#Updating again because I forgot to put

[orange-dreamzer]

hehehehehhHEHWHWHHHWAHA

happy birhtday @zu-is-here :333333

gehhehehehe :3 have a wonderlicious day !!!!!!!!!!!

hehehe

<3333333

[kokodrawings]

It's ok, Minato asked for permission first

[somegrumpynerd]

Bitty update number... 5? 6? Anyway!!

Sorry it's been so long since I updated you guys, work has been really busy and I guess these two have gotten better about staying out of sight. Or out of my sight at least, maybe I should ask my coworkers if they've seen anything? Although, I dunno if they'd be happy with these little guys running loose around here so maybe it's best if I don't...

Anyway, the only one I've been seeing kind of reliably is the horror bitty, who comes and sits across from me when I have my lunch to eat the food I left out. I still try not to say anything cause I don't want to frighten him.

Usually he's the only one I see, but then one day I spotted the little cross bitty peeking around a corner at me! I felt bad cause I was almost finished my lunch so I didn't have much to offer him, but I held out some of my chocolate bar for him anyway in case he was hungry. Well!! Apparently he was!

He came right up to me this time! Granted, he took a bite of the end of it and immediately ran off again, but that's a start right? He's definitely a lot more skittish than the horror one, but I did manage to feed him a couple more times and he seems to stay a little longer before he runs off.

I don't know if he has a particular thing for chocolate or if he's just excited about food because the horror one doesn't share lol

Speaking of the horror one!!

It took me a while to notice but, I guess he's been getting closer to me when we eat? He used to sit across the hall but now he's pretty much right next to me!

Maybe that's why the cross one feels more comfortable? I still don't want to do anything to spook him but he seems pretty chill, maybe if I'm lucky I can have 2 lunch buddies lol

[n0bluev]

@fushiglow hmm….wonder who i’d draw this for all of a sudden and why… 🤔🤔

[corpsentry]

i know this happened a while ago but i haven't seen u say anything abt it so i rly wanted to watch sarus crane but missed it. i remember you said smth about making it available so i wanted to ask how far along you are and where i could possibly watch it when you publish it?

thank you for reminding me op i forgor to post it on tumblr but it is done! it is done. it was hell on earth to navigate fuckass premiere pro (used it because i had a month's subscription left with the college) and i would strongly recommend setting the volume low and then raising it as opposed to starting loud but between the ungodly, confused, and miserable amount of audio editing and the subtitles i think the dialogue And the taiko drums are more or less both audible now

it's still crazy to think that we pulled this off, three months later. i'm very proud of it. credits to my dancers as well as everyone else who helped make this possible are in the video description

here is the digital program; i recommend reading the note from the choreographer before watching the show. and here is sarus crane, do you miss home. please enjoy

[valiant-portabella-pirkko]

ok but i see literally NO ONE talking about this so let me just yell for a second because a QoL this unexpected deserves the attention

all of these can be put into material storage now.

I repeat, even JADE RUNESTONES and ANTIQUE SUMMONING STONES were updated to go into material storage!!

[crystalkitty1220]

Man I wonder where the leader of the fear realm could've gone, it's alMOST LIKE NEVIN HAS AN

[sysig]

Goal: Be normal

Obstacle: Watching literally any interpretation of Treasure Island, apparently

[headknight-oh]

Just noticed that there hasn’t been much, if any, coverage on the mangione trial in like a month. Like since he plead not guilty, there hasn’t been any major coverage on the proceedings. I just tried to look up anything about the past month and I genuinely cannot find anything. Nothing about it they’re still in jury selection, nothing about any rulings, nothing about the defending attorney or even opinion pieces. Like I know why there’s not much coverage, but nothing at all? Like we got CONSTANT updates about the depp/heard case when it was happening, but now that it’s something about an important issue that would have been the case of the decade in times past, it’s radio silence.

It’s so incredibly disturbing that they’ve filtered it out of the media and that people don’t care enough to demand it be covered. People treated it like a trend and aesthetified it to the point that an actual act of resistance means nothing now.

Also there’s like no concrete evidence in this case. It’s all circumstantial. I feel that everyone forgot that, and because of it, the idea that “innocent until proven guilty” as a precedent is very much in the process of being undermined

Edit: Putting this here again because I keep getting people misinterpreting what I’m trying to say: You guys, I know there’s nothing new to report on. What I’m saying is that when something like this happens, everyone talks about it. Every talk show and opinion columnist and political analyst will talk give speculation and reaction and opinion on it. Like when columbine happened, every news outlet talked about it for months before the trial ever happened. It happened in 99 and the rulings didn’t come out til 01 or something. And even if they never directly mentioned columbine, they would talk about gun violence and bullying and how police weren’t trained for situations like that. They talked about the surrounding issues. Like yeah there’s nothing new that the media has access to rn, but no one is making opinion pieces about the judges conflict of interest, no talk show is having a 20 min segment about gun violence or the state of healthcare. Twenty years ago, it would have stayed in the news cycle at least passively until the case moved forward. But now it’s been phased out almost completely. And I know coverage will pick up when the trial starts. I know courts move slowly. I’m not trying to push conspiracy. I was simply making an observation that it was strange that there was almost no talk about it, that it’s been phased out of news cycles, and how there’s no widespread conversation about the issues surrounding the shooting.

