#doodle page ended in disaster

[kutakunagasblog]

Pose for the fans !

Another doodle where I try jays design

[sorchathered]

You’re still the one💙

Pairing- Robert “Bob” Floyd x reader

Warnings- language, a little bit smutty, angst with lots of pining and longing.

Summary- Bob’s come back to his small town in Georgia for his best friends wedding, will their plan to bring him back together with his high school sweetheart work out? Or will it end in more heartache?

When Bob had gotten the wedding invite in the mail he’d been so thrilled, truly. His best friend Sam had done the impossible, made the long distance work through college and grad school and now finally he was marrying his high school sweetheart Millie. He was happy for them, really he was. The only thing that could’ve been better is if he was sharing this with you. This was supposed to be the two of you, conquering your goals and then winding up together, but it hadn’t worked out the way either of you planned and it had been longer than Bob knew since he’d seen your face.

Millie had asked if your old band from high school would reunite for the wedding music and you’d been over the moon, a few of you had continued to play together and occasionally doing a gig or two just for old times sake, knowing that she wanted you involved in her special day made your heart swell.

The closer the date got the more dread seemed to settle in your bones, you’d stalked Bob’s socials and sneakily asked if he was bringing a date, but the look Sam had given you when he said Bob was coming alone let you know he knew exactly what you were hoping. Maybe he didn’t have someone waiting for him in California, maybe he had even asked about you, and for the first time in almost 6 years you let yourself hope.

In his lonely little apartment in Coronado Robert Floyd was doing about as well as you. He’d thought of nothing but you since that invitation showed up in his mail, hell that was a lie; he spent most nights thinking of you if he was truly honest with himself. He was sure Sam and Millie were already plotting some elaborate scheme to push the two of you together over the wedding celebration and he had to laugh at their dedication. He still wasn’t sure how things had gotten so screwed up. Long distance had been hard, deployments, work schedules and midterms seemed to keep the two of you from ever being able to make concrete plans and eventually it felt like you two had just grown apart too much for repair.

He should’ve fought harder, any attempts to move on over the years had been a complete disaster because how was he supposed to find someone new when he was still hung up on you? Natasha always loved to pick on him about it, that one day he’d have to move on or would have to have his “rom com moment” as she called it and sweep you back off your feet but Bob figured you’d long forgotten about him by now. If he only knew that you’d been just as hung up as he was, but neither of you had been brave enough to reach out.

The wedding festivities were in full swing this week, Millie had sent you the final list of songs she wanted for the wedding and you had added a few crowd favorites as well. You missed the days of jamming with your friends, being a music teacher was so rewarding and it had been everything you’d dreamed it would be, but you couldn’t deny that you were looking forward to getting to let loose with old friends.

You were in full nostalgia mode by the time the weekend of the wedding, thinking of all the things you’d had planned for yourself way back when. You’d had your whole wedding planned out, you knew it had been silly but you’d dreamed of a party with all your friends and at the center of it the boy you’d loved since you were a little girl. Deep in the recesses of your parents attic was a hot pink sparkly notebook from senior year with a list of songs you wanted for your own wedding day, gel pen rainbow font with little cursive scribbles of Mrs. Robert Floyd and hearts doodled all over the page. But that had been another lifetime ago, and just the thought of how much time had changed you both brought tears to your eyes.

Bob was so glad to be back home, it had been ages, his mother was already fussing about how he needed to eat more and catching him up on all the town gossip. He wanted to ask about you, but she beat him to the punch; gushing about the musical the middle school was putting on and how hard you were working to make it a success. It looked like all your dreams had come true, you were doing what you loved, but his mama could see the far off look in his eyes as she spoke, she knew all too well what he was feeling.

“You should call her you know, I have her number if you want it.” She’d said softly as she touched his hand but he couldn’t look her in the eyes. “Oh Mama, too much time has passed, I’m sure she’s got someone who could treat her way better than me.” She patted his hand lovingly and shook her head, “Sweet boy, there were never two people better suited for one another than the two of you. I don’t think she ever moved on, I know you didn’t. You know…she lives in the old Macon house on Water Road, not too far if you wanted to take a walk.”

“Mama! “ he said harshly but his features didn’t match his tone at all, he was trying his best not to laugh at her persistence.

She put her hands up and laughed, “I’m just saying, the night air might do you some good. After all life is too short sweetheart.” He thought of his father, taken from them too soon and how his mother had never found anyone else. He’s been her everything, Bob had always thought that would be the same with the two of you.

She heads up for the evening and he’s left alone with his thoughts again. Her house isn’t that far, maybe 5 minutes, and it’s only 8 pm on a Friday she would probably still be awake…

Before he can really mull it over he’s slipping on his shoes and heading out the door, feet carrying him down the sidewalks and past the quaint antebellum style houses illuminated in the orange glow of the street lights until he finds himself at your door. He’s warring with himself about knocking, what the hell was he doing? He’d barely spoken to you in almost 6 years, this was stupid he should’ve never done this. As he turns away to walk down the porch steps he hears the lock click and turning of the door handle, light illuminating the porch as you poke your head out into the night.

“Robby? Is that you?” You say quietly, a small smile on your lips as you look him over with eager eyes. Time had been good to you, he’d always thought you were the most beautiful girl on earth and that certainly hadn’t changed. You weren’t a young girl anymore, your figure was all curves, he couldn’t help but tighten his fists thinking about running his hands over your voluptuous body. Snap out of it Floyd, get your shit together, he thought as you looked at him with confusion evident on your face.

“Well? You gonna come in? Your mama told me you were coming by, I’ve just been sitting by the window listening out for you.” You said as you opened the door a little wider for him to step through. “Of course she did” he muttered, shaking his head with a dark chuckle, leave it to Susan Floyd to take things into her own hands.

You raised an eyebrow at him as he continued to stand awkwardly in the doorway, “I can’t really read your faces anymore Floyd, do you want to come in or are we gonna let all the bugs into my house tonight?” Hands on your hips, sassy remark, yep you were still every bit the spitfire he remembered, that take no shit attitude clearly hadn’t gone anywhere.

“Yeah, yeah y/n I was coming by, sorry I just…I had an idea in my head of what I was gonna say and now here I am and I’ve got nothing.” He said sheepishly as he ran a hand over the back of his neck. You reached for the hand at his side and pulled him through the doorway, closing the door and scooting him in the direction of the couch. Bossy. As always.

“How about I get you a glass of sweet tea and we get all the awkward small talk out of the way, or we could just skip it if you want? I’ve been keeping up with your life through your mom but if you’ve got questions I’m happy to answer them.” You said as you shuffled down the hall to the little kitchen, Bob plopping himself down on your ridiculously comfy velvet couch. “You keep up with me?” He said in shock, he never would’ve thought you’d give him a second thought after he let everything crash and burn, maybe his mama had been right to push him this way.

“Of course I do, it’s not every day you get to be in the top 1% in your field, especially with a job like yours. I’ve always cheered you on, just didn’t think you’d ever show up here, kinda figured you’d forgotten all about me.” You said as you placed down a Mason jar of sweet tea and a tin of shortbread cookies, you’d said it so nonchalantly but he could see in your eyes the hurt was still there.

“I’ve kept up with you too, I- uh I’ve looked at your instagram, and Millie of course updates me when I ask, even if she is still pissed at me about how things ended. You uh- you look like you got everything you wanted in your career too. Mama said the school play is gonna be a big success. I know you’ve gotta be thrilled.”

You nodded, just bringing up your students brought the light back into your eyes. “They are the best, I thought it’d be weird teaching at our old school but truly it is such a joy. These kids love music, it’s so much fun watching them show off their creativity. And as for Millie…Well I’m pretty sure she and Sam have some elaborate plan to “accidentally” trap us in a closet together tomorrow until we work everything out. They’ve been oddly sneaky lately.” You laugh out, and Bob can’t help but join in, they definitely weren’t subtle but you could both agree they were damn good friends.

You both laughed and talked for hours, going through the whole tin of cookies as you caught up on each other’s lives, somewhere in the early morning hours you had fallen asleep with your head on his shoulder and Bob felt his heart stutter in his chest as he looked down at you. He’d missed this, just being with you.

You had been his favorite person for his entire childhood, how did he let things get so out of hand? It couldn’t be comfortable being propped up like that, so Bob carefully pulled you into his arms and carried you to your room. It was nearly 4 am, he would just crash on your couch like a gentleman should and make an excuse to bail when he woke up. Laying you on the bed he made to step away but you curled your fist into his shirt, murmuring “stay with me” as you pulled him closer, and how could he possibly tell you no? He toed off his shoes and slid in next to you, falling asleep to the sounds of your breathing and warm body pressed to his.

He couldn’t place where he was when he woke up, just that it smelled like coffee and pancakes and somehow he’d slept in. Upon opening his eyes it all came back to him, how you’d asked him to stay and he’d fallen asleep in your arms, he felt hot all over just thinking about it, anxiety filling his chest as he worried about how to navigate the sure to be awkward morning after conversation. Again he wondered how they’d gotten so far from where they’d begun; but one thing hadn’t changed, holding you had simply brought it all back. The feelings he had never wavered, and he was fairly sure he was even more smitten with you now after catching up than he had been before.

You were dancing around in the kitchen as you cooked, spatula acting as a microphone while Fleetwood Mac played from your phone. Clad in a tattered t-shirt and pajama shorts from the night before with your hair messily piled on your head. There was that feeling again, the heat blooming in his chest and the butterflies he’d never felt for anyone but you. It nearly knocked the wind out of him. You couldn’t be more beautiful to him than you were in this moment, he wished he could burn it into his brain forever.

You spun around to the beat but jumped almost a foot in the air when you noticed him, clutching your chest as giggles erupted from you both. “Oh! Oh my god Robby you scared the hell out of me! Did’ya sleep ok? Want breakfast?” You said gesturing behind you to the steaming pile of pancakes and bacon, he wanted breakfast for sure but he knew one thing he wanted more than that.

He crowded you up against the stove, leaning behind you to cut the burner off as he looked down at you with a small smile. “Breakfast sounds good, sweet girl, but we need to talk first.”

“Uh huh” you said and he could tell he had the same dizzying effect on you, that was good, he was hoping this wasn’t one sided.

