#silly but so much fun I wonder what it felt like when the book was released…

[paunchsalazar]

reading The Vampire Lestat and I kind of adore him

[louisa-gc]

how to start reading again

from someone who was a voracious reader until high school and is now getting back into it in her twenties.

start with an old favourite. even though it felt a little silly, i re-read the harry potter series one christmas and it wiped away my worry that i wasn't capable of reading anymore. they are long books, but i was still able to get completely immersed and to read just as fast as i had years and years ago.

don't be afraid of "easier" books. before high school i was reading the french existentialists, but when getting back into reading, i picked up lucinda riley and sally rooney. not my favourite authors by far, but easier to read while not being totally terrible. i needed to remind myself that only choosing classics would not make me a better or smarter person. if a book requires a slower pace of reading to be understood, it's easier to just drop it, which is exactly what i wanted to avoid at first.

go for essays and short stories. no need to explain this one: the shorter the whole, the less daunting it is. i definitely avoided all books over 350 pages at first and stuck to essay collections until i suddenly devoured donna tartt's goldfinch.

remember it's okay not to finish. i was one of those people who finished every book they started, but not anymore! if i pick up a book at the library and after a few chapters realise i'd rather not read it, i just return it. (another good reason to use your local library! no money spent on books you might end up disliking.)

analyse — or don't. some people enjoy reading more when they take notes or really stop to think about the contents. for me, at first, it was more important to build the habit of reading, and the thought of analysing what i read felt daunting. once i let go of that expectation, i realised i naturally analyse and process what i read anyway.

read when you would usually use your phone. just as i did when i was a child, i try to read when eating, in the bathroom, on public transport, right before sleeping. i even read when i walk, because that's normally a time i stare at my screen anyway. those few pages you read when you brush your teeth and wait for a friend very quickly stack up.

finish the chapter. if you have time, try to finish the part you're reading before closing the book. usually i find i actually don't want to stop reading once i get to the end of a chapter — and if i do, it feels like a good place to pick up again later.

try different languages. i was quickly approaching a reading slump towards the end of my exchange year, until i realised i had only had access to books in english and that, despite my fluency, i was tired of the language. so as soon as i got back home i started picking up books in my native tongue, which made reading feel much easier and more fun again! after some nine months, i'm starting to read in english again without it feeling like a huge task.

forget what's popular. i thought social media would be a fun way to find interesting books to read, but i quickly grew frustrated after hating every single book i picked up on some influencer's recommendation. it's certainly more time-consuming to find new books on your own, but this way i don't despise every novel i pick up.

remember it isn't about quantity. the online book community's endless posts about reading 150 books each year or 6 books in a single day easily make us feel like we're slow, bad readers, but here's the thing: it does not matter at all how many books you read or what your reading pace is. we all lead different lives, just be proud of yourself for reading at all!

stop stressing about it. we all know why reading is important, and since the pandemic reading has become an even more popular hobby than it was before (which is wonderful!). however, there's no need to force yourself to be "a reader". pick up a book every now and then and keep reading if you enjoy it, but not reading regularly doesn't make you any less of a good person. i find the pressure to become "a person who reads" or to rediscover my inner bookworm only distances me from the very act of reading.

[enwoso]

CHANGED — arsenal wfc x lionesses!reader

now i swear someone requested this but i literally can’t find the request in my inbox at all and i’m actually starting to think ive gone crazy and that i dreamt this request but anyways part two for hyper cause if i dreamt the request or not i loved it for what i can remember of it🙃

read hyper here

masterlist

it had been a few weeks since your chat with leah, and slowly your behaviour had started to change and not for the worse. but for the better!

it took a few more scoldings from leah and kim for doing  silly things like, putting food colouring in pelovas shampoo or folding over all the pages in emily's book she was reading or when kept interrupting steph when she was filming a thirty second clip for the media team it ending up taking the australian thirty minutes to film the video instead of a minute.

but after one to many sit downs with leah and kim something clicked in your head and your mischievous acts slowly stopped.

so much so that in the first few days when you hadn't pulled a joke on anyone, the arsenal girls were wondering if you were sick or if something drastic had happened.

the girls feeling on edge about not having to check over their stuff or checking over door handles incase you had gotten to them before they had.

“y/n are you sure your not sick, there’s no way you’ve just turned down kyra’s attempt to cause havoc again!”

“i’m a changed women stephy! that’s the old me!”

and while you were technically a changed women it was all because of that big goal you had looming over your head. that you wanted to reach.

getting to the euro 2025.

yeah you still pulled a small harmless joke like scaring alessia whenever she came around a corner but that was just banter plus her face every time you did it was priceless.

plus leah said you were allowed to have some fun!

"you've had a good session today y/n" kim complimented you as she sat down next to you in the changing room you busy taking off your boots, kim felt a lot more relaxed the past few weeks not having to look over her shoulder every time she took a step in the training ground.

"thanks kim" you smiled at the captain, "let's hope you have another masterclass this weekend ey?" she nudged you as a small laugh came from you as kim was bringing up your two goals you got last weekend in the league.

"i hope so" you shrugged, your mind wasn't really on the weekend as much as it should you were more concerned about if you were going to get the phone call tomorrow or not, which would determine where your family were having their summer holiday.

"you thinking about the getting the call up?" kim asked quietly knowing your head was clearly somewhere else due to your lack of chattiness, normally your teammates would have a hard time getting you to stop talking.

you hummed as you nodded, kim bumping her shoulder into yours. "you'll get the call up, there's been a massive improvement in you over the last few weeks y/n"

you looked up to kim, seeing a genuine look on her face, "i mean it, and not only on the pitch but off the pitch too!"

"gosh your full of compliments today kimmy! did you finally wake up on the right side of the bed" you joked as you watched kim roll her eyes a small scoff coming from her.

"anddd she back! there's the y/n i know!"

it was the next day and it was safe to say you hardly slept spending too long up thinking about what you would do if you didn't get the call up, all those extra sessions, all those days spent trying to change your behaviour would have been for nothing.

but also thinking about what you would do if you did get the call up, how happy you would be and how proud your family would be of you.

walking into the colony you were tired, you were dragging your feet as your walked. your body feeling tired and you hadn't even done anything today yet.

grabbing your usual breakfast and slouching down on a chair on the closest table. "heard anything yet?" you looked up to see leah raising her eyebrows at you. shaking your head you began to eat praying it would wake you up a little.

"the list doesn't get posted until 12 so—" you hummed along with whatever leah was saying before you along with the other who were sat on your table fell into your usual small talk.

"y/n! your phones ringing!" alessia tapped you on the shoulder, your eyes snapping to the phone screen an unknown number on the screen.

"well answer it then!" leah said quickly as you scrambled to answer. standing up and walking over to the stand in the hallway where you'd be able to hear whoever was calling better.

leah, along with beth, kim, lia and alessia were all looking trying to decipher what you were saying and what the scenario was.

"do you think she's got the call up?" beth whispered as leah was trying so hard to lip read what you were saying but was really having no luck as she hadn't a clue what you were saying.

"surely, she'd be a great addition to the squad for the euros" alessia pointed out as beth hummed, along with lia and kim nodding along.

"oh she'll be gutted if she doesn't get it" lia sighed as kim give a knowing look. while she was silently praying for you hoping that you would as she dread to think about your reaction if you didn't get it.

"will you shut up i'm trying to listen!" leah huffed as she scowl at the group before going back to try her lip reading again it feeling as though you'd been standing in that hallway on the phone for the last hour when in reality it had been probably less than ten minutes.

"how is she able to hear when there's a wall there-" alessia whispered in beth's direction as beth shrugged waving off what leah had just said.

"right act normal she coming back-" leah spoke fast turning her body back around to the position she was sat in when you left trying to make out that she hadn't just been intensely staring at the conversation you were having on the phone.

"oh no she doesn't look very happy-" lia whispered, you walking in a small frown on your face. as your shoulders were hanging low as you sighed sitting down in your original seat.

"oh- y/n i'm so sor—"

"I'M GOING TO THE EUROS BABY!" you cheered, your face changing in a split second from a frown to a big cheesy grin as the canteen when quiet for a minute as they all processed what you'd said.

the girls all jumped up hugging you and congratulating you as they told you how proud they were of you.

“what did sarina say?” beth asked as the celebrations calmed down and everyone had sat back down.

“she just said she’d seen how well i’ve been playing and she thinks i could be good option for a game changer at the euros” you said with the same smile, it not leaving your face and probably wouldn’t be for a long time.

leah sat listening to you as you recalled the phone call over to them, as she sat like a proud mother. "yes kiddo! switzerland won't know what has hit them!"

[empress-simps]

for remus, maybe a fic where he has a crush on fem!slytherin reader, and maybe the rest of the gang disapproves (at least initially) because of the silly house rivalry between gryffindor and slytherin? hopefully they’ll warm up to her because she’s actually really sweet and likes remus back, and they see how good for him she is :)

Hi darlingg! Thank you for this request, this is so adorable, and it was so fun to write :) I somehow made it a bit angsty...sorry about that I got carried away. Hope you enjoy! Pictures are from pinterest, credits to the owner!

Beyond The Surface

Pairing: Remus Lupin x Fem! Slytherin! Reader CW: Sirius being dramatic, Remus getting angry, and Language

He never really planned to fall in love. Remus thinks it would be better if he just lives his life in solitude; away from the confusing and complicated world of romantic relationships.

He doesn’t think anyone should bear the responsibility of having a werewolf boyfriend. Remus wouldn’t be able to forgive himself if he even touched a single hair on your body during that time, he desperately tries to convince himself that his friends and their future children will be enough to warm his heart who secretly yearns to have his own family.

