#wrote this quickly and am adding to to queue without thinking too much about it lol

[mane--attraction]

(MINORS DNI)

You didn't understand at first why your vampire f/o had a mirror above his bed. Isn't it a bit depressing to wake up, or even just lay in bed, look up, and see nothing there? You dismissed it, then, your trips into his inner sanctum few and far between, initially. It wasn't until the first time that he took you to bed that you understood.

Head thrown back, gasping in pleasure, you happen to look directly up, eyes focusing on the reflection. The disconnect between the man you see above you versus what you don't above him is a little head spinning, but soon, your gaze slides. Your breathing hitches, watching yourself seemingly clench around nothing. His next thrust startles you out of your reverie with a moan from you, pulled from you at a volume that has your cheeks flush. They grow warmer upon realizing he's been studying your reaction, a mischievous glint in his hungry eyes.

“Like what you see?” he purrs, and he doesn't give much time for a response before kissing you deeply, fiercely, like he doesn't want you to get away.

Maybe you could get used to this.

[willow-darling]

Wake up call (regina mills x female reader)

!! WARNINGS !! READ THIS FIRST BEFORE READING AHEAD !!

This is smut. The following kinks are in it: morning sex, mommy kink, fingering, dom and sub, and other things.

It's basically lesbian smut.I wrote this out from my dr, I shifted to ouat and got an idea for the smut. There she can read my mind, it's a soulmate thing I added. This was also the first smut I ever wrote so don't be too harsh. I write better now, but I still love this one.

Enjoy!! You have been warned!!

I wake up in my usual position, laying with Regina, her holding me while I lay against her chest. But this morning, I woke up a lot more, needy, than usual, and since it was quite peaceful, I thought it’d go away. Until I noticed Regina’s leg being right between mine, intertwined in a way. I just look at the sleeping goddess in front of me, unsure of what to do, I just lay still and try to fall back asleep.

Until she suddenly moves, pulling you a bit closer and moving her leg against your panties, making a whimper come out. You now know she’s awake, or at least, a little.

Because of the friction, she was making with her leg, you couldn’t help but moan softly, and giving in to your own instincts, slightly grinding on her thigh, trying to stay silent. Suddenly you heard a low and raspy voice saying, “Well good morning, princess. This certainly is a nice surprise.”

“Shit she’s awake!” you thought, forgetting that she can hear that and getting the immediate response: “I am, darling. Although you seem more active than me, so early in the morning, too! How scandalous of you.”

You looked up at the woman, seeing a big smirk on her face, along with the look she gave you, very pleased with herself but also a look filled with lust. If your breathing wasn’t shaky enough, it would be now.

“Oh don’t let me stop you from finishing what you started. I wanna see it too, princess.” She whispered, “Or do you need my help because you can’t do it yourself?”

The way she knew the right things to say to get you going, was amazing, but also so bad. Because you knew it’d be a thing she’d be repeating today. So, you just kept quiet, unsure of what to say or do, until Regina grabbed your hips and pulled you further towards her, saying “Don’t lie to me, I can feel it, remember? You’re not that good at hiding your needy eyes, not at all. Perhaps we should do something about that,”

She chuckled lowly, this usually scared you, but in an exciting way. Only, right now you didn’t feel that exciting, scared feeling, you just needed her, so bad. The only thing you could mutter out was: “please, mommy...”

You knew very well what was going to come next, and on queue, “Please what, princess? I can’t help you if I don’t know what you need.” She said with a smirk, softly stroking your hair. This gave you that false feeling of her being soft, knowing damned well what would happen the moment you told her what to do. No more softness, not until after. And yet, you still melted into her arms, obeying her commands.

“Please help me, mommy. You know I can’t do it by myself.” You said, blushing, still embarrassed at these moments, but immediately getting a reassuring kiss. “You know I don’t judge you for that, princess. It just means you’ll always need me to finish, which feels nice.” She smirked, now paying attention to the mess that was you on her thigh, soaking, already.

Deciding not to torture you with her leg between yours, she flipped you over. You being on the bottom, her on top. Getting a questioning look, “Are you sure you want this, you don’t have to, don’t do it because I want you to.” You reassured her it was something you wanted by grabbing her face and kissing her, getting a chuckle and a big smile. Because you rarely do this, but she loves it when you do.

She pulls away, wanting to put down some rules. Saying “You know the basics, tell them to me.”

You repeated the rules she had set, feeling safe with her, because she did take good care of you, even with this. “I can only cum when you tell me to when I ask and you say yes. We use the traffic light system or the bandana system.” “what do those two mean?” She asked, testing you on it,

“Traffic light system is where you name a colour after telling me an action, or during an action. If I say “green” It means I’m okay with it and you can go/continue, if I say “orange” it means that you need to pause for a moment, and when I say “red” it’s me telling you to stop. The bandana system, one we frequently use, is where you give me a bandana to hold, and if I need you to stop, I drop it.” You say, having gone over this quite a lot because she wanted to make sure you were comfortable, not just her.

“Good girl,” Regina said, smirking, as you kissed her again. She takes over, kissing you deeply and trailing her hand up to your chest, not needing to take off a shirt, since you slept shirtless. She started playing with one of your nipples, knowing the sensitivity they had.

A quiet moan escaping your mouth as she stopped kissing you and moved her mouth over to the nipple, expertly using her tongue, knowing all the various movements to drive you crazy. And they did.

You needed a lot more than just that, you wanted a lot more than that. Your neediness bubbling up and moaning out, “Mommy, please… I need more… touch me, please.”

She looked up, going to your face again and kissing you. “Of course, princess, since you asked so nicely, it would be cruel of me not to do anything.” She smirked, locking eyes with you to see your reaction as she started playing with your nipple again, while her left hand was slowly trailing down to your core. Leaving little marks with her nails until she reached the inside of your thigh, where she felt you through your panties. “So early and already soaking wet? Poor baby, mommy will help you out.”

You never broke eye contact, keeping her intense look on you, feeling every single thing she did. She had a mischievous look in her eyes, that she was planning something.

Regina knew exactly what to do, something you hated and both loved. She moved her hands onto the side of your panties, removing them quickly as she noticed it was something she bought for you. “feeling special, with that particular underwear?” She smirked, slowly rubbing through your folds at a torturous speed, making you needier and wetter.

Without a warning she slammed two fingers into you, still watching your look, which shifted as you broke the eye contact. You moaned loudly, bucking your hips into her hand, needing so much more than she was giving. Your breathing became a bit erratic, resulting in the woman giving you a more calming look, laying herself on top of you, syncing your breathing.

She loved you too much to make you have a panic attack, even if it was a very gay one, it could always turn into an actual one. But she knew that this would work because this happened a lot, you needed to concentrate on what was happening, so you wouldn’t be surprised. She kissed you again, calming you down effectively as she looked at your eyes asking if she can go. You said “green” meaning she could start.

She nodded at the colour, starting to thrust in and out of you slowly, making you moan and whine. Because she thrusted at a torturously slow pace. In… out… in…. out…, you thought, accidentally looking at Regina again, seeing her enjoying every second of your whines.

“More...” You managed to get out, mind fogged by your neediness, but Regina understood, nodding at picking up her pace, finally going at a nice and stable rhythm you liked.

You moaned loudly as the woman kissed you, saying “Don’t want to wake up the neighbours now, do we?” She joked because the walls were extra thick, purely for this purpose.

You couldn’t think, except for the part where she was fucking you, your hips bucked in the rhythm Regina was pumping in, she used her thumb to play with your clit, rubbing slow circles, at a very different pace. You liked this a lot and you were very close to the edge already. Remembering the rule and getting out “Mommy… please… I-I’m close, can I cum, please?”

She looked at you with a sympathetic look, “You have been a very good girl, so I’ll let you. Cum for me, princess.” She cooed, still pumping your fingers but moving herself to your core, wanting to taste it.

It didn’t take long for you to come undone, the woman quickly removing her fingers and expertly used her tongue to help you ride out your orgasm, making you come a second time. The moment she started fucking you with her tongue, it had made you feel all wet again.

This time, when you were done, she kissed you, “Taste yourself, princess, you’ll love it.”

She was right, and you enjoyed every bit of it as you sneakily slid your own hand down her panties, knowing she had a need too, that needed to be taken care of. Regina looked at you in surprise saying “Baby, you don’t need to do that.” You admitted you wanted to and immediately slipped two fingers in, making the woman whimper. You loved pleasing her, the sounds and faces she made at you made you so happy, she reassured you were doing well. Guiding your hands as to where to place them, successfully thrusting into her with your two fingers, picking up the pace as you heard her moan, uncontrollably. All you could hear was “Good girl, making mommy feel good.”

You carefully slid her panties off, throwing them into the room. Wanting to do the same, taste her, which Regina encouraged. You did as you were told, seeing her throw her head back in pleasure, with her gaping mouth open, a moaning mess. You decided you were going to tease her a little more, by putting your mouth on her clit, sucking and using your tongue to move the small nerve bundle, making everything 10x worse.

With a few last thrusts and licks, she came with a moan, that pulled you closer, biting down on your neck, to muffle herself. After she had ridden out every last bit you went down and “cleaned” her, using every single trick you knew, wanting her to come a second time, now that the sensitivity was high. You did it quite easily, the woman grinding on your face, and you slightly moaned at the feeling. Suddenly she came all over your face and into your mouth, you cleaned her up for real this time and kissed her.

“You taste so good, mommy,” you said, being tired, “I need some more sleep, I’m a bit tired.”

The woman kissed you and handed you a small drink, taking care of you, “I know princess, thank you” She cooed, laying down next to you, and falling back asleep together again.

[ayukaze]

Writer’s Month - 4

If I can just do this whole week consistently, I would feel so much better about myself, I kid you not. 

Fandom/Pairing: Beyblade/TyHil (HAHAH WHAT ELSE WERE YOU EXPECTING FROM ME!) 

Prompt: play, modern setting ( so I already had something in works with a class is putting on a play plotline, I’d shared the progress earlier too, and decided to add to it as much I could at work today. Again this is written on my notes app, so expect a lot of mistakes! Tagging @rainbow-pearls cuz I think she would like to read the minor continuation of the earlier snippet, and maybe @zadien too?) 

~

“Why are you still here?”

Tyson opened an eye and peeked at the source of the disturbance. Only one person in their school was brave enough to wake him from one of his infamous naps without fearing the consequences. The brunette was standing in their classroom’s doorway with a disapproving look on her face and her hands fixed on her hips. When she saw him wake, she started to make her towards his desk.

“Gee, Hilary why do you think?” Tyson muttered in reply, trying to stifle a yawn as he opened his eyes fully and stretched his arms over his head in order to rid his body of the slumber that he had been so peacefully encompassed in until a few minutes ago.

“You know we’re supposed to be preparing for the school festival right now. Together. As a class.” She was standing right next to his desk now, but even then the glare she sent his way did not seem to have any effect on him.

“I don’t think I’m a group activities sort of person.” Tyson said, locking eyes with her, a determined look on his face.

“Says the guy who almost cried a river when his teammates left him.” Hilary scoffed at him.

“I didn’t cry, and let me rephrase that, I’m not a group activities person at school.” Tyson retorted, ears a little bit red from the brunette’s accusation. 

“Oh come on Tyson, this will be fun!” Hilary groaned defeatedly, she propped herself over the desk Tyson had been sleeping on until a few minutes ago, knowing very well that it will be a while before he is convinced. Tyson was then forced to straighten up and lean back in his chair or else his head would’ve collided with her hip, and any remaining feeling of drowsiness left his body as he did so. “Chief has been working really hard for this, you know.” The brunette added, tilting her head sideways, to meet his eyes.

“In other words, he’s driving you all crazy and you need me to rein him back in.”

Hilary held his gaze before narrowing her eyes in annoyance, “He is driving us crazy, but I’m more than equipped to handle him and he has really been working hard so as his friend you should be there to support him. Just like we are always there to support the team.” She looked at him pointedly, stressing on certain words loudly and making him wince as she did so. Tyson groaned, she knew him well enough to know that the ‘I’m always there for you’ trick always worked immediately on him.

“And what exactly are we doing this year? Another cafe? Do you really want me to be around food and other edible items?” Tyson challenged her, trying to display a somewhat proud look on his face, even though internally he knew he’d already lost the battle by showing interest.

“No. I would not be here forcing you out of this chair that you glue yourself to every morning if I knew that our ingredients would be in danger.” She scowled deeply at him before continuing, “Frankly I’m surprised you don’t know what our class is putting up despite sitting through the meetings in the past week.”

Tyson shrugged guiltlessly, “I’m just as good at zoning out as I am at spinning tops.”

Hilary rolled her eyes and shook her head at his statement, after forcing the scowl off from her face, she looked at him with a sober expression and replied, “We’re putting up a play. Chief wrote it himself, and he is directing it too.”

Tyson leaned back further in his chair as a look of utter surprise settled on his face at her words, “You’re letting Chief direct it?”

“Well of course,” stated Hilary matter-of-factly, “he wrote it so he should be allowed to be in command.”

Tyson feigned shock and disbelief as he responded in a high-pitched voice, “Hilary Tachibana is letting other people be in command? Are you okay Hils? Do we need to take you to the hospital for an examination?”

Hilary shot him a seething glare and promptly got off the desk in annoyance, resting her hands on her hips once again she retorted, “I can’t always be in charge of everything obviously, even I am aware of that-” Tyson laughed out loud but quickly concealed it as a cough once his eyes met the brunette’s and she continued as if she hadn’t been interrupted, “Besides as the lead of the play, I have enough on my plate already. There isn’t much time left to take control of everything else.”

Her words sunk in much faster than usual for Tyson, his brows furrowing as he stood up too quickly, almost knocking back the chair he had been sitting in, “You’re playing the lead?”

His voice came out louder and squeakier than he had expected but his brain was already swirling for him to take notice of his tone or even his friend’s bewildered reaction.

“Y-yes.” Hilary stammered, completely taken aback by Tyson’s sudden reaction, she took a few steps back, eager to put some distance between them, as a confused look settled on her face.

