#it looked like an easy to color stage too

[sycamorelibrary754]

Happy Easter

Summary: You are three weeks from your due date, but the thought of you and Natasha missing Easter at the Barton’s farmhouse in Iowa was simply inconceivable. What will you do if your little bundle of joy makes an early, unexpected entrance?

Genre: Fluff

Pairings: Natasha x reader, Avengers x reader (platonic).

Word Count: 5.7k

Warnings: None

A/N: Happy belated Easter! I wanted to post this fic on Easter, but there wasn't enough time. This is part 3 of Happy Thanksgiving and Merry Christmas! I recommend reading those stories first, but it can be read as a stand-alone story as well. This was so much fun to write. I hope you enjoy it! 

"Does anyone know where the purple egg dye is?" you inquired, scanning the table as you addressed the Barton kids. "I could have sworn we had two cups of every color." Cooper and Lila were fully engrossed in the Easter egg decorating contest, meticulously crafting their designs, while Nate seemed to relish in using every color available on the table. "Oh, it's on the counter.”

You were just about to rise from the kitchen table, no easy feat at this stage of your pregnancy. It felt like yesterday when you surprised Natasha with your pregnancy at Thanksgiving in front of her family and announced to the team that they would all be aunts and uncles at Tony’s annual Christmas party. Your due date was three weeks away, but missing Easter with Clint’s family in Iowa was out of the question.

“Don’t get up, Y/N. I got it!” Nat said as she jumped up to grab the paper cup of purple egg dye behind you.

"Thanks, sweetheart," you said as Nat placed the cup on the table.

"How are you feeling?" Natasha asked as she gently caressed your cheek. "Maybe you should take a break?”

“Nat, I promise I’m okay. Come sit back down and color some Easter eggs with us,” you replied, trying to put your wife at ease. 

Natasha was looking forward to Easter, too, but she was more focused on you and the final weeks of your pregnancy. Dr. Cho had given you the green light to go, with the condition that you'd have daily check-ins by phone and go on bed rest as soon as you returned home.

"Auntie Nat, look at this!" Nate proudly showed off an egg with Natasha's symbol on it.

"Look, Auntie Nat," you echoed with a smile.

"This is amazing! Maybe I should have you design my next suit instead of Stark," she said.

"Shall we start the judging?" Clint asked as he entered the room with Laura.

"Yep, all set," Cooper confirmed.

"Just a sec," Lila said, focused on decorating her egg. "There, done."

"Where are Yelena and Kate?" Laura asked.

"We're coming!" came a shout from the living room.

"It's not a Fabergé egg, you two, come on!" Nat yelled.

"Tada!" Kate exclaimed, revealing a beautiful purple egg with green and orange stripes.

You whispered to your wife, "So that's where all the purple dye went.”

You placed your egg on the table with all the others. Pink and blue with red polka dots. Symbolic of your current anticipation over the impending arrival of your bundle of joy. You and Nat both agreed you wanted to be surprised.

“Hmmm, this is going to be a tough decision,” Clint said, stroking his chin. “As you all know, you will be judged on creativity, technique, and presentation.”

Walking back and forth in front of the kitchen table, you couldn’t help but giggle at his mock seriousness. 

“Allow me to confer with my fellow judge,” he said. After a few moments of hushed whispers with Laura, Clint returned to the group. “We thank you all for your participation. You all decorated beautiful Easter eggs. The competition was tough this year, but one egg stands head and shoulders above the rest,” pausing for dramatic effect. “The 2024 Barton Easter Egg Decorating Champion is Nathaniel Barton!” 

You shouldn't have spent so much time on the sketches!” Yelena said, slapping Kate on the arm. 

“Yes!!” Nathaniel cheered. 

“You are hereby awarded this Lindt Milk Chocolate Gold Bunny,” his father said, handing him the gold-wrapped chocolate as big as his head.

“That you will share with the rest of the family and not eat in one sitting,” Laura added.

“Aww!” Nathaniel whined. 

*^~^*

You spent the evening on the porch, surrounded by the laughter of the kids playing on the lush green lawn as the sun set over the farm. Laura served her delicious homemade Lemonade as you shared stories and reminisced about old times. The air was filled with nostalgia so vivid that you could almost reach out and touch it. Natasha sat next to you, holding your hand gently, her calloused touch a reminder of the strength and resilience she had acquired through years of training.

You were taken by surprise as you felt the baby begin to kick.

"Wow!" You exclaimed as you gently placed your hand on your belly.

All eyes turned to you. Though unspoken, everyone shared the same nervous anticipation as your wife for the approaching due date.

"Are you alright, malyshka?" Nat asked, her eyes filled with concern as she squeezed your hand.

"I'm okay. The baby is kicking. Here, feel." You said as you took her hand and gently guided it to your stomach, trying to find the right spot. 

“Oh,” Nat squeaked. “I’ll never get used to that feeling.”

“Think how I feel!” you teased.

“Move aside, sestra; I want to feel my little plemyannitsa or plemyannik.” (Niece or nephew).

Yelena playfully bumped her sister out of the way with her hip and eagerly reached to touch your stomach.

"Wow, that's amazing!" she cried out. "Hey there, little one. I'm Aunt Yelena, and I will spoil you rotten!"

"Have you two settled on a name yet?" Kate inquired.

"No," you sighed. "We just can't seem to agree. Since we both want to be surprised, it's been twice as hard to come up with two names."

"Don't worry, you'll know when you see the little bundle of joy," Laura reassured.

"This wouldn't be an issue if either of you were open to any of the names I've suggested," Yelena added with a grin.

“Yelena is not an option,” Natasha frustratedly replied.

“What about—“ 

“Neither is Alaska! That isn’t even a name!” Your wife is exasperated.

“It could be!” Yelena said. “What about—“

“Or Wolfgang!” Nat interrupted.

“You lack all originality, sestra,” Yelena berated.

^*~*^

The soft glow of the table lamp reflected off your glasses as you delved into the pages of your latest beloved read. You placed your bookmark between the pages at the sound of your wife closing the bathroom door and crawling into bed beside you.

"Did you get a chance to talk to Helen today?" Nat asked as she helped me fluff up my pregnancy pillow.

"Yeah, I did. She was glad to hear that the swelling in my ankles went down and suggested taking a warm bath to help with the discomfort," you replied, shifting to get comfortable against the pillow.

"Mmm, a warm bath does sound amazing," Natasha hummed as she settled down on her side, facing me.

“Oh, I didn’t realize you’d be joining me?” You said softly, with a sly grin and a raised eyebrow.

“Of course I would, detka,” leaning over and kissing your baby bump. 

You gently squeezed Nat's hand, feeling a wave of anticipation as your due date drew near. Thoughts of what your baby would look like and who they would become filled your mind. Would they inherit Nat's fiery red hair, or perhaps have your Y/E/C eyes? The anticipation was almost overwhelming, but knowing that Natasha was by your side made it all feel possible.

"Are you looking forward to the Easter egg hunt tomorrow?" You asked, pulling yourself out of your daydream.

Nat giggled, "You make it sound like I'm the one participating."

"Well, you might as well be. I can never tell who's more excited, you or the kids," you replied.

Natasha glanced down at our intertwined hands and then back up at you. Her green eyes sparkled like emeralds.

"I think it's because holidays in my childhood weren’t real. We filled the photo album with fake pictures and empty boxes. But this," looking around at the small details of Clint and Laura’s farmhouse, "Is real, and I’ve always done my best to help ensure that Cooper, Lila, and Nate have everything I didn’t. A carefree childhood filled with love," Natasha explained.

"You’ve done a wonderful job with Clint’s kids, Nat. They love you so much, and I know you’ll be just as amazing with our little one," you said, doing your best to reassure her. “Goodnight, Natasha,” kissing her lips. 

“I hope you're right, detka,” Nat said, kissing your lips in return and laying a hand on your stomach. “Goodnight, malen'kiy (little one).

*^~^*

The following day, you awoke to the sun shining through the window and a soft breeze that caused the curtains to dance gently on the wind. Your back was aching, and you were tired, but you were determined to make it through today. You slipped into the most comfortable maternity outfit you had. Natasha helped you with your shoes, and you both went downstairs to the kitchen. 

“Happy Easter, you two!” Clint said upon seeing you two enter the kitchen. 

You sat down at the kitchen table as Laura placed a plate of eggs and toast in front of you and Nat, along with two glasses of orange juice. The kids were already eating and arguing over who would find the most Easter eggs this afternoon. 

Yelena and Kate walked in a few moments later, clad in bathrobes and their hair disheveled. 

“Against the idea of showering and dressing before breakfast, were you?” Natasha asked.

“Kate Bishop kept me up all night with her snoring, and Lucky and Fanny woke me up by sitting on my face,” Yelena mumbled as she flopped beside you. 

“Hey, that’s how dogs shows affection,” Kate interjected.

“So, I should consider your snoring a Valentine?” Yelena deadpanned. 

After breakfast, the kids ran upstairs to prepare for the Easter egg hunt while Clint got a head start on hiding the eggs. Nathaniel insisted Nat accompany him to help find his Easter basket, but she hesitated to leave you.

“Go ahead, babe. I’m fine.” Motioning for her to follow her namesake. 

“So, how are you really feeling?” Laura asked, now that Nat was no longer in the room. 

You let out a deep sigh, “Tired and sore,” resting your head in your hands. “But this quality time with you all means so much to both of us. I can make it one more day before going on bed rest.”

Laura rubbed her hand softly on your back, “Why don’t you sit in the family room with Kate and Yelena until the fun starts.” 

“Okay, that’s a good idea. Make sure Yelena and Kate haven’t snuck into the Easter candy,” you laughed. 

Laura helped you to your feet and then began to clear the table. As you started to walk, you felt a minor twinging pain in your stomach. You winced but thought nothing of it. With the amount of shifting the baby was doing these days, you had every spasm and cramp in the book. Unfortunately for you, you were in a house full of spies, and Laura picked up your discomfort. She made a mental note to watch you as the day progressed.

*^~^*

"Look, there's one!" Cooper exclaimed, pointing at the leather seat of the tractor in the front yard. He dashed towards it, but Lila beat him by a step. "Ha! Slowpoke," she teased.

From your spot on the porch, you glanced over and saw my wife hoisting Nathaniel onto her shoulders to carefully grab an Easter egg from the crook of an old sycamore tree. 

After about 15 minutes, everyone's baskets were full of eggs. Now came the fun of opening them all. You watched as all three kids dug into their baskets, opening the eggs to find mini Hershey bars, M&M's, jelly beans, or starbursts.

Nathaniel walked over to you and placed an Orange Starburst in your hand. "Here, Aunt Y/N. I know the Orange ones are your favorite."

"Aww, thank you, Nate," you said, kissing his forehead.

As you were about to open the soft toffy candy, a sharp contraction cut through my stomach. “Aaah!” you reached for your stomach as you bent over at the knees. Much stronger than anything you had felt before.

Natasha rushed to your side. “Y/N?! Are you okay? What’s wrong?” Reaching for your hand.

"I don’t know," you grunted.