‘It’s for the best, they wouldn’t suffer because of me.’ Remus thought, being the selfless person he was. Although, his plans that he so desperately tried to put up all came crumbling down when you came into the picture.

He didn’t think of it much at first. Remus thought it was just a simple crush that would go away in about three days or so. He was completely wrong.

“Remus Lupin, right? I’m Y/n Rosier, we’re assigned partners in potions.”

You sat beside him, beaming a smile that Remus was certain you were a gift for him from the Gods above. Merlin- you were simply breath taking. That was the first time he felt butterflies on his stomach, feeling his cheeks heat up as you offered a handshake.

“N-nice to meet you, Rosier.” He took your soft hands into his rough, and scarred ones. Shaking it as he desperately tries to ignore the sparks that seemed to go off inside him. Your face grimaced as your last name rolled off his tongue.

“Y/n is fine.” Remus nods, noticing your reaction. He was wondering how someone like you managed to survive other annoying Slytherins as your housemates.

“Alright then, Y/n. Call me Remus, yeah?”

That marks the beginning of an unlikely friendship of a Gryffindor half-blood with a Slytherin pure blood.

“Shall we begin?”

“Alright, but you lead. My skills are no good in potion making.” He jokes, making a small chuckle escape your throat. “I am quite aware.” She teases.

Being partnered with him for a Potions project meant that you would often meet up in the library, spending long hours sitting beside each other in silence, flipping page after page as Remus occasionally puts back books but returning with 5 more.

��Remmy, look here.” You pointed, not noticing how Remus blushed at his newfound nickname as he leaned to your seat, placing one arm on the back of your chair, his tall frame nearly engulfing you as he reads the contents of the page you found interesting.

He suddenly pales, his eyes transfixed on the title of the page. “Wolfsbane potion…” He whispers, eyes scanning the page quickly before looking at you. You hummed, flipping into another page to see how to make the said potion.

“Right, I figured we should make this for our project. What do you think? I think Polyjuice potion is a tad bit boring, hm?” She mused, seeking his opinion on the matter.

Remus parted his mouth to speak, yet the words seem to vanish at the back of his throat. You shot him a worried look, “Do you not like it? You could say so, don’t pretend nothing is wrong, Remmy.”

He blinks, trying to compose himself. “Ah, no-nothing’s wrong. It’s just that…”

You raised your eyebrows curiously, urging him to continue. “What? You know someone who’s a werewolf?” She jokes, trying to lighten the atmosphere as she lightly elbows him.

“I do.” He chokes out, the confession was unexpected, even to him. Remus doesn’t even know why on Earth he’s about to tell you one of his darkest and deepest secrets. It was probably because of your warm and inviting aura. It’s like you wouldn’t judge anyone based on first impressions, appearance, and what you’ve heard about them until you can see for yourself.

Remus felt like he could trust you, and his instincts are almost never wrong.

“Well, maybe the potion we’ll brew can help them?” You offered a smile.

“It certainly would be of help to me.”

You stilled; your hand that was about to get your quill hovered as you looked at him in shock.

“You’re a werewolf?” You whispered quietly; eyes that were surprised stared into his nervous, amber ones. Remus could only nod, an inkling doubt and regret slowly crept up to him. Did he make the right decision? Was he wrong this time? Would you hold it against him?

Your face turned serious, clasping his hand on the table with yours, you looked at him in the eye. “Your secret is safe with me; I would never tell it to anyone. If it helps, I will even make an unbreakable vow, Remus.”

He widened his eyes, “N-no! It’s alright, I trust you, Y/n.” You visibly relaxed, smiling lightly, squeezing his hand, a soft look was sent his way.

“Thank you for trusting me, Remus. If you’d like, I’ll brew you a supply of wolfsbane from time to time.”

If Remus wasn’t in love before that, he certainly is now.

“Out of all the people you could’ve chose to like it was a Rosier?!” Sirius screeched, a horrified look on his face as he grabbed Remus’s shoulder and looked at him straight in the eyes. The said boy frowned “What about it?”

Sirius blanched, “Are you daft, Moons?” He threw his hands up in the air, looking at the rest of the marauders and Lily, wanting them to side with him. Lily’s lips pressed into a thin line; she does not quite agree with Sirius but there’s still a possibility. It doesn’t help the fact that you are a Slytherin; the house that reeks of cunning pure-blooded wizards.

Peter looked anywhere to just not meet the eyes of Remus, clearly uncomfortable. While James frowned, a troubled look on his face as he clasped Lily’s hand. “The Rosier family… they’re not exactly known for their…,” he started, but Sirius cut him off.

“Rosiers are evil! Slytherins! Pureblood Supremacists! Death Eaters!”

Remus frowns, reading the room and the reactions of his friends. The message was clear without words: none of them supported Remus’s interest in a Slytherin, a Rosier no less.

“Give her a chance, she’s different.” Remus tried to make his friends listen to him. Sirius scoffed, rolling his eyes. James sighed, looking at Remus. “Moony, it’s just… We never thought you would fancy a Slytherin.” Remus pursed his lips, “Yeah, I never thought you and Lily would end up together but here we are.” James grimaced at his words.

“There’s tons of girls who fancy you, Moony.” Peter tells him. Remus frowned, feeling annoyance stir inside him. “They’re not her, Wormtail. All I’m saying is that Lily and you blokes should give her a chance before you make assumptions.” He spat, glaring at Sirius before leaving the room.

“Rem? Mon amour, what’s wrong?” She frowns, placing her book down as Remus entered the library, heading straight to her usual place but the window. Remus sighs, shaking his head. He couldn’t possibly tell you what happened, how Sirius thought you were just those pesky Slytherins they pull pranks on.

“They do not like me.” She stated, looking down with a frown as she fiddled with her thumbs.

“Honey, it’s not your fault.”

“I know, amour.”

Remus felt his lips press into a thin line, gently taking your hands in his, trying to stop your nervous habit. “They’re still wrapping their heads around it. They’ll come around, don’t worry about it love.” You sighed shakily, “I hope so.”

Remus traced shapes across the back of her hand, “Anything interesting happened today?”

“Evan and I got into a fight; said I was a blood traitor…” You trailed off, noticing how Remus’s jaw tightened and his stare hardened. “But it was alright, we made up. He just told me to be careful.” To say Remus was surprised was an understatement. “He couldn’t be angry at his twin sister for a long time.” She smiles.

“Black! What the fuck did you do?!” Remus roars, grabbing a fistful of the said boy’s shirt, pushing him against the wall as James tried to pull him off, “Come on, Moons-“

“Don’t bloody touch me, James!” He bellows, pushing off the Potter boy who stumbled away, shock evident in his features. Peter quickly got up from his bed, “Moony, why are you so angry? What did he do?” He drops shoves Sirius off as he stared at his friends.

“It was you guys who pulled a prank on her right? “Remus’s eyes brimmed with unshed tears, pointedly looking at Sirius. “Well congratulations, she’s being treated by Madame Pomfrey right now.”

Sirius felt shame and guilt ate him up. The prank was never supposed to go that far.

“Ever wondered why I was suddenly so calm during the full moon? It’s all thanks to her. She makes me batches of wolfsbane potion every month, without fail.”

James choked, “You told her?”

“I did”

“What if she tells everyone?” Peter frowns, concerned for Remus.

“If she wanted to, then the whole school would’ve already known, she even suggested an unbreakable vow.” Remus uttered out, sitting at his bed, looking away from them “Some kind of friends you guys are. I care about her, and if you hurt her, you hurt me too.”

Sirius cautiously approached him, “Moons, I’m sorry.” He began. James placed a hand on his shoulder, “I know, we’re knobheads. Sorry, Moony.” Peter nods, “We messed up, it won’t happen again.”

“Don’t apologize to me, apologize to her.”

“We will, Moony.”

An hour has passed after you got treated by Madame Pomfrey, you wanted to leave as you already felt alright but she insisted you stay for an hour or two just so she could monitor you. Having no choice but to oblige.

“Love?” Your ears perked up, the sound of Remus’ voice calling out to you. You turned and smiled at his direction, although suddenly dropping it as you saw the rest of the Marauders and Lily following him.

Trying to alleviate the awkward atmosphere, Sirius pulls out a bouquet of flowers. “Remus told us you like Tulips…” You were about to take it but stopped, James seemed to notice this. “It’s not jinxed, or anything like that.” You bit your lip, silently looking at Remus as if asking was it safe, he nods. “I was there when they picked it out love.” You finally took the bouquet, nodding gratefully. “Thank you.”

“We wanted to say we were sorry.” James started; Lily nodded. “It was quite shameful that we made such accusations and judged you before even getting to know you.”

“I’m sorry, Y/n. We…we were just looking out for Moony.” Sirius sighed; shame visible in his features.

“I understand, I probably would have done the same. I’d also look out for the people I care about.” You softly replied. “It’s okay, I forgive all of you.” You looked at them.

James stepped forward, “We hope you can give us a chance to make it up to you.” Sirius cleared his throat, “And maybe, if you’re up for it, join us for a butterbeer at the Three Broomsticks?” His attempt at a smile was hopeful.

Your lips curved into a genuine smile, your body slowly becoming relaxed. “I’d like that,”

[bleedingoptimism]

𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙩𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚

part 2

Steve is looking around the room when he sees Jay waving at him, so he smiles and waves back. He likes Jay. He’s nice and super fun to beat at cards.

And then he notices there’s someone sitting beside Jay and his hand falters before he puts it down.

