#i'm so glad they're done but i'm also pretty happy with how they turned out

[seven-winged-liar]

Finished TMA Pots: Jmart Edition!!! <3

If anyone has suggestions for plant names, kindly drop 'em in the tags or comments!

[luveline]

hiyaa girlyy!! so i have a fic request and it's totally fine if you don't want to write / don't feel comfortable reading or doing it: and also, i'm not sure if someone thought of this yet, but how about spencer just being friends with a stripper. like their are murders ongoing abt strippers and spencer sees reader at one of the crime scènes and everybody's shocked since their sooo sweet and comfortable together? (and bonus point if she wears his jacket or something since it's cold)

thank you for your request! if you have more requests for this pairing please send them my way!

"I tried to call you!" 

Hotch looks up from his phone at the shout. He'd been texting Jessica one handed in an attempt to tell her and Jack that he won't be home tonight, and he isn't usually easily startled, but he isn't expecting you to talk to him. Or call him. 

He blinks back his fatigue —you're obviously not talking to him. You're almost nondescript in your hoodie, but Hotch isn't confident you're wearing any pants, or underwear. It was a rush job to bring everyone out from the club, and you and the rest of the dancers stand on the sidewalk in various states of undress. 

"Can we get some jackets, please?" Hotch asks, turning back to the beat cops standing by. "Thermal blankets? Anything?" 

When he turns back, Spencer's not where he was. Hotch casts his gaze back to you near the club doors, your hair messed up from the scuffle but your face intricate and untouched, just as pretty as the rest of your fellow dancers, and doubly so as you throw your arms around Spencer Reid's tall shoulders. 

"I'm so glad you're okay," Spencer says, squeezing you hard, your heels lifting off of the rain-sullied sidewalk. "I told you to stay home!" 

"I can't stay home, Spencer. How would I make money?" 

"I'll pay for the hours you miss, I told you that, too." 

"Baby, you couldn't afford it," you tease lightly, setting back down. Your hand immediately rises to Spencer's cheek, your painted nails scratching delicately at his skin. "I've missed you. Where have you been?" 

"California, then Albuquerque." 

"Killing bad guys?" 

Hotch doesn't consider Spencer a lonely guy, and he doesn't think he'd ever be collected enough to enter a strip club, and yet. There he is, hugging and checking over a stripper with as much care and tenderness as he'd show any member of the team. And judging by your smile, you're enamoured with him. Whether romantically or otherwise is anyone's guess. 

Morgan's, apparently. "Sorry, I'm sorry, does Reid have a girlfriend? Like, a…?" 

"You can say stripper," Emily says, though she's similarly nonplussed. "I mean, there's no way. Right?" 

"They're just friends," JJ says. 

The team turns to her in betrayal. Clearly, JJ knew about this and said nothing, and Hotch has things to do but this is so thoroughly bizarre that he gives himself five minutes of curiosity; he lets the others berate her for answers. 

"Come on, JJ! When did this happen? How did this happen?" Emily asks, her voice dropping to a scandalised whisper. 

In the background, Spencer peels out of his jacket that barely fits around your shoulders. You wear it anyhow, wrapping your arm through his and leaning on his shoulder. "Thanks, Dr. Reid." 

"I really wish you'd stay home when I tell you too." He rubs your arm amicably. 

"Her old boss was a typical heavy-handed sleaze," JJ explains, voice soft with sympathy. "Spence said he used to see her at the grocery store with bruises. She stayed with him for a few days and found a new club… He said she can smile through anything, even a broken wrist." 

Hotch understands. This part of Virginia pretends to be better than it is, and while you seem happy enough now in your profession, he knows it can't be easy. Spencer did for you what he would've done for anyone. You've clearly seen the good in him, treating him with a real and easy affection, adoring through shivers as you look up at him and ask, "Are you eating enough? You look tired." 

"I'm exhausted worrying about you. You're exhausting. Like, where are the sweatpants I got you? You'll get hypothermia." 

"I was trying not to get murdered. You're lucky I grabbed the hoodie." You turn to the team, as though you've known they were watching the entire time. "You wanna introduce me to your friends?" you ask. Hotch detects a hint of insecurity under all your bubbly sweetness. 

Spencer laughs loudly, ushering you forward with a hand on your shoulder. "Don't chicken out this time." 

"Don't embarrass me in front of the special agents!" you whisper. 

"I'm a special agent." 

"No, you're a doctor. He's a special agent." Your gaze narrows in on Hotch. "Hi, you're the boss, huh?" You eye his naked marriage finger briefly, and he knows you're kidding, but he still has to fight to stay expressionless as you continue, "How come handsome guys like you don't ever wanna see me dance?" 

Hotch puts out his hand. "Aaron Hotchner. It's nice to meet you." 

You shake his hand, though you stay as close to Spencer as you can manage without stepping on his shoes. "Right. Too respectful. It's really nice to meet you too, Agent Hotchner. Can you catch the bad guy soon? I'll end up on Spencer's cough again if I don't make rent." 

Morgan opens his mouth and Hotch promptly shuts him down with a raised hand. "We will. You have my word." 

[moonsaver]

THANK YOU FOR READING MY RAMBLE ABOUT THIS SLUTTY MAN, I have love-hate relationship with Ratio :3 (YOUR WRITING IS AMAZING AS ALWAYS)

BUT ALSO, ANOTHER RAMBLE HERE CAUSE YOU'RE MY FAVORITE WRITER!!

I don't know if you feel uncomfortable/weirded out with this, but if you do! Please do delete this if you want, it's your choice!!

Imagine a child, it can be one of those children in Penacony or other planets. But I pick the child from the Penacony! Walking up to Ratio and S/O, who is probably bickering as per usual or just enjoying one of another times (Secretly, since Ratio wants to be a secretive or this is same past-rebelious but now Professor S/O!)

As the child tugs on S/O, calling them pretty and hugs them. THEN PROCEEDED TO BE LIKE "kay now, you're my parent/mother/father"

LIKE:

"Hey miss/mister/mx! You look very pretty/handsome/unique! Will you be my parent?"

IMAGINE RATIO REACTION, *IF* THE KID IS GONNA BE LIKE

"oh, you're going to be my dad as well/other father/other parent!

OR THE OTHER WAY, HOGGING S/O ATTENTION. Clinging On S/O, regardless how many times S/O tries to get the kid back at their actual and real parents here, and would sometimes spend time hanging out with the kid while also trying to search for the kid parent

(AND ALSO I'M GOING TO SEND SOME RAMBLE ABOUT ROBIN (if you Dont mind!) MY BABY DESERVES THE BEST)

Hello anon! Always happy to answer brain rots and imagines and rambles hehe. Glad to see you back in my inbox!

Also, so cute hehe.

I imagine Dr. Ratio is actually pretty good with kids. The thing with kids is most of them love asking a shit ton of questions, the most ridiculous kinds at that. And you know those people who are so damn smart and knowledgeable in their field they start thinking about possibilities of ridiculous ideas as actually plausible? Veritas would kind of teeter on that when it comes to kids and their imagination. I just can't help but imagine kids crawling all over him while he has a rubber duck in his hand and explains like.. hawking radiation to a kid who's just staring blankly at him.

Honestly, kids would love him. Hes the strange, serious man who always bends down and tells you really confusing but fun stuff about things and seems to know everything. To them, hes the "actual adult".

I imagine, in the case a lost child approaches him or him with his s/o, his first instinct would be just to gauge the general state. He'll simply watch as you pick up the kid and coo at him and all the willy nilly stuff, just glancing over and checking for injuries, signs of anxiety or confusion, frustration, or fear. After he's done looking over, he'd try to ask the child about where their parents are when they perk up about how both of you are their parents now.

Well.. he doesn't know how to respond. You see his eyebrows raise slightly at the kid's remark, but he brushes it off, and starts telling the child all about your embarassing history if you were the rebellious professor!s/o. If you aren't, just about any silly memories he has of you are at the tip of his tongue, and that you really aren't suited for a parental figure. Even if you try and shut him up, he'll simply turn to the kid like, "do not let those who oppress you, silence you." Or something lol.

He doesn't mind the child being all over his s/o, telling them how pretty they are, asking them if they want to be their parent, and so on. Kids are silly, and illogical. It's in their nature to say anything that comes to mind. Of course.. he's slightly sour inside that your conversation was cut short, and now the child's hogging all your attention, but he vehemently pushes it down, simply resolving to search for their parents with you.

It's not soon before the both of you finally find them. Veritas gives them a stern, subtle warning about losing their child while you comfort them, bidding your farewell. It slightly annoys Veritas when the child clings to you, refusing to let go, and all his parents do is laugh it off, saying "they're just very social!" Or something. He has better things to be doing, really. He just walks off and lets you take care of things from there.

If you ask him if he's jealous, he won't say anything, and stare deadpan into your eyes before shrugging it off and changing the topic back to what you both were discussing before. Both of you can have more productive conversations, really.

Although.. his thoughts teeter a bit, and he shortly ponders over what kids with you would be like.. would he want children? Maybe one.. or two.. or even three..

Ugh, he's thinking too far ahead. He resigns to simply paying attention in the present, and listening to you ramble instead.

[muffinrecord]

Current Plans + Musings

I don't plan on playing Exedra to the degree I did for Magia Record, or playing it at all. Because of that, I won't be taking an active role in the community and archiving anything for it. Of course, if Exedra has like amazing gameplay and stories then this is all subject to change, but for now I think I'm done with phone games.

The two youtube channels will stay up and I'll check em periodically to make sure there aren't copyright strikes against the content. I've saved all my raw files, especially for the battle animations, so I can remake them in the future if the music ever becomes a problem for some reason.

Google Drive will stay up until Google rots away. I haven't recorded footage in a long time (as in stories, I do for the character doppels and such), but I'll upload things if they're sent to me.

Magia Union Translations still plans on translating things and making videos, especially leading up to the end, but also for after the game is over for whatever wasn't made in time. I'm not sure what form this will take in the future-- if it'll be manual captions added to the videos or not, but I know it WILL happen.

As for this blog, I'm not going to delete it or anything. However I'm going to be taking a step back. I'd like to say that I'll do liveblogs but I mean... *gestures at blog* I've been saying that for years and the only one I really did successfully was the Oriko one lmao. Ahhh oh well.

I'll have more words later, but it was really fun to be part of a fandom experience like this. I'm excited to work on my own original story projects though and quiet down a bit.

...

When I started this blog, I never expected it to have people actually read it. Or look at it. I just wanted a place to gush about how much fun I was having. I didn't even want to tag the posts with "Magia Record" at first because I was terrified people would be mean at me, haha.

But I'm glad I did. I made so many good friends through this game. I'm glad it existed. And it made me happy to have a place where people cared about what I had to say. Some folks actually got their news from here, can you imagine that? They had notifications turned on for this blog. My god.

Anyways, I'm going to be here for the next two months, and tomorrow I'll start reblogging fan projects and initiatives, plus general news. Maybe this blog will turn into a dumping site for art and fanfic reblogs, who knows. I might watch the remaining stuff and add various thoughts here and there.

Otherwise, you can find me on my main blog @malignmuffin, which only reblogs stuff (I don't talk much if at all there). I have another tumblr blog for my comic, but I think I'll reshare the name once I actually have content you can look at on it. It's pretty bare bones for the moment.

Actually it'll be funny if the end of this game is what makes me finally work on it again. I was in the process of working on it when NA came out, and it totally derailed me. Stopped writing, drawing, just focused on this silly little phone game. Now it's like those five years have gone by and I'm going back to where I started, except I think my lil comic is going to be a bit better than it was before. If I actually make it, that is.

If I ever do actually make my comic and start posting it, I'll be sure to update y'all here. hah

Anyways, thanks for being on this wild ride with me. The memories have been great, and I'm glad I had this experience, even if it had to end.

[goldenlikedayl1ght]

black friday - m. murdock

a/n: an old work i finished because i decided y'all are owed something cute and fluffy. shoutout to all my girlies who were in codependent relationships for so long that they needed to figure out who they were again after ! as always, reblogs and comments are always appreciated! warnings: lots of fluff, lots of kissing, lots of talks about a bad ex, reader is rather shy at first, cursing probably but it's late and i'm probably forgetting so much im so sorry also a lot of suggestive behavior because they're in love word count: 4.5k summary: you have a list of things to do within a year of living in new york. matt helps you check everything off- oh, and you fall in love with him, too. it's not on the list, but you do it anyways. pairing: matt murdock x fem!reader now playing: black friday - tom odell "i wanna go party/i wanna have fun/wanna be happy/could you show me how it's done?/ you look so pretty/pretty like the sun"

For a long time, you thought you’d never get over your ex.