“You’re playing the lead in a play that Chief wrote.” Tyson repeated, more to himself in an attempt to make sense of all the scenarios that were now popping up in his head. Hilary however, thought that he was addressing her, so she simply nodded in reply, still looking confused over the sudden change in Tyson’s behaviour.

Having been friends with Chief since they were in elementary school, Tyson was aware of the kind of stories and fantasies that his childhood friend preferred to indulge in. When it came to Beyblading, Chief was all about logic and facts, but when it came to his hobbies, he was more of an emotional sap, something people couldn’t usually tell by looking at him. Tyson however, frequented Chief’s room more than probably any other of the latter’s friend, which is why he understood better than anyone, that Chief was a romantic and sentimental nerd at heart. Which is also why it didn’t take the World Champion long to reach the conclusion that their class was probably preparing a cavity inducing love story for their school festival.

The real problem for Tyson was that Hilary had just told him that she wasn’t directing or organizing the class, as he had expected her to, but was actually taking part in something that he knew, without even taking a look at it, was probably a fairy tail-esque, love story.

He could feel anger course rapidly through his veins at the thought of any of his male classmates standing on the stage opposite from Hilary and professing their love to her, or even worse...

“Do you have a copy of the play?” Tyson snapped at her, he hadn’t meant to get mad at her and he could tell that even though she nodded and went around the class towards Chief’s desk to pull out a copy, she was upset by his angry tone and if he didn’t rein his emotions in quickly, they would slowly be heading into the argument territory. His suspicions were confirmed when she came back to him and thrusted the thin booklet into his hands harshly and folding her arms across her chest, passing him a steely look as he quickly skimmed through the play.

‘The Dragon and the Princess’

Tyson had to stop himself from rolling his eyes as he read the title, he wanted to go through the contents as quickly as possible so he decided to show his disgust with the work when he reached the very end of it.

...the princess looks longingly into the eyes of the stranger…

Tyson’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he imagined Hilary gazing ‘longingly’ at a faceless classmate of theirs.

He quickly turned the pages again.

...the stranger bends down and plants a kiss on the Princess’ left hand…

His grip on the booklet tightened and he took a deep breath to compose himself and turn the pages a bit carefully in order to not rip through them in his anger.

...-queue music-

he grasps her hand and slowly leads her into the middle of the dancing couples, placing a hand around her waist…

Turn, turn, turn.

… stop music

they kiss…

Tyson slammed the booklet shut and next to him Hilary jumped, putting a hand on her chest as she sent him a glare for scaring her.

“Who’s playing the other lead?” He was surprised by how quiet his voice had become, in contrast to the anger building up inside him.

“Well, we haven’t picked anyone yet. Chief isn’t really satisfied by the performances he has seen, we’re actu-”

“I’ll do it.”

His statement was followed by a few minutes of total silence as Hilary stared at him in surprise with Tyson returning her gaze with an angry, determined one of his own.

“You’ll play the lead?”

Finally she spoke after what seemed like an eternity, her voice laced with doubt, as she still continued to stare at him, now looking like she was trying to search Tyson’s face or read his expression in an attempt to figure out if he had really meant what he had said.

“Yes, I’ll do it.”

Tyson repeated his words, his voice more firm and resolute this time around as he refused to back down from her gaze. Hilary continued to look unsure, eventually she turned her gaze downwards and it dawned on him that she might not want to do this with him at all. The anger that had been building up inside him like a bubble suddenly burst and his heart sank. He wanted her to raise her head so he could search her face for any clue that might point towards her not hating the idea of doing this stupid play with him. Tyson couldn’t help but think to himself that he might need to flee the country if Hilary flat out refused to do the play alongside him. Luckily they were alone in the classroom, not having witnesses for what was about to be the most embarrassing moment of his life was the only silver lining.

Then she looked up at him very suddenly and Tyson’s heart almost stopped, with her eyes shining brightly and a wide smile covering her face, she replied “Oh Tyson, that is wonderful! Chief said I wouldn’t be able to convince you to do anything, hah I can’t wait to look at his face when he hears this.”

A wave of relief washed over him and he had to stop himself from sighing out loud, he passed Hilary a nod of acknowledgement in silence and tried to maintain a straight face, hoping to not show the brunette how the thought of gazing longingly at her or kissing her hand in the near future was making him feel extremely giddy.

“Now come on, we’ve already wasted so much time here, Chief must be getting antsy!”

“Yeah, yeah.”

Tyson begrudgingly followed Hilary out of the classroom and they made their way towards the gymnasium where their class was supposedly prepping for their showcase in silence. Well almost in silence, as Hilary skipped happily ahead humming a chirpy to tune to herself, apparently elated with herself over how she was able to convince Tyson to get off his lazy bum and actually participate in a school event. Tyson was a few steps behind her, the heat of the moment fading as he neared the gym and the idea of acting in a stupid, romantic play started to settle well in his mind. The guys would never let him live this down, he could picture the scene when they’d find out about this particular extra-curricular activity of his very clearly by the time he entered the gym, Max’s howling laughter, Rei’s forced attempt to be encouraging as he contained his own laughs, Kai’s stupid smirk which would also be mirrored on his elder brother’s face.

[smolbeandrabbles]

Director’s Cut 1: Andrew ‘Pope’ Cody

“I find it difficult to find any redeeming qualities in this character. He is a person with spot on DSM antisocial personality disorder, with sociopathic traits and without the charming facade. But the mental health professional in me also sees him as neurodiverse, on the spectrum. At any rate, I can’t find any allure or menacing sexuality in him. How did you find redeeming qualities within Pope? And how the heck did you come up with a female OC who can interpret his cues and find warmth and attraction from him? I enjoy your fics about him, others I’ve read have basically torture porn.”

Wow, okay, Andrew. You’ve picked a really interesting one here. So, lets start with some background... Which I will try to condense as much as possible.

Also, for ease of talking, I’m going to give our Reader back her OC name and therefore when I refer to ‘Elaiyna’ that’s your reader character! 😁 Background I was never meant to write for Andrew Cody from the movie. My first watch of the movie left me cold and, to be honest I still find it very difficult to watch even now. (The movie is great for sure, but it’s not one I rewatch often.) Without a long explanation as to ‘why’, I watched the movie so that I could watch the US TV show version of Animal Kingdom. Which I highly recommend!

Where as Movie!Andrew I couldn’t get into at all, Show!Andrew I fell in love with. It took me one episode to come up with my OC and a decent story line.  Although I never actually wrote it out I had many plot points saved on a document for how Andrew/Elaiyna’s relationship would play out. So really, you have Shawn Hatosy to thank-! 

Who, super side note, deserves an Emmy for this. And also can someone please get him and Ben in an interview to talk about Andrew - I will beg! 

When I decided to start writing and posting for Andrew here (considering I had the plot points and we were taking the Mendos as far as we could) - I essentially wrote a mix of Show!Andrew and Movie!Andrew. Honestly tipped in favour of the show. But very recently I’ve tried to write much more for Movie!Andrew as I’m 99.9% sure that’s who everyone reading my work is reading for anyway!

How did you find redeeming qualities within Pope? 

The only real answer is Show!Andrew. I love him so much, and they explore a lot with his character - as they of course have time to, that a 1hr30 movie doesn’t - so it’s very easy to find redeeming qualities in a character that’s at a very different stage to his movie counterpart (and yet is still the same character and recognisable as the same character... Show!Andrew is the build up to the man we get in the movie, if you will.). Show!Andrew has that same... creepy/awkward vibe, but also has a lot of sweet, decent human being moments that give you his more redeeming qualities (without spoiling anything major his relationship with Lena, Baz’s daughter, is a good example). 

But also I view Andrew in the movie very differently to the way that I believe most people do. Movie Andrew doesn’t scare me. Sure, he does scary things, but to me he just comes across as very awkward. Like, he knows what a situation calls for and kinda adapts to that - or he says things because he’s like “That’s what people say in this situation right?” at least that’s how I interpret him. No matter how incorrect that is.  Like there’s no social queues in his character, he doesn’t really fit into those kinds of situations (or function well!) but he observes everything. So he knows that “If X happens, say/do Y. Because that’s what people do.” regardless of his own “feelings” etc. I don’t think he has emotional intelligence and there’s a definite disconnect between think and feel and... I guess instinct? That ‘primal brain’ thing. 

I mean I know it’s interpretation but that scene where he carries Nicky to bed and then like strokes her hair back and then tells Jay “She’s beautiful.” Doesn’t give me any other vibe other than Andrew having observed this and his brain going ‘Oh, yeah, Andrew - then compliment her to her boyfriend. That’s a thing people do.’ Just the way my brain works I guess.

The obvious follow up question would be “Okay, so you love him in the show. But you write for him in the movie. So... you gotta have something redeeming there right? Now you’re leaving Show!Andrew on a shelf? Correct - I kinda feel like Andrew has at least some ‘relationships’ to which he actually feels something. Which is why I’m reluctant to place the “Psychopath” tag on him. Look at his relationship with Baz for instance (honestly, that supermarket scene is my very favourite.) - I just get this “friends” vibe. Like real friends, maybe even best friends. Andrew cares enough about him to want vengeance (I’m not down for thinking this is just him wanting to be a criminal I genuinely think this is a reaction to losing his best friend - and arguably his stability.) And I mean, he cares about his family. Even if not in the traditional ‘sense’ of caring. 

I also want to give a quick shout out to @mandy23b​​ - as Andrew is her favourite, and conversations with her on how she views him really help me shape Andrew in my head. For example she has a lot of headcanons about how he grew up (eg: potential physical abuse) that I am happy to adopt. So, my own personal headcanons / adopted head canons about him also help to make him redeemable. 

And how the heck did you come up with a female OC who can interpret his cues and find warmth and attraction from him? 

Oh my gosh, Elaiyna. Okay, well aside from again her starting with Show!Andrew and me basically lifting their entire relationship and giving it to Movie!Andrew there’s a lot about her that I guess ‘prepares’ her for him.

First - they meet because the Cody’s case her car (...Ready For It?), assume she has a lot of money and try to rob her. She knows who he is before they form a relationship - the barrier of “oh by the way I’m a career criminal” is broken instantly.  Second - Although she’s an only child her parents have fostered a lot of children over the years (More details in ‘Flaws’) and so she’s used to a lot of siblings and the bonds between siblings. Added to this it’s not hard to imagine that some of these foster children might have had neurodivergancies of their own and therefore she’s also used to people that act like Andrew does. Third - David ( ‘Flaws’ and ‘Last Habit’) her eldest foster sibling is a Police officer, and they have a close relationship. Figure she could learn a lot from him. Both on crime/criminals and then maybe neurodivergant criminals too. He’s bound to have at least some stories that might help her. Fourth - Not to make some kind of robot comparison for our Boi here but, she works in IT. She’s the CIO for her firm. Draw your own conclusions on relationships with something/one with basically zero emotional output.

I find your comments on other fics you’ve read very interesting. Because to me Andrew just isn’t sexual. (I might be in the minority, because other fic writers I’ve talked to tend to put him in ‘physical only’ / highly sexually charged relationships) He’s never read that way to me. ‘4 In the Morning’ is the first time I’ve thought to write something that is sexy for him. Although I have alluded to sexual elements of their relationship in other fics.  Their relationship to me has always been on a quiet understanding level. He observes and learns about her and is fairly quiet about it. Elaiyna is more extroverted, but also observes and learns about him very quickly. So instead of PDA and verbal “I love you’s” they have this non-verbal communication that isn’t always physical either. Although touch sometimes plays into it.  Because that just the kind of relationship that I see him in - sex is rare, and when it happens it’s not because of this big “I love you” romantic build up - it’s spontaneous. That part of his primal brain is kicked in and it’s like “Okay. We’re doing this now.” For his character I understand the “draw” to write something like that (even though, like I say, I don’t see him being interested.) but I’m just very much a romantic... 😅 So I want to write something Romantic even for a Mendo who you wouldn’t necessarily fit into a romantic role. Their story still has “romantic” tenancies. Like it’s a loving relationship it’s just a different kind of love. I don’t feel like he would necessarily know that he loves her, or even comprehend what ‘love’ is. But he knows he feels something for her that’s very different to how he feels about other people. Which is why when Elaiyna does say ‘I love you’ it’s not reciprocated with words - and rarely with actions. She knows he loves her, even if he doesn’t know it. Their relationship is very ‘quiet’ but she knows that’s just how he is - and he will show “affection” as he deems fit and appropriate to show it. Even if - again - it’s not a “typical” way of showing it. And when he wants affection himself it’s more, “I am hugging you now on MY terms. But in 5 seconds I will walk away as if nothing happened.” He is more often enough the one to initiate anything PDA and Elaiyna will wait for him to come to her. If her read on him is *just* right then she’ll initiate, but then there’s the consequences of getting it wrong and Andrew pushing her away... I definitely base a lot of the beginning of their relationship on them just finding each other fascinating. He’s completely different to any other man she’s ever met, and he’s never met someone so interested in him that doesn’t try to change him and/or however he treats her is met more with understanding than conflict. 

I say I love all my OCs, of course I do. But Elaiyna is one I really had to think about building because of Andrew’s own personality. It had to make sense for her to be with someone like him - their relationship had to make sense and keep him (mostly) in character. So she needed to be able to interpret his cues, as you so nicely put it 😊 But I think I gave her the right tools to do this, and, with Show!Andrew she got the right base to jump from. 

I know this is super long, but I hope it helps in your understanding of how I’ve built Andrew’s relationship with his S/O! 🙏 And more importantly answers the questions you have! 

---

Thank you SO much for asking! If anyone else wants a Fanfic directors cut for any of my fics please ask! I would love to answer any questions! 🥰😘

[nautiscarader]

Calm yo’ tits - a present fic for ZekkKiray

Rating: E, ladynoir/Adrinette (post-reveal), 9143 words (by notepad++ count, 8886 according to Ao3, so one of you is LYING)

Read on Ao3

 contains breastfeeding, lactation and mooificated large breasts.

