#seriously I need to go through a tutorial for this

[inyunjin]

ITZY | Shin Ryujin - Tennis (0:0) | Fansign Event (210704)

ORIGINAL SOURCE

[asleepinawell]

every time i overhead smash something with my giant hammer i imagine it's this pop up

[shiftthemoon]

reality shifting isn’t hard. you’ve been told it’s hard because everyone’s too scared to admit it’s not. they cling to their 800-step methods, their must-have crystals, their perfect conditions because they think that if they let go of that control, they’ll fail. but here’s the thing: the more you try to control the process, the more you convince yourself it’s out of your control. and that’s the problem. that’s why so many people feel stuck. shifting isn’t some big, far-fetched thing. it’s just you. it’s always been you.

we’re conditioned to think we’re powerless. think about it—school, work, society, all of it drills this idea into us that everything has to be proven, earned, validated. so, when you hear about shifting, your brain freaks out and says, wait, wait, this is too easy, this can’t be real. and then you spiral. you overcomplicate it. you make yourself think you need the “perfect” script, the “right” subliminal, or that you have to meditate for three hours while the stars align perfectly. like, no… you don’t. all of that? it’s fluff. it’s noise.

at its core, shifting is belief. just belief. no, really, let that sink in. you don’t need to “do” belief perfectly. it’s not something you master through sheer willpower. it’s something you already have. you’ve believed in things your whole life. you believed in gravity without needing proof. you believe your favorite songs are beautiful without needing to explain why. belief is natural. it’s effortless when you stop overthinking it. that’s the energy you need to bring to shifting—trust. trust that your mind knows what it’s doing, and that if you let it, it will take you there. every single extra thing you pile on? the overthinking, the doubt, the need for guarantees? that’s what’s slowing you down. not the “lack of progress,” not some mythical “block”—it’s you convincing yourself it’s harder than it is.

and let’s talk about social media for a second. oh my god, the shifting community on social media… i get it. it’s comforting to see other people on this journey. but let’s be honest—how much of that content is actually helping you? like, really? 90% of the time, scrolling through shifting advice isn’t inspiring; it’s overwhelming. everyone’s got their own opinions, their own “best methods,” their own rules. one person says scripting is a must, another says it’s a waste of time. one person swears by affirmations, another says visualization is the only way. and before you know it, you’re sitting there questioning everything you thought you knew, wondering if you’ll ever get it “right.” spoiler alert: you already know how to shift. you don’t need a thousand voices telling you what to do. in fact, the more you listen to them, the harder it becomes to hear yourself.

take a break. seriously. log off the apps. give yourself space to breathe and think. ask yourself: why do i want to shift? what’s stopping me? what feels right to me? no tiktok trend, youtube guide, or reddit post can answer those questions for you. only you can. and i know that sounds scary. we’ve been conditioned to think we need external validation for everything, but shifting is a deeply personal thing. you don’t need a step-by-step tutorial. you need to trust your instincts. that’s it.

and let me be clear: i’m not saying methods or subliminals are bad. they’re fine if they help you feel aligned. but they’re not what makes shifting happen. you are. methods are just tools. if you use them, great. if you don’t, that’s great too. because the truth is, shifting isn’t about doing things “right.” it’s about letting go of the idea that you need to.

so let me break it down for you. the only things you really need to shift are:

1. a desire. you have to want to go to your desired reality. no brainer, right?

2. belief. this is the big one. you have to trust it’s possible. no “what ifs,” no “but hows.” just trust.

3. persistence. if it doesn’t happen right away, that’s okay. don’t give up. if you’ve ever learned to ride a bike, you know that falling doesn’t mean you can’t do it—it just means you’re learning. shifting is the same.

that’s it. no fancy rituals, no endless research, no “perfect” conditions. the process is simple because it’s natural. you’ve probably done it before without even realizing it— the only reason it feels hard now is because you’ve convinced yourself it has to be.

stop making it harder than it needs to be. shifting isn’t this unattainable, mystical thing reserved for “chosen ones.” it’s something anyone can do. you can do it. your mom can do it. that anti-shifter lurking in every crevice of shiftblr could do it. you’ve always been capable. but you have to stop getting in your own way. stop doubting yourself. stop relying on others to tell you what’s possible. this is your journey. own it.

and above all, be patient. shifting is not a race. it’s not about how fast you can get there or how perfect your dr is. it’s about trust, intention, and focus. log off, tune into yourself, and let it happen. shifting has always been yours to claim. it’s not something you need permission for. it’s not something you need to earn. it’s just you, your mind, and your belief. always has been, always will be.

[disbabeled]

Do you know how many times a day I want to scream at people "THIS ISN'T FOR YOU!" ?

Just yesterday, I was ten minutes late to my tutorial class because for whatever reason, almost every single person in my lecture decided to use the elevator instead of going down one flight of stairs while me and my classmates -- the ones who didn't have that choice -- were stuck waiting for the next elevator.

I constantly have to navigate around people walking up the ramps -- or, worse, standing in the middle of them -- because they couldn't get off their phones for two seconds to use the stairs instead.

At least twice a week I end up in far more pain than usual because people who don't need them take up the accessible seats on the bus and I either have to stand there and wait for somebody to get up (Which is already hard on my body) or just wrap my arm around the pole and try to suffer through a few stops until somebody gets off (Which has already caused several dislocations). As much as people like to brag about how they'd "always give up their seat for a poor handicapped person", they're far more likely to stay right where they are and ignore you in favour of watching Instagram reels on their phone.

And I've tried asking people to move. Directly. Making eye contact and everything. They'll just look down at their phone and ignore me until the bus driver or somebody else says something. And only then can they magically notice me and get up.

Before I get a bunch of people leaping to yell about people with invisible disabilities: I know. I know there are people with invisible disabilities, I spent most of my life with only invisible disabilities. I can guarentee that not every single person in my lecture of 60 people has an invisible disability. This is not the problem.

The problem is that able bodied people see these resources and supports made specifically for physically disabled people and assume they're entitled to them. Most of them see it as something that's put in place just to comply with certain rules or laws or regulations as a 'just in case' thing. Nobody thinks that disabled people are actually out and about. We're an afterthought to them.

And I get it. I do. We all have our blind spots.

But seriously, this is getting ridiculous.

[etherealrin]

Hey! Love your works, it's really nice to read them and I just love your style💖, may I request an isagi x reader but the reader is kaiser's little sibling? It sounds fun ☺️

⋆｡˚꩜ a comprehensive tutorial on how to piss off michael kaiser in his penthouse; by yoichi isagi.

yoichi isagi just wants to hang out with you...but your brother is making it quite uncomfortable

warnings: slight violent descriptions (as a joke), michael kaiser gives you no privacy, one mention of google translated german // wc: 957

note: i was giggling the entire time writing this LMAOO imo such a funny dynamic, the rivalry goes crazy.

your bubbly laughs that echo through the penthouse allow isagi to relax, just a little bit. the environment is new to him, and he’s afraid that the smallest slip-up will result in his head being chopped off by one of the rather large, menacing butcher knives lined against the marble kitchen walls.

but what’s even more threatening is the way kaiser is glaring at him, blue gaze more piercing than any dagger.

“micha, you’re making yoi uncomfortable,” you begin, shooting the blonde haired man your own look of annoyance. you turn your attention away from the mixing bowl in front of you to interlace your fingers with yoichi’s, trying to offer him some comfort. isagi wonders if theres nervous sweat on them.

“he’s in my penthouse, with my sibling? am i meant to leave him unattended, to let this donkey roam around with free will?” kaiser huffs, arms crossing.

yikes, was he in a mood today.

“you’re calling my boyfriend a donkey?” yeah, you were ready to throw hands right there.

isagi had practically jumped for joy when you’d invited him over to bake cookies. he somehow managed to forget that you were rival’s little sibling, and that your house was technically also michael’s—of course he would own a penthouse with a city view. michael was an oddly protective elder brother, or maybe his rivalry with yoichi just ran that deeply; was it not enough for isagi to steal the soccer ball on court? did he have to steal michael’s bloodline too?

“go, um, read a psychology book or something,” you say, wanting to get your brother off the scene. “hang out with ness! i’m sure he’d love to!”

yoichi nods his head hurriedly in agreement.

“you think you two are getting rid of me that easily? that’s-“ your brother is cut off mid-scoff, his phone ringing loudly and persistently. you snicker, knowing that you were about to win.

“was zum teufel,” michael spits, picking up the line.

“no, ness, i’m busy…what? you seriously can’t drive yourself? can’t i…uh….i guess you’re right,” he seems to be arguing with ness, going back and forth.

“you two lucky idiots are getting your wish,” michael snaps as he hangs up, hurrying out the door. before it closes, a warning: “isagi, if you try anything, i’ll screw you over before you can blink twice.”

“yeah yeah, shitty rose.” yoichi’s ego gets the best of him. great, now he’d been rude to your brother in front of you!

but you don’t seem to mind, maybe you didn’t care, humming softly as you add chocolate chips to the mix.

"you need to move out," yoichi doesn't think he can visit you if this is how your brother was going to be.

“hmmm, could be worse. what if we made s’mores cookies?” you reply excitedly.

“the ones with marshmallows?”

“yep! i think i have them somewhere,” you pull him into your startling large pantry. the size is almost that of a grocery aisle, and it’s stocked with an insane amount of protein powder—likely your brother’s doing—but you find the small package of the fluffy white sweets tucked away in a corner.

except, you can’t quite get to it, the nook being far above your head.

“let me,” yoichi says, reaching up. he has to be on the tips of his toes, curse michael kaiser for being so damn tall!

as yoichi fumbles above you for a bit, he doesn’t notice the odd position he’s forced you into, your back flush against the shelves. you’re not that much shorter than him, but he’s gripping onto your shoulder for support, and the proximity makes you flustered. he smells good, crisp and clean, a hint of citrus in the mix.

with a small flop, the bag finally comes crashing down, along with yoichi’s balance. he lets out a startled yelp, hurriedly latching onto your other shoulder.

oh.

you blink, fazed by his deep aquamarine eyes, and the way that your noses are practically touching. his breath is ticklish, irregular from the earlier struggle, and a cherry red blush painted across his entire face.

you’re both too scared to move, stuck in the haze, should you move? closer? maybe further?

it’s like that for an agonizingly long second—still—until yoichi chooses for the both of you, his fingertips make contact with your jaw and they’re warm, hot like the kiss he suddenly pulls you into.

you’re far too eager to reciprocate, hands finding their way into his soft dark locks. the cookie batter stays neglected on the sleek white countertop, both of you distracted and lost in another world.

when your lungs threaten to implode from lack of air, that’s when you pull away, gasping softly.

your boyfriend’s face is ten times redder now.

“sorry, i- i should’ve asked first,” yoichi stammers, flustered and unable to meet your eyes.

“it’s fine, i like you when you’re confident, yoi,” you smile, twisting a strand of his hair.

you fail to notice how the front door had opened, and you’re greeted with michael kaiser standing in the hallway, gawking at the two of you.

“why’s he in my pantry?” michael’s pissed now. “of all damn places, could you two not make out in the middle of my protein powder? seriously, that is gross. i won’t be able to drink that shit now!”

