#i’m excited to hear there’s a market for that content

[chaosnojutsu]

For the OTP asks: Nejiten, 7, 8, and/or 11!!

hahaaaaaa i’m returning the essay :) these were a joy to answer! buckle up, buttercup! (link to ask game if anyone wants to join)

7. Do they want/have kids?

OOF okay. I honestly can’t decide so bear with me.

On the one hand, there’s the “they wouldn’t have kids” camp, and I’m into it. I don’t see either of them being willing to give up their active lifestyles but being responsible enough to be like “that means no kids.” But they both could also fall into the “I just don’t want kids” category which is so valid. Tenten isn’t motherly in any regard and Neji could very well refuse to have children for clan reasons alone regardless of any ethical changes.

On the flip side… they’d be badass parents and y’all already know I’m a sucker for domestic cuteness. I can definitely picture safety-tipped kunai strewn about the house (loft above the shop, it’s canon in my head) and toddler scribbles pinned to the walls of Neji’s office (assuming for obvious reasons that he’s not often in active combat situations nowadays). Their child would be the ultimate middle finger to the clan’s old ways and pave the path to a brighter future, and then Neji could give his own child the happy childhood he was robbed of, breaking generational cycles etc.

Both headcanons fit pleasantly into canon. Nejiten could be the communal uncle and auntie for the next gen kids, showing up to career days and dropping off forgotten lunches when their parents are in a bind at work, cheering for every single kid in the chunin exams while also critiquing each one. But they also could be parents to one (or more) of the conceptually coolest kids in the whole next gen AND role models for their niece and nephews (because so many of Boruto’s life problems would be solved if he could just talk to Neji for like 5 minutes).

8. Have an AU thought?

Several. Here’s one I might actually write one day:

Modern AU, dance teacher Tenten is waiting with her students for their rides to show up after class, and a different car than usual shows up for Himawari and— oh no, that’s not Naruto or Hinata, that’s Himawari’s hot uncle. Oh look, a week later he’s come to get her again. And again. And again. And Tenten’s starting to think Neji picks Himawari up from dance every week just to flirt with her. (She doesn’t mind it one bit.)

11. What is their love language?

For Tenten I’m torn, but I honestly think quality time beats out gifts. Like, a gift that isn’t a weapon is incredibly touching (as are the weapons), but nothing beats the feeling of relaxing with a loved one and knowing that they’re actually listening when she speaks. In her relationship, she doesn’t care if she and Neji are on duty together, or whispering in the dark past their bedtime, or doing housework, or on vacation, she just wants to be near him all the time and she loves that he encourages this. They spend enough time apart due to work. Together Time is Together Time.

I’m also torn on Neji, but touch-starved as he is, I’m thinking acts of service mean the most. He spends his whole life running around after others and serving or otherwise watching out for them, often in a literal sense, on top of other responsibilities and hobbies and basic necessities for staying alive, so to come home exhausted at the end of the day and find fresh sheets on the bed (with Tenten probably in them, waiting on him to come home)? Man might actually cry.

[micer2012]

a reflection on MatPat's plagiarism

Hello, my name is Della, or micer2012, and 2 years ago Game Theory plagiarized three Tumblr posts of mine, making a video that now holds almost 6 million views.

My posts explaining his plagiarism made their rounds on Reddit, Tumblr and Twitter, but despite the Hermits and Pooka commenting on it (generally in support of me or saying they don’t know enough details about the situation to say either way), MatPat and his team have never owned up to anything, and no mention of my name is present on the video. The one Reddit post they made denying it (which was made before my detailed takedown, which they have never responded to (though the mods on the r/GameTheorists Reddit were kind and made sure it stayed up)) didn’t even mention me by name, just referring to me as “a tumblr user”. (Though one of the screenshotted comments in the body of the post does say my name)

This experience was baffling, but it’s overall had a positive impact on my life. r/Hermitcraft gave me a Golden Apple Award (post of the year, 2021). My inbox was filled with excited fans, wanting to ask me questions or pose their own theories, far more than the hate I got. (Though the hate I got from Game Theory fans was VERY funny. I wondered why none of them gave me shit about saying “MatPat misgendered Evil Xisuma” before realizing none of them read that far into the post.)

And getting on a more personal, and much more important note, I met most of my current online friends through this, including my partner. It helped me grow closer with my irl friends as well and gave me an entertaining story that I tell whenever I have the chance. It was one of the first things in my life that really made me feel like my talents, my autistic hyperfocusing and analyzing of things I love, could be valuable. Useful. Exploitable. It blew my mind that MatPat thought an autistic kid’s ramblings about a Minecraft Youtube joke character were good enough to steal. To put an audible sponsorship on. To get 6 million views off of.

And that’s why I’m writing this post, this update years later. As you might’ve been able to guess, Hbomberguy’s Youtube video on plagiarism reopened this wound. It was really hard for me to sit through, it took days of pausing and taking breaks, because I had experienced everything he was talking about firsthand. 

In my 10 page long takedown post, I wrote about how his rewording of my sentences made him say things that were incorrect, just like Filip did. The content farm production style that made big companies like Cinemassacre take one creator (AVGN/MatPat) and turn him and his content into a brand, a voice that reads out scripts by other people with other opinions/theories, is a history shared with Game Theory. What really hit me was Harris talking about how big creators only do this to people they think they can get away with doing it to. How they view their victims as lesser, as not deserving of their words, repackaging them as their own to give to an audience that can gain from hearing them, but deserves better than to have to listen to the original victim.

That’s the thing, I 100% think a video version of my theory to expose to a bigger community than “Evil Xisuma Fans on Tumblr” is a great idea!! Near the end of the video Harris talks about how video adaptations of things could be a great market, even an accessibility tool, and I completely feel that about my posts. I wrote them quickly assuming the reader was someone well versed on Evil Xisuma lore, after not even watching most of the CarnEvil series, and the diagrams I made to explain them are even less comprehensible. Harris makes a joke that I completely agree with, 

“I’m sure some of my videos would do very well if someone translated them into English.”

I don’t think I would’ve ever made my posts if I didn’t have autism, and a special fixation on Evil Xisuma and Hermitcraft. I made them because I felt the character was being done an injustice, and because I wanted to share with other superfans this theory that might explain it away. I do think that MatPat plagiarizing me was ableist. I used to wonder a lot if this would’ve happened if my posts were articulated better, if they had been peer reviewed, if the posts themselves had been spread to a wider audience before MatPat made his video. At one point when the discourse was fresh (before I had the time to write out my 10 page rebuttal), a bigger YouTuber (100k subs at the time) messaged me and started talking on Discord, interested in possibly making a video on the discourse, but I think my style of typing and general enthusiasm drove him away. You can tell by a single look at my blog (or my original 3 posts!) that I don’t usually type like this. This post you’re reading now has been peer reviewed and edited, and took me hours to format correctly. That video could’ve been huge, the entire outcome of this MatPat situation would probably be much different.

I also used to stress a lot about “being the one who ruined Evil Xisuma’s story”. If you didn’t know, to me S8 Evil Xisuma’s story got wrapped up pretty quickly and unsatisfying (in my personal autistic opinion). (though this might’ve been due to s8 being experimental and ending early with moon big) There was no real culmination of the plot points and arcs going on, and I don’t want to blame myself, but when Xisuma said on stream (when the MatPat thing was first going on) that he didn’t want to focus on the discourse or draw more attention to it, it makes a lot of sense to me that he just wanted to wrap it all up as quickly as possible. For a while I beat myself up about it, of ruining the story of this character I love, but it’s not my fault. If anyone’s, it’s MatPats, but I don’t think it’s useful to just blame someone else. That’s how the story ended up going, and that’s fine. This is Evil Xisuma we’re talking about, their inconsistent lore is what made them such an interesting character. And notably, Pooka made an animation with an awesome culmination of Jeff, the Dreamer, Evil Xisuma, and his own sona’s story, and it makes me so happy to watch. Whatever Pooka does is of course his own choice, but I’m glad he got to give this personal story his own ending (if it is an ending, and not just the start of a new chapter!). 

Typing this all out and getting it off my chest has made me feel a lot better. For a while I wanted to make my OWN video essay about Evil Xisuma’s lore and CarnEvil’s lore, actually going episode by episode to explain it instead of just assuming you knew as much about Evil Xisuma as I did. That idea is still not off the table, but MCYT isn’t something I’m that into right now. Maybe if something else comes out about Evil Xisuma I’ll get back on it, but for now I’m fine with letting that go. But I want to make other videos, share other theories and analysis… if I have the freetime I’d love to make YouTube videos, and if I don’t have the time I’ll continue posting to my tumblr and infodumping to my friends. Apparently my infodumping is valuable enough “content” to steal! Writing this out has made me feel a lot better though, I’m really glad I got it out.

If anyone ever wants to talk to me about the things I’m obsessed with, or reach out to me as a source in a bigger discussion about Game Theory or other channels, my inbox is more than welcome :] Thank you for reading! 

Sincerely, a tumblr user.

[ncroissant]

chilchuck tims x younger! bimbo! reader

summary: chilchuck's first impressions and favourite things about younger reader + what he's like when he's angry and how he comforts reader after a punishment

content warning: no use of yn/name, slight mention of open-wound, dacryphilia, dom/sub dynamics, implied younger reader (age not mentioned, but 18+), slight angst/comfort, fluff, slightly suggestive, mention of cock once

wc: 1.6k

author's notes: i personally love chilchuck and when i found out he was 29 with 3 kids...oh my goodness. i love dilfs bro. this was just a whole jumble of head cannons that i have for him so, sorry for the lack of flow. you can see how i got lazy at the end... not proofread obviously !! minors please DNI !!

he always thought of you as a thoughtless, little girl. your head in the clouds, not a single thought in that pretty skull of yours.

letting him drag you around by your hand as you looked around dungeon floors like a tourist. wrapping an arm around your waist from behind every time you tripped on your two left feet. carrying you on his back when you were too tired to walk in your cute little loafers. covering your bare legs with his sweater to cover the pink panties that peaked out of your mini skirt. 

too mini, he thought.

as much as he wouldn’t like to admit, he liked having you around. you were falin’s best friend, therefore laois’ best friend, therefore a plus one to their dungeon party. 

you were like a little kid that he couldn’t predict or understand. he thought girls like you were the worst. couldn’t do anything for themselves and expected the rest of the party to pick up their slack. 

but then he saw how sweet you were, always smiling with pretty glossy lips. you’d also braid marcille’s hair in the morning, listen to laois’ rants about monsters and try your best to prep ingredients with senshi (and chilchuck’s) guidance. 

but he especially liked how needy you’d get with him too. you’d tug his sleeve and bat your lashes at him with such a cute, little pout when you wanted something. 

“chilchuck pleaseeeeeee,” you’d whine, such a pitiful look on your face when you latched onto his arm, placing your chin on his shoulder with your lip puffed out. 

“what’s going on here?” marcille giggled, raising her brows at your affection with the grumpy lock-picker.

you let of his arm to his dismay, stomping over to marcille. “he won’t give me any of that candy we bought from the dungeon market earlier!” you exclaim, throwing your usual fit. “says i’ll get sick if i eat too much,” you huff, crossing your arms.

“hey now, simmer down,” he’d wrap his arm around your shoulder, giving you a warning squeeze. “you’re getting too worked up over nothing again. you know i’m right, hm?” he’d rub your arm soothingly, as you slowly calmed down, the frown not leaving your face.

“b-but i just wanna try a lil’ bit of it…won’t eat too much, promise.” your puppy eyes almost got to him. your eyes were glossy, tears threatening to fall at his rejection. he knew if he said no, he’d feel like the scum of the earth. 

“don’t start with that now,” he said sternly as you quickly wiped your tears at his words. 

“chilchuck, don’t be so mean to her. she’s just excited,” senshi chuckled, passing you a handkerchief to dry your tears.

he looked down at you (not very much because you two were practically the same height), inspecting the look on your face. he knew it was wrong, but he loved to see you get teary-eyed because of him. you were just so pretty. he always gave into what you wanted eventually, but loved teasing you to get a few tears out. 

“you can have some after dinner,” he mumbled, turning his head away from you. 

you looked up at him, before jumping into his arms, your own wrapped around his neck. “eee! thank you, chilchuck!” you squealed as he wrapped his arms around your waist to stabilize you. 

“settle down, alright? you better behave before then, you hear me?” he grumbled, as you pulled away from his face, still entangled on him. 

“mhm, i will! be on my best behaviour,” you giggled, stuffing your face in his neck again, hugging him tightly. 

“good,” he blushed ever so lightly, caressing your hair with his free hand.

he loved how obedient you were too. always so eager to please him. he didn’t know if it was because he was so much older than you, but you always listened so well for him in comparison to the others in the party. 

whenever you were acting up, the party would bring you over to chilchuck and he would give you a hard talking to. he was especially mean when he was mad. 

as much as you loved to brat out, you never wanted to make chilchuck mad. your most hated punishment was his silent treatment. it wouldn’t just be not talking to you, it would be acting like you didn’t even exist. 

you were playing around with marcille’s staff and accidentally destroyed one of the columns in the floor you were in, alerting monsters of your location. unfortunately, this caused a 20 minute running montage, but also one of the biggest arguments between you and chilchuck. 

“what the hell were you thinking?” he wasn’t yelling, but the calmness of his voice was scarier. 

“‘m sorry…” you mumbled, knowing you messed up. you were earnestly playing around, you didn’t know you would hit anything. 

he never scolded you in front of the party, but sometimes his voice could get loud enough for the party to hear. 

“you know better than to use other people’s things without permission, let alone touch it. i taught you better than that, no?” his lips were pursed into a straight line, arms crossed as he leaned against the brick behind him. 

“yes, you did,” you frowned, looking down at your fidgeting fingers. 

as remorseful as you looked, he wouldn’t budge as easily as he usually would. “one week.” he started, fear bubbling in your tummy. 

“nothing from me for a week.” he propped himself off the wall, ready to walk off. 

you shot your head up, shaking your head rapidly, “no please. ‘m so sorry, please don’t,” you reached from his arm but he already pulled away. 

he shook his head in disappointment at your feeble attempt, “you know the drill, angel. or would you sleep with marcille for the week as well?” he threatened, making your heart drop.

you brought your hands back to yourself, sniffling at how mean he was being. "mkay, i won't make a fuss."

as hard as it was for you to be ignored, it was harder for chilchuck to ignore you. you weren't even plotting anything.

you'd just sit there eating your sorbet, and he'd look at you like you were the most precious girl in the world. before you could sneak a glance at him, he's back to being stone cold.

you'd wear a skirt too short and he'd have the urge to walk behind you or scold you for wearing it when there were other guys in your party.

you'd trip over an uneven stone, flat on your face, knees scrapped. you'd fight the urge to just start crying, but you remembered chilchuck's words about crybabies.