Now, if you look at the tags (and the word count), and you know me, you might be understandably confused and worried that I might have been possessed, hacked by a Russian bot, or simply gone mad. The last part is very likely, but it is not the reason of this fic's existence.

The fic you are about to read is a present for my buddy, ZekkKiray, a vastly superior fic writer, who on one occasion quoted my works as inspiration for his, which solves once and for all the age-old philosophical dilemma, proving that something can indeed come from nothing.

I knew, to some extent, what his favourite kinks are, which sadly, were not exactly compatible with mine. So I needed to find a fandom we both like, and where I wouldn't have to worry too much about silly things like logic or common sense.

Enter "Miraculous Ladybug".

To put it simply, this fic is a bit of crack, I tried working some elements from my personal headcanons, and it doesn't break, assuming you don't push it too hard. More importantly, though, it's a birthday crack. Happy birthday, pal!

Also, this takes place after S3 finale.

================================

Sitting tensely in her chaise-longue, Marinette eyed her tutor and a temporary enemy with a keen eye. She has taken many exams in her young adult life, but this one might have been the most important so far. She concentrated on the small, levitating creature that flew that past her head, and when Tikki revealed a card, Marinette instantly replied.

- Zaggu, gnu kwami, the hero is Ram-page, and has ability to shapeshift terrain. Strong, but not too agile. Best pair with Pegasus for optimum efficiency. - she spoke quickly. - Yes! That's the last one! - Tikki cheered, flying to nuzzle Marinette's cheek.

For the past few days, Marinette has been extensively trying to fill in the shoes of Master Fu, as the new Miraculous guardian, and she has passed her self-imposed exam with flying colours, guessing each and every Kwami Tikki has tested her with.

- Well, if there are any challenging akumas, you will surely be able to know how to dispose of them! - Tikki cheered. - I sure hope so. - Marinette smiled - But now I have to study for actual exams, Tikki.

Marinette walked to her desk, took her college textbooks and opened them, her other hand already deep in the bowl of fruit snacks she prepared beforehand, knowing of the revision session ahead of her.  

- Don't you want to study with Adrien? - Tikki flew by her head - Last time you said he's helped you a lot. - I wish. - Marinette sighed dreamily at the sound of her boyfriend's name - And he did, but...

Her cheeks suddenly became slightly deeper shade of burgundy, and she shied away from her Kwami. The mere thought of her boyfriend made her instantly forget about her duties, both as a college student and as a protector of Paris. She let herself indulge in a fantasy of what could happen if the two were put together in her room, and were given a choice between studying for a very boring exam, or doing anything else... However, Marinette had to exert some self-control, and with her friend acting like a second moral compass flying next to her, she had to abandon of her daydream.

- You know, this is quite an important exam, I don't want to be easily distracted and-Adrien!

She let out a gasp when her phone buzzed, and she grabbed it to answer at once. Tikki smiled, watching as her friend melts in her chair at the sound of Adrien's voice. Something told her she's not gonna do any revisions today.

===================

In his dark lair, Hakwmoth was listening. With closed eyes, he concentrated his powers to filter out hundreds of voices, trying to find the loudest and angriest, speaking with pure rage and despair.

He heard squabbling teenagers and forgot about them at once.

He heard depressed, neglected workers and didn't give them a second chance.

He heard a man crying, pitiful and heartbroken, because of his beloved pigeo-NO, NOT HIM AGAIN, THIRD SODDING TIME THIS MONTH.

Gabriel sighed and closed the aperture overlooking Paris. Finding a good source for akuma was sometimes surprisingly difficult. So many voices, so many possible candidates. And yet, again and again, he has failed.

Gabriel stepped down into the staircase that brought him down to his office, and was not surprised to find Nathalie waiting for him.

- Anything new for me, Nathalie? - he corrected his glasses - Just one call from the office of Coco Marocco. They asked for a call-back... - Nathalie paused and dropped her formal attitude - Gabriel, is everything alright?

She gently put her hand on his shoulder, and his body twitched in an instinct to brush it off. But he restrained himself, paused and took another deep breath.

- It's sometimes so... difficult. To find a good one... - I know.

He looked back at her and gave her a rare smile, saying much more than he could have at the time.

- I'll make the call, thank you.

Nathalie left his office, never taking her eye from him as she closed the door. Gabriel sat in his chair, leaned back and dialled the number.

"Hi there! You have reached the office of Coco Marocco, the finest brand of clothing this side of the equator. For English, press One. Für Deutsch drücken Sie bitte..."

Gabriel sighed and let the voice machine continue its job.

"... for business inquiries, press 7".

Gabriel quickly pressed the number, and was welcomed with the same, lifeless, mechanical voice.

"To access your account, please input the number..."

Without thinking, Gabriel typed the eleven-digit number on the tone dial, and waited for the next step.

"We apologise. In order to access your account, you need to speak the numbers", the voicemail said.

A small vein twitched on Gabriel's forehead. He spoke each digit, loud and clear, hoping beyond hope it registered properly.

"We apologise, please say the number again."

It took him two more tries to reach the next step, and he finally heard the familiar waiting music. The second it stopped, he started speaking, but he was met with even more disappointing reality.

"Hi there! Thank you for your patience. Your call is incredibly important to us. Your number in the waiting queue is... FOURTEEN".

The mobile phone crashed and broke into dozens of pieces when Gabriel tossed it across the room, careful not to destroy the painting of his wife that hid the entrance to his observatory.  

- Why does it have to be so difficult? - he grumbled - Bunch of incompetent buffoons, making the easiest of things so much more difficult-

And then, a sudden burst of inspiration, privileged only to visionaries of his calibre, has dawned on him. He quickly got up and dashed to the elevator, not noticing that the crash alerted Nathalie to peek into his room, as he was too eager to bring his plan into motion as soon as possible.

When he stepped into his lair, he was Hawkmoth again, and he knew exactly what to listen for.  

=====================

The glorious weather outside taunted Nino to end his revisions early and go to the nearest park to bathe in the warm sunshine, but alas, he had to spend his day in the near-empty university library. Unable to concentrate, he took his phone and launched the app to check if the last paper has been graded, but was left with a disappointing, never-ending loading screen. He looked at the only other person in the room, sitting by the computer in the corner, and decided to break the ear-splitting silence.

- Hey dude, are the uni servers down, or something? - And when were they not? - the chubby student replied - The app constantly crashes, we can't even check anything, so I'm just loafing around.

Nino gave him - or rather his large neck -  a curious look and decided to end the conversation swiftly.

- Well, at least tumblog works... - If only - his interlocutor replied, much to Nino's chagrin, without even taking his headset off - Ugh, why did they change the colour of the background again? - You okay, dude? - he looked at his freckled face, and the man gave him a contemptuous look. - Yeah. But you seem to be okay with using this sub-par version - he glanced at his phone.

Nino raised his eyebrow and glanced at his phone.

- What's wrong with that?

The man groaned.

- Ugh, where do I start? The app also never works, they haven't implemented half the features of the desktop version, they still show sponsored messages, I mean, not for me, I hacked them myself away, and the options, can you believe they dared to change the font, it's so unreadable now...

He took a sip of a drink he definitely shouldn't have been allowed to bring into the library.

- But the site is so full of idiots now, it's not even worth going there anymore. Can you believe there are people defending the new Flunkies game? They've added cut content DLCs now! All of them sheep, they will buy whatever you throw at them, and...

The guy continued to complain into what was now a Nino-shaped void, as he left quietly a minute earlier, slightly afraid that arrogance might be catching.  

And he wouldn't be exactly wrong...

If Nino stayed, he would have noticed that the same window that finally tempted him to walk outside with its glorious view, became also a gateway for a dark-purple moth that landed on the student's headset, turning it into equally sinister shade.

Suddenly, the student's complaints, spoken into nothingness, fell on listening ears, and a voice spoke in his head.

- Anton, I am Hakwmoth. I have heard your eloquent delivery, and I must say, you are quite right. - I know I am - Anton replied, without missing a beat. - There are so many little things wrong with this world, and only you know how to fix them... - Yes, I wrote it all on my blog, but now they changed the tagging system, and they don't even filter by the- - The point is - Hakwmoth interrupted him - As all geniuses in history, you are underestimated. Like the Cassandra of the Greek myths, people do not believe you, despite you speaking the truth. But I can change that.

For the first time in rather long time, Anton listened, instead of talking.

- I can give you a platform to speak your wisdom, better than any social media would ever offer. I can give you the voice, and I can give you the chance to make others hear you... And to sway their views at once... - You-you can do that? - Anton asked excitedly, though remaining in his slumped pose. - Oh, yes. - Hakwmoth replied with an oily, greedy voice - All I need in return is for you to bring me Ladybug's and Chat Noir's Miraculi. They are wrong anyway, so they don't deserve them... Embrace my akuma, and rise-

Gabriel paused. He expected to feel something by now, but instead, he heard a quiet tapping.

- Are-are you typing? - Well, duh, someone is wrong on the Internet. - I was going to give you powers to do all of that a hundred times faster... - Gabriel spoke, unable to believe what he heard. - Okay, I'm done. - Anton spoke - What were you saying?

Stopping the urge to find a new herald of his will, Hakwmoth stomped in place and let the power flow through him and into his new apprentice, transforming his somewhat shaggy clothes into regal, red-and-golden attire. The chair he was sitting in merged into his body, becoming a golden, ornamented throne. And finally, the device around his head became a golden, conical-shaped object, perfectly suited for his new puppet, already fitting well in his hand.

- As I was saying... Rise, Echo Chamberlain, and correct the world, for only you know how. - I will! - the new villain spoke into his megaphone and flew out the library in his levitating chair, smashing the window to pieces.

========================

- Adrien!

Marinette jumped the last few stairs of her house and nearly tripped, but fortunately for her, she landed exactly where she wanted - in the arms of her boyfriend, meeting his lips a minute or so earlier than she planned. She smelled his trademark cologne, singed with his name, and she positively melted against his chest, blissfully forgetting about everything around her, until her mother's grunt brought her back to reality.

She jumped to her feet, fixed her hair and waved her parents goodbye, as the two walked outside for a stroll on the sunny day, with just a chance of studying in the park, in between kissing.

- How was the journey? - Marinette asked, eager to learn all about his latest business trip. - Well, nothing too out of the ordinary. I mean, for me. - he quickly added, afraid he sounded too immodest - I wish I could have brought you with me. - No biggie. I know how strict your father can be... - she leaned against his shoulder. - Hey, look, we should get some ice-cream!

Marinette eagerly pulled Adrien towards the famous André's ice-cream stand that now was parked underneath an old arch, and, predictably, has already amassed a small crowd, hungry for some cold refreshment. But as the two approached them, they heard an angry voice, dissonating with the rest.

- What do you mean you don't have chocolate chips? What kind of ice cream vendor are you? - a young woman was arguing with the poor ice-cream maker, who reacted to her anger with his usual jovial, kind behaviour. - Ah, but mademoiselle, I have other toppings, perfect for you! Brandied cherries! Candied walnuts! Peanut brittle! Or even... - he paused, before saying the next word with less enthusiasm in his voice - Sprinkles... - But I want my chocolate chips! - Excuse me. - Marinette gently addressed the angry woman - Don't you think you act a bit selfish? I'm certain André has been working so hard to bring us these phenomenal treats, it's not his fault he ran out of some of the ingredients... - Yeah - Adrien added quickly - And I think you will find some of these are as good as the one you crave, I can attest to that. - Plus, there are a lot of people waiting...

A shared murmur spread behind her, with people nodding, agreeing to Marinette and Adrien's polite reasoning. The woman sighed, and was about to accept the lesser version of her favourite dessert, but the next words she spoke left her mouth with a volume of hundreds of people.

- I WANT CHOCLOATE CHIPS!

Adrien and Marinette instinctively put their hands over the ears, and as they watched in horror, they might have just saved their sanity. Thre eyes of the people surrounding them glew with red tint, and the same people that a moment ago scoffed at the picky woman, now shouted with her.

- WE WANT CHOCLOATE CHIPS!

The two shared a concerned look, and they frantically looked around, knowing full-well it was a work of an akuma. Adrien spotted him first, a bizarre, red-and-gold man flying in his throne above their heads. They gave each other a nod and ran as far away from the crowd.

- André, run, it's an akuma! - Marinette cried, but it was too late.

The kind man now was roaring with them, demanding his own ice cream booth to give him chocolate chips, smashing it with his bare hands. Adrien and Marinette hid in an alleyway, and as soon as they could catch breath, their Kwami escaped their pockets, ready to transform them.

Two bright flashes of light later, Ladybug and Chat Noir escaped the same alleyway, following new source of cries and shouts. Ladybug shoot her yo-yo to climb onto the nearest rooftop, while Chat accompanied her onto his magical baton that propelled him into the air, so they could level with Hawkmoth's new puppet.

- You there! - Marinette shouted, gaining his attention - What are you doing to these innocent people? - And whatever it is, we are here to stop you!

The akumatised man laughed and rolled in the air in his throne.

- I am the Echo Chamberlain, and I have done nothing to them! I merely gave them the same voice I have. How dare these ice cream makers don't have the perfect ice-cream I want!

He grabbed his megaphone and spoke into it, emitting once more a deafening cry that reverberated amongst the buildings.

- People of Paris! Throw away your chains! Go to the barricades! And demand the ice-cream you want! Ha-ha-ha!

At once, the people beneath them, scared and cowering, stood up and rushed to the shops, big and small alike, chanting the same familiar phrase for their now-beloved condiment.  

- You fool! - a sudden voice rang in Anton's head - I gave you the voice so you can get me Ladybug's and Chat Noir's Miraculi! - Oh, right. - he took his megaphone again - But before that, get me Ladybug and Chat Noir! They took all the chocolate chips!

Echo Chamberlain flew onto his throne, leaving Ladybug and Chat Noir with the horde of people, that now began surrounding them with his single command. The two thought that they were safe on the rooftop of the building, but the angry people began climbing each other, forming human ladders, and in matter of seconds, the two had to escape in the same way they got there to begin with.

