#it was a good day. PLUS i got paid for a lil bit and i almost didnt clock in so theres that.

[onepiexe]

puppies from the shop today

[lemonandlime22]

GIVE ME MORE BITEY CHILD. but for pomefiore 🤭

Vil, Rook, and Epel with a scrawny and bitey Child!Yuu

Warning(s): book 5 spoilers, cussing

A/N: ty for the req i hope you like it!

[Bitey child!Yuu Masterlist]

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Vil

I honestly want to say that you bit him

but you didn't

you wanted to, don't get me wrong

but he was just too shiny to even get close to him without hurting your eyes

let alone bite him.

Anyway,

your first official meeting him is p different from how it is in canon.

Ace, Deuce, and Grim wanted to try out for the SDC but you didn't

plus I doubt they'd let a 5 year old participate

so day of the tryouts you were hanging out with Cater

Riddle and Trey were busy

and a few days later when they got the arrow message to go back, you took the arrow to play with after they took the latter thing off of it

when they did go back after school, you went to go hang out with Cater again, along with the rest of the music club.

But you finally met Vil when he and the rest of the SDC guys came to live with you

Grim filled you in on them coming to live with you two before they got there

and as soon as you saw him you didn't like him

he was too shiny.

He, like almost everyone else, thought you were just a rly fuckin weird kid

you also kept glaring at him and hiding from him.

He had heard of a weird child that always wandered around NRC and heard that you would bite people at random but he paid no mind to them

if you did try to bite him on during the training camp, he knew Rook would most likely stop you.

The first time he saw you bite anyone was when Ace was trying to steal your food

Ace was screaming at you to let ago and trying to shake you off his hand

Vil was just like,

ಠ_ಠ.

Overall, wtf is wrong with you-

he avoids you as much as possible, but you do the same to him so it's just a mutual discomfort. He also hates how much Epel brings you over to their dorm and how much time he spends with you.

Rook

Oh he most definitely heard of you before he met you

he is basically the eyes and ears of this school there was no way he hasn't heard of you

and you piqued his interest quite a lot not only cause you were a small child living in an abandoned dorm on a high school campus with a fire cat monster thing

but also because you bit people, which in of itself wasn't that interesting, but what does make it interesting is that you obviously had some type of pattern to it

if you bit someone the first time you meet them, then there's a good chance you'll bite them again, but if you didn't bite someone on the first meeting then you prob won't ever bite them,

ill talk more about Rook finding out about your reasoning more in a different bitey child!Yuu hc.

The first time he saw you bite someone was shortly before the, you trying to bite Jade incident

he found it a bit amusing but the Jade incident is what rly caught his attention tho.

When he first officially met you, he noticed that you seemed wary of him as most people did, but you didn't bite him.

He also found it quite funny how much you bit Ace during the training camp, and how much you tried to sneak up on Jamil and bite him but he would always catch you

then you would go bite Ace again.

Btw the reason you aren't crying when Jamil wont let you bite him is that Jamil isn't an actual threat to you at this point in the story.

Overall, he'd love to learn more about you and your lil habit, He also likes that Epel has found a liking to you.

You also stare at his hat a lot, no reason for this, you just do

oh and you also steal his arrows to you like sharp things but he always takes them back.

Epel

long lost feral siblings????

He heard of you from Jack

and as soon as he did he had a very specific goal

to meet the feral child!

he thought you seemingly randomly biting people was funny and wanted to see if he would be bitten.

He first met you when he was singing in the well like in canon.

When he went to live in Ramshackle for the training camp he was confused as to why you hadn't bitten anyone yet

he was rly hoping to see you bite Vil.

But one day he heard a,

"GUH- OUW- GODDAMIT YUU! GET TF OFF ME-"

and when he went to see what was happening he found Ace kicking his lag trying to get you off of him

he paused for a sec...

then bursted out laughing

like falling to his knees choking laughing.

Yeah.. he got a long scolding from Vil on that one.

Overall, He fuckin loves you! He brings you over to Pomefiore all the time to hang out with you

he always talks to you in his regular voice, you can't understand him but it's not like you'd respond much either way tho.

He finds your biting really funny and he doesn't question it much, he prob did the same thing when he was little for different reasons.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

[malectober]

Happy Valentine's folks!!

Or, more accurately, happy Malectine's!!! (I propose changing the official name to Malectine's Day. What's better, naming a holiday for romantic love after a hateful bigot who got none anyways or after Mr. Lovey-Doveys?)((By hateful bigot, I mean Valentine Morgenstern ofc. I'm sure St. Valentines was a delight))

Ehem. Anyway. I have decided to host a teeny tiny little Malec event this Valentines. Sponsored by a lil bit of time from my finals study sessions.

(I'm getting paid in sanity, not money btw)

((please help me NOT lose my sanity during finals, which, funnily, start the day after Valentines))

(((My only date for Valentines is, unfortunately, biochemistry. I'd really appreciate seeing some proper lovely chemistry that day instead of the kind that sucks my soul dry)))

((((okay I'll stop rambling now))))

Anyways. *clears throat* *dramatic flourish which Magnus would approve of*

Introducing the Malectine's Roulette Challenge!!

In this challenge, you're gonna spin a (virtual)

Now, here's how you can participate:

Step 1: Have a tumblr account (Ao3 account is optional)

Step 2: Spin the virtual roulette here to get a prompt!! There’s 7 prompts, each of which is from the Valentine’s week list thingy.

Step 3: Take your prompt and go wild with it!!

Step 4: On Valentine’s Day, post whatever you created here on tumblr (and if it’s a fic, in the Ao3 collection which I’ll link below) and tag @malectober so I can reblog it here!!

Now, before you go all spinning about, here’s a few ground rules and other information:

Please don’t spin more than once 🥺👉👈 The whole point of the challenge is to, well, challenge yourself. Make the best of what prompt you get. It wouldn’t really be a challenge if you kept spinning till you got the prompt you wanted. (However, if you’re racking your brain and still unable to come up with a good idea, you may have a second spin behind my back). Now, I won’t know if anyone spins multiple times, of course, that’s between you and your internet, buuut that also means it’s up to you to keep the challenge authentic.

You can do anything!! Art, fic, edits, playlists, you name it!!

Interested in the challenge but not really a malec fan? That’s fine! Take a spin anyway and go for it, but you don’t have to tag me.

Nsfw content is allowed, as long as it is put under a cut (Read more)

Speaking of which, any and all content is allowed!! Even if it’s the goriest darkest whumpiest content a human can possibly make. Just make sure to add any appropriate TWs to the beginning, and in case of particularly graphic/triggering content, put it under a cut!

For fic, there’s no word count limits, minimum or maximum. You could submit in one single word for a fic and I’ll still accept it!!

You may tag your work with “#malectine’s day” and “#malectine’s 2023”. But do tag this account within the post so I can notice it and reblog!!

I know I’m calling it a challenge, but there’s no reward or winners or anything. The true treasure is the malec content y’all will create, plus some of that sweet sweet validation.

Most importantly, do not, I repeat, DO NOT hate on any of the participants or content submitted.

That said, enjoy the challenge!!

Again, here’s the link to the roulette (Please let me know in case either of the links don’t work)

And here’s the link to the Ao3 Collection

Lastly, just for funsies, here’s a poll

[romanarose]

Sunshine, Starlight, Sweetheart, Brightside: chapter 5

My ongoing Steven Grant X FEM!OC fic

Chapter 4 : Chapter 6

Masterlist here

Can be read as a one shot if you use context clues

The response on these had been great! I can't believe someone asked to be on a tag list for something I wrote. I used to write crappy fanfiction in high school but could never focus long enough to actually write anything more than 3 chapters, I guess being on psych meds really helps things, huh?

You can also follow me on AO3 at Romana_rose and Wattpad at romana7rose. Can anyone guess where Romana Rose comes from? Hint: it has to do with this chapter!

Steven and Sam go on a cute date. Fluffy. Nothing bad happens. A little Marc and Sam in the end of this chapter.

Only warnings I can think of is smoking, a lil depression talk and maayybbbeee talking about having kids/if they want kids? Just incase.

Steven was waiting outside Sam’s work to take her on a surprise date. The date wasn’t the surprise, he was always conscious of Sam’s busy schedule. No, the surprise was where. As he walked up to the door, he passed the outside play area and saw Sam running around with a bunch of young children. He didn’t want to be the creepy man watching a playground, but she was captivating. She didn’t notice him for a while and just ran around playing tag, care free. Sam was a very energetic person in general; all giggles and running across the street and loud laughter. However, there was something different about interacting with the kids, there just wasn’t a sign of sadness, she wasn’t burdened with her past or anxieties of the future. She was in the moment. A small child fell, and Steven watched with pride as Sam dropped the game, gently telling the other kids to keep playing as she went to comfort the crying girl. She took the girl in a hug and asked if she was hurt anywhere. The little girl mumbled no, but Sam didn’t invalidate her “Oh that’s alright, would you like to sit with me for a little while we cool off?” the girl nodded. When Sam picked her up, she noticed Steven and waved, “I’m off, just give me a few minutes, I’m so sorry, I got caught up”

“Oh no worries! I’ll be up front, take your time” He smiled at the crying little girl in her arms “It’s a bit of a crisis right now, innit?”

“Yeah” Sam laughed “But I think we’ll be okay.”

“I’ll see you in a moment” As Steven walked away, he heard the girl ask if that was Sam’s boyfriend. He smiled when he heard Sam laugh and say yes. They hadn’t officially said they were dating, but Steven spent every available day with her. He didn’t know if he was supposed to actually ask her to be his girlfriend. Marc said no, but Steven thinks Marc did things a little differently. He supposed Marc was right about this one. 

Steven kept thinking about seeing Sam with the kids. Did she want kids? Steven hadn’t thought much about it. He had always said ‘maybe in the future’ but he was 35 now and he was still just a gift shop worker. Plus, there was the small bit about Marc. How is he supposed to raise a kid with all that? Not that Marc was bad, Steven loved Marc, he adored Marc. Marc and Layla could’ve been good parents if it wasn’t for… well, a lot of things. But life circumstances aside, Marc would’ve been the most kind, loving, understanding father a child could have. Cool as hell too. Marc took care of Steven, and having a kid probably could’ve been very healing for Marc after his brother. Maybe Marc would be a little over protective, but that wasn’t the worst thing a parent could be. But Steven and Moon Knight would’ve thrown a wrench in parenting. And Marc probably would throw a wrench in parenting for Steven. How do you explain this to a child? And he couldn’t ask Marc to just go away. It was his life too. Marc deserved happiness.

When Steven started to figure things out and Marc started to appear to him, Marc kept promising after he paid his debt that he would leave Steven alone, but Steven didn’t want Marc to leave. That was his best friend, his only friend. He wanted good things for Marc. That included Sam, if that's what they both wanted. It seems Sam wanted that, but Marc wouldn’t do anything he thought would hurt Steven.

“Hi hon!” Sam strode out the door with the joy and confidence he loved about her. He felt his heart speed up when the sun hit her hair, the light bringing out the red in her hair, helped in no small part by her red wool dress. She did love the color red.

“Hello sweetheart! Are you ready for the surprise?” Steven handed her the iced caramel macchiato “I don’t know how you can possibly drink iced coffee when it’s this cold out.”

Sam looked at him in aw “I can’t believe you brought me iced coffee! Isn’t your hand cold? If I actually had any ability to crochet I’d make you gloves too. And you’re wearing the scarf!” 

“Of course I’m wearing the scarf! I love it! And you do have the ability to crochet, I don’t like when you talk down about your skills like that, I think it’s very impressive to be able to make something”

Sam kissed his cheek “Thank you, my love”

Before they left, Steven heard kids shout “MISS SAM!!” and saw two children run out of their moms grip and almost tackle Sam to the ground. Steven caught Sam from falling, the mom was clearly embarrassed “Oh my god, Sam I’m so sorry!”

Sam was not upset in the least, she had already wrapped the kid up in her arms and spun them around “It’s no worries, want me to take them home with me? I got a pile of dishes that could use cleaning!” she joked while still holding the kids underneath her arms.

The kids yelled no and Sam set them down again “This is my boyfriend, Steven. Steven this is Trisha, mom to these two goofballs”

Trisha gave Sam a look that Steven couldn’t help but read as ‘good job’, as though Sam wasn’t way out of his league. “Pleased to meet you Steven, I’ll let you love birds be on your way, have a nice weekend”

Sam and Steven said goodbye, and headed to their bus stop “You gonna tell me where we are going?” She pulled her coat on with Stevens' help.

“No, you’ll see when we get there. I want to keep the surprise as long as possible.”

“Ok love, lead the way” Sam pulled her sleeves down to hold the cold drink, and Steven wished he had gotten a sleeve to cover the cup so she didn’t have to worry about it. He noticed her nails were bitten short, shorter than usual. Was it shorter than usual? Or was what he knew before the unusual. This last month has been such a whirlwind. Sam pulled out a cigarette, which Steven lit for her as she had no free hands left. He didn’t like her smoking, but Sam wasn’t one to take advice. She was a big girl, she knew it was bad. She could make her own choices.

When they approached the secret spot, Steven told her to cover her eyes, but Sam protested that she had to hold her drink “Cover my eyes with your scarf! Otherwise I’ll cheat, I promise.”

“Oooh, bit cheeky aren’t you?” Steven chuckled, making Sam blush, but he wrapped her face in the blue and white cloth. Sam wrapped her arms tightly around Steven’s strong arm to guide her and was impressed with how firm it felt. He guided her carefully, making sure no strangers bumped into her “Are you ready?” He worried that maybe he built it up too much and she would be disappointed.

“Yes!”

When Steven took off the scarf, he heard her squeal with glee, much to his relief. “OH MY GOD THIS EXISTS!?”

“Yes” Steven chuckled. “I never went either, I was hoping you hadn’t gone yet.”

“Marc is going to lose his shit” she chuckled

“Actually, Marc is giving us the day alone”

“That’s very thoughtful of him”

“Yeah, he can be pretty great sometimes.”

Standing in front of the Doctor Who museum, Steven let Sam finish her drink before they went in. The museum was small but Sam’s mouth almost never closed the entire time, looking with enthusiasm at all that was offered. When she found the original scripts of episodes, she insisted on reading every word that was shown. Sam even knew the props from various classic episodes. “I’ve never liked something at a normal level” she had joked a few times before, referring to herself as having an “addictive personality”, so of course she had watched every episode. Well, every episode available to the public. There was of course, the matter of the lost episodes, which she had mentioned today “those haunt my dreams”

The only time she wasn’t smiling was looking at the Vincent Van Goph costume “This is one of the best episodes in Tv history” she muttered, seeming more to herself than anything “Out of all shows, not just sci-fi. It’s incredible, it's heartbreaking. It really shows the destruction of depression. How it just sucks the life out of the greatest of people. And even though Amy tried to save him, the battle was probably already lost long before they ever arrived” Steven looked at her intently, her eyes shone, but she didn’t look like she would cry.

“You okay love?” He took her hand firmly.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Today is a good day, I just get in my feelings sometimes.”

“That’s okay, are you ready to keep going? There’s still the gift shop.”

Sam perked up immediately “Yes!”

Steven saw Sam eye a TARDIS hat and insisted on buying it for her. Sam tried to tell him no, that she could buy it herself if she wanted it, but Steven knew she still had one more semester of school left to pay for “No way, you made me a scarf, I’ll buy you a hat. We can match! It’s the same colors.”

She beamed at him “You really are amazing, you know that? I love you” she kissed him firmly on the lips “I love you so much” She hugged him like he would leave if she let go.

“I love you too sweetheart.”

They picked up takeaway. Steven offered to take her to dinner, but Sam was tired after a 12 hour day and just wanted Chinese food. He walked with her up to the apartment and she poured them wine for dinner. She had a second glass before they had settled down for the food.

Steven had one question on his mind all day “Can I ask you something? Maybe this is too soon in a relationship but I suppose it’s easier to just… get this out of the way.” Sam felt the anxiety flow through her, that's never a good start “What is it? I think we might be taking things super fast, which I like” She laughed nervously.

