#but this gives me hope I'll find one in my next class lol

[goodplace-janet]

scored a left handed desk in class this morning!!

[thenyoumightaswellwrestleangels]

Is there hope in us, still? (is there something worth believing in?)

let me wrap my teeth around the world - series masterlist here

pairing: poly marauders x reader (gender neutral)

length: 1.4k

genre: fluff, kinda angsty

warnings: slytherin reader, the good good post summer break mental illness, everybody's having some issues here, there will be a pt.2 next week to give it a happy happy ending but this isn't so bad, it has a hopeful ending on its own

a/n: wowie another one lol hope y'all enjoy <3

Sirius is hollow when he gets back from summer break - quiet and petulant in a way that doesn't suit him anymore, snapping at his peers and pulling away from people's touch. You can't blame him. Especially not when you're feeling the same. You're not quite as showy about it as he is, that constant, underlying desperation to keep it all hidden burning under your skin. Sirius's suffering is loud - loud enough that you always hope it will drown out yours. It never really does, as far as the other two are concerned. 

He shoves towards the door when class ends, likely stalking back to his dorm to hole up for the rest of the evening. James sighs, a hand on Remus' shoulder comfortingly as the boy stares at the doorway where Sirius just was, his brow furrowed in that worried way that he's mastered. 

"We're going to do some studying together in the common room later… see if maybe Pads feels like joining. You're always welcome to come along with us…?" James asks in that gentle way of his, patiently hopeful. You busy yourself with gathering up your books, knowing that if you look at him, you'll crumble. There is love in the way he looks at you, despite everything. You're sure that, if you take notice of it, it would be enough to condemn you these days.

"I'm going to do some work alone tonight," you say shortly, brushing past the two of them. Remus catches your arm as you try to leave, fingers wrapping around your wrist ever so gently. But when you pause, he lets go of you abruptly, like there's something wrong with his touch against yours. This is the beginning, you think. This is where I start to lose you. 

"If you change your mind…" he begins softly. You nod stiffly.

"I'll let you know." James and Remus watch as you leave swiftly, Remus rubbing the palm of his hand against his thigh, as if trying to take back the contact he'd already made with your wrist. This is where it starts, he thinks. This is where you begin to realize that I'm better when I'm left behind.

Remus has to stop himself from startling later that night when he's woken up by a cold hand shaking his shoulder. You hadn't come to study with them that evening, which wasn't surprising, but it hurt something in Remus. James, especially, had deflated, his eyes dull and his hands fidgety while he tried desperately to finish his essay, his thoughts wandering to Sirius and the dark circles under his eyes, the paleness of his skin - and then to you, to the stubborn set of your jaw and the hard look in your eyes. Looking down at his own hands, he wonders what worth they have if he can't even save the people he loves.

Needless to say, the last thing Remus was expecting was to have you in his dorm in the middle of the night, one of Sirius's sweaters shoved hastily over your pajamas as you shook him awake. You place a finger over his lips when he wakes abruptly, climbing up next to him without so much as a word as he fumbles to find his wand on his nightstand, casting a silencing spell over the four-poster bed.

"What's going on, dove?" he asks, his hands itching to hold your face, to smooth his thumbs over the skin of your cheeks and soothe you in some way. But he resists - you're here, in his bed, looking at him like you need him, and the last thing he wants is to overwhelm you and have you scared away. The last thing he can bear to do is put his hands on you, his scars glinting against unblemished skin -  something ruined touching something holy.

"I just… couldn't sleep. I'm not - I haven't been sleeping well these days," you respond, and Remus is sure that if he could see you clearly, if he weren't squinting at you through the dark, you'd be shying away, face tilted away from his eyes, away from any kind of vulnerability.

"Well," he says carefully, reaching out to put a hand on your knee. You don't pull away, to his relief. In fact, you relax a bit into it, letting your posture slouch. "Stay here then, yea?" Much to Remus's delight, that's all it really takes for you to move forward, pulling the blankets back to settle underneath them. He joins you, of course, settling in next to you and letting you decide how much - or how little space to leave between your bodies.

When you reach your hand over, cupping his cheek in your palm and smoothing your thumb over the skin there, he feels a part of him melt in the relief of it, a part of him that didn't realize quite how much he'd missed your touch - your love. He cups his hand over yours, tilting his head to press a series of kisses across your palm. When you continue to let him, sagging further into the pillows, he keeps going, trailing kisses up and down each finger and finishing with your thumb. 

It's then that you pull him closer, tilting your own face up to place your own gentle kiss to his lips before thumping your head against his chest. He lets you, of course, keeping his hand tangled up with yours while the other wraps around you. Before you can sleep, though, he leans close to whisper near your ear.

"James has been wondering where the invisibility cloak disappeared to. I'm sure he'll be pleased to know you're the one who ran off with it." You can't help but smile at his words, your face still pressed against his chest.

"You have so little faith in me, Rem. Not everyone needs the cloak to sneak around in this castle."

"But you did steal it, didn't you?'

"…I'll give it back to him later." Remus huffs out a quiet laugh at your confession, pulling you closer and pressing a kiss to the crown of your head.

"You know he doesn't mind," he soothes. You squeeze his hand in thanks where your fingers are still interlocked.

"Goodnight, Rem… and thank you for this."

"No need to thank me, love. I don't mind at all."

Something clatters to the floor on the other side of the locked bathroom floor and Remus frowns, staring at it like he can burn a hole big enough to see Sirius on the other side - to make sure he's ok. James drapes himself over Remus's back where they're sitting on James's bed together, his arms wrapping tightly around his waist. Remus lets him, leaning back against him and feeling James sigh at the weight of it, a bit of tension draining from him.

"Were they really here last night? They really came and spoke with you?" James says, his face buried in Remus's neck, a desperate sort of lilt to his voice. Tell me there is hope, he thinks. Tell me I can fix this, still.

"You saw the note they left, love," Remus lets his eyes settle on his nightstand where you'd left the invisibility cloak, a note folded on top with a simple thank you written in it, a heart scrawled next to it that he recognized as yours. The whole thing almost made up for the fact that, by the time Remus had woken up, you'd already been gone.

"Do you think… things will be better now? At least a bit? Were things better last night?" James asks, his arms tightening around Remus's waist. Remus, in an act of reassurance, wraps his fingers around one of James's hands and squeezes gently as Sirius stalks out of the bathroom, slamming the door behind him and stomping away.

"I do think things are getting better. It's… slower than you and I would like, I know. But all we can is love them - and that, my dear Prongs, I know you can do." James grumbles something unintelligible at the compliment, his face still hidden from view. Remus is sure that, if he could see it, he'd be greeted by the flushed red of James's cheeks. He settles for bringing one of his hands up to press kisses across it, instead, content to bring a bit of hope back to the person he loves - to do something good with this body of his. 

There is hope, he thinks, in this love they all share. There is something here to fight for, still.

[cat-loves-music]

Hi Cat! I was wondering if I could request Mattheo Riddle x fem reader who gets migraines? And it would be her skipping class over getting a really bad one which is unusual and so he goes to check on her and he cuddles her, gives her head massages (and she has curly hair or it’s just not described as like easy to comb through so more of a scalp massage ig lol) and whatever else you want to add. Also they call each other like mi amor and cute stuff like that. If you don’t want to write this it’s totally fine! I love your work and hope you have a great day or night <3

Migraines

Omg hi! So sorry this took so long. Finding motivation is a pain in the ass. 😅

I also am not really familiar with migraines, so I hope I do this justice. Anyways I hope you like it!

Warnings: migraines, fluff, House not specified, fem!reader, not proofread!, somewhat shitty writing, and if there are more plz let me know!

The sound of a switch and the sudden blinding light of my dorm room awakes me from my peaceful slumber.

"Come on, Y/n! You need to get up, you'll be late," my dormmate says before leaving.

I groan as I sit up in bed, my head throbbing with pain and the contents of my stomach swish around uncomfortably inside the organ. The lights reflecting off of the vibrant colors of the dorm room make my head spin so I begrudgingly stand up to turn the light back off.

"Not today," I whisper to myself as I chase my relief in the comfort of my own bed.

♡♡♡

Mattheo's POV

"Hey Malfoy, have you seen Y/n today?" I asked him as we sat down in the Great Hall for lunch.

"Nah, mate. I would have thought you would have since you're the one dating her," he answers, shrugging.

I sigh as more of my friends come to the table.

"Have any of you guys seen Y/n by any chance?" I asked them.

"I didn't see her in class," Enzo replied, "she's almost never even late much less not show up."

"Yeah she wasn't in Defense or Charms," Pansy said, worry lacing her voice.

I get up from the table, my heart feeling like it's being squeezed. Something is wrong, I know it.

"I'll see you all later, I'm gonna go find her," I stated.

We bid our goodbyes before I head to her dorm. I arrive there and I knock on the door.

"Go away!" I hear her groan.

Twisting open the door knob, the lights are completely off and the curtains are drawn closed. Darkness envelopes the room, but I can still see Y/n's form buried underneath the covers.

"Mi amor," I whisper, "what's wrong?"

"I have a migraine," she speaks, her words slightly slurred.

I frown, "It must be a bad one because you never miss class, my love."

"Please stop yelling," she whines, "it hurts."

I walk over to beside her bed, take my shoes off and climb in next to her. Snaking my arms around her, I hold her close and she snuggles into my chest.

"Can I get a head massage please?" She requests, looking up at me with her tear stained cheeks.

"Of course, princess," I said, my heart squeezing once more.

I hate that she's in pain, sometimes I wish I could take it away from her so she'll never have to feel it again. I'd bear the burden so she doesn't have to, but unfortunately I can't so the next best thing would be helping her with a massage. My hands find their way to her head as I work my fingers into her temples and scalp. Y/n sighs in contentment as I do so.

"Thank you, love," she says, "that feels so much better."

I provide a kiss to the top of her head, "I'm glad."

For the rest of the day, we stay in bed with our bodies entwined in each other's arms.

Hi! I hope you liked it, but it’s been a hot minute since I've written an imagine so I'm sorry if it sucks. I tried my best to make it decent since I don't personally get migraines, but if you want me to add something, let me know!

@ravenclawprincess33

[mammonsrockstargf]

Hey, i was wondering if you took angsty fluff requests. If so, i was wondering if you could do obey me lucifer with a teen reader who got diagnosed with degenerative arthritis in the back. I recently got diagnosed with it and wanted to request something while im stuck in bed for the next couple days lol. Its oke if you cant tho.

Hi, love, hope you're doing alright <3 Here's some soft Lucy for you.  Obviously, I do not know what it's like for you but I did some research and I hope you like it! :D

It's evening when you knock on Lucifer's door. "Come in," he says and you gingerly do, looking at him from the door. 

"My back hurts and I can't sleep," you say and Lucifer beckons you closer. "I have some painkillers somewhere around here," he says, shuffling around in his desk drawer. "Why do you have painkillers?" you mumble, sitting down at the edge of his desk. "For you, of course," he says as you get comfortable, your feet no longer touching the ground. He says a small "aha" as he finds what he's looking for and hands you the painkillers. Before you can even ask, he hands you a water bottle and watches as you swallow the pills. "Better?" he asks and you nod. "Yeah, thanks," you say while fiddling with your hands in your lap.

