#alas i only wanted to make an 8 set

[tenjikyu]

𝘥𝘢𝘥𝘥𝘺 𝘪𝘴𝘴𝘶𝘦𝘴 - 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘯𝘦𝘪𝘨𝘩𝘣𝘰𝘶𝘳𝘩𝘰𝘰𝘥.

౨ৎ ⋆｡˚ bonten!executives x manjiro’s son!reader , male!reader , izana lives bc fuck it we ball & he adds character to the fic , bonten all lives together in a massive penthouse just like my rockstar!reader fic bc that’s such a fun idea , reader is a very “ ion gaf ” character , reader is not biologically related to manjiro , reader has suffered through childhood abuse , more fluff then angst , going to make a part 2 .

❤︎ the day manjiro sano found you, helpless and starved, he practically convinced himself to ignore you.

❤︎ alas, his big brother didn’t share the same sentiment, quickly walking over to you and overwhelming you with questions.

❤︎ izana talked your ear off, and all the executives present could see that you were pissed by his presence.

❤︎ deciding it would be better to just leave you be to die of starvation, he takes izana’s hand in his own before dragging him away.

❤︎ you barley crossed his mind after that.

❤︎ until he found you in an alleyway, drenched in blood that was certainly not your own.

❤︎ you were wielding a simple thin kitchen knife, and you were clearly distressed.

❤︎ looking over your shoulder, you notice the man’s presence behind you, and get in an offensive position, ready to attack need be.

“what happened?” the boy with frosted skin asked you, staring lifelessly at the rather large man that had a slice to his throat.

“he followed me back to the alleyway after i borrowed some apples from the store next to his. when i told him to leave, he didn’t.” you explain, glaring at the corpse next to you.

“and so, i had to take matters into my own hands.”

you seemed almost indifferent to the stench of blood, your eyes spoke a million words to manjiro. it was as though this was an all to familiar scenario for you.

“come boy, i’ll get you a change of clothes.” the man before you almost orders you. scoffing, you race to him and grip the knife to his throat.

“like hell i’m going anywhere with you.” you spit at the man, completely oblivious to just how dangerous he was, not that you would’ve cared regardless.

it’s a kill or be killed world, and you weren’t going to become apart of the former. not again.

manjiro only sighed, waving your hand away from him.

“come, or do you want the cops to find you? you aren’t getting anywhere dressed like that. if you’re with me, the police force won’t be able touch you.”

at the end of the day, you had just killed a man once more, and you knew deep down that the strange man in front of you was right.

there was no way you’re getting out of this alone.

❤︎ and so, you allowed the lean man to hold your even thinner wrist as he walks through the streets. it was about 10:00pm by now, and manjiro knew that his brother is probably blowing up his phone as you two walk.

❤︎ regardless, he takes you into a shady thrift shop and gets you dressed. nothing fancy, just a black hoodie with some worn jeans and a pair of 2nd hand converse shoes. not the best, but much better then the rags you were wearing beforehand anyways.

❤︎ as he made his way back to the penthouse, which could easily home more then 15 people, he finally answers his silenced phone.

❤︎ izana is giving him the usual earful about how he “shouldn’t leave without his big brother” and how “anyone could be tracking his movements.”

❤︎ manjiro only holds your little hand tighter as he steps into the place.

❤︎ immediately, 8 sets of eyes land on the two of you.

❤︎ the man with the curly white hair blankly stares into what feels like your soul. he slowly approaches you, before leaning down to his level.

❤︎ “you like taiyaki?”. his eyes crazed and still glaring into you.

❤︎ and thus, you were oddly enough, quickly welcomed into bonten.

❤︎ you were promptly fed and bathed, much to your discomfort, before being placed into one of the many spare bedrooms within their absolutely massive penthouse, right next to manjiro’s bedroom for simplicity’s sake.

❤︎ everything was a first for you, from the endless amount of food stocked in the home, to having adults around you that aren’t about to beat you senseless.

❤︎ after waking up from your first ever comfortable night asleep, you promised to yourself that you wouldn’t speak a word to any of these people.

❤︎ having your trust in the ones supposed to protect you abused and shattered doesn’t get fixed overnight, but that didn’t seem to bother any of the men around you.

❤︎ it has been 2 days since your arrival, and apart from manjiro showing you around, they seemed to mostly ignore your presence.

❤︎ you did whatever you wanted. watched TV, ate anybody’s food without a care in the world, interrupted all of the men from getting their work done and stolen an excessive amount of personal items that belonged to the executives, much to their confusion.

❤︎ some of them used the spare bedrooms as 2nd offices (apart from the one at HQ), and you used that as a way to learn more about the guys who had ripped you from the streets.

❤︎ and from that, you learned then that you were currently residing in the most dangerous home in japan, with the deadliest men in the country’s stolen goods scattered in your bedroom.

❤︎ your heart sunk when you heard someone enter the office you were in, only to find the head on bonten staring at you as you scrolled through his laptop.

❤︎ you only blinked, before slowly backing away from him, attempting to make a run for it.

❤︎ “let’s chat, (Y/N).” he takes ahold of your little wrist once more.

❤︎ fuck.

❤︎ you spent a good 2 and 1/2 hours talking to manjiro. you told him about your home life. how your mother slept around with the door wide open, and how your fathers empty bottles typically collided with your forehead if you took a breath too loud. you told him about how you had finally had enough, and murdered them both with the same knife you held to his throat only a few days ago.

❤︎ you told him about how school was a drag, and the kids there would often laugh at the marks left by your father. ‘the boy with unfortunate parents’ was your title, and you found yourself breaking the noses of the children teasing you. and so, you just stopped going.

❤︎ you told him more about yourself. how you (from what you could remember), were nine and turning ten next year, and what your interests were, heavily limited due to lack of exposure.

❤︎ not once did manjiro interrupt you as you spoke. he sat there, legs crossed and staring at you with an indifferent look.

❤︎ after you were done, he gently pulled you by the waist into his lap and ruffled your messy hair.

❤︎ “from now on, you only listen to what i say. you don’t need to listen to anyone else in the house, okay? just do as i say, and you’re free to do as you wish.”

❤︎ that’s all he says as he strokes your hair, attempting to have you drift off in his protective hold.

❤︎ and it works.

A/N : part 2 is gonna have the reader interacting with the executives, as well as the father/son relationship form between him and manjiro.

uncle izana is gonna go so hard.

[lostbetweenvampiresandmusic]

Prompts 8 and 14 with Poly lost boys? (If not Poly, I’ll be good with any of them-)

8. Quiet, she has just fallen asleep!

14. Are you alright?

Thank you so much for requesting! I hope you like this!💜

------------------------------------

The house was quiet. Maria had gone off to work at the videostore, and Shelly had gone out to meet with her boyfriend Greg. Normally, I would have put some music on, doing some chores or making some art now that they were gone. But not today. I woke up feeling off. I had hoped that after some breakfast and some coffee, it would be over, but alas, it only got worse. So that's why I found myself lying on the couch, with the remote control of the telly in my hand. I still hadn't put it on, knowing that the sound - no matter how soft it could be - would only worsen the headache I had.

I closed my eyes as I felt another pang of pain flashing through my head. The headache had been there all day, but now it was slowly but surely turning into a splitting headache. I knew I couldn't ignore it any longer and made my way to the kitchen. Somewhere, in one of the cabinets, I was certain I'd have a package with aspirin. I sighed as I entered the kitchen, seeing the dirty dishes piling out of the sink. The remains of our lunch were lying on the kitchen island. It was a mess. Normally, I wouldn't mind cleaning it up, but now, the thought alone made me want to cry. God, I felt sick.

I opened the cupboard, realising that the package I had had been used up by my housemates. The only thing left of it was the empty box. I sighed as I threw it in the bin, deciding that I'd have to go to the drugstore. I got dressed in some comfortable yet more appropriate clothing - I didn't want to go outside in my pyjamas - and put my shoes on. After locating my keys on the dining room table, I headed outside - only to return to put a jacket on. It was surprisingly cold outside.

As I walked down the street, I was a little relieved to realise that the sun was setting already. It meant that my boyfriends would be going to the boardwalk soon. As much as the idea of being in a brightly lit, loud space didn't appeal to me, the idea of being with them and near them did.

The door to the drugstore opened with a soft tinkle as I pushed it open, the bell above the door signalling my presence. It was quiet inside, the only other customer an old lady. I greeted her quietly before searching the aisles for what I needed. I didn't pay attention when I heard the bell ring, nor did I pay attention to the space around me. So, when I found the brand I needed, and made a move to grab it, I bumped into someone.

"Oh my god, I'm so-"

"Shit, you look like shit babe!" I looked up and saw that I had bumped into Marko. I gave him a watery smile.

"I kind of feel like it, I think it hay-fever or something."

Marko nodded, his hand resting on my forehead to check my temperature. "I think it's a bit more than that."

"Fever?"

"Yeah, a bit. Come on," he took the medicine I wanted and walked towards the checkout. "You're staying with us tonight."

"Weren't you going to the boardwalk?"

"You're more important. Santa Carla won't forget who owns the place if we don't show up one night."

I nodded, taking a deep breath. It was suddenly really warm inside. "What were you doing here?"

"Paul's been complaining about a lack of liquorice in the cave."

"He really likes that stuff?"

"Apparently. We can't all be perfect," he paid for the liquorice and the aspirin, also asking for a bottle of water. He grabbed our stuff, opening the door for me. Once we were outside, I stopped walking for a moment, taking some deep breaths.

"Are you alright?"

I shook my head slightly. " 'm feeling a little faint."

"Go and sit down, alright?" He handed me the bottle of water and the aspirin. "Have you eaten today?"

I shrugged as I took a sip. "Wasn't hungry."

"You actually got the liquorice!" I looked up as I saw Paul appearing out of thin air in front of me. "And you got our gir- Jesus, you look like shit."

I nodded, feeling a little less faint than before. I heard the loud rumble of motorcycles, and I knew that Dwayne and David were also here now. I looked up, smiling tiredly as David walked towards me.

"Hey."

"Hey darlin'," he helped me stand up, looking me over as I did. I felt myself tremble a little. Maybe Marko was right, and this was more than allergies. "Let's get you home. Do you think you can hold on?"

I nodded, climbing on the back of his bike, and holding on to him tightly.

"We need some food, see if there's a store open so you can get her some fruit and bread and such."

"Sure thing. Is there anything you'd like?" Paul looked at me, and I shook my head. He nodded, kissing me softly on my forehead before driving off. Marko handed Dwayne the stuff we'd just bought, saying he'd be home shortly. He had to feed. Dwayne drove next to us, both David and him driving slower than usual. I was glad they did, mainly because their usual driving style was close to nauseating. Besides, with them driving slower, the chances of me gliding off were slimmer. I closed my eyes for a bit, a sudden tiredness overwhelming me.

"Don't fall asleep, love."

" 'm not." I mumbled, holding on a little tighter.

"We're almost home, then you can sleep all you want."

Dwayne was true to his word. Less than five minutes later, we stopped at the edge of the cliff leading towards the cave. Without a word, Dwayne lifted me up, carrying me in his arms down the stairs and into the lobby of the sunken hotel.

"Couch or bed?"

"Couch," I said softly, trying to stiffle a yawn, "Don't want to be alone."

"Alright, love."

He carefully laid me down on the couch, taking some pillows from Star's bed to make sure I was comfortable. David brought me the blanket I normally used while staying here, a thick and soft fabric covering the whole thing. I mumbled a soft thank you.

"How long have you been feeling sick?" David asked, crouching down next to me, brushing some hair out of my face.

"Since this morning."

"It's probably just a cold or a flu. Is the aspirin helping?"

"A little, I guess?"

He gave me a soft smile, getting up. I closed my eyes, drifting in and out of consciousness before sleep finally came.

I don't know how much time passed before I woke up, but when I did, I could hear an annoyed Dwayne hiss something at Paul and Marko.

"Quiet, she has just fallen asleep!"

"Ah shit, sorry, babe!" Paul whisper yelled at me, causing me to sleepily open my eyes.

" 's okay," I nodded, looking at them.

"I know you said you didn't want anything from the store, but I also brought you some cookies and chocolate."

I smiled tiredly, wincing as I felt my headache return. "Thank you, hon."

"If you're not feeling better tomorrow, we could give you some blood to speed up the healing process?" Marko offered. I bit my lip, not knowing whether I'd like that or not. I did feel sick, but to drink blood? "Just think about it, alright?"