Natasha's voice quivered with anxiety as she tried to rationalize the situation. "This—this can’t be it. We’re still three weeks out," she said, her mind racing with worry. "Maybe it’s just false labor."

That was the moment when your water broke. "Oh God—" you took a sharp breath as another contraction hit.

"Okay, not false labor," Nat conceded.

"It’s okay, Y/N," Laura reassured you calmly, gently taking your hand. "Most first births are a long labor. But we’re going to get you inside, okay?"

You felt a surge of panic. "What? No, no. I can't have the baby here. I'm not ready. We had a birth plan; I don't have my overnight bag!" you started to ramble, the anxiety rising in your voice.

"You're not boarding a Quinjet now. “I'm going to call Helen,” Clint said as he started to run inside.

"What's wrong with Aunt Y/N?” Nathaniel asked.

"Nothing, sweetheart, but the baby is coming a little bit earlier than we thought," Laura said calmly as she and your wife Nat gently guided you up the steps and into the warm and welcoming embrace of the house.

"Cooper and Lila, please grab a soft, warm blanket and clean towels from the linen closet?" Laura called out to the older children, her voice steady and reassuring.

I'l boil some water and tear up some sheets!" Kate announced frantically.

"This isn't Little House on the Prairie," Yelena quipped. She looked at you and Natasha with a warm yet nervous smile. "I’ll call Mom and Dad.”

"I thought you said this was a long process?" you managed to say between deep breaths, feeling a mix of excitement and nervousness.

"Yes, but there's nothing wrong with being prepared, honey," Laura replied with a comforting smile, her hands steady as she and Nat helped you onto the bed.

Natasha gently grasped your hand and locked eyes with you. "Y/N, look at me," she said reassuringly. “You’re okay, and I'm right here with you. Let's take a deep breath together.”

You took a deep breath, trying to follow Natahsa's lead. The air came out shakily as it moved around the sharp pain of the contraction.

"Do you remember your Lamaze breathing?" Nat asked, her voice calm and reassuring.

"I think so," you replied, trying to focus on the breathing technique you had practiced during the prenatal classes.

*^~^*

Contractions came and went over the next few hours. You were thankful that childbirth was part of the first aid classes all SHIELD recruits were required to take. Otherwise, the prospect of giving birth in a farmhouse in the middle of Iowa would have been more terrifying than it already was. 

You heard the front door open and the screen shut behind it as footsteps hurriedly approached the bedroom. When you saw Dr. Cho, you just about burst into tears. 

Helen! Oh, thank goodness," you exclaimed just as another contraction began, your face twisted in agony.

"Y/N," Helen responded, rushing to your side and gently pushing the sweaty strands of hair away from your eyes. "Clint and Laura briefed me. They said that you're handling this wonderfully. Let me take a moment to set up, and then we'll check your dilation progress.”

Okay," you managed to say, catching your breath. "Where's Bruce?"

He's in Kamar-Taj with Wong. Something about ten rings? I'm not entirely sure, but don't worry, both of you," she reassured, meeting your and Natasha’s fatigued and apprehensive gazes. "I have a backup.”

Thor strode into the room, effortlessly carrying a collection of Helen's equipment that seemed as light as a feather in his hands.

"Thor? What are you doing here?" Natasha asked, clearly puzzled.

Thor glanced at your wife, then at you, then at Laura, and then at Helen.

"Hello, everyone," he said shyly. "I was, uh, Helen and I—Dr. Cho. She invited me for Easter, and we were enjoying a nice glass of Asgardian Mead when—"

"When Clint called," Helen finished. "Anyway, he's here to help, right?"

"Of course," Thor replied. "I've never witnessed a human birth before, but I've been present for the births of many Gods and am well-versed in many newborn blessings."

You and Natasha locked eyes, your nervousness quickly replaced with gratitude as you realized the significance of having another close friend by your side during this pivotal moment in your lives.

Natasha expressed her gratitude to Thor, finally breaking the silence. "We're both thankful that you're here," she said, her voice filled with sincerity. 

You nodded in agreement, silently acknowledging the sentiment.

"It's my pleasure, ladies," Thor replied warmly.

“Thor, can you bring the rest of my equipment in from the Quinjet while I check to see how far Y/N is dilated?” Helen asked.

“Sure, and do either of you need anything? He asked.

Some ice chips would be great, you said in a tired voice. “Thank you.”

“Water,” Natasha said.

Shortly after Thor departed, Yelena entered, engaging in small talk as they crossed paths in the hallway. "What's the God of muscles doing here?" she inquired.

"It's a long story," Helen responded.

"I spoke with Melina. She and Alexi are en route and should arrive by morning. At least, I think that's what she said. It was hard to hear her over Alexi's ecstatic screams in the background."

"Okay, Y/N, you've done most of the hard work in my absence. You're just about at 10 centimeters. It’s time to start pushing. You two are going to parents soon," Helen announced with a smile.

“Oh my God,” you said, looking over at Natasha. 

“Hey,” your wife said, running her hand through your hair, “I love you.” 

“I love you too,” you said.

*^~^*

“Push. Push, just a little more! Come on, push for five seconds. 5…4…” Helen counted down.

Gasping for air, you exclaimed, '3-2-1 oh!!' as you fought to catch your breath.

Thor gently wiped away the sweat from your forehead with a cloth.

“You're doing great, Y/N. The next contraction should be coming in about twenty seconds," Helen encouraged, glancing at the monitor. 

“I can’t,” you cried. “I can’t push anymore, I can’t.”

Natasha reassured you, "Yes, you can, Y/N. You're so close," she reached out and firmly took hold of your hand.

“Oh God, twenty seconds, my ass!” You shouted.

Natasha screamed in pain and fell to her knees beside you as you squeezed her hand. “Fuck, detka!”

"Here, Lady Y/N," Thor said, taking her hand in his, "Give my hand a good squeeze; you won't hurt me. And when you reminisce on this moment, you will remember that a God has faith in you. You can do this!" Thor's voice was solid and reassuring, his eyes filled with genuine belief in your strength.

Your eyes shone with tears as you held Thor's hand tightly, feeling the strength in his grip while Natasha enveloped you, her arm supporting your back.

I can see the baby's head. Are you ready to push one more time, honey?” Helen asked, “Here we go, on three: 1... 2... 3!”

You let out a final scream and then collapsed back onto the pillows, trying to catch your breath. As the room fell silent, the innocent cries of your and Natasha’s baby filled the air.

"It's a boy!" Helen exclaimed with joy.

Tears welled up in your eyes as you looked at Natasha, who was also crying. It was more emotion than you had ever seen Natasha show before.

Helen held up your son for both of you to admire. His little head was adorned with the beginnings of red hair. 

"He's absolutely perfect," Nat exclaimed with a radiant smile as she affectionately kissed your temple.

Thor carefully cut the umbilical cord, and then Helen gently passed the newborn over to Laura, who began to clean him up. 

Overwhelmed with emotion, you exclaimed, "He's so tiny! Where'd he go?"

Natasha reassured you, "It's okay. They're just wrapping him up," as she wiped away her tears. Concerned for the baby's well-being, you cautioned, "Okay, well, be careful with him. He's really tiny!”

Moments later, Laura tenderly announced, "Here he is," and placed your precious son on your bare chest, swathed in a soft blanket.

"Hi, baby boy," you whispered, tears streaming down your cheeks. "I know you."

As your voice reached his ears, his little Y/E/C irises opened, revealing a world of innocence and wonder.

At that moment, gazing at your son, you experienced a love so profound it felt as though your heart had been laid bare.

Natasha tenderly kissed his head and softly murmured, “Dobro pozhalovat' v mir, moy malen'kiy mal'chik.” (Welcome to the world, my little boy).

We’ll give you a few minutes," Helen said with a reassuring smile as she closed the door behind her. In the serene stillness that followed, the only sound was the gentle cooing of your precious newborn son.

“I can't believe he's finally here,” you said.

"I know. He’s so beautiful," Natasha said, her gaze fixed on the newborn.

"It looks like he’s going to take after his Mama," you chuckled, running your hand over the delicate red hairs sprouting from his scalp.

"Yes, but look at his eyes—sparkling Y/E/C like yours. Wow," Nat said.

You remarked, "I guess this narrows the names down, then."

Nat sighed in relief, "Thank goodness I don't have to explain to my sister why we didn't choose Yelena."

Looking into your wife's eyes, you asked, "So what do you think?"

*^~^*

A short while later, a gentle knock on the door signaled Helen's arrival as she peeked inside. "Hey, you three. I need to conduct a few routine tests, and there are some eager people outside who can't wait to meet your son."

"Please, come on in, everyone," you welcomed them.

You couldn't hold back the tears as you witnessed the heartfelt expressions on their faces as they laid eyes on your baby boy. It was as if he instantly captivated them, just as you were when you first saw him.

"Oh, my goodness," Laura exclaimed as Clint enveloped Natasha tightly. Tears glistened in his eyes as he held his best friend close.

"He's beautiful, Natasha," Yelena said, her eyes brimming with tears. "Privet, malen'kiy plemyannik," she whispered (hello, my little nephew).

"He's so cute, Y/N! Oh my gosh," Kate exclaimed as your son wrapped his tiny hand around your finger.

"He is lovely," Thor added, his voice filled with warmth. "Strong and brave, like his mothers."

Cooper, Lila, and Nathaniel gathered around you, admiring the newborn in your arms.

"Everyone," Natasha began, her hand resting lovingly on your back. "We have someone special we'd like you to meet.”

“This is Nikolai Odison Romanoff," you announced with a proud smile.

"Nikolai! What a beautiful first name," Clint exclaimed, wiping his eyes. "It suits him perfectly."

"Oh, my, Odison," Thor said wide-eyed. "Ladies, this is an honor fit for someone else. I wasn't even supposed to be here, I—" 

"But you were, Thor. You were here when I needed someone the most," you said, looking at him with gratitude. "We'll never forget what you did for us."

The God of Thunder exhaled, visibly touched by your kind words. "I'm truly honored, Y/N. Thank you," he said, kissing your cheek.

Excuse me, ladies," Helen said, "May I borrow him for a moment? We'll be right back.”

Nikolai began to cry at the loss of contact with you, and the sound tugged at both your and Natasha's heartstrings. "It's okay, little one. It's okay," Helen soothed him. 

Then, looking up at your wife, you added, "There is something else we wanted to ask. 

“Clint and Laura, we would be honored if you would be Nikolai’s godparents,” Natasha said.

“Of course!” Clint declared.

“Nothing would make us happier,” Laura added.”

The couple hugged you both in appreciation as Helen returned with Nikolai. 

“You have a healthy little boy on your hands! Born March 31st, 2024 at 7:23pm. He weighs five pounds and eight ounces and measures 16.5 inches long," she said as she gently placed your son in Natasha’s arms. "He's a bit small, but that is because he was impatient and arrived a bit early," Helen explained with a warm smile. "Nothing to worry about.”

Natasha cradled the baby in her arms, swaying gently back and forth as a soft yawn slipped from his tiny lips.

“We’ll spend the night here, but I want to bring Mom and Nikolai back to the compound tomorrow. I want to perform a thorough examination in my lab before sending you all home.” Helen explained.

