#and i don't feel like going back and fixing it for one stupid letter

[tblsomedoodles]

I wpuld LOVE to see a doodle of the scene where Draxum comes to check out his kids as depicted in the new chapter

Sure!

This is probably one of my favorite lines of this chapter, simply b/c it's the first thing he says upon walking into the lair. No hellos or whatever, just "im taking you to the hospital."

Thank you!

[am-i-the-asshole-official]

UPDATE What's up, it's the proposal guy. You said you wanted to know how this turned out, so I figured I'd tell you. First some context though, because I'm mean and I wanna keep you in suspense longer.

1- I don't wanna doxx us so I'm not telling you where we live, but suffice to say, neither of us are American, and gay marriage has been legal here for less than five years. For both of us, this is the first relationship we've had where marriage was even an OPTION, and I think that's where we've been getting some of that whole 'this has to be a REAL proposal with EVERYTHING' idea.

2- I gotta figure out how to explain this properly. So, I'm pretty used to being the GUY guy in relationships? I was always the one who did the nice gestures, not the one they got done for. Before I met my dream guy, I didn't really notice or care that it was such a thing, I just assumed that's how shit worked. Also, I promised I wouldn't talk a lot about his stuff here, but his last boyfriend before me SUCKED. Anyway point here is, it turns out we both REALLY like feeling swept off our feet sometimes, and a big part of finding each other has been getting to feel special for once? That's a stupid sappy way of putting it the point here is I think all that's what morphed into "I need to be the one getting proposed to, also it has to be completely perfect", and then our Petty & Extra genes got involved.

So I'm sitting in bed thinking about all that up there, and watching all the comments coming in basically being like "Dude, you are BLOWING this" on repeat, and telling me to compromise, and I look up and see him flossing in the bathroom and making all these doofy faces at the mirror, and it's like a switch just flips in my brain, and I'm like "Oh, I'd rather he gets to have his perfect proposal than we both have an okay one". I'm gonna do it.

Morning rolls around, and while I'm 'out for my jog like normal' I hit up a pawn shop for a temp ring (the ring pop thing is cute but NOT HIM). I found one I was at least confident wouldn't get ruined the first time he got his hands greasy (he fixes old machines as a hobby it's hot as hell), got back home, and hid the box in the toe of my nasty ass workout shoes in the bedroom closet, since I figured he'd check there last.

He was still asleep, because he stays up late no matter what and then is SHOCKED he's tired the next day, so I called and booked a table at our usual anniversary spot. (Side note about the 'he picks bad restaurants' thing. This isn't an 'I like Greek, you like Chinese' situation, dude's just BAD at finding places. He either assumes pricey is tasty and I get to eat some overrated gourmet bullshit, or he'll try and find something hip and underground and risk giving us food poisoning again, and he REFUSES to give up and pick somewhere we've been before when it's his turn to plan date night. I'm obsessed with him <3.) Date was set, I'd propose on the 21st.

Some of you might have noticed this, but fun fact! It's currently the 16th.

Last night I'm doing dishes and he's been sent to our room for mug collection duty, and he's taking FOREVER, so I go check just in case he found the ring, because the man's a gift tracking BLOODHOUND. Turns out he hasn't, he's found my Angry Box.

I assume other people have an Angry Box? Basically, we had this huge messy fight right when we first moved in together, and I never wanna let it get that bad again, so I have this shoebox where I keep a bunch of our stuff I can look at if we're fighting and hopefully cool off. There's one of those photo booth roll things, letters we wrote when he moved back with his parents for COVID, the wine cork from our first date, shit like that. Anyway, he's just sitting on the floor staring at it, and I explain about the Angry Box, and then he! Proposes!!! Kind of.

He definitely didn't have anything prepared, because by 'propose' I mean 'ugly cried & rambled at me for several minutes before I figured out it WAS a proposal', but once I got on the same page it was amazing. I said yes, and he had to admit he didn't have a ring for me because he was CONVINCED he'd win and I'd do it, so I grabbed mine because, yeah, he was right. He was like "this is the ugliest ring I've ever seen" and I was like yeah well the plan is to replace it later and he went "No. You can pry this off my cold dead fingers. After I'm buried with it." So I guess it's not a temporary ring anymore.

I'm just gonna go ahead and skip to this morning. I pointed out we still have the reservation, and he said I should propose there anyway because "We can get a free dessert. They have those creme brulee shot glasses you like. And for love, or something" and I said ok deal, but that means you gotta get me a ring to keep it fair, and his eyes LIT UP. When I swung by his work for lunch he was still on the phone with a jeweler and he had a whole page of notes on three other ones. Pray for me.

OH PS: I was RIGHT that he'd been the one behind the cat biting me, but it wasn't about the proposal stuff, it's because I paid my baby sister three dollars to shout 'fuck you' every single time he enters a room she's in for (if you ask me, he should be madder at my sister for charging so little), and he did it by giving her a bunch of treats for biting his hands too, so now neither of us can pet our baby girl without oven mitts on. HOLY SHIT I love this man.

Oh my goddddddd I love everything about this <333 I awwww'd out loud on a voice call, like, six times while reading. You two are friggin perfect for each other and so obviously smitten with each other and I wish y'all all the happiness in the world

PS Are y'all planning to have a big wedding? If so oh boy I can't WAIT to get that one in the inbox

Original post

[pearlymel]

The last time when...

Synopsis : you're an assassin. Your next mission? Get rid of your husband.

Warnings : Sylus × gn! reader, angst angst, death, miscommunication, blood, 1.6k wc.

Notes : if this broke your heart a lil bit, then i will make an apology letter by making a part 2 where they're all a happy family and alive 😓

When was the last time you looked at your husband and thought; how crazy must you have been to be with this as equally crazy man?

Or when was the last time he looked at you and thought; how lucky he was that you were able to tolerate him, to marry him, even.

He knew. And you thought you were able to hide your true occupation just well.

He seemed calm right in front of you while your hands were shaking.

He.. was the target?

Let's take this back to yesterday.

You were pushing your motorbike to its limits as you tore down the dark, winding roads, the sound of gunfire ringing out behind you. Bullets whizzed past you, narrowly missing their mark as you expertly maneuvered the motorcycle to avoid getting hit.

Your heart pounded in your chest as adrenaline rushed through your veins. You could hear the shouts and curses of your pursuers, their voices full of anger and frustration.

Despite the danger and the high-speed chase, you manage to keep your composure and reach for the gun holstered at your waist. With a quick and practiced motion, you whip it out and aim it behind you, training it on your pursuers.

Bullets continue to fly in your direction, but you return fire, hoping to buy yourself some time and discourage them from closing in on you.

You safely escaped, for now.

You were either going to get killed by them or by Sylus if he finds out you put yourself recklessly into danger.

Let alone burrowing his motorbike for this mission.

Stupid organisation, you mutter to yourself as you kick your boots off, the snowy weather certainly wasn't helping with your thoughts either.

You had hoped to leave your old life behind, especially after marrying Sylus. But that was a year ago, and the phone call from your old organization has shattered that illusion of peace. These assholes.

They had one more job for you, a job they think no one can ever successed in, unless it was you.

They didn't even tell you who your target is. Just simply send in you the location instead.

As you push open the door to your shared bedroom, your heart sinks when you see that Sylus is still awake. His eyes are fixed on you, and judging by the expression on his face, he is far from pleased.

His arms are crossed in front of his chest, a stern frown creasing his forehead as he regards you silently, waiting for an explanation.

“i was visiting a friend,” you explain, your grip of steel around the doorknob.

Sylus doesn't seem convinced by your flimsy story. He continues to stare at you, "Visiting a friend," he repeats, sarcastically.

“Mephisto says otherwise.”

That damned crow.

“I'd like it if you stopped stalking me.” You say bitterly. And it's true, his eyes seem to be everywhere, anywhere.

That's why you made sure to quit being an assassin before getting together with him. You wanted a happy, peaceful life as well.

“You're saying it like I'm some sort of creep or stranger.” he drawled, stepping closer to look down at you, and his crimson eyes seem to shine brighter in the dark as he lifts your chin up.

“I'm your husband, i have the right to know why my partner is late.” he squinted his eyes at you before letting go off your chin to turn away.

“Get some rest.” Sylus retreated back to bed. You both didn't speak a word that night, both of your backs facing the other, and you think the weather might have become colder.

—

They have threatened to hurt the people you love most if you don't do this one last mission.

You still feel upset that you didn't clear things up with Sylus last night, you hate fighting with him, but if it has to come down to this, then you'd rather protect him.

You made sure no one would follow you this time, not even Mephisto.

Let's say you did some adjustments on him.

Sorry lil guy.

It's probably not clever to leave your trail of footsteps behind on this particularly heavy snowy day, but they said your target would be here. Right at this time. And this place.

What an odd feeling.

Your body goes taut as you suddenly hear the sound of snow being crushed underfoot. It's a familiar sound that immediately puts you on alert. In a flash, you turn around, your gun gripped tightly and ready to fire.

Sylus.

Your heart leaps into your throat as you recognize the figure emerging from the falling snow.

Shock flood through you, your body instinctively relaxing a fraction as you lower your gun, "Sylus," you exhale breathlessly, the tension in your muscles melting away momentarily.

He observed you with a gaze that felt like it cut deep into your very core. There was no anger in his eyes, no hatred, no rage. Just a quiet resignation. “It's strange,” he says, his voice low, “fate bringing us here like this.”

He wasn't armed. He most likely knew.

Wait, he's.. the target?

He noticed your reaction, but there was no flicker of fear in his eyes. Despite your step back, he continued his approach, slowly and deliberately. His eyes never left you, yet there was not a threat in them, just...resignation...understanding?

Sylus was close, close enough that you could feel the heat radiating from his body, so warm in the cold, he reached out and gently brushed the hair that had plastered itself to your face, to reveal your expression of fear.

“step… back.”

“and why should i do that?”

“I'll shoot,” the words slip from your tongue quicker than you could stop yourself from saying it.

He simply lifted one eyebrow at the sight of the gun now pointed at his chest, unperturbed. “Is that how you greet your husband dearest?” he asks, the faintest hint of a smile at the corner of his mouth with his head tilted slightly to the side.

He was so infuriatingly calm, like there was nothing to worry about.

His smile only widened, and he lifted his hand to rest it on the gun, his fingers gently tracing the barrel, bringing it closer to him, and you gasp, “but don’t you know how much I love getting under your skin, sweetie?”

“Don't—!” you drawed your hand back when his fingertips played dangerously near the trigger, sending your heart to almost stop. You step back again.

He knew you wouldn’t shoot.

“What the hell are you doing?” he said, his voice dropping the smooth façade once you aim the gun at yourself.

