#but i'll be able to adjust accordingly

[hallowmoon-art]

I was thinking about how Vere would react to an MC who would randomly pet his tail, and it went from there. So I guess these are kinda like HCs for an MC who has physical touch as a love language?

I'm someone who likes to touch their partner often. Like just rubbing their back/arms while laying in bed. When holding hands, I'll just graze my thumb over the top of their hand sometimes. I'll bury my face in their shoulder/arm or play with their hair or jewelry while watching TV. If it won't interrupt what they're doing, I'll walk up behind them and just rest my chin on their head/shoulder for a moment. etc.

How would the LIs react to an MC would did all that. Saying MC figures out they are able to touch them without the curse taking affect for whatever reason.

Kuras:

He would eat it up I think. If anything, he'd encourage it and possibly mimic the more subtle gestures once in a while. He just finds it endearing. He's had a lot of partners so he's probably had a lover in the past that did something similar as well so this isn't 100% new.

Mhin:

I could see Mhin getting over simulated by it. Especially if MC just starts doing it subconsciously without saying anything. They'd pull back and flat out reject it at first. There would have to be a talk/compromise. Mhin would overall accept it and recognize it as a loving gesture after a while and would allow it sometimes. Though when Mhin says stop, MC stops (whether it takes effort or not).

Vere:

I think he'd flip out at first bc he compares it to MC petting him like a pet. But when MC explains it, he just teases MC to hell and back the first time or two afterwards, but the teasing doesn't stop MC. Then he realizes he likes it (but he ain't gonna admit/show it) so he also finds normal reasons for MC to touch him. Like, "Rub my back, MC. It's stiff after a long day of killing things." or "Brush my hair/tail. I'm too tired." I can also see Vere having days where he's just like no and just grabs MC's wrist to stop them so MC just has to back off until Vere gives the go ahead with one of his requests or another cue.

Ais and Leander:

Putting these two together bc I think they'd react about the same way overall. Ais would just include a little teasing. They're gonna enjoy it and ask no questions, but I can see these two mistaking some of the gestures as an ask for sex. Then MC has to explain that's not the intention; there are more ways to be close/loving that isn't sex. Their minds are blown, but they adjust accordingly. I think Ais would also pick up the habit of mimicking some of the gestures as well.

[sunnebeam]

"i was hoping i wouldn't have to resort to this."

A 'PERKS OF BEING A HOUSEHUSBAND' DRABBLE.

pairing: min yoongi x reader

plot: the (mis)adventures of retired gangster min yoongi as he leaves behind the life of the mafia and navigates the way of the househusband.

warnings: the way of the househusband au, marriage au, crack, domesticity, yoongi unintentionally scares people

masterlist + disclaimers.

note: go on tell me d-day!yoongi isn't tatsu I DARE YOU 😤 btw u don't need to watch the way of the househusband before reading this, but i swear u won't regret it if u do lol it's so funny (and it gives great visuals for this fic!). anyways, enjoy!! i'd love to hear ur thoughts so drop by my askbox and let's chat :)

Water drips down his neck as he washes his face. Droplets fall down his tattooed back, tracing the meticulous lines and bold colors that contrast his pale skin.

After rinsing and drying off, he dons on his outfit for the day – a fitted, white, short-sleeved shirt that shows off the intricate tattoos on both his arms and some black sweatpants – and puts on his signature apron – a beige, cotton apron with a drawing of his brown poodle on the front. Said poodle is staring at him from the bathroom door as he takes one last look at the mirror.

An old, bumpy scar runs down his right eye.

"Perfect," he says to himself before heading to the kitchen with his dog following right behind.

Min Yoongi never used to wake up this early. But these days, he wakes up bright and early at six o'clock because he has an important assignment.

"What do you think, Holly? Too big?"

The poodle barks in response, and taking its opinion into consideration, Yoongi adjusts his gimbap slices accordingly, making them a tad bit smaller and just the perfect size for your lunchbox.

"Shit!"

The door to your shared bedroom opens and you run out, already dressed in your corporate attire. You run to the kitchen where your husband is and get a huge glass of water.

"I'm late!" you screech, all while gulping down the whole glass.

"But you still have a few hours," he points out in confusion.

"I forgot I have an early meeting!" you explain in a hurry, putting on your heels before giving your husband a big smooch on the lips and blowing Holly a kiss. "Sorry, Yoonie! I'll see you later!"

And you're out the door.

Yoongi blinks for a few moments before shaking his head. He's chuckling in amusement at your mishap, but if any outsider hears his laughter, it just sounds a bit manic.

"Well, looks like it's just you and me, Holly."

Holly barks.

"Huh? What was that?"

Holly barks.

Yoongi stares at the poodle, then at your Hello Kitty lunchbox he meticulously prepared, then back at the poodle.

"She forgot her lunchbox?"

Holly barks.

"Fuck."

Yoongi snaps into action, securing the lunchbox and putting it inside a Hello Kitty cloth bag before running out the door with his cute apron still on. He mounts his bicycle and speeds towards your office – which, if he was driving a car, would have broken numerous traffic regulations but luckily he isn't a stranger to breaking a law or two.

He's almost to your office. He's halfway there.

But unfortunately, there's a bit of a situation.

"What's your occupation, sir?"

The two police officers stare at him hesitantly after flagging him down for pedalling too fast with his bicycle. They're debating on giving him a ticket but then Yoongi answers.

"Househusband."

They stare at him.

"What?"

Yoongi sighs. At this rate, he won't be able to catch you before you clock in.

"Wait a second," one of the officers says, eyeing the tattoos peeking out from Yoongi's shirt and the big scar on his eye. "Are you..."

They stare at the name on the ticket. Min Yoongi.

"...Agust D?"

No way, the other officer thinks. There's a rumor about an infamous gangster called Agust D who used to slaughter his enemies with his own two hands. This guy can't be him. Right? Right?!

They hold a breath when Yoongi reaches into his pocket.

"I was hoping I wouldn't have to resort to this," he murmurs.

"Wait, sir. There's no need for violence—"

"Here," Yoongi shuts them up by thrusting one of his most precious possessions.

A gift card for discounts at the local grocery store.

The police officers stare at the gift card, bewildered.

"As much as it pains me to let go of this," Yoongi continues, "take it. Now, I have to go."

And he pedals away, leaving behind one gift card and two very confused cops.

COPYRIGHT 2023. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

[scribbledghost]

hi!! i adore your polyvessels and their headcanons so much!!

about the polyvessels headcanons you just posted, what would the reader (whos the center of attention during sex) tapping out because of being suddenly super overwhelmed look like? like im talking crying, shaking, no touching, the works. how would the situation change and what would happen?

Hi! I'm so glad you enjoy the PolyVessels, i love writing for them!

As for you tapping out due to feeling overwhelmed, I think it's a very very rare situation; a one-off, really. Normally, they can all sense when everything is starting to become too much, and they will adjust accordingly. But things happen, and as soon as you say the word or make the gesture, everything stops on a dime. They pull back, hands and bodies stopping immediately as II and Vessel softly reassure you that you're alright, that the encounter is over. But when you don't respond, they begin to become more concerned.

You could almost hear a pin drop, if you weren't so preoccupied with the sound of your own heartbeat in your ears. It's as if the manor itself holds its breath, waiting for you to explain what you need. When the tears and shaking starts, four pairs of hands instinctively reach for you. In a panic, you tell all of them to stay back and not touch you.

I'll be honest, they all understand, but not being able to touch you as a means of comfort is rough, especially for Vessel. Of course, they'll all respect your wishes and back off immediately, but they're at a bit of a loss for what to do.

II will bring you something light to eat and some water, sitting it down on the bedside table. He'll tell you it's there, though he's not 100% sure you hear him. IV will just... sit close by. Not really moving, but keeping a close eye on you regardless.

I think III gets... unnervingly quiet and still. Like he's afraid to move. He knows he can be a lot sometimes, even during completely innocuous moments, so I think here he'd be hyperfocused on not overwhelming you more than you clearly already are.

Vessel... paces. Perhaps in the room, perhaps out in the hall, but he simply can't sit still. He wants to touch you, wants to hold you and apologize for not realizing sooner that you were beginning to feel on edge. He tries to gently poke into your mind and take on some of your pain, but you firmly block him out and he doesn't try again.

All of them feel guilty. All of them feel like they should have stopped or slowed down way before it got to this point. They'll apologize out loud a fair bit, though again, it's unclear if you hear them. If you want them out of the room, they'll go (and stay just beyond the closed door), but otherwise they'd prefer to at least stay in the same space to keep an eye on you.

Once things settle a bit and you've slowly come back to them, I think they'll be incredibly ginger and gentle with you. Asking before touching is a given, as is trying to make sure you drink more of the water on your bedside table. More apologies are whispered and murmured in the most sincere manner you've ever heard.

After, once you're comfortable being touched again, there's a lot of cuddles. You can still feel the guilt radiating from all of them, but if you try to apologize or anything of the sort, they shut it down quick. If you try to comfort them or reassure them, they shut it down as well - not because they're upset, but because they're far more focused on taking care of you and talking about what happened and how to prevent it going forward.

As for the next time the five of you want to try again, I think things are a lot slower. There's a lot more checking in, a lot more of them poking and prodding into your mind to make sure you're alright. When I said up top that it's really a one-off situation, it's because they become almost militant about not having it happen again.

[project-sekai-facts]

Project SEKAI 4th anniversary: Brand New Your World - recap post

Much like last year, I thought it would be useful to make one long post recapping all of the information about the 4th anniversary updates. Even if there won't be as many major updates and changes as last year, we still will be receiving news about other related projects like the movie during the anniversary thanksgiving festival, so I'll be recapping that too.

Note that all of this applies to the JP server only.

Official site link

Before we start, the next Broadcast Station episode will be held on the 27th, featuring Isobe-san, Jiena, Imai-san, and Daichan. It will be broadcast live from the Thanksgiving Festival. Related event speculation will be done in a separate post, and the stream itself can be found here.

Section 1 - Game Updates

Most game updates will be announced during the aforementioned Broadcast Station stream, but some things have already been announced, such as:

Virtual lives (after lives/holiday lives) will now be held every hour, cutting the long wait times between some showings.