- He's using some sort of mind control! - Ladybug spoke, when they landed on slightly taller building, though they've already heard the clatter of broken glass beneath them. - The akuma must be in his megaphone. - Chat added - Also, I never thought people like chocolate chips so much. - I don't think they do. I think he likes it, and so he makes other people like the same thing.

Ladybug took a cautious look down, spotting some people rushing away from the angry mob.

- And I think he needs to target like-minded people. Or at least those that share some form of opinion with him... - she pondered. - Great observation, but may I add one? Duck!

Chat Noir pressed Ladybug's head down as a carton full of ice-cream cones flew right through the space once occupied by her head. The two rushed to their feet again, jumping from rooftop to rooftop, escaping the swarm of zombiefied people.

- Maybe there will be fewer of them here... - Chat spoke, but he was immediately proven wrong by a sudden voice behind him. - Oh, do you think ice-cream toppings is the only thing that makes people angry?

Echo Chamberlain arose from behind the building, already aiming his megaphone at the ventilation shaft.

- How about... Mobile chargers! Don't you hate how they always get lost and get tangled?

The powerful sound wave reverberated throughout the building, and the small rooftop door quaked when a small mob of residents rushed to the top, with said chargers in their hands, ready to strangle the two. Ladybug tried sniping a few of them with precise shots of her yo-yo, but the crowd was too dense.

- My lady!

Chat Noir grabbed her and propelled themselves off the building, landing in the vicinity of the same park they were meant to not-study in. But as they landed, they were already surrounded by more hypnotised civilians, this time complaining en-masse about mosquitoes.

- There's too many of them! - Ladybug shouted, jumping onto the nearby lamp post and then onto the tree. - I mean, they aren't exactly wrong, mosquitoes are horrible... - Chat! - Ladybug scolded him - That's the problem, he is making these people aware of all those small, insignificant problems of their lives. - But everyone has those!

Chat Noir's statement suddenly sounded ominously, as the sea of multicoloured people of every race, size and age surrounded them. Each person beneath them complained about something, creating a powerful choir of cacophony.

- We need... we need something to calm them down all at once...

Marinette looked around, and suddenly, as she spotted André's destroyed ice-cream stand, she saw the bell he would rang to alert Parisians of his presence, and a smile appeared on her face.

- I know what to do! - she cheered - Follow me!

The two escaped the tree just as if it was bout to be uprooted, and the two traversed the Paris to land on an even more familiar balcony.

- Don't peek, I'm gonna change my clothes. - she gave him a quick peck as she opened the hatch door to her apartment. - I'd never think of doing that. - Chat grinned, prepared his baton and jumped to the ground to defend the Dupain-Cheng bakery from the horde of people.

Once she was inside, Marinette quickly opened her supplies cabinet. Under the multitude of sewing accessories lied the hidden, oval-shaped red-and-black object that once looked like an ancient music box. The new guardian took it and gently tapped the black spots on the Miraculous Box, and under her touch, the small drawers began opening, one by one, like petals of a flower, revealing the multitude of Miraculi inside. Each of the intricate jewels glowed with a magical light of its own, as if to invite Marinette to try them, but she already knew which one to pick.

She took a small, circular Miraculous and spoke its Kwami name, illuminating her room with calming, white light, as the small, furry creature appeared in front of her.

- There's no time to explain, I need your help. Tikki, unify!

=====================

Meanwhile, Chat was getting more and more surrounded, forcing him to jump higher and higher, hoping the crowd would follow him and not Ladybug, trying his might to defend himself with his baton from the hypnotised masses, chanting their many inconsequential complaints that made them so strong.

- The prequels suck! - The sequels suck too! - Everything sucks!

As the mob was about to grab Chat, suddenly, he felt a familiar grip around his torso and his stomach did a somersault when he was dragged upwards, away from the crowd, as Ladybug reeled him on her yo-yo as if he was a fish.

- Thanks Ladybug, your timing is impecca-

Words got stuck in Adrien's mouth as he turned his head to meet his rescuer. At first, he wasn't sure it was Ladybug, but he recognised her yo-yo and her charming smile, though they were the only familiar element of her looks that remained. Only half of her original red could be found on her new costume, and the tidy, trademark polka-dots merged into black blots against white-brown rest of her costume. But it was the accessories she was wearing that truly befuddled Chat and forced him to pursue his curiosity, even if he was to be proverbially killed for it.

- My lady...! - Adrien stopped mid-way, taking another long look at Marinette - You... Your choice of fighting style is always impawssible to predict, but... Really, a cow? - What?

Marinette looked at herself, turning in place, as if to check if she's made a mistake choosing a Kwami to merge with, but once she ascertained herself, she shot him with a stern look.

- I'm not a cow. - she spoke quickly - The Kwami, whose powers I'm borrowing, is a yak! From Tibet! - Er, my lady - Chat raised his hands in defence, trying not to stare too long at the horns that adorned her head now - With all the respect, half of your costume is white with black spots, you have a ring in your nose, and you wear a cowbell around your neck... - IT'S NOT A COWBELL! - Marinette stomped in place - It's a Tibetan singing bowl, used for meditation. The Kwami told me so. - And what was its name?

With some hesitation, Marinette looked at Chat, whose lips curled into a sly smile, somehow foreseeing the answer and using every ounce of his intelligence to prepare a comeback.  

- Lhamuu... - she whispered. - Lha...MOO - Chat articulated, his smug grin becoming unbearable to look at. - Oh, shut up! - Marinette yelled - We have an Akuma to defeat. - You're right, we should get mooving.

The superheroes nodded and jumped once more into the crowd of people under the super-villain's control, a plan already forming in their heads.

===========

- What's this?

In his observatory, Hawkmoth looked through his puppet's eyes at a sight he most certainly didn't expect.

- Ladybug... is a cow. - he muttered, unable to believe his borrowed sight. - Actually, it's a yak, you can tell by the horns, they are quite common in Asia and- - Never mind that! - Hawkmoth interrupted him - Ladybug has acquired a new power! That means she's wearing two Miraculi! Get them at once! - Is it "Miraculi" or "Miraculouses"? Or does this word even have plural form? - Anton pondered - I think there was a thread on Ladyblog about it, and- - THEY CAN BE CALLED "CROISSANTS" FOR WHAT I CARE, JUST GRAB THE JEWELS! - On it.

==========

Anton's throne flew closer to the two superheroes, who kept fighting the overwhelming crowd of people. Though banking on disappointment from recent block-busters wasn't unreasonable, he decided to play on even more delicate strings. He took his megaphone and spoke one word that electrified the masses and angered them all.

- Don't you just hate... CAPTCHA?... yes, it's because of Ladybug and Chat Noir you have to solve those stupid riddles, finding fire hydrants and whatnot! Destroy them!

At once, the mass of people acting, ironically, like radio-controlled robots, roared with pure hatred and began swarming towards them climbing onto balconies, just so they can get to them. Chat took a step backwards, knowing the crowd there was equally dense. But just as he was about to secure Ladybug, she did something utterly unpredictable.

With grace and skill only she possessed, SHE jumped off the rooftop, right into the horde of people, ready to tear her apart.

- My lady!

From the rooftop, Chat watched as Ladybug landed on the plaza, and let the crowd of people encircle and approach her from every side. And though he was afraid, he also had faith in her, strengthen only by her charming smile and a wink she sent him, while the shouting mob surrounded her.

- It's time to use... The Bell of Clarity!

Marinette touched the bowl affixed to her neck, enveloping herself in a delicate, yellow light, grabbed what looked like a ring in her nose and swiftly pulled it, revealing it to have two small balls on each side, and twirled around, ending with a stylish, victorious pose. With her new weapon in hands, she reached it, and gently stroke the bowl with the metallic ring, letting its vibration travel towards their target.

A powerful sound wave surrounded her, spreading in all directions, engulfing more and more of space, finally reaching the ears of the hypnotised people. When the note rang in their minds, they stopped, appearing confused and disoriented, as they suddenly lost the connection to their master's words.

- No, no, get them, you idiots! - Echo Chamberlain shouted through his megaphone.

Marinette stroke the bowl a second time, producing a more melodious tune. The crowd of like-minded zombies became even less coordinated, much to the supervillain's anger. And when she gently began moving the ornamented metal ring across the bowl's edge, instead of producing a single note, it began singing, its soothing melody finally dispelling the charm put on the people.

- No! You have to listen to me! I am right! - Anton took his megaphone and began speaking into it again - The games now suck! The-there are micro-transactions everywhere! The-the toilet paper! It's never turned the right way around! There is product placement in movies!

But no matter how many annoying details about life - or rather lack of it - he spoke of, the crowd remained calm and peaceful, unified with the sound of Ladybug's bell, that spread across the city each time she hit it.

And just when he was about to think of some new annoyance, something hit him from behind him, and when he turned around, he saw Chat Noir, wrestling with him, his baton already locking his arms from reaching his tool of control.

- It's time to dethrone your highness! Now, Ladybug!

At once, Ladybug shoot the yo-yo, grabbing the megaphone, while Chat and Echo Chamberlain wobbled in the air, each trying to overpower the other. But as soon as Ladybug got her hands onto his prized tool of control, it was over. She broke it in half, releasing the purple akuma, she then gracefully caught with the same yo-yo.

- By bye, little butterfly... - she spoke to the purified Akuma, watching it, as it flew away. - Miraculous Ladybug!

A storm of light, radiating from her engulfed the city, repairing the damages caused by the entitled mobs. As for the Echo Chamberlain, he found himself in his regular, not-levitating chair, and only thanks to Chat Noir's strength he didn't hit the ground.

- I believe it was yours. - Ladybug handed him the headset. - Y-yeah... - Anton stuttered. - Uh, Ladybug, I... - That's okay, Anton. - she spoke calmly - We all get upset sometimes, and we all think we have all the answers. - But maybe it's better to walk outside every once in a while, and, say, have some ice cream? Regardless of toppings? - Chat Noir added, giving him equally warm smile. - Y-yeah...

The two watched as the man waddled away, pondering what his behaviour has done. Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each other and bumped their fist with a cheerful "Pound it!".

- So, the Bell of Clarity, eh? - Chat Noir leaned against the wall, watching as his partner affixes her new accessory once more to her collar. - Jealous of my new toy, kitty? - Ladybug shot him with a mischievous grin - It has quite powerful properties, I should tell you about that some time, since I've been studying all the Kwamis and... - Nah, I was just pondering the name...

Marinette eyed him suspiciously, noticing the familiar smirk appearing on his face, about to turn into a full, unashamed grin, but when she did that, it was too late, as words already left his mouth.

- It's "Bell of Clarity"...or Clara-bell, if you will.

The Tibetan singing bowl made one last, long, pronounced note as Marinette struck Chat's head with it, putting an end to his jokes and another successful mission.

===========================

Another tune, this one of pure sorrow filled the air, as Hawkmoth roared in anger, his voice echoing in his evil lair atop the Agreste mansion.

- Preposterous! I have been defeated by a superheroine dressed like a cow! - I think she was a yak, Gabriel. - Nathalie added - SHE HAD A RING IN HER NOSE! - he yelled, slamming his fists against the floor, as he collapsed onto his knees - I HAVE A HEADACHE!

==================

Far away from Hawkmoth's prying eyes, as well as many security cameras they've learned to evade, two superheroes were celebrating another victory in a way that became almost a tradition for them. There was a time when Marinette would be utterly shocked at the mere thought of kissing in public, let alone exposing herself there, but the years of serving as a protector of Paris has changed her mind. At some point, she started treating entirety of Paris as her home, with every dark alleyway and rows of chimney that hid them from the rest of the world, and with that notion came the desire to express herself and her love in the open air. And it certainly helped that her boyfriend was a horny tomcat.

Though she would have preferred if Chat pushed her against her soft bed, she didn't mind the cold, sturdy surface of a building they were kissing against. With his relentless, but delicate caresses, there was no place on Earth where they wouldn't be feeling comfortable, and something told her she would be soon melting in his arms or underneath his body.

And Chat was especially meticulous today, as he wanted to make sure that he'd cover every millimetre of her new costume and find out if her new alter-ego changed something with her preferences regarding making love.

- Chat... - Marinette moaned and curled her toes, tightening her legs' grip around his body. - I've had you as a Ladybug...

Chat pressed her against the wall, his hand already on her crotch, and his fingers dug through the latex costume that parted underneath his gentle, yet steady caresses.

- ...then as a mouse...

She let out a short squeak, almost mimicking her timid, Multimouse persona, as he continued undressing her using his claws and teeth.

- Then as a Rena Rouge... do you remember that? - How-How could I forget? - Marinette gasped, her hands sliding up and down his slim, but muscular body - Especially since Alya was filming us...

Chat let out a deep purr of approval, letting his lips and tongue take action, as he leaned against the skin on her neck. And while he was busy peppering her skin with kisses, Marinette decided to continue diving into their memories, perhaps just so she won't have to moan in anticipation of her lover's next, carefully planned move.

- And-And do you remember when Mister Bug used Lady Noire's face? I've never thought he would be so rough... - Mhm, most certainly... - Chat purred, nibbling on her ear, both actions making Marinette's skin shiver - Turned out white goes very well with your the black mask... And, well, rest of the costume too... - Naughty kitten... - And now, I'm gonna be with you as a... - Chat paused, looking up at his lover - ...a yak. - It's fine, you can say I'm a cow. - Marinette rolled her eyes, leaning in for a kiss. - And how should I call you? - Figured you would kiss first and ask names second...

She spoke those words in somewhat croaky voice, after Chat's kiss successfully left her breathless. She tightened her grip on him and looked him in the eye, seeing the familiar, fiery spark of lust that could lead them on a predictable route.

- Yin Yak - she answered - That's the name of that-that superheroine... - Marinette paused, trying to silence herself from another surge of pleasure building up in her loins. - So, would you be Lady-yak? - Chat kissed her breasts through her costume, yearning to feel her costume splitting apart - Or Yin-bug? I have to say, I am purrplexed and confused...