"What's wrong?" he asks and you sigh. "Nothing," you say and Lucifer frowns. You look up and purse your lips, crossing your arms. "Fineeee," you say. "I'm just scared I'll be like this forever," you say. "What if I never get better?" you murmur. Lucifer takes your hand in his own and gives it a soft squeeze. 

"You're going through something very tough right now," he says softly. "It will not be easy, but you will get through it all right? You are not alone in this. Lean on me, lean on my brothers," he says and you sniffle. He stands up from his chair and pulls you into a hug, pressing a soft kiss into your hair. "We'll take it one day at a time, yeah?" 

—

You stop when you drop your pen, looking down at it. "You gonna pick that up?" Lucifer asks standing next to you, looking at the pen as well. You nod slowly, unable to tear your eyes from the pen. "Yeah, I'll pick it up right in a second or two," you say, but you wince when you feel a sharp sting in your back. "Or maybe I'll just leave it there, who needs a pen anyways," you say and laugh bitterly. Lucifer scoffs and picks up the pen for you, handing it to you. "Don't be silly, you can't just leave a perfectly good pen behind," he jokes and you give him a pointed look, taking the pen. "Thanks," you say and he smiles at you, before heading out of the room. 

The next time you open your pencil case in class, there are at least twenty pencils in there, that you're certain come from Lucifer. You're definitely not running out of pens at this rate. 

—

You whine when your blanket is pulled at and cling to it like a cat. "Leave me alone!" you say and Lucifer grumbles, letting go of your precious blanket. He says your name in a sharp tone and you open your eyes, glaring at him. 

"You have school,"

"I. don't. care." 

You have a staring contest for a while, which you essentially lose because demons barely blink. 

"Why won't you go?" Lucifer finally asks but his tone is stern and mean. You frown at him some more, for good measure. "Everything hurts, I hate it here," you say and turn to your side, before immediately making a noise of pain and turning back. "If I could I would turn my back to you, but this is the only comfortable position for me to lay in," you say and the corners of Lucifer's lips turn slightly upwards. 

"What can I do for you?" he asks and you roll your eyes. "Well, for starters you can let me skip school," you say. 

"Okay," 

"And some painkillers would be nice,"

"Got it,"

"Also a heating pad," 

"I can get that for you,"

"..."

You look at Lucifer. He looks back. 

"And some chocolate," 

"Deal."

—

"Everything hurts, Lucy, I can't walk," you complain, stopping in the middle of the street and crossing your arms. Lucifer stops and his eyes narrow at you. "You were walking perfectly fine a few minutes ago," he states and you roll your eyes. "Yes and now I'm telling you, my joints hurt," you say and a deep sigh leaves Lucifer. He pinches the bridge of his nose and closes his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again. 

"All right," he says. "I guess it can't be helped." 

Lucifer kneels in front of you, with his back turned towards you. You stare at the back of his head for a while, before he turns to look at you over his shoulder, his hands motioning for you to come near. 

"Don't make me wait, get on," he says and your mouth opens then closes again. You're completely speechless. The avatar of pride is literally kneeling in front of you. "O-okay, yeah, whatever," you eventually say, getting on Lucifer's back. You wrap your arms around his neck and his hands hook under your knees, keeping you in place. "There we go," he says and stands up, beginning to walk down the path to The House of Lamentation. 

You walk in silence for a while, (or well, Lucifer walks) as you rest your head on his shoulder. "Thank you," you murmur and you catch the corner of Lucifer's lips turning slightly upwards. "Gotta keep my little human comfortable, right?" 

[nkplanet]

WON’T LET YOU DOWN (AGAIN) : nmr smau

<- prev : walk away : next ->

back to mlist wc: 500-600

it seemed like riki was appearing everywhere after you’d blocked him. all of a sudden he was in your english class, he was bumping into you in the hallways, he caught the same bus home as you. you couldn't escape him. so instead, you began going places with your friends. every time riki tried to talk to you, he was shut down or glared at by one of your friends. your personal favourite was yunjin's way of deterring him, which involved a series of rude gestures and a "fuck off."

riki, on the other hand, was trying tirelessly to find a way to talk to you. aside from the fact that he'd been seeking you out in the school corridors, he now realised that you were in his english class and caught the same bus as him. it was like his eyes now searched for you wherever he went, seeking you out in the hopes of explaining himself and apologising. he truly never meant to hurt you. he just didn't have much choice in whether he moved or not, and didn't have the courage to tell you or break up with you.

he spotted you by yourself a week after yunjin's last attack, standing by your locker. you were clearly waiting for someone.

he wandered over, leaving a decent distance between the two of you in case he made you uncomfortable. "y/n," he said, clearing his throat, "please." "fuck off, riki," you replied, not even sparing him a glance.

ouch. as much as he deserved that, it still hurt.

"please, you don't have to talk. you don't even have to look at me. just listen." you turned your head, glaring at him but not saying anything, so he continued. "i want to apololgise. i know what i did was awful, and i probably hurt you really badly, but i had to move. it was because of my grandma, and i couldn't stay here." you sighed, turning fully to face him. "i don't understand why you couldn't just tell me that two years ago. you broke my heart," you said. "i know. i'm really sorry," he replied sheepishly, looking down. "listen, i remember how much your grandma meant to you. i'm still really hurt, and despite how much i want to, i don't think i'll ever be able to fully forgive you. but i get why you had to move," you told him, reaching into your locker for a textbook.

riki sighed as a weight lifted off his shoulders. "thank you."

“that doesn’t mean i accept your apology. you still suck, just slightly less now.”

“i know. you don’t have to accept it, i just wanted you to know. i’ve wanted you to know for two years but i didn’t have the balls to contact you.”

you sighed, looking him in the eyes, “if you’d even do much as shot me a text it would have been better than ghosting me. it really hurt, you know?”

he looked back at you, saying a heartfelt, “i’m sorry.”

"i guess i have to unblock you now, huh?" you said, giving him a small smile. he laughed in return as a crowd of students headed your way.

yunjin emerged from the crowd, looking scarier than ever. "hey, nishimura," she said, pointing at him, "what did i tell you? walk away."

riki walked away from you, feeling the best he'd felt since seeing you again for the first time. you might not be friends again, but at least you knew why he'd left, and he'd take what he could get.

NOTE : remember that backbone that y/n had in the last chapter lol

TAGLIST : CLOSED : @yvjw @k1ttylvr @soobs-things @daniels-hlini @asteria-wood @eneiyri @sel1uv @tzuyusluv @natalunae @eleanorheartschishiya @candyhere @ttylxox2

crossed out users can’t be tagged

[baby-alien11]

Y/N Ulrich and Jack Champion instagram interactions pt.2

taglist: @volturi-girl-imagines @dessxoxsworld @aonungsgirlfriend @ethanlandryluver @wenvierismycomfort @aliciacat20 @gabbylovesreading @nikfigueiredo

yn.ulrich, romeosanga, devyn_nekoda, and 231,195 more

jackchampion beach trip

tagged yn.ulrich

yn.ulrich it took us almost an hour to dig that hole in the shape of a heart, but we did it

› romeosanga it was fun to watch how both of you struggle to achieve it

› jackchampion and why you didn't help us?!

› romeosanga because I was having fun watching the scene

user1043 i love them so much

misstrinitybliss can I go with you the next time?

› yn.ulrich anytime you want my sweet child

jackchampion, julrich21, melton, _xochitl.gomez and 102, 374 more

yn.ulrich he got a sunburnt and a smiley face

tagged jackchampion

jackchampion I'll go through thousand of sunburnts just to keep your sunscreen smiles on me

› yn.ulrich you're killing me of love

masonthegooding that is the ugliest smiley face I've ever seen

› yn.ulrich shut up and enjoy Paris or the anime expo

› yn.ulrich or I'll go with Amenah and tell her you are bullying us

user154 mom and dad are so cute

yn.ulrich, tylergillett, camimendes, and 128, 025 more

jackchampion i'm sorry, i found this on the internet and i had to share it

yn.ulrich HAHAHAHAHAHA 💀

yn.ulrich i'm going to print this and hung it in the living room

user158 jack sharing memes of his girlfriend's dad is giving me life

romeo YOU DID NOT 💀💀

user0704 skeet is not going to be too happy about this

naiia this is pure gold

jackchampion, julrich21, bucuaron and 100, 925 more

yn.ulrich i found another jackchampion

jackchampion THIS IS EVEN BETTER 💀💀💀

user819 are they having a meme war?

› user735 if they do, it's fun for everyone

melissabarreram lol

skeetulrich tornado, where did you find this? 😂

› yn.ulrich on the deep ends of the internet, dear father

yn.ulrich, masonthegooding, julrich21 and 107, 491 more

jackchampion Tatum, I love you, but can you please stop biting my laptop and keep sleeping with Butters

yn.ulrich look at my baby, there's nothing behind those eyes

› jackchampion just pure chaos

user838 jack in his malewife era taking care of the cats

baileybass she's absolutely cute, but a menance to society

› user920 the perfect way to describe an orange cat

jackchampion, _hayleyamber, tylergillett, and 113, 960 more

yn.ulrich I had the honnor to have a private class from the awesome Tristan Lucas who worked on one of my favorite movies this year which is Evil Dead Rise, so when dad told me he organized me a class with him I was literaly jumping in excitement

Thank you for teaching me techniques on doing VFX make up and advices on how to work on this part of the industry, and telling me stories about all the projects you've worked on, it was an honor meeting you and learning from you

tagged moments_in_oblivion

jackchampion MY GIRL IS SO TALENTED

› yn.ulrich YOU'RE MAKING ME BLUSH

jackchampion SHE'S LIKE BARBIE, CAN DO ANYTHING

moments_in_oblivion it was a pleasure to teach you, Y/N, you have a great future ahead of you and I hope we can work togheter in the future

user395 this is disgusting and fascinating at the same time

sarah_woods bestie, can you do something like that on me so I can hava an excuse to miss classes

› yn.ulrich just tell me when bestie

jasminsavoy slay little one

yn.ulrich, jackchampion, naiia and 6, 301 more

julrich21 things are bussy at the house, so they sent us to get lunch

tagged jackchampion

skeetulrich boys, that food better be complete by the time both of you arrive

› jackchampion *slowly stops eating fries*

› julrich21 *does the same*

user092 what is going on??

user187 i love how they included Jack and his mom into their family

jackchampion, laurenvalera, jennaortega and 110, 351 more

yn.ulrich here comes a story time: since everyone knows, I spend part of my summers in the Riverdale set, often spending time in the girls trailers and the make up and hair stations, so when the Southside Serpents started to have more weight in the trama and with all the fake snake tattoos involved, I got obsessed and asked dad if I could get one real done, his answer was: when you're older and if you're still sure of getting it, you can

So now I'm nineteen, and still wanting it, so I got it done

thanks to _dr_woo_ who brought this tattoo to life and put up with my cries when the needle made contact with my skin

tagged _dr_woo_

jackchampion that is the most beautiful tattoo I've ever seen

› yn.ulrich I love you everyday, but today more for holding my other hand during the whole process

_dr_woo_ thank you for choosing me to do your first tattoo

willashaw that is the coolest tattoo

› yn.ulrich dude, it looks better on person

drewraytanner from honnorary serpent to oficial serpent

user1272 please tell me her next tattoo will be a little spider or something related to scream

› yn.ulrich 👀

[fbfh]

curiosity is a wonderful thing - ch. 3

wc: 3.1k

pairing: slow burn childhood best friends to lovers ben x reader, audrey x reader

warnings: ben is stressed, audrey is a bad gf, mild claustrophobia/dark spaces/being under ground warning (description of falling down the rabbithole into twonderland but it's fun and you love it so it's not scary lol), mild exposition dumping

summary: ben prepares for the arrival of the Isle kids, and gives audrey the benefit of the doubt a little too much. you have time to sneak away to your favorite place in the world, and the only thing that's missing is ben.

song recs: in a world of my own - kathryn beaumont, welcome to wonderland - scarlett rose, wish you still felt this way - sophie meiers x 90sflav

a/n: i love this fic. i love this series. this started as a comfort daydream and now it's a thing and I hope yall are ready for the next chapter cause it's gonna be good. I hope this brings yall the comfort it brings me <33

tags @yesv01 @magcon7280 @hopefullhearts @thatawkwardlittlefangirl  @sunshineangel-reads @strawberry-cake1 @dustyinkpages @kiara7777

After about a week of constant meetings, arrangements, and press conferences, a week of even less sleep and even more coffee than usual - something Ben didn’t know was possible to achieve - it’s finally the day he’s been working tirelessly toward. It’s the day the kids from the Isle are finally on their way to Auradon. He rushes back to Auradon Prep with you at his side after a very stressful, successful press conference. Even though he seems totally composed on the surface, you can tell he’s a bundle of nerves. You walk quickly beside him as he goes over the agenda for their arrival. 