You will now be able to collect character rank XP for an entire unit in one go, rather than going to each member's page individually.

Calendars for songs and events will be released in advance, so we finally will actually know in advance what days songs are being added and what days events will run (though by the sounds of things, event lineups will be kept a secret outside of the unit).

Broadcast Station News

A new game mode has been added, called MYSEKAI. It's an Animal Crossing-esque side game that will be available through the main app. More details on this will be in section 6.

A story completion progress tracker will be added. You can earn crystals and gacha tickets based on your progress

You can now earn gacha tickets through Clearing and Full Comboing songs on different difficulty levels. These can only be claimed on the first time you clear/FC a song of each difficulty from 15 to 37. Autoplay doesn't count and you can earn up to 140 tickets.

All Kizuna ranks will be added! All of them! However, the new ones will not have specific titles or unlockables for levelling up the rank. Instead you will be given a title that says "X & Y Fan". The unlockables will be implemented when relevant.

You can now autoplay during Challenge Show. You will also be able to get CH show rewards up to a score of 2.5 million, as well as increase CH rank up to level 150

Project SEKAI is opening a store on their official website. You will be able to buy gems and get some freebies by using it. You will have to use your apple/google account to sign in. By the sounds of things this will replace the in-game crystal shop

Max character rank has been increased to 160, and as always new titles for max player rank and daily login will be added

As per the norm, character rank missions will be increased

Live bonus has been reworked. You will now be able to recover up to 15 bonus energy naturally (the limit is currently 10), and you will be able to overfill the meter to 999 instead of 99. Bonus energy's effect on event pts will also be reworked, refer to the chart below for the new bonuses

It will now be easier to obtain another vocal tickets. Their cost has been reduced in the event exchange and wish piece exchange, and two tickets will be given out from character rank and birthday lives. However, to balance this, the cost of a solo alt vocal has been changed to two tickets. The amount of another vocal tickets you own will be adjusted accordingly in the update.

Fes cards will now count as event bonus towards the event they were released alongside. E.g, the Rui and Rin Bloom Fes cards will count as event bonus for the upcoming Nene event.

The rewards earned from completing the tutorial will be increased. Existing users will be compensated accordingly.

You will now be able to exchange limited gacha tickets for wish pieces

All stories will now be fully voiced, even for faceless NPCs. Currently unconfirmed if this will apply retroactively

Starting from October, the number of random rerun limited gachas will decrease to one. This is because they ran out of gachas to rerun.

Birthday gacha reruns have been reworked. Rather than rerunning all past birthday cards separately, they will now be lumped into one gacha.

Kizuna rank for Honami/Mafuyu, Saki/Mizuki, and Haruka/Len implemented

Section 2 - Campaigns

Here's a list of all the campaigns and gachas that will be running over the next few weeks.

Fortune Flower Parade

This campaign will be held from September 30th for one month

You will be able to collect Fortune Flowers and Petals from event exchange, live missions, and stamp missions.

You will be able to exchange those items for some other special items, such as costumes, skill up scores that will instantly max out your skill, Character Rank XP vials, and some special wish jewels (i'm not exactly sure of their purpose but they have a unique design)

There are six different colours of petals and each can be obtained through different methods and be exchanged for different items. Refer to the chart below

Present 4 You

To celebrate the fourth anniversary, four presents will be given out to players

Present 1: Five 4* guaranteed gacha tickets will be given out to all players. These will also replace the 3* tickets for any new players.

Present 2: All another vocals will be released on youtube for two weeks. You will also receive two another vocal tickets for every character.

Present 3: There will be an in-game survey asking players to pick their three most wanted prizes from a list for the next couple days. The three most picked prizes will be awarded at a later date.

Present 4: There will be a prize giveaway on twitter. For following their twitter and retweeting the campaign post, there's a chance to win some prizes (they're really random like a gopro and a coffee machine lol).

Other campaigns and gachas

Login campaign: Earn up to 5000 gems and 7 10-pull tickets from logging in for a week after the anniversary.

Operation Welcome to SEKAI will run again

Special Prize gacha: a gacha where you can earn prizes the more you pull in it. This will run between the 28th and 30th of September. It will also have doubled 4* rates.

Stamp missions and paid costume gachas as per the usual

Happiness Package gacha

Limited edition select list and memorial select list (same as last year)

Section 3 - Songs

Anniversary Song

The fourth anniversary song has been announced! The title is Neppu and it was produced by kemu! Below is kemu’s comment on the song (via @/pjsekai_eng on Twitter).

Song Campaign

The song campaign hint sheet has been revealed, and actually has hints again for the first time in a while. The answers will be revealed during broadcast station on the 27th.

Note: blank tiles include special characters

Answers

Mozaik Role -Reloaded- by DECO*27 (L/n cover + 3DMV)

Mesmerizer by 32ki

Kisaragi Attention by JIN (MMJ cover)

Main Character by *Luna

Call Boy by syudou (BAD DOGS cover)

Kimi to Boku no Resonance by nanameueP

Tensei Ringo by PinocchioP (WxS cover)

Blackjack by YuchaP

Shadow Shadow by Azari (N25 cover + 3DMV)

Outside of the campaign, we also have Cat Food by doriko covered by MMJ + Miku.

This year's high-difficulty commission has also been announced. The song is called Seimeisei Syndrome and was produced by Camellia. It will have a master difficulty of 33 and an append difficulty of 36. A preview can be viewed in the livestream archive (for some reason it was not uploaded to Twitter).

Section 3 - Lives

4th live

Project SEKAI's 4th live was announced last month, titled Unison!! The live will be held in two locations: Osaka on December 13th-15th, and Tokyo on January 24th-26th!

A PV can be found here!

The official account for all information about the live is, as always, @/pjsekai_live on Twitter.

Here are some close-ups of the group artwork above, as well as some chibi artworks. The costumes used as the ones that will be available from the Fortune Flower exchange.

A video teaching player the glowstick movements and chants for I'm Mine has also been posted to Youtube!

Connect live

A connect live to celebrate the fourth anniversary has been announced. It is titled Brilliant Stage and will be held on the 6th of October! There will also be a "meet and greet" session after the two performances of the live, similar to Resonance Beats. A short login story to commemorate the live will be available on October 5th & 6th.

A medley of previously unperformed songs will be performed during this connect live. The songs were given as Aioi, Hug, Hitsuji ga Ippiki, CYBERPUNK DEAD BOY, and I nandesu.

Section 4 - Event and gacha

The next event will be Carry These Feelings! Dream Stage, a Nene-focused event. Shiho, Airi, and Toya will be the other rateups! The 3* is Ena based on the event logo. Rui and Rin will be featured as the Bloom Fes cards.

The bfes gacha will be Dream Pick, utilising the same system as last year (you get two extra slots to fill). You will also be able to get Fortune Flowers as a reward for pulling on this gacha.

As mentioned earlier, there will also be paid costume gachas. You will be able to earn Fortune Flowers from pulling in these gachas. Here's a preview of the costumes.

Section 5 - Project SEKAI: The Movie

A Project SEKAI movie animated by P.A.WORKS was announced back in July. More information on that can be found here. A new trailer was shown during Broadcast Station, which can be found linked above. Some new character visuals will be posted below, but aside from that, please refer to the linked post which will go into the new information in further detail.

Section 6 - MY SEKAI

MY SEKAI is a new gameplay feature that will be added during the 4th anniversary. It's an Animal Crossing-esque farming/life sim game that you can play using your Virtual Live avatar. You can build you own SEKAI and house and decorate it however you like! You will also be able to talk to chibi versions of the main characters and interact with them, as well as visit your friends' SEKAIs!

Your MY SEKAI will also have a new feature called the transformation machine! This is where you can exchange some of your excess resources into things that are more useful to you (that's right they finally made the materials exchange).

I do not know how much storage or power this will take to run. I am very sorry for your devices.

Section 7 - Misc News

A livestream leading up to the 4th anniversary has been scheduled for 29th September at 11:30pm JST (2:30pm UTC). The stream will feature Chiruriin, Honchan, Akina, Daichan, and Ruirui.

A digest video of the previous Colorful Lives will be shown on Youtube on the 5th of October at 6pm JST (9am UTC). This stream will not be archived, so make sure to catch it!

[xivrefsheets]

I am so terribly sorry for the personal post but I'm on the verge of tears and get a bit of reach here.

The short version of the story: My car needs repairs ASAP and based on the suspected issue, this could be thousands of dollars. On top of that, my roommate and I are moving next month and she and I need help with the cost of movers, down payments, and carpet cleaners at our current place.

I'm accepting donations on my ko-fi. You can also go to my ko-fi for a ref sheet comm if you would like to purchase one and help me out (or donate to put a complete sheet in need of updates higher on the priority list).

I also take art commissions.

More info for those who want more context below the cut.

The car has actually been having issues for quite some time. Over a year since the most jarring issue started. It's been steadily getting worse as I keep ending up in Situations where I need to drop a large sum of money and can't save up to get it repaired. As of literally today, the issue has gotten worse to the point where the check engine light is now blinking. A friend of mine who grew up knowing cars believe the catalytic converter is at fault and a quick google search tells me this will be thousands of dollars to fix. Hopefully I'll know more come tomorrow when I can actually have a mechanic look at it and adjust the ko-fi goal accordingly.

As for the move, I've only just moved to my current place a year ago and due to Issues that I won't go into detail in this public space, it is no longer a sustainable place for myself and two roommates to live in so we don't really have any other options. Even so, our landlord had to sell the property to an investor this past month, so staying wouldn't have been a safe long-term option for us regardless.

By mid-February, myself and one of the two roommates need to move out. We just applied for an apartment together, and once her co-signer sends off their application we'll hopefully hear back if we'll be able to get this place or not. It's a lot more affordable, but she and I are in a rough spot and could use help with the cost of movers, getting our security deposit in, and per the contract with our current residence, we have to hire professional carpet cleaners when we leave.

I do have a job outside of commissions, but unfortunately the place doesn't pay me a livable wage and refuses to budge on giving me a raise and only dangles the potential to move up in the store in front of me. I am in the process of looking for a new job now, but thanks to my mental illnesses and deteriorating health, my options are pretty slim so I can't promise anything good immediately.