“oops,” you giggle. “you’re just upset that you don’t have someone.” your brother lets out an indignant huff, ready to start hell as he marches closer. you’re still snickering.

unfortunately, yoichi cannot find any of this nearly as funny as you do—no, he’s already thinking about the hell your brother’s going to give him during the game tomorrow, convinced that both of the kaisers would be the death of him.

a/n: michael says "what the hell" in german, i just wanted to make it diverse idk. like genuinely isagi is lucky if he makes it through the week dating a kaiser sibling...kaiser is not giving his blessing for the wedding LMFAO

masterlist!

[gothamite-rambler]

Dick and Kory (Starfire) stood in front of Damian, 8 years old, who was called in to meet her. Damian hadn't noticed any tension between Dick and Kory to Bruce, and was more annoyed that he had to pause his Bob Ross painting tutorial for this.

Bruce was hesitant about his youngest son meeting Kory, mostly due to his bias toward her, but Dick had been with Kory long enough to know she was always sweet to children and had changed since her wilder days with the Outlaws.

Kory had confessed to being nervous about the meetup, but Dick promised her that he would be there to defend her in case Bruce or Damian insulted her.

Dick: Damian, this is my girlfriend, Koriand’r or Kory for short. Since we've been dating for a year now, she wanted to finally meet you outside of hero work.

Kory waved with a sweet smile on her face. Damian looked the woman up and down with a suspicious, raised eyebrow.

Damian: Hm, Starfire, from the planet Tamaran. I was told about you. Former princess. Fought with the Titans, then teamed up with my brother Red Hood and the Outlaws, where you went through a phase of being a—

Bruce (scolding father tone): Damian, what did I tell you about mentioning inappropriate topics when talking to strangers?

Damian pouted.

Damian: Not to do it. Hm, well, it’s a pleasure to meet you, Starfire.

Damian held out his hand, coming off like a little businessman making a formal introduction. Kory turned to Dick wondering if the young boy was seriously asking for a handshake.

Dick (nodding): He wants you to shake his hand.

Kory obliged, taking Damian’s hand and shaking it for a few seconds before pulling away.

Damian: You have a strong grip, and you’re very beautiful. You look like one of those models from the old magazines my father keeps.

Bruce spat out his drink, coughing so hard he nearly fell out of his chair. Kory could only laugh in response, especially at her boyfriend’s expression, part shock, part blushing embarrassment.

Dick: Bruce... what magazines?

Bruce (exclaiming, gruff voice): Nothing. Damian, did you go through my stuff again?

Damian: I needed some reading material, and those old magazines have good stories.

Dick (after sighing with relief): Thank the Lord, he's an innocent summer child.

Kory raised an eyebrow, but remained calm since she saw how blissfully unaware Damian was currently.

Kory: I’m not sure what magazines you’ve been reading, but I’m not really like those women, especially these days.

Damian: Father did say you used to dress and act like a… father, what was the name you called her when talking to Superman? A hustler?

Bruce (stammering): I— I… He's misremembering what I said! Damian, what did I tell you about eavesdropping?!

Damian: Not to do it. I'm innocent that time, I was going to ask you for a pen while you were on the phone. I don't get it though, how is she a hustler in her old outfits?

Bruce: Damian, drop it.

Damian pouted again, crossing his arms.

Dick: Sorry, this isn’t going well. We can come back later.

Kory: What? No, I adore your little brother so far. He’s curious and inquisitive, just like you mentioned.

Damian: That’s to be expected. I’m a treasure. You have green eyes like my mother and I, but where are the whites in your eyes?

Kory: It’s how people from my planet look. I’ve been told my eyes are similar to those in an old alien movie.

Dick: Except you’re way prettier.

Dick kissed Kory on the cheek, making her giggle.

Damian: Gross. Ms. Starfire, Dick and Father told me you’re a skilled fighter and a great warrior back on your home planet. Is that true?

Kory: It is. I’m glad Bruce remembers I’m more than just a “hustler.”

Bruce coughed, pretending to read contents on a cereal box.

Damian: Mm-hm. I will need to see you fight in action to give my full opinion on your heroing, but you're doing well so far.

Kory (sweet tone): Glad that the introductions are going well, then.

Damian (after nodding): After reading Father's journals and seeing you up close, I’m curious, why do you sometimes dress like a pin-up girl on a teenage boy’s poster? That was exactly how I worded it, right, Father?

Bruce's grip tightened around his water glass, nearly crushing it in his hand, his right eye twitching as he fought to contain his anger. Dick glared at him, arms crossed in silent disapproval.

Damian looked around, sensing the tension but unaware that he was the cause. Kory chuckled softly, seemingly entertained by the rising tension and Bruce's usual stoic attitude being thrown out the window.

Dick: Bruce, can I talk to you in private?

Bruce: Yeah, yeah. I can explain, though. I think what Damian read must’ve been novels I’m working on.

Damian (doubling down): But you labeled the front covers as journals.

Bruce: Damian, stop talking.

Dick: Kory and Damian, keep chatting. Bruce, the cave?

Bruce: I'd rather not.

Dick yanked Bruce by his shirt collar, maintaining a tight grin to contain his frustration. Kory, left with Damian, smiled gently and led him toward the couch.

They sat down so she could explain why she dresses the way she does; she was accustomed to Earthlings questioning her attire, and a little kid’s innocent curiosity wouldn’t offend her, since he didn’t know any better.

Kory (calmly explaining): Tamaraneans have a different view on modesty. What I wear now is simply comfortable for me. I know what you Earthlings see as a swimsuit, but for us, it’s like your sweatpants. I understand it can seem puzzling when you see me in my hero costume or some of my civilian attire, but it’s what I like. And the solar rays give me and my people energy. So dresses, shorts, and yes, my hero suit help me look fabulous and give me the energy I need to fight. Be glad you didn’t know me a few years ago, that’s a time I don’t look back on fondly.

Damian: Yeah, I heard you were kind of cold and acted out of your usual character for a few years.

Kory: I did. My mind was subjected to some altering brainwashing, but today, I am much more chipper and a warrior. I hope you get used to my energy. I’m a hugger.

Damian: Thank you for the warning. If I asked anything too personal, I’m sorry. I have some trouble knowing when to ask certain questions.

Kory: You’re fine. I’m used to it and also used to blurting out the wrong thing.

Damian: Hm... That’s actually comforting to know. And if you don’t mind me saying again, you are as pretty as my mother.

Kory (wincing at the mention of Talia): I’ll take that as a compliment. Would you like some candy? I carry some in my purse.

Damian (holding out his hand): Yes, please.

[shoyastars]

Big thank you to @n0t-evenhere for looking over my fanfic! I appreciate the help, go check them out!

Now then! Onto the birthday celebration!

Birthday Photo - NSFW

—

April 30th - Ray’s Birthday

Headlines and even the news announcing the Hero Binary Star’s birthday. You sigh as you know how these things usually go, everyone will want to give your boyfriend or Binary Star their gifts and attention, while you just want to spend time with him. You can’t help but curse the NAHA for hogging him.

You bring yourself to be reasonable again, after all… if everyone’s favorite hero wasn’t able to be seen on his birthday then people might cause useless drama over it, however some people still criticized the NAHA for making him work on his birthday too. A double edged sword, if only he had a cloning ability… wait scratch that, you didn’t… who knows what type of shit he could pull if he had one…

You turned off the tv and decided to go back to making a cake instead of going to a store. He liked your cake last year, so why not do it again this year but with more practice and with the help for decoration from YouTube tutorials that you thought Ray would like. You were more confident in this one, but only setting a cake didn’t sit right with you… yes you did it last year, but what gift could you give him? He can buy anything he wants, of course you were an option, but it really didn’t make your thought easy. You sigh tired, as you hummed to a relaxing melody playing in the background, somehow causing you to drift off into sleep, you felt so relaxed your eyes completely shut..

The buzz of your phone against the table annoys you enough to reach for it, in your half asleep state, you yawn and manage to answer the phone.

“Hello?”

“Hey Star, just wanted to call and see how you were holding up at home.”

Hearing Ray’s voice causes you to wake up instantly, looking at the date, you sigh in relief that you didn’t sleep the full day away.

“I’m good, just um… watching some tv and doom scrolling… a lot of things popped up about you.”

“I bet… but I’m more interested in spending time with you after all this…”

You felt your face head up, as much as he is supposed to have his birthday about him, he still can’t help but be selfish when it comes to you.

“Yeah yeah.. why make it about me though? Seriously if anything I should be more excited to see you today of all days.”

Ray chuckled as you smiled on the other end of the phone. Sometimes you wonder if you still were dreaming upon how the two of you crossed paths… it would’ve been one hell of a dream… but reality always has its surprises… speaking of surprises… his gift… many times have you thought of getting his gift for his birthday…. Yet… the obvious always settles in…. He can literally buy anything he wants or needs, but you were someone he’d rather have over any object he can use anytime.

“I’ll see you when you get home! Happy Birthday Ray.”

Ray smiles on the other end, a light pink across his face, hearing your voice was at all was definitely the best gift he’s had all day.

“Thank you Star.. I’ll see you soon.”

The beep as the call ends, the settling thoughts come in, you had no idea or at least have an idea for a gift for his birthday… maybe some would say it’s unnecessary, but you really couldn’t think of a better idea. You knew him well by now, you weren’t dumb not to notice. However… you were sure you didn’t have anything too interesting to the eye.

You saw an interesting thing come on your feed though, taking Burlesque photos… though they came up as a show for the groom during the wedding or at reception… you remember having a having a camera that could help you take one… it is old however.. you would have to see if it still works, after all what's wrong with this idea? If anything it’s been awhile since the two of you…

You shook your head and decided to go through with it, even if you end up regretting it later… At least you won’t have work tomorrow… all the better for it. At least you hope.

You searched for awhile, till finally finding the old thing. Though you wiped away the dust, you pressed the button to take a quick photo to see if it’s still useable, lucky it still does…. You did need a shower.. you didn’t like how sweaty you were after taking a nap.

When you did take pictures of yourself, looking at them now, you were hoping it was good enough, you took at least three, one you accidentally made blurry, the other you didn’t like, third you were ok with. You sigh as you then decide to at least keep it on your nightstand. You wondered how to actually give it to him after he comes back. Last time you tried to send him a photo of yourself, you immediately regretted it when you were running late to your job in the morning. So that’s off the table.

You wondered if you had a small box, maybe you could do one of those annoying open a box to another box…. No… that doesn’t even sound like a good idea for just one photo of you…

You looked online again, only find the people doing this were handing it to their partner, or had a whole damn photo book of themselves to give to their partners. You were annoyed at this point, you were starting to think this was a bad idea, you grabbed the photo when suddenly you hear the door open and shut.

‘Fuck! What time is it??’

“Star, I’m back!”

“Uh…”

You quickly turned off your phone and went to get the photo, you didn’t know what to do. Only for Ray to look over at you in your panicked state and wonder what exactly you’re worried about.

“Something wrong?”

“Nope! Nothin, nothin at all!”

“Star…”

“Aren’t you going to take a shower? You probably should go!”

You go to push his towards the bathroom as he looks confused, yes he was still in his hero suit after a long day, but he was mostly concerned for you.

“Star, what’s going on?”

“You just arrived at a bad time is all! Besides I need time… to do something…”

Ray looked at you, he really wished he didn’t promise to not read your mind unless it was an emergency.. He really didn’t like it when you hid stuff from him, but he seems more focused on your facial expressions. It’s become a new habit, when he finally caught on he only smiled a bit.

