really – around the new technology. All without the slightest thought or care that this new technology is based on harvesting a specific and finite resource and their brave new world will collapse entirely without it. Omelas-child instead of oil but still – not exactly subtle, but I do appreciate the book restraining itself from directly and explicitly pointing it out.

Fumiko

The ‘millennium woman’ is probably the most interesting single character in the book, and also almost certainly the biggest structural weakness in the whole thing. Which is annoying to me, personally. She simultaneously has some of the best chapters of the book and also ends up feeling like a ball being tossed around as the plot requires.

Her Methuselah existence is only vaguely justified and explained, and it’s entirely unclear just how exceptional she is (beyond the fact she isn’t unique, anyway) – the story never even gestures to the existence of any of her peers beyond vague mentions of the Umbai executive class or Allied nobility. She’s an oligarch-savant with nigh-infinite resources and cadres of loyalists installed in every institution worth owning – until a single mistake is made and the powers that be unite in a perfectly coordinated strike to kill them all and leave her stranded in the torn up ruins of her private research colonies among the corpses of two thousand executed minions.

A character being ruthlessly crushed without warning or chance of contesting it by the powers that be rings more true when the character isn’t one of them, I suppose? As it was, it felt like being dropped into the climax of a story without any of the rising action.

The effect is, I think, at least mostly intentional. The entire chapter is about Fumiko being so distracted with the failures of her memory and a complete preoccupation with her latest project (Ahro) that she cannot even pretend to remember or care about this whole vast infrastructure she has built up for her own advancement and curiosity, or the hundreds of followers who treat her as a living saint (to the point of not even remembering her friend, confidant and second in command until the moment before he’s executed for, in essence, her failing to consider the consequences of breaking a minion’s heart). The fact that there’s a battlecruiser en route to bury everything she’s built in napalm and she just forgot to do anything to prepare is actually very plausible. In which case, I just wish it had been ore dwelt upon and made a point of. Or just – it felt like she really needed another chapter or two from her POV before things go horribly wrong, I suppose?

Her chapters are very well-done and affecting, to be clear. And her mirrored character arc with Nia – both women who get a certain pleasure out of other people caring about and being more invested in them than they are in return, both dealing cosmically poorly with rejection, both forever decorating their life in half-conscious memory of someone they left behind – is both well done and compelling (Nia gets better, Fumiko’s story in an elaborate murder-suicide/terrorist attack).

Too Long; Didn’t Read

Beautiful, emotionally affecting book. Very much a debut work from a talented author – experimenting and showing off a bit more than be supported, some fundamental structural weaknesses – but nothing I found detracted from the experience. Actually one of the quite rare books where sitting down and writing out a review has made me like it more rather than less.

[squinch-depraved]

Can I send you a TikTok link? https://www.tiktok.com/t/ZTFhjgKYU/

This edit is so hot and it made me think of your work lol I hope this inspires you, I’m excited to see what you come up with

- 🪐 (the one who requested the cooper x ted thereesome) (i check your blog everyday for new Schlatt material LOL)

firstly, holy SHIT i watched that for like five straight minutes THAT made you think of MY work??? i'm gonna explode,, , it did give me ideas tho dw >:) now the only issue is making myself sit down and type them out

thank you for the continuous support of my blog, i try to get out at least one fic every day because i know people enjoy my shit for whatever reason but sometimes my brain just don't be workin right for the day.. i have a queue full of requests and some ideas of my own so just know that i'm usually working on something (or like multiple projects tbhhh) unless i specifically post that i'm taking a break. but yeah requests might be closing soonish so put in any ideas and shit you guys want while you can and i promise i'll read them all and write my favorites :3 once again my dms are always open, i'm super down to talk and make new friends so don't be shy!!

thank you everyone for reading and thank you 🪐 for being my first cscoop request and for the incredibly hot edit (which i will link directly so you guys can see how glorious it is) (if the link doesn't work i'm gonna kms so just pretend it does no matter what ok)

MWAH (kisses u all on da head) i hope ur days are joyous and whimsical my friends thank u all again <3

[haikyuu-sins]

Funny 23. With Law please! Maybe reader putting up a fight to their boyfriend Law when he’s trying to do a typical medical exam on them! Thank you! Take your time, hun, we’re here for you!

