#most likely I'm over thinking but we have a loose tradition

[haven-gum-rockrose]

I think my closest friend might be dead... huh

[oozeandgoo-art]

everyone is sooo in love with vakori on account of le is so cool and smart and deeply pragmatic and is also completely batshit insane

[thegnomelord]

I love your monster au so much. It makes the monsterlover/fucker in me real happy. Sorry just wanted to share my appreciation.

I've been thinking too, how would you feel about writing a underwater sea creature reader? (No pressure but I hope this idea tickles your fancy so I'll infodump my ideas on you) They can live on land and stuff but drag their prospective mate into a deep underwater ravine when they want to mate. Idk how to describe it, like I have an idea in my head of what the creature's traits would be but I can't find a way to put it into words.

I'm going to give it a try though, (excuse the fact it won't make much sense, my thoughts jump around a lot. But I'll try and make it coherent.) Basically, my mind went to underwater dragons. So with most of the traits that you wrote for dragons, like the purring and the tails intertwining (and the sharing of scales). But I was thinking without wings, because you don't need them underwater. But we glow in the dark, because we are deepsea creatures we have adapted to become bioluminescent. Oh and also we have gills and stuff still when we are on land.

Idk if this is confusing or just something you don't want to write but I was hoping for you to include a more sfw part with the mating dance maybe and then then an actual nsfw part (dom top male reader??)

But at the end of the day this is just a suggestion and it's up to you if you want to write it or not. (If you do write it can it be with ghost or gaz?? gaz giving us shiny things but sea related, like shells? and/or ghost struggling through knowing how to court us. Both of them being confused of what to do because we are a new type of dragon that not many people knew existed and our courting traditions are mostly unknown??

Okay this is cool and it tickles my brain of having just this big fucking monster that's gigantic due to deep sea gigantism :D, I also picked Gaz cause I like the sea/sky duality.

CW:NSFW, subbot gaz, domtop Mreader, quick and rough

When you first joined the taskforce, Gaz didn't know what to expect. Your species had been newly discovered, barely any information about you, but something about you put some ancient part of his mind on edge, ants nipping on the sinew of his wings until his body begged to return to the safety of the sky.

First time he met you, you reminded him less of a dragon and more of a Leviathan — something that dwelled where the light didn't reach, far too big than anything should be allowed to be, bright bioluminescent markings shimmering against dark scales to lure prey into crushing jaws filled with sharp crooked teeth, horns like spears to pin down what couldn't fit in your maw, powerful legs built to swim and breach the surface of the water to catch unaware flyers like Gaz just to pull them down into the abyss to be devoured.

He would have been more. . . unsettled by you had you not been so nice.

You towered over him even in your mostly human form, but you were a gentle giant, happy to let him use you as a perch and humming along as he talks, joining in on his and Johnny's pranks and hiding them when Price eventually catches them.

And Gaz doesn't even notice when your presence no longer makes his feathers puff up, the shadow you cast over him now warm and welcoming after all the times you'd been a meat shield for him. He tils his head back to catch sight of your eyes as he leans back, soft feathers rubbing against your clothes, "Hey there big man." Gaz smiled.

You hum, your hand coming to loosely hold his hip, holding the pretty thing close to you. "Hi." You purr, the small biolights along your body flickering in seemingly random patterns, but nothing about them was random to you or your kin, your interest in him painfully obvious.

But to your dismay Gaz doesn't understand, just snorts at your colorful display. "What's got you in a good mood today?" He asks, eyes tracing the dancing lights, that instinctual bird part of his mind liking the sight, and the low rumble of your voice, and just. . . being near you.

You blink, "You," You say simply, your people aren't ones to mince words.

Gaz can feel his body heat up at your declaration, feathers puffing up, but strikes down any thoughts about you before they turn inappropriate and cause him to coo at you. "Fine, keep yer secrets." He huffs and gets out of your hold, wings stretching out to purposely show off his feathers as he walks away, tail feathers flickering.

He can feel your eyes follow after him, hummingbirds pecking at his spine and he doesn't know if he should feel that way. And all you can think of is how you could drag your pretty bird down into the abyss without clipping his wings.

. . .

Gaz watches you lazily swim around the lake near their current base in your real form, "Havin' a nice soak in there Nessie?" He asks as he walks the short pier and sits down, dipping his feet in the water as his wings spread out lazily behind him.

A low rumble leaves you like a distorted whale song, your large form pushing through the water like a submarine cutting through the ice. "Nessie?" You ask as swim over to him, "Who's that?"

"Never mind about that," Kyle grins, his eyes roaming along your large form as the biolights flicker once again in that specific pattern that means nothing to him but everything to you. "You look happy."

You shrug, "It's nice to be back in the water." Without a word you heave yourself out of the water and onto the pier, large hands clutching the wood on either side of him, a deep purr rumbling in your chest at how close he is to you now. "Did you need something?" You ask, biolights flickering seductively.

Kyle swallows drily, eyes going wide as he registers you loom over him, can smell the sea and salt still clinging to your scales, something other than fear buzzing down his spine from how close your dangerous teeth are to him. "Oh, right, uh," He clears his throat to clear the molasses clinging to it, wings spreading out in a way that got his feathers shining in the setting sun as he reached into his pocket.

"I, um. . . I got you this." He said, holding out the seashell he'd found for you. His breath caught in his throat as you looked at it, hoping you liked it; he'd spent hours polishing it until it was shining, the colors vibrant and every single scratch buffed out.

"Thank you," You rumbled and took the seashell into your hand. Your pupils dilated, a very pleased purr rumbling in your chest — oh, he was so thoughtful, such a good mate to bring a rare treat for you.

Kyle felt like a bloody peacock at the way his wings spread out, but he couldn't care less about his posturing when you accepted his gift, his heart fluttering like butterflies in a jar.

Then you ate it.

You ate his gift.

His heart shatters like the seashell between your fangs, wings dropping like a rock, never having expected to be rejected like that. "I- what- why did- if you-" He couldn't even form words to say what he wanted, pressing a hand to his face in an attempt to hide the way his eyes prickled with vestiges of tears.

Unfortunately for him, you notice. "Oh, little bird, what's wrong?" Your voice is soothing, biolights pulsing in a slow and calming way as you gently pry his hand from his face, looking into his eyes. "Did I do something wrong?"

Kyle doesn't look you in the eyes, doesn't know what the hell to feel right now, the words spewing out of his mouth before he could control them. "Why would you do that!" He hisses.

You tilt your head. "You gifted it to me." You say like it's supposed to explain everything, reaching up to cup his cheek, your clawed hand cold and wet against his skin. "It was very good." You lean in closer, a deep purr rumbling in your throat, your long tail moving to curl around his leg.

Kyle sucks in a sharp breath as you push you loom over him your hands on either sides of him keeping him in place, feeling himself slowly lay back as you creep over him onto the pier, heart drumming in his chest. "Wh-what?"

You snort, eyes glowing like anglerfish lures, lowering your head down to lick a stripe up his neck, claws raking down his front. "Let me show you my appreciation, yes?"

Kyle shivers at the sensation of your teeth against his throat, body heating up, your scent — of sea and salt and something very very old — invading his nose, an involuntary chirp escaping his chest. "Ah, yeah, sure just-" Kyle yelps as your claws cut through his clothes, wings quivering as they're pressed against the wooden pier behind him.

"Relax little bird," You coo softly, licking around his lips in what counts as a kiss for you when your maw is filled with vicious teeth, tongue trailing down to lick up the drops of his salty sweat. "I'll be gentle."

And gentle you are; softly licking up the blood after your fangs had left marks on his skin, sharp claws holding his trembling hips tenderly as your rough tongue worms inside him, soft purrs and deep rumbles vibrating your tongue against his prostate until he's sobbing, his hands clutching your horns to hold your head closer as his cock leaks a puddle of pre onto his abdomen.

He whines when you continue stretching him with your tongue, "Please, mate, just-" Kyle sucks in a sharp breath as your tongue once again grazes his prostate, thighs clenching around your head. "-just please fuck me already! I can't- I'm not going to-"

Kyle sobs with joy and anguish when you pull your tongue out, the slimy appendage slithering back into your maw and leaving him painfully empty. "Alright, alright," You coo, moving up to drape your body over his, nuzzling your cheek against his as you line your hard cock with his stretched hole. "Relax,"

The tip of your cock breaching his puckered hole has Kyle sucking in a sharp breath, "Easier said than done mate," He chuckles, closing his eyes and just trying to focus on your scent and just you, groaning. Fuck, you're big in all aspects, his body clenching down like a vice before relaxing enough for you to slowly push further, spreading his walls wide until you're fully inside him, your hips resting against his.

"There you go," You purr, letting Kyle adjust as you nibble on his neck, biolights flickering happily when he rocks his hips into yours. "Taking me so well,"

Gaz can feel his body heat up at your words, throwing his head back when you rock your hips, cock hard and heavy inside him, dragging against his walls with every minute movement that has him panting and whining, his legs crossing behind your back to pull your hips closer every time you pull out.

The world escapes your notice, all your attention fully on him as you focus on mating him, pulling needy desperate sounds from Kyle's lips, your large hand gently stroking his leaking dick as your cock rubs against his prostate, your unhurried pace making him cum again and again and again until he's a moaning boneless mess by the time you cum inside him.

[mustainegf]

All four Metallica boys (Cliff, Jason, or Rob era... doesn't matter which...) taking turns fingerfucking reader before a show to 'warm up their hands and fingers so they can play their best'. Maybe they make it into a competition and whoever makes her squirt (or just scream loudest/cum hardest) gets to be the first to put his dick in her after the show. (None of that 'daddy' stuff though please. Parental terms in a sexual setting are a major squick for me. I won't get into the details on why in this ask.)

THIS IS SO SCRUMPTIOUS

It may be a tad short cuz I’m trying to catch up on requests

Also no worries!! I only include those type of kink stuff in fics that specifically request it :)

𝐂𝐎𝐌𝐏𝐄𝐓𝐈𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍 ¹⁹⁸⁷

Sure I'd hung out with Metallica before, given a blowjob or two, I'm a groupie after all. But tonight, they wanted me alone.

We were chatting and laughing when Lars said they needed to warm their hands and fingers up a bit for the live show. I couldn't but raise my eyebrow at this unconventional method of warming up.

"Hey, we got a tradition before every show," James said, winking. "We take turns fingering a lucky lady to get our hands ready."

I couldn't believe it when I heard that; though what I was doing didn't give me room for argument. "It's all about getting the fingers loose," Jason said, spring an evil grin.

The next thing I knew, James was taking my hand and leading me to a corner of the room. "I'm going first," he said, as a sly grin spread across his face. "I'm the master after all." He was such a dork, I loved it.

James took to massaging his fingers gently; this touched and sent shivers down my body. "Oh, yeah, you like that?” he whispered in my ear, and I felt like I was on fire.

He was quite skilled, his fingers plunging at the perfect speed, curling to hit deeper in me.

It was now Jason's turn, the one who took over from James as he grew impatient. "Nice try, James," he jabbed at James. Jason touched different from James'. He was more firm and hard, a little more urgent. I loved every minute of it as I felt myself getting more and more wet while he worked with his fingers.

"I think I've got this one," Jason said, looking up at the others with a confident smile. "Im gonna fuck you so hard after I win..."

But Kirk wasn't having it. "Oh, no way, Jason," he said, rolling his eyes. "I'm going last, and I'm going to win this thing."

Then it was Lars' turn, and he definitely was the most impatient. "I'm gonna make her cum, just fuckin’ watch," he said, his eyes flashing with excitement. He worked his fingers and began to finger me l wild. I lay completely surrendered, feeling the onset of my orgasm.

He was definitely the roughest out of the bunch, not exactly paying attention to the clit though…

Clearly, they were trying to get me to cum as things heated up. Now it dawned on me that whoever performed the best during this ‘warmup’ got to fuck me after the show. The room started to fill with the smell of sex as they took turns, trying to outdo each other.

Finally, it was Kirk's turn. "I'm going to take my time," he said, a sly smile spreading over his face. "Gonna to make you cum so hard you’ll forget about these idiots."

Kirk was the slowest of all, taking his sweet ass time and rubbing up on my sweet spot inside me, the calloused pads of his fingers creating the perfect feeling on my sensitive walls.

My body was getting more and more aroused at that magic he was pulling off with my body. He then brought his other hand into the mix, both of them, fingering and playing about with my clit. If I'm being honest here,at least in my mind, Kirk is about to win this thing.

And then it finally happened, warm liquids sprayed and dribbled, I squirted all over his fingers, the feeling unlike anything I'd ever been given.

Kirk looked flustered, sort of like he just couldn't believe he'd actually made me squirt. He pulled his fingers out of me as he sucked them off, savouring then taste as he snickered at the other guys who were clearly annoyed.

Lars threw his arms up in the air as he walked off. Kirk turned back to me, leaning in to my ear, "Well, I guess I'll see you after the show then."

[z0-ne]

How would the Zoldyck family feel about seeing Future Killua, y'know future Killua is all powerful and all but they also see with KIDS and his wife, but his wife is powerful like POWERFUL POWERFUL, and so are his kids but Killua and his wife don't agree on the kids being assassin's. And the kids don't want to be either. But despite all that, they're like a powerful family that can't be touched. How would the zoldycks react to this? Like headcanons of each Zoldycks reaction😳

YES A HUNTER X HUNTER REQUEST <3 I've been wanting one of these for so long <33

This is actually a really good question, I can't imagine any of them having a positive reaction to their most promising family member basically ending the family "tradition" it'd be a big loss and they won't be happy, accept alluka of.