For a long time, you believed that you were it for each other. You’d go the whole nine yards—Kids, a quaint house in your hometown, Sunday dinners.

And for a long time after he broke up with you, you thought you’d never let yourself love again. How could you? How would you allow yourself to be set up for failure, after letting someone know every part of you?

You had been dating him since high school and had been living with him in your first apartment when he broke it off.

Sometimes, it was amazing, and you were never happier. But most days, it had been full of anger and talking him off the ledge all the time. It was makeup sex after arguments you couldn’t remember now.

So, when he did break up with you, you decided to use it as an excuse to run far, far away from your small town. And you found yourself in Hell’s Kitchen.

You land a job at a small law firm, and at first, you just work as a meek little office assistant.

Nelson, Murdock & Page grew by the day, and for a while, you felt out of place. It wasn’t that you were abused or worked to the bone, you just struggled to make friends, and you weren’t very social while getting over your ex anyways.

So, for about two months, you did your job quietly, laughing quietly at the bickering of your bosses, thanking Karen Page for her advice, enjoying coffee with Foggy Nelson, and of course…

Never muttering a word to Matt Murdock. He was just too intimidating. Besides, you still felt like your ex’s eyes were watching your every move, even thousands of miles away, even now.

Then one night, Foggy couldn’t handle it anymore. So, he approached you quietly at the end of a long workday, with a simple phrase.

“This week’s been crazy, huh? Hey, a few of us are going to the bar tonight, did you want to come?”

What were you supposed to say? ‘No, my ex who I don’t talk to wouldn’t like that?’

Please.

“Oh, Uhm.. I don’t know, who else is going?”

“It’ll be me, my wife, Marci, Karen..” He said.

“Sure, I’ll come.” You smiled, before you could stop yourself.

“Awesome! I’ll send you the address! I’m so glad you’re tagging along!” He grins. You’re thrilled too.

“Me too, it’ll be fun.” He begins to walk away but then he turns back around with a snap of his fingers.

“Oh! And Matt is going!”

Why wouldn’t he tell you that in the first place? Why was your face burning? Why was your heart racing?

“Oh, Great.” You told him, now suddenly conscious of everything about that night.

• • •

At the bar, you wound up ordering a drink before you went over to your friends—Well, Coworkers, you wouldn’t call them friends yet, thanking the woman behind the bar.

Then, you made your way over to them where Foggy was playing his wife in Pool—and losing horribly. So, you sit with Karen and Matt, where there is conveniently one seat available, right between the two.

Karen excitedly said your name as you approach adding a, “I can’t believe you came!” Which, ouch, but, fair.

“Well, Foggy was right, this week’s been awful, so I wanted to relax.” You smiled, sitting with them.

“I’m glad,” she said, before asking, “So, why’d you move to New York?” She knew you weren’t from here, so you figured the question would come up eventually.

“Just needed a change of pace from a small town, you know?”

“I do,” she nodded, “Do you like it here?”

Did you like being alone all the time, feeling like you’re always doing something wrong? Like you should run back to your hometown and beg your ex to marry you?

“Yeah, I love it. It’s so different in a way I wasn’t really prepared for, but it’s great.” You lied.

Matt’s blind. Why did it feel like he has this burning gaze into your skin?

“Did you go to college in your hometown, too?”

“Yeah,” You smile. You loved College. You were an early education major and had even gotten your masters in your small community college. You loved teaching, and if you hadn’t moved, you’d have stayed at the school that hired you after student teaching there. But, when you got to the city, you were unable to find consistent work because the demand for teachers was so high.

So here you were, working as an office assistant for a small law firm.

Karen glanced down to her glass and frowned.

“I’m going to grab another drink, do either of you want anything?”

“I’m good, Karen.”

“No, thank you.”

Silence. Sickening silence.

Then, he spoke.

“Do you know how upset I am that you got your drink already?”

What?

You furrowed your brows, confused.

“I’m sorry?”

“I wanted to buy you a drink, but you beat me to it.”

“Oh, I’m sorry,” You repeated, a light blush on your face.

“Well, I figured it might be nice to wipe the slate clean, considering you haven’t spoken more than ten words to me since you started working with us.”

That was true. There’s just something that feels so wrong about it, even though you worked with him,

“I’m sorry,” you said again, and he just laughed.

“You say that a lot.”

“I’m sor—” You caught yourself, clearing your throat. “Why do you say that?”

“Well, you speak to everyone, just not me. So, I listen and I’m pretty sure you apologize more than anything else.”

Your face was beet red.

“Okay, Okay, I get it. I don’t talk a lot, especially not to you. It’s something I’m working on, I have a whole list of things I’m working on.”

That’s true. You had an actual list of goals you have before your first year in New York is up.

“A list?”

“A list.”

“May I?” He asked, and you sighed, pulling out your phone, your list nestled deep into your notes app.

“Apologize less and talk to you is at the top.” You told him. “Then it’s get a job I love,”

“Ouch.”

“Sorry, Boss.” You took a sip of your drink, “Move into a nicer apartment, and uh..” You sighed softly. “Get over my ex.”

He tilts his head.

“Your ex?”

“The reason I moved here. He broke up with me about six months ago, but we were together for so long it feels like an impossible task.”

Matt knows the feeling.

“It’s an easy enough list. We can help you.” He says, “When did you move to New York?”

“May 1st.”

“Okay, then by May of next year, you should have everything accomplished.”

“We?”

“Yeah, I’m gonna help you.”

“Oh, so now it’s you and not all of you?”

Now it’s his turn to blush.

“You’re rather talkative now.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I like it.”

• • •

Talking to Matt is easy, you discover quickly.

It’s the apologizing that gets you.

You’re staying late at the office about a month later, while Hell’s Kitchen is amid a blistering heat wave.

You feel like you might die. You’re editing a closing argument Foggy wants to practice when Matt calls your name gently.

“Can I see you in my office for a second?” He asks. You follow him into his office, not really thinking much of it.

“What’s up?” You ask, sitting in the spare chair in his office as he closes the door behind him, going to the seat at his desk.

“Well, remember that list we talked about?”

“Yeah?”

“I haven’t heard much from you this week.”

That’s true, it’s just been sort of a hectic time with cases piling up. You can only do so much work AND talk to your favorite coworker. Yes, Matt had quickly become your favorite person at the office, even after just a month of really trying to open up to him.

He learned about your ex, your holiday traditions and that you hate peppermint.

You learned about his parents, his favorite dessert, and that he dresses up every night to go fight the criminals of New York.

Okay, you technically weren’t supposed to learn that, but you had stopped by his apartment early to drop off a file you were working on, and he had just crawled home and was still in his suit when he answered the door, forgetting completely that you didn’t know.

So now You knew how he was able to tell that you lied to Karen that night at the bar.

“I’m—” You start to apologize, but then you stop yourself. “I’m not sorry, I’ve been busy and so have you, but I do miss talking to you, though I am not sorry.” You say, and he grins.

“That’s my girl.”

Huh.

Your stomach swirls and you beam at the praise.

Wait, what?

You brush it off, before asking,

“Does Daredevil still come out to play even though it’s a hundred degrees out?”

“Will you have your window open with a few bottles of water open for me?”

“Always.”

“Then yes.”

Talking to Matt is rather easy. You have a feeling that soon the apologizing will follow.

• • •

October is the month of figuring out what you want to do with your life.

Sure, you love working in the office, but you are going crazy. You’re under stimulated and the hours are consistently long.

So, you try a lot of things.

You bake, you cook, you take exams, you work tirelessly to try and figure out where you want to work and where you’ll be happiest.

You try doing hair but find yourself uninspired.

You think you might like being a nursing assistant but turns out, you don’t like blood.

But part of you knows your heart isn’t in it, for two reasons.  

For one, you want to teach. You want to be teaching young kids’ addition and their spelling and stars. You desperately want to be a great influence in their lives.

And the second thing is..

You don’t want to leave your coworkers.

You love spending time with Karen and Foggy. For a long time, you didn’t have friends outside of your relationship, and they are the best friends you’ve ever had.

Foggy spends long coffee breaks cracking jokes with you and asking for your sandwich order, telling you that you have to stop by his brother’s deli for one of his signature subs. Then he tells you this long-winded story about how his mother wanted him to be a butcher, not a lawyer.

Karen is your favorite girl. She’s not only drop dead gorgeous and ridiculously smart, but she is also kind like no one you have ever met. She texts you when you forget to let her know you’ve gotten home safe, there is always a coffee on your desk when you get there and for your birthday, flowers are on your desk, scribbled with a cute note in her handwriting.

And then, there’s Matt.

He’s your best friend and knows you better than anyone. He loves having you right in the office where he can hear your heartbeat and smell your vanilla coconut perfume. He tells you about his dad and you tell him about your folks.

He knows your Chinese and Thai food orders like the back of his hand, always ordering you some when he gets his. You describe the movies you’re watching in detail, and he hangs on to every word. There is no one who sees you more than him, and he’s quite literally blind. When you tell him about your dream to go back into teaching, he encourages it.

“When I was a kid, I’d have benefited so much from someone like you.”

He asks you to do his makeup for his Halloween costume, no matter how badly it irritates his skin. He likes the idea of your hands so close to his face.

But you’re both critically aware of how, not only is the market flooded, but you’re dreading the day you leave your little office job.

So many people have asked if the two of you are dating. And you both always laugh, because.. because you just love each other in a way that you can’t describe. But no, you’ve never thought about dating Matt Murdock.

Until this one day.

It’s like any other day, really. You have your friends cramped in your tiny apartment and you’re just waiting for Matt’s arrival before you eat dinner for the night.

Karen, Foggy and Marci sit at your little table as you finish cooking, and Marci just glances over to you.

“You need to move to a better apartment.”

“I know, I know,” you laugh, “But she’s so cozy! I love it here!” It was, and is, all you could afford, but you grew to love it.

“Yeah, and I love having leg room.” Foggy chimes.

“You know what, Nelson? You could just, pay me more so I could move somewhere nicer?”

“Touche.” There’s a knock on the door, so you grin and head over there, opening the door for Matt.

And you need to take a second.

He’s holding your favorite bottle of wine, and he’s in these nice dark jeans and a gray sweater under his peacoat.

This thought strikes you.

This thing you thought you’d never feel again after your ex.

Matt Murdock is hot, and you have got to have him.

This is it. The thing you can’t deny any longer. You have a massive crush on the devil that disguises himself as your favorite person. To you, he is an angel.

“Hey,” you say breathily, as if you have it out for yourself. Surely he’ll know. “You didn’t have to bring wine.” You told him, a soft smile on your face.

He steps inside as you take the wine, leaning in to kiss your cheek gently, something he has found himself doing every time he enters your apartment. It’s your routine.  He loves this aspect of your dynamic because he has known that he’s wanted you for months. You’ve just been so caught up in everything that you didn’t see it.

“It’s no trouble, thank you for having us,” he says gently.

So this is it.

You just can’t deny it.

You have a massive crush on Matt Murdock, and there isn’t a thing you could do about it. Except maybe kiss him. But for that night, you just kind of relax and pretend you’re already dating him. That’s something you haven’t done in a long time.

You’re beginning to feel like yourself again.

• • •

Nelson Family Christmas celebrations are something of legend for you. For months you’ve heard about it, and you’re on your way to the deli with a handful of presents and two trays of cookies.

You’ve decided that just once, you want a holiday away from your family. Truth be told, you really don’t want to spend your holiday without your best friends.

You have on this stunning outfit—A red sweater, a black skirt and these warm black stockings. Boots to die for.

You know Matt can’t see your outfit, but that doesn’t stop you from wanting to dress up for him. It’s weird. This crush thing has been getting out of control.

You’re greeted at the door of the Deli with a crowd full of blonde-haired New York Irish-Italians, and they’re all lovely. You put your presents down and place your cookies on the dessert table. And you love Foggy’s family. They ask you questions constantly, and Foggy’s sister-in-law talks to you for a while about her career in the local high school system.

It’s a joy to meet so many people so full of love.

So, you go over to Foggy as he’s yapping and say gently, “Hey, where’s Matt?”