“Alright, I’ll be out soon.”

“Perfect! Ah! I mean… ahem! Just, don’t take too long.”

Ray chuckled at that as he closed the door behind him, you let out a sigh of relief, now you just needed to think, or at least whisper to yourself what exactly to do…

You didn’t want to just give him a photo, maybe… maybe it would be better if you and him were to-… you honestly were at a loss, why did you think this was a good idea?

Well… you took it, so you might as well go all the way.. you go to get something more suitable for tonight, you liked what you saw, he’ll probably like it too, however you also needed to keep things settled until the right moment to give it to him. When you went back to the kitchen for the cake, you made sure it was all good. You were hoping this will all work out. Despite the fact it was a trend online instead of an original idea for his birthday, you take a deep breath and as you mapped out a plan on how to give him this gift… or at least what you call a gift.

You heard the bathroom door open and close, when you saw him peak in you felt you’re heart racing. Ray seemed to notice you’re nervous movements, however you had to go through with this. You can’t just pull out now, you were a fucking villain before, you faced the dangers of criminal life in the shadows, and faced double, even though he nearly cut you’re finger off. You took the cake you made and Ray smiled as you placed it on the table. He patted you’re head, perhaps to ease you’re nerves.

It really didn’t help.

“Looks like you took time to make me a cake yet again, thank you Star.”

“I did my best to improve my baking skills this year, so enjoy it while you can.”

“I know I will, since it’s made from you.”

Ray took the fork you provided along with the cake, and as you did with your own slice. A bit of talking would pass as you slowly begin to ease you’re nerves over the surprise. You and Ray would eventually go to the bedroom you two would share when he stayed over, usually it’s just you’re bed but you and him would share it mostly. Ray would open the window and light his cigarette for a quick smoke. You begin to lay back in bed, Ray gives a small smile seeing you so relaxed.

“Tired already?”

“What can I say? Made a cake and waited for you to come back.”

“Sorry, can’t really help it.”

“No, it’s fine. After all… it’s a double edge sword situation where you have to go, if you didn’t fans would rally around.”

Ray laughed a bit at that, you looked at him as he did. Giving him a bit of a look.

“What?”

“Were you… nevermind..”

“No, tell me!”

“…Were you jealous of me getting all the attention from fans of that guy?”

You felt you’re face heat up, Ray begins to laugh again. You covered your face with a pillow.

“Shut up!”

“Star- it really isn’t that serious.”

“Really? Especially since they get you all day?”

Ray sighed and put out his cigarette, sitting beside you, as you peaked at him with some of your face still in the pillow.

“They can have Binary Star, but I recall that you wanted me, Remember?”

You grumbled into the pillow, but knew he was right. You could care less for Binary Star… you said you wanted him, so you have him. Yet again, Ray was alway the guy you fell for… so to say the people had him… was wrong.. because that wasn’t him but a mask he put on for a show he’s forced to play…

“Yeah… I guess, I’m just upset that I couldn’t spend most of my time with you.. especially on your birthday. I want to spend time with my Ray ya know?”

You laughed a bit awkwardly, Ray ruffled your hair smiling at you. You smile as you then go to fix your hair. You two shared a quick kiss before gone to get off the bed, only to stop.

“Something wrong-“

“What’s that?”

You looked where his gaze was, that’s when you remembered. The photo! You quickly go to reach it only for him to take it before you could. You immediately knew this was the moment you wished you could just disappear. Ray looks at the photo and you a couple of times, he runs his hand through his hair a bit, still sat on the the edge of the bed. You want to say something, but what? Surprise??? You hated how you forgot about one simple thing on your bedside table! So embarrassing… so humiliating how you didn’t go through with your plan!

“So uh.. this is you?”

“I- wanted to give you gift this time…”

“Oh, a gift huh?”

“Don’t start…”

He looked at you as you go to cover yourself with the blanket. After a bit you felt the bed shift by his movements, he moved the blanket away from you, meeting eye to eye now. You tried to look away but one of his hands cupped your face, his thumb moving over your bottom lip. You saw the look in his eyes, a familiar desire.

“I think it’s cute..”

He leaned in close to your ear, making you’re heart race again, you swear you were going to have a heart attack. His hot breath can be felt against it.

“However, I prefer the real deal. Wouldn’t you agree, my star?”

You couldn’t help but feel your face heat up at his words, he chuckled at you’re reaction, moving away from you’re ear to look at you. Was he really teasing you right now? Well you did take the photo knowing he was going to be like this, so why are you still getting flustered like some teenage virgin reading smutty books?

“I didn’t know if that would be a good gift ether way so-“

“So, I’ll be sure to cherish this when I think of you.”

“Ray, what the fuck!”

“Ah ah! You said it was a gift.”

“I- well, true… but-“

“So easy to tease.”

“Fuck off!”

You cover your face with your hands, as much as you are glad he likes it. Does he really have to express what he’s mostly going to do??? What else would he do other than jerk it to your photo? Ray smirked as you kept you’re hands to your face. However, he wasn’t really planning on just teasing you.. especially after seeing you like that for him..

You felt as his hand went under you’re shirt, you immediately turned your attention to him.

“Ray- Wha!”

“What? Don’t tell me you weren’t expecting me to not adore you after giving me such a thoughtful gift.”

Feeling his warm hand trailing over your body felt good, you couldn’t resist it… you wanted it.. however a deep part of you still felt more embarrassed by the situation. Jesus Christ, why can’t you just pick a struggle today?

Small sounds of pleasure came from you as he began to kiss and nip your neck, you liked how he did that.

“Did you also plan ahead by picking out these clothes for easy access for me?”

“Shut… up..”

He let out a small laugh as his hand trailed down, you wanted it, you really did, his touch was drawing you in more and more. He really did know what he was doing.. him hearing the small gasps of pleasure were even better, he continued to treat you like this, he wanted you to know how much he loved his gift, this was definitely the best gift he’s been given all day, instead of those gifts those people though he might like… maybe for that guy, this though…. He loved this one more..

The small whispers of his name as he continued were beautiful to him, he always liked hearing you say his name. His name. No one else’s… you were his, he was yours. He hoped you knew that, even after all this time…

“Ray-“

“You’re doing amazing Star.~”

The time you let yourself go with him felt right, so safe, so good. Ray smiled at you as he went to take off both his sweater and undershirt, his scars and muscular frame now visible to your eyes, he leaned in to kiss you, a deep passionate kiss. Assisting you in taking off your clothes as you two were so lost in each other's lust. Finally hearing that stupid belt come off, you were both eager to continue this dance with each other. Hands intertwined as you continued to feel this pleasure with him, the moans between the two of you were sweet melodies to each other's ears, such passion, so much love for one another, it drew both of you in. Two broken souls, two who wanted to find each other, to try and become something beautiful together. The hunger along with the love in Ray’s eyes only further shows how you don’t regret your decision, and how you have no regrets.

The moan of your name with so much affection in saying it was enough to make you feel content, to feel so satisfied with this outcome. The two of you now breathless, sharing one more tender kiss. How close his face was to yours, causing the both of you to feel content in this moment. Just the two of you in this moment of bliss.

He cherished this gift, as you treasured his love for it. Resting in each other’s embrace, no longer a care in the world.

—

In the Morning, the sun shines on your face as you groaned in annoyance, you realized that your clothes were still on the floor as you woke up a bit, going to get off the bed proving impossible, your tired boyfriend clinging to you. You signed in as you ran your hand through his messy hair, a hum of approval from him as he kept his arms around you. This moment is counted as a beautiful moment of peace for you. You stayed like this for a couple more minutes, the rest of the day, despite it not being his birthday anymore, was enjoyed by the two of you.

Just being with you made his day all the more brighter, the people can have Binary Star, Ray on the other hand, was all yours. Forever and always.

You were His Star, as much as he was Your Ray.

—

Happy Birthday to our Favorite Hero! <3

[sevarchive]

bllk headcanons! #2

blue lock! with a pretty but sleep deprived s/o

a/n: i re-did this fic yesterday because i made a mistake on this request TT. this plot was suggested from this request!

starring: chigiri hyoma, reo mikage, yukimiya kenyu, and kiyora jin

CHIGIRI HYOMA

“how are you always this pretty while also looking like you haven't slept since last week?”

he’s lowkey annoyed at how effortlessly pretty you are. like he puts so much effort into his haircare, skincare, stretching, injury maintenance, but you’re just sitting there with the barest hint of lip balm and bedhead and still make his heart skip.

you sleep through half his hair care routine talks, and he doesn’t even mind. he actually gets quieter just so you don’t wake up.

when you're too tired to hold a proper conversation, he just takes the lead with soft sarcasm like, “you know, if you pass out in front of me one more time, i’ll start charging you rent for the bed.” while gently pulling a blanket over you!

he lets you nap with your head in his lap, scrolling through hair tutorials with one hand and brushing your bangs aside with the other.

lowkey enjoys how comfortable you are around him, your softness balances out his sharpness.

he’ll whisper, “get some sleep, lazy,” but tuck your hair behind your ear so gently you can tell he’s smiling.

REO MIKAGE

reo adores you. not just because you’re insanely pretty (though he’ll say it 5x a day), but because you're the only person who can look dead-tired and still steal the spotlight.

“seriously, how do you look like you walked out of a perfume ad while looking like you haven’t slept in days?”

he buys you luxury under-eye patches and acts all cool like, “no big deal. you looked like you needed them.”

he tries to get you on a sleep schedule. he actually downloaded 3 different wellness apps for you, even though you just ignored them and passed out on the couch.

you fall asleep during one of his mini business plans, and he deadass keeps talking like you're awake. “...so if we reinvest that, oh, you’re out cold. okay. nap first, conquer the world later.”

will 100% take photos of you sleeping and save them like treasures. “don’t worry, i won’t post it. but look at you. angel.”

even if you're snoring slightly, he thinks it's cute. he’ll kiss your temple and mumble, “try not to work yourself to death, yeah? i like you alive and pretty.”

YUKIMIYA KENYU

he thinks it’s adorable how you can barely keep your head up, yet still manage to look absolutely ethereal!

when you're half-asleep and babbling nonsense, he’ll go along with it just to hear your sleepy voice.

“you look like a painting, babe.” “paintings don’t need 5 cups of coffee to function!” “then you’re the first.”

always brings you warm drinks, quietly checking in on you: “hey. sleep last night?” “...five hours total.” “that's a solid improvement!”

likes having you curled up next to him while he flips through football clips. you keep drifting off, and he’ll nudge you like, “hey, i’m showing you messi. you're not allowed to sleep on messi!”

but deep down, he doesn’t mind. he loves that you let your guard down around him. your prettiness isn’t even the main thing, it’s the way you trust him enough to rest.

KIYORA JIN

"you look dead," he says. "still hot, though."

“i’m so tired i could cry.” “then sleep.” you stare at him. he stares back. you blink once and fall asleep on his shoulder. he doesn’t move.

doesn’t compliment you often, but thinks you're insanely pretty and shows it through actions.

if someone else says you look tired in a rude way, he’ll glare at them and go, “she looks better tired than you do fully rested.”

walks slower when you’re next to him so you don’t trip from exhaustion. keeps conversations short and soft when he knows you’re drained.

when you're napping with your cheek pressed to his chest, he stays completely still. not because he’s nervous—he just doesn’t want to wake you.

quietly watches over you like it’s second nature. you don’t even need to ask.