WHAT IF: What if the Zoldycks had their most promising member go against their traditions with their own children?

SILVIA

● To say he was disappointed would be a huge understatement.

● Killua has seen his father upset before but to visibly see it on his face? It was scary, but he had you by his side to make it easier staying stern with his decision.

● He was very quiet, and it was somehow worse than him yelling. Just quietly staring you two down with his eyebrows furrowed and his eyes filled with a chilling rage. The room felt colder and you felt the fear of an upcoming fight just building, not to mention Killua tensing his muscles in preparation didn't help.

●Then his expression softened and he closed his eyes and sighed.

●"Fine, that's your decision but I can't say I'm not disappointed that you're willing to waste such potential."

● You were both relieved to not have to destroy your home and possibly loose limbs just for the sake of not putting your children through some trauma.

● He leaves without issues shockingly. He doesn't even ask to see the children again, if they approach he'll speak and tell them goodbye but he makes no issues.

● In the back of his head however he's thinking that assassin is just in their blood and eventually he'll get his way and those children will give into their urges.

● It will happen. One way or another, he'll make sure of it

KIKIYO

● To be fair, Killua didn't even want her to know you were pregnant or gave birth, she only found out because she forced illumi to tell her once he came back from Stalking you two.

● Since she knew it was hardly anything stopping her from visiting, and with you trying to keep the peace for the sake of the children Killua really couldn't just kill her at the front door.

● She dotted over her grandchildren and kept talking so fondly of how amazing they'd be as assasins how they'd be merciless and talented.

"They won't be assasins." You quickly spoke as you had a butler take the children into another room, Killua and you standing beside eachother and looking at her as her face went to shock.

●She was very verbal with her disappointment and anger.

"HOW DARE YOU DISRESPECT THE FAMILY LIKE THIS?! YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST MAKE THAT DECISION!?"

● You simply watched her, a bit amused at her tantrum and Killua was less than pleased to hear her loud banshee like screaming again.

"THESE CHILDREN MUST BE ASSASINS WHAT WOULD YOUR FATHER THINK?! YOU CAN'T JUST WASTE SUCH POTENTIAL-"

● It's hard stopping him really, especially with someone he resents as much as his mother with no fear of a fight.

"These are our children to do as we please until they get older and say otherwise and our decision is final no matter what you, or anyone else says." Killua makes it very clear with his stern tone and cold eyes as he forces his mother to stop her tantrum.

● Unfortunately her silence doesn't last long and she goes on a long loud rant about how he is betraying the family and being a disappointment.

● So to prevent Killua from lashing out you have security drag her out kicking and screaming. Literally.

ILLUMI

● Killua didn't even want him within one hundred feet of his children so this conversation was had far from your home.

● "You are wasting potential." He says in that blank tone, his large fish eyes staring into your soul as he shifts his gaze to you, making you uncomfortable enough to cringe. "Is it because of the woman? I'd assume such a distraction would effect you, had I known it'd be to such a severity I would have handled it long ago."

● His original plan was to use his pin on you, to shift your mentality to his liking so you'd convince Killua otherwise, and you didn't see it coming considering you hardly interacted with illumi since you and Killua were children.

● Killua however, having grown up with him saw it from a mile away and stood infront of you, immediately making his hostility known, not even hiding his bloodlust as he stares his older brother down.

●Disappointed with the obstacle Illumi sighs and puts the pin away, he's no idiot, a fight with Killua now that he's fully grown and unlocked his potential to its full is a death sentence waiting to happen, and now that you'll be made aware of what he was gonna do he won't risk fighting you either.

● "Fine, I won't. However I hope you know this is a foolish decision. Those children will be assasins, it's in their blood as much as it is in yours."

"Not if we have anything to say about it."

● Illumi stares at the two of you for an unnatural amount of time, it gets uncomfortable but then his gaze shifts to your home in the far distance.

● "Don't even think about it. You are to stay far away from my family, especially my children."

● Illumi looks back at Killua and then at you. "They are lovely assasins."

● Then he turns to leave.

● Out of everyone, Illumi is the worst member of the family to ever find out you two had children.

● Because he'll make sure they become assasins.

● One way or another.

MILLUKI.

(My love ♡♡)

● To be fair he doesn't care.

● When the news was spread that you guys had kids he just shrugged it off and kept either gaming or building bombs, whatever he does.

● Killua left the family quite a while ago and the animosity that was once held for him shifted into a lack of care for many of the things he did.

● However he did call him wondering what their mother was screeching about.

"Why is mother screeching about failure?"

"We won't let the children be forced to be assasins."

"Oh, whatever." He then hangs up.

● He's not going to waste his time convincing his competition over the years to make more competition with his kids. He's too old for that at this point.

● It doesn't benefit him or complicate things too much. If mother yells to loud he'll slap on headphones and let that be the end of it.

●Visiting? What for? So he can get banned like his mother did? No. He'll send a drone to see if anything changes with the children or if they inherited skills of any sort but that's rare.

● One time one of the children noticed and you watched from afar as they held a conversation with him for about fifteen seconds before the drone left.

● But really he doesn't care too much if at all.

KALLUTO

● As one of the only siblings that directly Apologized and made an effort to rebuild a strained relationship with Killua Kalluto is the only assasin who was willingly told of your pregnancy and the birth of the children.

● They are happy for you both for having the children albeit confused about the fact that they won't be assasins.

● They question it at first but when Killua stays firm and explains it's too much for them they back down and respect his and your decision.

● They weren't exactly surprised considering Killua hated being an assasin and your background on being used because of your family. It's not surprising assasin business isn't something you'd want your children apart of.

● They don't want children so they don't understand your love for them, but they are respectful and leave it at you both not wanting it.

♡♡ALLUKA♡♡♡

● Oh she was ecstatic when they were born. She lives with the two of you so of course she was first to know!

● She doesn't mind that they won't be assasins so when she finds now she shrugs it off. She'll love her nieces and nephews regardless.

● Her experience with assasins obviously isn't that great so she could be a bit relieved because they wouldn't be following that.

● So she's happy.

ZENO

● He likely passed away around this time so he's rolling in his grave.

[anto-pops]

The Promise of Tomorrow - Sebastian Sallow x Female! Reader

Summary: “As utterly ravishing as you are in that dress,” he whispered against your lips in-between kisses, “I can’t deny that I would much rather see it on the floor.”

A laugh bubbled past your lips despite yourself, and you let your palms trail down Sebastian’s sides until you reached his waist. You hooked your fingers through his belt loops, tugging his lower half flush against you, and his hands fell away from your face to brace against the wall behind you, effectively caging you between him and the cobblestone at your back. “Have some things planned, do you?” 

Alternatively summarized as you and Sebastian attending the Yule Ball together before he whisks you away to the Room of Requirement to do exactly what you might think.

Word Count: 7.4k

Warnings: 18+, aged up characters, explicit sexual content, Garreth wearing Aunt Tessie's robes

This was HEAVILY inspired by @sallowly 's Yule Ball animation which can be found here ! The dress/Sebastian's suit are directly referenced from her work. I'm eternally grateful for being given the chance to build off of her creation ♡

The full fic can also be found here on Ao3 as per usual

“What in Merlin’s name are you wearing?” 

Sebastian gaped openly at Garreth, internally fighting the laugh that threatened to spill forth from his mouth despite his best efforts to smother it. The Gryffindor was decked out in quite possibly the most atrocious set of dress robes he’d ever seen, and judging by the look on the red-head’s face, he knew it too. It was frilly and lined with lace, and the material looked like a curtain that had been snagged off a window and stitched into something resembling clothes. 

Garreth’s face contorted into a pained expression, chancing a look down at himself and curling his hands into loose fists. “I don’t want to talk about it.” 

“I’m sure you don’t,” Sebastian remarked, lifting his glass to his lips in a bid to hide his growing smile. “Can I guess? Please let me guess–”

“No,” came his flat reply. 

“What is it?” Ominis asked curiously, turning away from the long table of finger foods to join in the conversation. Unlike Weasley, he looked like the epitome of poised finesse in his dark, tailored suit. “Whatever it is, it smells old.” 

“Oh, it looks old too. Seriously, where on Earth did you find such an antique?” Sebastian teased, and Garreth’s eyes made a full trip around their sockets before he waved off the jab. 

“Ha ha, very funny. If you must know, these have been in the Weasley family for years–” 

“Clearly.” 

“Oh would you shut up? I get it, believe me, I know. My mother wouldn’t let me get away with not wearing them though, she kept pestering me about ‘tradition’ and a bunch of other pointless nonsense. I was fighting a losing battle trying to convince her otherwise.” 

Ominis chuckled softly under his breath and twirled his wand idly between his fingers, “And you didn’t think to just change into something more fitting of the nineteenth century because…” he trailed off, the question hanging silently in the air. 

Garreth grumpily shoved his hands in his pockets and frowned, looking over his shoulder towards the massive entryway leading into the Great Hall. Professor Weasley was standing watch, ushering students in with practiced ease, and when she caught sight of her nephew staring, her smile was enough to give away precisely why the Gryffindor had been forced to endure his family's horrendous dress code. “My aunt would rat me out in a second if I did. Look, can we just forget about the hideous outfit already? I need a drink.” 

Sebastian had half a mind to offer Garreth the stolen flask of Firewhiskey tucked away in his suit, but he was honestly more inclined to save it for himself. Unbeknownst to his friends, he was wound tighter than a spring, the anticipation coursing through his veins causing him to shake his leg to dispel the nervous jitters he’d been dealing with since arriving. While he’d gone on plenty of dates with you in the last few years, this would be the first time the two of you attended something so formal as a couple. Asking you to the Yule Ball had nearly put him in the ground with how anxious he’d been– but attending the dance together was a completely different story. 

He wanted the night to go perfectly. 

His expectations were driving him up the damn wall. If there was one thing Sebastian hated more than anything, it was surprises, and that’s exactly what tonight was. One giant, looming unknown that had him thinking circles around himself. Dancing wasn’t the issue– he was great at that. It wasn’t even the hundreds of prying eyes that would be glued to you both when you eventually arrived, because he was more than used to the attention that came with dating the Hero of Hogwarts. 

No, Sebastian was simply nervous to finally put his long awaited plan into action. 

Everything was already set up in the Room of Requirement for later, so all he had to do was make it through the bulk of the evening without combusting or making a fool of himself. He could do that… right?

“Your nerves are showing, Sebastian,” Garreth teased as he leaned over the endless selection of food and drinks. His green eyes were crinkled in amusement as he observed the nonstop tapping of the brunet’s foot, and Ominis hummed in agreement. 

“I’ve been listening to him fidget for the last twenty minutes. I don’t know why girls take so long to get ready– I’m tempted to go and find his date so he’ll finally relax.”

Garreth laughed, and in the split second following, Sebastian saw his eyes land on something over his shoulder and widen comically. “No need for that… damn.” 

Nothing could have prepared Sebastian for the sight that graced him when he turned around. 

There you were, looking equal parts ethereal and powerful. Your dress was like nothing he had ever seen before; it was the darkest, most striking shade of black, rippling around your legs as though it were made of liquid as you strode through the arched doorway with your head held high. Embroidered down the side and along the strapless neckline were tiny gold leaves that reflected against the candles floating overhead, giving you a regal appearance that put even Ominis to shame. Maybe it was a trick of the light, but Sebastian swore that as you walked further into the room, some of the leaves from your dress trailed behind you and dissipated into shimmering dust. 

You twisted your hands together nervously as your eyes scanned the massive crowd, searching for the one person who could make existing in such an overwhelming environment bearable. Sebastian’s legs started to move of their own accord, carrying him away from the table and closer to you at the same time your neck swiveled in his direction, and the way your entire face lit up when you spotted him imbued him with the confidence that he’d been lacking minutes prior. 

Everything else was muted during those tentative seconds it took him to reach you, and once he came to stop in front of you with his drink still loosely gripped in his hand, it was as if no one else existed within the cavernous ballroom– only the two of you. For a moment, all he could do was stare with his mouth hanging open like a fish. The flush that spread across your cheeks had his heart doing acrobatics in his chest, and he swallowed around the lump in his throat before setting his glass down on an empty platter floating by. 

“Hi,” you said meekly, flashing him an easy smile in an attempt to conceal your timorous demeanor. He didn’t need to know that you’d spent five minutes outside with Poppy talking you off the metaphorical ledge and fanning you frantically with her hands. 

“Hey,” he replied, instantly cringing at the dry greeting. He quickly added, “I don’t think words can do you justice, if I’m being honest. You look otherworldly, darling.”

Sebastian’s words did wonders to school your nerves, a wave of warmth settling over you like a blanket. The soft smile that spread across your plush lips made his heart flip in his chest, and when he held out his hand for you to take, the tension in your shoulders slipped away. “Thank you, you look rather dashing yourself. Green continues to be your color,” you mused as your palm met his upturned one, intertwining your fingers through his longer ones easily. 

He steered you into the room, heading for Ominis and Garreth again to give you time to get settled before the dancing started. When your eyes fell on Weasley, Sebastian watched as your brows shot halfway up your forehead, and he could hear the laughter in your voice when you asked, “Oh gods, what is he wearing?” 

“Don’t bring it up. Something about ‘tradition’ I think, but he’s well aware that he looks like a decorative rug.” 

