#(those tags were on gems earlier post ^)

[intotheelliwoods]

AH for real! Hell theres friends I know who are scared to even post their cool stuff to begin with- its so sad that a community was created where a good chunk of the artists are too scared to even make their work public :( (or even announce a patreon for it)

Ha it also took more guts than I would like to admit to make that last post, but hey look! FMA meme redraw!

I have no worries of hate though, after all I am just posting for myself and my friends! Whom would love to help me fight my battles o7

---

Yeah ofc!! <3 Dont expect any hate or judgement from me alright??

[shepscapades]

DBHC [Detroit Become Hermitcraft] AU MASTERPOST

This is a compiled list of links to every major dbhc post, including links to art, a list of tags that I use to organize everything for this au on my blog, character tags, and any other content for the au that you may want to specifically look for! I will do my best to update this Masterpost with every new major post I publish, so feel free to keep checking the original post (not reblogs, which will not retain edits) for new content! (Likewise, if you stumble upon a link that doesn't seem right, please feel free to let me know!)

Everything is organized below the read more by an Overview of information about the au and content organized by character. Within each character's section, posts are organized in a narrative chronological order-- NOT the order in which the posts were published. Most characters are organized in groups so links do not appear more than once.

Thank you for reading and enjoying my silly au! It's baffling to me how many people have found an interest in or love for this project, and everyone's support, encouragement, and general insanity means the world to me! <3

OVERVIEW

Dbhc, or the Detroit Become Hermitcraft AU, is an au that started as a joke and very quickly stopped being a joke LKFJGDG It’s called Detroit Become Hermitcraft, but not really because it has anything to do with the base game DBH– really, I only yoinked the android mechanics and inserted them into the minecraft-based world of hermitcraft. It’s an au that starts in Hermitcraft Season 8 (aka, many of the first androids were built for the beginning of s8 in this au), meaning that the seasons prior in this au do not technically have those hermits as part of their history. The Life Series are canon to this au, but like earlier hermitcraft seasons, 3rd Life is missing all of the android hermits due to it having taken place prior to HC Season 8.

GUIDE TO ANDROIDS - An official guide to how androids function, for those unfamiliar with dbh androids!

TAG LIST

#dbhc – any and everything dbhc! #dbhc art – any art, comics, or silly doodles that feature the dbhc characters #dbhc ask – any response to an ask or submission that I answer related to dbhc– could be silly asks or asks related to lore! #dbhc music – any art or asks in which I speak about the music on the dbhc playlists or use the songs as inspiration for art of the narrative #dbhc fanart – any dbhc art not made by me! #dbhc fanfic – any dbhc writing not written by me! #dbhc writing – works of writing that either I’ve done or works that I consider canon to the au! (see below for links to each of these works) #dbhc sillies – these are usually asks I’ve answered that include ridiculous doodles or humorous references to more serious or angsty lore posts #dbhc theories – not a consistent tag, but something I decided to start using for asks that have interesting theories that I don't want to confirm or deny. Also used in general for large theory-based asks/my reactions to them #dbhc mechanics – any explanations related to the way the androids function [i'm still currently in the process of going back through everything and working this tag in!] #dbhc ref – official reference sheets for the characters #dbhc explained – Any major comic that I've broken down into explained details and ramblings!

CHARACTER TAG LIST:

Character tags will be listed as #dbhc [name]. They contain both art of those characters and any mentions/discussions of them from asks. If a character is discussed or shown in any capacity, those posts should have the respective character tags! I believe these are all of the characters discussed/referenced so far:

#dbhc beef || #dbhc bdubs || #dbhc cleo || #dbhc cub || #dbhc doc || #dbhc etho || #dbhc false || #dbhc gem || #dbhc grian || #dbhc hypno || #dbhc impulse || #dbhc iskall || #dbhc jevin || #dbhc joe || #dbhc joel || #dbhc jimmy || #dbhc keralis ||#dbhc mumbo || #dbhc pearl || #dbhc ren || #dbhc scar || #dbhc skizz || #dbhc tango || #dbhc wels || #dbhc xb || #dbhc xisuma || #dbhc zed

CHARACTER POST LIST

Since Tumblr has a link embed limit of 100, I had to move every character section to it's own post :[ Which is a little annoying, but giving each character group their own post will hopefully prevent any issues going forward as I continue to add to the au without fear of hitting a link limit.

As mentioned above, the below individual posts are organized by Characters or Groups of Characters. Within each section, drawings are organized by NARRATIVE CHRONOLOGICAL ORDER (Not the order in which they were posted/published).  These links contain links to posts/art specifically centered around the characters they're listed under. All posts that have a collection of characters, moments, or drawings not centered around any one specific character/characters will be found under "Other Drawings!" Stuff from Secret Life, Decked out, and other silly drawings can be found there. Character's are often cameo'd all over the place, so if you're looking for all of the content of a specific character, your best bet is perusing their respective character tag (listed above)! The posts below are to present a better/more cohesive idea of the ordered narrative of each character.

ETHO + BDUBS

MUMBO + CO.

DOC + CO.

IMPULSE + CO.

TANGO + CO.

CUB + CO.

JOE + CO.

SKIZZ + CO.

XISUMA + CO.

OTHER DRAWINGS [GROUPS/COLLECTIONS]

WRITING WORKS

[x] Don't Let it Reach the Heart (Coming Soon!)

Canon Events. To Me (by other authors!) <3

[x] @tunastime Gear of the Heart, Turning [ethubs] [x] @tunastime Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? [docsuma]

Fanfic Works I consider closely adjacent to canon:

[x] @set-in-stardust [ethubs first kiss!] [x] @set-in-stardust [s9 reset etho re-deviates] [x] @drachis917 [Impulse meets Gem!] [x] @listentothelittlebird [A Visit To Doc's Skyblock Jail]

[hiraethwa]

one summer day

05 saturn i. where ushijima finds you outside your house

<< 04 new dawn. | >> 06 saturn ii.

pairing: ushijima wakatoshi x reader a/n: sorry for the late post, life has been hectic lately. enjoy the angst! inbox me if you want to be tagged - ave word count: 1.7k warnings: angst, childhood trauma, parental neglect/verbal abuse, past death of a family member song: saturn by sleeping at last

april, second year

you taught me the courage of stars before you left how light carries on endlessly, even after death with shortness of breath you explained the infinite and how rare and beautiful it is to even exist

ushijima is full on sprinting to your house. feet slamming on the pavements, heart thundering out of his chest. how had he not known? 

he remembers the words you uttered to him last year, seemingly random. but you had phased out when he asked you about it, lost in your own thoughts. and you had seemed so genuinely disturbed that he decided not to pursue the topic, letting it go. 

“my little sister was a cat whisperer too.”

even earlier today. you had been so out of it, missing the conversation that you were in, when normally you would be listening intently. when you were always listening, even when you were pretending not to hear the stupid things they talk about. 

he had patted your hair, checking to see if you were alright, and you gave him the same smile as always. others may be fooled by you, but he knew something was amiss. he had brushed it off, even though his gut told him something was not right, thinking you may have been tired from adjusting to waking up early for school again.

and you had been so quiet tonight when he walked you home. once again lost in your own thoughts, seemingly not noticing the orange cat that the two of you would stop and pet whenever he walked you home. he had stopped to give the cat a little treat before noticing that you had continued on, leaving him behind. as if your body was there, but your mind was not. like a ghost of yourself.

“how is she?” semi had asked ushijima when he returned to the dorms, bringing your homework that was left behind in semi’s room. that is new. semi never asked that question before when he walked you home in the past. 

you, with your smile that shined like a gem but you rarely showed people, only those closest to you. you, with your radiant kindness that stayed always like a quiet strength, even to those you were not familiar with. you, with your quiet caring, always making sure no one is left behind. you, with your warmth that didn’t expect anything in return. 

to him, you were the moon with many faces. not always seen, but always present. somehow, you two shared a bond that communicated with action more than words. two quiet people who preferred to do rather than say. to keep things to yourselves rather than burden those around you.

ushijima had known that you were independent to a certain fault, but not like this. 

his fists clench of their own accord, mirroring the feeling in his heart. did you felt alone? he could not imagine the pain that you were going through right now, alone in your empty house. how had he not known?

semi’s words replay in his head. “miyamura-senpai asked me to keep an eye on her before he left for college. today is the anniversary of their youngest sister’s death.”

“my little sister was a cat whisperer too.” was. was. was. 

he knew he could not have guessed that, rationally speaking. but if he had paid more attention, looked between the lines, perhaps he would have known sooner. 

he should have more than enough stamina to run to your house and back to shiratorizawa round trip easily, but he finds himself out of breath as he rounds the corner to your house. the windows were dark, as if all the light had been snuffed out. something in him sinks. his heart? he isn’t sure. 

“miyamura!” he bangs on your front door, hoping you weren’t asleep. if he had looked, he would have seen you squatting under the miyamura hyousatsu on the gatepost. 

“ushijima?” your voice calls out weakly from behind him. he whirls around sharply.

“miya–” he wants to scold you for being so stubborn. for not relying on your friends. you did not have to shoulder this grief alone, if he could help it. not now, not ever again. 

but he stops himself. because in the darkness of the night, illuminated by the streetlamps, you look so small. so defeated. like you had been carrying around all this grief with you your entire life that your shoulders sagged with the weight. that you were never given the permission to bloom. you had always reminded him of spring, but he didn’t know. 

he drops his bag to the ground, homework forgotten. 

“what are you doing here–” your words are cut off mid-sentence as his feet moves towards you without thinking, arms wrapping around your shoulder tightly and engulfing you in a hug. i am here. 

his head sits atop yours, almost a perfect puzzle. then he drops his head next to yours, hand cupping the back of your head as he holds onto you tightly. “y/n.” 

he’s never said your name out loud before. it was always miyamura, or miyamura-san. so when it comes out of his mouth, a dam breaks in you. tears come uncontrollably as you fist his clothes in your hands, trying to hold on, when all you were doing is spiraling. 

you sob. crying out loud. all that raging grief that was somehow miraculously locked away in you comes pouring out. your voice comes out broken and ugly as your chest heaves up and down violently. your pained wails of grief and loss a jumbled incoherent mess. 

ushijima stays with you like that for what felt like forever, as your pain breaks his heart over and over again, but all he could do was hold you and remind you that you are not alone, repeating the three little words over and over. “i am here.” 

when your sobs quiet down, and your breaths slow steadily with your hiccups, he pulls away to look at you. or at least, he tries to. your arms are locked tight around him, as if he would disappear the second you loosen your grip. 

“y/n, i am not leaving you.” you grip stays constant, and then slowly, after a while, it loosens around him, but does not fall away. it looks like you are intent on not letting go of him. “c’mon.”

he leads you into your house awkwardly, shuffling around with you still locked onto him, turning on the lights as he goes, knowing the place like the back of his hand from how often they come over when your parents are away for work.

“i’m making you tea.” you reluctantly release him from your arms as he sets a kettle of water to boil, but keep a hand on his shirt for good measure. 

ushijima picks out sencha from the variety of green teas you stocked for him after noticing that he had been bringing his own supply of tea to your study sessions. he brews the tea in a teapot, carefully proportioning out the amount of leaves. and in your cute cat painted cup, he fills it halfway, gently blowing on the hot liquid before handing it to you. 

you keep silent, sipping at the tea. he doesn’t mind, ushijima thinks. you were both on the quieter side. he likes to think that friendships are not defined by how much in common that two people have, or how much they can talk about, but rather the comfort in the silence that falls when the conversation stops. 

“can i stay the night?” it’s not that he doesn’t trust you to leave you alone. he doesn’t want to leave you by yourself, and from the way you are holding onto him, he thinks that you don’t want to be there by yourself either. he doesn’t want to think about what could have happened if he didn’t come back. if you hadn’t forgotten your homework in semi’s room. if semi hadn’t told him.

you nod, gratitude shining in your swollen eyes, long dried from how much you had cried. with the hand that is still on his shirt, you tug at him to follow you up the stairs. 

he realizes you mean for him to sleep in your room as you wordlessly roll out the futon that he carried from the guest room next to your bed. you show him to the bathroom for him to change out of his wet tear-stained clothes and hand over the set of clean clothes that you retrieved from your brother’s room.

you seem adamant on holding on to him by the edge of his shirt as he walks into the bathroom, almost like you would stay there as he undresses. but then, reluctantly, you let go of the small corner of the fabric that you had a deathly grip on and shuts the door. 

when ushijima walks out, he finds you in the same spot he left you in. your breathing is slightly labored, hands fidgeting on your sides. he reaches for your hand, relinquishing the bottom corner of his clean shirt to you. you seem to settle down with that gesture, content with his presence. 

he tucks you into bed, sitting next to you while regaling you with a tale of stars that were infinite.  your grip on his shirt remains until you fall asleep, the crease between your eyebrows finally easing. at that moment in time, you look so peaceful in your sleep that he could have been fooled. the quiet one who is always taking care of her friends, never expecting anything in return. now he knows the storm that brews under your skin.

a sudden wave of exhaustion hits him then, as he covers your hand with the blanket and crawls into the futon, falling asleep almost immediately.

when he wakes up the next morning, he finds you curled up next to him, hair mussed from sleep, your hand in his, fingers interlocked perfectly. 

in the days afterward, life carries on as usual. you pretend like that night didn’t happen, so ushijima follows suit. he can be patient. but he sees the cracks in the mask you don ever so clearly, stars shining through them. and he wonders, what happened to you in that house? 

more and more, he notices the tenseness in your spine, the invisible weight on your shoulders. the look in your eyes that feels far older than it should be. and he feels this urge in him to wrap his arms around you and protect you from all the hurt that the world has caused you. 

and then one day, when he finds himself alone with you, he blurts out the words he has been thinking about. 

“you don’t have to be the person in your house with me.”

reblogs and comments are appreciated!

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[seethesin]

trying new things

pairing: Shane McCutcheon x F!Reader

tags/warnings: sexual content, spanking, fingering (mdni, 18+)

a/n: a hidden gem from my drafts is finally seeing the light of day. this is kinda silly, but i had fun writing it! i'm also convinced the l word had a brand deal with dos equis because jesus christ... i don't think i saw any other beer brand on the show. enjoy :)

You like the relationship you have with Shane.

Nothing has been made official, of course—commitment wasn't really either of your styles—but there was something so comforting about spending time with her. You enjoyed each other's company and got along much better than either of you realized you would. The sex probably helped with that; it's been so incredible it makes your head spin. Shane is seemingly equipped to handle every craving you have between the sheets and truthfully, you don't remember the last time your needs were tended to this closely. Staying the night at her place became second nature, much to her roommate, Jenny's chagrin.

This was one of those days. Thankfully, Jenny stepped out earlier while the two of you were sleeping off the alcohol.

