#reading is like. the meat of the entire thing

[hedwig221b]

hey do you have any werewolf courting fic recs for like sterek or any mlm pairing? i love those. 🥺🥺

Hi! I only do recs for sterek fics, so here you go

The Baddest Motherfucker In the Valley by ShieldOfIron

It had started weeks ago. At first, they’d thought it was a dog or a cat. Stiles just helped his dad clean the rabbits off the porch. Next came the deer. That wasn’t so bad, though Stiles still refused to eat the meat that his dad had brought back from the butcher. Then came a mountain lion. A grizzly fucking bear.

The Courting Dilemmas of a Spark and a Werewolf Prince by greenleaf

Talia smiled calmly. “I am well aware that you are not a werewolf, my darling, but I thought this would be the best reading material for you to use as reference. After all, how would you know how to act during a courting ritual if you do not study it?” “But I don’t�� I’m not…” Stiles narrowed his eyes at her. “Are you setting me up with someone?” Talia rolled her eyes at him. “Don’t be obtuse, my darling. Why would I set you up with someone –” “Oh, well, that’s good, because–” “–when I have a son who is already perfectly enamored with you?”

Camping & Bonding by Takara_Phoenix

Stiles thinks the pack should go camping, as a bonding exercise. Much to his surprise, Derek agrees with his plan. So the pack goes off into the mountains to camp together. Only after assigning the tents does Stiles question if it really was that good of an idea to share a tent with his Alpha, considering the giant crush he has on Derek…

All I Do (Is Sit And Think About You) by Noname109

The three times Stiles was oblivious, and the one time he figured it out. Or how Stiles figures out how to court a werewolf unintentionally.

be everything that you need by EvanesDust

[excerpt] Stiles could feel Derek's gaze on him. It was like a physical touch, and when he looked over his shoulder, he smirked. Derek's eyes were dark, flared with heat. "See something you like?" Stiles asked, a teasing lilt to his voice. Derek pressed against his back, kissing his shoulder before turning Stiles in his arms. "You know I do."

Enamor Me by crossroadswrite

In which Derek sneakily woos Stiles and doesn't expect him to notice. He keeps catching himself doing these little things and he doesn’t know why. Except that’s a complete lie. He knows exactly what he’s doing and why he’s doing it. He likes Stiles. For whatever reason he likes him. Like, wants to be the best version of himself he possibly can because that’s what Stiles deserves likes him.

how to court a werewolf by graveltotempo

Stiles accidentally begins a courtship with Derek. Wary at first, the werewolf accepts, and Stiles ticks off all the boxes of a traditional Hale werewolf courting - oblivious to the whole thing. Because of course he is. Peter thinks the entire thing is hilarious. Cora thinks that they deserve each other. (spoiler alert: they do)

you are an obsession (i am your possession) by EvanesDust

Once Derek catches that tantalizing scent, he can’t stay away. Stiles. Derek’s completely enthralled by him. Obsessed. But all he can do is stand in the shadows, watching and waiting. Until he can make Stiles his, that is. And when that happens, Derek will never let him go.

Hung The Moon by BurnItAllClean (nrnyx)

Slowly Stiles got control of himself again. His heart calmed. His breathing evened out. The anger was gone. In its place, a bone-deep weariness settled. He couldn’t do this. He wouldn’t survive this.

Like any other day by Gotta_seduce_the_Rainbow

Everything’s a bit shit. Not only couldn’t Stiles afford to go to college right after high school, he also lost his best friend to the cool kids. Him and Scotty hadn’t been talking for a while, and now Scott had left Beacon Hills with the rest of those lucky bastards. With all their savings spent on his dead mother’s medical bills, Stiles is forced to stay behind and work in a shitty store by a shitty gas station. Life crawls by, so does the first summer fresh out of high school, when none other turns up at the gas station than Derek Hale. Derek Hale, who had been gone for about 15 years after his family died in that fire, only manages to ask Stiles for a book recommendation, before he is already arrested for murder. After that spectacular homecoming he is sure to be the talk of the town. This story is set in a canon divergence alternative universe, where Stiles never found out about werewolves. Now that Derek is back in town, he plans on courting clueless Stiles since they are mates. The way it turned out, it's mostly fluff and smut and slice of life, because I wanted to give these characters some peace (and write in some kinks of mine).

How (Not) to Court a Spark by Michicant123, wanderingeyre

Derek spent the past three months planning, agonizing, and coming to a conclusion. His mom was progressive about many things but she was a traditionalist about courting. She drilled it into all of her children that finding someone you could imagine standing beside in a dangerous world was a precious discovery, especially for an Alpha. Derek wants to make choices that would make his mother proud. It took him a long time to become an Alpha that was even a quarter of what his mother had been. So much of that was because Stiles never gave up on him. It was time Derek courted Stiles Stilinski.

Deer For My Dear by TheSleepyOne

Stiles was not mad at Derek per say. It was hard to be mad at the wolf now that he was getting the help he needed. Derek really does try his best these days. No, Stiles wasn't mad. He was just disappointed.

It's Called Courting by AMatchInWater

Stiles has a crush on Derek and refuses to believe it could be reciprocated….meanwhile Derek has been courting him this whole time.

5 times Derek gave Stiles a dead animal + 1 time Derek gave Stiles a normal gift by Warlock_Nerd

Stiles has been finding dead animals all around his house and is so confused. It isn't until later does he realise why this is happening and who is doing it.