You had to hide your smirk behind your free hand as you approached the two men. Garreth’s grin was blinding as he raised his glass to you in silent greeting, and Ominis must have heard you walking up, because he turned fully to face you with his kind eyes crinkled at their corners. 

“I obviously can’t say for certain, but if Sebastian’s inability to form words when you walked in was anything to go by, you must look beautiful.” The blond had a tiny Cauldron Cake pinched between his skinny fingers, and he popped it into his mouth without a second thought as a blush crept up your cheeks. 

“Thank you, Ominis, you do too.”

“I look beautiful?” He mumbled around his mouthful, and the sound of his muffled teasing contrasting with his neat appearance made you chuckle. 

You swatted his shoulder playfully and shook your head, “You know what I mean.” When your gaze shifted to Garreth, he seemed to hold his breath expectantly. “You too, Garreth. Pink looks good on you.”

The red-head rolled his eyes playfully, but he was still grinning from ear to ear. “I’ve been told that lying gives you wrinkles, but I appreciate the sentiment.”

He lifted his glass to his lips at the same time the enchanted orchestra in the corner ceased playing. Hundreds of heads swiveled towards the front of the room as Professor Black made his way to the podium, looking all too irritated to have to entertain students during the weekend instead of… actually, you had no clue what Professor Black did in his spare time. 

Probably kick Puffskeins and style his mustache. 

“Welcome all, to this year’s Yule Ball. I see the festivities are in full swing already, but I’d like to remind everyone that standard school rules are still meant to be followed even on a night such as this one. That means no floozy behavior, no consumption of beverages not otherwise provided for you, and for the love of Merlin– no smoking of Mallowsweet in school corridors. That has become a rampant issue that I would prefer to not have to deal with on top of everything else.” 

As the Headmaster continued monologuing, you managed to tune out the remainder of his warnings in favor of ogling Sebastian. Your hands were still intertwined, and he had tugged you closer to him so your arms were brushing against one another in his subtle attempts to get closer to you. He really did look striking in his dark green suit; it was the first time you’d been privy to seeing him so dressed up, and you bit your lip hungrily as potent, lustful thoughts filled your mind. It wasn’t until the room was full of thunderous applause that you realized the introductions were finished and your boyfriend was side-eyeing you as you blatantly stared at him. 

“Something on your mind?” He whispered the question directly against your ear, sending shivers down your spine and making your toes curl in your heels. 

Your hand in his tightened a fraction, and you cocked a brow slyly as your lips curled into a feline smile. “A few things, yes.” 

“Anything I’d like to know about?” 

“I’m sure you would, but there’s a time and a place. Don’t they say patience is a virtue?”

Sebastian hummed, trailing his thumb sensually along your knuckles as he smirked wickedly against your temple. “I find it to be more of a nuisance, but I suppose it would be a waste not to make the most of you in that dress. Would you care to dance?”

The Slytherin’s heart damn near hammered straight out of his sternum when you turned to stare affectionately up at him, the mixture of your love and desire so palpable in the air that he swore he could cut through it with a Diffindo charm. “I thought you’d never ask.” 

—

You didn’t think you’d ever felt so weightless in your life. 

Sebastian’s hand clasped in yours was like an anchor, keeping you grounded to the present moment as he tugged you along behind him up the winding staircase leading to the Astronomy Wing. He was moving fast– clearly eager to show you the ‘surprise’ he had waiting for you there– but he had the good grace to stay mindful of your dress and your inability to move as quickly as he could. The two of you had been sneakily stealing sips of his Firewhiskey throughout the night, so the faint buzz you had going was enough to make you slow down and consider every movement carefully as you ascended the steps. 

When you reached the top landing, the brunet’s neck craned sideways to cast an exhilarated look your way, his excitement a tangible entity that had butterflies erupting in your stomach. All through the night, Sebastian’s eyes and hands had been stealing telling glances and coy touches as he twirled you across the ballroom. You knew there had been hundreds of eyes on you at one point; the charmed, gold leaves around the lower lining of your gown had fallen away in trails of sunset colored sparkles that were bound to draw attention as you’d danced. But none of it had mattered– not with Sebastian gazing longingly at you like you were the only thing that existed. 

He was doing so now, and you found yourself burying your general dislike of surprises for the sake of the evening. Anything Sebastian had planned for you was something you were sure to love, you were already certain of it.

When the two of you reached the empty wall across from the familiar troll tapestry, Sebastian swiftly pulled you ahead of him and spun you around– more shimmering leaves wisping off of your dress as your back made contact with the cool stone behind it. You barely had time to register the brazen move before your boyfriend’s lips connected with yours, and then his broad hands were sliding up your neck to cup your face and tilt your head back to deepen the kiss impossibly further. He swallowed your startled gasp instantaneously, brushing his thumbs along your cheekbones so tenderly that it made your heart fucking ache. 

 Merlin– sometimes your love for Sebastian overwhelmed you. 

“As utterly ravishing as you are in that dress,” he whispered against your lips in-between kisses, “I can’t deny that I would much rather see it on the floor.”

A laugh bubbled past your lips despite yourself, and you let your palms trail down Sebastian’s sides until you reached his waist. You hooked your fingers through his belt loops, tugging his lower half flush against you, and his hands fell away from your face to brace against the wall behind you, effectively caging you between him and the cobblestone at your back. “Have some things planned, do you?” 

“Of course,” he replied with that renowned Sallow-swagger that made you melt. “But not before you get to appreciate all of my hard work.”

You hummed thoughtfully as you leaned forward to kiss him again, breathing in his intoxicating scent of cedar and something akin to old books. His tongue slipped in your mouth easily, tangling with your own so fluidly that you suddenly found yourself all too eager to discover what he had in store for you. Sebastian let you drink in your fill of him, groaning softly when you shifted your hips to grind lazily against his steadily growing erection, and then he was pulling back with a heated look in his eyes. 

“Riveting as this is, I don’t feel particularly keen on taking you in the middle of the hallway.”

On cue, you felt the wall against your back begin to change. The cool stone morphed into smooth wood, and the massive entryway to the Room of Requirement revealed itself as Sebastian seemingly gazed into your very soul. “No public canoodling? Your surprise must be quite something, then.” 

For the first time since finding him in the Great Hall, Sebastian looked nervous. He stepped back and rubbed his neck sheepishly, giving you a half-grin that you could have honestly mistaken for a grimace. “I certainly hope so… come on.” 

He extended his hand once again and you took it graciously, moving off the door to make room for him to push it open. The brunet ushered you in, letting you enter ahead of him, and you barely made it three steps inside before you were halting completely. Your eyes widened and your mouth fell open in silent shock as you took in the magical sight before you. 

The Room was full of floating candles like the ones in the Great Hall, only these ones flickered with deep blue flames that seemed to cast the space in what you could only describe as pure moonlight. The ambiance had been changed as well, working in tandem with the romantic lighting so flawlessly that you were certain you had to be staring at a painting. You made a mental note to remember to thank Deek for his evident assistance. Bright red petals had been strewn across the floor, paving a rather telling path towards the slightly ajar bedroom door on the opposite side of the chamber. What was inside, you didn’t know– but the contrasting red glow from within had your mind flooding with unrestrained fantasies that made your stomach flip. 

Your legs carried you deeper into the room as you took in every unique change to your secret space, and all the while, Sebastian watched you virtually glide across the floor. The enchanted leaves running down your dress added a new degree of magic to the whole scene; the trail of gold flakes that evaporated into sparkling dust made you look like some sort of enchantress that had snuck onto the school grounds, and he found himself following you across the petals towards the bedroom in a trance. 

Sebastian had seriously outdone himself. You had no words. 

Pushing the door open revealed more floating candles– the normal colored ones– and an amorous display that made your breath catch in your throat. He’d replaced the usual bed linens with silky, red sheets that reflected the candlelight beautifully. You spotted a bottle of wine perched between two glasses on the nightstand, and situated behind it all was a fresh bouquet of roses that left a distinctly floral scent in the air. 

A large part of you wanted to cry from the affection that flooded your brain, but you willed away the urge in favor of turning around to face Sebastian. 

He was leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed– a hungry, almost insatiable look spreading across his features. Those lust-dark eyes of his were scanning you up and down like you were a whole meal, and given the set-up in the room, you were willing to wager a guess that his mentality was exactly that. The warm lighting in the bedroom bathed him in a seductive glow, and as handsome as he looked in his suit, you suddenly wanted him out of it. Pronto. 

“You’re speechless,” he observed, sounding almost timid as he spoke the words. 

“That’s a word for it.” 

“Good speechless or bad speechless?” 

You gave him a nonplussed blink before your brows slammed down, “Why in Merlin’s name would it be bad speechless?” 

Your ability to read Sebastian like a damn book allowed you to see the cracks in his confident facade as he dug the toe of his shoe into the stone floor. He shrugged, “I’m not sure. Maybe because I snuck in here and changed everything around. Although Deek did help some, so I guess I’m not solely to blame.” 

There were no thoughts in your head other than the rapacious desire to be close to him, and your heels echoed off the bedroom walls as you strode over to him in the doorway to yank him down to your level. You all but slammed your mouths together, stealing his breath with the intensity of your ministrations, and the action left little room for doubt. Sebastian returned the kiss with equal fervor, winding his arms around you to crush you against his front as you bit and licked at his soft, freckled lips. 

“You ought to stoke that confidence some more, because this is quite possibly the sweetest thing you’ve ever done for me.” Your praises did wonders to soothe his frayed nerves, seeing as you felt him relax under your touch as you sensually dragged your hands up to grip his strong shoulders. 

He chuckled proudly, pulling away to stare anticipatorily down at you with a smug look on his face. That was an expression you were all too familiar with. “You should know that where you’re concerned, I’m a split-second confidence kind of guy. The things you do to me and you don’t even know it…” he trailed off in a gravelly voice, and you shivered as you felt his palms begin skirting down your lower back to play with the zipper of your gown. 

“Oh really?” Your voice was airy, and your fingers dug into the smooth material of his blazer as you worked to maintain your composure. “Care to enlighten me?” 

Sebastian tilted his head to the side curiously before leaning down to brush a tiny kiss over the tip of your nose, “I’d much rather show you. What do you say? You want to let me take care of you, darling?” 

Your breath caught in your throat, rendering your tongue a useless paperweight in your mouth as it failed to form words, so you nodded excitedly instead and noted how Sebastian growled in response. Any awkwardness or uncertainty fell away when he claimed your lips again in a wet, needy frenzy, swallowing your surprised mewl as he walked you backwards towards the spacious bed. You felt his fingers return to your zipper and gently tug it down as the backs of your knees made contact with the mattress, and his hand on your hip kept you steady as his arm dropped ever-so-slightly to part the fabric of your dress. The velvety attire slipped down your body and pooled around your ankles instantly– a plume of gold sparkles erupting from it as it hit the floor. 

Sebastian broke the kiss to look down at you, his long, dark lashes fanning out across his cheeks as he took in your nearly bare form from head to toe. You followed the tight bob of his adam’s apple as his chocolate brown eyes roved over your breasts before they returned to your face, and then he was gingerly pushing you down onto the bed. 

As you scooted higher up the sheets, Sebastian’s gaze stayed glued to you while he shed his jacket, tossing it haphazardly to the side so he could begin undoing the buttons of his shirt. You watched him unblinkingly as he undressed– shamelessly licking your lips when his top fell open and revealed the taut plane of his stomach— and the fuzzy trail of hair leading beneath his trousers had your knees clenching together in anticipation. With his button-up discarded, all that remained were the pants, and he elected to take his time undoing his belt with calculated movements as his eyes bored into yours. 

“I’ve been thinking about this all night,” he admitted, and the metal clink of the buckle falling away punctuated the statement. “Gods– I was ready to leave the second you walked in, you have no fucking idea.” 

You shuddered from the intensity of his words, boldly dragging one of your hands down between your legs to feel the wetness that had begun to saturate your undergarments. The sight of you touching yourself sent Sebastian into overdrive– and he wasted little time in shoving his trousers down and kicking them aside so he was donned in nothing but his briefs. His arousal was straining against the thin cotton– so much so that it had to be bordering on painful– but he made no signs of discomfort as he seductively started to crawl up the bed towards you. 

As soon as Sebastian was within reach, you abandoned your soaked nether region to curl your fingers around his neck and pull him towards you, kissing him desperately. You ran your hands down his freckled chest, then wrapped your arms around his midsection to ghost the tips of your fingers along his spine. The shiver it elicited from him had heat pooling in your gut, and your need for him started to shift into something even more ravenous. 

Sebastian dropped himself down onto his elbows to minimize the space between the two of you as your tongues tangled, and as he settled his lower half against yours, he ground his straining member against your clothed cunt. He groaned unabashedly, the sound low in his throat, and your lips took to wandering along his jaw, down his throat, before settling against the curve of his shoulder to sink your teeth into the soft flesh. 

“Fuck– I can feel how wet you are already. How badly do you want it? Tell me,” he implored you, his eyes fluttering shut when you laved your tongue over the light imprint of your teeth. “Talk to me, darling, please.” 

Merlin, his voice alone was doing things to you that rendered your vocal chords useless. You tried speaking anyway. “P-Please,” you rasped out against his spit-slick skin. “Please Sebastian, I need you– I’ve needed you all night–” 

“All night, huh? What exactly were you thinking about while we were on the dance floor, hm? What filthy thoughts are swimming around in that pretty little head of yours?” 