"Of course, whatever you think is best," you agreed.

Natasha nodded in approval before a sudden realization struck her. "Oh, Mom and Dad! They're on their way here."

"They can join us if you'd like," Helen suggested.

"That would be great," you said. "Right, Nat?"

"Yeah, great," Natasha said, her mind racing as she tried to imagine the chaos of the Quinjet flight home with Alexi and Melina.

Yelena couldn't help but burst into laughter, fully aware of what her sister was thinking, until Kate elbowed her in the ribs.

"We'll leave you all to get some rest," Helen said. "I'll be outside if you need anything, and I'll be back in a little while to help you with breastfeeding him.”

"Thank you, Helen, and all of you, for everything," you said, feeling the exhaustion and emotions of the day overwhelming you as tears began to fall.

After exchanging warm embraces, everyone exited the room, leaving you and Natasha in peaceful solitude with your precious newborn son, savoring the tender moment.

Natasha gently settled Nikolai in Nathaniel's bassinet, a family heirloom lovingly retrieved from storage by Clint and Laura. As your little one drifted into a peaceful slumber, you both couldn't help but marvel at the miracle of life, watching his tiny chest rise and fall with each breath. It was a moment you never wanted to forget.

“Rest, detka. I'll take care of Nikolai," Nat offered, her voice filled with warmth and reassurance.

"I can stay up; it's fine. You should rest," you insisted, determined to take responsibility.

"Y/N, you've just brought new life into the world. You deserve to rest for the rest of your life," Nat chuckled, her eyes filled with affection and concern.

She settled beside you on the bed and enveloped you in a comforting embrace.

"Look at your face," Nat suddenly remarked, her expression softening with genuine admiration.

"I must look a mess," you replied, a tired smile tugging at your lips.

"No, Y/N, you look absolutely beautiful," Nat insisted, her words filled with sincerity. "I've never seen your face more radiant than it is right now.

Natasha's soft lips met yours in a tender kiss, and in that moment, you felt the truth of her words resonate deep within you.

*^~^*

The following day, Laura prepared a delicious breakfast and brought it to you and Natasha in bed. Both of you had barely gotten any sleep with Nikolai waking up every couple of hours. Despite feeling utterly exhausted, you didn't mind one bit. This weariness stemmed from the joy of caring for your precious newborn son on his very first night.

Twenty minutes later, the tranquil moment was interrupted by familiar voices outside. Natasha gently pulled the curtain back to glimpse her parents making their way up the front porch steps.

Yelena strode into the room with her arms folded and a mischievous smile on her lips. "Brace yourselves," she teased, "The grandparents have arrived.”

"Where's my little guy?" Alexi eagerly shouted as he entered the room.

"Shh!" Natasha hushed him with a grin, motioning to Nikolai nestled in her arms. "Oh, look at him!" Alexi whispered in awe. 

"Mom, Dad, this is Nikolai,” Nat said, wiping a tear from her eye.

"He's beautiful, Natalia," Melina murmured.

"May I hold him?" Alexi asked eagerly.

"Of course," you replied, carefully passing the baby to Alexi. The sight of the mighty Red Guardian tenderly cradling your newborn son made you smile.

"Hello, Nikolai. I'm your dedushka," Alexi said affectionately. "You're so adorable; yes, you are."

As he spoke, Nikolai slowly opened his eyes, and you could have sworn you saw your father-in-law's heart swell with love. 

Alexi gently placed the baby in Melina’s arms. Your mother-in-law had always been a complex and enigmatic figure. She was one of the longest-tenured widows, and her resilience made her one of the strongest women in your eyes. As she cradled your newborn son in her arms, a single tear traced its way down her cheek, revealing a depth of emotion and vulnerability that you had never seen before.

Yelena inched toward you and whispered, “He won them over faster than you did.” 

*^~^*

The next morning, Thor joined in to assist with packing while Clint hurried to the store to purchase an infant car seat for Nikolai. You were a family of two when you arrived, and you were leaving a family of three.

After a swift diaper change, Natasha placed your precious bundle of joy in his carrier. "Time to head home, Nik," you said, taking his tiny hand in yours. 

You bid farewell to everyone and securely placed Nikolai's carrier beside you on the Quinjet.

Nat smiled as she prepared the Quinjet for takeoff. Your first Quinjet ride," she said. "You're already an overachiever, moy sladkiy mal'chik" (my sweet little boy).

Your phone suddenly vibrates with a flurry of notifications.

"The team group chat is blowing up, sweetheart," you informed Natasha, showing her your phone.

Nick Fury: Congratulations on the arrival of your precious son, Nikolai! It's heartwarming to see the Avengers family welcoming the newest member. Everyone at SHIELD looks forward to meeting him and supporting you and Natasha.

Steve Rogers: Hey, Y/N and Nat, huge congratulations! I'm so excited to meet Nikolai, the newest addition to our Avenger family. 🎖️

Wanda Maximoff: Congratulations to you both! All those cliches, those things you hear about having a baby and motherhood—all of them are true. And all of them are the most beautiful things you will ever experience. I’ll drop off some food for you both in the morning. 🥰

Clint Barton: Hey, Y/N! Make sure Nikolai is securely fastened in his infant carrier. I hope he sleeps the whole way back. If he gets fussy, let Nat know to ask FRIDAY to turn on the cabin pressure stabilization. It's a feature I insisted Stark add to the Quinjet after SHIELD found out I had kids. You're welcome. 😏

Laura Barton: I know things didn't go as planned, but I'm grateful we could share in your special day, Y/N. Nikolai is absolutely beautiful! Please let Nat know that I'll give her a call tomorrow. 😊

Tony Stark: Rushman! Y/L/N! Congratulations on the arrival of your precious son. Nikolai will bring you endless joy and fulfillment and become your favorite reason to lose sleep for the rest of your lives. 😉

Pepper Stark: Congratulations! I'm so happy for you and Nat. I can only imagine how incredible it must feel to look into Nikolai's eyes and feel like everything is right in the world. Please don't hesitate to reach out if there's anything I can do to help. Sending lots of love! ❤️

Bruce Banner: I'm truly sorry I couldn't be there; I’m thrilled for you and Natasha. I can't wait to meet Nikolai! 💚

Maria Hill: Congratulations, Y/N and Nat, on the arrival of baby Nikolai Odison! I can't wait to meet the little bundle of joy and see those tiny fingers and toes. The name Nikolai Odison Romanoff is absolutely beautiful. I spoke with Thor this morning, and the honor deeply moved him. 🥹

Thor Odinson: I am incredibly grateful to have been present for the birth of your son, Nikolai Odison Romanoff. Your decision to include me in this momentous occasion is a great honor, and I want to assure you that I will always be there to support and care for all of you. The arrival of Nikolai is a joyous event, and I am committed to being a steadfast presence in his life. ⚡

Peter Parker: Y/N! Congratulations on the arrival of Nikolai! I'm so thrilled for you and Nat. What does he look like? Does he have your hair or Natasha’s? What color are his eyes? I'm already thinking about all the adventures we'll have with him. I'm going to text Nat right now. I can't wait to meet him! 💙

Yelena Belova: Give my little nephew a kiss and hug from me. Also, heads up - Mom and Dad are considering staying with you for eight weeks to help care for Nikolai. Happy Parenting! 😂

Kate Bishop: Yelena is sitting next to me, and she can't stop laughing, so I'm going to assume that everything is going well. Please give Nikolai a kiss and hug from me! 🩵

*^~^*

You and Natasha stood together at the front of the Quinjet, the hum of the engines surrounding you as the aircraft soared safely through the sky. 

“Nikolai is sound asleep. I don't think your parents have taken their eyes off our son since they got here,” turning around to see Melina and Alexi lovingly admiring their grandson. 

Nat lovingly reached for your hand. “Our son,” she repeated with a big smile.

Nat took her place in the pilot's seat and turned off the autopilot as you settled in beside her.

"Come on, Y/N. Let’s go home.”

[enchantedbarnes]

Uncle Buck

Pairing: Bucky Barnes x Single Aunt!Reader

Summary: You take your nephew to a Bucky Barnes and Sam Wilson Q&A event. The mischievous 8-year-old asks if he can get in line to ask a question. Against your better judgement you agree and let him go up by himself.

Word Count: 626

Masterlist: One | Two | Three | Four | Five | Six

A/N: I had no intention to write anything on this account but here we are. Excuse the mess.

A young boy - 8 years old, dark hair and eyes full of mischief - walks up to the microphone.

"Hi, I have a question for Bucky..." He asks shyly.

The moderator nods, "What's your question for him, little man?"

The boy looks over at the seats nearby behind him and smirks, turning back to the stage with some more confidence this time.

"Will you marry my Aunt?"

The crowd let's out collective gasps, giggles, and awws. There's some cheering and a loud "OW OWWWW."

You inhale quickly and choke on your own air supply, trying to compose yourself. "BENJAMIN!!!"

You're horrified and shrink down in your seat while pulling your hood up over your head for added cover.

While you contemplate the fastest way to snatch the little traitor and get out of there as swiftly as possible you hear Sam's loud laugh echo through the room.

"I assume that was your Aunt and you're Benjamin?" Bucky asks while smirking.

Tiny traitor nods while grinning ear to ear. "I'm Benji, Auntie's name is Y/n and she thinks you're sooo handsome," he exaggerates with an eye roll, "and she's super fun and pretty and you'd be the coolest unc--"

Exit plan secured you jump out of your seat and rush over to cover his mouth and pull him back from the mic. Your hood still up and head ducked down.

"You said you were asking about the mechanics of his arm, you tiny little punk," you mutter at him but the microphone still picks up what you said.

While you have him secured in a headlock you quickly speak into the mic, avoiding all eye contact. "I apologize, I've never met this child before... I'm going to return him to the proper authorities immediately."

Picking your nephew up as quickly as you can, you toss him over your shoulder. His fit of giggles exploding while he tries yelling out again, "But he hasn't answered yet!"

"He's free later tonight, Aunt Y/n!" Sam shouts while you retreat to the back of the conference room towards the exit. "Your future family seems nice," he jokes while nudging Bucky's arm.

Benji tries to shout back across the room, "SHE IS FREE TOO!! EVERY NIGHT!!"

You shove the exit door open, "You're so dead. On my pick up days for school I will be blasting every embarrassing song I can find with the windows down. I'm going to start saving now and I will be buying every ad space available in your future yearbooks and I will be plastering them with your baby photos. And not the cute ones." Like this kid ever took a photo that wasn't cute.

***

The two of you walk around a food truck area set up outside the conference space. Benji is happily eating a pretzel you only bought so your sister wouldn't kill you for neglecting her child. You grab a seat at a small table to people-watch while he finishes up his undeserved treat.

You let your hood down, setting your vibrant and wild hair free. The color is easy to pick out in a crowd.

Benji is explaining in great detail the plot to a video game he has been playing with his friends and how one level keeps tripping them up.

The chair next to you slides back, "Is this seat open?" A deep voice asks.

Benji grins, "Yes!"