He grins.

“Why do you want to go kiss him under the mistletoe?” He teases. Your face goes red.

“Shut up! Where is he, Franklin?” You glare and he laughs, patting your arm.

“Upstairs in the hallway.” He says, and as you walk away he calls, “Go get ‘em, Tiger!” You glare and grab a cookie on your way up.

And you find him, standing in a quiet corner of the hallway. You go to open your mouth and he turns to you.

“Merry Christmas,” he leans forward and kisses your cheek.

“Merry Christmas, Matty.” You hum. “Guess what type of cookie I have.”

He sniffs the air and shakes his head. “Give me a taste and I’ll guess.” You hand him the cookie and he put it in his mouth halfway, raising his eyebrows to you.

“What?”

He gestures to the cookie in his mouth, and you laugh, realizing that he wants you to bite the other end, ala Lady and the Tramp. So you lean forward and take a bite, and he eats the rest, inches separating your face as you enjoy your treat.

People chatter down the hallway and Christmas music plays from somewhere. There are so many different foods and people, and all Matt can focus on is the vanilla coconut scent of your perfume. When you’re both finished eating your cookie, his hands find your waist.

“Matt, what are you—”

You don’t get the chance to finish because suddenly he is kissing you in the dark hallway of your friend’s family Christmas party. The kiss is wonderful. He tastes of the cookie you two shared. It’s unlike anything you’ve ever experienced.

You need more kissing practice because it’s been so long. But you get the feeling that Matt won’t mind helping you out if this is another thing you want to add to your list.

When he pulls away, he’s a bit breathless but he says one thing to you.

“Chocolate chip peanut butter.”

“What?”

“That’s my guess for the cookie type.”

“Wanna kiss me again to confirm?” He grins and his hands travel down, just slightly to feel the materials of your skirt.

“That’s my girl.”

• • •

The next two months fly by in a whirl of kissing Matt, trying to find a teaching job and enjoying your first real winter in New York.

By the time March rolls around, the clock is ticking for you to be able to find a job in this school year. And then, Foggy and Matt get you the best gift ever.

“Mrs. Future Murdock,” You send Foggy a glare.

“Watch it.”

“Okay, listen—You remember that rich guy that was wrongfully accused of tax evasion?”

“Yeah, why?” You’re cleaning up your office space for the weekend, excited to go to Josie’s, have a few drinks and unwind with your very handsome boyfriend.

“Well, he’s a super intendent for a large school district in Hell’s Kitchen.” Your head snaps up to the two.

“What does that mean for me?” You raise an eyebrow.

“There’s an older teacher there who needed to have surgery and we thought, hey, we know a teacher who could sub in.”

“…Who?”

“You.” Matt says, and you grin. “Your interview is Monday.”

You gasp and hug Foggy quickly, before making your way over to Matt.

“You are the absolute best.” You kiss him quickly and his hands, as they often do, find themselves on your hips. “Thank you.”

What a lovely lovely man.

“Don’t thank us yet, you still need to get the job.” Right.

Your night at Josie’s is lovely but you spend the rest of your weekend prepping for the interview on Monday. It goes well, but something in you is telling you to stay anxious. Why? You have no idea.

It takes two weeks for them to get back to you. But you walk into the office of Nelson, Murdock & Page with a big grin. You walk right into Matt’s office, who glances up to you when you walk in, your heart racing.

“Hey, Sweetheart, I—” He cuts himself off when you walk right up to his desk and pull his chair out before finding yourself on Matt’s lap.  Your arms wrap around his neck and his arms find your waist. Before he can say much else, you kiss him quickly, and he grins into the kiss. Eventually, when you do pull away, Matt asks, “Everything okay?”

“Matty, consider this to be my two weeks’ notice.”

He gasps happily.

“Oh my god! How awful it is that you’re leaving us!” He grins, kissing you quickly. “Congratulations.”

“Thank you for getting me the interview.” You tell him, “You know if I do well, the teacher might let me coteach with her next year.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. Our list is almost done, baby.”

“Your list, not ours.”

“Yeah but you’ve been helping so much.”

“You’re easy to help.”

“You’re easy to love.”

He blushes and decides to kiss his girl again.

• • •

 So, in April, a month before your year is up, you find yourself needing a new apartment. The rent is getting crazy, and it’s nowhere near the school you’re working in. Especially considering that the teacher you’re subbing for decided she wanted to retire so you’d be taking over for her full time come Fall.

Plus, your apartment is small and cramped, especially with Matt’s stuff slowly invading your place. You discuss this with him one night. It’s late and he’s covered in cuts from his Daredeviling.

“I hate apartment hunting.” You whine, and he hums, kissing your head gently. “Nowhere is good enough. Too far from the school, too far from you, too expensive.” You complain.

“Why don’t you move in here?”

Huh. Why hadn’t you thought of that? Was it too quick to be moving in with him at this point? Maybe, but something told you Matt wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

“Really?”

He grins.

“Really. It’s close to the school, a good price, and rather close to me.” You grin and kiss him softly. It’s your favorite habit.

So, two weeks later, you’re hauling boxes into your boyfriend’s apartment. You take a few drawers of his dresser and some of your nicer outfits find their way into his armoire. Your mugs sit comfortably next to his in his cabinets. Your cabinets.

Your throw blanket is draped comfortably across his couch, and your shoes lay next to his.

Your lotion sits next to his first aid kit. You love dating Matt Murdock.

You love that next month will be one year since you moved to New York, and your life is sort of coming together. Glorious Matthew Murdock is your boyfriend. Your job is amazing. Your apartment is wonderful. Matt Murdock is your boyfriend, and he is amazing at kissing you.

• • •

So, Matt knows May is your year since moving to New York. He knows you guys could go to Josie’s and have a normal old time at the bar…

But he wants to do something special for you. So, he asks Foggy, Marci and Karen to get dressed up and go to a bar on the nicer side of town. Not that you don’t love Josie’s but your one year in New York calls for a special occasion.

You decide to wear a nice satin dress and he loves running his hands over the soft fabric. To Mat, you are perfect in every way, and every day he falls deeper and deeper in love with you.

So on a warm May night in Hell’s Kitchen, you sit in a bougie bar with your best friends, boyfriend and enjoy a year since you moved to this wonderful place you now call home. And a year and four months since your ex broke up with you. Truly, for a long time, you thought you’d never get over him.

Now, Matt is all you see.

At some point, a little tipsy, you kiss Matt’s cheek gently and tell him you’re going to grab another drink.

“Do you want anything?” You ask softly.

“Just for you to come back soon. I’ll miss you.” Oh, Tipsy Matt was your favorite.

“Okay, I’ll be right back.” You kiss him quick and head off to the bar. You order another drink and wait patiently, taking in just how happy you are in this moment.

Then, a familiar voice calls your name, and you glance over and you can’t believe it.

Your ex-boyfriend is right in front of you, and for a moment, you convince yourself you must be drunker than you realized.

“Wow, you look fantastic!” He says a grin on his face. Was… Was your ex ever… attractive? You can’t remember if he ever was. Especially not since dating Matt.

“Oh, Thanks..” You smile softly, trying to be polite but to get out of here quickly and get back to the arms of your loving boyfriend.

“Are you here with anyone?”

“Yeah.” You told him. “Some of my good friends, and—”

“So, you’re not seeing anyone?” You furrow your eyebrows. When did you say that?

Then, there’s an arm around your waist, and you know whose it is in an instant.

“Hey, Sweetheart.. Is everything okay?” Matt asks, smiling to you. Oh, he knows. He knows big time.

“Everything is great.” You turn to your ex and grin. “This is Matt, He’s my—”

“Fiancé.” Matt ends.

Fiancé?

“Fiancé?” Your ex asks, bewildered.

“Mhm. Got engaged a few days ago, that’s what we’re here celebrating.” You said gently, leaning your head against Matt’s arm.

“Engaged, but you’ve only been here for a year!”

“Well, I wasn’t about to wait around for you to ask me to date you again.” You glance over to Matt. “Besides, when you know you know.” You say softly.

Matt leans in and kisses you gently, “When you know, you know.” He echoes.

Your ex is wildly uncomfortable.

“I thought you said you’d always love me.” He says, and he has that intimidating tone to his voice that you hate.

“Yeah… Me too.. Guess I was wrong. You have a nice night, Okay?” You smile and take your drink, turning to head back to your friends. Your ex is bummed out but leaves you alone, and Matt grins to you further.

“When you know you know.” He hums.

“Fiancé..” You echo. He shrugs gently.

“I like the sound of it.”

“Me too.” You say gently. “I love you.”

“I love you, Sweetheart.” He kisses your cheek. “So… A year in New York.”

“Yup. My list is all done.”

“Yeah?”

“Yeah. I talk to you all the time, and I don’t apologize unless it’s necessary. I love teaching and my job. My apartment is stellar, and… I think it’s safe to say I am over my ex. I upgraded. In fact, my upgrade is so much hotter than anyone else I know.”

Matt leans in to kiss you, a grin on his face, but he mutters a soft, “That’s my girl,” Before he does.

[hadesforpreswrites]

dirty laundry, pt. 5

a/n: here's part 5! finally! i think i'm going to make this the final in this series. i have a couple side stories for them i want to write though! as always, i hope you enjoy and please: like and reblog! comments are also nice (more than nice, they make me so happy).

pairing: noah sebastian x reader

genre: idiots-to-lovers

warnings: oral (fem receiving), fingering, unprotected (oops) sexual intercourse, they're so cute

word count: 2,756

summary: let's end this birthday with a bang

part one part two part three part four

it took them all of ten minutes to reach the bowling alley. and they were met with various looks from their friends when they pull into the parking lot. scarlett was smirking but trying to hide it with a painted on scowl. the others were blatantly smirking at noah. 

y/n’s face lit up when she saw two more of their friends joining them. without waiting for noah to open her door, knowing that it would likely earn her a lecture later, and rushed toward juliet with arms open wide.

“i’m so sorry we couldn’t make it to dinner!” juliet apologized as she squeezed the other woman.

“couldn’t miss bowling though!” andy said, wrapping his arms around the two. 

“that’s okay! i’m glad you’re here!” she said.

noah walked toward their group of friends with a smile on his face and threw his arm around y/n’s shoulders when she stepped back from andy and juliet. 

“what took you so long?” andy asked noah as the group made their way into the building.

“dessert,” was all he said, earning him a smack from y/n, as they walked up to the counter and he got their shoes and two games paid for. since there were so many of them, they needed a couple of lanes but that’s how it was every year.

noah was pretty good at the game but y/n was not. after her fourth-in-a-row gutter ball, she walked back laughing and said, “i said it was fun not that i was good at it.”

“well, can’t be good at everything,” noah said, kissing her forehead as she sat next to him.

“there’s plenty i’m not good at,” she shot back with a smile on her face.

“name one. that’s not bowling.”

“mini golf. never played regular golf but i’m sure i’d suck at it too. and bonus answer: chemistry. i’m very bad at chemistry.”

“fair enough,” he said, standing up to bowl his turn. he earned a strike, causing everyone at their lane to groan as he strutted back to the seat. 

“next time we play teams,” nick said. “y/n can level him out.”

“rude,” she said, laughing. 

the games continued on for a couple of hours before y/n started walking back shaking her wrist.

“you okay?” noah asked, worried.

“yeah. wrist is starting to give out on me though. we’re almost done, i can make it.”

“if you’re sure.”

the last to bowl was jolly, who earned himself a strike and ended the game in second place. noah was in first. y/n, tragically, in last.

“that’s fine,” she said. “i’ll kick his ass in mario kart though.”

“you’ll kick my ass?” noah confirmed with a smirk.

“damn straight.”

“you’re on, doll.”

the group walked to the arcade side of the building after dropping their shoes off at the counter. y/n chose yoshi and noah chose his driver and off they went on rainbow road.

“oh shit, i think she’s got you,” nicholas said, laughing.

“you’re supposed to be on my team,” noah said through gritted teeth as he took a shell. 

“just stating facts, man.”

scarlett and juliet cheered as y/n passed the finish line in first place. 

“told you,” she said smugly to noah next to her, who took second. 

“yeah, yeah,” he said, smiling at her.

“okay, someone win me a stuffie from that machine,” scarlett announced, moving the group along. 