The way Sebastian was rutting against you– tempting you with every snap of his hips– was driving you absolutely crazy with lust, and your head fell away from his shoulder against the sheets with a low moan as your nails raked down his sides. To your dismay, however, he ceased his movements to sit up and plant his hands on your wiggling hips, pinning you down in place. His toned arms flexed as he applied a fair amount of pressure in a bid to still your writhing against the silky covers, and you bit your lip in blatant frustration, narrowing your eyes dangerously. 

“Don’t look at me like that, I asked you a question. Tell me what you want– what you’ve apparently been craving all night. You can do that for me, can’t you?” 

Leave it to Sebastian to still find a way to make you beg for his cock. The nerve. You scowled up at him, “You’re really going to make me say it?” 

He had the audacity to laugh at your impatience. “I would make you scream it if I wasn’t trying so hard to be nice.” 

You had half a mind to taunt him further and clarify that really– this was him being nice? But then one of his hands fell away from your waist to trail closer to your drenched underwear until he had the pad of his thumb planted directly against your clit. That was the extent of his mercy, though. He made no move to provide you with any friction or stimulation– he simply stared at you expectantly. 

Dammit. 

Your hips twitched, unconsciously seeking the reprieve his fingers could offer you. It mattered little though; his strength kept you pinned firmly in place. “I-I want you to fuck me,” you mumbled, cheeks heating with slight embarrassment. 

“Anyone could fuck you, sweetheart. You need to be more specific,” he fucking purred the statement, making your head spin and your inhibitions fly out the damn window. 

“You,” came your wheezed response. “I want you– I want your cock, Sebastian, all I need is you. Please fuck me, I only want you, please.” 

The sight of you flushed and panting, bathed in warm candlelight as your hands fisted ardently in the sheets, drove all of Sebastian’s blood straight to his cock. It twitched enthusiastically within the confines of his briefs. 

You felt the pressure from his arm let up at the same time he removed his thumb from your aching center. Impatient didn’t even begin to cover how you were feeling, but you were all too pleased when his fingers finally pinched the fabric of your panties to tug the material down your bent legs.

Shaking his head in near disbelief, Sebastian groaned, “You sound like a fucking dream begging for it, darling. I’ll give it to you, I promise.”  

His words soothed you, but you still tensed a little when you felt the tip of his finger slip inside your overwhelmingly wet heat. You sighed and spread your legs further to accommodate Sebastian’s kneeled position, and he took to trailing his free hand over your hip bones, then up your torso to squeeze at your breasts as he willed you to relax for him. Releasing your vice grip on the sheets, you wrapped your hand around Sebastian’s thick wrist while he toyed with your sensitive nipples– effectively losing yourself to the euphoric sensation until he was knuckle-deep in your clenching walls. 

A keening sound resonated from deep in your chest as you rocked back onto Sebastian’s finger, testing the feeling, and you bit your lip hard at the rumbling groan your boyfriend gave in response. He leaned down to pepper kisses along your shoulder, sucking at your collarbone and gently nipping at your neck, and when he thrusted his finger minutely and curled it towards your stomach, you shuddered and dug your nails into his forearm.

“Come on,” you whined, bucking your hips more insistently in response to his painfully slow pace. The brunet nodded, pumping his finger deeper, and he couldn’t stop the moan that tumbled from his mouth at how fucking tight you were. 

Sebastian worked you with the single digit for a moment before tentatively adding a second, his blood igniting in his veins at the airy gasp you let slip. Your name fell from his lips like a plea, and when he leaned up slightly to gauge your expression, the half-hooded look you bore was enough to make his stomach drop. “Gods, you’re perfect,” he virtually whispered. 

By the time you were amply prepared for him, your hands had abandoned the sheets and his wrist to clutch tightly at his shoulders, your sounds growing desperate and needy. Sebastian continued to spread and twist his fingers, trying to map out precisely where to aim to reduce you to gasping screams just as he’d promised. You were beyond jittery, though, winding your fingers into his curly brown locs to tug his face towards yours and glare openly at him. “I’m about to jump your bones,” you growled, rolling your hips against Sebastian’s fingers urgently. “Come on, Sebastian, let me– fuck–”

Sebastian grinned wildly at the way your back arched clean off the sheets, the tight gasp you pulled into your lungs imbuing him with a need for you that rivaled his need to breathe. Without missing a beat, he withdrew his fingers and frantically set to peeling his briefs away to free himself from the restrictive material. His girth arched proudly against his stomach, swollen and red and so fucking tantalizing. Your eyes devoured him greedily as he tossed the pre-cum stained attire over his shoulder, and then he was crawling over you once again with an animalistic hunger reflecting in his eyes. 

Hooking your legs around his waist, Sebastian braced his arms on either side of your head, gazing at you longingly as the head of his leaking cock brushed against your slick entrance. It took an insane amount of effort for you not to nudge him forward with your heels– forcing yourself to remain pliant as he pressed into you at an achingly slow pace. Your eyes rolled shut at the feeling of being breached, savaging your lower lip with your teeth as inch after inch of Sebastian’s incredible cock entered you. A contented whine weaseled its way from his throat as he bottomed out, and you cracked your bleary eyes open to find the freckled man staring at you with the ghost of a smile on his lips. 

“W-What?” You muttered, trailing your hands up his muscular biceps before interlacing your fingers together around his neck. “Don’t make me beg again, I already said please.” 

“I was just enjoying the face you were making,” he said with a smirk, grinding his hips enough to have you trembling and arching. “Like you were trying really hard to hold back. It’s hot as hell.”  

You fought a smile, tugging him down by his neck to capture his lips in yet another dizzying kiss. Sebastian bit and licked at your mouth with reckless abandon as he swallowed the sounds his efforts pulled from you, and he sighed before pulling away to brush a few strands of hair off of your forehead. He thrusted suddenly into you– catching you off guard– and your breath hitched at the same time your head fell back, effectively killing the remainder of Sebastian’s patience. 

Dropping one of his hands to your waist, Sebastian withdrew his throbbing member enough so that when he snapped his hips forward, you were jolted up the bed slightly. “Ah–” your sharp cry reverberated off the bedroom walls, and his hold on you instantly became possessive. 

Grasping onto you like his life depended on it, Sebastian dug his feet into the bed to lend some force to his thrusts as he worked himself into an even tempo. It felt mind-numbingly wonderful to finally be encased in your warm walls after day-dreaming about it all night. His mouth fell open with a shaky groan when he pressed his balls against your raised ass, the friction doing you both a slew of favors, and his vision flashed a brilliant white when he felt you clench around his cock and suck him in even deeper. 

“Oh fuck– fucking hell–” Sebastian grit through clenched teeth, pushing himself up fully so he was no longer hunched over you. You unhooked your ankles from around him so he could maneuver your legs over his bent ones, gripping your thighs with a bruising strength that made your mouth dry up in a heartbeat. He had a perfect view of you laid bare under him this way, and he shamelessly watched as his cock glistened with your slick when he pulled out right before plunging back in. 

Your spine rounded, a guttural moan ripping its way from your chest as Sebastian picked up his pace while simultaneously pulling you down onto his quick thrusts. It was pure rapture having his hands on you– demandingly shifting you around to steal his pleasure from your tight heat as he sought out the deepest parts of you. At one point, he released his hold on one of your legs to plant his broad hand on top of your stomach, relishing in how he could feel his cock each time he slid home. It was addicting– you were addicting— and the thought lit a fire in his very soul. 

“S-Sebastian,” you whined, gathering the silky sheets in your clenched fists as wave after wave of sheer pleasure washed over you. With your legs held in the brunet’s strong grip, he had the freedom to fuck harder into your slick folds, pulling noisy cries of his name and desperate pleas for more from your kiss-swollen lips. Your voice was loud in the humid room, your moans echoing off the walls around the two of you– and when Sebastian bucked harder so the sound of skin slapping against skin filled the space– you gasped frantically and writhed beneath him. He had to be hitting a good spot.

“You’re stunning, darling– so fucking good to me–” Sebastian managed to grunt out, pounding his cock into you with temerity that made your looming finish all the more potent. “Fuck, you feel incredible.” 

“Right there, S-Sebastian, fuck me right there, gods–”

The muscles in your stomach were tensing, and you were honestly shaking from the vigor of his thrusts. Sebastian groaned, the sound of your pleading little whimpers driving him mad with undiluted need, and he watched you blearily try to figure out what was going on as he hoisted your legs up and threw them over his shoulders. He moved over you, bending you in half at the same time he rammed his thick cock back into your cunt, and you were hardly given the space to breathe before your boyfriend was fucking you hard— his hips bucking rough and deep and so fucking good that you were left mewling and grasping helplessly at the sheets. 

Sebastian pinned you to the bed and fucked himself into you, his own moans dripping loud from his lips as his hands tangled in your hair and tightened around the strands. The sting was delicious and left you with no choice but to allow your lover to pull you closer to him while he filled you up over and over.  He drank in the sounds you made as your back arched off the sheets the best it could under his added weight, your thighs shaking and muscles tensing until you were barely holding on. 

“Like that– fuck, Sebastian, just like that, I’m gonna come–”

Unable to give a more coherent response than a gasping whine, Sebastian dug his nails into your scalp and was rewarded with the sweet sound of you wailing his name as you came violently, riding your hips down into his as much as you could. Your hands flew to his back to rake angry red welts down his sides, and Sebastian let your legs fall from his shoulders so he could wrap his arms around you and bury his face into the crook of your neck. He sank his teeth into the sweaty skin as he gave you the last of his deep, quick thrusts before he was coming inside— your name tumbling over his lips like a mantra as he fell into bliss.

By the time Sebastian was anything approaching coherent, you were still shaking under him, your legs wrapped tight around his waist. “Fuck,” he murmured into the hollow of your throat, untangling his hands from your hair and smoothing the mussed locs down. 

Sebastian pulled out with a small groan– your hips seemingly lifting to chase the marvelous feeling of being filled– but then he was planting his elbows on either side of you to brace himself as he kissed you breathlessly. You melted under him, curling around him ardently when he finally let himself tip sideways beside you. His chest was heaving with the deep breaths he sucked into his lungs, and you happily nestled your head atop his shoulder as your hands took to tracing invisible shapes and patterns along the taut expanse of his stomach. 

You dozed off sometime after Sebastian had started murmuring sweet nothings in your ear, and when you awoke a few hours later, you were still draped over him, his fingers idly trailing up the shallow dip of your spine. Stretching the best you could without disturbing the peaceful vibe, you craned your neck to look up at Sebastian sleepily, and his eyes crinkled at their corners as he smiled down at you. 

“Good morning, beautiful.” 

“Mmph,” you grunted, voice thick with sleep. “Is it morning already? You should have woken me up.” 

He shrugged and glanced at the open bedroom door, noting the lack of sunlight streaming in through the skylight. “Early morning, but not daylight hours quite yet. I figured you needed the rest.”

Humming appreciatively, you closed the minuscule space between the two of you to kiss him gently, and he sighed against your lips as his hands roved up your back once more to play with your hair at the nape of your neck. Everything about the moment was pure, and you found it all too easy to get lost in the sensations dancing over your still-sensitive body.

Sebastian broke away first, gazing at you strangely before he abandoned your hair to reach for the nightstand. “I was going to do this earlier before everything, but I uh… got distracted.” 

You couldn’t hide the flush that crept up your cheeks at the reminder. “Hm, I wonder why,” you teased. “Do what, though?”

He finally found whatever he’d been rifling around for blindly and met your inquisitive stare, swallowing nervously. “I’ve been thinking about what’s going to happen after we graduate. I’m sure you have your own ideas, but I just thought– well, I’d obviously like to stay together. I can’t imagine not having you beside me, but that being said, I’ll respect whatever you decide, even if it isn’t what I want to hear.” 

Your stomach flipped over on itself, and your eyes went wider than saucers when Sebastian revealed a small, velvet box gripped tight in his hand. Pushing yourself off of him, he flicked the lid open with trembling fingers, and your gasp was drowned out by the hammering of your heart in your ears. 

Inside was a thin, gold band adorned with a tiny, emerald gemstone that sparkled brilliantly under the flickering candlelight. Your mouth fell open as the implications of the ring bore down on you, and when you looked back at Sebastian, his eyes were scanning your face to gauge your expression. 

“Is that…?” 

“It’s only a posy ring, but I thought that it might make the next few months easier to anticipate. You’re my whole world, darling. I can’t fathom parting ways after everything we’ve been through, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t hope you felt the same.”

Warm, fat tears welled in your eyes then, blurring your vision before they were streaking down your cheeks without restraint. His anxiety leading up to arriving in the Room of Requirement suddenly made a lot more sense to you, and you realized that he’d planned all of this well in advance. How long had he been waiting to ask you? How long had he held onto the ring in the hopes that you would say yes? 

He still looked nervous, but it was drowned out by the complete adoration that glimmered in his dark eyes. 

“Yes,” you choked out, somewhere in-between sobbing and laughing as you sat up fully. “Yes, Sebastian– of course I feel the same.” 

Sebastian’s smile was blinding, and he plucked the ring from the box and slowly slid it on your extended finger, both of your hands shaking with barely contained excitement. It fit perfectly, and you gave yourself all of two seconds to admire the look and the feeling of it on your hand before you had flipped yourself to the side to straddle him. Your hands cradled his cheeks as you dipped your head lower to kiss him over and over, his soft laughter warming your heart and filling you with a sense of contentment you hadn’t known existed until now.