"Yeah."

He smiled before looking outside. The sky was turning a bright red. He went to the back of the cave, climbing through the liftshaft. Dwayne and Paul followed. I pulled my blanket closer against me, curling up, when I felt a pair of arms lifting me up.

"Hm?"

"We're staying with you today, sweetheart."

" 's nice," I mumbled sleepily, already dosing off as he brought me to the bedroom. I was asleep before I even hit the pillow, my boys surrounding me, making sure I'd be okay.

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

Strand to find later: 🏃‍♀️ 🚓 🔥 🏦🔥

AITA for helping my mother ostracize my father from the family?

My mother has been a stay-at-home parent my entire life. She’s also been entirely responsible for me since day one, while my father would attend his job, come home, eat dinner with us and then retreat to watch videos on his phone and then go to bed at like 8:30. She has been responsible for 99% of the cooking, cleaning, and housekeeping in additional to being my emotional/physical support while sacrificing her own emotional well-being. She has no real friends in this country, all her acquaintances are known through my father (I. E. Wives of my fathers friends and colleagues etc), and can’t really leave since she’s financially dependent and America is EXPENSIVE to live in. And she wholly resents this situation. (he also not-so-subtly operates under the assumption that he’s the only one who works in the house, and my mother has it easy. I would like to point out that the man has never lived independently once in his life. He went ~10 years into the marriage before learning how to use a washing machine)

recently they’ve hit a rough(er) patch in their marriage. He’s gotten a promotion, and she feels bitter about the fact that he is getting more money while she still wouldn’t be able to independently if she wanted to. she has resorted to taking it out on him (and me) more often in the form of verbal assaults. The slightest thing can set her off and make her start screaming. Or, Whenever he’s around (talking to me OR her) she gives him the silent treatment and starts to slam things down (I. E. Throwing plates into the Dishwasher, slamming doors, muttering angrily). So my father had started to avoid any interaction with us entirely and spend his days in his room, only leaving it when it’s lunch or dinner. This makes her angrier since the whole reason she’s pissed is because he’s not pulling his weight as a father and basically ignoring me, so it just perpetuates the cycle. (I would like to point out that I am also not making things easier for him. Although I had never really noticed his absence until it started being brought up verbally— my mother was always there so it was less noticeable— I still react bitterly and try to avoid any interaction with him).

the way she treats him (and me, whenver he’s not available) could be described as verbally abusive but I struggle to feel any sympathy for him. Abuse implies control, and she is certainly not the one in control here. He can leave whenever he feels too oppressed (and he has— he has gone to live in another house/state for several months, more than once), and the rest of us are very much stuck there.

we’ve (mostly her, and me by extension) started to hide things from him (snacks, movies we’re watching, any interaction) to avoid having him join in on any family activities. We sometimes go weeks without saying a single word to him (and him to us). I am aware that this is only perpetuating the cycle (again), and is probably psychologically damaging.

so am I (and mother) the assholes? (For the isolation bit— I am aware that she is definitely TA for the abuse (?), since it’s not a valid move esp. when communication is RIGHT. THERE. But alas she’d rather die before calming down when it come to him. I’m not that much better)

What are these acronyms?

[cumikering]

Werewolf Keegan x reader 8

2.4k | angst How many times can you run from someone before they run from you? (part 1) (part 9/end)

An enemy sniper’s bullet went straight through Raider’s leg.

Keegan performed first aid on the collapsed K9, forcing his hands to not tremble from the dread. The bullet had miraculously missed his bones, but the blood still poured from the open flesh. While everyone had taken their masks off, Keegan kept his on. No one needed to know how many ugly tears he shed in silence as he helplessly held his whimpering best friend for the whole ride. He was losing too much, too soon.

Back in the city, in the waiting room of the veterinary hospital, his stare burnt onto the unassuming clock which appeared to move slower by the second. He called you from the hospital’s landline, the only thing that could distract him from everything that was going to shit, but you didn’t pick up.

He had been waiting for what felt like hours, his huffs heavy as he paced the empty room. Empty because since he arrived, the other patrons seemed to prefer to wait elsewhere, away from the man with the storm brewing in his eyes who gripped the seats next to him like he was about to fling them across the room.

When Raider made it out of his emergency surgery, Keegan let out his breath as his shoulder sagged in relief. He knelt next to his kennel, petting the K9 as he lay on his side with a loopy stare, his tail swaying weakly.

“I know you miss her, buddy. I’ll get her, okay?” He took his handkerchief out of his back pocket, placing it next to Raider. “Keep this safe for me.”

The sun was setting when Keegan made it to your apartment. Ideally, he’d visit with a bouquet and a rehearsed speech; alas the stars hadn’t aligned at the slightest the past few painstaking hours. In fact, they had been blown out of the fucking sky because when he got out of his SUV, you were in the courtyard heading to your building, a man next to you.

He slammed his door shut and stalked towards you. He had no right to – perhaps it was the remnants of his agitation, but he wanted to punch the dude for standing so close to you, making you smile and laugh like that. He was walking you to your door, were you going to invite him in? When it was just him on your arm weeks ago?

“I need to talk to you,” he declared.

Your eyes widened momentarily before you walked past him. He didn’t relent, following you.

“You blocked my number. I’ve been trying to reach you the past week.”

“There’s nothing to talk about.” Your voice was cold as you maintained your pace.

“Don’t think she wants you here.” The man stepped in front of him. “Why don’t you leave her alone, mate?”

Who the fuck was this green-eyed dude with the posh English accent telling him what to do? He might have been as tall as Keegan, but he didn’t look like he could survive half a punch.

“I’m not talking to you.” He didn’t spare the man another glance. “Raider got shot. He’s at the vet hospital.”

You stopped and turned to him. “W-what?”

“He made it out okay, but I thought you might want to see him.”

“Oh God,” you whispered. “Yes, I’d love to see him. Blake, I’m so sorry, I need to go.” You placed your hand on the man’s forearm.

“Are you sure?” He gripped your hand, wary eyes wandering to Keegan before going back to you.

“Yes, I’m sorry. I’ll text you, okay?”

Keegan noticed the way you fiddled with your shirt as you rushed to his car. It was his first instinct to wrap his arm around you whenever you did so, but he caught himself before he made the contact.

“Who is he?” he asked as he drove off. “Was he the one who sent the flowers?”

“Why does it matter, Keegan?” you retorted, an edge in your voice.

“Just answer me.”

“Are you lying about Raider?” The venom dripped from your accusation.

“I’m not. Why would I do that?” He glanced at you. “You know I wouldn’t lie to you.”

“I don’t actually. I don’t know you anymore.”

I’m jealous, okay? I want you all to myself. “Just… Tell me who he is and I won’t ask again,” he softened.

“It’s none of your business. And if you won’t shut up, let me out of the damn car right now because I’d rather walk on my own than hear your voice again.”

He decided it was enough of an answer who the man was.

During the silent drive to grab Raider’s things at his, the lump in his throat wouldn’t stop swelling, but he’d calmed down enough to not want to scream anymore. It didn’t matter if it was your date or your boyfriend. He’d accepted that he’d irrevocably messed up and nothing was going to change that.

You helped collect the K9’s favourite toys from the living room which was still a mess from him leaving in a hurry for his previous deployment. When he emerged from the bedroom, Raider’s blanket folded in hand, you were waiting by the door. As much as he wanted to stay in the delusion that there was still a sliver of hope of mending this, he understood he might never even get the chance to speak to you again with the way you wouldn’t look at him.

“I just… Can you hear me out? I just need 5 minutes. Please.” His fingers clenched around the soft fabric.

You spared him a glance. He took it as his cue to proceed.

“I wish I had the balls to say this sooner because this feels far too late now. I know you hate me, but at this point I’ve got nothing to lose. So I just… want to tell you I’m in love with you.”

Your stare didn’t waver.

“I want to parade you around to my teammates, take you home to meet my family, kiss you goodnight, every single night. I don’t know how you make me so happy, so alive. But I never said anything because…” He exhaled, arms dropping to his sides, fist clenching and releasing. “What happened to me was… You’re going to think I’m crazy, but I’m a w-”

“Is this a joke?” You scoffed. “I told you I won’t stop you if you wanted to leave, and you did. I only asked you to be honest and you couldn’t even do that. So save your sorry excuse for someone who’d buy it.”

His gaze fell to the floor. “It’s not an excuse,” he said lamely.

“What are you doing this for? Was it not enough that you left me hanging for a whole week? And- and I heard how you rushed out to leave that morning.” You swallowed. “You’re unbelievable. I shouldn’t have gone out with you, shouldn’t have kissed you. Shouldn’t have forgiven you or let you stay the night!”

Your words, like daggers to a bleeding wound, made it hard for him to breathe. His chest felt bound, icy, his fingertips tingled as his heartbeat echoed in his ears.

So he walked past you and left, the only thing he was good at - running away from problems. Because it hurt less than to see the anger, the disappointment in your face, knowing it was his fault.

In the hurry, he took Raider’s blanket with, but his buddy would have to wait. His skin scorched as he drove to the mountains, but this time, the pain didn’t dissolve after his transformation. He ran aimlessly, wailing and howling the pain away in the woods, blinded by the hot, white fire. Having had experienced nothing as agonising, he wished he had a weapon to just end it right there and then.

He didn’t even make it up the mountain when his legs bucked and he collapsed onto his side, heaving, like breathing through shrapnel impaled through his chest. His eyes didn’t stay open much longer, and he succumbed to the burn.

Keegan didn’t know how long he was out when he woke to his own pained scream, tears down his face in his human form. He ran his calloused hands down his body, but discovered no injury. With the ache in his chest, like a hole had been blown through it, he wouldn’t be surprised if it was reality. He got dressed and dragged his unsteady legs to his car, not feeling like he was all there.

It was in the dead of night when Keegan got to the vet hospital, but as Raider’s handler, the staff cleared him to visit anyway. At the clink of the kennel opening, the K9’s eyes flicked open to him, tail swaying twice before slumping to his side again.

He dropped to his knees. “I’m sorry, bud,” he whispered, rubbing his head. “I can’t do anything right. I couldn’t even get her to see you without fucking everything up.”

He reached behind the pooch, tucking him under the blanket, but his hand bumped onto something. It was his phone chew toy, the one you were supposed to bring with him.

You’d been there for Raider, despite how much Keegan had hurt you. You still cared even when you didn’t have to. You weren’t allowed to be this kind to someone like him.

Truly realising how much he’d lost, the gravity of it all, he choked out a sob. He didn’t care about having to live the rest of his days as a wolf, but losing you… He couldn’t handle that, yet the situation was the bitter fruit of his cowardice.

The city had long settled when the door to his apartment slammed shut. He didn't care if anyone screamed at his face for the noise at the hour either. He didn’t care about anything, but-

Wait. He smelt you.

You sat up on the couch, rubbing your eyes as they adjusted to the florescent lighting. He dove to his knees, arms around your waist.

“I’m sorry, I’m sorry…” he choked. “I don’t deserve you.”

“Why can’t you just be honest with me?” You stroked his hair.

“I’m always too scared. Of messing up, of losing you.” His embrace tightened, not caring if he smelt like earth and moss. He didn’t want to let go.

“You keep running away.”

He pulled away, puffy eyes meeting yours. “Can I show you? Do you trust me?”

You nodded. He went to the bathroom, leaving the door ajar before emerging in his wolf form. At the sight, you gasped, frozen in place. He took slow steps towards you, tail between his legs.

“You’re… You’re the wolf from the woods.”

His tail rose. You met him halfway, dropping to your knees to embrace him. He leaned into your hair, accepting that this could very well be the last time he could smell you like this. He pushed you onto your back, standing over you, nuzzling your neck he stained with his tears.

“I want to work things out, but… You keep making me feel like you don’t want me, when you can be kind to me.”

It took a blink of an eye for him to shift above you, now caging you under his body. “I do. I’ve never wanted anything as much. I’m sorry I don’t know how to handle myself and I keep hurting you.”

You cupped his face, wiping the tears off his cheeks.

He closed his eyes. “But I’ll be better. I have to be. For you.”

You pulled him in for a kiss, arms around his neck. The weight on his shoulders released, he could breathe again as the bound around his chest loosened. When you smiled against his lips, he pulled away.