You finally peeled yourself out of bed and Shane's arms by one after a night of drinking and dancing. She's still out cold, snoring softly as you step out of the bedroom. Trudging into the kitchen, you open the refrigerator and scan the shelves. Without thinking, you grab the green bottle of Dos Equis in front of your face. In a trance, you find yourself trying to twist the cap off before remembering that no, this one had to be popped off. Grumbling, you sift through the drawers until you find a bottle opener and shuck that sucker off.

Hair of the dog, anyone?

Plopping onto the couch, you let out a yawn before turning the TV on. The US Open apparently started and you flick through the channels until the game appears on the screen. Ten minutes into the game, you can hear the mattress creaking from the other room. Shane must be up; a part of you hoped that she wasn't up because of you. Her footsteps reverberate on the hardwood floor as she exits her room.

"Hey," she calls out, prompting you to turn around and steal a glance at her.

"Hey," you echo, unabashedly watching Shane as she walks into the kitchen.

She's stunning for someone who just woke up. She's got a white tank that does wonders for her nipples and a pair of gray boxer shorts hanging low on her hips. Her hair is an unkempt mess and her fingers comb through it as she searches through the cupboards. You turn away, not trusting yourself to look any longer.

"Are we out of beer?" Christ, you two really are on the same wavelength.

As soon as she poses the question, you want nothing more than to shrink into the couch cushions. It takes a moment, but you realize that your fingers were curled around the neck of the last Dos Equis in the house. A wave of guilt washes over you as you keep your body turned away from her, instead wrapping yourself up in the current tennis match. To be fair, it was either this or the black cherry Four Loko nestled in the back of the fridge.

It seemed Shane also had higher standards for her post-hangover remedy.

You hear her rustling through the fridge; there is no doubt Shane was dissatisfied by your lack of an answer. You take a swig, genuinely contemplating downing the rest and tossing the bottle somewhere it could never be found. She stops shuffling around in the fridge as your internal strife continues.

"[Y/N]," her voice is uncannily even as she speaks. It catches you off-kilter. "What are you drinking?"

You gulp.

"Um," you start softly, staring at your feet. Reflexively, you slot the bottle between your thighs. The immediate shock of cold against your underwear-clad cunt makes you tense, but after a few moments, the feeling begins to numb. Taking the hem of your oversized nightshirt, you drape it over your legs to hide the evidence. "I'm just having some water."

You cringe at how guilty you sound.

Shane's footsteps start again, pittering out from the kitchen before she comes up behind you. Her hands are on either side of the couch as her head lowers. Her chin presses onto your shoulder and you go rigid, pretending to be invested solely in the women's doubles on the TV screen. Her breath fans against your cheek as you feel her gaze sear down your body.

"Water?" she parrots and at this point, you're nodding to convince yourself.

Looking down at you for a moment longer, Shane hums before walking around and joining you on the couch. She beckons you to scoot closer to her and carefully, you do. Slotting yourself against her side, Shane's arm snakes down your torso and rests her hand on your covered thigh.

"Who's playing?"

"It looks like Brazil versus Japan and Indonesia." As you speak, her hand begins to wander. Her fingers begin to tug at the hem of your shirt, pulling it up to expose more of your thigh. Normally, you'd be thrusting yourself into her touch. But with this beer bottle crushed between your legs, this was the last thing you wanted.

Shane's hand cups your thigh, her thumb stroking mindless patterns into your skin. You sigh softly, unable to help yourself as you move closer to her. Her lips are pressed into your temple as her hand glides farther up. She stops and you feel her smile on your skin.

"You're already so wet," she purrs, her mouth sinking to your jawline. Her teeth graze your skin gently as you shiver. You don't react in time to stop her and suddenly, her hand is on the beer bottle.

The two of you are frozen in place.

"[Y/N]," she starts, gaze focused back on you. She's smirking. "Is this your water bottle?"

You gape, trying to find the words but they die on your tongue as soon as Shane yanks up your shirt. You squeak, fully exposed to the TV and any wandering eyes passing by the window. Shane plucks the beer bottle between your legs as you cover yourself back up with your shirt. Turning to her, you watch as she downs the beer before placing the now empty bottle on the coffee table.

"I was saving the rest for you," you try lamely, making Shane chuckle.

"Sure you were." To accentuate her point, her hand comes down to deliver a firm but playful slap to your outer thigh.

Neither of you expects the whimper that elicits from your throat.

Especially you. Shane's eyes go wide and while she's stunned, your face burns beet red. You bury your face into her side, unable to bring yourself to look the brunette in the eye. Her arm is still hooked around you and with her free hand, pinches your chin and nudges your head up. You meet her lazy smirk and her brows quirk up deviously. You knew that look; she was plotting something.

"Do you trust me?"

"Should I right now?"

A full belly laugh pushes from Shane's throat and you can't help the smile cracking across your face.

"Yes."

"Then yes."

"Come and lay over me." She pats on her lap and you detach yourself from her side. Carefully, you crawl over her before settling over her lap. Her hands go to your hips, gingerly nudging you forward and nudging your shirt up to reveal your ass and lower back. You assist, yanking your shirt up and over your head, discarding it on the floor. Slipping her thumbs into your underwear waistband, she peels them back so that they bunch at your knees.

"I want to try something," she starts, her hands gliding up and down the curve of your ass. "If you don't like it, we can stop. But I have a feeling you will."

You roll your eyes at her confidence but hum as you feel her lips on the back of your neck.

"I'll say 'red' if I want you to stop." Her hair tickles your skin when she nods and plants a kiss on your skin.

Pulling away, you feel Shane massage your ass. Her thumbs dip between your legs, brushing dangerously close to your drooling pussy. You whimper, jerking your hips to try and meet her touch. She's just out of reach and before you think to beg—

Shane spanks you.

You gasp, immediately pressing your thighs together. The sting of her hand burns deliciously on your ass and it makes you want more. Goddammit, Shane was right. You want to roll your eyes again, but another solid slap to your ass brings you back into reality. You yelp.

"I think you like this," Shane rasps, delivering another smack to your cheek. It's difficult for you to formulate a response at this point and instead, you stick to a wanton sob.

It's not until you feel two digits glide easily through your soaked folds that you move again. You push your hips down, trying to steal friction from Shane's fingers. She immediately ejects her hand and another, more assertive slap replaces the previous sensation. This one is wet and sloppy, landing directly between the edge of your ass and onto your cunt. You can feel your own slick spray across your thighs upon impact and your clit is throbbing.

"Shane," you keen, wriggling in her lap. "Please, I need your hand again."

"Yeah?" Shane breathes, shit-eating grin out of your sight but evident from her tone. You nod frantically, canting your hips back before grinding against her lap. "Which one?"

You can't stop yourself from growling in frustration at the sly comment. "You know which one!"

"Mm, not sure if I do, honey."

Her hand slaps down on your opposite cheek. The switch-up elicits a strangled cry from your throat as a fresh ripple of pain comes over you. Shane then slides her fingers back through your pussy, swiping controlled spirals around your clit once she finds it. Your breathing goes staccato as you squeeze your eyes shut. You lift your hips up, allowing Shane easier access to your cunt.

"Please, baby," you whine, moaning appreciatively when those two fingers drag down the length of your slit before sheathing inside of you. They pump in you swiftly, taking on an animalistic rhythm as Shane hits just the right spot to make you groan. You throw your hips back, meeting each thrust to the best of your ability. Sporadically, her free hand delivers smacks to your other ass cheek. It's off-pace with her fingers and less frequent, but each impact makes you gush sordidly.

The combination becomes overstimulating and with a shout, you reach your climax. Your body trembles as Shane continues to piston her fingers inside you, letting you ride out the rest of your orgasm. Gratefully, you moan out Shane's name, your cunt squeezing her fingers. At this point, she stops spanking you and instead, uses her other arm to wrap around your waist. As soon as you feel her around you, you slump to the side and into Shane's chest.

"You okay, [Y/N]?" Shane's concern after sex is always welcome and with a sweet smile, you nod your head. Relieved, she presses kisses to the side of your face as she gathers you into her arms and onto her lap.

"That was so good." The decree will definitely stroke Shane's ego, but you don't care right now. Lazily, you turn your head to hers and capture her lips in a gentle kiss. She reciprocates eagerly, cupping your cheek while her other hand rests chastely on your lower back. Pulling away, you press your cheek into her shoulder before looking back at the TV. Brazil won, not that you were paying much attention to the game anyway.

You were going to make a comment but froze when you heard footsteps approach the front door. It wasn't until you heard a key slide into the lock that you realized that someone was coming inside.

"Fuck!"

Scrambling, you launched yourself off of Shane, pulled your underwear back up, and grabbed your shirt off the floor. Falling back onto the couch, you pulled your shirt back on, just in time to look decent as the door swung open.

It was Jenny. In her hand was a case of Dos Equis. Looking between the two of you and the empty beer bottle on the coffee table, she openly rolled her eyes before walking into the kitchen.

For once, you were thrilled to see her.

[attic-club-sandwich]

A Sweater will Make it Better

My first writing entry for @love-and-lore's self ship event going on right now hosted by @meggsngrits and @kailali! This is a self ship of my Obey Me! MC Shae and Mammon. I really hope that you guys enjoy!

For reference to those who aren't familiar with Shae:

Shae & Mammon

Shae's Student ID

Summary: Shae comes down with a cold after visiting the human world. Thankfully, she has Mammon to take care of her. Just your average cute little fluffy sick fic.

Tag List: @amberrskiies @obey-me-posts, @sassykattery, @delphi-dreamin, @bite-sized-devil, @a-hidden-gem, @otomefoxystar, @todothedodo, @marvelous-maniac, @nonbinary-disaster, @selfmadender, @animeismyhappyplace, @vampire-tr4mp, @ana-dear, @gaychaosgremlin, @sidgethegamer, @meiloorun-tea, @temnuk0

floral banner below by @/saradika

Shae’s dreams are rudely interrupted by the annoyingly high pitched sound of her alarm going off on her D.D.D. Head still face down in her pillow, she reaches over to silence it. “Ugh…” she groans, turning her head to the side, desperate for air. Except she could barely get any through the stuffiness of her nose. And her head was pounding. And she felt like she was dying. Shae slowly sits up in bed, pressing her face into her elbow to fight off a sneeze as she contemplates what to do. The thought of going to classes all day at RAD was already exhausting her, and she had a feeling she would just barely make it through the day. I must have caught something from my trip back home the other day… she thinks miserably.

She had only wanted to go back to the human world for a couple of days to visit her family as well as get some of her favorite treats from the farmers market that is always open near her home in the fall season. But of course, she usually also got sick this time of year as well. Grabbing her D.D.D. off her nightstand, she decides to send Lucifer a quick text. 

Hey, Luci. I won’t be going to classes today, I think I caught some sort of disease from the human world.

She figures he probably won’t see it right away, as he’s most likely busy hustling his brothers down for breakfast and soon enough they’ll be out the door for the day. However, she doesn’t have the energy to stay awake waiting for his reply. Instead, she snuggles back under her covers while sleep takes over her once more. 

****

The pounding in her head and the inability to breathe stirs her awake again. She groans, rolling over to check the time. It’s mid morning now, and she figures she’s now alone in the house. Another sneeze captures her and she reaches for the box of tissues on her nightstand, also grabbing her D.D.D. in the process. She sees that she has a text from Lucifer from earlier that morning. 

Please take the day to rest then. I’ve sent Mammon to grab you some medicine. He should be there shortly. 

Her heart flutters at the mention of Mammon. Knowing her boyfriend, he’s probably worried himself sick by now. Just then, a small knock sounds at her door before it opens up and Mammon is inviting himself in. “Comin’ in.” he mumbles, carrying a bag of  things over to the table. “Uh, what’s the point of knocking if you’re just going to come in anyways?” Shae asks, rolling her eyes and pulling the covers up to her chin. “Hey, you could be dying’ in here you’re lucky I even knocked!” he quipped. “Besides, I knew you were going to need this.” Shae glanced down at the box of cold medicine and the bottle of water that he was holding and practically sobbed tears of joy. “Oh thank god.” she says, taking both the water and the box from his hand. “I dunno why you’re thankin’ Him, I did all the work.” It’s Mammon’s turn to roll his eyes as Shae giggles, opening up the box and popping a tablet into her mouth. “Sorry, I mean thank YOU, Oh Great Mammon.” The white haired demon snorts, picking up the bag of stuff he had brought and carried it over to her bed. “Well lucky for you, I brought some more things to make you feel better. Everyone wanted to give you something to cheer ya up.” Shae watches as he pulls out a couple of video games, a couple of books, a sachet of tea, a bath bomb, her favorite fuzzy blanket from the attic, and even some of her favorite snacks. “Wow, Mams, thank you…” she sniffs, her violet eyes growing watery at the thought of the brothers all picking out something for her. “Wait, I got the best for last! Are ya cold?” He squints as he glances down at her arms, attempting to investigate for goosebumps. “I know You’re always cold even when you aren’t sick, so I brought you one of my sweaters.” He grins, pulling out a chunky knit, brown patterned sweater. It had fall leaf designs, as well as several stripes of deep reds, browns, and golden hues that were perfect for the fall season. Shae’s heart grew warm at the thought of wearing Mammon’s sweater. “You know me so well.” she grins. Mammon motions for her to lift her arms up, and suddenly her shirt is being lifted over her head. The sudden exposure to the cool air causes her skin to actually form goosebumps this time, but is quickly replaced by the soft material of Mammon’s sweater being pulled over her head. “There, now you’ll be nice and toasty.”

Shae snuggles back down into bed as Mammon heads to the kitchen to make her a cup of tea from the sachet that Lucifer gave her. While he’s gone, she can’t help herself from pressing the sleeves of the sweater to her face, inhaling the scent. It smells like him, his cologne mixed with the musky smell of an old drawer. She was convinced that this was all she needed to make her feel better. Mammon returns with 2 cups of tea, handing Shae one as he climbs into the empty spot next to her. She breathes in the steam from the cup, and her shoulders relax as it begins to clear her sinuses. It smells like peppermint and honey, and Shae practically melts at the added warmth in her hand…and her bed. “Thank you, Mams. I feel better already.” Mammon smiles, leaning over to press a kiss against her temple. “It’s my job to take care of ya.” He pauses, a flush forming on his cheeks. “Both as your boyfriend and your protector.” Shae giggles, leaning into his shoulder. “I’m the luckiest human in the Devildom for sure.” 

