#it was so hard to find high quality photos of this one lol

[jadedrrose]

Trafalgar Law resin statue // by Model Palace Studio

Scale/height: 42cm

Resale Only - mainly found on eBay, most of which are probably recasts. This is one I wouldn’t buy, personally. Too risky.

[my-plastic-life]

I did a thing... actually, I did several things. :D My ani-ME (anime doll version) needed manga in her house, so of course I had to make mini Inuyasha manga! I've done this before, but this time it's different... I didn't do miniature versions of the Viz BIG volumes. Nope, I did all 56 original Japanese volumes. Because ani-ME is in Japan, so she must have the original volumes!!! :D What a task this was - because the volumes are so old, it's hard to find high resolution pictures of them online. And even if you do, many times it's just the front, not the back and definitely not the spine. I found some, but then the front and back cover colors were completely different, some had text and graphics cut off from what was most likely a scanned image, the colors were inconsistent between various websites, some colors were clashing badly due to low quality resolution, etc.

So I literally made a template in Photoshop of the real size of the original manga (obtained via Amazon) and rebuilt EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. from scratch. I was able to find a site with all the original cover photos, and then I found the most high resolution cover I could find to duplicate the pattern that's on all books (colors vary), recreated the logo for each book (the character symbols and the gradients are all different for each volume), redrew the SS Comics logo that's on all books, and I even replicated each individual barcode. Because I'm nothing if not a consistent perfectionist. :D

For the backs, I used the images I found and just copied and pasted the characters and Japanese text, and for the teeny tiny characters I used the brush tool to trace over them. Even though I knew you probably wouldn't be able to see them in such a small scale, no way was I leaving them out! Consistency, darn it! :D

For the spines, I found complete sets on eBay and used a photo of the spines from those auctions as a template. I redid everything on the spine except the character head at the top of each, which is copied and pasted from the eBay files. They're definitely pretty low resolution, but hopefully it's not noticeable at such a small scale.

And the volume numbers? Try as I might, I could NOT find a font that matched them. So I got the most high resolution volumes I could find and made number templates... so each time I needed one of the volume numbers, I'd just use a color overlay on it and plop it where it needed to go on the front and spine.

Then the fun part - resizing them all to 1/6 scale. They're a little over an inch tall right now. And because they're not very thick in the spine, wrapping the covers around foam board to mimic pages wasn't working. So I had to make pages... for 56 volumes LOL. I just took my cover template, sized it down, and made it a blank white with a black stroke so I could see where to cut. I could fit 11 mini pages in one row across a regular sized sheet of printer paper (I used cardstock for extra thickness and stability), and I could fit like six rows on a sheet. I was able to fit 11 pages in one volume to allow the spine room, so 56 volumes x 11 mini pages each = 616 total pages I wound up cutting, then stacking and gluing together. But, of course, that wasn't a perfect fit, as the pages, despite being sanded down to be completely straight and smooth, poked out of the covers. So I had to wrap the covers around the pages, mark where they hit, and use an X-acto knife to trim the pages down before gluing them inside the covers.

But finally, I was done! It was time-consuming, but I love how these little books turned out. They don't open, but that's totally okay. That would be way too much work, and every time I make a book that opens, it never closes again. I did, however, manage to find some pages from the original first volume (in Japanese), so I printed a second volume 1 cover and glued those pages inside. So now ani-ME has an open book she can read too!

So there you have it! My mini, 1/6 scale Japanese volumes of Inuyasha - all 56 of them! I made that bookshelf just for them, but I intentionally left more room in case I want to add more manga later. But of course we had to have Inuyasha manga on the shelf - it's the most important! :D And the poster on the wall is totally a tag from one of my shirts LOL.

Showing off her new bookshelf stocked full of all 56 volumes of the Inuyasha manga:

Relaxing in bed, reading from the beginning:

Why yes, she is reading the Inuyasha manga on an Inuyasha pillow :D

All 56 volumes on the bookshelf:

What do you do with an Inuyasha shirt tag? Make an instant doll poster, of course!

Front covers:

Back covers:

Volume 1 pages (glued in order, right to left):

Size reference (shown with American penny):

[pinkmoondoll9shihtzu]

My Old man's tale about benetint (product) & review:

in summer 2008 i was 14 & my best friend's family took me to Vegas w them. she had only just moved to my school for 9th grade & i hadn't met her older sister til this trip. She was 21 & soooo insanely beautiful like if barbie was a hollister model she had the look so refined in every sense, i was dazzled by her.

& she was so sweet to us, my friends parents went & did their own thing so the whole trip we spent with her but she wasn't annoyed about it at all she seemed content to hang w us & protect us from vile men along the strip.

On this trip i went to sephora for the first time. hadn't heard of it before. it had huge windows so everything was glowing from sunlight & it was sooo overwhelming. my friend's sister liked this brand benefit so i picked out a little starter kit that came w bad gal mascara, high beam highlighter, booing concealer, and benetint.. Let me tell you for the next year i cherished this kit like it elevated me a new level towards Prestiged Adult Woman status. but the makeup was noticeably nicer quality for sure! from my memory at least.

the thing i remember most was benetint cus i wore it soooo much for the rest of the summer & beyond, i stretched that tiny bottle as far as it wld go cus i luved it sm.. but after it ran out i never tried to use it again idk just being a teen moving onto the next thing. But lately i jst rly wanted a goood lip tiiiint cus i dont wanna b wearing lipstick or gloss all the time its too much i just want chapstick but i like a little more color too.. usually i wld use lip liner but it always felt like it wld smudge off so quick n its kinda drying.

so i tried benetint again bcus i remember it being so easy to put on n then just forget about, it didnt get on ur clothes or teeth or nothin. after wearing for a couple weeks i can say this is still tru! i rly like it, very convenient, chapstick goes gr8 over top so my lips r never dry from it. its kind of expensive but it lasts a long time , for me i dnt have much makeup rn so felt nice to get st i actually use ^^ the taste & smell of it are mildly rosey, rly brings me back to those times..

being in vegas those 4 days w my friend n her sis are definitely a core memory for me it was totally surreal. i wish i had photos still but no clue where to find them, my friend's fb account got hacked years ago n had to get deleted, so many photos gone </3 we stayed at treasure island & across the street was this huge mall that was repeatedly playing an ipod commercial with the song Shut Up & Let Me Go by the ting-tings, like... ON REPEAT, ALL DAY & ALL NIGHT, so that song gives me the wildest flashbacls like i'm literally There. In the august heat. i can smell it like. its amazing thank you advertising :)

this is not an ad btw i mean obviously LOL i honestly just got thinking so hard about vegas '08 after purchasing The Product. oh yeah there was thunderstorms too... i went to hot topic at the mall which was wild for me since they didnt have one any where near my town.. i got some shorts from hollister i remember, also a rarity. friends sis got me my first ever drink, a peach daquiri...just one <3 it was such a nice break from my woeful home life lol i wanted to live in america so bad after this xD

thats my story...o and benetint is chill i mean i genuinely wanted to recommend it to ppl who want st simple it looks rly pretty cus until this i was struggling to find anything worthwhile. theres other shades too. Yup. Thanksyou for reading my LiveJournal Entry tonight minasan ^_^ Hope you're well x

-PMD9

[honest-moth-of-silver-grove]

Hiiii, I saw the match ups and i had to participate 🩷

(my first tav was technically based off of me heavily, so i hope that’s okay? and i wanted to give this photo for some help bcuz i love them sm)

So, Jae is afab but uses they/them pronouns, a high elf druid that loves chaos - in healthy amounts - and they’re tattoos represent smudging their eyes when hunting, the dye in their hair comes from their sibling who loved messing with colors. They tend to be pretty neutral when it comes to making decisions, however they help anyone for a bit of coin, if they can cough it up. Their scars are from the animals they tried handling before they were ready :’)

They love swimming, telling stories by the campfire, and listening to their partner read to them since it helps them sleep. They have sleep terrors/visions that usually keep them up, so hearing their lover helps a lot. Quality time and physical touch is their love language, but they can get overwhelmed by too much heat, so they usually just hold hands or hold the others’ pinky. they tend to stare into space just lost in thought with everything going on

(i hope this was okay !!! and thank you in advance !! 🩷)

A/N: Ahhhh, your Tav is so pretty! And it’s totally okay! I basically did the same thing with my Tav- she’s me, but like with powers lol. 

For you, @a-jynx I think Jae’s best matchup would be Halsin! 

ʕ•ᴥ•ʔ Halsin doesn't have preferences when it comes to gender or appearance. He’s very in tune with his feelings and when he falls, he falls pretty hard. He can’t help it. 

As a fellow elf druid, Halsin is immediately drawn to Jae. They appear cunning and mischievous, which draws him in all the further. Halsin may prefer to keep the peace, but that doesn’t mean he isn't up for a little more, shall we say adventure, every now and then. Jae’s desire for chaos keeps him on his toes- in a good way. He may occasionally frown upon Jae’s moral compass being so dependent on the coin, and he’ll voice his displeasure should the situation arise. But for the most part, Halsin is also neutral and can be swayed not by coin, but by the exchanging of favors. He’s more of an ‘I’ll scratch your back, you scratch mine’, guy, so he usually goes along with Jae wherever they lead.

And Halsin finds Jae’s tattoos gorgeous. They’re primal, yet natural, and it just hits that sweet spot for him. He also admires Jae’s hair color, as he, himself is rather apprehensive about coloring his. He thinks it’s rather brave of Jae to proudly showcase their personality. Jae’s scars are also a point of admiration for Halsin, as it shows Jae’s learned to give creatures, and by extension, nature itself, the respect it deserves. 

Halsin loves spending quality time with Jae out in nature- be it swimming or hanging out by the campfire. And he loves reading to Jae. He’s an avid collector of books- his camp is practically overflowing with them and he’ll never pass up an opportunity to share them. 

And physical touch is most definitely one of his love languages. He makes it very clear throughout the game just how much he wants to touch the player- to love them in that way. However, Halsin is also very much aware of his size. If his body heat is too much for Jae, he’ll happily back off and be very happy with just holding Jae’s pinky. Whenever Jae has night terrors or disturbing visions, he’s right there, ready to lend Jae his soothing voice or warm hand. 