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤdedicated to @🪷 anon

ㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤㅤ© sevarchive ✦ masterlist

[armory-rasa]

COUCH POUCH!! Free Pattern & Tutorial

...called thus because they use upholstery-weight leather for the bag body, that in my case was in fact skinned off a couch. 🤣 Turns out they are relatively quick and easy to make, so I tidied up the pattern for printing and took pictures to document the process when I made another five of them.

First off, print your pattern, 100% scale:

The bag shape was a modified version of the pattern I used for the Morpheus sandbag, but sized to fit in the roughly 11" squares that my couch skin came in. It makes a bag that sits very well on a tabletop, thanks to the flat base.

Though it turned out to not be the most efficient use of material, because that plus-shaped pattern tessellates well, if you're cutting them out of a full hide, but makes a lot of waste when you're cutting them out of squares of material. A more efficient design would have a half-rounded front and back, and a gusset between them, like so:

Ah well. It's not like I have any shortage of couch skin, though for the next round I'm going to experiment with a more efficient pattern.

First step, trace and cut out the bag body from your chrome-tan leather:

Like I said, this was upholstery leather, but anything that's flexible and ~1.5 mm thick will do.

The flap and front need to be a stiffer leather though -- I used 7 oz latigo, but veg-tan would work equally well. (And then you could ✨tool it!✨)

Cut them out, and then use the pattern to mark where your holes are going to be. Mark the holes on your bag body too:

The latigo pieces get hand-stitched to the bag body, so I used a stitching groover to carve out little channels for the thread -- it's not strictly necessary, but it makes your stitches lay a lot more neatly:

Punch the holes shown below:

I used a ~5 mm hole punch for those, and a 1.5" slot punch for the belt loops. Some of the holes on the front piece you're not punching yet, because they need to go through both layers.

I put a dab of contact cement on the pieces (circled in white) to help hold them in place when I go to punch the stitching holes:

(Make sure you're not putting glue between the belt loops)

Wait fifteen minutes for the contact cement to dry until tacky, and then line up the holes and the edges and press the pieces together:

Punch stitching holes:

Saddle-stitch both pieces in place (takes 28" of thread per):

Now you can punch these holes:

(I used a slightly smaller hole punch than for the others, but it doesn't really matter.)

Now press the right sides of the leather together and sew up the seams from the inside:

A regular sewing machine should be able to handle this, though you will need thicker thread, a heavy-duty leather-sewing needle, and a walking foot attachment. (If you don't have a walking foot attachment, it is SO WORTH getting one, even if you don't expect to sew much leather. Seriously, I use it for everything -- once you go walking foot, you don't go back. 💀) Because you can't pin leather without leaving permanent holes in it, tiny binder clips can be helpful for keeping your material lined up.

What they look like when you're finished sewing:

Cut 19" of lacing for the drawstring, and 11" of lacing for the toggle:

I use the 1/8" EcoSoft lace from Tandy, I think it's stronger than real leather would be at that thickness. The only important factor here is that you need something with a bit of texture and friction -- a silk cord isn't going to stay closed, it's going to slip open.

MANY BAGS.

For these I used a wooden toggle -- cut another 8" of lacing, looped it through the toggle twice, and then made a tight square knot on the back:

But another option is putting a concho or a large button on the flap. The bag I copied this design from, in fact, uses a concho toggle:

Thread some beads on the laces to keep the ends from getting lost, and you are DONE! 😁

Happy Bagging!

[sleepytoycollection]

One Way to Repair a Broken Doll Arm

Today I'll be walking you through how I repaired this Ever After High Lizzie Hearts doll's broken arm. While I wouldn't call this a fool-proof method, and I'm not sure that this repair would hold up to being played with, if you've got a beloved doll you want to repair, this should be just fine for a doll that's mostly going to be displayed.

The best part is, this will retain the articulation of the arm and/or knee (this method will technically also work for knee joints, though knees are harder than arms to work with). So let's jump in.

Tools required: Craft Knife, Jewelry pliers, Wire (gauge depends on size of joint), Super Glue, Hot Glue, Patience.

Let's start with our patient.

I thrifted this Lizzie doll a few days ago, along with a Venus McFlytrap, as shown in the above image. As soon as I saw the taped up arm, I knew the joint was broken, but hey, she was like 80c USD. I can apply some elbow grease for that cheap. Plus it gives me an excuse to finally make this tutorial.

They went a little overkill with that much tape, but whatever works?

I cut the tape off carefully with a craft knife. I didn't take a pic of that, but I think you can image what a broken doll arm looks like. Unless you have aphantasia I guess, but that's getting off topic.

First thing I did was use the craft knife to slice along the seam lines, then pried the upper arm open (slowly. seriously go slow.) with a pair of jewelry pliers. It will leave marks on the plastic, but I can buff those out later.

Why am I doing this if the arm's already broken? I want to remove what's left of the peg that's in there. You could also drill it out if you have a dremel, but I wanted to avoid this tutorial needing power tools.

So here's the arm, pried open, with the peg removed.

To close it back up, I used a tiny bit of acetone to melt the plastic at the seams, then held it together until it hardened enough to stay in place. Leave it for a few hours to make sure it's all fully cured, then you can sand the area smooth.

And here's the arm with the broken peg.

So what now? We need to remove the peg piece that's attached to the elbow. I couldn't get a photo of that since it's a delicate process and I only have 2 hands, but here's an artist rendering that would give you the idea.

Take a craft knife, and SLOWLY. CAREFULLY. cut into the ring that surrounds the elbow joint. YOU DO NOT WANT TO GO TOO DEEP, TOO QUICKLY. YOU DO NOT WANT TO ACCIDENTALLY CUT THROUGH THE ELBOW POST. Just go nice and slow. Just chip a little out at a time until you get to the center.

Use pliers as well to pull out the rest of the bits, though you might have to cut a good bit out before you can pull the rest out.

As for my doll, the operation went successfully.

This is what the elbow looks like with the joint peg removed.

Now we've gotten past the hard part, we'll cut off a few inches of wire and string that though the elbow joint. Once through, we'll twist it until it's reasonably tight to the joint. If that makes sense.

It should look like this. Give it a test fit and cut the wire shorter as needed so there's no gap in the joint.

My test fit. Yep, I recycled this for the top photo as well. The blue is just painter's tape.

If you find you can't get it tight enough, and it feels too loose, I'd add a drop a super glue in there. Just keep moving the joint as the glue dries, and it'll add some friction so your arm will hold a pose.

Speaking of glue, I also add a dab of hot glue to the top of our new peg. The coating will add thickness that will help it stay in the upper arm. Tape works too, but hot glue holds up better.

Here's our newly repaired arm back on the doll. Aside from a slight glimmer of silver, the repair is not very obvious I think.

Lizzie can now enjoy having two functional arms again. Whoo-hoo.

While not 100% a beginner repair, it's not particularly difficult either. Just takes some patience and a reasonably steady hand.

Before I go though, some disclaimers/notes: Some wires can rust overtime, so keep an eye on your doll to make sure the wire isn't degrading and discoloring them.

Also, if you do a repair like this, then sell the doll, do let the buyer know. I feel like I shouldn't have to say that, but don't be one of those sellers okay?

This same method can be used for knees, but thighs tend to be made of a harder plastic, and it can be more difficult to pry them open to take the old, broken peg out with out major damage to the upper leg.

Good luck with your repairs! Love y'all. c:

[guided-by-stars]

It baffles me when I see other people going through Stars and Time and they get frustrated when 1. Bonnie pushes Siffrin into the tear, and 2. Siffrin doesn't find the key in the Head Housemaiden's office and they get softlocked. There's frustration that comes out in other points as well, but those are the two situations where I've seen it be the most intense. I've seen people yell at Bonnie, yell at Mirabelle, yell at Siffrin, genuine anger and annoyance, some people will hold grudges. Say that this choice is stupid, try to find a way to avoid looping back. Usually at that point, I know I'm not exactly going to have the most fun watching them play.

I think some people trap themselves in the expectations of the medium. They're approaching it as a game first, and an expression of art or a story with people in it second. It genuinely surprises me sometimes when people treat characters as...characters, and not people. Do you not try to immerse yourself in the world and circumstances when you engage with media? Take it seriously? I see people try to justify these deaths. Most people aren't frustrated with the rock death, because they justify it as being a tutorial. At the same time, people who are already grumbling about having to go through Dormont again on loop 1... I'm not sure if this experience is for them. Considering on my completion file I ended far past loop 200... Acts 3 and 4 alone often have so much PURPOSEFUL looping, sometimes all the way back to Dormont.

People justify the softlock as a "tutorial" for the icon that shows when you cannot progress that loop...but at that point it had already been shown how tutorials were not made to be obtrusive. The fighting tutorial was centered around Mirabelle's own anxiety, an anxiety that progresses and grows throughout their journey through the house. The Bonnie taking down an enemy tutorial? That's not locked to any fight, it happens the first time that Bonnie has the chance to do so, it could happen anywhere! Adrienne could have easily coded it so that the first time the player was softlocked, the tutorial for that icon would play there. That's not the point of it. The point of it was to show how self-depricating Siffrin is, at that point in the game. How he puts so much of his self worth on his role as the trap disarmer and the key finder. How he blames himself for everything. How he sees himself as a failure. If you could just figure out where the key was if you tried really hard or something, you'd miss all of that. Almost everything in this game has a point and the point almost always is to show you more about the characters.

The game is meant to make you play through it countless times. It's meant to show you the experience of Siffrin, someone who has no choice but to go through it countless times. It's not for padding, it's not to be mean spirited or unfair or difficult, it's to give you an EXPERIENCE. When you want to fast forwards through text but you have a feeling that something might have changed and you stop just in time to see new dialogue, when you notice Siffrin's smile fading from act to act, when you make sure to pick up every souvenir from Dormont every time you loop JUST IN CASE you need to use it somewhere in the House, when you are so thrown off by the rock in the Death Corridor that you become paranoid and check every pillar afterwards just in case... and then you get the Memory of Pillars for your troubles.

When you check Loop's advice for quests you've already completed, just to see what they say about it, when you select text options that are already greyed out because you want and hope and desire there to be more to the conversation...maybe this time? When you do the friend quests again in Act 4 and you don't skip through them because you have a feeling Siffrin will be feeling differently now, and he does, and it's an entirely different experience this time. When you get the Bright Flower and you forget to give it to your party and then you go to talk to the king and see you can offer him the flower? When you bring the flower with you every loop after that just in case there's another person you can give it too and then you realize you can give it to the Head Housemaiden? That's what ISAT is about.

[dykeknightrises]

PROMISES

A/N: I'd just like to say that I'm in absolute awe about the reactions to FALLING, really! I was very hesitant to post something that I've wrote but now I can't help but to be super excited laknkdns Seriously, thank you guys SO much for it! Here's part two, I hope you enjoy it <3

PART 1 - FALLING

PART 3 - US

After a couple of years living the best and worst of her life, Alexia promised herself a break. A year where she would be one hundred percent focused on football and herself. She had a lot to catch up with her family and with being comfortable with herself after her injury.