Resistance

How dare the wolf taste those lips, hold him, panting and soft, trembling and eager, so close to his chest? How dare he? Jordan could not move, even if he wanted to. The slick sounds of their kiss, of tongues sliding softly against one another, bitten-off moans, and muffled mewls interspersed with crackling fire — it was hell for him. Stiles was everything Jordan dreamed he would be in a moment like this — he moved just right, arched so beautifully, bared his throat, and grabbed the hand that pressed to his stomach, keeping it there. His smell seeped across the tent, sweeter than ever before and deadly because of it. Jordan’s eyes stung, his fists clenching the cold sheets. Yet, he could not even take a proper breath, for everything smelled of him. For three years, Jordan told himself to resist. Three years of catching Stiles only for the omega to seep from his fingers. Years without ever holding his waist like Jordan wanted to. A month was all it took for Stiles to give it to the wolf.

Treasure

"I know you don’t trust me,” Derek grunted. When Stiles inhaled to retort, Derek caught his chin and pressed a finger against his lips, making the boy freeze in place, eyes impossibly wide. “Don’t argue. I expected it. Wolves don’t trust easily, too. I just wanted you to know that… I’m sorry. I was selfish and didn’t see what was in front of me. You don’t need to worry. I’ll take care of everything.” It was a thought that grew in his mind, spread to his heart and took root there, reincorporating into a deep desire and a vital need. Derek will take care of him and his little pup, he’ll bring the hearts of his enemies and put them at the boy’s feet. He’ll court and he’ll conquer.

your fangs against my skin (the sound of your bones)

This was it, then, huh? It was that easy for Derek to invite someone to his den. Someone other than Stiles. He healed the wolf. Stiles killed his tormentor, mended his blood and bones, and let him sleep beside him. But none of it was enough. He wasn’t a spark, after all, but a witch — evil and alone, locked up in his tower. Witches didn’t get happy endings.

[masterlist link]

[bluewxrld07]

Burberry - 1

Female F1Racer!Reader

Summary: It was race day at Monaco, which was a big day for Lando especially. He's ready for everything to be thrown his way, as he has been waiting for the opportunity to come back and win another home race. Until someone new decides to throw off his entire mojo, taking the win from his fingers.

It was race day. A big day at that.

The crowds were buzzing with influencers, fans, broadcasters, you name it. Monaco was always one of the top rated races to attend so it was no surprise how many people were present.

Especially with the news coming in that there was not only a new brand added into Formula One, but that also meant a new racer. New opponent to read into.

Nobody knew much about this newcomer, only that they were racing for Burberry.

"Nothing has come up for the newest racer and addition to the Formula One racetrack, which has many fans buzzing about the news. We only know that they've jumped straight from Formula Three to Formula One after posing some amazing stats that put them on many brand watchlists," An ESPN broadcaster announces. "Only one brand, Burberry, had been able to meet this newcomer's requests as we have heard, including anonymity. Nobody knows who hides under that helmet, and that's the one thing everyone is here to see."

Another broadcaster cuts in. "I wonder how all of the other racers are doing with the news, if any of them have gotten to meet them." they trail off, the rest of the broadcasting table agreeing.

Only a select few of the racers have heard about the news, some of them even skimming by the Burberry garage to see if they can capture even a peek at the fresh meat joining in. Other racers were too focused on the race at hand to question the new buzz going around the panels.

Lando being one of them. He has been waiting for this race for a bit, only focusing on one thing. Which was taking home another first place win at home.

Which was looking pretty good for him.

So far it was looking like Monaco would have their podium finalists as they were nearing the finish line, each of the boys feeling their hopes arise.

Those three being Hamilton in third, Leclerc in second and Norris in first.

Lando was ready to finally pocket that home win. Trying to keep the excitement at bay, being so close but so far from the waving checkered flag.

He was ready to let out that breath of relief.

Until someone passed him just milliseconds before the finish line, cheers erupted for whoever had passed his car. His eyebrows had furrowed as he let out a questioning curse, now taking second place.

It was a newer-looking branded car, not one he was familiar with. He had been updated and told that there were going to be a few newer brands joining F1. It seems like this would be one of them.

The car had the Burberry logo on the sides, the car was decorated in black and gold accents as it came to a slow stop and the driver was waving towards the crowd.

"Who the fuck is that? He came out of nowhere." Lando speaks into the radio.

"That's the new driver. Nobody knows who they are. Press has been saying they want to keep themselves anonymous. All we know is that they're calling the racer the Burberry God. They were brought in from F3 at the end of last season." he hears, making him scoff.

"How come I haven't heard about this? When did they join in?" Lando asks.

"They've been buzzing all about it since the end of the last race. You were so focused on Monaco to notice everyone talking about it."

"Can't be that good if I haven't heard of them."

"They came in from Formula Three. Their stats outdid every single racer in Formula Two, and they're tied with Ferrari."

"And? That's nothing out of the normal for our level."

"Well, incoming update for you. They just set the Monaco Formula One record for fastest lap. They beat your record time with a time of 1:01:23."

Who the fuck was this guy?

"The hell?? Cocky son of a bitch he is then I take it?" Lando snidely comments.

"Looks like it. They refuse to take off their helmet on the podium. Nobody knows why, but they're becoming the next best thing in Formula 1. I'm surprised you haven't heard about them."

"I've got my own stuff to worry about, whoever I'm competing against is the least of my concern."

"Well I'd do some homework later on them, considering they could be your next threat if they just set the Monaco Record."

Lando pops up from his car, bumping up his visor and waving to fans as he begins to walk off the track. His eyes keep trailing back over to the newcomer.

He watched as they signed things for fans, waving at some in the stands, but never taking off their helmet.

Once Lando has made it back to the pit after the podium celebration, talking with Press and getting his pats on the back from the crew, he makes his way over towards the Burberry garage.