Jae is such a source of light in Halsin’s troubled life. He would love nothing more than to stay at Jae’s side and support them, in whatever way they need. 

[where-fading-princesses-live]

eBay Rant

Boy, oh, boy do I have a juicy eBay rant coming your way.

 So, I’ve been buying on eBay since 2016 and never run into major issues with sellers.

 The stupidest seller I ever came across was one such person who thought it smart to ship me a *porcelain* doll in a cardboard box with no outer protection, and of course, she broke into a million pieces and I basically got her for free, lol. I never thought anyone could be more stupid than that.

 But this one takes the cake.   🎂

 So, I’m looking at this from two sides—as a buyer and a seller. I’m also a part-time seller myself. I don’t sell very often because I don’t have too much to sell; but if I want to downgrade and need the money, I’ll part with a few items in my own collection. I usually sell occasional doll items and have never had a major issue with buyers (I’ve had more issues with Facebook Marketplace than eBay), but naturally, if a customer had a complaint, I would not have responded in the way this bloke did.

Well, there’s a first for everything, right?

I’ve been buying and collecting high quality photos of old Hollywood stars for some time now and I purchased a Don Knotts photo on Sunday, January 1 (Don Knotts is one of my faves and I have quite a collection on him). The photo finally arrived on Monday, January 9 but unfortunately, it was not the high quality I expected. The seller claimed in the item description that the photo was from an original negative from a film print of a Steve Allen show episode (which are hard to find; only a few episodes exist on DVD). But naturally, the old Steve Allen shows (as most old tv shows back in the 50s) were not on film. They typically ‘’filmed’’ live using a process called kinescope, which is not tape or film, and the quality tends to be very low (you’ll notice any Steve Allen show episodes uploaded to YouTube are very poor quality, because that was the low, cheap quality they processed the show to be shown on the very small tv screens; there is no high definition version that exists, even with restoration. The quality looks worse on our big flat screens, something that was not very noticeable back then on small tube television sets in the 50s). But judging by the seller photo, it looked like it might be a higher quality glossy that I’m used to. I’ve also purchased some photos from the Red Skelton Hour that also used the same process of The Steve Allen Plymouth Show, but they were actual stills used to advertise the show in the newspapers at the time, so the quality was better. So, that’s what I was expecting, more or less.

 But I get a photo that looks like this:

And to be fair, that is the quality of the videos you will see, but the seller photo just made me think otherwise.  Normally, I don’t buy items from sellers who are too cheap to afford a basic scanner to scan their items, because it’s hard to rely on crappy cell phone pictures that don’t determine what the photo will look like in person, but I decided to take a chance, because you know… I’m a simple man. If I see Don Knotts, I click, lol. And I’m a big fan of The Steve Allen Show.

 The seller, despite only being on eBay since January 2022, also had good reviews from buyers (I always review their profile and reviews before buying, if I haven’t bought from them before just to make sure they’re okay). He was at 100% when I bought the photo but more on that later.

So, to make a long story longer, I requested a refund on the day of delivery (January 9). I stated why I was returning the item when I opened the refund request. The seller responded on Tuesday, January 10. First red flag was that he did not use pleasantries. ‘’Hi, how are you? May I ask why you are returning the photo?’’ That’s how I would respond.

 No, here was his abrupt response. And terrible grammar to boot (no punctuation at the end of his sentence, but I’m not here to be a Grammar Nazi).

 ‘’What is wrong with the photo?’’

  (And I’ve blocked my name but really this seller does not deserve to be protected for privacy reasons; he is a cautionary tale for anyone on eBay.)

But another thing that was strange, too, was that I have returned some photos before in the past or requested refunds for photos that were not to my standards, and the sellers were always polite and very rarely ever asked questions about my returns. They always refunded me promptly. There’s really no reason for a seller to ask, ‘’What’s wrong with the photo?’’ Buyers don’t necessarily need a reason for a refund; sometimes they change their mind. Yes, I’m aware of buyer scams, but I’ve cancelled orders before for buyers who just had their own reasons for no longer wanting the item. It isn’t my business to ask. For instance, someone wanted to buy an American Girl Doll from me and changed their mind at the last minute because they had a surgery coming up. Understandable. I moved on to the next interested buyer. The less you ask of your buyers, the better. They don’t need to explain themselves. If they don’t like it or it doesn’t match the item description, they have a right to return it.

 I wanted a refund for an item I thought was going to be higher quality, but I got a very fuzzy, blurry photo. It wasn’t the seller’s fault; it just wasn’t what I expected.

 Well, this guy has only been on eBay since January 2022 (and he’s not just a seller, but also a buyer; in fact, he has more reviews as a buyer than a seller, five pages worth, and he only had seven reviews as a seller at the time I bought the photo), so I should’ve known right off the bat he’s a newbie who isn’t familiar with the standard eBay procedure in how to deal with customers.

 But in my experience, the sellers NEVER directly message me to ask me questions about why I’m returning the item or requesting a refund. I always state why when I make the request.

 I always maintain cordiality no matter how rude the person I’m dealing with (I’ve worked customer service for years, so I’m used to it), so I just responded with an honest answer. I always try to treat sellers the way I would want my buyers to treat me. Most buyers would just yell at the seller for no apparent reason.

 The seller seemed to soften after I kindly explained the issue and only then, did he start to use pleasantries. Because see? Niceness goes a long way. Usually if you’re nice about it, they’ll be nice right back. Usually.

 Well, he clearly stated that I did not need to return the photo and that he would give me a full refund on Wednesday evening (January 11). Good. I thought the matter was solved and I wouldn’t have to worry about it. I received a notification via email that the seller accepted my return. eBay did send me a shipping label to return the item, but again, the seller told me to keep it, and I did not want to waste more money sending it back anyway (the item was $10, and shipping was $10. With tax, the total came to be $20.84, for a photo that was not very good to begin with), so I hoped the seller would keep his promise and refund me ASAP.

 Come Wednesday evening, there’s no refund. I waited a few days and heard no response from the seller, so I reached out again on Monday, January 16. Most buyers wouldn’t even wait this long.

 The seller did not respond so I reached out again the following Wednesday, January 18. I never heard a response. Again, the seller promised he would refund me LAST Wednesday. It had been over a week now. I think I gave him more than enough time to issue me that refund. I also saw him listing new items on his store between the time I messaged him three times, so he was clearly more preoccupied with his own business than actually assisting a customer. He was ignoring all my messages. I was not a priority to him.

 I wasn’t sure if I should wait for his response, but I was starting to think I was never going to see that $20 again. My first mistake was not asking eBay Customer Support to step in, but they gave me a message on the 9th when I opened the case that they would only be available to help until January 13, so it was already past the window for me to contact them, and I couldn’t figure out how to contact them through the website directly anyway (there was a number to call which I should have tried, and their live chat wasn’t very useful either). In all my years buying on eBay, I never had to escalate a return case to eBay Customer Support because the sellers always resolved the issue in a timely manner and never ignored my inquiries. Frankly, I just wasn’t sure what to do next. This seller was purposely giving me a hard time.

 So, I was admittedly losing patience now and reached out to PayPal directly on Wednesday, January 18 (PayPal always refunds me for merchants who refuse to do so). I gave them all my documentation. I explained the issue and provided them with screenshots of my eBay order, the conversation I had with the seller showing that he clearly promised me a refund, and an Account Statement that detailed my credit (showing date of purchase, the order ID, and the card I used to pay for the item).

 On Thursday, January 19, I left a negative review for the seller because he ignored all my messages and I think I waited long enough for him to respond, and if he just issued me a refund in the first place like he said he would, I wouldn’t have to be going through all this. This is also the first negative review I've ever had to write up simply because I never had to before. I prefer not to write them if I can avoid it, but this experience has been very trying. Most buyers would just go straight to the reviews and start lashing out at the seller before contacting the seller first, but I think I followed all the steps. I contacted the seller first, chatted politely with him in private, and agreed to settle the issue, so there was no reason for me to write a negative review, and that’s usually how I go about it. I’ve only written maybe two neutral reviews (which one seller had eBay remove and another asked me to change to positive after he refunded me the difference for overcharged shipping), but otherwise, I try to avoid it. I’m not out to ruin a seller’s perfect 100% rating on purpose. But this seller did not handle the issue properly and I think I gave him a fair chance. I also worded my review as kindly as possible despite my frustration. His rating is now down to 99.1% (not counting the false positives he’s received as a buyer from other sellers but more on that later).

 After reviewing the details of my case, on Tuesday, January 24, PayPal denied my case because I accidentally deleted the PayPal receipt, and I wasn’t able to recover the file from my email because it was more than 7 days ago. PayPal did give me from Tuesday, January 24 to Friday, January 27 to provide them the additional documentation of my receipt, but there was no way to recover it. All I had was the Account Statement to show proof of credit. They said ‘’because we never received documentation that proves you are due a credit’’ they unfortunately had to deny me. Because I reached out to PayPal, the Return was automatically closed on eBay on the 18th. Well, I was a little disappointed they didn’t see my side. It was the first time PayPal denied me.

 It’s mostly my fault because it’s the first time I’ve failed to save the PayPal receipt. I usually always archive them in my emails when I place the order and save the receipt until the order arrives in case I need a refund, but I guess I just wasn’t thinking. Oh well. I had 10 days to appeal my case to PayPal, but since I can’t recover the receipt, I decided not to pursue the refund further and let it go. Sure, I’m short $20 now but I know for the future to just save the receipts and ask eBay to step in first. It’s not really a big deal, just a lesson to be learned.

 I thought about disputing the charge directly through my bank or credit card company, but it’s such a hassle to go through all that for $20. If the charge was more, I would consider it, but I also don’t want the bank to think I’m attempting to commit ‘’friendly fraud’’ so again, I just decided to let it go. Life’s too short to worry about stuff like that. It’s not worth the aggravation and I have more important things to worry about.