“Their rooms are all set up, Fairy Godmother said Jane can help them get settled into their classes - god, what am I forgetting?” Ben rambles, fumbling through all the papers in his bag. His eyes land on his copy of his press conference note cards, and that jogs his memory. 

“Right,” He continues as you look up at him, and he knows he has all your attention. “I don’t think I’m going to have time to write a new speech for their arrival…”

He pauses for a moment, seeing if there’s some little pocket of time he can find to make this date extra special for them. 

“Ben, you’re more jam packed than a tea cake. You can’t overwork yourself and run into the ground, not when you’re this close.”

Ben considers for a moment, realizing you're right. 

"You have a point…" he agrees with a reluctant chuckle. "I'll use the same speech I used for the press conference." He decides. You’re silent for a moment.

“...Alright.” 

“What?” Ben asks, able to read your expression like a book. 

“Nothing, just-” You hesitate, then give him an earnest look, like you don’t want to hurt his feelings. He chuckles and braces himself, knowing whatever you’re about to say will be a necessary - albeit, hard - truth. 

“You don’t think it’s a bit much?” You ask gently. “Too formal, given the circumstances?” 

He considers for a moment. He thought it did great at the press conference, but maybe there are a few parts he can revise for the arrival of the Isle kids. 

“Uh… yeah. I- I can cast eyes over it, we still have a little over an hour. That should be enough to make any tweaks.” He finishes. 

You nod as you follow him into the conference room that he’s turned into a makeshift headquarters for all of his first proclamation business. He sets down his bag and pulls out all his paperwork and his planner. He hears you set your stuff down a few seats away from him and looks up. You’ve been working so hard and helping him out so much with all of this. He couldn’t possibly have accomplished a fraction as much without you. He walks over to you, gathering up your stuff. 

“Look bunny, why don’t you, uh,” he starts, leaning over slightly to make sure no one’s about to walk through the doorway. “Why don’t you head down for a while. You have enough time if you go now.”

Your eyes light up at his words. You’ve been keeping your Wonderland visits to a minimum to help Ben and support him as much as you can, and it hasn’t gone unnoticed.

“Really?” You ask softly. 

“Yeah, I’ll cover for you.” Ben lets out a soft grunt as you tackle him with a hug. He chuckles lightly, giving your back and shoulders a gentle pat before you pull away a moment later. 

“I’ll run my speech by you when you get back-” He begins, then cuts himself off, remembering something. “We got your watch fixed, right?”

You’re glad he remembered, and you fish around in your tea pot bag for a moment before pulling out the weathered bronzy pocket watch. Time works differently in Wonderland, and it’s hard to keep track of. You've tried everything you can think of, and your pocket watch is the only thing that seems to keep you from constantly being late. Granted, you're still late or nearly late a lot, but it’s much better than it used to be. 

“Yes,” you nod, showing him the little ticking hands, currently resting at the words ‘on time’. A fresh bubble of excitement pops inside you and you let out an excited giggle, hugging Ben tightly one more time. 

“Thank you!” you exclaim in a soft whisper before he sends you off. You run over to the corner of the room to summon a rabbit hole. Ben watches in fascination as the tile floor begins to crumble in front of you, giving way to grassy dirt before continuing to crumble, going down, down, down. It’s a large, vaguely irregular circle about half as wide as your wingspan. You look back at Ben with another silent thank you, before jumping straight down into the hole. As soon as the last of you is out of sight, the tiles rebuild themselves without leaving a trace of you. Ben stares at the spot where you disappeared, feeling vaguely melancholic, but mostly happy that you’re getting to spend time doing what you love. That you’re happy. 

“There you are, Bennyboo,” Ben whips his head around at the sound of Audrey’s voice, and he’s relieved she hadn’t shown up sooner. It’s not that sneaking off to Wonderland is a bad thing, but most people tend to discourage you from visiting too often. Wonderland is a timeless domain, like Neverland, and it and all of its inhabitants are much different from those from Auradon - usually referred to as Overland or the Main Land by people from Wonderland and Neverland. 

Wonderland runs on pure, neutral chaos and nonsense, which is a very hard concept for people from Overland to grasp. Overland runs on a fundamental structure of good vs. evil, so it’s easy for people to perceive things from Wonderland as good or bad  when they’re really just made up of madness. The reason people try to keep Wonderland contained is because you can’t fight nonsense with sense, you can’t fight chaos with logic. If something powerful from Wonderland got into Overland, like the Jabberwocky, or any number of powerful plants, animals, or magic, Auradon would be practically defenseless. That’s one of the reasons that Belle and Adam decided to reach out to your mother, and continue to form such a strong bond with her. If Wonderland nonsense managed to get out into Auradon, it would be uncontrollable chaos, and the only person who could stop it would be your mother - and now, you. 

It took Ben a while to understand Wonderland, to understand you. You and your mother are very special cases; Alice was from Overland, but adapted to be part of Wonderland, and Wonderland became a part of her. You, however, were born in Wonderland and raised in Overland. You’ve adapted as well as you can, but you always do much, much better when you can sneak away for regular little trips. Ben has asked to join you before, but it’s too dangerous. People from Overland rarely adapt to Wonderland nonsense and usually end up going mad, which is why your mother is such an asset to the Auradon government - she’s actually able to serve as a liaison between Wonderland and Auradon, and keep an eye on things.  

Unfortunately, there are still a lot of stigmas surrounding Wonderlandians, stigmas Ben has grown to resent more and more over the years, but most of it boils down to Wonderlandians being weird, crazy, dumb, and volatile. The more Ben has come to understand you, the more he hates the small comments and little stares directed toward you. Luckily Ben has been able to protect you from a lot of it. People very quickly found out that if they said anything bad about you or Wonderland, it wouldn’t end well for them. He can’t get rid of the stigmas, but he can protect you from them as much as possible. 

Audrey flounces over, sitting next to him.

"You are never going to believe what Arabella just told me at cheer practice."

“Uh-”

“She said-”

“Um, Audrey.” Ben finally manages to interrupt. She looks confused about why she’s not the one talking right now. 

“I want to hear all about this, I really do,” Ben says, “but we’re going to be greeting the kids transferring from the Isle soon-” Audrey huffs, already disinterested.

“And I wanted your feedback on my speech.” He finishes, handing her the papers. 

“Oh, sure. There’s that…” Audrey says, pretending to read it over for a moment. Before she finishes, she sets the papers down on the table, and gives Ben a chipper look.

“I’m sure it’s fine, Bennyboo. You never disappoint.”

She sits on the table in front of him, continuing to tell him all about what Arabella said Herkie did. Ben tries his best to listen, he really does. He just can’t keep his mind off his speech, and he can feel himself beginning to spiral and overthink. He has so much riding on this, he can’t afford for his speech to be fine, he can’t afford for anything about this whole ordeal to be fine. Her words keep echoing in his mind, you never disappoint, Bennyboo. He knows she meant it to be supportive, but he feels like all the pressure he’s been convincing himself he can handle is just reinforced. He was hoping to get some real feedback from Audrey, maybe a little encouragement, but- 

He stops himself before the thought can go any further. Audrey is his girlfriend, and Ben should be able to trust her word. You would never lie to him about something this important, so he chooses to trust that Audrey wouldn’t either. He tries to shut up the worries clouding his mind and tries to pay attention to what Audrey is saying. She’s probably just trying to distract him from worrying, give him something else to think about for a while. You can always tell when he’s overthinking, so Audrey is probably trying to show him that she cares, that there’s nothing to worry about. That if she’s talking about something like cheer team gossip at a time like this, when Ben is getting ready for one of the most important days of his life, then everything must be under control. Besides, if he needs to he can look his speech over by himself after Audrey leaves. He might have time to. It will all be fine. 

The moment you let yourself fall into the dark rabbit hole, your stomach flips as you begin free falling through the darkness. A little dirt sprinkles down on your head from where it closes up above you, and you narrowly manage to avoid some roots snagging in your hair. After a few moments, your descent slows. You spin slowly as you glide down, and in the pitch black darkness, you can feel your internal gyroscope going crazy. You breathe in the heavy, earthy air, and for a few moments, you don't know which way is up or down. You have absolutely no sense of direction for those few beautiful moments, and you don't want to. Soon, your descent speeds up again, and you find yourself tumbling through tree branches, eventually landing on a rough surface in the dark. 

“It should be here somewhere…” you mutter, feeling around for a doorknob. After a moment you feel it, cool aged metal in your hand. You twist it, revealing a beam of light through a doorway. It’s going to be a close call, but you think you’ll just be able to fit. You manage to squeeze through the entrance, exiting out of the door - which is situated in a large tree trunk, and into Wonderland. You crawl forward, taking it all in. You take in a deep breath of the still, earthy, floral air. It’s heavy in your lungs, like a deep dream. You fully exit, and the door slowly closes behind you.

The world is quiet. 

There’s an almost suffocating stillness in the atmosphere of Wonderland, one that would be uncanny and unnerving to you if it weren’t already so deeply comforting. It’s the same grounding sense of peace and stillness you get when you’re young and walk carefully through your dark house at night in search of a cold glass of water. There’s that feeling in Wonderland, everyone is asleep except for me. I ought to be asleep too, I best not wake them. The world around you is still, still, still. It’s as still as a stone, or a lake made of glass. You soak up the familiar surroundings, and you feel like you’re finally visiting an old friend. 

In spite of the pitch black sky, which is barely visible through the treetops, you can see what’s around you just fine. But if you look too far, there’s a darkness off the beaten path, one that stays just at the edges of your sight no matter where you go. It always looks to you like those hazy dark shadows around the edges of old photographs. You look down at the beaten path - this one being made of black and white irregularly shaped checkerboard tiles nestled right into the dirt. They twist and turn, splitting out and reconverging haphazardly into the darkness. They’re a bit worn and dirty, but you suppose any outdoor tiles would get that way eventually. 