“Put that down, now.” he stepped closer to you, your warnings going through deaf ears before he became impatient, resolving this by using his evol, the energy manipulation red and black strands wrapping around your hand and taking the weapon away from your hold to throw it to the side.

Well, you were certainly no match for him.

“I can explain.” You sounded defeated, a fool. You knew you were going to face the consequences if you don't do something now. “I'm really sorry.”

“do that when we get home—”

Sylusd didn't get to finish what he was about to say, and he didn't freeze either when he heard the familiar sounds of gunshots going off.

Gunshots. Aimed directly at you.

He had no time to look around at the source of danger, everything felt like it wad going in slow motion when be was reaching his arm, his body out to protect you and shield you.

Only to find you on your knees in a blink of an eye, your body limp and falling into the pile of snow.

Sylus shouted your name in fear as he knelt beside you, gathering you gently in his arms, his voice a strangled gasp. He held you close, his eyes wild while his hands palpated your body, searching for the wound.

Two gunshots. Shot right through your chest and stomach.

No, no, no.

Sylus has never felt more scared than he was right now, with your crimson blood seeping quickly, melting down with the snow, even when he was taking off his coat and shirt, all to apply pressure on your wound.

He clutched you, his hands trembling, “stay with me," he pleaded, his voice hoarse. "Please, please stay with me.” His mind raced, frantically thinking of what to do, of why the blood wouldn't stop running down, your eyes so tired and almost dull, oh how he felt so helpless right now.

He clenched his jaw, the unfamiliar tears starting to gather around his eyes.

“You’re not quitting on me,” he muttered, the anger in him rising. “You don’t get to quit on me, damn it. You’re not dying on me. Not today, not anytime soon.”

“So—sorry..”

Your last breath. Sylus’ world came shattering down as your eyes lost their light and your body went still in his arms. There was no breath left, no pulse, just deafening silence and the harsh wind.

Your last words were an apology. Not an ‘i love you’ nor ‘take care’.

He refused to believe it. He refused to accept that you were gone, that your lips would never say his name again, that your hands would never touch his skin again.

”Don’t leave me.”

…

“please?”

…

“Are you really.. going to leave me to be alone again? ”

Sylus only remembers seeing red and white that day. The prettiest angel resting in his arms with their precious blood mixed with the cold embrace of the snow.

[eternalsams]

The Olive Theory ⇴ J.Seresin

pairing: Jake Seresin x fem!reader

warning/content: this is a Soulmates!AU, bit of angst but quickly replaced by fluff, they're so in love it makes me sick, young!Hangman (in his early twenties), naval academy inaccuracies

summary: In a world where you learn a detail about your soulmate on each of your birthdays, you think you found your pair years ago but you're completely caught off guard on your 24st birthday.

word count: 1.6k

a/n: English isn't my first language so please take that into consideration.

masterlist

You were twirling the phone cord around your finger, giggling at something Jake said at the other end. Your gaze was fixed on the ceiling but all your attention was to the man speaking to you. Jake had to leave Texas a few months ago for the Navy Academy after you both graduated at the Austin University. "When's the next time you're coming home?" You asked, kicking your legs in the air. Jake smiled, even though you couldn't see him, and he shook his head. "I don't know sweetheart..." Oh, but he knew. "Probably for the holidays." You tried not to sound too disappointed when you responded. "That's great. I can't wait to see you." You let your legs fall back down on the couch and straightened up. "I hope you're having fun." You smiled softly. "I am, it's great. I can't fly a jet yet, but they have us do some pilot shit in a simulator. It's not the same feeling but I love it!" You smile even more at the excitement in his voice, the distance was hard but knowing he was in his element made it worth it.

"What are you planning for tomorrow?" He then asked. Tomorrow you would celebrate your 24th birthday, but you didn't have the mood to celebrate anything without Jake. He hadn't missed a single birthday for 7 years and tomorrow would be the first one you spend apart. "I don't know yet... My mom wants us to go see a movie but I'm not really feeling like it..." You rubbed a hand on your face, trying to contain the tears for spilling. "Y/n..." You heard Jake sigh. "I know, I know. But I just miss you so much..." You murmured. "I miss you too, sweetheart..." He responded and the line was silent for a moment. You thought he had hung up before you heard his voice again. "You're ready to learn something new about me?" He said with a certain tease in his voice. Oh yeah, you almost forgot about that. Tomorrow you would find an envelop in your mailbox, containing a small detail about your soulmates. You knew Jake was yours, every year all the letters you got matched perfectly with him, and his with you.

"I'm pretty sure it's gonna say that you'd wet your bed until you were 8." You laughed heartedly. "Hey! It happened once and it's because I was sick! I knew I shouldn't introduce you to my mom in the first place..." You laughed even more and the melancholy you felt a minute ago disappeared. That was the thing about Jake, he always managed to bring a smile on your face. "Alright, sweetheart. I'm gonna have to go. I gotta get up early tomorrow, I'm gonna see my first jet up close." He said excitedly, making your smile widen. "Okay, cowboy. Have fun tomorrow, I'll text you whatever stupid thing I learn about you." You heard Jake laugh and you exchanged 'I love you's before hanging up. You sighed and rubbed your eyes, wiping away the tears forming in the corners.

You woke up the next morning with a smile on your face, you threw your legs out of the bed, slipped on your slippers and ran to your mailbox. You grabbed the envelop and ran back inside. You softly chuckled, anticipating whatever you're gonna learn about Jake. You silently wished it would be something embarrassing so you could have a good laugh but when you read the words on the letter, your smile immediately fell. They love olives. No, it couldn't be. Jake didn't like olives, he always gave you his. On pizzas, in salads. You've never seen him eat a single one olive since you've met him. You stayed frozen for what seemed hours before you heard knocks on your door. You knew it was your mom, and seconds after, the front door opened and you could hear your mother's voice. She joined you in the kitchen and stopped in her tracks when she saw you. "What's wrong, baby?" Your gaze stay focused on the wooden table and you gave her the letter. You didn't trust your voice from quivering if you spoke right now. She read the words and dropped the letter on the table before wrapping her arms around your shoulders. "Oh, honey... It's gonna be okay..." Jake wasn't your soulmate. You just couldn't believe it, everything was going perfect with him, even if the distance made it hard, you really thought you found your pair with him. But you were destined to be with someone else, someone who loved olives. And Jake was destined to be with another person.

Jealousy and anger took over your body and you ripped the letter and envelop to pieces. You knew you didn't have to follow what the letters told you, you could stay with Jake and everything would be fine for the both of you. But now that you knew he wasn't your soulmate, you would always think about that other person he would be happier with. You couldn't think about being happier than with Jake but you really didn't want to think about Jake being happier with someone else and leaving you for someone better than you. You then stayed home with your mom, forgetting about the movie and whatever you guys planned for your birthday. From time to time, you'd find yourself crying silently and then quickly wiping the tears to give a reassuring smile to your mom. That until you heard the doorbell ring. You were curled up on your couch, hugging a pillow and wrapped up in a blanket Jake got you last winter. Your mom got up and went to answer the front door, murmuring something before you heard the door close.

"Sweetheart?" Your head immediately raised at the sound of that voice and your eyes widened. "Jake? What are you doing here?" You straightened up and got up from the couch, dropping the pillow and the blanket on the floor. "I'll leave you two alone. Call me if you need anything, okay?" Your mom said before kissing your cheek and then Jake's before leaving the house. "Jake, what are you doing here? I thought you had class..." You asked with glassy eyes, your voice breaking and betraying your mental state. Your boyfriend dropped his duffle bag on the floor and reached for you, wrapping his arms tightly around you. "I wanted to surprise you. What's wrong? Did you learn something so embarrassing you don't wanna be with me anymore?" He tried to joke but the reality caught you and the smile he wanted to see appear on your face never showed up. That's when he knew something was very wrong. "Okay, let's sit down for a bit and you'll tell me everything, okay? Just calm down and breathe deeply." You both sat down on the couch and you curled up against him, listening to his heartbeat and timing your breathing with his. He was rubbing your back the whole time, kissing the top of your head and whispering reassuring words into your ear.

Once you calmed down and pulled away from him and looked into his eyes. "You're not the one I'm supposed to be with..." You murmured and he froze. He looked like a kicked puppy and you hated yourself for being the one responsible for how sad he looked. "What...? No. That's not possible, everything matched." He ran his fingers into his hair as he got up from the couch and paced around the living room. "What did it say? Where's the envelop? I wanna see." He looked back at you with incredulous eyes. "I shred it to pieces... It said..." You calmed your voice and took a deep breath. "It said my soulmate loves olives." You looked down at your hands on your lap and heard Jake chuckle. You frowned and looked up at him with confusion written all over your face. "This is not funny, Jake." You almost felt offended he would laugh about something like this. The soon-to-be-pilot stopped laughing and sat back down next to you, taking your hands in his. "I'm sorry, it's not. It's not funny. It's just that... I am your soulmate." He said with a soft smile. "Jake, no-" But before you could keep talking, he stopped you, placing his fingers on your lips. "No, I am your soulmate, Y/n. I love olives, I do." You frowned and took his hand, pulling it away from your mouth. "What? But..." You really didn't understand what was happening...

"You remember our first date in high school?" Of course you remembered, you skipped your last class of the morning to go get pizza and go to the park next to your high school. You shared one pizza and that's when you learned Jake didn't like olives. Well, apparently he did. You nodded and stayed silent, waiting for his explanation. "When you took that first bite into the pizza, I asked you if you liked olives. But not because I didn't like them, it was because I saw how much you loved them. I wanted to make you happy and I did. You were so excited to get my olives as well as yours. I just never told you so you didn't feel bad for stealing my olives." He explained and you let out a deep sigh. You felt your eyes water and you threw yourself in Jake's arms, embracing him tightly. "So we're still soulmates...?" You asked in the crook of his neck. "As long as you'd let me." He kissed the spot just between your neck and your shoulder before pulling away and looking straight into his eyes. "Happy birthday, Sweetheart..." He gently smiled and you giggled before kissing him deeply.

[ellieluvr420]

You’re Mine (Ellie x reader angst one shot)

DEALER ELLIE SUPREMACY!!!!!! 🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️🧎🏻‍♀️

It was silent, neither of you moved or spoke, your eyes were fixed on each other, neither of you daring to look away. Your eyes were glassy and bloodshot and hers were cold and dark, your nose was sore and running as you sniffled holding the tears in your eyes that were begging to be let free. You didn't understand how a girl that shows you as much love as she does could hurt you so bad.

disclaimer: I am in fact british and I've tried to use american vocab in we meet again, darling because I imagined the story set in a US city (NYC in my mind but i left it blank so people could imagine whatever city they wanted but i digress) and i did not enjoy doing that bc ik i still make mistakes and i think it looks goofy so one shots and headcanons and stuff will probs be set in britain, sorry if that is a bit annoying <3

You and Ellie had went to a party at a friend's flat, you had dressed up nice and Ellie had admired you while licking her lips as you got ready.