Also, I only used depp/heard in the original because it was the most recent case I could think of. And because I was tired and thought this post would be seen by like 20 people max, so I didn’t bother wording it as precisely as I could have. Columbine and the OJ Simpson case are better examples to work off of.

I just wanted to clarify what I meant so I stop getting comments that misinterpret what I’m trying to say and people being rude about it

[iknityounot]

(Long post, sorry y'all)

A little more than two years ago now, my grandmother passed away. She and my grandpa had moved down to my home town a few years before so we could take care of them. I brought them groceries once a week, helped them write checks, fixed tvs, and found lost things. I was really close with my grandma.

In addition to her hilarious personality and dry wit, one of my favorite things about her was that she was a painter and a crafter like me! She used to crochet, and I took her to the craft store a couple of times so she could get more yarn and books on crochet. But her arthritis and the shaking in her hands kept getting worse, so she eventually had to stop.

She kept her most recent project, a granny square blanket, safely packed away in a plastic bin. She told all of us she was going to finish it one day.

Her hands never got better, and when she got sick, and we found out it was cancer, she rapidly deteriorated.

After she passed, I went to work helping my mom clean out my grandparents apartment so we could move my grandpa in with her. In our frantic cleaning, I found that bin again:

DOZENS of granny squares, dozens of half used skeins. I asked my mom what she wanted me to do with it, and she said she didn't care. I set it aside and later took it home.

Maybe a month later, that tumblr post about the Loose Ends Project was going around. It felt like a sign--I was never going to learn to crochet in order to finish my grandmother's blanket. But they might be able to help!

So I filled out the interest form. They got back to me SUPER quick. And maybe 2 weeks later, I was paired with volunteer in my state (only 2 hours away!) and the box of yarn, granny squares, and my grandmother's crochet hook were in the mail. That was at the end of January this year.

Over the next couple of months, my "finisher" emailed me regular updates on her progress, and asked me questions on my preferences for how she constructed the final blanket.

At the end of August, the blanket was done!

I had always intended the blanket to be a gift for my mother. So I cleaned it up, put it in the only bag I had big enough to fit it, and drove to my mom's. I gave the blanket to her and she was gobsmacked. I explained to her all about Loose Ends, and how someone volunteered to finish the piece for us. She was speechless. (I was quite pleased with this, because I am not the best at giving gifts, so this was a pretty exciting reaction!)

She said that it was the most thoughtful gift she had ever been given. She said "your grandma would love this". To which I replied, "yeah, I know she really wanted to finish it a couple of years ago". But that was when my mom dropped the bomb of a century on me--she told me that my grandma had started making those granny squares OVER 30 YEARS AGO. She had started the blanket when my grandpa was staying in the hospital, but that was back when my mom was younger than I am now! My grandma had packed them all away, planning on finishing it, when my grandpa was sent home from the hospital. Then it went from house to house, from condo in Chicago to their apartment in my hometown. All that time and my grandma had wanted to finish it, but couldn't. First because she was busy, then because she forgot how to do it, then because of her arthritis, and then because of the cancer. My mom said she had given up on expecting my grandma to finish it. 

She said I brought a piece of her childhood with her mom out of the past.

And really, all of this is to say, if you have seen or heard about the Loose Ends Project and have an uncompleted project or piece from a loved one who has passed away--these are your people. They were so kind and treated my project with such care. That box probably would have been found by my own grandkids one day if I hadn't heard about Loose Ends.

Five stars, absolutely worth it!

(From what I understand, you can sign up to volunteer too! If you have time to share, it might be worth checking out!)

[goldenpinof]

so, with the start of the USA leg there's still no updated (or any, to be fair) Terms & Conditions for this "2 regular tickets upgrade" quote-unquote contest on danandphiltour.com, thus they are currently (and have been from September) breaking the US laws regarding lotteries, giveaways and contests. if they are following the same Terms they had in the EU, then they are running a lottery, and it's illegal in every state unless it's run by the state. (+ interesting questions at the bottom)

(lots of thanks to Emma @dnpbeats for the consultation on the US laws and some links)

not to mention that they definitely broke a few laws in the EU countries by not disclosing official Terms & Conditions for everyone to see, with misleading/false advertisement about all regular tickets bought in September participating (in reality, the tickets bought after the winners were selected weren't participating, obviously, but we were never officially told about the time of selection aka a few days before each show, so that's a problem) and whatever happened in Stockholm.

if anyone knows anything about AUS and NZ laws regarding these things, feel free to chime in.

the 2 regular tickets upgrade

i did talk to dnp about it, but then i got blessed during the intermission (i wasn't hounding anyone this time! it was very spontaneous, and it wasn't the merch crew, stop yelling at me), so here's a product of both interactions:

- the upgrade thing was sent out to the venues. they have all the information about the tickets, their holders, and everything;

- the venues select the winners and contact them via email;

- the selection happens a few days before the show (which is fine for the shows after September but very shady for the 1st leg because not everyone participates, basically);

- neither dnp nor their team have any control over this other than the brief they sent to the venues with basic "only general tickets" and etc. only general tickets, so no Silver VIP for sure. it's on the venues to do everything, and sometimes they make strange decisions. the Stockholm situation with the winners picked right before the show wasn't planned. the venue just didn't select anyone beforehand. the crew wasn't happy about it, lol;