“I’m not looking, but are you… Naked?” Your eyes stayed on his as you tried to bite back your laugh.

He gave you a sheepish smile. “I forgot again.”

You scratched the back of his head.

He sighed. He’d missed your smile beyond words. “I like it when you do that.”

“I know. Your tail told me as much.”

In bed, with you in his arms as the sun rose, he told you about the recon duty. How he had no idea what was happening to him for the first few months, how he could run faster and further, and healed from his injuries in no time at all. He recounted how he eventually got the hang of it until he met you.

“You smelt so good, better than peanut butter, but I didn’t think much of it. I thought it was impossible for me to have someone, a mate. Until that morning, I saw your birthmark, just like my scar.”

He explained the concept of mates, voice hushing as he detailed how the bond worked. His grip on you tightened without him meaning to - he wasn’t ready to know you didn’t feel as deeply towards him for the bond to seal. He braced for you to rip yourself off him, a scream, anything, at the ridiculous lore he told.

The air stilled. “Do you believe all this?”

“I don’t want to, but at this point everything feels more than a coincidence.”

“Then we should bond,” you stated. “The 7th full moon is less than two weeks away.”

“How do we know this is the right thing, or what’s going to happen to you?”

“We don’t, but I don’t care as long as it’s with you.”

“I’m not dragging you into this, peanut. I don’t want you to regret anything.”

“I love you, Keegan,” you mumbled.

Eyes wide, he sat up, gripping your shoulders. “What- what did you just say?”

You averted your gaze, biting down your smile.

“I love you, peanut. So fucking much.”

His heart soared. Your words melted his fears away, like balm on tender flesh. You cradled his face as he leaned into the smile that he wanted to worship every day.

The wolf fixed his mess after all, and all he had to do was be honest to his peanut, and trust that the universe wasn’t out to get him. With his yearning for you in his bones, maybe this time, he thought, it paid off to be a fighter of his own fate.

@tiredmetalenthusiast @shadofireshinobi @keegansshark @two-gh0sts @rowanyaboats @mangoguy @astraluminaaa @shadowlali @eve-lie @reelovesfictionalmen @writeforfandoms @milkteaarttime @blackthorncrown @dekitora

[robin-buckely]

Coloring Tutorial

Hello, this tutorial is for the wonderful @djoharrington​​ and those of you wondering how I colored this set. I’m going to be talking about how to color the first gif only to keep this tutorial from getting too long. The other two used the same coloring method with only minor adjustments made to keep them looking similar.

Yes, this scene really is that dark before coloring.

Quick notes on what I’m using:

mpv player for screencapping — not mentioned in tutorial

Photoshop 2021 for editing

I mention mpv player because I’m giffing 4k, and it’s one of the few players I’ve come across that take continuous caps that don’t end up looking washed out. It makes for easier coloring.

This is me coloring literally any Upside Down scene:

Step 1: brighten the hell out of this gif

You can use a throwaway layer to get you started. I used an exposure layer (which I eventually kept and adjusted during the original process of coloring this scene) with end settings of: exposure at +5.25, offset and gamma correction at default.

Now we can see all the beautiful details of Nancy’s face. Well, most of them.

Step 2: photo filter layer 1

The way I offset this horrid blue tint they use for Upside Down scenes is a photo filter layer (several for this particular scene). For now, just the one. Put this below the exposure layer!

This brings a bit of color back to Nancy’s face and warms up the blue tones that are so prevalent in Upside Down scenes.

I don’t change the blending mode, opacity, or fill, just keep as is.

Step 3: curves layer 1

I clicked around a lot with this layer. Mostly in an attempt to get rid of the blue and adding more color to Nancy’s face. Didn’t get the result I was looking for with this layer until I added other layers. But I managed to brighten the gif a little more and add some contrast.

Step 4: hue/saturation layer

Put this layer below the photo filter layer! I used this layer to balance out the colors I pulled from the curves layer. Brought back some warmth/purples by adjusting cyans and blues.

Step 5: selective color layer 1

Ended up a little more purple than I wanted with the hue/sat layer, so I used a selective color layer (set between the hue/saturation layer and the photo filter layer) to get rid of the purple by, again, adjusting cyans and blues.

Make sure to have “Absolute” marked!

This is better! There’s a lot more color that isn’t blue in Nancy’s face now that I can work with and manipulate.

Step 6: color balance layer

This one goes on top of the curves layer (should be the topmost layer at this point). Only adjusted Midtones and Shadows, adding a little more red and yellow in her hair and face.

This looks a lot more natural. Now we just have to brighten it up again.

Step 7: exposure and curves layer 2

I don’t touch the RGB mode on this curves layer. I mostly adjust the Red, Green, and Blue modes by adding a little more red and green while sliding the bottom corner on Blue to add more yellow to the shadows.

Technically, I could stop here if I wanted, but the purple is still pretty prominent in the gif, especially in Nancy’s eyes, and it’s hard to adjust that without adjusting the color of the entire canvas since there’s movement in this gif. If Nancy were more of a still subject here, then layer masks are an option. Alas…

So I adjust the colors and try to get rid of the purple. The gif as a whole kind of looks washed out as well. I want more color here.

Step 8: photo filter layer 2

I set the opacity to 55%. I want warmth, but not too much.

Step 9: selective color layer 2

This is where I end up seeing the most change. Even small adjustments go a long way here.

It’s mostly the cyans, blues, and magentas which makes sense given how overwhelmingly blue this scene was, then almost overwhelmingly purple as I started making adjustments. Red and yellows are important for anything to do with the face and hair. This is where I add a more “natural” shade to Nancy. Literally anything that isn’t fucking blue is an improvement to me at this point, given how it started out.

Blue is back in the background where it belongs and not in Nancy’s face.

I think this is where I originally stopped. Like this looks pretty good to me, but I also wanted to make sure the other two gifs could be colored similarly, and they were for the most part. But there was only so much adjusting I could do to Nancy’s face in the third gif without adjusting the entirety of the scene (and set), so I had to go back and adjust her here to get a similar coloring.

(A lot of this set was back and forth, adjusting the colorings until they matched. It took so long. Especially with the stupid Upside Down visual effects in the background. I’m a bit of a perfectionist, so there were a lot of minor adjustments and a lot of nitpicking until I ended up with a result I liked.)

So last and final step.

Step 10: selective color layer 3

I ended up adding more red to the face, hair, and shadows to keep the first and third gif similar in coloring. And this is where we get our final product.

And the side-by-side comparison again.

Anyway, here you have it. This is the end of the tutorial. I can in no way guarantee that this method will work on other Upside Down scenes (trust me, I’ve tried), but hopefully you’ve learned something!

And hopefully I’ve explained myself well enough that you can apply this :)

[grottylittlefox]

How could I ever forget you? Chapter 14

Sebastian Sallow/Professor Sallow × f!MC / reader

Slow burn/fluff/angst, aged up characters 18-mid 20s

Somehow it had taken until your final day at Hogwarts to finally show Sebastian how you felt, and by then it was too late. Years pass and your distance grows stronger, despite your many efforts for him. A surprise encounter at a new job could change things forever. Finding each other once again at the very place you first met, Hogwarts.

Chapter 1: "I guess this is it"

Chapter 2: "Oh how I missed you"

Chapter 3: "Goodbye, Sebastian"

Chapter 4: " think it's time you move on"

Chapter 5: "Professor Sallow?"

Chapter 6: "Welcome Home"

Chapter 7: "You're my good luck charm"

Chapter 8: "I'm more of a butterfly person"

Chapter 9: “What have you become?”

Chapter 10: “I have something for you”

Chapter 11: “Curious”

Chapter 12: “I can never stay away from you”

Chapter 13: “Meet me in the undercroft”

Chapter 14: “Shall we dance?”

Today was the day, dinner with Professor Weasley.

That morning you awoke to a blanket of snow upon the rolling hills outside of your bedroom window. The cold glass pressed against your head as you rested in thought, your gaze following the dancing snowflakes swirling down onto the rooftops below.

Your imagination wandered for a while, preparing you for the night ahead, how you would approach the situation that Professor Fig had been so ominous about. You had visited his portrait multiple times since, eager for some kind of explanation, but alas, it remained empty.

And of course, that string of thought always pulled you back to Sebastian, as much as you resisted. The memory of him leaving, barging past you in a hurry, after witnessing Garreth’s lips upon yours.

Him getting Ostara back.

He had been gone for some time now, with no letters and nowhere to send an owl too. Of course you had left him notes on your parchment, multiple in fact. But still the paper remained free of his touch.

Your eyes wandered to the edge of the horizon, tucked behind silvery mountains and the haze of gentle snowfall. He was out there, somewhere, slipping away.

~~~

You simply couldn’t resist going out and enjoying the weather, it rarely snowed in London, and oh how you had missed Hogwarts in the wintertime.

You set out onto the castle grounds, making your way out for a chilly walk around the Hogwarts Valley, giving you some more time to contemplate your plan for the evening. Your favourite green scarf wrapped around your neck, matched with a cosy hat and gloves.

Your breath clouded in front of you as you peered out over the wooden beams of the bridge at the edge of the castle. The views were simply glorious, and for that small moment, you had at last cleared your head. Nothing but the whooshing sound of the wind, and the burning nip at the tip of your nose.

Suddenly a pair of hands gripped onto your waist, pulling you backwards as a chin rested gently on your shoulder, snapping you back into reality.

“Guess who?” A friendly voice whispered.

“Garreth,” you grinned, turning to him.

How was it that he was everywhere?

He looked down at you, curls of auburn hair falling beside his mossy green eyes. The edge of his lip twitching up into a smile.

“Excited for tonight?” He asked, before planting a little kiss onto your icy lips, quickly heating up your face.

That guilty lump returned to your throat. You had continued to pursue Garreth in Sebastian’s absence, you had no choice. This dinner was the only chance you had to get the information that could save Sebastian, and you would go to any length to do so.

“Can’t wait,” you smiled, performing.

“I too can’t wait, to show you off that is,” Garreth teased.

That guilty lump dissolved in an instant, the warmth travelling up to your cheeks, pulling that forced smile into something more real.

To show you off?

A little tingle flipped in your stomach.

Somebody wanted to show you off.

It made practically no sense that you felt this way. The last time Garreth had ‘shown you off’ you felt humiliated, being under Sebastian’s prying eyes.

But, Sebastian was gone. Sebastian, he would never show you off.

Perhaps it was his absence, perhaps it was that you finally felt seen. But Garreth…. made you feel something.

“I’m just heading into the castle, to get everything ready for dinner,” he smiled, stepping back. “I’ll see you tonight, MC.”

You watched as he set off across the bridge, turning back to flash you one last smile, which once again sent tiny little tingles rushing through you.

Were you starting to like Garreth after all?

~~~

A familiar reflection stared back at you, hair pulled into an ornate bun accompanied by the most luscious dress in deep hues of green. Perfectly matching the palette of Garreths charming, gentle eyes. You watched yourself smile as you fiddled at the necklace holding Sebastian’s precious ring, trying to ignore the lingering doubts about your feelings that tormented you more with every passing second.

It was time. You took a final deep breath, analysing the way your body moved with the fabric, before heading to the door of your cosy Hogwarts bedroom. Hesitating, you turned back, glancing across the moonlit desk in the corner. The enchanted parchment lie there, waiting patiently for a response. You had been hung up on it every day, constantly checking, carrying it with you wherever you went. And this was to be no different. The parchment was soon stuffed in your purse, accompanying you to dinner.

As you made your way down the grand staircase, you felt the array of heads turning, watching as you strolled by. These were not students heads however, they were portraits, eyeing you up in your new look.

“You look lovely!” A voice called out from above.

You looked up, to find a portrait of a young girl staring back at you. A portrait you must have passed hundreds, if not thousands of times, yet somehow never even noticed.

“Thank you,” you said as a gentle smile slipped your lips, carefully holding up your skirt in order not to trip.

You finally arrived at the great hall, completely unprepared for what to expect. You did however find it rather amusing that the students were so blissfully unaware of such events happening, as they all resided in their dorms. You wondered what sorts of things the staff got up too when you were a student. And what it might be like to see them tonight, without the restrictions of their office and classroom walls.

Standing outside of the large door, you adjusted your dress, listening in to the hustle and bustle of commotion on the other side.

The door slowly began to open, letting the boom of chatter and music slip out with the light.

A mop of ginger hair peered around the door, followed by a smile and a rather elaborate coat and tie.