"You look unreal babe."

"Thank you. Want me to do your makeup after?"

"Yeah but don't blind me this time."

"I didn't fucking blind you, you blinked it into your eyeball, who blinks without warning when you're doing mascara?"

"Someone that blinks normally." You scoff at her and go back to getting ready ignoring her victorious smirk in the mirror.

As you arrived at the party you were both in a great mood, you're immediately greeted by some friends as you walk in and Ellie kisses you on the cheek and takes her leave to go set up on the sofa. Immediately she's swarmed by people looking to get their fix, some wanted weed, some wanted blow, she always had a variety when she went to a party and you can't help the hot feeling in your core as you take in her sitting there, legs comfortably spread with a cigarette hanging from her lips. She had dark grey baggy jeans on, with a black t-shirt that poked out from her hoodie that matched the colour of her jeans, her black converse poke out from the jeans and you never aren't amazed at the state of them, you bought matching converse together and you're both wearing them tonight but they look like entirely different shoes. Her silver chain with a charm that's the first letter of your name is laid on top of her hoodie and the view makes you swoon. Her auburn shaggy hair cut is concealed mostly by her small black beanie, you had played with the hair on show at the back of her neck on the way here, you always loved when she wore a beanie, something about it was just so hot to you.

You had been dancing for hours and chatting when Ellie grabs you and drags you away from your conversation.

“Come on, we’re leaving.”

“Is everything okay?” She doesn’t answer she just continues dragging you out of the flat, she doesn’t release her tight grip on your arm until you’re walking through the door of your shared home. There was a red mark where her hand was and you watched as she froze when she saw the mark.

“Babe what’s going on? Did something happen with a deal?” She chuckles, it’s dark and full of mockery.

“You just don’t fucking get it do you? Are you really this stupid or are you just an attention whore?”

“Excuse me?” Your ears rang as her words hit you, you felt a stabbing pain in your chest as tears pricked behind your eyes begging to release, you couldn’t give her the satisfaction so you chewed on your bottom lip and blinked away the tears while you attempted to swallow the lump in your throat. “What the fuck are you talking about Ellie?”

“You! Fucking parading yourself everywhere and if that wasn’t enough you had to fucking hump Lucy right in front of my fucking face.” She yelled as she walked closer to you, you walked backwards trying to keep some space but as your back hit the wall she closed in on you. “Do you need me to remind you who you belong to hm?”

“Fuck off Ellie.” You push her off of you with every ounce of strength as the dam breaks and the tears begin to flow down your cheeks, you storm away to your shared bedroom with a delusional hope that she wouldn’t follow. You slam the door behind you only for it to immediately be slammed open again, the door smashes into the wall and you stay frozen with your back turned away from her.

“Fuck off Ellie? seriously that’s all you have to say? How about I’m fucking sorry.”

You spin to face her at her statement. “I’M SORRY? I have nothing to be sorry for Ellie. I did nothing wrong.”

“Bullshit.”

“Fine Ellie, tell me exactly what I did wrong then.” Your voice comes out nasally and choked as the tears don’t falter in their pace as they race down your cheeks. You meet her eyes and the look of contempt only makes you sob more.

“You put on that skimpy outfit you know will get you attention then we go to the party and instead of coming to see me and sit with me and make it known that you’re mine, you literally speak to every single other person at the party. You were all over everyone, I’m sure they were embarrassed for you because I fucking was. No wonder you feel like they don’t like you as much anymore, they probably don’t. Oh and just to top it off you then danced with Lucy right in front of me giving me a front row seat to her wandering hands and you being all over it. You’re fucking out of order.”

You scoff at her, you’re genuinely stunned at how she could be so horrible. Ellie had never been like this with you, you were speechless.

“Yeah exactly now you’ve got nothing to say. If you’re gonna be a slut at least own it.”

“What the fuck did you just call me?” The tears had stopped, you weren’t upset anymore you were furious, a red film was over your vision as you stomped over to her until your faces were inches away from each other. “Go on. Say it again.”

“I said you’re an attention-seeking slut.” She spat the words out with a venom and a switch flipped in your head. You didn’t speak you just started walking around the room throwing all your essentials into the first bag you could find. She watches while still for a second but as she realises you’re packing she rushes to start taking all the things out of your bag.

“Don’t Ellie. I don’t want to speak to you right now. Leave me alone.”

“No, you’re not leaving.”

“I’ll do whatever the fuck I want.” She keeps removing the things that you’re packing from your bag until you huff and give up going to look for your car keys. “You can’t drive anywhere, you’re drunk.” You hated to admit she was right in the moment but you knew it wasn’t worth the risk.

“Then I’ll get an uber.” You start searching for your phone until you turn to see Ellie holding it in her hand. You storm over to her but she holds it above your head so you can’t reach. “Ellie give it back I’m serious.”

“I said you aren’t leaving.” The tears begin again as you feel helpless.

“Why do you fucking care? I’m just a slut right, not your girlfriend of three fucking years.”

It’s quiet as you both stand processing everything that’s been said, tears are streaming down your face but you don’t feel like you’re crying anymore. Ellie stands shifting her weight from one side of her body to the other as she fidgets with her fingers. She looks up at you and her heart breaks knowing she’s the reason you’re so upset after having such a good night.

“Why didn’t you come and see me all night? You always come and sit with me while I do my deals at least for a little bit and you didn’t. I rolled us a pink spliff to smoke together and you barely even came near me until you started grinding up against Lucy.” Her voice is soft and quiet, she sounds ashamed of herself because she is, she’s ashamed that she’s let her insecurities cause her to be horrible to the best person in her life, she felt sick with herself, she caught a glimpse of herself in the mirror hanging on the wall of the living room and all she saw looking back at her was a monster.

“Ellie if you wanted to spend time with me you could’ve come and got me. You know I always want to spend time with you, I hadn’t seen loads of those people for ages so I was just catching up. But if you wanted me to come sit all you had to do was come get me and you know I would’ve sat with you until we left. I was dancing with Lucy my straight best friend of 12 years for fucks sake. If something was going on there it would’ve happened already.”

“You sure it hasn’t?” Ellie knows it hasn’t, she knows you would never do that. But her brain isn’t connected to her mouth anymore, her jealousy is the only thing controlling her actions right now, she feels like she’s watching a horrible film where the main character does the opposite of the right thing at every turn.

“You are unbelievable. I have been nothing but a loyal and loving girlfriend to you, I do not deserve this and I don’t have to prove anything to you but seeing as I have nothing to hide, my phone is in your hand. Go on Ellie, if you don’t trust me, go through my phone and prove yourself wrong.” She looks down at the phone but doesn’t make a move to unlock it. Her stillness only ignites the fire of your rage more. “Go on! You know the password, it’s your birthday! So go on Ellie, admit you don’t trust me and go through my phone.”

She stays in her place looking at your phone until she sighs and holds it out to you. “Of course I trust you. You just- you don’t notice how many people’s eyes are on you wherever we go, and it’s never bothered me, I love it, I love that you’re as beautiful as you are, I’m proud to be next to you but when we were at that party all I could see were people trying to take you from me and when I looked at you all I could see was you leaving me.” She sniffles and you see a single tear run down her face that she wipes away as soon as she can. You take your phone from her hand and throw it down onto the sofa next to you before walking to stand right in front of her. She avoids your eyes but you gently nudge her chin so she looks at you.

“Ellie, no one else could ever make me leave you. I love you, you are my world, my heart beats for you Ellie, it has since the day I met you. What will drive me away is if you take out your insecurities and jealousy on me instead of talking to me about it. I won’t stay around to be treated like this. I am better than this and I deserve better than this, I will help you work through this but not if you’re going to do this again.” It was like what you said was the end of the world as she immediately broke down into sobs, the sight stopped you in your tracks as Ellie never cried. You moved slowly like you were handling a bomb as you cupped her cheeks, your hands had barely touched her face before she was pulling you into a bone-crushing hug as she continued crying into your shoulder. You stroked her hair gently and let her cry until she calmed down enough to sniffle and take a deep breath.

“I’m sorry, please don’t leave me. I’ll fix it, I won’t get jealous anymore I swear I’m sorry.” She mutters into your shoulder as she cries more, her grip on you tightened almost like she was physically trying to stop you from going anywhere. You wrapped your arms around her neck and cuddle into her more as you walk backwards toward the sofa pulling her down on top of you.

“I’m not going to leave you and we can work on this together, you’re allowed to get jealous but you need to be able to discuss it with me instead of attacking me. I’m sorry for making you feel forgotten, I had no intention of doing that but I’m sorry that I made you feel that way anyway. I love you Ellie and you are the most beautiful person I have ever met, I am so lucky to have you I would never want anyone over you.”

She looks up at you and presses a light kiss to your lips, so sweet it almost rids your lips from the salty remnants of your tears. “I love you more. Thank you for being so good to me.” She doesn’t seem entirely convinced by your description of her but she appreciates the reassurance more than she can explain.

You wrap your legs around her waist and squeeze her so tight you hear a choked groan leave her lips involuntarily. You make eye contact that neither of you break as you brush your knuckles over her cheek.

“I really am sorry. You know I didn’t mean anything I said, I’m sorry, please forgive me.”

“I do El. But it won’t happen again.”

“Never.” You share a timid kiss and she lays her head down on your chest to listen to your heartbeat, it had always soothed her, she feels herself calming and sinking into you until she looks up to see you already looking down at her with a devious smirk. “What’s up babe?”

“You still got that pink spliff from earlier?”

“I love you so much.”

[luminouslywriting]

How do you think the guys would react when one of their friends starts dating their sister? Like maybe she read in a letter that their buddy wasn’t getting any and decided to take matters into her own hands and strike up a pen pal-ship with them that becomes serious…

Imagine coming home from war and your baby sister runs straight past you to jump your buddy who she can’t possibly know

DeMarco?? As a brother? And Brady? As a lover?? I can see it now. LISTEN, I have thoughts under the cut, so buckle up kiddos haha! Reminder that my requests are definitely open and I don't mind spam :)

Cut for length, more under the cut, some light occasional spice haha:

-It doesn't mean to happen??? Like actually though?? Benny mentions in one of his letters home that a friend of his does not have a girlfriend and is feeling a little lonely at times

-And you, being the angel that you are, just take matters into your own hands

-So imagine Brady's surprise the week before he goes down in the Stalag to receiving a letter signed Y/N DeMarco

-There he is, going about his day, trying to get training in, and just minding his own business, and mail call comes and he has a letter?? He doesn't recognize the return address and he's a little baffled. But he's not about to turn down mail.