Marinette cupped his face and brought his face millimetres away from hers, just so her next words could firmly root themselves into his mind.

- I will tell you how I want to be called. - she paused and without losing a bit answered - Yours.

With her words acting like a spell, Chat Noir smiled and in a single move tossed her into the air, and caught her with his arms again, letting her legs spread. And as he did so, a rip in her costume appeared, under Chat's most delicate of touches, as a final proof of Marinette's consent and her yearning for her lover. Marinette yelped when his fingers brushed the now-exposed skin underneath her partially-torn costume. In response, she yanked his bell and slid it down, finally laying her eyes on his naked, alluring body.

- It's so much easier for you... - Are you complaining about an incredibly minor inconvenience? - Chat paused - Be careful, or you're gonna get akumatised too...

They giggled and closed their eyes, preparing for a kiss, but as their lips were about to meet, Chat found that something began pushing them away. And when the two looked down, they couldn't help but gasp at the sudden development happening right in front of them.  

- What the-?!

Both Adrien and Marinette stared at her chest, or more precisely, her breasts that sprung from beneath her costume, ripping it completely and showing properly how enlarged they've become. And neither of them could tell which one was more surprised of the sight that greeted them. Her usually perky, medium-sized breasts now felt like two balloons that became inflated the moment Chat parted the way of her costume, though despite their size they seemed to defy laws of physics, never truly succumbing to gravity. As if in disbelief, Chat gently cupped them, and only under his touch, Marinette could feel how much they have grown, and that they were in fact still parts of her caresses-starved body.

- They-they are huge! - Marinette gasped, stating the obvious. - Indeed they are... - Adrien licked his lips - I have to admit, I am enjoying your new superhero form more and more...

Marinette gasped when she felt Chat's breath around her nipple, even more sensitive than usual, as his lips closed around the nub, a lot bigger and more pronounced now. And while his tongue lapped around her areola, his left hand caressed her other breast, exploring the new, vast territory he was going to conquer.

As Marinette whimpered under Chat's caresses, he moved from left side of her enlarged bosom to the other, finally taking a dive between them, licking the alluring valley between the voluptuous,breasts on both sides of his face. He looked up, meeting Ladybug's widened eyes, seeing the mixture of pleasure and lingering shock in them. He gave her one final kiss, and asked sheepishly.

- My lady, I'm not doing anything wrong, am I? - Can you hear me complain? - Marinette smirked - I have no idea what happened, but keep your mouth busy, kitty.

She gently pushed his head back between her huge bosom that almost engulfed Chat's head. Suddenly, she felt his kisses everywhere across her sensitive skin, causing her to moan without any care. They were still hidden, at least partially, since she fully expected her breasts might now expand like a portable raft and take the entire space of the rooftop.

Of course, she knew why this happened. Though Chat was joking, her Kwami certainly had a few bovine traits, and her arousal must have accentuated those even more, just like Chat's claws could tear through her otherwise indestructible suit as if it was papier-mâché when his animalistic needs got over him.

As her kisses became more and more ravenous, her legs slowly gave up, and that gave Chat a chance to sneak his arms underneath her back and raise her leg up, just so his access to her dripping sex could be easier. With her left leg on his shoulder, his fingers continued the delicate dance against her pussy, while his tongue lapped at the skin around her nipples.

- Cha-Chat!

Marinette threw her head back, hoping her lover would bring her to her climax soon, and when Chat closed his lips around her nipple once more, just to contain his scream, she felt something new. An exhilarating, electrifying surge rushed through her, and at the same moment as Chat's eyes opened wide, while his fingering slowed down, though with his new discovery, she didn't exactly blame him.

Once he understood what was happening, Chat smiled and doubled his efforts, suckling on her teat, just so he could taste the delicious, sweet milk she began producing.

- My lady, you are... full of surprises... - he spoke, once he took a healthy gulp of her essence, watching as it dripped onto her large breasts.

To her bewilderment, when Chat brought his lips back to her nipple and continued suckling her milk, she felt the pleasure rising again, and with the newly found source of enjoyment, Marinette realised she couldn't think straight, especially when Chat resumed the moves of his hand again, spreading her folds.

But this time, as his muscular body came in contact with hers, it became obvious he was eager for more than simple finger play. He moved his hips in tune of her moans, sliding his exposed cock along her folds, eager to her her begging. And sure enough, once his name left her lips, he dived between her wet, soaking folds, just like his head dived into the valley of her breasts, equally leaking from anticipation.

Marinette let out another prolonged moan. Chat often made love to her this way, pressing her against walls, often just meters away from busy streets, but never before has her body changed. And now, to each of Chat's thrusts, her enlarged breasts reacted accordingly, bouncing up and down around Chat's face, though every once in a while her lover's thirst for her milk caused one of her mounds - or rather mountains - to remain in place, while he feasted on the liquid ambrosia she kept producing.

Adrien thought that he might have  harder time keeping his lover up, and bouncing her with the extra baggage, but it turned out that the opposite was true. She felt lighter, giving him chance to exert a bit more pressure and dominance over his lover, much to her enjoyment. Ladybug dug her fingernails into Chat's shoulders, pushing him against the cushions of her bosom, letting his entire face stimulate her much larger and more sensitive area.

With each kiss Chat placed around her nipples came another deep thrust, reaching further and further into her yearning sex that coated his cock with her juices, only helping his cause of sliding as far as possible. And with that storm of sensation, it came as no surprise to Marinette that her mind slowly started going blank, and she began chanting Chat's name like a mantra, begging him to help her reach the peak he promised her, hearing only his grunts in return.

Their shared orgasm made their joined bodies shudder; at the same time, walls of Marinette's pussy contracted, desperate to contain Chat inside her, coating his crotch with more and more of her juices; then the torrential jets of his warm seed shot up her sex, right against her womb, filling her to the brim. And then, just when she thought she was finished, she felt a new form of warmth on her chest, when milk began spurted from her breasts, though the stream quickly found its way to Chat's mouth.

With each of Chat's final, weakening thrusts, the effects began anew, forcing her lover to switch suckling on her nipples, thirsty for her nectar, as if to use it to replenish his essence he kept flooding her with. But as their juices were leaking out, so was their strength, and even Chat's muscles had to give up at some point.

The two collapsed on the rooftop, still hidden by the shadows of the construction scaffolding, though at this point, Marinette truly didn't care if their love making has been heard, or observed by anyone; with her enormous breasts people might think it's some sort of stunt anyway. Her lips found Chat's and she tasted a new flavour, a sweet one that sent shivers down her spine, when she realised what it was, and she understood at once why Chat was so desperate to milk her.

The same flurry of kisses that drove her to her peak didn't stop, as Chat made sure to pepper her breasts with as many of those as possible, at the same time giving her ample time to recover from her equally explosive orgasm.

And as her mind, hazed by pleasure, slowly returned to reality, a new plan formed in her head, and with a quick, but difficult to pull off maneuver - a drawback of the new addition to her body - she rolled and pinned Chat to the ground, much to his surprise.

- My lady?

Chat's ears perked up when he saw her move along his naked body, leaving a trail of kisses as well as her milk along it. And when she reached her destination, she shot him with a mischievous, sly smirk that would have turn his legs to jelly if he wasn't downed already.

Her delicate fingers closed around his half-lips cock, bringing his sensitive tip to her mouth, and as her lips brushed his skin, it twitched satisfyingly in her hand, signalling he was ready again.

- You just lay there, kitty, and let me take care of you...

Marinette's soft, velvety voice, spiked with just a trace of lust worked its magic on Chat right away. Though Marinette might have been surprised by the sudden changes to her body, the superheroine adapted to them at once and decided to put them to good use. Her voluptuous, wobbly breasts engulfed Chat's hard cock, as Marinette proceeded to give her first tit-job of her life, given that now she had proper equipment for it.

As Chat got lost in her ample bosom, he threw his head back, filling the air around them with low purr of delight, followed by prolonged moan when Ladybug's mouth met with his cock's head upon her first bob. it was equally fascinating for Marinette to watch as Chat's length is enveloped by her breasts, and how she can now stimulate far more of him than when her mounds were small an perky.

She had to keep an eye on his legs that twitched with every few seconds in response to her caresses. Chat's claws closed around the nearest edges, after frantically trying to find one to push away his oncoming climax, and his slim, but muscular torso arched from time to time, in sync with Marinette pushing her massive breasts up and down.

To make things a bit varied, she slowed down her moves, replacing them with a bit of her tongue-work, much to Chat's delight. Marinette could distinguish her name being muttered by her lover, begging her to finish her love torture, but the superheroine had none of that. While she was certain Chat would love nothing more than jump to his knees and face-fuck her, she wanted to prolong his pleasure as much as she could, knowing full well of the building and boiling climax in his loins.

As her tongue ran around his head, Marinette had to steer away to taste her own body, still covered with traces of milk she was leaking, and when the same tongue returned to his tool, Chat moaned again, feeling the liquid she was mixing with his pre-cum, almost as if he could taste it again. Once more he was privileged to see how the once-shy superheroine pushed her limit of perversion with a kink neither of them expected to enjoy an hour earlier.

And it was that knowledge (combined with her dedication to bring Chat to climax, as she started bobbing her breasts up and down again), that drove Chat to his edge, turning his moans incomprehensible begging only Marinette could understand and reply to. She waited until Chat's eyes would meet her again, and spoke to him taking breaks from kissing his swollen tip ready to burst.

- You, kitty - she started - You like my milk... But I...

She pressed her hands against her breasts, wanting to completely envelop Chat's cock between her massive breasts.

- ...I prefer cream.

A loud, yet weak cry of defeat escaped Chat's lips at the same time as first rope of cum flew from his swollen tip, landing straight across Ladybug's face, forcing her to close her eyes momentarily, though she opened them a second later, just so she can marvel at Chat's virility.

Just as second rope of cum was about to decorate her face, Marinette opened her mouth and stuck out her tongue, inviting Chat to change his aim, though with his cock still engulfed by her breasts, she was much in control of the trajectory, and with some difficulties, she has managed to fill her mouth with the thick, sticky seed, getting the first sniff of the pungent and aggressive, but alluring taste and smell of her lover.

Three more streams of his cum landed in Marinette's lips, before her treatment has emptied Chat's balls, and the heroine could swallow the veritable pool of Chat's cream sitting in her mouth. She did it without breaking the eye contact with him, making sure he'd hear the guttural, gulping noises as his essence travelled down her throat, his warmth, taste and smell lingering far longer thanks to its consistency. He must have been saving for days...

But that wasn't complete end of Chat's climax; long after he stopped supplying Marinette with his seed, he withdrew from between the heavenly trap of her breasts, and another strands of his seed adorned them, prompting Marinette to perform action she wasn't able before, due to how much bigger and more supple her breasts have become. She pushed her breasts just up enough so she can lick off each and every drop of cum Chat left, as if it was the most delicious meal she wouldn't let go to waste. And the sight of expression on Chat's face was a reward already, aside of the familiar, musky aftertaste that reminded Marinette who has just marked her as his. Not to mention that as she squeezed her breast, Chat's essence mixed with her milk, adding a new taste of sweetness to his salty one.

Marinette revelled in the overwhelming storm of tastes that filled her mouth, and that indulgence gave Chat opportunity to counter-attack. Though he was pressed to the ground by her body and her breasts that now were a significant part of it, the superhero easily rolled her to her back, his head already back between her mounds, licking the milk that has managed to leak during his climax.

- I'd say that's a tie, my lady. - Of course you'd say that. - Marinette chuckled - You just want to get comfy and drink milk, and I just happen to have what you need...

In response, Chat let out a soft purr, as he nuzzled himself into Marinette's breasts, never taking eyes from his lover. Marinette reached and toyed with his untidy golden hair, and her charming smile managed to lure him from between her breasts for another long-needed kiss.

And just when she thought she would be given some time to relax, Chat Noir yanked her legs upwards, pressing them against her body, trapping her enlarged breasts between them, squishing them even more, which made them appear even larger.

- Sorry, Ladybug, but you are just too appetising to not ravish...

Marinette yelped when Chat's hard cock entered her again, and she felt Chat's delicious weight on top of her. She knew her new form would drag a very primal string in his masculine mind, and she did not object when he jumped to his feet and pushed her into a mating press, ready to engage in deeply animalistic form of love making.

His hips worked twice as hard than previously, wanting to reach as far into her throbbing, needy sex as possible, and while he was leaning over her, he was given once more chance to taste her delicious milk, each time he plunged himself inside her.

Ladybug's legs dangled above their heads, in sync of his ravenous thrusts, and as Marinette met his eyes, she had no doubts what drove him into his frenzied state. She knew that her kwami chose to make her look like a perfect mating partner, and that Chat was making sure there was enough milk for his kittens...

Their frantic bucking lasted shorter than they expected, but the same, wild thought they shared pushed them over the edge at the same time. Chat grabbed her thick thighs, buried his face between her breasts that erupted with milk, and in turn flooded her once more with his virile seed, bringing their shared fantasy to completion.

Chat collapsed on top of her, landing his head across Laybug's vast breasts, once more basking in their sweet glory. When their lips met again, they could both taste it, and the two lovers fell into a tight embrace.

The two were blissfully unaware that in the mean time the sun has gone down, but that only meant there will be less light for onlookers to catch them.

=====================

Standing by the kitchen counter, Marinette concentrated on making another batch of freshly baked sweets, so then they can be ready in an hour or so when the bakery opens. It was the quiet before the storm, but Marinette enjoyed those early morning hours... especially when she had someone to help her.

Adrien sneaked up behind his girlfriend, peppering her exposed neck with kisses, while his hands gently travelled up and down her waist, though once he saw what she's been making this whole time, his caresses stopped,and he let out a satisfying purr. On the counter lay several, hemispherical pastries, glazed in white marzipan, each adorned with a candied cherry on top, and the longer Adrien stared at them, the more he couldn't believe what he was seeing.

- Well, our adventure has certainly given you some inspiration, Marinette. Your original design? - I wish. - Marinette snickered - Those are called Saint Agatha's breasts, it's an old, Italian treat.