You already know who it is, but you're still startled when you look over and see none other than Bucky Barnes sitting with you and the small trouble matchmaker.

"So... is the potential cool Uncle position still available?" He smirks, hand on his chin looking over at both of you.

This little punk might be getting free pretzels and ice cream for life.

Alright folks! By popular demand, here is part 2!

Uncle Buck Returns

[ningvory]

hi baby❤️❤️ ik we both feral AS FUCK for unnie line sserafim so can you write reader being free use for the three of them? imagine all of them horny asffff at the same time barging into your room, leaving no room to protest as they rip off your clothes OMG I WANT THEM. leaving them pussy drunk after cumming so violently in their mouths omg…. im actually gonna #######

ALSO THIS PIC OF YUNJIN OMG IW ANTNTBSONRBEHR SOSOB

thanks for listening to my ted talk babes😘

AHHH VICYYY THIS IS SO—😵‍💫😵‍💫😵‍💫

parings: lesserafimunnieline x 6thmember!f!reader

warnings: free use, pussywhipped unnie line, cum eating, manhandling lowk, overstimulation, squirting, foursome, dumbification, praising, mentions of reader blacking out, not proofread😵‍💫

wc: 614 words

YAAYY I FIGURED OUT GRADIENT COLORS😝😝

today had been a long day, due to your long awaited comeback, EASY, you and your members had been performing nonstop. but you didn’t mind, in fact you love your job! you always give it your all when performing so fans think that you’re basically made for the stage.

you really stood out this comeback, especially in the bside, SMART. the way your hips swayed had everyone hooked in a trance, and it seemed like it had the unnie line of your group in a trance too.

you and the girls had finally got back to the dorms, exhausted was something that you all were feeling. you started to walk to your room after telling them all to rest well, but you couldn’t shake off the feeling of eyes staring you down, turning around, your suspicion was indeed correct, turning around to see your three unnie’s staring you down with hungry eyes had you immediately turning away and quickly walk to your room.

after a nice shower you were now lying on your bed, wearing your pink sleep gown and engulfed in your pink blanket on the verge of falling asleep. hearing your door opening was something regularly done in the dorm room, so you weren’t startled. but what startled you was feeling the blanket being snatched off of you, making you groan and look up to see who the perpetrator was. what you didn’t expect was your three unnies, staring you down.

“wha- what are you doing? wai-” your sentence was cut off by yunjin, pinning you down is kissing you, words drowning in her mouth.

“is that how you talk to your unnie’s, baby?” chaewon muttered out before blowing on your wet cunt making your legs jolt.

“no underwear, baby? so dirty.” kkura teased, rubbing your bundle of nerves.

yunjin finally broke your kiss, having you gasping for air. you feel her go behind you to raise your body up, silently teasing your nipples making you whine.

if almost immediately, they dived into your soaked cunt, chaewon was sucking on your clit while kkura was sucking and tongue fucking your hole. you were moaning and squealing so loudly, back arching and desperately trying to close your legs around their heads, the sound of slurping and the sensation of two wet muscles on your poor cunny was all too much and had you cumming all over their faces! :((

but they just didn’t stop, drinking up all you gave them, and going right back to it. tears were falling down your face while yunjin was doing nothing but praising you and littering your face with kisses.

after your 4th orgasm, you were shaking uncontrollably, desperately trying to push their heads away. they were sucking on your puffy cunt until they let go with a loud pop, bottom half of their faces were drenched in your juices. yunjin let go of your body and onto the floor infront of your bed with her fellow members.

“you can give us one more, right?” yunjin asked, seating herself beside kkura.

“noo~ s’too much.” you whined, your words were slurred and damn near incoherent.

“have we fucked you stupid already? our dumb baby, so pretty for us.” chaewon said, eyes glazed completely over.

your legs were raised up by yunjin and chaewon, hands spreading your legs even further before diving right back into your abused cunny. you tasted so yummy on their tongues they couldn’t help but overstimulate you even more. having three mouths on your cunt had you babbling incoherent things and violently cumming all in their mouths! they were so pussy drunk they couldn’t help but eat you out until you blacked out on them. <33

[chaotic-minds-think-alike]

Guess what time it is…….

CENTIPEDE TIME !!! she’s finally real,,,,,,,, based off Scolopendra hardwickei or the Indian tiger centipede

Before I go about the process I just want to say you guys have been soooo incredible and I love reading your reblogs and I love the idea knowing I’ve inspired a lot of people,,, the project, although it was a lot of work and I’m feeling not so great as of posting this, still motivates me to want to make another.

(Art process below)

This was entirely freehanded! I have a lot of experience working in 3D art settings that this part came easy to me but I started with a flat base shaped in the pose I’d like the creature in. I used one whole piece cut from a shipping box and filled in the gaps with tape; you don’t need a single piece for the base but for structural integrity it helps a lot. As you can see here I also cut the legs separate and glued them on using hot glue. The vertical cross sections are to give an early support for the structure of the creature, think about the frames of aircraft or boats. During this part I used a pen to mark the width and height of the previous section to get a gradual flow of shapes.

This next part I wish I got more documentation on but after the vertical cross sections I used soda boxes for the thinner and flexible cardboard to add contour lines along the length of the creature, gluing them on the cross sections. I did about 2 strips of this on either side to fill in the space and then I continued to use soda boxes to fold and shape the top of the creature, gluing onto the strips rather than the cross sections (this part was a mistake but I quickly adapted, no issues happened but it did make it slightly less secure). I also gave the legs vertical cross sections as well to shape them for the masking tape.

The worst part, taping everything. I used tape to further shape it how I wanted but that meant going over parts several times. I used 2 different widths of tape for this for efficiency but it doesn’t matter. The legs were very loosely taped and if squeezed then they’d lose their shape; I didn’t bother filling them in because I don’t have materials for that and I let the paper mache help support them instead. Tape was also used to fill any holes and gaps left by the cardboard skeleton.

The next phase is paper mache of which I haven’t done since 5th grade… I was not confident in this step. I used mod podge and a brush to smooth down the paper. Because I lacked materials I used fast food napkins instead of newspaper which worked totally fine, it just tended to tear a bit easier. Some areas required me to get hands on and I don’t really like the texture during this stage so that was fun (lie). I didn’t do too many layers, one for the body and 3 for the back and legs but some projects might demand more. I used half of a 16oz bottle of mod podge btw so please get more than you think you need.

Finally, texture hell!!! I did a base coat of white spray paint and painted everything else with acrylic. Start with your lighter colors first before doing darker ones! I originally mixed some yellow and orange for the body and realized it was too bright and so covered it with orange instead. It also wasn’t until later I realized I could’ve been smarter with my paint so I skipped over the segments that were going to be fully black, saving the orange for the rest of the body. I wanted my centipede to stand out and not look 2D color-wise so I also used the red for the head and tail to give gradients and edges to the orange segments and legs, later going back with burgundy to further darken them but not too much. For the black segments I also used a very watered down layer of sky blue to give a fake shine and show the intended structure of the segments. Do not be afraid to use your hands! I used mine to smudge my detail paints like the black fade on the legs and the back shading. To top it all off I sprayed a clear coat and punched two holes in the underside to hang it up, using thumbtacks angled upwards.

[glowing-gold]

It’s tough for me to have a casual conversation with someone about The Beatles. You see, a lot of people know me as “the girl who loves The Beatles”, so at parties people come up to me, they make the innocent mistake of approaching me while I’m 3-4 drinks in, and they ask me, “so you really like The Beatles huh?” a harmless, get to know you kind of question, an ice breaker if you will. And at first, I have to pretend to be cool about it. I’m like “yeah, that’s me! Big Beatles Fan over here!” And they’ll be lulled into a false sense of security and start asking me questions they think are fun party questions to ask someone. So they ask me, they say “What’s your favorite song?” And I tell them, I can’t possibly choose. There are so many to choose from, it depends on my mood, the time of day, what color I’m wearing, the weather outside. Are we talking early Beatles, middle-era or late stage Beatles? Is it a ballad or a rocker? What album is it on? Is it a John song, Paul song or a George song? Who produced the song? Etc etc

and I can see their eyeballs start to bulge as they realize, perhaps this was not the casual conversation they were hoping to have at their friends birthday party. So I grin and shake my head and backpedal and let them know if I had to choose, with a gun to my head, I’d probably say the Abbey Road Medley. this puts them back at ease, i can see them silently thank god, because they know what I’m talking about, they’ve heard that one and they probably like it too! We discuss which parts are best (Bathroom Window) and which parts aren’t as strong (Mr. Mustard). But then I’ll forget to be cool and start telling them about how the guitar solos on The End are actually Paul George and John taking turns, and how it’s probably the last time any of them played together in the studio and how devastating that is when you take into account the title of the song and the fact that they knew it was all coming to a close…. But only if you consider Abbey Road to be the last Beatles album, which is a hot button topic considering Let It Be came out in ‘70…

So they look at me and nod, looking Nervous again. Then, thinking they’re saving themselves by changing the subject, they ask me another fun, easy to answer, non-loaded party question: “so why DID they break up???!!”

See, that’s when I have to make a decision. Do I give this person the PhD defense they never asked for? Do I shut down the conversation right there and then? Do I TRY to give them the short answer they’re looking for (keeping in mind, I’m a little tipsy)?

I usually try to make the answer short but every time it ends up into a dissertation. And god, help me. I can SEE them lose interest with every passing second. Their eyes glaze over, they’re on their fourth or fifth “damn, that’s crazy”. But I’m grabbing their arm, white knuckled and crazed, frantically pleading with them: “there’s a lick in Beef Jerky that sounds IDENTICAL to the lick in Let Me Roll It, which goes to show these two men couldn’t stop writing together even when they were separated for years, and they continue to write together 40+ after John’s DEATH and isn’t their story the most TRAGIC AND HEARTBREAKING LOVE STORY OF OUR TIME????!!!!!

anyway, this meme:

[evercelle]

i really love your lineart!!!!!!

sometimes in the inking stage i kind of mess up about the thickness about the lines and such. and in general it looks stiff in comparison to the sketch. any advice for a novice?

thanks!! wow it's been two years since someone asked me about lineart :') in addition to the stuff i wrote in that post, some ways my process has changed since then:

using a pen at lowered opacity w/ velocity variation:

(example used is ciro pen!) if you draw a fast stroke it thins out, but consistent speed/pressure gives you a uniform width. it took me awhile to get used to bc developing speed + control just takes practice, but i like how pens with velocity make it quick to vary line width easily. (it might be a placebo effect but i also feel like drawing with these types of pens forces you to have more line confidence, bc it's very visually apparent when you go slow or unsteady...haha)

2. sketch vague, draw detail in later

for pictures that i draw separate lineart for, i usually do rough bodies/shapes and then draw in details while inking. if there's too much detail in the sketch, i think it's easy to focus too much on following the sketch perfectly with your lines, so it gets really stiff and loses the motion in the original sketch. example sketch -> lineart

3. the "this is fine" or "eh fix it later"

try not to overwork it! its fine if there are holes... and the lines dont connect... and the width is weird... it is okay.... employ the time honored techniques of "it's fine" it or "ill just fix it later" lol i tweak or add details as part of coloring to correct places where the lineart got weird. you can probably see it better in this process vid i posted before, but i also drew an example today ft. my boy gaming

like any other skill, i think developing skill + speed with lines follows with time and practice, but i totally empathize with the struggle against it looking too stiff... getting past the mental block of trying Too Hard and losing the charm is tough. you can do it!! i hope this helps!