And on top of ALL this, the new month has started so all of my bills are coming in :)

I'm incredibly stressed and feeling hopeless so any little bit of help really means a lot to me. To anyone who read this far, thank you from the bottom of my heart. If anyone is interested in ref sheets or art commissions, I do apologize that the circumstances will delay completion times, but they will get done.

[zombeebunnie]

Trembling Essence:💙Clean up changes + New CG💙

Helloo guys and welcome new followers, here's how the game development is going so far!

A very big thank you to the recent influx of interest and comments stemming from my last game development post! I will try to get to everything when I can! :]

Important notice towards updates about Trembling Essence:

For a good while I've been able to post updates about the game's progress weekly! Now that it's getting closer to fall and spooky month(Yay! :]) I am going to continue to be busy so I want to let you guys know that future updates will be irregular. Game development posts will be every 1-4 weeks depending on how things go. :[]

I spent the first few days continuing off from the previous development post by going through the last of The Swamplands and patched some things up! Towards the end of that week however, I got very busy and didn't get a chance to get to the cabin section or much else which is why this was delayed by an extra week so I appreciate the patience! :]

New CG:

I drew up a new CG that you can get depending on your choices when talking to Noah. My play tester saw the first version I colored up but unfortunately the perspective was really off and his shoulders were too wide. I was given a couple of tips and pointers so I redid it and here's how it looks for right now. I couldn't do much else after that. :,,,]]]]

Last bit of clean up changes:

Intro:

When it came to the introduction of Noah, the new parallax effect I added created a small glitch where the HP/COLD indicators were still shown behind CG's during a screen transition. There was some minor dialog adjustments, mainly describing certain situations a bit better. The moments where Noah talks to the player(Y/N) have been tweaked, not by too much but just enough to fill out this section of the game a little more. While I was going through the choices, I came across new dialog I added at some point and never came back to so I fixed it up just a little too. :]

Before:

After:

I altered the choice text for this since the previous wording was a little confusing from my play testers perspective. A good portion of the dialog was fixed and there was going to be a timed situation later on but I decided not to add it since this is a fairly straightforward path.

Chasm Ending:

This ending got expanded by a fair amount mainly because the end is awkwardly abrupt and I didn't like that. I corrected it but the CG you see at this part didn't match the text so I went back one last time and a added visual effect. Overall, this part is done! :]

If you like what I create, please consider supporting what I do on kofi! All donations and tips help tremendously while I continue to work on the game. Thank you to those that optionally bought the [Extended Demo] and the March 2023 demo on itch.io. :,]

Q&A / Ask box is open:

To know and understand Noah through Asks and random posts about lore, they'll be under #Get to know: Noah ! :]

**Some asks won't be answered if it contains spoilers but I do appreciate what I receive. :,,]

If you have any questions about Trembling Essence/Noah feel free to ask here or on itch.io please. This makes it easier for me to see and answer accordingly! I enjoy hearing from you guys!

I can't guarantee I'll be able to answer them right now since I practice drawing for responses but do know that I've seen them!

This update is getting fairly long so I'll stop here. Again, thank you to everyone for your continued support and influx of interest! I really wasn't expecting any of it since I got very busy towards the end. While I continue working behind the scenes on the game I'll try and respond to stuff/comments I missed! :,]

[wrestlezon]

you'll NEVER guess who didnt set a calendar event and completely and utterly 100% forgot about the mystery wrestling 8 show until they saw a post about it.

and to think that all the way back in march i never would have imagined that they would give chuck all the birthday gifts in the world* right before announcing he'll never wrestle again due to ankle fragment explosion

*saying shit on tv and a deathmatch with trent to further trent's heel turn. even walter was there. wahhh

I keep missing out on uno's mystery wrestling streams because every time it's running I'm coincidentally doing something else but perhaps I will make "a dedicated effort" for this next one since chuck is gonna be on commentary

[badlydrawngenshincomics]

hi all!!! i realize i've been gone for a while so just an update on the status of this blog...

to be completely honest I haven't played genshin in like. over a year maybe. haven't touched any of that french stuff i dunno what a orafice mechanic danielese cartwheel is none of that

so this blog will be going into a long hiatus like its been in for a while. i dunno when i'll go back to playing genshin, i've had problems with their choices of representation and character design for a while now + intense burnout from gameplay and the recent natlan stuff was the nail in the coffin for me. unless hoyoverse listens to criticism and adjusts the game accordingly i have no interest in playing. not even for capitano. i am honestly expecting that man to unmask and be the most clean shaven baby faced glowing wriothesely neuvillette steven universe fusion that blinds all who look at his pale skin like that bald dude from the spongebob movie (if he turns out to be the complete opposite you may throw tomatos at me)

so enjoy these few last badly drawn comics, thank you all for the extremely nice comments and support you've given this account and i hope i was able to make you laugh maybe once or exhale through your nose perhaps even giggle and shit

maybe i'll be back in the future (?) but until then farewell <3

(if youre interested in following my other accounts my linktree is here )

[quinloki]

Birthday Request Event v2024

"It's my birthday and I'll write what I want to \o/"

Gift Details ♥ Reader Style: cisfem (request was afab, but I don't feel like I really did that vibe justice, so I've adjusted the label accordingly.) Character: Silvers Rayleigh Vibe: NSFW Consensual AU: Canon -- I am so sorry this is NOT canon au, forgive me. Prompt: Only One Bed Gift Giver: @kazieai

Summary: There's only one room, and it's your first time meeting one Silvers Rayleigh.

Content Notes: age gap, accidental edging, fantasizing about an older man, letting him help you orgasm. This would have more but it was already 2k words and I had to STOP.

This birthday party is 18+, consensual unless explicitly stated otherwise, and BYOB

You looked over at the older gentlemen standing by you at the reception desk of the hotel. He was older, easily twice your age, you were sure, but he looked comfortable in the suit. Long silver hair, and a well-trimmed goatee. If you had to guess, you imagined he owned a business or two.

“Does the room have a sofa?” You question, and the desk clerk taps some keys.

“Yes ma’am.” She replies. “A single king and couch. I’m afraid it doesn’t appear to be a pull-out couch.”

“That’s fine.” You assure her, looking back toward the gentlemen. There was an amused look on his face, and you were certain he already knew what you were going to propose. “You seem an honorable sort, and neither of us have any other option anyway. As the shorter of the two, I’ll take the couch, if you’re amenable?”

“When you put it that way, young lady, it would be rude of me to disagree.” He says in an easy voice. “As I am receiving the greatest comfort, I insist on paying for the room.”

Nothing about his demeanor or offer leaves you concerned. If he’s a beast in sheep’s clothing he wears them well enough that there’d be no saving you anyway.

“Very well, but in that case I’d like to treat you to dinner, if you haven’t yet eaten?”

“The restaurant is open until 11,” the desk clerk interjects. “You have plenty of time to leave your things in the room before getting a table.”

“Seems that settles things then.” He takes his card from the clerk and extends a hand to you. “Silvers Rayleigh.”

You take the offered hand and give it a firm shake, giving him your name as well.

After taking your things up to the room, and sure enough the couch wasn’t the pull out style with a spare bed hidden under the cushions, you both head back down to the restaurant. The food was good, and the atmosphere was comfortable. Soft music played in the background and you were able to converse while you ate.

Rayleigh was an excellent conversationalist. You talked about your respective jobs, what brought you to this city at the same time. Two different conventions it seemed, which would explain why the hotels were filled to the brim. You weren’t wrong about him either, while he insisted he was retired, Rayleigh was the owner of several businesses, most of which he had passed down to others.

Mentor and adviser were the only jobs he did anymore, but he did enjoy the conventions to keep an eye on any up and coming talents. The simple pleasures of a simple man, as he said. Though you doubted there was anything simple about him at all.

You’d stayed at the restaurant until it was nearly ready to close, losing track of time in the comfort of conversation. Returning to the room, you traded off rights to the bathroom while getting ready for bed. The front desk had delivered a few spare blankets and pillows, with a small note about their appreciation regarding your kindness during the check-in process.

This meant your rest on the couch was going to be even more comfortable than you had anticipated.

As you were showering, however, the comfort of the couch wasn’t what was on your mind. It was his face you could see, his voice that was worming its way into your brain while you stood naked in the water, separated by a single door. The shower itself was only encased in glass, even as it steamed up from use there was nothing to really separate you.

You wondered at all the things he could do.

If his fingers were as smooth as his voice. If that tongue could dance against your skin with the same eloquence that it had with words. What could he do to you, with all that experience and knowledge? He joked about being far too old to indulge in all he enjoyed in life, but he’d come out of the shower with his wet hair on his shoulders, and little more than a t-shirt and boxers on.

What you could see was solid. Age was there, certainly, but there was strength and grace beneath his skin.

Shame flushed your skin, but your fingers wandered over your skin as you let your imagination run wild. He was intoxicating, and it wasn’t like you were going to try and seduce him once you got out of the shower. This was between you, your fingers, and maybe the shower head. No one was going to need the shower once you were done with it, so it was certainly okay to risk running it out of hot water.

After a few minutes you realized that all you were doing was frustrating yourself. Fantasizing normally worked, but your brain kept insisting you needed him, not the stupid shower head with its water pressure that wasn’t quite enough.

Sighing and trying to let it go, you finished up, dried off, and pulled on a baggy shirt that you had packed specifically for nightwear and a pair of cotton underwear. Nothing fancy, after all, you hadn’t planned on being in the same room with anyone else. Certainly not a hot silver fox like Mr. Silvers out there.

You were surprised to see him awake, reading a book in bed. “Sorry, I hope the water running didn’t keep you up.”

“Not even a little.” He assures you with a smile. “If the light bothers you, I can turn it off.”

“Oh, no. I’ll be fine, ah - thank you.” You notice the couch has been made into as much of a bed as possible and Rayleigh smiles.

“Thank you, young lady, for trusting me and treating me to such a delicious meal earlier.”

Your smile feels a little guilty, the nervous chuckle escaping you as you nod. You couldn’t think of anything to say that wasn’t going to sound like an offer of the more intimate kind, so you wish him a good night as you get comfortable in your little neatly made cocoon.