Everything had been going fairly well on that front until Y/N arrived in Barcelona. Alexia remembered the bright-eyed teenager, far too young to be playing in the u-19 team, being playing great, nonetheless. Watching the teen leave absolutely everything even when they were down 4-0 made Alexia respect her immediately and to keep up with her career whenever she could.

The Y/N was far from the shy teenager that Alexia first met, but still so terrifyingly similar. Her first few weeks in Barcelona passed in a blur, but not a good one. The midfielder and the rest of the team barely interacted with the newest signing and when it happened, which was strictly at practice since she didn’t join them when they spend time together, it was mostly through the shortest sentences possible.

Alexia realized the smallest flinch from Y/N whenever someone spoke to her in Spanish. She didn’t mean to and was honestly certain nobody else, even yourself, realized it. Then every downed on her.

Her time playing with Espanyol and Levante was weird. She was still in her home, still in her country, still in her city, but everything was just so different. Her teammates, the team culture, everything made her doubt herself for the first few months. A new country, a new city, a new language, a whole new culture? Alexia could not fathom that.

Settling in making Y/N feel home, Alexia now spent most of her time dedicating herself to her. They were partners in every training drill, spending their time together doing the heavy speaking in English. When she was home, countless of hours on YouTube were split between watching highlights of Y/N through the years and on tutorials about the best ways to make someone feel welcomed.

She wasn’t sure why and at that point she didn’t care enough to ask, but she needed Y/N to feel at home in Barcelona. When her attempts were going well, but too slowly for her liking, she was running out of patience.

Walking Nala down the streets was something she was doing a lot lately, lost in thoughts about Y/N. The little furball got tired after twenty minutes of their walk, making Alexia pick her up, only then realizing where she was.

In front of her stood her favourite chocolate store, the best in the entire Spin if anyone asked her. Deciding to buy a bar a pick-me-up for the moment, she walked into the store, greeting to small family that owned the business and making small talk.

Picking the small bar of milk chocolate, her hand unconsciously hovered on a second one, for Y/N. With her own bar clutched in her hand, she stood in front on the chocolate bars display, not knowing which one was your favourite. After a few minutes of contemplation, she grabbed one of every single chocolate the store held, giving the owner a sheepish smile as the old man raised his eyebrows at her purchase.

It was a Thursday when she got the guts to approach Keira to ask such a random and somewhat personal question. The Englishwoman responding very confusedly, making Alexia bolt before she could ask any follow up question on why.

Going to her car to retrieve the precious bar on a break from practice, Alexia slipped it in her locker before any of the girls could see and went back. When training was over, she managed to catch up with Y/N on an empty hallway by the pitch, telling her that it was okay to be with the team even if you weren’t in “Spanish Mode” yet, they just wanted your presence.

When she sees the realization down on Y/N eyes, she confirms that she didn’t even realize what was happening. Knowing that, if you were anything like herself, a whole moment of self-reflection would follow the realization. Alexia slips that chocolate bar on her hands and squeezes her shoulder as she leaves.

The unknown feeling growing in her gut through the rest of the day and the next one too, unsure if she overstepped or not. It was the team’s first Friday off since preseason and she was so desperately uneasy about it, unsure if she made things worse.

Walking into their usual restaurant, Alexia felt her heart skip a beat as she hears Y/N laugh at something Frido said, the smile brighter than everything around. Settling herself in the seat in front of her, being greeted with a smile and a warm gaze, a silent “thank you” written all over it.

 It wasn’t long until everything was fitting together. The team quickly welcoming her into the family and their routine stronger than ever. It wasn’t until she refused the invitation to hang out with her friends for the sixth week in a row and got called out on it that Alexia realized that Thursdays had became their day.

She was fine with sharing Y/N with the team the whole time but was so deeply grateful to have her for herself on Thursdays. Sharing their passion for football, exploring the city, and cooking together had quickly became the favourite part of Alexia’s week.

Days bled into weeks, which bled into months, and everything was perfect. It wasn’t far from Winter Break when she went to lunch with the Putellas, this time without Y/N, and got asked where her girlfriend was that Alexia realized her feelings.

Loving Y/N was disturbingly easy, Alexia though laying in bed later that day. She’d been doing it for months now. Every moment of her days she wanted her there and every moment of her night she dreamt about her.

The warmness of her discovery was slowly cooled by the realization that had already broken her promise to herself. The heartbreak of her past relationships sucker puncher her into choking down a sob, knowing that she could not take that once again, not from Y/N.

The next month passed in a haze. Alexia felt like the biggest liar, and she smiled, making sure no one could see past it. It wasn’t until she reached home that she allowed herself to crack, suffering from a paralyzing fear of having her heart broken before she even gave it away once more.

It was on their Thursday that she felt herself cracking, knowing she couldn’t be alone with Y/N, cuddled up on a couch, being surrounded by her. Texting her asking to go out instead was easy, choosing Sala Apollo came unconsciously because, even if she could be alone with Y/N, she still did not want to share her on their day.

Breathtaking. Jaw dropping. Beautiful.

Words only came to Alexia brain a few beats after Y/N opened her door or them to go out. A stutter complimenting her was the only thing the Catalonian managed to slip out before she was dragged out of the apartments complex by hand and getting in the Uber.

The decision to drink that night was a well though out one. On one hand she felt like she needed a couple of drinks to function near the younger woman that moment, but she was well aware that her inhibitions lowered considerably. She chose to drink.

Dancing with her, Alexia felt every single part of her on fire. Whenever the touched, for the briefest seconds, her heart skipped a beat, and her breath was taken away. Hands slipping on Y/N waist, pulling her closer, was a necessity.

When Y/N perfume hit her nostrils, Alexia knew she was gone. Losing any shred on self-control, Y/N was the entire world right now. Hands roaming, lips finding the skin on her neck, sucking, and biting like her life depended on it. Maybe it did. Y/N turned around to kiss her and when their lips met Alexia was sure she was in heaven.

Going home, staying up the whole night, discovering each other in so many ways was everything Alexia ever dreamed of. The warm, sweaty tanned skin against her, made her overflow. She was everything.

Waking up on the next day to a cold bed made her choke. Reality crashed down, eyes glassing as she though she was being left once again. Minutes passed, with Alexia trying desperately to not cry before she heard the noise in the kitchen.

Slipping a shirt in, she stopped on the threshold, watching Y/N happily making them breakfast. Somehow, that made her hurt more. The thought that she could have left, that she the worst of you for just keeping their routine. It made her feel sick.

She knew then that she was not ready. The feelings she held for those tortuous moment where far worse than any previous heartbreak. Just the thought that Y/N left almost broke her. Alexia knew right then that she could not be with Y/N right now, no matter how much she ached for her.

Alexia was not enough for Y/N right now.

When she turned around, spotting her tucked in a corner of her own apartment, Y/N looked at her like she hung the sun, the moon and everything else. Her breathes came out ragged as Y/N came closer, warm smile and sparkling eyes still in place.

“This was a mistake.” Alexia choked out before she came any closer. The Spaniard knew that any poor excuse that she came would never be enough.

Y/N steps haltered, no more then a couple of meters away from her, lips parting and heart breaking. Alexia could see the younger woman opening and closing her mouth, frown in place, trying to come up with an answer.

“Oh.” The word came out in a breathless sound, after what felt like a whole eternity. “I’m sorry. I’ll get out of your hair now.”

“Y/N” The blonde called, holding the other woman’s wrist, desperately not wanting her to go, despite messing everything up.

“It’s okay, Alexia. We will be okay. We are okay.” She said, slipping her wrist out of Alexia’s grasp, shutting the door after her.

She took her heart with her. Any will to do anything and joy left right after them. Falling to the floor, on the same corner that everything became a mess, Alexia let herself be mess too. Sobs wreaking her body for hours, only getting up to crawl to bed when night came.

Days came and went, turning into weeks, and Alexia was still broken. She could not look at Y/N without breaking. That was reserved for the privacy of her place, where she didn’t have to be the Alexia Putellas, where she wasn’t a symbol of strength. Strong was the last thing she felt in those months.

Months passed by before Alexia even saw anyone after practice. She missed team bonding, birthdays, media duties, her own family. A knock on the door broke her out of the pit of misery of the day, making her drag her feet through the floor, feeling like her legs weighted a thousand kilos.

The grinning face of her childhood best friend greeted her when she opened the door. The grin quickly lost the place when Ana actually saw her. Pushing past her and settling down on the couch after opening a bottle of wine, the woman looked at her with an expectant gaze.

Alexia knew she could tell her the truth. Ana was her friend enough to just call her stupid and tell her to beg for forgiveness. But she didn’t know Y/N, didn’t know Alexia’s feelings. So, the blonde settled for a lie.

Maybe the lie was too good, because the very next day, she showed up with her girlfriend and another woman. A surprise double date, she said. The woman was great, there was nothing wrong with her. In fact, Alexia was sure that if she did not love Y/N so deeply she would have giver her a chance. But she was not her.

The next day, a Friday, Mapí and Marta coaxed the date out of her. Not that it was much to tell, Alexia herself was only half present for it, but it was enough. Enough because Y/N arrived in the locker room just as the defenders teased her about it. Y/N lips trembled when she heard the word date and that was enough to bring tears that were never shed to Alexia’s eyes.

She cancelled lunch with her family again on the weekend. She hadn’t gone back ever since they asked her about Y/N, too scared that they would see her, that they knew. Preparing herself for another day the bare minimum for herself, her door opened. Alba standing on the doorstep. Alexia never saw her baby sister look so angry.

“What the fuck is wrong with you, Alexia?” the younger sister growled, entering the apartment. “Mamá is pit of worry because you look like someone has been running over you with their car everyday for the past year!”

“I’m sorry.” Alexia choked, flinching away from her sister.

She didn’t even realize that the tears, her current best friend, has already spilled out of her eyes and found home running down on her cheeks until Alba cradled her face, holding her in a hug. They laid on the comfortable couch for hours before Alexia managed to stop crying, her sister not laxing her hold for any second, whispering quiet reassurances at her every few moments.

“Ale, what’s going on?”

“I fucked it up.” She breathed out, before telling her everything.

That day was months ago. Surprising her, Alba didn’t judge her, didn’t jump the gun as usual, she held her, reassured her and gave really good advice. Which brought her to now.

Alexia spent the last few months talking extensively to her therapist about it, about everything. Her heartbreak, her injury, falling in love again. She wasn’t better yet, but she was in a much better place than before. More than wanting Y/N to love her back again, she needed her in her life, even if she had thrown away her only chance of them spending their lives together.

Today marked a whole month that Alexia came every day to Y/N doorstep, looking at the piece of wood that stood between her and the love of her life for hours, too much of a coward to knock. Finishing the cup of coffee that the awfully familiar doorman gave her from his on stash, she got up, standing in front of the door.

She had been in that exact place far too often, never knocking. Lifting her fist, she banged against the door before loosing her courage once again, like she had done far too many times.

Y/N opened her door and took Alexia’s breath away. She stood there, with a little black dress, light makeup coating her face and heels that put her just a little bit shorter than the Catalonian. The blonde felt her mouth dry at the sight of her, hands trembling away, tucked into her hoodie.

She felt like she had stood there, forever, just taking Y/N in, appreciating her, breathing her in. The younger woman was everything. She had always been everything. Her impossibly soft gaze, even now, asked Alexia what she was doing there.