“I had more fun with you last night than I’ve had in years, and I can’t think of why we ever stopped doing this in the first place. Well a reason that actually counts anyways. I know it’s sudden, hell you probably have a line out the door hoping for a date but-“

“Yes!” You blurted out, nodding your head as you abandoned the spatula and gripped the back of his neck to pull his lips to yours.

You’d meant it to be sweet, just a peck to let him know you wanted the same things he did, but it had been so long, and no one had ever made you feel like he did. It got heated fast, muscular arms wrapped around your waist pulling you in so tight that nothing to get between you, hands in his hair as his kisses became more urgent, opening his mouth to you as you moaned softly into his, and the noise seemed to flip a switch as he hoisted you up in his arms and carried you back down the hall to your bedroom.

It was as sweet and smooth as molasses, he unwrapped you like a present as you tugged at his clothes, you wanted him as bare as you were. He eagerly obliged, tossing his shirt and jeans somewhere across your room as he climbed back into bed and pressed you into the mattress.

“Y/n I-“

“I know baby, I feel it too. Make love to me Robby.”

And so he did, again and again until the two of you felt boneless, breakfast long forgotten and morning seeping into early afternoon.

You’d fallen asleep in his arms around one, and he knew he’d have to wake you up soon to get ready for the wedding and go home to get his suit. He just wanted to stay wrapped up in this a little longer, as much as he needed this to be real again he also knew there was so much red tape. You lived on the opposite coast from him, your career was thriving and you’d never moved away from home. He couldn’t ask you to pack away your life and move every 3-4 years with him. Distance had been what broke you apart last time, he didn’t know if he could bear losing you a second time.

When you finally stirred around 2 you popped up in a panic, you were alone in bed and it was clearly later in the day than you had expected it to be. A sick feeling washed over you, had you interpreted everything wrong? Where was he? Did he regret it and bail?

The sound of a door opening broke you from your thoughts, heavy footfalls down the hallway let you know he hadn’t actually left. He caught your watery eyes looking at him from the doorway and rushed forward to cradle you in his arms, swiping at the tears before they could fall.

“What’s going on it that head of yours? You ok?” He said as he rubbed soothing hands against your back.

“It’s stupid, I woke up alone and I thought..” you stopped and then looked up at him sheepishly. “I thought you’d left” you said with a whisper, cheeks tinged pink with embarrassment.

“Oh. Aw Shit. I mean I did leave, but for just a minute to grab us some lunch and my suit for tonight, I’m sorry baby I should’ve left a note.” He looked a little embarrassed as well, he was very clearly out of practice when it came to having a partner.

“Ugh, we’re a mess aren’t we?” You chuckled out as you buried your head in his neck, he just nodded as he continued to hold you, he still didn’t know what this was but god he didn’t want to lose it.

“We probably need to figure all of this out y/n, I don’t want to pop the bubble but I can’t shut my brain off. I want this, all of it with you. I’m scared I’m gonna ruin it again.” He was grateful that you couldn’t see his face, he didn’t know if he could keep himself from falling apart if you could.

“We’ll do whatever it takes.” You pulled back to cup his cheeks so he was looking in your eyes. “We were young and stupid back then, but we can do this now. I know we can. If I have to pack up and head to California I will, I’m not saying it won’t be hard but it’s worth it.”

He fucked you slow and steady under the hot spray of the shower after that, worshipping every bit of you and definitely making you both late.

The two of you scrambled to get to the venue, making it right on time, Sam giving Bob a knowing look at his disheveled appearance when he burst into the groom's suite. When you stopped into the bridal suite to check on Millie, she made sure to pick on you for the hickey you’d tried to hide under your ear. Clearly the plan had worked, maybe not how they’d thought but the result was what they were after. You’d have to send his Mama flowers on Monday for her meddling, she’d known what was best even when the two of you didn’t.

The ceremony was beautiful, full of tears and love and Bob couldn’t help but let his eyes drift over to you, he already had plans swirling in his head of wedding rings and a future he’d thought was long lost. After you sang for the reception the band took over and Bob twirled you around the dance floor for much of the evening, he would hold these moments close until he could get you back in his arms again. It had been the perfect weekend.

A few months later you both were carrying moving boxes into his little townhouse, a new job all lined up at the local middle school and the entire summer to spend by the beach with your boyfriend. Everything had fallen into place, and if the little ring box in Bob’s back pocket had anything to do with it, he’d soon be calling you Mrs. Floyd.

🏷️ Tagging- @mamamaystbr @mamachasesmayhem @attapullman @bobgasm @sailor-aviator @roosterforme @sebsxphia @floydsglasses @sarahsmi13s @bradshawssugarbaby @hangmansgbaby

[herblackabyss]

About • Tag List • Ask • Series Masterlist •

[Title] 7 Dates, 7 Conflicts [Rating & Genre] [M] 18+, strangers to lovers, slow burn, Collage AU [Pairing] Jeon Jungkook x Reader (Amaya Bradford) [Trigger Warnings] a few cuss words

[A/N] I'm baaacckkk~! I apologize for my absence, but I truly struggle with this whole social media and social interaction thing. I had to restructure this part because I've come to the realization that my brain doesn't quite know how to write multiple events into one part...

P.S the last bit is a mess but I'll update it soon...<3

ALSO HAPPY HUNTER DAAYYY!!

[Word Count] 2740

"This is an absolute colossal fucking disaster, Chenle," I hiss under my breath, pacing across my bedroom with my phone clutched tightly to my ear. On the other end, the low hum of my best friend's tired yawn slips through the line, the digital clock on my nightstand casting an ominous glow – 10:47 PM.

I roll my eyes, my frustration lacing into the very syllables of my words. "I mean, how on earth are we even supposed to tackle this if he's out there getting his dick sucked instead of meeting me to work on the assignment?" Veronica had given us a unique homework assignment during our last COMM101 class—a creative pair-building exercise intended to break the ice. It was supposed to be an opportunity for Jungkook and me to explore each other's perspectives and come up with something that was at least halfway decent. Yet, instead of paying even a sliver of attention, Jungkook seemed to be far more interested in sketching bizarre doodles across my meticulously taken lecture notes. Since that fateful Monday morning, I've embarked on a one-woman crusade to pin him down and get him to work on it. But every attempt I make is met with flimsy excuses and empty promises. He's always conveniently "busy" or "tied up with something else." And me? I'm not naive enough to swallow those slippery words whole, not when they spill from his slick, slithering tongue like a practiced dance. As the relentless ticking of the clock emphasizes the looming deadline for my not-so-friendly essay, the harsh reality sets in. I realize that I know next to nothing about this bumbling baboon, except for the fact that he can't seem to keep his... cock out of people's mouths. The idea of crafting an essay detailing his countless escapades with the campus coeds is tempting, but it also feels like a peculiar form of self-inflicted torture. I flop onto my bed, clutching my phone as if it's my only lifeline in this chaotic situation.

"Guess I'll just have to corner him tomorrow," I murmur to myself, feeling a potent mix of determination and resignation settle in my chest like a heavy anchor. I reach out for the worn notebook resting nearby and flip it open, its pages ready to receive my thoughts and ideas for the upcoming project, even if, for now, it's a solo endeavor. After all, if Jungkook insists on making things difficult, I'm more than willing to return the favor. "Key word: 'probably,' but I can't take that risk with Jungkook," I try to speak as calmly as possible, frustration mounting within me. There's no way I can just sit here and hope he comes to his senses. I need to take action. I shouldn't be in this position, having to babysit a grown man when it comes to his academics. I mean, seriously, I'm baffled by his attitude towards this assignment. How on earth is he the top student in the Computer Science department? Does the university randomly select his name from a hat filled with sheets of paper with only his name on them? Or is he secretly paying someone to do his assignments? "But I hope you're right," I concede with a sigh as I wrap up the call and head to bed.

"Jeon!" I shout, my voice slicing through the noisy street, instantly grabbing the attention of curious onlookers. He strides purposefully toward Avery's Bagel Shop, his arm wrapped around the waist of a wavy-haired blonde. Her stunning long legs propel her forward, her eyes locked on him, with hearts practically sparkling in them. As I watch their interaction unfold before me, it becomes painfully evident that this is a heartbreak in the making. Jungkook, of all people, isn't exactly renowned for his ability to commit, and that's common knowledge around campus. He cycles through new romantic interests every week, and he's openly professed his disinterest in love on countless occasions. Yet, here she is, hopelessly falling for him—poor thing.

I raise my voice, frustration bubbling within me as I call out to him once more. But he remains utterly indifferent, his gaze fixed solely on the entrance of the quaint, inviting eatery. With a graceful sweep, he swings the door open, his hand tenderly resting on her lower back as he ushers his companion inside. I can't help but let out an exasperated sigh, my impatience growing by the second. I shake my head in disbelief before navigating my way across the bustling street. What the fuck is his problem? Stepping through the gleaming silver double doors, I make my way to the established ordering queue. Contrary to any wild ideas he might be concocting in his thick skull, I'm not here because of him. I wanted to get some work done on a few of my assignments before making my way to Chenle's place. Avery's holds a special place in my heart— it's been my favorite spot to grab a bite and study for years. Avery, the owner, is a culinary virtuoso in her mid-thirties, a mastermind behind a medley of bagel creations that are nothing short of life-altering. Over time, she's expanded her menu to include other breakfast and lunch delights, all of which keep people coming back for more.I became a regular of Avery's in her food truck era. Back then, she operated her modest business right in the heart of the city, serving her delectable creations from a weathered, banged-up red truck.Since then, I haven't looked back, it feels like I've gained a good friend and a great place to study when I need to. "Are you planning to ignore me for the rest of your life?" I say, my voice filled with frustration as I approach Jungkook. He's engrossed in a conversation with the blonde, oblivious to my approach. It amuses me how much effort he invests in girls he never intends to pursue beyond a casual fling. I mean, what's the point of all this when there are no intentions of going any further?