The light was not the problem.

The problem was that every time you closed your eyes you could see him, and practically feel him. Your mind was cruel and perverse, at least right now. You were getting irritated that you didn’t have enough self-control to stop thinking about someone you barely knew long enough to go to bed.

Oh, he wasn’t single, but he had an open relationship with his wife. He showed you pictures, she was beautiful as he was handsome, and there were always two or three other people in the pictures with them. There was nothing sexual, but these people weren’t ashamed of smooching in the middle of selfies.

What would those lips -

No, dammit, you had places to be tomorrow you had to sleep.

If you came you’d sleep.

…

The shower hadn’t been enough, but tucked under the blankets maybe. If you were quiet. You didn’t have to move much, you were all wound up already. If it wouldn’t give you away entirely you’d just go into the bathroom.

But he was reading, and the little bed lamp wasn’t strong. The blankets were dark. If he asks tomorrow you could just say you can be restless when you sleep. You’d never see him again, so what did it matter.

Resolve set, you slipped your hand under the band of your underpants as carefully as you could and began to move your fingers. You were soaked and it was hard to get any real friction going, but you needed to either succeed, or at least wear yourself out trying.

Unfortunately, your arm was tired, you weren’t, and you were no where near relief. Farther from it, honestly, as you’d done little more than edge yourself into frustration. The small sob that leaves you is louder than you’d like and after a second of being completely still your stomach knots.

“Trouble sleeping?” He asks quietly. Quietly enough that if you were just making sounds in your sleep he wouldn’t accidentally wake you, but you know. You already know. He knows. He’s known.

The man’s observant. You figured that out from the beginning. He probably knew what you’d been doing in the shower the smooth bastard. There was no other choice, not really, he wasn’t truly leaving you with one.

“… Yeah.” You admit quietly.

You hear the book close. “Anything I can do to help?”

His tone. His damn tone. It’s so sure, so soft, so inviting, and there’s not an ounce of allure in it. He’s not trying to seduce you, he’s giving you the most neutral option to come to him he can provide. Considering he’d been - intentionally or not - seducing you all damn evening.

“I… wouldn’t want to impose.” There’s frustration in your voice. Not aimed at him, just at your situation.

“It’s hardly imposing if I’ve offered.” He counters and you practically whimper.

“Then… yes, please.” You say after a moment’s consideration. “I need to sleep, and if you’re offering to help, I would like to accept.”

There’s a shift in his tone, and you can picture the smile on his face, despite having your back to him right now. “Then, please, come to bed, young lady.”

You flinch a little, removing your fingers from your clit before moving the blankets aside. Getting up you step over to the bed, but you can’t quite bring yourself to look him in the eye. You can feel blood rushing through you and you have to wonder just how much he knows.

He moves the blankets aside. “Come, sit in my lap.” His words feeling commanding, but not absolute. He’s guiding you, giving you permission, but not forcing you.

You swallow, nerves making your stomach flop, and you get into the bed. The idea of looking into his eyes is a little too much, so you sit with your back to his chest, resting your thighs against his.

“Lean back,” he says it softly, warm hands on your arms, guiding you carefully backward until you’re settled against his chest. You’re a little surprised that there’s nothing pushing against your ass, and also a little extra frustrated that he’s not nearly as hot and bothered as you are.

His hands move down your arm, and his fingers slip over yours. You know he feels the slick on your fingers, but he doesn’t say anything.

“I’m just going to guide you.” He explains, moving your hands with his. He has you pull your shirt up, until the bottom hem is by your lips. “Open,” he says, and you do. He has you tuck the cloth into your mouth before bringing your hand down to your breast.

He slips your other hand, the one already slick and wet, under the band of your underwear. You moan as he guides your fingers against your clit, legs shivering against his thighs. He moves your hands, keeping your movements and pace steady, changing the pressure and movements as he whispers into your ear.

“Not too fast.”

“Pinch a little more, there you go.”

“Not there yet, move your fingers deeper. Just like that.”

“Those sounds you make are divine, young lady.”

“There we go. Listen to you, you’re so close.”

Your body begins to tense as you squirm against him. “Rah-Rayleigh,” you gasp, voice barely muffled by the fabric of the shirt, his fingers moving yours steadily, not letting your building pleasure hasten the pace. “Please, please, I’m almost…” You roll your hips, your body on fire and desperately needy. “Please!”

He makes you twist your nipple more harshly than before, and presses your fingers against your clit with more fervor. Hot lips against your neck nip at your skin and everything brings you to climax, biting down on your shirt as you tense and moan.

He keeps you moving for another minute, slowly helping you ride out your high.

“All better?” He prompts and you make a soft sound.

“M’sorry,” you mutter, brain and body hazy from the sweet release after so much accidental edging.

“For what?”

“Been… thinking of you… for hours.” You admit, your voice a dream-filled sigh.

“Oh.” He muses, fingers slipping from yours and pressing against your skin directly. “Then please, young lady, tell me what you desire, and I promise to do my best to exceed your thoughts of me.”

[phantomarine]

While a swarm of bees Cheth would be a grammatically correct they/them and fucking hilarious if you wanna have one around for us enbies you could have Cheth possessing a dead queer person at some point? Non-humans being the only rep of a thing (nonbinary/aro/ace/etc) can be alienating. Doesn’t need to be permanent or anything either, maybe they’re just a former priest that was hanging out near where they’re going or whatever. Cheth being multiple ghosts at once can also serve you for someone to use them but then it’s less clear and more plural so mmm. On that note. Within the comic itself the characters don’t really acknowledge Cheth’s not a he all the time since that’s his default as a god but as he interacts with others more it could easily come up more casually. “Hey Pavel. Where’s Cheth?” “I saw her in the kitchen” “THE COOKIE JAR!” bam you got the genderqueers cackling in delight, we’re not difficult

The last bit is actually a really good point, one that I think I realized at some point, and was like 'oh, I'll be able to remedy this easily later.' Cheth hasn't really had 'she' used in the comic yet simply because FCheth hasn't interacted with any of the other Mantaluna crew (and I don't think she would've actually shown up during the others' individual post-death chats), and Pavel hasn't chatted about the Ch 5 aftermath with Phaedra yet, so there's been no opportunity for others to go 'oh, so Cheth is a pretty lady quite often' and adjust accordingly. So that'll be helpful, probably as early as the next chapter.

Extremely noted on all the rest. I am always here for the 'I am not a girl or a boy, I am a swarm of bees/crabs/stardust' statements but I know they don't apply to everyone. I would want to offer both options.

And with Cheth... that is absolutely possible in every way.

[gaywatch]

I'm increasingly disillusioned supporting your patreon. Commissions: beg you every month without response? Responding to commission requests when you solicit them is basic business. Then cancelling the sweepstakes in favor of a commission that broke the rules _that you set_. Were they at least charged extra for ruining every other member's chance for the month? The old gaywatch feels like it's been drowned out by chasing the newest shiny, and by people with louder voices and louder money.

Thank you for asking and giving me a chance to respond instead of assuming I'm just an asshole and leaving, I appreciate it.

I get at least two dozen commission requests per month when I open the slot, and addressing each one personally took me hours. I could come up with form responses, but plenty of people return with the same request each month and being met with the same form response each time feels, well, formulaic. However, I do realize while typing this that a quick 'thank you' may be all that's required, whereas I defaulted to a more intense/lengthy response (as I tend to do). There's a middle ground I hadn't thought of, you're right about that.

The blanket thank you + no personal reply only applied to the movie commission slot--the commission requests for long series are all personally attended to as they trickle in. Movie commissions only have one slot per month and it's only open for a few days, meaning all the requests come in at once and need to be addressed within a certain timeframe.

Nobody said anything about begging, and if anything gave you that impression that was certainly not my intention and I apologize. Commissions are a new thing to the Patreon (they're in month 4) and I'm doing my best to navigate it as sensitively and seriously as possible, as it's a context I've never had to directly handle before and anything involving money needs to be handled with due care and respect.

I canceled the sweepstakes for this month only, due to my own oversight in the running time of Hazbin Hotel. I had already accepted the commission both privately and publicly, and rather than disappoint the person who requested the commission and take it away from them I instead fit it into my schedule with an apology to everyone for no sweepstakes this month. It seemed a fitting choice since people had also been submitting the series to the sweepstakes for a long time. (Patrons were made aware of all of this as it happened.)

I set the rules, but that doesn't mean I can't make mistakes and have to adapt on the fly.

The patron who requested the commission was politely willing to pay extra after I realized the runtime was more like 4 1/2 hours and not the 2 1/2 hours that I thought it was. Since it ultimately falls to me to approve commissions and make sure a movie/series qualifies, which makes the oversight my fault, I didn't feel right getting paid extra for a mistake and declined.

I'm not sure what 'chasing the newest shiny' means, since my approach to choosing which series goes on the voting shortlist etc hasn't changed. The only difference in programming has been commissions, something I haven't done until now despite requests to do so because I had to be 150% sure I was capable. But even then they come with certain restrictions that I'm very up front about--there's only one slot for the monthly short series/movie commission, having your name put on the waiting list for a longer series commission is not a guarantee that I'll be able to take it, etc.

I have to roll out anything new (like commissions) in a very slow, particular way and then adjust accordingly. If I'm not this overly careful, I risk my anxiety getting quickly overwhelmed and dumping into a massive burnout in which I can't do anything. It's the only reason I haven't run into a burnout in the five years I've been doing Gaywatch.

I've been fully transparent about my particular needs and boundaries when it comes to implementing commissions, and it's up to the individual to participate or not. I know the way I do commissions is weird compared to others, but as an unmedicated neurodivergent brain if I don't do things weird I don't do them at all.

[alwaysthebiggerbear]

"Sleep. I'll keep you safe." - Beau Arlen x Female Reader

Summary: Your house is broken into one night when Beau wasn’t home and now you find yourself expecting it to happen again at any moment. Will you ever feel safe in your home again?

