#honestly so far one of my favorite art pieces I’ve done :)

[cherry-dream-star]

A heart themed fire peach for valentines 💖✨✨

[sapphicseasapphire]

More of Cryptid Time please? I've always been a sucker for God Time and you do him so much justice, I'm obsessed /lh

Hmmmmm I don’t want to say too much. I have Time’s origin like 80% written and the art is done so I plan on posting it later today (of course, now that I’ve said that, I’ve jinxed myself and It won’t happen). But I can give a little more haha!

I don’t have a full playlist, but I’ve tried to find music that I think fits the Cryptid Au Links. I challenged myself to look beyond Zelda music! But I fell back into Zelda music anyway…

For Time, I have two pieces that I think could be his theme! They are: The Legend of Zelda 25th Anniversary Orchestra: Gerudo Valley (honestly one of my favorite pieces of all time) and Shenandoah by Frank Ticheli . They’re very different pieces haha, but Time’s a pretty complex guy I think.

Time is a great leader! He puts the others first and always seems to know what he’s doing (even if he’s actually clueless). Even back before the others knew he was a God, it was hard to deny his authority. He’s strong and steadfast, fully committed to whatever he decides is worth his attention.

That being said, he’s far from perfect. He may know a lot, but he doesn’t know everything, and that can lead to a lot of mistakes on his end. He just genuinely does his best… even if it’s not good enough. With dominion over the flow of time, he knows that there are some things that just can’t be helped. Lives will be lost. Friend will disappear. And even as a God, there’s nothing he can do to escape that.

… sometimes, he just feels so useless.

[leaves-and-inks]

A Study of Werewolves

Hi everyone! Long time no see… Things have been interesting for me. School, life, health; it’s been a perfect storm of stuff happening. With everything going on in the past… year, honestly, I’ve had very little time, energy, or motivation to keep up with everything, much less my personal art (other than doodles here and there). Thankfully, I have a bit of a backlog to work with, it’s just a matter of getting everything formatted and ready to go. Things in my life are also beginning to slow down a bit as well, which I’m thankful for (but I don’t want to jinx anything!)

It’s always halloween in my heart so here’s a sketch page I did on werewolves!! I drew this piece back in July while I feel I can do better now (esp. with the background), but I remember having a lot of fun making and experimenting with this page! This werewolf design is one I'm tweaking for a modern fantasy story of mine; i'm getting there with it, but I've had some ideas regarding the lore that I've yet to implement more clearly in the design itself. Anywho, I hope y’all are having a great weekend! If you got this far in the caption, what’s your favorite tea? I’ve been enjoying a cranberry apple one lately myself! :D

[ID: A brown desktop surface with the text "‼️CW: blood, teeth" edited over it. A hand holding a full mug of tea enters the frame in birds-eye view from the bottom left, and crosses it to the top right, placing the mug on the table. The hand exits the frame, and the warning text disappears. A Sketchbook is tossed in the empty space next to the mug, sliding next to the mug and opened to a completed page. The page features a couple ink drawings of werewolves, teeth, and hand lettered text in the top left corner reading "A Study of Were-Wolves". Next to the text is the head, neck, and upper two paws of a werewolf reaching down the page, looking to the bottom left. it had large, red eyes, ruffled fur, an angry expression, and prominent teeth sticking out of an open mouth. The paw furthest from the viewer fades into the background. Below it in the bottom left is a full body shot of a werewolf in a forest, highlighted in a spotlight, looking towards the camera. The background trees are drawn with red ink, while the werewolf itself is inked in black. It has an uneven, two-legged stance, One front paw hanging at its side and another one gathered in front of it. it has an exaggerated long tail that is flexing behind it. to its right are scattered dog teeth, canines and molars, with stylized blood splatters. the background is mostly black, scratchy ink, and all drawings have watercolor shading done in red or yellow. The shot changes to show the full sketchbook page more head on and with no background elements. The shot changes to focus on the full body werewolf. It then switches to the teeth, as well as one of the angry werewolf's paws. It then changes to highlight the angry werewolf's face. Finally, the shot goes back to the original, and a hand picks up the sketchbook and bring it out of frame, then another picks up the tea mug and brings it out of frame./end ID]

[skypiea]

(I'm with you with regards to the "quite easily I like it" OP post btw! Just wanna make that clear ^^;;) I almost wonder if the gripes are like, in part people who see how the women are drawn and base All Their Opinions of the series on that. That or they got mad at the clown thing Tumblr did and just decided to hate the series for it. Or they're just a little hater, honestly anything can apply. I'm not a fan of OP, haven't seen a second of it to make a decision, but like. 5 or 6 (including you- im not just a random, im just really shy LOL) of my friends are, and the one thing keeping me off from watching it is the fact that it's one of the longest animes still going- And I almost wonder if that also has a part to play in the "lol how can u watch one piece" thing people have going on. Also, have you seen the bananawanis yet?? I don't go here but I love them.

Thanks for the message! I hope you don't mind a bit of rambling (all that I'm capable of, always).

The thing is, I think there are plenty of things to criticize about one piece. I’ve seen and had many thoughtful discussions about elements of the work that can easily be considered harmful stereotypes, as well as some well-intentioned ideas that I think were executed in a subpar and clumsy manner. Some of these are directly a result of the author being only 1 guy with 1 lived experience, some are the result of broader issues in the shonen genre.

And these discussions are great! Everyone is better off for having thought about these potentially damaging aspects deeper, and it’s incredibly important to be able to recognize that an author you respect and follow isn’t perfect and doesn’t need defending over every single thing. And at the same time, I fully respect anyone who has no interest in getting into the work because they don’t want to put up with any of the parts that are far from perfect.

Personally, what I can’t stand is the tone of condescension people are very quick to take… I do not fault anyone for not digging the show's visual style, it's not for everyone. But I don't really appreciate the implication that I'm like, stupid or misogynist or cumbrained just because I enjoy the work overall. Or even because I do enjoy Oda's art; I think he is a really talented artist, but elements of his stylization are not always my favorite, including both his general figures for both women and men. This is not even starting to mention the incredible talents of many of the individual animators who work on the one piece anime, who all put a lot of their own amazing flair into adapting the work.

On the topic of the latter thing, I've truly never understood the length being a barrier to the ability to enjoy the work. It's always really baffled me...? I don't know if it's like, people who are only interested in getting into OP specifically to interact with the fandom, but in my opinion there's no actual factor that makes you need to catch up to current as fast as possible. In my mind, having so much of a new thing is wonderful for me; I'll have a lot of great story to enjoy, I can take it at my own pace, enjoy watching a bit at a time for a long time. I guess everyone just wants to be done with something as fast as possible these days... Pretty sad... Make it last and enjoy it lots :-)

I've gone on for long enough, but basically, I couldn't care less if anyone doesn't enjoy the same thing that I enjoy a lot--that's life! I simply can't stand being treated like some sort of idiot for liking it, and I'm done basically agreeing with those kinds of people by giving them any ground. None of this is a super serious problem of course, just a pet peeve... but what is a blog for if not talking at length about my silly little pet peeves ;-)

Of course I adore the Bananawani, as well as all the other fun and silly animals of the one piece world. I hope we'll see them again one day, it's been so long... Here's one of my favorite one piece species for you, the Lapin. Love these guys.