“I was hoping we could have our usual Thursday? I have a lot that I need to say to you.”

[kvysvdilla]

𝑻𝑯𝑬 𝑺𝑾𝑬𝑬𝑻𝑬𝑺𝑻 𝑩𝑹𝑬𝑨𝑲

--- Oneshot ---

Mark Lee-senior uni student x Y/N-junior uni student

Summary:

Y/N, a medical student, is hard at work on her presentation slides in the midst of a busy college schedule. While her boyfriend Mark Lee, a senior in electrical engineering and a basketball player, has a busy day of his own, but he still makes the effort to spend time with Y/N. What starts as a simple walk to her dorm turns into a cozy, intimate afternoon. Mark’s unexpected affection and caring gestures soften the stress Y/N’s been feeling. They enjoy quiet moments together in her dorm, where Mark even offers to cuddle, understanding the importance of balance between love and work. Y/N finds herself realizing just how much she’s missed these moments with him, making plans to prioritize their time together despite her busy schedule as a medical students.

GENRE: Romance | Fluff | College life | Slice of life | Student au.

The small classroom buzzed softly with chatter, the muted sounds of pens scratching against paper filling the air as Y/N and her friend, Hana, worked through the tutorial assigned by their lecturer. Y/N was halfway through labeling diagrams on her notebook, her mind partially tuned into Hana’s rambling about weekend plans.

“Seriously, Y/N,” Hana laughed, “you need to stop burying yourself in these anatomy books. You’re going to end up dreaming about nervous systems.”

Y/N grinned, spinning her pen between her fingers. “Hey, it’s my life. Welcome to medical course.”

“Yeah, yeah. We get it. Future pediatrician extraordinaire,” Hana teased.

Y/N glanced at her watch and noticed there were only five minutes left until the class ended. “Almost time,” she murmured, beginning to gather her pens.

Hana groaned, leaning back in her seat. “I can’t walk back to the dorms with you today. My aunt’s in the hospital, and I promised my mom I’d stop by to visit her.”

Y/N smiled understandingly. “It’s fine, Hana. The dorm’s just a 15-minute walk. I’ll enjoy the fresh air, and I’ve got my AirPods for some good music.”

Hana frowned. “You sure? You could ask Mark to come get you. He wouldn’t mind.”

Y/N shook her head quickly. “Mark has class when ours finishes. I don’t want to bother him over something this small. It’s still daylight, Hana. I’ll be fine.”

Their conversation was cut short by their lecturer clapping his hands. “Class dismissed! Don’t forget to prepare for your presentations next week.”

Hana scrambled to pack her things, muttering under her breath about buses and traffic. Meanwhile, Y/N calmly closed her notebook and slipped it into her bag.

“I have to run,” Hana said, slinging her bag over her shoulder. “Let me know when you get to the dorm, okay? Stay safe!”

“I will. Don’t worry,” Y/N reassured her.

With a quick wave, Hana dashed out of the room, leaving Y/N alone. She zipped up her bag, slung it over her shoulder, and walked toward the door.

But just as she stepped outside, a sudden force nudged her backward, making her stumble back into the classroom. Before she could react, her body was pressed gently against the wall beside the door.

A warm hand steadied her waist, and before she could say a word, soft lips brushed against hers in a quick, feather-light kiss.

Y/N blinked, her brain struggling to catch up. “M-Mark?!”

Standing in front of her was her boyfriend, Mark Lee. With his casual sweatshirt, and glasses resting on his nose, he looked every bit the charming senior she’d fallen for. Mark was in his third year of electrical engineering, a course that perfectly suited his meticulous and problem-solving nature.

He wasn’t just known for his brains, though—Mark was one of the most popular guys on campus. With his easygoing personality, boyish grin, and talent for making everyone feel comfortable, it was no surprise he had a long line of admirers. But despite the attention, he always made it clear that he only had eyes for her.

She’d first met Mark through Hana’s boyfriend, Haechan. It was a casual introduction during a group study session, and at first, she hadn’t thought much of it. But after a few encounters—where Mark’s subtle humor, thoughtfulness, and that shy little laugh of his shone through—she started seeing him in a different light.

The moment they became a couple was still vivid in her mind. It had been after weeks of late-night texts, study dates, and stolen moments of laughter. He had confessed in the most Mark way possible—straightforward and sincere.

“Hey, I just want to say that I like you. Like, really like you. You don't have to say it back if you don't want to. I just need let it out and just to let you know that I like you. But... Actually, it would be really nice if.. You know, if you like me back. Because I think we’d be great together. What do you say?”

And, well, how could she say no?

Back in the present, Mark’s chuckle pulled her from her thoughts. “You okay, baby?” he asked, brushing a stray strand of hair from her face.

She blinked a few times, her cheeks flushing. She slapped his chest lightly, glaring at him. “You almost gave me a heart attack, Mark!” she hissed in a whispered shout.

Mark laughed, his eyes crinkling. “Sorry, sorry. You were too hot to resist. With your messy bun hair, the glasses. Gosh.. Babe you're driving me crazy.”

She chuckled shortly before she realized something, “Wait- why are you here? Aren’t you supposed to be in class?” she asked, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion.

Mark slid his hand down to hers, intertwining their fingers and walk hand in hand, “My class got canceled last minute. So, I figured I’d come to see my princess. But I’m starving, so how about we grab something to eat at the cafeteria?”

Y/N’s heart softened, and she couldn’t stop the small smile tugging at her lips. “Sure baby, let's fill up your stomach.”

His gaze suddenly darted around. “Wait, where’s Hana? You’re not walking back alone, are you?”

“She had to visit her aunt at the hospital,” Y/N explained as he led her down the hallway.

Mark frowned slightly but squeezed her hand reassuringly. “Good thing I came, then. There's no way I’m letting you walk back alone.”

Moments later, Y/N and Mark were seated at a small corner table in the university cafeteria. The air buzzed with conversation, clinking cutlery, and the occasional sound of laughter. Mark had already unwrapped the sandwich for her and he continue to open his.

“You’ve been working way too hard, baby,” Mark said taking a big bite of his sandwich. “Assignments, presentations, all that med school stress… You need to slow down a little.”

Y/N rolled her eyes but smiled. “It’s not like I have a choice. Medical students don’t exactly get a lot of free time, you know. And besides, I’m handling it.”

“Handling it?” Mark gave her a knowing look. “Your dark circles tell a different story. Good thing I’m here to make sure you don’t turn into a zombie.”

She chuckled, shaking her head as she took a bite of her sandwich. “You’re ridiculous, Mark.”

“And you’re adorable,” he shot back with a grin.

As Y/N leaned forward to sip her drink, her glasses slid down the bridge of her nose. Mark instinctively reached out, gently pushing them back up.

“Careful, Doc,” he teased, referring to her dream of becoming a doctor. “Can’t have you losing your vision now. Who’s going to save lives if you can’t see straight?”

Y/N swatted his hand away, laughing. “I can handle my own glasses, thank you very much.”

“Sure you can,” he teased with a smirk.

Mark leaned back in his chair and took another bite of his sandwich before casually mentioning, “By the way, I’ve got basketball practice this afternoon. It’s at 4, but I was kinda hoping you’d come with me. Jeno told me his girl is gonna be there too.”

Y/N glanced at him, her expression apologetic. “Mark, you know I’d love to, but I really can’t. I still have to settle those presentation slides, write the patient case summary, and prep for tomorrow’s anatomy quiz. Everything is due this week, and I’m already behind.”

Mark’s shoulders slumped a little, and he gave her his signature puppy-dog eyes. “But I miss you,” he pouted.

She sighed softly, reaching across the table to squeeze his hand. “I miss you too. But it’s not like I can just skip out on work.”

“I know, I know,” he mumbled, though the disappointment was clear in his tone.

Feeling bad, Y/N smiled and said, “How about this—you can hang out in my dorm until practice. Hana’s visiting her aunt at the hospital, so she won’t be back until dinner. You can nap or chill there while I work on my slides. Deal?”

Mark’s face lit up immediately. “Wait, really? You’re sure I won’t be a distraction?”

Y/N gave him a pointed look. “You will be a distraction, but as long as you keep it quiet and let me focus, I think I can handle it.”

He grinned, already looking much happier. “Deal. I’ll just be your supportive boyfriend quietly lounging on your bed.”

Y/N laughed, shaking her head. “You’re unbelievable.”

“Unbelievably in love with you,” he quipped, winking.

She rolled her eyes but couldn’t hide the smile tugging at her lips. As the two of them chatted, Y/N couldn’t help but notice the occasional glances being thrown their way. Or, more accurately, being thrown Mark’s way.

A group of girls sitting a few tables away seemed especially fixated on him. One of them whispered something to her friend, who giggled, while another blatantly stared, her eyes practically glued to Mark’s profile.

Y/N sighed softly, trying not to let it get to her. This wasn’t exactly new—Mark had always attracted attention. With his boy-next-door charm, easy smile, and that effortless cool vibe he carried, he was bound to catch people’s eyes wherever he went.

Mark seemed oblivious to it all, completely focused on Y/N as he asked, “So, what’s the plan after this? Straight to your dorm to tackle those slides?”

“Yeah,” Y/N replied, trying to ignore the stares. “I’ll have to power through the slides, case summary, and my notes for tomorrow’s quiz. No breaks for me today.”

Mark frowned, his concern evident. “You’ve got too much on your plate, babe. Don’t forget to take care of yourself.”

“I’ll be fine,” she assured him.

“Well, at least you’ll have me there to make sure you don’t overwork yourself,” he said with a grin.

Y/N laughed. “As long as you don’t mess with my focus, you’re welcome to stay.”

"I’m just reminding you, I know my girlfriend,” he teased, reaching over to brush a crumb off her cheek.

The simple, affectionate gesture didn’t go unnoticed by the girls. One of them visibly pouted, and Y/N caught another one giving her a quick once-over.

“You okay?” Mark asked, tilting his head at her sudden silence.

Y/N hesitated before shaking her head with a small smile. “Yeah, I’m fine.”

He narrowed his eyes suspiciously. “What’s wrong? You’re not getting sick, are you?”

“No, nothing like that,” she replied, resting her chin on her palm. “It’s just…” She trailed off, glancing briefly in the direction of the girls.

Mark followed her gaze, quickly catching on. He leaned back in his seat, his lips quirking up in a lopsided grin. “Ah, I see.”

“What?” she asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Don’t tell me you’re jealous,” he teased, his voice dropping to a playful whisper.

Y/N’s face heated up. “I’m not jealous. It’s just… annoying.”

Mark chuckled, reaching across the table to grab her hand. “Hey, let them look all they want. I’m not interested in anyone else but you.”

Her heart skipped a beat at the sincerity in his tone. His thumb brushed against her knuckles, grounding her.

“And besides,” he added with a smirk, “you’re way cuter than they are. You’ve got nothing to worry about.”

Y/N rolled her eyes, but the blush on her cheeks betrayed her. “You’re lucky you’re charming, Mark Lee.”

“I know,” he said, winking at her.

As they continued their meal, the stares and whispers faded into the background. Mark had a way of making her feel like she was the only person in the room, and for now, that was all that mattered.

And with that, they finished their meal, ready to tackle the rest of their day together, no matter how hectic it got.