 On the same day PayPal closed my case, I did manage to reach out to eBay Customer Service via Facebook messenger (which I should have done in the first place) to just to double check if there wasn’t anything more they could do. They were very sympathetic to my case, but they explained because ‘’a dispute was opened with PayPal. Once this happens, it would take precedence over our claims process, and we would no longer have the ability to issue a refund on the order. It definitely isn't that we don't want to help, our hands are just tied. If you haven't already, I would encourage you to reach out to PayPal and see if the case can be appealed, or what other options they may have to help. We hope this is resolved soon.’’

 So, that was that, and I just decided to let it go because there was nothing else to be done, and I didn’t think more of it. That was four days ago.

 BUT WAIT... THERE’S MORE 

So, this morning, I see the seller messaged me at 11 AM, practically harassing me over the negative review I left for him. Like I need more stress in my life, lol.

Sorry, I’m lmfao right now, this is so rich.

  🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

And, oh the awful grammar. Dude, please do yourself a favor and go back to school. I’m losing brain cells trying to make sense of this.

 Something’s wrong with me? Mmkay. No, I think something is wrong with you. I asked you three times for a refund, and you chose to ignore me. You do realize it’s been three weeks, right? Or can’t you tell time?

  First off, I did not ‘’keep the photo free of charge.’’ lol what? 🤣 I paid appx. $20.84 for the photo that you NEVER REFUNDED, so you basically kept my $20 for yourself. Even if I printed out the return label to ship it back to you, you probably STILL would not have refunded me, and I would have been short even more money than I already am right now. (I’d return it now, but I no longer have the shipping label, and I doubt anyone would want this crummy photo. The 2 bids you see were both placed by the Gixen Mirror service on my behalf. There was no other competition.)

 Also, sorry I wasted YOUR precious time sending you three messages, two of which you ignored, and having to go through PayPal and having them review my case for an additional week. Yes, I clearly wasted YOUR time. 🤣 Dude, really. It’s been 20 days since I opened the return on the 9th, and it’s been 18 days since I last heard from you. I gave you more than enough time to refund me, which you failed to do.

 I’m sorry, I just can’t right now. XD I honestly think this guy is brain damaged. Ngl

(Also, a funny thing happened when he shipped me the item. He assumed I was married (for some reason???) and addressed me on the envelope as ‘’Mrs. So-and-So.’’ Like… you *never ever* assume a woman’s marital status, or *anyone’s* marital status for that matter, like for real… I didn’t let it bother me, but still, it was hilarious. I don’t think he’s very smart.)

  🤣 🤣 🤣 🤣

In all seriousness, I did not think my review was unfair. I only stated I'd been waiting for a refund the seller promised since January 11. I understand, of course, if he was busy filling other orders, but I gave him more than enough time to refund me and sent him two additional follow-up messages, one on January 16 and another on the 18th and he never responded to my inquiries. He's just now responding.

 I just think it’s ridiculous that I’d been waiting for him to refund me since January 11, and, even if he was busy, he could have temporarily set aside his orders for a measly minute. I’m sure it doesn’t take nearly as long to send a refund. It took him six days to ship my order, so he’s clearly in no rush to fill orders. There was no reason for him not to take two minutes out of his day to issue me a refund. Most sellers I’ve dealt with in the past issued me a refund in no more than three days at most. He intended to drag this out longer than necessary. Also, the cordial thing for him to do, if he was so busy, was to reply to my messages explaining he would get back to me as soon as possible, and I would’ve understood. I’m aware sellers have lives outside of eBay, but usually if there’s a delay for whatever reason, a *good* seller will always keep me informed.

 A *good* seller cares about customer satisfaction, as in responding to customer inquiries at your earliest convenience. If it were me filling a refund request, I would not wait weeks and weeks to get them their money. I would do so right away. And if life happens, just reach out. I basically did all the work messaging the seller regarding the issue. He did not have the common courtesy to reach out to me and explain why it was taking him so long.

One time, I messaged a seller to ask when they would ship an item after a week had gone by since placing the order, and they responded by saying their wife had suddenly passed away and there would be a slight delay in shipping, and of course I understood, and wished them sympathy and simply told them to take all the time they needed. Another time, a seller informed me they were out-of-town on vacation and would ship my item as soon as they returned, and I wished them a good trip and there was no rush. I received both items as promised from these sellers who were kind enough to take the time to explain the delay. This seller, however, did not bother telling me he was busy filling other orders, so how was I to know? Also, a few more reviews were left for him from other buyers a few weeks AFTER I opened my return case, so he should have refunded me first before he filled other orders. Why keep me waiting? And he only had until January 31st before eBay closed the Return. Why wait until the last minute? I feel like he was doing so on purpose, lol. There was absolutely no communication with him. Most sellers will ghost you if you agree on a refund. Sometimes, they say they will refund you and never follow through, and just keep your money, so naturally I assumed I’d been ghosted.

 Again, he just didn’t go about this the right way. If you say you will issue me a refund on January 11, but there’s a delay for whatever reason, he should have reached out to me. Again, I waited several days before reaching out to him, trying to give him time to respond. I tried to follow up with two additional messages which went completely ignored, so at that point, there was no more excuse. The fact that he’s just NOW responding to me on Saturday, January 28, 11 days after the Return was closed by eBay and four days after PayPal closed my case, it just says enough about this seller in general. Obviously, a procrastinator. It shouldn’t take you nearly a whole month to give a customer’s money back. JMO

 I always maintained cordiality and never resorted to threats, so I'm not sure why he feels the need to threaten me now. I have since blocked him, but I did reach back out to eBay Customer Support on Messenger and showed them this seller is going out of his way to harass me. I've been buying on eBay since 2016 and never encountered a character quite like this one. No buyer has ever left me a negative review either because I always try to be reasonable and understanding. I don't want to cause any more trouble, I'm just letting them know this eBay seller is prone to harassing his customers and I just hope he doesn't treat other customers in similar fashion in the future.

 So, eBay did respond and said, ‘’Thank you! You're completely entitled to your feedback, and you don't have to delete it. We'll go ahead and report the seller on our end so our Trust team can take appropriate action based on their findings. On your end, I recommend not engaging with this user further. Please keep us in the loop and let us know if you run into any other issues, we're here to help.’’

 So, I hope nothing more comes of this and this guys just quietly goes away.

 BUT WAIT... THE PLOT THICKENS

I did investigate him further and found out, as a buyer, he has several false positives from other sellers. He’s had at least four complaints from four different sellers for failing to pay for items, despite their constant notices and reminders. I wish I looked into him further before buying from him, because obviously, if he has an issue paying sellers, then he surely has an issue refunding his customers. But I probably wouldn’t have taken that into account, since I rarely request refunds and rarely experience issues with my items. I’m not sure if anything was done about it, apart from the orders being cancelled, or if these sellers tried to contact eBay’s Trust team to report him, but I’m just putting it out there. Unfortunately, sellers cannot leave negative feedback for buyers, so if a seller experiences an issue with buyers, and they leave a review, it will just be counted as a false positive. I wish I’d read all the reviews thoroughly. So, despite his generally positive reviews from other buyers, I wouldn’t let this deter you. He clearly has issues when it comes to money, whether it’s paying on time or issuing a refund.

If you ever deal with him, proceed with caution.

 I will say this whole experience has given me weeks long headaches and an upset stomach, but I also won’t say it wasn’t at least remotely entertaining. Shakespeare would’ve loved this kind of drama.

[bauhausdog]

how i do my drawing style (obv not every thing is for everyone and this is how i personally do it art are not rules but exploration)

i draw with my palm resting on the tablet, i cant do super precise movements with my hands so i use thick lineart and a bunch of stabilizer for that. if i need long lines i can just lift my hands. i use a 2016 samsung tablet after i switched from the horrible sliperry drawing tablet

currently i use a "pen" brush with opacity AND size jitter so it can sketch and line when i want. ON GREATER BLENDING MODE, this gives a marker sort of look (lines wont overlap)

canvas is 1000x1000 because my tablet is slow and also pixely crunchhhh

my sketches are shapes and dynamics first then anatomy second, in my process i find that treating the sketch as a "newgrounds funky shape artstyle" kind of thing makes things fall in place much smoother too so thats a bonus, and also obv i like it that way lol, its much looser and less stressful, eyeball is my guide. when done my way it looks "imprecise".

I grabbed my shapes/dynamics principles from some of what sinix does and the anatomy/gesture is like 2 bites of knowledge from anatomy guides (the ones who helped me with the style most were the ones who focused in dynamics) furry anatomy was by looking at art and photos, but 80% was just me messing around and finding out

generally i do my sketches in one layer because i softly erase instead of making a new layer (too much work and i cant do really precise strokes) this makes some soft sketchy lines a bit visible, i make a outline if i think the color is drowning the lineart

use curve adjustment to make soft strokes less visible and stronger strokes more visible, i do this because i really like how for me it creates more space for color/shading to fit in

either use 'enclose and fill' tool from krita or just make blocks of color by hands, i make a loot of layers in this process because i like to finetune the colors to my liking and to shade cleanly

currently the way i pick colors isnt too crazy, mostly its based on color theory ideas and my own taste as the judge, if i feel experimental i will try to make some "weird/wrong" color decisions to make it a bit more fun.

as for the color theory what i apply from there is mostly relations with hue saturation and value and my own personal understanding on how they interact together (quick example, for me increasing the saturation of a color "darkens" it a bit)

after this i paint/shade, i try to make it look fun, i use a basic round brush with opacity for more control

after this i make collages backgrounds on my computer WITH ALSO KRITA, my sources of images vary (wikimedia commons, tumblr blogs, pinterest, flickr)

the way i get this specific look is to mess around with some photo manipulation (curves adjustment blending modes), i like krita because it gives you a bajillion filters and blending modes

my favorite ones: "gradient map", "color to alpha (removes background)", "cross channel adjustment" "levels", "hsv adjustment", "curve adjustment" BLENDING MODES: "hard mix (photoshop)", all of modulo blending modes, "overlay", "hard overlay", "lighten", "darken", "dissolve"

mostly what i do on images is bump saturation on hsv adjustment (krita legacy mode on hs vadjustment makes colors a bit more distorted), cut some greens on levels, compress blues and reds, compress saturation, decrease the lightness range and adjust hue a bit if needed, mess with noise and layers. mostly i keep in mind to make the lightness range different from the subject so it doesnt melt together,

if you want more distortion compres with levels and use posterize

glaze on my windows virtual machine (i use linux lol) on high on low quality (this is to protect from theft but also gives a funky filter)

[souryogurt64]

music documentaries are saurrrr interesting for no reason because one band guy will say one thing and its immediately contradicted by another and then another completed unrelated story is told and then cue crusty dusty footage where you cant even make out what its supposed to be and after youre done watching it you wonder what the point of all that was

I didnt know the theater of imagination panic doc existed until recently. They got brent for it and brent never talks in interviews and it was actually fascinating. He came across as very intelligent and musically driven, which I was not expecting at all. Im not an expert or anything but I did feel like it was apparent he was on something as well.