“those things are rigged, scar. it’s a futile mission,” y/n called after her, standing up from the mario kart game, pulling noah with her. 

he watched as she took in their surroundings, trying to decide what to do next. he saw her demeanor drop ever so slightly before she turned to him.

“you okay, doll?”

“social battery’s low,” she mumbled.

“do you wanna head to the hotel?”

she nodded. 

“okay, we can do that. let’s go let them know,” he held out his hand for her to latch on to before pulling her toward one of the groups of their friends, gathered by a claw machine in an attempt to win scarlett a stuffed avocado.

still holding his hand, y/n embraced scarlett and mumbled something in her ear, earning her a kiss on the forehead and a nudge. they made their rounds saying goodbye to everyone, most would follow suit shortly after the couple departed anyway. 

once out at the car, noah held the passenger door open and allowed her to get comfortable in the seat before he settled himself behind the wheel. he pulled out of the parking lot and onto the street before placing his hand on y/n’s thigh, squeezing it in reassurance. she traced the tattoos that adorned the skin as the two of them rode in a comfortable silence toward the hotel he had booked. 

once they were there, he grabbed their bags from the backseat before opening the passenger door for her to exit. he carried both bags in one hand and threw the other around her shoulders and pulled her tight to him as they walked into the lobby. it was calm and quaint when they entered the building, greeted sweetly by a kind concierge person behind the counter. 

noah greeted them back and explained that he had booked a room a couple days previous and gave his information to the person.

once he had the key cards in hand, he steered them both toward the elevators and pushed the up button. when they reached their floor, they walked down the hall toward their room. after he unlocked the door, he motioned for her to enter in front of him. he shut and locked the door with both locks after placing the “do not disturb” placard on the door knob. 

he sat their bags down on the bed as he watched y/n quietly take it all in. she stopped by the windows and looked out at the horizon and all the lights of the city below them. he took out his phone and snapped a picture of her in the low light of the room. he smiled to himself as he threw his phone on the bed and walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her middle. 

“what are you thinking about?” he asked, pressing a kiss to her shoulder. 

“just everything.”

“you do that a lot.”

“it’s a personality fault.”

“nah,” he said. “i don’t think it’s a fault to think about everything. i think it’s a strength.”

“you would say that,” she smiled as she turned to face him, back against the glass of the window.

“i mean think about it. you see different perspectives and are able to choose one that makes the most sense to you after you examine those differences. that’s pretty neat.”

“you’re pretty neat.”

“y/n, are you flirting with me?”

“i mean, you’re pretty hot when you get all philosophical. it’s hard not to. especially when you’re all dressed up.”

“oh, she’s bold tonight.”

“she is,” she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him in for a kiss.

he wrapped his arms around her frame and held her tight as his lips moved with hers. he let his hands wander down her back before they found themselves gripping her ass, a silent plea for more. 

continuing her bold streak, y/n pushed him with her body to move them toward the bed. when his knees hit the bed, he sat, pulling her with him. her hands cupped his cheeks as she straddled him. his hands were still gripping her wherever he could. 

her hands began to wander down to the buttons on his black dress shirt. slowly, she started to unbutton the garment.

“you know, if you want me naked, you just have to ask,” he joked as he pulled back from her for air.

“noah,” she started.

“yes, doll?” he answered with a smirk.

“please help me take this shirt off of you.”

“anything for the birthday girl,” he said as he finished unbuttoning the shirt and pulled it off his shoulders.

“anything?” she asked, her boldness starting to wear off.

his eyebrows raised.”what’d you have in mind?”

a blush crept up her neck and landed on her cheeks as she mumbled something he couldn’t make out.

“what was that?”

“nevermind, let’s just watch a movie or something,” she said quickly, trying to cover up her embarrassment as she moved to get off his lap.

his hands gripped her hips tightly. “oh, no you don’t. what is it you want, baby?”

“you,” she said, quietly.

“you have me,” he said, not quite understanding.

she huffed in frustration, mostly at herself. “i want you,” she repeated.

“doll, baby, you have me. always.”

unable to get herself to speak the words outright, she opted to roll her hips against him. the movement caused him to throw his head back and moan. 

“we really gotta work on your ability to say what you want, baby.”

she rolled her eyes. he chuckled darkly and turned to throw her on the bed on her back. he kicked off his shoes and threw hers off as well before settling between her legs on his stomach.

“c’mon, say it.”

she shook her head.

“baby, please,” he pleaded.

“i can’t,” she whispered.

“why not?”

“i don’t know.”

“you’re adorable,” he said, causing her to groan.

“i’m not trying to be cute, noah.”

“i know that, doll. but i can’t give you something if i don’t know what it is.”

“i think you do know and you’re torturing me.”

“i would never,” he propped his head on his hands that were folded on her stomach. she ran her fingers through his hair, causing his eyes to close at the contact.

“i want you to make love to me, noah.” his eyes shot open. “make me forget, if even for a moment, about that one experience.”

“i’m only going to if you’re truly ready, doll.”

“i am. i’ve been thinking about it for a while.”

“are you sure it’s not my birthday?”

“at this rate it will be.”

“she got jokes,” he said as kissed down her clothed stomach. he pushed the hem of her dress up her thighs, exposing her. he licked his lips before pressing a kiss to her covered center, causing her to let out a sigh. 

for the second time that night, noah pulled her underwear down her legs and hooked one over his shoulder, spreading her. greedily, he ran his tongue up her slit. when he reached her clit, he pulled it into his mouth with a suck. he continued to lick her until he started to pull loud moans from her. her fingers were pulling at his hair as her breathing came out in bursts. 

“noah,” she sighed as his tongue worked her through the second climax of the night.

he placed a kiss to her inner thigh before putting her leg back down and sliding up her body to her face. her eyes were closed as she came down. he held himself up on an elbow and stroked her hair as he kissed her face. 

he tugged at the hem of her shirt causing her to sit up so it could be taken off and discarded with his on the floor. he skillfully unhooked her bra and tossed it aside before lowering her back to the bed. his lips found hers quickly and he moaned into her mouth as he felt her hands slide down his bare torso to his belted pants. she made quick work of the buckle and had one of her hands on his member just as quickly. he didn’t let her touch him for long before he pulled her hand away from him, causing her to let out a whine.

“so impatient,” he tsked as he stood up from the bed to pull his pants and underwear down in one fluid motion. he stood with his hands on his hips, cock standing at attention, and looked down at her. her breathing was starting to even out as he watched her. “there’s just one thing that needs to change about this moment, doll,” he pointed to her skirt that was still on. 

she lifted her hips and began to pull the fabric off of her form and kicked it off the bed.

“perfect,” he breathed. 

“noah,” she held her arms out to him.

he knelt on the bed and crawled over her. he pushed his lips to hers again as he let his hand travel down her body and to the apex of her thighs. he gathered the slick that had accumulated and used it to push one of his fingers inside her. after a couple of moments, he pushed a second finger inside her and let her adjust before scissoring them and using his thumb to rub figure eights on her clit.

“noah,” she breathed out after he released her lips. 

“think you can give me another one before i give you my cock, doll?” he said between breaths in her ear.

“yes,” she moaned.

“good girl,” he said, feeling her clench around his fingers. he hooked his fingers in her, hitting that spot deep inside her causing her to cry out. “fuck,” he moaned. “can’t wait to feel you wrapped around me. see what noises you make then.”

she was pushed over the edge at his words and came with a loud moan. she whined as he pulled his fingers out of her, missing the feeling. “don’t worry, you’ll feel even more full in a moment, baby.”

“noah, please.”

“so polite,” he muttered as he lined himself up with her.

he slowly began entering her in order to let her get used to his size little by little. once he was fully wrapped up by her he leaned down and kissed her forehead, then her shut eyes, then her lips. her arms came from beside her and wrapped around his neck, locking him in place as she began to move her hips under him. he took the hint quickly and began to pull his hips back and pushed them back in slowly.

“noah,” she breathed out again. “noah, please.”

“please, what, baby?”

“faster.”

he kissed her on the forehead again before sitting back and giving himself more leverage as he pumped in and out of her quicker than before.

“oh my god,” they moaned at the same time.

“you feel better than i could have ever imagined,” he said through gritted teeth as he watched himself move in and out of her.

she moaned his name again as she came the fourth time that night. he followed right after feeling her clench around him. he pulled out and laid next to her, both of them catching their breath as they looked in each other’s eyes. he turned on his side, facing her, “i love you, y/n,” he said as he brushed her hair behind her ear.

“i love you. so much,” she answered.

he pulled her lips to his for a sweet kiss, placing their foreheads together after pulling away.

after a few minutes laying there, he rolled out of bed and walked to the adjoining bathroom, he wet a washcloth with warm water and walked back out to wipe the mess that they had made together from the inside of her thighs. when he finished, he pulled her up, much to her protest and pointed her to the bathroom. he smacked her ass lightly to get her moving, earning him a playful glare.

he laid back on the bed, arms folded behind his head. when she emerged from the bathroom she scoured the floor for her underwear.

“doll, you could just sleep naked,” he laughed as she continued to look in the dark for them. 

“it would make me more comfortable to not,” she said, practically jumping in them once she found them.

after donning the lace garment, she climbed in bed and put her head on his chest with one arm thrown over his middle. 

“so,” she started, causing him to laugh.

“so, indeed.”

“condoms from here on out. i can’t believe i let you do that,” she said, burying her face in his chest.

“honestly, me either. and i’m sorry, i wasn’t even thinking.”

“me either! so no need to say sorry.”

“wait, does this mean there will be a future time?” he joked, causing her to roll her eyes.

“maybe,” she said, he feigned hurt.

they fell asleep shortly after, holding each other.

[six-eyed-samurai]

Hello ! (I’m not sure if your requests are open but I love your fics so I really wanted to try 😭) Could you maybe write a Genya x Male reader one ? Where like Genya deals with confusion and internalised homophobia after realising he fell in love with a guy ? IM SO SORRY IF YOU DONT DO MALE READERS OR SMTH LIKE THAT, HAVE A GOOD DAY !!

SUMMARY: Genya's emotionally constipated. It's the Shinazugawa genes - but even more so when it comes to...guys?!

A/N: KYAAH Ty anon glad you enjoyed, and DW my inbox is open anytime I'm just a little slow in writing rn because of exams and I'm moving house. I have done male reader before but I'm not too used to writing gay T-T so I'm sorry if this turned out the way you wanted

WARNINGS: Male reader in case you don't read the asks and only warnings/Minor swearing

Much romance happens at Kimetsu Academy.

There's Zenitsu and Nezuko, although Genya considers it more of an obsession on the blonde’s end seeing as Nezuko doesn't openly display any signs of liking him back romantically, whatever the delusional idiot thinks. There's also Tanjiro and Kanao, the perfect epitome of friends to lovers. And whatever Aoi and Inosuke have going on.

But none of that ever happened to Genya. Sure, he thought the occasional girl was pretty or nice, but aside from the fact he explodes into a tomato just from a simple “hello” he's never been actually interested. Of course that occasionally made him feel a bit left out amongst his friends, like he was missing something great, but hey, Muichiro and him would be single pringles forever and that was fine.

(Genya's very betrayed to find out Muichiro had received a confession…and was considering accepting it.)

But it was a little unbelievable to the Kamaboko Squad that in all of the sixteen years of his life he had never had a crush, hence the interrogation they were giving him that particular day during lunch.

“Have you never fallen in love? At all?!” Genya wants to snort; as if Zenitsu would ever notice anybody else's love life but his own.

“HAHAHAHAA! LOSER!”

Tanjiro calmly shoved Inosuke away from a fuming Genya, smiling brightly. “I'm sure Genya has one! And we'll be more than happy to help him confess!”

“Aren't crushes supposed to be secret-”

“Then we have to figure out who it is first!” Zenitsu hollers.

“No-”

“Is it Kocho?!”

Kanao, Tanjiro and Genya both look scandalised but Zenitsu barrels on. Aoi face palms. Inosuke steals everyone's food.

“Is it Kanrojii?!”

“Why is everyone you're listing so much older than me!”

“OKAY, OKAY! Uh…Koyuki-”

“SHE'S ENGAGED TO SOMEONE ELSE!”

“Sheesh, I got it, stop yelling! That Shabana girl?”

“Just why-”

“Maybe Genya does like someone but just doesn't realize it,” Kanao offers timidly.

“That's a good point, Kanao!” Tanjiro beams, causing Genya and Kanao to flush red but for entirely different reasons.