- they will try to organise it differently/better for the US/Canada leg, because this was a bit chaotic. like, it worked but not the best.

note 1: i asked to put the terms on the website. not sure if it's gonna happen. i did try my best in the moment to explain why it's important for us to know the terms. and the person i was talking to during the intermission said that quite a few people ask about that ticket upgrade thing, so it would make sense to just put the info somewhere for people to see.

note 2: about the selection timeframe. it is weird, but that's what i was told. the venues live on their own planet, so idk if they actually selected everyone a few days before each show (minus Stockholm) or waited a bit more. in the USA and further the plan is probably gonna be to stick to this timeframe. it's not a bad one, just doesn't suit the 1st leg since we could buy tickets on the days of the shows.

if i remember anything else about this, i'll update the post

[hyunjincanraptoo]

Love you better- H.JS

So, LATAM Jisung did something to my heart and I had to write something for him 🫠 I was supposed to also post uno and chill part 2 today but I accidentally fell asleep during the afternoon and since it's already late, I won't be able to finish it. Good thing I have a long holiday and only come back to uni on Thursday so wait for a lot of updates during the following days (including an Easter special fic 🤭). Nari, if you see this, please don't freak out 😚

Word count: 1.9k

Warnings: smut, bros code breaking

Alexa, play Friends With Your Ex by Landon Barker

It all started the night you left Chan.

Not in a dramatic, Hollywoodian explosion. No screaming, no shattered plates, just silence. A final, tired “okay”, and the soft click of a door that didn’t reopen.

You didn’t know where to go, so you walked. It didn’t take long for your phone to buzz.

Hannie: you okay?

That was all it took.

He met you at that 24 hour diner which served bad coffee and greasy bacon slices. Han slid the booth across from you like it wasn’t the middle of the night, like you hadn’t just broken up with his best friend.

He didn’t pry, didn’t ask you why it ended, or if you were okay. He just sat there, gave you his hoodie when you started shivering and let you cry into a plate of pancakes.

And since then, he kept showing up.

You’d text each other more. Stupid jokes bloomed into real conversations. He helped you move boxes out of Chan’s place without asking questions. He made you laugh when no one else could. He gave you rides home late at night because ‘it’s not safe for you to walk'. But he never pushed or crossed a line— he just was there for you, in case you needed it.

Until the night everything changed.

You were sitting in his car parked in some random parking lot. Raindrops tapped against the windows, music playing low. You were wearing his hoodie again and this time, your knees were pulled up in the seat, chin resting on top of them.

“I don’t get it”, you murmured, staring at the blur of city lights outside, “How he just… stopped loving me”

Chan had always been a good man. A kind man. But he was never there. Always at the studio, always putting your relationship last. You didn’t break up with him because you stopped loving him— you did it because he forgot how to love you back.

Han exhaled softly, glancing at you from the driver’s seat, “I don’t think he stopped loving you”, he said quietly, “I think… he just didn’t know how to love you the way you needed”.

That made your chest tighten. You turned toward him, realizing there’s something heavy in his gaze— something he’d been trying not to say for weeks.

“Han…”

He leaned in just a little. Not enough to kiss you, just enough for you to feel the heat.

“I shouldn’t want this”, he said quietly, eyes flicking to your mouth.

“Yeah… you shouldn’t”

“But I do”

You don’t remember who leaned in first. Maybe it was him, maybe it was you. But suddenly, your mouths met like you’ve been starving, like every night he held back, rushed to the surface all at once. His hand cupped your jaw, thumb gently brushing your cheek and suddenly you were kissing him hard.

Messy. Desperate. The car windows started to fog with your breath, your bodies twisting in the cramped front seat. Your legs slid over his lap and his hands grabbed your waist as he tried to stop himself— but he couldn't.

“He never touched you like this, did he?”, he murmured against your neck, teeth grazing your sensitive skin.

“That’s so wrong”, you whispered, but you were already pulling his hoodie off.

“Then why does it feel this good? Why aren’t you stopping me, huh?”, he groaned, voice rough as his lips found your collarbone.

Because the truth was— you were not just kissing Han. You were kissing every stolen glance. Every accidental touch. Every night you wished someone saw you the way he always did.

It was messy, forbidden— everything you were not supposed to want.

But in that moment with Han’s hands under your shirt and his voice whispering your name like you owned him— you finally felt wanted again.

“You’re still not stopping me”, Han breathed, voice hoarse against your skin.

He was right, you weren’t. You should. But your fingers were already tangled in the hem of his shirt, already tugging it up, palms sliding over the warm lines of his stomach as you straddled him in the driver’s seat.

Your breath hitched when your hands traced over his inked skin— his tattoos, surprisingly familiar, mapped out across his muscles.

“God”, you whispered, brushing your fingertips over just under his ribs, “These always drove me crazy”.

Han let out a low groan, eyes closing as he leaned into your touch, “You’ve barely seen them” he said, voice rough.

“I saw enough”, you whispered, lips ghosting over his neck, “I just didn’t let myself want to. It had been three long weeks, you know”

His hands found your hips like instinct when you grinded down on his lap, head falling back against the headrest. “Fuck”, he groaned.

You kissed him again, your teeth clashing slightly. He moaned into your mouth like he didn’t care that this was sinful. Bros code? He barely remembered it existed.