She handed him one, watching as his fingers dance on the shiny surface.

- It does remind me of what happened yesterday, though... - Adrien smiled, before taking a bite of the sugary coating. - I might have double-glazed them just like you did me.

Marinette brought her finger to his mouth to collect a small crumble of marzipan stuck to his lips, and predictably, her boyfriend wasn't just ravenous for sweets, as he quickly licked her finger clean too.

- Adrien! - Marinette pulled back and rushed to the sink - Warn me next time... - Okay, here's a warning..

Adrien chuckled, closing his arms around her belly once more. He sneaked his mouth to her neck, while his arms separated, each travelling closely to one of her erogenous zones. His left hand dived underneath her apron and tried getting into her panties, while the right one caressed her perky breasts, and as soon as his fingers began toying around her nipples, Marinette addressed something that has been on her mind.

- You miss them, don't you? - You know that I love you exactly the way you are... - Adrien answered tactfully   - Don't lie, kitty - Marinette interrupted him. - You are, alas, only a man, therefore, I know you liked when my rack was three times the size of my current one. - Fine, if you want to, then I will say it - he kissed her neck - But just because I had more of you to love. Is it okay if I admit that I do slightly miss them? - If you'll keep finishing inside me, like yesterday, then I can assure you, you'll get them back very soon...

Marinette yelped, when his hands travelled back to her hips and spun her around in place, but once she met his face, she closed her arms behind his neck without missing a beat, just in time for his comeback.

- Is that a warning, or an invitation?

Adrien raised his brow, watching as her face reddened.

- Tell you what, I'm gonna finish in five minutes, and we might find out. - If you'll wear this apron then I will finish in five minutes... - Adrien!

[for-his-dream-xciii]

New Happiness (F)

Pairing: sf9 chani x reader.

Genre: fluff, one shot.

Warnings: none.

Word count: 3k.

A/N: Hello there, if anyone is reading this, I hope you can enjoy this story a lot. This is my first time writing a thing like this so, I’m sorry for all my mistakes. Also, english is not my first language so again sorry, hehe. I noticed that there aren’t many sf9 scenarios and since I craved for a chani scenario a lot because he’s my baby, I got inspired by a dream I had so I wrote this, also adding more elements to make it more interesting. Fantasies, I love y’all.♡

Also a big thank you to Guille who helped me a lot with this and for being the only one who is always there for me when I cry about chani.~

As you were arriving to the venue you still couldn’t believe how your sister had managed to convince your mother into letting her go to this concert and by all means drag you with her as well. You were trying to concentrate all your energies into the upcoming exams you had to prepare for this semester so, dealing with this stuff right now felt like a waste of time and got a little bit on your nerves. Of course you loved your sister a lot, and you would do anything for her, but right now you were just so stressed that everything in your surroundings felt annoying and you just wanted to get this done so you could get back home as soon as possible.

Spring was around the corner when the news about this indie band that wasn’t even that famous came along. And so, Amelie, your little sister, got interested in them a lot, since she liked the simple vibe their songs had, unlike other girls of her age, her interests were different and very unique. You were certainly quite proud of how well she had grown up through the years, after helping your mother to raise her in any aspect you could. You three were alone in the world, and because of that you were always there to support each other.

The concert date was approaching but you just kept studying and didn’t pay much attention to your sister who was so excited about it. Though, deep down you were happy that she had found a thing or two to distract herself in a healthy way from all the stressful stuff she had going on sometimes.

D-day was here and now Amelie and you were waiting on the line outside the venue with a bunch of people. There weren’t that many but it was enough to fill both floors inside. The queue moved, and you proceeded to pay for the tickets with the code you had already saved online a couple weeks ago, you gave it to the boy who was attending and he handed you over the two tickets with no problems.

Calmly and side hugging your sis, you entered the hall, now the only thing left was for them to open the doors and then the concert would be starting soon. You were sure it wouldn’t be that long, as soon as the sun went completely down they will be done and you will get to finally go home.

You separated from the hug and while walking you decided to check your phone and as you tried to reply to the messages from your best friend who was telling you how she couldn’t decide what she was going to have for dinner you stumbled into someone.

“Oh my- I am so sorry.” you said as your eyes went up to meet a brown haired guy who was also looking apologetically for not paying attention to where he was going either.

You both stayed still for a moment. Breathless for a second that felt like forever.

“Chani? Lucas! Hey, how are you?” Amelie said smiling. Chani and you were still staring at each other. He had the cutest, shiniest brown eyes and the sweetest stare you had ever seen before. But of course, you being you, got overwhelmed at the situation and immediately looked away before you even dare to blush. How did this guy managed to almost get that from you? Yes, he was very good looking but, was it that much of a big deal to almost make you blush? You took a quick glance at him again, from head to toe, his beauty was truly breathtaking and you felt a rush of excitement running through your body. May all at those love-at-first-sight stories be damn, you did not believe in such things. But again, who said love? You were allowed to think a guy looked extremely fine at first sight, right?

Wait, so Amelie knew them?

“Y/N, this is Lucas, he’s one of my classmates.” your sister explained. “And he’s Chani, his older brother.”

You all exchanged some polite “Nice to meet you.” and then proceeded to keep walking to the doors, where a certain amount of people were already gathering.

After saying your goodbyes, Lucas and Chani kept walking forward, you and your sister stayed still, close to one of the doors.

“So… I guess you aren’t that close to Lucas. I thought you two would maybe want to go inside together.” you stated while watching Amelie’s reaction, she looked unbothered. “It’s better when you have nice people to share this kinda stuff with, you know.” You were hoping not to sound too lonely, but Amelie looked up at you.

“It’s okay dude, we are here together.” And that’s how she cut off the subject and y'all finally got inside the venue a few minutes later.

While going inside many people went to the second floor and many people chose to stay in the first one. The truth was, each floor had a nice view of the scenario so it was really up to the personal preferences of each person to choose where you were going to stay during the whole presentation. Amelie wanted to stay in the first one so you went further to get close to the stage, even though a lot of people were already stuck right beside it.

As you waited, a few songs of the band were softly playing as background music so you were hoping to recognize some songs later on when they will came out and do them live.

While you were enjoying one particular song, you had this weird feeling that a gaze was on you, so you started to look around and yet everybody seemed to be minding their own business jamming to the songs or talking to each other, it wasn’t until you started to scan the second floor when your eyes met Chani’s for the second time that evening. The moment it happened he played it cool, looking away while keeping a straight face. In fact, when you had just met him a few minutes ago, he was also holding this serious, yet not rude expression. It only made you more curious about him.

You turned to look at the stage again, trying to not think about Chani anymore, and kept humming to a song Amelie made sure to get it stuck in your subconscious before today.

As the background music died, the band members started to come out and all the people cheered for them warmly. The concert was going great, many of the songs were slow jams but it was a very enjoyable atmosphere. At some point you grow weak and looked up to check on Chani, he seemed to be enjoying this even more than Lucas. You really started to regret the fact that he and Amelie weren’t close enough to stick together earlier.

But then you got an idea.

“Hey… wanna go to the second floor?” you asked, trying not to look straight at Amelie’s face, she would read through you right away and you weren’t sure if you could give her a proper explanation to your sudden request.

“Why? We are fine here, besides I’m sure there’s only a few more songs left. What if we don’t get a comfortable spot? We are okay here.” she said without looking at you. She was right, the concert was probably gonna end soon because you could tell the sun was starting to go down, just as you predicted. The concert will be done as soon as the sun gets fully hidden.

“You’re right, but still... we should go up. Don’t you think it would be great if we can see the two perspectives of the show? I mean, we are lucky enough to be here. We should enjoy it as much as we can.” And from where the hell did all of that came? You were taken aback yourself at how smooth you sounded.

For a moment, Amelie stood unbothered, but then she looked up at you.

“Alright then, let’s go.” YES. YES. Wait, why am I so excited? Please, be chill.

You both quickly took the stairs so you wouldn’t miss many parts of the show taking too much time going up. As soon as you started moving through the people who were on this floor you regretted coming here. What were you thinking? It’s not like you could just go wherever Lucas and Chani were and act like y'all were friends or something.

You spotted them leaning on the railing and decided to play it cool so you would look like you didn’t see them and were casually going around.

But Amelie also spotted them, and right away she looked at you smiling. “Oh… my God.”

“What?” you asked looking at her. She knew you too well. She knew you don’t usually do this kind of stuff just because. You must have a reason.

“You brought me here so we could be closer to Chani? Did you like him? You from all people? The almighty I-don’t-have-time-for-boys Y/N? This is hilarious.”

“Oh please don’t be silly-”

“I thought It was weird when you asked to move, you hate moving around in events like this. Now it makes sense.”

“It’s really not like that Amelie-”

“Hey.” she stopped on her tracks. “For once, let me help you, as much as you always help me. Come on.” She grabbed your hand and started to drag you closer to where to boys were. “Just try to be friendly you know, I mean wait, don’t, don’t try, just be you and see what’s up. I will do my best to get along with Lucas so you two can freely talk.”

“What? Amelie I swear-” but you never got to finish your sentence because you were already behind the boys.

“Hey guys, we meet again.” Amelie let out, both turned around. Chani looked at you gifting you a shy smile. W-was he really smiling at… you? CHILL, REMEMBER TO BE CHILL.

“Hey, are you guys having fun?” you asked, you exchanged looks with Lucas and he felt relieved… Relieved? Relieved of what?

“One of the best shows I ever attended to.” said Lucas now looking at Amelie, she returned a smile to him. “And now that you’re both finally here I shall finally have peac-” he was interrupted by Chani. “I’m sure what my little brother is trying to say is that he’s glad we are not alone anymore, he gets easily tired of me. Don’t you, little demon?” Chani said while ruffling his hair.

“Please, let go of me, talk to her alre-”

“Don’t y'all love this song?” Chani half screamed, you jumped a little bit because of his voice, he had a very low tone while speaking and that half scream took you by surprise.

As if Amelie immediately understood what was going on she turned to Lucas and started to talk about lot of stuff related to the songs, the band and members. You were left wondering why she waited to this day and this moment to finally get close to this boy. Was she really trying her best because she thought you liked Chani and she could help you both to get along if she did the same with Lucas? You truly raised the sweetest girl.

“So… how long has it been since you know this band? I thought they weren’t that popular?” You asked Chani, now all of you moving to lean again into the railing. The sun was still present but it wasn’t hot, unlike many concerts that are during the day, today was a lovely spring day and for some reason your body just felt super relaxed, as if you lungs were getting clearer oxygen, it was a strange but exciting sensation.

“I actually discovered them about a year and a half ago, I think. Ever since I found out about them, both me and Lucas enjoyed many of their songs so, coming today was a must.” He replied, looking at the stage where the vocalist was looking at one of his bandmates and smiling.

You found yourself admiring Chani’s side profile, he seemed to have no bad angles…

“That’s cute.” you laughed. “I actually don’t know many of their songs but I came here for Amelie.”

“I guess I owe Amelie a big one.” he let out on an almost inaudible voice, thinking you wouldn’t be able to catch it, still focused on the stage where the band was starting the last chorus of that song. But you did hear it.

And that’s all it took. You were blushing. As you were just admiring how it was such a beautiful day, now you suddenly felt hot. And even if you didn’t understand why, you liked it. Though, the little tingles in your stomach made you panic. You could be just assuming things, you thought. Don’t.

Brushing off the tingles you decided to also focus on the stage now, where the drummer was explaining how only 3 songs were left.

You were sad, why didn’t you think about coming up here earlier. You hadn’t done much, and you still didn’t know how to face him and tell him you wanted to know more about him.

As you kept struggling searching for the right words to say so you wouldn’t sound too desperate, you heard Lucas and Amelie who now were a little far from Chani and you, but their conversation still was able to reach your ears.

“… I swear, the entire concert Chani hasn’t shut up about your sister, he wanted to convince me to go down on the first floor but I told him It would look creepy, besides, I didn’t want to bother you two, you gave me the impression of wanting to be left alone.” You were one hundred percent sure neither of them knew you were listening, so you kept a straight face and kept looking at the scenario.

“Oh no, don’t worry.” Amelie said. “I also thought It was strange of my sister, wanting to come up here. I guess they shared a thing.” she mischievously laughed. “And please, don’t think about us like that, I’m just not good at making friends I guess and well my sister, yes she looks kinda scary because she doesn’t smile that much, but she is very friendly once you get to know her.”

“Guess Chani just found someone who will understand him-” Lucas started to laugh.

“Also…” Amelie wasn’t finished. “I do like you a lot, you know Christina told me about what you did for her, I thought you were a very nice person. I’m just not too talkative, It’s truly not your fault.”

“Well, you are being talkative now… Thank you, I guess. It’s good to know… I also think you are a very nice person yourself.”

They both kept chatting and your attention went back to the stage when only 2 songs were left.

Chani and you kept exchanging shy looks and he came closer to you, so now his right arm oftenly made contact with your left arm. The tingles again. May them be damn.

“You know…” you finally said, looking directly at Chani’s eyes. As the sun was now directly hitting you both, you now had to close one of your eyes while looking up to him. According to you, you probably looked ridiculous. But for Chani, he felt his heart melt as he found you quite adorable.

The whole concert he kept looking at you. He never saw a girl like you before. You had this cool and serious aura, he felt very attracted to you since your eyes met again inside the venue. He kept having this strange feeling of wanting to get to know you. And since he couldn’t come up with a better idea he started to let it all out with Lucas. He kept asking him about you, and of course Lucas didn’t know much. He told Chani the only things he ever heard Amelie said, about how much time you dedicate to college, that’s why you couldn’t always be there for some of Amelie’s school activities. Unlike Chani, who spent a lot of time helping Lucas with them. So that’s why you two had never met before.

“I think their last song today is gonna be one of my favorites.” you breathed. You felt happy. A brand new kind of happy. You were glowing. So then, you gave him a little smile.