They sit together for a while, talking and watching out her window as rain begins to patter against the glass. The sound is soothing, and mixed with the warmth of the tea, Shae’s eyes grow heavy once again. Mammon takes notice of this, watching as her eyes begin to flutter and gently takes the cup of tea out of her hand. “Oi, Shae, how about ya get some rest now?” Shae blinks, realizing she had been about to doze off. Yawning, she snuggles back down into the blankets. “Okay. But you’ll stay with me, right?” Mammon smiles, turning over on his side to face her. “Of course I ain’t goin’ nowhere. I’m staying right here with you in case ya need anything.” Shae smiles, pressing her forehead to his. “Thank you. I love you, Mams.” The white haired demon blushes, pecking her lips with a quick kiss as her eyes finally flutter shut. “I love ya more. Now go to sleep and get better so I can kiss ya all I want!”

[lunar-soldier]

O Sol E A Lua (a moonknight x reader fanfic)

(The future chapters for this fanfic shall be posted via wattpad and AO3, but I wanted to give the tumblr people a taste of the first chapter on here!)

(Also, two things:

>I write very spaced out, mainly because it’s easier for me to process while reading. if you don’t enjoy reading fanfics in that style, this will NOT be for you

>this fanfic will include ALL alters, not just one, so keep that in mind!

Other than that, enjoy! :-) )

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You fiddled with the ring on your finger while looking out the window. The sound of chattering kids on the bus had caused you to space out, so you we're occupying yourself with your own thoughts once again. If past you had seen current you, they would be laughing at how silly your whole situation was at this moment. You, a previous military soldier, now watching over a bunch of kids on a field trip to the museum? You were definitely too overqualified for this job. However, your mother had insisted you volunteer for this to watch over your youngest sibling. You don't know if she had noticed you distancing yourself from everyone again, or if she saw this as a prime opportunity to have you and your little brother bond, but both were completely in the realm of possibility. After all, she knew how this month was hard for you.

It was the month he died.

A loud hiss snapped you out of your trance-like thoughts as you realized you had made it to your destination. Once the last kid had walked out, you quickly followed behind as you helped guide the kids up the stairs to the looming building ahead. It was huge, you had never seen a museum as expansive up close before. Hell, you hadn't seen the inside of a museum at ALL, save for watching the Night at the Museum franchise, but you highly doubted you would see any little cowboys or Roman soldiers in here. As far as you knew, this place specialized in some ancient civilization or another, but you forgot which one they-

Oh

Towering pillars with various drawings and a few ancient sarcophagus remnants hinted at the theme of the whole place. Ancient Egypt. You knew that you were going to some art museum, but it seems they currently had some Egyptian exhibit going on. Fate had some sick sense of humor, considering how his last mission was related to such ruins. And of all the months too, it had to be this one.

A sheet of ice coated over your heart as you continued through the tour with the rest of the children. It's just for an hour, you could survive this!! Adjusting your blue jean button up, you walk past a brightly lit gift shop, noticing a couple of people in your peripheral.

"...looks like another school is comin' in today! Aww, don't they look cute Donna?"

"Steve, if I wanted to spend my time at work watching some kids, I'd be a stay at home mom. Just keep tagging those plushies, please!"

You paid no mind to the conversation from the gift shop, maybe once you cleared your head you could stop by, but your main goal was to stop yourself from crying in front of everyone.

.

.

"...it is said that Hathor was not only the goddess of love, but also music!"

Ok yeah, this was getting very boring

After about 45 minutes of chatter about things that you had almost no interest about, you decided to actually take a peak at the gift shop. With no one in sight as you walked in, you wondered if everyone from earlier had went to lunch? Never the less, you gazed at all of the cheap Knick Knacks and plushies. God, these were all way too cheaply made for WAY too high a price.

Fossil digging kits, gem stone creation kits...slime kits? How is any of this actually history related?

However, one little thing did catch your eye.

It was a small pair of earrings, that had a circle with a line along the bottom, and both shapes being wrapped together with another small piece of metal.  You assumed it had to be some type of god's symbol, or even some symbol of death or whatever, but again, Egyptian mythos was NEVER one of your strong suits. You were more of a Norse and Roman mythology person yourself.

But no matter, it was cute, way too expensive, and would mark the day you actually braved through an entire exhibit that reminded you of nothing but your previous heartbreak. If that was something to even commemorate.

As you walked up to the counter, still not a soul in sight, you began fiddling with the other toys around the check out stand. One thing in particular was this wooden popping rifle, which reminded you of your old military days. you pretended to fight off swarms of enemies, popping the gun every now and again, when some footsteps from behind caused you to swing your whole body around.

Including the toy gun.

"He-OW!"

As the victim of your swing covered their now injured face, you dropped the toy to tend to their wound

"OHMYGOD I am SO sorry!-"

"Nonono! It's ok I shouldn't have scared you-"

"No I shouldn't have been playing with that stupid toy-"

"I-it's fine, really! It's just my nose, no biggie!!"

As the male figure revealed his face, you had to take a second to realize who was standing in front of you.

It was a man, who wore clothing that almost seemed too big for him, maybe hand-me-downs? He had black curly hair, much too ruffled for it to even seem slightly professional-

And the exact face of your old friend.

Too stunned to speak, you stared at the man as he awkwardly cleaned himself up as best as possible, before giving you a smile, a bandaid now covering his nose

"See? All better! Just a wee little mark, ill get by!"

This man sounded nothing like the man you knew, but had, seemingly, the same exact face? What kind of shit day is this?

"N-names Steven by the way! Friends call me Steve. Or, well, more like my boss does. Everyone else just calls me ol' Steven!"

This man was also WAY too dorky to be him too

"Hey, a-are you ok? I didn't mean to scare you, honest!"

Shaking you out of your thoughts, you give a polite smile anyway.

"Nono, your ok!! You just...look so familiar? But it's probably just my bad memory gettin' to me."

"Oh!" Steven remarked, a sigh of relief escaping him. Had he really been anxious about upsetting you, even though YOU hit HIM in the face?

"I actually get that a lot. Many people say I got the strikin' resemblance to a celebrity or two! Mainly my mum, but I still get it every now and again!"

Looking down, the man's face lit up at seeing the little trinket you had in your hands.

"OH!! You're gettin' some Shen Ring earrings?? That's actually a very fascinating symbol! In many cases it was used as a symbol of protection, so it's very fitting to wear it on some jewelry!"

This caused you to raise an eyebrow

"You actually know about this kind of stuff?"

"W-well ya! I love Ancient Egypt. I actually originally applied to be a guide through the museum's Egyptian section, However they told me the only space open was in the gift shop."

"Sooo they thought you weren't qualified?"

"I'mean, I doubt it was because of that," he clarified, clearing his throat a little. "but I wouldn't give it up for the world though! Being close to what I love makes me so happy, and I love the people who come through here!"

Seeing someone gush about something the way he was was almost adorable. Most people you've met absolutely HATE their jobs, so seeing someone so invested was almost...refreshing? Even if it wasn't something you were passionate about, It made you happy seeing someone so invested.

Running his thumb over the earrings, he then snapped himself out of his own trance

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hold you up so long! Here, I'll check you out over here!"

Walking over to the counter, a familiar beep summoned the total onto the screen.

"You know, I'd actually be interested in learning about Egyptian facts."

This response from you made Steven's face beam

"Really?"

"I mean yeah. I've never met someone so invested about this stuff in person. Plus I want to go to Egypt one day-" a lie. "So maybe, you could...teach me?"

Growing a grin from ear to ear, he excitedly shook his head in agreement.

"Yeahyeah!! I-I would love that actually! I've never met someone ACTUALLY interested in learning about it, it would be such an honor!"

"Sweet! When are you usually here?"

"Oh, all the time!"

"You work...every day?"

"Oh-well-not really! I have one day usually, but it goes by so fast I can barely remember those days, so it feels like I'm here every day, haha!"

That was a really weird response, but you decide to push that worry to the side. Fuck, maybe he was just scared that his boss was around and didn't want to get fired for "gossiping" about his job.

"Well ok then! I'll come by tomorrow then. Oh, what kinda coffee do you like?"

The response took Steven back as he furiously shook his head

"Ohnono, you don't have to! I really don't need a coffee-"

"Nonsense! You're here all the time! There has to be something you like!"

He pondered the question hard.

"Well...I really enjoy a good chai latte?"

"Perfect, a Chai latte will greet you first thing tomorrow then!"

As soon as you said that, the group of kids you had walked in with began walking to the busses

"Oh shit. I gotta bounce. But hey! I'm free tomorrow, so I'll see you then!"

Steven nodded as you put the earrings in your pocket, waving you goodbye before he got startled from being yelled by his boss from the back room.

.

.

What made you think this was a good idea?! You DON'T like Egypt, why would you agree to that! This was stupid, YOU are stupid!

Deep down, you knew the reason why you even decided to interact with the man. But you felt...guilty? Did he look like your old crush? Yes. Did he bring back all those old memories you thought you buried in the depths of your brain? Also yes.

But he was 100% different, you were certain. He was timid, shy, but also would not stop talking about something he was passionate about. He was never like that, for as long as you knew him.

Walking back to your apartment, you clicked on the old vintage lamp in the corner of your room, sighing before flopping onto your couch. On the coffee table, a small picture lay upside down, the back reading:

Spector and(L/N). Circa 2010

Always together, never apart

Maybe in distance, but never in heart.

"Ugh, forgot to put that cheesy shit away..."

Shoving the old picture into the side table drawer, you turned on the tv and poured yourself a strong drink.

"Things have to change, and me along with it. I can't keep being stuck like this."

You glanced at the earrings you had placed down.

"...maybe this will be for the better?"

[onetoothpig]

[long post imminent]

You may not know this, but magical girls are in at Onetoothpig Studios. I mean, there's Sailor Moon Month, my #justmagicalgirlthings tag, and not to mention the endless art that I find on my dash...

Well, I've been mulling it over, and I've decided:

I'm starting my own magical girl (NON-RAISING) project!

But before I introduce you to yet another wave of OCs, I should probably give a little backstory...

So, when I was a wee lad, no bigger than a fire hydrant, I used to watch this show called Magical Do-Re-Mi (which you might know as Ojamajo Do-Re-Mi). Well, I didn't really watch it per se - I really only saw little snippets of it - but it was a huge and crucial step into my first forays into the world of writing, as the show and its influence bled into everything I wrote.

So, I was looking back at some of the stuff I wrote when I was 6 or 7 years old, and I thought to myself: what if I took these characters (as well as some more from the annals of my memory) and turn them into magical girls? Full-circle kinda thing, y'know?

Now it's OC time. Or at least it will be once you dive under the cut...

Naraline

Real name: Zinco Melana

Age: 15

Zinco is a cheerful and bubbly girl. Moving into a new neighborhood and a new school, Zinco aims to come out of her shell and make friends. After a rough day at school, she is attacked by a monster - and there she finds Ceres, a fairy, who gives Zinco a small orange gem, allowing her to transform into Naraline.

Dev Notes: Zinco is one of the characters who appeared frequently in my older works. She was inspired by Hazuki/Reanne (the orange girl) from Do-Re-Mi. In keeping with her earlier portrayals, I decided to give her a peppy personality. She's the main character now, though, instead of being a deuteragonist.

Nightshade

Real Name: Modeloo Fericon

Age: 15

From the outside, Modeloo seems like a tough-talking, no-nonsense tomboy. That prickly exterior belies a heart of gold, however, and she does her best to protect those who cannot protect themselves. She can be very headstrong, however, which often lands her in trouble. Good thing the rest of the team is there to keep her in check when she's on the prowl as Nightshade!

Dev Notes: Some of my stories actually had Modeloo as a villain, but in her absolute earliest appearances she was a regular, neutral-aligned character. For her modern appearance, I went with a "chaotic good" sort of thing, and took a little inspiration from Sailor Jupiter and other strong characters that protect innocent people. Her original Do-Re-Mi inspiration was Aiko/Mirabelle (the blue one).

Hielle

Real Name: Marita Evien

Age: 16

Silver-haired Marita is what you'd call an achiever. She's most always at the top of her class, and has many academic accolades under her belt. But behind all the good grades lies an overly pressured youth, sometimes overpushing herself to keep up her image. Fortunately, she has a friend group she can really be herself around, and her smarts, as well as her passion for ice skating, certainly give the team the upper hand as Hielle.

Dev Notes: Marita is the final character listed here that hails from my ancient literature. In her initial appearances, she was a baby for some reason, but she was aged up a tad later on. Knowing this, I decided to age her up again to a teenager. She (and the rest of the characters featured here) isn't based on or inspired by any existing characters.

Whispuff

Real Name: Daphne Starling

Age: 14

For as long as she could remember, there were things Daphne could just... sense. She could feel energies that most other people couldn't. While this scared her at first, it soon became a sign to her that she was destined for something great. That feeling was realized when a talking fish named Pasha came to her in a dream. Pasha explained that her mother, Alina, used to be a magical girl herself, and Daphne's ability was a premonition of her destiny. Ever the eager beaver, Daphne readily agreed to carry on her mother's legacy as Whispuff. She might be a little too idealistic sometimes, and hates it when things don't go as planned, but don't count her out - the power of dreams she wields is exceptionally potent!

Dev Notes: Okay, so you're probably wondering what the heck is up with the dream theming, right? Well, Daphne herself actually comes from a dream I had once. I pretty much saw one single image of her there, and she was in a purple Propeller Suit from New Super Mario Bros. Wii for some reason, so I didn't get much of what she looked like. Alina's pretty much the same story - I heard her name in a dream somewhere and just had to use it.

Ventanna

Real Name: Gail Knott

Age: 15

Gail always saw herself as pretty unremarkable. She wasn't good at much, and she wasn't bad at much, she was just... average. Even worse, she didn't really fit in with everyone else, so she tried not to draw any attention to herself. She still longed to talk to people, though, and so one day she summoned up her courage and struck up a conversation with Zinco. Having experienced similar social struggles, the two became fast friends, and Zinco introduced her to the rest, who readily accepted her. As Ventanna, she has the power to control wind, a power she still needs to try and control...

Dev Notes: Gail is pretty much a one-off character that I had knocking around in my head for all of a single night. Her original concept was that she caused powerful winds whenever she said her name, so I kinda adapted that into it being a power she is yet to tame.

And the last one:

Paraguava

Real Name: Jacqueline Beaufor

Age: 16

If there was one thing that Jacqueline loved more than anything else, it was taking out a bunch of parts and building something with them. As her rich father owned a technology firm, she fell in love with machines. She was, unfortunately, locked out of her passion due to her being taught to be "proper" from a young age. But when people try to control an outcome, fate can often fight back harder. Using all the knowledge she had stored up reading engineering textbooks and manuals in secret - along with the help of Gear, her newfound fairy companion - she was ready to put her passions to the battlefield as the umbrella-wielding Paraguava!

Dev Notes: Ah, Jacqueline. Jacqueline had a pretty raw deal, much like Gail. Pretty much her only character trait was that she had an umbrella, so I had some serious fleshing out to do - and some differentiating from Daphne because in my head they were pretty similar.