The guy looks… tough, all lean and strong and sexy in his leather jacket and ripped jeans. Tattoos, rings, and pierced ears with long curly hair. But his eyes, his big eyes are beautiful and dark and his lips are round and look really soft. He’s all sharp but round around the edges. A walking contradiction. And Steve’s never seen anyone like him before. 

Without taking his eyes off him, he moves over to where Chrissy is sitting with Robin and sits with them, takes Chrissy’s hand, and holds it lovingly like he always does. 

“Hey, babe,” He whispers to her, “Who’s that guy sitting with Jay?”

“That’s Strider,” Robin says leaning over Chrissy to talk to him, “He’s an old friend of Jay’s, new in town. Why? You like him?”

“Strider…That’s a character from the book Dustin likes, right?” He wonders, “The Hobbit?”

“The Lord of the Rings” Chrissy corrects him.

“Right… nerd” He quips.

“So? Do you? Like him.” Chrissy asks squeezing his hand in retaliation.

“He’s gorgeous,” Steve confirms and Chrissy smiles excitedly. It’s not every day Steve notices someone in the bar. It has never happened before actually.

“You really think so?” Robin murmurs to him, “He looks like he’d like telling you what to do,” 

Steve hums appreciatively, “Yes, but like, in a nice way, right? Like he’ll say please and thank you,” he says dreamily.

Robin snorts, “Is that what you are into, you nasty boy?” Steve gasps so hard he almost chokes on his own spit and Robin starts cackling, while Chrissy giggles cutely.

“Fuck off,” He snaps, “And you, don’t laugh you dummy! You are supposed to be the stoic leader here!” 

Chrissy sobers up immediately, “Right, right” and then the three of them, look at each other amused trying to hold their laughs in. 

Fuck, if anyone heard how silly they were their reputation would be completely ruined.

The phrase ‘fake it til you make it’ never made more sense than it does for them right now. 

When the three of them, fresh out of high school moved into the city when Chrissy started showing symptoms… they had absolutely nothing to their name, and now, they owned a fucking bar. They had a roof over their head, food on their tables, and more importantly, they were offering shelter to a lot of people that used to be where they were a couple of years ago.

The lack of information around them made them look mysterious. And Robin had a way with business and marketing. So a couple of well-placed rumors did all the work for them. Just a few lessons on how to make a real bitchy face from Steve and suddenly Chrissy was the scariest girl in the night. 

It had been a rough start, and more than once Steve thought they wouldn't make it till the end of the month. But they’d gotten lucky when they found this place and they had been smart about it and now they had responsibilities and a establishment to uphold but that didn’t mean they couldn't have any fun.

“Go talk to him!” Chrissy tells him elbowing him subtly.

Steve shakes his head, “No, no way,”

“Dude, he’s been looking at you since the minute he came in!” Robin insists.

But that doesn't mean as much as she thinks it does. That doesn’t make it safe for him. Still, he kind of wants to talk to him, to hear his voice, to know what he’s like and what he likes and what not. And just when Steve is actually considering it Mayra, one of their hostess, walks up to Strider. 

Robin frowns, “Oh, fuck off Mayra” she mutters and Steve has to stifle a loud snort.

“Oh well, lost my chance I guess,” He says unbothered but actually feels really upset about it. He’s never felt jealous of any of the girl's conquests before. It’s strange, but there’s something about that guy.

He wanted him for himself. He needs him.

“Bet you a burger that if you go there right now, he’ll choose you over her” Chrissy says studying his expression like she can see right through him. 

“I’m not gonna cock block Mayra for a burger” He smiles at her shaking his head.

“Oh! No need! He rejected her!” Robin tells them excitedly.

And then they both stare at him,

“What are you waiting for?!”

“Well then, go on!” 

They talk at the same time.

“I- Ok! Fine. But if he rejects me you are buying me that burger,” He says standing up.

“If he rejects you I’ll buy you burgers for the whole week!” Chrissy whispers-yells at him as he’s making his way there.

He sees Jay walking up and leaving Strider alone at the little table and makes a note to thank him later as he sits beside Strider and puts his elbows on the table, using his hands to rest his chin over and looking at him.

“Hi” 

Strider blinks at him a couple of times and visibly swallows, “Hi,” 

Steve just leans his head to one side and smiles at him, and Strider just looks at him for a long second before smiling back crookedly, a dimple appearing on his left cheek that makes Steve want to bite him.

“I’m Ee-Strider,”

Steve’s smile becomes something a little more genuine and less flirty, he seems so nice, his strider, “Hi, Strider”

“And you are Sunshine, right?” Strider asks leaning a little closer over the table.

Steve bites his lip before answering. He was never particularly fond of that nickname, it’s too much to live up to. But he really likes the way it sounds coming from Strider.

“That’s what they call me, yes” he answers smirking confidently.

‘Fake it Till you Make It’

“So, Strider, What brings you here tonight?” 

Once more Strider just looks at him intently, looks at his lips, and then shakes his head, looking around feigning casualness, “Oh, you know, just checking out the scene”

He muffles a giggle over his own shoulder and then leans his head to look at Strider sideways, exposing the line of his neck, “And how are you finding it?” he asks softly.

“Oh, it’s really neck so f- nice really nice… So far” Strider stumbles over his words and then cringes to himself and blushes faintly.

And Steve gets suddenly really fucking impatient. He needs this cute dork upstairs, naked and under him right now.

“Has anyone explained to you how things work around here?” He asks him, trying to move the conversation along. 

Strider nods, “Je-Jay explained to me the gist of it, yeah” 

“Oh, yeah?” Steve nods too and puts his chin on his hands again, fawning his eyelashes at him and waiting for him to elaborate.

“Well, you choose right?” Strider continues and gestures vaguely around the room referring to the hostesses, “And then you take us upstairs…”

“Mmhm” Steve hums encouraging him to keep talking, “And then?”

“And then I get to taste you,” Strider breathes and fuck.

Taste him? Taste him. Yes. He wants that. He wants that so much.

“Taste me?” He asks because the concept still sounds too good to be true.

“Right?” Strider asks like he’s not sure the said the right thing.

‘Oh, he has no idea how right he was’

Steve leans over the table and stops just an inch away from Strider’s face, almost going eye crossed to look at him, “Would you like that, Strider?” he asks and then moves closer and to the side to whisper in his ear, 

“Do you want to taste me?”

“God. Fuck, yes. Please?” Strider says in a rushed whisper and Steve tries his best not to shiver.

He stands up and offers up a hand to him, “Follow me.” 

part 1: 🍷

part 2: you are here

part 3: 🩸

bonus content: ☀️

ao3: 🌙

art: 🦇

coffee?☕🥐💕

[daysofyellowroses]

noodles

carmen berzatto x reader | 1.9k | based on this absolutely adorable request from my darling @thecapricunt1616 enjoy it then i am beyond happy 💗🌼🫶🏻

It didn't matter how many times you shook the plastic stick, the little pink plus sign didn't fade. You tossed it in the trash can, where it joined three others with matching pink pluses. You couldn't really get your head around it, you'd been careful, taken things relatively slow..well, kind of. 

Things had just progressed a little quicker than you'd expected. One minute you're applying for a hostess job, thinking you probably won't even get an interview, seeing as it was a Michelin-starred hotspot, then next thing you're front and center at a fancy restaurant and spending large portions of your shift flirting with the head chef. 

It was never serious flirting, it was just silly and fun. You made flirty comments to everyone, you just particularly meant them with Carmy. He finally seemed to get the hint when you asked him upstairs after he'd dropped you home for the 10th time. 

Nothing really happened that night, you just shared a drink, cheap wine from your refrigerator, and made each other laugh with stupid jokes. You told him you meant it when you flirted, he insisted you were joking. It was only when you kissed him that he finally got the message, kissing you back with a fervor that had your head spinning in the most wonderful way. 

From there you two developed a relationship that suited you both. You were professional at work, still had some nights apart when you were both exhausted or just needed some alone time. But you had spent hours sitting on his kitchen counter watching him cook, told him stories from your past, encouraged him to tell you some stories too. You watched movies that you didn't pay full attention to, you read your book with your legs over Carm's lap, rolling your eyes with a grin when he would tease you for looking so serious. 

It was the best relationship you'd ever been in, and while you weren't sure what the future held, you were positive Carm would be a big part of it, that you two would keep going, develop your relationship.

Sure, you had thought about kids, marriage, a home together etc., but in a kind of just-for-fun-daydreamy kind of way. 

Now, one of those things was becoming a reality. It wasn't exactly how you would have planned it, you and Carm weren't even living together. Sure, you stayed at his most nights of the week and had more than a few personal belongings left there, but it wasn't the same.

It felt like moving in should have been the next step. The excitement of starting to really build a foundation together. You were just skipping ahead a step or two, apparently. 

Eventually you left the bathroom and chose to sit on your bed for a while instead. You called your doctor and made an appointment, more as a formality. Maybe it would feel more real when your doctor told you rather than seeing it on a plastic stick you'd peed on.

Once you were dressed you went to make a coffee before stopping yourself, wondering if it was ‘allowed’, even though it was so early on. You decided to play it safe, having a herbal tea instead, which you nearly choked on when your phone rang, Carmy's ID flashing up on the screen.

Did he know? How could he know?

“Hey,” You smiled as much as you could, trying to feel normal. “How are you? How is everything?”

You hoped you didn't sound too unusual or not yourself, feeling annoyingly aware of yourself.

“Hey, everything's good,” Carm replied and you felt yourself relax a little. “Just..there's been a slight change of plan for today.”

You stifled a laugh, nothing Carm could say could be a bigger change of plan than an unexpected pregnancy.

“Oh? You raised a brow, lightly tapping your nails against your cup. “What's up?”

