#but like... he acts just like my cats irl and...

[mtjester]

Okay, I’ve got my thoughts together!

I enjoyed this story. It took about an hour to read, and the narrative was overall engaging, so my mind didn’t wander much. The main character was interesting and compelling. Tamora Pierce is well known for her strong female characters, and this MC didn’t disappoint.

I’m 100% here for any “create a personal fighting style by observing how animals beat the shit out of each other” narratives. The character’s personal motivations for doing so were internal and didn’t need plot to get the ball rolling, but the plot did deliver with a satisfying fight scene that made the progress of the story meaningful and worthwhile.

This story was a good example of a character-driven narrative that didn’t rely heavily on plot, while still providing enough plot structure to keep the story focused and purposeful. A lot of fantasy stories are plot-driven, so it was interesting to examine a more character-driven story.

I did have some reservations about the setting, especially given that Pierce is a white woman with no notable experience in Africa (to my knowledge). The story is not actually set in Africa but in a fictional region inspired by Africa, but including ostriches, lions, giraffes, etc. in the story does make it feel like “this is just Africa.” That’s probably an unavoidable reader-expectation-of-genre side effect due to historical influences on mainstream Western fantasy—you can have cats and dogs in a fictional world and let it still feel fictional, but more biome-specific animals risk pulling readers out of the story world. I did feel for most of the story that she was actually setting the story in irl Africa.

That said, I think Pierce handled the setting respectfully and without any notable points of offensive stereotype. I do think that sometimes the characters’ dialogue felt a bit stilted in an attempt to reflect the “tribal” setting, which I didn’t care much for. I also felt that the village setting was underdeveloped in terms of imagery, so it was sometimes hard to imagine what the character’s life was like (for instance, how big was the village that the bullies went unnoticed when harassing the MC? It was difficult to picture). That weakness could be a result of storytelling constraints (not wanting to waste words and scenes on descriptive language) or the author’s lack of knowledge about the places that inspired her setting—I don’t know.

One last gripe as someone who’s practiced a grappling martial art (judo): the fight scene at the end was satisfying, but I’m not convinced that it was realistic. The MC mostly practiced on inanimate objects like rocks and trees, and she didn’t have much real fighting experience; I’m not convinced that her reflexes and fighting instincts would outpace a trained warrior’s unless he was greatly underestimating her (which may have been the case). Perhaps more smaller fights ahead of the climax would have made her abilities more believable.

For writers, this story is a good model text for:

“Show, don’t tell” and providing information through scenes: Pierce does not provide extensive exposition through narration; for the most part, everything we know about the character and the world is provided through events, starting with a flashback of something that happened to her mother. The scenes are, for the most part, neat and well-organized. Characterization is provided as the character observes the world and acts. All of this is supported by the choice of a first person perspective, which takes away the crutch of third person exposition dumps.

Character-driven narrative: Many fantasy stories are plot-driven—the character is offered a story hook or call to adventure, and they follow it. Pierce mainly focuses on the character’s personal desires to learn from the world around her instead, and the plot provides small moments of conflict to direct her energy. The final conflict that leads to the culmination of everything the character has learned is introduced later in the story and isn’t the main focus for the character’s journey throughout the narrative.

Small, short-story sized conflict: If you’re like me and struggle to keep fantasy conflicts small enough for a short story (instead of a full-blown trilogy), this is a decent example of how to do it. The true conflict is the societal expectations that limit the female character’s interaction with the world and prevent her from learning the ways of a warrior, and she finds her way around it by learning from what she sees. This conflict weaves into the setting and the character’s motivations throughout, but it’s given tangible form when she must defend her sister’s honor. The conflict is well-represented, well-contained, and well-suited for a short story, as the character is successfully able to show mastery over the conflict in the space the narrative allows.

Any other enjoyers of this story have anything to add? Maybe I’ll do a poll for rating the story or something.

Enough people (a non-zero number) said they’re interested in a short story weekly read, so why not! Let’s just jump in it:

Fantasy Short Story Weekly Read

This week’s weekly read is Tamora Pierce’s short story “Student of Ostriches,” which can be found in the book Tortall and Other Lands.

I’m using the Libby app to access the story, and we’re using the Ghotitank discord to host reads and discussion! If you wanna follow along on Tumblr, reblog and share any thoughts, like:

How you’re finding the story (library, internet, already owned it, etc)

How you felt about it/your review

How you feel about the author and other works they’ve written

Similar works you’ve read that someone else might like

Writing or creative inspiration you’re drawing from the story

Suggestions for next week’s read

[goobsgoobers]

Hehehe... goob loaf-

The eepy

That's it, comic hopefully soon lmao

I love this funky cat fr fr

[boydyke]

my most convoluted sam winchester headcanon is that if he didnt grow up in the environment or into the job he did he'd probably be a woman by now. ngl.

[what-is-it-to-be-pk-esque]

My partner finally finished BG3 but has no idea that his ending was actually bad cause he was a pro-Vlaakith githyanki who rode off with Lae'zel but got NO EPILOGUE where Withers points out y'all died im 😭😭😭

they have no idea what happened with Gale or anyone else (who was still alive) after flying away 🙃🙃🙃

[freyito]

ᴛʜᴇ ᴄʜɪᴍᴇʀᴀ ᴘʀᴏʙʟᴇᴍ...

✭ pairing(s): aventurine, dr ratio, boothill, gallagher, sunday, argenti, mr. reca, sampo, jing yuan, blade, luocha, jiaoqiu, moze, mydei, phainon, anaxa (seperate) x reader

✩ in which: you bring home a chimera that looks like them.

✧ a/n: SOMEHOW IT FEELS LIKE ITS BEEN SO LONG SINCE IVE POSTED A FIC??? IDK IF THIS IS NORMALLY HOW LONG IT TAKES ME BUT AUGHHH!!!!!!! i got a job again and many more things happening irl but i am FINALLY! FINALLY!!! starting to get back into the groove of writing and drawing and even gaming teehee... sometimes all you need is a change to get out of a slump i guess.

you may also notice that a few characters are missing from this post! thats cause whenever i do one of these big ol posts, a couple of characters really tend to make it feel like it drags on for me. that leads to me really dreading writing the fic and, of course, leads to me taking a month on the fic lol. this will be one of the last posts i do with all the male characters (and female, if i ever decide to write for them in the future), before i move onto writing five characters at most. im sorry if you guys liked these posts and your favorite characters werent written for, i know these are like. my most popular pieces. it just takes so long and by the time i reach certain characters i feel like im all outta juice.

✦ taglist: @fffrost, @shinysora

🗒 cw: gn reader, just fluff, not proofread

✎ wc: 4.3k

⎯ Aventurine

“Well… I suppose we’ll see how this goes��”

AVENTURINE isn’t exactly against the idea of a chimera, but with all his catcakes, is it a good idea…? Both of you don’t know, and you feel a little embarrassed to admit that you didn’t think of this before bringing home the chimera. He’s not mad though, he’s quite taken by the little creature. But, with his penchant to collect catcakes, he worries about possible socialization issues.

The chimera, however, fits right in– aside from its striking eyes. Loafing and lounging with the catcakes, day in, day out. With a big ol’ smile on its cute face, happy to be with its kin… You think. Chimeras have the body of lion cubs, right? So aren’t they like… kind of related to catcakes? It’s a question you’d rather not ponder. Still, even so far from home, the chimera seems quite content. Paired with a bunch of companions who are all spoiled equally.

That being said, it seems you have chosen one of the laziest chimeras known to man. Ever since you had brought it home, it had kept Aventurine in bed even later, refusing to get up from his chest, even if the man had a meeting. It seems Aventurine has spoiled it far too much, or it has gotten so used to the comfortable life that it’s gotten quite stubborn…

⎯ Dr. Ratio

“Interesting….”

Most would not take RATIO as any type of pet person. No cats, certainly no dogs, no birds… the list goes on. Even his colleagues would not have guessed he’d take such a shine to such a… cute creature. As far as they know, cute is not a word within Ratio’s vocabulary. So, when his peers and students see a chimera toddling behind him, they can’t help but be interested.

He acts like he isn’t attached to the chimera, treating it more like a specimen than the cute little lion-butterfly-thing it is. When you first brought it to him, he was quite intrigued. A creature from a planet that not even the memokeepers can reach… It's a wonderful research opportunity, and a gift. One he cherishes, despite his logical approach to it. 

It seems he has bonded with the chimera on a deeper level than you expected. It just so happens that you have picked up a chimera that not only looks like Veritas, but also one that was just as enlightened as he was. You think. You don’t understand a lick of the chimera’s little chirps, but Ratio seems to understand well enough. Then again, the math that he prattles on about with the chimera, you don’t understand either.

⎯ Boothill

“Awh, who’s this little feller?”

BOOTHILL is actually quite delighted when you bring a chimera home to him, even if your reasoning is a little… odd. Looks like him? Well, there’s only one of him and that means there’s only one look-alike; the man in the mirror. Still, despite this, he’s practically in love with the chimera. It’s been so long since he’s even had a pet– and he’s always missed the dogs and cats on the ranch– so why not indulge in your silly little shenanigans, and appreciate this little critter you’ve taken the time to pick out for him?

The two get along so well. Boothill had always wanted a pet eventually, but with his lifestyle he was afraid to ever adopt. Considering he was running around half the galaxy, he was wanted, and the closest thing to home he knew now was a ship, it was just unfair to subject any sort of animal to that life. Now that he had you and a proper home, however, he had been debating getting a pet for a long, long while.

So imagine his surprise when you had handed off a chimera to him the minute he got home after a particularly rough bounty. Even the most snarkiest, annoying personality would have him charmed. It could constantly choose you over him, and he’d still fawn over the thing. He’s happy you have someone to keep you company when he’s away, but the little kid in him (who remained, despite the fact that everything around him had burned to ash) is much more happy to come home to a pet once more.

⎯ Gallagher

“Another stray, hm?”

Despite the chimera’s protests that it is not a stray, GALLAGHER doesn’t seem to mind a new pet. He’ll just pretend he didn’t hear that comment about the chimera looking like him. You had compared him to a dog so many times before, that he was practically immune. Even if a chimera wasn't a dog, or a cat, or… well, there was no use in wondering what exactly it was. Though, he was quite intrigued that you had brought home something from Amphoreus of all places, it seems that the nameless just keep going for bigger and bigger marks.

The chimera itself is quite happy to get away from its work and laze about. On the days that Gallagher is home, it enjoys curling up on his lap (or his chest, if Gallagher is napping), and bathing in his and your attention. It’s quite domestic really, you have seen Gallagher with his other pets before, but he’s more of a big dog kind of guy. To see something relatively small curled up with him, when he’s watching TV or getting ready for bed, it makes you feel… light.