His hands were everywhere— trailing up your thighs, gripping your hips, sliding under your shirt until he gripped your bare waist like he needed to hold on or he’d have lost himself completely.

“We can’t do this, Yn… Tell me to stop”, he said suddenly, breath shaking.

But your reply was a soft, “Don’t stop”, whispered into the curve of his neck. You didn’t want him to stop, not when he touched you like that.

You rolled your hips over his lap slowly and he let out the filthiest sound you’ve ever heard from him.

Han’s hands gripped you tighter, his jaw clenched. “Jesus”, he muttered, kissing down your jaw, “You’ve been in my head for weeks. Every time you looked at me like you needed me… I couldn’t think straight”

You whimpered as he slid his hand under your bra, gently, thumbs brushing over your nipples. He pulled your shirt up, just enough to kiss the curve of your chest, hot and desperate, leaving a purple stain there. Even though it was sloppy and frantic, it made you cry out his name.

“Hannie…”

That definitely did something to him. His eyes flicked up, then he pulled you back in for another kiss— this time deeper, filthier, full of tongue and need and everything he’d been holding back.

You could feel how hard he was beneath you, straining in his jeans, as you rocked down again, dragging a soft whine from his throat.

“You keep doing that and I’m not gonna last”, he growled.

“I don’t want you to last”, you whispered, “I just want you to”

He let out a harsh exhale, more like a curse, then leaned forward. “Backseat”, he muttered, eyes dark with lust, “Now”.

You crawled over, and he followed right behind, pulling the door shut with one hand and dragging your hips into his lap again. This time, it was faster, hungrier. He slid your panties down your thighs without fully undressing you, and the thrill of it made your pulse race.

His fingers slid between your legs, and he cursed under his breath. “Damn, you’re soaked”

You arched into his touch, head falling back. “This is so bad”, you pant, “So, so… ah… wrong”

“Then why…”, he murmured, kissing the corner of your lips as he sank two fingers inside you without any warnings, “Does it feel so fucking good?”

You gasped, grinding down against his hand, and he watched you unravel, like he was trying to memorize every twitch, every moan, every part of you.

He fucked you with his fingers slow at first, curling them just right, until your hips were jerking and your nails digging into his shoulders.

“Let me make you forget him”, he whispered.

And god, you did. You fell apart in his lap with his name on your lips, and when you came down, trembling and breathless, he already got his jeans undone, already guiding you on him with a look that said: ‘Please, just this once, let me have you’.

You took him teasingly slow. As you sank down on him, your fingers clutched the back of the seat, lips parted in shock at how good it felt— how right it felt even when it shouldn’t.

His hands held your hips, anchoring you as you started to move.

The car rocked, the windows fogged and the world outside disappeared.

All that was left was Han— his body, his voice, his mouth. The desperate gasps, and whispered curses.

“You feel so fucking good, sweetheart…. better than I ever imagined”, he groaned, head falling back.

That made you pause, “You… imagined this before?”

With eyes closed shut, he nodded, breath shaky, chest rising and falling fast. “Every time something went wrong”, he whispered, voice wrecked. “Every time he ignored your feelings cause he was at the studio. Every time you showed up glowing in a new dress and he barely looked at you before saying you looked pretty cause he had a deadline”

A choked sound escaped him— half groan, half confession— as he thrusted into you again. “Fuck… every time I thought, ‘I could be better for her. I could actually make her happy’ “.

Your eyes stung. From the overwhelming pleasure but also from him. From the way he was baring himself to you in a way no one else ever has.

You blinked, lashes heavy with tears, a lump forming in your throat. And then you kissed him. Hard. Deep. With everything— every buried feeling, every confused moment over the past few weeks.

You kissed him like he was the only thing that made sense in the middle of the wreckage you’d been walking through. And he kissed you back like he’d been waiting years. Like this was a secret he was finally allowed to speak.

His thrusts started to lose rhythm, stuttering, desperate, like he was chasing the edge just as hard as you were. The windows were completely fogged now, your skins slick with sweat, your hands gripping his shoulders like they’re the only solid thing left in the world.

You were so close it hurt, each grind sending heat spiraling low in your belly, pressure curling tight until you gasped, eyes wide and unfocused.

“Fuck, I’m…” you started, but he cut you off.

“I know, me too, just come with me”

And when he reached up to brush a strand of hair from your face, all while looking at you like you were the whole sky, that was what tipped you over. Your body tensed, then unraveled all at once— hot and shuddering, pleasure crashing over you in waves so strong you almost forgot to breathe.

He followed with a low moan of your name, hands gripping your hips as he came, pulling you down hard against him one last time.

Everything went silent, save for the sound of your panting breaths and the soft hum of the car engine.

You were still wrapped around him when he murmured, “I meant it, you know”

You blinked, heart still racing, “What?”

“All of it”, he said, voice low. “I know it is still soon, but I could be better for you. I want to be. I want to make you happy”

Your chest tightened. No one had ever said something like that after sex. Not to you, not like that.

You leaned forward, brushing your nose against his, and whispered, “You already are”

Han smiled, lazily and crooked, and then he added, “Also… you definitely ruined my backseat forever”

You laughed, breathless and full of something bright and warm and real. “Worth it, tho” you say.

“Guess we’ll just have to use the front seat next time”, he grinned.