Pairing: Beau Arlen x Female!Reader; Beau Arlen x Female!Lawyer Reader A/N: Prompt from @thelonelyempath. My brain immediately settled on this idea when I decided to respond to this prompt from more than one character. It just seemed to fit. Beta'd by @rieleatiel. Warnings: mentions of break-in, mentions of guns, mentions of possible violence scenarios, implied possible assault scenario Word Count: 4030 First posted on here: 1/1/24

You checked and rechecked the locks on the windows of your upstairs bedroom. You’d never admit it aloud, but you were nervous and on edge.

The other night, Beau had had to work late due to some case that had dropped into his lap near the end of the work day. When he’d called, all apologetic, you’d told him it was no problem. You lived with a lawman so you knew how it could go sometimes, and you knew to adjust accordingly. The simple solution? You ordered takeout and decided to indulge in some wine and Netflix. 

Once you’d finished half of the newest season of Virgin River, you decided it was time for bed. Sadly, Beau had gotten so tied up with the same case and wouldn’t be home for a few more hours, and that was only if he was lucky. You made sure both doors were locked, turned the lights off, and headed upstairs. At one point, you smiled to yourself at the thought of perhaps waiting to get into bed before calling your cowboy and enticing him to lock himself away in his office or car for a bit.

You had just finished your nightly routine, slipped on the silkiest nightgown you owned, and crawled onto the bed. You positioned yourself as best as you could, smiled as you flipped over to Beau’s contact picture, digging your teeth into your bottom lip. You were just about to facetime the sheriff, hoping he would move away from anyone he was around to answer it, when you heard a sudden breaking of glass downstairs.

You froze, your heart pounding and a part of you wondering if the wine glass you’d left on the counter had fallen off. Then you heard it again. This time a larger volume of glass broke and it was obvious that there was force behind it. You knew then that someone was trying to break into your house. Your mind began to race; to outsiders, your house gave all the tell-tale signs that its owner was home, moving about and/or possibly asleep. Whoever was downstairs was making a lot of noise, and if someone intentionally broke into a house that was clearly occupied, it could only mean one thing.

You jumped off the bed and ran to the closet, speedily entering in the combo for Beau’s gun safe. You grabbed the gun, made sure it was loaded, and hurried to close the bedroom door, hitting the lock. You swiped your cell phone off the bed and called 911, huddling in a corner that couldn’t be seen right away from the door should someone bust in. You kept the gun pointed at the door as you quietly gave the dispatcher your address and all the info needed. You remained on the call with them until the police arrived in record time.

Beau hadn’t been too far behind them, Poppernak having heard the call come through and letting him know immediately. You were in a robe and a pair of Uggs you had thrown on quickly, talking to the responding officers, when your boyfriend pulled up, jumping out of Pedro and running right over to you. He gathered you up in his arms and lifted you off the ground. “Thank God,” he whispered, holding you to him. After a moment, he gently placed you back on your feet and cupped your face, studying you intently. “Are you alright?”

You nodded, still not fully able to speak. The adrenaline was still running rampant through your body, yet fear and shock were slowly starting to make their presence known as well.

He gave you a tender smile and pulled you in for a hug, holding your body against him in a way to further reassure you that everything was alright. And if it wasn’t, you knew he would do everything in his power to make it so.

The officers had taken your statement and assessed the damage, but the suspects had gotten away before the cops showed up. That’s right, suspects — as in plural. Your neighbor across the street, Melanie Layton, had seen them running down the street to the soundtrack of police sirens getting closer; said persons then disappeared in a car that she didn’t know the make or model of, nor could she make out the vehicle’s color. She had just pulled into her driveway, having finished a long evening shift at the nursing home she worked at, and between the darkness and her own exhaustion, she hadn’t been able to really see much of what had happened.

That evening, Beau brought you out to the camper he kept even though he’d moved in with you four months prior. His reasoning had been that you two could take a break from the town should you ever need it, and that night, you’d never been more grateful for his thinking ahead. He stayed in bed with you until you fell asleep. and when you woke up in the middle of the night to find him not in the camper, you quickly discovered that he was sitting outside in one of the deck chairs, sipping coffee and cradling a shotgun in his lap. 

He’d given you a smile when you stepped outside. “I didn’t wake you, did I, darlin’?”

You crossed your arms and inclined your head towards the gun. “What’s that for?”

He shrugged. “I just feel better having it handy is all.”

“So you’ve got a shotgun while you’re sitting on the porch.” You sat down in the chair next to him, flashing him a smile of your own. “What’s next? Yelling at kids to get off your lawn?”

He didn’t laugh at your teasing like you’d expected him to. Instead, he held out a hand to you and you took it. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there, sweetheart.”

“Beau, you had to work. It’s okay.”

Beau let out a heavy sigh and lowered the shotgun safely to the ground with his other hand before pulling you over to sit with him. “No, it ain’t. I should have let Hoyt handle that case and I should have been home with you.”

You weren’t quite sure what to say. You knew it wasn’t his fault, of course, and how could it be? Still, a part of you was still coming down from earlier and your thoughts were running rampant. What if the suspects had come through the bedroom door? What if you’d had to shoot one — or both? Worse, what if you had frozen up and they came upstairs to find you all alone, defenseless and in a vulnerable position? What if you hadn’t even heard them and you were facetiming Beau when they found you? What if you had been able to convince Beau to go somewhere private for a few and you had been in the middle of—

You squeezed your eyes shut, not wanting that thought to go any further, and instead laid your head on Beau’s shoulder. He kissed your forehead and rubbed soothing circles into your back.

“We’re going to get through this,” he quietly reassured you.

You opened your eyes and nodded. “We will. I know we will.” 

A sweet smile formed on his face and he grabbed the blanket that had been wrapped around him and carefully wrapped it around both of you. You had snuggled into him and he pressed a kiss to your hair before laying his head on top of yours, holding you close. You had stayed like that for the rest of that night.

Presently, the police still hadn’t been able to find the suspects even though they checked street cams, traffic cams, canvassed the neighbors, and even took another run at Melanie in case she remembered anything more from that night. At first they tried to dismiss it as most likely two young guys high on meth looking for an easy score, but after one glare from Beau, the detectives assigned to your case cleared their throats and assured you they’d delve deeper. You had been asked to come up with a list of anyone that might be less than pleased with you and, being a county attorney that worked the Criminal Division, that list was bound to be long. You’d even had to think back to your time in Bozeman. Still, nothing panned out. The cops literally had nothing to go on, but they said they would keep you updated about any new developments that came up.

Beau hadn’t left your side for the first two days, electing to have his undersheriff delegate any new cases that came in and handle anything that he usually would. You both had stayed in the AirStream since you weren’t ready to go back home yet. He’d cooked for you, made you laugh, he’d taken you out and about to get your mind off things, and he’d held you close at night. He kept his gun next to the bed as an added means of making you feel safe, but you already felt safer just being with him and being out of that house. Feeling better or not, however, that didn’t mean you didn’t have your moments. When a server had accidentally dropped a glass at the diner Beau had taken you to for breakfast, you had nearly launched out of your seat with how high you’d jumped. Some young guy had stared at you a little too long as you and Beau walked down the sidewalk, and you immediately moved into your boyfriend and dug your fingers into his side when you passed the stranger. You didn’t feel comfortable being anywhere alone in town, feeling as if the moment you were, someone would either grab you, attack you, or hurt you then and there, and you wouldn’t see it coming. You were beyond grateful that you were allowed to conceal and carry, and you were even more thankful that your father had made sure you knew how to hunt, fish, and, most importantly, shoot by your eleventh birthday.

You knew what was happening and why you felt the way you did. You’d dealt with this situation enough in your job — you’d spoken with enough victims of burglaries and home invasions — so you knew the break-in had rattled you. You hated it; being scared of your own shadow wasn’t you, yet you couldn’t help how you were feeling even with Beau as a constant reassurance at your side. 

You really appreciated the careful attention he was paying you; after dropping you off for a visit with Cassie and Denise, a visit that was much-needed and much-enjoyed, he’d even replaced the back door that the would-be thieves had busted in their haste to get inside. There had been a beautiful back door with multiple panes of glass that allowed the sunlight in to brighten up the kitchen each morning, one of the features of the house that had you signing a lease two years ago when you’d moved back to town. What was broken had been replaced by an even nicer door that still allowed your kitchen to have that beautiful golden-hour glow, and the sheriff himself had installed it, locks and everything. Overall, Beau had been amazing and supportive, truly there for you without you needing to ask him to be. But eventually, after a few days, he did have to return to work and so did you. 

He’d had Jenny do a walk-through of the house with the both of you on your first night back. They both made sure all of the locks were working and Beau showed you the new alarm that had been installed as well as cameras on both entryways — everything was secure. Jenny had even posted a deputy outside your house for your first night.

But here you were, obsessively checking every entry point into your bedroom, the place that had served as your safe haven up until the other night. The aluminum bat that you’d purchased was placed next to the bed and you made sure your phone was fully charged in case you needed to call 911 again. You confirmed you had a full clip in your gun that was sitting on your nightstand. Beau had come in some time ago and watched your every movement as he got ready for bed. Only when you checked the locks on the window for the sixth time in your circuit did he slowly approach you.

“Honey, we’re sealed up tight. No one’s getting in without us knowing about it. Plus, Poppernak’s sitting outside. We’re good.” He wrapped his arms around you and hugged you from behind. “Why don’t you come to bed?” He whispered huskily into your ear. 

Any other night, you wouldn’t have needed to be asked twice, but this wasn’t any other night. “Did you make sure the alarm was set?”

He carefully turned you in his arms to face him, cupping your chin and lifting your eyes to meet his. “We’re safe, sweetheart. I promise.”

“I know, I just—”

“We’re safe,” he reiterated, brushing your hair back behind your ear.

You nodded and let out a deep breath. “I know. I’m just…” You struggled to get the words out. “They picked us.” At Beau’s furrowing of his brows, you elaborated: “Out of all the houses on this block they could’ve picked, they picked ours. They knew someone was home. How many cases have you worked where the suspects broke in while someone was in the house and that someone didn’t get hurt? I’m not talking run-ins, I’m talking purposeful breaking and entering, fully knowing someone was there. Because the cases I’ve had where that happens don’t usually have a happy ending.”

Beau mulled over your words for a moment, licking his lips as he tended to do when he was nervous or was about to spout some of that wisdom of his. Given the subject at hand, you knew it had to be the latter.