There was also a pretty awkward cut during his last scene in the doc and then he never showed up again, and it genuinely felt like he was about to say something bad about the band or their music in relation to their next record. He had been pretty calm up until that point but he was starting to get a little worked up.

The girl who directed the fever dance troupe said something like “panic have never had to work for anything its just handed to them” and she framed it in a way that was very glowing and positive but honestly extremely true

I also think the calendar business doc is interesting too because i think the filmmaker knew the band was toast and was clearly conveying that but also had to make it all feel good and kind of hide that a bit

There was also this really high production mini doc from vices era and a bunch of other very high quality longer videos that were full of like weird split drama. I feel like I have never seen anyone mention any of these ever, a lot of them were hard to get to which might be why but I was honestly very surprised given how everyone obsesses over certain photos or posts or articles. I think when people talk about the split they must only be looking at pretty odd era stuff or something

I also have theory a lot of bandom lore from like 2010-2012 is just gone because thats when people were kind of shifting from old social media onto “new” social media and fan communities were less consolidated and stuff got lost in the transition.

one also contained an extended scene of brendon and spencer on the phone with a journalist and then complaining about him and I tried really hard to find who it was and couldnt lol. Which is so incredibly and unbelievably immature to professionally film and post, I feel like so many band dudes want attention and followers and gifts and money and to be on TV blah blah blah but the second there is any heat they start publicly crying and saying its not fair. Like yeah it sucks and every job has bad parts and people are allowed to dislike parts of their job. And there are some artists who dont like any of it and want to go the more indie route or retire and thats perfectly fine. But someone like Brendon who only sings about how much he adores being rich and famous publicly whining about being asked about his band breaking up is SOOO like the definition of have your cake and eat it too.

Like you cant sing/brag about how much you love being rich and famous, sue your former friends, and act inflammatory on livestream/post dumb shit 24/7 AND still throw a hissy fit over a journalist doing THEIR job and not cooing and fawning over you and asking about your band splitting lmao

[natescoloringbook]

🌈Sunday Funday

Originally posted: October 23rd

This weekend we had another ( rare ) two days off together, on Saturday we just hung out at home but on Sunday we decided to go out into Glasgow to look at the shops and have dinner.

The Hamleys in town had a new addition to it – which was a Build A Bear Workshop! I am very happy about this, because when we’re going out for fun we tend to stick to the bottom half of the centre ( there is a BAB at the top half ) now it means I’ll be able to visit it more often : D

I thought this dolphin was super cute. I’m a big fan of teddies with “Beanie Boo” eyes

We then went into Boots for some body spray for Eli. But they had their special Christmas gifts out and they’re always really fun to see.

At this point on photos are just from misc shops, I will let you know where each one is though incase you were interested!

These pajamas were so awesome ( even had a parasaur on them too ). Sadly they were just one size short of the one that will fit me ( 15-16 years ) < / 3 I tried to look online but it seems like they’re either old or too new to be put up. It’s okay though because I bought a pair online that I will share later down in the post

Large Godzilla plush from HMV. Out of my price range but still very cute and exciting to see!

I actually picked one of these up and am saving it to celebrate when my dragon Shrimp comes in the mail

He’s just trying before he buys

We went to Zizi’s for dinner ( I had never been before ) and got the bolognese. It was very good

Here is my little hall of goodies from the day!

It matches Smiles perfectly!

These are my favorite fidget / stim toys but it seems the “real” ones are hard to find. I only like the ones with a very specific high quality texture, and a lot of the fakes are flimsy and his dangly “fur” doesn’t feel right. So whenever I find a real one I’ve got to pick them up

This hat looks suspiciously like Godzilla

This ended up being much too sweet, I wish I hadn’t gotten it especially because of how overpriced American candy stores are lol

When we got home I finished up the final touches to re-decorating my Kanken. The photo is bad because I took it lastnight as soon as I finished. But I’ll do a more in-depth blog showing all the aspects of it soon!

[koshekdev]

Storing images in mySql DB - explanation + Uploadthing example/tutorial

(Scroll down for an uploadthing with custom components tutorial)

My latest project is a photo editing web application (Next.js) so I needed to figure out how to best store images to my database. MySql databases cannot store files directly, though they can store them as blobs (binary large objects). Another way is to store images on a filesystem (e.g. Amazon S3) separate from your database, and then just store the URL path in your db.

Why didn't I choose to store images with blobs?

Well, I've seen a lot of discussions on the internet whether it is better to store images as blobs in your database, or to have them on a filesystem. In short, storing images as blobs is a good choice if you are storing small images and a smaller amount of images. It is safer than storing them in a separate filesystem since databases can be backed up more easily and since everything is in the same database, the integrity of the data is secured by the database itself (for example if you delete an image from a filesystem, your database will not know since it only holds a path of the image). But I ultimately chose uploading images on a filesystem because I wanted to store high quality images without worrying about performance or database constraints. MySql has a variety of constraints for data sizes which I would have to override and operations with blobs are harder/more costly for the database.

Was it hard to set up?

Apparently, hosting images on a separate filesystem is kinda complicated? Like with S3? Or so I've heard, never tried to do it myself XD BECAUSE RECENTLY ANOTHER EASIER SOLUTION FOR IT WAS PUBLISHED LOL. It's called uploadthing!!!

What is uploadthing and how to use it?

Uploadthing has it's own server API on which you (client) post your file. The file is then sent to S3 to get stored, and after it is stored S3 returns file's URL, which then goes trough uploadthing servers back to the client. After that you can store that URL to your own database.

Here is the graph I vividly remember taking from uploadthing github about a month ago, but can't find on there now XD It's just a graphic version of my basic explanation above.

The setup is very easy, you can just follow the docs which are very straightforward and easy to follow, except for one detail. They show you how to set up uploadthing with uploadthing's own frontend components like <UploadButton>. Since I already made my own custom components, I needed to add a few more lines of code to implement it.

Uploadthing for custom components tutorial

1. Imports

You will need to add an additional import generateReactHelpers (so you can use uploadthing functions without uploadthing components) and call it as shown below

2. For this example I wanted to save an edited image after clicking on the save button.

In this case, before calling the uploadthing API, I had to create a file and a blob (not to be confused with mySql blob) because it is actually an edited picture taken from canvas, not just an uploaded picture, therefore it's missing some info an uploaded image would usually have (name, format etc.). If you are storing an uploaded/already existing picture, this step is unnecessary. After uploading the file to uploadthing's API, I get it's returned URL and send it to my database.

You can find the entire project here. It also has an example of uploading multiple files in pages/create.tsx

I'm still learning about backend so any advice would be appreciated. Writing about this actually reminded me of how much I'm interested in learning about backend optimization c: Also I hope the post is not too hard to follow, it was really hard to condense all of this information into one post ;_;

[pastryjay]

Personal stuff/ venty post thing

i’ll put it below a thing because I don’t want to be annoying with a long post :)

Mostly talks about gender stuff.

I don’t usually talk personal stuff because I am so used to my parents (mostly my mother) dismissing/ ignoring/ not understanding my worries and acting like me asking for help is an inconvenience. I’m an only child with parents over 40 years older than me and almost no close irl friends at the moment. It has been impossible for me to find anyone with remotely similar experiences irl that I feel comfortable talking to. (I don’t fall out with people, I promise i’m nice, I just find it hard to connect and reach out to others). Much love to my online friends though.

Anyway, I really haven’t talked about this with anyone other than dismissed attempts to ask my mum for help but I am having a gender crisis and have had for some time. I have always known I was different but it wasn’t until about 2 years ago that I started asking myself what if I am actually trans? Since then, that thought has been at the front of my mind all day, everyday and that is not an over-exaggeration. I guess I have found it so hard to talk about such issues because I am feeling things so hard and I don’t know how to start talking about how I feel in a condensed way that sums everything up. I had been keeping a journal online venting about said issues which now has over 18,000 words... yeah. There are a lot of thoughts in my head actually.

A lot of it is the usual stuff. I want a flat chest and have thought that for many years, I use GC2B binders when I can (and clean them without my parents knowing). I want short hair and I know I am an adult and can do what I want now, but it’s hard to get the confidence to do that when i’m naturally anxious and my mum tells me i’d look ugly with it =/. I like having body hair and wish my voice was deeper. I pretty much exclusively wear masculine clothes and haven’t bought a single piece of feminine wear in years. Honestly, I always hated clothes shopping until I realised that I could just buy masc clothes instead. Ffs I was one of two people in my year throughout high school who insisted on wearing the boys uniform with trousers instead of skirts and the other person since has come out as trans.

I do dress like just some guy now whenever I can, exhibit A, some of the lamest quality photos (I hardly take photos of myself lol and do NOT like my face).

I only dress feminine when my mum tells me I must, again yes, I know I am an adult but my mum is particularly skilled at making me feel ashamed. 

I have always related to and felt more comfortable around boys/ men as well, especially as I share much more typical interests and mannerisms too. I get some levels of dysphoria that fluctuate between almost non-existent to ‘makes me nauseous’. Though I tend to avoid things that would cause me to be uncomfortable e.g. I don’t go out much, I mostly avoid looking at myself. On the other hand dressing masc makes me very happy, euphoric I guess.