I did change the sentence juuust a little bit since a submarine isn’t exactly high up in the air, but i hope you like it! I also realized that i had this in my drafts and not in my queue this entire time 🙃 THEN i realized I wrote something completely different!! So i had to rewrite it. But I’m going to keep the first one, so you’re getting a 2 for 1 deal here. 

Characters: Trafalgar Law (One Piece) Warnings: Needles Genre: Crack

Today was your least favorite day of the year. The day that Law gave the crew shots. With going to so many islands, there was no saying what kinds of sicknesses we could get so Law always took precautions with us. He could cure diseases, yes. But a cold, our body’s just had to fight it off ourselves. He called you in and he could already see you cringing at the idea of getting shots. “CAptain I don’t want it..” You gave him a side eye as his long legs brought him over a little quicker than you wanted. You saw the needle in his hand and he flicked it. Little droplets came out of the tip of the needle and hit the floor. “No. Captain I’ve decided that I really don’t want it. I’ll be perfectly fine if you don’t give it to me. In fact! I’ll just never leave the submarine again! How does that sound?” You try and talk your way out of it, seeing if he’ll buy your excuse but he of course, does not. 

“Would you knock it off?” He rolled his eyes, just wanting to get this over with. You were the most difficult out of the crew when it came to getting anything done medically. “It’s just a little pinch and then it’s done. Please just cooperate with me this once?” he sighs. 

Your eye twitches at his response. That wasn’t what you wanted. You wanted him to agree with you–tell you that it was a great idea to never leave the submarine because that way you’d never have the chance to get sick. But no, Law is obviously not going to fall for that. 

In what seems like half a second, he’s at your side and your eyes widen. “Don’t you dare…” you start to move away from him but Law is much faster than you. He grabs you by the arm to keep you close to him, all while you're screaming and flailing about. “NO! Captain PLEASE! I’ll do dishes for the rest of my life! I’ll clean the bathrooms! I’ll do anything!” you try your best to bargain with him, but it’s all for naught. “Room.” 

“No!!” In a flash, your dominant arm is completely off your body and he’s holding it in his hand. 

“Give it back!” you yell at him as you try to grab your arm…with your dominant hand. 

“Ow!” you gasp out and feel a poke as he sticks the needle in it. “How dare you!” 

Law doesn’t say anything, but you know he feels smug about tricking you. 

“If you do that again I’m going to throw you out the window! …What are you doing?” 

He glanced over at the submarine window. “Checking to see if you could actually do it to see if it’s worth it. We’re in a sub afterall. Underwater, too. So good luck with that.” he smirks and reattaches your arm to your body. You grab it protectively and huff. 

“Mark my words. I’ll find a way.”

Warnings: Clown mention, fake knife. Characters: Trafalgar Law Genre: Crack, Modern!AU

A haunted house. It was all your idea. Why? Because you wanted to see if your boyfriend, Law actually got scared. The man was normally quite stoic, seemingly not bothered by much, if anything at all. So what better thing to do than to go to a haunted house and try to see if Law would have any sort of reaction to it. Little did you know, this was going to backfire horribly on you.

The haunted house you took him to was at an old hotel they decided to revamp for Halloween. Each floor had a different theme. One was clowns, another was chainsaws, then the last was different horror movies, like Friday the 13th and Scream. 

When you arrived, fake fog covered the ground and you couldn’t see where you were stepping. You were excited about it, your little plan was hopefully going to work. But when you looked over at Law, he has an unamused look on his face and it made you roll your eyes. 

“Oh come on Law! Can you at least look excited or even nervous about this? It’s gonna be fun!” You pout up at the taller man. 