And... that's pretty much all of them! Now what do I call this project...

Ooh! Since they're from past memories, how about...

Mempa Magi

Yeah, it's a cheesy title, but it'll do for now.

And that's my newest batch of OCs and my brand-new magical girl project! I'll flesh it out and tell you more as I go along, but this should be satisfactory. Hope you all like it - this has been stirring in my brain for months on end!

And yes, I will be adding this to my pinned post, so look out for that.

mutual tag time. @klugpuuo @fluffernauto

[cosmic-navel-gazin]

I posted 2,452 times in 2022

That's 1,092 more posts than 2021!

130 posts created (5%)

2,322 posts reblogged (95%)

Blogs I reblogged the most:

@razielim

@sneez

@dongtopus

@adamwarlock

@hedjblogr

I tagged 2,417 of my posts in 2022

Only 1% of my posts had no tags

#queue - 611 posts

#movies - 448 posts

#art - 388 posts

#!!! - 273 posts

#videogames - 221 posts

#tv shows - 155 posts

#the young pope/the new pope - 115 posts

#cats - 109 posts

#paolo sorrentino - 105 posts

#razielim - 90 posts

Longest Tag: 139 characters

#'the fact that warlock's first encounter with thanos ended with thanos killing him sort of put a damper on their relationship. ' jgkfhkshgj

My Top Posts in 2022:

#5

In which the alien from John Carpenter’s The Thing (1982) is present during an autopsy and has an epiphany about the human brain, staring at it in utter revulsion.

So yeah Rich Evans from RLM was fucking right. The Things by Peter Watts retelling the film from the alien’s POV is amazing I’m halfway through and absolutely loving it, this might be my favourite passage so far.

58 notes - Posted June 20, 2022

#4

I found this old Adam inside the soul gem earlier today (I’m actually afraid to look at how old it is, I know it’s more than a year old). I have a painted version I was working on for a thing, but I kind of like it in this more sketchy form too so I thought I’d post it here seperately.

60 notes - Posted March 4, 2022

#3

See the full post

100 notes - Posted May 8, 2022

#2

See the full post

103 notes - Posted April 25, 2022

My #1 post of 2022

See the full post

318 notes - Posted June 5, 2022

Get your Tumblr 2022 Year in Review →

@razielim​ top 3 posts were art for your prompts aaaaaaahhhhhhhh ty gabe those wouldn’t exist if not for you!

[novumtimes]

Julia Fox Goes Back to Brunette Hair in Fresh-Faced Mirror Selfie Hollywood Life

Image Credit: Getty Images Julia Fox just debuted another hair look and this one might be her wildest yet. The actress, 34, recently ditched her platinum blond locks and went back to brunette, posting a photo of her makeover to Instagram Stories on Tuesday. In the mirror selfie, Fox showed off her newly dyed, dark brown hair, which was cut into layers and styled in soft waves. The Uncut Gems star chose a more comfortable look this time, ditching her usual flamboyant or revealing outfits in favor of an oversized graphic sweatshirt. Although she appeared fresh-faced, her hands were covered in multiple bandages, visible as she held her phone. In her three most recent social media posts, Julia is seen rocking a series of more inventive looks, each hairstyle different from the next. She’s honestly just giving range.  Fox is known for her other-worldly looks, having debuted bleached brows and silver hair earlier this year. And the brunette look is likely to turn the most heads for those familiar with Fox. She initially gave no explanation for the change, with the only detail being her tagging Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Instyle Magazine featured the photo on their Instagram with the caption, “looks like @juliafox got a new brunette hairdo and considering she’s in Canada and not home in NYC, we presume she’s… at work? ” Quick with an explanation for the ‘normie’ look, Julia replied to the post with, “I’m working lol.” It is unclear what project she is currently working on demanding the hair change but she has been working on Jordan Peele’s latest project, Him, starring Marlon Wayans. She recently mentioned that she quit a project with a “major A-list icon” over a “white man” director’s alleged racism during a conversation about diversity. “OK, so the craziest thing just happened to me … I’ve been attached to a project for five years. I’ve given creative contributions to it, emotional contributions to it, it was like my baby,” she began in a recent video posted to TikTok. “I even brought on a major, major A-list icon to play alongside me, and everything was going great until this white man director came in.” Fox refused to name the person she spoke about because she didn’t want “to blow this whole thing” up for other people who are attached to the project. Hopefully, what she’s working on now and who she’s working with aligns with her values, as she’s clearly someone who offers a lot to her craft and is willing to make sacrifices for her career, including her eccentric hair freedom. Source link via The Novum Times

[prehistoricmancunt]

If you’re wondering where I get my bluntness, today my dad and I got drinks w some of his colleagues and he was like “yeah we never really drank much til the last year or so. You know, my wife tended to have a bit of a problem drinking when she wasnt doing well emotionally so we tended not to keep alcohol in the house” they were like oh. Ok. and I’m trying to fall alseep but I’m just laughing at that bc we’re both like that and insane and no one knows what to make of those extremely out of pocket comments

[xxblackballoonxx]

Electric: Chapter 19

Modern John Shelby AU

This fic is being posted simultaneously on FanFiction.net and Ao3. Classy smut warning beginning with Chapter 5.

Thank you all for the birthday wishes! 🎉

Per a few requests, I'm starting a tag list. If you'd like to be included, please comment on a post.

And now, back to our favorite modern John Shelby.

Chapter 18 J&Gem Chats 16 Chapter 20

Electric Masterlist

Electric

Chapter 19: Game On

John sat in his office, copying over numbers from a ledger on his right to a clean ledger on his left. They’d been busier than the office could handle for months, and this often left him cleaning up other people’s mistakes. Which also often left him irritated.

“John?” A voice from the partly opened door came across the room.

“Come in, Lizzie.” John replied without looking up.

“John, this is Gemma O’Neill. The new assistant we’ve hired for you?” Lizzie spoke again, wary of John’s temper lately.

John looked up and dropped his pencil in surprise. Before him was a beautiful girl, eyes locking with his as he stood and adjusted his jacket. He felt suddenly and extremely interested in doing any kind of work with this new assistant. No matter how boring or tedious.

“Mr. Shelby, lovely to meet you.” Gemma said with a smile that spoke volumes to him.

“John, please. Nice to meet you as well, Ms. O’Neill. Welcome to the Shelby Company.” John replied, taking her hand in his.

It felt like electricity was running through his veins as their skin touched. He watched her search his eyes to confirm he’d felt it too, giving a small smile in return.

“Please, call me Gemma.”

Lizzie walked out the door, closing it softly, leaving the two standing in John’s office. Lizzie had caught enough of the interaction to know that she was no longer on the short list of who John Shelby may show interest in next. 

Weeks passed as Gemma and John worked together to catch up on the books and devise a cleaner system for taking bets. He found himself enamored with the way she laughed, the way she looked up at him when he stood behind her chair, her hand resting gently on his arm as they spoke. For the first time since Martha had passed, he felt something, anything, for another woman. 

The two sat alone in his office one night after a record day at the races. John ushered out the rest of the staff so they could count the take and not get distracted. Except the tension between them was running higher than ever and it seemed like every moment together was an opportunity to push things a little further. He’d wrapped his arm around her waist for a moment earlier, as she poured him tea, refreshing the lukewarm cup in front of him. The second his hand touched her body, she gave into him, leaning slightly further against his chest. From the look she gave him, he knew he was in.

“For Christ’s sake.” Gemma muttered as she dropped a stack of coins on the floor.

John watched as she knelt down and picked up the coins one by one. He stood and walked in front of her. Gemma looked up to find him standing over her, gray blue eyes flashing with something she didn’t quite understand, but the desire she was feeling only went higher.

“Make sure to recount those.” John said gruffly.

“I will, Mr. Shelby. I mean, John. I’ll make sure to recount them.” Gemma replied.

John caught the smallest of smirks on her face and bit back his own. There was a game going on now between them, she’d caught on. He held out his hand for hers and helped her up off the floor, watching as she placed the last of the fallen coins back on his desk. Gemma went to sit back down and he took her other hand, walking her gently back against the wall.

He could feel her chest falling and rising with every breath, picking up a little more each time. Her hands were warm and small in his, and the feeling of holding a woman’s hand again nearly made him keel over. He’d missed this. But was it right to take a chance again, so soon? And not to mention, with his assistant?

Gemma watched as his eyes flicked through a thousand thoughts, and she tightened her grip on his hands in response. She looked up at him directly, daring him without words to do something about what had been between them since the moment they met.

Before she could form another thought, John kissed her, holding her hands above her head. His lips trailed across her cheek and then down to her neck, as he released one of her hands to hold her firmly against him, arm around her waist. She lost track of time as he lost himself in her, the smell of her perfume, and spark that flickered with every touch of her skin to his.

John woke suddenly, sitting straight up in bed. His heart was pounding and he took a deep breath, running his hands through his hair.

“John?” Gemma mumbled, reaching out to touch his side.

“It’s alright, love. Go back to sleep, just a strange dream.” John replied quietly, putting his hand over hers.

Gemma lay still for a moment and then sat up behind him, sliding her other arm around his neck. He could feel her mouth against his shoulder blade, her fingers gently rubbing against his upper chest. 

“What was the dream?” Gemma asked.

“It was a different time period, early ’20s, maybe? And my family business was gambling. You came to work for me, that’s how we met. And you had an Irish accent.” John replied with a small smile, thinking about the kiss in the dream.

“That tracks. My grandparents did come over from Ireland as little kids around that time, different universe and I could’ve been born in Ireland myself.” Gemma replied.

“You looked fit as fuck in your little secretary outfit.” John commented, picking up her hand and kissing the back of it.

“Oh? And did you do something about it? Mr. Shelby?”

“I did, yeah. It was quite scandalous for the time, making out in my office.” 

Gemma laughed and John smiled again at the sound of her voice. Still, Gemma could feel that it wasn’t the full story. It was the tension in his shoulders and the way he held her hands to his body, needing her touch.

“It’s only just past six. Let’s go back to sleep, baby.” Gemma whispered in John’s ear.

He nodded and let Gemma pull him back into her, resting his head against her shoulder as she pulled the blankets up over them both. She turned into him, hand on his back, and he closed his eyes. Gemma waited for his breath to slow before falling back to sleep herself.

************************************************************************

“Carolyn, are you excited for this evening?” Gemma asked.

John, Gemma, and Anna had joined Finn and Carolyn for lunch at a small pub not far from the Gibson. Carolyn had come in the night before, and Finn, at Gemma and John’s subtle suggestion, had gotten Carolyn her own room. Not that either Gemma or John expected them to actually stay separately the entire weekend, but they were young and Carolyn was coming to a major family event. Some private space was a necessity.

“I am, yes. A bit nervous, too. Finn said it’s a big crowd tonight, plus the whole family there.” Carolyn replied, smiling as she watched Finn and John chat about something unrelated.

“Why don’t I get ready a little early and I’ll stop by your room for awhile before we head over to the Eden. Say around six?” 

“That would be great.” Carolyn said with relief.

“I can come by as well, too. Make it a little girl’s only party before the men take over?” Anna responded.

Carolyn laughed and nodded, shooting a grateful smile to Gemma. John, who had been half listening to the girls’ conversation, squeezed Gemma’s knee under the table. She ran her fingers over his in return, and couldn’t help but smile at the unspoken conversation of their own.

A few hours later, Gemma sat in her robe on the sofa in their suite, doing her makeup. John was pretending to flip through his phone, keeping himself busy, but his looks didn’t go unnoticed.

“J, I can feel you watching me.” Gemma said with a laugh.

“What can I say, I like to spend my time watching my pretty girlfriend. Is that a crime?” John replied with mock indignation. 

“No crime that I can see.” Gemma responded.

She finished her mascara and looked up to see John still watching her but also lost in thought. He was spinning the signet ring around on his finger, over and over. A sure sign that beyond the surface, something was bothering him. She set down her makeup bag and walked over to the chair he was sitting in, settling herself on his knee.

“What’s going on, John? I can see all the thoughts spinning around behind those blue eyes of yours.” Gemma said softly, putting a hand to his face.

“It’s nothing.” He responded.

“Did something else happen in that dream this morning? Besides us being naughty and making out in your ‘20s gangster office?” 

John gave a small smile at the suggestion and then shook his head, but he wouldn’t look back up.

“It’s ok to tell me, J.” 

Gemma gently pulled John’s head up, forcing him to look at her. It amazed him every time that Gemma could read what was going on with him, could see it in his eyes and feel it when she touched him.

After what seemed like an hour, John finally pulled back from Gemma. It felt like his body was on fire, the searing heat from their kiss was flowing through him. Gemma’s cheeks were flushed and her hand was still resting on his hip, fingers burning through his clothes.

“It’s, um, it’s getting late. Can I walk you home?” John finally got out, his voice hoarse.

Gemma smiled and nodded, gathering her coat from the rack, letting John hold it out so she could slip her arms into the sleeves. He pulled on his cap, angled to the side in a way that made Gemma’s heart leap, and shrugged his overcoat on over his suit. The way he looked down at her, with his coat collar standing and the shadows of his cap setting off his cheekbones, she’d never seen anything more beautiful. Beautiful and dangerous.

“Aren’t your children waiting for you?” Gemma asked as they locked up the shop.

She knew he had several children, four if she counted right from the whirling chaos they produced when they ran through the shop to his office. She’d heard whispers that his wife, his first love, had passed several years before, but he never spoke of her. Ever.

“I knew I’d be late tonight so I asked Ada to put them to bed. Normally I try to be home for that, or else they kick up a fuss. Little pack of wolves, they are.” John responded with a laugh.

Gemma could feel the warmth emanating from him as he spoke of his children, and it was contradictory in a way she never thought she would find intriguing. John Shelby was tough. He drank and swore and smoked like his life depended on it. Beat men on a weekly and sometimes daily basis. Yet, he knew his kids well enough to know that they needed him. The juxtaposition of his hardened exterior to the warm soul underneath wasn’t lost on her.

John offered her his arm, and Gemma slipped her arm through, her hand against his bicep as they walked through Small Heath to her flat. He told her a joke and she laughed, the sound cutting through the walls he’d built up after Martha had died.

Far too soon they found themselves at her door. John waited for her to unlock the door, and let out a breath as she hesitated to go in. It was what he had been waiting for.

“Do you, um, want to come in? I could make you some tea.” Gemma said, now nervous.

“Sure.” 

Gemma led John up the staircase to the small second floor flat she had been renting since her arrival in Birmingham.

“It’s small, but it’s my own.” Gemma commented as they walked into the small parlor.

“I like it.” John replied, and he really did.

John removed his overcoat and then reached for hers, carefully placing both on the small rack she had by the parlor door. There was something he needed to say, and there was never going to be the perfect time to say it. But it had to be said. He took her hand and watched her eyes as she watched him, waiting for him to speak.