You follow it back the way you came, spinning around as you do, and notice the way it splinters into little shards, cracking and fragmenting into a mosaic of sorts before petering out at the base of the tree, with grass and dirt poking up in between. You feel yourself begin to settle, at home with the lack of time flowing around you, and you take in another breath. Your nose and lungs are kissed gently with the smell of damp, freshly turned earth, plant life, and that unmoving sort of smell that shows up after it rains, but still before any birds and animals come out from their hiding. The type of smell when flowers are wet, and have not yet opened themselves back up. 

Reaching into your trusty teapot bag, you fish around in there until you find your camera. It’s old, very old, and completely obsolete ever since the boom of technology that appeared around the time you and Ben were born, but you love it nonetheless. A year or two before you and Ben - and most of the other kids your age - were born, Auradon successfully made an alliance with Atlantis. They traded their protection of Atlantis and a promise to leave them alone, in exchange for a little bit of their technology and power sources. Adam also promised to make sure Rourke never saw the light of day again, a promise Queen Kida was happy to accept. The trade led to light speed innovations based in Atlantean tech; smart phones, computers, video games, and countless other innovations that brought Auradon into its new age. Flash forward to now, Atlantis is the tech capital of the world, and magic is obsolete. Your camera can’t give directions or tell time or backup to cloud storage, and you wouldn’t have it any other way. 

You snap some pictures of the tiles before you begin exploring. You never know what entrance to Wonderland you’ll fall through, and you love documenting each one. You walk carefully through the forest of dense trees, looking at flocks of haughty looking dodo birds and peonies that gossip to each other, whispering with a laugh as you pass them by. Soon you stumble into something very interesting. You thought it was a cluster of blue bushes, but were surprised to find out they’re really birds. The bird bushes (or maybe bush birds) startle at your presence, squawking and leaving feathers (leaves?) in their wake before they fly off. 

You manage to get a few pictures of them too, and you’re excited to show Ben. You’ve tried taking pictures with your phone before, but Wonderland makes technology… unreliable at best. Plus, there’s no service down here anyway. That’s why you took to journaling, drawing pictures and taking photos and writing down everything you see. This way you can share it with Ben, this way it’s almost like he’s here in your favorite place with you. 

You follow the blue speckled bush birds - as you’d dubbed them - until you lose track of them. It’s no matter though, since you soon hear some lovely singing coming from under a sparkling berry bush growing fruit shaped like bells. You crouch down, lifting up the leaves, and find a choir of inchworms practicing their harmonies. The leader looks up at you in a huff. 

“I’m terribly sorry, I don’t mean to interrupt.” You say. He huffs, and turns back to his choir, conducting with a little twig. You decide to sit and listen for a while as they rehearse under the coverage of glistening pink leaves. You find some oversized, brightly colored mushrooms growing nearby, and sit down on a comfortable one. You pull a teacup out of your bag, trying to decide which tea to drink while you watch the inchworms and listen to their masterpiece slowly come together. 

You zip the lid closed, and pour the spout to the cup, settling on some raspberry tea. With honey, you think, and lemon. You smile as a lemon wedge falls from the spout, plopping gently into your cup. You take a sip, and it’s perfectly brewed as ever. You go through several cups of tea, growing more and more invested in the drama between the inchworms. One is insisting on taking the high harmony, even though it’s obviously out of his range. You’re half way through… one of your cups of tea, you lost count rather quickly. By now the inchworms have perfected their harmonies for the chorus, and the first verse. Your attention is ripped away from the inchworms when your bag starts ringing. You open it up, digging out your pocket watch. The bronze hands have spun all the way past most of the little notches, and you nearly drop your tea when you see where they are. Your eyes follow the hands, which are nearly pointing to the word Late! in fancy script. 

“Shit!” 

[romaine2424]

Last Daily Blog September 19, 2023

Well, it was worth a try, but this didn't turn out like I hoped. For one, I couldn't keep up with a Daily blog or Weekly. My priority has always been on getting my writing done first, and since I've gone to a scheduled posting of once a week for my WIP, I haven't found the time. And since the goal of this was for more fandom interaction, I kind of failed there, too, so I lost the inclination.

I'm also going to stop posting my weekly WIP fic updates. My last post last Tuesday, and Reblog the next day got one Like. There could be a variety of reasons, but this is consistent. If I post a rec for someone else's fic or reblog something, I'll get a fair amount of Likes and Reblogs. If it is my own work....... So, since I have less than 200 followers, it's not a productive way to promote my own work. In other words, my fandom ego gets embarrassed. I do understand that I tend to write niche or on-the-edge Drarry fics. From politics to trans-female!Draco with Harry during the 2-year transition, and this one where we have bi-sexual!Harry (Draco's is in Azkaban for 30 years, and Harry has to marry to uphold the family bloodline). I get it. LOL

So, one last time: Chapter 15 of The Azkaban Letters is up. Next week Harry enters the Portrait Room to meet all of his ancestors.

Okay, enough about my personal issues. BTW I will continue reccing fics and watchout, @hd-fan-fair is coming up in October!

What I've Been Reading:

I'm thoroughly enjoying @oflights The Star Splitter. This is a Drarry Chapter fic that is updated regularly.

Summary:

On a routine time travel assignment to the past, Draco stumbles upon 7-year-old Harry Potter and witnesses his neglect and mistreatment by the Dursleys. In the moment, there is only one solution, even if it goes against all his training as a Time Agent: he has to bring Harry back to the future with him. In which Draco burns his life down for the sake of his former school rival.

@oflights is such an amazing plotter. Currently, there are seven chapters posted (34.5K), and Draco is in so much trouble that I haven't a clue how it can get resolved. It's truly delicious reading about Draco taking care of 7-year-old Harry but knowing he shouldn't be.

The Star Splitter on AO3

more recs and then fandom resources under the cut

@squintclover is a new author for me. She's got a very sweet 2 chapter fic going on where the first chapter has been posted. Twirling Cords (like in the muggle movies). I liked it so much that I perused her other fics posted and found this amazing gem. For anyone who loves Matilda and Ms Honey, Harry Potter; Miss Drew's Class; Y4 (2K) is a must read.

Summary:

A look at Harry Potter's life from the POV of his year 4 teacher, Miss Drew.

Snippit:

These are the last two lines of the opening scene:

We all go into teaching wanting to be Miss Honey. But none of us want to meet our Matilda.  Harry Potter is my Matilda. 

I don't tear up often, but in only 2K, I most certainly did.

Harry Potter; Miss Drew's Class; Y4 On AO3

Please give lots of love and comments to both fics!

Tumblr Resources:

How could I not do this section without mentioning thee amazing @sitp-recs. Reccer Extraordinaire! I'm guessing every one of my followers is a follower of Liv. Her pinned post is so nice and simple, but OMG there is so much under all of those links.

I was in complete awe this past Spring/Summer when she did the Rapid Fire Rec series. I mean come on, how did she do that? Someone gives her a prompt, and she turns around and gives 3 stories dealing with that prompt.

Liv doesn't do Fic Finds; she doesn't tolerate hate or neg comments. What she does is spread Drarry (fic and art) love in every way you can imagine. Tons of love and respect for @sitp-recs for all she does to keep Drarry and some of those rare pairs alive in hp fandom.

One last resource. I've had this on my list to post, but I couldn't track down the author. For those who write about Harry's childhood abuse, this is for you. If you know who compiled this list, please let me know, and I'll give the credit! It's well deserved.

HP Abuse

Okay, that's a wrap. It was fun!

As mentioned above, I'll still be doing recs and other commentary.

Cheers,

Rom

[bhaalbaaby]

Title: Lace Trimmed Danger (4829 words) Pairing: astarion/tav, slight gale/tav Warnings: nsfw, feelings all over the place, some jealousy, etc etc lol A/N: pov is a bit all over the place i think ;; but i hope I'm not too ooc takes place before they reach the goblin camp. tried not to copy the scene exactly with gale, but it is referenced

Read on AO3!

The day drags on. They'll reach the Goblin Camp soon, that's for sure. She tries not to be put off by their stench but everything about them reeks of blood and bile. They'll make camp and strike in the morning. She glances over at Astarion, blood splattering his face. The view makes her heart skip beats but she ignores it, swallowing hard.

"I think we should stop for the evening. My mana needs to recharge." Gale announces, looking over at Sarnarei. Hers is low as well, but she could go on for a bit longer. The looks on Astarion and Shadowheart's faces however make her change her mind.

"Alright. Let's set up." She says giving in.

They set up near the river which excites the sorceress. They all need a bath to get the various smells out, at least for now. She approaches Astarion first. He keeps her mind in a buzz. "Let's go bathe." She says playfully, running her fingers down his armor.

His pale eyebrow raises, pulling her closer. "If I didn't know any better, I'd think you just want to see me naked. Lucky for you, we do need them. All this running around and killing is exhilarating but absolutely disgusting." 

Astarion lets her lead the way, away from others until she stops by a tree. She strokes the bark, hard and firm under her fingers. The leaves give a nice canopy of privacy from above, the lower ones blocking the view from their friends. Astarion is aware of the trick, the look in her brown eyes as she flashes an innocent smile, her next words vulgar.

"Will you fuck me here?" She asks, stroking the bark, pushing her ass out, her tail whipping from side to side. His eyes drink in the sight, her dress easy access, inviting him for the touch. It would be easy to take her now, press her against the tree, and give her what she thinks she wants, but he hesitates.

"Should we get clean first?" He asks, tugging his white shirt off, and tossing it in the grass.

She considers this, staring at the river bank. It was her idea after all to get clean. She should honor her word. "Yeah, that might be a better idea." She says, feeling embarrassed. She feels so out of character with him, but he's so alluring. Sarnarei hopes he doesn't think she's only interested in the physical. He seems interesting too, more than everyone else so far, but she shouldn't be looking for companionship. They need to find a cure.

She turns away as she slips the bands of her dress off her shoulders. She also isn't sure if he likes her because of the sex or because of who she is as a person. She hates not knowing, but she will not ask him. She knows his answer and knows it's too soon.

She turns to see him already naked, going towards the riverbank. He's so pale, she thinks, staring at his ass. Can't have it all.

She walks towards him with the lavender soap she has. "I'll get your back if you get mine." She says with a small smile, handing him the bar. He grimaces as he takes the soap. "I can't wait until we're back in the city for a proper bath. I feel so…" He walks deeper into the river until it's up to his waist. She follows, listening to his whine, the water splashing her breasts.

"Feel so what?" She asks as she turns around, offering her back to him.

He sighs, cupping his hand in the cool water and pouring it over her back. "It feels too rustic for my liking."

She laughs softly as he lathers her back with the soap. "Rustic? I take it your life back in the city was higher class?" She asks, feeling his hands slide down her sharp shoulder blades, where wings should have grown if she had been a Cambion.

Astarion doesn't answer right away, his hands continuing to explore her back, the differences of sharpness and softness until he pulls her closer, her tail, flush against his cock. She bites her lip, feeling her heart skip over itself. "You could say so. It wasn't my wealth anymore as it was my Master's." His hands travel to her front, over the ridges on her chest to her breasts. She moans softly as she leans into him, laughing softly.