I am particularly worried with this whole situation as I have just finished my degree and am job hunting. Whatever job I have will probably expect me to be feminine, except I do not own make up anymore, I have hardly any feminine clothes and I will not be comfortable! I am depressed enough as it is!

I guess I will just have to suck it up and deal with it as I do not feel confident in my identity enough yet to put a label on it so can’t come out. So no, I don’t have my pronouns or put my name on social media anywhere anymore (tbh I haven’t for like a year or more) as I am just perpetually unsure (and scared). I only have my face (and maybe my name) on my patisserie instagram as my family follow me there and I do not want questions from them. Honestly just refer to me as anything, if you like in some online communities (especially gaming) I do have the username PastryJay as i’m a pastry chef and Jay sounds a lot like my middle name so Jay is okay too. I don’t know what I will end up identifying as or if I will just be forever unsure/ too scared to label myself. Is anyone ever completely sure? But as I have seen family, neighbours, former colleagues, students in my classes and people online express transphobic views many times, and I don’t live in a city so can’t easily meet other people like me, it is very hard to experiment much or talk about my feelings. Additionally, as an only child I feel like i’m constantly afraid of letting my parents down. I am also incredibly terrified that my feelings will change so wouldn’t want to come out irl then have to redact that. Yes yes, despite my gender issues not being a new thing at all or lessening. If I end up coming to the conclusion that I am just cis and masc, I have a lot of respect and love for the trans community and that will never change.

Anyway I guess as it is pride month, I am seeing a lot of people being happy and true to theirselves (which I am genuinely happy for, not being bitter and jealous here) whereas I just look like some awkward nobody and I am so lonely. Maybe I thought I should change that and make my feelings known here at least.

Big thanks and hello to anyone who has read this. I am totally open for accepting advice or acknowledgement from people about this btw.

[diaryofseraph]

and also

i have chosen to view my relationship not through resentment and despair and anxiety of what may happen, but through kindness.

i know it's a time of uncertainty. i know that this relationship might end tomorrow, depending on what we disagree on, or maybe in may, when i finally move. i've accepted that things really could come to an end, which for some reason, i didn't fully prepare myself for prior to our conversation 1-2 weeks ago. i accept that he could leave because we truly do have our fundamental differences that are too large to overcome. i accept that we may not be right for each other. i accept that he is hesitant, and so am i. we look tentatively to the future right now, but i accept that things could end very soon because of the nature of our relationship, us not being from the same area, having different career paths, and having different values.

i know that i do love luke. we've made a lot of good memories together. we had a wonderful honeymoon phase -- our first kiss, tentatively getting more intimate with each other, so many dates, so many concerts. and despite having our ups and downs, i've learned a lot. i've learned to be a bit less uptight/stiff. i've learned that people communicate in wildly different ways and, truly, there are still people with his type of humor lol. i've learned to have a bit more fun and let loose. i've learned that traveling so much is tiring but extremely fun. i will also instantly dump the next guy who has not completely gotten over their ex lol. all in all, i've gotten to know another human being! and they let me into their life. i really got to know them for who they were. that in itself is a privilege. and i also know it is a privilege for him to have been let into my world.

i love luke's laugh, his voice. i love it when he laughs so hard he curls up and hides his face. i love it when he wears his glasses, and that he wore contacts the first several dates to put up appearances. i love how he covered his mouth because he didn't have gum to hide his bad breath. i love skating around with him, falling off our boards. i love us trying to take the worst photos of each other. i love how he greets my cats every time he visits. i love the feel of his hand in mine, and i love his snore when he falls asleep within minutes. i love that he loves me! i love all these things about him, and i am happy with these things, and i know and accept that.

i also know that if we are right for each other, things will happen as they should. if we aren't, then they will naturally dissolve, as they should. despite loving him, i know that there is a possibility we might not be a good fit for each other. and that's ok. i guess that's just the fallibility of human life and our attempts at trying to connect with others! i know that i tried my best to love him and show him that.

ultimately, i also know that the right person will stay to work things out. that they would believe in us and our ability to work things out, even if we had our differences (within reason, of course lol). so if he truly leaves and breaks up with me, we were not meant to be. that's okay. i'll still have love for him, but i know that i can find someone who is meant for me. i know i have a lot to offer -- i'll be a doctor, am azn (:p), v fertile + high sex drive, cute/petite, empathetic, loving/affectionate, thoughtful, committed, loyal, and hardworking. i can definitely date in residency and find someone that recognizes those qualities and will be committed to stay. i am a lil seaweed floating in the ocean, going wherever the tide takes me. if we go one way (break up), i will float that direction and find the rays there. if we go the other (continue), i will float on as well.

regardless, i know my worth, and if luke chooses not to take up space in my life, i will find someone who is worthy of doing so. if he leaves, we were never going to work out, and my heart will hurt, but it will remake itself again. suffering leads to strength and kindness and love, and i know i can make it to the other side as a better person

[sarasa-cat]

Last week and this week have been extra…

Just… extra.

And I am so tired and trying to get my own stuff done but because I am the one with (a) a flexible schedule and (b) no pending professional deadlines this month, and because (c) my partner in crime is or has been suddenly juggling an epic shit load of (mostly or entirely) unexpected high stakes deadline driven shit, it’s just madness around here.

Add in last week’s jury duty from hell to just toss more backlog into all of this.

Also, normally partner does all of the dinner prep/cooking but hasn’t been able to do that for two weeks. And next week is also overbooked which basically means 3 full weeks of august screwed over.

So I have been doing all of both of our Adulting shit plus extra Adulting shit that had to be done (maintenance on major appliances we depend on) while making calls for tradespeople who are not available to do things that are desperately needed. Just ugh.

Our landscaping guy is never available and giant invasive plants that literally grow a fucking foot per day I shit you not are BACK AGAIN and threatening to cut off our mail/package delivery — and yes, the last time it took over we receive NO MAIL beyond a nasty note from USPS. So that was two backbreaking days of battle that did not go well. my eyes swelled up from allergies.

This evening I was hoping to simplify the rest of this week by stocking up on our favorite healthy(ish) fast meal. BUT our local grocery store was just … weirdly empty especially regarding EVERY SINGLE staple item I normally get plus all of the emergency “brain can’t think, no time to do anything but toss stuff in the steamer” meal items. Like just— wtf why so many barren empty shelves and half the freezer aisle empty even though all the freezers were physically working? and it was way too late for me to go somewhere else. I was soooooooo disappointed and ended up getting a few crappy overpriced deli items that won’t last long and will be meh. But at least we have insta food for tomorrow. :|

I just.

Really get why so many people have dropped out of the workforce or have dropped to working part time bc I swear to fuckjng gawd everything takes 99x more effort to do these days.

Passport photos, for instance (both are about to expire). Never a hassle in the before times.

Took me a half the month to find a place that could do it and was open when both of us were free. Half the fedex/kinkos I visited said their system for making passport photos was out of order and the other fedex stores I went to were CLOSED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE AFTERNOON AND NOT OPEN ON WEEKENDS despite what their hours said online. And my partners schedule has suddenly been a complete fuckjng mess (as mentioned above) so finding time btwn 10a and 4:30p hasn’t been super easy especially when these fedex stores aren’t even open when they claim to be open according to their website.

Even stupid little things — small kitchen appliances and boring little house items are just becoming weirdly hard to find. Or really shitty quality.

Everyplace I go when running errands like that I just think — these stores feel barren and downgraded compared to the past. But then I look for stuff online and it’s even worse. Overpriced crap that is always a regret or stuff that sells out instantly and then it’s just “sorry, restocking.”

And don’t get me started with all of the rotting fresh fruit and veggies in the market.

And just try making an appointment as a new client or a new patient for anything. Dentist? Lol whatever. (One of my friends had the worst time finding appointments for a new vet for her kittens who needed to be scheduled to be spayed. Months of run around and no luck, and multiple cycles of them going into heat.)

The worst is that I have to keep my phone ringer on and that just means spam calls.

Phone rings: me hopeful that someone I need for something I need done is calling back.

Phone: spam call! Mwuahahaah.

Me: FML

I just feel exhausted all the time right now bc

Fuck

Just fuckjng fuck

I needed a long walk yesterday and was surprised how many storefronts are now empty or boarded up yet again.

And if this isn’t the visible results of economic downturn/recession than i don’t even want to see what a clusterfuck this will all become when the predicted recession hits.

Things are not economically well for much of anyone not on a solid regular salary (pay that is always the same and never calculated hourly) from what I can surmise and you cannot get anyone to do anything for you these days bc everyone seems to be in a state of fml. It’s just a giant chain of falling FML dominos.

Which is why I said I really get why many ppl have downsized their work hours or dropped out. Just living is a full time job these days and, actually, we have the money to pay for things. I am literally calling ppl saying “take my money plz just put us in your schedule for X.” I am really fuckjng tired— and cannot get enough of my own pro work done because of it. Bc the moment I am in the zone— ring ring— hopefulness— SPAM CALL!!!!! 😩

(This week: Sinks unclogged: 2; dishwasher pulled apart and unclogged plus boring cleaning and maintenance done: 1 — thank you dishwasher repair guy from 2 years ago who actually just showed us how to do it so I wouldn’t need his service despite being us being more than willing to pay for it bc who has the time or energy for kneeling on the floor in a twisted position for far too long? Isn’t this what service/repair ppl are for? Oh wait. Can’t get into their schedule anymore. Fml. )

[newtguyzler-archive]

I keep meaning to watch charlie's snl ep but from what I've read it seems like they wasted him on a bunch of stupid sketches :/

[welkinsky]

Congrats to 100 follower ✨💖 you really deserve it. You constantly put quality content out there 🥺

As for your celebration, what about the alphabet for Kakashi? 🥰

Kakashi X Reader | A-Z Headcanon

Masterlist

A-Z Headcanon

Warning: 18+ Content

A = Aftercare (What they’re like after sex)

Once you two are done and tired, he's gonna take a moment and then turn over to you to smile and adore how flushed you look. He usually kisses your forehead and then pulls you into his chest. Once you two are all calmed down. "You want to hop in the shower baby?" Still running his one hand through your hair. If you say you want to rest a bit more, he gets up to get you water and towels, or if you say yes then expect a "Round 2?" joke on your way, which wasn't actually a joke.