I watch as he slowly turns his head to identify the source of the voice. When he realizes it's me, his expression shifts, but he doesn't reply. The blonde clinging to his arm shoots me a nasty glare, clearly annoyed that I've interrupted their conversation. It's even more amusing to me that there are girls who willingly put themselves in such situations with guys like Jungkook, thinking they can be the ones to change them. "The assignment is due in just four days, Jeon, and I haven't even started because of you," I huff, frustration gnawing at me as I rummage through my bag to find my purse. Earlier, he had told me he had important matters to attend to today, which was why he couldn't meet with me. When I proposed meeting later in the day, he promptly shot down the idea, insisting he didn't have the time. So you can imagine my surprise when I spotted him with his little date. Emerging from the depths of my bag with my purse in hand, I shift my gaze toward him, awaiting his response. But there's nothing. No glimmer of recognition in his eyes, no hint of acknowledgment. He just stands there, unmoving, as if I'm invisible.

Is he really going to stand there and ignore me like a petulant child

I exhale a deep sigh, my eyes narrowing as I focus on the back of his head, frustration bubbling up inside me like a simmering volcano. A million wicked scenarios play out in my mind, each one more devious than the last, all focused on how I could effectively sabotage his date.

A mischievous thought dances through my mind. What if I were to swing my bag, aiming it at that unsuspecting, utterly useless head of his? And just for good measure, I could give his blonde friend a forcefully playful shove, a move that would surely knock her on her ass.

Or perhaps... A sly smirk gradually creeps across my face as a more subtle, yet equally potent, idea blossoms in my mind. It's nothing too extravagant, but I have complete confidence that it will work like a charm.

As I stand here, contemplating my revenge plot, I can't help but notice that the queue opposite the one I'm currently in has emptied out. Without missing a beat, I smoothly slide into that vacancy, feeling a rush of anticipation building within me. My eyes immediately fixate on the illuminated board behind the cashier's head. I tilt my head to the side, carefully examining my options before allowing my gaze to shift to Jungkook, whose irritated expression is now in plain view.

As I observe, a smug grin slowly creeps across my face. I can't help but revel in the satisfaction that washes over me as I witness the subtle twitch in his furrowed brow and the rhythmic clenching of his jaw. The tension practically oozes from his pores, an electrifying aura that I can almost taste. After all, he doesn't deserve to have a good day, not after all those lies he's been feeding me these past few days. I'm in absolute awe of his extraordinary ability to seemingly disregard my very presence. My eyes meticulously track his every move, from the way he confidently places orders for both himself and his date, to the charming, heart-melting smile he offers her and with a delicate touch, he tucks a strand of her golden locks behind her ear. It's almost as if the world revolves around them, and everyone else in the room merely fades into the background. I watch, captivated, as he tenderly grasps her hand, guiding her with a gentle assurance toward a cozy booth nestled in a secluded corner of the establishment. They settle in, their bodies so close that their shoulders brush against each other, creating an aura of intimacy that's impossible to ignore. Their conversation flows effortlessly, brimming with laughter and whispered sweet nothings. I have to admit, this guy knows exactly what to do to make a girl feel special.

A simmer of irritation bubbles beneath my skin, while amusement dances at the edges of my thoughts. Jungkook, so blissfully unaware of just how persistent I can be and utterly clueless about my insatiable appetite for pettiness, continues to test my tolerance for his behavior daily. What he doesn't know is that I've always been known for my excellence in theatrics, and quite frankly, if Jungkook wants to put on a performance, I'll give him a whole damn show.

As soon as I place my order, I waste not a single second in moving toward my target. I stride with unwavering purpose toward their booth, my head held high, my hips swaying seductively as I saunter across the room. A mischievous glint flickers in my eyes as I gracefully slide into the seat right beside him, his murderous glare meeting my unflinching gaze.

I respond with a sickeningly sweet smile, my voice dripping with a teasing tone, my eyes twinkling with faux longing. "I haven't seen you since Monday, Jeon. I really missed you," I say, letting a pout form on my plump lips as I lean in closer to him. My gaze shifts to his date as I rest my head on his shoulder. "Who's this, Kook?" I mumble, deliberately ignoring the way his fists clench between us. I'm fully aware that my intrusion on his little date will undoubtedly annoy the ever-loving shit out of him.

He exchanges a quick, awkward glance with his date, who appears thoroughly confused and uncomfortable with my sudden presence. I release a sigh, my gaze carefully assessing her features. "My replacement, perhaps?" I ask, shifting my attention back to him. I catch that split-second flicker of surprise on his face – he clearly didn't expect me to say that. "Amaya," he warns, his demeanor growing stern as he clenches his jaw, clearly struggling to maintain his composure. But if I'm completely honest, I've never been one to heed warnings; Chenle always claimed that it would take a miracle worker to handle my attitude. "I'm Amaya, by the way. You?" My focus shifts to her.

"Kiarra," she whispers, her voice barely audible, and I notice her eyes closely following my fingers as they delicately trace the contours of Jungkook's exposed neck. Her lips curl into a condescending smile as she shifts to the seat opposite ours. Girls like Kiarra, the quintessential "it" girl, always seem to gravitate towards guys like my insufferable group member.

To be honest, I've got her type down pat. Her shallowness cuts through the layers of designer labels and caked-on makeup. She gives off vibes of someone who places an exorbitant amount of importance on her position within the social hierarchy, evident in the meticulous effort she pours into her appearance.

She's undoubtedly frequented the finest surgeons, splurged on the most lavish clothes, and surrounds herself with a clique of girls who are both beautiful and, well, rather uninteresting. "So, how did you end up meeting my favorite boy?" I ask, a gentle smile gracing my lips, my head still comfortably nestled on his shoulder, my gaze locked onto her as we engage in this unspoken standoff. She's challenging me for control of the situation. "We met at Jimin's party last week," she responds with a manufactured smile, her impeccably white teeth on full display. However, I can discern the underlying annoyance in her eyes, even through her facade.

"Jimin's party," I inquire, my brows furrowing in faux hurt, pretending to be genuinely surprised as I maintain that delicate touch along Jungkook's collarbone. My fingers trace a slow, teasing path, eliciting a subtle shiver from him. "I'm hurt, Kookie. You told me you were too busy," I pout, my tone dripping with feigned disappointment. I shift my gaze to Jungkook, my eyes wide and glistening, attempting to make it appear as if I'm truly saddened by his recent evasiveness.

Kiarra, caught off guard by my interaction with Jungkook, shifts uncomfortably in her seat. She clears her throat, her irritation growing the longer I linger. "Well, I guess he had some free time after all," she retorts, her voice laced with hostility. The cracks in little miss perfect's facade are becoming more apparent, and I can practically feel the tension radiating off Jungkook in waves. He's obviously annoyed by my intrusion, but by the look on his face, you could never tell well aside from his clenched jaw. "Amaya, what are you doing?" His deep voice carries a warning as he slowly turns his head to look down at me, his dark eyes fixed on mine.

I maintain my act, tilting my head ever so slightly to meet his gaze, a playful smile dancing on my lips. "I mean, I have to get your attention somehow, right?" I respond, my voice brimming with faux innocence. Leaning in a little closer, my lips hover dangerously close to his ear, and I whisper, "Besides, it's been weeks, and you've been so absorbed in... other endeavors." I punctuate my statement with a sly wink.

Kiarra's perfectly manicured nails clench onto the edge of her designer bag as she observes our little spectacle, clearly flustered.

Drawing even nearer to Jungkook, my lips graze his ear as I murmur, "You know, we do make quite the convincing pair, don't you think?" My words are laced with just enough mischief to set him on edge, and I can see the gears turning in his head as he contemplates how to navigate this unexpected scenario. "Excuse me," she mutters, abruptly pushing her chair back and rising to her feet. Her frustration is palpable in her tone.

"Leaving so soon?" I inquire, my voice dripping with feigned concern.

Jungkook attempts to intervene, but Kiarra is already making her way toward the exit. "Kiarra, wait," he pleads, reaching out for her, but she brushes past him without a second glance.

With a theatrical sigh, I rest my head on Jungkook's shoulder once more. "Well, that didn't go as planned, did it?"

Jungkook rolls his eyes, a hint of amusement twinkling in his gaze. "You're un-fucking-believable."

I flash him a mischievous grin, my façade dropping as Kiarra departs. "Just rescuing you from a bad date, Kookie," I remark with a wink. "And reminding you that you can't keep avoiding our assignment forever." With a satisfied hum, I smoothly slide out of the booth and stride toward the exit, shooting him a playful wink before making my way to Chenle's place.

← PREVIOUS | NAVIGATION | NEXT →

[anxiouslyfred]

Unexpected Positives

Summary: Thomas decides to spend an afternoon actually listening to Remus and working on or at least actioning the ideas he comes up with. Virgil stays on guard to prevent any of those ideas actually causing harm or putting Thomas or his friends in danger

Authors Note: Apparently Tolkein was the one to coin the word Eucatastrophe. I entirely love the existence of this word now I know it.

/\/\

There's chaos and then there's determination to be unpredictable.

There's Remus acting impulsively and Remus who's been talking to Logan for too long.

Virgil had realised this the first time Remus joined a video. The longer Logan tried to explain how intrusive thoughts, or how Roman and Remus could both be creativity but also completely separate side now, the more Remus's actions became less unpredictable and more contradictions of things he'd already said. The ending coming to Remus just yelling about poop had actually been both the easiest and the least like Remus thing to be done.

The big thing was, Virgil knew how Sides work, and definitely knew how the Dark Sides worked. The things they did were always all about Thomas, ways to get different thoughts heard, but also a way for Thomas to understand them, and classify the thoughts. It's why sometimes they seemed to represent too much and other times represented nothing for certain, why there could be so much overlap as Thomas met new sides and discovered more about himself.

Both Remus and Roman were Creativity, but really only Roman was. Roman was the side Thomas used to create, the one who made ideas that would be actioned. None of Remus's were.

Both Logan and Janus advocated for self-care, but only Logan did so without the actions being judged immoral.

Both Virgil and Patton presented Thomas's emotions and reactions to the world, and both of them found too much influence put behind their words when they'd intended to just be a seat at the table. Good or bad, right or wrong, moral or immoral, safe or dangerous, between the two of them they were always making emotionally based judgements, and, at least Virgil, always knew that too much listening too them was bad for Thomas.

Today was the day that for the first time in a long time, Thomas was letting Remus be his creativity, letting his ideas and motivation for creating come from Remus primarily.

It should be a catastrophe; a disaster to mark the failings of trying to create for an older audience.

It wasn't.