[luvkyu]

inkigayo ( lee juyeon )

top!juyeon x btm!male!reader

juyeon notices another idol at inkigayo after his recent comeback.

content : 1.7k words, fluff, idol!juyeon x idol!reader, reader is on a food diet

( a/n ) req'd on wp <3

'shit, he's right next to me, i could cry.'

'he's even more gorgeous in person..'

'wait, is he looking at me?'

"y/n!!"

y/n snapped out of his thoughts at the sound of his group leader whisper-shouting his name. it was time for his group to depart from the inkigayo stage, but his mind had somehow managed to only become occupied on one of the mcs - lee juyeon.

he gave a quick, bashful smile to the camera before following his group away in embarrassment.

"god, i'm an idiot," y/n muttered to himself.

"yes, but at least you're a cute idiot," one of his group members encouraged. y/n glared at him as they continued walking.

"y/n, you've had a major crush on juyeon for as long as we all can remember. now you're finally in the same room. you should make a move."

y/n looked down at his feet as he thought about his bandmate's suggestion. he had indeed been a juyeon obsessed deobi for a long time, but he didn't think he could ever bring himself to 'make a move'.

y/n looked back up at his group member to see him slowly backing away and nodding toward something behind y/n. the male's brows furrowed in confusion, turning around now to see the one and only lee juyeon walking toward him. the rest of his group quickly, but subtly, dispersed away in turn.

"hi y/n!" the idol beamed with the same beautiful smile that always made y/n's heart pound.

"hey juyeon!" y/n greeted, trying to sound as normal as possible. he couldn't tell if it was easy to see that he was literally shaking, but he just hoped for the best at this point.

"i wanted to make sure you were alright. you kinda spaced out on stage there at the end."

y/n's face flushed a bright red. he quickly cleared his throat at juyeon's caring words and gave him a small smile.

"yeah, i'm okay.. thanks for checking on me!"

juyeon nodded happily at this right as the other's stomach decided to growl loudly. y/n mentally cursed at his own body.

"sorry, i'm just a little hungry.." he said quietly. juyeon frowned.

"have you eaten today?"

"mm, only a little this morning. but it's alright, it's my diet," he responded. this did not convince juyeon.

"hm. eat soon for me, alright? cute boys need their energy."

y/n's whole body froze while just about every ounce of him turned red.

'did my long-time idol crush just flirt with me?'

juyeon gave him a sweet smile and an affectionate pat on his head before turning to walk away. y/n simply stared, finding even his back attractive.

"holy shiiiit! look at you!" another group member said eagerly as he showed up by y/n's side. "did you get his number?"

y/n shook his head, still too shocked to move or take his eyes off of his crush.

"tsk, that blows. what'd he say then?"

y/n shook his head with a flustered smile, finally looking down at his fidgeting fingers as he thought about what just happened.

"nothing, nothing."

his bandmate could tell that it wasn't 'nothing', but let it go. he pat y/n's back happily as the two went to find the rest of their group.

eventually, it was about time to leave as they all gathered their belongings to depart for another event on their schedule.

juyeon's words were still ringing in y/n's ear.

'eat soon for me, alright? cute boys need their energy.'

a bright red color stained over y/n's cheeks again. he hadn't been able to wipe the smile off his face since it happened, either.

"oh, to be young and in love. our sweet y/n's got it bad!" his leader said with a teasing voice. after a couple audible laughs and scoffs from the others, y/n looked at the older in disapproval.

"why'd you say that like you're not only two years older than me.."

his leader stuck his tongue out jokingly while turning to look at him, the group now heading outside to their suv.

"i thought we'd already established that i'm the most dramatic thing to walk the earth," he reminded him. y/n chuckled.

"that's true, you're right."

the other nodded triumphantly as he climbed into the car. y/n was about to do the same until he heard his name being called.

"y/n!"

he quickly turned, seeing juyeon running out of the building toward him. he held what looked like a small bag out to y/n.

"here," he said happily while y/n took the bag in slight confusion. "some food for you. eat well, okay?"

y/n's heart was racing as he nodded and said a bashful 'thank you' before turning back to get into his group's suv. his mind yelled at him to stay and keep talking to juyeon, but he thought it best to leave before he said something stupid or got too anxious.

he simply smiled again and gave juyeon a small wave before closing the door. juyeon waved back, gazing after the car as it finally drove off.

"wasn't that your lunch?"

juyeon jumped at the sudden voice of his co-mc, who laughed lightly.

"shit!.. don't sneak up on me like that.." he scolded. "yes, it was my lunch, but i had a big breakfast this morning. besides, i left something else in there for him.."

"y/n, aren't you hungry? go ahead and eat."

y/n frowned, clutching the bag of food he was given an hour earlier. the group was now stopped at a small café for lunch.

"but my diet.."

"tsk." his leader's disapproval was more than evident. he took y/n's bag and opened it quickly before setting it back down in front of him.

"screw the stupid diet. you don't need a diet. you need food, now eat," he said as he looked at a frowning y/n. "please," he added, realizing he probably sounded too stern for y/n's liking.

y/n looked at the now opened bag, seeing small organized tupperware containers. he looked around between them before settling on the container with some cut up fruit. as he lifted the container out, his eyes landed on a little folded piece of paper that was sitting under it. after taking it out and unfolding it, his eyes widened.

'call me so i know you ate. :)

⠀ ⠀ ⠀x juyeon ( 000-0000 )'

the amount of times y/n had blushed today could not be counted, but one thing was for certain - it was all because of one lee juyeon.

"ooh, what's that?" another bandmate questioned. y/n's reddened face was more than enough to give him away.

"he gave me his number.." he confessed as he held up the paper. his leader beside him grew more excited than anyone, jumping up and bouncing around.

"OH MY GOD. call him, call him now!" he exclaimed. y/n looked at him in shock.

"right now? is that too soon??" he asked. the others were too busy laughing at their drama king of a leader, but the member on the other side of y/n ruffled his hair fondly.

"it's not too soon. obviously, he wants you to talk to him," he encouraged. y/n grinned at this and nodded. he took his phone out and began entering juyeon's number before feeling everyone's eyes on him. looking up to meet their invested gazes on him only made him squirm.

"you guys are creepy. i'll go call him in private," he decided, now leaving his seat.

"laaame."

y/n rolled his eyes at his leader's remark, only continuing to type away on his phone instead of responding.

"wait! take the fruit!" his leader added quickly while pulling y/n back to stuff the tupperware container in his arms. "okay, now go."

y/n simply looked at him for a moment, judging. he then slipped outside and sat at one of the tables with an umbrella overhead to block the sun. popping a grape into his mouth, he looked at his phone nervously and finally called juyeon.

"..."

"..."

"hello?"

"juyeon? hi, it's y/n!"

"y/n! did you eat yet?"

"i'm eating now actually."

"good!"

"also, um, was this your lunch? it looks like it was prepared really well. i hope you're eating too.."

"yeah, it was mine, but don't worry! i grabbed a snack."

"oh okay, good!"

"..so it was cool meeting you today! i really love your group's album."

"ah thank you! would you say you're part of our fandom now then?"

"hmm.. definitely. i think my bias would have to be y/n."

"well i can say with confidence that he's a juyeon bias in return."

y/n felt his heart skip at the very attractive laugh that left juyeon's lips.

"good to know then. while i've got you on the phone, i also wanted to ask if you'd wanna hang out sometime? just the two of us."

"really?"

"yeah! if you'd be into it, of course."

"i'd love to hang out, sure!"

"sounds good, then! i gotta go now but can i text you later tonight?"

"definitely, of course."

"okay, well i hope the rest of your work day goes good! and finish up the food for me, hm?"

"you too, juyeon. and i will, promise!"

"good. talk later!"

"bye!"

y/n smiled to himself as he set his phone down on the table. to think he was basically drooling over his crush at inkigayo while his crush actually noticed him too was crazy.

"details, please! c'mon!" the voice of his leader suddenly emerged from behind him. y/n turned in surprise to see the other's head popping out of the cafe's door, along with two other curious members. y/n clicked his tongue at his nosy friends and shooed them back inside, following suit with his phone and fruit container in hand.

[that-culdesac-kid]

So we talked about how Tamarack's color palette matches with her favorite colors before. And since then, I've been wondering if Qiu has similar explanation behind their color palette as Tamarack does with hers.

But unlike Tamarack, Qiu's favorite color is only gold, and they don't even have it in their color palette. I guess their sweater can kinda fall on the gold spectrum, but this still doesn't explain the green jacket, the red scarf, or the other colors in their outfit.

So... does this stop me from trying to find some secret explanation behind those colors?

*Puts on tin foil hat*

Nope! Quite the opposite actually, I'm taking this as a personal challenge.

Let's start with the green jacket. It's easy to miss this line, but if MC says their favorite color is green, Qiu will mention that they like green too—the darker kinds, like how their jacket is.

Earlier, we considered their sweater looking pretty close to gold, but it is stated in the game that their sweater is orange, which is the color that both Qiu and Ren like.

(I personally disagree and think Qiu's sweater is brown, but maybe it's just me )

And following that pattern, I think we can also assume that the red in Qiu's scarf and sneakers comes from the color that Ren likes too.

But if their close friends' favorite colors is the pattern here, then what about Baxter?

Well, Baxter's favorite colors are black and white.

And guess what the colors of Qiu's bike (and helmet) are?

Okay. Yeah. I know I'm going overboard with the color analyzing. This is the kind of stuff your brain came up with on 3 am when you thought you had a big epiphany but then realized how silly it sounds after you write it down.

But intentional or not, I still think it's interesting that Tamarack's palette is mostly formed of her favorite colors, while Qiu's palette has their friends' favorites but lacks the one color that they like the most.

(Interestingly, though... step 2 is the time where they actually have gold in their color palette, but the colors they originally had in step 1 seem to disappear in that stage)

[shuttershocky]

what do you think of shu, new sui kid on the block? i like her design. the colors are very tasty looking :)

Shu's design is my favorite among the Sui siblings so far, very impressive given how much Ling was made to appeal to my personal tastes.

It's the Roberta in her eyes (same artist). Can't help but be charmed.

I also love that her whole theme is agriculture. All the Sui embody an artform. Nian does metalwork, Dusk does painting, Ling does poetry, and Chongyue does martial arts, but Shu's art is agriculture. Not to embody an Asian stereotype here but I love the respect towards rice farmers.

Now as for her skillset, Shu is a Guardian Defender, a bold choice when Saria has so thoroughly dominated the Guardian class (or just ground support units in general) that the last 6 star Guardian, Blemishine, steered clear of Saria and played a funky DPS/Sleep/Defensive Recovery support role just to be able to see play.

Shu on the other hand, returns to focusing on heals and support utility, meaning she'll actually be encroaching on Saria's turf. Let's look at her skillset.