“I don’t see much to be scared about…” He glances around, not knowing what exactly he should be nervous about. “It’s not like it’s real.” You roll your eyes once more at your boyfriend. 

The two of you enter the first floor and you admit, it’s not as scary as you thought it would be. There are people who jump out at you and sure, it gives you a little fright, but it’s not until the third floor where they’re actually chasing you that it gets scarier. Law smirks to himself, as he gets an idea. He slips away behind you and you don’t notice that he’s gone until you jump back and don’t feel yourself bump into his chest like you had before. “Law?” you shout out his name, brows furrowing as you turn in circles. “Law! Where did you go?!” it was at this point you started to get freaked out. The sound from Friday the 13th plays in the background which just serves to make your heart race. 

“Babe! Come on!” you groan in frustration now that you’re alone but it wasn’t for long because when you turned around, there’s Jason with a fake bloodied knife in his hand. You scream in a panic as you jump back against the wall. The horror movie character pins you against it so you can’t escape. But what you hear next, isn’t what you expect. You don’t expect to hear your boyfriend’s laugh as he takes off the mask. “You little shit!” you yell at him, hitting him in the chest. “If you do that again I’m going to throw you out this window! …what are you doing…?” you look at him through narrowed eyes as he glances out the window. “Checking to see how high the drop is to see if it’s worth it.” he smirks lazily at you and you just hit his chest again, huffing as you walk away from him. Nothing here was going to scare you anymore since you were just mad at him now. Maybe not mad, per say, but definitely embarrassed. “You’re a jerk!” 

“You have to admit that was pretty funny.” Law chuckled, following you to the elevator at the end of the haunted house. 

Your arms cross over your chest and you look away from him. “Was not.” 

The two of you sat there, Law chuckling every once in a while as he remembered your reaction and scared face. You waited until the elevator went to the first floor but it seemed like it was taking too long. It wasn’t until it jolted and stopped midway that you both realized what happened. 

The idea of being stuck in an elevator didn’t exactly appeal to him. But if it was with you…well that was a whole different story.

[minas-linkverse]

do you have any advice for making comics? like- how much do you plan ahead? how detailed are those plans? how much of your total time spent drawing is spent on this comic? how much buffer should you have before posting regularly??

My process works for me but is really weird and I don't recommend it to anyone else :') Unless your brain happens to work the same way as mine. I'll share but the last two paragraphs are the most important.

I don't plan ahead much at all. I have a few scenes mentally in my brain ready to go, and the ending is sort of ready so I know what I'm aiming at... But besides that I freestyle. Each page is improvised. I just have a goal and I go for it. The goal is usually something akin to "get Wild and Legend to hang out on this page," or "make Wind find out Twi met Aryll" etc. I kind of work backwards in that way, having the goal ready and then paving the path. No scripts, all dialogue is off the top of me head.

I don't have much patience so when I get an update done I queue it for the nearest 6 pm on the clock. I don't like keeping a backlog, I need the instant validation. I also like to keep arcs loose so I can change them on the fly if I feel like it. Often comments have very interesting interpretations I'll want to acknowledge or someone super misunderstands the aim and thanks to their comment I'll know to be clearer next time. The comic is sort of a cooperative project with me and you all! Although I have the final say.

I don't stress about not posting enough personally. I was blessed with the power to draw really fast so I tend to keep up with the demand and interest cycles of my audience.

...

Real advice: Figure out who you are and what works for you. There's no right way to do this, there's only the way it'll get done. A comic that exists is better than a comic that is approached professionally™

The reason I'm sharing all this despite it being bad advice is because by studying the process of others you can pick out things you like and leave out what you dislike, so you can build a process that's ideal for you. I hope that despite the fact what I do is unusual, that it can still awaken some kind of ideas in you and other people interested in comic making!

Best of luck!

[shame-is-a-wasted-emotion]

WIP Friday (Actually Thursday and Wednesday but I can't move my ass segment)

Thank you so much @fallevs and @forabeatofadrum for tagging me. Ily❤️

I don't have much to share. I am fucking exhausted although I have n number of ideas for big and small fics. I am trying to work on kiss prompts for now. But that is not working out too. I really want to complete the already existing Wip and write a big one. But alas!