Remus was happily giving Thomas a constant stream of ideas, and with the agreement he'd made, Thomas was moving between them all. It was madness and confusion, with a dozen different projects at least between all of the scripts, doodling and song ideas that Remus was throwing out.

Thomas was constantly going from finding the page for whatever Remus now provided another idea for to finding a clear page for whatever new idea had come up. All while the camera recorded him and kept track of how he was bouncing between them.

One of his friends had come over when the idea to do this had come up and were trying to keep a note over the ideas and note down what Remus might be saying in reply to Thomas, as well as any of the other sides that they hear him speaking to. It would be a lot of work to turn this into a sides video and they'd have to decide whether that's what they'd actually do after reviewing what comes about from Remus's creations.

Virgil was there, had insisted on being there, just to prevent Remus from doing anything that would actually injure Thomas, whether that be setting off traps before either of the humans had the chance to, or simply using tempest tongue to freeze Thomas long enough Remus was offering a different thought.

He hadn't particularly had to do much, although there were predictably a few doors now stabbed since he wasn't going to copy Remus and let them hit him after setting off the trap. In fact, it seemed that most of Remus's ideas when made to remain within the house only, his disturbing or dangerous thoughts could easily become simply storytelling thoughts.

“This definitely appears to be a eucatastrophe.” Logan declared, getting everyone to startle by his sudden appearance.

“Catastrophe? What do you mean Logan? I thought we were doing well.” Thomas asked, looking up from writing down the latest few lines Remus had suggested for a script. Virgil knew that would need heavy editing in order to not get demonetised but the premise seemed really good.

Logan shook his head, straightening his tie as if it was ever wonky. “Eucatastrophe. It means 'an unexpectedly happy conclusion'. Also given that it's now half past eight in the evening, I was coming to suggest either finishing for the day or taking a break for dinner at least.”

From the grumbling of Thomas's stomach as he stretched and checked the time on his phone, at the very least his body wanted food. “I can agree with that. We've got a lot of things to talk about the possibilities of doing now.”

“Perhaps if we struggle to find ideas again in the future you could try this exercise again, with either of your Creativities, given Roman would probably relax more if you let him create without our influence for a while.” Logan suggested, already walking over to the kitchen. “But in the mean time, let's see what can be cooked for dinner.”

Now Virgil's vigilance paid off, as Remus immediately perked up with an idea but found Virgil forcibly sinking them both out before it could be voiced.

Sometimes it's best to finish the story before the eucatastrophe can be changed back to a plain old catastrophe.

[squeiky]

Finally finished a wip AU!! :D

For context, this is IBT-Tale, and it's a swap au where all the important main characters are swapped with secret/non-plot related characters. (Only their roles are swapped, personalities stay the same.)

For example: this is papyrus is a royal gaurd in this au due to being swapped with lesser dog. Also asriel is alive as well!

These drawings are all redesigns and minor story changes. Enjoy the doodles!; feel free to click and zoom in! (There's a lot of notes haha.)

(Sorry in advance if you can't read my handwriting haha.)

I'm so happy with how these all turned out! They may be sketches but I adore all of them equally.

Full page:

[Side note: papyrus is in the royal garden (aka the goodboy squad) thanks to Mad Mewmew. His territory consists of Snowdin, and Snowdin Town. He's basically top dog (heh), and his puzzles are literally everywhere. His fan base consists of doggo(secretly), asriel and monster kid. Plenty more to come I'm sure.]

[Didn't explain it in the sketch, but Chara is swapped with perseveranc, and perseverance is swapped with frisk. Aka: frisk is the royal human. Chara fought undyne in waterfall, and perseverance is the last fallen human.]

[Note: queen muffet and king grillby! I really hated muffets old design so I'm glad she looks so much better now. Grillby though? Not much changed, but his "gown" looks more bartendery.]

[Itsss GASTER!! Always imagined Gaster as a Hynea skeleton to fit in line with his gaster blasters (like how papyrus has a skeleton flag) He's also their grandpa, but honestly he has more uncle vibes than anything. He's swapped with HotsFlameGuy. Nickname?: Gaster the Disaster. 10/10 would reccomend.]

[Mad MewMew also the 2nd undyne simp. She ended up gaining the mew mew body after seeing alphys's anime club. (Members are sans and mettaton. They play ddr and poker.) The metal ability was given by So sorry the scientist(?) Allowing her to be a trusty companion for undyne. She even became temporary captain when undyne took a training leave. (That's how papyrus got to be a guard!) Technically they're swapped with undyne, but the swap was a natural progression than a complete role swap.]

[Its So sorry the scientist(?) But most just call him Soso or Sorry. The reason for the "(?)" Is beacuse he's technically not a scientist, (Ike how alphys is technically an engineer.) But they call him that anyways.

Obviously, they're swapped with alphys, and their abilities include creating life/objects by drawing them. It's not like they'll get too crazy with their ideas. Right?]

(Heh. Foreshadowing.)

Much more to come! But the stories are basically finished, so ever have a question just ask!

[loserarc]

some very post-series steeb thoughts to feed the hc tag 🤔💭

1990.  steve swears he’ll never apply to college again. as much as he hates his job, it does let him be with robin every day, plus afford an okay-ish apartment. he isn’t wasting his time and money just to be told he’s not smart enough: not for school and not as his own boss. which was the original plan, of course. he’d get his business degree and take over for his dad, meaning he’d give up on this rebellious streak, make up with his family and eventually move back to hawkins. sometimes he thinks of calling home just to say he’s managing a very successful band in the city and never needed a degree to do that, though he knows he’d be embellishing a bit. eddie’s band is great, and steve is — technically — managing the business side of things, but they’re scraping by. so he doesn’t call. ( ... )

1994.  steve still hates his job. so does eddie. they’ve spent almost every morning what-ifing (what if we just quit? what if we disappeared? what if we started over someplace else?) but steve has messed up the ritual this time. he just noticed a new book on the nightstand, maybe five-hundred pages long, turned upside down to hold eddie’s place. half-finished. 

eddie’s smart. not only that: he loves stories, loves reading them, loves talking about them. and steve loves when he does. so much that he’s borrowed some of his novels, sometimes taking months or years to get through, but mostly because he likes to ask questions. he loves how eddie lights up. his excitement is contagious. maybe if his teachers were anything like him, someone who actually gives a shit, then maybe things would have been different. so what if? has he ever thought about teaching?  

has steve? he’s surprised that it isn’t a joke, but maybe he shouldn’t be. steve’s good with kids. he’s a good mentor, right? gives a shit? and eddie’s serious, so he doesn’t break the news to him that he just isn’t smart enough. anyway, what if he was? what if he actually likes the idea? and what if they had each other?  

but that’s the thing: they do.

1999.  he never really paid attention in mr. clarke’s class. science just wasn’t his thing. in fact, he knows he wouldn’t have remembered having him in middle school if not for the sweater vest and mustache (which are, as far as he can tell, exactly the same). that’s why he’s shocked when mr. clarke finds him in the teacher’s lounge. he has plenty of stories to refresh his memory. steve was one of those perpetually bored students, bound to make his disinterest everyone else’s problem. his favorite crowd-pleaser was puppeteering the plastic skeleton in the back of the room, only because doodling obscenities on the projector slides was a step too far even for him. 

but despite his sincere (if belated) apologies, mr. clarke is happy to reminisce. he’s smiling like an old friend when he asks about steve’s family. are they still down the road? what about his friends... tommy and carol? are the three of them still inseparable? and what has he been up to since graduation?  apparently, mr. clarke was one of those rare hawkins teachers that cared. apparently, kind enough to keep steve company on his first day, he still does. he tells him that if he needs anything, he’s only a few doors down. 

2000.  by the following september, eddie and steve are officially back in hawkins. and maybe it would sound like a bad joke if not for the fact that everything is fine. there’s no disaster. no one’s hunting anyone down or lurking in the shadows. that hawkins is long gone. 

as hard as steve worked to even get an interview — sleepless nights, fighting blurry eyes and headaches — one question still makes him laugh. would he be willing to coach basketball? lucky him, his poor scholastic priorities would pay off in the end. not that it really matters to him. he knows it wasn’t easy; that he did it because he actually wanted to. and for what seems like the first time in his life, he really likes what he does. now steve teaches the third grade. even though that means mr. clarke isn’t a few doors down anymore, steve still takes him up on that offer. when it comes to class clowns, his advice is invaluable.

but this isn’t all new to him. it is different being mr. h. or coach, for sure, but eddie had a point when the what-ifs took a turn in this direction. steve wants his kids to succeed, whatever that means and however that looks to them. he wants to be the mentor that he never had. 

[philcoulsonismyhero]

@squireofgeekdom tagged me in a 'share the titles of your WIPs and let people ask you about them' meme, and I was actually thinking about doing something like that anyway with the various original comics ideas I've got going at the moment, so I'm bending the rules slightly and giving you a little bit more than just the titles:

No Place For A Doctor - a short (24 pages) backstory comic for my beloved old DnD character Sam Harnendil, featuring his days as a conscripted army surgeon and how he accidentally got cleric powers from yelling at a god for not doing her job. This is the one I'm currently thumbnailing, which is exciting, because it's starting to resemble an actual comic

The Woodsman And The Wolf - a queerplatonic fairytale-ish thing about a woodsman and the injured traveller he finds in the woods one day who, spoilers but not really, turns out to be a werewolf. It's a story about monsters and what makes one and I'm very attached to it, and I'm currently at the stage of turning a pretty thorough outline into something resembling a script

Untitled space hero thing - a shorter thing, hopefully, that came about from bouncing some of my favourite mentor-mentee relationship tropes off of Captain Marvel. The space-disaster equivalent of a firefighter crash lands on Earth and ends up teaming up with an engineering student in order to save the planet and maybe herself in the process. Still needs the plot properly outlined after a certain point, but it's got Themes already (grief, mostly, and new beginnings and letting people back in)

Red Shift Blue Shift - beloved long-in-development sci-fi webcomic project with @yourfriendlyneighborhoodenby, which you can find a bunch more about over on the blog we made for the project @redshiftblueshiftcomic. We've got a bunch of short character backstory comics at various stages of figuring out that I really want to actually make this year, as well as finally getting together a proper script for Chapter 1, which is about saving a sentient generation ship from unscrupulous scavengers

Untitled gay detective thriller - this one spontaneously manifested in my brain the other day in the format of a movie, but I can't make those so now it's a comic I guess. It's a serial killer investigation starring a police detective who used to be a spy, whose life gets increasingly complicated as he starts to suspect the killer is someone from his past, who may even be trying to frame Our Hero for the murders... Also he's gay, because action-y crime thriller heroes so rarely are, and his partner is a forensic pathologist working on the same case. Still just broad strokes for now, but getting places, and something of an exercise in writing something that fits into quite a specific genre But Gay This Time

I'm very much in the mood for talking about any and all of these, so send me a title and I'll tell you a bit more about that one! (Or ask specific questions if you've got them, that's also good!) You might also get some character design doodles or panel thumbnails for some of them...