“So, it turns out that apparently I promised Richie and Sug that I'd babysit while they have some meetings. I hate to ask when it's your day off but..could you help me?”

You couldn't help but laugh, resting your head on your head on your hand and letting out a soft sigh.

“Of course I'll help, don't worry. When do you need me?” 

An couple of hours later, you found yourself at Carmy's apartment, smiling as he opened the door looking flustered, a toddler on his hip and a doll in his hand.

“Perfect timing,” He smiled, stepping aside to let you in. “I'm outnumbered.”

“Who said I'm on your side?” You raised a brow, smiling at the little boy on Carmy's hip and gently stroked his cheek as he giggled. “I'm here to help the kids gang up on you.”

“Oh good,” Carm nodded, lightly tapping you with the doll. “Bring it on.”

You made your way to the living room, smiling as you spotted Eva on the couch, giving her a little wave.

“Hey girly girl,” You grinned, going to sit next to her. “Hope you've been keeping your uncle busy?”

“Yeah,” She giggled, leaning over to you as Carm came into the room. You leaned down, smiling as she whispered in your ear.

A half hour or so later, you went to open the living room door as there was a knock, adjusting the toddler on your hip before opening it and trying to keep a straight face as you met Carm's eyes.

“Hi, can I help you?” You asked, raising a brow.

“Uh, yeah, actually,” Carmy nodded, trying to keep a straight face. “I have an appointment, I'm a little early but..maybe you could squeeze me in?”

“Maybe,” You nodded, biting your lip softly. “Come in, follow me.”

You turned and walked further into the room, gesturing to the couch. “Take a seat.”

“Yes ma'am,” Carm nodded as you walked to the kitchen door and opened it.

“Your two o'clock is early,” You said, glancing back to Carm for a moment.. “Do you want to fit him in now?”

You nodded before turning back to Carm and gesturing to the kitchen. “She'll see you now, come through.”

You walked into the kitchen and smiled as you watched Carm walk in, the smile on his face as he spotted the makeshift beauty salon that had been set up.

“Take a seat,” Eva gestured to the seat across the counter, an adorably serious look on her face. You placed the baby into his high chair by the table, smiling as you heard Eva boss her uncle around.

“Hands in the bowl, keep them still.”

You went to the fridge, taking out a little light blue lunch box before glancing over to Carm with a smile.

“What color do you want?” Eva asked, pointing to the handful of nail polishes sitting on the counter. 

 “Hm, I'm not sure,” Carm mused, looking at the colors. “I got a big date tonight, I wanna look my best. What do you think will suit me?”

You smiled to yourself as you put the lunch box in the microwave, laughing softly as you heard Eva tell Carm to hold still.

After lunch and Carmy's nail appointment, you decided to take the kids to the park, feeling a new wave of love for your boyfriend that he made no attempt to remove the red nail polish. When you were taking the stroller to the lift, one of Carm's neighbors passed you in the hall and smiled at you and realized that it wouldn't be long before the baby in the stroller would be yours.

You brushed off the thought, trying to focus on just having a nice, fun day. As you were en route to the park, Carm asked if you could have a little detour, and you were sure the look on the kids faces when you arrived at build-a-bear would never leave you.

Carm took his nephew from the stroller and placed him on his hip before taking him to pick out a teddy, your heart swelling in your chest, moreso when Eva took your hand and asked you to help her choose.

You found yourself subconsciously placing your hand on your stomach, wondering what it would feel like to hold your own baby on your hip, feel their hand in yours, see the excitement in their eyes when they were presented with a cute little toy.

Carm's nephew had picked a bear (perhaps with a little nudge from his uncle), that ended up in a chefs uniform (that one was a total push), while Eva chose a bunny that she chose a performance outfit for. 

When you got back to Carm's, you were more than happy to chill on the couch, though you practically melted into it when Carm got a book and read to the kids (and their new toys) til they were asleep. 

“Not a bad effort,” You smiled, looking over to Carm and trying not to imagine the toddler that could be in his lap one day. “You might actually be pretty good at this whole uncle thing.”

“I might just be,” Carm grinned, reaching out to touch your hand. “Had help from the best though.”

“You're welcome,” You smiled, gently stroking his hand. “I presume that's why you're taking me on a..big date, was it?”

“Oh absolutely,” Carm nodded, looking serious for a moment before he grinned. “the biggest.”

“Hm, guess I'll have to get glammed up,” You smiled, looking over to Eva. “Maybe I'll see if I can get a last minute appointment.”

That evening, after a quick trip home to grab a change of clothes, you were back in Carmy's apartment. It felt so quiet without the kids, you found yourself putting on music just for background noise. 

When you were in the bathroom putting on your makeup, you felt a wave of nausea hit you, more out of nerves than anything else. You hoped it would leave, but before you knew it you were bent over the toilet, taking a deep breath as you waited for the inevitable.

There was a knock on the bathroom door when you were washing your hands, looking up at the mirror taking a deep breath. Even with makeup you still looked unwell. 

“Hey,” Carm smiled as you opened the door, the concern evident on his face. “Are you okay? I thought I heard..”

“I'm fine,” You nodded, taking a deep breath and letting out a sigh as the concern didn't leave his face. “I just..need to talk to you.”

You walked into the bedroom, sitting on the bed and trying to think of the right words.

“Okay,” You began. “this is..really not what I thought would happen, and I don't know how you're going to take this but..oh god..”

As you buried your head in your hands, Carm was immediately by your side, his arm around your waist. 

“Whatever it is you can tell me,” He assured you. “I promise. Just let it out, we'll handle it.”

“I'm pregnant.” You said before you could stop yourself or build it up more, lowering your hands and looking over to Carm.

“You're..wow,” Carmy nodded, rubbing his jaw. “Well, thank fuck for that. I mean, I knew, but I thought you were dumping me.”

“Wait what?” You raised a brow. “You knew? How did you know?”

“I just knew,” Carm shrugged with a smile. “I mean, I guess I hoped I was right..I know it's skipping ahead a little but..I want what we had today, all the time.”

“Can you stop being so perfect for like one day?” You rolled your eyes with a grin, resting your head on Carmy's shoulder. “Or maybe just after the big date.”

[otakusheep15]

Hiii! I was wondering if you could do the obey me brothers reacting to you with newly dyed hair? Like the day before you were one colour and you spent the majority of the night dyeing your hair because you felt like surprising them with a fun change, and when you come down in the morning your hair is just an entirely different colour (or colours!)

Thank youuuuu <3

When I say I dye my hair every few months, I mean it. This would be a regular occurrence for me, trust.

MC Dyes Their Hair

Lucifer

He notices immediately, but he doesn't call you out on it right away. In his mind, as long as you're happy and confident in yourself, he doesn't really care what you do with your appearance. Of course, he'll give you a compliment if he knows you're someone who likes attention and/or praise, but, besides that, he's not one to draw too much attention to it. The only other comment he might make is if it's a bad dye job. Maybe it was your first time, or it was late and you were tired, but if he sees it's not the best work, he'll offer to book you an appointment with a stylist to get it fixed. Overall, the most normal about it. He still appreciates it and thinks it looks good of course, but he won't make a big deal out of it.

Mammon

Honestly, depending on when he first sees your hair, it might take him a second to notice anything is different. Sometimes he can be a bit focused on his own thing to truly take in his surroundings, so it becomes a silly game of how long it'll take him to notice. Eventually, whether through your intervention or own his own, he notices. He'd be mostly confused at first, wondering how you dyed your hair so quickly without anyone noticing since there's usually at least one of them awake at night. Other than the initial confusion, he'd be pretty impressed. He's always been one to experiment with his hair, so he's totally on board. If he notices you're particularly good at dye jobs, he might even ask you to do his so that you match (not that he'd say that last part out loud of course).

Leviathan

Oh, he's absolutely obsessed. Naturally, he compares you to one of his fictional faves and suggests you do a cosplay. He gives you a ton of compliments, basically becoming your one demon hype squad. After the initial excitement, he does calm down a bit, but the cosplay idea never really leaves him. If you agree, he'd absolutely create a cosplay for you that matches your new hair. Also, if you ever want to dye your hair again, he's your best bet if you need some assistance, as he's the one who has the most experience with dying his own hair. He loves dying his hair, but he gets scared of going to professionals, so he learned how to do it himself.

Satan

Also fairly normal compared to some of his brothers. He notices but doesn't draw too much attention to it. He'll give you a compliment, but he sort of leaves it at that. In his mind, it's not that strange for you to do. As long as you're happy with how you look, he is as well. If you change hair colors on a regular basis, he might be more inclined to make comments about it, but if it's just a one-time thing, he doesn't draw too much attention to the change. However, if you made a big mess in the bathroom while dying it, he will comment about that. He'll scold you lightly before offering to help you clean if you haven't already.

Asmodeus

He definitely has a sixth-sense for something like this, so don't be surprised if he shows up in the middle of you dying your hair. He's absolutely delighted that you're making such a change, and he offers his assistance if you need it. He also likes changing up his hair pretty regularly, but he's more inclined to visit an actual stylist rather than doing it himself. Still, he can do it himself if needed, so you're in good hands if you accept his help. He's also good at helping you pick out what color suits you best if you're on the fence. If you need help coordinating outfits with your hair, he's your demon as well.

Beelzebub

His reaction is pretty muted, but he does like the change. He gives you a compliment, compares you to some kind of food he ate recently, most likely makes a half-joke about wanting to eat it, and walks off to continue his day. He's pretty normal about the whole thing, and doesn't see much reason to make a big deal out of it. If you want him to make a big deal out of it, he'll try his best, but he's never been one to make a big deal out of changes like dyed hair. He does think it looks good, and he's very blunt with his compliments, so you'll still know he's a fan of your new look.