-So he opens it up and starts reading and it's this very sweet letter explaining that your brother mentioned he had a friend who didn't have anyone writing him and you were just going to fix that for Brady :)

-John Brady is many things—including flattered—but he's also like WTF?? Like where did this person come from, how old are you (is this allowed lol), and maybe it'll be nice to have a friend??

-So he writes you a letter back with these questions included and he fully means to mention it to DeMarco

-It's just that DeMarco goes down on a mission with Gale Cleven and there's nothing he can do about that

-And then HE goes down on a mission with Bucky Egan

-He honestly forgets all about it until letters to the Stalag start to arrive

-The thing about this entire situation is that he likes having a little something to himself? It's hard to get privacy and anything that's really 'yours' in the Stalag, and so these letters become an escape and a safe place for him

-He relies on your good humor and stories to get him through the day and all the while, he's falling in love with the person that you are without ever having seen you

-And it's the exact same situation for you

-Brady isn't stupid though, he burns all of the letters that you send him so that the Germans can't use anything against him when it comes to you

-So by the time that they switch Stalags again and again and he hasn't gotten a letter in months, he's already decided that he's in love with you and is going to ask you to marry him

-The only problem in this foolproof little plan of his is a short king with a dog named Benny DeMarco who will be absolutely furious about the turn of events that he has not been clued in on for over a year and a half

-So he figures that it's probably best to just....not mention anything until he sees you??

-LOL SIR NO

-But anyways, the war ends and the boys get to go home

-And Benny DeMarco is having a GREAT day. He's ready to see his family, his beloved little sister, eat some good chow, and sleep in an actual bed.

-He's fully prepared for the tears on the train platform and everything else

-What he's not prepared for is to see you run PAST him and jump into the arms of none other than Captain John Brady

^Actual footage of Benny DeMarco, seconds after seeing you and Brady kissing at the train station^

-So yes, he's baffled, bamboozled, shocked, dismayed, BETRAYED and majorly confused

-But after a whole sit down conversation about the letters and everything, he's super jazzed to be getting Brady as a brother in law and he's actually pretty happy about the whole thing

-But he absolutely turns to the younger siblings that you both have and warns them to never do something like this lol

-And yes, there may have been a fist fight that you heard about later between Brady and DeMarco, but it was never really that serious....just a protective older brother making sure Brady was good enough for you lol

[the-offside-rule]

Trent Alexander Arnold (Liverpool) - Jolly

Day 11 of Christmas

Trent had walked down the stairs with his training back and kitted out in his usual Liverpool attire. He chucked his training bag at the door and walked towards the kitchen to see his girlfriend and her younger half brother Charlie. Charlie's parents both worked early hours and very rarely could bring Charlie to school so Y/n took it among herself to bring the youngest of her family to school instead. And so, every morning at half past six, the doorbell would go off and Y/n's stepdad would drop off Charlie and head to work. It didn't bother either of them much, but their favourite hobby was the Elf on the Shelf and making him do all kinds of mischievous stuff whilst Charlie wasn't there.

Trent walked into the kitchen and looked around confused. No one was there except Charlie eating his toast with a cup of tea in his Liverpool mug. "Well Charlie, how's it going?" Trent asked as he walked past the kid and patted his head. “Uncle Trent, how's it going?” Charlie asked as he stared at his Elf at the table. “Everything's fine. Why?” Trent asked walking over to the teapot. "This stupid Elf." He replied. "He won't stop fucking moving."

"I don't think your sister would appreciate you cursing now, or your mum." Trent said as he poured himself a cup of tea. "I don't care. I don't like this Elf." He mumbled. "What'd he even do?" Trent asked. "Oh my god, he did so much bad stuff!" Y/n's brother began. "He unrolled like five rolls of toilet roll last night, and then he went and broke my favourite lego set! I might have to rebuild it before I go back to mum after school." Charlie sighed. "Where's your sister?" Trent asked. "She's just doing some washing. Then we're going to school." Charlie replied. "Yeah sound."

Y/n had such a long day at work that she simply just fell asleep as soon as she dropped onto her bed and by the time she woke up again, the curtains were closed and she was tucked in. Trent must've come home. She got out of bed and walked downstairs seeing the living room light on. She peeked in and spotted Trent putting plastic pieces of lego onto what looked like a mini Annfield. "Hi?" Trent looked up and smiled. "Well, missus. I've some dinner ready for you whenever you want it." Trent said. "What are you doing up so late?" Y/n asked as she looked around the living room and spotted her boyfriend scanning through instructions. "Just helping Jolly with a lego set." Trent replied. She looked confused. "Jolly? As in Charlie's Elf?" Trent nodded. "Yeah, he broke one today so I helped him rebuild Charlie's one and I'm making him make one for tomorrow."

"You know how my mum feels about gifts before Christmas." Y/n said. "Yeah, but it's fun. And it was kinda my idea to break the lego set last night." Y/n nodded. "I'll write a little letter or something to go it with." Y/n said as she sat down beside him and pulled out a piece of paper. She began writing as Trent sat quietly mumbling to himself. "I don't have this piece." Trent muttered. "It's in the wrong place." Y/n said picking it off the tray and placing it where it was meant to go. Trent simply looked back at his girlfriend and an idea sprung to mind. "Do you wanna just help me with it so we can both go to bed?" Y/n and Trent stayed up for another hour finishing the set before they placed both lego sets on the table with Jolly and his note and headed to bed, only imagining what Charlie was going to say.

The morning after, Y/n had to call into work earlier which meant this was the first time Trent was in charge of morning duty. He eagerly anticipated the doorbell ringing and when he did, he practically opened it immediately. Trent greeted Charlie's dad before letting Charlie in and getting started eith his morning. "How are you today, boss?" Trent asked, taking Charlie's backpack off him. "Pretty good, Trentski. I-" He gasped as he saw the kitchen table. His broken lego set now fixed and a brand new Anfield lego set. "Oh my god! This is unreal!" Charlie squealed as he ran up to it. It was only when he got closer he spotted his Elf with a little note. He opened it and began reading the scribbly writing.

I wanted to say sorry for accidentally breaking your lego yesterday, so I fixed your one and asked Santa to bring you Anfield to say sorry!

Jolly

"This is sick!" Charlie laughed. "Yeah? Didn't even see it. Must have been magic." Trent said as he plated up breakfast. "Is toast, eggs and bacon alright for you, lad?" Trent asked. "Yeah course." Charlie replied. "Are you dropping me off today? Dad said you were." Charlie asked. "I am indeed, boss. Y/n had to go to work early today." Trent explained. "I don't mind. My friends all wonder what car you drive." Trent chuckled. "Range Rover Sport, but they'll see it today anyway." Trent said as he placed the breakfast and a smaller cup of tea in front of Charlie. "Thanks, Uncle Trent." He didn't know what it was, but he felt his heart strings being played. Maybe it was the fact Charlie had called him Uncle. "No bother, lad."

[runespoor7]

hiii! for the ask game, an au where jc gets de-aged post-canon to his freshly traumatized 17 year old self? playing happy family in cloud recesses, wwx is brutally pulled out of his ‘the past is in the past’ bubble when he finds out. for extra knives, maybe wn tells him

1. I think it should be JL, and not WN, who tells WWX. JL is invested in JC (and in JC and WWX’s relationship)! WN is mostly invested in #getwreckedSLJ.

WWX doesn't really understand what JL expects of him - WWX’s heart leaped when he understood the content of JL’s letter, and his belly twisted as though he was going to be sick, but he managed to calm down enough to write a reassuring letter back to JL. (Surely that was what JL expected, right?) WWX had to sit on his own hands to keep from doing something stupid like grabbing a sword and flying off, and then he had to ask to LWJ to distract him, because it keeps buzzing, buzzing under his skin.

There's no new letter from JL. WWX forces himself to think it means everything went back to normal. And makes himself distracted (he loves his husband!) before his mind trips down the path of what if not. (JL wouldn't write then. He'd show up.)

2. There’s no second letter but JL shows up. WWX, who's been thinking that there was no reason for JL to come but if things had gone worst with JC, doesn't know what he looks like when he sees JL and doesn't really register the sound of people sliding their swords out.

“You have to come, why didn't you come! I had to leave jiujiu because you weren't coming, and I'm going to have to return to Jinlintai once I’ve brought you back, so grab your things, shibo. Oh, you don't need to take much, LP will put you up with what you need. What matters is going back so jiujiu can see you.”

JC is alive. JC is alive. Once the news break through the dull rushing sound in WWX’s ears, tension he didn't know had frozen his body seeps away.

The Jin disciple accompanying JL puts his sword away, under the misapprehension that WWX isn't ready to leave right away. LWJ says WWX’s name and presses his arm, and WWX nods fiercely. No time to waste, is there? Now JC wants him there.

3. There’s a disciple of YMJ as a welcoming committee when they fly down, or maybe two; WWX doesn't pay attention, he leaves JL and LWJ to deal with them - “hey, wait!” JL yelps, “do you even know where you’re going?”

WWX’s feet slow, stop. LP is changed. WWX isn't even sure JC left the infirmary where it once was.

JL catches up with an annoyed, worried huff. He sounds just like JC. “Here, this way.”

4. JC looks– JC looks.

WWX’s legs give up from under him.

JC looks at him with an intense frown, features almost twisted in desperation - WWX’s name on his lips. WWX scrambles on the ground, knees banging on the polished wood, fingers feverishly untangled as he reaches for the long-lost shape of WWX’s shidi, crumpled as discarded hopes, slight as a memory.

“You– why are you here?” JC's words fall like stones on WWX’s bones before WWX can reassure himself JC’s real. “They told me you live in Gusu. You don't even look like yourself, why did you come back?”

How like JC! One thousand words to cut through WWX like one thousand blades. WWX ignores him, fists his hands in JC's robes, presses his face against JC’s thighs. He needs to feel the warmth of JC’s body, make sure he’s not a ghost, not a dream.

JC's hand on his shoulder, shaking. WWX is suddenly reminded of JC’s hands pushing him down, this same JC throttling him. It feels like the last time they touched, did JC ever touch him after that, did WWX let him?

5. “I’ll fix it – I promise, JC, I’ll make it right,” WWX breathes, recklessly, helplessly. How easy it is to fall back into these old, dizzying habits!

JC’s eyes are full of shattered distrust and cloudy hopes, like he’s been told WWX lies, like he still believes WWX first.