To finish off, I'm just going to include one of my favorite recent pieces of one piece's animation. Hope everyone's havin a lovely day ^_^

[oksullen]

I SAW U ON MY NOTIFS OMG ITS BEEN SO LONG HOW ARE YOU??

I don’t know why I just saw this omg!! I’ve been good :) I’ve been working a lot and busy with classes and just everything else life has to offer 😂

Willow is almost 2 years old now!! and she’s gotten so big and she’s been much more well behaved too!!

I’ve been on and off Tumblr and usually just go on to read some stuff on my favorite fandoms which surprisingly there isn’t a lot of the things im looking for!! I’ve really taking a liking to My Hero Academia but specifically 3 characters- Best Jeanist, Edgeshot, and Stain which there is like NO new content on them!! I haven’t finished the anime yet since im more of a manga reader than an anime watcher 😔

but more on Best Jeanist- I have become addicted to his character 😭 I’ve rebranded some of my usernames to him and I have a collection of merchandise of him on my shelf!! It started as a joke but it’s not a joke anymore!! same with Stain and Edgeshot, but most of my money has gone to Best Jeanist. I’m so sad there’s not much content on him, I say I’ll just write my own but that isn’t true- LOL but that’s ok, I can just use my free time to think of silly little scenarios of him in my head!!

Here’s a picture of my current anime collection, it’s slightly outdated but you get the idea:

Not pictured is a couple One Piece things since I’ve really started to like One Piece again and a couple plushies including a plushie of Shinsuke Kita from Haikyuu because he will always be my favorite (and Tsukishima too!! remember when my user was kaleshima!!)

I’ve always been taking a liking to making an OC and just my oc overall!! She’s mainly a MHA oc with a freaky blood/guts/gore manipulation power (it’s kind dark but I think it’s cool) and omg she’s taken up so much of my time and brain space, I feel like I’ve done more in depth creation of her than of myself 😂 I’ve also been buying a lot of art commissions of her!! I’ll attach a few images below, but I like talking about her so much that if I end up coming back here I might do some writing for her since I’d love someone or some place to talk about her :) all credits to the locket artists, I don’t think any of them have Tumblr though-: (the first image is her with Best Jeanist and the last is her with Stain!!)

I also have gotten into JJK but im still new to it, only watching the first couple episodes and reading the leaks 😭 which is a GREAT way to start omg

Also, don’t you love it when old hyper fixations come back??!??! yeah, that’s me right now with Mortal Kombat!! I’ve been a fan for almost 10 years now and the new game is so good!! and the characters omg… they made them so good 😍 thankfully Tumblr has a lot on them!!

but other than some things coming and going there hasn’t been a lot of new stuff in my life but compared to last year my mood and health has been so much better which is a win in my eyes, plus im starting to like a new guy which is good because I got my heart absolutely shattered little over a year ago and I swear I thought I was never going to recover, but recovery is possible and I give myself a lot of credit for the things I’ve done despite life seemingly staying the same.

I hope to move out of my parents house soon and continue my education further and my social life and all that but ik that won’t happen until a few years which seems like forever but seeing how 2023 has gone by so fast, I have a feeling it’s going to come quicker than it seems

I always say I want to come back to writing on this app and honestly I am in need of a new hobby because yeah listening to music is great but it doesn’t get you far!! which by the way, also a hyper fixation, bands and music and all that- I am really big into Nirvana right now and plan on dressing up as the lead singer Kurt Cobain for Halloween- which is funny I am dressing up because for the first time I have no plans for Halloween!! I’ll probably just bake some goodies and watch scary movies. How is Halloween celebrated where you are, if at all? American culture is so funny- and it’s funny because America doesn’t have much culture, it’s just one big melting pot which makes it unique

Speaking of music, my favorite artists are probably Nirvana (which is a band) and so is Radiohead, Weezer, The Smiths, Ghost, and Korn (which are rock/metal bands, I really recommend them if you’re into that!!) but I also really like Melanie Martinez, Lana Del Rey, Mitski, Alex G, and a couple other solo artists (fun fact, I went to many concerts over the summer including Melanie and Weezer- they were so good!!) what kind of music do you listen to? any you recommend?!

Half way typing this too, I thought of the idea of coming back to Tumblr to write not just drabbles on my current hyper fixations but maybe some life advice and psychology stuff, I have a way with words and advice and all that even though I am considered “to young to know all this” but I see it as both good and bad having an old soul at a young age- and not to say I am a little child either, but I haven’t even been on this earth for 20 years yet, soon enough though

That all being said, I feel like a huge chapter of my life is coming to a wrap up soon and I am excited to start the new one!! I’ve been on this app forever even though I technically shouldn’t have had Tumblr as a pre-teen but hey, we all start somewhere!!

How have you been? Anything new and exciting? Or maybe something you’ve learned? I’ve been trying to learn new hobbies and I’ve started to really dig into what I want to do as a career since I have to really decided soon (I am doing community college right now which is a free 2-3 year schooling opportunity to earn credits before you go off and study a minor or major- not sure if you have that where you live and if you do it’s still probably different)

Anyways I want to study business and business management since I have taken a liking to running/leading an organization/group and coming up with marketing ideas for various groups I spend my time in- including theatre!! I have a local theatre group I work in backstage and I am the stage manager this year which is great since I want to going into management

It’s “late” where I am- actually it’s just 9:30 but I go to bed early especially when I have things to do the next day 😔 I’ll probably just use the excuse I am tired to run to Starbucks and spend my money like I always do. I really have become addicted to Starbucks and it’s only going to worsen as “Capitalism Christmas” comes next

Holidays are so silly to me too, I don’t really enjoy them because they’ve always seemed to cheesy and not like they “advertise” but I hope to make the best of it this year, even if it just ends up being me working that day and then coming home to my dog. What Holidays do you enjoy? Any certain traditions or events you’re looking forward to?

I’ve written down most of my thoughts and this has been the most I’ve written in ages!! Maybe I should answer more asks from now on to get myself into the writing kick!! 😂

I hope you’ve been well and I hope we can talk more soon!! I totally just remembered we have each other on discord too!! I changed my user to @bestkaleist (Best Jeanist reference) so if you’re confused as to who that is, it’s me!!

wishing you all the well!! 🥬

[bisexualshakespeare]

BTS: I’ll write a DVD commentary about my personal favorite passage from Harvest Festival series :D

Question from this post

I think I'll do the part in Eckleberry Pie where Graydon goes to find Boorman to apologize

Boorman wasn’t far. Graydon found him downstairs in the dining hall, eating a piece of pie and sweet talking one of the maids cleaning up.

“Effie,” He said when Graydon sat next to him. “This is my friend. The pouty one that I left to check up on, causing me to nearly miss your fantastic eckleberry pie. Obviously shouldn’t have done that.”

originally this was blackberry pie because I love blackberries and didn't want Boorman to be drinking. Sometimes around when I was finishing I remembered Elora's task to grow an Eckleberry bush and thought that would be a fun call back. Also a bit of a callback to sad-angry-frown-prince

Effie smiled at Graydon, glanced at Boorman, and shook her head fondly.

I remember I agonized over Effie so hard. I was like 'what does she sound like? does she like boorman? is she bothered by him? what are they gonna talk about?' before I was like ok this is just an excuse to get them to fuck. she doesn't need to have extensive character motivations, she can just walk away 😆

Graydon cleared his throat as she retreated. “So. Thank you, first of all, for checking on me. That was nice of you to think of me.”