Belphegor

Most likely to tease you about it, especially if you change your hair up often. Anytime you change your hair, he makes a sarcastic comment about it, but he's only teasing. Truthfully, he does like the change, and he thinks you look good. He's just an ass about it, but that's not anything new. If you want real compliments from him, you'll have to force them out a bit. He can be bratty, so he won't usually give full compliments without at least a little teasing. If you push him enough, he'll drop it and give you a real, genuine compliment. It's not out of malice, just brattiness. Still, he thinks you look good, and he does enjoy seeing what color(s) you chose this time. He also laughs if you made a mess of the bathroom and watches you clean without being much help.

[luveline]

Oh my gosh Zombie!steve holds a special place in my heart. Please write more for this Drabble series

thank you for reading!! steve zombie!au —you and steve reunite after a morning apart. 1k, fem!reader

Steve's sitting by the fire unawares when you drape the spare blanket over his shoulders. His hair, wet from a quick scrub in the stream, has soaked the collar of his shirt. The blanket is a welcome warmth, your doting moreso. 

He puts his makeshift bookmark between the pages of his book and follows your face as you sit with him. The apocalypse and subsequent lack of movies has turned him into a bookworm through necessity. He worries about things too much if he has nothing to do, and lately that's always the case. 

"Hello," you say, crossing your legs. Your knee bumps into his. "Sorry. Hey. What chapter are you on?" 

He flips the pages until he finds the chapter header. "Chapter twenty five." 

"You're getting quick," you say. 

It's weird to him that after so many confessions, days spent in one another's arms, nights laying between each other's thighs, you still hesitate sometimes before touching him. You know how much he loves you, and you waver. 

"We could start reading them together again."

"I go too fast." Your eyes widen in recognition. "But you're quicker now." 

He doesn't mind missing the last few lines of each page if it means you'll lean your head against his arm for a couple of hours every night. Your breath warms his collarbones. Your cheek soft and smushed to his rigid shoulder. 

"Way quicker." 

He thinks you're beautiful. It might be hurtful to say you aren't everyone's type, and it's not that he felt he had to warm to you before you became his type or anything, but you have something about you that he loves. Maybe it's purely the way you smile at him, that silly devotion poorly smothered (that he hopes you'd find reflected by him), or maybe it's your eyes. Maybe it's the way you speak to him, half the time like you're worried he won't talk back, and the other half like you're the same person thinking all the same things. He's hungry for every thought you have. 

Beautiful, and he loves you. Steve couldn't be more sure about it, and everyday it gets worse. He wonders if it'll ever stop, or if one day he's going to wake up next to you and choke on air, astounded by the chances of it all. How did you manage to find him? What luck was it of his to get to keep you despite his bad behaviour? He knows he was never as kind as he should've been to start with.

He looks at you and he thinks, Fuck, she's pretty. 

Steve tosses his book down into the packed dirt and just stares at you. You look back unabashed for a handful of seconds he savours. 

"Do I have something on my face?" you ask. 

"No," he murmurs. "You're just beautiful." 

Your eyebrows thread together at the starts, a wrinkle creasing the skin between them. You don't believe him, your lips puckering into a small frown.

"Why do you say stuff like that?" you ask. 

"I really, really think it's true. That's why. I can't not look at you without thinking about it. Even when we're dirty and starving and smell like hot garbage," he says, shrugging gently. "You're beautiful." 

"You've been reading too many romance books."

"I get that it sounds weird," he says. "Doesn't make it less true. You're beautiful." 

"That's enough," you say with a grin. "Stop. If Eddie hears you saying that he'll make fun of you forever." 

Steve gives you a fake shove. "Sorry, I'm confessing my love and the first thing you bring up is my arch nemesis?" 

You wince though he's only kidding, more than aware of his Eddie Munson related jealousy. You both talk about everything without punches pulled these days, and you've assured him he's the only one for you, but he'd quite like to hear it again. 

"Sorry, that's my bad," you say, shuffling closer to him. You put your arm behind his back and kiss his shoulder, warmth unfurling from the contact despite the shirt and blanket between it. "I think you're handsome, too, but you know that. Beside the fact that I'd never really been naked in front of someone before, those early days were torture for me 'cus I thought you were, like, the handsomest guy I went to school with." 

"Just school?" 

"No," you mumble, crossing your free arm over his stomach, nestling yourself under his arm. "Handsomest guy ever." 

He dips his head to touch his nose to the top of your head. 

"I love you," you say, scrunching his shirt in your hand. 

"Yeah, I love you, too. How was work?" 

"Bah. How was your day off?" 

Steve likes getting time off at camp, but it's pointless when you're not off with him. "Wasted. Missed you stupid, helped out with the kids at lunch anyways, spent the rest of it on that shitty book." 

"It's no good?" you ask. 

He loves your voice. It shoots through him like a spark, your genuine, lilting concern. 

"Shit. I don't think I wanna finish it."

"Skip to the end and go get a new one," you suggest. 

He closes his eyes and breathes in the smoky air of the campsite. You have this effect on him —of many— where you can quieten a hectic place. You sit down next to him and suddenly he's not sitting a ways off from the fire in the middle of the Michigan woodland, he's with you. Plain and simple. 

"I will." 

"Maybe I can help you vet some? Make sure you get one you enjoy this time. Or we can trade some of our credits for a new pack of cards. I'll teach you how to play speed."

"After you tricked me into being bad at gin rummy? Nah, you're okay." 

You force his head up as you lift your own, pinning him with your tender gaze. "You like losing. You do, you always say I have to kiss it better." 

He's a simple man. A kiss from his girl is all he needs. "Maybe we should get a pack of cards," he says smugly. 

You shake your head at him, but you're beaming. 

[vvanillavveins]

On the WTNV finale:

Look, i like Brinknor. They helped me fall back in love with Night Vale when i was feeling particularly uninspired. It's hard to put it into words; i have adhd & i struggle to remember big intricate plots unless something reoccurring has really grabbed hold of my attention, and before Brinknor, i was struggling to sink my teeth into anything attention-holding, so to speak. I guess i was becoming less enthusiastic in Night Vale's storyline as time went on, even though i couldn't really work out why. I just couldn't stop tuning out. But, with Brinknor, there came a bunch of shiny new plotpoints- at a faster pace. The show could actually hold my focus properly, and my wtnv fixation was suddenly up & running again.

All this is to say that i know it's just my impatience talking when i say that i wish that the loose ends of those new, interesting plotpoints had been tied up a little more by episode 250. I adore the way they write about Cecil's childhood and his family, and i want Kevin & The Boy's arc to be given the same amount of love, and attention, and time that the Palmer siblings' arc got. The same goes for Tamika. And Carlos. And Lauren, actually. Yes, i know she was a central figure in the last 2 episodes, and i loved that because she's one of my favourite characters. I fucking adore eldritch Mother Lauren. But still, it was all too vague to really learn anything new about her or the desert otherworld. And, above all else, i can't help but think of how wonderful it would've been if Charles and Donovan were included in the finale- especially Donovan.

When Kevin first came back in 2023, one of my silly little hcs as to why he was apparently in the Smiling God's bad books (and why he didn't mention Charles or Donovan) was that because Charles & Donovan aren't from Desert Bluffs they haven't devoted themselves to the Smiling God like the rest of the townsfolk. They wouldn't "smile" properly. One of my darker ideas at the time was the possibility of Kevin having to choose between making them part of his faith, i.e., making them "smile" like the rest of Desert Bluffs (which i doubt he'd go through with after his mudstone abyss arc), or having Charles & Donovan leave town (which i doubt they'd go through with), or, doing neither & keeping quiet about his life with them to avoid drawing attention. If he chose the latter and then got found out, it would make sense that he'd stop being the Smiling God's favourite. Obviously, i never thought any of that was correct- i was just having fun- and i was excited to find out the real story further down the line.

But that didn't happen, and we still don't really have many answers. Everything to do with Kevin, and Lauren, and The Boy got wrapped up in about 10 minutes flat. We've already had an emotional Fatherhood themed episode with Cecil & Abby; we didn't need another one just for the sake of it.

With the context of what we already know about Kevin's father, the ending of episode 250 was just uncomfortable. Sure, Kevin's talked about his father positively before, but that's always been in contrast with the actual content of his memories. It's always been made clear that the script/the writers disagree with Kevin's sunny outlook, and therefore the listeners should too. Those moments are there to demonstrate just how fucked up Kevin really is, and that his positivity is just a coping mechanism. But this time Cecil spoke for him, so we didn't get Kevin's usual sing-song rambling. It was calm, and collected, and matter-of-factly. And this time there were no sugar-coated descriptions of abuse, only genuine praise. We were actually supposed to agree with him this time, and it made the whole speech (and ending) sound hollow and forced.

I really didn't like this episode. It felt rushed. It tried to cover far too much far too quickly, and it failed. But, despite all that, i am hoping that future episodes will bring some sort of clarity about what happened. And hopefully some closure about Kevin and his family, too. I want loose ends to get tied up properly and i believe that maybe, with time, the important ones will be. Slow burning subplots are kinda quintessential to Night Vale's writing at this point anyway. Brinknor definitely missed the mark with this one, but they're still incredibly talented writers and i'm not ready to give up on them like some of the other fans on here.

Besides, i think that some of Night Vale's worst episodes are still incredible pieces of writing in their own right. The bad episodes are only bad in comparison to the dozens upon dozens of absolutely phenomenal episodes that make up the rest of a show that is, for the most part, a joy to listen to. So, here's to some hopefully better episodes in the future, i guess.