B = Body part (Their favorite body part of their partner’s)

Your thighs! Doesn't matter if you have thick thighs or not he likes to grab them while you're on top or you two are just chilling and he is running his hand through them and they slip certain places "by accident"

In a non-sexual way, it is your hair, for sure. He likes to bury his face in them because the scent of the fresh shampoo is relaxing to him. If you change your shampoo he'll notice it right away, expect a new bottle of the same shampoo on the shelf next to your new one the next day.

C = Cuddling

Cuddling with this man is a dream! He likes to be all over you with one leg over yours and your face buried in his chest. Even if you are being the small spoon, his one leg will be over you and your head resting on one of his arm and his other arm over your shoulder pulling you closer to his chest.

Whenever you two are on a nap date, his hand is always resting on you. He becomes restless when he can't find you but calms down after finding you on the other side of the bed. Then just keeps his palm on you rather than pulling you in and waking you up.

D = Dirty Secret

This one time, you two had an idea of taking some nudes together just for fun to see whose turns out to be the better one. You both set a rule to get rid of them after the winner was announced, which never happened since you two were so turned on in the process that you two ended up doing it. You forgot it but he still has your photo with him. Shut up, it helps him on long missions.

E = Experience 

He was not a virgin, but he wasn't much experienced either. If you want to know more about this scenario find it here.

In starting he kept things vanilla, he didn't want to freak you out. But you wanted more but that was the case with you too so this one time you stole his Itcha Itcha to read what type of stuff he was into. AND YOU ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT. You had to read it as fast as you can because he'd notice that it was missing.

And when you suggested something, it was a shock to him because he knows exactly how to do it but to ACTUALLY experience it and that too with YOU? The guy was in actual heaven that day.

F = Favourite Position 

It depends, he is a tease so he likes when you do all the work but just wait till he has your image of having one leg over his shoulder while he's pounding into you and you're all flustered, aaaaand the guy is pinning you down and going at it.

Or if he is IN THE MOOD he's gonna start with you on all fours and will end up having you burring your face in the pillow.

G = Goofy

Hehe he is the best type of goofy. He says the jokes with a straight face while everyone is on the floor dying. He only lets out a small laugh when you are laughing your "so-called ugly laugh" in front of others too.

But sometimes he starts laughing even before cracking the joke because it was that funny, "Oh boy, naah it's nothing" he says wiping a tear, off his one eye. You all will beg him but according to him "the moment is gone" lol he IS a tease.

H = Hair 

His hair is sooooo fluffy! And after how little he looks after them? It is almost a joke on you. You take care of your hair a lot but this guy probably washes it with body wash and still has such good quality. He always says that it is a good diet to trick you into healthy eating too. This guy never misses a chance to do that.

I = Intimacy 

Your emotional intimacy is something that is beyond this world. You both never knew that you were capable of feeling emotions so strongly.  You're hurt? He feels this burning feeling in his heart that he can't get rid of. He is having a nightmare? It breaks your heart that you cannot do anything about what he had to go through.

Not for once have you two felt any sort of negative emotions to one another but just love and CARE! You love your people but for the first time, you've felt that "care" not from the words but actions. 

For the first time, you two have felt that you don't have to do everything on your own, you can divide it and let your guard down for a moment because you know that other one will be there if something goes wrong.

J = Jack Off 

He does it normally when he is out on a mission or away from you for a while. One thought of you can turn him on in that case.

K = Kink (One or more of their kinks)

Ohohoho where should I even start? He LOVES to handcuff you because that just gives him more power over what he wants you to feel. Which is why he likes blindfold too.

As your relationship grows he likes the risk factor too so he likes to do it in a tricky place. But while making sure that your reputation doesn't get compromised at any cost.

L = Location (Favourite places to do they do)

Umm isn't it obvious? Anywhere? Literally. But he loves to bend you over the kitchen counter and take you then and there as he enters the house and finds you cooking or just having a drink or something.

M = Motivation (What turns them on, gets them going)

He will do anything you ask for while doing it to make sure that he will be able to see that face of yours when you have just let go and you're too flustered to even care. It shows him that you are enjoying it.

Or if it is just you pleasing him and you look up to him with "puppy eyes" heh don't blame him for what is about to happen to you.

N = NO (Something they wouldn’t do, turn-offs)

You risking your reputation for the "risk factor". See, everyone sees you highly in the village and he loves the respect that they give you. He WILL NEVER ruin it just because he is feeling it right now and won't let you do the same too.

O = Oral (Preference in giving or receiving, skill, etc)

It may not seem like it but he LOVES to give it to you. Actually, if this time it is more of a sensual one then he always starts with eating you only. It is his way of showing that you're his priority.

He has long fingers so umm ya. You're overstimulated most of the time. As much as he loves seeing this, he holds your hand with one while the other one is pumping in and out of you as he plays with your clit with his tongue.

He loves to hold one hand with you even while he is eating you out. Wow.

P = Pace (Are they fast and rough? Slow and sensual? etc.)

He starts with "slow as death" ones and then once you're begging to him theeen he goes fast and deep. You ARE lucky to have him honestly :')

Q = Quickie (Their opinions on quickies rather than proper sex, how often, etc.)

You don't even have to say anything? You are looking good before you two go out? You'll be doing it before leaving the house.

It's not his fault! You look too good, it's your fault.

And sometimes these quickies turn into something more and you two end up staying home.

R = Risk (Are they game to experiment, do they take risks, etc.)

Risk who? That's all I'm gonna say.

S = Stamina 

He can go for a lot of rounds. But if he is just back from the mission or has been busy all day and now he is tired. Please don't push him. Not because he is a "poor guy" or something, nooooo, this idiot will get horny and do it anyway. But regret in the morning because he didn't take enough rest.

T = Toy

He bought it only when you two started experimenting so you both have handcuffs (used for you only he doesn't like to be a sub that often), a blindfold, and a vibrator for sure. This fucker likes to edge you a lot.

U = Unfair (how much they like to tease)

Heh isn't it clear already? This guy is the definition of being unfair. As you start to get a little annoyed and turn to him and catch him smirking, all that "annoyance" turns into "lust" lol you simp! But can we really blame you?

V = Volume (How loud they are, what sounds they make)

If you are doing it somewhere out? He'll keep shut and even cover your mouth to avoid getting caught. But if he is at home, he will grunt a lot but will let out a loud moan once he reaches his high

W = Wild Card (Just a random headcanon because I cannot think of anything starting with W)

He cooks for you in the morning. That is the only time he can make sure that you have a good healthy meal since he is not there for lunch and you make the dinner.

If he is cooking in the morning then expect your lunch prepared for you too.  *and meal prep for dinner* bro he wants to make sure that you are taking care of yourself because you work too hard okay? Shut up and have your fruits and drink some water as you read this...... Go now, sip some water.

X = X-Ray

He has a lean physique but specifically, his arms are muscular and they are getting buffer after you mention that you like buffed arms. Hehe being slick, okayyyy.

Also, he has long slim fingers, umm good for you.

But you like to draw in his hands too sometimes. Just some little things. He smiles at them as he looks at them later.

Y = Yearning (How high is their sex drive?)

He kind of has a strong sex drive. Most of the time if it is because of the fact that he is too excited to try new things on you.

Z = ZZZ (… how quickly they fall asleep afterward)

He doesn't sleep until he knows that you are sound asleep. He likes to take in the scent of your hair and just run his fingers through your hair to calm you down a bit. Do it back too, please. He loves it a lot! If you stop and start doing something else, he'll bring back your hand to his hair and make you do it for as long as you don't fall asleep. In any case, he is sleeping once you're asleep.

____________________________

Shikamaru is my favorite character but ya’ll are making me change my lane with how many posts I’ve written for Kakashi XD

Thanks For Reading and for the ask!

If you liked it you can check out the masterlist too!

[absoluteindulgence]

Imagine being that couple that breaks the bed during... y'know🥴 pt.2

A/N: Hey Y’all, I’m back at it again with the back at it again lmaooo Part 2 is here and I hope y’all like it.... This one is a little bit more vulgar (Characters are aged up 18+)  Here’s PT. 1 for those who haven’t/or want to read it.  And thank you guys so much for OVER 1K NOTES ON THE FIRST ONE. I DIDN’T KNOW IT WAS GONE GO OFF LIKE THAT 🥺. AND I’M GLAD I MADE Y’ALL LAUGH AND FEEL THE SECONDHAND EMBARRASSMENT LOL

🌋KIRISHIMA🌋

On your way there, you wonder if his honesty is going to be the result of another flustered mess that you can't see your way out of

You get to the store, and immediately everyone greets you; your face is welcoming, but on the inside, your grieving.

Kiri goes up to a clerk focusing on curtains and asks where to find a bed frame.

Willing to help, they show you where to acquire them. Kiri asks about different sets doing his best to seek out more superb quality. The clerk is understanding, looking to please their current customer, informing that they have more in the back.

He's grateful, and playfully the clerk asks why y'all need a new bed frame, and Kiri says,

"She called me “Big Daddy Riot,” and I snapped, and now we're here."

So straight to the point, the clerk blankly stares at you, but you hide your face not to make eye contact.

"A-anyway, whatever sturdy frame you have is fine, no matter the cost," pulling out his wallet, he says, "I'm ready to pay."

Now you should be embarrassed but now... You're kinda turned on. He was so serious about taking care of this that calling him big daddy was totally worth it.

No matter the purchase, he's very thorough with his expectations, the manly way.

And there’s just something so manly about a man pulling out his wallet with that "I'm willing to pay" attitude. Whether it's his tone, the way he grips his wallet, imagining it’s you being gripped like that (again)...🤤

You smile awkwardly to the clerk, “Give us your best, please?”

And so they do, not only with a complimentary warranty that you can renew anytime but with WATERPROOF SHEETS.