“Look at you!”

“It’s nothing,” you gushed. “Just something I had laying around-“

“You look devine,” he muttered, reaching out a hand and guiding you inside, revealing the most exquisite display of feast you had ever laid eyes on.

The smell of warm food was enchanting, and the food itself a sight to behold. Instead of four long tables, the hall was centred by one large round table, topped with delicious treats accompanied by absurd amounts of alcohol.

Almost the entire faculty of Hogwarts was already digging in, laughing and chatting away. Only four empty seats remained. Two beside each other for you and Garreth, one for Professor Black, who would likely not show up, and one at the other side of the table, reserved for Sebastian.

You were thrilled to find you were also sat beside Professor Garlick, or Mirabel as you now called her. However you were utterly distressed that Professor Weasley had been sat at the other side of Garreth, making it practically impossible to converse with her. The entire purpose of this plan was to find out what she knew, and now that task had become just a little bit more tedious.

And so you began to dig in, watching as the enchanted wine bottles poured endless amounts of glasses around the table.

You had spent most of the evening chatting to Professors Garlick than actually communicating with Garreth at all. He was far too deep in debate with Professor Sharp, who was beginning to slur his words about potions. And now no longer being a student it seemed Garreth could finally speak his mind, which was certainly taking priority over talking to you. This was all much to the dismay of Professor Weasley, who was visibly uncomfortable to be sat between the two of them.

You stood up from your chair and approached the Professor from behind, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Care to join me for a stroll?” You smiled.

“I could use some air,” she replied giving Garreth a scolding look.

The two of you headed out of the door leading to the gardens, that sat above your old common room. The warm light from inside illuminated the darkness from below, matching the twinkling stars up above that left a sparkle on the snowy ground.

“I can only apologise for my nephews behaviour in there, it seems the drinks have gotten to his head-“

“It’s alright, he’s very passionate about Potions,” you chuckled.

“That he is. I’m thrilled to hear he is opening up shop in Hogsmeade… and I see the two of you have been getting close.”

“We,” you paused, trying to muster the right thing to say. “We have. Perhaps we could collaborate on some kind of healing potion, in the future.”

There it was, the perfect diversion.

“Certainly, you have made strides for healing in the wizarding world, who knew that muggle methods could be so effective?”

“They are, however, there are

certain types of magic that I think could be just as powerful, it’s just a matter of finding them.”

Something occurred to you in that moment, hearing yourself speak of this.

Isidora, using ancient magic to take away pain.

It was awfully similar to what you had been doing all this time, without the magic of course.

How had everything you’d been through somehow lead to this? Was it more than a coincidence?

The Professor raised an eyebrow, seeming eager to hear more about the magic you spoke of.

“In my research,” you continued. “I heard about some sort of item belonging to Salazar Slytherin that was hidden in the castle, having some kind of healing abilities. It certainly sounded interesting, perhaps it’s worth investigating some day.” You spoke ever so casually, in order to be cautious.

“My dear,” the Professor chucked. “Do not waste your time. I don’t think such an item exists.”

She seemed awfully certain of that, perhaps a little too certain.

“- and even if it did,” she continued. “It would have since been moved.”

“Moved? What do you mean?” You queried, desperate for even a crumb of information.

“Professor Black is a keen collector of such items. I had to essentially run the school myself while he spent months finding every last trace of Salazar Slytherin that remained in these walls, to keep in his personal collection.”

She turned away from you, glancing out at the black lake.

“His findings are very well secured.” She muttered, as her eyes fixated on the little island surrounded by the dark murky water.

Suddenly the blaring sound of trumpets swept the air from behind you, causing you to jump in surprise.

“Let us head back inside, Garreth will be looking for you. You certainly don’t want to miss the dancing,” the Professor smiled, linking your arms together as she took you back into the party.

Oh how it pained you that your conversation had to be cut short, and all for dancing. However this did confirm what Professor Fig had said, but what else? That the collection is secure? But where?

Your thoughts raced, analysing every detail of your conversion.

She looked at the lake.