"whiny little girls are only good for sucking cock. nothing else. so don't go around crying unless you want me to make you stop."

chilchuck saw the nosedive you took into the cement and flinched at the impact. he expected you to cry, but watch you stand up, brush the dust off your skirt and limp behind laois, senshi and marcille who didn't notice your fall.

later that night, you were snuggled under the blankets beside chilchuck, facing away from him. you were used to biting your tongue when you wanted to thoughtlessly talk about your day or fight the urge to just curl up in his arms.

you still had to carry out your punishment, the week wasn't over yet.

"hey angel, you okay?" the week wasn't over, but he'd disregard a punishment to check up on you.

you turned over, your knees stinging from the tiniest movement. you still thought your punishment was in effect, so you didn't respond verbally. you winced, nodding quickly.

"you can talk, it's okay." he cooed softly, placing a hand on your head. your knees throbbed, tears stinging your eyes.

"okay," you hummed quietly, hands still to yourself. he knew you were unsure about him ending the punishment so early, but he wasn't pulling any tricks this time around.

"saw you fall earlier, did you tell marcille to heal your scrapes?" he caressed your hair, coiling the strands around his finger.

"no, didn't wanna bother her," you shook your head, nuzzling yourself into his palm. "it's not that serious, 'm okay."

he frowned at your words. anything in relation to you was always serious. your health and well-being were the top seriousness for him. "lemme see then," he ushered you out of your sleeping bag, pulling you into his lap.

your back was pressed against his chest as he inspected your knees. they were pink, open wounded and prone to infection. "honey, this looks like it hurts." he rubbed your thigh in attempts to comfort you.

"it's okay, i wasn't watching where i was going. it was my fault," you sighed, leaning into the warmth you were deprived of previously.

"will you let me clean you up?" he tilted his head to get a better look of his pretty girl curled up into his lap. his heart swelled at how perfect you looked.

you nodded hesitantly, knowing it would hurt, but you trusted chilchuck and knew he would handle you gently.

he held your hand when the alcohol swab touched your wound, making you whimper and squeal in pain. you tried to stay quiet to avoid the rest of them from waking up, so chilchuck pulled you into his neck to cry.

he'd give you a cute little bandaid with a hearts on it (ones you insisted him on buying) and gave you a kiss on the forehead.

"such a good girl, you did so well for me. i'm so proud, angel," he showered you face in kisses as your heart swelled at the affection. "you're gonna do better from now on, right angel?" he gave you a look, as you nod enthusiastically.

"mhm, promise. don't wanna disappoint you," you leaned into his chest, still holding his hand. "thank you for looking out for me," you kissed his knuckles, holding his hand close to your chest.

"always will," he smiled, hugging you.

[forever-rogue]

Okay so what if nurse Steve, using his medical knowledge, is like my wife is acting a bit different and seems to be having some signs of being pregnant. So he just brings her home a pregnancy test or even like a “congrats” present already cause he’s excited for a baby and wants the confirmation that his wife is pregnant

AN | Omg yes! I was hoping someone would bring this up. Dad Steve is just🥺 This can be read as a companion piece to the below but also as a stand alone!

Warnings | Mild Language, Pregnancy

Pairing | Nurse!Steve x Fem!Reader

Word Count | 2.6k

Masterlist | Nurse Steve, Steve, Main

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

When Steve got home it was at a reasonable hour for once. He fully expected that you’d be there to greet him, as you always were, but when he got home, he was met with silence and darkness. He saw your car in the driveway, and knew you should be home so he immediately grew nervous. You were his clumsy girl after all. 

“Babe?” He kicked off his shoes and walked into the darkened living room. He looked around and didn’t see anything out of place, but stumbled upon you, lying on the couch and snoring softly. He let out a sigh of relief as he looked at your sleeping form, draped a blanket over you, and pressed a kiss to the crown of your head, “oh my girl, you always keep me on my toes.”

He went into the bedroom to pull off his scrubs, figuring it was best to let you sleep and start dinner himself. You weren’t typically a napper, so if you were napping it meant that you must have been exhausted. He managed to shower, pull on a clean shirt and sweats before you padded into the bedroom, rubbing at your tired eyes.

“Hey my love,” you smiled softly, relieved that your husband was home, “‘m sorry I didn’t start dinner or anything. I wanted to have it all ready for you when you got home. I just got so tired and couldn’t stay awake.”

“It’s alright,” he wrapped you up into his arms and pressed a kiss to the side of your head, “it’s important for you to take care of yourself. Besides, we can make dinner together, huh?”

“Yes,” you nodded happily, “I’d love that, Stevie. You’re the best.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

It was a beautiful Saturday morning, and for the first time in a long time, you and Steve both had the day off. When you woke up it was to sunlight streaming in through the gauzy curtains and an empty bed. You frowned and reached for the spot he normally occupied and felt that it was cold. He’d been up and out of bed for some time. You slid out of the bed and slipped on Steve’s discarded shirt from the night before and padded down the hall. 

You could hear Steve singing to himself accompanied by the delicious smells of breakfast. Okay, maybe you would forgive him after all since he was cooking. 

“Hey sleepyhead,” he looked up as soon as he heard you, a breathtaking smile spreading across his face, “good morning.”

“Good morning,” you walked over and stood behind him, wrapping your arms around his middle as you rested your head against his back. You could feel his warm chuckle reverb in his chest and pressed a few kisses to his shoulder, “I love you.”

“I love you,” he took one of your hands and brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to your knuckles, “I’m making your favorites. Thought we might go to the farmer’s market today if you’re up to it.”

“That sounds wonderful,” you sighed contently, happy at the prospect of spending the day with your favorite person. You were about to say something else, but you were suddenly overwhelmed by a sudden wave of nausea. You untangled yourself from Steve and looked at what he was cooking; the smell coming from the bacon hit you like a ton of bricks and you almost jumped back. 

“Angel?” Steve gave you a concerned look as you covered your mouth in an attempt not to throw up, “what’s wrong?”

“The smell,” you shook your head and stepped out of the kitchen, “it’s making me nauseous.”

“The smell?” he raised an eyebrow as you nodded and pointed at the skillet, “of bacon?”

“Yes,” you groaned and walked towards the bathroom, “I dunno what it is, but it’s terrible! I’ve gotta step away for a few minutes.”

Steve’s mind was reeling as he tried to figure out what could possibly be going on. Nothing, no food anyway, had ever caused such a reaction from you. Strange, he thought to himself, very strange. But he made a mental note of it, along with your increased napping as of late.

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You let out an exhausted sigh as you sat down next to the toilet, the tile cool under your warm skin. You wiped at the back of your mouth in a vain attempt to make the awful taste in your mouth go away. Brushing your teeth would have been the best option, but it seemed like way too much work to get up and do that. Instead, you leaned against the edge of the tub and flushed the toilet. 

“Hey,” Steve knocked and waited for a moment before opening the door and popping his head. A look of concern crossed his features when he saw the state you were in, “what’s wrong, angel?”

“‘s nothing,” you tried to wave him off but he was crouching down in front of you within moments. He put a finger under your chin and turned your face up to meet his. He was way too pretty for his own good, “really. I’m fine, Steve.”

“You don’t look fine,” he frowned as he looked you over. Leave it to your nurse husband to panic at any little thing. Although…given the frequency and magnitude of things happening to you, he really did have a point, “sweetheart, I love you and you know I think you’re the most beautiful woman in the world, but you don’t look good. You look pale and exhausted.”

“Thanks, babe,” you teased as you groaned at the taste in your mouth, “but really, I’m okay. I just gotta get up, brush my teeth, and I’ll be ready to go.”

“I don’t think you should go to work today,” he shook his head and gave you a pleading expression, “please? At least for my sake - that way you can rest and fight off whatever this is.”

“I think it’s something I’ve been eating,” you shrugged it off and avoided looking at him; you probably would have fallen apart otherwise, “it’s been happening on and off.”

“Babe-”

“It’s fine,” you put your hands on where they rested on your thighs and tried to calm him down, “I’ve been getting lunch at this new place and they probably use stuff my stomach doesn’t agree with, I dunno.”

“Still…” he trailed off and you could practically see the gears turning in his head, “just…if you won’t listen to my professional recommendation, maybe listen to my husband-who-is-madly-in-love-with-you recommendation and just take it easy today, yeah?”

“I promise,” you couldn’t help but smile at his concern, “I’ll take it easy today, drink plenty of water, eat bland food, and rest as I need, Nurse Harrington. Swear.”

“Good,” he couldn’t help but laugh as he hooked his pinky around yours, “I love you, clumsy girl.”

“I love you, Stevie.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

Later that morning Steve practically skipped into work, every bone in his body tingling with excitement. He was generally a happy and positive guy, but even his coworkers noticed that something was off. 

“What’s up with you?” Brenda, one of the older nurses asked as the two of them made their rounds, “you seem even cheerier than normal today.”

“Well,” he looked around, almost as if he was expecting you to pop up somewhere, “I don’t want to say anything too early, but I think my wife’s pregnant.”

“Pregnant?” she echoed with a big smile on her face, “how exciting! Oh Steve, that’s wonderful news.”

“I’m not positive yet,” he couldn’t keep the smile off his face, “but the signs are there. At first I thought it was just one thing and then another but this morning she was throwing up and said it had been happening for the week. I don’t think she has a clue, honestly.”

“You know,  it’s a lot different when you’re the pregnant one,” she gently nudged his shoulder, “you don’t put all the pieces together and don’t see it from a different perspective. So to you, it becomes normal…I mean you remember that one patient we had a while back? She was almost five months pregnant and had no clue.”

“Yeah,” he remembered that afternoon; it had been chaotic and telling a young woman that she was halfway through a pregnancy when she had no clue was…interesting. She was shocked, but once she thought about it, the pieces fit together. Maybe that was what it would be like for you too, “I’m thinking about picking up a test on my way home today and surprising her with it.”

“That should be interesting,” she agreed with a small laugh, “what’s been going on with her?”

“Poor thing has been so exhausted lately that she’s been coming home and napping almost every day. She never napped much before,” he explained, “random things have been making her nauseous and now the morning sickness, or at least what I presume it is.”

“That definitely sounds like early pregnancy,” she confirmed and the smile on Steve’s grew, if that was even possible, “that’s how it was for me with both kids!”

“I just…I hope she doesn’t get offended or anything by me bringing it up,” he dropped his voice, casting a furtive look around, “I mean, we haven’t been trying or not trying so…I don’t know.”

“She’ll take it in stride,” Brenda promised and Steve appeared relieved, “she’s a smart girl…clumsy but smart.”

“Yeah,” your tendency for injuring yourself was notorious around the hospital. It did make for a good love story though, the two of you meeting in the ER when you broke your ankle, “definitely clumsy.”

“But it’s wonderful news, Steve,” she put her hand on his shoulder and gave it a reassuring squeeze, “you’re so good with kids, they always love you. You’re going to be a great father - great parents.”

“Thanks,” he felt a wash of emotion wash over him as the back of his eyes prickled with tears. He’d always wanted to be a father, always wanted little nuggets of his own, and the fact that it now might be a reality was overwhelming, “I’m excited. So excited.”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

“Honey, I’m home!” Steve almost skipped into the house, wasting no time in finding you in the kitchen, cooking something that smelled delicious. You grinned as soon as you saw him and sighing wistfully as he pulled you in a big, warm hug, “hi angel.”

“Hi Steve,” you looked up at him with sunshine eyes before kissing him softly, “you’re in a good mood. Good day at work?”

“Something like that,” he peppered your face in gentle kisses, causing you to laugh in the way that made his knees weak, “I got a few things!”

“Oh?” you raised an eyebrow, trying to figure out if you missed a holiday or some sort of anniversary, “what’s the occasion?”

“Well,” he walked to the other side of the counter where he’d dropped his bag on one of the barstools slyly, “there’s none! But these are for you.”

“Oh,” you looked at the gorgeous flowers held out by your wonderful husband and immediately felt on the verge of tears. You took them from his hand and clutched them gently to your chest. You sniffled softly, “they’re beautiful. Thank you, Stevie.”

“Of course,” he gently touched your face, brushing his knuckles over your cheek as you preened into his touch, “there’s something else too…”

“It’s gonna be kinda hard to top these,” you teased, Steve knowing full well that it definitely would, “but hit me with it.”

He reached into the bag, hesitating for just a moment before pulling out the box and setting it on the counter. You looked at for a moment, but realization quickly crossed your features, “listen, babe, I just think…with everything that’s been going on with you that you might be…you know, pregnant.”

“Pregnant,” you repeated as he nodded shyly. He was studying your pretty face, trying to gauge your reaction, but you gave nothing away. Looking between him and the box you worried your bottom lip between your teeth, “you know…I think you might be right.”

“Oh?”

“I, umm, started to wonder the same thing,” you confessed, “but I got scared, ‘cause I didn’t want to take a test and have it be negative. But if you think so too, Nurse Harrington, then maybe…I am.”

“Hey,” he gently turned your face towards his, pressing a soft kiss to your lips, “it’s alright even if its negative. We’re already a family, you know? And whatever other family we want to have, we’ll get them one way or another. There’s no need to stress - if not now, then soon. In the future, there’s always time.”

“Yeah,” you choked up as you nodded at him. He always knew just what to say, “you’re right. I love you.”

“I love you,” it was a soft, gentle promise, “take it when you’re ready.”

“Do you mind watching the food?” you reached for the box and his hands found your hips as he gently nudged you in the direction of the bathroom, causing you to giggle in amusement, “I’ll be back in a few!”

─── ･ ｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ───

You looked at the small plastic stick on the bathroom counter, you let out a small sigh. Why did this short wait feel like the longest one in history? You paced around the bathroom, trying to keep your eyes away from the test and instead focused on reorganizing the bathroom cabinet. If you were going to have to wait, you might as well be productive. You’d thought about going out to wait with Steve, but you wanted to bring him the news instead. Hopefully the good news.

After what you were sure should have been enough time you glanced at your watch and saw that just enough time had elapsed. Your heart felt like it was going to burst through your ribcage as you anxiously snatched the test off the granite counter.

Two pink lines. Pregnant.

You threw open the door and ran down the hall and made it to the kitchen. Steve looked up at the sudden intrusion; he felt just as nervous as you had looked and waited in anticipation. You nodded and held up the test before sliding it over to him. He took a look at it and before you knew it, you were wrapped up in his arms. 

“I’m pregnant!”