[lynn-tged-posting]

tged webtoon ep 157 spoilers and thoughts but also a good amount of panel dissection that might be overanalyzed but i couldn't stop thinking about it so just let me yap okay it plagued me all weekend

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i am so serious when i say this entire episode gave me like. so much worry and anxiety over the characters that i made myself upset thinking about it . the only thing saving me is everyone's fun expressions in this and specifically this panel of javier

HES SO SILLY CUTE PLAYING WITH THE SUMMONS THEYRE ADORABLE EEHEHEHEHE

anyway . to the brainrot

i think this panel of lloyd turning his back to javier, immediately after telling javier to go on break for a while, was the first little indicator of "oh no" for me

it really worried me that he said this, especially when they've been working together so much on their journey, so this was tiny little moment of "oh boy whats going on,,," for me,,, idk if anyone else felt the same but i had a feeling i would Not be ready for this ep. and i was right i was absolutely not ready

and then we hit the montage of javier going around the estate and observing how much the land has changed, and i really loved that!! it was really heartwarming seeing everyone, smiling and achieving dreams and stability in a way that the fronteras hadnt seen in a long time (hell i was convinced "oh everythings fine nvm" 😭)

some of my favorite panels in that sequence heehee bayern and his kids this was really really sweet WAAAHH

JAVIERS EXPRESSION HERE WAS SUPER FUNNY TOO absolutely gonna use this as a reaction image

ALSO THIS STATUE OF LLOYD ADHAHAHAHAHDFAHA IM PRETTY SURE IT IS RELATED TO IF NOT THE SAME AS THE STATUE IN CPSM they do have different poses so it mightve had to be rebuilt or something but either way . lloyd statue where he's near naked for some reason in the middle of frontera estate. a wonderful center piece good work team

AND MY BABY BOY SOLITAS he finally managed to create something im so proud of him GOOD JOB BUD!! THE CARVING IS BEAUTIFUL!!!

it just hit me as im typing this that they also say "[project name] complete" not sure if this is a translation thing or if it's something they picked up from lloyd saying "construction complete" but if its the latter thatd be REALLY CUTE

also that panel of tordes by the mines he looks genuinely . satisfied and happy?? the guy punished to work for the fronteras for over 100 years is having a great time LMAO

AND THIS PANEL OF JAVIER

THIS MADE ME SMILE SO WIDE

it's really really pretty, and javier can see that. he can see that the estate has grown and changed into a strong and capable place, and he echoed this in the last chapter but it's really worth celebrating this. so many accomplishments, in so little time, with so much efficiency. frontera estate has been raised from the ground up and seeing it all accumulated was so so beautiful,,,

so seeing this panel absolutely devastated me

the contrast is STRIKING. all of the brightness and light and warmth of the street javier is in is only seen in partial rays streaking in. lloyd is alone, surrounded by books and in a darker corner of the panel. isolated, facial features unreadable and working by himself,,, refusing to see or ignoring all of the accomplishments behind him.

it's like he's falling back into old habits. that workaholism that kept him alive when he was only kim suho in korea. in order to survive, to keep up, to stay afloat, to stay ALIVE, you must keep working. go to the next project, the next problem, the next assignment, and everything will be fine. only then will freedom be yours to have. only then will you be free of this responsibility you bear for those you love.

but he really doesn't need to do that anymore! he has a whole estate of people who will follow him to the ends of the earth, because he's proven himself to be capable of protecting them. he has parents who love him, despite his changes, despite his past, who have grown to believe in him.

he has his beloved knight, who is waiting for him to call for aid. who only needs a glance or a word to lend a hand. who is waiting for him to come outside and just SEE all that he's done. to celebrate, to have peace. to enjoy home. to simply be at home, together.

"when will you be able to come here...?"

javier, protagonist that he is, sees all this light around, and it's peeking into this library that lloyd is in, wondering where the engineer is, but his nose is to a book. because he is working. and that's,,, scary to see. there's a level of distance already taking shape because of old habits, and i don't know if either of them realize it

and like you look at the panel javier is in one more time and you can see, there's kids playing as javier and lloyd! they even have matching hair, and the dog is colored exactly like ppodong. super cute! but it worries me that they're on opposite sides of javier.

said this earlier; this is probably an overanalysis and this probably means nothing. it really is a cute lil cameo of some kids in town! but the fact that they are split like this is eating at me. ppodong-dog is on javier-kid's side, when ppodong is lloyd's summon? and again, they're on opposite sides of javier, will they join back together and keep playing? lloyd-kid is ahead of javier-kid, will he run on ahead without looking back? it's so cute and yet it's making me anxious!!! am i overthinking???

anyway, this split and the two panels contrasting each other like this filled me with so much nervousness that i had to close my eyes and just breathe for a little bit

then we see arcos and marbella talking about lloyd and it's clear they're worried about him, still unsure of where these changes in behavior came from and yet accepting it nonetheless because god dammit theyre good kind people

and when we see lloyd he looks,,,

tired, and disheveled, and still only thinking about working on the next thing. he keeps going on too, like there's nothing currently wrong with this; he's probably used to it, handling everything without a moments rest. the count and countess even mention it at the end of the episode

and when he treats the formal frontera attire lightly and scurries off again, it's like a final nail in this sinking coffin. honestly, i think early lloyd probably would have said similar things to try and skirt the count's attention, but this scene in combination with lloyd being depicted as separated from lloyd, appearing exhausted from continuous work, as well as the following panels of lloyd leaving,,, it fills me with anxiety and dread.

face shrouded in the darkness of the hall, so his features are unrecognizable, just like the library panel. who is that? is it suho or is it lloyd speaking right now? where are you going, into that darkness by yourself, shying away from the light you've brought to this estate? you don't have to do this alone.

and this long, looming distance stretching between him and arcos and marbella. stretching further as lloyd marches onward and alone, working by himself, away from the moments of peace and celebration that his family and his estate bring. into the dark. it's a little haunting to me.

these panels did a really, REALLY good job at solidifying this growing degree of isolation that lloyd is putting himself into, intentionally or not (for lloyd and for the artist lol). he's getting out of reach in his desire to protect everyone, to complete this responsibility he gave himself for the estate.

it's almost,,, backwards? in a way? in the early webtoon, there's a panel where suho is shown trying to reach for a light in the darkness. he believed that if he kept working towards that light, he'll find a way out of this hell he's found himself in, and so everything would be fine. here and now, it could be that he still thinks that this is the case, when it's in fact the opposite. he's brought this light to the estate, but he's putting himself in the dark (and alone, at that) in an effort to reach for the "next light". i don't think he realizes it. this makes me really, really sad. jesus christ well done artist/adaptor

what is it all for if you won't even rest? if you won't turn around and look at all these people who need you around? and not need you as in doing work for them, but need you as in wanting to be with you, and cherishing you, and spending time with you, and simply loving you. yes, time is short and yes, fate is looming, but all this effort to fight those things is still making him lose this connection he has with the estate. he doesn't have to do this alone,,, he doesn't have work endlessly. take a BREAK LLOYD

and by the end of the episode it's to the point that arcos and marbella have realized that that's not lloyd frontera. that's someone else. and gods their faces are DEVASTATING

eyes shadowed, irises blank and lost. they're not frowning deeply, but i can feel the upset layered in. is it disappointment or is it grief? i can't really say for sure, but man,,, man.

anyway yeah i hope u guys understand why this episode gave me anxiety LMFAO

i am so so so sorry for the overthinking/overdissection in this post but my brain started connecting things . whether or not they make sense or if it's just being nitpicky is impossible for me to see so. yeah take this however u will

i actually also briefly saw someone on twitter say that this wasn't in the novel? which is interesting and also a little scary i hope lloyd will turn out alright AHHH

i really hope next episode everyone will be alright ,,, please i cant take this much emotional twisting and turning im gonna lose my mind

see y'all next week or in the next shitpost,,, whichever comes first

[dufferpuffer]

I am re-reading OotP. I am so disappointed in Remus (it's ok he's still the loml and he could still get it).

Like this man constantly pulls the rug from under my feet. For one, he's so cute when he worries about Harry or comforts Molly for the 100th time in the book...or when he makes sure the kids are okay or sits with the werewolf at the hospital (although it was probably to avoid Molly's wrath lol).

But MAN, when Harry firecalls Sirius because he is so disgusted with his dad, Remus let me down.

P.618 "Then, Lupin sait quietly, 'I wouldn't like you to judge your father on what you saw there, Harry. He was only fifteen-'" EXCUSE ME WHAT?!?

Then Harry says "I'm fifteen!" Damn right he is and he is not nearly as vile as his dad was.

P.619 "'Was he playing with the Snitch?' said Lupin EAGERLY." My man is reminiscing of his teenage years watching James bully Snape. REMINISCING.

I struggle with this because I found "Snape's Worst Memory" very sad and painful to read and here it feels that, for a character who SEEMS to have so much empathy for others...makes me wonder how much of this is an act (both the laughing and being empathetic). I wonder if his reaction would have been the same had Sirius not been there? Remus is so fucking desperate to please. That's all he wants really, for people to like him. Sirius is one of his only friends left, so he was not going to start admonishing him in front of his godson, right?

Love you Remus but you suck man :( but i love you because you suck.

Both very tasty examples of Remus-isms. Thanks for sharing them. This man is a mess... his Lycanthropy is nothing compared to the small things he does that are unhealthy, mean and... Remus-y.