[4ngelholic]

"one day.." i will stop falling in love with you

diluc , al haitham, dainsleif

unrequited love , angst.

DILUC RAGNIVINDR— you didn't mean to fall for him. you didn't mean to look at him like he was the whole world. you didn't know why you started liking him. you've been friends for almost a year now, but recently, you started seeing the small and big things diluc does. cares for his brother, mondstadt, and its people. the way he switches shifts with charles when he has the time to have a few moments to bond with kaeya, when his gaze softens looking at the lively tavern even when it's tiring when he thinks no one is looking, and the way he takes parts of his nights to fight and fend off the monsters that dare to trespass its walls.

your feelings didn't go unnoticed by a certain group of dark blue, maroon-ish, and dual-colored-haired group. in the end, you did tell them you did hold feelings for diluc, and they encouraged you to confess. they mentioned how the way he looked at you was different from the way he looks at others, but a good difference. and you hated the way your stomach did flips. because you knew better. he was healing but not yet healed. he wasn't ready for love in his life yet or at all.

he needed you. he wanted you. he cared for you. he needed a friend. he wanted you there as a friend. he cared for you as a friend. while you did everything as a friend, you wanted it to be something other than that. but you couldn't. your relationship was just friends. nothing more, nothing less.

·˚✎ ﹏

AL HAITHAM— he was well known in the Akademiya while you were on the other.. and besides, you guys weren't even friends since you guys only talked only a few times. would you two consider yourselves acquaintances? he was stoic, cool, smart, and very good-looking. if it was allowed in the Akademiya, he would have multiple gifts and love letters overflowing in his office. you were one of the smartest in the Akademiya but if you were next to him you couldn't compare. there are people you could see him with, like nilou, for example, but looking back on it, she probably only sees him as a close friend.

you despised how you acted around him. you were stuttering, fumbling, and being plain stupid. there was a time when you wanted him to look over some documents that you had, and when you were walking toward him, you tripped over an uneven tile. stupid stupid stupid. but instead of looking down on you like you expected him to, he chuckled. ah. was he laughing at you? or what happened? or both? he simply picked up the fallen papers and held out a hand for you.

"don't worry about the documents being put off order. I can handle it. but maybe you should check up on your knees if it hurts."

you thanked him and left his office. the next day, when you were picking the finished documents up, you found the uneven tile nowhere to be seen.

"I asked for the tile to be fixed after you left so it won't happen again."

gods... you hate the way he makes you feel.

·˚✎ ﹏

DAINSLEIF— you happened to meet him while you made a quick break in one of liyue's restaurants. you were a seat behind him, and you could hear his stomach silently grumbling. when the bill came for his meal, you overheard him, saying he only had 500 mora. innocently barging into the conversation with him and the waiter, you offered to pay for all of it. it was nothing really, 1000 mora off of your bank was basically taking a single strand of wheat off a haystack

a few weeks passed, and you found yourself falling for him. it might be the stretch to like someone you met for almost a month, but still. he was reserved, quiet, and a bit dull looking. but he had his moments of being kind. all you knew from what he told you was he was looking for someone dear to him, and that made your heart pang in your chest. what made it worse for you was not knowing if that someone who was dear to him, a lover, or a friend. but you knew better to pester him about them because he simply left it there.

he explained he couldn't stay here, as he needed to continue his journey. and as you bid him farewell, you regret not telling him your feelings for him. but you decide to keep your feelings buried deep within. so maybe the next time you see him, you can joke around with him about how you had a crush on him before with nothing to hide.

[crushedsweets]

It’s that time of year so I gotta ask;

What Christmas gifts do you see the Creeps getting for each other if they did or were capable of celebrating Christmas?

BEAUTIFUL ASK BEAUTIFUL ASK OK IM EXCITED. merry christmas guys :)

btw: the proxies, natalie, nina, and jack are often in contact

liu, jeff, ben, jane, sally, lulu, and ann do their own thing with their own families (or theyre undead and cant comprehend time passing.. or have nobody...etc)

GIFTS:

brian would try to get something small for a lot of the creeps (the proxies, natalie, jack, nina). candy, candles, lighters, watches, pocket knives, etc

tim might give cards but like... he'd only get brian and maybe toby a real gift, again something like cologne or whatever 'manly' shit LOL. gloves etc

toby would try to get something bigger for his friends. he's petty so he'd get tim something like socks. but he'd steal makeup for nina, a bike he would fix up and paint for natalie, CDs and tapes and stuff for jack, hoodies and hats for Kate. he'd buy brian a gag shirt every goddamn year. something with a stupid quote or ugly photo. every. year. brian eats it up everytime. also gets ben gag gifts, but really cheap ones cuz he..doesnt really use anything... but he likes to laugh

kate doesn't get anyone anything, but she like. cries really easily when she receives something. not like bawling 'OMG THANK U' but like she sniffles and has to walk away (if they don't hug her first) and then come back to say thanks. toby thinks its hilarious so he'd never leave her out even if she doesn't get him something

jack would have to ask nina and natalie if he could use their address to order gifts from amazon with his dark web money..... natalie is a safer bet, but he doesnt trust her not to open her and toby's gift, so he sends that to nina, then ninas gift to natalie, and its kind of a pain in the ass. but he's hella awkward and just outright is like 'can you guys just tell me what you want' so he'll get them exactly what they ask for. even if its kind of expensive. he makes plenty of money ...

natalie only buys stuff for toby, nina, and jack. but she'll get cards for jeff, ben, and kate. she spends a lot of time in thrift stores to get toby and nina stuff specifically for their style and size, and would even learn to do basic tailoring (like hemming) for it. she'd also paint something for/with nina, but she'd feel awkward doing it for toby. she'd get jack candles and pillows and like.. stuff to make his cabin feel/smell nice. since he can't really see it. ALSO AUDIO BOOKS FOR HIM.

nina goes all out. she's broke as fuck during november/december cuz of it. she's buying expensive jewelry, perfume/cologne, hoodies, shoes, consoles. she was fucking SPOILED growing up by her dad, and loves giving it back. one year she'd be dramatic as fuck and buy a whole ass console for kate and toby at the cabin. then realize toby and kate now wont text her back cuz theyre fucking gaming. LMFAOOOO . she'd make a ton of kandi and paint shirts and write letters and stuff.

liu would buy nina something nice, flowers and earrings and hair products and stuff. he'd mail jane+mary a card and chocolates, visit his parents graves and go see some cousins/aunts/grandparents for the holidays. he'd be out of state for the holidays, every time. he can't stand to spend the holidays alone

jane goes all out with her family too. she spends christmas eve with her family(and brings mary), aka her grandparents and aunts/uncles. she spends christmas day with mary's family. she would send liu a card back out of respect. she'd also spoil sally. sally is completely content spending christmas alone while jane goes to mary's family, but jane sets up netflix and toys and dresses and stuff for her.

sally lives with jane/mary fulltime, but she refuses to go anywhere other than the forest and jane's house. she'll draw cards for jane and mary every year and help them decorate. jane is grateful for sally, since she doesn't know if she'd have it in her to decorate without a child's joy motivating her

jeff doesnt do shit. he gets kinda depressed and hangs out with ben. might snag a card and some chocolates for natalie, MAYBE. if he's still "with" nina, he'll steal random stuff for her but not take into account her actual tastes. but him and ben just sit around and game while jeff smokes and eats hella . LOL

ann, lulu, sadie, and dina don't celebrate at all. again, they're stuck in timeloops or constant hazes, or have legitimately no interest in the holiday

extra random stuff:

nina forces kate, toby, and natalie into ice skating every year. photo booths, driving to see christmas lights.

toby tries forcing everyone to go over to jack's cabin ..cuz he doesn't wanna invite them to his LMFAOOOO. he says it's nina and brian's idea, but he's the one who sets the date and texts invites. him, jack, and natalie put together some dinner and everyone just kinda hangs out and eats.

nina decorates the fuck out of her apartment and goes to toby's cabin to put up some stuff. she hangs mistle toe and literally nobody listens to the 'rule' but she's always like "omg...kateeee...you and i just so happen to be under the mistle toe... >.<... what now..?" LMFAOOO

anyway merry christmas and happy holidays guys :) have a good day luv u

[cinnamon-girl-writes]

kintsugi . . . wakasa x reader

meeting your ex-best friend at the park in the middle of the night was not on your bucket list, but hey, tis the season !

fluff, could be canonverse or real world, semi-canon compliant, don't ask me which timeline/arc this is because idfk this show is confusing

by @cinnamon-girl-writes

This was probably the worst Christmas Eve of your life. Not only had you broken up with your shitty ex-boyfriend two weeks ago, but you were alone in your stupid four person college-loaned apartment completely alone. You couldn't go home this year because you had to study for exams, this being your last year of college. School comes first, you reminded yourself as you were wishing you were at your family home, cuddled up and eating freshly baked cookies.

You gazed absentmindedly at the cheesy Christmas rom com movie on your TV. Your roomates had all gone home for the holidays, so you really had the whole place to yourself.

Bored out of your mind, you glanced around your bedroom, eyes landing on a poloroid from your junior year of high school. Three faces smiled back at you-- well, two smiling faces and one grimace.

In the middle was you, bubbling with excitement from whatever mischief you had been getting into. Your arm was slung around a boy to your right with messy black hair and his school uniform in shambles. He had a mischevious smile upon his face, and you tried to recall what he had been planning that day. Shinichiro.

You had attended his funeral less than a year ago. He had died in some stupid, pointless way; some of his little brother’s friends messing around in his shop after dark. Even now, the thought of him still stung.

The boy on your other side was a head shorter than Shinichiro, a strawberry blond with the stick of a lollipop between his teeth. Wakasa Imaushi, your other high school best friend. You hadn't spoken to him since graduation; you made excuses like, 'things happen' or, 'life just got busy.' But you knew the truth: your best friend had gotten in with the wrong crowd and decided he didn't need you anymore.

You'd llike to say that you've completely moved on from those relationships. I mean, who still talks to their high school friends? Aren't those things supposed to fade away once you grow up and get a job? Despite all this, you could still feel something lingering in your heart. Something that told you you felt more than just friendship for Wakasa. You decide to shake off the thought.

This was getting pathetic. You decided you weren't going to rot in this stupid apartment anymore, throwing on your coat over your flannel pajamas and heading out your door with only your phone and your car keys.

Shivering, you started your busted up Honda Civic, thanking the gods when it stuttered to life. You pulled out of the parking lot and found yourself leaving the university grounds. Hopefully no one saw you leave the campus and reported you, but you couldn't care less in that moment.