Steven laughed back “Yeah, I like it too… I just saw you today at work, you are so good with kids, a natural. Do you… I assume you want one yourself?”

“A kid?”

“Yeah”

Sam thought about her answer for a moment before answering “I don’t know, actually. I used to, absolutely, for a long time it was all I ever wanted… But I don’t know how much of that is actually what I want and how much was being raised catholic. Like, that was supposed to be my main purpose in life. I love kids, obviously, I’m passionate about them. But I don’t know if I want to work with kids all day and then go home to my own. Between work and volunteering with kids, I think I get enough of them. Why?” She looked at him, concerned but not judgmental.

Steven fidgeted with his hands “Well, it just worries me because I don’t know if that’s in the future for me… with everything going on…”

“Oh… Yeah I don’t think that’s going to be a problem, honestly. I adore kids, but I think I can make enough of an effect on the world with my work. I wouldn’t want to cause you more stress.”

“No, no, I don’t want you to not have kids if you want them just because of me” Steven couldn’t stand if he took something away from her, not something like that.

Sam took his hand “Sunshine, you’re not listening. I don’t even want kids. Not that I know of anyway. It’s not the be all end all for me. YOU are way more important than some fictional child I don’t even know that I want. I love you, I adore you. And you're not the only one with issues, if I have kids I could pass on everything wrong with me. We can spend the rest of our lives doting on our nieces and nephews. I got a shit ton of siblings so that will keep us busy.”

There was a bit of a pause, before Steven finally spoke up “The rest of our lives?” He smiled at her, so in love.

She smiled back “Yeah, if that's what you want”

“It is, yeah. It is.”

Sam snuggled up to him, putting her left over food on the counter “Can you stay here tonight? I got extra clothes you can wear… I just don’t want today to end, it’s just been so perfect…” She said, sleepily. He knew she wasn’t asking him to stay over to have sex, she just wanted to spend time with him. Somehow, the idea that she wanted to just be together was more thrilling than the idea of having sex. Well, maybe. Almost.

“Yeah, yeah I’ll stay. Do you have to be anywhere tomorrow?” 

“I do Big Sister tomorrow afternoon, but I’ll cook you breakfast?”

“That sounds lovely”

Sam got him an oversized Metallica t-shirt and men’s star wars PJ bottoms, he changed in the bathroom as she changed in the “bedroom” side of the studio. She wore a large shirt with, is that Bob Dylan? He couldn’t pin down her music taste for the life of him: Metallica, Johnny Cash, Bob Dylan, 2000’s emo music, Bruce Springsteen, Eminem. They climbed back on the couch and she asked what he wanted to watch, he didn’t care. He wanted whatever she wanted. He wanted to do whatever it took to make her smile for the rest of their life. She put on the American version of the Office. Steven thought the UK version was better, but the way she laughed? Well, now he couldn’t imagine a better show. She ended up laying in front of him on the couch as he laid horizontal to her, an arm wrapped around her, and before he knew it she was asleep. He pulled the blanket over them and turned off the tv, content to lay here with her forever.

When Marc woke up, it was Sam startling in his arms. He tried to orient himself, checking that their clothes were on first. When she gasped awake, he felt her startle, and turned around to face him with panic in her eyes. When she saw him, she immediately calmed down and relaxed into his arms “Sorry Steven, nightmare” before Marc could say anything, she fell asleep in his arms again, facing him. It seems their date went well Marc wondered when Steven would seal the deal and sleep with Sam, they already said they loved each other. Who says they love each other before they have sex? Who says I love you after 3 weeks? These weirdos. These adorable weirdos. God, they were the definition of puppy love. Both of them were too wholesome for him. Marc knew he had to do whatever it took to protect them and make sure nothing gets in their way.

Marc made sure Sam was fast asleep before carefully maneuvering himself over the back of the couch. She didn’t fall asleep next to him. She didn’t want to sleep next to him. But now he was in a predicament. He couldn’t leave, Steven and her probably had plans in the morning, plus he didn’t want her to think Steven left. He didn’t want to sleep in her bed, that would be weird when she was on the couch. But he didn’t want to wake her. After short deliberation, he walked to her side of the couch and scooped her up in his arms, careful not to disturb her. He took her to her bed and laid her down, wishing he had turned the covers ahead of time. He took the blanket from the couch and laid it on her, then headed back to the couch so Steven could rest. 

“Steven?” her small voice came from the bed.

Marc turned around and took a step towards her “It’s Marc, I woke up. Sorry I woke you. I’m going to the couch, Steven will be here when you wake up.” He started to head back to the couch again.

“Marc?” she sounded so sleepy.

He stopped “Yeah?”

“You can sleep in the bed, if you want…”

He wanted to. He wanted to sleep next to her, to kiss her forehead the way Steven did, to do more than kiss her… but she was tired, she was barely awake, and she was only offering him a pity peace offering after what he said to her with the scarf.

“Goodnight Sam” He laid down on the couch.

Chapter 4 : Chapter 6

Thanks for reading!!! reblogs help a lot and comments mean the world to me!! I read them all 100 times

[wooahaes]

i hope i'm not too late for the ask game! how about ceo! hoshi with minimum wage service worker reader? i've always found this trope funny - ☁️

omg no ur good! i answered a few last night before i slept for a bit and now im finally back after getting dinner <3 (as u can probs tell from the gap between the last ask and the one before it)

sdfkhdsf i both love and hate this trope bc i both would and wouldnt date a rich bitch. like eat the rich but also.... i would enjoy a money.

despite the nice place you work in, all you get paid for ur server job is minimum wage. the only thing stopping you from quitting is the fact that rich people tip rly fucking well half the time, plus if you laugh at their stupid jokes they'll like you more. insert: kwon soonyoung, the CEO of some company you stopped caring about minutes after you overheard business talk. for some reason, he always comes to this restaurant and he apparently always requests you (your coworker, vernon, says that he said you 'take really good care of him' aka you literally just do your job??? you don't understand it). but the guy does give really good tips (and sorta nudges for his partners to do the same there)...

so u and soonyoung are friendly enough with one another. he asks what you do outside of this (hobbies or school or w/e), you tell him you're a grad student, and hes impressed bc wow u must work hard considering ur always also working here during the day (to which you admit you switched to the online program for personal reasons).

more convos. sometimes he asks how you're doing and its genuinely sweet. sometimes he comes in alone for a lunch by himself and he still requests you. and then one day he asks if you actually aren't interested in him. ur confused, and he mentions he left you his number like... three times on a napkin. he even drew a lil tiger next to it and wrote 'call me! :)' too. ur confused and he says he thinks you're sweet and wanted to ask you out for drinks one day. u admit that u weren't the one to clear the table the last few times, and kinda outright say 'you should have just given me ur number' but he admits he got shy w tht. idk what else to put here rn but maybe u take him up on the offer for drinks and ur worlds kinda open up a bit more as u talk to him more genuinely. he talks abt the struggles of family pressure, u talk abt grad school n family stuff, and u just kinda find a home with one another through tht even though u have two very different living situations.

[sanstropfremir]

episode nine babes!!! it's the final stretch!!

this episode felt much more like the final round before the finale!! as always brave girls and hyolyn absolutely delivered on the drama and the panache! i had a lot of fun watching these stages, but i'm not gonna ramble on too much in the intro since this review is already a day late lmao.

hyolyn

costume

perfect. 10/10. LOVE the croptop based off a lifejacket, very inspired. plus the lil accessory pouches on her belt!! this is a really good example of how to theatricalize a uniform with a lot of flair, but still keep enough of the recognizable elements.

it's a very interesting choice that they went for bike shorts across the board than something skimpier (like the original styling), which would have been the easier choice to portray summer beach vibes. i don't think it was a bad choice, in fact i think it was a more challenging and creative one! it was the more conceptually difficult option and that's an uncommon avenue for kpop.

lighting

i feel like they blew the white balance out a bit too far on the cameras, which didn't help with all that bright bright red and magenta. those are very hot colours and there are a few moments were stuff blends together. human eyesight is the worst at identifying shades of red so it's especially a problem when it's in both costume and lights, but it wasn't egregious enough to really detract from the performance for me.

related: some of the more eyesearing red moments and the very strict red/blue colour palette paid off for the uv light dance break. and with the hats in the audience!!!

sound

literally no complaints. she sounded great, the arrangement of see sea was perfect and it was cute as hell that she substituted the 'babe' with 'bae'. slam dunk.

staging

looooooooooooooove the structure of this stage and the literal integration of the 'fan' aspect!!!!!! the steadicam intro with the fan on the subway car in the secondary area was the perfect framing device for the beach/lifeguard concept! also not gonna lie i got faked out by that backup dancer on the subwar car who had a very similar haircut to hyolyn, i thought she was gonna be on the subway car and do some kind of costume change lmao. i'm not sure if it was intended as a misdirect but it got me

i like that hyolyn travelled over to the subway car and it wasn't just used the one time, it kept her from being confined to the main stage, and it was a fun choreographic element to use

it's more of a general note but i liked that the three groups that went today had more significant set than we've previously seen. it made all the stages feel more worthy of being for the penultimate round and overall they were all fun. i loved hyolyn's lil lifeguard shack, it looked real sharp and added a set of levels that gave more oppurtunity to direct blocking. also the cannon on the top was a cute detail.

like with the touch my body stage, the projections are doing a lot of work with the limited set elements to build a very convincing beach, that then also transitioned very seamlessly into the cityscape for the fakeout/reveal at the end. the chainlink fence was a particularly inspired dual element choice! once again, a lot of careful and smart planning on the part of hyolyn and her performance director.

brave girls

costume

unironically i love these. they're a little bit ugly and a little bit ballet based but they so ridiculous and surreal that i do not even care. i love ugly. i really really appreciate that they were intending to go for a metaphor and they were extremely literal about it. they could have just sprung for a big flower on each of them as their spring has finally come but instead they opted for all flowers all the time and i love that. this is a go big or go home type of show and even though brave girls had a stellar track record so far, this costuming feels like both a natural evolution and needed exaggeration.

also the dresses pair so well with the all white of the dancers. i'm not even going to complain about how high the exposure is because they're meant to be snow.

lighting

speaking of snow, GOD the projection work here is SO fucking good!!!!!. they fully used the capacity of the screens to establish the boundaries of the space with the pillars and windows and drapery, and then also set the videos+'cinematic' elements within that established space! having that permanent setting kept the scale of the space feeling very grounded, and it made the widening of the 'hall' when spring came so much more visually impactful! you could actually feel how the change in perspective of the modeled space from a flat perspective to a rounded one opened everything up, even though there's basically no actual set

also i love love love a pastel sunset/sunrise palette like this. it's one of my favourites and they use it so well in the 'sky' and then carrying that throughline out into the stage lighting too

sound

i think this is the rearrangement of theirs that i like the least of all the ones we've heard so far, but it's still good. the encorporation of strings does a bunch of the heavy lifting in terms of tying all the numerous visual elements together. like strings (generally) imply classical music (they did actually use a classical piece also), which links the ballerina figure. classical music also links to the vaguely romantic type architecture of the 'building', which links it to a ballroom, which further links it to ballet, but also links it to the cinderella style slippers. 'classical' music also tenuously links the silent film type cinematic elements (even though silent film soundtracks were usually done on piano but i did say this was a tenuous link. i think the general 'old timey'-ness covers this one)

staging

speaking on how all the references in this stage are linked together, here's a continuation: there are several very famous classical pieces based around the seasons, and there are ballets of some of them. classical ballets often also have themes of transformation in them (giselle, swan lake). cinderella is also a story of transformation. the changing of seasons is always a transformation but winter into spring is associated with rebirth and success after a period of darkness and hardship. the classical piece that they remixed in is tchaikovsky's waltz of the flowers (duh) from the nutcracker (another ballet about transformation!!!) i feel like i need to make a diagram to map all the connections of the references out so that y'all can properly see how much thought was put into this. i'm literally so impressed.

it's so easy be haphazard with these types of stages because a lot of designers don't understand that spectacle requires as much care as any other type of stage or performance type. when you put the effort in to synthesis your ideas you can come up with something so beautiful and creative and it shows in the way that people respond to it! the improvement trajectory from the aimless concept of their first stage to this is so impressive, they and their creative team have clearly learned a lot and it's paid off for them.

loona

costume

i don't.........know how i feel about these? i don't think i like them because i don't think they make sense. while i appreciate that there was finally an effort to go a bit more surreal with it, why are they just plain ol' beige. you do a song literally called butterfly and you have all the costumes in unpatterned beige, a colour butterflies are famously very not. this was a perfect opportunity for bright jeweltones or interesting patterning or just some of those really big chiffon scarves with butterfly wings silkscreened onto them. you know, the ones they sell at the botanical/butterfly garden gift shops.

tbh my main issue is that the costumes are not saying anything. i don't know what the theme of this stage is. i've said it numerous times at this point but the fastest way to convey concept is through costuming and i just do not know what they're trying to do. sometimes that's not an issue and styling doesn't always have to be super prescriptive, but imo this stage is screaming for some proper visual direction and having more clarity in the member's costumes would have fixed that lickety split.

no notes on the backup dancers tho, those are perfect chef's kiss MWAH

lighting

say it with me babes: WE! LOVE! PROPERLY! UTILIZED! PRACTICALS!!!!!!!! yes turn off those overheads we want it DARK for those leds baby!!!!!!! it also helps that they used blue/cool toned leds, because it makes them cut through the warm/amber wash that they're using as the general stage light.

other than the excellent practical use there really isn't anything else special or noteworthy happening with the lights. the projections are very benign and inoffensive. i do like that that they did a could of nice cues with those floor cannons, it made some nice underlighting in a could of the darker sections

sound

i'm not familiar with loona's music so i have to assume there was some importance to choosing this song, but i really think they should have done some more arranging to it to make the song fit this type of spectacle performance more. it was very sedate and also it felt like it wasn't mixed properly? like the levels were alllll over the place: the mics were way too hot and the backing track was way too quiet and also very flat? like it was compressed down to a single channel and not stereo optimized. which could have just been a volume issue and it might have been fine in the space, we have no way of knowing since it's a recording, but there was the same problem in the fullcam, which is just the raw space audio.

staging

loona has the contact of a very good set designer bc the detailing on that platform and those stargate ass rings is really fucking good. like i was SHOCKED at how nice that platform looks. i'm also very glad that they went for a level in the back, it uses up some of that upstage space (this stage is weirdly kinda square) and forces a lot of the main action to take place closer to the audience. i've noticed it in a couple of stages over the course of the show but sometimes people and choreo has been getting lost in the upstage ether and it's much better for this type of performance to bring it downstage. and levels are always a bonus.

i liked the big spiderwebs! great way to shorthand conflict visually and it was a nice cutaway from main stage.

am i just tired or did this seem very similar to their choreo from their intro stage? i might just be watching too many too large groups doing big choreos.

---

since i'm a day late on this and twitter was unhelpful i'm not entirely sure what the outcome of the episode was? my personal rankings were:

hyolyn

brave girls

loona

wjsn

kep1er

viviz

and it looks like the round three rankings were:

brave girls

wjsn

loona

hyolyn

kep1er

viviz

which i will agree with on first and last but NONE of what's going on in the middle HOW could you rank hyolyn so low!!! i also think this means that no one is getting eliminated? since i don't think anyone ranked last twice? which, hooray!! i think that was a dumb rule anyways and there's only six groups, just let them all perform there's no need for these fake stakes. anyways we love brave girls getting full points like they DESERVE. and now it's just the finale left!!!!