"Ah, I see… We'll get caught…" She says finally, moving away from his touch. She turns to face him, her face flushed. She expects to see the same on his face, but he looks distant. He plays it off with a smile, handing her the soap.

"I thought we were trying to help each other get clean," Astarion replies, with a cheeky smile.

"I just can't get my back," Sarnarei winks as she pecks his cheek. "Are you feeling alright?" She asks as she steps back, waiting for him to turn around.

"Of course I'm fine. Tired, but fine." He says quickly, slowly turning around. She frowns, seeing the scars up close. She felt them before, but Astarion had been quick to put his shirt back on, not giving her space to assess them until now.

She pauses for a moment recognizing the script, Infernal. She frowns, her fingers hovering.

Astarion scoffs feeling her hesitate. "What? What is it?"

"I don't want to overstep, but these scars on your back…" She stops herself, reading his body language.

"What about them?" He scoffs, turning around.

"They're Infernal. I remember the language from my father's tomes." She says, shrinking into herself.

A light of recognition flickers behind his eyes, "Infernal you say? Do you know what the words mean?" He asks, reaching behind his back, his fingers running over the raised scars.

Her frown deepens, "No, I don't, but from what I remember from all those years ago is that they're only used in contracts." She doesn't have to mention who the contract is from. It's written all over his face.

"I need to know what it says. Exactly." He takes the soap from her, washing himself lost in thought.

She only watches, wishing she brought her other bar of soap. They bathe in silence, hands to themselves.

When they arrive back at the riverbank, they notice some towels left for them. She smiles to herself, grateful for the other's thoughtfulness. She wraps herself up, sneaking glances at Astarion.

"If you need some warming up later, my tent should be available," Sarnarei says softly, glancing at the damned tree.

"I may take you up on that offer. Um, Sarnarei?" She raises her eyebrow, his voice unsure. "Please keep this between us." He gestures to his back and she gives him a firm nod.

"Of course." His shoulders relax as he steps closer, pressing his lips against hers. She practically melts at the quick kiss as he disappears into the camp.

She sits at the entrance of her tent, watching everyone. Sarnarei has picked up on their quirks while they wait for Gale to finish cooking. Shadowheart kneels, her eyes closed, the slight breeze playing with her ponytail. She seems so serene, but she knows not to interrupt.

Astarion rests shirt loosened, his face towards the warm sunset. Her heart skips beats as she remembers she'll be seeing him later. She just wants to stare at him, afraid her words would break whatever illusion he has of her.

Lae'zel practices on the dummy in front of her tent, speaking in Gith to herself. She's prepared for tomorrow, more than what Sarnarei can say. Sometimes she's tempted to ask for some lessons but is afraid Lae'zel might break her instead.

Wyll and Karlach are at his tent, laughing and sharing stories. She's glad they've made up enough. Wyll has the best laugh and Sarnarei can tell Karlach is doing it on purpose to hear it more. Nothing wrong with that. In another life… Maybe if she met Wyll first before meeting Astarion. She would have been drawn to Knight in Shining Armor instead of a random vampire pulling a knife on her.

She laughs to herself as she decides to talk to Gale, his pot self stirring while he stares at a reflection of himself. "Are all your spells just recreations of yourself?" She asks cheekily as she sits next to him.

Gale raises his eyebrow and shakes his head, the reflection disappearing. "No. Not all of them. And this is not me. This is Mystra, Goddess of the Weave. Not like you would know her."

A dig at her sorcery. She frowns as she tucks a hair behind her ear. "I apologize. Saw the long hair and an earring." Sarnarei says, ducking her head.

"Understandable… I can teach you some though, if you would like." He pipes up, moving closer to her on the log.

"What would you teach me?" She asks, feeling his body temperature against her arm. She never realized Astarion is much cooler until now.

"Just a simple trick."

"A simple trick? I might pick up instantly." She muses as he puts his hand out in front of him. "Then it'll be easy for you. Even the untrained can do it, feel the magic of the Weave."

She takes a deep breath, waiting. He waves his hands in front of him, purple light coming from his fingertips forming a small orb. Easy, Sarnarei thinks to herself as she copies him, matching him perfectly.

He smiles, moving closer again, warm energy surrounding her, not just from him. "You're a natural of course. Now, repeat after me. Ah-Thran Mystra-Ryl Kantrach-Ao."

She repeats him, trusting him. The warmness intensifies, relaxing her as she can feel the Weave's energy more than usual. She glances at Astarion, wanting to share this moment with him before bringing her attention back to Gale. "Perfect. Now I want you to picture harmony the best you can."

She closes her eyes, romantic thoughts flooding her, flipping between cuddling close to Astarion as his face morphs into Gale, his face so close to hers. She tries not to focus on it, but it becomes clearer and clearer. She's not opposed to it surprisingly but her heart pangs. Sparks of purple light come to her vision as she slowly opens her eyes, the feeling intensifying as she sees Gale closer to her face. Gods.

She breaks the connection, her cheeks hot as she looks over at the pot, saying a mental spell to cause it to overheat. "Oh no, you should check on the food." She says quickly, faking her worry. He doesn't notice that it's her fault as he curses. "The stew. Oh Gods…"

She takes the moment to slip away, the feeling slowly fading. Could she kiss Gale? Could she forget Astarion for him? She hides in her tent, deciding she will eat alone tonight until it's time for her to meet with Astarion later. 

They decide to meet at the tree. Astarion gets there first, reflecting. Sarnarei is dangerous, but not because of her magic, her control, her nativity, or anything he can usually pinpoint. It's himself. He can tell she won't let anything happen to him which he still doesn't understand, but he didn't want anything to happen to her either. When did he start caring?

He stomps the feelings down when he hears her footsteps. Her modified sleep dress for tonight just contains her sorceress robe, wrapped tight around her body. She smiles, her brown eyes sparking the feelings he just swore off. She's only here for sex, he reminds himself.

"I'm sorry I'm a little late. Gale stopped me and showed me a magic trick." She rolls her eyes as she steps closer to him.

"A magic trick?" Astarion asks, raising his eyebrow.

"I'm not connected to the Weave the same way he is. It flows through me. I don't have to access it, but it was interesting." She says softly, her feelings a million miles away. She could have him romantically, Gale. Astarion is here, for now, he justifies.

"Do you want to learn?" She asks, perking up, taking his hands in hers.

"I don't know about that, darling. I'm not really magically inclined."

Sarnarei keeps up her smile as she nods, "'The Weave flows through all of us if you let it.'" She presses her lips against his knuckles. "That's what Gale said anyway." She explains quickly, resting against the tree.

"Maybe another time," Astarion replies, watching her reaction.

The corners of her mouth dip a little but she doesn't seem to let the disappointment get her down. "Another time then." She tucks a strand of hair behind her ear. "Besides, we have other things to do." Ah, sex. Astarion smirks, leaning close.

She pulls away, her eyes widening. "Oh, ah. I." She stammers, her cheeks hot.

Astarion's brows raise. "If we're not fucking, then what are we doing, my dear?"

She shrugs, "We can still, not right away if that's okay." She states, avoiding his eyes.

Interesting. He checks her body language, her lips, and pupils. Did she kiss Gale? The thought infuriates him for a moment, but he lets it pass.

"Do you just want to fuck?" She asks after a moment.

Astarion's surprised by her forwardness as he pulls away his hand. "I mean, the night is young. We've got these tadpoles in our head as a ticking time bomb."

She looks away, her nostrils flaring, eyes misty. "That's true. I just…" She steels her face as she keeps her gaze away from him. "I really like you, I think. I feel stupid, but I don't want to mess it up." She says quickly, her throat closing up, making words hard to come by.

Astarion laughs in disbelief. Well of course she likes him. His seducing skills are top-tier when it comes to naive women. "You're not going to mess this up, dear. It's all overwhelming. Having to deal with our predicament while also trying to save others, which you chose to do. But I'll be here, supporting those decisions I guess." He says, choosing his words carefully. He still needs her protection.

She sniffs, nodding. "I also feel so guilty." She confesses, wiping her eyes.

"Guilty?" He repeats, unsure where she is going with this new train of thought.

"I thought about kissing Gale. I didn't, but that Weave air was infectious, intimate." A guilty conscious. "We didn't act on it because I thought about you. I couldn't face you if I kissed him and then bedded you." She continues, her voice hiccupping as she starts crying.

Astarion frowns as he listens, wishing she would have just unwrapped her dress, revealing her body to him. Her body would have been pressed against this tree already, holding on for dear life as he fucks her hard. Handling other people's emotions isn't his strong suit especially when tears get involved. "Don't worry my little love. You are welcome to dabble with others. We're not a couple." He wouldn't lie to himself and say he didn't like her devotion to him. Even if it is ill-placed.

She nods as she keeps her head down. "I'm sorry I overreacted. Probably killed the mood." She says, wiping her cheeks. He tilts her head up, pressing his lips against hers.

Her moan is muffled by the kiss as he pulls her closer. "Now, unless there's anything else on your mind, may I fuck you against this tree like you asked me so politely earlier?"

Her heart skips beats as she nods, wrapping her arms around his shoulders. He pushes her against the hard bark, his knee forcing her legs apart. She whimpers as he keeps her pinned against the tree, his knee caressing the lack of her clothes.

He smiles to himself as his tongue prods her lips open. Their tongues dance in her mouth as she wraps her arms around his shoulders. His lips drag down her chin and neck and sharp collarbones. She rests her head against the tree, her fingers knitting in his hair.

He sucks on her neck, tempting himself as the blood vessels underneath break for future bruises. He likes to wait to bite her until he's close to climaxing, the blood adding to his red-hot passion. His hands find the tight cloth she wrapped around her waist, quickly undoing the belt, her robe opening up to him. He drags his teeth lightly across her skin, feeling like he's opening a beautiful present. He palms her breasts, her robe barely holding on as her fingers rake across his scalp.

He pulls away, getting on his knees. He tsks when he sees her panties. Still so modest. She bites her bottom lip as he pushes them to the side, deciding he wants to ruin them just as badly as he wants to ruin her. He glances up at her waiting face, the way her brows knit together as she watches with anticipation. She would let him do anything to her, the stupid girl. He presses a kiss on her pelvis, feeling her squirm and gasp.

"You are so cute when you're making those noises, darling." He says before his kisses lower, his tongue against her folds. She winces, keeping her hands to herself, standing on her toes. His hands rest on her ass, bringing her hips towards his hungry mouth. She closes her eyes as she gives into the pleasure, the bark digging into her shoulder blades as she leans back, her breathing shudders. He focuses on her, having done this plenty of times. Each time is a little different than the next, but not as much. Not nearly as much.

Her moans increase in volume as he slips a finger into her warm tightness, her head drooping as she cries out. He doesn't think he has ever done it with a tree involved like now, but it wouldn't be any different than holding on to a corner or a column in the night. He pulls away, enjoying the sight of her getting worked up. How easily the serious yet caring persona crumbles as she holds on to the tree behind her, her breasts peeking out from the crimson robe.