That’s all it took for him. He broke into a wide smile staring at you. He was almost speechless. He wanted nothing more than to get enough luck so you would get interested in him too. Having you by his side felt so right and warm, at that moment he knew he didn’t ever wanted you to go too far away from him, he had a thousand butterflies going crazy in his stomach so after a rush of courage he let out. “So… uh, if you want to, maybe I could give you my number? Is that okay?” His heart was about to jump from that second floor as if going into a suicide mission.

“That sounds great, I shall give you mine too then.” You agreed, you looked away while the last song started. You refused to look at him again, you didn’t want him to notice how flustered you were, you felt so damn lucky as if you had just won the lottery. Gathering all your strength, you managed to get back to your cool stare, while the song was breaking into the chorus you tried to enjoy the last drops of today’s show. Just as you predicted the sunset was here. As the song was reaching the end, by instinct you looked up and locked stares with Chani who was being sunkissed in the most beautiful way you never knew a person could be, smiling at you. While looking straight into his eyes, your heartbeats went faster and appreciating all his features you couldn’t help to wonder if you ever would be able to kiss him like the sun was doing it right now.

[maychorian]

Why I Didn’t Rec Your Fic/Reblog Your Post

On weekends I read fanfiction and fill my tumblr queue, and this is something that has been troubling me for a bit, so I wanted to make a post about it. If you wrote a gen fic and I didn’t rec it, you might wonder why, since I rec a LOT of gen fics. I also reblog a LOT of things. I don’t see everything in the fandom, but I see a lot. I go through the Voltron tag on tumblr every day, and I check the gen category and hurt/comfort tags on AO3 two or three times a week. A lot of times when people rec things to me, I’ve already seen or read it. And that’s okay! Still rec things to me! I am not all-knowing.

But I want to be transparent, and I don’t want anyone to feel left out, so here’s kind of some guidelines on why I like what I like and why I don’t like what I don’t like. You can skip this post if you’re not interested by pressing J. It’s gonna be a little long.

Why didn’t maychorian rec my fic or reblog my post?

1. Maybe I didn’t see it. Like I said, I see a lot, but I am not omniscient and omnipresent. When things were slowing down a month before the new season came out, I was digging further and further back in the archives, though, so there’s a chance I’ll get to it eventually, even if no one else points it out to me. I also check other rec lists and bookmarks for things I’ve missed, and I find a lot of good stuff there. It’s been especially difficult lately, because January is the busiest month of the year at my job, and this last week has been especially hellacious for me for reasons that are too esoteric to get into. Self-recs to me are okay, too, but please keep in mind that my time is limited, and I might not get to it as quickly as you’re hoping. I do my best to respond to asks and messages and everything, but I am but a humble fan with a full-time job and an obsession for this series that keeps me up too late at night on many, many occasions

2. Maybe it didn’t fit my interests, at least not the first time I saw it. Right now I’m reading a really excellent Pidge-centric gen fic that I want to rec to you guys. It came up in my gen searches multiple times before I started reading it, because there was just too much other stuff on my plate that I wanted to get to first, like that Lance hurt/comfort thing that looked promising. (There have been a lot of those.) Sometimes fics sit in an open tab on my browser for a LONG time before I get to them. It’s not a reflection on the fic, usually, just a function of my biases and time limits.

3. Here’s where it gets a little harder to fix. Maybe I didn’t like your characterization. The quickest way to make me decide not to rec something is to write the characters in a way I disagree with. And I’m not going to call you out on that. I’m not going to leave a review telling you you’re wrong. You can do whatever you want! I’m not the characterization police. I don’t want to suppress anyone’s creativity. If you want to write a version of the characters that doesn’t fit the version in my head, that’s OKAY. I’ve said multiple times that canon is playdough. You do what you want with it, and I will do my best to never, ever put a damper on anyone else’s fandom experience.

But the worst version of this, for me, is when the other paladins are made into bad guys in order to make Lance the perfect Woobie. Look, I love Lance, and I love hurt/comfort, both physical and emotional. I love reading and writing him suffering from his canonical homesickness, being tortured, being insecure, being depressed, getting sick, getting injured, all of that. But I draw the line at his teammates being cruel to him, or even overly neglectful. Misunderstandings and mistakes are fine. Those happen in real life. I’ve written those a lot. But even things like Shiro going through the list of paladins and praising everyone for the good job they did and NOT Lance... Look, that’s not canonical. Shiro praises Lance. He’s a good leader. I don’t think he’s aware of just HOW insecure Lance is and how much he needs to be validated, but he’s not going to neglect Lance’s needs like that. It’s a subtle thing, but I don’t like it, so I won’t rec it.

4. Maybe there were technical problems. Maybe the story was good and the characterization was fine, but the grammar and spelling was just too egregious. On those kinds of fics, I might leave a comment and kudos, because I want to encourage younger writers to keep trying and keep getting better. But I might not rec it just because I want my rec list to only have things that I think other people will be able to enjoy without reservation. Please don’t take it personally! Keep writing! Keep growing! I’ll keep reading your stuff, probably, and eventually I might rec it.

5. Maybe it was focused too hard on an OC. Again, there’s nothing wrong with OCs. It is a GOOD THING to play with canon and add your own spin and experiment with your writing style. I encourage everyone to write OCs if they want to, even Mary Sues. Maybe especially Mary Sues. Wish fulfillment is a good and healthy part of your entertainment experience. Enjoying yourself is a fantastic thing and you should be proud of it, even if very few people read or kudos or comment. But for me, I’m in fandom because I already love the canon characters. Those are who I want to see and who I want to see expanded upon. I want more LANCE. More Hunk and Shiro and Pidge and Keith and Allura and Coran. Obviously OCs added to a story focusing one of the canon main characters are great and wonderful and encouraged, but if your main character is an OC, sorry, I’m just not interested. Please don’t take it personally.

6. Maybe the fic or the post was too salty. I don’t like to spread negativity. Sometimes, sure, the show needs to be criticized a bit. But all those posts right after Season 2 about how Lance and Hunk didn’t get enough screentime, and the fat jokes were too much, and so on and so forth ad nauseum? No thanks. I like meta. I write and reblog meta, even critical meta. But there is a point at which you have to wait and see what the show does in the future. Yes, I wanted more screentime for Lance, too. But he did get good moments! He did have a time to shine! So did Hunk! And I’m sure there’s more development in the future. So excessive saltiness, especially in tumblr posts but also sometimes in AO3 tags or notes, is a big turn-off for me, and I probably will not rec it or reblog it. Also discourse. Do not agree with it, do not like it, will not encourage it.

And that’s it. If I see it, it fits my interests, the characterization agrees with mine, there are few or no technical problems, and it’s focused on one of the characters I love, especially Lance, I’ll probably rec it. Again, I hope I didn’t discourage anyone or step on any toes. But I hope you understand my process a little better now. This has been a probably useless PSA from maychorian.

[mcprince]

Reflection on The Phoenix Project

This is the first time I’ve been excited about a business book! The characters, the story and the solution are all too real in this parallel universe that is somehow fictional. I absolutely loved reading all of it. Eight years old for an IT book and it STILL resonates today. Just as everyone who’s read this book recommends - it is a MUST read for anyone in IT. 

The book surrounds the infamous Phoenix Project, an over-budget, over-promised and past-due marketing overhaul where development is hurling features over the wall to IT operations to support in production. Like many companies today - any IT failure triggers business users to blame IT for holding the business in a stranglehold. The market outside the business is not slowing down, so the business continues pushing for ever increasing demands to keep up. Meanwhile, because IT has bootstrapped everything together for short sighted gains, they are now bogged down by fragile applications. Meaning, every new change requires navigating a field of landmines. There’s no budget, time, additional headcount, or lessening of pressure in this all too familiar IT death-spiral. This is where our hero comes in. 

Newly promoted as VP of IT Operations (after the CIO was fired), Bill enters this scapegoat role into a fire storm of IT audits, financial reporting mishaps, botched production rollouts and operational hell. Through this journey, he discovers all the Work-In-Progress stuck in IT Operations and identifies his key constraint (a whiz in IT called Brent). This allows him to look comprehensively at the work his team is expected to perform as a production line instead of a constant firedrill. Next he identifies the 4 kinds of work - business projects, IT projects, change projects and unplanned work. Unplanned work is the worst kind, as it halts progress on all other productive work. To get back on track, they focus on removing WIP and unplanned work. He temporarily halts any new work from entering the system to catch up on the backlog. Next they control the input of approved work setting a proper tempo for work flows through their group. During that time, they identify any and all work that involves the constraint (Brent) so that they can document work involving him, minimizing his constraining influence. Then they document common processes to standardize them and perform them more efficiently. Finally, they wrote out all the pre-requisite materials involved in each process (starting a DEV environment involves licensing, VM, account access...). Now each task would only be delivered to the next group if all “parts required for assembly” were ready, thus preventing back and forth. 

Once IT was running effectively, Bill and his team began to take on broader and larger issues. They began to identify key IT systems that tied to corporate objectives. They got buy-in from those business units that IT was a key enabler. Afterwards, they focused on continuing the relationship and hand-offs between Development and operations. They streamlined the process evaluating the value stream and automating as much as possible. Then they worked to reduce batch sizes and ensure the process only moves forward without rework or issues. The team built in operational resilience with automated testing and havoc monkeys. To top it all off, Bill even included information security as a requirement during the development process and baked it into operations so that it is not a checkbox item at the end. All of this allowed Bill to run his organization effectively and make the business successful as they began to work with IT rather than against it. This collaboration with IT and appreciation for it’s importance to achieving business goals is every IT person’s dream come true. 

This book resonated with me first because the themes of the IT death-spiral show up in my everyday work life. Second, it made me start to think about the workload at my job and what lessons I could apply in my role. The primary themes of this book parallels principles I try to achieve regularly.

First - understand how to create a fast flow of work from development to operations to achieve customer goals

Second - amplify and shorten feedback loops to fix quality at the source and avoid rework/unplanned work

Third - create a culture that encourages experimentation, learning from failure, and understanding repetition and practice are prerequisites for mastery

Through my work experience, the best way to make customers happy is decreasing the time to value. This lines up perfectly with the first principle of “the way” as described by Erik. I’ve always thought about making my work more efficient, but now I am categorizing types of work. I have tasks that get handed to me that involve direct sales to clients, sales preparation, internal projects to improve myself or another division, and unplanned ad-hoc requests that get thrown on my desk because they are urgent. Rather than get everything done as quickly as I can, this has got me thinking about how to standardize common tasks, either through documentation or automated scripts. Even looking at the amount of work reaching my desk and whether I can react to them quickly and properly. I try to identify workstations looking at the machine/tools used, the people (manpower) involved, the method and the measures. I’m now looking at my workstream through a production floor lens. 

Traditionally, I would have questions such as - “Why is this person in this department so annoying? Can’t they just do what I asked?” Now after reading this book, I have higher level questions that make me think about - “Have I given them all the information they need? Can I expect them to respond within takt time?” I’m now thinking about what things I can do in my own little world to speed up the work myself and those around me. 

Next is the feedback loop, I’ve always been a champion of retrospectives and I’m happy to see them used in the book. In addition, these feedback loops are meant to prevent rework. I’ve always viewed a feedback loop as a way to look into DAKI (Drop, Add, Keep, Improve) for actions that I can individually improve upon. This book really emphasized any rework or movement backward in the value stream is a form of feedback. In addition, unplanned work destroys productivity and minimizing it is a top priority. Therefore, when you create a system of work where the flow only goes forward, you only pick what speed you want to move at. While this is unrealistic in my sales support role, I do believe I can minimize rework by taking appropriate steps for documentation, note-taking, and effective communication to ensure we are always moving the needle and moving forward. 

To make sure my feedback is effective, I need to measure it. Monitoring what pieces are delivered, work in progress as it enters and leaves my work station, unplanned work... This has made me wonder whether I should be tracking my workload, work in progress, results, and how best to classify it.

The third is the culture of experimentation. This is the one I struggle the most with. While my workplace is very open to experimentation, learning from failure and improving daily work, these are all secondary to primary work objectives. The amount of work coming into my queue is so much, that I could easily work another week without getting everything done. Furthermore, getting this culture right requires practice - and there is a lot more improvisation with no feedback than with deliberate action with feedback. I believe this has more to do with the fact that I’m now on the sales side of things, but still - there’s got to be a way to carve out more time to practice my skills and experiment more right? Should that come at the cost of limiting the amount of work I take in? What work should be de-prioritized or removed completely? New questions that I have yet to answer... 

All-in-all I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book and it a beautiful testament to the role of IT in the modern age. IT is now integral to business objectives, and IT operations are tied to business flexibility. As we move forward into the digital age, businesses are focusing on agility, but it is not just about raw speed. Paraphrasing a few lines from the book: [Business Agility] is about how good you are at detecting and responding to changes in the market and taking larger, more calculated risks. Evolving the business offering through continual experimentation, and a process that supports that, is how you can ensure to win now and in the long run.

Big thank you to Gene Kim for detailing the construction of this book and dedication to Dr. Goldratt’s The Goal and logical thinking processes. https://itrevolution.com/construction-phoenix-project-and-selling-devops-downward-spiral/ 

[hydrus]

Version 360

windows

zip

exe

os x

app

linux

tar.gz

source

tar.gz

I had a great week. There are a bunch of little things and an important speed overhaul to tag autocomplete.

tag autocomplete

I have never really liked the tag autocomplete workflow. It once blocked the UI completely, and some unusual timing options were needed to make it even useable, but it still often lagged out or just responded with gigantic lists in judders. After chipping away at the problem, this week I am finally updating it to what I really wanted.

So, the main change is that autocomplete results are now fetched as soon as you type. It responds very quickly and overall, I think, feels great, particularly once you have put four or five characters in. You get what you want as soon as you type, and can hit enter right away. The db 'job' to fetch results is now completely divorced from the UI and is able to cancel much faster when you type a new character, so the artificial fetch-start latency requirements of the old system are no longer needed.