@fallevs I am actually working on your kliss prompt. Its a funny set up I picked from Instagram(I suppose it was from a series)

Maybe I can share a little nugget of it. Warning: I'm am writing like a medschool essay. So average wordings and no feelings

Blaine had been waiting for a day off for a long time from his work to come here. Disneyland was one of his favourite places on the planet. It would have been better if he could have brought someone with him but his colleagues had their “plans”. His nephew loved Disneyland just like him but Cooper had gone on a vacation to Italy with his family.

Although Blaine could feel the high and euphoria of visiting Disneyland, going to all the rides out there, he had to make a stop at a point. And so he decided to stand in the never ending queue of his favourite bakery in the place to get his favourite Café Mocha and Matterhorn Macaroon.

Interested Aurora? I'll try delivering it as soon as possible.

Okay now for the crowd: @kurtsascot @bitbybitwrites @kirakiwiwrites @rockitmans @cryscendo @england-would-fall @spaceorphan18 @sparklepocalypse @special-bc-ur-part-of-it

And for some strokes: @justgleekout @mynonah @esilher @porcelainvino

[jadeoru]

jade… idk if you heard but it’s self ship thursday round these parts and i’m forcing suggesting i know to participate SO i have a question for you

you and omi are taking a road trip. who’s driving, who’s passenger? who’s in charge of music? what’s the music vibe, sing along or chill? do you talk or do you nap? where are you going? do you take breaks? i want to know every single detail down to the car you are driving thank you in advance

molly!!!! vote me for president and i will make every day self ship day !

great question i will now proceed to yap your ear off about every detail you have been warned (you will regret asking me this.)

okay pov we are road trip-ing for our lives…. activating my thinking cap…

okay so it definitely depends but omi is usually the one driving because i hate driving and it stresses me out </3 ill take over if he gets too tired but unfortunately my love for him being my passenger princess does not outweigh my road anxiety 😔 ig i have to be the passenger princess.. (no complaints at all.)

i am always in charge of the music and i always will be . he doesnt really gaf so i always get free reign and play whatever i want while he drives. his music taste is very basic and boring so i use every road trip as the perfect opportunity to broaden his horizons 🫰 he acts like he doesnt care abt my music but i see him adding some songs to his playlists 🤔🤔 yeah thats right boy i saw you adding “headfirst slide into cooperstown on a bad bet” by fall out boy to your playlist you arent slick ❌❌

the vibes are all over the place batshit chaotic with a brief period of chill and calm somewhere in between it all. the vibes i choose for the car ride are always unpredictable like i could go from performing a one woman rendition of the rocky horror picture show to slowly bopping my head to a sexy bassline like cherry thrill by movements… dont get me started on kneecap too he hates my kneecap moments cuz i just proceed to badly rap in irish for the next half hour and he has no clue what im saying </3

i do make sure to sneak a few of his favourites in the queue because seeing him nodding his head or tapping his finger against the steering wheel to the beat fills me with immense satisfaction and hes so cute and i want to crash the car and pounce on him and gnaw his face off and

unfortunately i am the most annoying yapper in the whole world and if im not singing im yapping until i go nonverbal for the next hour and stare out the window until i get my yapergy back !

i always end up talking about random bs or just infodumping about something so the whole time hes just smiling and nodding at my enthusiasm. he teases me whenever i get too excited about something cuz i end up cutting myself off and going off topic every few minutes 😭 but this fucker remembers every single word i say and makes a mental note of the things that make me happy - fucking LOSER!!!!

i am definitely dragging him to the most beautiful place on earth achill island in mayo it is my favorite place ever i must share with him the beauty of ireland 🙂‍↕️ i will drop a picture i took of achill island below so you get it

we defo take breaks because if i stay still for too long i want to scream and die so we stop for a bit and i get to stretch my legs and we go to a garage shop and pick up a sweet treat to get us through the rest of the journey :-)

also we’re driving my blue mini cooper and he fucking hates it but its my baby and i love him more than omi and his name is martin 🫶🫶

sorry molly this is long but you brought this upon yourself i love ranting about omi !!£!!!

achill island reveal

[amelias-calamity-quintet]

🍄Decriscribe your wip/one of your wips in the format of “___ + ___ =___”  

♻️A scrapped idea for your current WIP

Numbers are wrong, sorry. Copy-Paste not cooperating tonight...