So from her first talent, we see that Shu goes all in on utility, compared to Saria talent 1 bulking herself up with +ATK and +DEF stacks, or Maria's talent 1 letting her attack sleeping enemies. The "rice fields" give HP regen instead of heals (which means it heals unhealable units like Musha or Juggernauts) which greatly extends her versatility, and granting shelter to allies hiding in her sowed times is a nice bonus, but what I really value about the talent is that she sows the 4 tiles around a healed ally as well, meaning you can get great coverage on a map.

Her Talent 2 is kind of a meme. The Max HP and ASPD effects are really easy to get which is great, but the SP and ATK buff applied when four of Shu, Nian, Chongyue, Dusk, and Ling are all in the team is kind of a meme imo. That's 4/12 slots taken for a meh attack buff and a 0.25 SP/s increase, which is lower than the +0.3/s provided by Ptilopsis (although Shu's appears to work on all SP recovery types which is nice). The Sui siblings don't really have all that much synergy with each other (in fact Ling would rather fly solo to have as many deployment slots for her summons as possible) so trying to force the Sui buff by having 4 deployed seems to me like you will just be griefing yourself half the time on harder stages.

Now for her skills

S1 looks to be the exact same thing as Saria's and default Nearl's. I think Saria's S1 will remain the most valuable version of this since Saria stacks both ATK and DEF on herself over time and this S1 is mostly used to make a Guardian act as a tank. Shu's regen and shelter from ricefield tiles would have to be crazy high for me to consider her S1 when I already got both Saria and Nearl on S1M3.

Shu's S2 is interesting, it's basically an upgraded version of regular Nearl's S2 (which no one uses). I need to see the numbers on the boost to Talent 1 to properly judge this skill, but for now this could potentially open up new strategic options (due to being a ground unit-based shelter buff). It's manually activated and heals two at a time which can be a pain in the ass vs just using Saria's S2, but I'm looking forward to seeing how much it buffs her sow tiles.

And now for Skill 3.

Welcome to the rice fields motherfucker, you aren't allowed to leave. The bonus ATK and ASPD for allies inside her range is a buff no other Guardian can provide, but the really cool bit is teleporting enemies who have stepped on a Sow tile back into it if they end up walking too far.

I'm going to be honest, I have no idea if that is insanely broken for crowd control or if it's just a big meme, as you need to heal allies to plant sow tiles (so you can't plant ahead of your units to make an unescapable trap without using an Operator to create the Sow tiles). It is weird and creative and a very different take on Saria's S3 also being AOE crowd control and heals though, so I like it and can't wait to experiment with it.

[creedslove]

DAVE YORK AND YOUR PREGNANCY - HEADCANONS

Dave York x f!reader

A/N: hi besties! I'm glad to see you all coming down to ask box to talk about Dave because honestly, I think the world needs to recognize more of murder daddy and our Dave York apologists™ community needs to grow! Also, I sort of kept this headcanon here in my mind and I've also had a bug craving of female rivalry with our favorite person to hate: Carol, hehehe enjoy 😉

• it's not a secret to anyone the whole reason why Dave married Carol was because she got pregnant in the first place; they didn't love each other that much, but their relationship wasn't all bad, so when she showed up knocked up it was only the logical step to jump into marriage

• and it was already in the early stages of the pregnancy, Dave noticed the task wasn't going to be as easy as he thought it would, or more like it, it would be as easy to be around Carol as he thought it would. Quite the opposite, she managed to show her true colors as soon as it finally sank in she was indeed pregnant

• their relationship wasn't the best thing that'd ever happened to either of them, but at least they had an active social life, had a decent sexual life and other stuff going on, things weren't always miserable, but whatever kind of bond that could exist between them was suddenly gone, as she did everything in her power to keep Dave away from her

• first of all, all she would complain was about being nauseous, which is common for pregnant women Dave knew, he wasn't a man cave after all, although it started to annoy the hell outta him the fact she claimed to feel sick at the smell of his perfume, his aftershave, his shampoo, his clothes and eventually himself

• and then, it started with the fact that whenever he put his hands on her, she couldn't even hide his grossed out she was; she simply didn't want to feel him, she didn't want him cooking her food and whenever she had an outburst for gaining weight or looking bigger, she would cry, scream, accuse and pick fights blaming it on him for making her body

• and as the pregnancy progressed, so did this situation, it was so stressful and annoying, the way she would just waste money on things, complaining about cute, heartfelt presents she got because she said her baby didn't need anything given to them, she also complained about whatever Dave bought, it was never correct: it was either too pink or not pink enough and so on

• by the time their daughter was born, Dave was already exhausted, and even if he loved her with all his heart, it wasn't what he expected from fatherhood, deep down he feared she would be just like her mom one day - sad news, she turned out exactly like Carol

• and Dave carried on his marriage without the same flame, he was disappointed in the person he married, and when his second girl came along, the experience wasn't any better, but there wasn't anything he couldn't do about it

• so when Dave got divorced and married you, things were so different, he enjoyed how light and gentle your marriage truly was; he loved the good dynamics you both had; how caring and affectionate you were towards each other, how fun days were without a heavy routine, just doing as you pleased and spending time with each other

• things were so good between the two of you, and as Dave finally learned how to sort of balance the distance from his daughters - you still found him in his office staring at pictures of them as toddlers during special holidays at the same time he sighed whenever he tried calling or texting them and was completely ignored it just replied with dry, annoyed texts, was when you found out you were pregnant

• Dave was a mix of feelings, he knew it was a possibility, after all you two weren't so careful with preventing it, but he couldn't help feeling his heart drop, just to imagine he would lose that close side of your relationship because of his experiences as a father and he was so scared about resenting his baby over it, as much as he tried reminding himself he wasn't like his mother at all

• so when you came to him and told about your suspicions, he was supportive, but you could tell he was holding himself back, and knowing about his marriage background and the real drama he often went on with Molly and Alice, you could have a good picture of how complicated things were

• so he drove you to the drugstore, he bought tests next to you and he waited by your side until you got the results - positive, of course - the next day, he drove you to the clinic and waited as you went through every single exam that could attest if you were indeed expecting

• and as much as he held you, kissed you and showed happiness, you still saw something was off, deep in down, Dave's biggest fear was that he was going to lose you to the baby, because Carol wasn't a great partner but whatever he had with her, was gone, and he couldn't face the same happening between the two of you

• you then, gave him some time and space, knowing he had a mission coming in the next few days, you really thought of asking him not to go, but you knew you couldn't actually do it, so you just wished him a nice and safe trip and reminded him how much you loved him

• and once Dave came back was when he realized that perhaps things weren't going to be lost between the two of you, because yeah, he called every single day to check up on you and the baby, and he knew you'd started your nausea/hunger/sleepy phase so he figured once he got home, you would star drifting apart from him

• but much to his surprise, you didn't, quite the opposite: you practically jumped on him, because you wanted to hug and hold Dave in your arms, you wanted to feel his warmth and weight, and god, his scent simply drove you insane with desire and satisfaction

• you complimented his cologne, his shampoo, the scent of his clothes, soap, you name it... you just loved everything and you loved burying your face into his neck and sniffing him

• his pancakes were also to die for: it didn't matter if he made them sweet or tried different salty recipes, if it was breakfast or just breakfast for dinner, you loved spending time with him and appreciating his food, and you also thanked him for adding fruits and many other healthy things into your diet

• your sex life also improved, with differences of course, mostly, Dave wouldn't be so rough, he was more romantic and soft towards you and there was no stress: you wanted him as much as he wanted you, the hormones, the passion, the romance was all in synch and even if you eventually got a little insecure about your body changes, there weren't cries, arguments, all it took the two of you was just some reassurance from Dave's side, the way he would sometimes hold you in front of a mirror and grab your lotion and spread all over your skin, or how he would nuzzled your neck and whisper into your ear how sexy you were becoming or even when he would bury himself between your thighs until you couldn't handle it anymore, was enough to settle things

• over the course of your pregnancy, Dave realized your bond was stronger than never, because you two were very much in love, you were expecting a child Dave already loved so much without the fear of this baby growing into an obnoxious child like it happened before

• the fact he was going to have a little boy after two girls was also pretty exciting for him, as he figured it would be somehow easier and he kind of had hopes to fix his own traumas by being a kind father to a boy, knowing what a boy needed as growing up

• he loved how happy and careful you were with everything you got as a gift for the baby: baby shoes, clothes, onesies, you were so thankful for people's kindness to gift your baby, never trash-talking anything you got and also thanking Dave for the gifts

• he realized you were both more united, not working against each other with a baby in the middle, but instead, working together in order to raise that precious little thing you two loved so much and it showed him a real meaning of family to him

• you two were meant to be, your baby was loved by the two of you with all your hearts and you couldn't want another life, things were good and the Yorks were finally happy the way they deserved to be ❤️

____

[keystonepublishing]

The Saga of Hermitcraft on r/Place (1 April 2022 - 4 April 2022)

On the 1st of April 2022, Reddit unveiled a white blank canvas where every user had the ability to place one colored pixel in every 5 minutes. At its height, about 4 million people participated in one of the biggest internet collaborations ever made. The ripple effects reverberated into news reports as far away as Turkey, and the final canvas represents a snapshot of the multiple communities, events, memes, and what was popular around the world at that time.

This is a documentation of the Hermitcraft mural on r/place 2022.

aka.

Remember what I said about my latest ficbind being a distraction? This is what I wanted to be distracted from.

After Reddit's API fiasco of this year and the subsequent controversial event that was r/place 2023, I decided to save as much documentation about the 2022 event as I could. Luckily, I remember how there are already a series of posts by @riacte who documented the progress of the Hermitcraft mural throughout the whole event, from beginning to end. Her blogposts form the bulk of this book (like, 95%!) and I cannot thank her enough for preserving the happenings of the block men mural.

With that said, I quickly realized that someone who's not a Hermitcraft fan - or me if I'm older - might not get the gist of who's who on the mural. The solution? Make several pages dedicated to just listing who's who on the murals! Because of the sheer number of heads, the mural was divided into several pieces for easier labeling. As a bonus, I also threw in another mural nearby which was connected enough to the Hermitcraft community.

For consistency's sake and preserving focus, I decided to not label the peeps from Dream SMP or the MCC secondary mural. Wrangling Microsoft Word to create an infographic was hard enough, let alone 3! If I inadvertently left out a few bits of extra context from this decision, mea culpa.

When it came to typesetting the entire text block, I decided to make some consistent rules. Titles denoting each day or stage of the mural are on their own pages. New sections are titled using the Bahnschrift font and colored blue, while the first paragraph has their beginning lines look Minecraft-coded and topped with a drop cap (aka. those super-large alphabets).

The names of Hermitcraft and Minecraft players in general are bolded when they first appear in the text. Afterwards, they are bolded if they are contextually important to what's being said.

Extra context would be placed in the footnotes section at the bottom of the page. This is also where I dump some background information that would be invaluable for any readers who aren't Minecraft fans, which is why the SpaceX page looked like... uh, that.