Once they arrived at Y/N’s dorm, Mark immediately made himself at home. As soon as they stepped inside, he threw his backpack on the floor, grinning mischievously before leaping onto her bed. He pulled out his phone, scrolling through it aimlessly as he laid back with his hands behind his head.

Y/N, on the other hand, was focused. She pulled her bag over to the desk and started taking out her iPad, notebook, and a few textbooks, arranging them neatly on the table. As she walked past him, she paused by her bed and leaned down, giving Mark a deep, lingering kiss on the lips.

“Stay put,” she whispered, brushing his hair from his face. “I’m going to be a while finishing all this work.”

Mark is kinda shock by her bold move but he just smiled up at her, nodding. “Woah.. I'm not gonna lie, that's kinda hot. But don't worry baby. I won’t disturb you, promise.” He winked, his voice soft with affection and give a quick peck on her lips.

Y/N smiled back and settled into her chair, opening her iPad to get to work. Mark, as promised, remained quiet, occasionally glancing up at her while scrolling on his phone. His presence was comforting, but he didn’t push her to spend time with him, allowing her to focus. He hummed softly to himself, clearly content but still stealing occasional glances at her.

Minutes passed, and as Y/N was deeply immersed in her work, she suddenly felt a soft kiss on the side of her neck. Startled, she gasped and looked up, only to find Mark standing behind her chair. She take her left hand to his head, playing with his hair while she's still focus on doing her tasks. He had removed his glasses, his tousled hair making him look even more handsome and effortlessly cool. He placed his hands beside her, trapping her gently between him and the desk.

“I’m kinda sleepy,” he murmured in a deep, sleepy voice, his breath warm on her neck as he continued kissing her jaw and behind her ear. “I was thinking… maybe we can take a quick nap? Just a short one? We could cuddle for a bit.”

Y/N’s heart fluttered at his words, but she knew she had to finish her work. “You go ahead and sleep, Mark,” she replied softly as she remove her hand from his hair, “I’ll be done soon. You can rest first.”

Mark sighed, looking slightly disappointed but understanding. “Okay, baby. I got it.” He placed one last kiss on her neck before walking back to the bed, settling down with a soft exhale.

Y/N stared at him for a moment, guilt creeping in as she saw how comfortable he looked, how relaxed he was, waiting for her. She bit her lip and glanced at the work on her desk, but after a few more minutes of feeling the weight of rejection, she closed her iPad and packed her books away.

Without another thought, Y/N walked over to the bed, climbing in next to him. Mark stirred as he felt the mattress shift, and Y/N jumped next to him. She pushed his messy hair back from his forehead and leaned down to place a soft kiss on his forehead.

Mark stirred again, feeling the gentle touch. He smirked, his arms immediately wrapping around her waist, pulling her close. “Now you feel bad, huh?” he teased, his voice low and playful.

Y/N smiled, nodding sheepishly. “I didn’t want to keep rejecting you.” She laid her head on his chest, wrapping her arms around him as they cuddled together.

Mark sighed contentedly, his hand gently stroking her back. “I’m glad you’re here,” he murmured. “I don’t care if you’ve got work to do, as long as you’re with me, everything feels right.”

They stayed like that for a while, wrapped up in each other’s arms. The outside world faded as the two of them enjoyed the quiet moment, with Mark’s steady breathing lulling Y/N into a peaceful sleep.

Mark’s phone alarm blared loudly, pulling him out of his peaceful nap. He groaned softly as he stretched, his muscles sore from the long day of studying and practicing. He glanced at the time on his phone—3:30 PM. His basketball practice was in just a few minutes. He pushed his messy hair back, running a hand through it before he turned to look at Y/N.

She was still sound asleep, laying comfortably in his arms, her breathing steady and peaceful. He smiled softly, watching her for a moment before carefully brushing the stray strands of hair from her face. He placed a gentle kiss on her forehead, then a soft peck on her cheek, being careful not to wake her up. She deserved this rest, he thought.

“How did I became so lucky? How can this beautiful thing ended up being my girlfriend?” Mark thought to himself with a small smile before slowly slipping out of the bed. He walked quietly to the bathroom to wash his face and freshen up, not wanting to disturb her.

Meanwhile, Y/N stirred slightly from the sound of running water. She opened her half-closed eyes and looked at the clock on her study table. It was already 3:53 PM. No wonder—Mark’s basketball practice was coming up. She sat up slowly, her eyes still a bit sleepy, but she kept glancing at the bathroom door, waiting for him to come out.

Mark walked out of the bathroom a few moments later, a bit startled to see Y/N sitting on the edge of the bed. He quickly apologized. “Oh- Hey baby. Did I woke you up,” he ask, closing the bathroom door.

Y/N smiled softly, shaking her head. “No, you're not,” she whispered. She sat up fully, stretching slightly.

He grabbed and wears his glasses, getting ready to leave. “So, I’m heading to practice now,” he said casually, glancing over at her.

Y/N frowned just a little, her eyes half-closed in confusion. “Why didn’t you wake me earlier?” she asked softly, a hint of playful frustration in her voice.

Mark was taken aback for a moment, but then walks towards her as he cupped her face in his hands, gently caressing her cheeks. “I didn’t want to disturb you. You were sleeping so soundly, and I would feel bad waking you up,” he said sincerely.

Y/N thought for a moment, then smiled softly as she place her hand on top of his that is still cupping her face. “I actually wanted to come with you to practice,” she admitted looking at Mark who is standing in front of her.

Mark blinked in surprise, pausing his actions for a moment. She continued, “I realized we haven’t really spent much time together lately. But I also need to finish my assignments and presentation slides. They’re due soon.”

A smile spread across Mark’s face as his eyes lit up. “You want to come with me?” he asked, his voice filled with excitement.

Y/N smiled and nodded. “Yeah, I’ve been busy with everything, and I miss hanging out with you.”

Without a word, Mark pulled her by her neck into a deep, lingering kiss. The warmth of his lips and the passion behind the kiss made Y/N feel a little dizzy, but she smiled against his lips.

She pulled away for a second, whispering, “I need to get ready though…”

Mark raised an eyebrow playfully. “Get ready for what? You look perfect as you are. You’re already dressed for class, and you look amazing.” He gave her a mischievous grin.

Y/N giggled, a little surprised at his comment. “Is that so?” she teased.

“Absolutely, 201%,” Mark responded with a confident nod, his smile never fading.

Y/N laughed softly, feeling the warmth of his affection. “Well, in that case, maybe I’ll just go with you as I am.”

Mark’s eyes softened, his smile growing even more. “Good decision,” he whispered, pulling her back into his arms for one more kiss before they left for the practice together.

The end.

Author's note:

Hey lovely readers,

First of all, thank you so much for taking the time to read the Mark Lee oneshot! It truly means a lot to me, and I’m so grateful for your support and feedback. Writing this has been such a fun and rewarding experience, and I’m glad to have you along for the journey.

Thank you again for your love and support—you’re amazing! Stay tuned and take care!

With love,

kvys. 🖤

[reverd-ck]

ch.3- an arrow through my heart

What was he thinking? What could have possibly possessed him to just blurt that out loud? 

Sure, he really needed to find an excuse to keep you from going on that date, but why, why, did he also have to confess his own feelings right then and there?

Realizing what he had said, Choso completely stopped talking. 

I don’t want you to go because I love you. Seriously? 

Choso looked at your face, unmoving and staring at him, eyes wide.

The silence stretched on. A bit too long for him. Too many extra seconds for him to regret every single word he just said.

He needed to get out. He should have never pushed himself into your business in the first place, never stuck his nose in somewhere it didn’t belong.

Look where he ended up now. 

“Choso?” You whisper, unsure if you are hearing things.

Did he just… confess?

Your mind was everywhere, still frustrated from Choso’s insistence a few seconds earlier, still thinking about the date that was quite possibly waiting for you already, and now being hit by Choso’s sudden confession. It felt like your brain was getting overloaded, then completely shut down.

He likes me? Since when?

Choso’s figure suddenly drops. He lets go of your wrist and withdraws into himself. 

“No, I’m sorry, I’m sorry.”

He starts heading for the door, desperate to get out of this situation.

“Forget about it, Y/n. I’m sorry for getting in your business.”

He opens the door, walking away, leaving you in your own bedroom, speechless.

You don’t even protest against him as you hear Choso taking Yuji out of your house.

What were you supposed to do now?

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

You ended up rain checking your date, then promptly ghosting them. You needed more time to think about what Choso said to you and not what other romantic interests you had.

After he and Yuji left your house, you never got the courage to text him or call him, and neither did he. An empty chat log that none of you were used to. 

What were you even supposed to say after that?

Lie and say you liked him back?

Or dismiss his feelings but never have your best friend again?

There wasn’t a wikiHow tutorial on what to do right after your best friend admits he loves you. 

You were lying on your bed, thoughts too angsty to spare you sleep. 

Funny, right? 

Funny how you never noticed his feelings? 

Or was it funny when you only thought of him as just a friend when he clearly wanted you more than that?

Looking back on it now, you felt like you were pretty much stupid to not notice any signs that Choso liked you to that point.

Yes, you loved him back. But it was only as a friend. As someone who would never leave your side, no matter what.

Now that he’s gone, what do you do now?

An idea came to your head. If you texted him first, would he respond? 

But what would you even say? You didn’t want to talk to him before you even thought about everything thoroughly.

Plus, you were 80% sure that he would ghost you. Just like what he’s doing right now, completely and utterly avoiding you at all costs. 

You wanted him—but not like that. You needed him now—but not like that.

But he wanted you—like that. He needed you—like that.

Too many things to think about, leaving you with questions that left your brain searching for answers neither of you could answer. 

You pulled the covers tighter around yourself. 

You didn’t want to think anymore. You just wanted to sleep.

Any sleep is better than no sleep. Anything to take your mind off of whatever happened that day, even temporarily.

Any sleep is better than no sleep, you repeated as you grabbed your phone and opened TikTok. 

The algorithm will brainwash you tonight, killing any source of critical thinking. Just a placeholder for your thoughts. 

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

Choso returned home. Helped Yuji out of his shoes. Made sure he washed his hands. He still wanted to finish the livestream, so Choso turned on the TV and left him in the living room. 

He tries his best to stay composed. He couldn’t beat himself up in front of his brother.

Choso plops down on his bed, staring at nothing but the ceiling. Just a few moments to think.

Anybody would be rattled after confessing their feelings to someone, right? There would be moments of silent excitement and despair, hoping that the receiver of their feelings would like them back. 

Choso knew you never thought of him that way. It’s selfish of him to even confess his feelings. 

He groans, covering his head in his hands. 

Did him even confessing his feelings work? Did you go on that date? 

Choso’s mind was running around in circles. Lying on his bed, doing nothing but just staring into the blue. 

He didn’t have the time to think too much. Not with taking care of his brother on one hand and a job on the other. He did not have the moment to think about a non-existent love life.

So he got up. Sat up from his bed and accepted the plain truth.

She will never see me the same way I see her. 

We will never get our friendship back.

And he exited his room.

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

One week passed. 

And still not even a peep from Choso.

Not one call, not a text message, no voicemail, and you barely even see him in person anymore. He is actively avoiding you.

And quite frankly, you were getting sick of it.

You did not want to be ghosted by your best friend. Someone that stayed by your side since childhood. Someone that was always there for you. 