You laughed harder this time, still tangled together, still flushed and bare and glowing. And then, you realized:

You might be completely fucked up

But maybe… you were exactly where you were supposed to be.

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[star-5truck]

Your relationship with Alexis Ness was close to perfect if you do say so yourself. Arguments, decision making, date reschedules? No matter what happened, at the end of the day, you and Ness still loved each other to the moon and back. You knew you were lucky when you started to date him because as much as you hate to admit it, Alexis Ness loved you more than you could ever love him.

Ness was doting, paying attention to every little detail about you. He knew you better than anyone and that was something he took immense pride in. Your favorite color, your habits, hell, he even knew your sleep schedule. So it’s safe to say that when one day when he doesn’t get any notification from you, it scares him. 

He’d left early for practice that morning, and when that happens you usually send him a ‘good morning’ text. Yet when he checked his phone during break, nothing. No text, no stupid TikTok, not anything. It’s completely normal, he assures himself, but it’s you we’re talking about. You were never off your phone, after all. Rude, he knows, but it’s the truth and he loves you either way. 

When practice comes to an end and his phone is still quiet (it’s actually filled with notifications, but not the one he wants) he’s outright overthinking. Do you hate him? Was he not worthy of your time anymore? Oh the questions could go on.

He arrives at your shared apartment and is already hyperventilating before he even gets opens the door. He walks in and you’re not in the living room, which is typical. He finds you in the bedroom, hunched over your table so engrossed in something. This somehow makes his thoughts worse. You weren’t asleep, clearly wide awake, so why the lack of updates from you?

He walks over and wraps his arms around your waist, settling his chin on your shoulder. You’re aware of his presence now as you stop whatever you’re doing. “Welcome home, baby. Practice hard today?” You asked with the sweet voice that Ness adored.

He simply hummed, it was always hard being away from you, anyway. “Are you mad at me, liebling?” 

You furrow your brows, turning your head to look at him. “Mad? Why do you ask?”

He thinks before he speaks this time. It’s honestly embarrassing to admit that he wants a notification from you. “Just asking. Seems like you were ignoring me this morning.”

You don’t reply to him, opening your phone then your chats with him. You make a small ‘oh’ sound as you realize that your lover is correct. “Sorry baby, I was busy. And must’ve forgot.” You tell him as you give him a kiss on the cheek. “I promise I’d never ignore you.”

Ness relaxes at that, right, you were just busy. He should’ve took that into account. You speak up again, putting his undivided attention onto you. “You really pay attention to those things?”

“Why wouldn’t I?” He says as if its fact. And you simply giggle before telling him to go change.

You forget that your boyfriend overthinks every little thing. You don’t mind giving reassurance, reading him that you love him unconditionally. Because in a world full of 'boys will be boys', Alexis Ness gives you nothing but the best.

[twovialsofamortentia]

just like that! episode 07 ft. prongs

🎧 make you mine- madison beer

a/n: this is part one of a series me and @prettydaisygirl are working on because we’re feral, this is kind of like a prologue, so follow daisy for the next update!

warnings: talks of sex, alcohol, streamer!james being sexy, but also hopeless for pornstar!reader, who makes twitter porn and has a sex podcast

“So,” you giggled, hoisting your legs up under you on the sofa, crossing them. You held your podcast mic in one hand, just resting your fingers around the stand, the metal cool on your skin. “I can’t really have you on this podcast without first and foremost talking about the fact your followers call you Prongs. That’s sexual in itself.”

“I know, it’s so bad, it was never meant to be like that.” James laughed, running a hand over his face. “It’s a nickname I’ve had since uni, from an old inside joke, but you’d be surprised at how many people make it a sexual thing.”

“Well, I know that your mates take the piss out of you for being the one that gets all the attention from the girls. I mean, there’s literally thousands of girls making edits of you on TikTok, I see it all the time.”

“Oh god, I know, it’s actually insane, I’m not going to lie.” James laughed, a little awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. “It’s like a really weird feeling because obviously for me I’m not, like.. an influencer, or anything, I’m just me. It’s hard to come to terms with it.”

“Thankfully that’s not a problem I have in my line of work.”

James cleared his throat, laughing nervously again, and you swore you could see him blushing red.

“Jesus, I forgot about that.”

“Most people do when they see me with clothes on.” you giggled, leaning forward to reach for your glass of wine that was on the table. “D’you watch my stuff?” you asked as you swallowed your mouthful of wine. “I’ll cut this out, I always ask this question and cut it.”

“Jesus..” His face was definitely red now, though whether it was from you questioning it or the sight of you in front of him, he wasn’t sure. “Not religiously, but I knew about you when you’d just got started. You’re like three years older than me, so when I was like, seventeen, God- I was just- feral, for want of a better word.”

“Really?” you smiled, curling up further against the back of the sofa. “That’s- actually kinda cute. That you’ve followed me the whole time, and now you’re here.”

“I don’t think cute is the word to describe seventeen year old me putting a lock on my own bedroom door so I could watch your videos.”

You laughed at that, eyes squeezing shut as you leaned your head back against the sofa.

“Anyway, I’ll cut all that out.” you giggled. “I just find it helps to ease into talking about sex by getting it out of the way that I’m a pornstar, you know?”