He’s also quite happy to have a pet that can actually talk back. Gallagher often catches himself muttering to himself because of how much he tends to talk to his pets. So when he gets responses from the chimera, even if it’s asking to go back to bed or telling him that this work is just ‘too much’ (all Gallagher was doing was pouring himself a drink, the chimera simply chose to follow him), it was still wonderful for him to have a buddy. It’s not everyday that you have a pet that can talk back to you, right?

⎯ Sunday

“Ah… you thought of me…?”

Now, SUNDAY isn’t against pets, he’s just a little nervous. The last pet he had… Well, you know what happened to it. But, by all means a chimera is an extraterrestrial. So, naturally, he’s a little shocked. Even if the little chimera is as cute as a button and just so damn happy to be in his lap. While he knew stepping aboard the Astral Express would mean he would see quite a lot– which included different planets, and by proxy, different flora, fauna, people, and what not– he never really expected to be face to face with such a… thing.

Looking into its wide, golden eyes, however, he feels a sense of… kinship. As weird as it is. He does his best to ignore it, not to get too overly attached to the chimera. After all, surely you must bring it back to Amphoreus. Right? He does his best to ignore the papers in your hands, and chooses instead to believe that this ‘adoption’ is more of a ‘foster’ situation.

That worry dissipates with the coming days. He finds himself quite enamored with the chimera, even sneaking it leftovers when he can. He doesn’t mean to, but he ends up reading the creature passages from his books, or from some data entries he borrowed from the archive. In fact, the idea that you would have to bring the chimera back breaks his heart a little. Not that you would, it’s quite cute to watch the chimera follow Sunday around.

⎯ Argenti

“What a stunning creature!”

Isn’t the word ‘cute’ better instead? Nevertheless, ARGENTI is quite enraptured by the chimera. So much so that he doesn’t seem to realize the similarity of the creature. Really, when you saw the sparkle in its eyes, you knew this was perfect for him. The similarity was uncanny, really. With the way the chimera was staring into your very soul, chattering off (which, you could already imagine it was praising the beauty of you), a part of you wanted to get it contacts.

Needless to say, The chimera is glued to Argenti. Or perhaps it's the other way around? The man doesn’t have any traveling companions, and he had preferred for you to stay on his ship whenever he was out on one of his excursions. The chimera, however, seemed to be quite the trusty companion. That little ‘awoo’ must be vicious, given how highly the man spoke of it. ‘It’s like a cry from the very heavens!’

It seems your gift is quite well loved, though. Not that Argenti would ever dislike your gifts. You could give him a rock– one that isn’t even shiny or shaped in an interesting way– and he’d treat it like you’d have proposed to him. The chimera, however, seems to have struck a rather special chord within him. It is hard to know if you’ve truly surprised him, but you can definitely see how attached he is to the chimera. It has been too long since someone gave him something so meaningful. Perhaps even the first time.

⎯ Mr. Reca

“Ah, is this a new crew member…? Or perhaps, a new star?”

Is there a universe where MR. RECA isn’t looking for some scene to capture? ‘Cause it’s definitely not this one. No one has ever had the ability to capture something, anything from Amphoreus, so of course he’s fascinated with the chimera. He glosses over the fact that the critter looks like him. Not enough time to think about that, when this is a star in the making. What shall he come up with this time?

He unknowingly dotes on that poor little Chimera, as well… in his own way. There’s no critiques for the creature's performance (though, you must think that it doesn’t understand exactly what Reca’s goal is.), only dazzling praise, even for something as simple as curling up and taking a nap. Such a tiny little thing, full of all sorts of inspiration! It deserves nothing more than the best of praise!

For at least a month straight, he simply cannot stop thinking of ideas and ways to make the chimera a star. A documentary, perhaps. No, no, that’s too simple. A thriller, maybe? Now, that would be interesting. How could he use such a cute creature for such a medium…? Ah, so many things to work out! This excitement keeps him fueled for days. Oftentimes, he’s writing out scenes at his desk, pacing, or even talking your ear off. All while the chimera is curled up in his lap, content as can be.

⎯Sampo Koski

“And what’s this? A new business venture?”

Of course SAMPO looks at the chimera and sees a business opportunity. Not that he’s planning to sell it, no… this little fella could be the new face of his business. Cold Feet Junior, even. Needless to say, he loves the chimera. Who wouldn’t? Such a precious little treasure from way out there, somewhere not even the great Sampo Koski can get to.

Aside from the chimera now being the face of his business, he brings the thing everywhere like it’s a little chihuahua. It gets pampered to high heaven, with little treats even you have never heard about before. From all sorts of places, from Izumo to Punklorde. You start to wonder if these treats are even good for the chimera, considering just how different these foods must be from the ones back home. The chimera seems fine enough, however.

When he can’t bring the chimera with him, however, he’s the most pathetic man you know. He’ll fake cry, use a voice that is just so tear-jerking, and say a sorrowful goodbye to the chimera. He texts you everyday when he is out, begging for pictures, asking if it's okay, asking if it's eaten… and so on. You, of course, do your best to shower him with pictures of the chimera, assuring him that it’s never been better. To which, he always responds with some sort of keyboard smash (rare for him), and praises going your way, and the chimeras way.

⎯ Jing Yuan

“Hmm…”

JING YUAN could never turn down a gift from you, of course. Especially one so cute. If you hadn’t caught him at such an inopportune time (also known as nap time), perhaps his reaction would be more grand. Or the same, he’s never been one for big expressions. A simple ‘thank you’, a kiss, and something in return has always been his style. However,  this seems like a lot more than just a simple gift. A creature from Amphoreus… and a potential playmate for Mimi.

‘Potentially’ becomes a ‘definitely’ after some socializing. Instead of the chimera attaching itself to Jing Yuan, it’s very, very fond of Mimi. The grimalkin is quite well tempered, if not tolerant. The way the Chimera climbs onto him, like he is a mighty steed and not a proud lion… it’s charming in its own way. And yet, all Mimi does is maybe huff a little, and be on his merry way. Most of the time, he’d do the exact opposite the chimera wanted, by the sound of its annoyed chirps. Perhaps this was his way of playing with such a smaller creature…?

The chimera ultimately finds its spot on the bed. When you and Jing Yuan cuddled up, Mimi took his spot at the end of the bed. The chimera, unsure whether to stick themself at the end of the bed, in between you and Jing Yuan, or just sleep on the floor. Before it decides to exclude itself, Mimi makes the decision for it. With another huff (perhaps irritated that he had to leave his warm spot), he hops down from the bed, grabs the chimera by its scruff (not without it complaining, of course), and hops right back up. When you wake up in the morning, you find the chimera, stuck between Mimi’s paws, with the most content, familiar, smile on its face, while Mimi licks up its cheek repeatedly.

⎯ Blade

“...”

How many more times will this happen? First a cat cake, now a chimera. What’s next? A seal? BLADE really doesn’t know how to react. To be thought of is wonderful, but does it really always have to be in this kind of way? How many more creatures out there look like him? He can only hope you don’t find them for your ‘Blade collection’. Those poor, poor souls…

Regardless of his… pondering, the gift doesn’t go unappreciated. The chimera and Blade are like two halves of a whole, really. While Blade is sulking, so is the chimera… right next to him. When you adopted it, you swore it was just full of energy. Chirping and chattering to anyone who would listen, chimera, human, chrysos heir, no one was free from its chattering. In truth, you thought it was silly that something that held such a resemblance to such a broody man had such whimsy.

So, to see the little critter suddenly adapt Blade’s sulking and… edge, it’s a little surprising. Or not, if you understood how this tale has gone before. It’s actually kind of cute in its own odd way. When you point out the similarities in personality, all Blade feels he can do is grumble and huff. He should be used to your penchant for finding things that look and act like him by now, but somehow you always manage to surprise him. 

⎯ Luocha

“What an… intriguing gift…”

LUOCHA is never one to turn down your gifts, and he certainly won’t start now. But, despite the worlds he has traveled to and all he’s seen, somehow he’s never seen quite a creature. Perhaps it is the resemblance that throws him off. He doesn’t want to turn down your gift, but where he travels to may not be the safest place for the little Chimera. Very rarely does he stay home long enough to take care of any pet, either. He rationalizes that while it is a little amusing, this must be for you.

And of course he isn’t going to take that kind of companionship from you. It’s actually kind of endearing to him that you went through all this trouble to find a cute little look-alike. He’s more entertained by the way you dote on it, by the way you call it ‘Luo-Luo’ (even though the Chimera seems over it), and he wonders to himself if you truly got this chimera for him, or to have something to coddle while he was away. Not that you coddled him, normally. He isn’t a man to be doted on like that, and you are just too shy to do that to him.

He indulges in the adoption of the chimera, of course. Even when he’s out for months on end, he makes sure to call and check up on the Chimera (and you, but he does that normally). He shouldn’t be so surprised to see all the little outfits you’ve stuck the critter in, from cats (which makes no sense, considering the body of a chimera was a lion), to wolves. He wonders how many people you have commissioned for these little outfits…

⎯ Jiaoqiu

“And this charming little companion is…?”

JIAOQIU truly thought that the Tuskipir would be his only pet. He didn’t really need a service animal outside of the emotional support, considering he had a cane, and he knew the Yaoqing like the back of his hand. You, however, decide that if one critter does well, why won’t two do better? Plus, while the Tuskipir was used for more emotional wellbeing, Chimeras were experienced with work, and when you think about it, they’d make quite the service animals. 

What a shame that he can’t see the resemblance clearly. Still, he is quite touched by the thoughtfulness behind your gift. The chimera warms up to him all too easily, immediately taking its place by his side. Jiaoqiu doesn’t verbally admit it, but being thought of in such a way, especially after a trip that took you across the cosmos warms his heart. Even if he is pretty much completely recovered, it was quite nice to be cared for. Even as a healer.

In truth, as endearing as your gift was, he had expected the chimera to get in his way, under his legs, and become annoying in all sorts of ways. Given how happily it yipped and barked when you first arrived with it, he truly assumed it would be an annoyance. He’s pleasantly surprised that once the chimera has acclimated and settled, it becomes a wonderful companion. Chimera’s stomachs are so strong, you think, watching as Jiaoqiu feeds the critter a particular slice of beef that almost looks red, with the amount of spice he has put in the hotpot broth.

⎯ Moze

“I… Hm.”

It is rare for MOZE to talk without thinking. It is even rarer to interrupt his thoughts all together. You should be impressed with yourself. When met with the gloomy demeanor of the Chimera, Moze can only squint, open his mouth to form words, and ultimately lose them. What is he supposed to say? He’s never had a pet before, the strays in the alleyways who liked his scent were the closest thing to having one. All he really can do is hold the Chimera and stare into those oddly familiar eyes.