It was clear that he wasn't the only racer who was curious about who hid under that helmet, as he sees Max, Lewis and Charles all walking over.

He nods his head towards them. "You guys have any idea?" he asks, either getting 'no' or shakes of their heads.

"I tried seeing if there was anything on them. There's nothing I could find. Not even a name," Charles states with his arms crossed. "I guess they said there was a certain agreement he made with Formula One before he signed about wanting to keep himself under the wraps."

"That will not last," Max snorts as he stretches his neck over the many reporters trying to weasel their ways into the closer Burberry garage. "Did nobody find their info from Formula Three?"

Lewis shook his head. "That was the first place I tried doing a deep dive one. Just says that a racer had been moved down to Formula One."

Lando stood there just as intrigued, thinking that this guy was ridiculous for being so serious about being anonymous.

"Well this Burberry guy beat my record by eight seconds. Whoever they are, they're coming to play." Lando admits, crossing his arms. The boys all look at him with shock before whipping their heads back at the garage in front of them.

"I reckon they're probably coming for all of our record titles then?" Charles questions, earning a shrug from Lando.

"I don't know, but I already don't like them. Haven't even met them, and Will said they could potentially pose a threat on all of us if they're this good." Lando explains.

"Especially with the predator sneak attack they pulled last minute? Doesn't surprise me. Came out of nowhere on that last lap." Lewis says with a tone of awe.

After a while, security had come out and began to usher everyone out which was the racers' queue to head back to their spots as well. "Lemme know if you lots hear anything, yeah?" Lando announces over to the boys who all agree and say the same thing back to him.

Once Lando had finally finished up for the day, the sun was nearly setting. He usually didn't stay too far behind everyone else, but he was so intrigued by this newcomer. He had stayed back to watch the highlight of the race to get any info on this new racer.

He watched as the Burberry car started in the back for a while, almost as if trying to blend in and slyly make their ways towards the front as time went on. This guy definitely had the opportunity to pass others in many scenarios but chose to stay back. Like they were waiting.

Almost as if a predator was stalking their prey, waiting for the perfect time to pounce.

Yet he still found nothing else after that, as this new guy had denied all interviews, had their managers and crew members speak instead, and then didn't stay for long on the podium to celebrate.

It was nearing the evening time, the sun almost fully set by the time he was turning off the controls.

He was shutting the door and walking across the platform, almost jolting up when he sees someone rushing out of the garage platform to too far down from where he was.

As he got closer, he realized which one they were leaving from and immediately began to speed up.

The figure had a pair of oversized jeans on with an oversized black hoodie, hood pulled over this head with a hat adorning just beneath it.

He decides to take his chance.

"Hey!" he announced, the figure immediately froze and their shoulders tensed up.

Lando gets closer, now within arms distance of the person whose back was turned to him. "You shouldn't be here this late."

They don't say anything. Lando's eyes freeze as they see what they're trying to somewhat hide something in front of them.

His eyes squinting at them. "Who are you?" he asks slowly, Lando seeing their shoulders drop. Then his eyebrows raise. "Wait a minute, are you-?" he stops as if not wanting to fully say who he knew it may be.

The figure still didn't turn, but their body began to soften as if they were trying to curl into themselves like a turtle. The actions alone could be confirming that this was who he thought it may be

"Mate, don't be a pussy," Lando chuckles dryly. "I don't bite. We've all been new racers to this division too. What makes you so different than any of us?"

They stayed silent, and began to walk away from Lando.

Lando began to feel himself get annoyed, not becoming a fan of this newcomer. "Dude-" Lando says as he catches up to the figure.

"Give up the mystery guy facade-" Lando begins today as he grabs their arm and turns them around. He immediately drops his entire expression.

The item that was being partly hidden was the key to all of it. It was that familiar gold helmet he had already grown annoyed seeing.

The stranger had a look in their eyes that made Lando immediately regret his decision. They were fuming. Now he understood why they were so keen on keeping themselves hidden.

Burberry God, was actually a Burberry Goddess.

"Oh shit."

Her eyes were staring him down as she slowly took one of her hands and pushed his hold off of her. "You're," he breathes out, becoming slightly mesmerized by her facial features the more he looks at her.

Lando didn't know how to feel at that moment, but all he could think about was how he got beat by this person. They strategically took the win from his fingers with their eyes closed.

His eyebrows furrowed at her. "You took my home win like you could do this in your sleep," he immediately shoots at her, making her roll her eyes and turn away from him to start her trek away from him quicker than the first. He shook his head, gripping her torso to stop in front of her this time. He pointed down at the glaring female in front of him.

"You beat my record." he adds.

Her eyes were slits and her brows were furrowed as if looks could've killed in that moment. She finally spoke.

"What, like it's hard?" she shoots harshly at him, her voice making his insides churn a certain he hadn't felt before.

Before he could argue with her more she had scurried away, pulling her hoodie up further over her head and crossing her arms over her helmet to somewhat mask it inside her oversized zip-up.

Lando stood in his spot and turned to where he watched her leave, feeling absolutely dumbfounded.

What the fuck was he gonna do now?

Taglist:

@cmgmikealson

[nebrasska-alasska]

hi!! ive been enjoying your work for awhile now, and have two questions bt “From the Shadows of the Deep”

First, is Tails’ vitality thing going to play a significant role in the plot?

And second, is Sonic like, gonna fall for the Kraken? Romantically? Or are they just going to form a friendship? I’m sorry if this is a weird question and if the answer is obvious, lol. It is a sonadow fic afterall. I am just caught off guard since Sonic doesn’t know the Kraken is Shadow and sees it as just a sentient oversized octopus. Wouldn’t he js b falling inlove with an animal? (Not meant to be rude, just curious bt what u think <3)

Hello there! First of all, yes, Tails' vitality reader will play a role in the fic, but will probably be a lot more minor than people are expcting!