"Astarion," She whimpers, opening her eyes slightly, pleading with him. He returns his mouth, sucking on her clit as she tries to run her hips away, his other hand staying gripped on her ass, keeping her in place. Her legs tremble as she tries to keep her orgasm at bay. She lifts her leg over his shoulder, her stomach tensing with each thrust of his fingers. He thinks it's silly how easy it is to make her get this way, though he's grateful. His mouth deserves a break. Some past lovers would make his poor jaw so sore. And even worse, they wouldn't return the favor. Sarnarei would, eagerly.

"Not yet." He purrs, as he pumps her, her hips rocking with him.

"Please." She says back quickly, not sure if she could even attempt such a thing as holding it back.

He removes his fingers, hearing her whine. "I'm not ready yet." He replies, pulling his pants down. He isn't sure if it was her crying, her confessed feelings, or Gale that made it harder for him to get, well, hard, but Sarnarei doesn't question him, her turn on her knees. 

Her mouth is warm and perfect and she tries her best to avoid her sharp teeth as she sucks him off. He questions her self-professed lack of skills as her tongue swirls around his tip, his breathing catching in his throat. He wonders if she practiced in her tent on phallic items or if someone not Gale volunteered. His fingers knit in her copper hair, forcing her eyes upon him.

She gives him a knowing smile as he takes over. She whimpers, his hips thrusting in and out of her sweet mouth. He keeps her head still as she closes her eyes, moans muffled. "Good girl…" He purrs, hardening in her mouth. He pulls out, watching as she gasps for air, the strands of saliva dripping down her chin.

"Such a good girl." He repeats as he rubs his cock over her plush lips. He can't imagine Gale having her in such a position, her body begging for him, letting him do whatever like Astarion. He silences the jealousy as he resumes using her mouth. At this moment, her body belongs to him. He runs her fingers over the curvature of her horn, surprisingly smoother than he figured they would be, but firm and hard. Her eyes shoot open, their eyes meeting. Were her horns a no-touch zone?

He pulls out of her mouth, waiting for her to say so, but she pants, her eyes then going down to his now-ready cock.

"On your feet." He states, helping her up. She kisses him softly, pressing her body against his. "How did you want to get fucked against this tree?" He asks, his cock pressing against her stomach.

Her eyebrows quirk up as she stammers a lie. "I-I don't know."

"Oh, you know sweetheart." He turns her around, pushing the robe down off her shoulders, making a soft clothing pile at their feet. He brings her hips back flush against him, his hand going up her back as he presses her against the tree. "You wanted me from behind, pounding you hard while you hold on to this tree for dear life. Is that right?" He asks, leaning into her ear, his teeth grazing her earlobe.

She nods, closing her eyes. "Yes, please." She rests her face against her hands, a cushion against the hard bark. Her tail whips from side to side in anticipation. His hands push her panties to the side again, holding them away this time as he slowly pushes his cock inside of her.

She moans out, pressing her ass back against him. There's a neediness, he recognizes, how quickly this will end. She does try her best however to keep it away with the first few strokes, getting her adjusted again to his size. He wonders what she's thinking about as her tail twitches. She's probably telling herself not to come immediately, counting down until she thinks it's the right time.

He smiles at the back of her head, his hands sliding up to her hips and waist. He always enjoyed this angle from anyone, how sensual it is as he picks up his pace, the sound of skin meeting skin filling their space as well as the cute moans she tries to keep down.

Her thighs squeeze together as she leans lower on the tree, crying out. Ah, there it is, Astarion thinks as he doesn't let up, her breathing loud and ragged. Her walls are so wet and clench around him with each thrust. He only wishes he could see her face, watching as she tries to fight it. His fingers dig into her hips, pressing his cock deeper inside.

She tosses her head, starting her begging. "Please… Please, my love… I'm so close…" She sounds so adorable trying to bargain her pleasure, but it's so quick. Too quick.

"Hmmm, no." He states, his hand going up to her hair, dragging her up until her back is arched against him. "Tell me how badly you want it." He growls in her ear, his other hand groping her breast. She's shaking like a leaf as he continues to pound her from behind. "So badly. So fucking badly, Astarion."

His name sounds so melodic when she's moaning it. His hand leaves her hair, wrapping around her neck. "How badly? Why should I let you finish when I could just stop now."

She shakes her head as she tries to turn her head to see him. "Please no. Do not stop." She cries out, her nails almost digging into the tree. He lets go of her neck, watching as she tries to get her bearings, her legs trembling. "Gods, yes. You're amazing. So so so amazing." She praises, panting as she feels him getting closer.

He chuckles at her attempts at dirty talk despite her brain being fogged up by pleasure. He's crystal clear as he glances down, watching as his cock disappears inside of her before reappearing. "You're mine, say it." He commands before realizing the thought left his mouth.

"I'm yours. Fuck I'm all yours." She sobs as she barely can hang on, her legs stiffening and back arching.

"Again." He goes with it, exposing this kink of hers, belonging to him.

"I'm all yours, oh please." She whines giving her final warning before the impending implosion.

It didn't matter for him either, his tip pressing against her cervix, the action turning him on. What says she belongs to him more than 'breeding' her, letting his seed spill down her leg? She'd lose her mind and he'd be safe for one more day. He holds her hips in place as she again tries to seize her body away, her arms practically wrapped around the trunk as he fucks her hard, ignoring how she comes undone around his cock.

He rarely came in people, not because he cared about the consequences, but because it took him a while to get there or he forced himself to get there on their body parts, faking it well enough. But he's not faking it, not this time, he realizes as he grunts, his attempts to keep the hard pace becoming harder as he feels all the nerve endings in his body reawaken, the sensations going to his brain and cock. "Ah, I'm so close my love. Let me claim you, just for tonight." He asks, her ass reverberating against his thrusts.

She mewls, her legs still shakily trying to keep her up against his thrusts. "Please, fuck!" She squeaks, the bark pressing against her face.

"Good girl… Good, good girl." He moans as his cock erupts inside of her, painting her walls with his sticky cum, the warm fullness intoxicating for her. He pulls out, panting, watching as he starts to spill out of her hole. He wonders if she'll keep her panties on, his semen pooling the fabric. Mildly disgusting, but he revels in it. His ownership of her.

She sinks on the ground, crumpling up so fast as she tries to catch her breath.

"Aww, was that too much for you darling?" He asks, rubbing himself for a moment to clean himself quickly. He'd do the full clean later.

She turns around, her cheeks flushed and her hair a mess as she shakes her head no. "It was perfect." She says, slowly standing up. Her eyes widen when she realizes what he's done, and how it feels.

He smirks, his red eyes locked on her thighs as she squeezes her legs together, trying not to let him spill out. "You should clean up before we go back to camp." He suggests as her cheeks heat with embarrassment, as he watches her waddle away to a private bush. Nature. He can't wait to be back in the city. A proper restroom.

She comes back, waddling still, her panties balled up in her hand. "You're so adorable." He continues to tease her as he hands her the discarded robe. She rolls her eyes as she wraps herself up, grimacing before kissing him quickly.

"We should go back to camp before people get worried." She says, worry lacing her expression.

"I doubt they'll care, darling. You were pretty loud." He says, watching as she walks, her legs still wobbly.

He helps her back to her tent, her legs barely working. It amuses him as he holds her close until they reach her tent. Lae'zel is on night duty. They hear her scoff as he helps her into the tent. "Sweet girl, you should rest."

She pouts as she leans into him, kissing him gently. When their eyes meet he sighs. She makes it so easy for him to seduce her, how doomed she is to think she likes him. "Stay the night with me?"

He laughs, shaking his head. "If I do that, you won't sleep a wink."

"You know I don't mind it." She whispers back.

He shakes his head as he pulls away. "My dear, I don't want you to overexert yourself." Her nostrils flare in defiance as he gives her one more chaste kiss.

She lies on her side, still watching him with those beautiful brown eyes. "You can feed on me if you want tonight." She adds a small token.

His stomach growls at the offer. She is so delicious. How could he say no? "So sweet of you to offer. I'll be back later. I need to take a walk." He pats her hand, knowing it's bait for him to stay longer, and be tempted again. She frowns but lets him leave, resting on her back, her mind racing with the events of the evening.

[landwriter]

Oh my god your writing has me in a choke hold!!! I’m curious about Hands and/or Shut Up, please! Your brain is amazing and lovely and I’m very excited to hear anything you have to share about your WIPs💚

Thank you so much! I've got a couple Hands asks marinating and nothing to offer for them yet, so Shut Up is the Twitter Beef AU (another excerpt here) where Hob is a comparative lit professor and Dream is an underground electronic artist, and Hob comes for him on Twitter. Death meddles and drops a diss track. Hob finds out at his last lecture before hols and plays it for his course in a fit of pique, and...ends up having the best two hours of his teaching career?

He slides into Dream's DMs for the first time under the cut:

He catches sight of the time and is surprised to see it’s five minutes past the hour. Normally, his cue is when a handful of students start pointedly packing their things in the last few minutes of the lecture. “Okay, we’ve gone on too long, because you’re all still here, letting me, but I do need to get to office hours, so let me conclude with the argument that this is why textual analysis is so important, right? The author chooses their words to say more than one thing, and, as we learned, having additional knowledge of where they’re coming from - historically, socially, culturally - is the real Rosetta stone for understanding their message. I encourage you to think about that while you choose your final paper topics over break. A final reminder that your draft thesis is due on our first week back, and yes, I will be able to tell if you came up with it that morning, so please, please, give it some thought. If anyone feels keen and wants to talk about their ideas now, you know where to find me. Office hours go until 6. Alright, go, be free. My apologies to anyone who was excited for Marlowe - we’ll cover him when we come back instead! Have an amazing break, folks.”

Students are coming over already and he holds up a quelling hand. “Office hours, guys. I have other classes! I’ll see you there.”

It’s true, of course, but also he wants just a quick moment to himself to do something. Slinging his bag over his shoulder, he pulls out his phone and ignores all his notifications to send a DM to Morpheus before he can think too hard on what he’s doing.

didn't know you needed to be protected by your big sis, next time i'll go easier on you x

He hesitates, deletes the x, and sends it, and jams his phone back into his pocket. After his office hours - exhaustingly well-attended - he finally has a chance to check his phone again. He's not used to actually having three hours worth of students to talk to.

There's three messages from Morpheus.

she insisted also i wrote most of it for the record

He raises his eyebrows. The messages are from nearly two hours ago, which he hopes means it's not uncool and weird if he replies right now.

it was you? it's incredible writing

Then, feeling suddenly far too earnest, he quickly adds:

almost like you went to school for being something other than a pretentious goth cunt

His reply is marked read immediately and he nearly chokes on his tea. He desperately wishes he could delete the last message now. Too much, he thinks. Always too much, Hobsie. Morpheus is typing.

don't need to go to school for that x and thanks

He puts down his phone violently and stands up, breathes out. He feels like a teenager with a crush. His phone buzzes again and he snatches it back.

meanwhile i bet u have student loans still prof

Hob laughs.

only a little. some of us had to learn how to be pretentious actually x

He thinks for a moment, then adds, wincing a little at the size of the text block:

thanks btw. aside from threats from ur insane fans I also had the best lecture attendance in ages and my office hours were 'sold out' lol. if all I had to do for better student engagement was get in an internet feud with a random musician I'd have done it years earlier.

so u concede i'm a musician :)

you still have terrible taste in shoes hey i see you typing if you say anything about my sweatervest i'm blocking you!!

then have a good night, professor gadling

you too

Then he waits a little too long, maybe, before adding:

morpheus

[xhanisai]

Imma ask about 2 wips because why not

Kwamibuster what-if and the soulmate AU where they always have to touch

Please and thank youuuuu 💕

In this soulmate AU, lovesquare's soulmark is that after first physical contact, they must always touch one way or another or else they'll be in excruciating, devastating pain (a contrast to my last soulmate AU oneshot where if they touched, they will be in pain, lol).