It still didn’t feel right navigating life without him. Without texting him, annoying him, and definitely without seeing him. 

And it wasn’t like you never tried. A text, here and there. Maybe a call if you’re feeling brave. 

But no response. He flat-out ghosted you.

In a good way, this week without any contact has given you a lot of time just to think.

You really thought about what Choso said. Looking back, a lot of the things he said were true. 

You did need more time to heal before you moved on. 

The only reason you didn’t before that was because you thought that by allowing no time for the wounds to sink in, it would disappear. By distracting yourself with another, the past would soon be forgotten.

That was how it always was for you. Jumping from boyfriend to boyfriend, never allowing yourself a moment to stop and think until Choso had to do it for you.

Choso—that’s right. You still needed to think about what you would do about him.

You couldn’t do much about him not talking to you at all, but you also desperately wanted to remain friends with him. This friendship shouldn’t go to waste all because of one silly mistake.

You needed to talk things out with him. Discuss and make up. But he was making this so hard for no reason by just avoiding you at any cost.

All this thinking made you realize something, something you are amazed that you never noticed before. 

Choso didn’t give you cheap “u up?” texts. He never used you as a side chick just to look cool. He never gave you fake and hollow affirmations. He never saw you as just another girl. 

Choso treated you much better than any of your boyfriends ever treated you. 

And you were grateful for that. How have you never made him your boyfriend, ever?

Maybe you were blinded by the title of best friend. 

But now that the title was gone, could he be something more than that to you?

You sigh again. You needed to talk to him and clear stuff up, and lying around hoping he’d be the first to come up to you wouldn’t work. He was too cautious for his own good sometimes. 

To take the next step, you needed to lift your leg up before anything. 

And maybe all this time thinking drove you a little crazy, but it was still an idea. It could still work, and it was better than sitting and waiting. 

₊˚ ‿︵‿︵‿︵୨୧ · · ♡ · · ୨୧‿︵‿︵‿︵ ˚₊

You found yourself in front of his front door. You were halfway through inserting the spare key he gave you into the lock before having second thoughts. 

Wasn’t this an invasion of privacy? No, but you needed to do something. 

You could have just texted and told him you were coming over to talk, and that seemed a lot more logical. What did you have now, besides the element of surprise? 

You pushed the key in and turned it. It was too late to turn back. 

The front door creaked on its hinges, a sound you hadn’t heard in a long time. You look around to find a deserted house. 

But then a voice pierces through the darkness.

“Choso! Is that you?” Yuji yelled out into the house, stomping loudly on the way to the front door.

He stopped when he saw your surprised expression and mimicked it. He was just as surprised as you.

“You!” Yuji said as he ran up to you, “Where have you been?! You and big brother! I haven’t seen you together in ages!”

You reach down and lift the kid up, replying to his rapid questions.

“Sorry, Yuji. Choso and I got into a small fight. I missed you too.”

You looked around. It was unusual for Choso to leave his brother alone in the house, dark and empty. 

“Do you know where Choso went?” you asked Yuji as you set him down gently. He ran to the couch and sat on it, inviting you to chat with him too.

As soon as Yuji opened his mouth, the front door creaked again.

Standing face-to-face with the man you’d been trying to get ahold of for a week now. Funnily enough, it’s the same person who you were almost considered inseparable from just a few weeks before that too.

Choso looks at you with the same expression you gave him the last day you talked.

Unmoving. Eyes wide. Mouth slightly ajar. Looking straight into you.

He drops his groceries.

<- back - - - next ->

series m.list

taglist- open!

--a/n--

sorry for taking like. 4 months to update lmao

lost motivation for this

and then i had nothing to do so i just pushed myself to finish this chapter

you'll see chapter four (a nothing burger) in like

idk a month

or two or three

originally yuji was gonna be brainrotting at the tv watching skibidi toilet but there's already too much skibidi toilet in here than i would really like sooo

idk what he wass doing what would a 5 year old do in his room all alone with no technology

i still love brainrot yuji my shayla

who's excited for another cliffhanger?!?! not me

thanks for reading gang

dividers by @.enchanthings @.adornedwithlight

[creature-wizard]

Closet Witchcraft: How To Get Witchy When You Can't Come Out Of The Broom Closet

Some basic/general tips for being a closet witch. (If you are in a severely abusive household, be sure to scroll down to the end.)

Cultivate some skills

Many skills can be put to witchy purposes if you're determined. Consider gardening, cooking, sewing, crochet, scrapbooking, painting, drawing, calligraphy, woodworking, carving, or literally any craft skill you can start practicing. If you knit a scarf with colors chosen for their magical symbolism or make a little owl sculpture as a charm to help you retain knowledge, nobody but you has to know.

Study and learn about nature

Start learning about plants, animals, geology, ecology, or whatever catches your interest. Get into the habit of observing nature wherever you are, and observing how humans and nature interact and affect each other.

Use everyday items where you can

You can practice divination with poker cards or dice, and your phone can serve as a scrying mirror. You can use a pendant or metal washer for pendulum divination.

As for cleansing, a literal wash in water is fine for any object that won't get damaged. You can use literally any cleaning tool or method with magical intent.

You can use your fingers in place of prayer beads, using either whole fingers or individual knuckles.

You can also use your fingers to trace symbols and runes on stuff.

You can represent your deities using art or knickknacks representing their symbols, like a small cat statue for Bast.

On keeping witchy literature (grimoires, Books of Shadows, printed books, etc.)

Keeping an online grimoire/BOS and getting witchy books in ebook format is often a good option.

Certain methods of practice can also reduce the amount of literature you need to keep on hand. (For example, learning correspondence through observation, using this model of deity/entity work, or practicing energy work.)

If no one is likely to go through your things, keeping your grimoire/BOS in a plain three-ring binder may be enough to avoid detection. (Camouflage is a great friend when hiding things.)

More on hiding things

So you might want something a little fancy, like a tarot deck or a more witchy-looking piece of decor.

If people aren't likely to go through your stuff or come in without knocking, you can keep a lot of things in a drawer or small storage box when you have to. Simple padlocks will be enough to keep small children and the typical casual guest out of your things.

To hide small objects, you can also get an opaque vase and fake flowers, put your witchy stuff in the bottom of the vase, and put the flowers on top.

You can also place a toilet paper tube inside a glass jar and fill it with something like small rocks, seashells, beads, buttons, or candies. (There's a tutorial for this kind of here. Though you won't need to wrap the toilet paper tube in wrapping paper, of course.)

If the jar is higher than the tube, you can glue a circle of cardboard to the bottom of the tube so you can rest it on top a layer of your filling so that it comes up to the jar's mouth.

If you want to use something like a sauce jar and want to take the label off completely, remember that oil will dissolve the adhesive.

Stuffed animals can be turned into hiding spaces. There are many tutorials out there for this.

Pieces of paper can be slipped into books. Thus you can conceal witchy reference sheets.

If you are in a seriously unhealthy situation

I wrote the above with people who don't live in severely abusive homes in mind. Like maybe the people you live with would flip out if they discovered that you're practicing witchcraft and maybe then you might be in danger, but they aren't likely to go snooping through all of your stuff and aren't going to hurt you because you breathed wrong. If you do live in a highly abusive household, I recommend checking out my post "I'm in a bad place and need to get out, what can I do?" and checking out this thread of abusive home survival tips. (These aren't witchcraft resources - they're resources to help you survive and escape.)

[miasiegert]

Casa Manana friend opening night review (AND some me-comments)

This is the best review of CATS ever. So many shows, this is my favorite. I have been laughing nonstop.

I haven’t seen the show!

But I wanted to point out that Korie Lee Blossey is a national treasure. This is his first show since Genie when he was injured, and he’s looking GREAT—but mostly the kindness. “The Moments of Happiness” is my favorite song by far. This year, I’m blessed to have two extraordinary actors (Korie Lee Blossey and Will Mann (Hadestown/Oklahoma)) play him. I mentioned that I will absolutely cry because I always do, but I might cry a little extra with healing tears.

And Korie, bless him, SANG “Moments of Happiness” for me.

I cried. Hard. Those were healing tears. I am grateful.

Jackson Dunlap is an incredibly talented actor and HE MADE THE CHOO CHOO canon! Macavity’s villain origin story was that train!

And now for just some clarification (and a request for kindness towards the theatre and ourselves). There was a little more than I thought...

-We only found out today that we were credited for costume design, hair & wig design, and make up design. We had no clue. We thought it was a rental. We had absolutely no input for the cowboy attire. We don't know which song pieces, if any, will be used. It was very kind of the theatre to laud our work but I feel for whoever pulled those pieces and hope people recognize that because we would never want to take credit away from someone.

-We did NOT make that Grizzabella wig. We sent a different one.

-There was some miscommunication with wig styling that we noticed. Although it wasn't our job (to our knowledge... again we thought we were just doing a rental), we reached out last night and I did a speed run tutorial on how to restyle a wig, intentionally using a very damaged wig. You all are welcome to watch, it's on Instagram. Easy peasy--especially if you'd like to ever purchase or adopt one of our to-be-retired wigs and practice.

So... here comes my ask. It's a big one...

*I am humbly requesting kindness and patience from the fandom since I know some people have thoughts on wigs. I am NOT asking for fake reviews, to be clear. Just kindness in one area I'll explain.

Miscommunication happens, things in general happen. Most of the wigs had a great start for today, and through the run they will get better and better. Misto was given tied ears but you know what? Go for it. Why not? Deut has rolled ears but you know what? Go for it.

If there are promo pics/video with wigs that look like they need some love, please understand that they were shipped unstyled deliberately because of the amount of damage that happens in shipping--if we sprayed PERFECTLY for a production like that, it'd cause the designer way more work which we didn't want to do--AND we weren't sure if they were wearing cowboy hats, which would need a very different styling.

These wigs are top notch, have HEAVY endurance, and I'm sure they'll show more with the run as it goes on but we WILL show work at The Fulton, I promise, so you can see what happens. The Fulton pics with make up are with unstyled, out-of-the-box wigs so that's a PERFECT example of what happens in shipping, and what happens in just 5-15 minutes of styling. :)

And seriously, yes, I absolutely KNOW what some people think about wigs so this is a lot to ask for with trust and kindness. These actors are so incredibly talented, and production worked very, very, very hard at this. Absolutely have your opinions of the show--I want to be clear I am NOT asking for fake reviews, goodness no! I'm just asking for wigs to consider a little kindness and patience. Already, it was night and day with some of the wigs and I promise they will get BETTER and BETTER.

-You can see @cryptidvoidwritings's Rumpleteazer warmers... but there's no picture yet of MACAVITY! And a... surprise! When there are, we can share more. My friend came in clutch so hard, and I have been so, so, so very grateful. We are going to work together still, and I'm hoping she's game to design a few chorus cats with me. :)

So TL;DR, if you are in Texas (I know the state's huge), this is an AMAZING cast... so stacked. And my friend WOULD say if she didn't care for it. I love this review so much, genuinely. I love to laugh. I love enthusiasm. I love the love for it.

If you see Casa Manana, or The Fulton, and you have it in you to write up anything with your thoughts of the show, I'd love to see them!

Thank you for your incredible support. It means a ton!

And again the ton of designer things... you can look at my recent posts from this week, past month. I didn't know until today, because of social media!