“You’re pregnant,” he grinned, brushing away the tears that had rolled down your cheeks, “I love you so much, angel.”

“I love you, Steve,” you touched his face, looking into his pretty ochre eyes, “I guess it all makes sense now…I don’t know how I was so blind.”

“It’s not that weird,” he insisted as you laughed lightly, “Brenda said she didn’t know at first either…”

“You told Brenda?” you snorted in amusement, knowing that the two of them shared a close bond, “how did you…”

“I needed a second opinion,” he winked cheekily, “she’s never been wrong!”

“And neither have you, my love,” you pressed your forehead against his, “I’m guessing half the hospital probably knows already.”

“Oh yeah,” he grinned, “she can’t keep a secret.”

“Neither can you apparently,” he shrugged sheepishly as you beamed at him, “but that’s okay. I…I’m really excited.”

“Me too,” Steve looked at you as though you had hung all the stars in the sky, causing you to practically melt. You loved him so much, just as he did you, “me too, angel.”

This was going to be a whole new adventure. 

[crackedpumpkin]

|| ɪɴꜰᴜʀɪᴀᴛɪɴɢ ᴍᴇʟᴏᴅɪᴇꜱ || ꜱᴏᴜʟᴍᴀᴛᴇ! ᴀᴜ ||

a/n: guess who procrastinated and ended up writing a thing :) 

In all seriousness I’m a complete and utter simp for Cole Brookstone and he is unreasonably attractive in looks personality and everything in between, especially for a goddamn lego man.

Playlist reference: https://youtu.be/j45ogZNaCis

Soulmate AU: Everyone has a soulmate designated to them since the moment they’re born. The tell-tale sign to single them out are the fact that you can hear what songs the other is listening to at any moment of the day.

Ugh. Not this again.

You groan, sitting up as the all-too-familiar sound of soft rock starts playing in the back of your mind. You shake your head slightly to rid the grogginess threatening to lull you back into comforting sleep.

You grab your headphones, immediately sliding them onto your ears as the soothing sound of chill pop music quickly drowns out the soft rock. On the bright side, it means that your soulmate exists.

On the other hand, it also means that whoever they are, they get up at ungodly hours of the day.

You stare blearily at the digital clock.

Five AM. 

You'd gotten used to the routine by now, but the days when your soulmate slept in were few and far between. Nonetheless, it's surprisingly boosted your productivity since the music started playing a couple months ago. 

"Stop it already!" 

You grumble, grabbing a pillow and covering your face with it. You press your face harder into the soft material, willing with all your might for the music to stop.

It'd been three days since it had started, and you abhorred every second. 

It was annoying, repetitive, and not your preferred genre at all.

You'd seen many compatible couples with similar music tastes, so why was your soulmate so adamant about having such lousy taste in tunes? Feeling bitter, you decide to drown it out with a playlist of your own. It was custom-made by you, and it took you ages(half a year, to be exact) to put it together.

It was a compilation of your favourite songs and the exact opposite of your soulmate's preference. You knew it annoyed them because every time you played a specific song they hated, they'd play something else you usually shut out in the first three seconds by aggressively playing the music they disliked on repeat.

It took a while, but you had finally called a truce(for now) with your soulmate by playing one of their favourite songs, and they begrudgingly did the same for you in return. 

Your friends were weirded out when you first revealed that you hated your soulmate's music taste. Obviously, they had never faced that issue. You were met with confused questions, your friends clueless and oblivious that people could dislike their soulmates. 

It was a foreign concept, but it was one that you were living. 

At first, you were excited that you could finally hear the songs your soulmate liked to listen to. 

That same excitement soon morphed into disdain for the genre they listened to. 

Now, you survey the bedroom you're in, taking note of all the scattered cardboard boxes. They were filled to the brim with various items of yours, some containing knick-knacks you've picked up randomly off the streets or in night markets. 

"Are you ready to go?" You turn your attention to your mother entering your room. She eyes the mess with a disapproving gaze, and you smile weakly. "I'll clear it up before the moving vans come?" You negotiate, hoping to escape an earful after getting out of bed so early.

She sighs. "Fine, but make it quick." She leaves the room with a pointed glare, shutting the door behind her. You sigh in relief, grabbing a roll of duct tape from your dresser and taping the boxes shut. You grab a marker and label each box with the contents inside.

 It took a while, but you were finally done. You wipe the sweat off your brow, glancing around at the now neatly packed and stacked boxes, arranging the last one in front of you. You grab the bag you had packed the night before, all the necessities inside. By now, the music from your soulmate had stopped playing(thank god for that), and you were halfway through your playlist. 

"Ready to go?" Your dad calls from outside. 

"Yeah, coming down in a sec!" You yell back, standing in the doorway. You look back at your room. The gentle sunlight shining through the bare windows breathed life into the room and the curtains that once decorated the small window seat. Where your bed once sat was empty with the polished mahogany wood underneath. 

Endless nights of laying in your plush bed with your bedside lamp's dim yet warm glow seemed so distant in your memories. Your hand lingers on the doorknob, mumbling a soft goodbye before shutting the door and heading downstairs to where your parents are waiting.

"Are your friends not seeing you off?" You're immediately greeted with a question as soon as you shut the car door, sitting in the back. You look up to see your dad looking at you with a raised brow, waiting patiently for your answer. You pause the music, and the sweet sound of silence greets your ears.

"Yeah, we already said our goodbyes yesterday." You reply with a shrug. Alicia and the rest of your friends brought you out for dinner at the pizza place you often frequented, and you spent the night giggling and reminiscing past memories. 

They dropped you off at two AM, and you snuck into the house without anyone noticing. Your friends had made you promise to text often, and you'd definitely update them as soon as you reached Ninjago City. 

Your dad seems satisfied with your answer and starts driving off. 

Your phone beeps and you pull it out to see messages from your friends. 

'Send souvenirs! Or face my wrath when we meet up again.' - Alicia

'Brooo' - Brenden, image.jpeg attached.

'Call when you reach! And make sure you drink plenty of water, you dehydrated fungus.' - Nico

You giggle at the messages, opening up the group chat to see a short video they filmed in the morning before school. You slide your headphones onto your ears, pressing play.

"Yo, have a safe trip or whatever!" Brenden's black hair is frizzy and unkempt, a clear sign that Alicia had probably dragged him out of bed for this. He's shoved aside, and the phone is grabbed, a familiar face coming close to the camera. 

"Nico, she can't see your face properly if you hog the camera!" Alicia complains, grabbing Nico by her coat and snatching the phone away. A head of red hair comes into view, a stark contrast to the shy brunette beside her. 

"Bring souvenirs!! I heard that the candy over there is to die for." Alicia demands with a bright grin, and you roll your eyes. 

"Guys, Ms. Fergurson is coming!" Nico warns. 

Alarm is apparent in all of their eyes. "Oh god, okay, we gotta go now, or we'll get caught! Bye, Y/n, love you stinky three thousand." The video is cut short, and you stifle a laugh at the sudden ending.

'Thanks guys, love you stinky three thousand.' 

You quickly type out the response and continue to scroll through Instagram for the remaining time it takes to get to the capital city. 

You stir, eyes fluttering open at the annoying sound of drilling and construction. You blink a few times, sitting up from where you had slumped against the window while you slept. Your vision clears, and you move your hands away to see bright lights and skyscrapers galore around you. 

You're here. 

Ninjago City is filled to the brim with people and endless traffic. Your dad scowls at the long line of cars in front of him, glaring at the red light that seems to take forever to turn green. 

"That's the school you'll be attending tomorrow." Your mum points out from the passenger seat, and you follow the direction she's pointing to. You stare at the large school on the right. 

‘Ninjago High School’

You hum in thought, already filled with anxiety for the following day. It didn't help that you were from the outskirts and had a different(and probably lacking) curriculum. You fiddle with the games on your phone, focusing intently on beating the next level of Candy Crush. 

You mumble a cuss when 'Game Over' appears on the colourful screen, and your mum instantly turns with a suspicious gaze. You smile nervously, trying to play it off as though you hadn't said anything. 

She turns back around, choosing to let it pass. 

You stare out the window, watching the shops pass by in a blur until you spot one that catches your eye. "Dad, could you drop me off here?" He doesn't question your sudden request, making a turn and parking next to the sidewalk. 

You open the car door and exit, looking up at the sign on the storefront. 

'Ninjago Doomsday Comix'

"There's a Chinese takeout nearby if you wanna grab dinner before meeting us at the new house." Your dad has a GPS pulled up on his phone, texting you the address of your new home. 

"Yeah, I'll grab some food on the way back. Gonna take a look around the place, y'know, before I get lost tomorrow." You joke. You adjust the straps of your small bag before settling it in a comfortable position on your back. 

"See you later then, kiddo. Call us if anything happens. Should be safe since those ninjas are around." 

Before you can question what he means, he drives off with all the rest of your luggage. 

"...Ninjas?" You mumble in confusion before shrugging it off. You were lucky that your dad had visited the city multiple times on business trips and that he was primarily a hands-off parent. Your mum usually just went along with his whims. 

The door swings open easily, a jingle catching you off guard. A man at the cashier counter greets you with a friendly grin that eases your nerves, and you walk up to him. 

"Hi, do you know where to find Starfarer comics?" 

"Well, right here, of course!" You cringe at his response, realizing how poorly worded your question was. It elicits a chuckle from the man in front of you. 

"Just kidding. I'm Rufus, Rufus McAllister, or you can call me Mother Doomsday. You're a new face around these parts. What's your name?" 

"Uhm, I'm Y/n. I just moved here, so maybe that's why." You reply, clutching the straps of your bag with a small smile at the friendly man.

"Well, welcome to Ninjago City! I hope the city treats you well. We got the ninja protecting us, so that's added security too." 

Your brows furrow, wondering why everyone around you knew what these ninjas were, but you had no clue. "Ninja?" 

Rufus pauses with his lips parted, seemingly processing your words. A relaxed grin slowly forms on his lips, and he waves off your question. "You'll find out soon enough." He glances towards a specific aisle, seemingly contemplating. 

"It should be fine then…." He mumbles. You're just lost in where this conversation had ended up. 

"Aisle Eight is where we keep the best-stocked Starfarer comics." He gestures to the area he had been staring at earlier. You thank him with a brief nod, walking over. 

The aisle is relatively empty, save for two other people. A blonde guy in a green hoodie is flipping through the latest issue of Starfarer with keen interest, engrossed in the colourful pages.

Next to him is another boy with slightly wavy and choppy black hair, the smooth and silky strands making you both envious and curious about his hair care routine. In contrast to his friend(you assumed), he regards you with a suspicious gaze. 

He’s kinda cute.

You find it odd, feeling mildly unsettled by the intense stare he gave you. It wasn't a good one; it was more on the wary side than interested. You brush it off, ignoring the pair and scouring the shelves for issue number three.

You finally find the issue you're looking for, but it's directly opposite the pair. 

After all, what would you be if not cursed with bad coincidence?

You practically tiptoe over, clearing your throat slightly as you grab the comic book and start reading. Green Hoodie(Greenie, you decide to nickname) looks up in surprise, only now noticing your presence. Mr. Grumpy Pants(The nickname suits him perfectly), on the other hand, doesn't bother hiding the grimace on his lips at your presence, looking away.

You stiffen, eyes narrowing into a glare.

Rude.

Greenie hits his friend's shoulder in a light punch, looking at you with an expression of apology. 

"She should be fine. Rufus wouldn't send anyone over here without vetting them first." Greenie whispers to Mr. Grumpy Pants, referring to his earlier behaviour.

"Yeah, but what if they're…you know? I don't want another repeat of what happened with Jay." 

Damn.

You almost drop the comic book in your hands, caught off guard by how attractive Mr Grumpy Pant’s voice is. You tense, now more aware of their presence. Even though you don't want to eavesdrop, you can't help how your ears practically perk up, hoping to hear more of the deep voice from earlier. 

Plus, they weren't doing a very good job of keeping their conversation a secret.

"I trust Rufus. He's a good friend." 

"...Maybe." 

"Is that…? OMG! It's them!!"

You're interrupted from blankly staring at the same page for the past fifteen minutes, having focused on the conversation behind you, though the pair had stopped talking a while ago.

You look up at the store's glass windows, startled by the sudden sight of a group of girls pressed against the glass, staring intently at the two boys behind you. 

"Oh no." You watch all the color drain from Greenie's face while Mr. Grumpy Pants smacks his palm against his face, sliding it down and sighing heavily with an utterly defeated expression. 

"Not again…" You hear him mutter.

The girls grab their phones, snapping photos of them. You realize that you're probably in them, too, considering the lack of distance between you both. 

"Girls, there's the door!!" The tallest and most commandeering of the group holds open the entrance to the comic book store, and they swarm towards it.

"Cole, run!!!" Greenie yells, taking off to the back door that Rufus quickly ushers them both through. You grab the issue of Starfarer that Greenie dropped on the floor in his hasty exit, watching the fabric of Cole's shirt almost get stuck in the doorway.

At least now you know Mr. Grumpy Pant's name. 

You place both the comics back on the shelf, leaving with a quick wave to Rufus, who nods goodbye. You pull out your phone, look up directions to the Chinese Takeout store and slowly make your way there. You grab your earbuds, put them both in your ears and start your playlist from the beginning.

You're next to an alleyway, just steps away from the Chinese Takeout, when your arm is grabbed and pulled into an alleyway next to you. A yelp rips free from your chest, losing your balance and almost fall. 

A strong and warm arm holds yours firmly, pressing you against the cold brick wall. Your eyes automatically squeeze shut when your back hits the wall with a grunt, opening your eyes to see Mr. Grumpy Pants from earlier. 

His hand is pressed firmly against your mouth, and your hands curl into fists, punching his chest weakly. Unfortunately, your body's affinity to whatever created muscles in your body was little, making you regret not going to the gym after years of procrastination.

He shushes you, and you only just notice his pinched brows and the shine of sweat on his forehead. You hear the gradual approach of his fangirls and realize that he had tugged you behind a wall that separated into a small alcove, out of sight from the sidewalk you were on earlier.

"Turn that nauseating song off." Cole winces, muttering through clenched teeth. Your punches slow to a stop, confused by his words. He grabs your phone out of your hands, pressing pause on your beloved playlist. You allow him to do so, your mind blank and realization slowly dawning on you. 

Your eyes widen in shock, staring up at his stupidly handsome face. His dark brown eyes are filled with the fear of being caught, and you catch yourself admiring the shaggy black hair that frames his face in the most annoyingly perfect manner.

Your mind races with incoherent thoughts, but one sticks out like a sore thumb.

Your soulmate's a celebrity?

You'd think that being a celebrity would mean that his music taste would be of at least adequate quality.