“I love you, Sebastian. I’ll travel to the ends of the Earth with you, never doubt that. My future is your future– my heart has always belonged to you– of course I’ll stay with you. Whatever is to come, facing it with you is all I want.” 

You didn’t think you’d ever seen him look so elated in all your time knowing him. His face lit up vibrantly at your declaration, and in a flash he had wrapped his arms around you to flip you back over so he was situated on top of you, gazing down at you with his hands running down your bare sides. 

He assaulted the entirety of your face with fervent kisses, laughing softly under his breath as you returned his affections with equal force. “I love you so much, darling. You’re my everything, I wouldn’t change a damned thing about the past knowing that it landed me here with you. I love you, I love you, I love you.” 

The remainder of the night was spent with the two of you beneath the silk sheets, the promise of tomorrow suddenly all the more exciting to imagine now that you knew Sebastian would be with you for the rest of your life. Posy ring or not, you’d already known that only death could take you from him– and even then you were certain you would find a way to keep loving him long after you were gone. 

Neither one of you would have it any other way. 

[remidyal]

FHJY New Names over-analysis post

We're a few days past an episode that introduced a lot of new npcs and ideas and all, and I figured I'd dig into some of the names and references and all that I noticed to see if any hints might have been snuck in there for the rest of the season.

Interim Emergency Backup Principal Arcturus Grix: A couple of different things in here, but I'll just get what I think is the most likely one out of the way: Arcturus is a star that is part of the constellation Bootes (a herdsman in various myths), and the name translates to 'guardian of the bear'.

Or, perhaps, guardian of the owlbears.

Brennan absolutely seems like someone who would have at some point been way into constellations and their stories so I'd put money on this being an intentional stealth-ish pun.

I think Grix is just supposed to sound machine-y but I might be missing it.

Terpsichore Skullcleaver: Back on the Greek mythology theme, Terpsichore is one of the Greek Muses, and specifically is the Muse of Dance. Obviously a wildly appropriate name for a dance teacher who is hopefully going to actually inspire Fabian.

Skullcleaver presumably means she is of some relation to Katja, of course.

Lucillia Lullaby: I mean, this one is pretty obvious; a Lullaby is a type of song, and from what she saw she seems to be a pretty calming presence to suit attempting to get a toddler to sleep as that song type does. This name was actually, unlike the two above, on the payroll list from freshman year so it's a lot more directly on the nose (because, frankly, Brennan was coming up with like 30 npcs who would probably never appear).

Tiberia Runestaff: Runestaff similarly is just kind of obvious and also was on the freshman year list; Tiberia as a name literally just means born near the river Tiber, and so I think was chosen mostly because it sounds kind of severe and wizard-y.

Yolanda Badgood: Also from the freshman year list, and I suppose it would take someone both bad and good to teach students of both 'good' and 'evil' divinities. Brennan's gotten better at his NPC names over the years, or just it's hard to do a freaking list. I sympathize, as someone who keeps a random name generator tab open while GMing. Also, on a random note, the freshman year list has a driver's ed teacher (one Alphonse Doublefist) and I NEED a scene of Fig having to take driver's ed because she's been driving without a license for two years.

Mazey Phaedra: Mazey is such a groanworthy name for a minotaur-adjacent person that I'm surprised they didn't throw things at him for it; Phaedra is another Greek myth name, this one of the daughter of Minos (of building-the-maze fame) and also a whole other thing we don't have time to get into because it might start Discourse and that probably isn't relevant because it's really just another Minotaur reference.

CUS Dabus: One of the universities Riz looks at, I mostly want to call it out because of being a reference to my personal favorite official DnD setting. It's mentioned as being in the City of Doors, which is the nickname of course of the extra-planar city of Sigil. The Dabus are a race that are the entourage of the mysterious Lady of Pain, the very-definitely-not-a-god who loosely rules over that city. I doubt we ever really visit Sigil, but who knows, we've been to the Nine Hells and the cosmological stuff seems to largely conform to traditional DnD.

[fcble]

Post format inspired by Dulce @almostyours and JJ @chcrryade. Thank you to everyone who let me mention their OCs!

"I stopped my pace and wanted to shout. / Wings, spread out again! / Fly. Fly. Fly. Let me fly once more. / Let me fly just once more." — The Wings by Yi Sang, translated by Ahn Jung-hyo

깃털 (FEATHER) is the debut mixtape of INTAK, of fictional boy group FABLE. It was released digitally through streaming services and SoundCloud on August 16, 2024, seventy-nine years and one day after the liberation of Korea from Japan's colonial rule. Unlike his work as a member of Fable, he released it under his previous SoundCloud username WND3QUD, from the phrase 중3병 typed out on the Korean keyboard. Deriving from the somewhat derogatory Japanese term "chuunibyou," his recent usage of the name is meant to be an acknowledgement and greater understanding of the person he was at fourteen when he identified strongly with it. With the album's themes of the self and the meaning of money, it is also loosely inspired by Yi Sang's 1936 novel The Wings.

The record boasts an impressive array of features from other idol groups, surprising fans who were previously unaware that Intak "knew people like that." In line with Fable's concept and what Intak sees as his due diligence as member of the group, a few of the songs contain Fable's signature traditional instrumental sound. This was a decision that went over well with the majority of the group's fans. The vocal minority are a few Haksu solo stans, who realized that the teased solo debut of this year went to Intak, and not Haksu.

There was little promotion prior to the album's release, aside from a few social media posts with the title and release date, and one Weverse post from Andrew almost two months in advance spoiling the eventual release.

▶ PRESS PLAY

YOU SEARCHED FOR...

TRACK 001. 한국 (KOREA)

"@1:32 ik he was mad as hell in the recording studio. andrew count your days?" ─── A comment on the official music video, August 16, 2024

"Intak released his mixtape a couple of days ago and to say I'm obsessed is an understatement. For everyone else who missed their old sound, this is for you. KOREA is obviously the most Fable song of them all. Between the lyrics and the instrumental, the song posits Intak, Fable, and their music as representatives of Korea. I was under the impression that was their goal from the beginning. These past couple of years haven't shown that, but Intak is bringing it back." ─── 'Old Fable is back and I'm living for it' by bangchanslefttoe on r/kpopthoughts, August 18, 2024

"Ah… isn't it too much? How can he call the song KOREA and then release it under a Japanese name? He should know better. Really, it's disappointing. He said the album was inspired by Yi Sang too. Doesn't that just make it more embarrassing? F*ck I want Haksu's solo album instead." ─── '[enter-talk] WHAT CULTURE IS FABLE REPRESENTING, ANYWAY?' by pannchoa on pannchoa.com, August 19, 2024

TRACK 002. 꼴통 (BASTARD) ft. NOAH of DEEPDIVE @bluwavez

"[checking calendar] ya we still have time for BASTARD summer" ─── @kcdjification on Twitter, August 16, 2024

"I think BASTARD had a lot of potential. I wish there was a little more in the lyrics. One Yi Sang pun in this song and it's in Noah's verse? Come on, Intak, you're better than that." ─── A comment on the album's official discussion post on r/kpop, August 18, 2024

"I know Intak's 'Feather' flew under a lot of people's radars, but I tuned in. 7/10 if I'm being generous. My favorite song is definitely BASTARD. Is it because Noah is there? Um. No comment." ─── 'ranking every kpop comeback (august 2024),' shineesback on YouTube, September 1, 2024

TRACK 003. CASH

"just listened to CASH. close enough welcome back karl marx!" ─── @h4nd__dr4wn on Twitter, August 17, 2024

"What did I write? Nothing. This is Intak's solo album. He's always written our music. [pause] If he asked, I would have. If not, it's patronizing. If I wanted to release a solo album, would you expect Intak to write one of the songs? [pause] Rhetorical question. Let's listen to CASH." ─── Andrew via Weverse Live, August 17, 2024

"For my solo album, I want Andrew-hyung and Intak-hyung to both write it. They're both important to Fable, and I can't image what we'd be like without them." ─── Haksu via Weverse live (immediately after Andrew's comments), August 17, 2024

TRACK 004. GOAT ft. CYRUS of XPLOIT @ripsoff, JC of LITTLE HOUSE @okmgi

"did anyone else have flashbacks to 2013 goat remixes or was that just me" ─── @yjuntual on Tumblr, August 17, 2024

"Let's talk about the worst song by far. GOAT was certainly a choice. It's the most generic track on the album. Any rapper can call themselves the goat. It's a jarring disappointment right in the middle of an otherwise decent album. And of course I can't forget the worst part. What on earth possessed Intak to make him think it would be fun to make goat noises on the track? Easiest 0/10 I've ever given." ─── A Rate Your Music review, August 19, 2024

"i know it says ft jc in the title but tell me why i still jumped when i finally heard his voice at the end 😭😭" ─── @GOLDFlNCHS on Twitter, August 20, 2024

TRACK 005. 태권도 (TAEKWONDO) ft. ANGEL of LUCKY @lvcky0ne

"Did everyone listen to 'Feather' yet? If you didn't, go listen to it now and then come back and tell me what your favorite song is. I like TAEKWONDO. Eolssu~~~~" ─── Byeonghwi via Weverse, August 16, 2024

"not to be overly parasocial or anything but intak and andrew's arguments in the fable dorms must go crazy bc andrew would never write a song like this. open discussion does andrew even know what TAEKWONDO is." ─── @kkotcheoreoms on Twitter, August 17, 2024

"promotions for this album are literally so bad if i wasn't locked in to literally everything lucky does i would've missed out on angel content 😔" ─── @.cheonsarang on Twitter, August 19, 2024

TRACK 006. BUCK ft. HERO @anqelblccm

"🔥🔥🔥" ─── Mingeun via Instagram stories, August 16, 2024

"you guys don't understand how badly i need a live performance of BUCK hero would eat that shit UP please please please please please" ─── @hrts4hero on Twitter, August 17, 2024

"Ever since Fable's Intak released his mixtape earlier this month, I've been hooked on a handful of the songs. I know everyone likes Fable for their traditional concept, but they have some extremely solid b-sides in their discography. Enter BUCK. Went platinum on my Spotify last week." ─── 'recent underrated bg b-sides you should listen to,' evvnemoon on YouTube, August 27, 2024

TRACK 007. 무리야 (FLAKER)

"3. FLAKER. Introverted king. He's so me. #intakforpresident2k24." ─── 'ranking every feather song! (nothing to do with sabrina carpenter lol),' @flwrble on TikTok, August 17, 2024

"everyone is clowning intak for putting a song about introversion on an otherwise deep album but i think there's a deeper meaning here where he's trying to be a different person except this is his nature and he can't escape that and anyway it ties back to the wings bc that protagonist is in a pit of self-deception so deep he might as well be six feet under and intak's interpretation moves past that to the slightest glimmer of self-realization like bro looked in the mirror so yes i've connected the dots" ─── @cyb3rn1ghts on Threads, August 18, 2024

"'You're Intak's token extrovert.' I see everyone's listened to FLAKER. You mean his friend. That's how friendship works." ─── Kiyoung via Instagram live, August 20, 2024

TRACK 008. 날개 (FLY) ft DIAZ of VARSITY @ncrdyboyz and EUNJUN of ARM CANDY @hearthr0b

"idk why but this part of the song always makes me tear up 🥹🥹 fable ur sooo important to me" ─── @berryseop at 1:42 on SoundCloud, August 17, 2024

"Another Feather factoid: The Korean title of FLY is the same as the original title of Yi Sang's novel that inspired the album." ─── @prodbyfable on Twitter, August 17, 2024

"FLY is a dreamy collaboration between Fable's Intak, Varsity's Diaz, and Arm Candy's Eunjun. The trio delighted us with the back-and-forth narrative between Intak and Diaz, paired with Eunjun's smooth vocals. Although a b-side, it definitely has title track potential." ─── '10 of Our Favorite Recent Kpop Collabs' by S Kim for Soompi, August 31, 2024

TRACK 009. 풍각쟁이 (PUNGGAKJAENGI) ft. JAESEOP and EUNSU of FABLE, ???

"he credited eunsu as eunsu of fable. brb i'm gonna break down NO ONE TALK TO MEEEE 😭😭😭😭" ─── @twosuluvr on Twitter, August 16, 2024

"PUNGGAKJAENGI is a really fun song because every verse is in a different dialect. Jaeseop's uses the Gyeongsang dialect. Although he was raised in Seoul, he was born in Gyeongsan, in North Gyeongsang. Intak's is Jeolla's dialect, given that he considers the South Jeolla province home. Eunsu's uses his Gangwon dialect. As a side note, this might be the first time Eunsu has so openly spoken satoori. If I didn't know he was from Taebaek, I would have thought he was born and raised in Seoul." ─── @prodbyfable on Twitter, August 17, 2024

"crediting the pansori singer as a bunch of question marks is certainly a decision! not sure what they were thinking there" ─── @haksubak on Twitter, August 17, 2024

[mini-jiminie]

To be fair, if you take away isolated/romantic-leaning moments from an already tiny percentage of their life we get to see of any couple, you could come to the conclusion they're platonic. This isn't to say jikook are 100% romantically involved, I just think saying some in-between moments look platonic also doesn't mean much because you could say the same about basically any romantic relationship that isn't in the holding hands all time honeymoon phase.