“You’re welcome.” Boorman said with his mouth full. Boorman talked a lot with his mouth full. Graydon was pretty used to it by now.

Sometimes when I'm trying to keep my mindset in canon, I will just reference things in canon to remind me I'm okay? This is me being like 'yeah you're writing boorman right. remember when he talked while eating the probably-not-men-who-were-turned-into-pigs at nockmaar? you're doing great' lol

“I admit I was a little harsh before. I was upset and kind of mad at myself and I shouldn’t have taken it out on you. I hope I didn’t offend you or make you feel like you weren’t wanted.”

Boorman straightened a little. “I wasn’t offended.”

Graydon slowly put a hand on Boorman’s arm. “Because you are wanted.”

a couple people in the comments have said this is surprisingly smooth for Graydon? I honestly was just trying to be like 'boorman is not a substitute for elora! graydon's not using him! i want to be clear here!' this is me waving my hands around

Boorman looked at him with surprise, and with berries in his beard. Graydon couldn’t believe he was going to have his first time with this huge goober. Then again, that huge goober was kind of his best friend.

Boorman is great but he is without a doubt the grossest of the group. He drank spoiled wine at nockmaar, ate the worms at the shattered sea fishery. I have no doubt that if he was in his feels about being rejected he would eat half a pie no problem. I don't know how much I was thinking about it as I was writing it, but in hindsight I think I wrote Boorman as having a crush on Graydon prior to the fic. Even if he didn't, I think he's a dramatic enough person to use any excuse to cry into dessert.

Boorman patted his face with a napkin in an attempt at nonchalance. “So what changed your mind?”

Remember when this said non nonchalance and we were both confused? lol

Graydon winced. “You know that consummating you mentioned? I kinda ran into it in the showers.”

Boorman gasped. “In public? Elora Danan’s not as vanilla as I thought.”

Graydon's mind briefly went to the marks he briefly saw beneath the robe.

I am just now noticing I put briefly twice in the same sentence. damn i was distracted thinking about elora in only a robe lol

He shook his head. “But also, you know, I’ve never done anything before. If you were interested, it would be nice to have someone-”

“So handsome and experienced in the art of love making?”

“I was gonna say, someone I really care about.” He smiled a little.

Graydon's just so sincere and sweet and truthful! and also can you tell I really REALLY wanted it to be clear he liked Boorman and this wasn't just a rebound?? That's literally all this scene was written for! if I didn't care about that, Boorman would've just been in the room when Graydon came back and they would've immediately started fucking. Which now that I mention it is basically what happened in Lightning Strike 😂

Boorman brushed a lock of hair from his face. “Well I’ll have to think about it while I finish my pie.”

“Of course.”

Boorman picked up the plate and poured the rest of the pie into his mouth.

“Alright, let’s go.” Boorman grabbed his hand and pulled him out of the hall as Graydon shrieked with laughter.

This is the funniest image to me! It feels so right for Boorman to be like 'well i'll save face' and then immediately not. I don't know if "shrieked" is the right word for how the actor would actually laugh in response to this but it is how *I* laughed so it went in! 😂

Thanks for asking! 😘

[arece]

Hi Abby, I realy like your stories, you are one of the reasons I decided to share my stories here too ♡ Could you give me some tips on how to write (and maybe share your thoughts on my story please)? I started with Hannibal, I think it is a good show for your dark fics too. Have a nice day ☆☆☆

I can’t even put into words how this makes me feel. For years i’ve had inspirations from other authors and little writers who have brought me to where I am today, to the choices of my career and what I’m studying in college. To be a small piece of that for someone else? Its honestly left me breathless in the most prettiest way.

Now, what I’ll say might not be what you’re looking for, but its the truth for a lot. A cliché because that’s how they work. Writing is a craft, a craft you can only perfect in a way that’s personal, a way that’s yours. No one will be ever fully able to tell you how to write; but they can advise you on what might help guide you to write.

It’s taken me so long to reach where I am in my writing and even then I’m still not close to reaching my full potential, I never will, really. With each piece you write, no matter how long - even a simple sentence - you grow your craft, develop your writing. Any case, here’s some things i’ve realized so far in my short journey as a writer:

1. Probably most cliché of all: you’re already a writer. You’ve written a sentence? Congratulations, you’ve done what a writer does. Now, that’s not me putting down the hard work authors do to create their art, it’s the fact that you’ve tried. You put in effort, work, and love. That’s what a writer does.

2. Writers block will always happen, no one’s able to avoid it, it will happen to you. Now, there’s no concrete solution to get rid of it, even as i’m typing this I’m fighting a large writers block. This is because there’s so many possible causes that lead to you’re writers block. However you can attempt to treat it, little things to make it less harsh. Go back to your roots, what brought you to loving writing in the first place.

- Share your work with people you love.

- Play music that just hits, that makes you want to write something based on it.

- Watch your favorite movies and tv shows.

- Most important, don’t force it, don’t make yourself lose your love for writing, it’s okay to take a break and give yourself the space you need to write again.

3. Never pressure yourself, if you’ve noticed something is pressuring you with writing, immediately take a step back. Writing is supposed to be a safe space, a creative outlet. Don’t let whatever is pressuring you to destroy that peace.

4. Never let online posting scare you out of sharing your work. At the end of the day that piece of writing is yours. It’s your baby, your pride, and never let someone ruin it for you. Don’t let interaction discourage you, because one loving person who’s thoroughly enjoying your writing is better than thousands of empty likes, and sometimes that one person ends up being you. If you need to, think of your online postings as an archive, a place to keep your precious artwork.

5. Your writings gonna change, it will never stay the same, don’t let that scare you. The change can happen fast and for different reasons, but it’s a good thing, I promise. It means you’re learning, growing. The change can happen especially fast when you’re getting used to posting online when it’s something new for you. While I was writing Heart to Heart I would go back to the first chapter after each new chapter - kinda a bad thing for me, it scared me seeing how different it was, it made me feel inconsistent when in reality I was growing into my writing.

6. There’s no one way to write or to make yourself write. This is one part no one can truly guide you on, it’s something you mess around with to find what works for you. Maybe you like to be messy, spur of the moment. Maybe you’re more neat, consistent. While writing Heart to Heart? I was a mess. I had a single notebook dedicated it, scribbled with useless notes and ideas, some even written sideways on the page - I didn’t even use half the ideas because they contradicted other points! Sometimes you might just need a space to throw your ideas even if they’re a weird garbled mess, just to get it out there to organize at a later date.

7. Don’t be afraid to leave stuff out, you don’t have to use every single idea, sometimes they just don’t work with that particular piece. Save it for a rainy day.

8. Don’t be afraid to move on. As you grow as a writer you also grow away from your routes and interests. This one can be the hardest, you will lose some readers and that’s okay, hopefully they’ll find what they need from a different writer as you gain new ones. It’s better you let it go when you’ve given it your best than to hold on and ruin a relic of something you once loved. (i’m sorry my john wick readers)

Your writing is beautiful, I was so excited to read it that I read over it twice while I was on the bus to work, haha. Please, keep posting, whatever type of content it maybe, as long as you enjoy doing it. I’ve followed you because I’m excited to watch you grow as a writer, excited that I’ve found someone who has a passion. Reach out for any and everything, I want to be there for it all, even if it’s something as minor as editing! I’m sorry this is so long, I got carried away haha. Welcome to posting and may you have the greatest time!