"Am I getting kidnapped right now?" You voice out the most pressing concern on your mind, though it comes out muffled. He turns back to face you with an incredulous expression.

"You don't know who I am?" His voice is hushed, waiting for the horde of fangirls to run past your hiding spot. 

Your eyes narrow, pushing his hand off of where it's placed on your shoulders. You try to ignore the tingle his touch leaves behind that spreads to your hands and how his choppy bangs somehow manage to fall over his eyes in a somewhat attractive manner when he turns to face you. 

"In the past twenty minutes, you've glared at me, been rude, and practically held me hostage," You snap at him, irritated by the lack of common human decency he seemed to display. "And what do you mean nauseating song? If anything, you're the one giving me headaches with that god-awful noise you call music that you play daily!"

You finish your mini rant, having reached the end of your already thinning patience with the boy in front of you. You pant slightly, trying your best to reign in your temper. 

"Noise? Noise?? I could say the same for you! You're disturbing my sleep at night with those ear-splitting synths and breathy singing that sounds like they're on the verge of hyperventilation!" Cole retorts with thinly veiled disgust, taking a step back, dusting off his hands, and wiping them on his pants. 

You eye the action, feeling insulted. Both of you stand in the alleyway, silently glaring at each other. Cole breaks the stare first, scanning the area behind him once he realizes the fangirls are gone. You grin, elated at the quiet victory. 

"You really gotta get more variety." Your smile drops as soon as the words leave Cole's lips, and yours press into a thin line. 

"Speak for yourself." You can barely hold back another biting remark. If anyone were to see you now, they'd definitely mistake you as enemies rather than the soulmates that you actually are.

He groans, rolling his eyes. You're tempted to ask what he does for a living but choose to stay silent. You shake your head, still in disbelief that you've found your soulmate. "How on earth are we even going to get along…." You mutter to yourself.

Cole looks up, seemingly having heard your quiet mumbles. "I could say the same thing. I can't be with someone who can't tell the difference between good music and bad!"

How insufferable.

But you can't help ogling his arms when he props his hands on his hips, the muscle ready to tear through the thin material. You tear your gaze away, crossing your arms. Unfortunately, he catches your eyes wandering, a cocky smirk tugging the corner of his lips up. 

Your cheeks instantly warm, and you look away in embarrassment.  

"Well, whatever. Just find me when you want to learn what real music sounds like!" 

"Fine!"

"Fine then!"

With that, the conversation ends, and you both turn to face opposite ends of the alleyway, walking away from each other with flushed faces and burning cheeks.

'Wait, I didn't give him my number.' 

You realize, turning around.

"I'll find you!" Almost as if he senses your hesitation, he answers your unasked question.

You turn with a huff, “Didn’t ask!" You yell back. 

To drive home your point, you place your earbuds back into your ears and hit play on your playlist.

Immediately, Cole's songs start playing in the back of your mind, much louder than before. You let out an irritated sigh, but surprisingly enough, the tune didn't sound as vexing as before. 

It might even be a little bit endearing.

[wedontdeservethestars]

Johnny x reader with a huge family

Fem or gn pls

Thank you for the prompt, anon!! This is a short n sweet little thing, with a slight side of angst since I realized Johnny's home life was probably shit halfway through writing it lol. Hope you enjoy!

Content: gn!reader, fluff, slight angst about Johnny's distance with his parents (and dad)

“Wow. It’s so quiet,” Johnny joked. The two of you had found some solace on the porch outside, for once in the whole evening being mostly alone. You could still hear your little cousins playing in the front yard and some of your older relatives laughing as they smoked in the driveway, but here you felt like you had room to breathe.

“I know,” you laughed a little. “Sorry. I know it’s…a lot.” 

“Oh, please,” Johnny rolled his eyes. “This is nothing. At least no one here is constantly asking for a picture or for me to join in on some kinda celebrity-marketing-business-thingy.”

A shrill giggle came from the yard, and it was unmistakable. “Except for–”

“Yes,” he nodded rather seriously. “Except for Lizzy. I would trust her business plans with a blindfold on and my hands tied behind my back.”

You had gotten mixed reactions from everyone in your family when they saw who your partner was. Your parents and siblings had known for a little while, though you tried to keep it on the down-low that you were dating one of the richest and most famous men in Hollywood. But the reunion was something you went to every year and truly enjoyed. Your family was enormous and stressful, but you loved them and enjoyed being with them. It had been over a year since you’d gotten with Johnny, and you felt that now was the time to introduce everyone to him. Your grandparents and older relatives, for the most part, were lost on who Johnny was. Your parents were both impressed and protective of you. Your siblings were either jealous or flat-out didn’t believe you until they saw his Agera pull up in the driveway. 

Your cousins who were old enough to recognize Johnny were equally starstruck, but one in particular, the barely-teenaged Lizzy, had hardly left you two alone from the moment you arrived at your parents’ house. Between excited gasps and nervous giggles and lots of hair-twirling, she’d spent the evening desperately trying to rope Johnny into starring in her various movie ideas. Johnny played along stoically, even removing his sunglasses to listen and nod as she detailed plots about superhero dogs and haunted pillows and a hamster who was running for president. By the end of the night, you wouldn’t be surprised if she’d managed to snag his number so they could continue discussing his potential roles and payment later in the coming weeks.

“Can you blame her?” you asked with a chuckle. “Imagine if when you were little your cousin was dating, like, Harrison Ford, or something.”

“Hey, I’m not blaming anyone! That kid’s going places. She’s just trying to invest early.” Johnny turned and you his profile caught in the golden glow of a summer sunset. It struck you, not for the first time in the past few minutes, how pretty he was. You especially loved the sparkle in his eyes and the curve of his nose in this light. 

“She’s a smart one,” you agreed, half-paying attention.

Johnny took a long sip of his drink as he leaned on the railing of your porch, humming softly to himself. You took a moment to scan the surrounding area of your childhood home. It felt strange to be back here with him. It was like two worlds colliding, and while it wasn’t unpleasant to share your family and homelife with him, it felt odd. Almost like a dream state.

“So, are you liking all this? I know it’s not exactly what you’re used to…”

“Like it?” He seemed surprised. “Oh, man. I love it.”

“Really?” You couldn’t help a childishly excited tone from entering your voice. He smiled at this, his dimples creasing as he did so.

“Sure! It’s, uh…rustic.” His brow furrowed for a second. “Well, no. That’s not the right word. It’s…” 

Your face fell a little as he sighed. His own smile was fading.

“I didn’t really…have this growing up. Y’know? My dad, he was never big on his own family. So I never really saw my grandparents, or my aunts or uncles or anything. My mom didn’t have a big connection with hers either. I don’t think my dad helped that. So a lot of the time it was just us three. And…God. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to bring the mood down. I’m just tryin’ to say that this is all really, really nice.”

“Oh,” you said softly. “Well, y’know, everyone here…they’re all your family too, now. You know that, right?”

“I guess that’s true.” He brightened. “Yeah. Family.”

“You’re one of us now.” You grinned and leaned against him. “And even if you are some big-shot A-list movie star, they’ll love you as long as I do.”

“Sooo, like, another three months?” he teased, calculating on his fingers. You giggled.

“Count your days, Cage.” You watched as a group of kids chased each other around the yard and neared the porch, clamoring about rules and squealing with laughs. Among them, Lizzy played, stopping only for a moment to gaze at both of you (Johnny more-so). “Although, if the way things have been going tonight are indicative of anything, you might have a rebound date in your future…”

“Oh, she can find a better Prince Charming, I’m sure,” Johnny chuckled. He waved to her, and Lizzy looked like she might just implode. Her big eyes grew bigger and bigger and she remained still as a statue until her little sister bumped into her, and then, after only one more glance over her shoulder, she was right back in the game.

“Ooh, Prince Charming.” You pressed a kiss to his cheek. “I like that.”

“Well, it fits. I treat you like royalty for a reason.” He pulled your face into his hand and kissed you fully, trailing his thumb along your jaw. When you pulled away, you had a permanent smile painted on your lips.

“Pretty,” he murmured. He had a similar look on his face.

“Look in a mirror,” you shot back kindly. 

“A magic mirror?” he teased, and you rolled your eyes. 

“C’mon. I think dinner’s almost ready.” Tugging his hand, you started towards the door inside.

“Ooh, I can’t wait to try your mom’s food. That kitchen smelled so damn good earlier…”

“You’re gonna love it.” You gave him a backwards glance. “Seriously, if that doesn’t lure you into this family, then nothing will.”

[rookthorne]

⠄⠂⠁⠁⠂⠄⠄⠂ 𝐓𝐚𝐭𝐭𝐥𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐥𝐞

There was never, ever a dull moment when it came to the pair of troublemakers you had involved yourself with, and your Christmas market stall was not immune, either.

჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻ 𝒑𝒂𝒊𝒓𝒊𝒏𝒈 𖠺 Tattoo Artist!CW!Bucky Barnes x Florist!F!Reader x Tattoo Artist!Nomad!Steve Rogers

჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻ 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒅 𝒄𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒕 𖠺 2.1k

჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻ 𝒘𝒂𝒓𝒏𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𖠺 Fluff, crack, Disney puns

჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻ 𝒂𝒖𝒕𝒉𝒐𝒓 𝒏𝒐𝒕𝒆 𖠺 Y'all thank @smutconnoisseur for this one.

჻჻჻჻჻჻჻჻ 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒏𝒕𝒔 𖠺 @buckybarnesevents Build a Bucky Bingo — Crackfic (November) — Masterlist 𖠺 @rookthorne's Merry Buckmas — Masterlist

𝐆𝐚𝐫𝐝𝐞𝐧 𝐨𝐟 𝐈𝐧𝐤 𝐌𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭

The wind whipped and fluttered the banners of your stall; the flurries of snow it carried danced in the air, until they settled onto your warm, woollen clothes. It was still early — the sun only just peaking above the rows of brownstones that lined the outer sides of the park where the Christmas market was being held. 

You had expected the morning itself to be exhausting — setting up with crates and crates of poinsettias, azaleas, and amaryllises, but two knights came to your rescue, dressed to the nines for the chilly weather with their coats and scarves. 

And if you ignored their grumblings about how it was far too early for a weekend, it was a pleasant, fun experience.

“Petal,” Bucky groaned, slumping his shoulders as he held a crate of arrangements. The air he expelled from between his red-bitten lips misted in the air. “There can’t be anymore, right?”

You raised a brow and pointed towards your stand. “Just set them down there, please. You’re almost done.”

Snow crunched beneath a heavy pair of boots behind you, and Steve’s chin rested on your shoulder. “Don’t you worry, doll,” he said, and he kissed you on the cheek, the bristles of his beard tickling your skin. “Buck’s just grumpy ‘cause he didn’t get any sleep.”

“Yeah,” Bucky snapped, narrowing his eyes. “Because someone decided to keep me awake.”

Steve pulled away from you and then shrugged a shoulder. “Didn’t hear you complaining.”

Bucky opened his mouth to argue, but you held a hand up and stared between them sternly. “Boys,” you scolded, and they had the sense to act sheepish. “That’s enough, we have a stall to set up. Come on.”

“Whatever,” Bucky grumbled, and Steve swatted him on the ass. 

After more petulant whining and pouting, your stall stood proud — colourful and bright amongst the other vendors with the many, many bouquets and arrangements on display. Reds, greens, and yellows shone against the oak of the wooden stall, and the white snow as the backdrop made a beautiful sight; one you were more than happy to spend the day with. 

You walked up to the counter and ran a gloved hand over the wood, marvelling in the colours and knots of the tree used. “It’s beautiful.”

“Not as beautiful as you, sweetheart,” Bucky said beside you, and his arm went around your shoulders to pull you close. His lips, chapped and cold, brushed against your temple before he placed a soft kiss there. “And I’m just as excited for this as that punk, just so you know, baby.”

You smiled and looked at him, leaning into his body. “I know.”

The market became packed quickly. People flocked to each of the stalls, all of them dressed in their warmest coats and beanies they placed on their heads. Every transaction was pleasant but rushed, until the midday sun casted its rays over the gathering of market goers, and they all seemed to slow down in an effort to soak up the fleeting warmth. 

Both Steve and Bucky slumped back in the folding chairs you had brought for them, but they had smiles on their faces; content with the work they had put in to help, no doubt. “Are you guys okay?” you asked during a lull of customers. 

“Yeah,” Steve answered, nodding once. “It’s hard work, being your assistant.”

Bucky choked on a laugh. “Got that right.”

You stared at them both, eyes and mouth flat with faux annoyance. “Don’t make me get the whip out to make you two work– No!”

The two of them burst into hysterics and you turned away, shaking your head. “Idiots. Both of you are idiots.”

Steve and Bucky’s laughter behind you was drowned out amidst the crowd chatter, and you spotted a small child, no older than what you thought could be eight, wandering beside his mother. “Look,” the mother said, pointing straight towards your stall, and the child’s eyes lit up at all of the colours. 

You beamed at them both as they neared. “Hey there, welcome to Fantasy Floristry,” you said, sure to maintain your perfected, professional persona. “What can I help you with?”

The mother was entranced by the azalea and amaryllis’ bouquets, and purchased three of them. 

“Perfect,” you said, taking the cash she offered, and you looked over your shoulder at Bucky who had settled with his sketchbook in his lap and pencil in hand. His tongue was poking out the corner of his mouth, and Steve was staring at him fondly. “Steve,” you whispered. “C’mere.”

Steve’s bright eyes met yours, and he stood, careful not to disturb his husband. “Can you help me get three bouquets ready?” you asked, nodding at the arrangements of red and white flowers. 

“Sure, doll,” Steve said. He smiled at the woman and got to work threading ribbon around the stalks — festive colours with reindeers and Santa heads. 

The child started to become fussy, and both you and the mother looked down at him with a curious gaze. “What is it, honey?” she asked, looking to where he was staring — towards Bucky. “He’s busy, you can’t bother him.”

“Oh,” you said, looking over your shoulder at Bucky — still so engrossed with his sketch. “He can go say hello, that’s okay. Buck likes kids,” you explained, and Steve nodded next to you. “And he can show off his work—any excuse to do so and he’s gone.”

The mother laughed quietly and looked down at her child. “You can go say hello, but be careful,” she said, and you held up a hand. 

“I can take him?” you offered, and a look of relief relaxed her features. “Come on, little man,” you cooed, offering your hand to the young boy. “Let’s go say hello.”

His laughter was contagious as he tottered forwards, snow boots thick and cumbersome to his gait. The toothy smile between his chubby cheeks was contagious, and you found yourself matching him as you neared Bucky’s refuge from the cold air. “Buck?”