And all right, now let's get into the meat of this ask!

Usually, I don't sit down and clarify or explain what's going on in my fics because I would prefer for my writing to do the talking. HOWEVER, the idea of Sonic falling in love with the Kraken has been brought up enough that I will try to elaborate a bit on what's going to go on over the next few chapters, just so that you (and anyone else reading this) can decide if they want to continue with this fic or not. So conceptual spoilers ahead, read at your own risk!

-

Sonic's feelings for the Kraken's are going to be very convoluted, and while he won't technically harbor explicit romantic feelings towards the Kraken, he is going to be very confused about what exactly it IS that he is feeling towards him. There's going to be a lot of reflection as he kind of grapples with the morality with their growing closeness and intimate moments, and this is all needs to happen in order for a very specific scene to occur. The scene that the entire fic revolves around.

Because the thing is, he is in love with Shadow the Hedgehog, and what that means is that he is going to fall in love with Shadow no matter what form he takes, whether he knows it's Shadow or not. That's kind of the poetry I'm going for with this whole thing: it doesn't matter if Shadow is a monster or a hedgehog, or if Sonic knows it's him, he loves him no matter who or what he is. So this sense of familiarity and attraction he feels towards the Kraken is going to confuse him, because even though he knows that it's weird and wrong, there is still something that draws him in, because that "something" is the fact that the Kraken and Shadow are one and the same.

Long story short, we only have a few chapters of this complicated Sonic/Kraken thing. I just updated the tags to include "mild interspecies romance" because I am surprised that I didn't do that from the start, so hopefully this can prepare future readers better for the contents of the fic. The entire final act (aka last six chapters of the story) is going to be Sonic and Shadow, and that is when the "real" romance begins, though technically it is starting with his interactions with the Kraken in the second act we are in right now.

So yeah, that was a long one! Hopefully it answered your main question? Idk you're not the only person who has brought this up, so that's kind of why I went so in-depth. And I'm really hoping that these next chapters can execute this vision I have, because as I've mentioned elsewhere, this is kind of the meat of the story we're in right now. Anyways, thanks for asking!

[cuinaminute229]

Tremble, little lion II

pairing: Agatha x Rio x reader

a/n: No Rio in this one sorry y'all. But Tom is absolutely adorable and chaotic.

part 1

...

Tracking down Agatha is not easy.

She is a covenless witch. For Agatha to stay alive she needs to be illusive, she needs to be able to disappear. But she also needs to stay close enough to witches to steal their powers.

She's a chameleon.

And you quickly figure out she is very good at what she does. It feels like trying to find a needle in a haystack.

But you have an edge in the chase. She does not know you are looking for her, so she is not running. Not from you.

You do find her. Eventually. Safe to say this tracking spell is worth its weight. Though, you never doubted her. Not once. If Rio ever leads you astray it is your fault entirely for trusting without question.

The forest that surrounds you is unfamiliar, the trees are different and the wildlife is scarce. The sun hangs high in the sky, producing enough sunlight for you to read a book in peace. It’s a story, but you are not interested in the tale, you are interested in the map at the back of the book.

You brush a finger over the compass that sits under the illustrations, the bracelet on your wrist is bright in the sun. The soft pull of magic moves you forwards almost like second nature, you do not even look up.

A meow makes you pause, you move your book and glance down at the black cat at your feet. He meows again and you roll your eyes before reaching into your bag and pulling out a wrapped piece of dried meat you’ve been nibbling on earlier.

You close your book, unwrap the meat and tear off a small piece. When you look down at Tom he’s balancing on his back paws, front paws reaching out for his treat.

“You’re lucky you are cute,” You tell him before holding out the meat for him, he snatches it out of your hand, lets it drop to the ground and rather loudly starts eating it. You shake your head and wrap the snack back up and put it back in your bag.

Your attention turns back to the book and you start walking again, strides slow as you flip through the pages. You don’t remember the story, you haven’t read it in a few years but the map, now that has always held your attention. Something about it has always felt familiar, like the memory of a dream.

But it shouldn’t, this is but a child's story. The pages are worn and aged, the words fading on some pages, it is a well read book but you do not understand how it can hold such familiarity.

It’s strange. It’s a mystery you’ve been trying to solve for years. Over time it has become a side hobby, other things taking more importance but it is always there, and isn’t this just the perfect time to ponder as you look for a witch that is an enemy to other witches.

You do not know much about Agatha Harkness. You know her powers kill witches, you know she is a covenless witch, you know she is older and more elusive than you are.

But everything else, those are just rumors. Stories to scare witches into not traveling alone, into not leaving the coven.

It should be looked down upon, how covens treat traveling witches. The withheld knowledge, the cold shoulders, even the threats. It is unfair and that prejudice was there long before Agatha, there is no question about that.

It is only a mystery of what happened to the coven Agatha grew up in. There are thoughts, theories of course but you pay no attention to them. They are rarely if ever true.

You run your fingers over the drawn river, the subtle waves as it moves across the map. Her powers though, that is a tale too often spoken of to be only fable. You know what you've heard, you know what Rio's told you but you have so many questions.

What does it look like, what color does her magic take form? How does she come out the only one alive?

You shake your head to chase the thoughts away and glance up. What you see makes you pause in your step. There is a woman up ahead, the tug on the bracelet is too faint for her to be Agatha but still that does not explain why she is here.