James chuckled. What else could he do? He had spent his teenage years jacking off to the sight of you with no clothes on. You used to be his phone lockscreen. He used to moan your name in the shower. Now he was in your living room, and you wanted to spend the next hour essentially talking dirty to him.

"Uh, sorry-" James cleared his throat, voice cracking. "I'm like... suddenly incredibly awkward."

"It happens." you shrugged. "You need five minutes before I start asking questions? Cause, I mean- I have no innocent questions. They are just all filth."

“No, no, you’re good. I’m ready.” James lied.

“Okay, okay.” you took a breath, adjusting yourself, knowing that was where you’d cut the audio to begin again. “Quick fire, to get you warmed up: Weirdest place you’ve ever had sex?”

“Jesus-” James said for what felt like the millionth time in five minutes, voice cracking. “Don’t know, actually.. probably like- a nightclub bathroom?”

“That’s a tame answer.” you replied quickly. “Okay, next one: Place you’ve always wanted to have sex?”

“Library.” James said rapidly, laughing at the absurdity of it. “Don’t ask why, I couldn’t tell you.”

“It’s the being quiet thing. I get it.” you giggled. “Car sex, yes or no?”

“Oh- oh, yeah.” James laughed and ran a hand over his face, a little embarrassed, but that didn’t stop him from watching as you moved on the sofa, leaning over to place your wine down on the table, his gaze dropping to your cleavage for a moment.

“Mile high club?”

“No, not yet.”

“Threesome?”

“Once, in uni.”

“Two girls?”

“No. Short answer.”

“Okay, I’ll move on. Choking or hair pulling?”

“Hair pulling.”

“Spitting or slapping?”

“Spitting.”

“Mummy or Daddy?”

“Oh, God, both.” James groaned, laughing. “These quick fire questions are murderous.”

“That’s why I always end with that one.” you nodded, sipping your drink. “Expand on it. People don’t usually say both.

“Yeah, well- I’m still trying to, uh- figure out that one myself.”

You smiled at that, sipping your drink and giving James a moment to recover from your fast-paced quizzing. You had watched a few of his streams, and a couple of his friends' vlogs, in preparation to have him on the podcast. He didn't seem like the type to be obsessed with you, like you'd seen from previous guests, but you could tell from the way he was watching you when he thought you weren't looking that he was thinking I know what's under those clothes, and I like it.

"Talk to me some more about the library fantasy." you asked him, leaning forward to set your drink back on the table in front of you.

James hummed an exasperated little laugh, nodding slowly as he tried to find the words that wouldn't get him totally rinsed by his parents if they ever happened to stumble across a sex podcast made by a retired pornstar- unlikely, he hoped, but nothing was impossible for Monty and Effie, and he knew he'd be in for a lifetime of teasing if they got their hands on this. He didn't even want to think about the lashing he was going to get from the other marauders.

"Well, it's just one of those, innit," he began. "Everyone's got one thing they just find really sexy, for no real reason. I guess it is the being quiet part of it, really- I've never sat and thought about it."

"Have you ever done it?"

“No.” James laughed loudly. “No, God, I wish.”

“I get it though.” you giggled. “Up against the bookshelves, that’s what does it for me.”

“Oh, stop, you’re killing me here.” He groaned, hiding his face with his hands, peeking at you through his fingers.

“It’s because you’ve not drunk enough!” you laughed. “Get that down you, you’ll be fine then.”

James nodded, reaching for his drink. He didn’t want to get wasted, because then he knew he’d do something ridiculously stupid like make a move on you. And, while his mind was screaming at him to do that, he knew that it was probably ill-advised.

It was also James’ way that alcohol made him very, very loose-lipped. He was hoping that would work in his favour, and not the other way around.

He managed to control himself for a good twenty minutes, but James felt the alcohol hit him like a freight train as soon as he watched you stretch your legs out in front of you, and he remembered exactly who he was sitting next to. You. He knew you.

He knew you, but he didn’t.

James knew you were twenty when you first started posting on twitter. He knew that you used to have a boyfriend with blond hair. He knew that there was a tattoo of a dragonfly on your lower back, and he knew what noises you made when you came all over your own fingers, because he had watched you do it a dozen times.

But sitting in front of you for the first time ever made James realise that those were good enough things to know about you, but they weren’t enough to really know you.

And James didn’t like that.

“Okay, so.” you started, sitting up straight, and crossing one leg over the other, adjusting your microphone to reach your mouth in your new position. “What’s your body count?”

“Is it really bad if I say I lost count?”

“No, but I wouldn’t have expected that from you. Have a guess?”

“It’s probably something in the realm of about fifteen.” James shrugged. “I lost my virginity when I was.. sixteen, I think? And then in uni, I was just sort of.. set loose. Wanted to fuck anything that moved. You included.”

“Prongs, are you flirting?”

“Maybe, little bit.” James was definitely a little tipsy now, and that meant any filter he had on earlier had disappeared as quickly as the drink had. “Is it working?”

You laughed at that, taking a moment to decide whether you wanted to answer honestly. If it was too flirty you’d just cut it out.

“It might be.” you chuckled, once you had calmed down. “I’ll- fucking cut that out-“

James shook his head, swallowing a mouthful of his drink, and when he darted his tongue out to swipe the excess off of his lips, you noticed.

You also noticed every time his eyes raked over your figure as if he had never seen you before. Granted, until today, he’d only ever seen you on his phone screen. From what he had told you since you had started recording, though, James had seen you a lot.