Blue eyes met yours in a dazed way, and Bucky blinked, clearing the fog from his mind. “Oh, hey, sweetheart– Oh, hello,” he said, beaming at the boy. “Who’s this, huh?”

You looked over your shoulder at the mother who mouthed, “Peter.”

“This is Peter. Peter, meet Bucky–” You couldn’t even get another word out before the boy jumped forwards, intent on looking at the sketchbook in Bucky’s lap. “Whoa!”

Bucky chuckled and situated the book so Peter could see, and the two of them babbled for a few minutes under the mother’s watchful gaze. You moved back to the counter to take over from Steve, and you looked up at Peter’s mother. “Anything big planned for Christmas?”

The two of you spoke of your Christmas plans, and you didn’t pay any mind to Steve’s absence from beside you after you took over the arrangements — though you could hear the coos and rushed conversation between Bucky and Peter behind you. A particularly loud squeal of delight made you look over your shoulder, and you found Steve squatting down to look at Bucky’s sketchbook with Peter.

“They’re sweet,” Peter’s mother remarked, smiling wistfully. “They remind me of his uncle. I can’t wait to see them all soon.”

You smiled softly in return. “I hope it’s a sweet reunion.”

When it came time for Peter to leave, the young boy threw his arms around Steve’s neck, and then Bucky’s shoulders, hugging them goodbye. 

Steve’s hand rested over the boy’s hand on Bucky’s shoulder, a smirk on his lips — you narrowed your eyes in suspicion, that glint in his eyes was only reserved for when he was playing a trick. 

All of you said goodbye to one another, and Peter, as he walked away, hand in hand with his mother, kept waving until they disappeared into the crowd. 

“Such a sweet kid,” Bucky sighed. “Liked art too—I think he said he wanted to be like us when he grew up, how fuckin’ cute is that?”

“Adorable,” you said, and you kissed Bucky and Steve on the cheek. “Do you guys want some lunch? It’s about that time and I packed your favourite sandwiches.”

It was only when you three had finished your lunch did you notice something was indeed up with Steve — he kept looking at Bucky from the corner of his eyes, that same playful, mischievous glint in his blue eyes. His lips quirked in a knowing smirk, but whenever he caught you staring, his face would fall flat and impassive. “Wha–”

Bucky groaned, interrupting you as he rose from his chair to stretch, and he walked to the bag beneath the counter to grab a drink. 

And then, you spotted it.

“Oh, my–”

Steve made a gesture from the corner of your vision, and you looked over at him. He placed his index finger over his lips, and resumed eating as though nothing happened, but you could not, in good conscience, leave this unsaid. 

“Bucky–” Again, you were interrupted, but this time from laughter beside you, and you stared at Steve incredulously, a slight frown on your lips. 

“What–?” Bucky asked, confused eyes darting between his chortling husband and your incredulous expression. “What is it?”

You sighed and stared intently at Steve. “Say something, or I will.”

Steve burst into laughter, a loud, jubilant sound, and his cheeks turned rosy red. Bucky just rolled his eyes and looked back out towards the lane between stalls, watching the people walk by while he leaned against a support beam for the stall. 

The cause of all the laughter was perched on his shoulders, exactly where Peter and Steve’s hand had been previously — a sticker, small and otherwise not noticeable, if Bucky weren’t wearing a black coat. 

“What’s up, Buck?” Steve teased breathlessly, and he got to his feet to stand next to his husband. Bucky just glared at him. “What? Cat got your tongue?”

“What the fuck are you up to?” Bucky asked, tilting his head. “You’re not subtle, Stevie.”

You started to laugh, suddenly seeing where Steve was taking this conversation. “Steve,” you said, and the blond looked over at you. “Leave him be, c’mon—just tell him.”

And the bastard — the absolute cheeky son of a bitch — grinned wickedly at you before he turned to Bucky, and said with the utmost pleasure in his voice, “I can’t, doll. Our poor Buck has a Chip on his shoulder.”

“You motherfucker,” Bucky breathed, hurriedly brushing a hand over his shoulder to find the sticker that Steve and Peter placed there. “Oh my fuckin’ god!”

You couldn’t hold it in any longer at the absolutely gobsmacked slack of Bucky’s jaw, or his widened eyes — Steve was no better off, bent double next to Bucky, who shoved him in his side so Steve fell against the side of the stall. “I can’t fuckin’ believe I married you, then brought her,” he stared over his shoulder at you, “into this. Unfuckin’believable, the pair a’you.”

For the rest of the day, Bucky sent sullen, playful glares at both you and Steve, though they turned quickly into his own jabs and taunts for how he planned to get you both back. 

When it came time to pack the stall away, you found a stashed collection of Disney character stickers, ranging from the timeless classics, to the modern masterpieces. “I know,” you mumbled, an idea forming in your mind as you glanced from the stickers in your hands, to the blond headed menace that was carrying the crates of flowers into the shop’s van. 

“Bucky,” you hissed, and the brooding figure of Bucky turned to face you, brow raised. “Come here, quick.”

Bucky sighed, but he walked over. “Yes, Petal?”

“Here,” you rushed, and you shoved the stickers into his gloved hands. “Quick, I found these under the counter—pick one and do something with it.”

“Ha,” Bucky breathed, and he snatched the sheet with the other Beauty and The Beast stickers. “Fuckin’ punk won’t know what hits him.” 

You didn’t get a chance to see which sticker he picked before he jogged up to Steve and slapped him on the cheek, the resounding smack resounding through the lane. “Buck– What–?”

Bucky darted away, howling with mirth. “You should become Plumette, babe,” he called, dancing out of reach of his husband. The smirk on his lips was so broad his teeth glinted in the light, and he couldn’t speak without a huff of laughter. “‘Cause you need to brush up on your puns, you fucker.”

“Bucky!”

You laughed as the two of them ran around the van, Steve hot on Bucky’s heels and kicking up snow as they both ran, dodging the attempts to tackle the other. 

It was going to be a long time ‘till you managed to get home, you thought, but you didn’t care. Not when they were laughing and smiling to their heart's content.

⠈⠂⠄ 𝐢𝐧𝐛𝐨𝐱 | 𝐥𝐢𝐛𝐫𝐚𝐫𝐲 | 𝐚𝐨𝟑 ⠄⠂⠁

⠈⠂⠄ 𝐦𝐚𝐬𝐭𝐞𝐫𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐭 | 𝐜𝐨𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬 ⠄⠂⠁

[darkficsyouneveraskedfor]

Silver Lining 3

Warnings: non/dubcon, speech impediment, bullying and other dark elements. My username actually says you never asked for any of this.

Characters: silverfox!Bucky Barnes

Summary: You have an unpleasant encounter with an older man.

My warnings are not exhaustive but be aware this is a dark fic and may include potentially triggering topics. Please use your common sense when consuming content. I am not responsible for your decisions.

As usual, I would appreciate any and all feedback. I’m happy to once more go on this adventure with all of you! Thank you in advance for your comments and for reblogging.

"So your sister will be coming by next week with the little ones," your mother declares as you stand at the sink, scrubbing away the remnants of roast beef and potato. "You'll get to play auntie for the day."

"Mhmm," you nod, "what about Justin?"

"Oh, your brother's down visiting with his fiance's family. He said he'd try to make if for Christmas Eve but you know how her family is."

You sniff and pretend to know. You really don't. It's all hearsay to you. You don't hear much from either siblings; they have lives, you just happen to be related.

"S-sounds great," you utter as you put another plate in the rack.

"Oh, honey, you should just use the dishwasher," she says.

"It's f-f-fine, this works," you insist.

"Well, what about you? What are you up to?" She leans on the counter.

"I..." you don't know what to say. You need a lie, anything to appease her. Your brother's engaged, your sister has the white picket fence and you have nothing, "oh, I h-have a job interview."

"You do?" She sounds thoroughly disbelieving.

"Uh, yeah, w-well," you stammer through, trying not to give away your deceit, "since n-no one wants to h-hire me in my f-field, I f-found something new."

"That's exciting," she chimes, "what is it?"

"Uh, I w-want to see i-if it turns out b-before I say," you give a tight-lipped smile, "don't want to d-disappoint you again."

"Sweetie, you're not a disappointment," she hums, "I'm always happy to see you trying."

You look down at the sink and shrug. Behind that comment is the inference that you weren't trying before. That you haven't been. The long nights with vivid nightmares don't exactly motivate you and you've been all but blacklisted as an executive assistant. Even admin roles aren't responding. Even if you do get a bite, the job market is drawn out and tedious.

"Thanks, mom."

"Just... try not to mope around the kids," she chides, "it's Christmas."

You flutter your lashes, "sure, mom."

That's what you are to everyone; weak, pathetic, useless. No, don't do that. You'll make another appointment with Lisa, she always knows what to do.

☕️

Well, this is it. A last resort. One of those freelancing websites that pays pennies. It's better than nothing and will keep you from having too big a gap on your resume. You could easily do the writing gigs, easy money for transcription. You apply to a few of those and scroll on.

You sit up as you see a particular posting that interest you. Oddly enough, the pay isn't half bad. It's also labeled as 'may lead to ongoing work'. Well, well, well, now that's something.

You click into the posting for 'Podcast Script Writer' and review the details. A sample is required for application and lucky enough, you have lots of those hanging around. If it wasn't for your stammer, you'd have an episode done by now. You deleted enough recordings to the point of giving up. Well, this is a solution. You can get your work out there without having to embarrass yourself.

You go through the application, putting in your info and editing a draft before attaching it to the application. You just hope it's thorough enough. You never really let anyone else see and hitting submit makes your stomach flip. With the final click, you close your laptop and quickly get up. Alright, you're not going to dwell on it. If you hear anything, you'll worry then.

You try to read but can't focus. It just makes you think of the posting and your application. Oh jeez, imagine you're rejected but worse, they tell you you've done everything wrong.

Appointment! You can't forget that. You login to the app and put in a request for a Zoom appointment that week. Alright, you're getting things done, you can't say you've done nothing.

You put a video on your phone and lean it on the pop out grip, propping it up on your mattress to watch the compilation of sitcom moments cut together on Youtube. Your mind wanders and your eyes begin to sag as the day shrouds you in fatigue. You slip into a shallow doze as the glare of the screen flickers over you.

The distant clack of keyboards and clicking of mouses needles behind your ears. It's as if you're trapped in a bubble of silence, all colours and noised dampened by the unseen wall. You shudder as you hear his voice, the only thing that's clear. Your name crawls up behind the shell of your ear with his breath as his hands settle on your hips. Your body aches as every muscles tightens and your bones lock in place. Please, no, not again...

"Sir..." you try to speak but nothing comes out. He's always tugging your skirt up, his hand is around your throat. You close your eyes as tears stain your cheeks.

You wake with a start, your phone black as the battery's drained from neglect. You sit up and pant, looking around your dark bedroom, the moonlight limning shadows sinisterly. You gulp and fall back, watching the ceiling as the tears rise in reality and sting your eyes.

If you'd just said no. A simple word. Even you can manage that.

You lay for a while until your restlessness boils over. You get up and plug in your phone. The screen lights up as you rub your eye socket and yawn. There's an email notification in the taskbar. Probably more ads for things you can't afford.

You pull down the menu but find ‘Application Update’ emblazoned across the notification. Oh wow, that was fast. You keep yourself from tapping on the email.

You don't know if you can handle another rejection. You'd rather languish in the uncertainty. You've been doing so for so long, it almost feels safe.

[watchmegetobsessed]

❄️HIS FOREVER❄️

A/N: fanficmas is hereee!!!! its honestly my fav time and im always so excited to bring you so much content, i hope you guys will enjoy them all!!

WORD COUNT: 810

SUMMARY: You're decorating your home for the first Christmas you'll spend living together.

MASTERLIST | SUPPORT ME!

This fic is part of ❄️ FANFICmas 2022 ❄️ Read more about fanficmas here!

It’s been hard for Harry to get into the holiday spirit these past years. With the hectic life he’s been living the past decade, he never really had time to do all the little things that would get him all excited for Christmas. He never decorated, mostly because he didn’t even have anything to hang up around his home. He didn’t have the time to bake cookies and do all the holiday activities people love to do and he doesn’t even know when the last time was he went to a Christmas market.

He always told himself he didn’t care about any of it, he was fine with just going home right before Christmas and spend only a few days dedicated to the holiday that’s the most loved. However, deep down he knew he would love it if it was different.

And this year is when it all changes.

It’s the first year he is approaching the holidays living with you, sharing a home. His place went through a lot of changes since you’ve moved in and he loves it all. He loves seeing you in every corner, your touch has turned it into a home.

He’s known since day one how much you love Christmas and he’s been to your apartment around the holidays before. Unlike him, you take pride in dressing up your home, sprinkling the festive spirit all over it. Secretly, he spent more time at yours around December, enjoying the sweet scent of cinnamon and apples, bask in the beauty of the lights you hung up everywhere you could. He envied the kind of vibe you brought to your own home and dreamed of a day when he could share it all with you.

He’s heading home after a long studio session. He’s had a busy week and he wants nothing else than to just relax and rewind with you, maybe watch a movie and then go to bed, sleeping in tomorrow. With everything on his plate, he barely even processed that December has started.

So when he arrives home, opens the front door, walks in and hears the soft Christmas music playing, he’s surprised at first, but then warmth takes over his chest a moment later.

“Babe?” he calls out with a tiny smile, because he knows you’ve finally started to decorate the place.

“Right here!” your sweet voice answers him and he follows it to the dining table that’s covered in boxes, ornaments and all kinds of decorations flowing out of their storage. He stops for a moment, watching you quietly hum to the music as you sort through some tiny ornaments.

As if you could sense his gaze, you glance up, eyes meeting his and you smile at him warmly.

“Hi there, how was your day?”

“Fine. Good to be back home.” Walking over he leans down and presses a kiss to your cheek before sitting beside you. “I see December has officially started,” he teases you.

“Well of course!” You beam before your face falls and you look at him with big eyes. “You don’t mind that I’m decorating, right?”

“No,” he shakes his head smiling. “I love it. Can I help?”

He is not dreading the kind of relaxing he did before, his plans to do nothing are long gone and all he wants is wants to be with you and do anything that makes you happy, because it makes him happy too. It’s a dynamic he never thought would live to have in his life, finding a person who has such a strong effect on him. But he did and he knows he never wants to let go of you.  

“If you want to. You don’t have to though,” you say, peeking at him, but he just leans over and steals a kiss.

“I want to.”

The oven chimes in the kitchen and you perk up.

“Oh, the oranges!” you exclaim as you get up from the table.

“Huh? The oranges?” he asks, following you curiously into the kitchen. He watches as you take a tray out of the oven, full of orange slices.