“I’m sure you’ve heard, that my wife, Martha, died a few years back.” John said somberly.

“I have, and I’m very sorry for your loss, John. For you and your children.” Gemma replied, rubbing her thumb across his.

“Thank you. I wasn’t sure … you know … when I’d be ready for something else. If I’d be ready for someone else. The truth is, I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you since the moment I saw you standing in my office that first day.” 

Gemma smiled and sensed he had something else to add, waiting patiently for John to speak again.

“I want you in my life, Gemma. Every part of it. I want to wake up with you in my house, with my kids screaming bloody murder downstairs, and knowing that you and me are together. Forever.” John finally said quietly, admitting what he’d been fantasizing about for months.

“Are you sure your kids will even like me?” Gemma asked, her smile widening.

“They’ll love you. And not just because I love you.” John whispered, putting his hand against her cheek.

Gemma’s eyes widen with his admission and he smiled at the way her cheeks blushed. He could read every thought she had. 

“I love you, too.” Gemma finally replied with a grin.

John leaned down and picked her up, spinning in a circle as she shrieked and then laughed. He kissed her, holding the back of her head, fingers intertwining with her hair. Gemma leaned her head to the side as he put his mouth to her neck, bringing ideas to her mind she’d never had about any other man before.

“How about we skip the tea and you show me your bedroom?” John asked with a smirk.

“You are very naughty, Mr. Shelby. Very naughty, indeed.” Gemma replied and then pointed behind her. 

“In the dream … Martha was dead. We had four kids, I think, but she was dead. And you coming to work for me, it brought me back to life.” John finally said, his eyes mixing into a sad blue.

“You know, most times when there’s a death in dreams, it means something is ending and something else might be starting. Maybe this was your mind and your heart letting go of the past, in a way that you could process in your dream.” Gemma responded.

John nodded, it made sense to him. He had felt strange all day, knowing that Martha was alive in his world but Will was dead, and it was just the opposite in his dream. She was dead but their children were alive.

“Maybe, no matter the scenario, we never would’ve been together long term, her and I. She’s here and Will is gone, in my dream our kids were there and she wasn’t. But you’re in both worlds, and in both we end up together.” John replied, thinking out loud.

“I’m here and I’m not going anywhere, gorgeous. Dream me or real me.” Gemma stated firmly, kissing him.

John nodded and hugged her to him. He still felt uneasy from the dream but Gemma was right.  She was right there with him, in his arms, solid and real. 

Shortly after, Gemma sequestered herself in the bathroom to get dressed, and John sat on the edge of the bed, letting his mind wander. Now that the Eden’s opening was nearly complete, he wanted to get home to Small Heath and start working on music. 

“Hey, J.” Gemma said from the bathroom door as she opened it.

John looked over and his eyes widened, every part of his body suddenly alert. Gemma was standing in a similar lingerie set to the one she wore the weekend before, slip and dress in hand. She hung the dress off the top of the door and walked over to him slowly.

“Do you need some help, Gem?” John finally replied, reaching out for her.

“I just thought you’d like to see a taste of what’s for later. I saw this set last week as well, the color reminds me of your eyes.” Gemma responded, draping her slip over his shoulder.

“You really don’t have to get dressed. We could just stay here … alone … “ John murmured as he kissed her neck, her hair pinned up already.

“But that takes all the fun out of the game, Mr. Shelby. Don’t you want to have some fun?” Gemma asked, forcing herself to stay focused.

John chuckled into her skin and ran both of his hands down her body before pulling back. She took the slip from his shoulder and let it drop down over her head.  

“This way, you know exactly what I look like underneath this dress, like a secret. And later, you’ll get what you’ve been waiting for.” Gemma said nonchalantly, trailing her hand down his arm before turning back towards the bathroom.

Damn.

John waited until she was fully dressed and arranging her jewelry before moving from his spot on the edge of the bed. He was already struggling to contain himself with the thought of her wearing the same dress she had the weekend before, but now it was going to be near impossible.

“I have something for you, too.” John said casually, going to stand behind her at the mirror.

Gemma turned and immediately looked down with a raised eyebrow, fully expecting the slight bulge against his sweatpants that she saw. She looked back up him with such a devilish expression it took everything he had to not throw her onto the bed immediately.

“Not that. I mean, yes, later, but something else.” 

Gemma laughed as he fumbled through his words and then pulled a small box out of his pocket, handing it to her. She opened the box to find a dusty blue velvet one inside and she felt faint suddenly.

“It’s not that Gems, promise. Just a gift, from me to you.” John replied, suddenly realizing what the panicked look on her face meant.

Gemma took a deep breath and then opened the box to find an antique ring she had been looking at a few days earlier, in a jewelry shop they’d stopped into. 

“Oh my God. John, you didn’t! This is too much.” Gemma protested but couldn’t keep the smile from appearing on her face.

“It’s not too much, don’t worry about that. I saw how much you liked it in the shop and I went back yesterday, while you and Anna were at lunch.” 

John watched with a smile of his own as Gemma carefully pulled the ring out of the box and slid it onto her right ring finger. It was a perfect fit, which she already knew from trying it on in the store wistfully. She hadn’t noticed John standing behind her, watching her longingly put it back on the tray. Nor had she noticed John talking to another sales associate, asking them to hold the ring until he could come back.

“I love it, J. Thank you.” Gemma said before kissing John.

“You’re very welcome, my love.”

John wrapped her into a hug, and she relaxed into him. There was something about the way he held her that made her feel safe, wanted, loved, and desired, all at the same time. 

“You have to meet the girls soon.” John mumbled into her hair before letting her go.

Gemma took a final look in the mirror, watching how John looked at her reflection. It was going to be a great night, and she would make sure of it.

A half hour later, Gemma, Carolyn, and Anna sat in Carolyn’s hotel room, gawking over the ring.

“I still can’t believe he did that.” Gemma said in wonder.

“That’s the thing about Shelby men, romantic when you least expect them to be.” Amma commented as she took a closer look at the ring.

“Oh, John’s romantic all the time.” Gemma replied out loud wistfully, making the other two giggle.

A knock on the door interrupted their conversation and Carolyn went to answer it. She found a hotel butler, complete with a rolling cart.

“Compliments of Mr. John Shelby.” The butler said before Carolyn could say anything further.

She stood to the side as the man rolled the cart in and took a bottle of what appeared to be very expensive champagne from the bucket. He popped the cork and poured each of the girls a glass before gracefully exiting to the room. There were a variety of hors d’oeuvres on the cart as well, and Gemma grinned. 

“Well, I think John wins as most romantic.” She commented, as the other girls grabbed their glasses.

“You can only hope that Finn takes a lot cues from John in the love department.” Anna said to Carolyn who’s face went bright red.

Gemma and Anna cracked up at the expression on her face.

At exactly 7:30 that evening, Finn, John, and Arthur showed up at Carolyn’s hotel door. They found the three girls slightly tipsy and laughing about something they refused to tell “any Shelby man” about.

“You look beautiful, Care.” Finn said as his face flushed red.

“Thank you, Finn.” Carolyn replied with a confidence backed by a little champagne and a lot of girl talk.

“Anna, may I escort you to the fancy party at the Eden?” Arthur asked jokingly.

“You may, dear cousin, you may.” Anna replied in a haughty voice, taking his arm.

Gemma stood just inside the doorway, never losing eye contact with John, who leaned against the outer wall. He had his cap pulled low, to the side, the way she liked it, and his head tilted as he watched with her a wicked smile. Game on.

“Well, Ms. O’Neill, I see you’ve had a few glasses of champagne.” John commented as he reached out for her hand.

“Couldn’t turn down a bottle sent by THE Mr. John Shelby, now could I?” Gemma replied with a fake innocence, trying not to laugh.

“I suppose not.” 

John pulled the door closed behind Gemma and held her against it. Lust burned in his eyes as he looked down at her, his right hand on the door, the other holding her hand to her side. She reached out to touch his face and he had to fight to remain in control of himself. The champagne had flushed her cheeks and the look she gave him was pure seduction.

“You ready to play tonight, darlin’?” John murmured in her ear.

“Yes, Mr. Shelby.” Gemma replied, zero hesitation.

“Then let’s play.” John said, his voice low in the way that sent shivers through Gemma’s body.

“Lovebirds, let’s go!” Anna called from the elevator.

John grinned and took Gemma’s hand, twirling her around as they headed down the hall, her dress spinning up as she laughed. John pulled her back into his side, kissing the top of her head.

“You’re right.” Carolyn mused as she watched.

“Right about what?” Finn replied.

“Those two. They are epic.” 

Taglist:

@mariaenchanted

@lovemissyhoneybee

[221bshrlocked]

steal your heart (2)

Pairing: The Thief x Fem!Reader

Words: 3337

Warnings: None.

Chapter Summary: "You and I, Caballero, crave the unknown too much to leave it anonymous."

A/N: Fuck, the smut was meant to come into this chapter but I couldn't resist putting some more banter before we get to it. I promised tension, sexual and non-sexual, and I will deliver goddamnit. Please let me know how I'm doing in the comments. Also, tell me if you want to be tagged in the comments of this post. And here is the link for the other taglists.

Read Part 1 Here

He almost breaks the wine glass when he sees you parting with the flower as if you didn’t care for it, and the irritation rising in his chest is a surprise because the last thing he expected or wished to deal with was someone as complex and hard to mold as you. He had accounted for every minute of this evening, every little corner he would have to make his presence known in and every smile and little lie he would smoothly breathe out to put those who wished to speak with him at ease. There was nothing he wouldn’t do to hold that Crown, the Crown, by the end of the night. But as always, his need for a more complicated mission, and that extra bit of an adrenaline rush, arose as soon as he saw the stunning diamond necklace wrapped so elegantly around your pretty little neck. One look at you walking so fluidly through the pompous and overbearing guests with those jewels hanging against your skin like the morning dew on flowers derailed his plan to take his original desired object. He tried to convince himself that he was only after you for the precious gems across your neck but the last fifteen minutes were difficult to ignore, and frankly, proved otherwise. You weren’t like any other person he’s ever met, a mixture of everything he could ever want in a companion and somehow so much more. Oh so much more. And then you answered his candid question with shamelessness and honesty, and he knew there was more to this encounter than he could have ever hoped for.

One look at the man next to him and he is reminded to wear the neutral yet charming mask again and he excuses himself before he heads into the ballroom once more. You are nowhere to be found and he feels the consequences of his mistakes deepen further when he finally spots you chatting with another elderly couple and their dashing son (perhaps grandson). God, he was truly pathetic. Knowing that he couldn’t interrupt your conversation, he turns back and heads towards the bar to get a stronger drink. When he takes his poison, he doesn’t bother to socialize with anyone else, opting to stand in a darkened corner near a beautiful portrait of yourself. At least he could feign distraction and interest here, and avoid unnecessary attraction. He can see you from where he’s standing and by the looks of your smiles and forced laughs, he knows you aren’t enjoying whatever it is you’re discussing in the very least.

God, he had to let his impatience take over didn’t he? If only he would have kept his mouth shut and didn’t overstep any lines, he could have been three fingers deep into your weeping and tight cunt, enjoying the ecstasy that would have surely been etched over your features. The thought makes him twitch in his pants and he smiles to himself when he remembers the way you eyed his gloves and licked your lips at how tightly the leather looked enclosing his fingers. He would part with all of the treasures he’s stolen just to taste you on his tongue, to be able to lick his lips and savor your sweet wetness before shoving his fingers into you again to bring out more of your nectar. He can’t help but steal a glance from you every once in a while and he clenches his jaw when he sees how handsy some of the younger gentlemen become when you grace them with that beautiful smile of yours. He sips from the whiskey and thinks back to what you said earlier, how you would willingly relinquish control if the right person came around and demanded it from you. But the more he recalls what you said, the more he focuses on the unspoken words in between your little confession. There was more to this than you had let on, and from the way you responded to his untruthful and quite rude statement, he had the sense that he would need to prove himself to you before he would be allowed to touch you.

He returns his attention to the portrait and admires the subtle imperfections scattered across the canvas. He appreciates the small differences, but admires the hints of assertiveness and femininity even more, a true likeness of your personality. After a while, he finds himself wishing he could touch the paint of the cloth. Maybe then his longing heart would calm down and focus on how to win your trust. When he meets your eyes again, he feels absolute terror rush through his veins because there was nothing, truly nothing, in this world that he wouldn’t do to have you in his arms. The thought of easily ignoring every rule in his book begins to be more irritating than terrifying as soon as he takes his eyes off of the image and sees you speaking to one of the couples he managed to befriend earlier in the night. The annoyance only increases when he sees the Contessa leave your company and begin to walk through the crowds in search of someone. He pretends he does not meet her eyes when he notices recognition in her eyes as soon as she places him, turning around to the portrait once more for some peace of mind one last second before he is bombarded with her enthusiasm yet again.

“Marquis, if you do not mind, I would like you to come with me. I want to introduce you to someone, the hostess of this party.” The woman says energetically and he has to ignore the twinkle in her eyes when he meets them and smiles.

“Contessa, it would be my pleasure. I would hate to waste your time though.” He responds calmly as he takes her arm and glides through the crowd with ease, ignoring the way the guests take notice of whom he is ushering through. He smirks to himself when it occurs to him how beneficial her company may be later on.

“Nonsense, I have finally managed to get a moment with her and I am determined to introduce the two of you.” He inhales deeply when he sees you standing not ten feet away from him chatting with the Conte, and he prays that whatever reaction you may have to his presence does not ruin his future chances.

“Ah there you are amore, I was wondering where you have gone off to.” You turn around at the words of the Conte and will yourself to remain emotionless as you meet a familiar pair of brown orbs. Now that you could see him better, you marvel at how dark and capturing his gaze is, and you can’t stop yourself from admiring his physique up close when he steps near you.

“I was looking everywhere for him, only to find him admiring none other than the lovely portrait you have gifted our little bellarosa.” Your old friend takes your hand and clasps it tightly before she switches her attention to her, as naive, husband.

“Such a romantic, you would get along so well with our little girl.” Dario admits as he wraps an arm around your waist and leans over to kiss your cheek. You raise an eyebrow at the statement and smile at the way the man stares at you, almost as if he was waiting for you to admit his rudeness to your friends.

“Oh would we now?” You lick your lower lip and feign ignorance when your mystery man begins to speak.

“Contessa, I am afraid the lady and I have met earlier in the night under less than pleasant circumstances so-” He tries to explain why his presence might not be wanted and you narrow your eyes at how modest he’s suddenly being. You try to eclipse your skepticism and he catches onto it almost immediately, making you wish you weren’t the center of his attention.