[noeliaenpapel]

How to fill a sketchbook and not die trying

If you are reading this, you probably have a sketchbook (or many) waiting for you. Or maybe you are thinking about buying one. Perfect! Welcome to the club!

The most difficult thing is to fill the first page, the reckless blank page. And for that I have a very simple solution. Don't use it! How? Yes yes, you are reading it right… start on the next page. It seems like a very silly thing but it really works and it takes all the pressure off to start something new.

Now, before continuing, I invite you to confront some myths regarding sketchbooks. Of course, it's my personal opinion and we may not agree in everything, but after years of failure, I learned a little bit and now I really enjoy the minutes I can dedicate to my lovely sketchbook.

Use a sketchbook that you like. It doesn't have to be very expensive, otherwise it can be intimidating. But you have to be attracted to it, you have to like it.  You can do it yourself without knowing anything about binding. Chose the sheets, go to a printing shop (i dont know the correct name in each country) and bound it with a spiral. Ta dah! A perfect sketchbook with the best paper for the materials you will use, or a mix of papers.

Your sketchbook doesn't have to be perfect but it doesn't have to be a disaster either. We are always advised to use it as a notebook, as the name says, for sketches, but the ones we see online are works of art themselves and we want ours to be similar, right?. So, if what we do is very ugly, we hate the sheet and if it is an amazing work of art, it generates us too much pressure to continue it like that. If it's for drawings or doodles, I rather use cheap paper or other simple notebooks. In my sketchbook I draw slightly more elaborate sketches that  don't take much time. And if I do something ugly, I remember that "I DONT HAVE THE OBLIGATION TO POST EVERYTHING I DO ON INSTAGRAM".

You can have a sketchbook for each type of material that you use or purpose that you are going to give it, but if you are just starting, I recommend using only one so you will not end up with four incomplete ones.

Use materials that are suitable for the type of paper that your sketchbook has. If it's plain computer paper, using  watercolors is going to be impossible. Unless you have 300g watercolor paper. Otherwise use pencils, markers, gouache, crayons. But if you really want to use watercolors no matter what, try to make a few washes because the paper will get ondulations because of the wáter and it may bleed to the other side.

[labellerose-acheron]

A Wrinkle in Time *** [The Acheron Twins]

In which Aidan and Bellamy make some adjustments to the plan...[takes place: idek like mid-September?]

@trip-downtheriverstyx

[tw -- none lmao]

AIDAN: Well, this was going splendidly!

It wasn’t. Not that he was surprised. This time travel was tricky stuff. They’d done their readings, of course. All the classics: 11/22/63 by Stephen King, The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut, A Wrinkle in Time, of course; The Anubis Gates, a real thing, according to their research; The Time Machine by H.G. Wells. Bell had insisted on that one. They’d studied sorcery too. Time rifts. Portals. The Underworld (not that either of them had ever been there, even if Xan was half convinced it was their birthright). 

In the end, it’d been Uncle Howl who’d figured out most of it. Theoretically. And then, not so theoretically. It’d been a miracle they’d made it back, though too late to fix anything. They’d missed the vow renewals. Overshot themselves and now…

They were working from scratch, trying to figure out where their parents were in time. In their relationship. Which was weird and difficult and they hadn’t exactly made any progress yet. Xan was still surprised every time he ran into his dad in the office. Looking--younger and more…alive than he’d ever looked to Xan. Every time he’d ever seen him throughout his childhood, he’d always looked…gaunt and slightly terrifying. 

Now, he smiled. At Xan sometimes. It was weird. Part of him kept wanting to challenge him to a staring contest, wondering if he’d figure it out. Dad was smart, wasn’t he? He’d figure it out. But every time Xan looked for too long, he chickened out and ducked away. 

Today--

He might’ve blown it. Dad wasn’t supposed to figure out who they were. That would ruin the whole…plan. 

Xan flopped into the tent on the edge of Enchantra, just a mile from the cottage, and groaned into his pillow. Bell was already back from his shift at Chapter Three.

“I hope you had a better day than I had because--I had a terrible day,” he lamented and then  flipped onto his back, staring up at the worn canvas of the tent. “I heard Dad ranting to Uncle Simba about [insert whatever they’re calling Lou bc I still am not SURE is it just his name??? Do they call him Tonton just bc Opal still called him that???].” 

BELL: Yup– this was a disaster. 

Bellamy had assumed it was going to be a disaster. They’d studied and studied and most of their mentor texts pointed to all sorts of time hi-jinks being, yeah, total disasters. But Xan was stubborn. So was Bell. And what was the worst that could happen? A complete collapse of the time-space continuum? 

Sure. 

But it was one thing when disaster was hypothetical and another when it was reality. And that reality had set its teeth in now. Every time he’d walked into Chapter Three, he’d started sweating from every orifice, jumping like a twitchy cat. Nothing looked the way he remembered it, nothing was the way it should be– his one place of refuge transformed into a landmine of mistakes and consequence. It sucked, and now Bell couldn’t even distract himself with a good book. Cruel irony, eh? He supposed he’d asked for that when he twisted time and landed his arse in the past. 

He was glum, trudging back to camp. He felt sick to his stomach. Some of that was probably their unbalanced diet. Xan was a bad cook. Bell was even worse. 

Well, maybe Xan would have good news? 

Xan flopped down and immediately groaned. 

Or not. Cool. 

Bell glanced up from his notebook, where he’d just been doodling little swirls all over the page. “Wait, maybe– that’s a good thing? You found out where he was?” 

They technically knew where he was (Paris) but it was nice to get confirmation… that so far things were going according to the timeline they were actively trying to prevent. Looking on the positive side, one could take that as a sign that they had not collapsed the time-space continuum– yet. 

There was always tomorrow. 

AIDAN: “Yeah, he’s definitely in Paris. That’s not the point. The point is Dad saw me. Like--actually saw me.” 

Mostly, Hades had looked right through Xan at this point. Well, he’d looked at him, obviously. He had this sharp, assessing kind of gaze that made Xan want to squirm. Not because he was worried about being discovered but because…well, he wanted to impress him. This wasn’t an unusual feeling for Xan. He wanted to impress everyone. That was his goal in most situations in his life. It was…just…he’d never really had a dad to impress before. 

And his dad didn’t even know he was his dad! 

“Like looked at me for a reallllllly long time. Which could have to do with the fact I accidentally kind of…fell into his office and he could totally tell I was eavesdropping. I think I am gonna get fired and it hasn’t even been a week!” 

At least Uncle Simba had seemed sympathetic. He had also laughed at him so…he wasn’t sure if he was friend or foe at this point. 

Xan threw an arm over his face, ears bright red. “He was really pissed, though. Not at me. Well, yeah--at me, but mostly at Toulouse. I have no idea what we came back to…but it isn’t good.” 

BELL: Bell was certain that Xan was exaggerating. Xan did that. So did Opal. He was certain that he was the only person in his family that ever had an appropriately sized reaction to most situations. After all, going back in time to fix their parents’ marriage wasn’t Bell’s idea. Neither was running away to Paris to live with Toulouse. He had simply been ready to accept his dose of childhood trauma and grow into a maladapted semi-recluse adult as destiny warranted. 

That was probably why it was good he did have Xan– Bell could admit that too. 

Anyway, he was here to curb Xan when he started overreacting, like now. Uncertainty prickled in his own stomach but he decided to keep writing that off as lack of a well-rounded diet. Everything was fine, or fine-ish, or else certainly they would have received some sign about it, right? 

“Well– yeah. We knew it wasn’t going to be good,” said Bell, though he frowned deeply. Originally, they had wanted to come when things were… semi-good, at least. This was definitely worse than they imagined. 

It also didn’t help that Bell knew nothing about romance. That had been an oversight. 

“But being mad means he cares, right? That’s– that’s good. And anyway, Mum’s seen me loads now and doesn’t suspect a thing. As long as Dad doesn’t also see me, we’re good. We should just– stick to the plan.” 

He tried to sound confident, like Xan. But that was Xan’s area of expertise. 

AIDAN: “What plan?” Aidan lamented, throwing up his hands. 

It was true, though, to some extent. They didn’t really have a plan except to fix things. To come back before Toulouse left and make sure he stayed, but they’d already messed that up, hadn’t they? Sure, the leaving was still fresh, but he was gone. From what he knew of Toulouse Bonfamille, convincing him to do nearly anything was impossible. 

Aidan missed Opal. She’d be able to convince him. His big sister could do anything. Which was one of the reasons he admired her, while also finding her extremely infuriating. He had missed her for years now. That was part of why they were doing this anyway. They wanted Opal back too. He had to keep that in mind. 

“He is already gone.” Aidan rolled over on his side so he could scowl at his brother. “And, according to Dad, he left because Dad and Maman weren’t paying any attention to him. That doesn’t sound familiar at all, does it? It’s this family’s whole problem! No one pays attention to anything or anyone but themselves! How are we supposed to convince them to take him back if he’s not even in the same country? And they don’t even know who we are?” 

These questions were not said desperately. They were genuine. Aidan’s brain turned over these questions like they were puzzle pieces. Or chess pieces. He was good at chess. Bellamy was too, when he had the patience for it. Problem was: so were their parents. They would know when they were being manipulated.

“Maybe we should, uhm, try to get someone on our side? Like…an adult? Uncle Howl? Auntie Ella? Auntie Xuemei? Uncle Simba and Ber? That way they can…talk to them?” 

BELL: Er, right. Very true that the plan had fallen apart instantly after getting here and realizing… exactly… when… they’d arrived. 