- Abby <3

[ghost-in-the-hella]

For the artist asks: 14, 25, 29, 30

14 = Any favorite motifs

Hmmmmmm… Does “big, burly, and butch” count as a motif? XD I don’t really know that I have particular favorite motifs in my fanart. In my personal art and professional art outside of fandom, definitely: anatomical hearts, birds, cats, butterfly swarms, vines, cracks, water. Lots of recurring imagery there. If it counts, I like having little hits of bright blue in my fanart (especially Life is Strange, naturally). And plaid, I suppose, but again that’s probably more the influence of the source material (and my own lumberjack lite aesthetic).

25 = Something your art has been compared to that you were NOT inspired by

I can’t really think of anything my fanart has been compared to offhand. Let me know if you’ve got something to compare it to and I’ll let you know if I was influenced by it or not ^_^’ Grad school art critiques are basically a game of “let me name every artist whose work might be even tangentially related to yours I can think of” so I’ve definitely had my personal work compared to tons of artists I had never heard of before.

29 = Media you love, but doesn't inspire you artistically

Night in the Woods comes immediately to mind. I absolutely love the game; it’s one of my favorite video games of all time. But I just virtually never feel moved to make art or tell stories about it. I’ve drawn, like, one piece of fanart of Mae as a human just for funsies. It’s got such a distinctive art style that is so far away from my own that I feel like it would lose something in the translation into my style, if that makes sense.

30 = What piece of yours do you think is underrated

Oooh… Hm. Pricefield art definitely does the biggest numbers for me, which isn’t that surprising, and I don’t think my pricefield art is consistently my best work. But honestly, even that doesn’t do particularly big numbers. Is it too arrogant to say that I think most of my fanart is underrated? ^_^’’’’ I’ve never had anything go more than a couple hundred notes on tumblr, and most of my art is well under that (most of mine are under 100, I think), which seems tiny compared to most of the art I see on tumblr. So now comes my ask for everyone: if you see my art and you like it, please consider reblogging it as well? It would be greatly appreciated.

If nothing else, I’ve done some Camilleon (Camilla Hect/Gideon Nav from the Locked Tomb series) artwork that I really, really love that hasn’t gotten much attention, which is probably at least in part because it’s just not that popular a ship. But I will continue to draw them because I love my buff, butch sword lesbians and think that ‘butch for butch’ is tragically underrepresented in fandom.

[writingsbychlo]

hey! I know you posted this like five days ago so I’m a bit late, but regarding the nsfw Azriel Patreon exclusive art, her Patreon is naariel and the nsfw tier is only $5 for a month, which in my opinion is way way less than what she could be charging, she’s probably my favorite acotar artist at the moment. Just this year she’s done nsfw Az, Cassian, Lucien, and an Az Cass Nes threesome piece. I’ve been there before when money can be tight, but being subscribed to her Patreon has 100% been worth it in my opinion. She’s an incredible artist and if you want to drool over all of her sexy scenes she’s done so far, for less than the price of one coffee, it’s just so worth it. Okay that’s all I hope this isn’t coming across as rude haha I just saw an opportunity to fan girl over my fav artist a little bit, hope you’re having a good day <3

I did pay for a one month subscription but honestly in the end I decided it just wasn’t gonna be worth it (for me personally) in the long run! however, thank you for your ask and I hope you had a lovely day too!! <3

[whentherewerebicycles]

yeah I know it looks a bit patchy lol parts of it are still wet!! I did so many touch-ups by hand I should’ve just done a second coat but whatever. I find hand-painting less annoying and messy than rolling anyway. we’ll see how it looks after it dries overnight—I’ve used a lighter version of this paint brand before and the next-day touch ups blended in really well, but I’m not sure if the darker color will dry the same way. anyway fingers crossed it all dries smoothly and I don’t have to buy more paint 🥴

more thoughts: the ugly tile looks significantly less offensive with the paint but it’s still… not my favorite, to say the least. one idea I had today was to try covering the most visible ones (on the wall facing the hallway) with those 12x12” ikea mirror squares you can stick to the wall. that would be a cheap, removable solution that would bring more light into the space… but then I was like um is it weird to have half a mirrored wall right next to the toilet lol. and also I’m not sure it really solves the issue since the brown tile wraps all the way around. so far I’ve considered:

peel and stick wallpaper or tile (expensive)

using fabric as wallpaper & adhering it to the wall with liquid starch or double sided tape

ikea mirrors

leaving it alone

honestly if I could just cover the strip of brown tile the other tile wouldn’t bother me! maybe like washi tape or ribbon of some kind??

but okay I’m gonna leave the tile for now. I think I’m zeroing in on the art I want to hang… currently leaning towards pieces with lighter backgrounds and some mix of vibrant pinks + more muted earthy goldenrod yellows as the dominant colors… maybe with paler pink or lighter teal/aqua mixed in as secondary accents in the rest of the decor? that would have nice continuity with the colors in the living room. once everything’s dry I’ll take a bunch of different colored objects in and hold them up against the wall to see how they look. could also see oranges-yellows-rust or terracotta reds too but bright pink and dark teal and golden yellow is such a happy palette to me. we shall see!!!

got my work tasks done for the day so the rest of the day is mine… I feel wiped out and headachey for some reason even though I slept okay. hoping very much that it’s my period approaching so we can get this show on the road. I know I’ll feel better if I spend an hour outside, cook real food, and put my phone away for a while. let’s say:

walk 3:30-4:30 in our little secret forest

make shakshuka + homemade pita bread

put my phone upstairs and finish cribsheet (it’ll probably take two hours)

I had good luck writing by hand last night… I wonder if reading over my notes from yesterday will spark some ideas. I’m trying to make writing feel deeply low-stakes, curious, exploratory right now… for some reason it’s just mostly not been “fun” since this summer and that makes me sad because when it is fun there’s nothing I’d rather be doing. so just trying to ease myself back into that space.

do adrienne’s bedtime yoga video before heading upstairs if I’m still feeling bleh

lights out by 10—for real this time!

[librarybunny13]

I’ve gotta get this off my chest. In the anime My Hero Academia is a character named Bakugo Katsuki. He looks almost exactly like the the bully that made me miserable for years. I hate my high school bully, here to be called, The Asshole. Literally, the characters Bakugo got me into this anime. Seeing my bully sprung to life in a manga way back when was.....well it was something else.  Then to watch it be animated. And I do realize that this anime character is not my bully. But even the gravity defying hair is the same.

And The Asshole did horrible things to me. Put roadkill in my locker. Sometimes would get animals from the pound and put their dead bodies in my locker. The shock of opening your locker to blood, piss, shit and insects crawling out. just god. The way he planned my sister’s rape.. The way he got his dad to cover it up. The way he is still out there. No justice. and he’s still raping women.

I only continued to read at first because I thought the bully would be punished at some point. Ha! Fan favorite. Then Shigaraki showed up. My personal special interest. Most days I literally just ignore about 90% of the fandom. I can handle Bakugo art flying by while I tumble. Sometimes I see pieces that make me forget why I hate him. Usually those pieces are done in the artist’s own special style. Anyhow, some weeks, like with everyone falling over themselves with “ he apologized” I just like avoid the fandom. I remember a teacher. She made The Asshole apologize to me. “He apologized, now you can be friends”. Bitch, The Asshole planned and raped my sister. We got no justice. My sister killed herself a year later. And Asshole is still out there. He’s still raping girls too. Jokes on him. I formed somewhat of an online community with the others he has hurt. We keep tabs on him now. We warn his potential love interests. We try to stop him before he hurts others. To be frank, I think eventually that the others might go too far and might pull some bullshit and try to hurt him. Honestly, I won’t blame them if they do. But I’ll try to notify his local police before hand. I don’t want blood on my hands irl.