One of my favourites is when Harry is almost desperately 'joking' about how the Dursleys think of him, and Remus just keeps shrugging him off: Ch3 pg54

Lupin was sealing a letter addressed to the Dursleys. “Excellent,” said Lupin, looking up as Tonks and Harry entered. “We’ve got about a minute, I think. We should probably get out into the garden so we’re ready. Harry, I’ve left a letter telling your aunt and uncle not to worry —” “They won’t,” said Harry. “That you’re safe —” “That’ll just depress them.” “— and you’ll see them next summer.” “Do I have to?” Lupin smiled but made no answer.

It is such a small thing. Ultimately he is just telling Harry he has written to his guardians - which isn't bad of him, necessarily. If Moody was telling harry he wrote the letter i'd say 'wow he's being gentle and polite today'. He is just doing his job as an adult...

...But Remus KNOWS Harry. Harry isn't just some kid he is acting responsible for: he adores him. Harry is desperate for role models. He needs emotional support. But Remus just does the bare minimum. He gives him nothing. he keeps him, emotionally, at arms length.

When people say Lupin is a good dad to Harry - absolutely not. He was barely an uncle. He was a bit scared of Harry, I think.

As you pointed out - he adores his memories of the past, when he felt free and happy and supported, when he had friends by his side every day and they had fun together. Rose-tinted glasses. When he could believe that he was a good werewolf.

But Harry is so much fucking better then all of them. He puts them to SHAME. Remus doesn't want to have his pristine past poisoned by facing the fact he wasn't a 'good werewolf' at all. He was a bloody irresponsible one, not in a 'silly boys' way either. They acted terribly and he continues to act so now, as an adult.

He knows all this in his heart... but those memories are all he has.

He is stuck in that past, he hasn't really ever grown up. He even 'plays' professor - the cool, fun teacher everyone likes. Sirius? Sirius looks to the future, generally. "What can I do next?" He has his own childishness and trauma, but the past is the past and the future is controlled by the present.

Remus wants to sit and sulk in the past. If he had a penseive like Albus he would be drowning himself in it, day in and day out. it takes Tonks, Harry and a fucktonne of support to grow him up. Which is cool! Sometimes people need it, and its worth it in the end.

I don't think Remus' reaction would have changed much without Sirius there. Maybe he would have just been a little quieter, but I think his feelings would remain largely the same: They are good memories. Perhaps they didn't act the best, but they were only kids, right...? (pointedly ignoring the fact that other kids, like Harry, act so much better than they did without even trying.)

[staybabblingbaby]

Chan x Youtuber (Discover Part) a1 d1

[Caution: These are not full fics, or even full parts of fics for some, these are part of my writing progress archive!]

Concept: Reader is an anonymous Youtuber who does English covers of various k-pop songs, including Stray Kids. Bangchan comes across one of these one night and falls in love with Reader's voice. They develop an online friendship, and Bangchan might be in love with more than just the voice.

Word Count: 962

Notes: I had a lot of fun narrating the video. I've seen it a lot in Idol novels that I read online, and it really is a fun and new perspective to use. The username may stay, it may change, i might get rid of it entirely idk. Kind of also contemplating using 'You' instead of 'person'. Idk we'll see how it goes as i work on it. Feedback would be much appreciated for this one. No editing notes rn, I'm not rlly feelin' it.

Warnings: None that I know of? It's just silly fluff idk what u want from me.

Masterlist link :D| Prev Part

It was 2am on a random Tuesday in Seoul. Bangchan lay staring at his ceiling for the nth time that month, silently cursing at his insomnia. He rolls over for the thousandth time to stare at his wall instead. His eyes drift his phone on the nightstand, and he idly wonders if he should spend some time teasing STAY on Bubble.

It’d definitely relieve the soul-crushing boredom of being unable to sleep, but he doesn’t really feel like receiving their well-intentioned scolding over his sleep schedule right now. He rolls back onto his back and heaves a tired sigh.

With resignation, he sits up and grabs his phone. He’d like to avoid being scolded, but receiving STAY’s love is always comforting. Vlogs and edits it is, then.

He hops onto YouTube with deft fingers and begins his latest STAY-binge. The thought of STAY’s reactions when he reminds them that he watches their stuff brings a smile to his face. They always freak out so cutely.

Soon enough, he’s zoned out and mindlessly scrolling through, giggling along to memes and watching vlogs with all the affection in his heart.

He runs out of content from the accounts he regularly watches pretty quickly. He’s only killed about 30 minutes, and even though his mood has improved significantly, he doesn’t quite feel up to going back to staring at his ceiling yet.

With a light heart, he descends into the familiar uncharted territory of his recommended feed. He manages to kill another hour or so before a particular video catches his eye.

[Learn Music Production With Me! | Cover Me by Stray Kids (English Cover) | EP.4]

The thumbnail features someone with brightly colored hair slumped over a desk, their face smooshed against the wood and their arms dangling limply beside them. Their features are obscured by a fabric mask, but bright blue tear-tracks are drawn on over top.

Bangchan can’t help but be amused by the image. He could definitely relate to the frustrations of learning music production. He actually felt a bit flattered and flustered that this person was using his music to learn from.

Officially intrigued, Chan clicks on the video.

It opens with a shot of the person from the thumbnail from the back. They’re sat at the same desk, which Chan can now see hosts a towering hutch with full shelves decked out in flower-shaped fairy lights. He spots a large section of SKZ albums tucked between other albums and books on the hutch’s shelves.

There’s a microphone on the desk, the boom arm pushed to the side, and a bulky set of headphone’s on the figure’s head. Despite the microphone’s distance from the person at the desk Chan can hear the furious clicking of a mouse as clear as day.

This scene plays out for a moment before the clicking suddenly stops and the person freezes. They slowly remove their headphones and sigh loudly. A very crisp [“Fuck!”] Takes him by surprise and he can’t help a soft laugh as the video pauses and begins to rewind.

[“So turns out I’m a big ol’ dumb-dumb and I’ve been doing this wrong this entire time.”] A voiceover begins to explain. The rewind quickly covers what Bagchan assumes is hours of work, and the voice over continues, [“Well, not wrong, per say, but I was definitely doing it the hard way. Wrong Equation right answer sort of situation. I.”] The voice chuckles ashamedly, [“I could have done this whole thing in a third of the time. I’m so embarrassed. Let me show you.”]

The rewind stops and the video switches to a different angle. The camera is obviously sitting on the desk this time, looking at the person from the side. The angle is much closer. The person waves awkwardly at the camera with both hands and rotates their chair to face it properly.

[“Hi all, I’m Grimm’sTeddy and this is episode 4 of me failing to learn how to produce music. We’re onto week 6 now, because I was quite seriously fighting with this program the entire time.”] A caption appears on the screen, [Shoulda watched more tutorials, buddy].

The video continues along the same vein for a while, a mix of Grimm talking and explaining their process while being unknowingly roasted by the occasional caption when they do something wrong. The video mostly shows the screen they’re working from, only switching back to the vlog-style camera when Grimm is being particularly dramatic about their struggles.

Around the 10 minute mark, Grimm discovers the feature of the program that triggered the reaction from the first clip. There’s a bit of grumbling and self-deprecating jokes, and then the video’s pace speeds up by quite a lot. Apparently the process is a lot less entertaining when it’s going smoothly.

Finally, 12 minutes in, the full cover is revealed.

Bangchan is, quite honestly, entranced.

There’s something almost desperate in the tone Grimm sings with, something raw and hurting. The cover is incredibly faithful to the original. They’d changed some words to preserve the melody across languages but were clever enough with it to preserve the meaning.

Bangchan finds himself impressed. Sure there are mistakes, and a lot of polish is missing, but the voice sticks in his head like glue. He goes to the channel’s page to find the first video in the series almost without thinking about it.

It turns out the video he’d watched was from several months ago, just after they’d released the song initially. There were only 2 videos after it, the series seemingly ending at episode 6.

Chan ends up watching the other 5 videos that night. He falls asleep with his phone on his chest at 5am, after making sure to leave a comment on each video.

[petras-drizzt-corner]

well the Legacy is done

And boy do I have words Spoilers below, friends!

My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Five out of five for me! This book was pure gold!

Okay, I've got a lot to say! So let's start with the little things. First off, I will forever mourn the loss of Jarlaxle/Dinin. They would have been SO DARN CUTE but NOOOOO Vierna just had to turn him into a drider!! Next, Thibbledorf Pwent. OMG I LOVE HIM!!! He was such a fun and silly character amid all the deep, heavy content of the story, and he made a great reprieve from the sadness in the plot. I love him and hope he sticks around for a long, long time! And okay Jarlaxle I love you but how you gonna let Drizzt show you mercy and then immediately snitch on him to Matron Baenre??? Like dude cmon. And also- NOOOOO COBBLE!!!! THAT MAN WAS EPIC!!! Yeah I'm never getting over him either.

Now, let's move into some of the bigger things I have.

Like can we talk about Vierna's death? That was such an emotional scene, and I felt like I was standing watching it. Vivid descriptions and probing sentences that really made me think. The scene was wonderfully crafted, and it was wonderful to see how Drizzt has matured in the ways of dealing with grief.

Speaking of grief, let's talk about it and Wulfgar. I've always felt that while Salvatore's writing is all-around beautiful, there's one thing he excels at- writing grief. He somehow manages to balance writing such a fun and compelling fantastical storyline while also bringing to light deep, heavy emotions and situations that really do tug on your heartstrings. Reading about the utter loss both Bruenor and Catti-Brie felt was bad enough, but the way he describes it, man! I'm not a very emotional person when it comes to fiction, but I felt that despair and shared it with the characters deep in my soul. It's truly his best stuff right there. And on a side note, like I know Wulfgar is in other books, but like he's officially dead?? I dunno but like whatever he kinda was mid.