“So we shall remedy that now. Sweetheart, allow me to introduce to you Don Melchor Concha y Toro, the Marquis of Casa Concha by the Spanish Crown.”

You’re not sure who notices the change in your demeanor first, him or you, and you almost break your silence and ask her to repeat her words again but hold yourself back when you realize that he noticed the way your eyebrows furrowed at his name. Silence falls over the conversation and you pinch your thigh to snap yourself out of your haze before you try to think of something to say. An unspoken agreement passes between the two of you and you grin once more as he reluctantly steps forward and takes your hand into his. He bows down and kisses your knuckles, whispering something beneath his breath before he stands straight and meets your eyes again.

“A proper Spanish greeting? I have not been at the receiving end of such a courteous welcome in ages.” You distract the awkwardness of the group and step away from him, already thinking of how you should handle this situation. You notice his attention descend down to your neck for a brief moment and you finally register why he has come tonight to your dinner.

“See, I told you her heart is forgiving.” Dario points out and you push down the hints of disappointment before you reply to him.

“Not so fast Dario, I do believe one must offer an apology in order to be forgiven, no?” You turn between him and his wife, purposely avoiding the stranger so you wouldn’t fall deeper for his charms. Now that you knew what he was, or perhaps, wasn’t, and why he was here, there was no chance in hell you would give him the upper hand again, especially not after what happened earlier in the night. You were worth more than a quick fuck, and you needed to let him know that.

“And in what way do you wish to receive this apology señorita?” His voice sends shivers down your spine and you curse yourself silently at how easily affected you are by him. When you do finally look straight ahead, you chose not to meet his brown eyes but focus elsewhere, not wanting to let him see how vulnerable you were beginning to feel in his presence.

“Hmm, normally a simple ‘I’m sorry’ will do, but with you Don, I think I am in need of a more thoughtful gesture, a gift perhaps.” You stress the title, knowing very well that it would piss him off. You were getting dangerously close to revealing his not-so-little secret but he knew well you wouldn’t do it. He clenches his jaw tightly at how amusing you find this situation to be and clears his throat before he returns your smile.

“Come on bellarosa, he was only-” Dario begins but is interrupted by a stern yet playful response from your guest.

“No no, the lady is right Conte, a gift is most appropriate. Whatever you ask mariposa, I will grant it to you in a heartbeat.” He responds with assertiveness and you notice the way his gloved fingers tightly rub the glass in his hand. Oh, this was getting to him.

“I will not ask for much, just a bottle of red wine will do.” Your answer throws him off guard and he turns to the Conte and Contessa to ensure he didn’t mishear your request.

“Is that all?” You want to giggle at the question, knowing that your next words might get a rise out of him.

“Well, not just any bottle of wine.”

“Name your poison señorita.” He takes a sip from his whiskey and tilts his head, winking at you with a challenge set in his eyes. You can tell he’s trying to remain passive and choose to turn your focus away from him to purposely prove to him that you were very much in charge of what’s to come.

“You see, when I was at university, I never spent any of the money my loving grandparents sent me. It didn’t feel right to spend money on anything extravagant so I tended to buy cheap things, including wine.” You talk at Dario and giggle when he winces at your mention of cheap wine. God, they truly couldn’t care for simpler things.

“Where are you going with this dear?” Betina asks and drags your attention away from her husband and the Marquis.

“I have been feeling so nostalgic for those years, Betina, I truly have been. I miss being so carefree and unknown...capable of doing whatever I want without the constant judgemental looks, including drinking wine that only cost a grand total of fifteen dollars.” He can’t help but admire that way you speak of this other, simpler, life you’ve held, and he feels validated in thinking that there was much more to you than meets the eye. You were the granddaughter of a Duke and to know that you held high regard for more plain things made him admire you all the more. He is momentarily distracted by our speech to the point that when he hears your next words, his heart ceases to beat and he barely holds onto the glass in his hand.

“So, all I ask of Don Melchor, is a bottle of Casillero del Diablo.” You watch as he recognizes the brand almost immediately and you feel only a moment’s guilt when his eyes widen in horror at how straightforward you were being. He had guessed that you knew he was lying but he was taken aback at the mention of the wine because it seemed that you knew more than you let on.

“I have never heard of that brand bellarosa.” Betina breaks the silence and looks towards her husband quizzically.

“I wouldn’t expect you, either of you, to have heard of it. But I do believe Don Melchor is familiar with it.” It’s the twisting of the knife, and he drinks from his whiskey quickly to relax his nerves so he doesn’t drag you across the crowd and-

Actually, at this point, he didn’t know whether he wanted to choke the life out of you or fuck you until you couldn’t breathe.

“Now who’s being insulting?” Dario scolds you as he taps on your shoulder to warn you of your remarks but you shake your head and feign innocence when you respond.

“Believe me, it is not my intention to dishonor this gentleman. I only say this because I think he is like me.” You hope your words calm him a bit and when he calls you that familiar nickname from earlier, you giggle to let him know you wouldn’t reveal anything...just yet at least.

“In what way mariposa?”

“You like to try things before you judge them, perhaps enjoy them more so when they are not what they seem to be. But even more, you cannot control yourself around the forbidden, because nothing in this world is worse than being near something you know tastes absolutely sinful and is not too out of reach, yet you look away from it and pretend it was never to your liking. You and I, Caballero, crave the unknown too much to leave it anonymous.” You take a step towards him and silently ask him for the glass in his hand. He hands it to you with ease and watches as you turn the rim around until your lips enclose around the same spot he was drinking from. He can’t take his eyes off of your neck as you finish his drink and for a moment, he wants nothing more than to pull you into his arms and taste the alcohol as it kisses your lips.

“For God’s sake bellarosa, what are you going on about?”

“Nothing too important Dario, nothing worth the Don’s time anyway. If you’ll excuse me, I think it’s time I retire to my chambers. I’ve had a lot to drink tonight.” You dismiss them quicker than you intend and raise the glass in your hand to follow with your excuse.

“Do you wish for us to close the evening my dear?” Betina asks and you shake your head as you continue to stare at the “Marquis.”

“Nonsense, the people came for a night in the Château de Chenonceau and they shall have it. It’s not often my grandparents hold such an event and I think it goes beyond my presence.” He doesn’t bother to hide the way he stares at your lips and he bites down onto his own lower lip when he sees you licking the rest of the whiskey into your mouth.

“We’ll call on you when you’re back home, love.” They both hug you before they turn to chat with another older couple, leaving you with your stranger in a bubble of silent haze.

“Thank you and enjoy the rest of your evening.” You mouth back at them long after they have left, not caring to see if they heard you or not. Like him, you can’t take your eyes off of his handsome features and you raise an eyebrow when he takes a step towards you and grabs the glass away from your hands. You face falls when you realize he probably just wants to make sure you don’t have the imprint of his mouth on the rim of the glass and you don’t bother to get excited when he leans in and whispers into your ears.

You wait until he pulls away and meets your gaze again before you speak. As much as it pains you to accept that he was never here for you, you still feel disappointed at knowing that there was never truly a chance with him. He was just here for your grandparents’ treasures, not you.

“Eres más atrevido de lo que pensaba.”

You are more daring than I thought.

“I am not sure as to what you are referring to sir. Please do help yourself to anything in the castle, it’s worth nothing...including me from the looks of it.” His face falls at your declaration and he realizes too late that you probably understood his intentions too much.

For the second time that night, he is forced to watch you walk away from him. His chest is filled with anger and hurt, and he schools his features when he sees you slip past the pair of guards and out into the darkened and private hallways. He stands in his place for a few moments and keeps his eyes on the closed doors as he attempts to refocus his mind. The shock of being found out has yet to settle in and from the looks of it, you weren’t going to do anything about his presence. You more or less told him he can steal anything, as if you didn’t care for whatever was housed in this magnificent castle. Not knowing what else to do, he quickly slides his leather around the rim of the whiskey glass to clear his print before he puts it on an empty tray and heads out of a different set of doors to avoid suspicion.

“Cariño I-” Before he can finish his sentence, perhaps ask to speak with you privately or try to briefly explain his fairly new objective, you are bowing your head and interrupting him.

“Buenas noches Caballero, it was an honor to meet you.” You almost gasp at the petname and the way his eyebrows furrow in sadness, but hold your ground and excuse yourself, knowing that if you gave him a chance to say anything, you would be fooled by his whispers and allow him to use you as if you were worth nothing.

As he roams the hallways he’s memorized months ago, a thought crosses his mind, one that makes him wish he never came here.

He was given permission, by you, to take whatever he wanted. But, in that moment, he only wanted one thing, the one thing he couldn’t have.

You.

Taglist of people who showed interest in this story.

@ayoungpascallover-readings @miraclesabound @just-here-for-the-moment @beautyagegoodnesssize @kesskirata @prettylilhalforc @eri16 @mrs-ghuleh @for-my-satisfaction @gracie7209 @shadowolf993 @brandyllyn @amoonagedaydreamer @unhinged-summer-fun @elegantduckturtle @nuvoleincielo @clydesducktape @terecord @verdandis-blog @sizzlingcloudmentality @datenshi666 @punkerthanpascal @outlawedmando @mando-amando @mandosmistress @hopeamarsu @mamacitapascal

[dimonds456]

*sees your tags about being salty about suf spinel*

YOU CAN'T JUST SAY THAT AND NOT SHARE YOUR SALT /LH

Okay, but I'm warning you, you asked for it.

LONG POST WARNING.

LIKE A REALLY, REALLY LONG POST WARNING.

Dimonds456 Presents: How They Did My Baby Dirty: An SUTM and SUF Analysis on Steven and Spinel (Told by a Progressively More and More Angry Narrator)

THE CONTEXT: There was a post talking about how you think a character will fix everything, but then they wind up making it works. My tags were "#*looks at suf spinel* #I am still salty about that like the bitch I am fghdjskgfa"

Grab some water, guys.

Let's start by talking about Steven for a moment. In the original show, when we were following him as a 12-14-year-old, we watched as he built up trauma and then learned how to hide it expertly well, to the point that most of the audience didn't even realize he was struggling.

You can actually pinpoint the seconds he makes those decisions, too. The best example is in "The Test," when he's storming up to the gems. He's pissed. His fists are clenched, he's got that anime eye shadow overlay on his face, he's frowning, all that. the Crystal Gems are clapping for him and lying to his face, and he KNOWS they are because he overheard them talking about how it was "impossible for him to fail" that test (- Garnet).

And yet... he also overheard them saying that they're just trying their best. They don't know what he needs. They never really have. No one is sure. So, Steven realizes that by picking a fight, he would just be making it worse for them because they would know they messed up, and nothing gets solved, and everyone gets more depressed and Amethyst and Pearl go back to fighting each other and- well, you get the picture. He doesn't have a full understanding of what's going on, so his kid brain went "so I can either be angry at them and cause problems, or I can tell them I did a good job to make them happy."

"I can lie to make them happy."

He storms down there angry, still mulling this decision over. He drops to the floor, frowning and pissed, and says "I can't believe you guys." He is so close to yelling at them, and yet, when he looks up at them...

"That was so... INSANE!"

You never would have been able to tell. It was right there. That moment. And then he never stops. For the ENTIRE REST of the series, he NEVER STOPS. He puts the Crystal Gems above himself every time. Think Rose's Scabbard, The Message, The Return/Jailbreak. The Cluster. Peridot. Dealing with Jasper. The zoo arc (ESPECIALLY the zoo arc). Aquamarine. Then pretty much the entirety of Season 5.

(NOTE: I went back and rewatched that scene for the screenshot. There is a blink-and-you'll-miss-it lip tremble in there too! D,: )

He lives for the people around him, and not for himself. Almost never for himself.

Put a pin in that.

Now, let's look at his maturity. People thought that was just him being mature, right? That he grew up. No. That was not it at all. He was learning from his own behaviors as well as the people around him, and building up this idea that he had to "fight to be everything that everyone wants [him] to be when [he's] grown" (- Steven, the extended intro).

Yes, he matured, but not because of that. He started making various decisions to benefit the group that oftentimes he wasn't fully comfortable with, but something he believed would be better for everyone.

Put a pin in that.

Then, later in Future, we see it all manifest. He is selfless to a fault, to the point that he can't think of himself in a positive light in the sense that he's good. We see it a couple of times, but especially in "Prickly Pair," when he vents to Cactus Steven about everything that happened. He feels useless, which is taking a toll on his mental health.

"Why do I need to be needed?" He needs to be needed because that's everything he was as a kid. His entire IDENTITY rests on his ability to help other people, no matter what happens to him. He literally sacrificed himself for them countless times (the big one of course being the Aquamarine incident), and now as a teenager, his whole sense of self is wrapped up in this need to get up and do something to make the world better.

And when he can't make the world better, his world falls apart.

Put a pin in that.

Now, let's talk about Spinel, the moment we've all been waiting for.

Spinel, as a gem, was made specifically to be a friend. That is her niche, and her purpose. Her reason for existing. At first, she and Pink Diamond got along very well, as shown in the flashbacks right before Drift Away plays (I headcanon she has illusion powers and was literally projecting her trauma, but that's a completely different post).

She and Pink vibed together for who knows how long, until one day, Pink started to not like being around Spinel anymore, finding her annoying and childish. We don't know what really caused the switch, just that it did happen (but of course, I have headcanons for that, too). Spinel never realized until it was FAR too late.

Steven actually describes his younger self as annoying at one point during the Diamond Days arc, when he decides to throw the ball, so I'm legally allowed to make this comparison.

Steven and Spinel were the SAME. They were both young and dumb, and something that at least a few people found annoying. People put up with their BS though, since they cared about them. But, while Steven realized this and matured because of it (or bottled up his emotions, to each their own), Spinel never did. She never matured. She was never given a chance.

In the movie, we saw her as a child, and watched as she played with Pink and never tried to be or do anything else, to the point that Pink Diamond thought to realize she might be struggling (and maybe Spinel didn't, either!).

She lives for the people around him, and not for herself. Almost never for herself.

And when she can't be friends with this one person, her world falls apart.

Sound familiar? It should. I literally pulled from things I said earlier lol.

Spinel and Steven are mirror reflections of each other. Reset!Spinel is 14-year-old Steven, completely devoting her entire self to one idea. Steven's was helping others no matter what, Spinel's was serving Pink no matter what. Spinel is like a combination of 14 and 12-year-old Steven in this sense, honestly. Goofy, without a care in the world, except one thing: the people around her. She would do anything for Pink, just as Steven would do anything for his family.

Now, Pink Diamond left Spinel. We all know this story. She left Spins there in the garden for 6,000 years because she grew more mature and started a rebellion, effectively forgetting about this one gem she kinda stopped caring about standing there.