It’s difficult fo me to see the fucking anime character that looks like him happy. Because it reminds me of The Asshole.

Need to get a new therapist. This one ain’t doing shit for me. Saving up for the $3000 to see if I get an autism diagnosis. 

I’m so tired. GOnna run off to bed. Post something to cover this up. So so tired.

3/15/2023

[sweetmotherof]

Haikyuu Fics: The Classics™️

EDIT: pt 2!!

I wanted to make a post to archive what I would call “The Classics” as far as Haikyuu fanfic on ao3 goes. For anyone new to the daunting world of Haikyuu fanfiction, these works are probably the most popular, talked-about works throughout the fandom, so they are a good place to start! I haven’t read some of these, but the reason I included them is that I’ve seen so much hype around them. Comment the ones I missed, and I’m definitely going to be doing a part 2. Enjoy <3 :D

*contains nsfw fics* READ TAGS BEFORE U READ

⭑=my faves

BOKUAKA

Rules by ConesOfDunshire⭑

E, 120 k words

Accountant Akaashi. Pianist Bokuto. WHAT MORE COULD YOU WANT??? This fic is seriously novel-worthy, and Bokuto having Asperger’s is a beautiful component to the story. I found that the characterization and the attention to detail the author put into the story is what made it a truly distinguishable and unique fic that allowed it to rise to the top. It is worth every kudos, comment, bookmark, and more. Highly recommend.

Behind Bricks by DeathBelle⭑

E, 60 k words, cw: prostitution, choking, and heavy content so READ THE TAGS

This darker fic follows Akaashi as he deals with his life as a prostitute, and how Bokuto comes in and is able to change it for the better. I feel sometimes that heavy topics such as the trauma from sex work are really misrepresenting in fanfiction, but the author does a great job of portraying it in a real way and not romanticizing it at all. I loved to watch love bloom for Akaashi in the cracks of his tumultuous life, because he deserves everything <333

In Another Life by LittleLuxray⭑

T, 22 k words, cw: terminal illness, hospitals, major character death

As the highest-rated Haikyuu fanfic on ao3, this work is a monument and will go down in Haikyuu history. That being said, it honestly did such a number on me that I think it deserves the hype. This hospital au revolving around Akaashi and Bokuto’s budding relationship is truly heartbreaking, to say the least. Read it at your own risk, and oh, you can find references to it under almost any Bokuaka related post.

IWAOI

Conquering the Great King by SuggestiveScribe

105 k words, E

This rollercoaster of a fic, set in a universe where Oikawa and Iwaizumi meet in a bar, is funny, profound, and awe-inspiring all in one. The relationship dynamic between the two is very cute and well-done. I highly recommend this one if you are a sucker for some good, old Iwaoi, and I also love the side pairings. Just, overall, a really nice and satisfying read.

the courtship ritual of the hercules beetle by kittebasu(chanyeol)

T, 66.3k words, cw: injury, homophobia

This fic is a favorite on tik tok, from what I’ve observed. I haven’t read it yet, but when people discuss it, they always commend the writing and the non-linear narrative. I have personally not read this one yet, but I have seen people rave about this one because of the emotional impact it had on them. It seems to me that the writing and emotions on this one are its claims to fame, so definitely check it out.

Desperado by Verbrennung

M, 82k words

Talk about raved about fics, I have seen this one mentioned countless times on various platforms. This Iwaoi fic is set in a Vegas/Japan fusion setting, which immediately caught my eye. The premise of a heist fic also is probably what caught people's attention the most, because what is better than an Iwaoi heist fic (nothing. nothing is better.) I recommend this if you want a bit of a longer fic that had a tumultuous plot and a wild romance.

SAKUATSU

Burden of Blame by DeathBelle⭑

E, 91k words, cw: graphic violence, guns, ptsd, panic attacks, murder, death, injury and more so READ TAGS

Burden of Blame is THE mafia au fic of the Haikyuu ao3 universe. I love this fic soooo much. From it’s wild plot to the flawless writing, I was constantly on my feet. I definitely recommend if you want something that will keep you on the edge of your seat. Also, the enemies to lovers is CHEFS FUCKING KISS.

A Liar’s Truth by internetpistol⭑

E, 49.6k words, cw: HOMOPHOBIA!! read tags pls

Oh. My. God. I simply cannot with this fic. It turned me inside out, upside down, and threw me into the void. Please, if you have one singular brain cell, you will read this fic. This narrative about Sakusa’s life and his relationship with his sexuality is a masterpiece. I cannot recommend this one enough. You do not want to miss out on this genuine piece of art. 

Stick With You by lettersinpetals

E, 99k words

This fic follows Sakusa and Atsumu as they get stuck in the Philippines over quarantine. Honestly, if you want an enemies to lovers that really goes in depth into the trope, this is the one for you. One of my favorite things about this fic is the inclusion of the Filipino language, and I found myself reading all of the translations at the end. I would recommend this if you want a longer, feel good Sakuatsu fic. Also, lettersinpetals is a Sakuatsu classic author.

the Terminal Curiosity series by favspacetwink and moonlumie

E, total 112k words, not finished, 8 works, READ TAGS

This fic is probably the notorious BDSM fic, which I’m glad because it portrays it in a very consensual and safe way. I’m personally not into that stuff, but I still was able to enjoy it for the plot and the amazing writing. I definitely recommend it if you are looking for something with BDSM components with some focus on their relationship dynamics too. I actually did really enjoy this fic, and I think the way their relationship kind of progressed backward was really, really good. Even if BDSM isn’t your cup of tea, I still recommend checking this one out and reading the tags to see if it is something you’re willing to give a chance too, because, for me, it paid off.  

KUROKEN

the galaxy is endless (i thought we were, too) by cosmogony

T, 30.9k words, cw: illness, DEATH

I have yet to read this fic. I am genuinely too afraid. Similarly to In Another Life, I constantly see people discussing to the degree in which this fic destroyed them, and honestly after In Another Life, I don’t think I could handle another one. This soulmates au has crushed so many people throughout the fandom that if you want someone to give you more detail on why it’s the saddest thing ever, you probably wouldn’t have to look very far.

Of Monsters and Men by shions_heart

M, 220k words, cw: violence, temporary character death

This longer fic follows Kuroo, Kenma, and many others through a demon hunter/buffy the vampire-style universe, with magic, drama, and much more. If you are looking for a fantasy, action-packed, beautifully written fic, this is definitely one you should check out. The romance and action combination will always be chefs kiss, superb. 

[novantinuum]

The Ballad of Aryll (AU-Verse) Masterpost

I thought it’d be fun to gather up all the scattered asks, art, and writing scraps I’ve done so far for this in-progress fic project, so, a masterpost!

(I’ve also been busy with other hobbies for a bit, so this is honestly just my way of immersing myself back into my story to prime my creative juices for working on it again! :D)

I’ll update this periodically as I share more.

”Jen? What on earth is this whole story even about?”