Well, Uncle Howl did say that time travel spells were often tricky little buggers, prone to acting the way they wanted to act. This could mean that they’d actually ended up going to the exact moment that they needed to, even if they’d determined otherwise. 

More likely it just meant they were already fucked. Bell would give up, but he didn’t exactly know how to give up anyway. Traveling back was one thing… traveling forward, another. 

So… 

Bell bit down on his lip, not really sure how to comfort Xan when that had never been his strong suit. He was not the Ideas person. But he wracked his brain as Xan rambled, trying to at least find any bit of good news to share with his brother… oh wait, Xan was coming up with something! Phew, that was close. 

He nodded enthusiastically. He was not the Ideas person. But he was a great sidekick. Cheerleader, er, type. 

“Right! Yeah, I think that’s a good idea. I’m uh– I think I’m actually friends with Amity Blight now?” Bell tilted his head, a queasy expression passing over his face like a dark cloud, and then lifting the next second as he shook his head. He was trying not to think too hard about these things. Yeah, Amity was his boss in the future, but this probably wasn’t going to mess anything up… 

If he got back to the future and he didn’t have a job at Chapter Three anymore, he would kill Xan though. He would kill him a lot. 

“So there’s that? Maybe she could help. Or um, Auntie Xuemei’s great with secrets! I bet she wouldn’t even blink if we told her everything.” 

AIDAN: Amity Blight…could be helpful but she was what? Their age? How well did she even know their parents at this point? Aidan tried to think back on what all his mum had told him about Amity’s relationship with the family. It had all started with a demon, he knew that. And, if his job at Town Hall had any impression of the current demon situation…that was pretty recent. Which meant…Amity’s relationship with their parents was recent.

Also, she was a teenager.

They needed like…an adult.

Which left Auntie Xuemei. Who was also a bit of a mystery. It wasn’t like his mum had ever mapped out the exact details of how she became friends with all her friends! And, besides, part of the problem they’d come back to fix was the fact that Maman didn’t have any friends. She had given up any sort of social life, except where Kristoff (gag) was concerned. Which meant that Bell and him weren’t super duper close with Auntie Xuemei, but they had been…when they’d been younger. So, it stood to reason that they had not fallen out quite yet. 

“Yeah, Auntie Xuemei is gonna be our best bet, I think,” Aidan said, as confidently as one could about the manner of time travel. 

“She’s still at the Hauntley from what everyone in Town Hall says so…it shouldn’t be too hard to find her, right? Right. Should we uh…go tomorrow or…?”

BELL: Hmm, great question. Why was Xan asking him though? Xan made the decisions here. Bell simply made him feel better about his decisions. Or sometimes he’d make a few comments to amend, slightly, the decision. Maybe that’s what Xan was asking for– a ballpark time period. Bell didn’t appreciate the question anyway, since he didn’t want the eventual break in the universe to be his fault. Xan, on the other hand, could handle that pressure.

“Uh,” he started then. “Uh.” 

Yup, going well. 

He sighed and looked up, as if doing mental calculations. Well, okay. They’d been here a few weeks. Toulouse still wasn’t back from France. He’d heard about Marie Bonfamille’s boutique opening up soon, and no way would Toulouse miss that, even if he was sour with their parents. They had to take advantage of that… keep him in place… find a way to trap him here longer… so they could then also trap Hades, Bell and Lou in another place…

Auntie Xuemei could help with all of that. She could come up with a reason that Bell and Aidan couldn’t!

Right, mental calculation complete. 

This was why he liked history, by the way.

Bell glanced back to his brother, waiting eagerly– impatiently. “Yes,” he said. “We should. We should uh, tell her– we should use the upcoming boutique grand opening as a way to get to Toulouse. I’m sure Auntie Xuemei’s invited. So– tomorrow.” He nodded.

[sonicshank]

dont give me that ugly scowl

[heyiwrotesomethings]

Hi hi !!

I just read ur Mina fic an I thought it was adorable !! An I was curious if I could request a Mina x Reader (they/them) where Mina accedentally melts one of her favorite pens (like she sneezed and her reflexes activated her quirk) and maybe the reader takes her out shopping for new pens or or surprises her by buying her a new one ?

Sorry if this is too short or somethin I just got really excited ansnnsnm

For You!

Mina Ashido x They/Them Reader

A/N: Yay more Mina! Don’t worry, you did great :D Word Count: 777 (Ooo jackpot)

“These are the main disaster settings and their accompanying rescue protocols. Be sure to write these down and be able to explain why these rescues are done in these situations if you want to do well on the next test.” Aizawa droned on disinterestedly.

Mina was in the zone.

She was feeling like a note taking god right now. Usually by now her hand would start to cramp or she would start doodling in the margins of her notebook or begin flagging and fall asleep on accident. Something about the fit of her favorite pen in her hand as it glided effortlessly across the page, leaving behind glittery characters in its wake made her feel way happier than any simple pen should.

She looked up at the board to copy the next line of text and felt a familiar tickling in her nose. She rubbed at her nose to try to get rid of the feeling, but only served to irritate it more. She inhaled sharply and barely had time to cover her nose and mouth in her elbow before,

“Achoo!”

“Geeze, Mina, you good?” Kirishima asked.

“Yeah, excuse me…” She snuffled then looked down at her paper, “No, no, no!”

She had reflexively shot acid all over her desk. Something she hadn’t done since elementary school. Her acid had ruined her notebook, eaten through her desk and worse yet, her favorite pen, melted! What kind of injustice was this!

“Ashido, I’m in the middle of a lecture. Keep your cries of despair to yourself until after class is over.” Aizawa asked, not even bothering to turn around. “A new desk will be waiting for you tomorrow.”

Forget the desk! What about her notes? Her pen! This is the thanks she gets for participating in class? With a soft moan of defeat, Mina thumped her head against her corroded desk and waited for school to end. Unbeknownst to her, a fellow classmate made a plan to stop at a nearby store before heading back to the dormitory.

***

Mina went right to her room after school and flopped lifelessly onto her bed. Her face smothered against her plush pillow, she fell asleep almost immediately and only awoke to a faint knocking a couple hours later.

“Who is it?” She yawned, taking note of the time. Man, she missed dinner! What a crappy day.

“It’s (Y/n), can I come in?”

“Oh yeah, of course! Door’s open!” Mina jumped up and fixed her hair quickly before greeting (Y/n) at the door. “Hey, what’s up? Whaddaya got there?“ she asked almost in one breath, motioning (Y/n) further into the room and offering them a seat.

“Just a couple things I thought you might find helpful.” They smiled, offering the plastic bag to Mina.

“Aw, (Y/n), what’s this for?”

“I noticed you were working hard today and I felt bad about what happened with the whole sneezing incident. I figured you could use a pick me up.” They said, their hands in their pockets as they rocked on their feet.

Mina, dug into the bag and made a delighted sound, grabbing (Y/n) in a side hug.

“You got me a new notebook? Thanks! That’s really sweet!” She thumbed through the pages and was surprised to find that some pages had already been filled. She looked to (Y/n) who quickly gave her an explanation.

“I copied down my notes for you. I thought it might be helpful.”

“It is! It is! Thanks a lot! I was dreading having to write all of that again!”

The bag still had some heft to it so she placed the notebook on her desk and reached inside, jumping for joy when she pulled out a ten pack count of her favorite sparkly gel pens in various fun colors.

“Aw, (Y/n) you are the best, honestly! Thank you so much! What else could you have possibly given me? This is too sweet!”

“YaoMomo texted me. She said she didn’t see you at dinner so I picked something up for you while I was out.”

Mina put everything on her desk to give (Y/n) a proper full contact hug that almost sent them sailing through the wall.

“You are the most thoughtful person ever! Did you get yourself dinner too?”

“Yeah, I dropped it off at my room.” They said, jabbing their thumb in the direction of the hall.

“Well go get it! Let’s eat together and watch some tv!”

“Yeah? Okay, I’ll be right back!”

While waiting for (Y/n) to return, Mina opened the fresh pack of pens and arranged them how she liked while thinking of a way to repay (Y/n) for the extremely kind gesture.

[non-plutonian-druid]

tell us more about the vld gravity falls au? shack shenanigans?

oh hello!!! it has been a MINUTE since i posted about that, I’m so happy you’re interested!!! i have the whole au planned out i just forgot to keep posting about it lmao. also some art i haven't finished, which is the actual point of the au bc i dont write fic lol. Because i do not write fic, i cannot give you shack shenanigans in greater detail than are on the post. I can doodle them for you though! 

(find the vld gravity falls au here!)

im lazy so i traced the bgs from screenshots 

Pidge and Matt being disasters lol

[ID: a doodle of Voltron characters in a style similar to gravity falls, in the gift shop section of the Mystery Shack. Keith and Shiro are leaning on the register in the foreground, and turned toward Pidge and Matt in the background, who are jumping away from a glass object that just shattered on the floor. End ID.]

Lance showing Coran how the internet works, for the nth time

[ID: Lance and Coran leaned over a phone. Lance is gesturing at the screen and explaining something, and Coran looks awed. End ID.]

Lance’s niblings’ reign of terror

[ID: Lance chasing his nephew, who is running into the foreground. In the background, Keith is trying to shake Lance’s niece off his leg, who is clinging to him tightly. Hunk has fallen on the floor through a doorway, but is giving a thumbs up. Pidge is hiding on top of the vending machine. End ID.]

Shiro hiding from Slav. He’s just asked Matt to pretend to be working at the register instead of him, even though Matt Does Not Work Here

[ID: Shiro huddled behind a newspaper in the foreground. In the background, a human version of Slav stands at the register, where Matt is seated looking nonplussed. Pidge is next to the register watching them while using her laptop. End ID.]

Don’t do questionable science and baking at the same table, folks

[ID: Pidge, Lance, Hunk, and Matt gathered around a table covered in Pidge’s science-y vials and Hunk’s baking. Pidge is standing on her chair with a grimace, Lance looks bored and is leaning back on his phone, Hunk is standing looking stunned at a baking tray in his hands, and Matt is sitting on a counter leaning over Hunk’s shoulder curiously. The vials are full of questionable pink goop, and Hunk’s dough and baked goods have turned the same color. End ID.]