[lgcwookjin]

© ngoeuns

what are the top 5 most used apps on your phone?

i use twitch a lot. i like to listen to streams while i fall asleep. they help calm me down and get in the sleep-mindset...if that’s a thing. same with youtube. i also use that a lot when learning new choreographies. that slow down feature always comes in clutch when the choreography is super complex. after that...i guess messenger? gotta keep up with my friends and family somehow, that’s about the best thing to do. discord i use as well when i’m gaming with friends. i’ve found it works best for that kind of chatting. i don’t do much mobile gaming—i’m more of a pc gamer—but i’ve been obsessed with magikarp jump. i train my lil dudes all the time.

what is the most random note in the notes app?

i don’t use my notes app that much, i wonder what i’ve got in here. actually there are a bunch of song lyrics. when i get inspiration in bed i will just jot down whatever it is really quick...and then wake up the next morning super confused. but that’s not really random, is it? plus i don’t want to spoil the next top ten hit. OH! wait this is perfect. i have a note that’s literally just: FJW64DF1R7. weird right? i wonder what that was...OH! that was actually a tracking number for my...friend buddy pal max’s birthday gift.

what was the last message or call you’ve received and who was is from?

this is gonna sound lame but i called my grandma last. we chatted about the show and the concert for a bit...no spoilers of course, i would never. even though she did try to pry them out of me. i swear she’s as into this kpop stuff as i am. she’s been my biggest fan since day one. though she says that she thinks that she might vote for one of my buddies instead of me if i don’t act nicer on camera. rude, right? won’t even vote for her own grandson haha. just kidding, we tease a lot in my family. i love her though. definitely wouldn’t be here without her.

what were the last 5 songs that you’ve listened to?

let me look through my spotify, my most recent is, of course: britney spears! hmm...which one have i been listening to recently? oh toxic has definitely been on repeat. i really want to do a dance cover to that song. watching her on stage was part of why i even started dancing, she’s a big inspiration so her entire discography is always on shuffle.

woud break up with your girlfriend by ariana grande be considered a throwback now? man, i’m getting old. this album is one of my all time favorites, so i’m always going back to it. 

ah yes! rock with you by vna has been on repeat since i was assigned it. honestly i haven’t paid much attention to the newer gen of idols, so while i had heard the song around i hadn’t given it much care. but then i had to practice it over and over, and now i’m a fan! i think it’s also there a lot of good memories practicing with my best friends to this song, so it has good vibes. plus it’s like actually a banger.

stay up by baekhyun is one i’ll get stuck in my head suddenly out of nowhere and just have to listen to, ya know?

oh yeah! i listened to advice by kang jaehyuck this morning. the chorus always gets me super hyped up. there has to be footage of me somewhere dancing to it cause i’ll literally addicted to the 더 참신하게 상상력 좀 발휘해 봐...i'll shoot the one advice part.

what were the 5 most recent online searches?

league best pro moments 2021 how to get a sock out of a toaster fun things to do in seoul at 2am am i in love with my best friend quiz bee movie creepypasta

[inkofamethyst]

July 10, 2022

[yesterday]

Sometimes I wish I could be paid to sit around in pretty dresses and just exist beautifully.  Then I remember that humans are a fickle species and that our idea of beauty can change within seconds and that’s probably not the most reliable source of income.  And then I dip back into my escapist daydream again because honestly, it would still be nice, if even for a moment.

I self-drafted a Swiss Waist an Edwardian Dip Waist Belt (Swiss Waists have points that go up and down, Edwardian belts generally only point down) today and I’m literally in love.  The mockup (made from the teal poly bedsheet, baglined, with no boning or interlining) went together really quickly and it’s so striking against my black flannel circle skirt (which, one day, will be replaced by a black circle skirt made from a superior fabric, but today is not that day).  I’m going to have to do a few minor alterations and pick up a few additional notions, but I’m pretty sure I’m going to make a ton of these in all sorts of different colors and fabrics and patterns (after I do more research on what would have been worn during the period, of course, but also I don’t really care about accuracy and think it’s a fantastic use of scrap), especially since I can make them out of little off-cuts (now I’ve actually got an excuse to buy them at JoAnn instead of “oh maybe I’ll use it to line something later”).  I am ECSTATIC rn.  After this success, I might even feel brave enough to try doing some of those princess seam alterations I’d planned months ago.  And maybe I’ll draft some secret pants or another walking skirt with this whole basque waist thing goin on.

[today]

I have purchased the wares of Tailoress JoAnn and have since created a plum-colored Edwardian Belt sewn entirely by hand and I am in love with it and want many more.  It went together super quick and I could totally make even quicker versions (fusible interfacing, baglining, no boning), but this could become the type of handsewing project that I take with me to campus.  ALSO I’ve finally mastered the cute little whipstich instead of my raggedy uneven ones!!!

I am also very very very close to impulse buying a pair of Memery shoes during their summer sale/clearance event because I’ve always said that I wish I could have a pair of character shoes that I could wear off the stage and they’re basically exactly that and people say they’re super comfy and ahhhhh I mean they’re a wee expensive, sure, but I’m making a bit of extra cash this summer and they’d really really help with the whole historybounding thing (especially since I’m never ever ever buying cheap historybounding shoes again I mean the last ones I got are cute and all but they certainly don’t feel great).  It’s just a question of whether I actually want a pair of lil heels or some oxfords.  Unfortunately all the black ones are out of stock in my size :/  Brown, cream, beige, or wait?  I’m actually leaning toward waiting.

Next project: McCall’s 8177 View B with a little extra length, hopefully, from the beigey-pink I got overseas.  I’ve got my size cut out and I’m going to mockup the top to check for fit before diving in.  It’s supposedly a quick project, but we shall see.  Not historyboundy, exactly, but cute and fun and I said I wanted a sundress this summer and this might be as close as I’ll get.  Plus I should be able to wear it under skirts as a top :)

One of these days I’m going to talk about the breakup, I promise, but I’m kind of in a good mood right now and don’t want to ruin it.

Today I’m thankful that I have a decent sleep schedule lol.  It’s kinda nice to wake up refreshed at a decent time in the morning.  Hopefully I’ll keep this up for a while.

[makeste]

BnHA Chapter 303: And What, Pray Tell, Is a “One For All”

Previously on BnHA: The Todorokis (really just Enji) looked at their children and went “how can we screw up all four of them in uniquely different ways” and proceeded to do just that. Touya was all “just because practicing how to set myself on fire better hasn’t worked to win my dad’s affections YET doesn’t mean it will NEVER work”, because child logic. Turns out setting oneself on fire real hard isn’t so effective at winning affections, but is actually incredibly effective when it comes to burning oneself to death, so there’s that. Back in the present day, the Todorokis basked in their various misplaced (again, except for Enji) feelings of guilt, and were all “anyway but get over yourself already Enji, you still have to do something to stop this kid”, and Shouto was all “I’ll help too”, and Enji was all “(╥_╥)”, and Hawks and Jeanist were all “[surreptitiously listening in from outside the door]”, and that’s basically where we left off.

Today on BnHA: Hawks and Jeanist are all “mind if we join you on this family journey?” and proceed to stroll in uninvited with their puns and their perceptive insights. Hawks is all “so to sum everything up, we’re fucked, but at least you have us here to help you out! by the way, no clue why I’m the first person to ask this in three hundred chapters, but wtf is One For All.” We then cut to Deku, who’s still all “[(－－)]z”, and All Might, who is all “I’m just going to ignore the extremely loud racket going on right outside this room.” Which, btw, is happening on account of Bakugou, who is all “(╬◣Д◢)” as Satou, Tsuyu, and Mineta cart him away. Anyway so that’s a lot of antics, and also it looks like Hawks has gotten tired of the Todorokis refusing to put the pieces together on their own about OFA and so he is fast-tracking that shit. And meanwhile Deku is chatting it up with the Vestiges exactly like we all thought. And now we have to wait another whole week for updates on all of this. This really is not fair.

omfg lol

“our bad, we were kind of accidentally listening in on purpose.” like I said last week guys, no fuss. it’s a tradition

OMG

I am absolutely fucking floored. Hawks literally said that so casually that it’s impossible for me to rewrite it so as to be even more casual. that’s literally what I would write in the “today on bnha” section. in fact I probably will write that

(ETA: just for laughs I tried it and it really worked.)

a couple more things to point out about this panel: 

“TOP 3” omg yes. more like “top only” at this point, honestly. interested to see how that goes

Hawks’s phone is freaking the fuck out about something, calm down there

I know this is a standard Jeanist hair-fixing gesture that he does all the time, but I can’t help but form hypotheses about this being a stress reaction because Hawks’s hair is making him internally freak out. Hawks, if this man tries to get you alone with him and some hairspray and a comb, please for the love of god do not listen to him. get out of there and call the authorities

omg Shouto’s face

okay confession, I wasn’t really sold on the whole “Shouto has a schoolboy crush on Hawks” thing until exactly now, when I became 100% sold on it. that is adorable

and heck with it, gotta show Enji and Rei’s reactions here as well because lol

“omg my son who’s not my son, and he just overheard everything about me being a terrible shitty father and person overall, oh and plus my actual-son set him on fire and called him out on a national broadcast. I’m just gonna stare at him baffledly.” versus Rei, who is all “hmm, who are these people”

so Hawks is all “I got released from the hospital after one day for some reason so I made Jeanist drive me around places while we talked about life” but uh, heyyyyy, what’s Rei doing

okay, uh

SO FUCKING FORMAL OMFG. “SORRY MY KID TRIED TO BURN YOU TO DEATH, APPARENTLY HE DOES THAT” REI NO IT’S NOT YOUR FAULT

HAWKS IS ALL “I’M JUST GONNA LAUGH SINCE THAT’S MY DEFAULT RESPONSE TO BEING PROFOUNDLY UNCOMFORTABLE”

let me tell you a secret Hawks, it’s my default response too. ahahahahahahaha oh thank god Jeanist is helping her up -- AND MAKING A JEANS PUN, OF COURSE. IT’S BEEN ALMOST THIRTY SECONDS. MY MAN WAS DYING

“WTF IS ILLEGAL DENIM” he’s talking ‘bout them counterfeit jeans, Rei. Antoine Bugleboy knows

THANK YOU JEANIST!! OUT HERE ASKING THE RELEVANT QUESTIONS

damn straight. we’re not gonna sit around waiting another 300 chapters for this information on this man’s watch

now Hawks is telling Endeavor he used to watch videos of him all the time, and calling him his “childhood obsession” I can’t

OH MY SWEET STARS AND MOONS

1000% CANON. “SO CLOSE...” ARE YOU SERIOUS. YOU REALLY PUT THAT THOUGHT BUBBLE THERE AND EVERYTHING. “GOOD MORNING EVERYONE, SO JUST IN CASE YOU WEREN’T ALREADY AWARE, TODOROKI SHOUTO IS NOT ACTUALLY STRAIGHT.” HORIKOSHI KOUHEI I AM LITERALLY DUMBFOUNDED. THIS IS AMAZING

and meanwhile that look on Hawks’s face while he casually-but-not-really-casually-at-all asks this question. that phone app better be using his actual voice. I’m not sure I could take this scene in the anime at this point if it was like Alexa talking or something

that look in his eyes is basically saying that so far, based on the information he has absorbed up until this point, Hawks is prepared to view his former childhood obsession as a flawed but changed man. however I get the distinct feeling that depending on Endeavor’s answer now, he would be willing to drastically shift some of his opinions on him

(ETA: this is maybe my favorite panel in the entire chapter. the fact that his question isn’t addressed to anyone in particular, but his eyes are zeroing on on Endeavor. and the way his leaning-on-Shouto pose manages to be simultaneously nonchalant and yet ever-so-slightly protective. there’s so much going on in this one question and gesture and I’m mildly obsessed with it.)

however, Rei is all “that was me” and ONCE AGAIN WITH THE FACES IN THIS CHAPTER holy shit

Hawks definitely did not see that one coming sob. it’s so fun watching him frantically recalculate his ideas about this family every two seconds

DAMN IT HORIKOSHI I UNDERSTOOD THE PARALLELS ALREADY, YOU REALLY DIDN’T HAVE TO DO THIS

yes, Hawks, you get it. it’s not exactly the same, but it’s close enough. though unlike your shitty parents, Rei and Enji are at least trying

OKAY I SERIOUSLY CANNOT WITH ALL OF THIS

fljkdlaskfjlwkjl okay we’re doing the bullet-points breakdown here

first of all, the fact that poor little Shouto’s heart is still thumping away at this proximity and all he can think is “CLOSE” all intelligently as he stares at him with that face omg

and meanwhile Horikoshi has these STRATEGIC BANDAGES WRAPPED AROUND HIS CHEEKS TO HIDE ALL OF HIS SHOUJO BLUSHING omfg. SENPAI NOTICED YOU SWEETIE!!!

HAWKS YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY ZERO OBLIGATION TO WASTE ANOTHER SECOND OF YOUR LIFE WORRYING ABOUT THESE TWO ASSHOLES WHO NEVER SPARED YOU THE SLIGHTEST BIT OF REGARD OR CONCERN IN THEIR ENTIRE LIVES. THE NICEST THING YOUR MOM EVER DID FOR YOU WAS BUY YOU A $2 ENDEAVOR PLUSH FROM THE DISCOUNT BIN TO KEEP YOU QUIET, AND YOU WERE SO AWED BY THAT ONE ACT OF SORTA KINDA APPROXIMATE KINDNESS THAT YOU SHAPED YOUR ENTIRE WORLDVIEW AROUND IT. PLEASE LET ME PICK YOU UP IN A BIG HUG FOR JUST A SEC, YOU DESERVE THE WORLD AND YOU WERE ONE THOUSAND PERCENT JUSTIFIED IN LEAVING THEM IN THE DUST THE SECOND THAT YOU COULD

but all that said, he immediately recognizes that Shouto would also have had cause to do the same in his situation, and yet hasn’t. and so he has that much more admiration for him all of a sudden, which is just super sweet, and fully appropriate. Shouto does deserve props. I’m choosing to take this as an “it takes a lot of strength to be able to forgive, and people who choose to do that even though they’re not obligated to are really amazing" type of thing, as opposed to “people who don’t forgive other people who severely wronged them are bad.” and if I’m wrong and Hawks’s line here is meant to be seen as actual failing on his part, well then fuck that, but we’ll move on

SO NOW, DOWN TO BUSINESS!

I am so, so curious as to what kind of strategy Hawks has for this (if he even has any), so I’ll just be quiet now and read

so Hawks is summing up basically what we already knew -- that Tomura and his inner circle (curious that there’s no mention of AFO, because if Hawks doesn’t know about him, that implies almost no one does) are still on the lam with a few PLF stragglers and some High Ends; that a bunch of prisons have been “liberated” (I assume this means all of the inmates escaped, so if that’s the case then where’s Kurogiri??); that the HPSC is fucked; and that heroes are resigning all over the place, and so civilians are taking matters into their own hands

OH DAMN!?

does this mean we’ll actually see some international heroes?? I will LOSE MY DAMN SHIT omg

(ETA: apparently people who paid more attention to the first BnHA movie than I did recognized the silhouettes as belonging to some background characters from Two Heroes. so maybe they were just cameos and they’re not actually new characters who are soon to join us lol. oh well.)

anyway so Hawks agrees with the other Todorokis that Endeavor has no choice but to fight

awww

DON’T WORRY ENJI THEY’VE GOT YOUR BACK. WITH YOUR FLAMES, AND JEANIST’S PUNS, AND HAWKS’S BOYISHLY GOOD LOOKS, THE THREE OF YOU CAN DO ANYTHING YOU SET YOUR MINDS TO

so Enji is very pertinently asking why they’re standing by him in spite of the... [gestures vaguely to everything]

oh my lordy lord

Shouto you had better do something to combat this soon, or this man will sneak past you on my favorite character ranking after all. his face. his cheeky lil finger gun. the fact that he sums it up so fucking simply. “if someone is trying to do the right thing, I want to support them.” exactly. exactly

(ETA: and one last thing I love but forgot to mention, which is the fact that Hawks calls it a team-up despite the fact that he is clearly in charge.)

meanwhile Jeanist is all “as for me, at this point I just straight up don’t give a fuck”

I can’t handle how fucking cool this chapter is you guys

so Hawks is all “you good?” at Enji. and Enji...

if anyone needs me, I will be building myself a discourse-proof fort made entirely out of problematic characters. I don’t even care. I will go on living my life very happily in here

lol at Natsu being all “BUT DON’T THINK THIS MAKES US FRIENDS”

I’m living for this weird and no-doubt entirely unintended implication that Natsu and them all are gonna join in the fight with the rest of them. I mean, they do presumably all have very powerful ice quirks. and Natsu has medical training on top of that, and Fuyu is skilled at getting eight-year-olds to behave which could be a useful talent for dealing with Tomura hahaha I kid, but I’M JUST SAYING. who needs hero licenses anyway

OH SHIT FINALLY SOME DISCUSSION OF AN ACTUAL STRATEGY. even if it’s just a PR strategy

WHAKLHL

and now for some reason we’re flashing back to Natsu and Fuyu’s attempts to navigate through the media crowd outside the hospital

well I guess this is why I’m not the mangaka. if I were writing this I would have done something trite and predictable like using that “One for All” line as an excuse to cut to Deku!! as opposed to this entirely unrelated scene!!

seriously though why do we need to see this lol

no one in this crowd has ever heard of Alexander Dumas huh. or even the popular 2007 Disney Channel original movie, High School Musical 2

so now there’s an entire page of Hawks saying they need to know what One for All is, and Endeavor having one of those patented Todoroki WHOOSH realizations lmao look at this

just wait until this man figures out that one of the scrappy new interns he took on three months ago was actually the main character all along

SKDFIOHWIERLKSJGLWLK!!