Thank you for the ask @karama9! And you're good, thank you for grabbing the questions for me, I forget I queue these all the time.

2)🍄Describe your wip/one of your wips in the format of “___ + ___ =___”  

I feel like this is easier for MoaH than for GoS, so I'll do MoaH. We'll go with "Legend of Zelda" + "adult epic fantasy series" = Mark of a Hero. I feel like that's the most accurate answer.

8)♻️ A scrapped idea for your current WIP.

Oof, this is hard. Again, I'm kinda stuck with MoaH on this because GoS is technically already all written. Oh, actually, I have one for both.

In the original drafts for Goddess of Secrecy, Endeavor's wolf, Journey, was going to get these power up forms based on each of the Goddesses. I'll include the art below. The side quest content for GoS got scrapped on account of GoS was originally on Wattpad and Wattpad has part limits, so it didn't fit into the final release.

For my current WIP with MoaH is harder because there are so many books left to write, it's hard to say was will be totally scrapped by the end of it. I have one scene that I have no idea how I'm going to tie in at the moment and it likely won't, and I'm gonna cheese that in to count, where Link sees Zelda as he's riding up to the castle or something, and he totally beams himself riding into a tree branch cause he stops paying attention to riding when he sees her. While thoroughly in character for MoaH Link, it has not produces itself as feasible to tie in. Yet.

And thank you for the ask again!

[hazyaltcare]

Could we get an aesthetic for a Floyd (Trolls: Band Together) fictive who feels like he never truly left the bottle and misses his brothers? Maybe with some purples and glass/diamond?

Sure, i'll do my best and it'll be in the queue once its done.

Sidenote since this ask is Trolls related: if the requester who sent us a Cooper (Trolls) fictive playlist is reading this, please resend your ask! I was searching for it in the inbox and drafts earlier and I couldn't find it. :/ thank you!

Mod Haze (🧨Tate)

[dailyenglishvoca]

Unrelated to the previous post about the AI snafu: after today’s queue runs out I won’t be posting for a few days. I’m at my great uncle’s house and the wifi is VERY slow, so I can’t get tumblr to cooperate for anything except simple text posts, video is a no-go. Sorry, and thanks for your patience!

[thisiskatsblog]

I was in the pit so for me it was just someone making the rounds in the queue asking everyone if they had downloaded the app and if not, what it was about, and then there was a lot of word of mouth between fans itself once in the pit so people who missed it first still got to downloaded it inside. For the sits from what I've heard they had people assigned for each section to explain what to do!

Tbh I think I'm even more surprised that both this project and the one with papers for sibwawc worked. For the later I only received and envelope with and explanation and the little coloured papers and I thought of how easy it would be for someone to just throw the envelope on the floor and it stops there. But in the end the whole audience was also a big rainbow, and people light up their phones once again later for the saturdays project!

omg hi nice anon, sorry I missed this the other day when I was wondering about the Paris Saturdays project.

Thanks for sharing your experience. It is indeed wonderful to think about how easily something could go wrong, but people are really so cooperative and willing to do their part in creating something beautiful as an audience. That's also been my experience in Antwerp. I brought two leftover packages of miniprideflags, without the sticks, and I just passed them to my neighbors in two different directions at the start of the rainbow megamix. They didn't even need an explanation they just took a flag, passed on the package and started waving. Zero effort with maximum effect, just because people get it and cooperate. I love that about this fandom, I really do.