There is a quiet camaraderie between the two, once the confusion settles from Moze’s mind. When Moze is home (considering his work is too dangerous for any sort of pet), the two have a tacit, quiet understanding that you can’t quite… get. The Chimera follows Moze around, at a distance, and studies him closely, as if trying to commit his movements to memory. You swear, at some point, you heard Moze say ‘this is how you sweep’. When you walked in the room to check, the two were quiet as can be, while Moze was sweeping the kitchen floor, the Chimera perched on the counter.

When Moze is out, the Chimera sits by the door, or in the living room, or sometimes sleeps in his spot on the bed while waiting for him. It’s almost kind of heartbreaking when you think about it, knowing Moze is gone for most of the week. At the very least, it seems the Chimera is much, much more receptive to cuddles than your dear lover is. As much as it seems to miss its twin, it can’t resist curling up in your arms and taking a nap. It seems that the Chimera catches up on sleep in Moze’s place.

⎯ Mydeimos

“Hmph.”

MYDEI refuses to acknowledge the similarity. He pouts, sighs, and does his best to walk off and ignore the furry little companion you had brought home. The chimera trots after Mydei regardless, happy as can be, even if the man was ignoring it. You had to commend him, really. If you had something that cute following you around, you would fold immediately. But Mydei was stronger than you (and much, much more stubborn).

When Mydeimos wasn’t home, the chimera took up all his spots, short of the one in the kitchen. It’d sit in his chair at the table, enjoy the warmth of the private bath, and even take his spot on the bed. Which, Mydei truly doesn’t appreciate. Some days he is out from dawn till dusk, but he has always made it a point to come back home just before you fall asleep, so the two of you could sleep together. So to find you curled up with this little rascal, who was oh so happy to take his place, he doesn’t know what to feel.

He’s not jealous. No, no, he swears he isn’t. Why would he be jealous of a chimera? How silly. Despite that, you notice how he’s suddenly in much more of a rush to see you on the days that he is gone. He tries to beat the chimera to the bed, establishes his dominance in the kitchen (as if anyone could beat him), and makes it known– well.. you don’t know what he’s trying to prove to a chimera of all things. But it’s quite funny watching him try to one-up the creature, who was simply acting oblivious. Everytime you pet the chimera or praise it, you can always hear Mydei sigh. It’s not that he was neglecting the chimera in any way, not, he just had to one-up it. Almost every time he could.

⎯ Phainon

“Aha… Do I really look like this thing…?”

You are the third person to tell PHAINON a certain chimera looks like him. It worries him a little. Does he, a truly fearsome warrior that totally doesn’t have the air of a puppy, look like such a cute little creature? Looking into the chimera’s eyes, which are practically shining, he can’t help but concede… only for you, though. 

The very first thing this chimera does is challenge Phainon himself. To his surprise (and dismay), the chimera starts to take all his favorite spots.  Right by your legs, on your chest when you're sleeping, or when you're just laying down, and even in the baths. You find it cute, but Phainon… he’s not one to turn down a challenge, even if it’s initiated by a chimera. He takes every chance he can get to sweep you up off your feet and carry you off somewhere the chimera can only watch, like the hot baths.

While you find this kind of charming, if not funny, you can't help but feel bad for the chimera. When you show even the smallest amount of pity for it, however, Phainon decides its time to switch tactics. Instead of taking everything the Chimera did as a challenge, now it was a battle of charm. Anytime the Chimera begs for food (within his proximity), he rests his chin on your shoulder and tries to snatch the food from you. If the Chimera is sleeping on your lap, he makes an effort to also try and lay his head in your lap, and always, always, looks up at you with those pretty blues. You have to admit it's cute, but kind of pathetic. Not that you would ever want him to change.

⎯ Anaxagoras

“Hmph. But it is no Dromas.”

You, of course, know about ANAXA’s love for Dromases more than anything. You were one of the few who were graced by him and his magnificent onesie’s presence, after all. But, still, when you saw the little chimera, with its muted green coat and its missing eye, you couldn’t pass up the opportunity. Perhaps he is truly amused at the fact that you have found his doppelganger? Or maybe he’s finally figured out where one of his eyepatches has finally gone… either way, his tone is hard to read.

It is not long until you notice how he dotes on the chimera… in his own way, at least. He doesn’t outright ignore the critter when it toddles behind him, and on more than one occasion you have caught him talking to it, prattling on about his theories while he cleans his gun. Despite acting annoyed that you had taken one of his eyepatches for a ‘silly little costume’, he does not attempt to remove it. Not once. You take this as a victory, of course.

The real kicker is when you caught him sewing a Dromas onesie for the Chimera. His hands aren’t the steadiest, but he sits so quietly (for once), all while the Chimera lays curled up right next to his legs. You don’t mean to stare for too long, but he ends up catching you. Instead of acting shy (Which, he never did), and brushing you off, he only huffs softly, and shakes his head, before going back to his sewing. You read this as an invitation to properly watch, and when you step into the room, he doesn’t complain.

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[mossy-rock-in-a-field]

Several weeks ago, my retirement-age mother requested that I play Baldur’s Gate 3 for her because she has trouble with controllers/keyboards and wanted “to see what all the fuss is about with that cute wizard boy.” For context, my mother and I have done this sort of thing in the past with certain RPGs (dragon age, mass effect, etc.), but it’s been a few years since she’s personally requested a game like this. Basically, I control her Tav but let her make all the choices so she can determine how the story plays out without worrying about mechanics. She treats it like a choose-your-own-adventure book.

Anyway, here is a list of some of the things my mother has said and/or chosen to do throughout the course of BG3 in no particular order:

She is (obviously) romancing Gale. She is quite smitten with him and his passion for books and learning; she also thinks he’s polite and qualifies as “relationship material.” She also REALLY likes the things he’s said about his cat so far (my mom is a cat lady), so I know she’s gonna flip shit when we meet Tara in Act III.

She’s playing a normal druid Tav with a generally good alignment. Her favorite spell is Spike Growth because she thinks it’s hilarious whenever enemies walk into the AOE and die. I usually end up having to cast it at least once per battle per her request. Sometimes twice.

Contrary to her alignment, my mother tasks me with robbing every single chest, crate, barrel, and burlap sack we come across; this also includes people and their pockets. The party is always at max carrying capacity. ALWAYS. She doesn’t like selling things because “what if I need them.” The camp stash is in literal shambles. There is no hope of organizing it. She’s got like fifty seven sets of rags and a billion pieces of random silverware.

She MUST talk to every animal and corpse in the game. I think five hours of her total playtime so far (47ish) has been spent speaking to animals as many times as humanly possible. Like, I was thorough in my own playthroughs, but this is on a whole other level.

She did NOT get Volo’s lobotomy, but she did let Auntie Ethel take her eye in hopes of a cure for the tadpole. I did not understand the logic then. I still do not understand it now.

She is far more interested in fashion than equipment stats. Do you have any idea how much gold I’ve had to spend on dyes just to make things match? SO much. Same vibe as that “please someone help me balance my finances my family is starving” tweet but instead of candles it’s thirty thousand fucking bottles of black and furnace red dye.

We broke the prisoners out of Moonrise, but they got on the boat too early and bugged the fight by leaving Astarion and Karlach behind. Wulbren Bongle somehow got stuck in combat mode even after engaging the cutscene on the docks below Last Light; he he kept trying to run ALL THE WAY BACK TO MOONRISE nine fucking meters at a time while I frantically tried to finish the fight with the Warden, otherwise Wulbren would have run straight into the shadow curse. (I would’ve let him go; fuck Wulbren Bongle, all my homies hate Wulbren Bongle. But my mom didn’t know that, and she wanted to keep him safe. So.)

She had me reload a save like eighteen times to save the giant eagles on top of Rosymorn Monastery. Wouldn’t even let me do non-lethal damage just to get past things. I think getting that warhammer for the dawnmaster puzzle took us like an hour and a half alone. (Yes, I know you can use any warhammer, but SHE didn’t.)

She’s started keeping an irl notebook to keep track of her quests between play sessions. She writes down ideas and strategies when she thinks of them during the week, then brings them to her next game session at my house. I think she wrote about three pages on possible approaches to the goblin fortress alone.

She insists that I pet Scratch and the owlbear cub before every single long rest, no exceptions. Sometimes I have to do it multiple times until she is absolutely sure that the animals know exactly how much she loves and cherishes them. She has also commissioned a crocheted owlbear plush from a friend of hers and is very excited.

I’m sure there’s a bunch of stuff I’m forgetting, but those are some fun things I thought of. She’s enjoying the game and is telling all of her retired friends to get it and play it for themselves. She asked me “what is Discord” yesterday and I think my life flashed before my eyes.

anyway shout out to my mom for being neat

Part 2 — Part 3 — Part 4 — Part 5

[buntanteen]

svt fic recs list <3 - svt 10 year anniversary: woozi - sfw & nsfw

summary: 10 sfw & 10 nsfw jihoon reader insert fics :)

contains: 18+ nsfw (mdni!!) majority is afab reader

✩ svt writing & fic rec masterlist ✩

✩ sfw section ✩

1. ❥ do not disturb - @studioeisa

oh, to be the one that jihoon would drop everything for :,)

2. ❥ operation: hug me - @dokyumms

give that boy a hug and a cuddle PLS PLS PLS HE WANTS TO BE HELDDDDDDDDD

3. ❥ cat parents with woozi - @jihoonjuseyo

knowing that he's a cat dad now....*SCREECHES*

4. ❥ woozi bf habits - @odxrilove

*tears in my eyes* he's just so...so soft and sweet and loving and so hoonie and AHHHHHHHH JIHOOOOOOON

5. ❥ cuddling - @husbandhoshi

he's just so shyyyyyyyyyyyyy ahhh my babyyyyy

6. ❥ boyfriend!jihoon x reader - @xinganhao

kicking my feet and giggling HE'S SOOO BOYFRIENDDD (and beautiful fiancé) coded

7. ❥ lipstick kiss trend with woozi - @etherealyoungk

i wanna leave all the physical marks of love all over him

8. ❥ boyfie - @rubyreduji

he's SOOOOOOOOOOOOO boyfie hehehe

9. ❥ shirt(less) - @wheeboo

i could barely handle seeing those honkers during nana tour....i don't think i could irl djfkgdbk

10. ❥ main story vs close friends: woozi - @monolotus

obsessseddd with the main story vs close friends conceptttt

✩ nsfw section ✩

1. ❥ eating you out from behind when you're chilling without panties - @hoshifighting

he sounds too good here AHKGDFKJB

2. ❥ i'm sorry - @mejaemin

hoonie with baby fever so bad he starts acting dumb kjfgbvd

3. ❥ AAA - @boofeine

ah AH AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH (is all i can say cuz AHHH)

4. ❥ study break - @monamipencil

HIS FINGERS HIS HANDS OMGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG

5. ❥ side by side - @toruro

enemies but that fine line of hate and desire heheheheheh (the slight jealousy too??!? scrumptioussss)