Heading back to the car, Kiri packs everything in the trunk and backseat, then comes to your side of the car. You get in saying, “Well, that wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be.” 

"Well, don’t speak too soon, Princess. They just gave us some high-quality merchandise, but we don’t know how long it’ll last.” Pulling out of the parking lot, he looks at you with a quick wink, “I mean, not everything can be unbreakable like me, right babe?"

⚡DENKI⚡

This spicy, smart-ass.

It's definitely your fault, and he's gonna remind you all the way there.

Getting in the store, it’s not your first time there, so you already know where to find the frames.

Only you care that it matches the rest of the bedroom’s aesthetic, which could make the process harder.

Denki teases you, saying that it doesn't matter and that you should just choose a bed frame so that y'all can go the fuck home.

A clerk nearby sees y'all having a hard time, offering to help.

You tell them that you need a bed frame that fits your eccentric bedroom. They understand and go through the ones that you've already seen.

You say that you need something more robust than what's been displayed.

They nod, telling you they have the perfect set, disappearing to the back. They come back, and the set is perfect, but Denki is a skeptic.

"Hold on, babe, I'll handle this" He inspects the box looking at the weight of it, leaving no word on the damn box unread. He finishes and says, "Sorry, just had to make sure, wouldn’t want a part 2 of Pew Pew now, would we?"

Your eyes dart to him, the clerk is confused, "What's Pew Pew?"

Imitating a prince-charming tone, he says, "The weakness my true love bestows upon me it is strong and keeps me on edge."

The clerk waits for you to explain, but you say nothing.

Breaking out of character, he says, "Basically, she got on top of me and wanted to spell out my name, resulting in...... yeah."

He shows a photo, and your stomach drops to your ass, "WHEN DID YOU TAKE THOSE?????"

"When your fine ass was taking a shower, you're crazy if you thought I would keep this to myself!"

Y’all get the set, and buy more towels and get complimentary candles. You put Denki on WAP suspension too 😔 , lmao.

📼SERO📼

No offense but y'all a goofy-ass couple lmao

Y'all just be doing anything in the bedroom and now y'all at the store looking GOOFY-HYUCK

"Well, it started with how high could she jump onto me, and it resulted in a WWE match...."

Sero showed pictures of the private handy work that led you two to go shopping for something more sturdy...

Why the fuck does the room look like discount Cirque Du Soleil? His tape is all over the fucking ceiling, on the floor, and most importantly the bed frame because you dizzy, one brain cell together having asses tried taping the bed back together just to keep on fucking

Resulting in the frame FALLING TO SHREDS

The clerk has never seen no chaotic shit like this in their life!

It is so fucking bad they have to use EYE DROPS, just to confirm WTF they're looking at

"I know it looks bad, but at least we're not hurt" He smiles so earnest it’s almost as you weren't sexually destructive beings.

The clerk disappeared, coming back after 10 minutes with 3 other clerks as they carried a set filled with steel, metal chains, and high-quality leather.

The clerk said, "This is a one of a kind set; if you manage to break it, we will personally build you a steel cage so that your wrestling match can continue."

Sero looks at you, excited, "Wow, Babe, let's buy it."

Y’all buy the bed set and get a lifetime coupon of high-quality sex toys sent to your home, and of course, y’all try the shit out without thinking of the aftermath.

Back at square one, and the clerks are scared of y’all now 

😈SHINSOU👿

Already at the store and Shinsou is doing all the talking to the clerk~

"I told her to go to sleep; she defied me, so I had to punish her..." Realizing he said it out loud, he looked at your face.

If only you could Thanos yourself

The clerk looked slightly uncomfortable, "Well, from what you are describing, I don't know how that would result in breaking the bed."

"Well, my Kitten is a little disobedient and needs many forms of... persuasion."

Putting his hand on your shoulder, he showed his wicked smirk.  

I mean, was he wrong? He wouldn't even let you do the talking. If you spoke out, he would turn up the vibrator attached to your clit.

That was the challenge he placed on you before y’all left the house, and you willingly obliged until he told you his condition. Now he had total power to switch the narrative like it wasn’t him waking you up in the middle of the night after coming back from a long day of heroism.

The clerk squinted at you with a worried/ suspicious look... "O-okay, give me a moment."

They come back out with an exclusive set that was just imported overseas. The box images make it look so beautiful and regal; you’re shocked, wanting to tell him how much you love it but don’t wanna say.

Knowing Shinsou, it’s a trap to punish you.

"Wow, that’s beautiful. We’ll take it.”

Sometimes his dominant side pisses you off, but it’s clearly a turn on, you want to mouth off, but you nod instead.

Shinsou pays for the bed frame along with some pillows, and the clerk offers complimentary essential oils that you can come back and get free refills.

Heading to the car, Shinsou sweetly asks, “Now that we have reinforcements, are you ready to go again, Kitten?"

[flightlessangelwings]

Work of Art ~ Chapter 1/2

Marcus Pike x tattooed!fem!reader

Word count: 3.4k

Warnings: fluff, pining, an asshole boss, Marcus being the bestest, reader dealing with misogynistic comments, kissing, insinuated spicy times

Notes: This idea was brought to me by @the-purity-pen​ and I got so carried away that I broke it into 2 parts lol. Thanks so much Leeann! And thank you to @we-can-be-himbos​ for beta reading! I loved writing this so much and I’m so excited to share this with y’all so I hope you like it! Moodboard made by me

~

This was not the ideal situation to walk into when you came in for work this morning. Your job as a receptionist and concierge at The Lustrio, an upscale and expensive hotel, had been fairly tame and quiet for the past five years you had been there. This was the first time there was an incident, and of course you were the one to run headfirst into it.

The Lustrio was very fancy with a rich, high-class clientele. The rooms were lavish and went for hundreds of dollars a night. Even the lobby was a sight in itself, and sometimes people walked through just to look at the exquisite art and ceramics on display. The architecture and design of the space was a work of art in and of itself. You and your coworkers were used to the usual flow of traffic throughout the day paired with people checking in and out. 

While walking in to start your shift, you noticed broken glass everywhere, a priceless piece of art was gone, and the overnight security guard was unconscious on the floor. The sun hadn’t even risen yet and you immediately rushed to the bodyguard’s side as you dialed the emergency line. In no time, the lobby was filled with police, paramedics, and FBI agents. You felt like your world was turned upside down, even if it wasn’t your personal property that was stolen.

Luckily, the security guard was just knocked out, and you had gotten there just in time for him to be alright. As you watched them wheel him away, your boss, Rodderick White, approached you with his usual scowl on his face.

“Well this is just fantastic,” was the first thing he said to you during this whole debacle, “Fix your jacket too, you look disheveled.” You didn’t expect him to ask if you were alright or anything; he seemed to have a grudge against you for some time and you were used to his comments. If you weren’t so overwhelmed, you would have commented on the fact that he didn’t even seem bothered by the theft in the first place but you were too flustered to fully notice.

“I’m fine, thanks for asking Rod,” you snipped back. But you decided not to push your luck with him today and adjusted the collar of your shirt and lined your jacket to look more presentable. The uniform wasn’t horrible: a black blazer over a white button down shirt and black vest with your choice of black dress pants or skirt with black stockings. It just got warm at times with being covered up completely, and the tightness of the shirt collar sometimes felt suffocating.

“Rodderick,” he grumbled back before he cleared his throat and put his mask of friendliness on, “The FBI wants to talk to you.”

You sighed. You knew they would want to interview you since you were the first in that morning, but you weren't looking forward to it. “Yes sir, Mr. White,” you used your fake customer service voice as you followed where the various agents gestured for you to go.

The FBI unit had set themselves up in both the larger and smaller conference rooms that were just a short walk down the hallway from the lobby. In the large one, they had laptops and equipment set up. You noticed several agents were already busy trying to get a lead on the case. The smaller room that you were led in to was set up for interviews. Once you reached the doorway, you were met with a single agent who you assumed would conduct your interview.

“Nice to meet you,” he greeted you with a warm smile and an extended hand, “I’m Marcus Pike, the agent in charge here,” you took his hand and gave him your name, “I”m sorry this happened here. I hope you’re alright. Can I get you some water or anything?”

It was nice to know that a complete stranger showed you more kindness and concern than your boss who you had known for years. You brushed off the frustration you had with your boss, along with the lingering feeling of the warmth from the agent’s soft hand in yours. He was handsome for sure, and had big soft brown eyes and a smile that lit up the room. A sprinkle of scruff lined his jaw and framed his face perfectly.

“I’m fine, thank you,” your voice was genuine when you spoke to the agent and you followed him into the room where you sat down at the conference table.

Agent Pike closed the door behind him and the two of you were alone in the room. 

Suddenly, you felt nervous, even though you hadn’t done anything wrong. He must have noticed the nerves on your face right away before he gave you another sweet smile and said your name in a calm voice, “You’re not in trouble or anything. We just need your account of what you saw.”

Just those few words from him instantly made you feel better. Normally, you wouldn’t fall for someone’s charm like this, but something about this agent just seemed so genuine. Genuine and kind were two qualities that were hard to find in a person. 

You felt yourself heat up as you gave him a nervous chuckle, “Since it’s just us in here, would you mind if I took my jacket off? I’m a little warm,” you tried to play off your jitters. When he nodded you added, “Just don’t tell my boss. We’re not supposed to be out of uniform at all when we’re here.”

Marcus laughed and looked down at the table, “Your secret is safe with me.” He looked back up when he heard your laughter, and this time it was his turn to be nervous.

With your jacket off, you were left in your short sleeve white button down shirt and vest, and you undid the top couple buttons to give yourself more room to breathe. But it wasn’t just the exposed skin that caught Marcus’ attention. He saw for the first time that you were almost completely covered in tattoos, and he couldn’t help but stare.

Marcus was absolutely a fan of art; it was what drew him to work for the art theft department in the first place. He also liked to dabble in art himself in his free time. To see how much artwork you had on your body made him stare at you in admiration. Marcus had thought that the lobby was nice to look at, but you were a work of art on a whole other level.