Ladynoir realise they were soulmates after their first meeting and both of them couldn't have been happier! Whilst Chat Noir would love for them to be in a romantic relationship with her and even know her identity, Ladybug insists that they keep it platonic (despite her growing romantic feelings for him) and keep their civilian lives a secret until they defeat Le Papillon.

However, this setup is already quite a struggle. It's hard enough that their magical suit covers up most of their bodies which leave very little exposed that allows them to have contact to alleviate the fatigue and aches (such as Chat Noir resting his head in Ladybug's neck or her pressing her cheek against his as they embrace); they both also find out that the further away they are from each other in terms of physical distance, the worse the pain gets.

Here's a snippet:

Thankfully, she didn't come here without a plan of her own, hoping that what she's about to suggest next won't be as embarrassing (and heart-racing) as her brain made it out to be.

"I do have an idea to help us. It's a bit of a gamble...but I believe that if this works, we won't be forced to share our identities." She spoke after his laughter died down, her partner now observing her curiously in a manner that was so like his namesake. "I've noticed that when our faces touch, the pain is quicker to leave compared to when our heads touch or when we feel each other's hair against our face. So...so..." Ladybug was starting to lose her nerve, her complexion now reddening for a completely different reason. She silently cursed herself, hating the way that she can't be cool and professional about her proposal and how she felt so, so very Marinette right there and then.

Like the bumbling, stammering fool she often found herself turning into, especially when Adrien was involved.

But Adrien wasn't here right now! It's only Chat Noir! Her loyal, wonderful, amazing partner! Her soulmate! The person that she trusts her entire life and being with!

"Ladybug?" He tilted his head, golden hair following the movement and all that did was reignite her nerves and soothe her at the same time. A bundle of contradicting and familiar and foreign emotions that swam inside her frame. Not wanting to waste anymore of their precious time, she took a leap of faith and proceeded with her solution.

"I think we should press our mouths together! Just one quick press! That should hopefully slow down the pain that will come once we're apart, right???" Her voice cracked midway and her pitch was higher than a squealing kitten, much to her sheer fluster. Though, her partner only barely comprehended her words and was left in a bit of a stupor.

.

.

.

"...You mean, we should...kiss?" 

~

Some of the kwamibuster what-if WIP has been answered here but I'll give you another snippet because it's you <3

"You're not going home to rest?" Adrien finally asked after sitting at the side patiently (on the outside) when the nurse gave Marinette a check up. She smiled at him sweetly despite her exhausted features, unable to stop the bashful giggle that left her mouth. "I'll rest for an hour over here. I'm fine, Adrien." She then began to fiddle with the blanket and averted eye contact, unable to handle the intensity of his worried face. "You should go back to class. I know you love school and hate having to miss out so-" She was interrupted from the way he immediately clasped both of her hands with his larger pair, the boy now sitting by her side on the bed. She couldn't look away from him.

"You're more important to me than school, Marinette. You mean a lot to me. A lot." He squeezed her fingers as an emphasis, his forehead so close to brushing hers and her breath was simply taken away. "You've been worrying me a lot, lately. All of us are a little scared right now with what's been going on. Are you sure that the doctor didn't find anything at all when you asked about the constant nosebleeds and migraines you've been getting?"

Ah. Shit.

She hasn't been as good at hiding her current state from her friends as well as she hoped. And of course, the doctor wouldn't be able to find a solid cause for her symptoms.

After all, this is all because she wielded multiple miraculous all at once when she faced Kwamibuster a month ago.

And her tiny body couldn't handle the influx of all that magic at once, resulting into its present state.

.

But she can't tell Adrien that. She can't tell anyone at all. Absolutely not.

(And she refuses to let her Chaton know either...)

"I'll get better soon," She answered softly, trying her best to ignore the dwindling confidence in her words and hoping to cheer up her pauvre Adrien. He already had so much going on in his life that made him miserable, she refuses to add to his list of stresses and dampen his smile. "The doctors prescribed me with strong painkillers which work very well. I'll be back to normal in no lime- I mean time!" Much to her dismay, he didn't seem convinced at all and his eyes remained cloudy. This time he let his forehead rest against hers, her pulse fastening from the proximity and their hearts beating in sync.

Thank you very much for your asks, Seas! Feel free to ask more about these WIPs or any other from the list <3333

Ask WIP game

[silvercap]

Do you have any tips for new writers?

Also is there a way to not get too caught up in engagement and stats? I'm kinda having this problem and it is taking the motivation out of things a bit 😭

That's a good question! This post got a little long, so I'm implementing a break lol

I don't exactly have specific rules, but I think my biggest tip for someone writing for the first time is to go easy on yourself and give yourself time to get better. I struggle a lot with perfectionism and the nasty habit of being harder on myself than anyone else ever will be, but it's important to acknowledge that we are our own worst critics and that improvement is only measurable by practicing through the early stuff. I encourage a lot of experimenting, especially when you're starting out--try new things and ways of writing and slowly collect the ones that work for you. I've taken plenty of classes on the logistics of writing and technical tips, but those aren't necessarily helpful for everyone to focus on when they're starting out. I think in first drafts and initial writing, it's better to write from whatever urge possesses you to do so and not get caught up in the technicalities. Those are often more helpful when editing, but it really depends on the way your brain works!

Over time, you'll start to build up a sense of flow and style and the general rhythm of writing engaging paragraphs, which brings me to my next point--reading. It's been said before, but I'll say it again: Reading is one of the best ways to develop a sense of rhythm and effective imagery/idiom/etc. I've also spent plenty of classes analyzing the effectiveness of (I forget the exact word) elements like metaphor or allegory or symbolism or anaphora or any other technical term you can think of that is commonly used to convey specific literary concepts. Reading, on its own, is a great tool for subconsciously noticing the flow of writing and getting a sense for it, but sometimes just taking notice of certain paragraphs that feel right to you or just hit in the right way can allow you to analyze them more deeply and find out what exactly it is about the words that works. Everyone has their own preferences! That might seem daunting, but often the best resources we as writers have is each other, and everyone is inspired by someone else at some point. I'm totally here to take asks and answer any questions I may have brought up because I'm rambling a little bit and like I said: technical aspects aren't necessarily helpful to focus on all at once, and I recommend trying one out at a time to see how it works for you. If that makes sense!

My biggest piece of advice is to have fun with it! Experiment. Put in that weird little thing you think nobody else will like, because often those are the best parts of writing. Do what you feel sounds right! Not to Wayne Gretzky you, but you can only get better or 'succeed' by trying it out and seeing where it takes you. We write because we have ideas we want to share or explore for ourselves, and trying to force yourself to write something you're not passionate about is rarely lucrative.

As for engagement and stats--now, that's a whole other beast. We all want to be noticed and appreciated and commented on, and it's hard sometimes to post a fic and have less engagement than you hoped, but I have a couple things I like to keep in mind for this. It's discouraging, for sure, but people on ao3 or similar sites don't always show their appreciation even if they read and liked your fic. The only way we can fix this as a collective community is to lead by example and comment/kudos/share the fics we read in the hopes that it will catch on and to spread the love to everyone else. I also find it helpful to think about the people who do leave kudos--even if there are only one or two of them--as not just random usernames, but actual living, breathing people who read your fic and enjoyed it. There's that post somewhere about ten likes not seeming like much in the scheme of social media and the influence that virality has had on the internet in recent years, but to have ten people standing in a room with you giving you a thumbs up? That's a lot of people. Even if you get very little engagement, that is not a reflection of you as a person or even necessarily your skill. I know that this can be draining, but the only way to try and build an audience is to post. Sometimes it takes a long time for fics to be noticed. Sometimes things fail. It's up to you how you want to take that, and I can't tell you any of this for certain. I just know from my personal experience that finding a community is only accomplishable by interacting and posting and sharing and existing, and often someone will come along when you don't expect it.

None of this is guaranteed. Hell, take everything I say with a critical eye and more than a few grains of salt, because this is only my experience and god am I still learning. These are things that help me, and I hope some of this is helpful to you, too! What I can tell you for certain is that I encourage you to write and pursue it as far as you want to, and even farther than that. It takes hard work. It can feel like nobody is listening. And ughhhhh the writer's block suuuuuucks. But, you're not alone in this. Anything you've felt is something another writer has felt before, and I think, at least, that there's comfort in knowing you're following in the footsteps of even the writers we consider to be great in both their success and flaws. Maybe I'm being a little lofty ahaha, but it comes down to whether or not you want to write. You can only decide how this goes, and it takes time to work through the barriers of both skill and the anxious fear of not being seen. I see you! And I'm here in the asks anytime you want :)

And even if you fail and give up--you're no less of a writer for it, because you tried, and I think that matters. The lovely thing about being alive and being writers is that we can change and grow, and there will always be a place for you among creators if you choose to join them, no matter how amateur you feel or how long you do it for.

[kazuyummy]

hi! here's my req for a match-up:

fandom: haikyuu individualistic, funny, enigmatic, quiet 🍎 nonsense by sabrina carpenter (why's it catchy omg) misc: no angst pls </3

hope you're doing well <3

hi hi hi that song gives me vibes of such a giddy kind of love??? like you can't stop looking at them and twirling your hair but also smacking yourself not knowing what to do with all those feels??? and the song IS hella catchy!

i would match you up with HANAMAKI TAKAHIRO. you give mattsun-adjacent vibes in that you seem quirky and chaotic in the best way possible, and honestly a bit hard to figure out! so i thought maki would be a great kind of friends-to-lovers match for you. i think you would be the one making insanely underrated and hilarious jokes under your breath about things you observe, and maki overhearing and spitting out his water at your quips. he would be so intensely drawn to you and how you march to the beat of your own drum - he'd want to find out more about you but also be respectful of the space and quiet time that you need. also, oikawa would have no chance when the two of you start roasting him - so that's always a win!

some drabble below the cut (and i'm finally starting to put gifs on these where i can LMAOO)

❀ LATE NIGHTS WITH YOU

"what's got maki in a good mood today?"