6. ❥ ahegao and arousal - @rubyreduji

this weeb (i love the title of this fic a bit TOO much)

7. ❥ dumbification - @hoshifighting

ON MY KNEESSSSSSSSSS FACE IN MY PILLOW SCREAMING WTFFF i'd let him do whatever he wants to me holy shit

8. ❥ jihoon fingers - @woozivrsefactry

i need his hands on me NOWWWWW

9. ❥ brat tamer! jihoon - @svtswhorehouse

brat tamer! jihoon would be perfectttt for me

10. ❥ oh, agony - @cheolism-archive

OH THE AGONYYY. the pathetically horny tension between reader and woozi. the idea of them feeling so depraved from each other that they become absolute horn dogs. god woozi sounds so hot in this gjkbd. the oh the agony part was so WRSLDKFGJ. bonus points for friend mingyu. a fic hasn't effected me like this in a HOT minute WOOOOO. i had to put my phone down SEVERAL times cuz of how overwhelmingly hot he was in every moment. (i felt as though i was in agony too omg)

11. bonus audio rec: woozi pounding you after a long day working at the studio - @orbityvess

the way my jaw dropped and my face immediately turned redder than jihoon's ears when he's flustered??!!? cuz why does it sound like him and why does it sound so good wtgfdbfkjgfbd

bun note: helllooooooo~ i hope everyone is enjoying this lil fic event :)) are we ready for seventeen's upcoming comeback??? the tracklist is coming out later today and i'm soooo excited hehehe. everyone pls take care of yourselves and eat something yummmyyy :3

[shaiyasstuff]

jealousy killed the cat | zayne

synopsis : zayne gets jealous, that’s it content : Shaiya is my OC, imagine it’s me :D I really just added elements of me irl, comical, FLUFF FLUFF AND MORE FLUFF TAKE IT THIS IS RARE

Zayne is a quiet guy.

And you liked that about him.

He doesn’t say much, but you see it in the way he loves you—in the small gestures, the thoughtful silences, the way his hand always finds yours even in sleep.

His quiet is calming. Safe.

But that same quiet turns infuriating when he’s upset.

Because he won’t talk about it. Not even a word.

He’ll bottle it up, shove it somewhere deep, and pretend everything is fine.

He thinks bringing it up would make him a burden.

And you—bright, relentless, loud in your affection—you’re the sunshine he’s afraid of dimming.

Which is exactly why you’ve been stuck here, two hours and counting, waiting for him to come out of his room.

You tried brushing it off last week.

Maybe it’s work stress?

But even when Zayne’s exhausted, he never ignores you. Never flinches at your touch. Never avoids your eyes.

So now, you’ve taken matters into your own hands.

You’d waited for his day off—his sacred, stay-at-home-and-cuddle-you day.

You’d wait for the perfect moment and then ask him, gently but firmly, to tell you what’s wrong.

Because when you ask, he always listens.

You heard his door open. Footsteps approaching.

You stood, heart ready, words rehearsed.

“Zay—”

“I’m going for lunch with Yvonne.”

You blinked.

Paused.

Your brow lifted. “Why are you telling me that?”

He never announces when he’s going out. He just does. And you’ve never needed him to—you trust him.

But he just stood there, gaze lingering, as if he was waiting for something. Waiting for you to say something.

When you didn’t—because you didn’t know what he wanted—he turned and left. No goodbye. No explanation.

Just gone.

—•

“Shaaaaiyaaa…”

You groan dramatically, slumped across your friend’s couch while she snacks on spiced chips like this is her favorite TV drama.

“She’s finally fallen,” Shaiya teases, poking your knee with her toe. “Trouble in paradise?”

You were currently in your lady hunter friend’s apartment, sulking over your overly distant boyfriend.

“Zayne’s been acting weird,” you grumble, muffling your voice in your hands. “He’s quiet but not like this. This is… ice-age level.”

“Strange,” she muses, tilting her head. “He doesn’t usually act out like that.”

“Exactly!” you say, throwing your arms up. “He’s acting like I ran over his cat or something!”

Shaiya chews thoughtfully, then her eyes light up with the glint of chaos and curiosity.

“What if he’s… jealous?”

You freeze.

And stare at her like she just suggested the moon was made of cheese.

“…Jealous? Zayne?”

She shrugs, smug. “Would explain the whole ‘telling you where he’s going’ thing.”

You open your mouth to argue. Then shut it again.

And suddenly, the past week begins to reorder itself in your head.

The silence. The sidelong glances. The stiff goodnight kisses.

The out-of-nowhere announcement about Yvonne.

Your eyes widen slightly.

“…No way,” you whisper, sitting up straighter. “Could it be…?”

Shaiya doesn’t even let you finish.

She gasps—loud and theatrical—then dramatically clutches her chest like she’s just witnessed a plot twist in a drama.

“She gets it! My work here is done!”

You blink at her as she leans back into the couch like a smug oracle, arms crossed behind her head.

She’s practically glowing with satisfaction.

“Wait—seriously?” you say, staring at her, stunned.

“Zayne? Jealous? Of who?”

She gives you a look. “Oh, I don’t know… maybe every guy who looks at you like you hung the moon?”

You groan and drop your face into your hands again, but this time there’s laughter behind it.

Shaiya wiggles her brows. “So… are we confronting the emotionally constipated boyfriend, or do you need me to text Yvonne first and tell her to back off?”

You peek at her through your fingers. “You’re so dramatic.���

“And always right.”

You blink at her, trying to make sense of it all.

“But I haven’t been close to any—”

You freeze.

A memory flashes behind your eyes.

Last weekend.

That hour-long phone call in the kitchen, you giggling over childhood stories and shared inside jokes.

The way your voice had gone all soft, familiar.

Zayne had walked in, towel slung over his shoulder, and paused in the doorway.

You’d looked up, waved a casual “hey,” mouthed later, and turned back to the call.

You never said who it was.

Your stomach drops.

“…oh…my…god,” you whisper.

Shaiya perks up. “What?”

You turn to her slowly, horror dawning on your face.

“I think he thought I was on the phone with… another guy.”

“Well, were you?” she asks, amused.

You nod. “Yeah.”

“Who?!”

“…my brother.”

Silence.

Utter, deafening silence.

Then.

A snort.

A wheeze.

And Shaiya absolutely loses it.

“YOUR BROTHER?!” she cackles, doubling over, nearly spilling the bowl of chips onto the floor. “Zayne’s out here having a full-blown crisis over your brother?!”

You cringe. “I—I didn’t think I needed to say anything! He’s my brother!”

Through peals of laughter, she gasps, “Does Zayne even know you have a brother?!”

You open your mouth. Close it.

“…I don’t think it’s ever come up.”

That just makes it worse.

Shaiya collapses against the armrest, laughing so hard she’s wiping tears from her eyes.

“Oh my god,” she wheezes.

“You’ve been dating for how long? And you never mentioned you had a brother? He probably thinks you were on the phone with some mystery man calling you baby and roasting your high school haircut.”

You groan, dragging your hands down your face. “No wonder he’s been acting weird. He thinks I’ve been emotionally cheating on him with my sibling.”

Shaiya’s voice is barely a breath. “Zayne’s been in emotional turmoil over sibling rivalry.”

You launch a throw pillow at her. She catches it mid-laugh, wheezing still. “No. Nope. You don’t get to throw things when you’re the villain in this story.”

“I’m going to fix it,” you mutter, standing up and grabbing your phone. “I swear, I’m gonna explain everything, and then—I don’t know—slap him for not just asking.”

“And then kiss him,” Shaiya calls between giggles.

You roll your eyes, already halfway to the door. “Maybe. If he survives this.”

—•

You practically power-walk back to Zayne’s apartment, armed with righteous indignation, mild secondhand embarrassment, and the absurd realization that your emotionally repressed boyfriend has been brooding for days over your brother.

You barely knock before letting yourself in. The place is quiet—dim light filtering through the curtains, the hum of the fridge the only sound.

Then you see him, curled up on the couch like a sad, overworked burrito, wrapped in his favourite sweater, a mug of now-cold tea abandoned on the coffee table.

“Zayne,” you say, stepping into the living room.

He looks up, clearly not expecting you.

His eyes flick over your face, then back down to his lap like he’s preparing for an emotional tax audit.

“I thought you were out with Shaiya,” he mumbles.

“I was. Until I found out you’ve been sulking over my brother.”

His head snaps up with a questioning look.

You cross your arms. “You thought I was flirting with someone on the phone last week, didn’t you?”

He opens his mouth. Closes it. Tries again. “…you were laughing a lot.”

“Because it was Noah. My younger brother. The same one who used to eat crayons and thinks ‘being annoying’ is a valid love language.”

Zayne blinks. “You never said you had a brother.”

You throw your hands up. “I didn’t think I had to! He’s just… there! He’s not even interesting enough to bring up!”

Zayne stares at you like you’ve just told him you own a secret second apartment and a pet raccoon.

“You mean to tell me I’ve been—” He cuts himself off, dragging a hand down his face. “I was jealous of your sibling.”

You sit down beside him on the couch with a groan.

“Zayne. Darling. I thought you were mad at me. I’ve been spiraling.”

“I thought you were falling for someone else.”

“Who calls me princess and makes fun of my baking?”

“I thought maybe it was… a thing you two had.” He says it quietly, like he’s ashamed of the words even as they leave his mouth.

You blink. Then burst out laughing.

Zayne glares. “Don’t laugh. I was genuinely upset.”

“I’m sorry,” you say between chuckles, wiping a tear from your eye. “It’s just—you, the big, stoic surgeon, all moody and tragic… over Noah.”

His hand goes to cover his face as he sighs, “Stop.”

You lean over and kiss his cheek. “Nope. Not when I just realized how cute you are when you’re insecure.”

He turns to you, brow furrowed. “I’m not insecure.”

“You thought I was cheating with a guy who still lives with my mom and unironically wears anime socks.”

Zayne lets out another dramatic sigh. “Okay. A little insecure.”

You grin, snuggling closer. “Next time, just ask me. Before you go full tortured romantic hero on me.”

His arms wrap around you, pulling you into his chest with a warmth that says he’s missed this—missed you.

“Next time,” he says softly, “I’ll ask.”

You chuckle and poke his cheek.

Later that evening, the apartment is washed in the soft amber glow of kitchen lights, and everything feels warmer—easier.

Zayne leans against the counter, sleeves rolled up, the second cup of tea in his hand. You’re perched on the stool near him, legs swinging lazily as you sip yours.

You watch him for a moment, eyes narrowing.

“You know,” you say, voice casual, “you ditched me today.”

He raises a brow. “I did?”

You nod, exaggeratedly solemn. “You missed our officially unofficial day-off cuddle session. The one you’re so religious about that you once fake-coughed at my phone until I put it down.”

“I was… upset.”

“You were brooding,” you correct. “Like an 18th-century poet with a tragic backstory.”