Could it be in the lake?

~~~

A band of floating instruments had appeared in the corner of the hall, playing an upbeat tune. You watched as Professor Ronen was jigging around in his best robes, clearly having an incredible time. You couldn’t help but smile to yourself watching him rhythmically dart around, you could only imagine what it would be like to be that carefree.

Suddenly he turned, making direct eye contact with you. You bowed your head, peering down at the purse in your hands to ease the awkwardness.

Peeking out was the parchment you had stuffed in there earlier, only now it looked different. A message inked into the paper.

‘It’s over’

What’s over? You spiralled, instantly thinking of the worse case scenario.

“Shall we dance?” A voice interrupted your panic.

Before you even had a second to respond, Professor Ronen had already dragged you into a spin, causing you to laugh despite the torment in your head.

You soon found yourself doing that same carefree jig you were admiring just moments ago, with every note of the music pulling you further away from the torturous thoughts of Sebastian. Perhaps the drinks were starting to get to your head too.

“You and Weasley, eh? Must say I’m surprised,” Professor Ronen teased.

“As am I,”

“I thought you were more of a Slytherin fan,” he wiggled his eyebrows, almost flirtatiously.

You honestly couldn’t tell if he was teasing you about Sebastian or if he really did have too much to drink. Either way, you found yourself in a fit of laughter at his comment as the room was spinning around you.

“May I?” Interrupted your fun, it was Garreth.

“She’s all yours,” the Professor winked, stumbling away.

You glanced around the room at the rest of the staff who were now far beyond a sober state, a sight you never thought you’d witness. You once again spat out a giggle as Garreth wrapped his arms around you to sway you into dance. The music slowed as the lighting dimmed, leaving only gentle candlelight across the hall.

“What’s so funny?” He teased. “Is there something on my face?”

“No,” you chuckled again, placing your arms around Garreths neck and leaning into his chest. Breathing in the stench of alcohol on his robes. Your thoughts of Sebastian now far gone, in fact most of your thoughts too.

Garreth glided you across the hall for what felt like forever. It was peaceful, like dancing on a cloud. You gazed up at the starry sky above, getting lost in the lights as they moved, blurring your vision.

A warm breath grazed your ear, lingering for a moment.

“Shall we take this someplace more private?” Garreth whispered.

You eyes fluttered, tingles dotting across your cheeks. With a breath, your lips parted, about to provide an answer.

Suddenly a loud creek made you pull away, scorching your ears from the gentle music. Still in Garreths arms, you turned towards the large door as it slowly opened, revealing a silhouette.

Sebastian stood there, panting.

You instantly sobered up, feeling a rush of emotion flood you.

He’s okay. He’s alive.

Chapter 15

[topazshadowwolf]

GoopTales: Part 22, waking up and domestic fluff

And now, they wake up...

Parts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22(you are here)/34

AO3: Ch 1 (1-4), Ch 2 (4-8), Ch 3 (9-12), Ch 4 (13-16) Ch 5 (17-19), Ch 6 (20-23), Ch 7 (24-27), Ch 8 (28-31), Ch 9 (32-34)

---

Something moving started to pull him from the deeper sleep he had been enjoying. It wasn’t the first time he felt something move while sleeping. It frequently happens; he ignores it and continues to sleep, which is how it usually goes. His tentacles, reacting to the emotions that his dreams stir, are typically what he feels when moving about in bed. 

This was different, though.

It felt like small hands pushing on his back as someone was climbing on him. Soft, hushed voices telling the one who was climbing him confirmed his suspension. Nightmare groaned softly before opening his eye and looking at the little skeletons. Killer continued to climb up on him, settling down in the center of his back, making it hard for Nightmare to see him.

“killer,” Horror hissed softly in a whisper, “you woke him up.”

“i did?” Killer asked without the care of keeping quiet.

“You did,” Nightmare said before yawning. Slowly sitting up, he felt Killer safely slip down onto the bed in a fit of giggles.

“sorry,” Dust said softly.

“No need to apologize. I actually had a pleasant sleep. I hope you four did as well,” Nightmare said as his tendrils curled around the four small skeletons in a hug. “Now, if only I woke up on my own accord and not because some little minion decided to start crawling all over me. A rude awakening by an intrepid mountain climber is a poor start to a day.”

“intepit?” Cross asked.

“In-trep-id,” Nightmare corrected.

“intrepid,” Cross said, trying again.

“There you go, it means fearless or adventurous,” Nightmare explained.

“that’s me!” Killer exclaimed, holding his arms up excitedly.

Nightmare used a tendril to pick the child up, purposefully holding him upside-down, “Yes, that was you, but your actions were still rude. Were they not?”

Killer giggled, “sorry!”

“Why do I doubt that you are?” Nightmare asked, and Killer giggled more as Nightmare set him back down. “Alas, the youth these days have no respect for their elders. Whatever is an old man like me to do?”

“i re-pect you, mr. night,” Cross said quickly before whispering to Horror, “what’s re-pect mean?”

“respect, it means… um…,” Horror put his hand to his chin as he thought. “i know what it means just… um…”

“You are unsure how to define it, or put it into words?” Nightmare asked, and Horror nodded. “Start, and I will help you when you need it.”

“okay, um. it means that you… show uh… well you listen and you…show someone they are important,” Horror said, then looked at Nightmare.

“Exactly. You honor them by listening, doing as they ask, and being polite.” He smiled and patted Horror on the back. “You did well, Horror. You did not need my help after all.”

“thank you, mr. night,” Horror said with a smile.

“i respect you! i just like being silly,” Killer giggled.

“That you do, you little imp,” Nightmare huffed.

To that, Killer gasped and folded his arms, “i’m not an imp! i’m a skeleton!”

“Yes, you are. Come along, babybones. Time for breakfast,” Nightmare said as he stood from his bed.

“oh! oh! can you carry me, pleeeeaaase~?” Killer asked, holding his arms up in the traditional ‘pick me up pose’ all children seem to know naturally.

“me too! please!” Cross said, putting his arms up as well.

“Alright,” he said as he used his tendrils to wrap around those two and lifted them off the bed. Killer giggled and squirmed a little before finally settling into the hold. It amused Nightmare as the youngest, Cross, patted the tendril as if it were alive while whispering, “thank you” to the limb. As Cross continued to gently pet the limb, Nightmare turned his attention to Dust and Horror. “What about you two? Do you want to be carried, as well?”

“yes, please,” Horror replied, and Nightmare curled a tendril around him. Horror simply hugged the limb that held him with a content smile.

Dust was hesitant and fiddled with his fingers for a short moment before he softly muttered, “please?”

And with that, Nightmare lifted him off the bed as well. Just as before, there was a flinch at the initial contact, but Dust soon relaxed and was lifted off the bed. He looked down and around himself, interested in the different angle he now had to view everything. 

Nightmare made his way out of his room to theirs to help them pick out what they would wear and get them ready for the day. Keeping Killer and Cross focused was a struggle, but he could after that good sleep. One at a time, he helped them brush their teeth, Cross needing help with the action to make sure he got all of his teeth, and a tendril around Killer kept him in place long enough to complete the task. Once done and dressed, he walked them down the hall.

“what about you, mr. night? you still have your jammies on!” Cross asked.

“That I do. Once you four are being watched by Lyra, I shall change and brush my teeth,” He explained as they continued on their way. This time, they wanted to walk on their own—Killer and Dust on one side, Horror and Cross on the other side of him. Killer and Horror were holding a tendril in one hand and the other’s hand in the other.

Once they reached the kitchen, he found Lyra at the refrigerator going through its contents. She looked up at Nightmare and the others and smiled. “I hope you do not mind. I decided to make meal plans for the week,” she said, closing the refrigerator door.

“I do not mind at all. I will admit, I was so busy with other things that I just decided on meals when it was time to eat,” Nightmare admitted. “Speaking of meals, I have four little baby bones-”

“i’m not a baby! i’m an intrupid,” Killer started.

“Intrepid,” Nightmare corrected.

“intrepid… umm… oh! climber!” Killer announced.

“you are a babybones,” Horror grinned while patting Killer on the head.

“nuh-uh!” Killer rebutted.

“Alright, no more arguing. All four of you are baby bones, adventurous nature or not. Now, if Lyra is alright with it, I will leave you four in her care as I get myself ready for the day,” Nightmare declared.

“okay, mr. night!” Cross said before hugging Nightmare around the legs.

“I think that sounds like a wonderful idea. I will have them help with breakfast, and when you get back, we will enjoy a meal together,” Lyra smiled.

It had been long enough that Dust could now eat most of what was given to him without making him sick. And with them helping, that should keep Killer out of trouble and Horror entertained enough not to prank the others. Content they were in good hands, Nightmare started to turn to leave when he felt someone holding one of his tendrils.

Looking down, he saw Dust holding the limb in question. He was near tears as he looked up at Nightmare with a pleading look that said what his voice was failing to say. Dust wanted to come with. When he was alone with the boys, Dust stayed close whenever Nightmare was home. He usually did not initiate physical contact beyond holding a tendril like now, but he did accept it when offered. At this moment, when the others were going over to Lyra to learn what she had planned for breakfast and how they could help, Nightmare considered Dust may have become “clingy.”

What was he to do…

Nightmare will not admit it, but after his troubles as a small child at the hands of adults… he had a soft spot for them. Such young children should be his brother's concern. And yet, Nightmare just had a hard time hurting, emotionally or physically, children. It just felt like bullying.

He just… didn’t like bullying of children…

That dislike only seemed to get stronger the older he got.

But this wouldn’t be bullying… it would be telling Dust he had to wait with the others.

And yet…

He was getting soft…

Those sad eyelights, tears in the corner of his sockets, as the child silently pleaded…

“Dust,” Lyra said as she walked over and knelt down. “Mr. Night just needs to get dressed and cleaned up like you did.”

Dust looked down at the floor and nodded; he understood, but… Nightmare was the first adult to show him kindness and love. After all the anger and hate he had experienced, Dust seemed scared to be away from Nightmare. He felt safe when Nightmare was around and wanted the guardian who was protecting him from “The Doctor” to stay nearby.

“Lyra, I,” Nightmare started, but Lyra shook her head.

“Dust, I have an idea. Can you help me? Nightmare is going to be very hungry by the time he is done, and I do not think I and the other three could make enough food for him without your help,” Lyra said as she held her hand out to him.

“Hmmm, I am feeling rather peckish right now,” Nightmare said thoughtfully.

“I am sure you will be ravenous by the time you return,” Lyra grinned.

“i thought you didn’t hafta eat since you eat emotions!” Killer blurted out. He then gasped, “what about all the times you didn’t eat with us? Was that because… because you didn’t make enough for all of us and you?”

“Well… I require emotions more than food, but I also enjoy food,” Nightmare explained.

“you really need my help?” Dust asked in a whisper to Lyra.

“I do,” She whispered back. “So, will you help us?”

Dust looked up at Nightmare and then back at her with a nod. With that, she extended her hand, and he placed his hand in hers. She then stood and guided him over to the others. Dust looked back momentarily but then focused on where she was guiding him. With the group distracted with breakfast plans, Nightmare turned and left the room to prepare for the day.

…

He could get used to this…

---

next

[rozxii]

overtime and overthinking

hirai momo x reader

wc: 0.9k

not proofread, fluff, first fic

it's 8:00 pm and all where you want to be is home, but rather, you're stuck in corporate prison, back hunched over countless sheets of pointless, random documents that no one will ever look at, and your eyes burning through the back of your skull. you're surrounded by the tall off-white prison walls of the thing that you call a cubicle, obviously no one left in the office as you doubled down on the work, letting out a loud relenting sigh as you did.

your hand instinctively goes to grab the nearly empty glass of cold coffee on your desk, but alas, that's when disaster strikes. life will always never go your way. the documents you so painstakingly worked on begin to stain with a shade of dark brown as you almost want to rip your hair out, biting your tongue to stop yourself from saying anything horrible.

"that sucks."

a voice rings throughout the empty office, bouncing off the walls of the very small cubicle you were in. your eyes dart behind you and you see the perpetrator leaning on one side of the small opening, her arms crossed with her sleeves rolled up, and her right foot planted in front of her left. she adjusts the pair of glasses planted on the bridge of her nose, playing with her ponytail as she stared at you.

"i was going to invite you to the lounge to get some food, but... you look like you have bigger problems. need some help?"

"god. momo, no. i know you're equally as busy. just... let me focus and i'll have it done."

she grows nearer as she tries wiping off the extra coffee that adorned your paper, eyes wandering across the legible text, "i'm almost done anyways. i'll help you out, okay? let me run these to the fax machine and i'll bring you some new copies."

"you don't have to, seriousl-"

"and i seriously want to. you can owe me a favor if you really want, y/n." momo stares down at you, waiting for your approval as you reluctantly nod and wave her off, "fine. i owe you one."

momo runs off and you're left with the afterimage of her and a pool of coffee continuing to drip off your table and onto the brown carpet. no one'll know. you hope. but regardless, you quickly pull some towels from the other side of your desk as you begin wiping it all away, occasionally scrubbing the carpet to see if you can even remotely see it, which thankfully you can't.

you hear the echoes of the fax machine ring throughout the building, momo's occasional hum here and there as you peer over the walls on your toes. you mean, there were other sheets you could be working on, but something in you drew you to the ones in momo's hands or just to momo in general.

she was an odd person, rather, she was more mysterious than anything. she was your co-worker, sure, but you knew nothing more than that. she worked overtime with you, and... that's it.

momo quickly runs back with a stack of sheets in her two hands, "okay so, let's divide this into two stacks, one for me and you, and we'll maybe get it done by 10:00 pm. then i can help you finish whatever else-"

"i appreciate you making me new papers, thank you," you interrupt her, "but i think i got it, momo."

confusion plagues her features as she stood there, setting down the papers on your desk. she lets out a long sigh, "y/n l/n. i... i don't know how to make this any more clear. i really don't."

"i've already finished everything for tonight and i just wanted to help you." she stands firm in front of you, eyes boring into yours, and you swore you saw stars floating around in them, "i like you, y/n. i only take overtime to approach you, but i always was so swamped with work that i never got the chance and... today, i got that chance. so... can we just work on this together? i know how much this job matters to you."

and to say you were baffled was an understatement because she knew you a lot more than you did her. "momo... i- i don't know what to say."

"you... don't have to say anything." she shakes her head and closes her eyes, "god, i don't know why i said all that, i mean, you can ignore that- i guess, it's, uh, yeah. just forget whatever i said. it's nothing, really."