He framed your face with his hands and stared into your eyes. “Honey, we’re gonna find them. Okay? Helena PD is looking everywhere and so are we. We’re turning over every rock, checking out every possible place they could be.”

“But we don’t even know who they are,” you pointed out. 

“No,” he agreed. “But we have a description to go on. If they risked breaking in like they did, not caring who heard or saw, then they’re bound to make the same mistake again. It’s only a matter of time.”

“So someone else could get hurt before they’re finally caught?”

His brows began to furrow as he stroked your cheeks with his thumbs. “Sure hope not. But I promise you, we’re gonna find them. Soon they’ll be in jail where they belong, and in the meantime, you’re safe.”

You scoffed and pulled away from him. You knew he was just trying to help, to reassure you, but your nerves were frayed — had been fraying since the break-in. “You can’t promise that, Beau, no one can. What happens the next time you have to work late on a case, or you have to travel to testify in a case from Houston like you did a few months ago? Or what if I work late and I’m walking to my car, alone, and…” You couldn’t even finish that sentence, the idea absolutely frightening to you. “And the thing is you’re saying you’ll find them but how can you? You only have a description, not fingerprints, DNA, a profile, a license plate, a make or model of the getaway car — nothing. They could literally be parked behind Poppernak right now, waiting to get in here again, and he wouldn’t even know because no one knows what they look like!” You finished the last part in a yell of frustration. You weren’t mad at him, it wasn’t his fault, and you didn’t mean to lash out, but you were so tired of the bullshit assurances that everyone — from Jenny to the detectives to your friends — had given you the last few days when you knew better.

Beau studied you for a moment and then slowly approached you, wrapping his arms around you and pulling you into him. “How long have you been feeling this way?” He murmured into your ear.

“What? Frustrated?” You laughed but there was no mirth in it.

“Unsafe,” he clarified.

You dug your fingers into the back of his shirt and you could feel the familiar burning in the corners of your eyes. “Since the break-in,” you whispered.

He pulled back to look at you, sighing. “I’m sorry, sweetheart. I thought by fixing the door, installing the alarm system and the cameras, and having Jenny do the walk-through with us… I thought all of that would make you feel better. I should’ve realized that maybe it was too soon for us to come back here after what happened.”

You shook your head. “It’s not that. I appreciate everything you and Jenny have done, and I won’t let anyone keep me out of my own home. It’s just…”

“It’s just what?”

You bit your lip, debating on how to tell him this next part. You knew he would be more than understanding, but for some strange reason you hated even giving voice to it. If you spoke it aloud, it might dare the universe and next time, you might not be so lucky.

“Y/N?”

You let out an uneasy breath and circled your arms around his neck, staring into his eyes. You forced yourself to admit to him what was really bothering you. “That night… When you were going to be late…”

His eyebrows flashed upwards, urging you to continue.

“I wasn’t… I was underdressed.”

You could see confusion starting to layer his expression but he gave you a nod of understanding. “You were getting ready to go to bed, you said.” 

“I was getting ready to facetime you.” When he still didn’t pick up on your meaning, you gave him a look. “So we could have a moment alone. Together.”

“Oh.” His eyes widened slightly when the realization hit him of just what you were talking about. “Oh.”

You nodded, retracting your arms and trying to step back a little, but his hand caught your hip to keep you from leaving. “I just keep thinking, what if I hadn’t heard them breaking in? What if they had come upstairs, into the room, and saw us? What if they…” You swallowed the rapidly forming lump in your throat, unable to finish that thought out loud. You noticed Beau’s jaw tighten, but his eyes remained soft as they stayed trained on you.

He urged you to close the gap between you with a gentle squeeze to your hip. “C’mere, sweetheart,” he whispered, encasing you in his arms once more. He hugged you tighter and you buried your face into his shoulder, inhaling his comforting scent. “That didn’t happen and it’s never going to happen.”

“You don’t know that,” you choked out. “One night you might not be here and then—”

“No one will ever lay a goddamn finger on you while I’m still breathing,” he vowed menacingly. “I promise you that, baby.”

You hugged him tighter, sniffling. It had always amazed you just how secure and at home you felt while in his arms before this; now, you were grateful for the feeling and you wanted to bury yourself in it until this other terrible feeling went away. Logically, you knew that Beau couldn’t be with you every single second of the day and you shouldn’t want that to be the case yourself, but right now, until you felt secure in your own home again, you really didn’t want to be here without him.  

After holding you for a few minutes, he gently moved to wipe a tear that had begun to make its way down your cheek. He offered you a reassuring smile while his eyes were lit with the fire of determination in what he’d promised you. “Whaddya say we move this conversation to the bed?” Your jaw dropped and his eyes bugged out of his head as he scrambled to correct himself, “I didn’t mean like that. I only meant that you’re tired — we’re both tired, and I thought maybe it would be better if we laid down and tried to get some shuteye, that’s all. I—shit. I’m sorry, honey.”

A laugh escaped you, surprising you both. Things had been so serious since the break-in, so intense, even a few minutes ago, that it felt good to laugh again. Just like he had been making you laugh back in the camper — something you never thought you’d experience in this house again. It was a pleasant and welcome surprise. You actually felt yourself start to relax a little. 

Beau beamed down at you, happy to feel some of the tension easing away from your body. “So, bed then?”

You lifted up on your toes and pecked his lips, grinning. “Bed.”

He waggled his eyebrows playfully at you, smirking, as he took your hand and led you over to the bed. Once you both were settled in, you snuggled up to his chest and his arm came around you. You felt even more tension melt away from you which was nice. You didn’t realize just how tightly wound you’d been since you walked back into this house.

“You know, if you wanted, I could start looking around for a new place for us,” he murmured to your hairline.

You frowned and fidgeted with his t-shirt. “I don’t want to be run out of my own home.”

“No one’s running you out of anywhere, sweetheart,” he promised. “But I do want you to feel safe. Whether I’m here or not.”

You thought it over for a moment. You’d been in this house for two years and you’d never had an issue, not until now. This was supposed to be one of the safer neighborhoods and you even knew a few of your neighbors. You’d been to their Christmas parties and Sunday dinners — you’d even been to Sarah Tyler’s daughter’s 5th birthday party at the beginning of the year. You didn’t own this house, yet it had become a home to you. You weren’t sure that you wanted to leave. But you also weren’t sure that you could feel one hundred percent comfortable here ever again. You hated the crux you were in. 

Almost as if Beau heard your thoughts earlier, he whispered against your skin, “If you’re worried about the kitchen door, we’ll take it with us.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. “We can’t take the door with us.”

“Sure we can.” You could hear the smile in his voice. “I installed that puppy and I can take it back down.”

“And leave the house without a back door?” You teased. “Not sure I’ll get my security deposit back when they notice that missing.”

“Nah, we’ll just grab a door from Home Depot and give ‘em that one. I’ll even install it for them for free so you can get that deposit back.”

“My hero,” you joked, turning your head upwards and kissing him.

 “Just think about it, okay?” He murmured to your lips. “You don’t have to decide right now, but at least think about it.”

“Okay.” You smiled when he tenderly brushed your hair back with his hand before kissing you again.

He helped you to settle back down against him and gently rubbed your back, something that made you close your eyes. You were starting to nod off when you heard him murmur, “Sleep. I’ll keep you safe, baby.” Your smile reappeared hearing his voice reverberate underneath you, knowing he meant every single word.

“Love you,” you whispered, kissing his chest and snuggling into him once more.

“Love you, too, darlin’.” His other arm came around you and he kissed your forehead. “Love you, too.”    

You weren’t quite sure what you would decide when it came to the house, but you knew one thing: here, in Beau’s arms, knowing he would do whatever it took to make you feel secure again, you were starting to feel just that bit safer already.

[crystalelemental]

Pokemon Team Characterization - Kabu

I have, in the past, expressed a general dislike of Pokemon Sword and shield. There is, however, one competitor whose team I do legitimately like, and it's probably not who you think. ...okay, it is, because I put their name in the title part: I really like Kabu's fight.

It's a simple team of 3, but part of what I liked about his fight is their all final stage. Gym 3, all final stage, that's reminiscent of some Platinum shit, where the opposition is actually trying to harm and/or kill you. Granted, this is Gen 8 with mandatory EXP All, but even with that I feel like Kabu's one of the few times it's actually pretty easy to come in somewhat under-prepared.

The other thing I really like is referenced in his League card. Kabu was almost booted out of the major league, due to declining performance, and adjusted his approach to try and make something new work. I'll get to that more in the general impressions, but I think it makes a good impact.

The Lead (Ninetales) Offensively, Ninetales is a little bit of a joke. Like, there's almost nothing truly offensive about it. It's strongest individual move is Ember, which is. Really weak. What sets Ninetales apart, however, is the combination of Will-o-Wisp and Fire Spin, dealing persistent chip damage to opponents while shoring up physical defense. Both are a bit risky, in that they have accuracy checks of 85%, but once landed they're on for good. Quick Attack is also taking good initiative, introducing priority to pick off weakened opponents. Ember is just raw damage as needed.

Ninetales introduces Kabu's general mentality as someone who is extremely reserved at the outset. He waits to see how things begin to unfold, and responds accordingly. If there's an opening, he will pounce on it immediately; he's not overly hesitant in that regard. But he isn't going to rush into anything, and lets others direct a pace that he then tries to match. It also implies, to some measure, that he likes to see what others can do. That he appreciates the ideas and contributions of others, but is likely coming in with his own ideas and will challenge whatever is put out there, not to undermine or discredit, but to push things along.

The Big Bork (Arcanine) Arcanine plays similarly to Ninetales, albeit with an alternate approach. Flame Wheel is, again, not particularly powerful as moves go, but the rest of his kit is the real focus. Will-o-Wisp again for burn, alongside Intimidate to debuff attack further. Agility into Bite ensures going first for that flinch chance, which is not only about stopping your progress, but adds to the chip damage of the burn.

Intimidate signals when Kabu gets serious, and how imposing he really is. He won't show it right away, but when he does, he's on a proper offensive. At this point, he'll continue to push a more defensive approach, again letting others direct the pace of things, but being a bit more forceful in his approach. Agility implies a sort of eagerness; a desire to see things moving and wanting to get in on the action. There's an excitability once he's really in the zone.