My image policy is to go with the flow; I used as many images from riacte's posts as possible, but I also added-in some of my own if more context is needed. Placing them to look smooth with the text was harder - some are small enough to not cause any problems, others are large enough to fill entire pages without any problems, but a few like the Dream SMP mural (hey there! I managed to put you in!) are too wonky to fit perfectly without leaving no empty spaces.

So in that mural's case, I placed them to the side and let the contextual text flow around it. This principle was also used for the Dota2 / Love Live images and in a few other places throughout the book. The biggest case of this are the few images that are just too wide.

Like this one.

Making double-page spreads is not the easiest thing to do in Microsoft Word, and there are a few r/place images that are too wide to fit perfectly in a single page. Confining them to one page would also mean losing all their details, so making them a double-page spread was necessary.

Didn't make it easy though, especially when there are paragraphs of text and other images that needed to be shuffled around. Mess up the double-page images, and they won't meet in the middle. Mess up the text and other pics? There goes the layout and overall flow!

In the end, making this book took a lot longer than I expected, but I am still grateful to have made this as I have now read through many posts from Tumblr, Reddit, and even Youtube - people expressing joy that they have collectively made something together. I can only hope I have made some justice to them by compiling their work and (even if a small sliver) preserving their testaments.

May this r/place be remembered.

[getousatoruu]

Sorry for the delay, but it's here now… Most of them are NC-17 and R rated, so read the tags.

One shots (1k-9k)

Incense by cielelyse (E, 6.6k)

“We wanted to know,” says Mimiko, “who between the two of you is the better fighter?” (Or: Satoru tries to prove he's better at close combat, but Suguru has other plans.)

Curiosity Killed the Crush by xBarbarellax (E, 7.5k)

Today was the day. No more chickening out, no more waiting for him to make the first move, no. Today, Hina was going to ask out Gojo Satoru.

all the world’s a stage by ruche

“I don’t deserve to love you,” Suguru offered. It was placid as a temple pond, at odds with all his feelings. His arms went limp at his sides. He smiled again, sweet and hollow. “Right?” Satoru recovered well enough. Intensity seemed to evaporate off of him within a few stiff seconds. “They deserve this, I deserve that,” he said after a beat. “Who died and made you king of the universe? Talk about obnoxious.” Suguru is horny and Satoru makes that Suguru’s problem.

closer to the bone by sanctify (E, 6k)

“How thoughtful of you.” Gojo eventually says as he rests the cuffs on his lap, skimming a finger along the black padding on the inside of one. “I saw that you had added them to your wishlist.” Geto hums, tilting his head in his direction, the sharp amber of his eyes like spools of molten honey. “I hope it wasn’t too forward of me.” This has Gojo burst out into a brief fit of laughter, the bright whites of his teeth showing as he leans forward to lay a hand on Geto’s chest, easy and playful and flirtatious. “I invite you over so I can record you fucking my brains out and post it online, and you think you’re being forward?” Gojo laughs again, a soft pink coloring the curve of his cheeks this time, accentuated by the highlighter he wore.

Thought you were about to get some foreplay with me by SaintOfAthena (E, 5.7k)

See, Gojo Satoru has a problem: there is a frontier that his true feelings cannot breach. When they try to force it, it is only at the cost of their true nature that they are allowed to pass. Consequently, after a mental breakdown due to a pimple that leads to Geto taking care of him, he jumps on the chance to tell him how he feels but things don't go as smoothly as expected.

up the river, we can go slow by Eskarina (E, 5.8k)

Satoru looks ethereal this way—like nothing has ever touched him. Like Suguru couldn’t even touch him if he wanted to. He does want to, eventually; ask Satoru if he’s allowed to leave marks that won’t disappear within the blink of an eye. He doesn’t think they’re quite there yet.

Trials and tribulations of loving Satoru Gojo.

Woozy by Kiboutie (E, 2.5k)

“I have infinity, remember? No one can touch me,” Satoru repeats, before slowly reaching forward and tucking a stray strand of hair behind Suguru’s ear with a wistful sigh. “Unless I want them to.” Alternatively, The one where omega Gojo continues to spend his heat with Getou, even after they've parted ways.

Longer fics (9k+)

4AM by damiselart (E, 10.8k)

Suguru and Satoru's meet cute but it's horny instead.

His **** is What?! by owl_beans (E, 10.1K)

Gojo Satoru did not have a crush on Getou Suguru. They had never even spoken to each other. Satoru was just curious about what neat and polite Getou Suguru was like when he wasn't all buttoned up. The answer was not at all what Satoru expected and even better than he had imagined. To no one's surprise, they hit it off infuriatingly well.

in the eye of the dragonfly by backbones (E, 9.3k)

Suguru first heard about the Six Eyes when he was still a child. Like most children his age, it sounded like a legend, or a fairy tale out of a book—and when he was a teenager, it became more real. Suguru was slated to be a sorcerer, but he still came from a modest clan inside the same village where the Six Eyes was born, and occasionally he would hear little truths: he was a boy of sixteen (like Suguru), he had eyes like the sky (unlike Suguru), or he will be the strongest sorcerer alive (not if Suguru had a say). But— He’s a boy, Suguru thought. He’s a boy. (In which the Gojo clan arranges a marriage between Satoru and Suguru.)

lovesick lullabye by pastelcoloureddreams (E, 18k)

"Satoru, you can't pretend like there's nothing more to us," Suguru appeals, grabbing the crook of Satoru's elbow. That certainly makes Satoru freeze but his eyes remain hard, an impenetrable fortress to the soft and vulnerable boy he knows still lives inside Satoru. "I still love you." "Love? Is that why you left me?"

Slow Hands by megumiblues (E, 12.3k)

Satoru is in desperate need of a massage, so who better to ask than famous masseuse Suguru, who just so happens to be the best friend he’s been in love with for over ten years now?

The Traveller's Song by No_Ir (E, 23.3k)

When it comes, the death of summer is vapid and quiet. It tastes like stale water and smells like memories gone bad in the heat. Nothing mourns it and the air is speckled with bits of seawater that cling to the dampness on the back of his neck. Crickets chirp throughout the night and the bed is too warm to sleep in, so he buries his face into pillows that smell like dust and salt and ignores the stabbing behind his eyes till he can feel the irritating warmth of another day on his back. I miss the sea, he thinks, staring at the familiar outline of the window, palm resting on the friend-shaped dent on his bed. Exhaustion drapes itself over his shoulders and sweat beads like pearls at the roots of his hair. I miss the sea like I miss my friend.

The Future of a Broken Past by dazylein (34.5k, ongoing)

Temporary amnesia due to severe trauma. It’s all the doctor can tell Satoru when he wakes up bloodied and bruised with no ID on him and no fingerprints matching any record. Plagued with the idea that his life must have been meaningless if no one is even looking for him, Satoru finds himself in front of a buddhist temple that proves him otherwise. As the haze around his memories clears, the guesses of who did this to him and why turn muddier and muddier.

[scholastic-dragon]

Hiii can i get a headcanon on how fast the bayverse turtle boys gain a crush on someone? Thank youu!

Oooo this is fun, I put the turtles in order from fast to slow!

Raphael

I know it's sounds surprising but I feel like raph is really easy when it comes to crushes

He just likes people

Like he's so fascinated by them, that when someone new comes around, he kinda gets attached

With crushes it's more physical stuff he's attracted too: your hair whether it be long or short. The color or your eyes. Any and all accessories you wear daily. Your height, are you super short or tall when compared to him?

Now, raph crushing is easy, but falling in love, that's when his walls go up

After about a month or so, when the friendship doesn't go anywhere or the person just doesn't have a fun personality, the crush kinda simmers away

But, if you prove to him that you value him as a friend, that's when you're in for it

If you stand up for him or his brothers in front of people that'll get you some extra Raphie points

If you can take his angry jabs and throw them right back at him, even more points

Then the physical stuff doesn't matter, he spends every moment learning everything he can about you

When this stage happens, he thinks it's just a strong crush, but no, it's the early stages of love <3

Donnie

(Look at his cute little smile in the picture!!!)

This might also be a shock, but Donnie is also very quick to get a crush

Well not quick, he's very picky when it comes to any possible romantic partner

He's a 'friends to lovers' kinda guy, ya know

But if you come down to the lair often, and always make a point to visit and check in with him, he'll start to get happy by your visits

If you bring him food or coffee (just the way he likes it) something clicks in his brain

Like the way you're taking care of him suddenly makes him realize how sweet and caring you are

How warm and bright your eyes are. How enviting your smile is. Have you always had those dimples on your cheeks?

Like Raph, if you show him how much he means to you and how much you value your friendship, it'll make his heart skip a beat

He'll be reserved with his feelings for quite a bit, scoping out your movements to see if they're just friendly or if it's something more

In the meantime, he's happy to just sit with you and learn all about you

Mikey

At a shocking third place we find Mikey

Now, you may think Mikey gets crushes easy, but no, no no no, those are not crushes and feelings, that's admiration

He admires humans, all humans, all traits, literally everything

In the first movie he had a bit of a "crush" on April, that was simply because she was new, she was a girl, and actually took the time to get to know him and his family

But that crush quickly went away before the second movie

Mikey admires people, but there are certain ones that catch his attention.

Your hobbies and your job are the most interesting things about you to Mikey, he thinks they say a lot about a person

If you share hobbies he'll try to do them with you, but if not he's happy to listen anyway or watch silently

And then if you show interest in his hobbies.....!!!!!!!

Very few people actually bother to get to know the real Mikey, the Mikey behind all the funny faces and jokes, but if you put in that effort, he's practically head over heels for you in that very moment

You have to show him that you care about who is his not what he is

Once you do that you're in

Leo

Hardest to impress and hardest to keep, Mr. Fearless himself

He's not very trusting of people, he can be a bit of a negative Nelly when it comes to new people

He constantly thinks everyone is out to get his family and is going to turn them in the second they get a chance

So if you manage to actually get past all those walls, now starts the friendship stage

It takes Leo a while to form romantic feelings so it's a slow burn

But when you show him how much you care for his family (maybe getting Splinter tea, or playing games with Mikey, or working out with Raph and helping Donnie clean up his lab) he'll start to let his walls down

He's a bit of a dumbass and won't try to make a move because he is scared shitless that he'll make you uncomfortable

But when your attention suddenly goes from his brothers to him, he's thrown through a loop

He already knows everything about you, and now he sees just how amazing you are

Show him how much he and his family means to you and you'll have him eating out of the palm of your hand

tags: @turtle-babe83 @thelaundrybitch @post-apocalyptic-daydream @happymoonangel @mysticboombox @sharpwindow @dilucsflame33 @strawberrycakeblog @sketch-and-write-lover

[aclairvoyant]

ive been putting a lot of thought into why this:

triggers uncanniness more than this:

and i think it mostly comes down to the silouettes of the characters and the overreliance of cgi for the bodies.

in the stage productions of cats, there's a lot of work put into each cat's costume. unless the characters are intentionally meant to have similarities (e.g: mungojerrie and rumpleteazer, munkustrap and tugger, coricopat and tantomile, etc), they all look pretty distinct. even when characters have similar color pallets, they have distinct enough silouettes that it's easy to keep them separate in your head.