Pidge is gonna hunt Mothman

[ID: two doodles of Pidge and Hunk, the first significantly more detailed than the second. In the first, Pidge is showing Hunk a page in a journal titled “MOTHMAN”. Hunk is bent over and grinning at her. In the second, Pidge has taken out a crossbow, to Hunk’s horror. End ID]

[legionofshitposting]

Cards X (Wheel of Fortune) - XIX (The Sun)

X - Wheel of Fortune (Little J)

Upright: Change, inevitable fate

Reversed: No control, bad luck

Art done by Ana

XI - Justice (Sirius)

Upright: Cause and effect, clarity and truth

Reversed: Dishonesty, unaccountability, unfairness

Art done by Taylor

XII - The Hanged Man (Harley)

Upright: Sacrifice, release

Reversed: Stalling, fear of sacrifice

Art done by Allie

XIII - Death (Seth)

Upright: End of a cycle, beginning of change

Reversed: Fear of change, holding back

Art done by Loki

XIV - Temperance (Elizabeth)

Upright: Patience, finding meaning

Reversed: Extremes, lack of balance

Character art done by Abby, background art done by Taylor

XV - The Devil (JJ)

Upright: Addiction, playfulness

Reversed: Freedom, restoring control

Art done by Space

XVI - The Tower (Tyler)

Upright: Broken pride, disaster

Reversed: Delayed disaster, fear of suffering

Art done by Jazzy

XVII - The Star (Regalo)

Upright: Hope, faith, rejuvenation

Reversed: Faithlessness, discouragement, insecurity

Art done by Mothra

XVIII - The Moon (Doodle's HP)

Upright: Illusions, intuition

Reversed: Confusion, fear

Art done by Doodle

XIX - The Sun (Harry)

Upright: Positivity, success

Reversed: Negativity, depression

Art done by Katt

| Intro Post | 0-IX | X-XIX | XX-XXI, King-Page of Swords and Pentacles | King-Page of Cups and Wands | Ace-10 of Swords | Ace-10 of Pentacles | Ace-10 of Cups | Ace-10 of Wands |

[eusuntgratie]

Nobody knows about Dylan's secret Instagram account. bilinski420 is anonymous with a generic Stiles headshot he found on his phone as its profile pic and a blank bio. He doodles around on Instagram, checking up on what everyone's doing, following a few fan pages, seeing what the latest rumours are, actively liking everything Taylor Swift has ever posted, and oh -

Well, there's Hoechlin.

For a man who doesn't post much content of himself, there sure is more than enough being posted about him. Dylan's feed is a mess of Swiftie conspiracy theories and his former co-star, in various states of undress and with various degrees of chest hair.

It's been ten years and Dylan still feels like that awkward nineteen year old who looked at Hoechlin and wanted.

He still wants, is the thing. A teenage crush it may have been, but it's matured like fine wine, into something shockingly undeniable.

He double taps another post to like it and scrolls down.

And nearly swallows his tongue.

He's used to Hoechlin's chest, the ridiculous muscles and the way they'd grease him up for Teen Wolf, but they'd always made him wax, at least until season four and they'd barely shared any scenes so it wasn't like Dylan had been able to just... perve on the scenery.

But this is a... gym selfie? A shirtless gym selfie. And indecently short shorts. Hoechlin's smiling like he's proud of himself, and damn right, he should be, because - guh.

Dylan doesn't reply to posts. He likes them and moves on. But. But - oh, what the hell, he's anonymous and he's only human.

bilinkski420 commented SIR.

He doesn't think anything more of it as he closes out of the app (not before screenshotting it, not that the fans will ever let that post disappear from memory). He gets off in the shower to thoughts of running fingers through coarse black chest hair, rubbing his cheek against wiry thighs and - and it's fine, it's fine. Maybe he needs to get laid, but it's fine.

He goes to bed, and really, that should be the end of it.

Spoiler alert: it's not.

His phone pings at some god awful hour which can only mean disaster. He groans and reaches for it and blinking bleary eyes tries to unlock it.

He has a WhatsApp message from Hoechlin.

Fuck. Okay, they do talk, but mostly in the group chat. Their last private conversation is dated three months ago.

Hoech: I saw you liked my post.

Dylan's stomach does something he didn't know it could do, sort of flips and sinks in on itself all at once.

He hates whoever came up with the idea for read receipts, and then sees Hoechlin's typing again.

Hoech: I liked the comment you left too.

Which - this has to be a cruel prank. Dylan stares at his phone. Then stares at it some more. Hoechlin is still online, waiting. Dylan doesn't dare tap out a single message.

An image comes through.

It's Hoechlin sprawled out on his bed, wearing nothing but his stupid I'm-very-manly-I-workout underwear, which just makes his thighs look obscene, actually, and Hoechlin's looking at the camera like he's looking into Dylan's soul and oh god.

Hoech: Yeah?

Dylan bites his bottom lip. Yeah, he types back hesitantly, and sends it.

A video call starts ringing through. He answers, still half asleep, adrenaline and excitement warring inside of him.

Hoechlin's face pops up at a slightly awkward angle and he's so him that Dylan can't help but smile. He's terrified, but Hoechlin puts him at ease. That smile. It could launch a thousand ships.

"Hey Dyl," Hoechlin says. "Sorry, I forgot it was early for you."

"It's okay," Dylan says. "How - how did you know?"

He needs to know. Hoechlin's beautiful and smart and funny, but he's not like, a detective, right? There's no way he could have known one anonymous account was Dylan.

"MTV never released the photo you're using as your profile pic. You asked for it. Said it made your nose look cute, which, it does. But it's not on Google. Everything's on Google, Dyl, but not that. It's okay," Hoechlin says, eyes scanning Dylan's face, looking for what? Hurt? Anger? Fear? "It's really okay. I'm not upset. Kinda flattered. Kinda wondering - been wondering for a while, actually. Whether you meant it. The likes, and then - well," Hoechlin chuckles. "Your comment. Felt kinda like maybe you had some feelings about the photo."

"I did, I mean, I do," Dylan says. "God, I do." He closes his eyes, and then opens them again. "If I was a fan, I'd be the kind of fan you should be crossing the street to avoid, and possibly calling the cops too. I'm pretty obsessed with you. Hoech, you're - you know. You have to know. Don't make me spell out how perfect you are this early in the morning. I'm compromised."

"I'm compromised too," Hoechlin says, and Dylan tries to breathe. It feels like his lungs are too tight. "Been trying to get you out of my head for years. Thought I could get it out of my system, but I can't. You're in there. Want to touch you. Just - think about it sometimes and don't know why we never tried that. Seems like we should have."

"You wanted that? Want that?" Dylan whispers. Hoechlin tilts his head. God, he's so perfect.

"Really do," Hoechlin replies.

"Fuck, you have no idea what you do to me," Dylan says. "How quick can you get on a plane?"

"Not quick enough, but I could make it work, if you wanted me to," Hoechlin says.

"Please," Dylan isn't above begging, so he begs.

"Please?" Hoechlin teases.

"Please, sir," Dylan says, and watches Hoechlin's eyes go dark even through the shitty resolution of the camera.

"I'll look at flights," Hoechlin says.

"Okay," Dylan says, disbelieving.

"Means I need to hang up the call now though," Hoechlin points out. He absently runs a hand up his chest and Dylan follows the movement.

"Is this real?" Dylan asks, and Hoechlin chuckles, face going all squinty and adorable.

"Yeah, baby, I think it is," Hoechlin says.

"You should go - flights, and that."

"See you soon," Hoechlin says, and the screen goes back to their conversation. Dylan, ridiculously, misses him.

Twenty minutes later, Hoechlin sends through a screenshot of a ticket confirmation. It leaves in an hour.

This is real.

Dylan can't quite believe it.

His phone shows a notification that Hoechlin has added a new Instagram story. He taps through to it.

It's just text, white on a blue background:

Ever think you're about to have a really good day?

Dylan smiles, and taps out a reply.

Yeah.

It gets marked as read.

(And yeah, he has a really, really good day.)

🥰😍🥰😍🥰😍

this is?!? So wonderful? The chest hair thirst? GYM SELFIE?!? THIGH THIRST? so much thirst but so sweet? Ahhhhhhhh

THANK YOU HOBRIEN ANON 💜💜💜

[carriagelamp]

Since it’s Pride Month, I decided this year I wanted to raid the library for a bunch of different queer books to read. Mostly graphic novels in this case, because I’ve had a hard time settling into much reading lately... thought hopefully now that it’s summer and I finally have my second shot I’ll be able to relax a bit more and dig into some heavier novels again. For now, enjoy some light, queer reads that I indulged in this June.

A Wolf Called Wander

A beautiful novel I had been hearing lots about. This story follows the young wolf Swift, who grows up knowing that he and his pack are the mountains, and the mountains are them. It’s in those mountains that he grows and learns and loves… until disaster strikes and he finds himself viciously torn apart from his family and forced out of the mountains that have always meant home to him. Forced to survive on his own. Swift then begins a gruelling journey that makes him face injury, starvation, and the everpresent danger of humans as he seeks a new place he can call home, and new people with whom he can form a pack.

This is all based on the true story of a tagged wolf known as OR-7, following the unbelievable route he took through Oregon and northern California! It was a very neat read, and I’d definitely recommend it if you enjoy stories told from an animal’s perspective because this book is a master class in it.

Bloom

I decided for June to try to read a handful of different queer books, and this was one of the first graphic novels I picked up. It is a super sweet story and the art is lovely. It’s about Ari, a boy who has just graduated high school and is now desperate to move away from his small town and his family’s struggling bakery, to join his band in the city where they hope to make it big. An agreement is finally reached: Ari’s father will let him leave, if he can find someone who can replace him in the bakery, which is how Ari meets Hector, someone who sees artistry and peace in baking. For anyone that’s read Check, Please, it gives off those types of vibes!

Boule et Bill: Bill est Maboul

Another book of Dupuis comics, because I can’t get enough of them! This one I just stumbled across and ended up reading on a whim but it was very cute. Geared younger than the others I’ve read, but still quite funny. It’s the charming hijinks of a young boy, his dog, and the family they live with. Each page or so is a different stand alone joke, a bit like Calvin and Hobbes except expanded beyond a single strip.