“I dried them out, gonna put them on a string. It’s pretty and smells amazing,” you explain to him, assessing the slices, making sure they are perfect.

When you look up you catch Harry watching you with a lovestruck look that brings heat to your cheeks.

“What?” you ask.

“Nothing, I’m just… I love you.”

“I love you too,” you reply, his words warming your chest. He steps closer and places his hands to your waist, kissing the side of your head.

“So… we’re putting them on a string?”

“Yeah. Wanna do that? I’ll show you.”

“Sure,” he smiles and he would do just about anything you ask. Whether it’s for Christmas, Thanksgiving or Easter, you’ll always be his happiness, his one and only, his forever.

Thank you for reading, please like and reblog if you enjoyed and buy me a coffee if you want to support me!

[firstkanaphans]

SMASH or PASS: GMMTV 2024, Part 2

Ossan’s Love: Based on the trailer we were given, PASS. However, I will watch this one regardless because it’s EarthMix and I have hope that the actual show will be a bit less cringe because P’Au is directing it and we know from MSP that he can do romantic comedy well. Unfortunately, I have not seen the original and this particular trailer made me never want to.

Leap Day: PASS. Not even an autistic-coded Gun Attaphan could save this one for me. But good for Pond! This is a huge role for him.

The Heart Killers: Obviously, SMASH. I know people are saying this feels like SandRay 2.0, but I’m getting more YokGaipa vibes and I am living for it. You can read my full review here, but I just want to go on record once again and say how grateful I am that FK got an adult show with an adult plot and a queer director.

Friendshit Forever: SMASH. It’s giving me Cruel Intention vibes and if they let Mook and Pat make out at least once, I’ll send them a fruit basket.

Perfect10 Liners: PASS. If I never hear the words “Engineer Cute Boy page” again, it will be too soon. 

Us: SMASH. Both Bonnie AND Emi make my brain go brrr, so I can’t promise I’ll be able to produce any coherent content about it, but I will be eagerly watching.

Hide & Sis: SMASH. This looks amazing and I loved P.S. I Hate You, so I’m expecting great things. Plus, Lookjun and Pepper finally get to work together! I’m so happy for them.

Thame-Po: SMASH. I know nothing about LYKN, but I enjoyed the trailer and I think it’s a great way for GMMTV to market their musical artists. Don’t think it’s going to help with people IRL shipping Est and William, though.

Break-up Service: lol, PASS.

Revamp the Undead Story: I will watch it because it is Boun’s baby and I love him, but in general, vampire shows only interest me if they’re slutty and I’m not sure GMMTV is going to allow that. So…PASS?

Sweet Tooth, Good Dentist: Genuinely, I didn’t think there was anything that could make Mark Pakin unattractive to me, but they somehow managed it. That trailer was just weird. Ohm TPK is way too green to be leading a BL and I didn’t sense any chemistry between him and Mark. I hope the show's good for Mark’s sake, but my expectations are not high. PASS.

The Dark Dice: I think I might have to wait until the actual trailer for this one, but tentatively SMASH. The problem is that I’m not a huge fan of Prom or Prim, so I would be watching exclusively for Gemini.

The Ex-Morning: Y’all, I’m still drooling over Singto in that fucking trailer. I’m sorry, but he looks hot as fuck. I’d SMASH for him alone. This was by far my favorite plot of the night. I love me a good rom-com and since this one’s being written by P’Aof (and none of the characters are blind), I trust him.

Overall, I thought this was a much better line-up than Part 1 and I'm excited for what's coming!

EDIT: I forgot Scarlet Heart Thailand, which I guess makes my opinion obvious. It's a PASS. If I was a woman surrounded by that many men, I would run. That's a horror movie, not a love story. And even without knowing anything, I guarantee she's going to end up with Win. Because someone at GMMTV thinks he's hot or whatever.

[dmitrinfinite]

Secret Santa Snippet 2022!

This is a gift for @snowshowerwriting, an awesome friend and writer! I’m glad I got your prompt this year, and since this is my first time posting writing on tumblr I’m pretty excited to see how it turns out. Hope you enjoy!

content warning; implied depression, injury, reference and mild descriptions of nerve damage (hands) (i swear this is hurt/comfort we just have to get past the hurt)

Surely three weeks was enough time for Hero to recover after their last fight - wasn’t it? Villain couldn’t say they knew much about medical stuff aside from how to patch themselves up after a scuffle, but they assumed Hero would’ve at least made an appearance by now. Although, their hands did look pretty messed up after being crushed under falling debris... Falling debris that Villain had knocked loose, and that Hero had pushed Villain away from at the risk of his own life. Uncomfortably guilty about the whole situation, Villain had even held off on any major crimes while they waited for their nemesis to heal. Now, though, as they stood outside the recently robbed bank, there was no sign that Hero was coming to stop them.

“Seriously?” Villain shouted at nobody in particular, causing the crowds of terrified onlookers to flinch back. “Is no one even gonna try and stop me? Do I just get to take all this money without a fight?”

“Sorry I’m late,” said a voice from behind Villain, and they turned to see Other Hero, one of Hero’s colleagues, nimbly leap to the ground. She twirled an elegant blade between her fingers.

“What are you doing here?” Villain asked, raising an eyebrow. Normally Other Hero was busy breaking up gang fights or busting shady underground markets, not dealing with high profile criminals. “Where’s Hero?”

“You didn’t hear?” Other Hero snorted, stalking closer. “Boss says we can’t have traitors on our team - Hero almost died to save you, so… y’know. We had to kick him off the squad. I guess you’re happy about that, considering you’ve got one less threat to deal with. Not like he’d be useful to us now anyway, not with those fucked up hands.”

“Shit,” Villain whispered, dropping the bag of money in their hands. Wasn’t that what they’d always wanted? To have their nemesis out of the way? No… not like this. Villain was supposed to take over and sit on a throne while everyone kneeled at his feet, not shove the only tolerable hero on the force to the sidelines. Before they had any more time to think, Other Hero advanced. They dodged her strike and jumped back, summoning a swirl of icicles in their hand. Incensed by his own folly and Other Hero’s sadistic smirk alike, they struck.

-

The thing is, Villain had discovered Hero’s civilian identity a while ago. It was purely by accident, after they’d recognised him entering his apartment while on a little looting spree a while back. They hadn’t felt the need to bring it up, nor did they feel like playing dirty. If it were any other hero, Villain probably wouldnt hesitate - but they wanted a fair fight with Hero. They wanted to share an adrenaline rush with him as they both stood on even ground, powers crashing together in terrific bursts of energy.

Now, though, as Villain slipped through the window in the late afternoon, they couldn’t care less about keeping their discovery a secret. They had to see Hero - he would certainly be down in the dumps after losing his job and suffering what was without doubt a painful injury.

“What are you doing here?” Hero’s voice asked from the dark, and Villain cursed themselves for not checking if Hero was in his bedroom before using it to sneak in. “You need to go, I- we can’t fight anymore. I don’t work for them.” As he spoke, Villain realised just how hoarse and shaky Hero’s voice sounded. He turned on the lamp and looked at Villain with tired, searching eyes.

“I’m not here to fight,” Villain said quietly, “I came to apologise. You know, about your job. That was really my fault.”

“Oh,” Hero replied, glancing away. He got out from under the covers and trudged across the room, motioning for Villain to follow. “I’m not all that hung up on the job.” As he walked, his clenched fists were shaking violently. Was he angry? No, wait - Other Hero had mentioned his ‘fucked up hands,’ maybe they were jittery from the injury. That seemed to be the case when Hero reached up to flick on the light, fumbling with the switch for a few moments. He crossed the living room, Villain following cautiously behind.

If they were in Hero’s apartment under any normal circumstances, they’d probably be teasing them to hell and back about how it was small and messy - more like cute and cozy, but they wouldn’t admit that - but today they fought the urge. Something was very wrong.

“Here,” Hero said flatly, sitting on a black stool in front of an elegant upright piano. It was probably the most expensive thing in the room. “Between fights, after a bad day, when I was overwhelmed… I played. I’ve been taking lessons for ten years now, and I bought this piano after saving up for ages.” His face brightened a little as he spoke, and Villain felt their chest buzz with warmth until Hero looked at them, eyes wet and hands trembling as he gripped the piano lid.

“I can’t do it anymore,” he whispered, a shake in his voice, and Villain’s heart sank. “I don’t care about my job, I- I’m not even mad at you, and I don’t re- regret saving you, not for a moment!” He stood up, clasping his hands together, desperately trying to still them. “But I… I can’t do this. I can’t write, or type without having to redo every word a dozen times, and I can’t play anymore. I can’t distract myself from the fucking mess my life is right now.”

Wordlessly, guilt swelling in their chest, Villain moved to sit on the stool beside him and opened up the piano.

“I don’t remember much,” they said softly, “But I used to play a little too.” They guided Hero to place his unsteady hands on the keys and rested their own on top. Buried deep in Villain’s muscle memory was a classical piece they’d learned years ago, back when life was simpler and they didn’t have to fight and steal to survive. Back when they didn’t have ‘allies’ and ‘enemies’, when they didn’t have to pretend the one person they looked forward to seeing each day was their nemesis in a bitter rivalry.

Pushing those yearning thoughts away, they looked at Hero for permission. He nodded, still looking at the keys, and Villain tried to remember the piece. The muscle memory was still with them, and for that they were thankful, but they’d never exactly had to play it with an extra pair of hands under their own. Though the sweet melody occasionally peeked through, the song was mostly a jumble of wrong notes and fumbled chords. Villain tensed, worried that their attempts to be cute and comforting had only made things worse. To their surprise, though, Hero turned his hands over and laced them with Villain’s, which put them in what was without a doubt an awkward position, but Villain felt a pleasant flutter in their stomach.

“That was awful,” Hero remarked, but he was smiling. Smiling, so softly and knowingly in a way only he could. “But it… it helped, I think.” Villain averted their eyes as if it’d help hide the embarrassingly obvious blush on their face. As they looked across the room, it dawned on them just how cluttered and dark the apartment really was.

“Have you been sitting alone in your apartment all this time?” they asked, and Hero’s smile dropped a little.

“I don’t have anyone to visit, much less anyone who’ll visit me,” he replied, and now it was his turn to sheepishly glance away. “Not since the team labeled me a traitor.”

“I’m here, aren’t I?” Villain said. At Hero’s hesitant nod, they continued, “And, since you’re already apparently a traitor to those ‘heroes,’ it’s not like we have to pretend to hate each other anymore.” They offered a mischievous grin, which Hero weakly returned.

“Would you mind, then, um… would you mind sticking around for a while?” He asked before Villain could make the offer. All they could do was nod, slowly untangling their hands and putting an arm around Hero’s shoulders. He rested his head in the crook of Villain’s neck and let out a slow sigh, hands shaking again as he placed them in his lap.

“Thank you for saving me back there, by the way. I-I’m sorry you got hurt in the process. I wish I could go back and… Hell, maybe I’d stop you from doing it.” Villain whispered, anxious and guilty at the thought but elated by their close contact in equal measure. Hero simply shifted in a little closer, and Villain could hear the smile in his voice as he spoke.

“Nothing could stop me from keeping you safe. Not even you.”

[goldenhickeysandramen]

📢🔊🎤🎶 LOVE IS IN THE AIR... 🎙🎷🎺🎸🎹and 5 takeaways from the past months

THIS IS A LONG POST.... 

Oh my Gosh! What an afternoon of excitement!

Apparently Jimin changed for nanoseconds(?) his profile picture and posted one of JK 

Too bad the account didn't record a video..... If there is only one person as a testimonial, let me be a bit skeptical. 🤨

But who knows... maybe Jimin was playing with Jk, as this latter did on April 28th.

https://twitter.com/jkfl6wer/status/1640512226829189122?s=20

Also emerging on twitter are the constant cacophonies heard in Jimin's last vlive....LOL

https://twitter.com/jeje_machi/status/1645017065609388032?s=20

I take these things with a grain of salt, because they always happen... there’s always someone in tiktok who hear voices in Jimin's and JK's vlives 🤣 

BUT

I do think they were together the night of Like Crazy's BB100, because all the k-army accounts (I follow) perfectly hear, at the beginning of the vlive, a "go quickly" with a busanese accent. That can't be a coincidence, nor a general delulu mode! 

In any case, I'm here to celebrate Jikook's love fest of this past month.

📢🔉🔊🎤🎶🎵 LOVE IS IN THE AIR... 🎙🎷🎺🎸🎻🎹

I have to admit that there was a time when I didn't understand why the hell we didn't know anything about Jikook.😫

Those who wait are in despair. And if I'm the one who waits (while quitting smoking), it's even worse, because I'm (above all) IMPATIENT! hahaha. I missed jikook a lot and I was in a total skeptical phase.

Don't scold me, I am not insecure, I like to be objective and critical. And there were things from these months that just made me wonder if everything was okay... I'm not going to go into them, because there’s no need. But I am going to share with you some of my lessons or takeaways from these months of CHAPTER 2 and that now, with more perspective, I can share, in case it helps anyone for next months.

1. The members who interact the most are the ones who are promoting at the time. 

I don't expect to see others in official content, unless they have something to promote. I guess it's marketing strategy. Just compare how Suga has reacted to other albums on socmed, with how he has been more involved in Jimin's, because he came next. 

The only exception is Hobi who is constant. Our dear sunshine..💜

But as I could see, if we want to see the rest, it's up to them.

2. This brings me to the next point: JIKOOK has chosen to show us that they are still there as usual, but without the exposure. 

Let's cry in chorus! 😭😭❤❤

JK wanted to support Jimin and for us to see him. And he wanted it to be something special, dammit! And so it has been!

I melt with him and everything he has done so far: from saying how great the Set me free Pt2 MV was going to be, to playing the chords of Letter, and the vlive reaction to Suchita and Jimin's best moments unbothered.

Plus the next morning reacting to Jimin’s live LOL

And Jimin has always been active in JK's vlives, whenever he could, with some very memorable lines 

3. What we don't see is almost EVERYTHING. And what we can see depends on many external factors. 

Thanks to the editors we could see JK visiting Jimin. It looks like they were together for only 5 seconds, but we know that was not the case.

if they even said goodbye in two different positions LOL

On the other hand, Letter was not recorded remotely, nor did JK teach himself to play it on guitar on youtube, like he learned to make sushi on ITS. 

This would be a point for non-jikookers who believe that jikook has not seen e/o for months.... but, I write it as a reminder for everyone, but especially for ME. 

What we see in recorded content is Hybe's choice. The rest is either shown to us by them or we have to assume it by applying common sense.