NOW IS PROBABLY A GOOD TIME TO ASK MYSELF WHY I CHOSE THIS CHARACTER WHO KEEPS DISAPPEARING FOR SIX OR TWELVE OR FORTY CHAPTERS AT A TIME TO BE MY FUCKING FAVORITE. WELCOME BACK SON PLEASE DON’T SCREAM YOURSELF TO DEATH YOU STILL HAVE A HOLE IN YOUR TORSO

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO

(ETA: can we just take a moment to appreciate how Bakugou even got so close to Deku’s room in the first place though. in this giant hospital with no idea of where to even go. does he have Deku Radar or something.)

YOU SIX ARE OFFICIALLY ON MY HIT LIST!! SPARE ME YOUR GOOD INTENTIONS!! MY BAKUDEKU REUNION KEEPS GETTING POSTPONED WEEK AFTER WEEK!! YOU’RE SUPPOSED TO BE HEROES WHERE IS YOUR CONCEPT OF MERCY

(ETA: btw just to be clear, I’m not actually angry lol; it makes total sense that they don’t want this rampaging feral toddler who was still in his own coma all of fifteen minutes ago to come and start screaming at the other coma child until he tears all his stitches out. if there’s anything we Bakugou fans should be familiar with by now, it’s being patient.)

also, Tsuyu wrapping her tongue around Bakugou’s still-healing torso wound absolutely can’t be hygienic at all. also wait is that Inko??

(ETA: pretty sure it is her. she got all of one line smdh.)

Iida is all “thank god Great Explosion Murder God Dynamight pulled through, I thought for sure he was a goner back there”

for the record this is actually really sweet to see how relieved he is. he’s one of the few people who saw the original injury close up, back when he was still at the battlefield and unconscious, so I imagine it really did freak him out quite a bit

JIROUUUUUU

“sometimes I just like to stand here and tug on my imaginary suspenders, what of it”

how come you guys get to loiter around Deku’s room but Kacchan doesn’t. god fucking dammit. AND WHAT DOES THIS EVEN MEAN

I BET KACCHAN COULD WAKE HIM UP FROM HIS COMA WITH THE POWER OF RIVAL INTENSITY!! BUT NOOOOOOOO, [is dragged away back to my fort]

OH MY GOD!?!

"this seems to be an entirely normal and above-board situation that we have just stumbled onto”

I see Jeanist comes from the Iida Tenya school of respectfully using people’s full names

Jeanist becoming one of the main characters is the best thing to ever happen to this series

EXCUSE YOU, IIDA

BUT I’M SURE HE’D MAKE AN EXCEPTION FOR KACCHAN THOUGH!! [elbowing my way back out of the fort] HAWKS, PLEASE --

DON’T GO ALL OMINIOUSLY PUTTING THE PIECES TOGETHER ALL ON YOUR OWN GODDAMMIT

“there’s absolutely no way this angry wriggling shoulder burrito kid here could answer literally all of my questions, so I’ll just ignore him”

OH MY GOD WE’RE FINALLY CUTTING BACK TO HIM BUT THE CHAPTER IS ENDING

[jumps up, throws a folding chair at Iida and the rest of the gang, and then runs]

oh my god. actually this chapter was awesome. but I’m so fucking mad at this cliffhanger though lol

at least we got a couple of answers! and some hints and teases! poor Deku looks so worn out even though he’s asleep dlwkjl my little green baby. and is it just me or is his quirk activated?? All Might’s all “I can feel it” as if it isn’t obvious just looking at him, why are you trying to be all mysterious dude

anyway! so at least we finally have confirmation and a date for those vestige antics at long last. looking forward to meeting Mister The Fourth next week so we can finally ask him “hey dude, what the fuck”

[essaysbyciara]

It’s Been A Long Time | Nebraska Williams x Black!PlusSize Reader [Part 1/?]

Warnings: language, smut thoughts (my ministry!)

So this has been in my drafts for a *HOT MINUTE* but that photo of Trevante in high school triggered a release. If people dig where it could be going, I will add it to my list of stuff to finish and open up a taglist. I’ll try my best to do so, I promise! lol

“God, I played this album out…” Lil’ Wayne’s seminal album, The Carter, didn’t age at all. Back in 2004, Wayne was a secret about to bubble over to superstardom, just years shy of lollipops and Static Major (rest in peace). Wayne represented the teenage angst of your time, even though you toiled in the suburbs while he wrestled with the streets. But as “On My Own” damn near explodes your factory speakers, a high pitch ping from your phone pauses your trip down memory lane. 

Message from Sheena: Let’s catch up before the babies wake up. 

You hit the call button on your dash once you stop at a red light. 

“Girl, hey. You on your way to work?”

“Ain’t I always, Shi Shi? Damn near almost overslept. Thought I missed my flight.” 

Sheena, or Shi Shi, is the epitome of a best-friend-forever. You two met in Ms. Grayson’s civics class, 11th grade. On the first day of school, you rolled into third period wearing a Scream Tour II t-shirt and if you were to describe Sheena in that moment, jealous wasn’t even the word.  She stanned hard for Lil’ Bow Wow but her mom wouldn’t let her go to the concert because she got caught with a boy in her room. That boy is now the husband half-way responsible for the twin girls she’s hoping will give her some grace by sleeping a little bit longer. 

“Damn. You wanna gift some of that sleep to these twins, God mommy?”

“Only if you gift me some of those post-pregnancy boobs, Mommy Dearest,”

“Can’t do that. Jarell been having too much fun with those!” 

“Girl, eww. I don’t need to know all that.”

You kinda did. Sheena’s stories were always live, wild and uncut. And the only fireworks you’ve been adjacent to in months since you broke up with that lame stockbroker, Keith. You curve around the airport parking lot as Sheena starts digging deep into her latest soft-core episode with her husband since the six weeks ain’t up yet. In between interjections of how nasty Jarrell could be and watching planes taxi in the distance, you cruise through Instagram to take inventory of what your day might be like. 

Managing social media for the biggest sports publication in the country was not the fulfillment of a dream after high school because, shit,  social media didn’t exist when you were in high school. But it’s what has you just hours away from a flight to the NFL Combine in Indianapolis, sitting in a parking lot, listening to your BFF’s slow burn sexcapades. You break up the audio immersion experience once your timeline displays something else to ruminate over.

“Sheena! Shi -- shut up! I can’t believe - you remember Lisa from high school? She got married ...and it ain’t to Brasco.” 

“Whaaaa… you can finally stop making u-turns in the hallway and snag your man!”

You didn’t appreciate the lowly dig from your friend about Nebraska “Brasco” Williams, star running back, track champion and boy so fine he made both Omarion and J-Boog look like ogres. Your high school crush had you shook to your pubescent core; pretty teeth, deep skin tone and two tattoos before the age of eighteen. You’d see him in the student parking lot with the rest of the football team and you’d rush to your car as if it would go home without you. He was too hot to handle. You were beyond envious that Lisa could. 

“Lisa ain’t do too bad. Her man is crazy fine. I mean, not Brasco fine but still…” 

“Man,  he had high school going crazy. I wonder what happened to him after that fight? I should stalk him on Facebook while I pump.” You laugh so hard, the couple walking past your car stops their argument to stare at you. 

Your laughs break once you realize you might actually miss that flight. You relegate Shi Shi to kiss the twins for you and to send his Facebook profile if she can actually find it. You tried years ago and failed. 

“Aight, fave. I will.  Love you. Text me when you touch down in Indy.” 

As you weave through the terminal, your mind thinks back to the days at New Birth High School. While it brought you joy in a forever friend and the launching point for your forever career in sports journalism, it did bring you one of the most hurtful days of your life that took years to shake. 

It was the summer going into your senior year. Lisa’s sweet sixteen pool party. No way in Hell you thought you’d be there but your Mom and Lisa’s stepmom sat on the same deacon board at church and somehow thought you two were friends; Lisa paid you dust in those hallways. You fretted over every part of your outfit, especially the swim shoes you didn’t want but your Dad picked up at Sports Authority. But you were fretting the most over your swimsuit, a red one-piece with a deep open back. It was sexy for a 16-year-old, to be honest, but you secretly tried it on at the mall and fell in love with it -- especially how it made you feel. 

You fell in deep love with your body that day. The way the swimsuit clenched your waist, giving your almost-pear shape some definition you’d never seen before. Your hips sat wide, your breast placed taunt, just peeking through the sides, showing off a crescent shaped birthmark right below your collarbone. It was Jet Beauty of the Week-esque and it made you feel on top of the world. Something that society kept telling you a plus-size teenage girl was not to feel. You used the last of your paper route money to buy it and hid your secret weapon in the back of your closet until the day arrived. You were hoping to get some boy’s attention -- especially Brasco. But you’d take anybody’s glare if you could get it. 

You were in the clear once your Mom dropped you and Sheena both off at Lisa’s back gate. As you walked into the party, the sounds of the local hip-hop and R&B radio station blasted throughout her huge backyard. So much fun was had -- so much splash and dash -- that the faint sounds of “Knuck If You Buck” failed to erupt a party full of teenagers it was made for. The pool seemed tempting in 90-plus heat but most of the temptation came from the jacuzzi next to it. There inside sat Brasco, his lanky on-field wide receiver sidekick Kenny and Jarell, Sheena’s partner-in-bedroom-bust crime looking delicious in their highlighter-color swim trunks. You were still figuring out your body and the reactions conjured up from the sight of water droplets chasing down their backs confused you even more. But the heat of the sun -- and the heat from your body -- got too much to bear. That pool called your name. 

You stripped off your t-shirt and denim shorts, leaving your swim shoes back by the picnic table. They clashed. Your nerves splashed together like the water you couldn’t wait to feel, battering against your heart. Were you ready for all this attention? Amongst the rest of the classmates, you disappeared. You weren’t popular. People knew of you but didn’t know you, only associating you with Sheena by proxy of Jarell. “My Goodies” came on the radio, providing you a soundtrack and a sign from God. Before you could answer the call, Sheena jumped into the pool. You tossed your glasses on top of your clothes and did the same. 

The water felt golden. Sheena smacked your face with sheets of chlorinated goodness. Too much fun was had by all, even Lisa joined in the fun. Suddenly the entire football team did too except Brasco and Jarell, languishing on the edge of the jacuzzi because like most boys from their side of town, they didn’t know how to swim. Lisa saw her boo in isolation and tapped Sheena on the shoulder. 

“Hey, Shi Shi. Let’s get in the jacuzzi.” Sheena grabbed your hand to guide you out of the pool. You weren’t expecting to see your Mom at the other end. Sheena didn’t grab you to join her in the warm bubbles, she got you out at the angry-faced-behest of your mother. You both were going home. The party silenced and stares followed as everyone watched your walk-of-shame to grab your clothes. You got what you wanted in the worst way possible. 

Your unholy exodus commenced when Lisa’s mom called yours to report what she saw: this red bathing suit too revealing for a little girl to wear. It wasn’t the green ruffled mess-of-a-bathing-suit from last year. She claimed to witness stares and whispers and “boobs hanging out, butt all out.” Your mom got over there quicker than a church shout. She waited to scold you after she dropped off Sheena. 

It was a Sunday School scolding like no other. Tears pooled deep like the one you were just having fun in. You tossed the bathing suit into the trash bin. You were never going to see it again. 

The announcement of your flight breaks you out of your day nightmare. Grabbing the handle on your suitcase, you see a text with an attachment from Sheena. 

Girllllllllllll. I found Brasco and babyyyyyyyyyyy… 

You gasp. Time did a wonder on him in all the right ways. He packed on even more muscle, chiseling out the navy thermal dressing his upper body. Teeth still bright, Moonlight-bright. His Omarion-Pandemonium-era braids were gone, now donning a clean fade with perfect waves. His stance meant business, a lot of it risky. You bite your lower lip to mask the “damn!” urging a release from you, staring at his picture so intensely that you damn near walk into the stewardess checking your boarding pass. 

You couldn’t wait to get to your first-class seat. You needed a safe space to drown in your own splash waterfalls. You beg Sheena to send you his profile, looking to make some more of that mess and she obliges. Scrolling through his Facebook, you see nothing. You needed him to match your uncleanliness. Another text from Sheena breaks you out of your spell. 

Ain’t shit on here though. I can’t find an Instagram or anything. That’s where the dirt is at lol 

You put your social media skills to work. Ain’t an Instagram profile that you can’t find. Nebraska Williams brings up nothing. Such a unique name and nothing to show for it. 

Maybe Jarell can follow him, Shi. 

Jarell ain’t on this thing. He hates all this stuff. You want me to follow him? 

Girl, yes! I need more pictures! I’m trying to find his ‘gram and no diceeeeeee. Ughhhh. 

Damn the “no cell phone until after lift off” announcement. You then try “Brasco”, too many names -- rappers, really--  and a dog company to boot. “Brasco Williams” yields no results. You couldn’t wait what could be hours, days,  weeks, maybe never, for a response from Brasco to Sheena’s friend request. 

You pull up Google as a last ditch effort. The results bring up what only seems to be archives from your now-defunct city newspaper covering one of Nebraska’s record-setting games from 2005. You know to quit while you’re ahead until you see a Youtube video: “Nebraska Williams (RB) New Birth High School (MD). uploaded by Donyell Williams. You remember Donyell as this boy who played too damn much in Geometry class but right now, he’s Brasco’s cousin who's Instagram profile came up on the first search. Thank God his profile wasn’t private. You scroll back far enough to hit the jackpot. 

I found it! @donniebrascowill is his Instagram. 

Sheena was right about the dirt. His posts were bare but his stories carried enough. Enough shirtless, weightlifting, fresh-out-the-barbershop-got-to-show-you-the-fade dirt. You hit the follow button before the stewardess asked for your drink selection. 

End of Part I

[spxllcxstxr]

Crushing (on) the Competition • L.E

(Gif not mine)

Request: Hi! Sorry, can I request for Lily Evans? Just something that involves reader and Lily having friendly competition when it comes to studies, but Lily knows that reader has a crush on her but she waits for reader to finally admit it to her. — anon

Summary: Studying for hours in the library can lead to some strange dreams about one of your competitors.

Warnings: Gets a bit suggestive towards the end, school, homework, exams, a paragraph about Snape, glass breaking

Word Count: 1.6k

A.N: We can all agree that Karen looks absolutely stunning in this gif, right? Inspiration hit and this blurb became a fic. And I absolutely enjoy it. Hopefully it’s all good it became a bit suggestive, it really just came out that way without me planning it like that lmao. Hope you all enjoy! Love you all ❤️

****

The competition in your year was getting out of hand, in your opinion. There were four particular students, you included, vying for the top spot in every available class, but recently that seemed like an unobtainable goal. The four of you were equally matched as rivals, constantly battling each other for the top position, but never staying there long enough to boast and brag to your peers.

Hamish Stebbins, a Ravenclaw with pristine horn rimmed glasses and one of the most massive superiority complexes you’ve ever witnessed, was a force to be reckoned with, especially since he could bang out an O worthy essay of any length an hour before it’s due in class. And he made a living off of it. For the right price, a perfect score in any class of your choosing could be yours with that massive brain of his.