momo's quick to turns on her heel to leave, definitely out of embarrassment and maybe escaping the fact that she might have to find a new job, though you're quick to grab her hand before she can take a few steps forward. her body slightly turns, her head hesitantly swiveling on her neck, "... what?"

"are you sure you want to work on all of this together? it's a lot of work, seriously."

she lets out a laugh in disbelief as she smiled, shaking her head, "that's what i signed up for."

"and for what it's worth, momo, i think i like you too."

she smiles to herself as she splits the pile of copies between you and her, "good. then let's get to know each other better tonight while pulling our hair out."

you laugh as you groan under the weight of the giant stack, "i'd like that."

[vinelark]

fic writer meme

thank you [checks notes] @megafaunatic, @cairoscene, @englishsub, @yuebings, and @cafecliche for the tags ilu

1. How many works do you have on Ao3? 15! which is solidly 14 more than i ever expected to have on there when i made the account

2. What's your total Ao3 word count? 277,844

3. What fandoms do you write for? on ao3: mdzs/cql, tgcf, shl, and dc. in groupchats/dms/my own head i’m running wild all over the place

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos? 🐉 this river runs to you 💍 i’ll have you and you’ll have me 🪐 i will be chasing a starlight ⚔️ you’re the trouble that i always find 🌊 a wave crashes to shore

5. Do you respond to comments? not often; i have made multiple attempts to start replying regularly but all have eventually failed in the face of me desperately wanting to show my earnest and genuine appreciation for each comment vs. wanting to hide my blushing face under a pillow every time. also, because of who i am as a person, each time i sat down to do it i ended up spending hours making little progress and eventually decided that i will make an effort to spend those hours writing or commenting on other fics instead. i am honored by each and every one though!!!

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? while i tend to write angst it is always firmly of the “with a happy ending” sort. the one exception is my shortest fic (originally posted on twitter) never been away so long, which is more of an ambiguous/open ending with implied angst. i dooooo outline the eventual happy ending in the endnotes, though. also as it CURRENTLY stands buy back the secrets ends on one hell of an angsty note, but there are two more chapters in the works to fix that.

7. What's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? despite the wangxian star trek au having like 20k of deliriously happy post-misunderstanding sex, i think trrty has to have the happiest ending because not only does the fic end happily, but there are also multiple very happy codas in which wwx gets a good night’s sleep, finally gets to bang his dragon boyfriend, and, my personal fav, one by aubreyli where wangxian go flying in a thunderstorm.

8. Do you get hate on fics? not so far, for which i am grateful but mostly lucky.

9. Do you write smut? occasionally; on ao3 there’s the aforementioned trrty coda, plus the aforementioned cowritten wangxian pon farr sequence 💪

10. Do you write crossovers? What's the craziest one you have written? hmm, i’m not opposed to crossovers—i’ve read some really fun ones (recent fav crossover read here)—but i’d have to be really compelled by both source materials and have a very clear vision for how they interact to want to write one myself. i’ve written a few fandom fusions (aforementioned wangxian star trek au; i also started a wangxian dragon age au but again, no dragon age characters were going to show up, just the world/setting) but no full-on crossovers. i did have one partially drafted wangxian fic that was going to have a hua cheng deus ex machina, alas.

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? not that i’m aware of! it’s not something i really go looking for/concern myself with, but so far, like with fandom hate, i’m grateful to not have encountered it.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? yes! my wangxian wedding fic was translated to russian.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? i co-wrote seventy thousand words of published fic with @feyburner! and probably two hundred thousand words of unpublished fic and outlines and story ideas just for fun. even when we aren’t co-writing we tend to talk through our individual fics with each other so we’re pretty in sync when it comes to writing. i also spent like a year in @cairoscene’s DMs concocting whole outlines/zerodrafts for batfam fics together that i still cherish and reread (notable favs: tim drake ella enchanted au, concept where the waynes are cursed to suddenly feel nothing but apathy about tim and he has to deal with that, story where robin!tim gets de-aged and oops red hood is the first one to show up…). i’d say the OCBFEU is fic-adjacent and cowritten by a group of us. also shoutout to the mdzs threadfic @cafecliche and i brainstormed/zerodrafted where lan qiren gets cursed into an owl and post-cql wei wuxian is the one who unknowingly saves him.

14. What's your all time favorite ship? oh yeah it’s [loud truck goes by]

15. What is a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? cyborg!wwx…i still think of you fondly. the only ao3 fic i’ve ever posted knowing i probably wouldn’t finish it but wanted to share just for fun.

16. What are your writing strengths? pangs… mining little character details for humor (or, more often, for more pangs)… i also think i’ve really improved my action writing/pacing over the last few years.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? i write actual drafts/prose fairly slowly, which can be frustrating for me. also like @yuebings i often get very caught up in trying to perfect one small part of a draft before moving on. ummmm describing outfits/settings for reasons other than immediate plot-relevant details, i’m terrible at that + remembering to do it—i literally make myself do a What Are We Looking At Here Pass while revising sometimes.

18. Thoughts of writing dialogue in another language in fics? i’m not totally sure what this question is asking tbh, but it’s something i think can be done incredibly well—and, like with many things in storytelling, it’s the sort of thing where if you don’t actually speak the second language you need to be willing to put in work beyond a cursory google to try to achieve what you’re doing, and be willing to admit if it’s beyond your capabilities. i really like how the portuguese dialogue in bbts ended up and that’s 100% because @tigerjpg translated it for me and also already understood the scene/concept/characters; without them i would have found a different way to approach that scene. also, stylistically, i personally like when dialogue in other languages isn’t italicized unless there’s a real reason for it to be.

19. First fandom you wrote for? oh it was [a second loud truck whooshes by]

20. Favorite fic you have written? right now it’s bbts, because i think it’s also the fic i’ve had the most fun writing. trrty, though, will always hold a special place in my heart.

and i tag! @tlumeti, @burins, @smilebackwards, @bonesbuckleup, @hearteyeshayley, @sonosvegliato

[vanfleeter]

Doesn't Stay In Vegas (8) // JTK

Characters: Jake x Catie (OC) Warnings: 18+ as always, smut, quick penetrative sex, mentions of sickness, but boatloads of fluff and husband!Jake. Author's Note: Apologies that it took so long to get this finished. I hit writer's block and been super busy soccer but alas, tis here and is ready. I hope you enjoy!

The day has finally come.

Tour begins again. Luckily it kicks off in Nashville so they still have a little more time to spend together.

Waking up that morning, Jake is greeted with coffee and waffles for breakfast and a wildly happy wife. Returning a beaming smile back at her, he pulls her in for a kiss.

“You’re so beautiful.” He says.

She scoffs and shakes her head. “Not in the slightest.”

He sucks his teeth and kisses her forehead. “Yes, you are.”

“No..” She retorts. “I’m bloated, my breasts hurt, my feet feel like I’ve been walking for miles, the baby keeps resting on my bladder making me have to pee every five minutes..” She deeply inhales and lets her head fall onto his shoulder. “This pregnancy sucks and I’m only in the first trimester.” Jake chuckles and rubs circles into her back with the palms of his hands. “What am I going to do while you’re gone?” She says as she turns to face him and rests her head on his shoulder again. Suddenly her head shoots up making him jerk away. “What about finding out the gender? We were supposed to do that together.”

“And we can,” He says, rubbing her shoulders. “You let me know what time the appointment is and when and we can facetime each other.”

“But Jake, I want you there with me.”

“I know, I want to be there too but we have to work with what we got.” He kisses her forehead and pulls her into his chest. “No matter what, I will be there with you in some form.”

Jake’s phone starts to ring and he pulls it out to see their manager calling. “Hey, what’s up?” He says answering the call. “Right now?” He sighs. “Yeah, I’ll be on my way soon.” He hangs up and puts his phone away.

“You have to go?” Catie asks.

Jake nods his head and wraps his arms around her and gives her a kiss. “I’ll leave a pass for you with security at the back entrance.”

Pouring coffee into a travel mug, Jake grabs a couple waffles and sticks them in his mouth as he gathers his keys and wallet from the glass bowl in the foyer. “I wuff oo!” He calls through the waffles still stuffed in his mouth before pulling open the front door and sprinting out to his car.

Leaning against the doorframe, Catie watches as he climbs into his truck and pulls out of the driveway. He gives her a wave out of the driver window as he drives off down the street. Huffing a breath of air, Catie steps back into the house and closes the door.

–

“Hey beautiful mama!” Josh exclaims when he sees Catie walking down the hall of the backstage area. He throws his arms around her to give her a hug. “You’re looking fabulous!” He leans away and glances down at her stomach. “I spy a little bump.” He says with a smile.

Catie returns the smile and places her hands on the little bump. “Have you seen Jake?” She asks.

“Back in his dressing room. He’s been restringing The Beloved for the past ten minutes.” Josh chuckles. “I’m about to head to the bar to get a drink, want anything? Water? Tea?”

“No, I’m good, thanks though.”

Josh gives her a gentle squeeze to her hand before walking off down the hall in the opposite direction.

Finding Jake’s dressing room, she slips inside when noticing he was on the phone with someone. “Yeah, I get it.. No, no, it’s okay.. Just uh..” He clears his throat as he runs his hand over the back of his neck. “I just thought maybe..” He sighs. “Never mind, it’s fine.” He hangs up and sets his phone on the make up table.

“Everything alright?” You ask.

“Oh yeah, just some scheduling conflicts,” He sighs before shaking his head. “But it’s nothing to worry about.” He gives her a reassuring smile as he makes his way across the room.

A smirk spreads across her face as she locks the door to the dressing room. Jake eventually catches on and he grabs her hands and pulls her into him.

“Hormones?”

Catie nods her head. “Raging.”

He chuckles and leans down to kiss her. “Need me to satisfy you?”

“I’m begging..” Catie says as she clings to his shirt.

“I have time.” Jake says as he brings her to the couch. Discarding both of their pants, he pulls her onto his lap and she immediately sinks down on his cock. He groans and grips her ass. “Geez, Catherine..” His head falls back against the couch as Catie bounces on his dick.

“I’ve been dying for this all day.. Of course it happens as soon as you leave..” She says. “I’ve tried everything. All the fucking toys. Nothing satisfied me enough…”

Without warning, Jake pulls her off of him and bends her over to the arm of the couch before pushing himself back inside of her. Her moans fill the room and he thrusts into her faster.

“Fuck..” He groans. “If you’re like this the entire pregnancy, I may just have to bring you on tour..” He says. “I could fuck you every fucking day.”

“You’d like that, wouldn’t you?”

He chuckles and pinches your ass cheek. “Very much, yes.”

“Fuck Jake..” She moans.

He feels her walls clenching around her and he drives himself faster and deeper inside of her. “Come on baby, coat me.”

It wasn’t much longer before Catie reached her climax and Jake followed. Once they both relaxed, he pulled out of her and helped her down onto the couch. After cleaning the both of them up, he helps her put her pants back on and pulls his back up.

A knock comes on the door followed by a woman’s voice. “Jake?”

“Yeah?” He calls as he fixes his hair in the mirror.

“You need to start getting dressed.”

“I’m on it.” He says as he steps away from the mirror.

“I’ll be back in thirty minutes to get started on your makeup.”

Once he knew she was gone, he went to unlock the door and came back to rest beside Catie on the couch. “Feel satisfied now?” He says draping his arms around her shoulders.

“Very..” She says as she turns her head to look at him. She stands up from the couch and pulls him up with her. “Start getting dressed before Vi comes back and whoops your ass for not being ready.” Jake chuckles and kisses her cheek. “And while you do that, I’m gonna go look for food. I’m starving.”

“I fucked you so good that it gave you an appetite?”

“Sort of.. But I just have been eating all goddamn day. I won’t be surprised if I gain so much weight. Between the water retention and me eating so much, I’m gonna look like I’m pregnant with twins.”

Jake shrugs his shoulders. “You’ll still look beautiful.”

A knock comes on the door followed by Vi’s voice. “Jake? Are you ready?”

“Yeah!” He calls.

 The door opens and Vi steps inside. “Jacob, you’re not changed in your stage outfit yet.” She groans, making him laugh.

“Sorry Jen,” Jake laughs. “Got a little distracted.”

“I don’t want to know,” Vi says as she waves her hand in the air. “Get in your chair. We’ll get changed afterwards.”

“I’ll see you later,” Catie says, giving him a kiss. “Bye.”

“Mm, bye love.” Jake hums as he leans back in his chair.

—

“I can’t believe you showed your ass.” Josh laughs as they walk down the hall back to their dressing rooms.

Jake laughs along as runs a hand through his hair. “Just thought I’d have a little fun.” He says laughing as he reaches for the door handle of his dressing room.

Josh chuckles and shakes his head. “Well hurry up and get dressed, we’re all gonna go out for celebratory drinks for the first show.”

“Sounds great, I’ll meet ya’ll outside in a few minutes.”

Walking inside the room, Jake’s smile falters when he finds the room empty. Or so he thought. Closing the door, he steps further into the room when he hears Catie in the bathroom. Quickly grabbing a bottle of water from the mini fridge, he rushes over to the bathroom and peers in to find her bent over the toilet.

He reaches for her hair and bunches it together behind her head. Once she is finished, he cracks open the bottle of water and hands it to her. “Feeling alright?” He asks as he helps her stand from the floor.

She nods her head and takes a drink of water. “I am now.” She says. “This morning sickness sucks..”

“Want to head home?” He asks as he rubs her back.

“Yeah, but you go out with the guys. Celebrate the first night of the tour.” She says.

“But you–”

“Jake, I’ll be fine.” She says. “Besides, your mother offered to come over and lend a hand if I need one.” She reaches up and kisses his cheek. “You did wonderfully out there tonight–absolutely stunning. I’ll see you in the morning.”

Though he was having a fun time out with his brothers celebrating the first night of their tour, he couldn’t help but think about Catie. He feels slightly guilty being out all night partying while she’s stuck at home and feeling sick. He’s grateful that his mother stepped up but that should be his job to take care of his wife. He should be there with her.

Downing the rest of his beer, he stands up from the table and goes to join Josh at the bar. “Hey brother!” Josh beams a wide smile as he wraps his arm around Jake’s shoulder. His smile falters when he sees Jake’s solemn face. “Everything alright?” He asks. “Need another drink?”

“No, I’m okay.” Jake says waving his hand in front of him. “I think I’m gonna head out. I should be home with Catie.” He says.

Josh nods his head and pats Jake’s shoulder. “Well go on, I’ll be sure to drink for the two of us.”

Jake chuckles. “I’m sure you will.”