“How am I supposed to know if I like someone?”

“If you find them cute?”

“That seems really superficial,” Aoi says disapprovingly.

“You'll get really nervous around them, like your heart speeds up. You'll probably stare at them a lot too, and want to do lots of things for them, maybe hold open doors?” Tanjiro nods wisely.

“And they're the first person you look at to see if they're laughing at a joke,” Kanao agrees.

Genya considers. “Then none of the girls you just listed, honestly.”

“It's alright, you'll find the one for you one day. There's no rush now.”

“HAHAHA! TENYA IIDA IS GOING TO BE ALONE FOREVER! HAHAHHAA!”

“MY NAME IS GENYA!”

***

Truth be told Genya had lied.

It wasn't a lie exactly either. More of…an avoidance of the truth. He didn't feel that way about any girls Zenitsu had mentioned, or any of the girls at school.

But he did like someone, yes.

Or no. Definitely not. It couldn't possibly be.

“Oh, hey, Shinazugawa.” Your simple wave as you joined his side outside the classroom door was enough to get his heart pounding and slightly sweaty like he had just suffered an entire class with the gym teacher Tomioka.

“Thanks for holding the door!” You call out over your shoulder, flashing him a bright smile while entering the class and taking your seat. You immediately turn to start talking with your friends, something Genya's extreme thankfully for because then you can't see the tomato red that's painting his face as he's still stuck, frozen and speechless, by the door. Only Iguro-sensei’s cold “Do you plan to have the lesson by the door or something?” Shook him out of it.

You're so confusing, Genya thinks, averting his eyes when you catch his with a mouthed “oops” and raised eyebrows, because he wants to revel in your attention and hide in a hole from it at the same time.

It was a pleasant kind of confusion, though. The kind he wouldn't mind thinking about forever; it gave him an oddly warm, fidgety feeling inside like he had just drunk an entire thermos of hot chocolate and got marshmallows to top it off. Then he promptly slaps himself (mentally) because he shouldn't be thinking about this, that and you.

Not like it stopped him from staring at the back of your head all through class. He doesn't realize it until your friend turns their head around and makes a face at him, leaning closer to you to whisper something. Genya panics and ducks his head, burying it into his arms for a few minutes before he judges it's safe to look up.

And when he does you're smiling at him knowingly, as if the both of you knew something the rest don't. Oh good lord.

Your laughter is something Genya wishes he could make as well, when the whole class watches Iguro-sensei trying to tell Inosuke off, but the dumbass can't get the teacher’s name right at all. He finds himself laughing as well, a combination of that and because of you before it hits him.

“You'll get really nervous around them, like your heart speeds up. You'll probably stare at them a lot too, and want to do lots of things for them, maybe hold open doors?”

Oh shit. Check, check, check.

“And they're the first person you look at to see if they're laughing at a joke.”

And check?!

Shit shit shit shit shit-

Genya groans. He does like you after all.

But that's not right, it's got to be wrong.

You're a boy. Genya's not gay…at least he didn't think so…Then again he's never actually liked a girl. But he's never liked a boy either. Until you.

Forget it! You're not a crush, you're the reason why Genya is going to drive himself crazy right now! Hell, why did the idea feel so wrong but so right at the same time?

Genya rubbed his temples. If he was being honest the idea only seemed so wrong because…well, because he's just never considered that possibility before. It just hasn't really occured to him he might be attracted to the same gender. It's a new concept, yes, but…not really a terrible one. He got all red with girls yes but it wasn't because he like-liked them or thought they were cute.

Was crushing on a guy really going to be any different than a girl then? Genya groaned again. Judging by his behaviour these days…yeah, not really.

Okay, then if hypothetically he DID like you and he liked guys…how would Sanemi and his friends react? Would they still want to hang out with him? Would Sanemi still…consider him his brother? What would his mom think?

What a headache. What would…you think? It'd be pretty embarrassing to like you and you're straight, Genya thought. Then again was he even sure he was gay, even certain he had a big fat crush on you?

“Hey, you alright?” The voice startles Genya out of his thoughts. He lifts up his head and looks around, startled to see everyone's left. Shit, he hadn't even realized class was over. Idiot.

He glances to his left and nearly dies of fright.

You cock an eyebrow. “Um, seeing a ghost, Genya?”

“No!” He just about shouts, flailing his arms as he tries to stop himself from falling out of his chair. “I'm fine! Really! Sorry…just, just kinda out of it.”

“Wanna talk about it?”

Yeah, let's talk about how I've just realized I might be-

“It's fine, it's nothing important.” Genya notices your fidgeting however. “What about you?”

You hesitate. You're playing with your sleeves quite nervously. It's making him paranoid.

“I'm just…there's a new arcade that just opened up.”

“Sounds fun,” Genya offers. He's got barely enough brain cells still functioning from the close proximity between you both.

“I was wondering - um, do you wanna go with me? I can buy all the tokens,” you quickly blurted out and held your breath.

“Sure.”

“N-no. Just you and me. Like on a date.” You rub the back of your neck, looking away. “No - no pressure or anything! I know you might not be into guys, you might already like a girl-"

“You're gay.”

You wince at his tone. Genya wishes he hadn't sounded so accusing. “Last I checked, yeah.”

“Sounds fun,” Genya repeats dumbly, because holy shit, you like him you like guys too he likes guys he really wants to go to the arcade with you oh thank god-

You blink. “So that's a…yes?”

“Absolutely.” Genya waves his hands frantically. “If you're still up for it! Nothing’s awkward! I - I do want to go as a date, not as friends, and, uh-"

He snaps his head away, embarrassed, but he glances back long enough to see you grinning like you've won the lottery.

"Does 2 pm work for you?"

Shit. He really does like you after all. And with the way you're smiling at him like that maybe he can deal with whatever bullshit that's going to come next.

***

“Hey Genya, do you want to come over this weekend?”

“Muichiro wants to go to that pizza place again.”

The Tokito twins stare at him expectantly over the usual din of the Kamaboko Squad's usual shenanigans. Now or never.

“Sorry, I'm busy.”

“With what?” Muichiro looks out off; Yuichiro frowns in surprise.

“With someone.”

The silence was so thick you could've cut it with a knife - or Zenitsu's screaming.

“WHO?”

“HAR?!”

“Is it a date?” Tanjiro managed to slap a hand over the blonde's mouth while Aoi deals with Inosuke. The twins and Kanao's mouths hang open in surprise.

Genya picked at his food. “Yeah. At the new arcade.”

“Congratulations!”

“I thought you were planning to be single forever-”

“Shut up, Mui!”

“With who?"

He says your name and again the silence is thick.

Tanjiro's eyes light up in recognition and shock. “Isn't that the new boy?”

Genya nods stiffly.

“You're…gay?” Kanao asks tentatively.

Genya nods again.

“I had no idea! I never would've guessed either.” Tanjiro shakes his head, stunned. Much to Genya's relief…he's smiling? “But good for you, Genya, I'm sure you'll enjoy the date!”

This wasn't so bad after all. It's like a weight’s been lifted off his shoulders. Now it's just how well…Sanemi will take it and his family. Probably not as easy.

“I thought it was a little weird you rejected that cute girl the other day.” Muichiro looks excited. “Now I've got a gay best friend!”

“What are you, twelve?” Yuichiro grumbles, but turns to Genya. “Have a good time then.”

“THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE! DON'T SHOCK US LIKE THAT, GENYA!” Zenitsu finally squawks, clutching his heart.

“Wait, what's gay?” Inosuke's lost. “Is Genma happy or something?!”

Never mind.

***

“Damn, I knew you were good at shooting, but basketball too?” You wiggle your eyebrows at him, pretending to throw an imaginary ball as Genya throws an actual one through the basket easily.

“Heh, this one's just easy since it's so near.” The machine flashes lights and beeps, displaying a new highest score. “And kinda short.”

“You are pretty tall,” you agreed, counting the leftover tokens. “Hey, we still have enough for that claw machine!”

“Seriously?”

So far the date's going pretty well. Genya hadn't made a fool of himself when you showed up dressed up in that letterman jacket and excitedly tackled him yelling about how you managed to get about an entire bag's worth of tokens. You both had spent your time mostly fooling around playing air hockey, shooting games (he had a moment of crisis before sitting next to you in the cramped space), he got forced to dance with you, you claimed he cheated at the racing, he won you a figurine as an apology for accidentally smacking your hand during Whack-A-Mole. Genya was kind of regretting that now, because you were now convinced Genya had amazing luck and could continue to win you more prizes. But as Sanemi said - a million times - those things were a scam, so Genya compromised by saying if only there was tokens leftover from the basketball game.

Alas and alack, he supposed, but you were already speeding towards the claw machine.

“Come on, come on, almost there, almost there!” Your chanting is barely heard over the obnoxious arcade music but you're practically breathing down his neck.

“Okay, okay, I got it, shut up for a sec.” Genya's grip on the controls is so tight he's actually afraid he might rip out the joystick by mistake like Sanemi last time…although Sanemi had done that on purpose during his rage quit and since had been banned from that particular arcade.

“Dear Kami-sama, please, please, please-”

“SHIT.”

“NOOO! So close!” Your head's tossed back in an exaggerated groan, flipping off the stupid claw that let go just a second too early. “I could've won that Hashira figurine!”

“I was the one playing!” Genya protested.

“I got the tokens!”

“I offered to pay you back! You said no!”

You punched his shoulder playfully. “Hey, this was supposed to be my treat. You can pay for the next date.”

“Next - next what-"

“Oh jeez, your face is so red now. Let's get some fresh air; I know a good dessert store.”

Genya's down bad alright.

***

“Where the hell have you been?”

It's already late by the time Genya lets himself into the house. His siblings should've been asleep, his mom too, so hopefully he could…uh, break the news the next day, when he's written and planned everything out, chewed off his nails and get that support you promised him earlier.

Luck had decided to abandon him since his second attempt at the claw machine however, since now he's been caught kicking off his shoes and smiling down at his phone, at the picture you've sent him of the figurine in your shelf.

>>Maybe I'll get more from you

You wi<<

He shuts off his phone quickly. Sanemi’s sitting on the sofa, arms crossed and does not look like a happy camper. Genya tries for an innocent smile. He probably looks like he has a stroke. If Sanemi were a cop, every criminal would be cracking in less than a minute under his interrogations.

“Out with a friend. Sorry I'm late, I was talking them back home.”

“Really? Saw all your friends - Tokito twins and that Kamado kid - earlier today. Try again."

“Someone else.”

“Cut to the chase, Genya, you were out on a date, weren't you?” Sanemi barks.

Genya's shoulders slump. “Yeah. Please don't be mad, I did tell Mom.”

“You should focus on studying. Your math grades are still too low.” Sanemi's expression softens, just slightly. "Who's the lucky girl?"

“Ah.”

“I swear to god, if it's that Shabana girl-”

“It's a guy.”

A very awkward beat of silence.

“WHO?!”

Genya almost expects to be attacked when he says your name. Or mauled after Sanemi demands every detail of what went down at the arcade. Maybe thrashed while finally confessing yes, he's not straight. But not stand there while Sanemi stares at him, strangely quiet.

“You two didn't do anything suspicious?”

Nope. You'd been quite understanding when he admitted he was still kind of getting used to the newness of…all this and offered to save a kiss for next time, causing him to explode into scarlet and try to poke you with his straw. “Aniki!”

“Is this a new thing or have you been…keeping this from me?” Unbelievable. His older brother almost looks hurt by that notion.

“A new thing, I swear, I wasn't planning on keeping anything from you, I was just waiting for the right time and right thing to say and I - I didn't know how you'd react.”

“Well…” Sanemi mutters something unintelligible, eyes moving away slightly.

“Um…what?”

“I SAID, AS LONG AS YOU'RE HAPPY WITH HIM, IT'S FINE BY ME! NOW GO TO SLEEP!”

Genya couldn't stop his grin. “Really? Thank - thank you, Aniki, and okay, I will.”

“And don't do anything too intimate before you're married!”

***

You spat out your straw. “He said what?”

Genya takes a long sip of his latte, slipping his hand into yours. “I didn't make that up.”

“No,” You say, shaking your head. “That sounds like Shinazugawa.”