As you drove with seemingly no destination, memories flooded your mind. The yogurt shop where the boys has taken you for your 16th birthday. Shinichiro's home garage where you'd sit and watch him fix up bixes for hours on end.

Without warning, you come to a halt. You recognize the place that you see out the front windshield. It's our spot, you think.

"Spot" was a subjective term. Really, it didn't belong to you in any way other than the memories you held from it. The spot in question was the mouth of an old alleyway which was long forgotten and hardly ever got any traffic. To its left was the edge of the city park, and to its right was a lake separating the north and south sides of the city. Spray paint letters (some of which you were sure had been written by you) covered the walls in an impressive display. You still remembered where you used to always sit: by the coast of the water, a few feet back on top of a stack of unused cement blocks.

It took you a few moments to get out of your car. It was cold out, and your fingers were frozen to the bone, but you needed to get out of your room, and you decided this was the best way to do it.

You stepped outside, grimacing at how the car door creaked when you slammed it.

You swore you could feel ghosts in your chest as you traced your fingers along the cracks in the cement. Had those always been there? Or had the building decayed even more since your glory days? The structure had always had such a bright place in your mind that you considered the possibility that you had forgotten how bad of shape it was in.

You shivered, pulling your thin coat tighter around your shoulders. The yellow lights that lit the corridor flickered ever so slightly, bugs scattering around them in search of warmth. Suddenly, you hear a faint sound behind you.

Click. Then faster, quieter. Click click.

You whir around, assuming a defensive position. Unfortunetely, this wasn't your first time encountering creepy men in the park.

Swinging your arm, you threw a crisp right hook. It landed in the grasp of a person's hand, and you winced, expecting the worst.

"Hey! Calm down princess, it's just me."

It took you a few seconds to register the face in front of you. He looked different now, taller and broader. His hair was grown out past his shoudlers, still the stame strawberry blond color but with streaks of purple, which you mentally noted to yourself. You never thought you'd see him with purple in his hair.

"Wakasa?"

The man in front of you— wow, it felt weird to call him that— had an unlit cigarette dangling between his teeth. You watched him tease the end of it with his tongue, tracing along the edge.

"Yours truly."

You were stunned. You never expected to even come here tonight, much less to see your old best friend here.

"Wakasa, what are you even doing here?" you question.

He shrugged, looking up at you with hooded eyes. "Dunno, I just neede to clear my head.” He paused, eyes traveling down your body and then back up to meet your gaze. "And what about you, princess?"

You rolled your eyes. "Stop calling me that. It's me for god's sake, Wakasa. Don't act all high and mighty just 'cause you're running with gangs and smoking weed now." Wakasa seemed slightly taken aback by your harsh words. I mean, yeah it was true, but it still stung to hear you talk to him like that. You started, "But anyways, I was just taking a drive and I ended up here."

Wakasa nodded, and a few moments of silence sat between the two of you; there was a stalemate.

"So?"

You blinked. "So?" you repeated. "So, what?"

Wakasa grinned an impish smile. "So, do you wanna get out of here? Maybe hit up a bar?"

Shaking your head, you pulled your coat tighter around your body. "No, you idiot, it's Christmas Eve, I'm not going out and getting drunk. Besides, there probably aren't any bars open."

"Hey, you're the one out on the streets at night, all alone."

You sighed with frustration. "Can we quit the bickering and go somewhere already? It's freezing."

Wakasa grinned wider, stuffing his cigarette in the pocket of his jacket. "Okay, here's the deal: we have a race, by bike versus your busted up little smart car. I win, we go drinking. You win, we go to bible study and make friendship bracelets like good girls."

You reached forward to punch his arm playfully, feigning anger although a smile lingered on your face. "Yeah, no. Get in my car, you idiot."

Wakasa didn't hesitate. You could tell he was probably getting cold by the way his cheeks were tinged with pink.

You slid into the driver’s seat with Wakasa across from you in the passenger. As you put the car into drive, it started making a high-pitched dinging sound.

“Oh no, oh no no no!!!” you exclaimed. Orange letters flashed on the small digital screen behind your wheel: FUEL EMPTY.

Wakasa leaned over towards you, inspecting the issue. “Ouch, princess. Guess you’re gonna have to start pushing.”

You glared at the blond. “No, I’m not. I’m going to call my friend to come bring me some gas.”

Suddenly, the interior lights flickered once, then twice, before giving up and leaving you in complete darkness.

“No fucking way.”

Your car battery had died.

You bent over to lean your head against the steering wheel. You set off the horn in doing so. Well, at least something’s working.

You were beginning to think this was karma for sneaking food out of the dining hall in plastic tupperware bins when Wakasa spoke up, “Guess we’ll have to take my ride.”

You looked up at him without picking up your head. “There’s no way in hell I’m getting on that death trap. I’d rather walk home.”

Wakasa snorted a laugh. “Well, that’s your only other option.”

You sat up and reached for your phone. “No, I’m just going to call a friend.”

Wakasa started to open the car door. “Yeah, right. No one is gonna come out here on Christmas Eve. They’re all spending their merry time with their beloved families,” he said. You couldn’t help but notice the almost resentful sound in his voice.

You huffed in frustration. “Okay, then I’ll sit here and wait for a passing traveller to see my car and hitch hike.”

Wakasa stepped out of the car, leaning down so he could talk still see you. “No way I’m letting you get in some random stranger’s car and get kidnapped.”

You sighed. “I’m not getting kidnapped, and besides, aren’t you just some random stranger too?”

He raised his eyebrows with a smirk. “You’re not getting in my car. You’re getting on it.”

You closed your eyes in frustration. He thought he was being so smug.

Pinching the bridge of your nose, you finally resign to his efforts. “Okay, fine, I’ll go with you. But no highways, no back alleys, and we aren’t going any faster than thirty miles per hour. And you have to drive me back out here in the morning to get my car.”

“Sounds like a deal to me.”

Once you were outside the car, Wakasa took the bike off of the kickstand and waved a hand in front of him. “After you, my lady.”

Reluctantly, you swung your leg over the metal contraption and lowered yourself onto the seat. You were surprised at how comfortable it was, actually. But it would be better with a seatbelt and four walls, you thought.

Wakasa got on after you, sitting in front of you so he could drive. You realized then that there were no handlebars for the person sitting on the back, so you had to hold on to him. Well, shit. It wasn’t that you weren’t comfortable with doing that; you and Wakasa had been inseparable for so many years of your lives together. It was just that it had been so long since you had last been around him and you couldn’t imagine how different he would be by this point. Surely, gang life had gotten to him and had deteriorated his physical health, you thought.

“Hold on tight, okay?”

Hands shaking, you cautiously started to wrap your arms around his torso. You were right: gang life had changed him. His body was firm and toned, your aching cold hands being able to feel the lines of his abs through the thin material he was wearing.

Suddenly, you heard Wakasa laugh. Not a sarcastic huff this time, but a real, genuine laugh. “You’re going to need to hold on a lot tighter than that once we start going, princess.” God, you could practically hear the smile in his voice.

“Oh okay,” you managed to say. You could tell by the heat of your face in contrast to the cold weather that you were bulshing profusely.

“Oh yeah, one more thing,” you heard him say. He leaned over the front of the bike and picked something up from off the ground. It made a scraping sound that you recognized as metal on concrete. “Here you go.”

In his hands, he held a black riding helmet. You eyes moved from it to him and back to it. It was comically large, so big that you doubt it would even fit on a human head.

“I think I’m okay,” you say, trying to be polite.

“No way, princess, put it on.”

You huffed out a sigh. “Seriously? Why do I have to wear that stupid thing but you don’t?”

He shook his head, using both of his hands to fasten the helmet on your head. “Can’t risk damaging the precious cargo.” By this point, you knew you were as red as a tomato. Precious? Luckily, the helmet covered most of your face.

You felt the bike start to move. Slowly but surely, you were making your way out of the parking lot. Hey, this really isn’t so bad, you think.

As you coast down the road, you feel yourself admiring the new things you’ve seen of Wakasa— just little things, like his mannerisms and the way he smelled and the way he pulled his hair back. In this moment, you think you finally found some peace in your life. The past semester had been hell, between essays and shitty professors and your ex-boyfriend being an asshole.

Just when you were beginning to enjoy the feeling of the wind blowing over your face, the bike turned onto your street all too soon. You were surprised that Wakasa still remembered the same address you had told him all those eyars ago despite never having taken the time to visit your new apartment.

He pulled into your driveway, turning the bike’s engine off and stepping off the bike before offering you a hand of assistance. You accepted it, getting off the bike with a little bit of a stumble. After removing the helmet and leaning it against the sidewalk, you led him into your apartment.

“Here, go sit down and I’ll get you something to drink,” you say as you go around the small space, switching on the lights. Wakasa takes a seat at the little kitchen island and you see him inspecting the various pictures you have scattered around for decoration. He picked up a letter that had been trifolded and removed from an envelope earlier that morning, scanning it briefly.

“Wow, Honors society, huh? Smart girl,” Wakasa says. Walking up behind him, you snatch the paper out of his grasp.

“Hey, it’s illegal to steal other people’s mail,” you complain.

He raised his hands up in mock defense. “I’m innocent, I swear!”

You rolled your eyes at his dumb joke. Passing him, you go to your fridge, viewing your selection of beverages. “What do you want to drink?”

The blond shrugged. “Whatever you have.”

You passed him a glass of lemonade, complete with a cute little paper straw. He took a long drink from it before looking up at you. Although you were used to being around him, for some reason this eye contact felt more intense than ever before. He broke it first, looking down at his drink. “So, how’s your boyfriend?”

That was not the question you expected him to ask. She shake your head, “How did you even know about that?”

He pointed a finger towards the entry way to your apartment. “The framed photos. You’re with a guy in all of them.”

Your gaze dropped from him to the counter. Shit, you didn’t even think to take them down. Your life had been for too chaotic ever since you broke up with your ex to worry about decorations.

You stirred your straw in your drink, listening to the ice clink in the glass. “Well I’ve got questions for you too. Don’t think you’re getting off the hook about Shinichiro.”

Wakasa faltered and you could tell you hit a weak spot. Rubbing his hand over his face, he gave in, “Okay, fine. You answer my questions and I’ll answer yours.”

Reluctantly, you nodded. “Me and my ex broke up just a few weeks ago, actually.”

Wakasa nodded. “Real nice guy, breaking up with you right before the holidays.”

You snorted, “Yeah, right, he didn’t even know my favorite movie, probably, much less care about my feelings.”

“Notting Hill.”

You furrowed your eyebrows at such a random comment. “What?”

Wakasa shrugged. “Your favorite movie. It’s Notting Hill.”

You smiled a little. “You really remember that?” you ask.