Obviously you are more than free to have your view and that's valid, but I will also say that the "isolated" or selective moments we freak out about are cultural. I'm not sure if you speak korean or follow any korean jikookers, but the stuff they freak out about is actually more of the mundane and not something western fans would be screaming about in a compilation edit, and is actually more consistently across bts content over time. For example, their general dynamic or the ways they speak to each other. Of course they go crazy over the big stuff too like hickey gate (because wtf was that in any culture?), but their entire dynamic over time seems to be more centered for korean jikookers, and that's not just a one off.

Also this is just purely me spit-balling, but while I've always struggled to come to any conclusion about their nebulous relationship, I feel like being friends with loose boundaries doesn't make sense for them as individuals. Maybe this is unpopular, but I think jimin actually has some of the most traditional and strict views on hierarchy and respect in the group based on things he's said or the way he lectured tae (and roped in jungkook too LOL) about being respectful to the hyungs, yet with jungkook it absolutely flys out the window. And seemingly ONLY with just jungkook, who more often than not comes off as the hyung in their dynamic. Similarly, I think jungkook, despite having a rather laissez faire demeanor, is also one of the strictest about setting boundaries in the group. He has no problem pulling away from physical touch if he doesn't like it or calling out fans even if he does so respectfully or, god, the whole perilla leaf thing. Both of them clearly have clear boundaries, boundaries regarding specific things that seem to only loosen in regards to each other.

Just imagining here, but say you knew these two people in real life, say it was a guy and a girl, where they had these incredibly loose and unique boundaries from the rest of their friends, and then ON TOP OF THAT they gave each other hickeys when they were drunk, or sucked each other's ear, or whatever else. Would you assume its entirely platonic? Better yet, would you feel comfortable dating one of them and believe there was nothing between them? I know damn well I'd be paranoid calling every night they were on tour like "hi honey, you hanging out with him again after the concert?" "oh he's just laying on your bed?....again?" "oh the best part of tokyo was you guys staying up all night... just on your phones.....in the hotel..." "oh you guys are dinking again tonight? Make sure there's no bridal carries this time! LOL LMAO hehehaha"

Sometimes I feel like the alternative also seems stranger. Like you mention them not meeting while jimin was so busy, but (tinfoil hat time) the separation felt purposeful to me. You're right, he had no issue meeting yoongi and jhope, sure they were also working more often so he might have run into them at the company, but also he mentions making an effort to keep up with tae. You could argue he just didn't care about keeping up with jungkook, but then they enlisted together and we see them in AYS, jesus, jimin literally started the whole thing to spend time with jungkook, that's not a friend he just stopped caring about. You could also argue that he just wasn't keeping up with friends who would take him away from work (you know like that one friend who you only ever go drinking with), but jimin said himself how him and jungkook talk about music/work for hours and practically forget everyone else while doing so. To me, the lack of contact just felt targeted? specifc? in a way that it wouldn't for just a "friend". I don't know, its just like even in their distance, the line for platonic/romance seems blurred sometimes. Even their mental distance, like in AYS over the whole sausage vs. ham debate. Jungkook didn't give a single fuck that tae thought it was sausage, his only concern was jimin agreeing with him, and that isn't the first time he's been like that only with jimin. I wouldn't care if my bestie disagreed with me, especially if we were amongst our friend group anyway.

Its like that year when jimin flew back for jungkook's bday. I'll say I've always been on the fence about this because while its a nice gesture, part of me is also like well either way he had to fly to hawaii and flying back to korea only lengthened that fly-time a little more than if he'd flown across the US anyway. But then jimin went out of his way to post that fake-out video and iirc he was the one that ordered the cake. Then there's just something about the photo of jungkook. Idk what it is, but something about it made it feel....idk.

Despite me writing this absolute essay, I'm actually constantly on the fence with them too about the nature of their relationship. But there's just always this thing, this like presence in the background, this tension or something that feels off for just friendship.

I love reading people’s opinions on jkk because they’re such a fascinating pair! Essays are more than welcome!

I 100% agree that yes, there is such a poignant difference in the way they interact with one another. They seem to be each other’s exception to…everything really. The cultural and social barriers that govern how they interact with other people blur when they’re together.

I have noticed that in group settings, jk tends to revert to being the maknae™️; his hyungs' youngest little brother. He'll extend this attitude to jm as well. I feel like it's only in a group setting that those two will enforce that age hierarchy and jm will really play into that 'older brother' role. It kind of gives me a bit of whiplash when you see jk alone with jm compared to how he is with his older members.

As you mentioned, jm is one of the most diligent when it comes to adhering to and enforcing age hierarchies. You’ll never catch him slipping when he’s with his older members (but he’ll be slipping and sliding everywhere when with jk). Him being so lax with jk is one of those things that really have me questioning the nature of their relationship. Recently, I was pretty taken aback in ep 6 of ays when jk brings up meeting as 'same-age friends' in another life. Jm's never really addressed jk speaking to him informally. I was pleasantly surprised when he was so open to entertaining jk's idea. I found it really sweet how the conversation was: 'well, how would our relationship have turned out if that age barrier wasn't there to begin with?'. If jk proposed that scenario to say Seokjin, he would've gotten his ass cleared before he could even finish his sentence.

One moment that went triple platinum in the jkk space in 2017 was this behind-the-scenes episode from Bon Voyage S3. Jm takes a photo of jk and when he lingers to look at his phone screen, jk calls out to him and says:

‘애기야 가자’ (let’s go, baby).

Yea no, it does feel like a bit of a fool's errand when trying to justify why they could just be platonic cause, the majority of the signs point to them being....not.

Also yes, I would be one insecure s/o if I was with either jk or jm. Cause what?? absolutely no way would I be fine with my bf doing the things he does with a 'friend'????

Nevertheless, there is a part of me that won't allow me to fully commit to the idea of a romantic relationship. I hate to bring this up because it was such a gross invasion of his privacy but, that video of jk with that woman in his apartment could be one of those contradictions.

You make a lot of exciting, rational and thought-provoking points, anon. I'm happy that you've shared your thoughts with me!

[saturnbellfromhell]

THE MOON

My favorite "planet'' to seek out in somebody's natal chart. It's my favorite for a reason of course, showing what makes us safe, grounded, subconsciously ill or better, the relationship with our mothers, our fears, our soft side underneath that rigid shell.

🟦 One of the two lunars in astrology, shining light at the darkest and deepest waters. People always think how the Sun is so important (which I'm not saying it isn't), but for some reason the moon has it's secrets...it's depths that need to be unraveled. It has this spice of mystery, this picture of a naked soul we so desperately try to avoid.

In my humble opinion, the Moon has more power than the Sun (the ego, self) since the Moon is all about raw emotions and something you cannot mask most of the time.

🟦 The moons master is of course the water sign Cancer. Cancerian energy is all about safety. Cancers roam the shores, making sure they don't get caught for dinner. They move around in a zig-zag manner, meaning nothing is head on and everything and I mean EVERYTHING is thought threw. One wrong move and it's over for the shielded Cancer. They really are scared to go away, see new things since safety is always a question. The moment the get their tiny claws on a home in the rocks, they stay. Finally peace! Because of this we can say Cancers are very intuitive aswell, knowing when and how to come up from the cave, even though they can't really move their head to see above. They have to trust their instincts and follow their heart!

🟦 Cancer also represents the Mother, the womb, motherly instincts, security, emotional depth, the Home, nurture, children.

🟦 Interesting fact that I've learned is if you don't feel like your Sun sign, look at your SECT. Meaning you have to find out is your chart is a DAY or NIGHT CHART. If the sun is in the bottom half of your chart,you have a night chart and if it's in the top half, that's right, you're a day chart than. So when you're chart is a day chart you gravitate more to the energy of the Sun and if you have a night chart the energy of the moon feels more like home! Even though it doesn't have to be that way. Also looking at the placement of your moon will indicate the intensity of this planet.

For example Moon in the 1, 8 or 12 house is on another level of intensity.

🟦 Moon also rules the 5th house. To put it shortly the 5th house is all about comfort, family and the Home. It also represents our maternal figure, our inheritance threw our ancestors, children, tradition, emotions.

Let's begin my astro observations for the moon, shall we? I'll write down some of my observations about signs and placements for the Moon!

🌙 Aries moons in my opinion have a hard time with managing their emotions, especially rage.

🌙 Taurus moons can be quite grounded in reality but very fixed on their emotions. Very stubborn about how they feel. Also, can be the jealous type. They are homebodies and introverts if they don't have a lot of fire/air energy in their chart.

🌙 Cancer moons are so complex to me. Even though they are at home with their sign they can be the kindest person ever or the most manipulating creature to have walked the earth. I see a lot of trouble with cancer moons in men, since cancer is a feminine sign, so if they constitley reject their feminine side...all hell will break loose. I've also noticed cancer moons hate working, they just want to stay home, watch TV and snuggle up in their blankey. They are the one's to be stressed out when they come back home, but after a while they acclimate to their familiar surroundings. They love a home-cooked meal aswell!

🌙 Moon in 8th house people always dabble in drugs. They are very found of psychedelics most of the time. Not big alcohol drinkers tbh. They are the people others are fascinated with and want to drain the soul out of them. 8th house mooners watch out for energy vampires and people who come to you only in rough patches. Be selfish, be raw. Protect your being and time.

🌙 Scorpio moooooons, my absolute favorite of the bunch. They have this psycho look in their eyes filled with mystery. They can be very vengeful and secretive at times, just don't double cross them. They love to test people's loyalty to see how long they will stay. A scorpio moon isn't gonna fold just like that, because once they do they don't get over you for a very very very long time. Especially if their chart is predominantly water. They love making you feel special and putting you on a pedestal. For me, Scorpio moons know what intense love is and for that I'm very jealous.

🌙 Moon in the 12th house can be a rough placement, but it does come with positive traits. 12th house natives know they are a little bit weird and crazy some days. They are prone to drugs and alcohol, mental issues and radical emotional changes in life, but at the sam time they feel everything from everyone. Huge empaths, can be kinda psychic. They really hold so much power, but beware of bad people trying to bring you down a dark path. Also, side note, if you have a 12 house moon, your mom also has it if you're a girl....go check it out.

🌙 Aquarius moons are weird, to put it shortly. They can smell what others feel but they don't really care. They have a hard time letting people in and even processing their own emotions. They also can seem selfish, but it's just because they don't feel emotions really deep. When there closed off from you, it's going to stay that way. Can be manipulative if they have a lot of air/water in their chart.

🌙 Moon in the 11 house love hanging out with the "underdogs" of society. They really want the misfits to come together and relate.

🌙 Sag moons have a reputation for cheating, but I don't really believe in it. They are fuckboys, don't get me wrong but once they find their person, it's over and done. They do like air/fire moons because they need space. Earth moons are to methodical for them and water signs are too clingy....and if the other person has venus/mars in water it's a no go most of the time. Sorry.

🌙 Cancer in the 4 house like their boobies touched/kissed. Since Cancer does also rule over the breasts!

🌙 Pisces moons, damn. They are something, let me tell you. Delusional as fuck about love/romance that's for sure. They always want to be the shrink to all the friends. Pisces moons are the ones to go missing in the middle of the party, only for you to find out they've gone for a 3 hour walk because they wanted to be alone. They enjoy reading, art and are such softies.

🌙 Capricorn moons need some water in their chart, otherwise they are fucking rocks.

🌙 Moon in the 1 house give the native such a cute appearance. So pure and humble in my opinion.

[virgobingo]

What's your take on the way Gojo dresses after being unsealed? Other than the fact the after he changed outfit he got killed, so maybe he shouldn't have done that...also, merry Christmas/have a happy Monday!

happy holidays! hope you're well :)

gojo's outfits can be tied to his emotional arc. i know you asked specifically of his outfits after being unsealed but i think context is needed to see where i'm coming from.

when we first meet gojo in jjk0, his outfit is oversized and his eyes are covered— it hardly gives away his body language, or any emotions he's feeling, really, unless he's being particularly boisterous.

which sort of makes him an enigma to his students who haven't been in jujutsu society as long as he has; who don't know him or his past. the scene where he goes from sunglasses and casual clothes (when he meets the higher-ups) to bandages and uniform (when he goes to meet his students) comes to mind.

while the bandages within the world of jujutsu kaisen maybe simply serve the purpose of relieving the strain in gojo's eyes. on a meta level, they also hide a lot. the eyes are the window to the soul after all. a lot of cultures believe this— japanese included, though it seems that the idiom goes, "the eyes are the mirror of the heart" instead.

which is ofc why they're completely uncovered when gojo meets geto at the end of jjk0. and also why, framing-wise gege distances the reader from the scene. we only see the back of gojo's head in the manga when he says the words that fluster geto. in the anime adaptation, we only see his lips. his eyes aren't shown to us (only geto sees them then), creating the sense that we're kind of intruding.

this all leads me to believe that gojo's eyes being covered is strongly tied to the masking or suppression of his emotions. his blindfold later in the series serves the same purpose.

so when gege decided to depict gojo with his hand over his eyes instead of a blindfold (precisely after having him mention his "dream")— gege probably wanted gojo to be perceived as someone that is both honest and yet still omitting some information. specifically about where his "dream" stems from (his blue spring/geto). it's worth mentioning that his jacket is uncharacteristically zipped down a little too (chapter 11, p. 2).

as for his youth, gojo sported glasses most of the time. it seems to represent his haughty attitude? him speaking his mind brazenly. since he can easily tilt his head or remove his glasses to show his eyes. as an adult, he uses them when he spoke to the higher-ups as i meantioned before in jjk0, during the baseball game he proposed for the students' sake, and in megumi's flashback (and some other minor instances).

so overwhelmingly, at this point, it seems like gojo doesn't sport eye coverings at all in (1) serious battle, or (2) when he's confronting geto emotionally (when he seeks him out) or being confronted by his feelings surrounding geto (when he hears about what he's done). gojo's clothing is also overwhelmingly loose. he doesn't ever show much skin, and he mostly wears long sleeves. especially as an adult.

i want to say everything shifts after shibuya, where he's confronted with himself (and his past); the feelings that he's repressed. (remember the eyes are the mirror of the heart?)

so when he's eventually freed from the prison realm, his uniform jacket is torn to pieces and he's not wearing his blindfold over his eyes (that we know for a fact he had with him when he was sealed).

something that stands out to me too, is how he doesn't ever cover his eyes again after this. also how the first thing he chooses to see is geto's body. as if he is no longer suppressing the truth. he is bearing his heart to the world; he goes on to be extremely sincere to many people. my favorite example being his conversation with ijichi.

later, in shinjuku, during what is essentially a ceremony of jujutsu to determine who is the challenger (him or sukuna), gojo dons traditional robes. i think this is purely because of the context. worth noting, gakuganji and utahime who represent kyoto, otherwise known as "jujutsu's sacred land" are also present.

gojo quickly disposes of the robes once the pleasantries are out of the way,

and basically goes on to shine as himself to the very end, until we're shown his face more intimately than we have ever seen it before—

(right after we see him encounter his blue spring/geto again, and he tells geto everything about his fight as well as how he always wanted him by his side).