Personally, I don't think Pink had any malicious or even intentional intent in that, but this ain't about her. This is about how Spinel continued to sacrifice herself for Pink, even when Pink didn't need her to anymore. She wanted to please Pink 24/7, all day every day, to the point she self-sacrificed and stood perfectly still for her for millenia.

Now, back to Steven. The gems don't need him anymore in Future, right? They've all grown up and matured and headed off towards their own futures, effectively stranding him alone in terms of self-identity and self-worth. But he stays there, ready to assist at the drop of a hat, or- in Future's case- the call of a phone.

Episode 6 anyone? The one everyone says shouldn't be in Future? That it should have been cut to allow more focus on Steven himself? The fusion episode? YEAH. THAT. He is running himself RAGGED to try and help others, to give himself a purpose. He is self-sacrificing. (He's a professional, don't worry. /j)

Steven metaphorically planted his feet down and decided that he was going to devote himself to the people around him.

Spinel's feet were literally tied down soon after she made that very same decision.

Okay, enough with the backstory. Time for the salt.

In Future, Steven is at his lowest low. He is running to the Diamonds for help, to see if there is SOMETHING they can do to help him. And we first see Spinel.

Spinel has been through the ringer on a lot of the same mental problems Steven himself is facing. She self-isolated, watched as everyone grew up and left her, and then began to lash out because of it. She understands what he's going through. We even see her concerned as Steven starts to tell her why he's there.

Spinel takes him from Diamond to Diamond, until he's running out of White's room in a blind panic. Spinel is able to catch up with him, and Steven realizes the same. SHE GETS IT. He turns around and says "Hey, you used to have vengeful thoughts!"

Spinel replies "Ohhhhh yeah, but I don't have 'em anymore."

"How did you make them stop?"

She then goes on to sing Change to him, effectively cutting that conversation short.

On paper, that sounds very in-character for her. She's goofy! And that is what worked for her! But the problem is that they had to dumb her down in order to make that character decision work. In the movie, she was shown to be observant and able to put two and two together, even if she often jumps to conclusions (see her being the one to figure out that the gems needed to remember their "pieces," as she remembers the Garden, her re-realizing what Pink did, and her meltdown later when she reactivates the injector).

Spinel is smart. It should have been in character for her to realize that Steven was panicking just as she had been, and needed to be talked to gently. But no. Instead, she starts belting out Change, which given Steven's situation, would not work for him.

At the very least, she would have started doing little tricks or started trying to get him to join a game, which would have taken his mind off of it (to her anyways, that wouldn't have worked either), which then could have prompted further discussion.

Then, once they finally start talking, Spinel could have been able to share some legitimate advise. She was hurt and lashed out. What worked for her was opening up to others and letting them in, learning to trust again (which Steven also has problems with- he can't trust that the Gems won't break down the second he turns his back. Trust does NOT equal love, there is no doubt he loves them to no end), and allowing other people in.

That is what Steven needed, too. He needed to let his guard down and just talk to someone. Sure, Spinel was not going to be a fix-all, but she could have at least offered some insight on what to do.

She UNDERSTANDS him. They are a reflection of each other.

But instead of offering help, Spinel made it worse. She was dumbed down to allow the rest of Future to happen, to make Steven feel even worse. Because- and here's the kicker- because the one person who MIGHT understand him doesn't, that means there's no hope for him.

At least, that's how he sees it. And so, the denial- and "Everything's Fine"- begins.

Here's the thing, though; they DIDN'T NEED to make that decision. If the Crew wanted to have Spinel not understand Steven, then draw the line of her being a Gem from Era 1, used to the Diamonds shattering people.

Steven has killed Jasper and revived her at this point, so maybe Spinel offers that at least he's trying to get better, just like the other Diamonds! See, they're doing so great now! And then that makes him feel worse since he IS trying to do better, but is only failing, while the Diamonds- who were MADE to be nasty dictators- are doing better than him.

The Diamonds shattered a lot of people, and they're doing better than Steven, who has only shattered one person, and not even on purpose. How horrible is that?

Then boom. THERE'S your angst, with a much smarter, more helpful Spinel.

Look, I knew going in that Spinel wasn't going to be able to help. The finale had to happen somehow, and we hadn't seen Wormy Boi yet. I have always been a storng believer of the corrupted Steven theory, so I knew it was bound to happen. But I was hoping that Spinel would at least try. But she really didn't. She just brushed him off, offering really loose advise that didn't even fit his situation and thinking that would be enough.

No. It's not.

I can see where the Crew was coming from. I still love that episode, and I love seeing Spins in it (until that exact moment). This is probably the only thing in SU that genuinely gets me mad. Or, well, maybe not mad, but definitely annoyed and- you guessed it- salty.

I have an unfinished fic where I kinda delve into Spinel's head for that episode called "A New Start". If you really want my thoughts on where Spinel's head was at, there's a bit in there that really explains it. In the fic, Steven decides to rejuvenate himself and brings Spinel along with him, and that's all the context you need for this.

I cannot explain that moment in the climax of the episode, though. Maybe she thought it would make him feel better, or that maybe he really did just need to open his eyes and see the error of his ways (which doesn't make sense, he KNOWS what he did). Maybe she thought that being silly would help somehow.

But you'd think she'd learn from her time with Pink as she grew more annoyed with her, but apparently not. Or maybe she would realize for a second that being loud and annoying was bad. Or maybe she doesn't learn.

Either way, it- and she- was dumb. And they did my baby dirty.

*drops mic and walks away*

[malleux]

☆ Day 1 - Prince Zhongli ☆

-> zhongli x fem!reader | royalty!au

-> fluff, conflict

-> warnings: mild cursing, fighting and blood, talk of human selling

-> “pick a prince” masterlist

a/n: day one! how’s everyone feeling about mr. zhongli? personally, i’m rather intrigued 👀 i hope you enjoy! sorry this is posted a little late at night, i didn’t realize how busy this week would be when i scheduled my event!

The library was somewhat of a safe space for you. It was where you ran when the burden of an entire country rested heavily upon your shoulders, giving you an outlet to simply live.

After the slightly traumatizing dinner your father had hosted with your seven suitors, you ran to the library. You knew your mother, who was also rather uneasy about the entire arrangement, was there and that provided yet another layer of comfort that you so desperately needed.

Your mother read stories to you that night- uplifting tales that did at least a little bit to lighten the mood you were in. She read book after book, not once stumbling over her words despite your tears staining the paper and making the words smear across. It was as if your mother had read these books to herself numerous times before, trying to comfort her own mind when she was put through a situation similar to your own.

She didn’t put down her books until you had cried yourself to sleep. Then, your mother gently laid you against the plush velvet of the couch, draped a light blanket over your form, and kissed your forehead, bidding you goodnight and wishing for a better tomorrow.

☆ ☆ ☆

“Um, excuse me?”

You scrunched up your nose and huffed, pulling your blanket closer.

“Princess? It’s well past morning. You may need to get up.”

Who the hell was talking to you?

Albeit reluctantly, you yawned and opened your eyes, sitting up to stretch. Suddenly, you were looking into a pair of amber eyes. They seemed to glow in the dim light of the library, looking at you with slight concern.

“Wh- who’s there?” You mumbled, scooting back on your seat to shy away from the man’s gaze.

“It’s- it’s Zhongli. Just Zhongli. We didn’t see you at breakfast, your father is a little upset.”

“Shit- I missed breakfast?” You were wide awake in an instant.

“Such language is rather unbecoming of a princess, don’t you think?” Zhongli’s smirk gave away his playful comment, and you couldn’t help but laugh a little as well. “Anyways, as far as your father is concerned, I saw you earlier this morning. You weren’t looking too well so I sent you to take a long bath to relax. After breakfast, you showed me the library, which leads us here.”

You sighed in relief, thankful that Zhongli had practically saved your ass from a long lecture. He outstretched his hand and you took it, allowing him to help you stand up fully.

“Why don’t we take a walk through the market? You can tell me more about yourself and spend some time away from the stressful castle life.” Zhongli offers.

“Gods, yes, please.” You agreed, and allowed the polite prince to whisk you out of the castle.

The market was bustling at this time of day. It was early enough for the sun to warm the faces of your citizens, but cool enough to not scorch those who may venture away from the shaded roofs of the market stalls. You held tightly onto Zhongli’s arm as he browsed the goods your kingdom had to offer.

“This is a beautiful necklace, Princess.” He held up a dainty neck piece, the emblem of your kingdom hanging delicately off of a small golden chain.

“Buy it then.” You mused. Zhongli had been window shopping for a while now, and yet you hadn’t seen him buy a single thing he claimed to like.

“Unfortunately, that’s not possible.”

“Uh, why?” You quirked an eyebrow. With how Zhongli acted and dressed, you were sure he’d be able to afford everything in the market twice.

“I, um, seem to lack the funds.”

Maybe not.

“Aren’t you a prince? Shouldn’t you have money?”

“I suppose- anyhow, look at the gems over in this stall. Do you believe they’re real, or are your citizens being scammed by a merchant?”

He was avoiding the question.

You didn’t understand. If he was a prince, then his financial situation should be rather promising, right? What was there to hide? Unless, he wasn’t actually a prince?

No, you shook your head. Your father wouldn’t have invited him to the castle if his background was even slightly sketchy.

Where did he go?

Zhongli had disappeared from the gem stall he was at previously. You looked around the area, trying to scout him out. He should have been easy to find, standing out amongst the rather bland clothes of your citizens, but you saw nothing.

You began getting a little worried. You were dressed down, wearing a cloak and a hood that shadowed your face from most people’s views, but you were still a beautiful young woman. Even your lovely kingdom wasn’t a stranger to crimes.

Pushing forward, you started to make your way through the crowd. You considered just going back to the castle, but Zhongli didn’t know his way back. You had to find him. The only way he could’ve gone without you noticing was forward. Your forcefulness while moving through the market streets didn’t go unnoticed as people began giving you glares, whispering harsh comments as you shoved past. You couldn’t care less, you were on a mission to find Zhongli and go home-

“Shit!”

You cursed as arm shot out and grabbed your bicep, yanking you between two stalls and into a narrow alleyway. Even more hands grabbed at your clothes and mouth, trying to keep you from yelling out.

“You look like you’ve got it real good.” A harsh voice spoke against your ear. You shuddered. A cold object rubbed against your cheek and you felt a contrasting warmth trickle down to your chin. Whether it was blood or the tears you were trying to hold back, you couldn’t tell.

“What’s in that nice little sachel you’ve got there?” Another hand grabbed at the bag around your torso. “I bet you’d be just fine without it.”

He pulled it off of you and threw it to the ground, letting a third man rummage through it. You stayed quiet, afraid to let out even a whimper as the first man pulled the hood of your cloak back. You heard his breath hitch a little bit.

“Now this is a sight.” You could hear the smirk in his words. “The little princess, all alone, with no knight in shining armor to help her. Forget the bag, she’ll go for a pretty penny worth way more than anything in that shitty old thing. C’mon, Princess, let’s get movin’.”

“You’ll have to get through me, first.”

Tears of relief fell from your eyes now at the sight of the very man who had inadvertently gotten you into this situation in the first place. He stood in the entrance of the alleyway, the sun shining behind him as if he were some god, appearing for the first time to come save you. Some broke, secretive, oddly polite god.

The first man sneered. “Yeah? What are you gonna do? Can’t get that dandy little suit of yours dirty.”

Zhongli practically scoffed. “I could deal with you lot without even wrinkling it.”

He rolled his sleeves up. “Let’s see about that.”

He charged at Zhongli, swinging his fist wildly at the prince’s face. Zhongli dodged the punch, stretching his leg out and sweeping the man’s legs out from under him. He fell to the cobblestone beneath him and Zhongli stepped on his chest, pressing his weight onto his body until he was gripping his ankle, begging for a break.

The second man came next, leaving the third, scrawniest man to try and hold you back. While Zhongli was dealing with him, you snapped your head back and smashed into his nose. The guy let go and grabbed onto the definitely-broken cartilage, practically helpless as you swung at his face again.

You backed up from him and ran into someone’s chest, jumping when their arms wrapped around your shoulders once more.

“Easy, Princess.” Zhongli’s deep voice immediately soothed your guard. “I apologize for losing you.”

You turned around. “I lost you.”

“No, no,” He reached in his pocket and pulled out a small bag, handing it to you. “I thought you were occupied looking at the gems, so I snuck away to get this. I didn’t realize you’d go all over looking for me.”

Zhongli placed the bag in your hands and you opened it up. In it, the necklace he had shown you earlier. You smiled at him and held it out to him, turning around so that he could put it on. The feeling of Zhongli’s fingers against your bare neck sent a small shiver up your spine- one you wouldn’t mind feeling again.

“Thank you, Zhongli.” You smiled at him, “But, if you didn’t have any money, how did you get this?”

“Don’t worry your pretty little head about it.” The prince replied. “Come, you’ve had an eventful day. I think tea and a nap is in order.”

He held his arm out for you once more and you took it, leading the way back to the castle. You couldn’t help but gaze at the man through the side of your eye, grateful for the sweet gift.

You quit wondering how he bought it when you noticed that he was only wearing one expensive earring, as opposed to the two he had started out his day with.

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[novantinuum]

Is the “villain card” really a VILLAIN card- or something else?

So, I’ve been thinking a lot today about @faelapis​‘s recent post (link in reblogs so this can go in tags) discussing the corrupted Steven theory, and specifically how he pointed out how in the intro... that the camera “zooms inside Steven’s heart” when transitioning to the shot that features Big Looming Pink Fella.

And I know the fandom generally refers to threatening spreads such as these as “villain cards,” since- at the time of the intro’s release in October, all of these characters were heavily implied to be antagonistic to our main characters in some way. But after seeing the first ten episodes of SUF in full, I feel we should pause and ask ourselves-

Are any of these characters really villains?

And if not, then what IS their role in the greater story of this epilogue, and more importantly- their role featured prominently in the show’s intro?

Let’s take a quick look at the characters we’ve seen already.

_

Jasper

Thus far, Jasper has played the least antagonistic part she ever has in the entire history of Steven Universe. I’d even go so far as to consider her a shaky acquaintance of Steven’s, at this point. 

But as far as her purpose in the show goes so far, Jasper is important because she is the very first person to mash it up with Pink Mode Steven. The very first person who catches a glimpse of this new ability of his to begin with. When Steven first shifted into this state, it was because she pushed him into a situation that was both emotionally and physically compromising. Jasper is every bit as stubborn as Steven. She knows exactly how to push his buttons. It’s for this reason that I don’t think he would’ve discovered his pink state without her, without her egging him on to fight.

Steven tries his best to be very patient with everyone, and yet his frustrations with Jasper’s inability to move forward (hypocrite, much?) elicited a rather jarring rush of directed anger that- before- he generally seemed to keep bottled inward. 

I get the strong sense that he didn’t allow himself to freely and openly express these sorts of “negative” emotions at all before this encounter. 