He gives you a flat look. “I was not—”

“You were. I should’ve walked in and found you writing sad haikus about betrayal and heartbreak.”

He lets out a soft groan and leans forward, bracing his hands on either side of your stool to cage you in. “You’re really not going to let me live this down, are you?”

You grin up at him, smug. “Nope.”

But your voice softens as your fingers slip beneath the hem of his sweater to rest against his warm skin.

“I missed you today,” you admit. “It’s weird when you’re here, but not here.”

Zayne exhales, forehead lowering to rest against yours. “I missed you too. I just—”

“Spiraled quietly in a sweater while drinking cold tea,” you finish for him. “Classic Zayne.”

He chuckles against your mouth just before brushing a soft kiss to it. “You’re insufferable.”

“And yet, you love me,” you hum, looping your arms around his neck.

His eyes close for a second. “I do.”

That quiet confession settles between you like a blanket, soft and sure.

“Still,” you murmur, “you owe me extra cuddles for missing our session.”

Zayne leans in, arms wrapping around your waist as he effortlessly lifts you off the stool and carries you toward the couch.

“Fine,” he says. “All night. No escape.”

You smile into the side of his neck. “Deal.”

—•

The couch cushions are soft beneath you, familiar. Zayne pulls the blanket over both of you, shifting so you’re tucked into his side, your head resting on his chest, fingers idly tracing the lines of his shirt.

His arm wraps around you, protective and warm, and the rise and fall of his breathing begins to sync with yours.

Outside, the city hums quietly.

Inside, the world is still.

“You’re warm,” you mumble, voice already coated in drowsiness.

“I’m always warm,” Zayne replies softly, pressing a kiss to your hair. “You’re the one who’s always cold.”

“That’s because you steal all the blankets.”

“You steal all the pillows.”

You smile against his chest, fingers curling into the fabric of his shirt like you’re afraid he might slip away again.

He doesn’t move.

“I thought I upset you,” you whisper.

“I thought you didn’t need me,” he murmurs back.

You lift your head slightly to look at him. His eyes are barely open, lashes soft against his skin.

“Zayne. I need you so much it’s stupid.”

His lips twitch into a small, sleepy smile.

“I know,” he breathes, cupping the back of your head gently. “I just forgot for a second.”

You settle back down against his chest, his heartbeat a slow, steady lullaby beneath your ear.

Silence drapes over the room again—safe, quiet, and filled with everything unsaid.

“…Still mad at me?” he murmurs.

You yawn. “Only a little.”

“I’ll make it up to you.”

“Mm. You’d better. I demand waffles.”

He chuckles, barely a sound, already slipping further into sleep.

He gives a slow nod. “Waffles.”

You smile, drifting.

And just before sleep takes you completely, you hear him whisper, almost inaudibly,

“I love you.”

You don’t answer right away—too tired, too full.

But your fingers tighten slightly in his shirt. And that’s enough.

For now.

Morning arrives in golden streaks across the curtains, soft light spilling over tangled blankets and the quiet rise and fall of Zayne’s chest beneath your cheek.

You blink awake slowly, unwilling to move. He’s still asleep—or so you think—until his fingers start lazily combing through your hair.

“You’re awake,” you mumble, voice scratchy.

“I’ve been awake,” he says quietly. “I just didn’t want to move.”

You smile against him. “Comfortable?”

“Very.”

You tilt your head up.

His glasses are on the side table, and his eyes—clear and soft—are already watching you.

He looks so relaxed, hair a little messy, sweater still on from last night. It’s rare, seeing him like this. Unwound. Home.

“I dreamed you made me waffles,” you say, stretching with a quiet groan.

Zayne hums. “That wasn’t a dream.”

You blink. “Wait, what?”

He nudges you up gently and stands, stretching with a quiet yawn. “I woke up an hour ago. Thought I’d try and keep my promises.”

You trail him into the kitchen like a curious cat, rubbing sleep from your eyes.

And there it is. Actual waffles. A little uneven, one slightly darker than the others, but undeniably real. A bottle of syrup. Sliced fruit in a bowl. Two mugs of coffee—yours already fixed the way you like it.

You stare.

“You cooked.”

“I followed instructions,” he corrects. “From you, technically. I just recalled all the times you yelled at me for flipping too early.”

You blink again, touched and somewhere between impressed and incredibly endeared.

“You made waffles because I teased you about missing our cuddle session?”

Zayne shrugs, placing a plate in front of you. “I like making you happy.”

You sit down, taking a bite—and hum in satisfaction. “They’re actually good.”

“I’m offended by your surprise.”

You give him a sleepy smile. “I just didn’t have ‘Zayne cooking breakfast without setting something on fire’ on my bingo card.”

He quirks a brow as he sits across from you. “Keep talking and next time, you’re getting burnt toast.”

You giggle, and he smiles—not a rare smile, but one of those soft ones he only ever seems to wear around you.

“Thanks,” you say after a beat, sincere now. “For the waffles. And for everything else.”

His foot nudges yours under the table.

“You’re welcome,” he says softly.

And for the first time in a week, there’s no tension. No doubt. Just you, him, warm waffles, and morning sunlight dancing on quiet promises kept.

—•

You had warned Zayne, of course. Gave him the whole speech—He’s annoying, don’t rise to it, yes, he’s going to make fun of you, no, he’s not serious, he just does this to literally everyone.

Zayne, in his usual calm, reserved way, simply nodded. “Got it.”

But now he’s standing by your side at the café table as Noah slides into the booth across from you, wearing a smug smile and an oversized hoodie that says Certified Menace.

Zayne blinks. Noah blinks back.

You blink between them, already regretting everything.

“So,” Noah says slowly, eyes narrowing like he’s inspecting a specimen under a microscope. “You’re the Zayne.”

Zayne gives a small nod. “And you’re the brother I apparently lost sleep over.”

You make a choking noise over your iced coffee.

Noah grins, delighted. “Ohhh, this is going to be fun.”

You bury your face in your hands. “Please don’t start.”

But it’s too late. Noah leans forward, eyes glittering with amusement. “Tell me, Zayne. On a scale from ‘mild panic’ to ‘full emotional breakdown,’ how badly did you spiral thinking I was your competition?”

Zayne, to your absolute horror, doesn’t flinch. “Somewhere between tragic novel protagonist and Shakespearean fool.”

Noah lets out a wheeze, slaps the table, and beams. “Okay, I like you.”

You look between them like you’ve accidentally set the universe on fire. “I hate this. I hate both of you.”

Noah winks at you. “You didn’t tell me he was funny.”

Zayne shrugs, sipping his coffee. “You didn’t tell me he was relentless.”

“I did,” you mutter. “Multiple times.”

Noah leans back, nodding. “Alright. You pass.”

“Pass what?” Zayne asks.

“The vibe check. The ‘Is-He-Good-Enough-For-My-Sister’ test.” He gestures vaguely with his straw. “You’re calm, you’ve got decent taste in coats, and you made her waffles, so… yeah. You’re fine.”

Zayne raises an eyebrow. “Is that all?”

Noah grins. “That, and the fact that she hasn’t stopped smiling since she walked in with you.”

Your breath catches.

Zayne turns to look at you then, expression softening almost immediately.

Noah sighs, pretending to gag. “Ugh. Gross. Okay, I’m leaving before you two start making heart eyes over your muffins.”

You kick him lightly under the table. “You’re the worst.”

He ruffles your hair as he stands. “And yet, you still love me.”

Zayne watches him go, then turns to you, a small smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

“I can’t believe I was jealous of him.”

You lean your head on his shoulder, grinning. “I can. But now you’ve met him, and survived. Proud of you.”

He hums. “Is there a badge for that?”

You reach into your bag and slap a novelty sticker on his chest that says “I survived Noah”—you brought it as a joke.

Zayne just looks down at it and nods seriously.

“Hard-earned.”

masterlist

[httpsserene]

Hello!! I hope you have drank a lot of water today and I hope you are having a good day! I was wondering if you could do a Charles Leclerc x Max Verstappen x reader where they just have a soft cuddle? Maybe it reads to smth more spicy? That part is completely up to you :)

cuddles — 𝐦𝐯. 𝟏 & 𝐜𝐥. 𝟏𝟔

༊࿐ ⊹ ˚. missing u ash < 3 i wish i could go back in time and fulfill your requests when you were still active on tumblr. now, i'm borderline crying when i scroll through my inbox and see your name :( wherever you are irl, i hope you're sipping the crispiest, ice-cold arizona green tea to ever exist xxx

(don't ask about the pics i chose for the header, it's past my bedtime)

you’re roused awake by the sound of the shower shutting off, confusion sparking through your sleepy synapses at the feeling of pressure on your chest and the absence of warmth on your right side. you snuffle lowly, stretching your body underneath the comforter with a yawn, jostling the weight on your chest.

max’s groan rumbles through your skin, displeased by your sudden shifting. his arm tightens around your waist, stilling your movement and you languidly blink heavy eyelids open to see that the pressure is max’s head pillowed on your breasts, covered by the white duvet. silencing a snort, you slip a hand underneath the covers to rub along his bare back, his tense frame relaxing under your gentle caress as he settles back into his slumber. you were expecting the weight to be one of the cats huddling close for warmth; sassy being the most common culprit of forcing her owners awake by acting as a fourteen-pound paperweight.

the bathroom door clicks open and charles steps into the room clad in cream sweatpants. he towels off the last few droplets of water sliding down his hairline and the contours of his chest, sending you a quiet smile when your eyes meet. blowing him a kiss, you pat on his empty side of the bed, urging him to rejoin the two of you under the early morning haze filtering through the curtains. charles discards his towel on the dresser (later, you’ll chirp at him for not hanging it up to dry properly) and climbs into bed next to you, shimmying downward to lie by your side and pecks your lips, one, two, three, four times before pulling away.

he chuckles breathily, “you have morning breath, mon ange.”

you scrunch your nose, using your free hand to gesture at the puddle of max pinning you to the bed, “i guess i can leave you to deal with our prickly boyfriend when i wake him up by moving to brush my teeth.”

charles feigns terror, before giggling it away as he presses kisses along your jaw. he slides underneath the covers, adding his legs to the tangled mess of yours and max’s, one of his arms snaking under your form to tug you as close as possible. the readjustment causes a rough grunt to sound from the duvet; max rolls off you, pushing himself upwards on his forearm to peak out of the cocoon he’s built for himself, sending a glare that’s more like a sulky pout as it’s distorted by his sleep-swollen cheeks and eyes.

his voice is croaky, “be quiet and hug me.”

“of course, your majesty,” you tease.