“Sorry,” he focused his attention to the papers in front of him to tear his gaze away, “I like your tattoos,” he added in a softer tone.

You smiled at him and Marcus thought his heart would break out of his chest. “Thank you, Agent Pike,” again, your voice was genuine. Truthfully, you thought his reaction was cute. You were used to worse anyway, and you could always tell when people stared out of interest or admiration versus disgust. Agent Pike definitely liked what he saw; you could tell already that he was not a subtle man at all.

“Marcus, please,” he met your eyes again and you both shared a moment where time seemed to stop for both of you.

“Marcus,” you repeated in a whisper and he echoed with your name.

Marcus had to bring himself back to the task at hand.  He redirected the situation back to what he originally was supposed to be talking to you about. He asked you a series of questions about your morning, what you saw, the time you arrived, if you noticed anything in the past few days, etc. You answered all of his questions honestly, and your story lined up with events perfectly. Not that Marcus was concerned it wouldn’t. 

“We have an idea of who it might be,” Marcus told you as he slid you a sheet of paper with the suspect’s photo on it, “Does he look familiar?”

You took the photo and furrowed your brows as you studied it, “Yeah,” your voice dropped, “He checked in a couple days ago. I remember I was the one who checked him in. He had a weird energy about him that gave me the creeps, but he didn’t try anything. Haven’t seen him since.”

Marcus clenched his fists involuntarily and suddenly felt the need to protect you. He wasn’t sure why; the two of you were practically strangers. Yet, even in your first meeting, he felt like there was something there. Even with his past history of failed relationships, there was something about you that just called to Marcus. Something about you told him that you were worth taking a chance on.

“Well we’re following up on him. My team is the best so we should have him soon,” Marcus turned serious as he fixed his gaze on you again. He waited for your eyes to meet his before he added in a more concerned tone, “Just stay safe until then.”

Something about his tone made your heart skip a beat and you felt your chest tighten. You could tell from the look on his face that he meant it, and his worry for you was genuine. Normally, you wouldn’t be flirtatious with a stranger, let alone an FBI agent, but you responded in a sultry tone, “I’ll be safer when you catch the guy.”

Marcus’ breath caught in his throat as he clenched his fists again; he definitely did not expect that tone from you. All he did was nod as he composed himself and slid his card across the table, “My number is on the back. If you think of anything else or need anything,” he paused as the tension in the room suddenly felt thick, “Call me.”

*

It took Marcus Pike and his team less than a week to catch the art thief, and when they did, his first thought was of you. He was pleasantly surprised that you had actually texted him the day after he interviewed you and he used the opportunity to make sure again that you were ok. He wanted to ask about your boss too, since he saw the older man berate you for seemingly nothing before Marcus and his team left. But, he decided not to push that envelope yet.

“Welcome back, Agent Pike,” your voice greeted him when he walked into the lobby. 

Marcus was thankful you were at work when he came by and he greeted you with a smile and your name, “Nice to see you again,” he looked around, “Looks like you all got everything cleaned up well.” A look around told him that Rodderick was either busy in his office or off for the day, and for that Marcus was grateful. He wanted to talk to you anyway.

You whispered something to your coworker beside you and stepped around the desk to be closer to Marcus, “Like nothing ever happened,” you tried to make a joke but your eyes told a different story.

He read the question in your eyes clearly and it gave him the biggest pleasure to tell you, “We got him.”

Your face lit up and the relief on your face was clear, “I’m glad to hear it,” you let out a heavy breath, “I can’t offer you a free night or anything… At least not without Rodderick’s approval,” you said your boss’s name with snark and disdain and Marcus couldn’t help but let out a short laugh.

“I’m ok,” he replied lightheartedly before he paused and stared at you for a moment, “Can I ask you out to dinner instead?”

For a moment, you thought you had passed out. He couldn’t have actually asked you out, could he? But when you finally caught up to yourself, you responded with a soft but enthusiastic, “Yes.”

*

You took a deep breath as you stepped out of your Uber in front of the restaurant. It was a nicer place than you usually went to, but Marcus picked the place and insisted on treating you. You picked out a nice outfit for the occasion, and made sure that it was sleeveless to show you tattoos since you remembered that he really liked them. A smile lit up your face as you thought about the look on his face when you shed your jacket the day you two met.

But Marcus’ voice shook you from your throughs, and you looked up to see him dressed nicely in front of you. In his hand, he had a single flower for you, and you wanted to tear up at the gesture. It was something small, but you could tell how meaningful it was. With a thanks, you took the flower and hooked your arm around his as he led you inside.

At dinner, conversation flowed so easily. Marcus told you all about his career and his interests, and you did the same. You even made the joke that this was much better than an interrogation, which made him laugh. Everything seemed perfect, and both you and Marcus felt happy and comfortable with each other.

“So I have to ask,” Marcus started, “Are there any stories about your tattoos?” when your face flashed a look of apprehension, he clarified, “I’m not criticizing at all. Actually, I think they’re exquisite. Really a work of art.”

You bit your lip as you grinned. No one had ever complimented your tattoos quite like that before, so you indulged his question. You told the story behind some of them, and picked out your personal favorites, “I wanted to be a tattoo artist at one point, but it just wasn’t in the cards for me,” you sighed, “Maybe in another life.”

“Maybe in that life I’ll run the flower shop across the street and admire you from there,” he quipped back and you couldn’t help but chuckle at the idea.

But, stares from a man at another table caught Marcus’ attention. Your back was to him, so you couldn’t see, but Marcus did not like the way the man eyed you. A soft frown came across his face as he met the man’s gaze before he turned away. Marcus couldn’t help but think how rude it was for the man to blatantly check you out while you were obviously on a date with him. Of course, he knew you were beautiful and attractive, but he didn’t like the way the man stared at you.

“Marcus?” you asked when you noticed his expression dropped, “You ok?”

Your voice brought his attention back to you, “Yeah,” he answered with a half smile, “Fine.”

Just as you were about to open your mouth again, a voice interrupted, “Hey,” a deep rumble called your attention and it was the man who stared at you. He hovered close to you as he stared disapprovingly, “Don’t you have enough tattoos for a woman? Disgusting.” 

Before you could even react, Marcus jumped to his feet to face him head on, “Don’t you have anything better to do? What she does with her own body is none of your business,” the anger in his voice caught you off guard, “And she is beautiful the way she is,” he added in a lower voice as he grabbed onto the man’s collar, “She’s a damn work of art.” 

It was the last thing you expected, but you appreciated how fast Marcus was to defend you. But, you noticed the man’s anger also flared so you got to your feet too, “Hey, Marcus it’s ok,” you put your arms out between the two men to try to break them up.

Marcus glanced over at you for a moment before he decided to let the man go. He knew from the look on your face that you didn’t want to cause a scene. Asmuch as he wanted to just punch the guy, he decided to let it go. The man scrambled away the second he could, and Marcus let out a heavy exhale to calm himself down as you looked at him with wide, pleading eyes.

The way he immediately defended you lit something up inside you, and you wanted to cry from the rush of emotions. If you weren’t in such a nice restaurant, you would have tackled him in the biggest hug, but you kept your cool for now, “Thank you, Marcus,” you spoke in a hushed tone. Your hand dropped down to take his and you gave him a tight squeeze. You hoped your emotions came through in your grip.

And the way he smiled at you made your heart stop for a moment. Instead of sitting back down, Marcus squeezed your hand back, “How about we get out of here?”

You nodded as he left enough money to cover your bill and tip on the table and led you outside. As much as Marcus wanted to pull out all the romantic stops for you, he decided to change his plan for the evening and led you down the street to a diner, “How about pancakes a la mode for dessert?”

“I’m good with anywhere, Marcus,” you replied with a smile, “As long as it’s with you.”

In no time, you were seated in a booth for part two of your date. Honestly, you felt much more comfortable in a more casual place, but you meant what you said: you were happy anywhere as long as you were with Marcus Pike. Conversation picked up right where you left off and things just felt so natural with him.

“Hey,” Marcus suddenly turned the conversation in a more serious direction, “I’m sorry about that guy at the restaurant. He shouldn’t have said that to you.”

A flutter in your chest rendered you speechless for a moment before you swallowed hard, “It’s alright, Marcus,” you shrugged it off, “I’ve gotten worse.” You were bothered by the guy’s insult, but over the years you’ve learned to shrug those people off. But the look of concern on Marcus’ face made your heart flip in your chest, “Thank you for what you did though,” you added with a soft smile of your own.

Marcus seemed satisfied with that and his face relaxed, “What kind of date would I be if I didn’t defend the most beautiful woman in there?” he chipped back with a wink.

When you stuttered in an attempt to find the right words, Marcus laughed at you. Clearly, it had been some time since someone treated you the way he thought you should be treated. But, Marcus was determined to never let you feel unwanted or alienated again. He took pity on you and steered the conversation back to something light and the two of you talked over a pot of coffee for hours until you both decided you should leave.

Marcus put his arm around you as he guided you outside again and you fiddled with your phone in your hand as the two of you stood on the curb, “I guess I should call an Uber,” you mumbled as you made no attempt to do so.

He just watched you in silence as he thought about how nice it felt to hold you close. And Marcus couldn’t help how badly he wanted to kiss you, but he didn’t want to cross a line so he held himself back.

However, your voice interrupted his thoughts as you turned to face him with a determined look on your face, “Listen Marcus, I don’t normally do this on a first date but,” you reached out to cup his face in your hands and slowly pulled him in close to you. You paused for a moment to give him a chance to pull away, and when he didn’t you pressed your lips together in a short, soft kiss. When you pulled back and caught his eye for a moment, you saw the fire in his eyes and you crashed your lips together again. This time, the kiss was more desperate and heated.

Marcus tightened his grip on you and held you as close as he possibly could as he deepened the kiss. The two of you let the rest of the world fall away as you got completely lost in each other. The kiss was sweet, yet fiery, and you both could feel the unspoken words in each other’s lips.

When he finally broke away, Marcus whispered breathlessly, “I don’t normally do this on a first date, but would you wanna come over to my place?” 

With your forehead pressed against his, your voice was just as hushed, “Yes.”