On the other hand, does anyone expect jikook to plug in a vlive when they're at home together watching The Notebook for the umpteenth time? I don't... Which brings me to the next point...

4. Army is always a support to Jungkook

I really believe that when he has been feeling very bored, alone or melancholic, we have been a help to him. Maybe he needed a rest, but at some point the inactivity has taken its toll on him, given that he didn't have his precious people around him.

In particular, I am happy to see him in his new role as CK ambassador and to see him travelling and active, at least until he enters the more intense work phase of his future projects.

So when I've seen Tae at his home, or with him at concerts, far from worrying about the cults's reaction (Who cares!!), I've been glad he was getting him out of the Mikrokosmos cave, because JK is an introvert and his comfort zone isn't exactly socialising.

[How I feel about Tae and his vlives and name dropping at certain times is another matter. But I have no doubt that Tae loves him and has made it a point to take him out bowling or to concerts]

5. Perhaps most controversial, but most obvious.....JIKOOK don't officially live together and that's what we're going to see from here until they leave for military service. So it's best not to give too much thought to the issue of houses.

But there is a very big obviousness to this issue. JK lives in a house rented by Hybe, with furniture from the dorms and barely decorated (althoug full of underwear 😁), as if he can't rent a house while his mansion in Itaewoon is being built...LOL! It's a joke! (and by this I mean that perhaps he spends part of his time elsewhere 😏).

If jikook is an established couple, as many of us think, we will always have to bear in mind is that they cant fulfil everything we would see in a long-term couple, like living together in one house 24/7/365, for obvious reasons, but basically because they are hidden couple and they’re also chased (especially Jungkook, who has a lot of sasaengs behind him).

And this is basically my main takeaways.... I'm sure I have more lessons learnt.... but I don't remember them now.... or I'm tired of writing.... maybe it's the latter ;)

I purple you 💜

[clickerflight]

Burned at the stake: Part 4

Masterlist

Part 3

One more part after this one. I'm so excited about this story, my goodness. Also, I have, like, four more vampire whump ideas and I can't stop thinking about them all and the worldbuilding for the world this all takes place in.

Content: Vampire whumpee, carewhumper turned just whumper, silver burns, toe and finger whump, dragged by the hair, talk of vampire trafficking, it as a pronoun, dehumanization

..................................................

"Kyle! Wait! I need you, I can't speak to it!"

“I won’t have any part in this, Joanna,” Kyle hissed, turning on her and using his extra inch to try and intimidate her. “You need to give him to someone who can take care of him! You can’t keep him here!”

She began to look uncomfortable, but she bared her own teeth right back. “No! The vampire was there for the first age! The first dynasty! Who knows what it could tell us! You know we don’t have much in the way of records from that time.”

“Oh for the love of-he was a Hippo hunter!? What do you want to know? How to kill a hippo?”

“It knows something! It knew who the kings were. Even the smallest details it thinks doesn’t matter could make all the difference! We could be-”

“Rich?” he snapped, shutting her up. “Joanna, you and I have been friends for a long time, and that’s why I’m giving you a chance here. Give him over to the authorities and leave him be. You’re no better than those stupid black market treasure hunters right now. He’s not dangerous and he shouldn’t be kept in your shed.”

He stared at her for a moment and she opened her mouth, still at a loss for words. 

With that, Kyle left and Joanna let him. She stood in her yard, turning to stare at the shed. She could hear the vampire moving inside, presumably trying to escape. She went to the shed only to lock the door and then went into the house to plan her next move. 

………………………

In the morning, Joanna woke up with a plan in mind. She hadn’t really been able to sleep as she turned the problem over, but everything seemed to resolve itself. She would just have to teach the Vampire english. It was a vampire, a creature of strange magic, so it should learn fast enough. 

As for Kyle. 

She dialed his number and she was unsurprisingly sent to voicemail. “Hey, Kyle,” she said in a docile tone. “Sorry about yesterday. You were right. I’m calling some people to take it-him. Anyways, I wanted to apologize. Maybe we should take a break while I sort this all out and I’ll talk to you in a couple of weeks, yeah? Kay. Bye.”

That should take care of it. She knew Kyle and he wouldn’t be eager to see her again until his temper cooled. This sort of thing had happened in the past and they were used to having to take breaks in their friendship when they had an argument. This one would probably be longer than the ones that they’d been through in the past, but that suited Joanna just fine. She had a vampire to occupy her time with. 

………………………….

The woman was back. Esial had forgotten to ask Kyle what her name was and now he was too afraid to try and get her to tell him through pantomime. She stared at him for a long moment, before taking a slow breath. She bent down and pointed to something on the floor, saying a word in her strange language. She pointed to another object and made the same sound. 

“Silveer,” Esial repeated. That was the metal that would hurt him, then. She nodded and pointed to another object, speaking another word for him to learn. 

The entire hour was spent like that as she pointed at things and named them. He was wearing something called a towel, though it’s purpose must not be for clothing because none of the things she was wearing was called that. There was a shirt and pants and hair and eyes and coins and shed. That was the name of the room he was in. He wondered what its purpose was when it wasn’t used to keep ‘vampires’ trapped. She had called him that and he tried to correct her that his name was Esial but she repeated the word until he understood. She seemed a bit annoyed with him by the end and left soon enough. He repeated the words in his mind for the next few hours of loneliness. He had nothing to do and he didn’t want to annoy her. He hoped she would feed him soon. He was starving. 

So, he practiced the words in his head hoping to get to the point where he would tell her what she wanted and beg her to let him go. 

She kept coming back and teaching him words of her strange language and he couldn’t understand the rules. The words made no sense and a horrifying feeling began to creep over him as he realized he’d just have to memorize everything. She was growing more impatient with him every time she came out, and grew even more annoyed when she saw him scratching at the cuff around his ankle. He shivered on the table, fidgeting with the now fraying towel and tried to repeat everything, but she was going too fast and none of this made sense. She didn’t explain the meanings of all of these words and he still didn’t know what a towel was for. 

At the end of another session after a long period when she had been away, which only made it harder for him to remember all of the words and how they fit together, he hesitantly asked, “Towel?”

She looked up from her book full of little squiggles, annoyed. 

He cleared his throat and asked. “Towel what for?”

She stared at him and a deep rage filled her eyes. She started speaking quickly, too fast for him to understand more than the occasional word. She was annoyed, though. He wasn’t learning fast enough and she was.. Running out of time? She said that a couple of times and Esial grasped the meaning of it. Running out of time for what?

“Time? How… long for…. Esial free?” he found himself asking. 

The woman turned her ire directly on him and he shrank back even farther on the table, nearly falling off the other side. 

“You. Are. Mine.” she said pointedly. “I saved you. I healed you. You stay until I am done.”

He lifted an arm, half sure she was about to strike him, but when he looked back, she had gone back to her book, muttering to herself. 

Esial wrapped his arms around himself, shivering. There were worse things, he supposed. He wasn’t entirely bored, sure he was hungry, but he wasn’t hurting either. He picked at his nails glumly, waiting for the ‘English’ lesson to continue. 

…………………………………

The vampire was becoming less willing to participate. Joanna should have seen it coming, but after it realized it wouldn’t be getting out anytime soon, it just gave up. It had only given the bare minimum to her and stopped flinching now when she yelled at it, but now it stopped caring entirely. It did not listen, it refused to repeat words, and all it said when she asked any questions was “Esial want out.” It even ignored her when she tried to correct its grammar. 

Joanna was getting desperate. She had put off school and work and everything. She had everything hinging on the paper this stupid vampire was supposed to help her write and now it just glared at her when she entered the shed and refused to say anything! Her life hinged on this now! She was relying on that paper and here she sat with a useless waste of space and blood and she was going to lose her mind. 

So, today, after a week of the creature’s silence, she walked into the room and continued right across the silver on the floor. The vampire realized the intent in her steps, but didn’t move quickly enough as she grabbed it by the hair, pulling its head back hard. It yelped, hand grabbing onto her wrist. 

In front of her, in her mind, was not a man, but a monster that her career depended on. She didn’t care anymore. At this point, he would either speak to her, or she would sell him to someone who would actually get some use out of him. 

“You will speak to me,” she said slowly. “Do you understand?”

Shakily, the vampire licked its lips, eyes darting around the room before it said, “Esial want free.”

Red hot anger licked through her and she moved, easily dragging the vampire off the table. It landed hard on the silver and screamed, writhing as it tried to shove silver away from it to keep from burning. She overturned the table, leaving nothing for it to scramble onto and left, locking the door behind her. 

………………………

Esial sat hunched on a bare patch of floor. His back and sides were littered with burns, his fingers and toes peeling where he’d pushed the silver back. Dry sobs heaved through his body, the chain rattling with each movement.

The woman caused him pain. She’d hurt him because he wanted to leave and he didn’t want to play her games anymore. Maybe that had been stupid of him, but he couldn’t take it anymore. He wanted out. 

He wasn’t healing. It had been weeks without blood right after a tough regeneration and the blood had run out as his body used it slowly as energy. He was starving and all he wanted to do was go home to his little mud shack and wait till he was strong enough to kill some birds. He wanted to wrestle with hippos and see his favorite crocodiles. He wanted his Maman back. 

He started rocking, sobbing and whispering for his Maman. He knew she was dead. He knew that his crocodiles were dead. Who knew how much time had passed. He got the sense that it was an enormous amount of time, and that only made him cry all the harder. He wanted to go home but he hadn’t even had a home when he had been taken and chained to that stake. 

And then the door opened.

………………………………

Kyle had got a call from Mary, Joanna’s neighbor, her voice looping in his head. 

Something was screaming. I know it was. She’s your friend. Check on her please.

Mary had bad blood with police in the past, and Kyle wasn’t going to bring them to her door if he could help it, but he didn’t think it would come to it. He wondered if the vampire had come back and killed Joanna. Or if Joanna kept the thing and it was screaming for help. 

He took a stake with him, just in case.

He reached Joanna’s house in the evening just in time to see her get in her car and drive off. He idled in the street, surprised. It seemed like she hadn’t noticed him, though, and she looked perfectly fine if not incredibly angry. 

He had a strange feeling in his gut as he parked in the street in front of her house. He took the stake out and trudged through the dew stained grass to the shed. The lock had been left open and he felt rather sick as he slowly opened the door.

The table was overturned, the chain of the ankle cuff caught under it as the vampire sat curled over his knees. There were painful looking burns covering his back and arms, his one visible hand red and blistered from clearing somewhere to safely sit. He slowly lifted his head and looked at the figure in the doorway, his eyes lingering on the stake in Kyle’s hand. There was no fear in his eyes when he saw it, and Kyle realized it was because he didn’t know what it was. 

Kyle tossed the stake out and walked carefully over the silver, kicking away some of the closer objects to the vampire. He was only wearing that towel Joanna had given him in the beginning, the edges of it unraveled. He was covered in sores and blisters, and all of those looked recent, but as he uncurled a little to see Kyle better, the researcher could see every single one of his ribs and his hollowed stomach. Vampires didn’t bloat during starvation the way humans did. 

Kyle crouched down and Esial stared at him. 

“Esial want free,” the vampire whispered heavily. 

“Yeah…. Yeah, I can do that for ya, buddy,” Kyle sighed, reaching up to run a hand down the back of Esial’s head. “I’ll find something to cut the chain. I’ll be right back.”

Kyle left the shed and crept around the yard until he found where Joanna had hidden all of her garden supplies. There was a branch cutter that looked like it might work so he picked it up and went back. 

Esial looked up again as Kyle got the cutters around the chain. He strained to try and get them through the chain, and while he dented the link, it didn't do much more than that. 

He instead turned to where the chain was connected. it was wrapped around a wooden support between the leg and the bottom of the tabletop. He opened the cutter as wide as it would go and bit the metal down into the wood. It gave a little, then splintered. He nearly fell over as the wood gave since he had been leaning his weight into the cutters. 

He dropped it on the floor and fished the chain out from under the table, gathering it up in his arms. There wasn't too much of it, but certainly enough to trip the already damaged vampire. 

Kyle held out his hand for Esial to take and the vampire did so, accepting the help up. 

Kyle carried the chains and shuffled his feet to clear a path for Esial, who followed along after him. 

As they stepped outside, Esial took a deep breath, looking up at the stars in confusion for a moment before he was distracted by something else. 

"Blood," he whimpered, looking to a lonely corner of the garden. Kyle could faintly see something black coating the plants there and could smell the faint scent of rot. 

"We'll buy you some later," Kyle promised. "We have to go."

Esial seemed to understand that and followed along to Kyle's car. Kyle opened the passenger seat door, dumping the chain onto the floor and stepping back. "Sit here," Kyle said, pointing to the chair. 

Esial gave him a confused stare. "Sit? But we to go?"

"Yes. You will see. Trust me. Sit."

Esial slowly did and Kyle gently closed the door for him, which had the vampire scrambling at the door in a panic, trying to find the way out. Kyle ran to the other side and got in, leaning over to take Esial's hands. "It's okay," Kyle promised. "You're not going to be stuck here."

Esial's wide muddy eyes seemed to bleed out panic and Kyle reached into his pocket. He kept a fidget toy there for when he was reading lengthy papers so he wouldn't chew his nails down so much. 

He gave the cube to Esial, showing him how some of the things moved and clicked and Esial took it, frowning at it as Kyle closed his door and started the car. 

Esial jumped at that, eyeing the lights that started up on the dashboard while messing with the cube. 

Kyle started driving and Esial stared out the window, eyes wide with shock as the world passed him by. Kyle wondered if he should avoid the highway, but he wanted to get home as quickly as possible, so as he got up to speed Esial gripped the cube like it was the only thing keeping him alive as he went faster than he'd gone in his entire life. 

"It's going to be okay," Kyle said softly as they drove and Esial looked down at the cube in his hands, turning it over and over. 

Kyle turned off into the small town he rented an apartment in. Joanna inherited her house from her grandparents, but he did not have that for himself. Still, he'd found a nice place to live and he had a guest bedroom. It had been used by a girlfriend he had at the time, but had been empty for months, and he was glad for it now. 

He parked his car and pulled his jacket off, reaching over and coaxing Esial's arms through the sleeves and zipping it up. 

"No one should be awake right now, but I want to be careful here," Kyle said before getting out and going around to open Esial's door. 

The vampire looked around as he stepped out onto the pavement, eyes wide as he took in every detail. It had to be so alien to him, considering how long it had been since he had been conscious. Kyle almost felt bad that he couldn't explain everything to him right now. Instead, he grabbed the chains, put an arm over the vampire to try and hide him more, and went up to the house. It was a building with four apartments and Kyle lived on the top floor. 