[highlordofkrypton]

My favourite part of the bookbinding process is by far the sewing process. I think it's super relaxing. You can just put on your favourite TV show in the background and chill.

Now that your signets are prepared and smooshed. You're ready to start sewing!

I learned using SeaLemon's Stitching for Case Binding Tutorial on YouTube. So, what you'll find here is just a written version. Feel free to just watch the video if that's what you prefer!

Tools:

Your signets (with hold punched and squished)

Thread (you can used waxed thread, dental floss or sewing thread -- I use sewing thread!)

A candle (if you're using thread that isn't pre-waxed)

A needle (a regular needle will do, but curved is my preference for this stitching style)

Scissors or a thread snipping tool

ON THE TOPIC OF THREADS

There's a discussion in my book binding groups about what kind of thread is best used. Some people prefer polyester, some prefer waxed linen (which is the traditional thread, I believe) and others like me make due with what's readily available.

I'm a beginner and so far, I haven't had any problems using sewing thread. Keep in mind, we'll be painting over the thread with glue and reinforcing the spine with cheese cloth.

STEP ONE: UNRAVEL YOUR THREAD

If you're like me and buying a brand new roll, it can be tricky finding where the thread starts. You want to look for the one thread that isn't rolled in the same way as the others.

Now, there are two options in figuring out the length of your thread. Recommendation is three times the length of your signet, then double that.

For me, I find just pulling the thread to the full length of my arms and doubling that works too. I don't know how to take a picture of myself doing this.

You can decide what length of thread is most manageable for you if you keep getting tangled.

STEP TWO: THREAD THE NEEDLE

Thread the needle. You want your needle to be halfway through your thread as we will be "doubling up" the thread.

STEP THREE: WAX YOUR THREAD

If you are using pre-waxed thread, no need to do this. Using the candle, pull your thread against it. Waxing the thread makes it a lot easier to pull through and untangle during the process.

In the photo, you'll see I use my thumb to keep the thread pressed against the candle.

STEP FOUR: KNOT YOUR THREAD

Make a knot at the end of your thread. You may need to double-knot it to make sure that it's bigger than the holes you punched in your signet and won't be pulled through.

STEP FIVE: PULL YOUR THREAD INTO THE TOP HOLE OF YOUR LAST SIGNET

Start at the bottom of your signet pile (the end of your book). From the outside in, pull your thread through but make sure not to pull too hard or the knot will follow through.

Note: My signets were uneven so my last one is just a page and looks weirdly thin. This is not the norm.

Weave in and out of the holes until you get to the bottom of the signet.

TIPS: GO GENTLY AND CHECK THREAD TENSION

If you go quickly, and if your thread is really long, it's possible that the thread will tangle while you're pulling it through the holes. Just make sure to go gently and pull on the opposite end of the thread, it should untangle.

On the note of thread tension, this basically means you don't want any of the threads hanging loose, you want it to be flat against the paper. Here is a photo of what not what to do.

STEP SIX: THREAD THE NEEDLE BACK TO THE TOP OF THE SIGNET

Now that you've reached the bottom, you want to go back to the top of the signet. You'll notice that this makes it so that there's thread on both sides of the signet/through all the holes.

STEP SEVEN: KNOT THE TOP OF THE SIGNET

This really tricky to explain with words, so I highly recommend checking out SeaLemon's Stitching for Case Binding Tutorial on YouTube.

You want to hook your needle under one of the stitches and pull until you have a small loop.

Now, you want to loop your needle though that loop you created and pull it tight to create a knot.

Lastly, you want to pull the needle back out through the top hole and pull your new knot through it.

STEP EIGHT: THREAD IN THE NEW SIGNET

Going from the outside in, add in your next signet. Remember we're working from the back of your book back towards the beginning. Doublecheck the page numbers to make sure you're sewing the next one in.

STEP NINE: LOCK YOUR STITCHES

Your needle should be inside the signet. Pull it out through the second hole.

Now, this is where it gets tricky. You want to loop the needle beneath the two stitches from the signet below. Hopefully, the pictures help.

Make sure to pull the thread completely through. This 'lock' is what helps the signets stay tight together. Remember to manage your thread tension.

The last step is to go back through the same hole.

If any of your threads are loose or if they loosen through this process, don't worry about it. Try your best to keep the tension, but we can fix/hide it later!

Repeat this stitching process for every hole until you get to the bottom of the signet!

Once you get to the last hole, do the same 'locking'/'hooking' process with the one loop you have but do not go back through the hole.

STEP TEN: REPEAT WITH OTHER SIGNETS

Now, repeat this process with the other signets. It's totally normal if you're starting from the bottom this time and vice versa with each signet you add on.

You'll notice that from the third signet onwards, it's actually easier to lock the stitches. Instead of passing through the loops, you can hook behind the stitch you made for the last signet.

In the event that you run out of thread, or even if you accidentally tangle a knot, you can simply cut the thread, thread the needle through a new piece of thread and tie a knot with your old and new thread so they become one.

I was lucky this time, I had enough thread to complete my stitching!

STEP ELEVEN: FINAL KNOT

Using the step technique in step seven, do your final knot. Make sure to pull the thread back out the hole. Do not cut too close to the knot, a lot of loose thread is OK.

As you can see, this bind is a rather small one. With larger binds, you'll most definitely need to add on new thread.

This step is really tricky to learn at first, but once you practice it, it's just repetitive motions!

[jelzorz]

lady justice and Vestal Virgins: religion on the human side of the border

Hoping to keep this relatively short BC I'm like 90% certain I'm the only one who cares

We don't get a lot about religion in the show, particularly on the human side? The most obvious reference we have to any known religion is the royal family being pretty heavily Jewish coded but whether that's Judaism in terms of religion or culture or both is unclear. How far it extends in-universe is something different, and the only religious figure we actually get is Lady Justice, but again, how far she extends into the religion of Katolis is to be seen.

Some things we (I) have had to assume include:

That Lady Justice is a religious figure

That she's supposed guide morality and decision making

That she is served by her clerics

That Opeli and her torchbearers are the Katolis equivalent of nuns

However there are some things in canon we have observed that we can make note of including:

The role of fire in their religious rites (specifically funeral rites)

That fallen kings are supposed to be mourned for 7 days before a funeral

That Opeli, as high cleric, is the one who performs these rites (coronation and cremation)

That there are (minimum) five clerics (Opeli + the four torchbearers at Harrow's funeral)

I lied this got long

This meta has no point except that I've been listening to a podcast called The Ancients and there was a whole episode dedicated to the Vestal Virgins and also worldbuilding is fun, but there are some real-world practises we can note here.

I mentioned above that the royal family is pretty heavily Jewish coded which is inclusive of the the tradition to mourn for seven sunsets after someone's death, but Judaism, generally speaking, doesn't have an equivalent for nuns. Women in Judiasm don't have particularly large roles outside of the family (I think??? I did do a pretty good google before I wrote this but I'm not Jewish, so please correct me if I'm wrong), so it's probably safe to say that the coding doesn't extend that much into Opeli et al in their religious roles, HOWEVER, I do want to bring your attention to another group of women who bear some similarities: allow me to introduce the Vestal Virgins.

Vesta (Greek equivalent Hestia, at least probably) is the Roman goddess of the hearth, home, and family in ancient Roman religion. She is a virgin goddess but rarely depicted in human form, and more often represented by the fire in her temple. Sources say that her worship predates the Roman Empire (Kingdom, even!), and her temple (before it was moved by Augustus) stood in the very heart of Rome, a literal hearth of the city. She was served by six virgin priestesses who tended to her fire and guarded her sacred hearth, whose attire is described on Wikipedia as:

a long linen palla over a white woolen stola, a rectangular female citizen's wrap, equivalent to the male citizen's semi-circular toga.[69] A Vestal's hair was bound into a white, priestly infula (head-covering or fillet) with red and white ribbons, usually tied together behind the head and hanging loosely over the shoulders.

So, like. We don't actually know if Opeli and her girls made vows of celibacy, it's just something we assumed? But like, if she has, then yeah, it would track. The Vestals also held some political power: they were personnae sui iuris, or sovereign over themselves for one, which was a pretty exclusive right for Roman women, and they represented the State of Rome themselves, and so could give testimony in trials without swearing the customary oath to the State, pardon the condemned by touching them, and were the only women able/allowed to address the Senate directly.

So like. There's stuff there. Vestals were powerful, politically involved priestesses who performed religious rites for the State of Rome. We should note too that Opeli and her torchbearers are women. We've never seen a male cleric, so we can only assume that this role is exclusive to women, and if we run with the idea that they serve Lady Justice, a female religious figure, then this would track also. It's not uncommon for female deities to only be served by female clerics/priestesses/what have you. The role the Vestals had in the politics and justice, in trials, in addressing the senate, and in the pardoning of the condemned, feels pretty relevant to Lady Justice also.

I did also also briefly mention the role of fire in Katolis' religious rites, specifically their funerary rites. Once again, we've only ever seen this scene in regards to their other ceremonies, but something else to be noted is how the novelisation refers to the other clerics:

So they're not just clerics, they're also torchbearers, which may or may not just be for the ceremony but they're referred to as torchbearers twice in this scene and not even once as clerics. We can probably assume that this isn't the only time they carry torches either, and that the flame represents something sacred to them.

A quick caveat: Fire being a sacred ceremonial thing is obviously not unique. Fire's been special to us as humans forever, because it's hard to make without the right tools, and if you stole it from like, a forest fire or some other existing source, then you would 100% treat that as something you had to keep burning a la sacred flames in many cultures—but it's the combination of priestesses and flames and red and white robes that make me wonder if there was inspiration taken from the Vestals.

Then there's the circlet. Very few people in TDP are ever seen with one. There are the rulers: King Atticus, King Harrow, and then King Ezran (Viren too, I guess, but he's a jerk); their consorts: just Queen Sarai to our knowledge so far; and then, for some reason, Opeli???

This has a couple of implications: the first is that she's on a separate ladder. Opeli demonstrably has a fair amount of power over the council and the Katolis army (see: 2x09). She can't overrule anything Ezran says (which is fair, as he is the King), but she seems to be the default substitute for the Kingdom of Katolis when he's unavailable. The second is that this is likely Katolis' way of separating the State from the Church and the Judiciary (which may or may not be the same thing in Katolis). If we refer, once again, to the Vestals, this also tracks: the Vestals performed the religious rites under the the Pontifex Maximus or supreme pontiff. The guys on the Senate were purely just the senate and left the religious stuff up to the guys (and girls) in charge of religion. Idk what the go is in Katolis, but it's pretty well implied from the way Opeli does the crowning of new monarchs that ceremonial things are her jobs, while ruling is the king's.

One last Vesta thing: Vesta (or Hestia) is the goddess of the hearth and home. When everyone else has gone, when everything has gone to shit, the hearth remains. She is, as Rick Riordan likes to call her, the Last Olympian. As long as Vesta's hearth is going, Rome still stands (which is why it's such a big deal when it goes out). And when our heroes are out on their adventures, who remains?

Anyway, in case it wasn't clear, Opeli is my favourite adult and I Love Her, your Honour. This exists because I like history and meta-analysis, but also because world building is fun and people rarely worldbuild on the human side of the border. If you're wondering about other goddesses that could exist in Katolis, Rome had Iustita (Justice), who often appears in a pair with Prudentia (Virtue), Clementia (Mercy), Pax (Peace), and Ananke (Necessity), among many, many others. Happy world building! Hope you found this fun and interesting!!