Severus Snape, while it pains you to admit it, was so effortlessly intelligent to the point where he was extremely smug about it. He took his time, carefully crafting out each word of an essay and never took short cuts on his assignments. Unlike Stebbins, however, his knowledge was his own, meaning not even Slughorn could force him to help another student with some measly little problem if it meant he had to impart some of his sacred knowledge.

Then there was Lily Evans. She poured her heart and soul into each assignment and it always paid off for her. But she wasn’t like the other two. Lily never bragged about her perfect grades or rubbed it in your face like Stebbins and Snape. She always went out of her way to help other students, for free, of course. Lily was willing to spend hours in the library explaining concept after concept to anybody who needed assistance. That was just the way she was.

And to be completely honest, you wouldn’t even be in the running for top of your year if it wasn’t for Lily and her persistent kindness.

Ever since you met in first year, the two of you held long study sessions in the library, pouring over textbooks until the text became fuzzy and your vision swam about. She often helped you understand lectures and pointed out how to decipher essay prompts. Luckily, you’re a quick learner so with her aid you were able to beat out most of the other students in your year.

The study sessions between the two of you still occur, but they’ve been shoved off to the side recently because of the heavy workload you each have to endure. The final two years of Hogwarts were the most crucial years of your life and you weren’t going to screw it all up now.

Plus, ever since she squeezed you into a bone crushing hug right before your final O.W.L. exam in fifth year, you can’t seem to form a sentence or even think straight around her anymore.

Your eyes always avoided her piercing green ones, instead focusing on how awkwardly your feet shuffled around in your black Mary Jane shoes against the stone flooring.

Many of those times where she would skip over to you unexpectedly, you would end up flinging your wand across the room or spilling your entirely new ink pot all over your fresh ream of parchment. She would always giggle and offer to help you clean your mess up, and you could never actually choke out a coherent thought before making a mad dash towards the exit.

So to save yourself from the embarrassment, you always wind up studying alone in the library well into the night.

So that’s where you find yourself well into Sunday evening, in the back corner of the library obscured by mountains of Transfiguration books, studying for the next day’s exam.

The four of you were equally skilled in the subject, meaning if wanted to be on top, you needed to work for it more than usual.

Your corner is dark and dusty, the only light being from the flickering lamps you lit and placed haphazardly around the oak table. They cast an eerie orange glow across the paper, almost dreamlike.

The handwritten black ink text starts to jumble together at around nine, which makes complete sense considering you’ve been holed up in this one spot since classes ended hours ago.

Your legs and your butt had gone numb hours ago, making your old rickety wooden chair seem comfortable.

Eyelids droop considerably, the weight almost becoming unbearable, just like how your head starts to slide away from your palm. The text starts to shift, and in your tired haze you distantly wonder when you started studying ancient runes.

You’re able to get out one meek yawn before your heavy head slips down to your textbook pillow and your vision cuts to a comforting black.

A delicate hand rests on your shoulder, trying to shake you awake.

In your dreamlike state, you blearily open your eyes and glance at the hand. It’s pale and freckled with light pink nail polish that looks fresh considering each nail is still in pristine condition. If they were yours, you would’ve bitten through it all already.

“(Y/n)?” The voice is soft and hushed. “Sweetheart, you gotta wake up, it’s past curfew.”

Your eyes trail up their robe covered arm and finally rest on their face. It takes you a moment to fully register the galaxy of freckles adorning their face and those green eyes that always made you fidget. She’s stunning in her Gryffindor robes, she always is in your dreams, her top two buttons are popped.

“Lily?” You mumble, still attempting to will yourself less tired. Yawning, you pick your head up.

“Did you spend all this time studying, sweetheart?” Lily continues, the hand on your shoulder trailing up to your jaw.

Sweetheart was the nickname Lily always used in your dreams and each time she addressed you, your stomach erupted in butterflies and your heart began to skip beats.

You hum and nod in response.

She pouts, her pink lips plump and vibrant. Swiftly, she moves a few of your books so she can prop herself up on the table while still looking at you.

Her grey pleated uniform skirt rides up her thigh a tad, exposing her soft and pale skin.

You swallow, eyes wide. “Merlin Lils, the things you do t’me.”

“And what, do tell (Y/n), do I do to you, exactly?” Her green eyes are wide and doe like, playful feigned innocence drenching her gentle features.

The particles of dust float aimlessly by, glowing like balls of light due to the lanterns you still have surrounding you.

She’s towering over your seated body, thumb swiping across your bottom lip.

Your dream was in a whole ‘nother territory now.

“Lily, I’ve fancied you since bloody fifth year! You can’t just—“ You sputter, heart pounding wildly in your chest. “We’ve got an exam—!”

She giggles, the lovely sound filling up the library.

“Oh, I’ve known about your crush for some time now, (Y/n).”

Breath catches in your throat. “Oh.”

Once again, Lily giggles. She pushes herself back against the table, skirt being pushed up even more, the stack of books behind her tipping, the lantern on top of them falling, falling, falling...

The shattering of glass makes you jolt up from your seat, the piercing sound waking you up as you tear your gaze away from Lily.

“Shit!” She curses. “Shit, I’m sorry, (Y/n).”

As she turns to wave away the mess, it suddenly occurs to you that you may not be dreaming after all. While her back’s turned, you pinch yourself hard, stifling your yelp behind your other hand.

A dreadful chill shoots down your spine causing your body to freeze.

You weren’t dreaming.

“Oh fuck.”

Quickly, your hands shoot up to your head, fingers grasping at your hair in disbelief and embarrassment.

Lily turns back to face you, eyebrows drawn together in concern, the glass gone.

“Are you alright? Did a shard get you—?”

“This—this wasn’t a dream.” You shakily state, staring at her.

“Do you frequently dream of me?” She raises an eyebrow, still stepping closer to your form.

“Yes!” You cry, before dropping your voice down, remembering that you are out after curfew even if Prefect Lily was with you. “That’s why I thought—I thought—“

“You only confessed because you thought it was a dream.” Lily interjects calmly in realization.

“Merlin, I’m so sorry!” You groan, gaping at your own stupidity.

“No! No, don’t be sorry, (Y/n)!” Her smile lights up her face once again as she moves her hands to cover your own. “I wanted to hear you admit your crush on me so I could...confess in return.” She bites her lip shyly.

“You—you like me?” You mutter, stomach doing complete flips.

“It was fifth year for me, too.” Lily confesses. “Something about seeing you all stressed out while studying and us huddling over a paragraph in the candlelight...” She trails off.

“Well that’s grand!” You laugh. “Absolutely ace!”

“Well c’mon then, sweetheart, let’s get you up to the dorms.” Lily chuckles as your rejoice.

“But the exam is tomorrow, Lily—“

“Tomorrow after lunch, (Y/n). You need your sleep if you wanna take down Snape and Stebbins.” Lily teases, helping you pack away your things into your leather bag.

“And if I want to take down you as well?” You ask, shoving books away and collecting your notes.

“Well,” She starts, shooting you a wink. “just ask me nicely.”

She laughs at your audible gulp before taking your hand and dragging you up to her own dorm.

•

All Character Taglist: @aspiringsloth20 @amourtentiaa @cherie-draco

[patchworkpuzzle]

Every Christmas, near the death anniversary of my abuelita, Bakubabe will cook my favorite meal which is her recipe of menudo, that he took months preparing precisely for that moment.

Kirisunshine every time he gets something that has a tag, he'll give it to me because he knows about my collection that no one has ever paid attention to, so he lets me know he cares about me including the things others consider boring or ridiculous.

I hope your week gets better, sweetie.

Evie! This is so sweet and pure. I love having traditions that are passed down, my family has quite a few, and being used around special holidays to keep their memory and spirit alive!

Plus I can totally seeing them do this! So hopefully I can do you vision justice with this lil drabble, cause this is so lovely!

Christmas was always a weird holiday for you. Not that you didn’t enjoy it, because you totally did! You loved the feeling this holiday brought. You loved the feeling of festivity and comfort that was always in the air, no matter where you went. The thought of knowing that many people, like yourself, would get together with family and friends and celebrate and be grateful for having them in their lives. And the good food and gift exchanges were also a nice bonus!

Though the older you got, the less family you got to see. And around this time you were always reminded of your abuelita, and how she passed close to the holiday. And how you missed all the little things and traditions she would do and uphold around this time of year.

But Bakugou didn’t. He knew how much she meant to you, and seeing as you were unable to meet up with family this year, he decided to do his research to recreate your favorite dish she would serve to you during the holidays.

It took him months, months, to properly prepare the menudo to meet the standards of himself and, more important, that of your abuelita. And though he mumbled, groaned, and bitched to himself throughout the entire preparations and training to get to that point, it was all worth it seeing the way your eyes lit up when he served you the dish.

His chest puffing up in pride as you all sat and ate it, listening to you gush and praise him for how great it all tasted; it was like your abuelita had made it herself and was feeding you once again! You couldn’t thank Bakugou enough for making it for you, for allowing you this piece of tradition to stay alive.

Kirishima, on the other hand, couldn’t cook. Couldn’t really do much that involved being skilled or crafty. But that didn’t stop him from wanting to spoil you on the same level as Bakugou, to have your light up and enjoy the holiday to the fullest.

So he got you a bunch of gifts, all of them had tags. Kirishima could never understand why on earth you liked things with tags, and tags themselves, so much; but you did. And he liked you so much that he never minded one bit. He found it quite fun getting all sorts of gifts together so that you may add all these tags to your collection.

Because, after all, a collection can’t be great if it isn’t a large one!

And so, when he was finally able to give you all those gifts with all those tags (nearly bouncing on the spot as he waited for you to wake up and open them all) the smile that was plastered on his was could light up a whole city block.

When you questioned him about later that day, after you had properly added each and everyone to your collection, as to why he did it; Kirishima just shrugged. Stating that just because others may find it strange or ridiculous to have a collection like that; didn’t mean he did. He loves you, and therefore wants to let your collection grow big and strong.

Needless to say, Christmas this year was a lot better with them around.

[illfoandillfie]

uhm if you still need and want a benny boi request: hiking with him and soft sex by the fireplace to warm up 🥺 or in the tent bc it's probably pretty cold ngl

(@queenmylovely​)

God you bitches get me. These prompts are wonderful and came in about 30 seconds apart lmao so i hope you like what I did with them!

warnings: smut but its like super somft and fluffy, also a lil bit of arguing

Blurb Advent: Day 16

The trip wasn’t exactly what you’d imagined it would be. Initially you’d been planning to get away during Summer, maybe head to the beach for a couple of weeks, spend your time relaxing in the sun, hitting the waves. But the timing never quite worked out and the whole idea of going away was put on hold until it had cooled down again. And of course, once it became clear the trip would be in winter, you had to stop thinking of the beach and find somewhere new to go. Luckily (you supposed) a family friend of Ben’s had a cabin in the woods that he was happy to let you use. You weren’t quite as thrilled with it as you would have been a little beach side cottage, but you really just wanted some time for you and Ben without other distractions and he wanted to get out of the city. And neither of you wanted to wait another six months for the break. So the arrangements were made and early on a Friday morning you grumbled your way out of bed and into the warmest clothes you owned, packing everything into the car, ready to head off on your holiday.

 The cabin was cute, surrounded by tall trees and the promise of picturesque views. A generator had been installed a few years previous to allow access to electricity and there was a large rain tank to collect water for all the plumbing systems. You had been warned that in dryer weather you may need to seek out the nearby well to collect water for drinking and cooking. There’d been a lot of rain in the previous month so you didn’t think you’d need to worry about it but, all the same, you kept it in mind, adding a few metal water bottles to your essential supplies (which included things like food, the makings of tea and coffee, toothpaste and condoms). On top of the essentials you also made sure to pack Ben’s guitar and your travel paint set in the hopes that the seclusion and nature would inspire you both.

 The first day was mostly spent getting there and unpacking. When you arrived, you had to carry all your gear up a short incline that the car couldn’t access but it was worth it when you saw the scene. It was gorgeous, the surrounding woods a little damp with fresh rainfall, the cabin looking cozy and warm and perfect for a romantic getaway. You spent the morning putting food in the fridge and poking around the cabin, getting the doors and windows open to let in some air and natural light. In the afternoon you checked out the store of firewood and decided to collect some more so that it would have time to dry out under cover before you needed it. Together, bundled up in warm coats and gloves, you walked around the immediate area, collecting any logs that looked large enough as well as smaller sticks for kindling. In the evening you made dinner together and settled in for a night on the couch, wrapped in as many blankets as you could get your hands on. Things had been so busy lately you almost didn’t know what to do with yourself now that you were taking a break from it all. But the chaos you’d been living in had meant you didn’t get much of a chance to talk to Ben properly so that was what you did. Snuggled up on the couch and talked, finally able to just be together.

 The next day Ben suggested you check out the surrounding area, follow the hiking trail up the hill and see what was out there. There were practical reasons like finding the well just in case you did need it, but mostly it was just for fun. You each filled a backpack with a water bottle and some food as well as a grabbing a small first aid kit, some bug spray to combat the mosquitos you’d noticed the night before, and your paints. Ben slung his guitar over his back and you set off. The walk itself was fine though there were a few steep places on the trail. Ben used them as an excuse to hold your hand, getting a few steps higher and then offering his to help you follow. It was silly but cute and you found yourself giggling whenever he did it. It was quiet too, which was nice. You didn’t meet any other people on the trail but that meant you could stop and point out creatures that crossed your path or pause to take photos of interesting plants and pretty views you might like to paint later.

 At the top of the hill was a little lookout area with a park bench. Since you seemed to have it to yourself you unpacked your bags and ate lunch looking out over the tops of the trees below. As you ate you pulled out your sketchbook and started to draw things you could see, going over some with paints and leaving others as just the outline. Ben pulled out his guitar and found a small spot to lean against a tree and play softly, his eyes closed as he plucked at the strings. It was tranquil and peaceful and perfect. Or nearly perfect. You hadn’t noticed it as much while you were walking but now that you were standing still you realised just how freezing cold it was. For a while you tried to ignore it but eventually you had to speak up.

“Benny? Are you getting cold? My fingers are starting to freeze, maybe we should think about heading back?”

Ben dropped into the seat beside you and grabbed your hands in his, “I’ll warm them up for you.”

“That’s cute,” you smiled, not mentioning how unhelpful of a suggestion it was, “But I’m serious. The walk up here took a while anyway, might be best to start heading back down now, before it starts getting dark and even colder. Plus I don’t like the look of those clouds,” you pointed to a dark patch of sky off in the distance.

Ben eyed the rainclouds and thought for a moment, “Alright, you make a good point. Let’s pack up.”

 As quickly as you could you packed everything back into your bags and began to make your way back down the slope. Walking did help warm you up again though you couldn’t help but mention your need to defrost in front of the fire. And your discomfort only got worse as the rain began. The trees protected you a little but not enough and before long your teeth were chattering and your toes felt numb. Ben was just as unhappy, his hair dripping onto his face as he snapped at you to hurry up. He got particularly cranky when you paused to take a photo of the pretty haze the rain had thrown over one of the scenes you’d photographed on your way up, the roof of your cabin just visible through the trees.

“All your fucking complaining and now you want to stop to take pictures? Jesus Christ.”

“Hey, if it wasn’t for me you’d still be sitting up at the fucking lookout twiddling your thumbs.”

“You’re so fucking full of it. And slow! Could you walk a little faster please!” Ben tried to grab your hand and pull you along but you shook him off.

“It’s not my fault my feet feel like ice blocks. I didn’t even want to come out to this stupid cabin.”

“You’re the one who was practically begging for me to take you somewhere.”

“Yeah but not a fucking cabin in the middle of nowhere. This is the start of a horror film Ben. You brought me to a horror film.”

“Y’know this isn’t exactly what I wanted either. I was hoping for something a little more romantic, a little less bitching.”

“Well I think you’ve put paid to that.” You spat back, dropping your eyes to your feet so you could watch the terrain you were walking over, not wanting to slip in case Ben decided to walk ahead.