He smiled back, “Of course, I remember watching it with you in 10th grade and you balling your eyes out.”

You rolled your eyes playfully. “Okay, okay.”

“Now it’s your turn to ask a question.”

If you were honest with yourself, you’d admit you didn’t want to ruin the moment that you were in right now. It felt really good to get to talk to your old best friend again, and you felt happier now than you had in a long time.

You shuffled your feet. “Okay. Why didn’t you come to Shinichiro’s funeral?”

Wakasa nods his head; he had been expecting the conversation to come back to this.

He shifted backwards in his chair. “My parents were really shitty at that time, and I was still living in their house . . . and you and Shin, you were all that I had. So to lose him, it was like losing a brother, and I couldn’t bear to—“ he pauses, considering his words. “I wasn’t brave enough to accept that he was gone.”

A pause. “I regret it every day, you know,” he begins. “I regret not saying a final goodbye to him, and I regret not being there for you. There was nothing I wanted more than to hold you in my arms . . . but I couldn’t— I wasn’t there for you.”

You’re stunned that he decided to share so much with you, but you were grateful nonetheless.

“Wakasa, you know I’ll always be there for you, right?” you said as you reached across the table to grasp his hand. It was warm, and you tried in that moment to memorize the way his hand felt in yours, just in case you never felt it again.

You feel him lean in, warmth radiating off his body. You could smell the deep wooden smell of his cologne and the light, delicate scent of his shampoo. Suddenly, his lips were on yours, warm and soft. You tensed up a little in surprise before keaning into the kiss, pushing and pulling in tandem with him. His free hand made his way into your hair, tugging lightly out of need. His other hand still held yours across the counter.

Eventually, you broke away from the kiss. Your head was racing with thoughts. What are we? How did this even happen?

You opened your eyes, looking up to meet Wakasa’s violet ones.

He went to lean in for another kiss, but you stopped him with a hand against his chest. You felt him pull away slightly. “Wakasa . . . I can’t— we can’t let this go on if you don’t tell me what this is, what we are. I want . . . I just can’t let this happen if I know you’re gonna run away again. I don’t think I can take that.” You see him falter, thinking over his words. “I want to be with you, Y/n, but I just . . . I don’t want to let myself go there and then end up hurting you. That’s the reason I’ve stayed away all these years. Between the gang and Shinichiro’s passing, i worried I was too volatile to be around you. It was too much of a risk to have me in your life, I mean, being with me might cost you your career and your fancy college degree . . . “

He watched a single tear roll down your cheek. He worried that his wods hurt you, which was the last thing he wanted to do.

“Waka’, I know you’d never hurt me—“

“I love you, Y/n. I always have— and it’s my job to protect you. So if you’re absolutely sure this is what you want, that you want to put up with me for a while . . . I’d love that more than anything.”

You decided to answer with a kiss, pulling him to you by the sleeve of his shirt. You allowed him to slot his tongue between your lips, tasting his lips as if they were the sweetest delicacy.

You pulled away to speak, nodding while you gazed into his eyes with tears in yours. “Yes, yes, I want to be with you. I never wanted you to leave in the first place.”

It was his turn to pull you in, slotting his lips against yours in a passionate display. His hands grabbed either side of your face, ever so gentle as his thumbs stoked your cheek.

Suddenly, he pulled away from the kiss. You worried there was somethign wrong. Opening his eyes, you met his as he began to speak. “Is this just like in your movies?”

You leaned over, belly laughing. It reminded you of the old days when there weren’t real world problems to deal with and all you had to worry about was your weekend plans with your two best friends. “Yeah, actually. It really is.”

And for the first time in a very long time, you felt a light, buzzing feeling in your chest that told you that this was right. This was where you wree meant to be.

[demialwrites]

Do you have a blind spot when it comes to people flirting with you? Do you want an office affair with Tseng? Look no further

It's 7:36pm. No offense to Reno but to Tseng, you're a better sight than he is. Tseng is obsessively drawing the lines of his letters darker into the blanks on his paperwork. His pencil is etching a letter T deeply into the paper when you come into the office.

"Hey, Reno. Chief." You place a short stack of paper on Tseng's desk. "All done, Sir." You give him a smile. He tries to remember if he's seen you give that exact smile to anyone else. Then the corners of your eyes crease in concern. "Maybe you need a day off, Chief."

"Yeah, right," says Reno.

Tseng ignores your suggestion. "I'll check over your work. Please have a seat."

"Boss, it's been months," says Reno. "Lay off the newbie."

You smile, fidgeting. "It's fiiiine."

Not that invested in the matter, Reno lets it drop. It's been two long, boring days since he's been in the field so he gives you a nudge. You respond by scrutinizing him closely, asking him silently if he really wants to start. He smirks.

"Okay, but I won last time," you say confidently.

The slick, black sofa is soft enough to cushion elbows and knees as you begin trying to pin each other to the genuine leather. Tseng stares hard in front of him at the words you've written, trying to ignore the stupid laughter coming from your direction. He goes over each paper three times.

"Reno," you suddenly yell. "No teeth. I told you."

The pencil lead snaps.

You look up at the sound. Reno tries to take advantage of your distraction to dislodge himself from under you but you're well-practiced by now. You compensate by shifting your weight.

"Reno, go home," Tseng orders.

You get up, grinning because you won this time, too. Reno pushes past you grumpily, making you laugh.

"See you guys tomorrow," Reno calls behind him, his voice lacking any trace of anger.

You watch Reno leave with a flat expression. After waiting five seconds, you hop onto the corner of Tseng's desk. "He's gone."

"Lock the door."

You're off and back in a flash. You're back on the desk, pulling him strongly by the suit jacket. It's a hungry kiss, like neither of you have eaten all day. Your hand drops his jacket and hovers near his hair, like you long to run your fingers through it. But he told you once that fixing clothes out-of-place is easier than hair. He smiles into the kiss. You've tried to listen and do as he's asked. Always. You stopped needing your work checked two months ago. Neither of you needed to stay this late. This song and dance is just waiting until everyone is gone. Then off come the clothes and you test if a random piece of furniture can bear the weight of two full-grown adults.

You're patting his cheek gently. "Hey, should I get the towel?"

You never miss a detail. Tseng gazes up at you. You're too good for him, he considers.

You frown. "What's wrong?"

Before he can stop himself, he shoots a frown at the now-empty sofa. You catch this and follow his gaze.

"Oh, that? Good warm-up, huh?" You wave your hands in front of you. "Nothing's going on."

Tseng is still frowning but doesn't meet your eyes. "It doesn't matter. I don't like it."

"It's just some fun! I have to stay sharp. You know that."

"It's not just fun for him."

"What? But...oh. I see."

Watching you go from confused to realization to looking apologetic makes Tseng feel guilty. It seems like you genuinely didn't know Reno was flirting. Wrestling others into submission seemed to be one of your favourite forms of exercise. You're both lucky none of the furniture broke during a particularly passionate night.

"Tseng." Hearing his name jolts him out of his thoughts. You continue, "Am I supposed to stop with Elena and Rude, too?"

"No, I," He stops, pressing his lips together. The mention of others makes him question why he cares in the first place. This was supposed to be just sex, which is why the affair was being kept secret in the first place. Just sex meant a lesser chance of interference in the duties of both of you.

"Well, you seem to be having an off day. Maybe tomorrow?" You kiss his forehead.

"Ah...yes." He doesn't actually agree and he wants to stop you from leaving. He also hopes you didn't see his ears heat up and how stiff he's trying not to be. But he wants to have his thoughts together first. He refuses to face such a conversation without preparation.

You exchange good night's and his gaze follows you out the office door.

"Damn," he says quietly.

[impyssadobsessions]

Harry takes in stray kids

I've been on a harry potter kick... as y'all may have seen >>' HPMA has lit that fire again.. plus stress of work making writing hard so I've felt guilty looking at dpxdc content right now. ANYWHOO I has a funny idea. It is drarry. Harry and Draco have an established relationship already. (Non epilogue compliant.) Draco at home enjoying his book, already upset as time has come for Harry to disappear for months on in as he is now the DADA professor. Its still summer but Harry is doing some work before school to give muggleborn kids their letters and explain the magical world. So imagine Draco's utter shock when Harry comes home with a kid. "First day on the job and you kidnapped a child?!" "I did not kidnap a child." two more pop out from behind the oldest one. "Three of them?! THREE OF THEM? POTTER!" (Harry becomes potter whenever Draco stressing out/mad)

So Harry ended up walking in on an abusive household and may have let his temper flare. Inflated the parent and took the kids with him. To protect them... only to realize immediately how much he fucked up. Draco stressing out because of what could happen. Harry lost what to do but doesn't want to let the kids go back to that kind of home. Draco ends up shoving Harry into the fireplace and forcing him to floo over to Hermione to hurry up and fix this with the ministry before it spreads into a bigger problem. Then Draco takes himself and the children to Molly to help keep the authorities away until Harry can get things settled, and to help learn how to take care of three children.. Stressing out because he never had to care for someone other then himself and lately harry. Imagine one is a toddler, the middle child is a girl who thinks all these witches and wizards are going to save them. (Which they are trying but its a lot harder then waving a wand) And then the eldest who has serious trust issues and trying to get their siblings and leave before they're forced into worse situation. The oldest claiming constantly that they can take care of his siblings. They don't need adult help, which Draco makes perfect come backs for. Anyway I think it'd be a cute and kind of funny situation though stressful. Because I imagine Draco is worried. If they were all magical then there wouldn't be a problem. But they only know one is. And so muggle authorities have to be involved too. Draco also doesn't want to get attach to the kids despite already carrying the toddler on his hip and baking biscuits with the girl before he even known them for 24 hrs. He knows that only Harry has a chance to gain custody. (and is 100% certain that is his goal, damn his savior complex) He's not even sure he would be allowed to be near them again after all said in done, just because of the stupid mark on his arm. Oh he prays Potter hurry up and mirror him. He hates not knowing. And the kids desperately needed some light in their life. Thank goodness for the Molly or Draco feels like he be drowning. Also imagine Draco hitting Harry with a wash cloth repeatedly, when he talking about the absurd situation Harry got them in. (like just a funny gag.. using it to shoo him into action)

[birdship]

This project is unfinished and will remain that way. There are bugs. Not all endings are implemented. The ending tracker doesn't work. Images are broken. Nothing will be fixed. There's still quite a bit of content, though, so I am releasing what's here as is.

Tilted Sands is a project I started back when AI Dungeon first came out--the very early version you had to run in a Google colabs notebook. Sometime in late 2018, I think? I was a contributor at Botnik Studios at the time and I was delighted by AI Dungeon, but I knew it would never be a truly satisfying choose your own adventure generator on its own. I would argue that the modern AI Dungeon 2 and NovelAI don't fully function as such even now. That's not how AI works. It has to be guided heavily, the product has to be sculpted by human hands.