A quick look to your left confirms that Tom is still close by. He's crouched down, tale swaying slowly as he watches the woman also, his ears are not back though.

You take his reaction into account, he is much too friendly with strangers. With a tilt of your head you shift your attention back to the woman.

She looks… lost.

Which is strange. Witches are much more familiar with the woods than hunters and normal folks. Witches don't get lost in the woods, no they make the woods their home.

At least, some of the witches' you've come across. Different landscapes call for different ways to live.

You watch her as she glances around. You close your book and stand still when she catches sight of you.

There is not an ounce of hesitation as she almost trots towards you. That dress she wears does not belong in the woods, it's too bright, too much fabric.

“Excuse me, do you happen to know the way?” She asks you, clasps her hands together in front of her. You blink in confusion and glance around. Where could she possibly be going to get lost here?

“Way to where?” You ask her and she grins this time, leans in and whispers her destination like she is sharing a secret.

“The witches’ road.” You have never heard of such a thing.

“I have been searching for some time now. I heard that the road offers a prize worth the peril to witches who are brave and true.” She explains and still you do not understand.

Magic like that, like what she is hearing. It sounds too good to be true. And if it is too good to be true then it does not exist.

“It sounds like a tale to me,” You shrug when she frowns at you. “If magic like that truly exists, why would it be so easy to hear about? Also if you are looking for a physical manifestation of a road,” You glance around and then back at her. “I am afraid you are truly lost.”

She deflates slightly at your excuse, as you fault her eagerness for something that is simply not true.

If the witches' road was real you would have heard about it before now.

“I suppose you are right.” She gives in and with that knowledge it is easy to convince her to go home. To search for her answers elsewhere. She leaves easily, tips her hat with a goodbye and walks past you.

With the woman gone you look around, whistle into the breeze and suddenly there he is.

Tom meows loudly from where he's perched in a nearby tree, you didn't even notice when he left your side. When he climbs down you can only watch with mild amusement, at least he always lands on his feet.

“Sneaky little cat aren't you?” You wonder aloud, kneel down to brush your fingers down his back.

He meows, stretches his neck out and sniffs at you. “Oh no you don't. No more snacks for you.” You tap a finger against his nose before standing straight. “Let us find Agatha first.”

It doesn’t take long, in fact you hear her before you see her.

The soft whispers of a song is what guides you the rest of the way, the bracelet is dropped in your bag when it almost yanks you forwards. You can do this on your own now.

When you see her you freeze, you know it is her without a doubt. You move the book into your bag and step to the shelter of tall trees, something feels wrong.

She is alone, but most importantly she is kneeling on the ground in front of a pile of stones. It looks like a grave.

It looks like a child’s grave.

She’s stopped singing, her soft cries replacing the words. She’s too consumed by grief for this child that she does not even notice you are watching.

And you are too consumed with the sight of her, Agatha Harkness, like this that you do not notice when Tom leaves your side. His paws are silent as he rushes out from your hiding spot.

You only catch sight of him when he is close enough to the other witch to draw her attention. “What are you doing?” You whisper, place a hand against the bark of the tree and fight with every instinct in your body not to follow after him.

Whatever Agatha is going through you know it would be best to leave her be. It is never a good idea to interrupt someone’s mourning. Apparently your familiar doesn’t know that thought.

It feels like time has stopped, when Tom brushes up against Agatha’s dark dress and she turns her attention to him. You do not breathe, you can not move.

You can only watch as she reaches out a hand, brushes her fingers over his head, and back, and moves her arm enough to pick him up. It is only when she pulls him into her chest, burying her face into his soft fur are you able to breathe.

She has not hurt him. He is fine.

You stay put. You let Agatha take comfort in the small black cat you love with everything you are. You let her mourn for the child. You let her say goodbye.

It is the least you can do.

And it is only when she stands, only when she starts walking away from the grave, Tom still in her arms, do you choose to follow.

She makes it farther than you thought she would before she notices you following, she must still be in the headspace enough that her guard is almost nonexistent. When she turns, her hold on Tom tightening, her glare close to dangerous, you stop.

“Who are you? What do you want?” Her tone is harsh when she speaks. Her posture is rigid and the flex of her hands promises she will attack if she feels she needs to.

It’s easy to lie, to give her a name that has no meaning to you. Agatha Harkness does not deserve to know your name. And still, when she repeats it. When she says it slowly as if she is trying to taste it, you can’t help but wonder how she would say your name.

When she raises an eyebrow in response to the silence that follows, you almost smile. She’s not going to repeat herself.

You bite your lip, tap your fingers over the fabric of your satchel and come up with an idea. Your touch has called her attention to your bag and she watches you carefully now, a new alertness in her eyes.

“I was looking for something.” You tell her easily, not completely a lie. You reach into your bag, never taking your eyes from her. There is no challenge in your gaze and she lets her own dance between your face and your satchel.

The delicate threads of magic that are woven on the inside of your bag makes your hand tingle, it was one of the first spells you learned from your mother. The pocket dimension has always been a favorite to use when traveling. There is just so much a normal bag can carry.

“There is this spell I’ve been trying to learn,” You open the book you’ve pulled out and flip through the pages. It’s not a beginners spell book, no that would be too easy. This is different, this will capture her attention, you just know it.

“But I keep getting the ingredients mixed up. It also doesn’t help that what it calls for isn’t exactly easy to find.” You glance up at her when you brush your fingers over the neat handwriting, the two different lists and symbols that are scattered through the page.

You don’t look up when she comes closer. You don’t hold the book out, you don’t even move. It feels like a test almost, like letting a tiger walk right past you without flinching so you live to escape.