 You were surprised when Ben held his hand out to you, offering his help to get down a particularly uneven patch of the path, but you took it all the same.

“Sorry,” he said softly, keeping his hand tight around yours, “I know this isn’t ideal.”

“It was lovely up until the rain,” you shrugged, “Sorry I stopped before, and that I’ve been winging so much,”

“Hey, you’re allowed to winge, especially when your idiot boyfriend gets you stuck freezing to death in the middle of nowhere,” he squeezed your hand reassuringly, “but maybe he can make it up to you when you get back to the cabin?”

“How?”

“I’m thinking we get the fire going and sit as close to it as we can until we’re warm. I can make us some hot chocolate and then maybe we whip up a curry for dinner? Something really hot.”

You chucked and nodded, “Sounds good. Can I make one request?” “What is it?” “Can we cuddle? While we’re in front of the fire?”

“The cuddling was implied. It’s the most romantic thing I can think of so of course we’re cuddling.”

“You’re not an idiot Ben. And walking in the rain is kind of romantic, especially when there’s a fire to go back to.”

Ben pulled your hand up to his lips, kissing the back of it as you walked.

 By the time you got back to the cabin you were damp through, though your shoes felt completely soaked. Ben was true to his word though, peeling off his jacket and bending over the fireplace as he told you to go and get changed. You dug out clean, dry clothes, throwing Ben’s hoodie over the top. You grabbed all the blankets you could and came out to a fire coming to life as Ben hurried off to change. While he was gone you dropped the blankets on the floor, a little back from the fireplace, creating a sort of nest for the two of you.

“You stole my hoodie,” Ben pouted.

“Can’t blame me, it’s so warm and soft and I look cute in it,”

He chucked as he took his place beside you, wrapping his arms around you, “all of that is very true.”

For a while you just sat together, letting the feeling come back to your fingers and toes. Ben asked to see the photos you’d taken, pointing out scenery he thought would make nice artwork, and especially anything you could hang on the walls at home.

“I hope your sketchbook didn’t get too wet”

“I don’t think the rain got into the bags too much. What about your guitar?”

“It should be fine, it’s been in worse weather. Sorry I was short with you before,” he said quietly, his nose bumping your cheek.

You turned your head towards him, “It’s alright. I’m sorry too.”

He kissed you softly, bringing a hand up to cup your cheek.

You sighed against his lips and shifted to better face him, discouraging him from moving away.

 Ben kissed you slowly and deeply, as if he intended to just keep kissing you all night. But gradually his hands began to wander too, fingertips lightly tracing patterns over your sides as they slipped further down. You hummed at the touch, mirroring him, trailing your fingers down his chest and stomach. Slowly, he inched the hem of the hoodie higher until he could pull it over your head. You didn’t mind, plenty warm from the fire and Ben’s embrace.

“This okay?” Ben asked between small kisses along the corner of your mouth, his fingers already tugging at your shirt.

“Mmhmm, very,”

He nodded and lifted your shirt over your head, keeping his arms up so you could do the same to him.

He didn’t rush, leisurely following the line of your throat with his lips, humming in response to your whimpers and mewls. You were already wet when he wriggled his hand under the band of your leggings, exacerbating your arousal as he stroked along your slit.

 Once he had your pants off he rolled you onto your front, making sure you were comfortable amongst all the blankets, the heat of the fire washing over you. Gently, he hooking his fingers into the top of your underwear, pulling them down your legs, leaving soft kisses on your lower back and arse and thighs.

“Give me two seconds, babe,” he whispered, tugging his own pants off and leaning over to grab one of your backpacks.

“What’re you doing?” you asked, looking over your shoulder at the noise.

“Might have thrown a couple of condoms in here, just in case.”

“In case? In case of what?”

“I don’t know. In case the view made you super horny or we wandered into a fairy ring and ended up kidnapped by pervert fairies. Just, y’know, in case.”

“You’re so stupid,” you laughed, tapping him with your foot as you lay down again, your arms folded under your head.

“I was just preparing for any eventuality.”

“Mmm well, you might want to hurry up and prepare or else I’m gonna fall asleep here. It’s very comfortable,”

“Don’t do that, hang on,” You heard Ben tear at the wrapper and then swear and then tear it again as you laughed into your arms.

“Alright, ready. You still awake,”

“Surprisingly, yes,”

“Good,” his voice was close to your ear as he lay over you, cocooning you in his warmth as he entered you from behind.

You moaned into your arm as he slowly rocked into you, his chest against your back as he braced himself on arms either side of you. There wasn’t much scope for anything fast or hard but it was intimate, his cock pressed against your g-spot so that every slight shift of his hips sent a jolt of pleasure through you.

Ben kissed your shoulder and left his lips there as he mumbled, “feel good?”

“Mmhmm, fucking incredible,”

“Mmm, you feel incredible too.”

You pushed your self up and looked around for Ben. Within seconds he was kissing you again, tongue dragging over your lips as another jolt shot though you and you gasped.

 For a while you stayed like that, your movements lazy and slow. But it wasn’t enough to push you over the edge, even with Ben groaning in your ear or sucking at your pulse point.

“I need more Ben,”

“Alright, babe, if I pull out are you good to roll over?”

You nodded, catching him in another kiss to show your appreciation.

Once you were on your back, leaning on your forearms, Ben adjusted his position, his legs falling between yours as he lined himself up once more. He wasn’t much deeper but the angle was different and you felt Ben hit a spot he hadn’t reached before as he leaned over you and attached his lips to your neck again.

“Fuck, Ben,” The fire was still burning, heating your opposite side as you threw your arm around Ben, digging your nails into his back as he gave an experimental thrust.

“This better?” “Yeah. You make me feel so good,”

Ben smiled and lay you back further, so he didn’t have to hold himself up with his arms, instead allowing him to slide one hand between you to softly play with your clit.

You grasped at his back as his hips snapped against yours harder, his fingers constantly rubbing at your clit.

“C’mon, babe, you’re close aren’t you.”

You nodded again, feeling as if you’d lost the ability to form words as your back arched. Everything was warm and comfortable – the fire and the blankets and Ben’s low voice, mumbling encouragement between kisses – and before you fully comprehended it was happening, your orgasm washed over you, pulling Ben’s name from your throat. He mirrored you a few seconds later, groaning your name as he stilled, his forehead falling to meet yours.

Carefully he rolled off you and you shuffled around to lean your head on his chest, still mostly tucked up in your blanket nest.

It was quiet for a moment as you both settled, your breathing falling into sync as you watched the fire and listened to the rain that had only gotten heavier while you were wrapped up in each other.

Suddenly Ben spoke, his tone more than a little braggy, “How’s that for romantic.”

[hoodharlow]

Se Esta Acercando el Final de Nuestro Amor

AN: Thank @fioridichernoby1 @frankies-fury and @littledrummeraussie​ for the beginning lmao. As always thank you to @d-oaks for editing. 

Reqquested:  Yes! by a lovely anon. “1 + 7, with Cal and the OC of your choice.”

Warnings: smut in the beginning, a lil angst, and mentions of sex

Word Count: 4.2 k words

Claudia's anthropology notes and flashcards were long forgotten. All she could concentrate on was her mounting orgasm rather than the exam she had later in the morning. She knew Calum had been up to no good when he told her to put on her vibrator, pero como mensa se lo puso.

Even before today, she knew she would regret buying that vibrator the minute she inserted her card on the chip reader at the store. Then she saw the mischievous glint in Calum's eye when she showed him that he could also control the vibrator through an app even if he was across the country. 

Everything was fine when they started the Skype call until Claudia joked that he should increase the speed for every definition she got wrong on her flashcards. She started to purposely get definitions wrong just so Calum could tease her, which pissed him off because the last thing he wanted to do was to get in the way of her studies.

Claudia closed her legs shut. 

"Keep them open." Calum demanded. He increased the speed on the vibrator, making her yelp. 

She reached for her pillow to keep quiet. Thankfully Calum slowed the speed, but it was still driving her insane. Claudia squirmed and wiggled her hips for some relief.

"C'mon pretty girl, one more. I know you have it in you." Calum's voice echoed through her Airpods. 

Claudia bit her pillow harder, keeping her moans and screams muted. Her hands pushed her face deeper into the pillow.

Through his computer screen, Calum watched her body tense and constrict. She was nearing her climax, so he increased the vibrations on his phone.  He watched as her hands tightly fisted the pillow, letting Calum know she was coming. Her legs shook at the intensity, and her grip on the pillow loosened.

Claudia pushed the pillow off to the side. 

"There's my pretty girl." Calum smiled once he saw her face.

"I hate you." She panted. 

"You shouldn't have been a smartass earlier. No one likes a smartass." Calum tisked. 

"No, but you like this ass." She sat on her knees and lifted his flannel just above her waist, showing off her glorious ass. 

What Calum would do to be right there with her. He hasn't been able to hold her in weeks. He briefly saw her for a few days before the tour began. Except he had to fly to New York for a last minute radio show, so they didn’t spend as much time as he wished. The good thing was that she’s finally going to come see him. 

She sorted her school schedule to visit him. Her and Dulce even pre-recorded their podcast to upload on Apple Music and Spotify later. At the end of the semester, the school shut them down for being too political, so now they do podcasts. Claudia still worked at the restaurant during the summer. It was a deal she made with her parents. What financial aid didn't cover, her parents would pay plus her rent. She knew they were making a huge sacrifice, so she worked at the restaurant to earn some money of her own, so she wouldn't ask them for any more spending money. 

Claudia reached down and removed the toy. She got up and picked her panties off the floor. Noticing their dampness, she tossed them to the laundry hamper and got a fresh pair. In the bathroom she cleaned the toy and placed it in the storage box; then into an empty tampon box.

She quickly fixed her hair and went back to bed. Claudia beamed at Calum. He looked a bit intimidating with his shaved head, but the second he smiled, he had a completely different demeanor. He looked so soft and cuddly.

"I like your face.” Claudia found herself saying out loud. She pulled her giant pillow closer to herself as she watched him get ready. She unconsciously licked her lips when he was in front of his suitcase. His glorious ass out on display as he put on his sweats. She squeezed her thighs together, hoping for some relief. After all those orgasms, she should not be thinking of how she would dig her nails in his ass when taking him in her mouth. Nor the way he would tightly grip her hair as he guides her mouth along his length.

Claudia sat up right and slid her hands inside her panties. She closed her eyes and imagined Calum's face in between her thighs. His teasing licks and kisses. Her other hand played with her breasts. Tweaking her nipples and squeezing them. After all that teasing, she inserted her ring and middle fingers inside of herself.

Calum was too busy getting dressed that he wasn't watching the screen, but the second he heard Claudia's soft moans, he stopped everything and looked over. 

"Calum," she said softly as she touched herself. 

"Fucking hell," he mumbled.

He checked the time; he had an hour before heading to the arena for sound check. He sat back down and pulled down his pajamas along with his boxers. His cock slapping against his stomach, already hard. He reached for his lotion and slowly stroked himself.

"What are you thinking about, pretty girl?" He asked her.

"Your tongue, miss it so much" She groaned. They told each other what they wanted the other to do to them. In a matter of minutes they both came. 

"How many was that?" Calum asked her.

"Like eleven? I don't know, my brain is mush." Claudia sighed. Her alarm belted out a piano cover of 'L$D'. She groaned and stretched over to the other side to turn it off. "Fuck, I gotta get ready to fail my exam."

"You better pass, or else." He warned.

"Or else what?" She sassed him.

"You don't get my tongue."

***

The exam is multiple choice and short answer, and in the class it's a given pass if you get at least 75% on the multiple choice. Claudia passed her exam. She doesn't like her professor, but the one good thing about her is that she's a fast grader. 

 Her flight was tonight, arriving in New York in the morning to meet up since he had a few days in between shows. Calum bought her her ticket, much to her dismay. . He knew she hated that he paid for her things because she wasn't a mantenida. Calum always reassured her that he's okay with paying for her things because he knows that college is expensive. He doesn't want her to worry about it when she's saying up for grad school. 

She pushed away those thoughts and went back to packing. When she got home, her Savage×Fenty package was at her doorstep. She was trying on the bra she ordered when Calum FaceTimed her.

"Hey!" She said, "This is cute right?" 

"I'm supposed to go on stage in a bit. Why do you torture me like this?"

"Fine, I'll take it off." she reached back and unclasped it. She threw it on her bed near her duffle bag. "Happy?"

"Please put on a shirt." He groaned. Claudia laughed at him, but went to go put on a shirt.

"What's up?" She asked, pulling out her hair from her shirt.

"Can you do me a favor? I need some jackets. When you stop by my place to get Duke, could you get some? I'll even let you take a hoodie for yourself." He replied. He had only packed one jacket that was useful for cold weather. The others were more for him performing.

"Like any hoodie? Even your green one?" 

"If you can find it, it's yours."

"Okay. I have a few hours before my flight. I'll text Roy that I'm driving over."

"Okay. Want me to send you some food over?"

"I made myself chilaquiles verdes." She lifted her bowl and showed him. 

Calum nodded. "Thank you. I appreciate it and I appreciate you." 

"Better show me how much you do when I get there."

"Oh, I plan on it."

They kept talking until Calum had to go on stage. Claudia was pulling up to Calum's house an hour later. She knocked on the door and waited. She looked back and didn't see Roy's car, but there was a car parked in the driveway. Maybe he got a new car, she thought to herself. She knocked again. 

A girl with purple hair opened the door. It took Claudia a second to realize she was Calum's ex. 

"Cal's not here." She said. She looked at Claudia up and down. 

"I'm aware. I need to get some things for him." Claudia replied, coldly. She nudged her way in. 

"Still can't believe you're together.  Let me give you some advice. As someone who dated him—"

"I didn't ask for advice." Claudia snapped at her. She surveyed the house. Her eyes landed on the living room. A blanket she left there was splayed over the couch and the tv had "The Good Place" paused. "Where's Duke?"

"Roy took him to get groomed." 

Claudia watched her lay back on the couch. She covered herself in the blanket and continued watching "The Good Place." Claudia sat on a chair in the kitchen. 

She pulled out her phone. Calum was already on stage. She texted him to call when he can. 

Roy came back half an hour later. Duke ignored Calum's ex and went straight to Claudia.

"Hey, babas." Claudia said. She pulled him to her arms and sponged kisses all over his face.

"Well, I should get going." The ex announced. She pulled Duke out of Claudia's arms and hugged him. He squirmed and tried to pull away from her. "Bye, my love. Be good."

She set him on the floor and he went back to Claudia. 

Roy bid her goodbye and led her to the door. There were muffled whispers between. Then Claudia heard the door slam.

"Sorry, I was gonna bathe him here, but we ran out of shampoo, and Cal is super anal about Duke's shampoo. He gets that expensive shit from Japan. And it gets here in a few days. So I just took him to get groomed. I didn't know she was gonna be here." Roy rambled.

"No worries." Claudia waved him off. "Cal needed some clothes."

"Right," he said. He pulled out his keys and handed her one. "This is the one to his room."

"Thank you." she said, taking it.

She went upstairs and quickly entered his room. She slammed the door shut and finally started processing what just happened.

‘She still has a key ro Calum's place. It's probably not the first time she's been at his place when no one's home. And lastly, she used my blanket.' Claudia thought to herself. She just can't comprehend that Calum still lets her come over like that. She sighed and went into his closet. 

***

Calum's stomach dropped and he saw the 'text me when you can, we need to talk' message Claudia sent him. He had about half an hour before going back on stage. He took a backstage pass and went to the tour bus. He paced around the bus waiting for Claudia to answer.

"Bueno?"

"Hey, just got off stage. What's up?" 

"Just trying to figure out why your ex was watching 'The Good Place' at your house. I find it weird. Like, the fact that she acts like it's her place just doesn't sit right with me." 

"She has a key? She always goes over to see Duke. We got him together, you know that. She gets him when I'm touring."

"And that makes it okay for her to act like that's her house? Why doesn't she take him back to her place? Where she has her own blankets." She mumbled the last part, but Calum managed to hear her.