Anyway, it inspired me to use Transformer--a GPT2 predictive text writing tool--to craft a more coherent and polished but still silly and definitely AI-flavored CYOA experience. It was an ambitious project, but I was experienced with writing what I like to call "cyborg" pieces--meaning the finished product is, in a way, made by both an AI/algorithm/other bot AND a human writer. Something strange and wonderful that could not have been made by the bot alone, nor by the human writer alone. Algorithms can surprise us and trigger our creative human minds to move in directions we never would've thought to go in otherwise. To me, that's what actual AI art is: a human engaging in a creative activity like writing in a way that also includes utilizing an algorithm of some sort. The results are always fascinating, strangely insightful, and sometimes beautiful.

I worked on Tilted Sands off-and-on for a couple years, and then the entire AI landscape changed practically overnight with DALL-E and ChatGPT. And I soon realized that I cannot continue working on this project. Mainstream, corporate AI is disgustingly unethical and I don't want the predictive text writing I used to enjoy so much to be associated with "AI art". It's not. Before DALL-E and ChatGPT, there were artists and writers who made art by utilizing algorithms, neural networks, etc. Some things were perhaps in an ethical or legal grey area, but people actually did care about that. I remember discussing "would it be ethical to scrape [x]?" with other writers, and sharing databases of things like commercial advertising scripts and public domain content. I liked using mismatched databases to write things, like a corpus of tech product reviews that I used to write a song. The line between transformative art and fair use vs theft was constantly on all of our minds, because we were artists ourselves.

All of the artists and writers I knew in those days who made "cyborg art" have stopped by now. Including me.

But I poured a lot of love and thought and energy into this silly little project, and the thought of leaving it to rot on my hard drive hurt too much. It's not done, but there's a lot there--over 14,000 words, multiple endings and game over scenarios. I had so much fun with it and I wanted to complete it, but I can't. I don't want it to be associated in any way with the current "AI art" scene. It's not.

Please consider this my love letter to what technology-augmented art used to be, and what AI art could have been.

I know I'm not the only one mourning this brief but intense period from about 2014-2019 in which human creativity and developing AI technology combined organically to create an array of beautiful, stupid, silly, terrible, wonderful works of art. If you're also feeling sad and nostalgic about it, I hope you find this silly game enjoyable even in its unfinished state.

In conclusion:

Fuck capitalism, fuck what is currently called AI art, fuck ChatGPT, fuck every company taking advantage of artists and writers and other creative types by using AI.

[sidekick-hero]

20 questions for writers

I was tagged by some amazing fellow writers, thank you so so much @puppy-steve, @corrodedbisexual, @steviewashere and @just-my-latest-hyperfixation 💜💜💜 (once again late to this because I'm still sick and feeling crummy)

1. How many works do you have on AO3?

Currently 167, 83 of these in the Stranger Things Fandom (my current one).

2. What's your total AO3 word count?

593,064 (holy shit)

3. What fandoms do you write for?

currently exclusively Stranger Things, the brainrot is still going strong.

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

Emotional Motion Sickness

You know I'm a show off (I would let you get some)

Louder

we tangle endlessly like lovers entwined

I’m tired of asking to settle the debt

5. Do you respond to comments?

I really, really try! I want to answer to all of them because every single comment means so much to me. But I'm also at around 500 unanswered notifs on AO3 (not all are comments, some are replies on my comments) and it may take a while to catch up 🫣

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

Ufff, pretty sure that's we pass the ghosts that haunt us later. The ending is ambiguous, but was angsty enough that @legitcookie demanded it to be fixed...

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

... which led to us co-writing the next part I wore his jacket for the longest time with a happy ending that to me at least feels like the most satisfying happy endings of all of my fics.

8. Do you get hate on fics?

So far I haven't, my experience with fandom has been entirely positive and wonderful 💜

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

Juuuuup. Love it. I think most of my fics are rated explicit. I had a phase in which I mostly wrote pwps, trying my hand on more comedy and romance but I feel like writing smut might be my calling 😂

10. Do you write crossovers?

I wrote one, a crossover between Stranger Things and Fargo S5. It's a metaldeputy fic (Gator Tillman and Eddie Munson) called caught in the careless arms of lust again

11. Have you ever had a fic stolen?

Not that I know of at least.

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Yes, two have been translated to Russian.

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

Yes! With @legitcookie and with @yournowheregirl, and it's amazing. I loved it and would definitely do it again.

14. What's your all-time favorite ship?

I think steddie, it just really scratches an itch I didn't even know I had.

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

Uffff, good question. I would never say never tbh. And I don't have many WIPs. Maybe the Time Travel threesome fic (Eddie/Eddie/Steve) I started with Jen. Still loving the idea but not sure when I'll be able to get back to that.

16. What are your writing strengths?

Smut, I think? And a few people told me I'm good at vivid descriptions.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

Long sentences. Dialogue. As stupid as it sounds, plot? Like, world building and coming up with a complex plot.

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

So fucking hard.

19. First fandom you wrote for?

Queer as Folk, wayyyy back in the day.

20. Favorite fic you've written?

Oh man, that's a hard one, I love all of my fics. I think from my multi-chapter fics I have to say I wore his jacket for the longest time, especially because of how much I loved writing it but also because I love me a good character growth and second chances fic. And of my one-shots I have a soft spot for to the rhythm of eternity (my love letter to my favorite city) and Take your time (I wanna cross some lines) (a pwp I spend AGES on writing).

I have no idea who has been tagged already so if you've been tagged please forgive me and link me to your answers 💜

@runninriot, @hbyrde36, @acasualcrossfade, @judasofsuburbia, @pearynice,

@shares-a-vest

[nomoreusername]

Not So Invisible (Highschool AU)

Pairing:Aris x female reader

Summary:After thinking his constant hate for Valentine's Day would never show up you do one small thing that changes his entire perspective.

Candy hearts, love letters, red flowers, Valentine's Day, I hate it. Honestly, I can't stand it. If I could get rid of any day I would pick that one. Unfortunately, I can't. So I just get to sit back and pretend to be absolutely shocked when there's nothing in my box that I stopped decorating years ago. I’ll draw some lousy red hearts on it for a grade and call it a day.

Well there is one thing I like about it. During homeroom, while everyone is passing stuff out I can put my head down, turn my own music up, and sleep.

Like right now. I pretended to care about the teacher's five minute speech. The second her mouth stopped moving though, I slipped my earbuds on. Shuffling through my Spotify, I found one with not a single lyric about love (which definitely wasn't made specifically for this day) and put my hood up. In the very back corner of the class, I placed my head on the desk and closed my eyes so that this could pass by as quickly as possible.

♡ - - - ♡

I cannot even begin to describe how hard I tried to sleep this period away. Unfortunately, while the back corner allows me to just remain invisible-by my own free will for once-it came with the glorious sunlight shining right in my face. It also happened to be what most would consider a wonderful day. Bright blue skies and warm weather.

I hate that weather too. I love the rain though. After all, I don't just hate everything, though I can give you a list.

Group projects, bus rides, people with no sense of personal space, the label of “quiet kid”, ads between songs, headphones randomly screwing up, those popular kids that act like the best friend of people who are just minding their own business to entertain their friends, random words that came out of nowhere like rizz, people that text without even attempting to use grammar or proper spelling, sleeping in unfamiliar places, the times I get sent to the school counselor because they think that something’s wrong with me, that therapist I wouldn't speak to who thought she could “fix me”, those stupid parent teacher conferences where they act like I’m not there by giving one glance at my grades then go after their list of concerns for my social life, and so on.

I don't just hate things though.

I love Sonya, Rachel, Harriet, some of my family, the smell of new books and feeling of old ones, hoodies that I know like the back of my hand, the occasional time my cats will cuddle with me, stormy weather with lightning and heavy rain, mist and fog, the nighttime when everyone is asleep and I get to be in total silence, driving when the roads are almost empty, doodling on pieces of paper, the sound pencils make when they scratch journals, the teachers who don't force me to speak, bittersweet music that with soft melodies that you don't know whether to cry or smile at, and the way fire cackles and dances in the dark.

The sunlight was not in the list of things to enjoy, because it stopped me from doing one of the other things I love. Sleeping. So I reluctantly pulled The Dead Poets Society out and got back to reading.

Because life hates me back though, the second I opened it someone walked up. Giving them a glance, I was expecting it to be someone just trying to mess with me.

I definitely wasn't expecting her. Not Y/N in her everyday clothes with a small smile and her own earbuds in.

Without a word she dropped a small white envelope in my box before hurrying back to her seat near the wall. This interaction, if you could call it that, was extra odd since she was notorious for not handing stuff out no matter how many she got. In fact, she had been at her spot the entire time and didn't seem like she was getting back up any time soon.

Staring at her, I waited for her to meet my gaze or explain. Instead, she was reading something of her own like she hadn't just done that.

Still heavy with skepticism, I turned it over in my hands to see my name in blue ink. It was held shut by a small star sticker. I love those too. The stars.

Being careful not to rip it, I opened it and saw a piece of paper and red gumdrop. Setting it down, I unfolded it and started reading.

Dear Aris,

I’m not good with words, or people, but I still wanted to at least try. Even if it's not that good. You probably don't remember, but we used to sit next to each other a few classes ago. I really wanted to say something, but I didn't know what. Still, it's Valentine's Day so I may as well try today, right?

I think that you're really cool. You're really kind and genuine. You do things because you want to and not to get something back. That's probably why you helped me with a lot of the world three years ago in science class, though I don't think you remember that either.

Because it probably didn't mean much to you, though it meant the world to me. That someone would actually help out the new girl. You were the first person to do that and actually talk to me. I would have told you a lot earlier if I knew how, but now that we have this class I’ll do what I said I would years ago.

So if you're not doing anything later would you like to hangout? Just you and I?

Love From,

Y/N

Taking another read through the letter, I evaluated each word. Each space between them and the way the slight curves and dots in the i’s. Just to be sure there wasn't something that I was missing.

There wasn't.

She noticed me. Y/N actually notices me.

Glancing at her again, I saw that she was just turning the page, seeming content in her world. Then, she slightly turned and looked back. I gave her a small smile, and just as she returned it I heard the rain start outside. She just slightly waved to me before turning back around.

So while everyone was complaining about the water falling on the windows I felt my smile grow as I buried my head in my hoodie so nobody would see.

Because even if nobody else was looking, she was, and I was actually okay with that.

I think I was okay with not being invisible around her.