Chicken Run: Chicken Pies for the Soul

This was a ridiculous urge I got and had to follow. I recently rewatched Chicken Run (which is, of course, one of the best movies ever made) and felt the need to see if it had ever been novelized. Well, I found something better than a novelization! This is a chapter book with “advice” and stories written by the various characters, post-movie. It really does a good job with grasping the different characters’ voices and making something simple and funny out of it. It was very cute (and available on The Internet Archive if anyone else feels like reading something ridiculous!)

Doodleville

I picked this up on a whim and honestly, I shouldn’t have bothered. It was not very impressive. Very mediocre, awkward feeling artwork, and a story that only slightly manages to redeem it. The concept was kind of neat, and I did like how the ending came about, the rest was rather… plodding. I did not like the main character at all, her friends felt very Intentionally Quirky Aren’t We Cute :3 in a way that just tries too hard, and… yeah. Meh. It technically gets the “queer graphic novel flag” but it’s so in-passing that it feels rather excessive to give it that.

If you are interested, it’s about a world were doodles actually exist as living creatures that can be drawn into existence (the rather unsettling implications of which is never fully explored). This is all well and good, until the main character draws a monster and takes it with her to her art club... where it begins ravanging not only her doodles, but those of her friends. Together they need to work together to figure out how to stop this menace.

FRNCK v4

Phenomenal. I adore the FRNCK series, and book four wrapped up the first “cycle”, revealing several of the big secrets dogging the series so far, and changing how things are going to be able to run in the future.

If you haven’t seen me talk about it before, FRNCK is a graphic novel (a franco-belgian bande dessinée) about a young orphan, Franck, who’s chafing under the constant parade of uninterested foster parents that visit the orphanage he lives in. Determined to learn about his mysterious abandonment instead, he flees the orphanage… but finds himself tumbling through time, landing among a family of cave-people who rather reluctantly take him in and ensure this modern boy doesn’t die in the strange, dangerous new surroundings he finds himself in. You can get these ones in English as e-books, so if you want a really kickass graphic novel series to read please try these.

Haikyu!!

I’ve heard so much about Haikyu!! that I finally gave in and picked up the first book from the library. And I gotta say, it’s well worth the hype! This series really does capture the best parts of a good sports manga -- which is to say the team is filled with interesting, enjoyable character who all need to learn to pull together, boost each other’s strengths, and cover for each other’s weaknesses. Love me some found family tropes and this series oozes it in the best possible way. And then you also get some very cool action scenes as it makes high school volleyball seem like the most intense thing on earth. I can’t wait to continue it

Queer Eye

I haven’t been keeping up with Queer Eye but I was watching it ravenously when it first came out, and this seemed like a very cathartic book to read… and it really was. It had the same gentle, loving encouragement as the show. It doesn’t expect you to change your entire life, but to learn to embrace who you are, and take small steps to enhance those things. There a segment written (presumably) by each member of the Fab Five, explaining the mentality behind what they do on the show and how you can grow in those areas too. It’s very zen.

Spinning

I got this graphic novel out at the same time as Bloom, but it was the one that interested me less of the two... though that’s just because I have less interest in “real world” slice of life as a genre and this one is meant to be autobiographical. If you’re into that, you’ll probably love this because it really is stunning. Very pretty, and the format and pacing is all really well done. It’s a coming of age story for Tillie as she grows up dealing with a crosscountry move, complicated friendships, a burgeoning attraction to girls, and attending competitive figure skating classes.

This Place: 150 Years Retold

A stunning and heart-wrenching graphic novel told by a collection of different First Nation’s authors/artists, recounting oral histories about the 150 years since the colonialist formation of the country known as “Canada”. In other words, this is a post-apocalypse story, but one that really happened and that entire peoples are still fighting to survive. It’s very eye opening and beautifully told. Very strongly recommend the read, especially if you’re at all interested in history.

Torchwood: Serenity

Whoops, not technically a book. I had thought these were technically audiobooks at first, but rather they’re audio dramas that were played on the radio. Still, I decided to include one because I’ve been listening to them like a person possessed and they’re too fun not to at least mention. Let me indulge in my obsessions.

If you don’t know Torchwood, it’s a BBC series that spins-off from Doctor Who, focusing on the enigmatic and flirtatious Captain Jack Harkness, who is running the covert organization known as Torchwood, which is tasked to protect humanity from and prepare them for alien contact. It’s goofy and campy but also more adult and heavy than Doctor Who tends to get, so it is (in my opinion) a really fascinating series. Though it also has content warnings coming out the wazoo so maybe make sure it’s for you before delving in.

Serenity specifically is possibly one of the best Torchwood stories I’ve ever experienced. The Torchwood team concludes that there’s an undercover alien hiding in the idyllic gated community Serenity Plaza, and so that means it’s up to Jack and Ianto to go undercover as a happily married couple and flush out the alien without being discovered first. Even if it means being sickly sweet together, pretending to care about the local neighbourhood barbecues, and actually caring a bit too much about the Best Front Lawn competition. What is truly magical about this one, is that it manages to make it a Fake Dating AU despite the fact that Jack and Ianto are actually dating in canon. But they’re both used to dating as a pair of alien hunters with insanely dysfunctional lives, and who now need to figure out how to deal with domesticity. It is marvellous.

Wilderlore: The Accidental Apprentice

A middle grade novel that felt a bit like a cross between Harry Potter and Pokemon. It’s about orphan Barclay Thorne who wants nothing more than to be accepted in the rule-bound village of Dullshire, and live up to his apprenticeship as a mushroom farmer. He certainly wants nothing to do with the fearsome Beasts who live beyond the village, deep in the Woods or the sinister Lorekeepers that bond with them. It was, after all, a Beast that had killed his parents all those years ago. But when he finds himself at the very edge of the forest, hunting for an elusive mushroom, he is suddenly unable to avoid any of that. Not when a wild girl and her bonded dragon appear to summon a horrible Beast and end up getting Barclay bonded to it instead. Now, if Barclay ever wants to be welcomed back into his home, he has no choice but to venture into the Woods and find a way to sever the bond imprisoning him to the massive, monstrous wolf now imprinted on his body as a living tattoo.

I honestly can’t decide how I felt about this one. I feel like it’d be a really fun read for maybe a grade 5 to 7 student? I was a bit more meh about it. It was fine, but it was very hard not to draw unfavourable parallels to Harry Potter. But for a kid who’s never read Harry Potter? Or even an adult that has but is looking for something different to scratch that itch, this might be a good book to try. I’ll probably try reading the second book when it comes out.

[buraibanzai]

“Alright, now that everyone’s complete…”

“...let’s vote for class president and vice!”

Here is Burai's speech for the class elections!! Thank you guys for voting, he's super stoked to be vice prez and looking forward to it!

Below the cut is also a little ficlet I wrote about Sati encouraging Burai to run for president <3

Class representative. A position no doubt many would be vying for. Even if they were only high school students, it was a role that came with a lot of responsibility, but with it a lot of recognition too. It was good for those who wanted to be in the spotlight. As for him…

Burai gnawed on the end of his pen, only half paying attention to the conversations around him. An orchestra of excited voices and plans for speeches and posters and maybe even badges. He blew his bangs out of his face and stared out of the window. Who he was going to vote for was the real question.

A tap on his shoulder startled him out of his thoughts, and he looked back in bewilderment. Sato-sensei was standing over him.

“Uh, hey teach,” Burai ducked his head, cautious eyes peering out from behind his fringe, “Need something?”

Even with half of his face obscured, the weight of his teacher’s gaze bore into him.

“Are you interested in running for class president, Burai?”

“That’s…” There was hesitation in his voice. He’d be lying if he said he was completely disinterested. But it was little more than a daydream. His class was full of amazing people that he didn’t have a chance against. Through no fault of their own, he hadn’t gotten the chance to really form many friendships either, too awkward to make an opening or join one. And besides...

“Well, I don’t think I’d be a good fit for it.” He grinned, sheepish as it was, and scratched his cheek.

“Not what I asked.” Sato said, his arms crossed over his chest. When Burai didn’t say anything, Sato shrugged and turned away. Burai couldn’t help but feel a bit ashamed, for some reason.

The bell rang and the students left in dribs and drabs. He rose from his desk, his backpack slung over one shoulder, and made to leave as well when Sato stopped him.

“Burai. Wait a moment.” He winced, but shook it off as he turned to face his teacher.

Sato walked up and rested his hand on Burai’s shoulder. Burai tried not to tense under the touch.

“I saw your performance during the entrance exam. You know it’s not a co-operative exercise.”

“Ahaha, yeah, my bad.” Burai rubbed the back of his neck. He didn’t know why Sato-sensei was bringing it up now. It was true he had spent a bit too much time giving other people advice when he should’ve been racking up points. He couldn’t help himself.

“No, that’s not it. A Hero is someone who puts themselves before others, right? A Hero also always tries, even if they think they’re going to fail.”

“I think you have what it takes to be a good leader, if only you’d trust yourself a little bit more. But, it’s your choice whether you step up to the task or not.” He gave Burai’s shoulder a light squeeze before letting his hand fall away and turning.

Burai stood there for a moment, lips pressed firmly together. He clutched the lapel of his blazer and scrunched the grey fabric between his gloved fingers. He didn’t know what to say to that.

So he left.

When he got home, he went straight to his room and pulled out his notebook, covered in little stickers. He flicked through the pages of random notes and doodles until he got to the blank ones at the back.

He didn’t have long for this. With newfound determination, he pressed his pen to the paper and wrote.

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

Burai groaned with his head on his desk. He’d spent so much time preparing for this, and he didn’t have much to show for it other than a single slightly crumpled piece of paper with some notes scrawled onto it.

He wanted his “speech” (if it could be called that) to feel natural, so he hadn’t written a full script, and instead had taken to talking into his mirror. It hadn’t gone very well. Maybe he had to be in the moment for it to work? Some crap about speaking from the heart. Right now, he felt like his heart was going to leap out of his chest at any moment.

“All right everyone, who wants to go first?”

If there was one thing Burai knew, it was that he definitely didn’t want to go first.

He relaxed when others volunteered, and decided he would wait and listen to them first before he even thought about going up. It would help take his mind off of his own pending disaster. Plus, he still needed to pick someone to vote for anyway.

Eventually, it came his time to stand at the front of the class. With a shaky inhale, he looked over the class, and he spoke.