“Leave it in.” he told you. You weren’t often in the business of doing as you were told, especially on your own podcast. This time, though, you nodded, smile spreading across your face.

“You know, anyone that’s just listening to the audio isn’t gonna see, but the way we’re sat right now- So like, normally it’s like, opposite ends, but we are- I mean, I might as well be on top of you.”

“If you like.”

“Oh my God.” you giggled, sitting back against the sofa slightly. “You know, you’re a little younger than me, but you’re pretty fucking smooth.”

He laughed, a little bit of a tipsy, hiccuping giggle, that actually set off a wave of butterflies in your stomach.

“You say that like I’m sixteen.” said, watching as you sat back, his gaze raking over you. His mouth suddenly felt incredibly dry, and he took another drink, clearing his throat.

“Of course not, you’re definitely-“ you cleared your throat. “A man, but you’ve been streaming since you were like, eighteen, right?”

“Something like that, yeah.” James nodded, and this time there was no embarrassment as his gaze roamed over your body. “I just used to stream for like, three people. It started with me getting an account so we could all play Jackbox, which is why I was down as Prongs and not something more creative- I just didn’t think anyone was gonna see it.”

“Hah- take it from me- the internet is forever.”

“Yeah, well, you make it look good.”

Ten minutes of shameless flirting and filthy questions later, you wrapped up the podcast, after accepting the offer to crash one of James’ upcoming streams, so that you could get a taste of what it was like to be live, just like you had given James a glimpse of your professional niche in having him on the podcast.

“Oh, I don’t know...” you began to protest when he suggested it, unsure if you would be as welcomed by James’ audience as he was bound to be by yours- James’ fans are all teenagers that are in love with him; your audience is essentially just horny people in collective agreement that James is a fucking smokeshow.

“Don’t be daft, they’ll love you, you’re a laugh.” James insisted, waving you off as if it were the most obvious thing in the world that you would be loved anywhere you went. “And you’ll have a few hundred people telling you how beautiful you are, I’m sure you’re used to that.”

It took a few more minutes for James to convince you, but eventually, he did, and you let him out of your apartment, hugging him the way you did when he came in, except he lingered a little longer this time. You didn’t know whether it was because he didn’t want to leave, or because he was less nervous to be around you, but neither of those were inherently bad feelings.

“I’ll call you.” you told him certainly, clinging onto your front door frame as you watched him head down the steps onto the pavement.

“If I could show a clip of you telling me that to seventeen-year-old-me, he’d have dropped dead on the spot.” James laughed. It was taking enough of his will not to do the same now. Thankfully, for the sake of his dignity, and his chance with you, he managed to stay upright long enough to wish you goodbye, flash you a wink, and walk away.

[talesofesther]

ten reasons not to kiss her

➥ Ch one: The first reason

Pairing: Natasha Romanoff x Reader/fem!OC

Series Summary: Natasha slowly adapts to a life by your side, all the while thinking of all the reasons why she shouldn't kiss you.

A/N: This story is a labour of love. I have loved Natasha for longer than I can remember, and this story is that love written down. If you ever wondered what Natasha would be like as a partner, this story will show you. <3 At first, this was going to be a very long one-shot, but I decided that it looks and works much better divided into chapters. The chapters won't be huge, but the updates will also not take long to come out. I hope you enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed writing; let me know your thoughts.

Masterlist

It had been a strange decision from the start.

Natasha did not need an apartment; she could live in a million-dollar tower if she wanted to.

She rented an apartment anyway. It was a small thing, only a couple of blocks away from Stark's tower. Sometimes, free will still felt like a foreign concept. Natasha wanted to break the cycle; she wanted a thing of her own, a home to go back to that was solely hers. And maybe that concept was even more foreign, but she was content.

The time she spent in her apartment didn't have a schedule or pattern. Work kept her away for several days at a time. Good work, clean work—Natasha would tell herself over and over each time she put on her black suit. If she stole files for SHIELD, if she took people's lives, it was for a good cause. She was going clean; she was washing away the red on her ledger.

Natasha told herself over and over. A mantra, muttered under her breath. Maybe if she said it enough times, she'd believe it.

On free days, she went back to her apartment. The decoration was still bare and dull; cream colored walls had no art or portraits on them, there was a single grey couch in front of a flat screen tv, a small kitchen with only the necessary amount of cutlery for one person, and thin curtains that did nothing to keep sunlight away and flowed easily with the wind.

But Natasha liked it. She had bought a small potted plant on a whim; the little thing had its place on her windowsill, and a rush of giddy pride filled Natasha when she noticed a new green leaf had grown after a few days of close care. It was peaceful, it was quiet. Natasha never had anything of her own. This? It belonged to her.

It didn't take too long for Natasha to meet you, then. When she rented the apartment, Natasha forgot to consider that she'd have neighbors.

She was about to step into the only elevator of the building. You, were rushing out of it.

Natasha had quick reflexes; she took hold of both your arms before you could crash into her and undoubtedly spill the coffee inside the to-go cup you were holding.

You gasped in surprise, looking at Natasha with widened eyes. And she frowned, more at herself than at you; because Natasha immediately noticed how beautiful your eyes were, even under the crappy blinking light of the hallway.