here is demeter, bombalurina, and jellylorum in the 98 movie. they have similar colors, but each detail in their hair, ears, shoulders, and even tails stands out and helps them look distinct from one another.

now let's take a look at the same trio in the 2019 movie.

despite each cat now having a different color pallet, they all have the same silouette and blend into the ensemble. each of the character is incredibly important to the cast, and instead of being easily picked out from the crowd, i had to look up demeter and jellylorum on the fan wiki just so i could remember what they looked like. honestly, if you didn't know what taylor swift looked like, would you be able to pick bombalurina from the crowd?

in my opinion, the cg fur definitely does not help. it smoothes out purposeful imperfections in the stage designs. also, oddly enough, almost none of the cats have any fluff around their heads, leading to a very weird silouette. they literally just look like humans with ears and tails.

just look at tugger in both films.

would you be able to believe that the 2019 version is supposed to be a big, fluffy maine coon cat? why is his silouette so different from 2019's munkustrap when they're supposed to be brothers?

in the 1998 movie (and all stage productions if we're being honest) it is incredibly easy to see these two are related. even without matching colors, they have similar silouettes.

in the 2019 version, munkustrap just looks like any other cat. i genuinely don't think anyone who has only seen the 2019 movie would know that tugger and munk are brothers, let alone that they are old deut's sons.

cats 2019 was a failure in many, many ways, including adapting the story and butchering the songs and characters. but it's so visually offputting because of the decision to smooth out any physical quirks the cats originally had in their designs. they're too sleek and just blend in with everyone around them. it's genuinely so disappointing to see such a colorful, vibrant, and uniquely costumed show turned into a muddy cg nightmare.

[firelilyfox]

Stardust Dreams

part three (final part)

Wonka: Willy Wonka x female reader

Warnings: very fluffy fluff

Words: 1k

__________________________

The sound of the harbour bell announces the time and Willy was getting more nervous with every second. He was waiting outside of the library for the past fifteen minutes just to make sure he wouldn’t be to late. It was freezing cold outside and the falling snow laid down on his shoulders like powdered sugar. His fingers were tightly wrapped around some flowers, he bought earlier at the nearby flower shop. Willy picked different colors because he couldn’t decide wich one she would like the most. So he choosed the colors that he reminded him of her. Warm orange, like her smile. Happy yellow, like her charisma. Lovely pink, like her blushed cheeks. 

The big wooden door opens and y/n stepped out of it with a big smile on her beautiful face. Willys heart stumbled. She was like a magical figure that only existed in fairytales. He couldn’t take his eyes off of her, because Willy was too afraid that she might vanish and he would find himself waking up in his bed again, to realize this was only a dream. 

„Good evening, Willy“, she greeted him. 

Willy smiled. „Hello y/n. These are for you.“ He handed her the flowers and when his hand touched hers for a split second, he could feel his skin tingling. 

„Oh! They are beautiful Willy“, she said admiring and giving him a kiss on his cheek as a thank you. He had to lean down a bit, so she could reach it. „You must be freezing. Let’s hurry home. I prepared something to eat and after that … no. This will be a surprise.“ Y/n was thinking out loud. 

She took him back to her tiny apartment right above a bookshop near the gallery gourmet. The view was breathtaking, but Willy wasn’t interested at all in looking at the city lights. He only had eyes for y/n while she was preparing the dinner table. 

„I really want to help you. It feels wrong to just watch you do all the work“, he said. 

Y/n looked at him sternly. „Willy Wonka I invited you to thank you for everything you did today for my little sister and for what you did for Noodle in the past. And I enjoy doing it, so don’t worry about me.“ 

She cooked him a wonderful meal and they shared it by candlelight. It felt nice and easy to talk about all kinds of stuff. Laughter filled the room and Willy wished he could capture this moment to make it last forever. 

„Noodle is like a sister to me. Her mother took me and Ellie in, so they both are like family to us“, she told him. 

Willy frowned. „You mean you were adopted by her? What about your parents?“ 

A sad expression flickered over her face. „They are always somewhere out there. Mom and Dad are not made to stay in one place for a long time, so they asked Ms. Smith to watch out for us in the meantime. And she did ever since.“ 

Willy knew the feeling of being alone way to well, so he understand the little tone of bitterness in her voice when she speaks about her parents. 

„But enough about sad things for now“, she cleared her throat and got up from the table. „The evening is not over and I still have a little surprise for you, Willy.“ 

He smiled confused. „I thought the meal was the surprise?“ 

„Not at all!“ Y/n laughed. She held out her hand, waiting for Willy to take it in his. „Are you ready for some fun, Mr. Wonka?“ 

***

The music made Willy smile. 

Y/n lead them to a little tavern that was full of people chattering in the corners, drinking wine and having a good time. On a small stage was a band of five members and their were playing some joyful songs. In the middle of the room was the dance floor and some couples already danced with bright smiles on their faces. 

Y/n giggled because of the amazed look on Willys face. „You never visited a place like this am I right?“ 

„Well I saw many places around the world … but I never took the time to go into a pub or something. There were not much to find for my chocolate studies.“ 

She nodded understanding. „Well I love your chocolate Willy, but tonight we have other priorities.“ 

The lead singer just started another song and Willy had to speak a little louder for y/n to understand him. „And what are the priorities for tonight?“ 

„Having fun!“ 

Y/n pulled Willy to the middle of the room and started dancing. Her moves looked a bit uncontrolled and without a plan. He couldn’t help but laugh and joined her on this weird little dance-off. They had so much fun just jumping around and laughing until their faces hurt. After a couple of joyful songs, the band changes the mood and a slow rhythm started playing. 

„May I?“, Willy asked and reaching out for her hand. 

She smiled. „You may.“ 

Willy knew how to dance and he knew intuitively where to put his hands to take over the lead.  Y/n rested her head on his shoulder and he enjoyed the feeling of being so close to her. Although he hoped silently she wouldn’t notice his fast beating heart. 

„I need to thank you for today, y/n. I can’t remember the last time I was so carefree.“ Willy said with a lowered voice, so she would be the only one hearing him. 

She looked up to him. The warm lights where shimmering in her eyes and he almost lost himself in them. „I’m glad you had a good time.“ 

„Maybe…“, he started. „Maybe we should do something like this again … sometime.“ 

Y/n looked a little nervous and for a second Willy wanted to take a step back to not make her feel uncomfortable, but then she stood up on her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips. It was a soft kiss, light like a feather and before Willy even realized it was over. 

„I would love to do something like this again“, she said as the music speed up again. 

They danced for the rest of the night until their feet hurted, their hearts were full of laughter and the butterflies in their stomaches kept on flying. 

Willy knew from this moment on, that the feeling of missing something would never come back. He found the piece that he was searching for. And he intended to keep her forever. 

[avatar-anna]

hiii, im from brazilll

you can write something like swiftie!yn going to the first show of the eras tour with harry and he is all in love looking at her all emotional and have fun

"If I don't have red lipstick all over me by the end of the night, I'll be very surprised," Harry mused, trailing behind you as you pulled him along.

You turned back to look at him, sparkly red cowboy hat catching the light. "Is that what you want?"

"It's what I expect," he clarified. "You get rather affectionate when you're in a particularly good mood."

"I've never heard you complain about that," you said, letting Harry drape an arm around your shoulders so you could walk together.

"And I never will. Why do you think I work so hard to make you happy?"

Rolling your eyes, you tipped your head back. Your hand found his chin, pulling him down for a kiss. Grinning, you said, "Well, this lipstick claims to be one hundred percent transfer proof, so no lipstick stains tonight."

To your surprise, Harry frowned. "How is anyone supposed to know I'm yours?"

"I'll look for my lipgloss when we get to our seats."

"You better."

Harry knew this was a special night for you, so he tried to let you enjoy it without being all over you. He wanted to let you dance and scream song lyrics at the top of your lungs without him getting in the way. It ended up working out for him, though. His view from behind as he watched you watch your favorite artist was more captivating to him than the concert he was currently attending.

Your white go-go boots with pink hearts on them and matching mini skirt elongated your legs, plush tan skin on display and making Harry's heart skip a beat. He was aware of course that there were people all around, so he tried his best not to stare so openly, but it wasn't easy, especially when you began dancing.

Harry half expected for you to completely ignore him the entire concert. He didn't mind, obviously. Taylor Swift was your favorite artist of all time and you were at the first night of the Eras Tour. Harry was there to enjoy a good concert, but he knew it was so much more for you.

But he was prepared. He had tissues in his pockets for when you cried, makeup wipes for when you returned to the car and eventually wanted to wipe all the glitter off your face, your comfiest pair of slippers waiting in the car, and one of his hoodies for you to slip into on the drive home.

Color him shocked when you held his hand almost the whole show. There were moments where you had too much excitement for your favorite songs, but a lot of the time you were tucked into Harry's side, singing along quietly with your eyes glued to the stage. Harry watched the show too, but he found himself watching you more. It was so cute to see you so lost in the moment, so enamored by music. Harry had seen something similar when he spotted you from onstage at his own shows, but this was different. You loved Harry's music, he knew that, but every track, every lyric, every melody that Taylor Swift had released was everything to you.

"Why didn't you wear the outfit from the music video?" Harry whispered in your ear when "You Belong With Me" came to a close. He was joking, but of course you had a serious answer.

"I'm saving it for another date. Thought I would be more dressed up for the first night." Looking over at him, you grinned before kissing his cheek. "Don't worry. I already have your outfit planned out."

Harry shook his head, exasperated but not at all surprised. "Can't wait."

During "Enchanted," you took Harry by surprise and turned to face him and rested your cheek on his chest. In your boots, you were tall enough to speak quietly in his ear despite all the noise.

"I loved this song when it first came out."

"You did?"

You nodded, one hand finding his and threading your fingers together. "I used to wonder if anyone could really feel that strongly for anyone. So...giddy and enchanted and completely and totally in love. It seemed so out of reach at the time, like an actual fairytale written as a song."

Harry bent his head down so he could look you in the eye. Yours were closed, enjoying the moment, the song being performed onstage. "Did you ever figure it out?"

"I met you." That was all you needed to say, really.

A smile spread across Harry's face as he rested his forehead against yours. His heart beat rapidly in his chest at her small confession. He knew exactly what you meant. Harry wasn't sure if you knew it, if you were even aware of it, but you'd changed his life completely. He'd been in love maybe once or twice before, but it was nothing compared to the feelings he had for you. It was...he supposed you were right, it really was something like magic.

"I love you," he said, his lips brushing against your skin as he spoke each word.

You kissed his cheek a couple times before pressing your lips to his. Harry was sure you were trying your best to make good on your promise and leave a mark, and he hoped it worked. The kiss didn't last long, seeing as you were both still aware enough of your surroundings that you knew better than to let things get too heated. But you smiled against his mouth and squeezed his hand appreciatively, happy to share one of the greatest nights of your life with the person you loved most in the world.

"I love you too," you said, then turned around, letting Harry's arm pull you close to his chest and keep you nice and snug there for the next couple songs.