WHY, THANK YOU FOR ASKING! :D

At its core, this is a story about siblings struggling to find their way in an unfamiliar world- about two people who have long been separated by circumstance having to learn how to be a family again- about the journey of grief, and the sometimes unexpected routes one is led on while grappling with it.

Fundamentally though, the core premise is that Link has a little sister, and that said little sister was also placed into the Shrine of Resurrection 100 years prior to the start of the fic. The sister, Aryll, remembers nearly everything (except why she’s here). As in canon, however, Link does not.

On a functional scale this fic will serve as a sort of written adaptation of Breath of the Wild, but slid just a little to the left. It will feature a few re-imaginings of small bits of worldbuilding and character dynamics to better suit the specific story I have in mind, and then of course an original character in Aryll. I’ve been writing this as POV alternating, switching between Aryll and Link’s perspective from chapter to chapter.

Over the two years I’ve been dreaming up this little story, I’ve accumulated a bunch of little lore notes, art, and other bits and bobs on this blog- this masterpost aims to collect all of them in one handy spot, so future readers can go back and check out some of the earliest posts about this project!

_____________________

The Ballad of Aryll: Song of Time [OFFICIAL AO3 LISTING]

Rating: Teen

Chapters posted: 9/82

Current act: 1 of 4

Words: 37K~

Last updated: August 15th 2023

Next planned update: On posting break to build more buffer!

_____________________

Initial plot sketches/basic story background:

First post about this story

Ask response about focus and themes of story, + art WIP!

Full Google Docs Outline [It’s... er. Very long.]

-

Writing WIPS:

Full Prologue (Early release)

Chapter 3 scene

Chapter 3 snippit

Chapter 7 scene

Chapter 9 scene

Chapter 17 scene

-

Art (both by me and others!):

First concept sketch of Aryll

Child Aryll’s art reference sheet (As seen above) Aryll expression practice

Updated cover art with Hylian lettering + updated Aryll art

Link & Aryll on Great Plateau WIP

Link & Aryll on Great Plateau final piece (As seen above)

Assorted TBoA doodles

Shitpost ft. a Spiderman meme

Singing Aryll by candra-hearts

Aryll art commissioned by shisei11

-

Lore asks:

Aryll + an amnesiac brother: is she the babysitter or the babysat?

Aryll & singing

Childhood friends part 1

Childhood friends part 2

Foraging favorites

Aryll & Paya’s bond

Can Aryll see Koroks/dragons?

Link & Aryll’s favorite/least favorite places

Riju & Aryll’s meet-cute

Aryll’s preferred weapon

Aryll’s opinion of Zelda

Link and Aryll’s opinion of each other

What can’t Link and Aryll admit to each other?

A boatload of Aryll OC ask answers

More Aryll OC ask answers

On Aryll and Link’s sibling relationship

-

Other:

Personality notes for Link & Aryll in this story

A few songs that remind me of TBoA

“6 Secrets” character work game with Link & Aryll

Creating a title for TBoA

Chapter teaser #1

Chapter teaser #2

Chapter teaser #3

Random dialogue teasers

Link & scars

Hero Forge model of Link & Aryll’s dad

_____________________

Pre-TBoA content:

Clutching Destiny [AO3 link, 4/4 chapters.]

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 10K~

Summary: Sir Arwel Haywood, loyal knight of Hyrule's royal guard and proud father of two, has never considered himself a particularly religious man.

Regardless, he can't help but fear the kind of deity who would condemn a mere child to being an instrument of Her endless war.

(Or... the story of how Link's father comes to learn about his son's fateful destiny.)

Writer’s meta about Clutching Destiny

More meta about Clutching Destiny

Aryll questions: Favorite childhood activities?

Assorted questions for Aryll, and her and Link’s parents

Sketches of Link and Aryll’s parents

Recovered Family Portrait art by me! (As seen above)

Ficlet by englandamericaitaly [Canon to this AU, Link’s mother’s POV]

-

Post-TBoA content (Adult Aryll):

Unspoken Upheavals [AO3 link, 1 chapter.]

Rating: General Audiences

Words: 1.4K~

Summary: A dozen days past, Aryll still remembers exactly where she stood at the precise moment of the Upheaval’s rising… at the precise moment she realized something terrible must have happened to her brother and Zelda. (Minor spoilers for TotK initiating events.)

Mini fic + Aryll in Zonai Survey Team garb art

Aryll questions: Regrets, Conflict, Representative colors

ARYLL FOR NEW SAGE OF SPIRIT PROPOGANDA

Aryll, Sage of Spirit art

Adult Aryll’s art reference sheet (As seen above)

Adult Aryll’s character personality sheet

Mock Age of Calamity profile

Musings on post-TBoA Aryll fighting in Age of Calamity

Musings on post-TBoA Aryll and Tears of the Kingdom

Some lovely art by shisei11

More lovely art by Redundantz

[miekasa]

mie!! since u write such beautiful gorgeous astounding breathtaking life-changing tearjerking fics, do YOU have any good fic recs that you personally love 🤔

I do! I have a whole blog of wonderful fics I’ve read (tho I desperately need to update it/reblog the ones in my drafts and tag them) @ackermeun for more if you want because there are many lovely, talented writers; but I’ll list a few of my faves for Levi and Eren below 😌😌

Levi

kiss me more by @vennilavee

Now, I could recommend you anything and everything by Saran and I have no doubt that you would love all of it. There’s not a single thing in her masterlist that I dislike, she even made me okay with the idea of pegging Levi bye. The entire tbah universe (specifically parental moments one) has a special place in my heart, but recently the perpendicular world has been on my mind, and might be coming for number one. Either way, you’re gonna love it. She writes Levi in his slightly bitchy, kinda needy, implicitly affectionate, true to nature form, and I am so grateful for it. Also, Saran is a comedian. 

silver soul by @oi-levi (now posting from @bibblelevi)

I suck at keeping up with series, and, so, naturally, I’m terribly behind on this one, but I’m gonna go ahead and rec the whole thing to you anyway, because I have no doubt that the other chapters are just as great the two I’ve read so far. The way she writes Levi... when I tell you I could wrap myself up in a blanket and binge this whole series, and her entire masterlist, and be very content I mean it; her writing feels warm, that’s the only way I can explain it. 

the art of tea composition by @karikarasuno

I don’t remember how or when I found this fic exactly, probably just scrolling through the tag, but I love it. Domestic fluff with Levi, allowing me to pretend I’m a morning person, and just the right kind of smut to go with it. Simple and very, very effective. I’ve reread it a few times by now, no shame.

where you’re meant to be by @deludedimagines

After you read this, I also suggest just going after the whole masterlist. I cannot express how grateful I am to have found this blog PLEASE. Her characterization of Levi is perfect, and something about her prose feels very clean and simple, but elevated and layered at the same time. This one-shot in particular is one of my favorite canonverse pieces, I’m a sucker for a classic injured lover trope. 

the ones who matter most by @deludedimagines

Yeah... this shouldn’t be a surprise. Fantastic writing, fluff in canonverse has a special place in my heart because I think it can be really hard to pull off well; it’s difficult to balance a sense of softness within the aot universe for the obvious reasons, and getting Levi’s caring nature right can be (unfortunately) so hard to find. Good thing people like Sorcha are here. Enjoy more fluff. Also this fic is particularly fantastic to me not just because of the injured lover trope, but because the 104th babies pay a visit and you all know how much I love a good glimpse of reluctant adoptive dad Levi hehe

bullet by @jean-does-not-have-a-horseface

If you can’t tell by now, I love canonverse fluff, tho this fic isn’t fluff in the traditional sense, but I think that makes it all the much better. Perfect depiction of real life shit that would go down in the aot world paired with Levi’s need to protect his s/o. It’s fantastic. 