"Oh, I'm so sorry." You were quick to say. You had a burgundy scarf around your neck, which matched the pink of your cheeks. Maybe it was colder outside.

One of your hands grasped at the fabric of Natasha's black bomber jacket, around her forearm—out of reflex, no doubt—but Natasha was a little too aware of your touch. She averted her gaze, focusing on the open doors of the elevator behind you.

She shook her head dismissively. "No problem."

"You're my new neighbor."

When Natasha looked at you again, her brow raised with curiosity. She noticed that the smile on your lips was as soft as your voice. Natasha should not be looking at your lips.

"I had noticed the door next to mine was vacant. And then it wasn't." You explained further with a shrug when the redhead, still holding onto your arms, kept silent. Your eyes carefully followed the curls of her red hair. "Welcome."

Natasha held your stare for a second longer. She could only nod. She hurried inside the elevator and away from you faster than she meant to.

There was a kindness to you. Each time you and Natasha happened upon each other again—in the elevator, when you'd be arriving home at night and Natasha was just leaving, sometimes in the street just before going inside the apartment building—you always greeted her with a smile and a small wave, even on the days when she'd give you nothing more than a nod of acknowledgement.

In just a couple of weeks, you became a peculiar variable in Natasha's life, something she wasn't used to. She hadn't accounted on meeting someone like you. Someone as sweet as you.

At first, Natasha avoided you like the plague. At the same time, she secretly always hoped you'd find her, anyway.

And you did, because when Natasha walked into the cozy coffee shop across the street from the building, the face that greeted her at the counter was yours. There was a barely there falter on her steps, a fleeting moment of hesitation where Natasha considered choosing another place to buy coffee. But the poorly contained excitement shining bright in your eyes as soon as you noticed Natasha opening the door kept her hostage.

The place was very inviting, with brick walls, order suggestions written with chalk on blackboards, plush red seats that were too carefully crafted to be from this decade, and a grunge melody coming from a vintage jukebox in the corner.

Natasha reached the counter, gripping the edge with her hands. A beat or two passed, and she pretended to look at the coffee suggestions written to your right.

You waited until she was ready. You were kind like that.

When the redhead chanced a glance at you, that soft smile of yours that Natasha had already memorized the shape of was back; "What can I get you?"

She raised a brow, deciding on a challenge. "Why don't you surprise me?" Natasha's voice was velvety, her smirk tantalizing.

And you did, when you attuned with her quickly. You tapped your pen against your lips once, twice; smile not wavering. You wrote something down in your notepad. "It would be my pleasure."

Natasha chose to sit in a booth by the nearest window, which had a clear view of both the door and the counter.

You brought the coffee to her yourself. A Macchiato, along with a plate holding two chocolate cookies. You placed it in front of her with a quiet "Enjoy" falling past your lips.

Natasha drank the coffee and had to hold back a groan of satisfaction. She took a second sip and glanced up towards the counter in the same heartbeat. You caught her staring, but she caught you staring back. Your eyes had already been on her.

Natasha fought a smile when she watched the way your bashful eyes avoided hers, and a smile of your own framed your pink cheeks and crinkled the sides of your eyes.

Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Natasha had trouble looking away from you. She realized, with sudden shortness of breath, that she too became softer in your presence.

This sort of love was not allowed for someone like her. You were both too soft, and the world around you was all knives and chipped teeth. Natasha knew it well. And she should not be looking at your lips. This was the first reason why.

⋆* ☾ ⋆*･ﾟ:⋆*･ﾟ

Next chapter

Natasha’s taglist is open, let me know if you’d like to be added. Or you can follow @talesofesther-library and turn notifications on to know when I’ve posted a new story/chapter.

Thank you for reading this chapter. Feedback and reblogs are literally what keeps me motivated to continue posting here, so I’d appreciate it if you could take some time to reblog and comment. <3

You do not have permission to repost, copy, or translate my works on any platforms (even with credit), please respect.

[seraphinitegames]

The Wayhaven Chronicles—Update 09/May/2025

So, guess who put in another scene to the chapter that was supposed to be finished?

That’d be me…Probably not a shock to anyone at this point, hehe! ;D

But, in fairness, it really needed it! After going through the current chapter, I realised it didn’t feel balanced. There was this quite emotional moment with the love interest after another emotional scene had happened, and I realised there was nothing for Li-Sar.

And although Li-Sar’s major romance stuff only happens in Book Four, it still needs to feel weighty and as deep as the others—quicker in progress but still as deep.

So, I went in an added a big section where the MC ends going somewhere else and having that moment with Li-Sar if they want it, depending on how they feel about the romance.

And guys, I LOVE it! Things feel like they’re building more naturally with Li-Sar now. Like the two of them really just can’t help but be drawn to each other, as much the MC is trying not to be for very good and valid reasons, lol! :D

That took some time to figure out and add in the best place to feel natural, but after that I jumped back into the editing, which I’m still currently on but is going pretty smoothly.

And in good timing, the editor is starting to send her edits back for the previous-previous chapter, so I’m going to add them in too seeing as I’m in the editing zone!

So next week is more editing, social media days (because I totally forgot it was May already!), and then hopefully getting onto the next chapter! A busy one, but hopefully another week I can check off a lot of tasks!

Hope you all have the most amazing weekend! We’ll be off as usual, so I’ll update you all again next week <3