There are now just two options for tag autocomplete, under options->speed and memory: whether tag autocomplete should fetch as you type (default on), and a character threshold to switch from 'exact match' autocomplete searches to 'full' ones. This 'exact match' defaults to 2 characters, and means if you type 'sa', you will only get results for 'sa' rather than 'sa*', which is generally a pretty giant laggy list, but if you type 'sam', you'll really be searching 'sam*' and get all matching autocomplete tags. You can reduce or increase this 'exact match' threshold as you prefer, or turn it off completely and get full autocomplete for any input.

Also, I have added some quality of life features. If results do not appear within 200ms, you'll now get a 'loading results...' label in the dropdown for feedback, and any 'static' results, such as exactly what you typed for a manage tags dialog input, or the special 'namespace:*anything*' for a search input, will appear immediately so you can select them without having to wait. Also, entering 'character:sa' will now trigger the same smaller 'exact matches' test as for the unnamespaced 'sa', rather than searching for the whole giant list of tags beginning 'character:sa*' as happened previously.

Furthermore, a query like 'char' no longer matcher 'character:samus aran'. This was a neat idea, but it proved too unwieldy IRL and is now better served by wildcard queries such as 'character:*' or 'char*:*'.

Overall, I am very pleased with the change. Please give it a go, and you'll see the difference immediately. However, tag autocomplete is a complicated system with different workflows, and I have made some big changes, so if you are, say, the sort of user who types fast and just hits enter, and you find the new results are a bit 'flickery' or something for you, let me know and I'll see if I can smooth it out.

more file maintenance

I brushed up the new file maintenance UI under database->maintenance->review scheduled file maintenance to have a nicer list and have added three new jobs:

One fixes file permissions on Linux and OS X. For a while, due to an oversight, file imports have been getting 600 permissions on Linux and OS X. I have fixed this now to be 644 (so, for instance, a nocopy ipfs instance or a network file share running on another user can access the files) for all new files, and this new file maintenance job will retroactively try to fix the permissions of existing files.

The other two are for the duplicates system. One explicitly regenerates similar files metadata, and the other checks if a file is improperly in or out of the similar files searching system, and fixes it if it is in the incorrect place (scheduling metadata regen as appropriate). Both are mostly for debug purposes but will get real use when I eventually add videos to the duplicates system, which will be a giant CPU job we'll want to spread out with the nice new non-blocking file maintenance pipeline. The old maintenance button on the duplicates page that kept eligible files 'up to date' is now gone as a result, and any outstanding jobs there (although most users shouldn't have any by now) should be migrated to the new file maintenance system on update.

full list

tag autocomplete:

after various tag autocomplete async work, fetch timings get a complete overhaul this week. the intention is for a/c jobs to appear as fast as possible, with good ui feedback, without interrupting ui while they work. feedback on how this works IRL would be appreciated

there are now just two autocomplete options under options->speed and memory:

- whether autocomplete results are ever fetched automatically, defaults to true

- the max number of characters in the input that will cause just exact results vs. full autocomplete results, defaults to 2, can be None

namespaces are no longer searched from an unnamespaced query ('char' no longer matches 'character:samus aran'). this proved too slow for real use, and remains better available with explicit namespace searches such as 'character:' or 'char*:*'

the 'exact results' character limit now also applies to subtags of namespace searches! so, entering 'character:a' will deliver the same short exact match results as just 'a'--no more gigantic lists when you put in a simple namespace

improved tag results caching to deal with the new non-namespace matching on subtag input

tag autocomplete dropdowns will now display a non-selectable 'loading results...' label when results take more than 200ms to load.

tag autocomplete dropdowns will now also display 'static' tags, such as 'namespace:*anything*' for 'read' inputs and the exact entered text and possible siblings/parents for 'write' inputs, during loading. so, typing 'character:' just to get the special 'character:*anything*' predicate is now simple and does not need a whole load wait to enter!

cleaned up some tag listbox code to handle parent selection and navigation better along with the new label type

greatly improved autocomplete search logic in the critical text search portion, collapsing it into one cleverer and more easily cancellable query rather than two or three simpler ones with potentially gigantic lists thrown back and forth

improved speed of autocomplete cancel for certain large lists with many siblings

.

file maintenance:

the new file maintenance ui now shows scheduled jobs in a listctrl, and only shows jobs that have outstanding work. you can clear/do work on multiple selected jobs

the file manager should now try to guarantee at least 644 permission on file imports (previously, it was only trying to add 600, which lead to problems with nocopy ipfs running on another user etc...)

added a file maintenance job to check and fix file permissions

added a file maintenance job to regenerate similar files metadata

added a file maintenance job to check if a file should be in the similar files system--if it should and isn't, it is queued to get its metadata data regenerated, and if it is and shouldn't be, it is removed

the previous bulky similar files metadata regen job from the duplicates page is now removed, and any outstanding scheduled regen will be transferred to the new file maintenance manager on update

.

client api:

added POST /manage_pages/focus_page, which makes the given page the current page in the main gui

added help and unit tests for this new call

client api is now version 9

.

the rest:

fixed an issue recording media viewtimes when no max viewtime is set

fixed the new missingdirectory errors not printing the missing path

fixed an issue with some human-started repository actions waiting silently on bandwidth when it was not intended (e.g. account refresh)

export folders now raise proper errors and pause themselves if their path is not set, does not exist on the file system, or is not a directory (previously, they silently stopped work without error)

cleaned up some misc import folder code, and put in additional protections to the delete/move code to ensure folders cannot be so actioned if they somehow end up in the path import queue

when unpinning a file or directory from ipfs, the clientside service now first checks that the current daemon considers it pinned (previously, this 500 errored when the object was not pinned due to a reinitialised daemon etc...)

fixed an issue with the new ipfs path translation control, which was forgetting values when the clientside path was outside of the default db structure

media objects that transition from trashed to physically deleted but remain in view will now correctly be aware of their complete previously-deleted status (rather than being simply remote, as they were before until a client restart)

improved some of the recent duplicates db update code to pre-optimise the new tables on update (some users were getting slow behaviour due to mis-scheduled analysis maintenance)

extended the new panel system to deal with custom button panels and moved the duplicate filter 'commit and continue?' dialog to the new panel system

moved the archive/delete and duplicate filter 'commit and finish' dialog to the new panel system

wrote a new question panel for the typical yes/no dialog used across the program and started a cleanup job to migrate all 140-odd instances of this over

fixed an issue where a program instance that quit due to a user deciding to leave an already running instance in place would clear the original instance's 'running' file in its shutdown, meaning subsequent runs would charge ahead and hit 'database is locked' problems on db init!

wrote a new 'similar files metadata generation report mode' to provide debug info on this cpu/gpu intensive routine

added 'why use sqlite?' entry to the help faq, with a link to prkc's excellent document about the subject, https://gitgud.io/prkc/hydrus-why-sqlite/blob/master/README.md

also added prkc's excellent Linux package requirements information to the 'running from source' help page

fixed some old py 2.7 references in running from source help and an old link in ipfs help

moved the 'file viewing statistics' menu down on the database menu

fixed some dialog Escape key event handling

fixed some ui ancestory testing code

improved some misc similar files system code

next week

Next week is a cleanup week. I'd like to just do some boring rewrites and ui code updates, and I'll see if I can hack away at the last duplicates overhaul jobs.

[the-twenty-one-blog1]

Happy 6th Monthsary, Moi Amour.

Here, a little present from me to you. Just a little scenario about us that I have made, and I haven’t post it anywhere but here. I’m sorry if it isn’t perfect, teehee. Hope you’ll like it! xo

Beautiful,

Was the first word that came into her mind when she saw a bunch of peach blossom adorning her white sneakers. Spring has sprung. And nobody should be mad over something insignificant when pinkish petals shielding them from the blazing sunshine, Arin thought sadly after saw a middle-aged woman yelling over someone not too far from the place where she walked by.

Poor the little kid. He accidentaly crashed his tiny body to the woman’s, caused her to stumbled backwards.

Deep down inside, Arin pitied the little boy. But couldn’t do anything beside it because nature has called. Her blood demanded a supply of caffeine because today would be a hard one for her. That, was the reason why she sped up her pace to the place she had been visiting these days.

The Coffeine, a coffee house not too far from the college. When her schedule becomes crazy and to keep sober all day long, Arin would not hesitate to consume one of her guilty pleasures through a cup of caffè latte. With three shots of liquid sugar because she has intolerance toward bitter things.

If I buy caffè latte, I won’t get any sleep tonight, the girl with peach-highlight on her long, black hair, sighed. Arin gripped the handle with her right palm and pushed the glass door open, then walked over the counter.

The coffee house was serene, only a few people inside and that was quite unexpected because usually at the time like this; 8.47 AM, people were standing along the line to get their own daily dose of caffeine. Maybe because today was Friday, which was a bit sad because Friday were supposed to be Fri-yay, not Fri-yuck. Meaning today was not supposed to be the day where people should work hard―where she should work hard.

The smell of brewing coffee had the effect to soothe every tense muscles, along with the hums of melody that spoke throughout the speakers. Arin was tapping her shoes on the wooden floor while her eyes casting on the menu above― even though she already knew what will she order but it wasn’t a crime to make yourself busy while you were waiting for someone, right?

“Hello, may I help you?”

As sweet as a melted marshmallow, the voice intruded her ears. It was low, but not that low to made her shiver along the spine. Audible, and a kind of voice that could draw attention as soon as possible. Like it had gained Arin’s recognition right away.

A guy were standing there, with his almost-blinding smile and enthralling eyes. Grey apron covering his black polo shirt, Arin could see the jeans he wore hug his legs perfectly. His jet-black hair was in disarray, which later she could understand the reason why―that guy sometimes likes to run his fingers through his fluffy hair too often.

But he still could manage to look as attractive as ever.

“Hi, Jimin. Can I order the usual?” Arin chuckled, quickly continued her request before Jimin could give any response. “Caffè latte with three shots of liquid sugar, please.”

Of course. Aside from the name tag, being a regular consumer she was, she already knew the name of the attractive guy over there. And Arin was pretty sure that Jimin had known her preference toward any beverages on the coffee house without her asking it out loud.

“Aye, Ma’am.” With ease, he took an empty cup and wrote down Arin’s name like he had done it numerous time.

Jimin was secretly Arin’s personal bartender, ever since the first time they met.

Until one day, a guy named Kim Taehyung took over his place.

“Oh, Jimin?” He wrote her name down before giving it to his co-worker. He wasn’t a bartender, unlike Jimin. “He resigned yesterday.”

Arin raised one of her thick eyebrows. She couldn’t hold the curiosity anymore as she blurted out the next question. “Why?”

Luckily, there was no other queue behind her so when she accepted the cup of caffè latte, she didn’t budge nor did she gave a slight move. Patiently waiting for Taehyung to clean up the mess before answering. “I don’t know the exact reason, but I guess―hey, you’re Arin, right?”

She quickly nodded, startled when Taehyung raised his tone all of sudden. It added her curiosity more, espcesially when he disappeared into the door called ‘Staff Only’. Probably there was something he needed her to know.

And indeed it was. Taehyung carried a notebook with yellow post-it hanging lifelessly on its cover with him a few minutes later, passed it to Arin without much thinking. “Jimin said I should give you this once a girl named Arin ordering a cup of caffè latte. It was you, right?”

She brought the notebook to the campus.

Page 180, the post-it said.

It was the last page, and empty.

“What do you think it is?”

“What?”

“The page.”

“What page?”

Arin huffed quietly. She closed the black notebook and put her chin on her own palm, watching an eating Seulgi with no interest. Even though her bestfriend was currently devouring a bowl of ramen, Arin had no appetite to even slurped her strawberry milkshake.

Jimin and his mysterious notebook had occupied her mind. Why did she say mysterious, because the notebook had been nothing but words scribbled in no order. Sometimes he wrote random words on each page, sometimes he left it blank. Arin couldn’t tell what the meaning was.

And she didn’t know the reason why he suddenly gave a book through his co-worker either. Okay, maybe they met each other pretty often these days―Arin needed caffeine easily, that was why. But that was not the reason. They were not in a term which other party could sit and talk about their bad days. Yet.

And the notebook..

Warm. It was unforgettable. She looked into my eyes. Melted chocolate. Were a few words Arin could remember. And the last word before the empty page―serendipity. It made her stomach churned and blushed a bit. She might or might not know what the purpose of this notebook was.

But still, nobody should take a conclusion that fast before confirmed it to the right person.

Thus, she met the dead end.

“Empty?”

“Yes, it’s empty. What does it means?”

“What do you think it means?”

Arin exhaled softly. Her tiny eyes squinted at Jimin, who were currently looking at her with a smile on his face. That usual smile when he greeted her on the coffee house few days ago. Nothing changed much, except the jet-black hair that now turned into honey-blond one.

Long story short, Arin was about to come back home when she caught a glimpse of figure walked down the hallway. She knew it was Jimin because― just because. She didn’t want to take any risk to lose him again, she quickly turned around and almost run to get him as soon as possible.

And now here they were, occupying one of the bench around and Arin started to babbling about how she received the notebook, the words inside, also the blank page.

“I don’t know, uh, Sunbae. That’s why I’m asking you,” Honestly, Arin still couldn’t believe that Jimin and her attend the same university. Much less, he was her senior, two years above. Arin thought Jimin was.. was..

“You don’t want to take a guess?”

Arin shook her head immediately. She was already tired guessing here and there for the past days. She decided to pretend that she didn’t hear Jimin’s laugh of amusement. It might be embarassing, whatever. Curiosity killed the cat.

“180 is the last page, also the day where I met you before I resigned,” He stood up and Arin could do nothing but lifted her head. She didn’t even try to resist nor did she try to prevent him. She was too focused to care. “Why I left it blank? Because I don’t want our story meet its end that fast, Choi Arin.”

Jimin ruffled her hair, and his smile widened. “I still want to walk through the journey with you in my life. That’s the reason you have been searching on.”

He took his hand back, still with that enthralling smile of his.

His voice still as sweet as a melted marshmallow.

Arin had never been craving for saccharine this much in her life.