It’s easy, to let her curiosity lead her, to let her come to you. Soon Agatha Harkness, the infamous witch killer is standing right next to you. She’s close enough to brush her shoulder against yours as she leans close enough to look at the book in your hands.

When she sees what's on the page, the words and symbols she reaches out and taps on one of the words. “This is always easy to get mixed up, it’s the other one,” She glances up at you and you do not breathe. “The one that tastes like dirt.”

As Agatha turns back to the page, one arm holding Tom you let her go over the notes and lists, looking for other mistakes that are not there. This spell is easy, you know it well but averting her attention gives you enough time to come up with a plan.

Surprisingly or not there wasn’t a point before this where you knew how you would go about this. There is no plan, and maybe there should be but you can hardly think straight with her so close to you.

Would she let you travel with her? Do you let her walk away and only watch from afar? Rio asked for you to look after Agatha but what does that entitle? What is it she wants you to do? You have no idea.

She looks up from the book, those blue eyes of hers as bright as the sky above, and still they are clouded with a grief that only a mother would carry.

There is so much you don’t know about Agatha, about Rio, so much you think you will never know but you do know this, letting Agatha walk away from you alone is not a good idea.

“Would you help me? Covens aren’t very welcoming to witches who travel alone and learning the craft by myself is rather difficult without a mentor.”

This has got to be one of the most impulsive ideas you’ve ever come up with. But you can not back down now, you have to leave the choice to her.

Please say yes, you think. This is going to be humiliating otherwise.

The small furrow of her brows, the streaks of dried tears on her cheeks, the way her eyes dance over you as she steps back, the hesitation is clear. “Why do you travel alone?”

You understand her suspicion, her hesitation. To be a covenless witch you have to be wary of others, you have to know when someone is going to fight you or steal from you or outright betray you.

You’ve heard the tales, covens who would easily give up the location of those who travel alone, just so the suspicion would been drawn away from them.

“My mother was a covenless witch. I grew up traveling. When she died, I just kept going, trying to learn on my own. I do not trust covens.” Your words lower her guard, and if you breathe a little easier at the way she’s relaxed, the way she’s brushing her fingers over Tom’s fur, you ignore it.

“You and I both.” She speaks after a moment. She hums softly, glances down at the book and then at you. There's a spark of something you almost don't catch in her eyes as she looks at you. “Alright, I will teach you.”

“Do you mean that?” You watch her carefully, close the book and hold it to your chest. You do not detect any deception from her, but you also do not know Agatha. You do not know if you are walking to your death with this plan of yours.

“I know what it is like to have knowledge withheld from you, to have a coven betray you.” She explains and you know she is not going to give more. She is too smart for that.

“You do not get to ask personal questions. If I tell you to do something, you do it. If it makes you uncomfortable you may tell me and I will take your words into consideration.” She tells you and you nod in understanding.

These aren't the worst conditions you’ve been given. From what you were expecting it’s actually pretty tame. Nothing dramatic or anything. “I accept.”

When she smiles, you can’t help but notice how she looks less dull, more alive.

You glance at Tom, he meows in response and jumps down from Agatha’s arms. You pay no attention to her as he walks over to you, as he sits right at your feet. It seems he is remembering your promise.

“Alright, alright,” You shake your head with a smile and reach into your bag, you don’t notice Agatha watching you carefully. Her blue eyes looking from you to Tom and back.

When you pull out the piece of meat, unfold the wrapping and tear a piece off, she comes to a conclusion rather quickly.

“He is yours?” She asks, eyes sharp as she watches you carefully.

When you look up you dont drop your smile, this is going to be the tricky part of the plan. You don't know how exactly to explain this to her. “Yes he is mine. He is my familiar.”

What you expect is anger, distrust, maybe even the glow of her magic as she realizes that you've been watching her. But she surprises you. Agatha looks down at Tom, watches as he greedily eats his treat, and she nods.

"Well, aren't you full of surprises.” Her words are directed to you and yet you do not know what to say. Except, his name. And she doesn’t laugh, she doesn’t criticize your choice of names, she only repeats it softly.

“I…” You clear your throat and fold your hands behind your back. “I never got your name.”

When she looks at you, her eyes watching you like she can see into the depths of your soul, you wonder if you truly will make it out of this journey alive.

“Agatha,” She watches you carefully before she continues. Her suspicion is easy to see, she does not trust you.

But right now, you are a distraction that she’s going to cling to. Anything not to think or feel, anything to drown out the grief that weighs her bones down.

“It’s nice to meet you, Agatha.”

The small nod, polite smile is all you receive before she turns away. As Agatha walks aways, her posture rigid, hands clenched, you know that this is going to be difficult. But you promised, and you keep your promises.

Following after her, it feels like an intrusion. She won't look at you, she moves as if you are not in her shadow. The tension in her shoulder, the dip of her head, even the clench of hands, it must feel like she's being pulled every which way.

To take away someone's response, to intrude on these moments, it must feel infuriating. And here you are, following her like a lost pup.

This has got to be another level of humiliation. For both of you.

You do not say anything and maybe that's what makes it worse because what is there to say? What would Agatha let you give her, surely not sympathy. That is the last thing anyone wants.

She does not know you. She does not trust you, if she somehow slips through your grasp when it comes nightfall, going after her would be suicidal.

Agatha Harkness is not an easy witch, she has no coven. She is not joyful, or calm. She does not follow rules or order.

But she does like Tom.

Her shoulders relax when he runs after her, falls into step just ahead of her. Agatha pays you no mind but when he meows at her, sits right in front of her, she kneels down to pick him up. She brushes her finger through his fur and keeps walking.