[yuseirra]

I really love your kamiai comics. The warm stories about their communication and interaction completely make up for my regret of not being able to see how they get along in the original work. btw, your analysis is also very good. I like it very much.Can't wait for your next update!❤️

(A small something before I start typing)

Thank you so, so much dear anon!! This really lifts my spirits up so much, you're very kind to expend your time to send me positivity. I appreciate it because I'm the shy type. I know how hard it can be to muster up the courage to talk to someone sometimes. So when I receive messages like this, I get really happy... it'd be nice if the people who were able to send me some kindness felt it was paid back :) I may not be able to reply fast but I try to get back so please be patient with me 'v')9!

HHngh thanks! I'm rereading your ask every word and savoring it! These two don't get that much screen time but what's been shown is really significant, they did have their moments! I'm so glad you feel the way you do after reading my comics and interpretations of them, that's the best reaction I could ever want from someone!! There are still things that are left ambiguous and are yet to be unfolded(I hope it does get explained more) so I'm worried as I draw them out sometimes... but reading this makes me feel empowered!! I feel like I've been doing pretty well, that's what your comment does for me. I'll do my best to think up something good to share with you, thanks for sharing your feelings with me!

Speaking of which, I have another analysis!! I'd like to share it with you here, I'd been writing it up earlier and it's not entirely unrelated to the hikaai situation:

I think it might have been Nino who's sent Ryosuke to Ai. Based on the behavioral patterns, Nino is the type who'd impulsively do something extreme in a fit of anger and later regret it. Even Nino might not have anticipated things would unfold this way, however. The phrase, "I only meant to scare them, I never thought they'd actually die," seems more like how Nino would feel about the situation, rather than Kamiki to be honest? That's a very absurd thing to say, but considering Nino's relationship with Ai, Nino might have been in a blinded, irrational state because she almost worships Ai. So, it's possible that she genuinely didn't think it would turn out this way somehow... she's a teenage girl with a lot of mood swings.

There’s a common scenario in horror movies where a second-place person, driven by jealousy, does something reckless, thinking, "If only the top person were gone, I could..." but not truly realizing the consequences. (It happens a lot as an east-asian trope) Jealousy has the power to paralyze rational thinking. Nino not only hated Ai, but she likely had a twisted affection for her as well. When Ai disappeared, she probably fell apart.

It's hard to imagine Kamiki acting this way, right? He wouldn’t have been unaware of the danger of sending someone like Ryosuke to his girlfriend. If this character did something like that, it would have to be out of serious malice or murderous intent, but Kamiki doesn't seem like the type to harbor such cruel emotions toward Ai. (Or just anyone at all, actually; we never really see him lashing out towards people. Even when he brings Ryosuke, or Airi up... he.. actually talks in a pretty soft sense despite they're absolutely horrible individuals. Even adds a -san and -kun to their names; I was surprised.) In Nino's case, on the other hand, it might have been something done without much thought, as her actions suggest she has that kind of streak. She’s the type who can say, "I wish you'd just die!" to someone but then cry if it actually happens. Her emotions fluctuate a lot.

We also have to note that Hikaru is just as good of a liar as Ai is. He's really used to lying, and that's what's brought him and Ai to relate to each other, bring them together and a crucial characteristic that's had Ai deem "he's the same as her". When he says he's the one who sent Ryosuke as he mentions "he wanted Ai to feel the same despair he's felt", we don't see his face and we only see him from the back. This is similar to the panel where Ai says "I can't love you", which was a well-meant but a really hurtful lie. Hikaru believed Ai and Aqua wants revenge on him. I think he may have tried to save Aqua of feeling even a slight sense of pity towards him as a person, making sure he really isn't worth feeling that way about. In fact, we don't see his expressions at all in that entire sequence, and what he says feels so off and ridiculous for a person with common sense to say. I feel like a lot of it could be a lie. AND I feel like he was putting on a facade for most of the scenes he's been in before the final arc- before he came to meet the twins. He's probably always been pretending to be okay with a smile on his face but he probably was pretty despairing and dead inside (his eyes turn black when he's in despair, you know)

At least so far in the story, Kamiki has never shown much interest in Ai's idol activities in the scenes he's been in. Instead, it was Ai who learned something from Kamiki. The fact that Ai is an idol, a star who attracts attention, was never portrayed as particularly important to Kamiki during their relationship. Ryosuke is a big fan of Ai as an idol, but there’s no clear reason why Kamiki would connect with someone related to Ai in that way. To Kamiki, Ai was like a light—a single, unique person he deeply depended on and loved, as if he could live with just her by his side, yeah, but it's a little different from viewing her as a idol. He probably depended on her a lot, but it seems he loved her not because she was an idol or someone shiny and valuable, but because she was someone who could understand and care for him. He doesn’t have the mentality of "I can't forgive an imperfect Ai." That kind of anger, resentment, or desire to make Ai suffer seems more likely to come from Nino. Kamiki even seems to think it’s natural that Ai wouldn’t like him back. He’s too accustomed to that feeling.

Kamiki’s actions suggest a certain helplessness. He seems to accept everything without resistance, always at a loss for words. This has been consistent from the moment he was introduced. When he asked Ai, "You love me, right? You won’t leave me, right?" and her response was something like, "I don’t know," he ended up going outside and crying in the rain. When he was gaslit by Airi in an absurd way, he despaired and stood there, frozen in panic. Even when Ai said something harsh and broke up with him, he couldn’t say anything back. Even 15 years later, he watches a video and is rendered speechless, reaches out to Ai, and curls up. This sort of behavior is so consistent that I realize this character doesn’t have any self-defense. He just accepts everything as his fault and internalizes it. It’s like he’s been so used to terrible things happening to him from a very young age that he doesn’t even think "I hate this" but rather, "People like it when I do this, so this must be right." With that kind of mentality, he gets pushed around. He seems to accept every negative judgment about himself and engages in self-destructive behavior.

The likelihood of this character doing something aggressive like sending Ryosuke to Ai is, in my opinion, less than 2%. Suddenly lashing out four whole years after the breakup? He probably went to cry after he got the phone call. Didn't he just reach his drinking age? Maybe he went to drink for the first time because he was so distressed after receiving the call… and somehow, in that state, he met Ryosuke and accidentally let the address slip, which led to Ai’s death, and now he feels like he has to save her with all he's got. Ai's the one who saved him, and it's kind of natural for him to feel like "Now I should save her in return, I don't care what happens to me!" That would make sense, right? The lyrics, the character’s personality—it all fits if you take it this way. And his personality doesn’t seem to have changed all so much actually. While reading the manga, I thought, "What’s with his way of speaking? He has such low self-esteem." Now, reading it again, it feels like he’s deeply immersed in self-blame.

The song Fatal starts with the lyrics being:

Waking up from another dream, I open my wet eyelids I curse my helplessness from those far days which dreadfully remain Will this despair that burns my body feed me someday? I keep burning myself from it as I crave adoration

This is totally how Kamiki would feel after he learns about Ai's death, if that's not what he's ever expected to happen. He'd be in utter despair and feel so helpless about not having been able to do anything as the only love of his life die like that. That's why he's so desperate in the entire song,

Without you, I cannot live anymore I would sacrifice anything for you I can’t get enough of your love What should I use to fill in what’s missing?

These sets of lyric's too intense for it to be Aqua's, but it fits his dad's mentality perfectly. Kamiki's life's been so miserable.

Ai is an exceptionally well-crafted character. When you consider the details, like the story of her trauma from the glass shards in her white rice (which broke my heart when I read it), you can see how much thought the author put into crafting her psychology.

Why write a story where she asks a favor to her own dear children to help out the person who's the very cause of her death? How could that character be portrayed as if they truly, desperately loved Ai? Isn’t that incredibly cruel to Ai, the victim? If it were me, I wouldn’t write the story that way. I don't think the writer would have either. I really feel that Hikaru isn’t the type of character who would do something like that. And since Ai’s affection for that character aligns with that sort of interpretation, with it being really consistent, I think… it's a lie and a misunderstanding.

I think that, unable to forgive himself for unintentionally leaking the address and thus contributing to Ai’s death, Hikaru wanted to be punished and ended up telling Aqua a ridiculous lie. If someone could open Ai’s heart to that extent, it could only mean that this person was genuinely beloved by her. For someone as wounded as Ai, finding a person she wanted to love that deeply isn’t easy. But if that character had committed such a terrible act, what would it mean? It would feel so unsettling. It would conclude that Ai failed to find someone to love, that she trusted the wrong person, and that the protagonists’ father was someone who harmed their mother. When you consider what the manga is ultimately trying to say, the less responsible the character Ai loved is for her death, and the more genuine their feelings for Ai, the greater the impact would be. It would also make sense in the context of Ai, who wanted to give love, finally finding someone deserving of it.

I couldn’t form a solid opinion until Chapter 154 and Fatal came out. I wasn’t sure how things would turn out and just watched. But after those chapters, I felt that this interpretation was correct. When you interpret it this way, it aligns with the psychological depictions throughout the story. It’s not that I deliberately interpreted it favorably because I liked this couple, but rather that as I analyzed it, this interpretation made sense, which made me more favorable towards them. There's certainly a difference between the two.

I was really happy when I received your message and a few other ones saying that my interpretation was warm, persuasive, and made you appreciate this ship ;v;.. Oh, I really want to get this right too... thanks guys, I very appreciate your kind words, sorry if what I say turns out to be wrong but I am trying my best!!

I take psychology very seriously, so if this turns out to be right, I’d be thrilled! This is what makes the most sense for me at this point, so I'll hold onto it until things clear up~

Again, super long reply! I hope you're okay with it, anon! Lots of love, thanks for the cheers and kind words!!

[blueteller]

have not finished the novel but can you please spoil if the family of original cale knows cale isn't the real one? and did krs!cale tell anyone he transmigrated?

Good question! If you don't mind getting SPOILERS, I'm happy to answer!

In short, no, the Henituse family members don't find out, at least not in Part 1 (as Part 2 is still in progress).

I also do not get the feeling that they ever will, because when Cale meets OG Cale, who now goes by Kim Rok Soo himself, he's encouraged to embrace the identity of Cale Henituse the same way OG Cale had fully embraced his new identity in Korea.

Cale's old team on Earth 1 noticed that their "Team Leader" had become different, but he also seems happier and adopted a daughter (his reincarnated mom), so they don't mind the change and are actually glad for him. Which is the perfect reflection of how the Henituse family reacted when Cale "finally" stopped being "trash", because both Cale and OG Cale were not happy before the transmigration swap and everybody could see it. So them changing so suddenly was seen as them "dropping their mask", so to speak – which is funny because that's exactly what happened. Both of them let go of the burdens of their past lives to fully enjoy their new ones. Everybody involved is all the better for it (the only thing the God of Death ever done right, lol).

But here's the interesting bit. While the Henituses never find out, there are other characters who do.

First comes Choi Han, who practically speaking got "spoiled" by the God of Death himself. He gets the memories of his relative Choi Jung Soo, Cale's long dead best friend. Seeing KRS in those memories Choi Han easily puts the two and two together, as Cale never really changed personality-wise from his old life (especially his desire for slacker life, hahaha!).

Immediately after Choi Han finds out, Cale tells Raon as well, as he was present while everything was going down and the curious Dragon wanted to understand. Cale's explanation of his transmigration to Raon was extremely short, but very sweet.

Third, there was Alberu, who found out during the Sealed God's Test – which is a whole huge plotline which is too complicated to explain in detail right now, so keep things short, Cale was put into his old 20-year-old body to re-experience his biggest trauma, and both Choi Han and Alberu got to join him there to help him out. Alberu did not recognize Cale immediately, but he saw him using his Ancient Powers, so he put it together quickly as well.

Then followed one of the most hilarious yet heartwarming exchanges between the two, as Alberu realized that whatever was going on put Cale in a very vunerable position, so he sincerely offered to hear him out. Then Cale, with his usual subtlety of a rampaging elephant, info dumps about his and Choi Han's dimension travellers status. Alberu's reaction is one of the funniest moments in the book for me.

Shortly after, there was Lee Soo Hyuk in the Sealed God's Test, Cale's old Team Leader, whom Cale decided to tell the truth before he went back to the fantasy world; as it turned out that there was a younger KRS inside the same body all along, and he wanted someone to know the truth why he was acting differently all of a sudden.

So Choi Han, Raon, Alberu and Lee Soo Hyuk from Earth 2 were the characters who found out about Cale's transmigration (and also the KRS from Earth 2, but I'm not sure if we count him....? Let's say he counts). But I said earlier, Part 2 is still ongoing... And it looks like Ron and Beacrox Molan will found out soon.