[waters-and-the-wilde]

so the thing I love about that bit in Shadows on the Ship. the fact that Jet clocks their couples' therapy as 'the poetry you write for each other' totally makes sense considering. juno 'broody monologues' steel, and peter 'i am most comfortable expressing myself by being dramatic’ ransom glass ‘my Wound still Throbs when’t Rains you Brute‘ nureyev dipping into some rhythmic if not straight up iambic cadence when he's Doing A Bit

RELATEDLY. i think they're talking about their feelings significantly more than they're having sex. are they doing it effectively? dEBAtabLE but they are trynig. (nothing particularly explicit here this is mostly cut for length but that's the general theme of it)

the fact that Juno gets flustered and Nureyev is like 'lol damn right' whenever the their relationship comes up suggests (to me! because i think it would be funny!) that everyone else thinks they're going at it every chance they get when it's really more like 50 percent cuddling and naps and 40 percent making stupid jokes and heckling each other's poor breakfast decisions and getting distracted by talking about their special interests and whatever else passes for their couple's therapy/poetry sessions and they're only going at it in the remaining 10 percent that they get the time and energy and privacy for it

so post Cyberbots when they've got the ship back up and Juno's like 'uh hey. so the big guy recently said something about how we've been 'inconsiderate neighbors' and he wants us to keep it down', Nureyev is. genuinely baffled??

because first of all Nureyev does actually possess at least one (1) situational awareness, he also values his own privacy and is overall fairly conflict avoidant with their family, and he recognizes that Juno is very flustered by the whole 'having housemates who tease him about his boyfriend' thing. so Nureyev might not feel shy about their relationship but he's perfectly capable of being discreet, with the result being that he at least has thought this through

and then Juno's like 'he said something about poetry. and I'm uh pretty sure he meant the. um. you know. talkingaboutfeelingsstuff'

'ohhhh well that makes more sense. oh and we did have that one conversation before the Blade job that went until three in the morning. you'd had an awful lot of coffee that day.'

'yeah and you got really excited about Venusian opera traditions'

'it's not my fault the president of Venus is apparently a walking pastiche. oh well i'm glad jet said something. we'll get him some of that loose-leaf tea for his stash as an apology. and keep a closer eye on quiet hours shall we'

'UGH fine i GUESS'

- the thing is when they're not an item, juno's not exactly getting flustered about his sex life considering he's touchy about fuckety everything else. mick and sasha have no qualms about heckling him about his taste in guys and he doesn't get pissy about it. alessandra punches him for trying to pull a humphrey bogart and he's like 'not my usual thing but hey', he and valles vicky wake up in the same bed and make icky faces at each other and move on, ramses is like 'did i say your apartment' and juno's like 'ughh it's too early for your bullshit'

- he gets flustered about Nureyev bc he has actual feelings about nureyev

- in embrace of ice he does say they spent a lot of that year being busy and tired and traumatized and in their heads a lot after rebuilding from that extremely fraught reunion, but those comments in Shadows did indicate that they were putting the work in and i think it left plenty of room for 'hashing out their communication styles and figuring out How They Work in the present' while still acknowledging that they hadn't really worked their way up to talking about their pasts

- and it just seems like every time someone alludes to their sex life, the incident in question is both more innocuous and considerably more private, and if anything Juno getting Weird and Pitchy over an innuendo would make a really convenient smokescreen to hide something he actually Feels Weird About

'you two are going to be very busy tonight' [what NO we do Not Need This Right Now oh my god Buddy he's upset with me leave him alone] *gets defensive, coffee everywhere* meanwhile Nureyev's like *be cool act smug yes Captain very droll*

'we already delayed for your private celebration' [jeez we only talked! and there was crying involved! and then we were tired and fell asleep!] *gets defensive* meanwhile Nureyev's like *be cool act smug we were definitely doing what you think we were doing and not crying at all*

'this is true i have heard it many times' [like hell you have? we haven't even been at it that much? and i'm pretty sure he only makes a move when he knows you're in the garage and going to be there for a while?] 'okay NOT what I MEANT' okay honey Jet doesn't even do innuendo (although he absolutely would mess with juno by setting him up for thinking it is one while still intending the straightforward meaning)

- but otherwise the complaints/comments they get about their pda are about being mushy and kissy but in a 'urgh they're mushy and kissy' not 'send them to horny jail' way

- further headcanons not necessarily bothering with citations in the text:

- the carte blanche has a rule about private activities in private spaces. juno and nureyev have never actually broken that rule. buddy and vespa definitely have.

- i'm pretty here for some flavor of demi/grey-ace nureyev. his attraction to Juno hinging inherently on feelings of trust. catching feelings right off the fucking bat because those prerequisites for attraction were revealed and fulfilled really fast. being really really into Juno but liking sex as an expression of that intimacy and a way of showing how he cares for him, no more or less than being mushy and kissy or giving him little enrichment puzzles to get out of bed and spend time with their family

- he's not above illicit smooch cruises for thrills and giggles but given a preference doesn’t really go in for actually getting off in places that aren’t beds in rooms with locking doors

- also they made out in the garage one (1) time and then jet showed up and stealth-checked them, startled juno into headbutting nureyev in the chin and giving him a split lip. which nureyev thought was funny and took completely in stride but juno felt bad about it and reminded him every time nureyev tried to egg him into smooching in places they shouldn’t.

- and eventually he pulled the ‘what if we get carried away and I say your real name in a part of the ship where somebody could overhear it’ card and nureyev went ‘alright point taken’ (and he does think it's sweet that juno's trying to look after him like that)

- i don't think juno inherently has hang-ups about being caught in flagrante but somebody and i cannot for the life of me remember whomst now recently made a post to the effect of 'if rita found out he was kissing boys she would scream and he already has a headache' and you know what. yeah i think that about sums it up

- but never mind finding out Nureyev's name because Juno yelled it in bed, it's a goddamn miracle that Jet didn't overhear it on any of the numerous occasions that Juno yelled it in frustration because Nureyev was winding him up during their couples' therapy

- anyway tune in next time for 'also i think Buddy and Vespa are having significantly more sex than everybody else is aware of and you know what good for them'

[misc-obeyme]

what kind of face do you think Barbatos would make if he learned I microwave my tea? i need a constant stream of tea usually and microwaving is the fastest way to get a cup of hot water, if the hot water kettle isn't already going. 1 minute and tea bag and it's already drinkable.

if he told me to wait and went to make me a proper cuppa id probably wither and just beg him to microwave water and a tea bag. do you think he would disown me?

Yes, anon. I do think he would disown you.

I mean, no I don't actually think he'd disown you, but it'd be kinda cute, right? He's so appalled that he just kinda has to take a time out. Can't think clearly about it until he has his own calming cup of tea. And then he feels better and starts brainstorming ideas to help you with this issue.

Now, when you say the hot water kettle are we talking the traditional stove top situation? Because you know they make electric kettles, right? They're muuuuch faster. You can also get a Keurig type situation.

Why does this matter? you may be asking. It all makes water hot, right?

Yeah, technically. But in order to steep tea correctly, your water has to be a specific temperature. And you can't really get a specific temp with a microwave. Whereas most Keurigs and electric kettles either automatically heat the water to the correct temperature or you can change their settings so they do.

This is so your tea isn't too bitter.

And if you want my honest opinion, I doubt Barbatos uses tea bags, either.

He strikes me as a loose leaf only kinda guy, maybe using a tea bag if he's in a pinch or something.

However, I think Barbatos is likely to just... make you a whole pot. He'll put the loose leaf tea directly into the pot, followed by the water already heated to the right temperature, then let it steep the correct amount of time depending on the type of tea. Then he'll have a little strainer for you to catch the tea leaves in as you pour the tea from pot to cup.

A pot will last you a lot longer than a single cup. And I'd be really surprised if he didn't have a spell for keeping the pot warm until the tea is gone.

And then he'd just make sure you never run out.

Of course, if you have any interest in iced tea, you wouldn't need to worry about any of this. Because you can cold brew any type of tea. Leave a pitcher of it in the fridge over night and bam - tea all day.

HOWEVER. Since you did ask me what kind of face he would make, I'm going to subject you to my terrible art skills to demonstrate how I think it'd go. Now you can all see why I'm not an artist.

He's upset.

I mean, I would be too if someone drew me so badly. I'm sorry, Barb. My MC is an artist, but I'm not, I'm afraid. I just realized I forgot to give him a nose. I MEAN that was totally on purpose, it's a style choice. Anyway, I hope the frown at least conveys how sad he is about you microwaving your tea lol.

[tinabelchersjournal]

Happy Tinimmy week!

As a first-time "fanfic-er", I only wrote a little something, but I had a lot of fun!

Thanks @tinimmyweek for organising the event, I'm excited to share with the fandom

I couldn't post it on ao3, (I'm new to all this), so here it goes!

Day one, Party/Drunk:

  Tammy has been talking about this party for months, telling us her parents are going out of town and she invited over everyone in our grade. She told us we were going to «Dance our Bs off». Picturing Jimmy Jr. in that situation was the main thing that made me excited. When I woke up today, I was feeling daring, so I decided to pull out my most dashing outfit, sure to get the most attention. I've never worn it before, afraid of standing out and being judged, but I'm tired of that fear, so I wanted to finally face it and overcome it.

Highschool Party

It seemed like such a good idea this morning! Have a grand entrance, dazzle everyone, and look like a new Tina. Now that I'm here though, I don't know.

  Now that dad dropped me off, I'm looking in Tammy's window and see so many people I've never spoken to before and think, what will they think of me after tonight? Will anyone even recognize me? I mean, me in a pink skirt, AND a glitter bracelet? I've never been so bold before. Do I really want all these people looking at me?

  I stand at Tammy's door for a few minutes, thinking of all the ways tonight could go wrong and then hear a familiar voice.

  «Hey, Tina! Wait up» Jimmy Jr. was coming up the street in a hurry. He met me at the doorway. «You're late too? I wanted to stretch before the party, but I ended up getting distracted. At least I'm all loosed up, so now I can dance with twice the usual power to make up for the time I lost!» He was so excited I forgot all my worries.

  I smiled back at him «Let's go in then. You can't waste any more time!» I said. He knocked many times until Jocelyn finally opened. He then took my hand and led me inside before we could even say hello to her, going straight to the dance floor. I was right, there were a lot of people I didn't know, dancing and chatting, but I focused on Jimmy.

  We reach the middle of the living room, and he lets go of me to get in the "dance zone," as he calls it. When a new song starts, he lets it all out, dancing left and right. I, however, move awkwardly, trying not to bump into anyone. It's difficult when you're in the middle of a crowd, though, so I decide to stand still. Looking around, it feels really awkward, maybe I should go sit down, give everyone more space.

  «Tina?» Jimmy had stopped dancing «Are you leaving? I wanted to dance the next one together» he reaches for my hands and it makes me smile. We walk back and he leads us, swaying back and forth. Even with my bad coordination, dancing with him is so much fun. So much so, I loosen up too. Before I knew it, we were both dancing like crazy and everyone else in the world was irrelevent. We kept it up for four more songs and then we had a break. Sitting down on the couch, he tells me «Your dancing is getting better!»

«Thanks!» that's a big complement coming from Jimmy Jr. He's nice about everything except dancing.

  «Yeah, your spins are getting better, but you still have to work on loosening up your hips. If you hold tension there, you can't move as fluidly» he's always looking for dance perfection. It's really cute.

  «Wait here» he gets up again, «I'll get us some drinks»

  That's nice of him. Hope Tammy has low sugar soda, I'm trying to make healthier choises.

  He comes back with two beers, and I do a double take.

  «Jimmy Jr, I thought you didn't drink alcohol. You said it bothers your troublesome bladder» I use the exact words he said last year.

  «Yeah, but we're in high school now! It's a tradition. Besides, one won't hurt me. Do you want to try it?»

  Do I? I did want to try new things and get out of my comfort zone.

  «I guess I'll try it». I take a sip, but it was too much at first and I cough. Didn't expect it to be so bitter. I try a smaller sip and it tastes alright.

  «What do you think, Ji-» I turn to him and I'm surprised to see he has already had half of his.

  «Love it! Makes me want to dance, but then if I go dance right now, I can't stay and finish it, and I should definitely finish it before I go dance because it's giving me extra energy and I want to give my all out there since every opportunity to dance is a gift that I should take full advantage of kind of like spending time with you, which we don't do as much anymore, so when we do get the opportunity, I want to take full advantage of it, like tonight, I had a lot of fun with you and I'm glad we're here together-》

I have no idea what's happened to him, but at that last part, I blush so much I can't pay attention to the rest. He keeps talking for the rest of the night, even when we start dancing again, and I don't know if that was beer or truth serum, but he doesn't hold anything in.

  We end up sitting on the stairs and he tells me «So you know how, in the begining of the year, we decided to just be friends?» ouch. It still made me sad just thinking about it, but I can't say it was the wrong choice. Last year, we were together so often it didn't leave room for much else. This year, I told him I wanted to get serious about babysitting, and he said he wanted to take more dance lessons, so we agreed to give each other space. And even though I miss him, I've now done enough jobs to buy a ticket to the B4N concert this june, so I know it was the right call.

  «Well, sometimes friends kiss each other, it's kind of another high-school-party tradition, and I for one think we should respect tradition. Like eating turkey on Thanksgiving or buying a christmas tree on christmas, and there's also chocolate on easter, costumes on halloween, all sorts of good stuff» I guess he's even more of a dork when he's drunk.

  Would kissing ruin our agreement? We've stayed friends throughout the year and I don't want to change that.

  «By the way», he says «I really like your bracelet . t'looks great on you»

  Never mind all that.

  I lean over and kiss him. Afterwards, we smile awkwardly at each other, and it made me so happy. It also made me realise that coming here was a very good idea.