Furthermore, Jasper slapped him in the face with the biggest call-out of his mental state ever.

Jasper: “I don’t need your help. You’re the one that needs help. You think you’ve beaten me, but you’ve never beaten me on your own. You’ve always been a fusion. You’ve always had your friends because you’re nothing without them. You think everyone needs help.”

Steven: “I – I just…”

Jasper: “But it’s only you. No one is as pitiful as you.”

Every other episode of the show so far has only gone to further showcase that this is what Steven believes about himself right now. (See: Little Graduation, especially.)

And what happened with Jasper that day... was just the beginning of his slow decline.

Bluebird Azurite

This character... also isn’t big villain material. She’s barely even a threat.

Rather, Bluebird serves as a stark reminder for Steven that there are people out there that hate him for being him. Not only that, but those who would fuse for just that reason.

To hate him together.

(I must admit, I still find the notion of Steven potentially falling apart because of a lack of self-love interesting, as much as it is heartbreaking. But I already wrote that post, so moving on-)

But she also is a reflection of how Steven is resistant to change right now.

Greg: “I mean, everyone can change, but not everyone wants to.”

Steven: “Yeah...”

He used to believe in the idea of positive change wholeheartedly, and yet... I think the passing years have led him to a place where he himself is scared of it, of the unknown, of moving on from what’s comfortable, of all the nebulous what-ifs. Which is why when Bluebird shows up, he projects his own resistance on this scenario. He doubts Bluebird’s ability to change for the better because he now doubts that for himself.

Instead, I think he fears he may be changing for the worse.

I strongly believe we’re going to see Bluebird again. I just get the sense that there’s more she can bring to the table. 

“Mean” Lapis and “Nice” Lapis

Also not villains. Just obstacles.  

Similarly to Bluebird, they seem to push that “resistance to change” theme further for Steven. Some people just... are stuck in their ways. (Thankfully though, not all of them. Thanks, Freckles. Love ya lots!) 

Since Why So Blue is focused squarely on capping Lapis’ character arc, there’s not as much Steven-related meta threads I can glean from their first appearance, truth be told. 

I think we’re likely to see more from these two, as well. If they do serve a greater role in the overarching story of SUF, it isn’t complete yet. Fingers crossed!

Cactus Steven

Dear goodness, this creature is completely innocent. Poor baby. XD

This poor fella plays the role of being a physical embodiment of- at the time of Prickly Pair- Steven’s mental state, and pushing the lad to repress his turbulent emotions even further.

Throughout SUF so far, Steven has become consumed by negative self-talk, (”I used to be helpful, but the Gems don't need me anymore”), a stark reluctance to let anyone see the evidence of his mental instability, and explosive anger he cannot gain a handle on. 

And as his mirror, Cactus Steven: 

Repeats things Steven says, spilling all of that negative self-talk and the reasons why he doesn’t want to approach the Gems about his issues.

Is shoved away under a box, representing Steven’s emotional repression.

Warps into a monstrous form, explosive anger brimming at the surface.

Notably, Cactus Steven only fights in direct response to what others lay on him. He is not overtly antagonistic until Steven himself makes the first strike. Later, while the Gems are attempting to fight him back, he desperately tries pushing them away... much like Steven has been all season.

Cactus Steven: “Just... get... OUT!”

Furthermore, Steven creates him. He creates this monster. He’s the reason he becomes so messed up in the first place. That has to feel pretty awful, especially when he’s doubting his ability to be helpful nowadays. He tried to nurture this creature, and look where that got him? This furthers the narrative idea mentioned earlier, of Steven perhaps fearing that he’s now changing for the worse.

Finally, by by the end of this episode, it seems worryingly as if Steven’s reluctance to open up about his problems has solidified.

Pearl: “Is there anything you need to talk about...?”

Steven: “...I think I’ve said enough.”

_

To wrap...

We don’t yet know what role White Diamond will play, but it’s probable that it’ll be something that strongly impacts Steven in a personal way. And at this point in the show, I’m doubtful she’ll suddenly heel-turn back into villainy.  

With all this in mind, my current theory is that... 

These characters are not on this title sequence card as ‘villains’ at all, but rather, each serve as important ‘road markers’ on the path towards the eventual climax of SUF.

Meaning, Steven’s encounters with each of them will influence his way of thinking in a way that leads him further down the road towards eventual corruption. Or whatever else is waiting for him at the end.

And the camera specifically “zooms into Steven’s heart” because these characters, standing in front of that monster, represent the moments that lead him into that state. 

What we’re seeing here is a visual record of the burden he carries inside him.

[illyaana]

Homebound to you - Sasha Blaus

I can't find the artist on Tumblr (again (＞人＜；)) but this is the twitter post!

Synopsis: You are childhood friends with Sasha. This part is on how you grew up with Sasha and how she told you how she's joining the Training Corps. (if I tell anymore, it isn't a synopsis welp-)

Tags: Sasha x Binaural Reader, Fluff, SFW

Word Count: 2226

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The lush meadows of Dauper Village - the place both you called home.

It wasn’t one that you’d see written in the papers about its beauty. It was a hidden gem known by those who were willing to venture out and seek it. The forest welcomed you - the sounds of the woodland creatures and the wind against the bushes reminded you of life when you believed the world was much more peaceful than it was. The scene of an ocean blue stream of water surrounded by small animals was vivid in your memories.

“You don’t want to join me? It isn’t that dirty, trust me,” a 6-year-old Sasha said, gripping tightly onto the ends of your shirt.

Sasha Braus - the girl you’ve known ever since you were a kid.

No one could imagine the daughter of a hunter being friends - close friends - with the child of a scholar, but you both proved them wrong.

Sasha was your first ever friend. She was the one who made the introverted you more social with others.

She was the first person you truly cared for - nothing could’ve changed that.

Sasha played along a stream of water right beside the willow tree you both found the first time you ventured into the forest. She’d jump feet first into the stream, diverting the flow of water into multiple small streams before converging in the front of her feet. She loved seeing the small fishes play with each other as if they were racing to meet a bigger water source.

She’d beg you to join her in the small game - but you never did.

You wanted to steal every single moment with her in your eyes - to let it sink into the deepest parts of your brain.

“I’d rather stay dry, Sasha. My mom would kill me if I go back home with my clothes all wet,” your younger self said, trying to reason with her.

Sasha’s face immediately paled the minute you finished that sentence. She looked to her now soaked trousers. A ring of dried mud formed on the top half of her trousers decorated with dried leaves and vines.

“Why didn’t you warn me earlier?” she said, anger stricken on her face, “Mama is going to kill me now. I didn’t expect it to be this dirty.”

You chuckle at the red-faced girl in front of you.

This girl was meant for greatness - no one could deny that.

The adventurous side of hers could never be tamed.

It was wild and relentless - and you loved it to bits.

“You’re wearing shorts underneath, right?”

She nodded.

You sighed.

“Take off the trousers. I’ll wash them as best as I can and you sling it on your shoulder so that it can dry. That’s the best I can offer,” you told her.

In an instant, she ran to the bushes, took off her trousers and tossed them to you.

“You’re only 6-years old - how can you think like an adult at such a young age?” she said, an inquisitive look painted on her face.

“I grew up surrounding playful 6-year-olds, that’s why,” you said, teasing her, “I basically became their mom - looking after them, making sure they behaved well in public - I did it all.”

As time passed, Sasha became more than just a friend you used to look after.

You both became each others’ rocks - the very thing that kept each other from falling.

Sasha learnt how to hunt - to survive in the harsher world of the forest.

You learnt knowledge - to create and to move the world with a pen and paper.

You never saw Sasha hunt but you’ve pictured it billions of times.

You pictured her hazel-colored hair dancing in the air as she rode her horse. Her golden-brown eyes would focus solely on her target - they would force her victim to shudder and slow down, to become hers. Her muscles would flex under her thin shirt as he pulled the arrow in her hands against the bow - the tip fixed exactly at the weak point of her target. Then, with one swift release, her victim would fall and a rush of happiness would surge within her.

You could only draw it and picture it in your head, but how you wished to see her in action.

She’d always bring a huge portion of the meat she gained for your family. She’d say she caught more than she expected, but you could hear the rumbles from her parents.

Eventually, your families decided to move into one house to reduce the problems faced by the Braus family.

Your family would provide the income - the money to buy resources. The Braus family would help in gaining food and rationing out how much from the resources to use.

Even though your parents hated the idea of moving in with hunters, you were ecstatic.

You imagined a life with Sasha, and you were going to get a glimpse of it.

Every night, she’d come into your room with a cup of tea and talk about her hunt. You, on the other hand, would talk about what you’ve learnt for the day. Even though she never understood what you spoke on, she’d try her best to listen and even ask questions when she didn’t understand.

You taught Sasha how to use a quill while she taught you the wonders of the wild.

Sasha entered your room in the middle of the night. She had her blanket wrapped around her as she held two mugs of tea.

She saw how you continued to study throughout the night. You’d use an oil lamp as a light source as you crammed for all the future tests and exams you were going to face.

She hated the sight of you slowly losing energy. The eyebags under your eyes intensified each day. You didn’t smile as much as you used to. You lost the energy you had when you were younger.

Yet Sasha managed to keep hers, just like you wanted.

“Tea break?” she suggested, pushing a mug into your hands, “I caught a deer today! Tomorrow, you’re eating venison - get ready!”

You shook your head in denial as you placed the mug on the table.

“I swear, Y/N,” she started, agitation clear in your voice, “I will burn all your books if you don’t stop and drink tea with me right now.”

You knew Sasha’s threatens were to be taken seriously. She seriously once burned an essay you needed to hand in the next day.

You immediately closed your book and placed the hot cup of Chamomile tea in your hands. The mug itself gave you warmth, making you sigh in content.

Sasha hopped on your bed, dropping the blanket to her sides. She closed her eyes as she brought the cup of hot tea to her nose, taking it in.

You swear that she almost looked like an angel at that moment.

Her soft locks now reached her shoulders - messy and tousled. The pale moonlight against her skin highlighted her features. The gold flecks in her eyes against the hazel shined - it even showed against the steam wafting from the cup. The scar on her left shoulder from one of her hunts showed through the almost see-through shirt, showing how strong she was as a warrior.

You smiled, leaning against your chair while taking in the beauty in front of you.

“Y/N?” Sasha called.

“Yeah?”

“When are you free?”

“I should be free by this Friday, my exams end then.”

“Oh...” she said, trailing off.

You walk to sit beside her and place your head on your shoulder. You felt her relax as he placed her head on top of yours.

“Is everything good?”

She begins rubbing her head against yours.

“I’m good. I’m just worried about the future, that’s all.”

“The world must be ending,” you joke, “You’re actually thinking ahead.”

Sasha flicked your forehead, “Stupid - of course, I need to!”

A silence formed between the two of you as you both stared at the sky from your windows. It was pitch black. Stars twinkled against the black canvas, dancing to a song only they knew. The clouds tried their best to hide the beauty of the night, but their efforts were in vain.

“I’m thinking of joining the Training Corps,” Sasha said, cutting the silence.

Your face paled.

“What?” you froze.

“I hate hiding in fear, Y/N. I hate the fact we stay hiding away from the thing that threatens our lives. We should be killing it rather than just killing animals for meat,” she said with a serious voice.

You put both of your finished mugs on the floor and grab Sasha’s hands, forcing her to face you.

“Sasha, you might die. You might never see your parents again, you might lose everything,” tears form in your eyes, “I can’t lose you, Sasha - not now, not ever.”

She smiles while wiping the formed tears in your eyes.

“Bold of you to assume I’ll die the minute I see Titans,” she says.

She pulls you out of the bed, dusting off her shirt.

“We’re going out for a while. Get ready for an adventure after so many years, Y/N L/N.”

You both snuck out of the house and got on her horse. With one nudge from her, you both rode off into the forest. Through the dark greens emerged fireflies that lit the view before you. You spotted the eventful stream, the sleeping woodland creatures and the plants that reminded you of your childhood.

You turned to face the back of Sasha, and you were in awe.

She looked exactly like how you pictured her to look.

Her dancing hair, her flowing skirt, her smile - everything - it was what you imagined.

You wrapped your arms around her waist, pulling yourself closer to you. You pressed your head against her back, earning a chuckle from the horse rider.

“You better come home to me, Sasha Braus. I will never forgive you if you don’t.”

“As if I won’t.”

She signaled the horse to stop at the willow tree you used to spend most of your childhood days at.

She gets off the horse and runs to the tree. Her fingers slowly graze the tree, reminiscing all the memories you both have made right here.

“You know,” she started, “I used to stare at you reading those books of yours under this tree. The wind would blow softly for you when you perched yourself under the tree, but the vines of leaves at its branches would move so much. It was as if they were dancing for you. Even if I brought a drink or a snack, you’d just give me your portion and continue to read those books, but when I wanted you to talk to me, you’d instantly put the book down and give all your attention to me.”

“Well,” you say, “I’d always look up once in a while and see you play with the animals in that little bush there,” you point at the bush covered by fireflies, “I’d see you try picking up squirrels and capture butterflies wondering what goes on in your head.”

You get off the horse and walk towards Sasha.

“I’ll miss this the most when I leave, I think. This small haven we made from trees will always be my first home.”

You hug Sasha from behind, gripping onto her loose shirt.

“It’s happening, isn’t it? I can’t talk you out of it, can I?” you say, sniffles stopping you from speaking clearly.

She shook her head and you sigh, feeling defeated.

“Y/N, pass those exams and get into the Royal Capital. I will enter the Military Police and I’ll meet you within Wall Sheena.”

“I’ll try to get everyone to move. Then, we all will be together again,” you say, building your resolve.

Sasha turns to face you. The minute she sees you, she begins to laugh hysterically.

“You look like a lost puppy,” she says as she touches your cheek, “I’ll miss you, Y/N.”

You press your foreheads against each other. You both instinctively close your eyes, enjoying the small moment you two were sharing.

You couldn’t imagine how your life was going to be without the bubbly presence only Sasha could give. To think there would be no more random rendezvous, no more jokes and no more stories from the girl in front of you made you feel the pain you didn’t want anyone to feel.

But you knew that Sasha had aspirations and dreams - you were in no place to stop her, even if her life was on the line.

The only thing you could do was to cherish this little moment with her before years without her begin.

Soon, a swarm of fireflies surrounded the two of you, giving you a clear view of the woman before you. The bright, flickering lights enhanced the raw beauty only Sasha exemplified. Her eyes stared into yours, begging you to say something.

It was only fair to do this now. If it didn’t happen now, you don’t know when you’ll have the chance again.

“I love you, Sasha Braus. Ever since I was kids I-”

“I love you too, Y/N.”

Your lips met under a firefly-lit forest under the willow tree in your safe haven.

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