He got his key out, unlocked the door, and took Esial inside. He closed the door just as quickly and looked around. The apartment had not changed since he left of course, but he felt like he was seeing it with new eyes, imagining that he didn't have a single clue what anything in this room was.

 Kyle gently took Esial's arm. "Over here. Let's get you set up."

Esial went with Kyle to the guest bedroom and stood awkwardly, looking around at everything. The room was a little cluttered becoming Kyle's storage room when Jocelyn left, so there were books and totes lined against the walls. 

"Here," Kyle said, patting the bed. "For you to sleep."

Esial stepped over curiously, pressing his hands down onto the bed, eyes wide with surprise. 

With the vampire distracted, Kyle steeled himself up to feed him. Everyone got lessons in how to safely feed a vampire these days in case of emergencies, so he knew what to do, but he had to steel himself to actually do it. He pulled back his sleeve and went to the adjoining bathroom to wash his arm off, which got Esial's attention immediately. 

The vampire came to see what the sound was and stared in awe at the water pouring out of the sink. 

Kyle shook his arm to get most of the water off before turning and lifting his arm to Esial. The Vampire stared at it before looking at Kyle in confusion. 

"Blood. To eat," Kyle said, a lump in his throat as he said it. 

Esial frowned. "Blood? Blood is to Kyle. Not Esial."

"It's a gift. To you."

Esial gave him a skeptical look. "Safe?"

"Yeah?"

Esial went back to looking at the arm and frowned again. "Esial.... doesn't know."

"No, it's fine, you can have it. It's yours."

Esial shook his head. "Esial doesn't know-" the vampire mimicked something that Kyle didn't catch. "Esial hurt Kyle. Not know."

Kyle was still confused so he switched to the ancient Egyptian language Esial knew. 

"You do not know what?"

Esial's eyes lit up, like he had forgotten that Kyle spoke something he knew a bit better. "I do not know how to drink from a living thing. I only drank blood taken from animals. I do not want to kill you."

“Oh…” Kyle said, back in English. “I don’t really have a needle…. Can I feed you tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Esial replied, still in Egyptian which worked for Kyle since the Vampire seemed to understand him mostly fine though struggled with speaking the language. 

“Alright, you get some sleep here. You can use the blankets. We’ll figure everything else out tomorrow.”

“Alright.”

Esial's Rescue Art

Esial: @whumpsday @honeycollectswhump @writereleaserepeat @tragedyinblue @hyrules-sleepiest-knight

Part 5

[midgardian-witch]

“i know this may be hard to believe but i’m on your side” with jack? id be really interested to see what you write with this prompt, it could even be paired with “You’ve got thirty seconds to explain to me what you’re doing here.” ?? idk but i’m starved for jack russel content i need more of your writing 🫶🫶

There really isn't as much Jack Russell content out here, anon. You're totally right on that. And it makes me really happy to hear you're enjoying my writing that much 💙

Stop Right There

Send me a quote and a character and I'll write a small reader drabble

tags: meet cute (kinda?) | Ted got locked up (again) | security guard!reader | gn!reader

ships: Jack Russell/Reader

AO3

Edit: added AO3 link

"I know this may be hard to believe but I am on your side." + "You've got thirty seconds to explain to me what you're doing here."

These parties usually were pretty boring. When people think about the 1% partying they usually imagine the wildest shit from orgies to black market auctions. You've acted as security for more than your fair share of eccentric parties and it never was anything remarkable. The most exciting thing to happen is some over-eager heir getting too drunk too quickly and rushing to the nearest bathroom to empty their stomach. 

This time was different. 

You were tasked to guard the highlight of the party, some strange creature the host had acquired recently. You hadn't seen it, just heard some of the noises from inside the room it was kept in. 

You stood guard outside the room alone. Apparently the host thought their new pet wasn't as valuable as to require any more security. A low groan filters through the door, an inhuman, almost mournful sound, and you grit your teeth. This is your job. It sucks but you can't let sad animal noises distract you from your purpose here. 

A sudden noise, like metal banging against metal, catches your attention. You turn towards the door. Something was happening inside. 

You grab the handle and open the door, your curiosity getting the better of you. As you walk inside the sparsly decorated room you see a giant metal cage containing what you could describe as a huge bipedal creature covered in foliage with red glowing eyes. This must be the creature the host had been talking about. 

In front of the cage stands a man. 

You immediately raise your weapon at the stranger. 

"You've got thirty seconds to explain to me what you're doing here."

The man in front of you startles and turns towards you. He's wearing a dark green suit, intricate patterns woven into the fabric. What catches your eye is his face - this man is beautiful. His stunning eyes regard you, not like you're a threat, which is what you're used to, but like an equal. He smiles awkwardly and clears his throat. 

"Ah, hello. I am- well I was looking at this uh- specimen."

God, this man was a bad lier. 

"Nobody is supposed to be here. How did you even get in here?", you ask, feeling a little bit offended that somebody managed to sneak past you. Maybe all those boring parties really have made you let your guard down more than you should. 

The flutter of curtains catches your attention and you look over the wide open window. Did he…?

Before you can ask the man speaks up: "Listen, my name is Jack. And you seem like a nice person. I mean you haven't shot me yet so…"

He looks nervously towards the gun you have still pointed at him. Slowly you point your weapon downwards and Jack's shoulders slump with a sigh.  

"I will explain myself. See, this fine gentleman-" He points to the creature trapped in the metal cage, "He's my friend. I am here to get him out. Again."

You blink owlishly at him, not sure about what you're hearing. 

"That's your friend?" 

"Yes. His name is Ted."

"Ted?"

You look over to the creature and it waves at you. Without really thinking about it you hesitantly wave back. 

This is the weirdest night of your life. 

"I won't ask you to help me but could you just…look the other way? We'll be out of your hair in no time."

The creature - Ted - looks at you and you'd never thought that red glowing eyes could look sad. This mournful, heart-breaking moan escapes him once again and without the door between you it's even harder to ignore how much it affects you. 

You grit your teeth and shake your head. Fuck it. The host of this whole thing was an asshole anyways.

"I know this may be hard to believe but I am on your side.", you look at both Jack and Ted and put your weapon back in your holster. 

With careful steps you walk closer to them, making sure not to startle any of them any more than you already had. 

"How can I help?" 

Jack's eyes widen in surprise and there is a spark there, this small glimmer of hope. Ted hums thoughtfully at you and you feel this deep sense of calm, like you already know you've made the right decision. 

[hipwell]

hi friends! i’ve been super busy and barely active on here lately, but i watched the first two episodes of the acolyte and wanted to talk about it!! spoilers below the cut!

i just want to start by saying i am really pleased with the premiere and excited to see the rest of this series!

i have very little background knowledge about the high republic era. most of the little things i have learned have been since the marketing for the acolyte started. i think that is part of what made me so curious about this series, and i think i’m going to be more invested in this era after this wraps up! i really like that we are getting a series with minimal tie-ins to things like all the prequel era or mandoverse content; it’s really refreshing and allows the acolyte to stand on its own.

i am loving how this show looks visually. the first thought i had watching the premiere was how much i liked the color palette, and i think that is part of why it feels like the creators were effective in establishing this as a different era of star wars. i also have been a huge fan of the choreography and combat in general; great martial arts and the wire work for stunts looks fantastic, in my opinion. there also seem to be a lot of long and wide shots and the cast has been really impressive, and it seems like there has been an effort to develop a individual fighting style for each character. i’m the furthest thing from an expert on these things, but it really stands out to me.

i don’t know a lot about the making of this project, but it doesn’t feel like i’m watching scenes filmed on the volume. that’s important to me! i’m sure many were, but the sets have been really impressive.

i also have seen some discourse on twitter lately (shocking) about the appearance of sabers in recent projects and i guess some people feel like they almost seem too tangible. i personally disagree! i really have liked the way sabers have looked recently with the combined practical and digital effects.

now onto the plot and characters!

i really like how they have seemed to establish jedi as different from the prequel era, while also hinting that this is the beginning of the end. for example, Indara didn’t draw her saber until near the end of their fight. and while we have several jedi characters, the only other saber we have seen is from Yord. it seems like Yord’s character is much more similar to the prequel era jedi, and we see him literally using his saber as a flashlight and quick to engage.

(i also think the emphasis on Yord not wanting to wrinkle his jedi robes is so fucking funny)

i love Sol already!! but the 4 jedi Mae is hunting definitely did something fucked or made a huge mistake. i also know people are disappointed and upset about Indara’s early death, but i think there will absolutely be flashback scenes with the 4 jedi.

i wanted to share my current theory about Mae’s mission!

from my understanding, the “proper” way a sith or dark-sider gets their kyber crystal for a red saber is they must disarm and defeat a jedi, and bleed that crystal; they aren’t supposed to bleed their own. i think Mae has to kill one of the 4 jedi by her own hands to be able to take their saber. they have shown Mae try to take both Indara and Sol’s saber prior to using her knives in combat. the camera also took a moment to focus on Mae leaving Indara’s saber after she killed her and walked away, even though she reached for it earlier. i want to be clear that i am not an expert on this lore or anything, but this is what stuck out to me!

i’m really excited for the rest of this series! i’m super busy for a little bit and will be going out of town soon so i will still be pretty inactive for a bit longer. but i am definitely invested in this show!

i would love to hear what you guys think so far!! also lmk if i’m talking shit and making no sense lmao

[knight-of-the-thorn]

Any opinions w the teasers and retrospective from anet recently? I’m still picking through it

OH BOY DO I sorry this got very long and really should be two seperate posts

First of all vis a vis the retrospective, it said exactly what I wanted to hear from Arenanet, and exactly what I expected. You'd be surprised how far in marketing transparency, or the illusion of transparency, gets you. It was very neccesary to do this and address that there were huge problems in the production of this and trying to clear that before marketing Expac five properly was exactly the right move, they could not possibly make any promises for the next expansion without distancing themselves from the fact that they fucked up the production of SoTO big time. The fact that they can't market off the back of SoTO and say "The next adventure with the astral ward!" or whatever is pretty tough,they really shot themselves in the foot there, but marketing off of a relatively clean slate is easier than trying to claim that SoTO was a massive success, or ignoring what happened altogether. I think what they've done here is going to garner them some good faith, it certainly has granted them a little more trust from me, I still think I need one hell of a sales pitch to preorder this.

The fact they actually acknowledged that a lot of this felt flat and left too many hanging threads is incredibly reassuring. It does mean that they have been paying attention to player feedback and are at very least aware this is a problem, and taking them at their word they want to fix it and have a better idea of the studios capabilities to release using this structure. I suspect we're still looking at releases being shorter for now, which is disappointing but also conjecture, but if those releases are high quality, (I'm holding them to the standards of the Gyala releases here MINIMUM) then I can grudingly live with that. They've discussed here and in gamerrant that they didn't catch the specific time and resource issues with the Nayos arc until it was too late to fix them, which one hunderd percent tracks with my reading of the latter two releases being slightly cleaner than the first but also a little beyond help. I hope they're right that they also caught onto it early enough in Expac five development.

Not trying to release the third map with the first post expac update is a very good idea, a lot of what made SoTO so jarring was abandoning everything happening with the tower and Amnytas so quickly, we didn't get a chance to spend any time there. Not trying to get the map out so quickly, and splitting it into halves instead of thirds is a good distribution of time and resources. The fact they keep citing Bjora Marches as their attempted format of release for the third map of the fifth expansion I personally find reassuring, it's certainly a good marketing move to invoke the idea of Bjora in relation to future maps, because Bjora Marches was almost universally well recieved.

Overall, I understand that the very solid set in stone roadmaps and the countdowns to the next story patch are detrimental, it is interesting to see that they are continuing with it going forward all things considered but it would be pretty shitty to change it now I suppose. I understand the idea is about transparency and consistency, and updates have been at a more regular interval, but there should be the capability to move back patches that aren't ready, I care more that the content being released is ready to be released than that they're regularly released. It's a difficult tradeoff. That solid timeframe is still there going forward, I still worry that it is going to be a hinderence to the story.

OKAY so with that out of the way, the teaser itself

It's so exciting that they've implied that underwater weapons will be usable on land, (possibly another big underwater combat update?) Especially when I am a few hundred gold off having all the underwater legendary weapons. I'm hoping for legendary aquabreathers, fingers crossed everyone.

Not a lot right, just enough to stir interest, like we know a lawyer from the same address that trademarked SoTO filed a patent for Janthir Wilds which means I was right that we're going North Kryta, judging from the look of it maybe North eastern closer to the shiverpeaks? Really hard to say because the assumed commander stand in there is a Norn so we're all kinda thinking Norn but I'm not actually thinking Norn here, it screams Dwarven to me.

It's hard to tell from this distance but that glass could be the same aurened glass we see associated with Tarir, Augury Rock, but also the Hall of Heroes. This is VERY interesting because there's sort of that obvious question about wizard ascension right, what the fuck is up with that how is that different from Forgotten Ascension how is it different to Godly Ascension, the fact that the memories are not erased, just surpressed but clearly there. Pretty interesting. The fact we're going near the homeland of Tyrian Mursaat presumably with the shining blade if Anise's letter in the final instance is anything to go off of, The fact that the memory of Mabon's we've encountered is specifically him meeting Isgarren and how that compares and contrasts with the interactions between him and Lyhr during the Skywatch meta and the implications therefore of, I think these are very relevant here.

If my instinct is right and this is Dwarven architecture that could be something, we could have something to do with Rand happening, we're also working with the concepts that the brotherhood of the dwarves revered Glint, and that Lyhr is specifically referred to as a heretic, which the brotherhood also were, and that he can split himself into facets like Glint could. If I'm right about the dwarves and the glass I think this is what we're looking at.

Now for my insane conspiracy theorist bit because I am not going five minutes without talking about varajar fells and how it will eventually relate to the Wizards, The location is also interesting because of the gw1 quest path to revelations, which dealt with the origins of the gods, depending how close this is to Drizzlewood that is in the same broad area, if we're looking at dwarves we have the Deepstone connection, we know we're dealing with unspeakable horrors from underwater, so we have the Kormir/Abaddon/Arachnea connection. It's all coming together. We also have a very interesting Krait connection, who we know had their prophets eaten by unspecificed underwater horrors, and also have association with the forgotten by virtue of being snakes. I'm just saying it it's a partially underwater expansion the fact that Varajar fells is underwater is not longer a deal breaker for my insane bullshit that only makes sense to me. Deepstone is Wet. Think about it Jane.

It also looks kinda like this early Asura concept art to me. Worth noting, a lot of what Asura ended up using as their aesthetic was actually taken from Guild Wars Utopia concept art for Xoteca. This may be nothing, it is worth mentioning.