You can work with this.

Now, you just need to figure out how long this favor to death herself will last. How long will it be until you can go home?

[rosemary-is-in-pesterquest]

hi im trying to finish homestuck now and like. you're telling me people don't pay attention to the silly gay girlies but instead pay it all to karkat??

i have sat through so much karkat that i'm utterly sick of him and his words!! and yet i still love the conversations between the goober maryam and the silly lalonde kan is SUCH a dork i love her sm

Yah tbh I never understood why people complained about rosemary’s dialog just because they speak Big Words but then they’ll be fond of how much Karkat talks and I can barely understand what he says half the time 😭

[egophiliac]

CROWLEY SSR THOUGHTS

there is zero basis for this, but I can't get this thought of my head

I don't know why I decided to draw it this way

[mochi-kitty]

Begging y’all to read solo comics. You could learn a lot about Bart simply by READING then you wouldn’t say things that are straight up wrong

[sexynetra]

Guess who wrote a fic loosely based on this video 🤭

Thank you @thecollectionsof for encouraging me <333

“You trust me, don’t you?” Dawn smiled hopefully — a dazzling grin that had Amanda’s brain shorting out.

She did trust Dawn. More than she trusted anyone in the world.

[boneskullravenriver]

I have the patience of a saint. I promised myself i would NOT reread 2ha until ALL the official English translation books from seven seas came out so I could binge read the entire thing without having to wait and i have stuck with this since 2022. I've been buying each volume as it comes out and not touching it. I know, crazy but yeah.

[twopercentboy]

god I'm devastated about almost 6 year old drama about a relatively mediocre show 😭 like they had options to either continue the show w the actors who actually cared about the project or at the very least give Riggs a happy ending and they chose neither ???? I'm devasted at the ending they gave Riggs, after all that character arc buildup for him to finally get his happily ever after and they do THAT like are you fucking with me right now 😭

[fandumbass]

and what if i said the word count of my SN fic planning notes went up 3k today

[j-esbian]

frustrating how so many craft books have a section about "how to sell what you've made"

like on one hand i get it because the person writing the book has obviously made their craft a full-time job. and they might have some tips and tricks that might be useful, and there are people out there who might be trying to start a small business out of it

but on the other hand it's just exhausting and feels like another voice saying "what's the point of having a hobby if you're not going to monetize it"

[snowbound-sideblog]

I don't read TF, and I don't write TF... Except the one time an idea just slammed into my brain and I had to write it... And the urges and desires of the artificial/synthetic "species" were pretty central. They look fairly close to human, and I use that to contrast against the way they act, to remind you that they only look like that because it puts humans at ease... And slowly their instincts and differences carry them away from that appearance after the initial quick TF, in a cycle of body-following-mind-following-body that leads them to somewhere very inhuman as time passes and they surround themselves with more non-humans that won't expect them to act like something they aren't anymore.

So yeah I think I agree.

i fucking love tf that also gives you the urges and desires of the species you tf'd into. a compulsion you can't control, even if it's embarrassing

[teaboot]

Sorry if I'm mixing you up with someone else, but you've worked security before, right?

If you're willing, I'd be really interested on your thoughts on the murderbot diaries or murderbot as a character with that in mind?

Like did you recognise aspects of your job in murderbots descriptions of security work? Or did they like throw you out of immersion in the story?

Anyway thanks and hope you're having a good day/evening wherever you are!

As a security guard who has read the first two Murderbot books, Murderbot has been the number one most realistic security specialist character I have ever seen in media so far 😭

The third most annoying thing in security in my experience is handling threats. The second most annoying thing is having no threats to handle and being bored. The number one most annoying thing is the client being an idiot

Ihave social anxiety which I am medicated for. When I am in uniform with clear instructions, that anxiety is zero. I have a script and a set of rules and that makes life easy. I’m super good at performing tasks with clear expectations and that’s kinda how I keep getting good offers, it’s super straightforward

Bad clients are clients who give stupid, inefficient, counterproductive, cruel, or flat-out illegal orders. There are ways of shutting that shit down without them losing heir shit, but it’s still a pain in the ass every time

I’m a security specialist. I specialize in security. This is what I am trained for- handling crisis situations and minimizing harm. If you, an off-shift cashier at pet smart, see me deescalating a situation and decide you’re gonna drop your untrained uninformed ass in there with zero context or skills and “help” because I look small and helpless, then all you’re doing is increasing my likelihood of getting hurt while increasing my paperwork load by like two hours, and I’m gonna hate you the entire time. What you have essentially done is promoted me to meat shield while giving the aggressor I’m calming down an obnoxious and aggravating hostage. Good god please do not

Yes, I am sometimes asked to stand perfectly still in a corner for several hours like a mannequin. What do I do to avoid going insane? Think about Star Trek and the very good fanfiction I’ll be reading on my break, mostly

Yes I can assist in evacuating tw location in the event of an environmental disaster. No I cannot tell my waiter that they put cilantro on the wrong order. Yes this makes perfect sense

I love Murderbot. I love how realistic it is. Like obviously I can’t speak for everyone in the industry but yeah I’ve worked for absolute dogshit security companies in the past and yeah a lot of the books so far are super accurate to that experience so A+ so far, honestly

[plethorawrites]

(A/N, I know this is absolutely stretching it, but a lot of you like the secret relationship trope as much as me and I can't get this idea out of my head so...)

---___---___---___---___---___---___---___---___---_

Jason Todd who, despite fixing his relationship with his family to an extent, still maintains distance from them. He remains amicable, showing up when asked, never straying terribly far and always still including himself whenever someone mentions the 'family'.