Retrieving his wallet and keys, he heads out of the bar and orders an Uber to take him home. Reaching the front stoop, he unlocks the front door and quietly steps inside. Nearly every light was turned off except the faint glow of the end table lamp lit in the living room. Slipping out of his shoes and setting his keys inside the glass bowl, he peers into the living room and finds his mother asleep on the couch. Smiling to himself, he goes over and pulls a blanket over the top of her before kissing her forehead and shutting the lamp off.

Setting the house alarm and locking the door, he climbs the stairs to the second floor and makes his way to the bedroom. Upon opening the door, he finds Catie curled up underneath the covers. The only thing lighting up the room is the television as reruns of Full House play. Stripping out of his clothes and crawling into the bed, he pulls the covers over himself and curls his body around her small frame. She stirs slightly before rolling over to face him. Her eyes flutter open and she looks up at him.

“What time is it?” She asks as she cuddles into him.

“Just after one.” He says.

“And you’re home early? I was kind of hoping I’d find you passed out on the living room couch all hungover..” She giggles.

“That would’ve made for an interesting morning, considering my mom’s down there.”

She giggles again and wraps her arm over his waist. “Why did you come early?”

“Because..” He softly sighs. “As your husband, it is my duty to take care of you–at least while I’m still here.” He kisses her forehead and pulls her in closer to his body. “I was also feeling guilty about being out with the guys when you’re here sick.”

“Well you’re very sweet but you do realize that’s how it’s gonna be while you’re on tour.”

Jake sighs and rests his head against hers. “I know.. I just wish that I wasn’t leaving you alone.”

“Oh I won’t be alone,” Catie says as she slightly pulls away from him. “Your mother offered to come down once a month for a weekend, and to call every day to check up on me.”

“Oh did she now?”

She nods her head. “I think we’re making a little bit more progress in the right direction.” She says. He chuckles and rubs her back.

“I’m glad to hear that.” He says. “Now go back to sleep.” He kisses her forehead once more before nestling his face into her hair.

What felt like he was asleep for a while, was only about two hours when he was shaken awake. He groans and pulls the sheets over his head. “Baby…” He hears Catie whine.

“Catie.. I told you to sleep..”

“I know, and I was.. But Jake..” She whines again as she shakes him again.

He sighs and turns over. “What?”

“I really want a pizza.”

Jake eyebrows crease together. “A pizza?” Catie nods her head. “Catie, it’s three am.. Everywhere is closed.. Go back to sleep..” He says before rolling back over onto his side.

“But Jake-”

“Catherine.. I promise I will buy whatever you want when the world is awake but right now our part of the world is in a slumber and so should you.” He grumbles against his pillow. He hears her huff before falling back into the pillows.

“Jake..”

“Go to sleep..”

“But Jake…”

Jake grumbles something incoherent under his breath and turns back over to face her. “If it’s another craving, the store is closed–even the twenty-four hour marts–they decided they wanted to sleep too, so they closed early.”

“But–”

“I said I’d get your pizza tomorrow..”

“I don’t want pizza anymore..”

Jake exhales before pulling himself up to sit against the headboard of the bed. “Then what is it that you are wanting?” He says as he folds his arms over his chest.

“Pickles..”

He slowly nods his head. “Of course.”

“And peanut butter.”

“The classic.” He sighs.

“I know we have here,” Catie says as wraps her arms around his bicep and rests her chin on his shoulder. “Please?”

He shakes his head. “I’m not going down there alone.”

“But my back..”

Jake shakes his head and pulls away so he can climb off of the bed. “If you want your pickles and peanut butter,” He slides on his slippers and reaches for his robe that hangs off of one of the bedposts. “Then you’re coming with me.” He says.

“But..”

“I will give you a back massage while we’re down there.” He holds out his hand to Catie. She crawls across the bed and takes his hand.

Pulling open the door to the pantry, he retrieves a jar of peanut butter and sets it in front of her before opening the fridge and taking out the jar of pickles. He pops the lid off the jar and slides it to her with a clean fork. He kisses her temple and stands behind her.

“I know I’ve been annoying..” She says, making him chuckle. He leans down and gently kisses the nape of her neck as he moves his hands down to the lower half of her back and gently rubs his palms into her skin. “You’re too sweet.”

“I do it because I love you.”

“Even when my hormones are all over the place and I’m a raging bitch?”

“Even when you’re yelling at me and blaming me for getting you pregnant or when you’re a crying mess–even when you’re all bubbly and cheery, I will always love you.” He pulls away and slides onto the stool beside her and reaches for a pickle from the jar.

“Can you imagine how differently our lives would be if we never got married?” Catie says before dipping her pickle into the peanut butter jar and scooping out a large glob of it.

“We’d be different people,” Jake says. He leans elbows on the counter. “But honestly, I don’t like imagining that because we never drunkenly got married,” He softly laughs. “We wouldn’t be here–awake at the witching hour eating pickles and peanut butter because of your whacked out pregnancy cravings.. I wouldn’t imagine it any other way.” He takes a bite of the pickle he stole from the jar.

Soft footsteps pad into the room and Karen appears in the threshold. “I thought I heard voices.” She yawns.

“Sorry, Mama.” Jake smiles. “We didn’t mean to wake you.”

“May I ask why you two are awake?”

“Late night cravings.” Catie says as she waves a pickle in the air.

Karen smiles and shakes her head. “Oh I do not miss those in the slightest.” She says. “Your poor father went on the weirdest trips to fulfill mine.”

Jake chuckles. “I almost had to,” He says. “Someone was craving pizza.” He continues as he cocks his head at Catie.

“Let me tell you,” Karen leans on the counter. “I craved pizza so much when I was pregnant with Sammy–especially pizza that had onions and mushrooms and pineapple–Kelly refused to kiss me for a week.” She laughs at Jake's scrunched up face.

He turns to look at Catie and points his finger at her. “Don’t even think about it.” He says.

“What–” Catie huffs. “I can’t control my cravings.”

“I know..” He says. “Just last week I had to go to the store just before they closed to get a rotisserie chicken. The house smelled like chicken all night.”

He begins yawning and rests his chin on the palm of his hand. “Go back to bed,” Catie says as she leans over to kiss his cheek. “You have an early morning and I’ve kept you awake long enough.” He begins to protest but she’s already tugging him off of the stool. “Go on now, I’ll be up soon.” She gives him a kiss and he grimaces.

“Blech,” He shakes his head. “Pickle breath, gross.”

“Oh hush,” Catie giggles as she lightly pushes him. “Your breath tastes just the same.” He chuckles and gives her one last kiss before wishing his mother a ‘goodnight’ and going back upstairs to bed. Karen makes her way over to Catie and takes Jake’s spot on the stool. “So.. With your pizza, what were you craving?”

___________________________________________________________

tag list: @losfacedevil @lightmylove-gvf @ignite-my-fire @ohgodthefeeling-gvf @writingcold @jaketlover @mackalah @lexii-nv-c @thetroublegetssoloud71 @emilykamo @em-gvf01 @katiegvf @joshkiszkaenthusiast @takenbythemadness @sinarainbows @gvfpal @killerqueengvf

(if I missed anyone, I apologize, I beg you to remind me in the replies)

If you want to be added to the tag list, feel free to reach out! :)

[allyriadayne]

rhaenyscriston inspired and based and real but i am going to need you to elaborate

okay so it all started in late 2022 when fabien frankel got possessed and say this to millions of people on twitter:

how could i resist?

anyway to me rhaenys x criston is half sadomasochist mistress x slave relationship half guard dog half cuck chair kink half cheating kink.

criston fought to be chosen as kingsguard because his biggest dream was to steam in unresolved lust outside of rhaenys and corlys' bedchambers as they made love but alas, viserys rejected laena and the velaryons left. rhaenys, milf that she is, was sad about this because she wanted to use her new pet and had already commissioned a woodcarver to make a beautiful cuck chair to set up in her rooms :( she was even going to talk to corlys about opening their marriage again....

let's forward to driftmark ep, first time meeting each other again! criston is a bit more disillusioned with royal women but cannot deny rhaenys' allure. rihanna voice chains and whips excite me after failing alicent so utterly during her time of need (this is also the reason nobody was there to guard the kids), only rhaenys' punishment could cleanse him. first use of the beautiful beautiful cuck chair rhaenys commissioned years ago aw <3

ep 8/9 rhaenys is again in the red keep. the tensions are too high for these lovers. no chair but criston ties himself to the bed and as punishment for choosing the other side he denies her his touch. it's so intense rhaenys can't attend the family dinner. he doesn't come to see her in her rooms the next day either bc he's looking for aegon but when he finds out ser erryk helped her escape he swears vengeance on the other knight. how dare he touch his lady! anyway it's a really tragic story :(

[crossovershipsandedits]

Characters: Tiger Lily x Lampwick

Fandoms: Peter Pan 1953 and Pinocchio 1940

Relationship: Romantic

Characters: Lampwick X Tiger Lily

Fandoms: Pinocchio | Peter Pan

Relationship: Romantic

Submitted by @casinotrio1965

OK SO

I actually did a butt load of research for this one... Maybe more than necessary lol But hey, it worked out in the end! I'll make a readmore here so you don't have to read if you don't want ajdbfodndoekfjfir

Let me explain my thought process;

I've never seen either of these films. Not 100%. Pinocchio is a big nope, never seen it. And Peter Pan was both a really long time ago and I only saw sections. SO IMAGINE MY SURPRISE WHEN SEEING LAMPWICK HOLDING A CIGAR!!

So yeah, I freaked out because TL looks freaking 9 or something and he's smoking like a businessman. I searched all over Google in the hopes of finding their ages... this is what I found.

Tiger Lily never had a set age (probably from being in literal purgatory) and Lampwick is 12?!?! I guess those were just the times...

Anyway, while looking for TL's age, I see "Fans have agreed she is an adult, as she is old enough to marry" and think AWW HELL NAWW! However

I keep looking, because that doesn't seem right. The whole point of Peter Pan is being able to tell the difference between kids and adults, so it made no sense that she looks 9 (unless this was an anime, then God knows what her age is). THIS lead me to googling what age a girl can get married in a Native American tribe, since that's clearly what she's a part of.

My answer is.. nicer than "She's an adult". The youngest a girl can marry in most Native American tribes is 15. Arrangements can be made from the age of 8, but nothing can happen until 15. With what I read of TL's plot for the film, this tracks amazingly well.

And, just to be sure, I looked up Peter's age too (since she apparently has a crush on him despite the fandom saying it's familial love -sweet home ala- anyway..). Peter Pan is 12/13, so from my guessing, TL is either his age or a year or two younger, to fit with how 'old' Disney wrote romance.

...

Dear God this is a whole ass essay, I am so sorry

But yeah, I'm glad I don't have to turn this down for p*d*philia... They do make a cute pair but hoLY was I worried :')

[nihil-ism]

𝟐𝟎 𝐐𝐔𝐄𝐒𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐒 𝐅𝐎𝐑 𝐅𝐈𝐂 𝐖𝐑𝐈𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐒.

1. How many works do you have on AO3? Nine and counting! I do have the occasional scraps of WIPs stashed in various places, including my singular brain cell, but I usually only start publishing once they are fleshed out enough.

2. What’s your total AO3 word count? 110,204 words.

3. What fandoms do you write for? Resident Evil and Final Fantasy for the most part. I am working on a draft for a Dune fic as well, but due to my shifted writing time, which is sadly not much presently, I put it on hold in favor of continuing my re fic.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

The Unquiet Grave (Resident Evil) | @virologikal

The Darker the Weather, The Better The Man (Final Fantasy VIII)

Fallacy (Final Fantasy VIII)

Day 1 - A White Lie (Final Fantasy XV)

Obsession (Final Fantasy VIII)

5. Do you respond to comments? Absolutely! I try to do so in a timely fashion, sometimes it does take me a while though, especially when I'm busy doing other things and not checking in on my AO3. I am deeply humbled whenever someone takes some time out of their day to leave some words (or even compliments!) on my fics and it means a lot to me.

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending? ...is this a bad time to menion I haven't really finished a fic before? x'D I mean, aside from my one shots of course. I have a penchant for working on massive ideas that take forever to write, so yeah. Anyroad though, the answer currently would be a hard tie between either The Price of Perfection (Resident Evil) or Love me whole (Final Fantasy VIII). The first is a glimpse at Wesker's life from birth to death, the second is a songfic based off of Missio's Love me whole, and focuses on a toxic interpretation of Squall and Seifer's ... "relationship".

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending? Day 2 - Festivities (Final Fantasy XV), easily. It was part of a series for an event or somesuch a couple years ago and focused on more casual themes (which I admittedly usually don't tackle).

8. Do you get hate on fics? Thankfully no.

9. Do you write smut? Big yes to that. I actually love writing intricate smut, which I did for Final Fantasy VIII without much story or context. I should get back on that for Resident Evil and Dune at some point (not everything has to be a novel Nihil, gdi.....) But admittedly, I enjoy when there is some set up around the actual smut just as much. It can be an amazing vehicle to convey character development, power dynamics, show trust or the loss thereof... I am a fan hahah.

10. Do you write crossovers? I did write crossovers in rp, so I think technically I could. But in fanfic, I personally don't really see the need to as I prefer to take the canon lore and expand on it, see how many headcanons I can make work with the actual lore so it fits seamlessly as if it was intended to be there. I do enjoy reading the occasional crossover though!

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen? Not to my knowledge.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated? Not yet, no. I am comfortable writing in English, despite German being my mother language, and honestly I don't think I could properly translate certain things into German without it sounding weird/cringe.

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before? Nope! I could imagine doing that if I ever get my time schedule sorted. And I actually had plans to do a co-written fic with a friend ( looking at you, Bee :p ) but alas, time. I do sometimes help people brainstorm some fic ideas though if that counts^^

14. What’s your all-time favorite ship? Almahart (Squall Leonhart & Seifer Almasy), and of course Chrisker (Chris Redfield & Albert Wesker). Something about the blond bad guys and the brunet heroes ig °^^ With Almahart it's the tragedy binding the two together, the fact that Squall became everything Seifer wanted to be (without Squall even really trying/wanting it!), the resentment and rivalry that only barely manages to conceil the real feelings. I like them both as a ship that solves their hardships eventually, and as a toxic ship with Seifer never redeeming himself and not wanting to, either. As for Chrisker, it's a similar streak but darker, more violent, with a lot of psychological warfare included. The hardest thing is to convey Wesker's machinations and how he views the world (according to my interpretation) because I write him as extremely closed off, keeping to himself even with his facial expressions. It's a challenge to portray him correctly and I like it a lot. I love the tangle the both of them are in, how Chris wants to hate Wes so much for all he has done, while simultaneously being unable to let go, even decades later. There is desperation, hatred, blood, passion, everything I love in a ship.