“désolé, mon chat,” charles coos.

max huffs, thoroughly communicating his disdain at the overly sweet titles. you and charles know better than to comment on the red flush of his ears. kindly, he allows you to crawl out of bed to brush your teeth, snuggling into charles’s chest to keep warm in the meantime. 

you return, spooning his frame, consequently bracketing him in between you and charles, and max falls back to sleep in a handful of silent minutes. charles yawns midway into whispering about how his run went and you mimic the behavior subconsciously. the two of you decide to postpone breakfast for brunch, considering max’s desperation for a couple more hours of sleep. charles’s hand squeezes yours around max’s body, and the warmth of satisfaction blooming at the nape of your neck from the skin-to-skin contact tells you that all the plans for today will be pushed back, for the sake of a few more hours of cuddling.

© httpsserene — do not reupload. photos used in header are from pinterest.

[forgeofthenine]

Omg in the last few posts you were talking about heat as in temperature but my brain registered it as something COMPLETELY different and it got me thinking…

What if tieflings had some kind of a heat cycle and they get extra sensitive and desperate because of it?? I can imagine Zevlor and Rolan being super embarrassed or nervous to bring it up, maybe Dammon’s more chill about it but still extra needy

So, this has absolutely been a passing thought in my mind and as soon as this request came in I knew I just had to push it to the front of my request queue, purely for my own mental health lol

Gotta admit, I'm a fan of omegaverse dynamics and I actually looked a little into irl animal biology and mating behaviour to get a better feel for what I think tieflings would be the most like. So this has both general headcanons and some NSFW headcanons for the individual bachelors

You probably didn't expect quite this much (over a thousand words of tief content) when requesting but this had me in a chokehold, I hope everyone enjoys <3

TW: NSFW under the cut, very heavy breeding kink, overstimulation, alpha/omega adjacent dynamics

Tiefling NSFW heat and rut headcanons

General

So, I feel like once all tiefs reach sexual maturity they'll start to either have heats or ruts, depending on their biology

Anyone with female biology will have a heat, and I feel like they'd have heats similar to cats but with a slightly longer time between heats

So generally they'd have a heat every two to three months or so unless they're pregnant or have other health issues

For the ones with male biology they'd definitely have a rut

They'd follow similar patterns to the women, but it's not unusual for some tieflings to have longer stretches between their ruts if they don't have a partner

A single tiefling that isn't particularly sexually active might only go into rut once or twice a year

I do think a male tiefling could prematurely go into rut if exposed to a females heat, and couples that have been together for a while will sync up

They have pretty typical heat and rut behaviours with nesting, possessiveness, and a pretty undeniable breeding kink

Nesting, possessiveness, and general mood shifts tend to start setting in during pre-heats and pre-ruts

Pre-heats and pre-ruts can last two to five days, and a full heat and rut can last anywhere from two days to a full week depending on the individual

In saying that, having a partner can definitely shorten both heats and ruts, so single tieflings working through things by themselves will have longer heats or ruts

Heats and ruts can also become more painful the longer they go on without the relief of a sexual partner

Tieflings can tell when others are in heat and rut mostly through pheromones, but a female tieflings tail will also involuntarily lift when she's in pre-heat/heat and around a male

I wonder if I should go so far as to headcanon that they have knots, I did already give them all ridged dicks

Dammon

If you and Dammon aren't dating then he'll be much more shy about his ruts

He basically disappears from his forge and the public for a few days and then comes back as if nothing happened

Once you start dating him is when you find out why he pulls the disappearing act

Dammon is actually very open about it now you're both together and have already been intimate

Blushes slightly while trying to explain some of the more physical, primal aspects

Would flush even more if you tell him you find the whole thing incredibly attractive

The next time he has his rut, you're the only person allowed to see him, and he really is a sight

Naked and tangled in his sheets, all flushed and tense, undeniably hard as he palms himself while looking over at you

Even the way he strips you of your clothing is different, he just about rips it off you as he kisses and nips down your neck and chest

While Dammon is usually one to take his time with making you feel good when he's in rut the only thing on his mind is getting to cum

Though even in his hazy mind frame he still makes sure you're comfortable the whole time

Even a near sex crazed and highly hormonal Dammon is still a very caring partner

You know he's going to bend you in half as he fucks you, he just loves how good you look underneath him like that

Breeding kink go brrrr

This man always fucks like he's trying to breed you but it's off the charts when he's in rut

I hope you're ready to be fucked within an inch of your life because his refractory period ceases to exist

Absolutely watches as he pulls out of you and some of him cum leaks out because he's stuffed you so full

Dammon praises you so well too, you can not shut up this man and his dirty talk

"That's it gorgeous, you take my cock so well."

"You gonna make me a daddy, darling? 'm gonna knock you up, full you up with my cum."

Once his rut dies down enough, he'll scoop you up for a bath

There is no way you could stand after the way this man just wrecked you-

Dammon takes very good care of you, and then you do it all again the next day

Zevlor

Whether you're dating Zevlor or not, he's your personal wealth of knowledge on everything tiefling

So what do you do when a book you read mentions 'the times of year and conditions unique to tieflings' and doesn't explain it?

You go and find your favourite paladin

Zevlor is so embarrassed, dating or not, explaining to you how tiefling heats and ruts work

Can't even keep his eyes on you

When you two are dating and you realise you didn't see him at all yesterday, it's time to go hunting for the man

You have an idea of what might be going on but nothing prepares you for what you find

Much like Dammon, you find him tangled in his bed sheets desperately trying to get himself off

He lets out the sexiest groan when he sees you standing there

He's the gentlest of the three while working through his rut

Even then, Zevlor is noticeably rougher with you than usual

Has you in a missionary position, his whole body pressed to yours as he pants in your ear and thrusts into you

Zevlor can't keep his hands off you when he's in rut, they're all over your hips and chest and giving light tugs to your hair

He gives into the primal need to mark you too, it's the only time he'll give you hickeys

Breeding kink: the sequel

Absolutely tells you he's going to breed you, and fucks you like he means it

Doesn't even think as he uses his hands and tail to spread your legs so he can fuck you deeper

Zevlor loves to look at the way you tremble every time he fills you with cum, using his fingers to help you get off at the same time

Even while he's trying to find his own relief, he makes sure to make you cum so many times you end up overstimulated and about to cry from the pleasure

Definitely has you cockwarm him as the two of rest, the thought of you keeping his seed so deep in you until it takes just gets him going again

You'll know he's ready for another round when Zevlor starts grinding himself into you again

When the worst of his rut is over he gives you the best massages

Apologises so profusely too the first few times you help him through his rut, even if you tell him how much you like it

Rolan

There is no way Rolan is ever telling you anything about heats and ruts

Absolutely forbidd his siblings from mentioning it too, he's just way too embarrassed for you to know

Even when you guys are dating he just locks himself away in his tower for a week while he works through it and recovers

This man will not tell you anything

And then he forgets to lock the door

As soon as you open it you're met with the sight of a whiney, teary eyed Rolan trying to get off by grinding against a pillow in desperation

Unlike with the other two, there's no clear 'top' when you're with Rolan during his rut

He loves having you ride him until he sees stars just as much as he wants to bend you over his desk until everyone else in Ramaziths tower can hear you scream

Rolan loves hearing you when he's in rut

Yell his name, tell him that you belong to him, tell him how good he fucks you, say he looks so pretty when you ride him-

He loves all of it so much

He's also the one that bites you the hardest, expect him to draw at least a little bit of blood by accident

Breeding kink: the trilogy

Rolan isn't letting you leave the room unless he's knocked you up

Absolutely puts a fertility spell on you by brushing his hand over your lower belly and murmuring the words

He also refuses to pull out unless it's to change positions, and if any cum leaks out of you he'll push it back in with his fingers

Overstimulation is the name of the game with Rolan, he wants you both overstimulated and crying and completely fucked out

This man believes in equality and we love him for it

The youngest of the tiefling bachelors and definitely the most pent up, it'll take all day before he calms down enough for the two of you to rest

When things do calm down, after he makes sure you're both clean and fed, Rolan wraps you up with him in his bed and will read to you

It's his own personal flavour of aftercare, cuddling and reading your favourite book as he makes sure you're comfortable and happy

And it all starts over when you wake up the next morning with him hard as a rock against your ass

[monstersholygrail]

cat bf- thinking about things

mouse reader: whatca thinking about

cat bf: just how different your acting

mouse reader: oh?

cat bf: moody, clingy, not eating what you normally like

mouse reader-💭 he’s a little dense

idk it’s just something because they won’t leave my mind also what happened after his heat

Stooooop, this is so cute, I love it!!! Also I can’t explain how giddy I got reading that they won’t leave your mind. Like whaaaat hehehe.

The way this is so accurate to them too. Because both Cat bf and Mouse reader are pretty clever, Mouse reader is definitely more clever than him. He can even be a little stupid like this bc he’s so busy focusing on you that his brain short circuits. And Mouse reader is naturally a little cheeky devil. You just captured their vibes wonderfully and I irl laugh every time I’ve read this.

After his heat, I’d actually imagine Mouse readers heat comes around soon after. I like to think that since they’ve lived in the same home for a long while now, their heats have kinda started to sync up. It doesn’t happen often bc their heats fluctuate a bit. But the times in which their heats do sync up, all of their climaxes are absolutely explosive. They truly fuck like rabbits then and they’re constantly getting almost caught and found out by their owners. It’s a dizzying time for them but it just feels so good. They can’t help but look forward to the next time their heats sync up.