"Claudia, please tell me you're not getting worked up over  a fucking blanket?"

"I could care less about the blanket! I just don’t like it that she's at your house. How would you feel if you came over and found Paco chilling in my house while I was out of town?"

"It's not the same thing! We have Duke! Plus it's not like I'm there with her."

Claudia was silent for a bit. Then she sighed. "I don't think I can go visit. I have midterms coming up and I can't distract myself with anything." 

"Fine." Calum said. He balled up his fist and rested his head against it. He saw Ashton hold his hand up, they were going back on stage in five minutes. Calum waved him off. "I gotta go. I have to get back on stage. I'll call—"

"Okay, I don't wanna keep you." she said softly. "Um, I'll call you later. Good luck."

Calum didn't respond. He hung up and went back to the arena. The guys noticed his whole demeanor change. 

"What?" he snapped at the guys.

"Everything alright?" Michael asked.

"Yeah." He said. He waited for their cue to go back into the stage.

It was the worst Calum has ever played. Even the people that went to go see them could tell he wasn't in the right headspace. In a blink of an eye, they performed and left.

. After the performance, he went back to the bus. 

His phone pinged. It was a venmo alert that Claudia sent him the money for the plane tickets. He sent the money back and texted her not to send him the money. He waited for her to reply, but she didn't. 

Michael came on the bus. "We're going to go get food before we hit the road. What time are you leaving for the airport?" He asked.

"That's not happening anymore." Calum sighed. 

"What do you mean? Is Claudia sick or something?"

"We got in a fight because she saw my ex at my house."

"Why does she still have your key? Don't you find it weird that she's always there when you're not?" 

"Because she sees Duke. What's not hard to understand about that?" Calum snapped at him. "Sorry… Claudia's just pissed for no reason. I never thought she'd get so worked up over a fucking blanket."

Michael stayed silent.

***

Calum thanked the Lyft driver and made his way up the steps to his house. He noticed her bright red car parked across his house. He trudded up the steps and unlocked the door. He stepped in and immediately frowned at the sleeping body on the couch. ‘That’s Claudia’s blanket,’ he thought to himself. 

“Get up.” He said sternly. He shook her shoulder, waking her up. 

“Shit,” his ex said looking up at him confused. “How long was I out?”

“Where’s Duke?” Calum asked, dismissing her. Duke, no matter where in the house he is, always meets him by the door when he gets home.

“Hmm?” She yawned and scratched her hair. She pushed off the blanket and stretched. 

Calum scoffed and went to go look for him. He went upstairs to check his room. Empty. Behind the fireplace where he stored all the chewed up shoes. Nope. Calum went to the yard; he chanted and whistled for him, but Duke didn’t appear. 

He came back to the house. He heard soft whines and moans. Calum quietly walked near where he heard the sound. He ducked down under the table and saw Duke. There was a pint of ‘Chocolate Therapy’ next to him.

Calum's heart raced.

"Oh, you found him!" He heard her say from behind.

"Get out." Calum's voice rose in panic. He scooped up Duke and took him to the nearest bathroom. "It's gonna be okay, old man." He rubbed his stomach and kissed his head.

He ran back to the kitchen and rummaged around looking for measuring spoons. He opted for a turkey baster and went back to Duke.

He filled it with enough hydrogen peroxide and forced it down Duke's throat. After two minutes, he vomited. Calum waited another fifteen minutes to make sure nothing else happened.

"You feel better, old man?" Calum asked him. He set Duke on the couch and went back to the bathroom to clean up. 

When he came back, he found Duke sniffing Claudia's blanket. He growled at it and laid down on the opposite side of the couch. Calum went to get the blanket and frowned. It didn’t smell like Claudia. 

Calum needed to call her and apologize. He wondered if he should go over or just call her. 

He missed Claudia, plain and simple. He wanted to hear her laugh. He needed her there with him, reassuring him that Duke was going to be fine. He just wants her there with him.

***

Claudia checked her phone for the millionth time, but nothing. She wasn't in the wrong, she thought. He's the one that doesn't have set boundaries, and his ex was the one fucking this up. 

She went to the fridge for some rosé. She was going to sip some wine and color to keep her mind off things. 

Her phone rang, so she ran from the opposite end to answer.

"Bueno?"

"Mi'ja, why haven't you called? You said you were calling when you landed." It was her dad.

"Um, something came up?... Yeah, my profe dropped an assignment last minute and I wanted to work on it. It's due the day before my—"

"¿Porque mientes?"

"I'm not… I'm not…"

"Claudia, te conosco. What's wrong?"

"Nothing, I just…" Her voice cracked. She couldn't finish what she was saying. She slid down against her desk and sighed. "I'm just stressed with school. Like I graduate next semester and I have to do good because I have to apply for grad school next semester too. I just wanna do good. Don't want to let you and mami down."

"Claudia, we're proud of you no matter what. You can drop out and go to pastry school, and we'd still be proud and support you. If you think it's too much, you can take a semester off before starting grad school."

"Thanks, dad." She felt guilty for lying to him, but she hates putting out her  business like that. Knowing her dad, he'd joke about potentially killing Calum, but he'd wish them the best and tell her some dicho her grandmother would say to him. 

"Te dejo. I was just checking in. If you need anything me hablas. Te quiero."

"Yo tambien."

They bid goodbye and hung up. 

Claudia sighed. She heard her stomach grumble. She hasn't eaten anything since last night. 

She tugged the sleeves of Calum's green hoodie. She found it last night when she was getting his jackets and Duke. It felt like she was getting a hug from him. 

She quietly walked in the kitchen where the others were and grabbed some noodles from the freezer. While they cooked in the microwave, she went back to her room for the rosé and her coloring supplies. 

Dulce and Sara looked at each other and then back to Claudia. They had both seen the airport pictures of Calum. They weren't sure if Claudia had, so they decided not to say anything until she brought them up. They saw how upset she was when she got home last night. The last time they saw her that upset was when her ex broke up with her last year.

Claudia sat on their island and spread out her things. When the microwave beeped, she pulled out her noodles and added some leftover bistec. She poured her rosé into her mug and got coloring.

Her left hand alternated between feeding herself and having a sip. Her  '💔💔💔' playlist was blasting through her air pods. After a few hours,she got up to get the charging case.

"... she's a little sensitive right now. Us telling her that he's in L.A. is probably not—" Dulce quieted down. Sara and Ale looked behind them. Claudia was standing behind them.

"He's here, and he didn't even bother to tell me." Claudia wiped a tear off her cheek. She hugged herself. "He's probably here to break up with me. Of course he is! He's fucking Calum Hood. I'm just some college student. He can do so much better, and he will."

"You burn all of his shit." Dulce piped up. "Starting with the hoodie."

"Dulce!" Ale and Sara said at the same time. She signaled them to wait for Claudia's response.

"Maybe something happened, right? It's probably all a misunderstanding and he's gonna show up and tell me. 'Hey, sorry for being MIA the past few hours.'" Claudia said. She sat down on the couch only to stand up three seconds later. "But if he's not? What if this is his way of breaking up with me? I'm going to go listen to Christian Nodal full blast."

"This is all a misunderstanding, like you said. We'll order some pizza and wait for him with you." Ale said.

Claudia nodded and went back to the kitchen to finish coloring. She sipped some more rosé. Then the doorbell rang, and she bolted to open the front door. She looked at herself in the mirror and pulled up her hair into a messy bun. She plastered a smile and opened the door. Her smile faltered when she saw it was James, the pizza delivery guy who's also in Claudia's anthropology class. He used to give them free pepperoni knots but stopped when he found out Claudia was dating Calum.

"You're not Cal." She said softly. Claudia teared up and slammed the door. Shortly after, she opened the door and took their order. The girls came over and found her stuffing herself with pepperoni knots. She hugged her knees and sighed. "How do you think this ends?"

***

Calum rolled off his couch. After he gave Duke the hydrogen peroxide, he took him to the vet. They stayed there for a few hours until Duke was cleared. He was going to call Claudia, but he left his phone on the bathroom sink. When he got home, he called his ex. They argued for a bit, but they agreed that she should return his key and that she should call Roy whenever she wants to see Duke. 

He decided to take a quick nap before going over. He wrapped himself in Claudia's blanket after he washed it with the detergent and fabric softener she uses and sprayed it with her perfume that he stole because it reminded him of home.

Now it's almost midnight. 

"Fuck," he mumbled. He rubbed his neck and stretched. 

His phone pinged. He tripped over his feet to get his phone. It was from Claudia. 'Hope you had a safe flight.' He cursed. He grabbed his keys and phone. Duke followed him. Instead of convincing him to stay, Calum lifted him onto the car and drove to Claudia's. 

He gave himself a quick pep talk before working up the courage to knock on her door. Her bedroom light was on. He could hear her singing.

"Se está acercando el final de nuestro amor…" he overheard her sing. He wasn't sure what she sang, but he knew it was a sad song. 

He took a deep breath and knocked. The music stopped. Seconds later the door opened. Tears pooled around Claudia's eyes.

"You couldn't wait until the morning to break up with me?" She asked quietly. 

"What? Break up with you? I came to apologize. You—"

"What happened to you, babas?" She lifted Duke and inspected the tag on his paw. She moved off to the side to let him in. She looked up at Calum, her eyes filled with worry. "Is he okay?"

"Yeah. When I came home I found him covered in chocolate ice cream. Gave him some hydrogen peroxide and then took him to the vet to make sure he's okay." He explained. He followed her to the kitchen. She sat on a stool and Calum took the one opposite of her. "Claudia, I'm sorry. I—"

"I should be the one apologizing. It's not my place to tell you how to take care of Duke. You know what's best for him, and I should respect that." Claudia said. She softly rubbed Duke's tummy and kissed his head.

"But you were right about setting boundaries. I didn't realize how you must've felt until I saw her in your blanket. It just didn't feel right."

"Cal, please tell me you're not getting worked up over a blanket?" She joked. 

She set Duke on the floor. They heard him pad over to her room. Claudia wrapped her arms around Calum. He sighed and kissed her hair. They stayed quiet in each other's arms. Calum's stomach ruined their moment.

"You hungry? There's pizza."  Claudia offered.

"Did you pass your exam?" He asked her, dismissing her pizza offer. He wanted to eat something that he was craving for the past few weeks.

"Yeah, but what does that have to do with pizza?"

"I want my dessert first if that's okay with you, pretty girl." He picked her up and sat her on the counter. He got down on his knees and placed her legs over his shoulders. He ran his hands over her thighs. 

"I suppose. You did help me study."

Taglist: 

@calumscalm​

@cherryxwildflower​

@myloverboyash​

@idontneedanyone​

@findingliam-o​ 

@sexgodashton​

@calumhoodaf​

@5-secondsofcolor 

@sunshinebabycal 

@another-lonely-heart

[uniquecreations]

Workplace Lover Pt. 3

This story is the final part from Workplace Lover part 1 & part 2. 

 It had been a few months since I last hung out with Ron outside of work, things between Alton and I had basically died after our last conversation. We were cordial while we were at work and only spoke outside of work when it was work related. Ron was in the process of getting a new job and that was a bit bittersweet because other than us not hanging out as much now then I wouldn’t have anyone to help me get thru those tough days at work. He would always tell me that nothing would change between us, but I knew it would change because with his new job, I knew that he wouldn’t have as much of free time to hang out.

  We were working at a local store on Ron’s last day and I wanted to hurry up and end early because I had set up a lil going away office party for him. Things were going great until Alton decided that he wanted to be petty and fuck up everything he was counting. It was becoming very annoying because I knew he was doing this shit on purpose. After another 20 mins of recounting I finally told him to leave because he was no use to me at that moment. I should have known that would cause a problem between us later, but I would deal with that when it came. Eventually, we got thru the rest of the counts and made our way back to the office for the party. Of course, my workday wasn’t over just yet because I had to close out the store we counted, that caused a problem with Ron. He cussed me out more times than a little bit until I gave in and decided to finish the work when I got home that night.

  The party was not all that great at first, everyone was being a bit uptight because we were still on company property. All that went out the window when Doris came in with a few gallons of Daiquiri's, things began to loosen up and then it became a real party. Music was blasting, food was served, and everyone dancing and having a good time while we had the opportunity. While I was talking with some of our coworkers, I felt a tap on my shoulder and when I turned around it was Alton standing there looking at me like he wanted to fight.

  “I need to talk to you about something.” He said to me just above a whisper.

  “Ok but if you about to start some shit then you can save your breath because I’m not about to deal with this bullshit right now.” I said looking him directly in his eyes. We walked down the shopping center where our office was in, once we were away from the crowd, we stopped, and the silence was starting to annoy me. “So, what you wanna talk about Alton?”

  “About this thing between us and how I felt played you sent me home today for no reason at all.”

  “Are you serious right now dude, you know exactly why I sent you home, it was because you were purposely fucking shit up because you knew what we were doing today for Ron. Now as far as this thing between us goes……… it should have been clear to you by now but in case it isn’t then let me be clear. The most we can ever be is coworkers, nothing more, nothing less, you have a lot of issues that I’m not willing to deal with from a nigga I’m dating or in a relationship with. Your jealousy is a tad bit scary and I have been down that road before and I can’t afford to do it again.”

  “So, you are saying that because I was a little overprotective of you, it was mistaken for jealousy?”

  “It’s a major difference between protecting and jealousy, what you were showing me, and your actions was not protecting me at all, it was all jealousy. That’s just the beginning tho because you also have very controlling ways as well and in case you haven’t figured it out, I’m not a puppy or some other form of animal that you say sit or stay and I obey your command Alton.”

  “Man, you are tripping for real now with all these lies and shit you spitting out yo mouth, you know good and damn well I’m none of those things.” He said squinting his eyes at me.

  “If you say so but you and I can be nothing past coworkers, I would say we can be friends, but we saw where that lead us and now are we done here because I have a party to get to?”

  “I guess dude, but I still feel you dead wrong for telling lies about me.”

  “Alton, nothing I said was a lie you know it and I do as well.” I said trying to walk away but he stopped me by grabbing my arm. “Alton…... don’t put your hands on me.” I said jerking my arm away from him.

  “My bad Jaye but you always walking off from me when I’m trying to get to the bottom of things between us.”

  “The thing about that is this……. Yes, what we had was fun but it’s over now because you can’t get a grip on your jealousy and wannabe controlling ways. All that came after I told you about some of the things I went thru. That was the thing that made me conclude that we are not meant to be together and that’s the part you not seeing.”

  “How about we start over and go back to the beginning?” He asked touching my arm.

   “How about not……... I’m not trying to go there with anyone right now, I have to much going on so thanks but no thanks.” I said and turned around, walked off, and resumed the party that was going on.

About 4 months had passed since the going away party and since I last heard from Alton, I still talked to Ron almost every other day and made plans that we almost never kept. The weekend before my birthday I wanted to go out and do something I didn’t do since I was a little boy and that was fish. I asked Ron to come but he told me he had to work so I just invited a few of my cousins instead. I made it to the spot where we were supposed to be meeting up at, I was a bit surprised that I was the only one that made it early because I was usually the one that was late. I sat in the car for about 10 mins before I saw another car pulling up, when it got near me, I saw that it was my cousin.

  “About damn time you showed up; I was starting to think nobody was going to come.” I said to her once we got out our cars.

  “Shut up I had a long night……. Don’t ask.”

  “I guess but let’s get started so I can collect on that bet.” I said laughing.

  “I don’t know why you would want to bet me knowing I’m going to crush yo ass on catching these fish.”

  “I hear ya but make sure you have my funds bitch.” I said laughing as we got our stuff set up for the day.

   Half the morning went by and we were what and what with the amount of fish we caught. I was reeling in the last fish I caught when I heard another car coming from behind us. I didn’t bother looking back because I knew it was probably the other cousin that was supposed to be here hours ago. I went to put my fish in the cooler and looked back to see the car that pulled in wasn’t my cousin, it was Ron. He walked up to where we were and looked at us like we were crazy.

  “I thought you had to work with yo lying ass.” I said throwing a piece of ice at him out the cooler.