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will? I am absolutely convinced I will finish both my Resident Evil project (which will consist of multiple one shots, The Unquiet Grave, as well as a sidestory to it focusing on HUNK), as well as The Darker the Weather, The Better the Man. What I will say though is that I am also certain it will take a long ass while. Both are huge and complex stories, so building them up and telling them correctly is time consuming, and oftentimes real life gets in the way, sadly. I hope the people who were excited about The Darker the Weather will have patience with me.

16. What are your writing strengths? I want to say my high standards when it comes to fleshing out characters, finding their voice and writing their perspective. It's at least something I get a lot of compliments for, so I seem to be doing something right ^^ Also, I am very thorough when it comes to canon. I try to keep everything in mind and weave my story into the existing lore and world as seamlessly as possible. For The Unquiet Grave I took a whole day to collect all possible information about the entire Resident Evil Timeline (it spans from 1909 to 2037), which I regularly consult while I am writing to make sure I have events lined up properly.

17. What are your writing weaknesses? I definitely question myself too much. As in, if the quality I am providing is good enough; if the characters are OOC, things like that. It's my perfectionism getting in the way of things. Generally I have a bad habit on putting too much unneccessary pressure on myself (publish within a certain time, write a certain amount of words, etc.) - silly, really.

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic? Ohhh yeah I love that! I don't use this enough and definitely should. (needless to say but it should not be too much untranslated content of course, and made available for the readers in some way so they know what is being said)

19. First fandom you wrote for? I believe my very first fic was Ville Valo x Lauri Ylönen, don't hit me for writing smut about real life people please xD I was young! Aside from that, Final Fantasy VIII or Angel Sanctuary, not sure anymore (I am rather certain it was FFVIII though because I have always been obsessed with it)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?  Urgh this is hard.... Given how much my writing has improved and how I learned to apply certain tools (like drafting properly etc), I'd have to say The Unquiet Grave. Since I am not writing in my first language, the time I practised between this and The Darker the Weather definitely had a positive impact.

𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐄𝐃 𝐁𝐘: @judasiskariot (thanks again!) 𝐓𝐀𝐆𝐆𝐈𝐍𝐆: @sauron-kraut . @no-bee (if you like ofc) - any everyone who would like to do this, feel free to steal!

[thedarkestgreys]

Oh and one more!! Director’s cut for the absolute killer line from “the stray lines that unwind you”

“You sure ‘bout that? You only spending time in my bed, baby.” 🫡🫡🫡 I scream every time

good lord. alright let’s see what my brain remembers about this one. (tbh one of my favorite one shots I’ve ever written for any fandom!)

okay so fun facts: originally this was from Lexi’s POV! I got about 400 or so words in when I realized it wasn’t working? Um… it was originally titled “ocean blue eyes (looking in mine)” when it was from Lexi’s pov! 🌊 and I cut a whole section where Lexi’s rant about summer vacation devolved into her questioning if Ashtray had ever seen an episode of Phineas and Ferb and a very funny back and forth about Perry the Platypus that I wish I had saved in my archives. Alas! I do not have it any longer and I have regrets about it.

but the above mentioned line you want to know about? girl. i think i had about 8-12 variations of it before settling on that one? I knew Fezco needed to be a menace right there but I wasn’t sure just how much of an actual goblin I wanted to make him. I tried so many lines. I was debating them in the text thread with my beta. When we settled on that line I actually went back to sprinkle in the other uses of him calling her baby that pop up prior to that one, deciding that he’d be using it as a pet name already even if they were insisting they were just friends.

It was fun and flirty and set a good tone for the rest of the fic without making it awkward. Also my absolute goal in life is to make Fezco a menace to society Lexi whenever possible. 😇

[nightimedreamersworld]

20 questions for fic writers

Big thanks @artsyunderstudy and @prettygoododds @confused-bi-queer @bookish-bogwitch tagging me in this! And to everyone else who's tagged me in a tumblr meme recently. It's been a while since I've done one of these.

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

33!

2. What’s your total AO3 word count?

Around 370k, but of those about 40k aren't mine. So in reality, something like 330k?

3. What fandoms do you write for?

Only Carry On! I don't have the attention span for more of one at a time lol

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

1. How I wonder what you are aka baby fic

2. Mess is mine aka secret dating fic

3. Every little helps aka snickers fic

4. You and I will not be shaken aka huddling for warmth fic

5. From across the room aka my FIRST fic

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I don't 😭 which makes me feel guilty and ungrateful, but alas. Every time I've tried to in the past, I'd run out of steam after half a dozen comments or so. Don't get me wrong, I love comments, they fuel me etc etc. Replying just makes me unreasonably anxious

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

Technically it's Love of Fate because it doesn't have an ending. It was supposed to be a prologue to something longer that would eventually have a happy ending, and that I simply never wrote lol

That said, the true angstiest ending is probably my All there's left is a ghost of you series - same moment, one from Simon's pov, the other from Baz's. Set between carry on and wayward son, which tells you everything about why it's here :) (Although arguably, those are hopeful endings. Kinda.)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Almost everything I write has a happy-ish ending, but the one indisputable happiest ending is probably How I wonder what you are

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Not necessarily hate, but one time I did get someone mocking my fic for a mistake I made. Which, like, I deserved, for straying so far out of my comfort zone lol

Anyway. I have upped my research game since, so. Lesson learned?

9. Do you write smut? If so, what kind?

Yes! The kind I want to read lol

Seriously, though, I tend to write weird stuff I can't find elsewhere. Someone once mentioned there's little mirror sex fic in the fandom, and BAM! I got the itch to write one. I've also tried my hand at web cam sex, body modification, and... [reads smudged handwriting] cemetery sex?

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one you’ve written?

I haven't yet, but never say never, right? Although I'm much more likely to just write AUs instead. As in, take the world of the original, chuck the characters and just replace them with snowbaz lol

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Probably not? I mean. I hope so lol

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Nope. I've thought about doing it myself, but there's roughly any engagement with fics in Portuguese on AO3, so it doesn't feel worth the trouble

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

Birthday man! Though I might be open to it if a) someone with a compatible style is interested, and b) I find some free time to actually write lol

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Do I even need to say anything? (It's snowbaz)

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

Sigh. It's probably Let your colours bleed, because It's been 3 years, so I've just... sort of grown past the story? Which makes me sad, because I still like the concept, I just can't connect to anymore

There are a handful other WIPs still hanging on my ao3, but I still have hope for them.

16. What are your writing strengths?

I like writing plot! And also actions scenes. And banter, maybe a bit too much lol

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

The beginning of a fic. And also the ending. And also the mid-

Seriously though, I find that I tend to be either too verbose or too succinct when I don't know exactly what I'm trying to say. Like, I either charge through it and the thing falls flat, or I drag it on for several paragraphs that amount to barely anything. Hopefully, I can mitigate that with the power of editing and beta readers

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I think it's cool depending on context! Like, is this a situation in which this character would simply switch to another language? Also, why?

I haven't done it yet, though.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Take a guess. (It was actually Harry Potter)

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

Dance Like a Flame! My specialest baby. My little darling. My magnum opus.

I'll jump at literally any chance to talk about this fic, so beware.

Phew! Can't believe I actually answered one of these for once... now, I'm pretty sure almost everyone has done this already, but I'm going to tag a few people anyway just so this doesn't get lost in the abyss

@palimpsessed @captain-aralias @cutestkilla @larkral @aristocratic-otter @hushed-chorus @whatevertheweather @ivelovedhimthroughworse @whogaveyoupermission

[blouisparadise]

Today we have a second part to our royalty rec list for you! If you’d like to check out the first part, you can find it here. We hope you enjoy these amazing fics! If you do, please be sure to like and reblog this post to help spread the word. Happy reading!

1) Addressed To The Fire | Explicit | 9085 words

“Would you have come,” Harry says after a few seconds, voice levelled. A part of Louis wants him to snap — wants him to be the first one to raise his voice, because if there’s one thing he will never, ever do, is give anyone the satisfaction of saying he’s the one that starts the fights, “if I had invited you?”

No, Louis’ mind replies immediately, I wouldn’t have.

2) Falling Down For You | Explicit | 14750 words

If there was an alpha that Louis wanted to call his, it would be Harry. But what happens when an arranged marriage, a hungry press, and doubts get in the way?

3) Lean On My Shoulder (I See Myself With You) | Explicit | 19540 words

Speaking of the views, there was someone on his balcony. The sun was still setting, making this person look even more ethereal. They seemed to be at content at being alone. Harry watched as they watered the plants, they certainly didn't look like they were amongst the help.

Curiosity got the best of him and he decided to invade this stranger's quiet time; the Prince could be selfish sometimes.

4) Promise Me You Won't Run Away | Explicit | 23128 words

“Does kissing me stop you from having bad thoughts?” Harry asked, voice muffled into the collar of Louis’ dress shirt. Louis chuckled at this. He trailed a hand down Harry’s back, feeling the muscles tensing along with his touch.

“I guess you can say that. You’re a good distraction.”

“Then I will be the best distraction.” Harry answered, pulling back and watched Louis’ lips unashamedly.

“Come distract me, then.”

5) (Summer Is Over) And I Wanna Leave You Satisfied | Explicit | 25031 words

On the very last night of his summer break in London, Louis Tomlinson hooks up with a hot guy. When he gets back home, his roommates tell him that they're going to be getting a new roommate. Said roommate? The same hot guy he hooked up with back in London: Harry Styles, who's looking for a quiet place to go to school and just wants to keep his head down. Funny how he keeps getting noticed, though....

6) What Our Souls Were Meant To Do | Mature | 34106 words

All Harry’s father wants is for his son to marry as soon as possible and give their family another heir. All Harry wants to do is fall in love.

7) Now I Think That I Could Love You Back | Explicit | 42255 words

“I do not care if she banishes me to my chambers for a month or the rest of the year, you two must see reason,” Louis protests, feeling a minor fit coming on. “He is nothing but an insufferable, cocky, cloddish, pitiful excuse for an Alpha, and he deserves to live the rest of his days in solitary, not me.”

“My, my, what an array of abuse. I surely would loath to be this inadequate excuse of an Alpha you speak of, but alas I cannot relate to possessing such deficiency,” a honey-glazed voice drips out from behind Louis, and the omega can feel the steam pouring over, ready to burst out of his already flushed ears.

8) Don’t Want No Other Shade Of Blue | Explicit | 43230 words

Note: This fic is locked and can only be read by AO3 users.

“I know you’re putting on an act,” says Harry after a moment, and Louis scowls when he realises the prince is actually amused.

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” says Louis.

“All I’ve heard over the past couple of years are rumours of Prince Louis’ kindness, and generosity, and oh, he’s so handsome I can barely pour his tea without shaking!” says Harry, putting on a silly, high-pitched voice for the last bit. Louis’ scowl deepens. “I would already know if you were just another selfish, bratty omega prince. You can’t fool me, darling, but I admire your efforts.”

“As you said,” Louis grits out, “those are only rumours. I assure you, I’m a terrible person.”

9) The Fairy Ring | Explicit | 46170 words

A medieval fantasy AU in which Harry is a prince in disguise and Louis is the king of the faeries.

10) Tastes Like Summer, Smiles Like May | Explicit | 47519 words

A cold prince, an alpha with nothing left to lose and a kingdom with a secret.

11) Untamed Hearts Align | Explicit | 55795 words

For as long as Louis has known her, Lady Margaret Tomlinson has had two aspirations for the remaining years of her life. The first was to out-dress the Duchess of Kent at every soirée and gathering. The second was to marry off her omega nephew to the most honorable – and highly ranked – alpha suitor she could find.

He does not expect for her to arrange a marriage between him and the crown prince, and he certainly does not expect to fall for him.

Everything changes when Harry disappears.

12) Let Your Damage, Damage Me | Explicit | 57077 words

A low and dangerous growl was ripped from the future King’s chest.

“Who the fuck do you think you are?” the alpha snarled, eyes dark and nostrils flared.

Even as anger rushed through him at the alpha’s brutish display, Louis felt breathless at the intense gaze of the man that was going to be his future mate.

‘Tomorrow I’m going to be under all that. He will be inside me, all muscles and rage.’ Louis felt his cheeks heat again, but refused to be cowed. So he put his best smirk on display, the one alphas despised to see, the one that assured them all he had the upper hand.

“Thought you were expecting me, dear husband. I’m your future mate.”

13) I’ve Got You | Explicit | 62988 words

As a reward for saving the king’s life, Harry is offered omega Prince Louis’ hand in marriage. Neither of them has any interest in the union going forward, and so they concoct a plan to prove to the king that they are far from a perfect match.

14) These Still Waters Run Deep | Explicit | 64602 words

Having accepted his engagement to Viscount Andrew, Louis is aware that it isn’t a love match and has no wish to be swept off his feet… until he meets the viscount’s brother, Harry, who makes him second-guess everything.

15) Where They Glow | Explicit | 70519 words

A Tangled AU where Louis dreams, Harry runs, and the sun prince has been missing for almost nineteen years.

16) Violent Delights | Not Rated | 76174 words

Prince Harry is arranged to mate Princess Charlotte, but first he must spend a month completing courting traditions which ends in a mating ceremony. When he arrives to the Tomlinson castle, he finds the forbidden North wing holds that which the family has worked hard to keep secret. Mainly: the sickly sweet Prince Louis, who’s rare gender has forced his family to keep him locked away for his own protection.

17) Bless the Day Our Heartbeats Aligned | Explicit | 97454 words

The one where after years of being gone, Knight Harry returns to his best friend only to find out that Louis is betrothed to another.

18) Like Water Over Fire (Like Water On Fire) | Mature | 119264 words

Prince Harry has 46 men and 13 weeks to find the husband of his dreams, Louis has a limited amount to time to live out a royal fantasy. They might just be exactly what the other needs.

Check out our other fic rec lists by category here and by title here.