[h0estar]

with the people i've seen crying on reddit, tiktok, and tumblr about how jinshi was nothing but forceful with maomao in the last episode (because apparently she didn't reciprocate and her passivity is not an excuse), i might just wish for this anime sequel to be a movie skipping the rest of the novels and jumping straight to the WC part 2 so they can get the truth shoved in their faces and see maomao kissing jinshi WHILE HE WAS ASLEEP in 4K and god-tier animation. maybe they can cry about that instead.

i honestly try not to let it get to me because i understand that this anime is a first for some people in the fandom. some have never interacted with anime before this series, they did not grow up watching it, and worst of all, they've never touched a LN or a BOOK in their lives. so interpretations can get a little skewed, especially if the readers are from the west (and they bring their modern-day western morals, values, and projection onto their interpretation). but damn, it really gets to a point.

i really try my best to keep my rants to myself as it doesn't benefit anyone, and i'm not a fan of negativity. still, since the show already ended, i might as well.

i know everyone interprets things differently, we all come from different backgrounds, culture, etc., and that's okay!!! it should be okay!!! people are allowed to feel uncomfortable with the scenes that i personally found to be non-issues (though i have to admit this is skill issue and oversensitivity on their part—but that's just me lacking empathy and being a bitch).

i mean, it's normal for the fans to project themselves on their favorite characters. still, when that becomes too much and they essentially strip said characters of what makes them who they are, or rather, who the author intended them to be, they end up disappointed, hurt, and offended on the character's behalf. as a result, unpleasant words get thrown around, which is concerning because the use of strong words like rapist, pedophile, and groomers, have become so common in fandom spaces that i fear it waters down the heaviness of what those words actually mean irl. but we're not talking about that.

it's okay to project yourself into characters. still, it shouldn't come as a shock to you when said character acts differently from you. this also happened in the novels with ah duo and joka, who both projected themselves onto maomao and are shocked when maomao does something different from what they imagined she'd do. that made them feel bad and reflect on themselves.

back to the final episode, how can you say maomao is not reciprocating when we clearly saw how she treated jinshi in the carriage? did we really not see the moments maomao initiated physical contact? closing the space between them despite jinshi backing off, only so she could take off his bandage and look at his scar? and the way she snatched the bandage from jinshi so she could be the one to wrap it around his face instead? did we all choose to ignore that...

she only put her guard back up when jinshi came on to her strongly. remember how she's always portrayed as a cat? cats warm up to you when you take it slow and steady with them. jinshi was doing so well, but her comment about his looks and value made his emotions skyrocket to the heavens, enough for him to desperately want to kiss her. because of that, she backed off.

but okay, let's ignore how she didn't pull her hand away as he pulled her to lie beside him. how she just stayed there as they exchanged banter. how she reacted when jinshi touched her neck. how she literally reached for his cheek and told him that his scar looks good on him and makes him look more manly and handsome than ever. mind you, she did this after jinshi poured out his insecurity. the way she didn't push him away even as he bit her. how she caressed his cheek and didn't pull away when jinshi lifted her chin. and how she smiled at him in exasperation when chou-u appeared and asked her about him. how she still went back and knelt in front of him to tell him to rest. how she just stayed there when jinshi was lying on her lap (even tho she knew he was only pretending to be asleep at first). and sure, let's also ignore the softness in her voice the whole time they were talking, the way she still acted like his friend even as he stands (or sits) before her as a member of the royal family. she keeps her promises, and to her, he will always be jinshi.

S1 / LN 1 maomao would never. still, even in S1 we see her touch his face a few times, but there's clearly a Huge Leap here this time, and it's just appalling that people don't see that 😭

now this is only my interpretation, but at this point, maomao was just rescued by her knight in shining armor, which, btw, she thought would never happen because she sees herself as worthless and that no one in their right mind would ever come to save her. but then we have jinshi, who not only led the front lines but gained a scar in the process, and she doesn't know how to feel about that.

so maybe the least she could do for him at the moment was reciprocate in the little ways she knew how: telling him to stop putting himself in harm's way, telling him to rest, closing the space between them and reaching for his cheek, wrapping the bandage on his face, never letting go of his hand, lying down next to him, and telling him that she sees him. that what's inside is more valuable than who he is on the outside, and that what people may consider an imperfection is what actually elevates his beauty even more. she sees his essence underneath all his beauty, which was the final straw for jinshi.

and for once, look at it from jinshi's pov, especially in the shop's scene. as he slid closer to bite her, she didn't push him away, but instead whacked his back as he full-on chomped. and after he embraced her, she caressed his cheek. notice how his eyes were smiling as she did so. he has no idea what's going on in maomao's mind, and he only has her actions to take as signs. this is the first of many times they use their actions to convey feelings and play mind games to figure out what it all means, rather than just outright using words. ah, the pain of brilliant and prideful characters clashing in tales of love.

the two of them were doing so well at that point, and i'm glad the next scene came off as silly rather than uncomfortable. but at the end of the day, we must remember that these two idiots are still angsty teenagers. they're navigating all these unfamiliar feelings for the first time and trying to get to know each other in the process. miscommunication is their best friend, but thankfully, 12 more volumes in the story flesh out their progress.

if you don't like the romance but enjoy the story, just ignore their moments. suppose you're only here for the romance and think jinshi is problematic and not right for maomao. in that case, you can stick to your boring shoujo male leads who can do no harm and whose only personality is kissing the ground the FL walks on. anyway, this will be my only knh-related rant, so feel free to ignore, disagree, agree, add, subtract, or whatever. i just wanted to let this out in the open because it can get frustrating.

[h3yl4dies]

𝐇𝐚𝐢𝐤𝐲𝐮𝐮 𝐑𝐞𝐥𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐇𝐂𝐒!

Type of writing : Headcannons & fluff

Pairing : tsukishima x reader, kenma x reader, akaashi x reader

Admin's note : tysm for 60 followers! Love you babes! I also might do a part two for this!

Warnings ; none (literally just fluff bro)

❥ 𝐓𝐒𝐔𝐊𝐈𝐒𝐇𝐈𝐌𝐀

He isn't the type of guy who has any love interests, he finds it kind of boring at the start until he met you!

You were mostly the one who confessed instead of him

He might seem like a brave mf but actually.. Sometimes he might need courage if he actually wants to confess

Most likely confessing over texts/messages since he couldn't bring himself to confess in public or irl 😭

His love language is definitely act of service & quality time

I can headcannon that you and him would have studying dates, arcade dates and bookshop dates!

His nickname for you is "shorty" or "pipsqueak" 💀

If you want to go to have a date with him, I would suggest to go to a intimate quiet relaxing place

He will definitely share you his Spotify playlist

Listen to music while cuddling in bed<3

He isn't a big fan of PDA btw, but if your close with him enough.. He may allow you to hold his hand

(Off topic) speaking of hands.. His hands are veiny and slim 😍

❥ 𝐊𝐄𝐍𝐌𝐀

He is definitely more shy than tsukishima

Same as tsukishima, your also the one who is most likely to confess

Honestly I also feel like he doesn't have any love interests at all since he is mostly stuck at playing with his phone

Date ideas are probably arcade dates & cat cafe dates!

He doesn't have any nickname for you, he would just call you by your name

There are some rare occasions that he MIGHT call you "baby" or "angel"

Love language is definitely physical touch

When you can't sleep at night, he will help you to fall asleep by cuddling with you<3

Kuroo is definitely the third-wheel lmao

Idk why but I feel like the both of you would plan to raise a kitten together like a loving happy family! <33

Also not a fan of pda 2.0

But doesn't mind it anyway

❥ 𝐀𝐊𝐀𝐀𝐒𝐇𝐈

OMG GUYS GUYS GUYS HE'S A GENTLEMAN I SWEARJ

Honestly, the both of you would either confess to each other tbh

He's a bit socially awkward but he's still caring and loving!

Date ideas are feeding the ducks near by a pond & Art Museum dates

Relationship nicknames are "Babe" "baby" "love" "my love"

Love language is physical touch & acts of service

He likes to gift you your favourite flowers in a Boquet!

He also like to gift you a meaningful necklace or an heart-shaped chocolate box<3333

Please don't hurt him he's such a gentleman

Will study with you and tutor you if your struggling with your studies!

Loves it when you visit him during his practices

He doesn't mind PDA, probably a bit of a fan?

He does hugs you quietly or hold your hand in public though but he isn't really that much of a fan!

He doesn't mind it as long as you are comfortable with any!

Admin note 2 : thanks for reading, if I am done with the part two, I will link it here below!

➩ Original Masterlist

➩ Haikyuu masterlist

[genericpuff]

Hey y'all, Episode 67 will be out as soon as it's ready. I'm not gonna lie, coming off the back of a crazy holiday season, I was hoping things were gonna get back on track with the update schedule, but the last 2-3 weeks have brought about a whole new whirlwind of issues:

I took our cat to the vet a few weeks ago to get him checked out (esp because he wasn't eating as much as usual and we wanted to make sure he wasn't sick). The usual vet we go to has become a shithole, the doctor we got was extremely unhelpful and every interaction I've had with other members of staff there has been confusing and unpleasant. After an hour of an appointment that was more uncomfortable than it should have been, we were out $700 which was absurd, even for usual vet fees. After I shared the more detailed version of this story with friends IRL, some of them mentioned that apparently this particular clinic (among others throughout Canada) was bought by an American company. So that certainly explains a lot -_-

Car broke down and that cost like $800 to fix. Thankfully wasn't as expensive as the fucks at Canadian Tire quoted us, but it was still another huge expense on top of the vet bill.

Our shop moved locations this weekend, which took a lot of time to both prepare for and finally pull off over the course of the last few weeks. My new booth is at least set up enough to tattoo but there's still a lot left to do to make it comfortable.

Now my cat is potentially developing jaundice (sign of liver failure) which lines up with his blood test results from the vet showing increased liver enzyme levels or something like that (but they were apparently not enough of an emergency for the vet to actually do anything about it). I booked with a different vet clinic but they can't get us in until the 20th. So I booked an appointment for today with the emergency vet up the road. I'm terrified for him, he's an old cat so it was inevitable that his health would start to turn, but other than his increasingly picky eating habits and signs of jaundice, he's still acting like himself and it's breaking my heart that he could be hiding his own symptoms. I really just do not need a pet death on top of everything else that's going wrong right now.

As for the episode itself, it's not even that long, but the set design is pretty detailed and in our attempts to create some 3D models for ourselves, it resulted in bugs that had to be fixed on the fly. Thankfully I think we've finally got it down (and it's a recurring location so it's not like it won't be useful to have again in the future) but overall the episode production just hasn't gone as smoothly as it could have compounded by everything else mentioned above.

None of these are excuses, just reasons that have justifiably required my attention. Depending on how the vet appointment goes, I'll try and stream later tonight so that folks can at least watch some of the drawing progress for this episode. Episode 67 will be out by next Saturday at the latest, assuming I'm not able to get it out in the next day or two.

I know I'm a broken record at this point, but I'm incredibly sorry for the wait and I appreciate your patience with me. I'm begging for things to calm down soon.

[ofstarsandvibranium]

Meet & Greet

Fandom: Stranger Things (Gamer/Streamer/Modern AU)

Pairing: Eddie Munson x F!Reader

Summary: Your collab stream with Eddie was a success! You thought afterwards, communication between you two would dwindle, but it didn't. You kept inviting each other to play games on stream, you two were constantly messaging each other off screen. You two became great friends so quickly. But both of your communities definitely think you two should be more than just friends. Based off my imagine here.

Pog Champ | Thanks for the Raid!

Eddie Munson Masterlist

The closer Twitch Con was, the more nervous you became. Not only were you going to have your own Meet and Greet, but you were also going to be meeting Eddie for the first time.

For months now, you and Eddie have messaged each other. You've played several games with each other on stream, he's even invited you to his new D&D campaign with his other friends. You've woven yourselves into each other's lives and you don't even know how you could continue your day without your daily dose of Eddie.

You've definitely developed feelings for him and for several months, you've been keeping it in. However, you don't know how much longer you could keep it in. But then again, you're meeting him for the first time and you don't want to put him off.

UGH! Why are feelings so difficult?!

__________________________

For Twitch Con, Eddie is rooming with his friend and mod, Dustin, at the hotel. As he's unpacking his clothes, Dustin is chilling on his bed.

"So...you're meeting Cat."