  “I know you aint just throw that nasty ass ice on me……… and I did have to work but I left early so I could come out to this raggedy ass place.” He said sitting in my chair.

  “Well shouldn’t I feel lucky that you actually made time for your friend.” I said rolling my eyes.

  “You should bastard, I didn’t have to waste my gas and since we are talking about that, wasn’t it you the one cancelled on me the last few times?”

  “You fucking liar.” I said and he burst out laughing.

  “I swear if I didn’t know any better……. I would swear yall were an old married couple as much as yall be into it.” My cousin said reeling in another fish.

  “Because he is an asshole.” I said throwing my reel back out into the water, once my reel was secure in the water, I attempted to sit down but instead I hit the ground hard. “You are such a bitch bruh.” I said looking at them both laughing.

  “That’s what yo ass get for talking shit.” We stayed out for a few more hours before my cousin conceded defeat, paid me the bet and left to go home. I was packing up my things with Ron when he pulled me into a headlock. “What else you want to do today punk?” He asked while I was still in the headlock.

  “I might be going to jail if yo dumbass don’t let me go.” I said pinching him in the side. “But I don’t have anything planned but going give these fish to one of my uncles and then go home.”

  “Boring ass, let’s go out and get fucked up bruh.” He said.

  “Ok but I’m not driving and also you know you have to get permission from your boo first.” I said laughing.

  “You do know I’m a grown ass man, right? Plus, we not on good terms right now anyway.” He said shaking his head.

  “Being sprung have nothing to do with being grown it just mean you forgot how to be a man, and when are yall on good terms?” I said while getting in my car.

  “Nah that’s your territory messing with them lame ass niggas but I’ma be over at 8 so be ready.” He said mushing my head.

  “Put yo hands on me again and I’ma tase yo ass bitch.”

  We both left from where we were, I went to go get rid of the fish we caught but got held up talking to my uncle as per usual. When I looked at the time it was approaching 5 o’clock and I still haven’t made it home yet. I finally reached my house after about 5:30, I still needed to take a shower and pick out some clothes for tonight. After taking a shower, I wrapped the towel around my waist and walked to my closet to find something to wear. I picked out my clothes and went laid across the bed, I didn’t plan on going to sleep but my body had a different agenda than I did. I was woken up by someone banging on my door like they had lost they damn mind. It didn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out who it was because it was only one person, I know who would do stupid shit like that.

  “I swear you act like you aint got the sense God gave a mule.” I said swinging the door open and looking at Ron.

  “And I’m sick of yo ass always late for every damn thing and why the hell you don’t have on clothes Jaye?” He said looking at me and shaking his head.

  “Because I dozed off after I showered, but it won’t take long for me to get dressed.” I said walking back to my room.

  “You say that shit all the time and it still take you over an hour……. Hurry up.” He said throwing a pillow off the couch at me.

  “Shut the fuck up, and I told you about coming over here fucking up my house.” I went into the room and begin looking at the outfit I chose to wear. I decided to change it up a little but nothing to major, I grabbed my phone and started playing music to get me in the mood for the night. I put on my playlist and began getting dressed, no sooner than I slid on my underwear, I heard Ron in the living room talking loud ass hell. I paid him no mind because his girlfriend always found a way to make him feel guilty about having fun or doing things without her. I looked down and realized that I was ashy as hell, I grabbed my lotion and began putting it on.

  “Did anyone ever tell you that you got a girl booty?” Ron said from behind me.

  “If you don’t get the fuck outta my room talking bout nonsense.” I said trying to cover myself up.

  “You need to hurry up because I most definitely need a drink now.”

  “Go look in the cabinet…… I think I have something in there you can drink……... I know how you get stressed when she grabs you by the balls.” I said laughing.

  “You always running yo gums about shit you don’t know what you’re talking about.” He said irritated, I looked back at him and could see the frustration on his face.

  “Aww I’m sorry sweetheart you want a hug.” I said holding my arms open, he laughed and shook his head.

  “You not about to touch me while you half naked, now get dressed and let’s go.” He said about to walk out my room.

  “Don’t hate cause I look better than yo bitch, now get out.” I said pushing him out my room, the next thing I knew, I felt a sharp sting on my right ass cheek where this nigga had slapped it. “You are a fucking bitch, I swear I’ma shoot you in the mouth.” I said rubbing my aching ass.

  “I got something for a mouth but it aint no bullet.” He said before walking out my room.

  After me getting dressed and taking the shots he fixed us, we got in the car and headed out. We were laughing and talking the entire ride to the bar, I was beginning to feel those drinks he made us that we drank before we left out. His phone kept going off interrupting almost every song that was playing thru his stereo, after about the tenth time, I was starting to get frustrated.

  “Either you check it or put the fucker on airplane mode because this shit is annoying the hell out of me.” I said looking at him.

  “That aint nobody but Jakayla, I told you we into right now, but I may have downplayed it a little.” He said.

  “You wanna talk about it or not?”

  “I will tell you later right now I wanna have fun and ignore that dumb shit.” He said as we pulled into the bar parking lot.

  “I swear you do that shit all the time, like we haven’t been friends for a damn good while now.”

  “Boy if you don’t chill yo overly sensitive ass out with all that……… I’ma talk to you about it but I’ma tell you when I’m ready.” He said laughing. I looked at him, popped him upside the head and got out the car before he could hit me back. Once we made it in the club, the first thing I wanted to do was go to the bar. Ron came to the side of me and nodded towards a group of people. Upon further inspection, it was most of my team from work.

  I couldn’t tell you how many drinks I had or where they were coming from but, I was having the most fun I had in years. I looked across the dance floor and saw Ron dancing with some girl, I looked in another direction and saw his girlfriend walking thru the door. I knew this was about to turn out bad, so I broke away from the group and tried to get to Ron before she saw him. When I reached him, I leaned in and whispered in his ear that his girl just walked in.

  “I know.” He said winking at me and going back to dancing with the chick. I smirked and went back across the club to the group. I didn’t know what he was planning nor did I care at that point. I went back to dancing with my friends when someone came up behind me and tapped me on the ass. I looked back and it was Jakayla- Ron’s girlfriend.

  “Hey baby…… Happy Birthday!!!!!!!” She said hugging me.

“Hey, thank you, I didn’t know you were coming.” I said smiling at her.

  “It’s your freaking birthday dude, I wouldn’t have missed this no matter what.” She said looking around the club. Then she started laughing, I followed her eyes as they landed on Ron dancing with that girl. “If he wanted to make me show my ass then he should’ve picked someone who wasn’t his cousin…… dumbass.”

  “Girl he a mess and a half but come on I will buy you a drink.” I said walking with her to the bar. We sat down, ordered our drinks, and was laughing and cracking jokes when Ron came up and plucked my ear.

  “I told you I was going to get you back……. What up Kay?” He said smirking at her, she looked at him and shook her head.

  “I swear you are the dumbest nigga I know, you trying to make me act up by you dancing with some thot……. Maybe you should have pick someone other than your cousin I hang with every other day.”

  “Jakayla nobody was trying to make you do nothing and if I wanted to, I could pull any chick in here I wanted so shut that shit up. Overly dramatic ass.” He said laughing and walking off towards the bathroom.

  “I swear yall are a mess.” I said laughing and drinking out my glass, she was about to respond when her phone lit up. She looked at it and scoffed.

  “I swear I can’t catch a fucking break man; this girl didn’t show up for her shift tonight so guess who have to go in.”

  “I know all about that trust me……. when you have to go in?”

  “In a few……... where is your lil boo at?” She said looking around the club.

  “I don’t have a lil boo bitch you tried it.” I said laughing with her. Ron came back from the bathroom and joined us; Jakayla left after about another 20 minutes to go to work.

  “You look drunk as fuck.” Ron said drinking my last drink.

  “Didn’t you say we should get fucked up? And bitch you are buying me another drink with yo big head ass.” I said standing up.

  “Fuck you, come on let’s hit up waffle house……. I’m hungry as hell and I know you aint got no food at yo house.” He said standing up as well.

  “You buying? It is my birthday after all.” We left out and was driving on the highway when I looked over at him, he looked like he was in deep thought. I didn’t bother asking him what was wrong because I knew he wasn’t going to tell me anyway. Once we made it to waffle house, it was packed so we got our food to go because I was not about to sit in there around all those people.

After we finished eating, I was a bit more sober than I was before, now I was kinda sleepy. I looked over at Ron and this nigga was knocked out. I went into my room to get some clothes out for a shower when my phone buzzed. It was Alton wishing me a happy birthday, I replied, ‘thank you’ and went took a shower, I went into the second bedroom and pulled a pillow and cover of the bed. I went into the living room to see Ron still asleep on my couch. I tossed the cover and pillow to the side of him, I took off his shoes and helped put him in a comfortable position before going back into my room. I slowly started to fall asleep after spending nearly 20 minutes playing on my phone.

  “Jaye?” I heard Ron yell from my room door scaring the piss out of me.

  “Bitch I swear I’m going to fuck you up. You always doing something stupid.” I said throwing a pillow at him.

  “Shut up…… I’m about to head to the house.”

  “Ron it’s late and you’ve been drinking, just stay here and leave in the morning.” I said sitting up in the bed.

  “I don’t have any clothes and I need a shower, I’m good now that I got a nap.”

  “I have some clean shorts and tee shirts and I have underwear still in the pack now go take a shower and I will get them out for you. I don’t wanna hear yo damn mouth either.” I said getting out the bed to get the clothes. He didn’t say anything, he just rolled his eyes and went in the bathroom. A few minutes later I heard the shower turn on. I hated being woken up because it would be hard as hell for me to go back to sleep. I got the clothes out for Ron, then I went into the kitchen to fix another drink. After I made it back into my room, I sat down on the bed and turned on a movie I knew I wouldn’t finish.

  “Where the clothes at pussy?” Ron said walking into my room a few minutes after he finished showering with nothing on but a towel. I have seen him shirtless many times but him being practically naked in my bedroom put me in a daze. “Nigga did you hear me?” He said knocking me out my daze.

  “Oh, umm right there on the dresser.” I said pointing to where I put the clothes. He looked at me and smirked before walking over to get the clothes.

  “You aint fix me a drink?” I looked over to him just as he dropped the towel from his waist.

   “Umm, I can fix you one.” I said trying to pretend I wasn’t looking at him. I got up out the bed and was walking to the door when he did something that I wasn’t expecting. He grabbed me by my waist and pulled me to him. I didn’t know what he was up to nor did I care, the only thing I could focus on was his dick starting to harden on my ass.

No words were spoken for the next 20 minutes as we made out. The way he was making me feel in this moment was something I could and probably would never forget. His dick was huge, and I could barely fit it in my mouth, but I managed to do so with scathing him with my teeth. His moans were music to my ears and forced me to give him my best. I was surprised when he bent me over the bed and buried his tongue deep in my ass. He was eating my ass so good that I didn’t want him to stop. He continued to eat me for about 15 minutes before stopping and making me slide up in the bed. I reached over in my nightstand drawer and grabbed the lube I had stashed there from my last jackoff session.

  He took his time and he was patient while trying to get his dick in me. Once we found our rhythm, I could see why Jakayla was so crazy over this nigga. He had me moaning so loud and I’m sure I probably spoke gibberish a few times as well. As I laid on my back, this nigga was fucking me like he had a point to prove. The more I scratched his back, the harder he went, after about another 20 minutes of him fucking my brains a loose, he pulled out of me and shot his nut all over my chest and neck area while moaning and jolting forward with each shot of nut. Once he started to calm down, he leaned down and kissed me while I caught one of the best nuts I ever experienced.

   We cleaned up and cuddle for the rest of the night while talking about what happened. He told me he doesn’t know what made him want to try that with me, but he enjoyed himself more than he thought he would. Although he and I had sex several times after that, we decided to cut that part of our friendship out. We are still best of friends and we still hang out as much as we can considering our schedules conflict a lot. I will never forget those times we shared but I’m also internally grateful for Ron being in my life.

©uniquecreations2020

[maskyartist]

when im sad i just infodump about my kins so u know what yall gettin that Clover dump I talked about in my Oobleck dump

- Clover is actually from Mantle, and grew up with a mom who got sick easy, a dad who worked in the mines, and 4 other little siblings, Clover being the eldest. 2 brothers and 2 sisters.

- Since Mantle is a place close to the sea, meats like pork or beef are often really expensive since it’s shipped overseas. As such, Clover used to work on fishing boats to try and provide for his family. He’d get paid a little bit and sent home with whatever fish he managed to catch that day.

- He never knew what his Semblance was since I’d imagine actually getting that tested properly and labeled was difficult when you had a passive Semblance. It was only when he managed to get into Atlas Academy on a scholarship that he was able to learn he had the power of Good Luck on his side.

- Clover became the Ace Ops leader thanks to Ironwood himself handpicking him out of his class of other would-be Huntsmen. Luck strikes once again, and that is why Clover says he trusts Ironwood with his life. Because he feels he owes him that trust for getting him this position in the first place.

- U know those mining songs? Or sea shanties? Yeah, Clover knows A LOT of those thanks to his time working with the fishermen or going to visit his dad during lunch breaks and joining the other miners in song to keep spirits high. He ended up accidentally teaching the other Ace Ops a few songs so now they sing those on long rides to missions. To keep spirits high.

- To backpeddle off the last one, Clover can sing. And sing like...REALLY well too. This man has some serious cords on him and can do loud and energetic to soft and gentle real easy. He used to sing his siblings to sleep every single night.

- Part of his paycheck, every single month, goes to his family in Mistral to help them pay for rent and such. He can’t visit a lot, so Clover always sends a letter with the check so his siblings know he’s doing okay. Anytime he’s in Mistral for a mission he tries to drop by and at least say hi.

- Clover’s parents are both dead, with Clover’s dad having died in a mining accident and Clover actually having to sit by his mother’s bedside and hold her hand and watch as she died from a sickness they couldn’t afford to cure. Because of this, his siblings had to move in with their uncles. It’s not bad, they’re good people and Clover certainly trusts them with his siblings, it’s just...a memory you never forget.

- His biggest reason for wanting to go to Atlas? To try and bring change to the world. If he made it to the General somehow, maybe he could convince him to bring more resources or money to Mantle and help the people that way.

- Clover’s biggest regret, to his bitter end, was turning his back on his own home and people. He didn’t want to abandon Mantle, but...He did it anyways. All because he trusted the General with his life. Which costed him that life he entrusted to Ironwood.

- Tortuga’s death took a toll on everyone, but Clover took it the hardest. He was his leader, and he feels his actions caused Tortuga to die. That was the first time he took time off to just...grieve.

- However, even with that being said, Clover was the first to properly accept Marrow into the Ace Ops. He offered the newbie kindness and a sort of grounding you would expect from a leader, and even a friend after getting to know him a little better. Clover was Marrow’s first friend in Atlas, and Clover wouldn’t ask for a better one.

- On the OPPOSITE ends of things, he and Harriet are known for butting heads easily. Harriet wanted to be leader herself, but James picked Clover, and she feels cheated in a way. Feels like the only reason Clover got picked was because of his Semblance. Because he was lucky. Clover, even if he won’t say it, feels shes right, but doesn’t regret taking this position. He’s done and gone through too much to consider backing down from his position as Leader.

- Clover absolutely started out as that lanky skinny kid you usually see before puberty just hit him like a semitruck. This man just grew the fuck up after he got to Atlas and got an actual diet in him that wasn’t fish n whatever semblance of a side dish he and his mother could scrape together.

- Clover is trans and we love him for that shit. He worked hard for those beefy arms and that masc figure hell yeah he’s gonna show it off best he can.

- The badge he wears is a gift from his father, one he got before he died. It was a sort of omen, a sign that no matter what, Lady Luck would always follow him. And boy did she ever.

- The rabbits foot he wears on his belt was actually a gift from Marrow! He gave it to him in hopes of “increasing his Luck” and Clover didn’t have the heart to tell him that’s not how his Semblance works. Plus, it’s a nice lil gesture. He can appreciate it. He thinks it’s cute.

not saying i ship Wishbone but like if y’all get sad me again ur gonna get ship headcanons just sayin just sayin