Why? Because they joined in on one of Cale's dimension trips, and with Cale changing his appearance accordingly, they seem to be finally putting it together why Cale's personality suddenly changed overnight 2 years ago. They've seen enough clues, and they're not stupid. The conversation about it seems to be put on hold right now, however, but I'm pretty sure it's going to happen sooner or later.

If things happens as I predict, then that will be full 7 characters (aside from OG Cale, Earth 1's CJS & LSH, and various gods) who know about Cale. Seeing as Cale is allergic to explanations, I doubt anyone else will found out any time soon, lol.

I hope this helps!

[painting-warhammer]

Callidus Assassin in the style of Ann Takamaki/Panther (Persona 5)

My personal best miniature paint job yet! At least, it's a personal best to me. Still plenty of flaws! Commentary under cut.

This is where a lot of what I'd learned really started coming together! A lot of Warhammer and painting channels will talk a lot about edge highlighting and it's pretty important to be sure, but a YouTuber named Ninjon broke it down in a way where I understand how and where to do it. Namely, you're supposed to think about light sources. I did that for Ann's hair and her boots; the undersides have their darker shades, but anything from topside is very bright.

The next big change was learning Ardcoat. With my Sylvanas figure, I completely fucked that one up, but with Ann I definitely put a fun candy gloss on top of the Baal Red contrast and the boots after I edge-highlighted. True, I could have added those highlights in a risky attempt to recreate a lycra effect, but as Ann already sorta sneaks around and is constantly mobile, I thought it would sell the illusion to have the lights move with her rather than make a single stationary reflection pattern.

The pink gloves were almost a disaster; I got a cheap, super viscous acrylic that made this lumpy gel as I painted, but after some trial and error I got it to cooperate.

The basing is still touch and go. I genuinely did try to edge highlight the bullet decals and the rocks, honest; I was actually hyped because I wanted to make it the stylish red, white, and black that Persona 5 is famous for. But in the end it came off as looking unpainted when I added whiter highlights, so I just doused the whole thing in Black Legion contrast.

The base was a happy accident. It's not how I initially wanted it. I put Mordant Earth down, thinking I would flow some red shader through to make a weird lava-ish effect that had the bright red of Persona 5 again, but they just mushed together to make this weird mud. A bummer, but it did teach me how to make mud in the future!

And the base. Yeah you're supposed to put black on the rims, but I had to go for style.

Overall, I just feel proud of this one, whether or not I should. I'm always glad when I get to use a color scheme completely different from canon or at the very least different from the on-the-box demo artwork.

The boots were me flying blind, and admittedly on Ann/Panther herself, they're a slightly darker red rather than an outright purple, but I thought purple was a bit more dynamic and I did it for the belt and various other straps as well.

I'll admit I had no good ideas for the poisoned needles, I just doused them in Barak-Nar Burgundy and moved on. The guns and sword I had an idea for, I was going to go for implying they were a polymorphed Morgana, but it just didn't seem interesting. I definitely just half-assed them, but I think it's fine given I wanted the attention on Ann herself. So even the weapons, something I struggle with to make interesting, turned out okay, I think. I got 'em done and moved on.

A small detail I thought was fun: the goggles. I made them Ann's specific eye color! I think they stand out pretty well on the overall model and they don't clash with anything.

Also, Baharroth Blue is the color I love/use way too much, and if it's not on my figure somehow then is it really complete? I think not. 😜

This isn't my favorite figure, but it's the one I pull out when I want to flex a little. I still got one more where it's from a media franchise to go before I post my main army. It's not going to be as good as Ann, but then again I don't know if I'd call it finished per se. Until then!

[samuelroukin]

twenty questions for fic writers!

tagged by @meyerlansky thank you 🙏

1. how many works do you have on ao3?

18..

2. what's your total ao3 word count?

294,445

3. what fandoms do you write for?

right now just cod 😔 i gotta write the third turn fic but the brainrot is strong

4. top five fics by kudos

limerence (i'll be your animal)

no face, no case

baptized in gunpowder

bliss in suffering

bite (this is war)

5. do you respond to comments?

sometimes it takes me a while bc i get Anxiety but i try to respond to all of them, it means so much that someone would take the time and i'd feel horrible not at least saying thanks

6. what is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

probably and i'm glad the world is ending bc well. nothing like knocking out the guy you just had weird sex with to make your escape.

7. what's the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

genuinely couldn't pick one, i think they all end on a pretty happy note? i don't always resolve Everything but i leave them in a spot where they can work out the details later if necessary lol

8. do you get hate on fics?

not to my face! i can think of a million reasons why i would, but everyone's been really niceys

9. do you write smut?

me??? write smut?? never.

10. craziest crossover:

i don't have any, and they're not really something i'm interested in so i'm unlikely to ever write one

11. have you ever had a fic stolen?

i don't think so, i'm not a big name author so unless it's just ai scraping i don't think anyone would bother

12. have you ever had a fic translated?

nope, not as far as i know! i do have one reader that used google translate bc they don't speak english tho

13. have you ever co-written a fic before?

nope, most i've done is discuss ideas and Options which is really fun, but i don't think actual co-writing is for me

14. all time favorite ship?

i don't think any ship i've liked has ever had the grip on me that soapghost has 💀

15. what's a wip you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

at this point it's looking like part three of the simleb fics but i WILL get to it. i will. i can't abandon my boys. there's also the one with gaz overhearing soapghost and relaying the details to price which i still like but it needs Something and i couldn't put my finger on it

16. what are your writing strengths?

smut. i think i'm alright at setting tone as well, and i like to think i'm ok at building up tension

17. what are your writing weaknesses?

i'm terrible at dialogue and pacing. set descriptions too, i never know how much detail to put in vs letting readers fill in the blanks. i also don't really know how to describe it but i feel like my fics read less like a book and more like a script. and i get pointlessly, annoyingly wordy to say something that could be said in like two sentences lmao. add to that abuse and misuse of punctuation marks and it really is a mess lmao

18. thoughts on dialogue in another language?

i don't like it generally speaking unless it's a word or two. i've used it once or twice tho dkjfhjkhst. it depends on the Why i guess, but if they're speaking another language together (as in one or more characters understand what's being said) i think it's better to be like 'he switched to dutch' and then use italics to go "Okay, this is what's happening, don't let them catch on." instead of writing the language

19. first fandom you wrote in?

i think it was death note? maybe something for a band before that, i'm not sure tbh

20. favorite fic you've written?

miannach my beloved 🙏 it's not perfect but i had a lot of fun with the magic and the crack taken seriously while still also being a little funny, plus it has one of my fave smut scenes i've written

tagging @bayonettotheheart @brotherdusk @meduseld @c4tto626 @ferindencadash only if u want ofc 🫡

[cat--comic]

blog 1. happy birthday

welcome to the new cat comic blog! if you're reading this on tumblr, hello! if you're reading this on neocities, i love you more. page looks pretty snazzy, right? check out the very pretty melankorin.net, this page looked a lot more plain before i ate that page's design aesthetic.

ok.

it just so happens that yesterday, the 13th of april, 2024, was cat comic's first birthday. this comic is officially one year old! goo goo ga ga! it makes me glad and more than little scared that i've been working on this for so long. it's my longest-lived project to date and still going strong, which means a lot coming from my bloody trail of abandoned projects.

what the hell is cat comic about?

cat comic is a story born out of a lot of my fears vis-a-vis my creative projects. it's a story about creation, whether that deals with art, identity, or culture, and about the history that doggedly stamps itself on any creation, and about the problems of indie projects. it's a story about a cat and a dog and some other various animals who get into lots of trouble, and it's mainly a story about the end of the world.

i think you can tell that there's a lot of throughlines to my other work (unfinished or otherwise), which is pretty thematically appropriate. actually, cat comic was originally reusing far too much of eyrie, an old comic idea of mine. eyrie followed an aspiring paladin and their little buddy as they made their way to the shining capital of a theocratic nation, delving into a mirror world that reflected public perception of things along the way. it was a pretty fun concept.

anyway, it informed a lot of cat comic's original premise—it began with an ascent from belowcloud to a shining city in the sky. huh... sounds familiar. like eyrie, it also dealt a lot with divinity, mirrors, and perfection (as in: perfection in the eyes of society, not cat comic's current sense of it). it's fun looking back at these early drafts of cat comic because you can clearly see all the influences i was pulling on, big or small. i was pretty fine with doing this because, as it pains me to remember, cat comic was to be a "fun" and "short" project where i could "do whatever". haha.

cat comic's changed a lot since then and it's also hardly changed at all. a lot of the original ideas are still there in the batter, but it's also evolved into something pretty different and much closer to my heart. and it will continue to change and evolve! although perhaps not quite so drastically as it has over the last year.

what's the plan with this thing?

i had a conversation with a friend a while ago (hiii ardenna i know you're reading this. love you) about our respective story projects and our problems working on them as single creators. i don't have a team for art or writing—it's all me, babey—and that means everything about this project is going to take what we in the industry call a "long time".

this time next year, i want to have a comprehensive plot. that might sound like a lot of time for not a lot of work but believe me i need it—i'm doing a bit of a unique format for this story and i want to put the time in to make sure i stick the landing with it. my secondary goals for the next year also include finalizing designs for all of the main cast and making sure they're all fleshed out... basically, by next year, i want to be able to start actually drawing the comic. i don't want to start drawing it then but, just, you know, be able to.

as of last week, i've handed in my senior project (and passed with flying colors, thank you), which means i can start turning my attention to things other than that. i've already talked a bit in my 2024 blog post about my plans for the year and how i would like to devote the rest of the spring to exercising my comic muscles. i would like to stick to this plan, despite the fact that school is trying to murder me.

right now, i only have vague ideas of what those exercises will be. once i'm completely done with my senior project (report handed in at the end of this month) i'll start workshopping them. again, my priority with them is not telling a story so much as working on coloring, panelling and figuring out my workflow.

and, apart from my year-long goals and season-long goals, i just want to flesh out these pages a little more. i kind of rushed getting these up because i wanted to hit the birthday (and i didn't even manage that LOL). i want to get some more of my brain bits out on canvas! but they never tell you how hard it is to figure out how much you want to share and how much you want to keep to yourself for now. i'm making little lists and i think i'm doing a pretty good job.

final notes (SAPPY WARNING!!!)

thanks to my friends (hi again) who are very excited about my comic. it means an immeasurable amount. friendship forever

and to everyone else... remember: birds can't fly with wet wings. goodbye for now!

[mymainwastoocluttered]

Can I ask for a plus sized reader trying to wear Azul's shirt only to need his help getting it off without popping a button? Take your time! And have a wonderful day 💕

Have a wonderful day, Anon, and thanks for the patience! I kinda made it more about putting the shirt than taking off, I hope it is ok?

Chin Up, Buttons Up! (Azul)

NOTE: I only write for female reader but everyone is welcome to read it!

Also, Azul using pet names in (BR) Portuguese. O polvo é brasileiro, pronto falei.

— (⁠θ⁠‿⁠θ⁠)

Azul knows better than anyone how it feels to have no confidence in one self's appearance.

So when his lovely girlfriend—that sometimes he still wonders how in the world he managed to get—sighs wishfully at his shirts, he has a pretty good guess what it is about. Also helps that she had shown him some cute couples she follows on Magicam, and how she had lingered on photos about wearing each other's clothes.

"Azul, I can't–"

"You absolutely can, tesouro. And you'll look stunning like only you are capable of," Azul gently pushes his shirt on her hands, giddy with the prospect of seeing his dear treasure wearing his clothes.

He's a bit possessive, bite him.

(Y/N) looks from his face to his shirt back and forth, looking conflicted, before nodding and accepting the offering. Azul smiles encouragingly before turning around to give her some privacy. He's glad he locked his room's door when he invited her over, this moment will be his and his alone.

Who knows? Maybe he'll be the one dressing her up soon enough.

... maybe he'll be the one undressing her soon enough.

He feels the familiar blush rise to his cheeks, but he doesn't fight it. He's alone with his girlfriend, he's allowed to show a bit of his bashfulness. No eels here to be annoying, or freshmen to doubt his coolness.

"... Done."