"Yeah, and?" Eddie asks as he hangs up his jacket in the closet.

"You nervous?"

He scoffs, "No! Why would I be nervous?"

Dustin rolls his eyes, "'Cause you fucking like her."

"No, I don't! How many times do I have to tell you-"

"Eddie, man, c'mon. Stop bullshitting me here. It's just us." Dustin stands from his bed and approaches Eddie. He places his hands on his shoulders, "Eddie-"

"Don't touch me."

"Sorry," Dustin immediately drops his hands and clears his throat, "Eddie, tell me the truth: do you like Cat?"

Eddie gulps, "Y-Yeah. But I can't tell her that! Especially not this weekend. We're meeting for the first time and I don't want to overwhelm her. She's already got a lot on her plate this weekend. I don't want to add to it."

Dustin shakes his head, "How are you older than me but you're acting like such a pussy!"

Eddie narrows his eyes at the younger man, "Shut up," he pushes Dustin back and he falls onto the bed.

___________________

Your assistant, Suzie, accompanied you to Twitch Con. You and she shared a hotel room and she was also partially your bodyguard. She may seem harmless, but she could definitely assert herself.

Day one was here and she walks beside you after you two enter the convention hall. You decided to do an IRL stream for the first day to ease your nerves. Having chat there made you feel a little less lonely.

"Hi guys! It's Twitch Con Day One! I'll be walking around the convention with Suzie today. So if you're around, say hi!" Suzie follows you with the phone attached to a handheld tripod, connected to a portable charger.

While you walk around, you have your own phone to look at chat. You and Suzie respond to any questions.

"Am I here all three days? Yup! I'll be here! Today I'm just checking out the booths and the vendors."

DreamerHorizon: whens your meet and greet?

"Tomorrow at 2pm! Suzie and I are gonna go check out the meet and greet area so I know where to go. But I hope to see some of you there!"

EchoKnight: i'll be there!

"Yay! Can't wait to meet you, Echo!"

PuckYouLol: you're meeting Eddie right?

"Hopefully! I'm not sure what his schedule is looking like, but I told him to swing by my table tomorrow if I don't see him today! I'm hoping I can see my other streamer friends too!"

As you walk through the hall, you stop at different booths. Several sponsor booths as well as Artist Alley where several small businesses and artists sold their game related merchandise.

"Guys, look at this crocheted Among Us character! And the pink one has cat ears! I think I'm gonna get it. Remember I used to use this exact character during the Among Us era? Good times!" Suzie focuses the camera on you as you pay. You grab a a business card of the artists and show the camera, "Check out their shop if you want some cute crochet plushies!"

Eddie spots you in artist alley and he's frozen in place. You're with a friend and it seems you're streaming.

"Dude, go up to her." Mike, one of Eddie's other friends and mods, nudges him. His girlfriend El, by his side.

Eddie gulps and shakes his head, "Nah. She's busy streaming. I-I really shouldn't bother her."

Mike rolls his eyes and El shakes her in disappointment, "You're not gonna chicken out tomorrow for her meet and greet are you?"

He shrugs, "Don't know. I wanna meet her, but, I mean," he holds his arms out, "Look at me. There's no way she'll wanna meet me in person right?"

Dustin snorts and leans in to Mike, "Told you he'd be a pussy."

The oldest of them smacks down Dustin's hat, "And I told you, Henderson, to shut the fuck up. Now come on, let's keep walking around." He pulls his friends along, further away from you.

He wants to meet you, truly, he does. He doesn't want to admit it, but Eddie is scared and insecure. He's afraid of the thought of you rejecting him. He doesn't want to experience the same feeling he's felt a lot of his life. The feeling of no one wanting him around, everyone thinking him as a freak.

A large majority of his mind and heart knows you aren't like those people back in his hometown. You're kind, smart, funny, and treat everyone you meet with kindness.

Tomorrow. Tomorrow, he'll pluck up the courage go meet you in person.

____________________

EddieTheBanished: good morning, miss big time streamer!

CyberCat: I'm not a big time streamer!

EddieTheBanished: says the one who has a meet and greet table!

CyberCat: i'm so fucking nervous for today...

EddieTheBanished: You'll be fine! People will be showing up!

CyberCat: I'm so nervous I don't think I can eat anything.

EddieTheBanished: you should definitely eat something. don't want you passing out or anything.

CyberCat: fiiiiine.

"Eddie, stop texting your girlfriend and start getting ready!" Dustin tosses a pillow at Eddie.

"She's not my girlfriend!" Eddie exclaims, throwing the pillow back at the younger man.

"Right. You need to have enough balls to ask her to be your girlfriend to call her your girlfriend!" The pillow gets thrown back at Eddie and Dustin rushes into the bathroom right as the pillow hits the door as it slams shut.

________________________

You kind of regret going to that Twitch Party last night. You had one too many shots of...something and you woke up hungover. Not an ideal feeling considering you were probably going to meet a good amount of people today.

Luckily, Suzie had ordered room service for the both you and you had a hearty meal, despite your stomach telling you it needs to do everything but eat.

Afterwards, you made up your face, doing your best not to appear hungover, which included taking some painkillers.

It was noon by the time 1:15 pm by the time you got to the convention. In 45 minutes, you'll be having your meet and greet.

From what you understood, the meet and greets were still going by the lottery system. So hopefully the people who attend your meet and greet are actual fans and not people who chose you as a backup. Apparently that's been an issue for the past few cons and that added to your list of anxieties leading up to today.

Suzie holds your hand tightly as you go to the streamer lounge. There you meet one of the con representatives that walks you through the process of the meet and greet.

You keep your eyes on him while he escorts you towards the meet and greet area. He explains the process, things you can and can't do, as well as that there will be a security guard nearby in case anything were to happen. You were really hoping nothing bad would.

You peeked out from behind the curtain to see the line that formed to meet you. You're in shock to see that many people.

"Hi, Cat!" some people exclaim, spotting you from behind the curtain.

You smile widely, waving at them, "Hi! I'll see you guys soon! Thanks for coming!" the group cheers and you let the curtain fall back. Suzie looks at you with a grin, "See! People showed up!"

"Yeah, they did," you respond with a smile on your face.

_________________________

"Woah. That's a lot of people," Gareth says as he spots the line to meet you.

A big smile appears on his face to see the amount of people that showed up for you, "I told her people would come." He cranes his neck to see you beyond the crowd. You're engaged in a conversation with two guys. You're nodding and smiling as they say something to you, and respond back.

Afterwards, they hand a phone to a young woman who takes a picture of the three of you. You thank the two men and wave them good-bye. You excuse yourself for some water. As you're quickly chugging down, you spot him: Eddie.

Your eyes widen and you gulp. You slam your water bottle onto the table and squeal, "EDDIE!" You apologize and excuse yourself from the next person in line to rush over to him.

"Oh shit, she's coming this way!" Mike says and Eddie quips, "Everyone be cool!"

You're not sure what comes over you, but you run to Eddie and throw your arms around him, "It's so nice to finally meet you in person!" you exclaim.

A few people in line record you and take pictures of you since you're closer to him.

Eddie's words get caught in his throat. His cheeks start to heat up and he begins to stutter, "I-Uh-You-" he pauses to clear his throat, "Hi." He doesn't know how, but you're so much prettier in person. He didn't think it was possible to be even prettier.

“Ye-Yeah. Um, hey. It’s uh, uh good to meet you too.”

Dustin, Mike, and Gareth, are snickering at him, while El is smirking.

You think it’s adorable though. You take him by the chin, lowering his head down a bit more. You stare into Eddie’s eyes and smirk, “You’re wrong by the way.”

“About?” He asks in sudden confusion.

“Your eyes do kind of sparkle.” You giggle and take a step back, "Thanks for coming. Did you guys want to hang by my table?"

Dustin opens his mouth to accept but Eddie beats him to it, "It's okay! We should let you do your thing."

You pout a bit and Eddie swears it's the cutest thing he's ever seen, "You sure? It wouldn't be an issue! You guys can even hang behind the curtain to wait for me?"

He shakes his head, "We're sure. You're busy and we should let you get to it."

Your shoulders sag a bit, "Okay," you say dejectedly, “I’ll message you after this and maybe we can walk around the convention together?

Eddie nods, "Sound good!” He gives you a thumbs up and then cringes because why the hell did he do that? That’s so lame!

You chuckle and give him a thumbs up back, "Cool. See you later!" you give him a wave and head back to the table. You apologize again to the people waiting for you and gesture for the next person to come up.

Eddie's frozen in place, watching you speak to every person that approaches you. Gareth nudges him, "Smooth, dude."

Eddie scowls, "Shut up," and pushes him forward, "Let's go wander."

"You're telling me you don't wanna creepily watch her from her afar?" Mike asks, causing Dustin and Gareth to snicker.

"Mike, leave him alone. Come on," El tugs his hand and leads him away. El gives Eddie a nod and he nods back in thanks.

He glances back at you and as if knowing he was looking, you look up and stare right back at him. You smile and nod at him before bringing your attention back to the person in front of you.

Eddie gulps and rubs his hand over his chest, trying to soothe his fast beating heart.

[odysaccountofgotham]

it’s 2:47am. my legs feel like someone tenderized them with a crowbar. i smell like strawberry, expensive perfume, and the cheapest vodka i could steal. the sheer volume of glitter on my thighs defies explanation. my boots have betrayal in their soles.

i’m dragging myself up the stairs to the apartment. the one lightbulb in the hallway is flickering in a way that is either haunted or just poorly wired. bernard’s door is closed but there is, unmistakably, the sound of "sexytime noises™" coming from within.

and not just like, regular sexytime. no. this is emotionally involved. someone in there is whispering “i missed you” like we’re in the third act of a period drama and the Crimean War just ended.

bernard. babe. it is a tuesday. who are you in love with on a tuesday.

i stand there for a moment. holding my sad little purse. my sad little bones. listening to someone in bernard’s room make a noise like they’re being kissed within an inch of their life and honestly? good for them. i hope whoever it is knows how to fix the sink, because i sure don’t.

i go to bed. i put in my one working earbud. i blast some lo-fi batman conspiracy podcast to drown out the moans of the tragically horny.

i sleep like someone who has nothing left to lose.

UPDATE

i wake up to what i think is a cat purring on the couch

cute, right? wrong. it’s not a cat. it’s a boy. like, a very clean, suspiciously quiet boy curled up on bernard’s lap like he was 3 seconds away from a “purr” emoji irl

his hair is perfectly messy. his hoodie is at least 200 dollars. he smells like very expensive soap, mild trauma, and wifi

i freeze in the doorway like i just stepped into a deleted scene from gossip girl: gotham edition.

me: "Bernard what is that" gestures vaguely at the Boy™ Bernard: "hes my Timmy :)" me: *sighs the sigh of eternal exhaustion and retreats back to bed*