"some girl on campus he's been talking to."

he whirls around defensively, "she's not just some girl, dude. she-"

"okay, okay. no need to be so dramatic."

the three can tell he's down bad about you since he doesn't bother with a retort - the typically sassy maki lets it go today

"wasn't he working the overnight shift yesterday? it's kind of creepy how happy he is right now."

hajime isn't wrong - he was working an overnight shift at the 24/7 ramen restaurant near campus. on weekends, it's typical for drunk kids to stop by after a night at the club, but yesterday was particularly quiet

you catch his eye when you come in at 2 a.m., a bit disheveled from a nighttime study session - but to him, you look absolutely stunning

he recognizes you from one of his classes - so when he brings out your food and a bubble tea on the house (the flavour he notices you bring to class), he shoots his shot and asks if he can sit down with you - no one else is in, after all

you grin and offer him one of the takoyaki you order, and for a while, you sit and watch the anime playing on the restaurant screen in silence

all it takes is one joke you crack about one of the silly characters looking like him for you to both burst out laughing, pointing things out about the show you're watching and teasing each other like old friends

the next hour is filled with lively chatter and good food, until you start to get sleepy - though he offers to walk you home when his shift is done, you live right across the street so you settle on him standing outside to make sure you get home safe

he also gives his sweater to you, insisting as he's also brought a jacket - and though you get a bit shy about it, you take it

when you finally get up to leave, you call with a wink,

"if you're gonna keep giving me such good 2 a.m. noodles, this might become a bad habit of mine."

that line is all he can keep replaying in his head, ignoring his three friends as they continue to tease him about you

not sure if this totally worked out but all i could imagine was a silly late-night run in with food and good company, blossoming into a romance that even his friends notice. so i hope you enjoy!

anyone can request a matchup here 💫

probably only doing a few more - have 4 (?) to complete after this which will bring me to 13 i think? so then probably 2 more to 15. i'll update the linked post when i get around to it lol

[worldwright]

Good evening !

Hope you had a fun time yesterday !

I'm currently writing another fic -I hope I'll finish this one bc it's weird to ask friends whether or not eating a soul is worse than eating a friend SO ANYWAY. I wrote over 1.1k words today so I feel pretty confident that I'll finish it !

Nothing really happened today, so that's good I guess. I just want a new tattoo I guess -but I only get new tattoos if, and only if, I pass one semester and since I want to redo my whole 2nd year and I'm just skipping class now without even trying to go near my university, it's not for this year or the next one :/

Normally I'll get the letter for my new names this next week, I can't wait to see if they accept it or not (I hope they do, or else I'm intruding and spilling glitter everywhere in their offices.)

Have a lovely morning my friend !

omg that is an amazing threat. you are going to be picking plastic out of your scalp like sand after a beach day. you will open a file folder in six and a half years and find the enduring evidence of your sins. hope you wanted a fun new twist to all official mail that gets sent out to anyone.

yesterday was great!! not to give you psychic damage but here's the crepes we ate 👇

this one was mine, it was basically a breakfast scramble wrapped in a crepe. impeccable

& I got a new kind of tea!! it's so fruity and delightful 🥰🥰 just like me 🥰🥰

by the time we finished with shopping I was pretty tired, and kinda considering skipping the choir concert, but I'm so glad we went, it was fantastic. only three religious songs wooooo (or at least, only three religious songs in English lol) and some of the pieces were so incredibly engaging :3

wait there may have been more than three, there was that southern gospel-style one ....... anyway

I think today's gonna be more chill, and then I can go home and see my kitties!!!

have a lovely evening, friend!!

[squisan]

Pearlina (Pearl x Marina) Comic... made with just sticky notes

No idea how to use Tumblr, but I'm gonna post something regardless, so I want to talk about a comic i made entirely in school over a few days, literally just while i was bored in class.

They're all drawn in tiny little sticky notes, and there's only one chapter so far, and I want to make it a whole series. i will work on making a digital art version, cuz you know, i'll actually have time to make it look good there, because this comic... is very low quality. But it makes sense, it's literally drawn on sticky notes.

So, this comic is set in Splatoon 3. Since Pearl and Marina aren't seen in-game (yet), I imagined them being on vacation, so this comic is set as if Pearl and Marina are on vacation.

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not gonna lie, i'll probably remove this part in the digital version. Why would Callie call them asking for help when she's literally part of the Squidbeak Splatoon? lol

-

This might be removed too, i'm not sure. I thought it would be funny to add an observer spying on the two, trying to find info about them and post it online.

They say "I KNEW IT, THEY ARE MARRIED!!", but i don't think that's really what I want to be canon for this. It's just a theory that this character immediately jumped to. I think Pearl and Marina are dating, but not married. Though, I do think that they both dream about marrying each-other every day.

Who knows, maybe I'll draw them getting married in the future...

-

Is it too early to be cooking up some drama? I mean I suppose the first chapter just being setting up the scene is fine, but also... kinda wanna get people hooked on the story from the start.. gotta keep them entertained quickly or they wont stay for long.. maybe?

Anyway, I headcanon that Marina keeps a photo album that's absolutely jam packed with photos of her and Pearl, from their first few moments all the way up to today. The photo album has a ton of those sticky tabs on pretty much every photo, each coloured tab having it's own meaning.

She looks at the photos when she's feeling down, and it helps her feel better. Of course, she couldn't help bringing it with her on her vacation — or, well.. she meant to, but as it appears here, it's gone missing...

-

I wrote this part based on a real event, one that actually took place while I was drawing this comic, actually.

As I said, I drew all of this in school, so I brought a little copybook where i had all the panels stuck together to create the comic.

One day, I took it out of my bag to take some photos of the panels, because I wanted to show them to my friend.

The next day, I put it in my bag, and went to school. Later, I realised that, the copybook.. wasn't in my bag at all. I couldn't find it.

I couldn't stop thinking about it. Did I drop it on the road, to be ran over by cars? Did someone find it, read through all the drawings, and laugh at how stupid it was?

I went home after school, and looked for my copybook. Nowhere. I tried to remember the events of that morning, when I put my copybook in my bag. I remembered picking it up from my desk, walking down the stairs to put it in my bag, then.. I don't remember what I did at my bag. My mind went blank, there was a gap in the middle.

I went about a week or two without the copybook, and I gave up at that point. However, I was called to the office one day, and they asked me if the copybook that they had in their office was mine. No idea how they somehow found it, someone else probably found it and gave it to the office. Which means.. yeah, I was probably right about someone looking through it and laughing, but nobody approached me about it, so it's probably someone that doesn't know me, and I don't know them, so to be honest, I'm fine with that.

-

Pearl giving out a heartwarming speech, very rare... just kidding, she cares about Marina, of course she'll try to keep her calm during this!

I wrote these panels as just Pearl talking to Marina, but I'm hoping this speech speaks to other people as-well, about how people never try to see the bright side, and always consider the absolute worst has happened.

It's normal for humans to over-exaggerate things. How many times have you had an upcoming exam, and been really stressed about it, but then when you get the exam paper, you realise, "Oh.. this is.. way easier than I imagined it being."?

The second last panel talks about being sentimental, about how we treat things, physical or digital, as if they will be forever gone if lost. It's a hard thing to lose something you've held onto for years. I had my 5-year-old Discord account banned and deleted, and just like that, every single conversation i held so close to my heart was lost.

It's not easy to let go of something like that. It may sound stupid, but yes, I did cry over pieces of text being lost. Even if I never looked through old messages, it's really nice to just know the fact that they're there, and I can look back through my past.

But we need to remember that, even if the visual form of something we love is gone, we will always have the memory within us. I will never forget meeting some of my closest friends, and all of the great times I had. Never.

-

That's the end of the first chapter. If I do end up creating the digital version, I'll post it here. Until then, stay tuned for the next chapter..!

[tillidecidethenewname]

All ik is you're here with me ~

I wonder, what is this feeling? Is this love? And If it is, that means i have never been in love before; maybe i gave the wrong title to those situations. Whatever i am feeling today is a rare feeling, a feeling which can't be explained but only be felt.

Oh well, you must be wondering how i ended up here, right? Let's have a story time..

2022 was ending, taking away all my hopes from being loved to studies, with it; but one and the only thing that kept me going was the newly became guy bestfriend with whom i chatted a little too much. From all my grieves to his grieves to our happiness to the dark secrets and then the little things, it was all like the end-choclate-filled, good part of the not-so-good-flavoured ice-cream cone lol, truly.

Gradually, 2023 comes, breaking all those new year hopes since the first day. Or in other words, it felt like i bought the same ice cream cone again haha. Well January felt long at first then it got busy and then it got worst.. we started fighting almost daily, it sucked until we realised what we were not be able to see even when it was infront of our eyes, the love. It was almost the end of the month when i started realising all those things i am being shipped with someone for, are true, i have feelings, i m in love. My friends encouraged me to confess so i jokingly said it to see his reaction, i thought he would take it in a funny way but i saw thoughtful replies the next morning.

One thing that was clear to me was, he definitely had feelings, but when he asked for time i definitely knew i wanted him 'cause yesss! That's what I was looking for! Someone who's not so mad at girls that they couldn't even resist to say yes in a minute yk what i m saying?

Since the first day, my bestfs be like "you should date him, he definitely likes you ik", "you guys will look cute together", "a boy and a girl can never be just friends", "he's really cute why don't you think about it?", "Those things you guys were talking about sounded sus", "no one gives a paper ring to someone with no feelings ydk", "he's the best choice in the class", even my sister be like "why're you so happy talking to him?", "Why'd you guys talk all day? Sus", "you always talk about him", "at your age it's just potential bf and gf" ~ well i was very serious for him to be my bestfriend.. we even planned how I'll dance at his wedding, how we'll find gf for him- exactly her type, how we'll go for double dates and trips, how we can start fighting less, about all the career goals, basically so many goals which are still the same, but completely different.

It all changed when our chats became a little more intense and at one point we just knew we're so in love with each other even before saying it. 5-6 days and i m comfortable, more than ever. The princess treatment he treats me with, either in the way he talks to me/about me, or the small things he does for me, cannot even be described in some amount of words i swear. The way he looks at me with that much affection that he would kiss me anytime if he gets a chance lmao is so cute. That look in his eyes when he stares from the other corner of the room and takes away his eyes the second i look back gives me metal butterflies fr. From the way he walks to the way he talks to the way he laughs, every single thing is just so attractive to me that i could stare for years if I get a chance to. It is when, for some seconds i try to hold the eye contact and he gives that smile which makes me smile asf that instant, i forget they're other people which might be noticing. The fact that he's not aware about how blissful everything becomes when he smiles because he has that charm, that shine on his face, makes him even more cute. The way he admires my beauty, tells me i m hot two crore times a day, wants my new pictures every day, plans about our future, is serious asf about forever, makes me playlist, dedicate me songs, gives me nicknames and adds "my" before them, makes him the perfect boyfie ever. The most attractive thing about him is his body language and discipline but at the same time he is such a Romeo, who's Juliet cannot hold eye contacts, is physical-touch-phobic, moody, has fucked up sleep schedule, caffeine addicted, even hurts him, is shy and introvert asf, but loves him asf. I love the way he's so interested when i talk about my father and his values, my opinions, choices, values, what i support and what not and when he understands me so so well. He's a such a gem to me who makes me feel like i m the only girl in this world, the way my self esteem is boosting by each passing day, is because of him. In such little amount of time he has done so many things for me that is impractical to summarise here, every single day since then contains so many memorable moments that i want to live again already. It's a big thing when my life has completely changed for the good and i want to live again each day, each moment so slowly, steadily. Now, all my favourite songs i have been listening to from years, started talking about him. He wants to fulfill my whole wishlist, his efforts makes me feel like i am doing nothing for him, and actually i m so busy admiring him that i forget to make any efforts. Never thought we will be people's ideal couple but at the end, i believed in faith.

~ P