But...he's still a bit of a loner around them, not always entirely honest all the time. He doesn't stick around very long unless asked and will make up obvious lies to get out of things he doesn't want to do. One of the ways he does this, is by claiming to have a date.

Yes, it was ridiculous to them. If he really wanted to get away from them, he could just say that. But hey, it was his life. And it was hilarious to see the lengths he would go to.

Unbeknownst to him, you were entirely real.

At first Jason worried that they would pry for more information, maybe insist on meeting you or try to run a background check. Bruce had done that on multiple girls Dick went out with and even made a file on Bernard when Tim got involved with him. He never mentioned your last name, usually calling you his girlfriend, or some nickname his had for you, in hopes of them keeping their distance. And they did.

He didn't realize it was because they didn't actually believe him when he said he was in a relationship. He never really gloated about it much, but he never hid it, either. He'd mention you moving in, mention you were working late so he could stay for dinner, or say you were sick so he had to leave early.

To them, it was all one elaborate lie that kept him away from the family.

Even when he introduced Alfred to you, legitimizing you in the butlers eyes, everyone just groaned, telling the man not to encourage Jason's charade.

When Jason said he had to leave patrol early because he planned to propose to you, they found it even funnier, honestly. He was really keeping up with this lie. It had lasted years. Sometimes, for months he didn't mention you, but then he'd casually say he got married to really cement that he was still putting up that wall between him and the family.

He even had very convenient reasons for all the things that didn't add up, like why he never wore a wedding ring (Which he would surely have if he had actually gotten married) or why he never went on a honeymoon (Which no one could live without, right?)

Truthfully, you didn't care about that, as long as he kept coming home in one piece with minimal bleeding. As for the ring? Well, he only wore it at home, otherwise he kept it on a chain under his suit.

At one point, he even claimed you were pregnant.

That one? That was a lie filled with meat to rip off the bone. Doctor appointments and sudden emergencies let him excuse himself from any meeting he didn't want to attend or leave early and come late for practically anything.

He would even purposely read baby books or pretend to be on the phone with you when he didn't want to talk to them or engage in conversation at hand/pay attention to a briefing.

In the middle of patrol he had disappeared, claiming you were in labor, when really, they just thought he wanted to go home and sleep. He had been acting awfully exhausted lately. He claimed it was from taking care of you.

Then, after that night, he oddly enough dropped all contact for a while. A long while, actually. No red hood activity, no returning phone calls, no one had heard from him. Except for Alfred who came over to bring you a care package and Roy who was there to see his goddaughter the second she came home from the hospital.

It was nearly two months later that they finally heard from him, after starting to truly worry. He had dropped off the map before when he got the urge to be alone, but never for this long. Now suddenly he was inviting the entire family over for dinner at his apartment?

He had NEVER in his life done that. Hell, they didn't even know where he lived. Probably because they would show up unannounced and he didn't want to deal with them sleeping on his couch.

Still, regardless of their hesitation they showed up.

Imagine their surprise when he opened the door and just past his shoulder they could see you, sitting on the floor, having tummy time with newborn baby girl who couldn't stop laughing.

Their eyes were wide, they couldn't stop staring, barely even moving.

Bruce probably seemed the most shocked. He was a grandfather after all and had not only missed his granddaughter's birth, but didn't even know he had a daughter-in-law.

The ring on Jason's finger was suddenly quite prominent, as was the matching one on your hand as you picked up the baby and carried her over to them, introducing yourself.

You had apparently heard a lot about them.

They had heard...well, enough about you that they shouldn't be surprised when you fit the exact description of who they thought had been Jason's imaginary escape wife for over two years.

It all came out in that moment and both Jason and your eyes were reflecting the same confusion and disbelief as they confessed to not believing you or the baby existed.

"You...thought I made up having a wife?" he repeated slowly, frowning as his arm wrapped around your waist. "AND I lied about her having a baby?"

He had always wondered why none of them seemed to really even care about the fact that they were going to be aunts and uncles. Bruce had barely even congratulated him at all, which stung a bit, but he brushed it off.

"Well...yeah?" Tim confessed, motioning to him. "It's you! You don't even like people."

Who would ever associate Jason Todd with domestic life? No one.

He shook his head in utter disbelief. "Unbelievable," he muttered, turning to you as you started to laugh uncontrollably. "What? You find that funny?"

You nodded, trying to stop chuckling. "It's so absurd," you chortled, your laugh making the baby coo in your arms. "And I get it, I do," you admitted. "You're all tough and brooding. Not exactly father material."

He frowned further. He liked to think he had been doing a pretty good job. Maybe not perfect, but he was trying his best for both of you.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, offended, taking the baby from you. "I know I'm not a professional or anything, I haven't dropped her yet."

Emphasis on the yet.

"Of course not," you agreed, kissing the baby's head and then his cheek. "You're a very father. Even if the baby isn't real," you added with another huff of amusement, running your hands through his hair as you walked past him into the kitchen. "Put her down for her nap, would you? I want to check on dinner."

He gave another confused, inquisitive glare to his family, especially his father before nodding. "Make yourselves at home," he muttered, still confused. "I'm going to put my fake daughter down in her fake nursery," he told them before walking off.

[sinshiney]

It was strange, how far away and blunted all sensations were to her. Most days, Gideon felt exactly like the thing she was: a ghost piloting an expired meat suit. But when Harrow slowly, cautiously bridged the space between them and her hand found Gideon's in the sheets, Gideon could have sworn that she registered the heat of her skin. [Harrow rescues a Tower Prince and they fight their way out of the castle while arguing the entire time.]

read on ao3: the freckles on your arm mirrored a body of stars