the knife by @therealvalkyrie

I didn’t mean to turn this into Mie’s Favorite Canon Fics Showcase, but here we are anyway. As much as I love a good injured lover trope (and this does have that hehe), I love a good kickass reader insert, too. Shoutout to Valkyrie for included both in this fic, and Levi being proud of his s/o... well you can imagine how much I liked that bye

dante’s inferno by @alrightberries

College au + roommates au with Levi... that should be enough for you to read this lmfao, no but actually it’s adorable. Not to mention friends to lovers... if you know me you know how I feel about that, I’ll gobble up every f2l fic until I’m dead and gone. Not to mention there’s a cat and Levi won’t admit he likes it, or he’s jealous of it. Simply cannot go wrong here. 

waves know shores by @onwiings

Bro I don’t even like the idea of public sex and I’m not even a fan of water like that but this fic has me wrapped around it’s pinky lmfaoooo. Some of the best Levi smut I’ve read and you already know how I feel when Levi and reader have cute interactions with the 104th in fics. Really it’s checking every item on my list. 

Eren

speed racer by @emeren

I’m pretty sure I found this fic during my midterms last semester, and when I tell you I’m so grateful for it lmaooo. It’s really just a good au, I think it fits Eren (honestly barking at just the concept) and the writing brings it all to life. 

under the moonlight by @murmikaa

I’d have to be dumb not to recommend this to you. I love reading longer fics, and if you do, then this will 100% satisfy you. The whole story is great and immersive, not just between Eren and the reader; their relationships with the other characters are really what makes this special imo. There’s also beach sex, so. Obviously it’s good. 

untitled.avi by @puredivinity (now @celestidarling)

Naur you must of thought wrong if you thought at least one of Mara’s fics wouldn’t be here. I’m obsessed, I think I’ve read it three times minimum. I read all her Eren fics, and you should too. She writes him in such a dreamy way, almost like he’s right there and too good to be true that you must be hallucinating. Immaculate. 

midnight snacks by @writertitan

Dumb, college-typical antics and fluff with Eren... obviously you know I’m about that. The whole concept is so mundane, but so cute, you can’t help but fall for it because it could be so real!! I love that kinda stuff hehe 

i’m your satellite by @ackerfics

Comparing hand sizes with Eren!! YEAAAAH!! No, okay, but I read the summary and was ready to dive in because... size kink go crazy, but when I tell you I was so blown away to find out that it was not only from Eren’s pov, but that he was being a complete simp and down terrible the whole time. Normalize boyfriends being completely fucking in love with their gfs that simple shit like the size of their hand makes them wanna simp even harder!!!!

eren as an ass man by @hznji

I’m dying on the hill that Eren is an ass guy and you should too because it’s the objective truth. Fluff, Eren being a complete dog as per usual, Eren’s being touchy (I will also die on the hill that he’s touchy as fuck and has no concept of personal space) and just in genral snarky but cute banter. Gotta love that. 

Jean

tears over beers by @appplepii

When I tell you this is my favorite Jean fic, I mean it. Friends to lovers with hopelessly pining Jean + oblivious reader = everything I could have asked for in a fic, AND it’s from Jean’s pov too!!! INCREDIBLE!!! The pining made me yearn, and the smut was so well done, too. 

this drabble by @arlerted

Whatever, whatever, WHATEVER!!! I DON’T WANNA TALK ABOUT IT!!! Cal is right, don’t do drugs but... this mf... this imagine.... has been burned into my mind since the first time I fucking read it bye. Callie also writes a bunch of filthy (affectionate <3) fics and drabbles and lewds and you should read them, preferably when you’re alone and with the lights off. 

[kithtaehyung]

Not a quesjin but loVing praise instead:

Your bday post for Joon is absolutely stunning and amazing. The concept is the actual best thing I've seen on tumblr for ages and I'm sure Namjoon would absolutely love it too (at least the version of him I've constructed in my brain out of the public persona he puts out there in the music and on the internet).

The logo for the site changing into the tree branches is absolute genius. The research you did for this, the dedication is just wow.

Seeing this gifset made me think you have some kind of way to look into other universes, I think there is a multiverse version of Joonie out there who runs a website just like this. And if he is in any way a lucky guy he works with that universe's version of you to do the graphics.

Anyway loVing words over, keep on being amazing! 💜🦀

I… I don’t even know what to say other than this made me emotional. Wow.

For this one, I just knew that his quote about Korean painters from the Vogue interview really stuck with me. Combining that with an urge to do another website mock-up? This was the result, I guess! You are so kind to say all of this, especially after being on tumblr for awhile (like me oh god I feel ancient at this point shdjsjdjd)

Thank you! I meant for the trees to fall away to show rkive but I guess it could be the other way around, too😂 And namu for trees, of course, though @firesighgirl pointed out that it looks like Linear A + B and I got SO excited AHHHHH

And the research was honestly my favorite. It was like I was supposed to do this because wow. I love art, museums, etc, and now I have so many other places and exhibitions I wanna visit! It was the most enriching project I’ve done by far. (This is also why I decided to share the information under the Read More! I wanted them to be the focus of the project so I couldn’t just leave them as pictures.)

If there is a multiverse version of Joonie and Ryen out there collaborating on this.. I send them all my love. And I send my love to you for making my entire day, and those hours of working on this so, totally worth it🤍 Thank you for reaching out and saying all of these things, and let’s celebrate this fantastic man!

Also! I recorded most of the creation process and even some of the researching pieces, so if I have time, I’ll make that process video soon and post it on YouTube!

[itrytowrite-things]

Murder podcasts

Spencer Reid x reader 

Summary: Y/N has a tendency to listen to murder podcasts while doing chores, one day Spencer comes in unannounced scaring Y/N into action. (This summary sucks but it’s fluffy) 

A/N: shout out to @with-paint, she helped me form some of this fic so check them out. 

The eerie background music and narrator filled the kitchen as I scrubbed diligently at a plate. I blinked down at it, trying in vain to remember what the hell I used it for that would cause such a stubborn stain of food. Sighing, I squeezed the soap bottle some more and ran hot water over it. Maybe soaking it would help? 

Grabbing a few of the cups I had washed, I spun around from the sink to a towel I had laid out earlier. I scrunched my nose as cold soap suds ran down my arm, hit my elbow and fell to the floor in a sticky mess I didn’t want to deal with right now. 

I was so engrossed in the podcast playing over the Alexa that I barely even processed the grueling chore that was longer than normal. I was lost in the words, that an hour longer scrubbing at dishes seemed almost fun. The dishwasher had completely died a couple of weeks ago. 

Normally Spencer would speed read the manual to figure out what was wrong with the stupid machine. But unfortunately, his case in Michigan was taking longer than he anticipated. So, he hadn’t been home to look into it, leaving me to hand wash the dishes. I didn’t mind, it was a mindless task and allowed me to catch up on my favorite podcast. 

“They found her body a week later, twenty minutes from their house,” I shook my head at that, case freaking solved. Her husband obviously killed her. I mean there’s no way the police didn’t solve this case, come on.