The merman turns around quickly, and what greets him is what the world "divine" was created for, he believes. His shirt is tight on (Y/N), showing off her soft curves and rolls, making him want to sink his fingers on her supple flesh and... And even maybe bite her. Mark her with both digits and teeth, mark her his, make her his.

"... Azul?" How can she be so alluring while blushing so cutely? Azul finally understands when Idia says she has a 'high cuteness stats' and Azul has 'cuteness disadvantage'.

"... I need a moment," he covers his face, trying to calm the redness—blueness—before he overheats. Merfolk are not supposed to overheat. They're not really made for it. He might cook from the inside out. Floyd will be the only one happy.

(Ok, maybe that's not scientifically accurate, but humans have history of spontaneous combustion and he'd rather not test if that's true to merfolk human forms.)

"T... That bad?"

"No!" He's quick to answer at her unsure tone, taking large steps so he can finally hug her to his heart's desire. "Not bad. Not bad at all, incredibly good, in fact. I... I'm about to sound like an eel, but I want to bite you. Good bite you."

She giggles, and he's delighted to hear it, kissing her cheeks and then her forehead. They stay like that for some time, enjoying each other's presence. The minutes go by and Azul does not care. In the past, he'd freak out about the waste of time, but now he knows better than to waste time not being with his girlfriend.

"... I should take it off, though. I can't breathe properly, I'm afraid the buttons might pop off if I do."

"Oh, Great Seven."

They separate just in time for one of the buttons to give in and pop off, hitting Azul right on the chest. They both yelp, her because the shirt is now revealing her bra, and him because now he can see her bra.

"I'm sorry!" They both squeak. "What for?"

They blink.

They laugh.

"I'm sorry, Azul..."

"No matter, buttons can be sew back on," he makes sure to keep his eyes on her face and not the hand hiding her chest. What comes out of his mind surprises even him. "Do you... Want help?"

With what, Ashengrotto? Unbuttoning the shirt? He scolds himself in his mind for his boldness. She's more than capable of taking it off by herself. There's no way such simple movements could damage the shirt any more.

"Actually... Yes? I'm afraid that moving too much will make another one fall off..."

Oh, Great Seven.

Judging by her embarrassed expression, she knows exactly what she's doing.

She's not good for his hearts.

(That's a lie.)

(Later on she'll confide in him that she loves the way he looks at her, likes she's the most beautiful person in the world. He'll correct her by saying she's the most beautiful person in all worlds. They'll ignore the twins' giggling behind the door.)

[silverskye13]

That xisuma fic was absolutely incredible! If you have any more specific headcanons about android!X I would love to hear them! The idea is amazing and you wrote it so well!

Hai-yo! I'm glad you liked the writing snippet! ^_^

Oh boy, headcanons. How dare you make me organize my thoughts! Let's see.

Android!X is a server that one day decided to stop running in the background. Where I think most of the hermits were "born" on a home world that they can return to, it's more like Xisuma goes into his own mind. Similarly, if someone were to plot a course in the universe to Xisuma's home world, they'd just end up standing in front of him. [I feel like this also means between seasons X just kinda floats like a spaceman in hyper sleep through the void, go you funky little robot go!]

His body is made of circuitry and nanobots? In a way that isn't in any way functional to real life. But it's like he's a beehive almost. He has a living, moving body, but it's built for finesse and life-like expression. That kind of detail needs constant maintenance, so he has a fleet of little drone nanobots constantly doing repairs.

On that note, I think metallic/cybernetic/redstone components don't respawn like organic matter does on death. If it takes damage, it has to be repaired. Hermits like Doc are only mildly hampered by this, since any time his mechanics break, only parts of him are out of commission. For X though, anything that doesn't kill him outright has to be repaired. His nanobots help this, especially with small bits of damage accrued throughout the day, but anything that does significant damage requires him to power down to focus on repair and rebuild, where his nanos can run rampant while he rests. [He's never not productive though. Normally he uses this time to catch up on writing memory transcripts and other general internal housekeeping.]

Android!X is functionally smart but because everything he's ever done has had to be coded, a lot of things slip between gaps in his logic. He's a very smart computer, but he's still a computer. Common sense things slip between the cracks because common sense on regular people is mostly pattern recognition and intuition. Xisuma's only intuition is something he's hand-written in a table in a file somewhere. If he's never had to write/code it, and it's unique enough to not show up in a basic dictionary/archive search, it's a blind spot for him. He can query and in a millisecond give you data facts about the deep dark and still forget that the clicking noise his thinking pattern makes would attract a Warden. This also means he sometimes has weird hang ups in social situations sometimes. Yeah sure, Etho and BDubs are having the same friendly debate from last week, but this time BDubs is 30% louder [possible difference in altercation severity?] and Etho is on hazardous ground [standing on scaffolding, increasing height, personal endangerment? Posturing? Intimidation technique?], which means this situation is actually totally different and he's never coded protocols for it. He's gotten pretty good at reading other people's reactions to gauge his own, but when he's alone, he sometimes has an error he's affectionately labeled a "social short circuit". Good thing they're all hermits and understand when he sometimes just... walks away from things.

Even X doesn't know where his emotions come from. He knows he can augment them [He has a database for complex feelings like "happy and also sad" and "lonely but content", as well as for tonally dissonant scenarios like "feel worried when Cleo says 'its fine'."] and he has on a handful of occasions been able to shut them down when he was too overwhelmed or in a tense situation. But he has no idea where the emotions originally came from, and his ability to control their intensity [and turning them off] is so non-existent it's nearly random.

Xisuma has been trying to code a way to feel pain for a long time. Most of the hermits think he's crazy when he talks about it, but he thinks it would cut back on a lot of his time spent on damage assessment. It's much easier to tell if something is broken if you can feel it break. Currently his only indication something is wrong is if a circuit is actively frying or something stops working -- or if his nanos sniff it out.

Xisuma doesn't eat, but he tells his friends he eats redstone. It cuts back on some of the unnecessary worry about his well-being. It also means when they think he's distressed, they leave him little gifts of redstone, and he finds that endearing.

Xisuma likes to dress up his cybernetics. It started out with trying new paint jobs and slowly escalated to building new body casings with fancy cosmetics. He's very proud of his bone mage cosplay. The little dragon helmet has glowy-eyes and smoke comes out of its nose and everything. Tango, Joe and Cleo like to help him design things, and he lets Doc and Grian go ham trying to stress test [ie ruthlessly destroy] the parts to make sure they're durable before he commits to a design.

And that's about all I've got for now I think!

[thevikingwoman]

I wanted to do one of these this year, as I've been really pleased with what I've written this year, especially in the back half.

For November and December I tried writing or working on my writing (outlining, editing) every day, and I was able to do so almost every day. I think it unclogged something, and I'll try to keep going with this in 2024.

This year I tried out a new fandom, FFXIV, it's been an interesting experience. I love what I've written and where it's taking me. I've had fun developing Meryta and getting to know her, it has taken a bit for her to let herself get known to me, and it's still a process! I'm enjoying having something new to dig into. I've also written a few shorts for Wayfarer IF, and my MCs do live rent free in my head - but for now they're mostly biding their time.

I'm looking forward to writing in 2024!

Overview

Fandoms: 2

Fics Published: 10

WIPs (actively working on): 3

WIPs/ideas (back burner): 5

I haven't tracked my words all year, so I can't properly tell. I've split up my in-progress fics as I tend to get ideas and jot down the gist or even write a little and then abandon. Some of them will never see the light, but some of them have more than 2000 words in them and I do want to finish them up.

For me, it's a constant balance of following the new idea or buckle down and finish something. I will work on this, I have things I want out in the world.

Fic List

Reprieve - FFXIV | E | Meryta x Emmanellain | 4206 words

I started this fic as a sweet kiss, and decided later to add the whole encounter and the morning after to the fic in November. I'm glad I did and it's been so fun exploring the sweetness between Meryta and Emmanellain.

Distance - FFXIV | M | Beatin x Gairhard, Meryta & Beatin | 1542 words

I have such a fondness for the DoH quests, and the ARR carpenter ones in particular. This is one of the favorite things I wrote this year, and one of the first.

Wayfarer short trio - View (G), Alone (G), Flirt (T) | 1474 words total

I wrote three short fics for @wayfarer-week, one for each of my MCs. They are all pre-game, and I'm very happy that I got these done, and the moments I choose.

Wrong - FFXIV | G | Meryta & Urianger | 691 words

I wanted to explore how Meryta felt about Urianger after the HW patches, and how this could lead to a beginning friendship

Under Familiar Stars - FFXIV | E | Meryta x Tansui | 2085 words

I so enjoyed Tansui when he showed in MSQ, and by mid Stormblood I had the idea of Meryta having a fling, so I wrote this. I really love how SB was both a homecoming and turning point in her maturity and confidence, and this fic does explore some of this - along with the smut ;). I'm really happy how this turned out.

The Perils of Ishgard Publishing | FFXIV | G | Meryta & Emmanellain | 428 words

A fun note on (fake) wol romance novel became this, and I really love how I was able to write off the cuff - and get to explore Meryta and Emmanellain's friendship after their fling.

Stress Relief | FFXIV | T | Calantha x Hien | 527 words

This was a gift for @galadae, and I'm so happy I got to write Cala and Hien. I love their relationship, and I'm so happy I got to write this, and that my writing has unwound itself enough to write a small gift fic.

Passing Through | FFXIV | E | Meryta x Tansui | 4518 words

By the time November rolled around I'd went off cliff on Meryta and Tansui's relationship, and this fic is my favorite of the year. I'm having so much fun exploring their dynamic, and writing some pretty fun smut. This one made me happy.

End notes

this was the year of FFXIV writing, and it does feel different writing for this fandom than other's I've engaged with. I don't know if I can or will set words on it, but I do look forward to exploring more ffxiv writing and reading next year.

The past two months have been so fun to me, and I've been pouring more words out than the entire year. For next year, my goal is to feel more free, to keep writing what sparks interest, and especially not worry of fitting everything perfectly into a fixed timeline. Not worry about living up to other's or my own expectations or bar for "making this thought a fic", not worry about pairings or topics, and just have fun.

happy writing to us all in 2024!

[moon-blanket]

I'M SO LATE TO THE NEW SAM VIDEO. Excuse me while i Yell about it.

So wonderful of Erik to specify that Asher will not be interrupting this time LMAO. Also hey this Purple color scheme is So pretty. he's done it again.

He kissed them awake :')) and turned off their alarm so he could wake them up himself. How about i cry.

HOORAY the Monarchial Summit is coming. I've been waiting for it with baited breath. I stand by what i said about the things i'd do to see him Dressed Up for it.

DARLIN' GOT THEM KICKED OUT OF THE CLUB ? For beating up someone who deserved it ? What a slay, actually. Oh my god He called them his Big Bag Wolf i'm skdf;a.

He's giving them a shoulder massage i'm just going to fall to the FLOOR. And he refuses to use his vampiric strength on them because he doesn't want to hurt them accidentally :(((

SUMMIT GOSSIP SUMMIT GOSSIP LETS GOOOO. All while rubbing their back :(((

SHAW PACK COULD GET INVITES TO THE SUMMIT ??? Oooh something is Going to Happen and that makes me. a little afraid !! It probably being William's way to cement their alliance and friendship with each other-- even if it could be another way to Show Off to other vampire clans. Them being two of the biggest seats of power in Dahlia is so hot. What a slay.

Vincent having to be "marched around like the golden child" definitely means that Lovely is going to be marched around by proxy. That's a fun thing to think about lmao.

DUKE MENTION !! TITLE MENTION !!! GOING CRAZY ABOUT IT !!!

Him saying to keep the title locked up in their pretty head. .. .. so you think we're pretty ? :)) And the way he laughs as he tells them to "get over here" oh my GOD i can only imagine they're laughing too and my heart is so warm and happy.

THE EXTRA SCENE ON PATREOOOON WHAT !!!!!!!!! PORTER ??? A SOLAIRE VAMPIRE ??? SENT AWAY BECAUSE OF A FEUD WITH VINCENT ??? Keep this man Away from Lovely dude. Leave them Alone. Be so nice at this Summit okay mf.

I'm SO excited for this Summit dude. You have No Idea. I've been sitting and kicking my feet about it this whole time. I apologize for the person i become when it actually happens LMAO.

This is still a sweet video. I'm glad Darlin' and Sam have some downtime like this after all the Quinn business is said and done. Everyone just stay happy please challenge (impossible).