The Ace (Centiscorch) Full disclosure: I've seen him outside of his GMax, but I've never seen him use Coil or Smokescreen. I legitimately didn't know he had them. They are funny additions, though. Smokescreen being more opponent disruption, while Coil boosts offense, defense, and accuracy. The accuracy is particularly significant, suggesting a sort of mental acuity, being able to hone in on a problem and really get at the heart of an issue.

Flash Fire is also an interesting choice, as it's only significant when dealing with Fire, a type that is very unlikely to be used against him. This suggests a desire to be the best within his particular field. He may not be aiming to tower over everyone, but his main fixation is on his own chosen path, and implicitly, to be better than he was. Absorb fire to improve fire, build on your past efforts toward greater effort in the future.

General Team Impressions Okay I promised I'd talk about it: did you know Fire type has six resistances to only three weaknesses? If it weren't for its weaknesses including Water and Ground, which are highly common types for coverage moves, Fire would likely be among the best defensive types in the game. This is not an aspect of Fire that is often discussed or acknowledged. Typically, Fire is offensive. It is thought of in terms of its raw power and devastation, not in terms of its ability to take hits.

Kabu's League card talks about a "change in approach" when he was on a losing streak, and I think this is it. Kabu's approach was leaning into the unexpected defensive style of the Fire type, capitalizing on resistances and the ability to use burn as a status to keep offense neutralized. He'll engage in more offensive fare right at the end as a finisher, but much of his approach is defensive, cautious. It implies someone whose start likely involved more of a traditionally "fiery" approach, running headlong into things and showing that ambition, but who mellowed out as they grew into their role and has taken to assessment and innovation.

Conclusions Kabu's just kind of a cool older dude, and that's apparently my archetype in Galar. He's an innovator, someone who struggled to make a breakout success but found a way to hold on to his status in the competitive circuit by shifting into a little-appreciated aspect of his field. He's someone who approaches things analytically, letting others take the first step, but holding his own stance and being willing to take the initiative if the other side isn't up to the task. He still holds some bombastic youthful vigor, but typically only reaches that peak when he's really invested in the situation at hand, and tends to build up from experience and expertise.

At least, that's my reading of him. If you have a different interpretation, feel free to share. Kabu just hits an interesting spot as like an older character with a fun team, so I have an odd affection for the guy.

[toweringclam]

Dandadan OC: The Hat Man

Note: This is written in the format of a mid-arc wiki article. I'll post the third entry in this series later, discussing the big twist of the arc.

Other Names: The Tall Man, The Slender Man, the Grinning Man, Men in Black, Ingrid Cold Race: Unknown Home Planet: Unknown Gender: Male? Status: Active Affiliation: US Government (Former) Combat Style: Stalking, Shapeshifting, Reality Alteration

The Hat Man is an entity of unknown origin stalking Jackie Kumamoto, a former apprentice of Seiko Ayase. It serves as the primary antagonist of the Hat Man arc.

Appearance

The Hat Man has a highly variable appearance. It can vary in height from around 7 feet tall to upwards of 12 feet tall. Most often it lacks a face, just blank skin in the vague approximation of facial features. However, sometimes its skin will split and peel back to reveal a wide, toothy grin or lidless eyes. It doesn't seem to need these features and may just display them to frighten others. It seems to be able to grow extra arms (its clothes adjusting accordingly), in addition to extending tendrils from its back. Regardless, It's always wearing a black suit and tie with its signature wide-brimmed fedora hat, and it carries a briefcase in one left arm that it never opens. It's also pasty white and impossibly thin, with long and spindly arms.

The exception to this fluidity of form is its disguise as "Agent Ingrid Cold," which resembles a normal, stockily built, middle-aged human male. It appears to have some trouble retaining this form though, as its face gradually became more distorted the longer it talked to Officer Bega.

Personality

From its actions, the Hat Man appears to have a sadistic personality that takes great pleasure in causing as much fear and pain as possible in its victims. According to Kinta while acting as a Proxy, its only wish is for "humanity to die screaming." However, given his dramatic nature, this might not be accurate.

While its default form is mute, it's able to speak in its disguise as "Agent Ingrid Cold," but it displays a flat and neutral affect very different from its normal behavior. It also does a very poor job of imitating a human beyond the superficial, displaying strange behaviors like eating a bar of soap when offered or pouring hot coffee into its hand.

It seems to be under some form of binding, and while the full rules are unknown, some of those rules appear to include restrictions on who is a valid target and where it can manifest. Sometimes, when it comes up against one of these restraints, shackles appear on its arms and legs, and it visibly strains against them.

Background

Little is known about its background. At some point, it worked for the US government by intimidating witnesses to the paranormal or even making them disappear. Ingrid Cold's ID expired in 1993, however, so this may no longer be the case. The pattern that appears on its shackles matches the Serpoans' true forms, so it's likely they might have been involved somehow.

At some point shortly prior to the current arc, Jackie Kumamoto attempted an exorcism in America that went badly. The victim was not, in fact, possessed, but rather being used as a proxy by the Hat Man. This brought her in contact with him and made her his new primary target. Believing that she was certainly going to die, she returned to the Ayase household to make arrangements, unwittingly bringing the Hat Man along with her.

Powers & Abilities

Natural Abilities

Physical Prowess

Godly Physical Attributes: In terms of strength, speed, agility, and stamina, the Hat Man is unmatched. It's able to move faster than Okarun and outmaneuver Aira in their yokai forms, and can easily overpower the Evil Eye. No attack so far has been shown to harm it in any meaningful way. There may be limitations, as it has retreated when faced with heavy enough opposition, but thus far those limitations are unknown.

Mental Prowess

Tactical Intellect: The Hat Man is intelligent and manipulative, stalking and intimidating its victims to isolate them and drive them insane before claiming them.

Skill Set

Stealth: Despite its alarming appearance, the Hat Man is extremely adept at stalking its prey and remaining just out of sight. Its victims rarely notice it, though it makes a point to be visible in photographs and videos.

Supernatural Abilities

Shapeshifting: The Hat Man has incredible control over its form, able to grow and shrink in size, alter the number and shape of its of limbs, add and remove facial features, etc. However, it has difficulty maintaining a disguise as a human (though it seemed to have less trouble in flashbacks).

Mind Control: It has the ability to control certain people's minds and create "sleeper agents" called Proxies. They victims retain their original personalities but are twisted to the Hat Man's ends. Proxies don't know they're Proxies until the Hat Man decides to activate them. It appears that this effect is induced by seeking out information about the Hat Man, and can be blocked by a thin sheet of metal over the head (IE, a tin foil hat)

Empty Space Mastery: The Hat Man shows a greater control over Empty Space than any other creature in the series. It can warp reality at will, often creating impossible looping environments or teleporting people from one location to another. However, doing so weakens its Empty Space, which allowed Okarun to break through the membrane and make reality reassert itself.

Image Manipulation: The Hat Man is able to manifest through any image of itself. It can also "infect" images, placing a version of itself in the image for later use.

Notes

As of right now it is unclear what exactly The Hat Man is. It has traits similar to a spirit (invisible to people without spiritual awareness), yet its ability to assert Empty Space marks it as extraterrestrial.

[pallastrology]

my favourite astro + witchcraft blogs

since we're in the season of cheer, i thought it would be nice to express my love and gratitude for some of my favourite blogs here on tumblr 🧡🐿️

@neptuneandwine - my best friend, who i actually met here on tumblr years ago. she's a truly brilliant person, the most talented tarot reader i've seen and a skilled astrologer too.

@ms-m-astrologer - i absolutely love the way M writes about transits, i always look forward to the monthly update posts and adjust my plans accordingly. also introduced me to the @unhelpfultarot blog, which is another of my favourites as it's just hilarious.

@seafoamreadings - beautifully written transit posts, i'll be subbing to their patreon when i'm able to for more of their work, and i love their more personal insights into how the transits affect us IRL too.

@mercurytrinemoon - i've followed for years and always love to read their replies to asks and insights. i also recently bought their personalised 2024 almanac and am so looking forward to it!

@elysiansparadise - such an aesthetically pleasing blog, and i love the longform posts about various placements. i always feel inspired after reading through elysian's blog :-)

@kayleightarot a really lovely tarot blog, i always look forward to their daily readings and i'm finding it helpful to look at the practical application of tarot too!

feel free to reblog with your favourite witchy blogs, let's share some love this december :-) much love to you all as always xo

[analogwriting]

The Other Side of Paradise

Chapter 2: Hot Sugar

Killer x gn!reader word count: 2.7k first|next a/n: date time date time date time. also m'eudail is scotts gaelic for my dear/darling.

The next three days were pure torture. Your brain was running with different ideas of what the news could possibly be and why he wouldn’t just tell you. Part of you kind of wish he had never mentioned the news, just made the date. Then the anticipation wouldn’t be suffocating you like it was now. At least the news seemed to be good considering how he delivered it. You felt like if it had been bad news, he would’ve told you already. 

You tried getting answers from him to no avail. Hell, you had even tried to ask your cousin and your friends. They all seemed to have no idea what the news was. Which, typically Kid was incredibly terrible at lying and keeping secrets, so he had to be in the dark about it too. He must’ve had no idea.

Not even begging helped. When he had his mind set on something like this, there was nothing you could do to make him give in. Sure, you could make Killer cave just about any other time. You were his weak spot and he could never say no to you. Sometimes, you used it to your advantage.

“Baaaaaaaabe, tell meeeee,” you whined on that Wednesday night, laying on his chest in your shared bed. 

He snorted, rolling his eyes with a grin. “What did I tell you last night?” You frowned, huffing slightly, moving his hair as you did so. “To wait patiently.”

“Exactly. I promise it'll be worth it.” He kissed you on the forehead, a mischievous glint in his eye - he was enjoying this. It wasn’t often he had the upper hand, so he was reveling in it.. “And if you're good, I'll be sure to give you a nice reward, alright?” His fingers traced up your spine and you shivered. If you currently weren’t so exhausted, you’d jump his bones right now.