I moved from the towel back to the sink, sticking my hands back into the soapy water. I always believed that I should be a detective. I could solve these cases easily, Spencer claims that suspicion can only take me so far and the reason that they don’t catch the guy is not because they don’t suspect it, but because they don’t have hard evidence. I normally just scoff and give him a kiss knowing that I would get the bad guy in the end, “hard evidence” my ass. 

“Two months later the police came in and found Jeff’s disembodied head laying on their kitchen counter.” My jaw dropped and I turned around furiously, bringing a wet butter knife with me, on instinct I pointed the knife at the device. 

“Oh shit.” I said to the speaker, as if it were relaying the case itself. Well turns out I was wrong. I cleared my throat and lowered the stupid knife. I placed it down and tried my best to look less scandalized. We all make mistakes. So I might have been a little off in my husband theory, but I mean I had only heard half the case at that point so it doesn’t speak anything of my amazing detective skills. I nodded at that and tossed the knife into a little stack of silverware. The metallic sound echoing around the kitchen. I smirked at my good throw and turned back to the sink. 

I quickly got into the true grove of washing the dishes, listening to the more gruesome details of the case. Turns out the killer did quite a number on old Jeff. I was halfway done with the remaining dishes when I felt a tap on my shoulder sending my heart into a frenzy. 

I whirled around quickly bringing the closest item with me as a weapon. The plastic spatula slapped the asalint straight in the face creating an awfully loud twack sound that bounced off the kitchen walls. I blinked in horror at realizing who exactly was standing in front of me. 

Spencer's cheek turned red immediately. 

“Oh my god! Spence! I am so sorry!” I dropped the spatula and brought my other hand to his face trying to soothe his skin. My hand was covered in water and soap suds, and it dripped down his face onto the already wet floor.

“I am so so sorry. You scared me.” I rubbed my thumb over the spot, feeling his heated skin. Jesus, I felt awful. I didn’t hold anything back when I hit him. I figured I was fending for my life, not greeting my boyfriend. 

“It’s okay.” His much larger hand cupped mine removing it from his face. The redness had died down a little, making his skin a rosy pink instead of the previous bright red. He looked adorable which only made me feel worse. Who looks that cute after getting slapped in the face with a spatula? 

Spencer startled me yet again when a chuckle came bubbling out of him. His laugh was like someone bottled the sound of happiness. It made my own laughter arise every time without a doubt even if I didn’t understand what was funny.

“I guess I don’t have to worry about you protecting yourself.” A loud squeak sound emitted from my body unexpectedly followed by more laughter. I slapped him very lightly across the chest, kissing his unharmed cheek. 

“You're lucky I wasn’t cutting vegetables.” I said,  rustling my way into his arms pulling his body against my tightly, loving the way his laughter shook my entire body. I felt the short press of his lips against the crown of my head before tucking my head into the nook of his neck. I inhaled deeply, taking the scent of him with me. The apartment had started to lose its scent with him being gone for so long. I was beyond eager for the apartment to smell like us again.

“I think those podcasts are giving you wild ideas.” 

“They would never find your body Dr.Reid.” I teased, poking gently at his side making him squirm in my grip. Another round of laughter filled the small space, it was only when it died down that I realized my podcast was still running in the background. 

“Alexa, stop,” I shouted into the air stopping the podcast. “The neighbor did it.” I said with coincidence knowing that my answer was correct this time. Spencer let out a belt of laughter, nodding his head, a big grin on his face. 

I pulled back from Spencer taking in his features for the first time. He looked tired, his eye bags had doubled creating a skunk in effect. I could see the trouble in his eyes, the case was hard. It killed me to see him after a hard case, he looked more and more defeated after each one. However, it was what he loved doing and my job wasn’t to erase the trauma of his job, but to ease him back into daily life. I thumbed his eye bags lazily, a pout taking over my face. 

“You wanna take a shower and I’ll start us some dinner.” I asked gently. Not wanting to completely destroy the quiet we created. He nodded slightly looking younger than ever. I quickly pulled him back into me taking all of his weight. “I love you bub.” His hair felt silky against my fingertips as I disentangled the curls. 

“Love you too.” He mumbled, his heated breath warming my skin. I waited a few comfortable minutes rocking our conjoined bodies in the cozy silence of our kitchen, I took a deep breath and said what was on my mind. 

“You wanna talk about it?”

I don’t ever ask Spencer for the details of his cases. He either goes into a tangent without prompting or doesn’t feel like talking about it. I used to think that talking to Spencer about his job would be like listening to my murder podcasts. It honestly was one of the things I was excited for, but I soon found out it’s nothing like that.

When Spencer spoke of cases it was personal. He felt every death that was caused and saw every killing through the eyes of monsters. He held so much emotion in his voice when he spoke of the victims, that I often can’t help but cry. How a person can hold that much pain and still continue to do it everyday, is beside me. 

He shook his head, squeezing my torso before finally pulling back and placing a soft kiss to my lips. 

I continued the dishes, washing the last few. I left the podcast off, listening instead to the shower from down the hall. I scrubbed off the last of the grime before starting the oven. A simple dinner was always best in these situations. I pulled out a pre-made chicken pot pie from the freezer and placed it in the oven. 

As I moved to dry and put away the dishes while waiting for pie to finish. Spencer emerged from the bathroom freshly bathed. He wore a thin gray shirt paired with some soft looking sweatpants. My upper lip jutted out automatically. God I love him. 

“Feel better?” I kept my voice low, not wanting to startle any peace that the shower might have brought him. He nodded slowly. 

“What did you cook?”

“A chicken pot pie, I hope that’s okay.” 

“It’s perfect.” He smiled and returned to my arms, kissing my neck once before tucking his head into my neck. The edge of his wet hair scraped against my skin in an uncomfortable way, yet I only moved enough to rub circles into his back. 

A loud beep emitted from the oven caused me to jump in Spencer's arms. He let out a small chuckle. 

“Pick us something to watch and I’ll plate us some food.” I hummed turning my back to him. I heard him walking towards the living room as I bent to retrieve the hot food. 

Spencer sat criss cross on the couch, Les Enfants du Paradis was displayed on the TV. I handed him the steaming bowl and sat down, sitting close enough for our knees to knock together. I have no idea what Les Enfants du Paradis was, but I would watch literally anything he wanted as long as he was here. 

“It’s in French, but I figured I could whisper the translations to you while we watch. Or I could pick something else?” 

“No! This is perfect Spence. I love it when you translate, you tell the story better.” He let out a little blush highlighting his previous slap mark. I bit my lip and winced slightly, “How’s your face?” 

He touched the spot faintly, he didn’t wince when his fingers made contact which was a good sign. However, I have an inkling that a small bruise would form in the center of the slap which was going to be a fun story to tell his colleagues Monday. 

“I’ve had worse, but you wield a lot of power with a cheap piece of plastic.”

“I am professionally trained in the art of spatula wielding Spence, don’t try that at home.” I stared at him, my face blank before a blast of laughter came out of both of us. One can only be so serious when you are talking about slapping people in the face with kitchen utensils. 

Spencer started up the movie, and we remained there for the rest of the evening. Laughter and dramatic sighs followed by even more dramatic translations from Spencer. At some point he went so off script that even I could tell his story was bullshit. I didn’t call him out though just allowed him to spit nonsense, I would let him create fake French stories until he was blue in the face if that meant we got to stay in this happy bubble forever.