You sighed again, burying your face in his chest, officially giving up. “Fiiiiine,” you groaned, muffled by his muscles. 

And you left it after that, not asking again. Sure, you made a jab here and there, seeing if he'd crack in the slightest, but it just wasn't the case. He was determined not to tell you ahead of time. You knew you weren’t going to get an answer, so you decided you’d wait everso impatiently.

Friday finally came and you couldn't have been more excited - you were almost vibrating. Mostly because you were going to finally know what he’d been keeping from you this entire time. He took you to class that morning. You were going to just call out from classes, but after he said that he wouldn’t have told you any sooner just because you did so, or adjust plans accordingly, you decided to bite the bullet and go.

Lucky bastard didn’t have Friday classes, so he was going to have all day to just sit and have a good time knowing you were suffering in class. Though, he’d been enjoying your suffering the last few days as well, so you shouldn’t have been surprised. The sadist. 

Time felt like it was moving at snail speed on purpose. The world knew you were mere hours away from what you’ve been waiting for for so long. You kept looking at the clock, only to realize hardly any time passed, torturing you even more. You couldn’t focus on any of your classes, your head only filled with what Killer had planned. So many what ifs in your head.

You ran into Hop at one point, hanging out with her until your next class. It seemed like the universe had some mercy on you as it had allowed both yours and her class to be let out early. You were able to now verbally complain about the pain and suffering you were going through - as if you hadn’t already texted her about it a million times already.

She listened, like the wonderful best friend she is. Then she laughed in amusement at your predicament. You might have been a little dramatic with your theatrics. “Maybe he's finally proposing,” she mused. You just looked at her, eyebrows furrowing. “He's already done that though?” 

“When you were thirteen. That doesn't count. He needs to do it again, properly.” She folded her arms, leaning against the tree. You hadn’t even thought of that possibility.

“Well, he knows I've never been one to care about grand theatrics like that. The little proposal in the park when we were thirteen was enough for me.” You frowned, fiddling with the small band around your finger that he’d given you that day. The two of you hadn’t even really talked about an official one.

“Maybe so, but maybe he wants to do it.”

You looked at her for a moment. “Wait. Did he tell you something? Do you know what it is? Is it that?” You narrowed her eyes at her. “What do you know? Hop, it is your duty as my best friend to tell me everything you know!” You had been so content with the way things were with your boyfriend that you hadn’t even thought of a proposal or if he even wanted to do an official one.

The only plan you had made so far regarding those things was the fact you were going to get married after you finished school.

Hop laughed, shaking her head, holding her hands up in surrender. “No, no. I don't know anything that you don’t know.. I'm just shooting the shit and guessing.” She shrugged, moving to readjust her ponytail. 

“Shooting very specific shit in my opinion,” you grumbled, folding your arms and pouting slightly. You groaned loudly, flopping on the ground. “It's been killing me.”

“Guess he's living up to his name then, huh?” 

You stared at her for a moment before both of you fell into a fit of laughter. “What's so funny?” A voice chimed. You looked up, seeing Bubblegum joining the two of you. 

It was the perfect opportunity for you to, once again, complain about having to wait. Hop watched with amusement as you went into your whole thing again. Bubblegum looked just as entertained as you ranted about it. 

“What if he’s proposing?” He finally said.

“That’s what I said!” Hop burst into laughter and you just stared at him.

“C’mon, one of you have to know something. How come you both came up with the exact same theory when I - his own partner - didn’t even think about it?”

Bubblegum snorted, shaking his head. “Probably because we are from the outside looking it. We’ve only known the two of you for a couple of years now. You two have known each other for over a decade and been together almost just as long. So, of course you’re not going to think it.”

Hop nodded, folding her arms and leaning against the tree. “It’s true. You guys are basically married already. I’m surprised you don’t call him your husband, honestly.” She snorted.

You huffed, your face turning bright red. “Well!” You opened and closed your mouth a couple more times before giving up. You didn’t even know what to say, making Hop and Bubblegum fall into more laughter.

You spent the rest of the time before your next class just tossing around some of the craziest ideas of what this news could possibly be. It was nice. Mostly because it helped time fly by quickly.

-

When the bell rang to signal that your last class was over, you bolted for the door. You headed to the nearest bathroom, changing your clothes and cleaning yourself up for your date. You didn’t want to sit in your nice clothes during class, after all. You haven't gone out in a while, so you were excited to be able to dress nice for the occasion. 

Once dressed, you hurried your way to the parking lot where you knew Killer would be picking you up. You saw his pick up, your heart racing with excitement as you headed over. All of your suffering would end soon enough! 

He must've been keeping an eye out for you because as you grew closer to his truck, he hopped out, rounding around to meet you. 

You grinned widely, running up to him and jumping into his arms. He picked you up and you wrapped your legs around him as you kissed him. You were just so excited! You smiled against him and felt as he did the same. You heard a couple people whistle at the two of you and someone shouting to get a room.

Oh, you’d be doing something of that vein tonight, that much was sure.

“You look great, y/n,” he said with a smile. You returned the grin, love and affection evident on your face. “You look good too.” He wasn't dressed to the nines, neither were you. It wasn't your speed. But both of you were dressed in nicer clothes and looked a little more put together than you usually did - the usual look being graphic tees and ripped jeans for the both of you. You often wore Killers clothes anyway, so baggy was also your usual look. 

“Shall we get going?” You nodded at his question, jumping down as he opened the door for you. He helped you in before rounding to the drivers side. 

Killer’s truck was one that could be either a manual or an automatic. He preferred driving manual because he liked having the extra control over his truck, but when you rode with him, he would drive automatic. Solely for the reason being that he could rest his hand against your thigh as he drove. When it was in manual, he had to keep it on the stick shift so he could switch gears and such. When it was in automatic, he didn’t have to do all the extra shifting, so his hand was free to rest where it belonged - on you in some way.

You were basically bouncing in your chair. Sure, you've been on plenty of dates before. Of course you have, being together as long as you have, but you always enjoyed it as if it were a new experience every time. You just enjoyed spending time with him. He was your favorite person, after all.

You didn’t catch it because you were too distracted, but he watched you with amusement and love from the corner of his eye.

It didn't take long to arrive at the smoothie place. The town you had resided in was small. The college is the only reason there was ever traffic in this tiny place. During the summers, it was dead. Not that you really cared, you had your friend group, even if they did grow sparse over the summers. You still had the same four people to hang out with that you always did.

Killer parked, leaning over to kiss your cheek before hopping out to open the door for you. He helped you climb out. He knew you could do it on your own, but he just liked helping. It was also just another excuse to be close to you - to touch you. He was just as infatuated with you as you were with him. 

You headed into the building, a skip in your step as you walked. Killer’s arm wrapped around your waist as you headed inside. You looked around, admiring the new little joint - it was cute. It was busier than you thought it would be considering it was still new, but maybe that's also why it was popping. 

There were so many choices that you didn't know what to decide on. “These are some fancy smoothies,” your boyfriend said. You nodded, looking at the advertisement photos and other peoples tables. They seemed to be garnished with actual fruits or vegetables. “It's kind of really cool.”

The two of you ordered, waiting at the end of the counter for your drinks. 

“What movie are you gonna wanna see?”

You thought for a moment. “Either some B rated horror movie or a romcom.” You just wanted to see something light hearted. Besides, the two of you were sometimes terrible at actually watching the movie. It was as if the moment the lights went down - the two of you were immediately on each other. It’s also why you both always picked seats in the back and away from people. You knew your terrible habits.

It wasn’t long before your smoothies were done, heading to a table towards the back and sitting down. “This is the coolest smoothie I've ever seen.”  Naturally, you pulled out your phone, taking an aerial photo to send to your friends before taking the standard ‘date night!’ photo of the two of you before putting your phone away. 

Typically, you refrained from being on your phone while on dates. You would take one of two photos, but the rest of the time your attention was solely on the love of your life. It wasn’t a challenge either, you preferred it that way. You just took pictures for the memories and to look back on. Killer wasn’t really that much of a social media or phone person, so his was hardly out.

Most of the time, you were surprised if he even had it on him. You asked him once why that was and he just responded with ‘my whole world is right here, why do I need a phone?’ and it almost made you immediately cry.

You looked at Killer, staring at him expectantly. He blinked. “What?” You narrowed your eyes. “You know what.”

It dawned on him and he chuckled, shaking his head. “Not yet.” 

You inwardly groaned. Just how long was he gonna make you wait? He already made you wait three days, hasn’t it been torture enough?

“I want us to enjoy ourselves first.”

You paused from sipping your treat. “That…makes it sound like it’s not good news.”

Killer snorted, shaking his head. “It's definitely good news, but it's also big news.”

You narrowed your eyes. Maybe Hop was right. Maybe it was a proposal. He certainly wouldn't do it in the middle of a place like this with all these people. He knew you hated having eyes on you, so it would make sense if he wanted to wait to tell you. Though, you feel like if he was going to propose, he wouldn’t have called it “news.” “Surprise” would’ve made more sense.

Gah! What was it!?

“You're killing me here,” you grumbled, folding your arms and sitting back in your chair, going full pout mode. Your boyfriend watched you with an amused look on his face. 

“C’mon, don't be like that,” he mused, taking your chair and pulling you closer to him. You gasped at the sudden movement but tried to keep up your little pouting act by slightly turning from him. His lips found their way to your cheek, his arm around your shoulder as he pulled you in. “Baaaabe,” he crooned in his deep voice, kissing your cheek again. 

“I promise it'll be worth it.” Just as you were his weakness and couldn’t say no to you (most of the time), he was also your weakness. You struggled staying mad at him even if you were just being dramatic. He poked at your side and you tried to ignore him, but failed miserably as he kept doing it. You fell into a fit of giggles, turning towards him to catch his hands. “Okay! Okay. I'll be patient. I've waited this long. What's a couple more hours?”

“That's m'eudail,” he mused, kissing you. You smiled, leaning into him. You pulled away, honestly glad the two of you had picked a corner to sit in. That didn't stop stares from coming your way anyway, but you couldn't care less. 

“I love you,” he said once you pulled away, making you grin even more. “I love you too.” You kissed him once more before turning back to your smoothie.

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