And like same with Artemis??? I know he's in further books but there's no way he's surviving FALLING DOWN A MOUNTAIN. TWICE. Like I know his plot armor is thick but not THAT thick so like there goes Entreri I guess.

And okay, my final note. Let's talk about Regis. So I know last time I said he'd changed, it was because that was actually Artemis in disguise. And when Drizzt found Regis, after being tortured, he really did seem the same- scared and dependent on others, but overall still good. However, then I got to the ending of the Legacy, where the companions are all in mourning of Wulfgar... except, it seems, for Regis. He seems detached from the whole situation and instead ends up seeking out Artemis to rob him and send him on his second scenic mountain tumble. And while I think his intentions were good, he acted so cold the entire scene. This could just be because it's Artemis, a man who's caused great pain to both Regis himself and his friends. Or maybe, he's just been through too much to hold onto who he used to be. I don't know yet. But I'm eager to see what else is going on with our halfling friend, and I'm so pumped to be starting Starless Night.

Well, that is (finally) all for me! What are your thoughts on the Legacy? -Petra !

[frost-queen]

Sea shells (Daughter!R & JJ Maybank)

Requested by: @tomholland1996simp Forever tag:@missmelodramatic, @merlin-dahlia, @alex--awesome--22 @elllie-does-the-posts, @floatlosers, @merlieve, @queen-of-books, @glimmering-darling-dolly@denkisclown, @wildieflower, @meyocoko, @bubblybrianna, @justanothercoco@subjecta13-thefangirl, @m-rae23, @harleyquinnswifeyfrfr, @swampthing07, @melsunshine

Summary: R is 5 years old and JJ's daughter. All of you spend a nice day at the beach where you go looking for some shells. It was a great day untill Rafe and his friends decided to walk up to you and be rude about your dad. In a few seconds your dad and the others are at your side to protect you. (Sorry it took me so long)

The moment your shoes touched the sand, you sat down. – “Y/n what are you doing?” – JJ asked having walked past you, moving his hands up confused. You stuck your tongue out, focusing on untying those hard shoes with laces. You pulled at one end, grabbing it by the ankle in an attempt to pull them off. JJ sighed jogging over to you. – “Let daddy help.” – he said putting you to a stop. You stuck your feet out to him as JJ came kneeling into the sand.

You looked up, eyes squinting at the sun when Kiara walked past you, ruffling her hand through your hair. – “Daddy is so helpful isn’t he.” – she teased touching his shoulder as well. JJ pulled at the laces as they were stuck. The knot almost too hard to untie. Pope sighed seeing him struggle as he set the surfboard into the sand. – “Let me.” – he said almost taking your shoes. – “No!” – JJ slapped his hand away. – “I got it!” – he called out with a glare.

“Clearly you are struggling.” – Pope insisted on, gesturing at his terrible attempt of untying your laces. – “Pope!” – JJ called out, holding a stern finger up. – “I said I got it.” – he made clear. Pope moved his hands up, backing up. – “If you say so.” – he said picking the surfboard once more. JJ was pulling at your ankle to remove your shoe. He felt it give way, making him fall backwards when your shoe got pulled off.

“See daddy could do it.” – he said, showing you the shoe victories. You laughed. – “Catch!” – JJ said throwing your shoe over his shoulder. John B’s eyes widened briefly as he quickly caught it. – “Another.” – JJ said throwing your next shoe over his shoulder as well. John B dropped his surfing board to catch your shoe in the air. You took your socks off, handing them to your father.

JJ stuck them in his back pocket. – “All set?” – JJ asked as you hummed loud. He helped you up, taking your hand. You started to hop around in the sand. Overjoyed to feel the sand between your toes. JJ laughed at your silliness. You let go of his hand, running over to John B. John B grunted pleased, moving a hand to your back when you jumped at him.

He spun around with you, pressing his hand firmly onto your back so you wouldn’t fall as you hung around his legs. He bend a bit down to set you back down. – “Ready for some fun Y/n?” – John B asked. You nodded with a loud hum. You ran over to Pope, holding the surfboard with him. You weren’t actually that much of a help, but you thought so.

They came to the edge where the sand touched the sea. Pope and John B set the surfboards down. – “Can I swim?” – you asked. – “Sure.” – JJ answered hearing Kiara clear her throat. He looked up to her wondering what he was doing wrong. Kiara tapped on her bare arm to give him a hint. – “Oh right!” – JJ said slapping himself on the forehead. – “You first need some sunscreen.” – he tapped your nose. You smiled. Kiara handed JJ the sunscreen as he silently thanked her. Kiara nodded.

John B laid out some towels. JJ squinted some sunscreen on his hand. He then moved his hands over your face. Your eyes squinted and lips pressed together you held your breath. JJ moved his hand away, laughing loud. – “That’s way too much!” – Kiara sighed out. You looked at Pope who snorted loud at the sight of you. – “Like a marshmallow.” – he joked. – “I like marshmallows.” – you responded. Kiara nudged JJ aside to come and stand before you.

“Let me cause your dad can’t put on sunscreen.” – Kiara mocked with a sarcastic smile. She took some sunscreen off your face and started massaging your arms with it. Making sure the sunscreen was equally divided for protection. This was how you were used to it. Your dad tried his best, but luckily he had such great friends to help him out once in a while.

It wasn’t like JJ had a great example of how to be a dad. His was the worst. You barely met up with grandpa for that very reason. JJ hadn’t planned for it, but somehow he got someone knocked up. The girl in question told him she wasn’t ready for a kid but didn’t have the heart to get rid of it. Leading to JJ having to take care of his kid.

“All better.” – Kiara said pinching your nose. – “Thanks Kie.” – JJ said coming to kneel in front of you. – “So are you up for swimming?” – he asked. You nodded. JJ helped you take of the dress you were wearing over your swimsuit. He picked you up, walking into the sea with you. John B, Kiara and Pope following with their surfboards. The water was cold when it touched your feet. It made you shudder, clamping tighter onto your dad.

JJ moved his hand under water, scooping a bit of water to rub on you. Making your body gently ease to the water’s temperature. Pope neared with his surfboard sitting on top of it. You reached for it as JJ swam closer to him. Pope helped you up onto the surfboard. The board rocked with the movement of the water, making you hang on tight. – “Daddy catch me.” – you said, getting up. Pope held onto you, making sure you wouldn’t fall. – “Alright Y/n.” – JJ spoke holding his hands out. You jumped at him, caught in his embrace.

You squealed loudly when you felt the cold water. There came a small wave as it washed over you and JJ’s head. JJ moved quickly above water, wiping your face clean. – “Are you alright Y/n?” – he asked worried as you were spewing out water. – “Uncle B.” – you said, moving your hand blindly in the water. John B got off his surfboard as Kiara held it, jumping into the water. He swam over to you, taking you from JJ. – “I got you kid.” – he said as you clamped your hands around him.

John B wiped his hand over your face to help keep the salty water out of your eyes. It wasn’t much help as his own hands were wet as well. You slowly opened your eyes, not feeling any stinging from the salty water. You pushed yourself off John B, swimming back to your dad. He swam closer to you once he saw you swim, knowing you weren’t that much of a great swimmer yet. – “Y/n you have to tell me when you plan on swimming over.” – JJ scolded, picking you up.

“Sorry.” – you mumbled, wrapping your legs and arms around him. Suddenly you started to laugh, making JJ furrow his brows. Kiara came swimming up, showing her face above the surface full of mischief. – “Auntie Kie.” – you laughed out as she had tickled you underwater. Kiara chuckled taking you from JJ. JJ swam over to John B, getting on his surfboard to rest his limbs for a moment. You held onto Kiara’s shoulders when she swam around with you. 

You sat on the surfboard with Pope, splashing your dad with your feet kicking in the water. He tickled you in return making you laugh loud. After a while, you were interested in something else. You pointed at the beach, holding onto your dad. – “You want to go back?” – JJ questioned. You nodded. – “I want to look for some shells.” – you told him. JJ hummed loud, swimming back to shore with you. – “Stay in sight Y/n.” – he ordered. You saluted him, making him chuckle.

JJ went back in the water as his friends were keeping an eye on you from afar. They weren’t that far in the water to stay close when something would occur. The sand sticked onto your wet skin, feeling rather rough. Looking at the sand, you searched for nice shells. You spotted one, bending down to grab it. It was a broken one as you pushed it deep underneath the sand so it couldn’t hurt anyone. Humming a song, you continued your search.

It didn’t take you long to find a few shells. Holding them in your hand as they had various colors and shapes. You were so caught up in your search you hardly noticed a group of people coming over. Kooks, led by Rafe Cameron. You frowned when a shadow fell over you, making you look up. – “Well what do we have here?” – Rafe said, bending down to tower over you. He looked at your hand, seeing the shells in it. He slapped on your hand so the shells would fall out, startling you.

“What are you going to do about it pogue?” – Rafe said finding himself funny. You kept quiet, knowing you weren’t supposed to talk to strangers. – “Huh!” – he said giving you a hard nudge as you stumbled back. – “I’m not supposed to talk to you…” – you mumbled. – “What?” – Rafe called out, turning his head to you. – “Speak up kid!” – he insisted on. You build up some courage. – “I’m not supposed to talk to strangers.” – you said louder.

Rafe laughed loud. – “Looks like that piece of shit taught you one good thing.” – Rafe mocked referring to your dad. It made you puff your cheeks up in anger. – “Did he teach you how to drink yet?” – he laughed out, pushing you back by your head. – “Hey!” – Rafe and his friends looked up, seeing JJ, Kiara, John B and Pope make their way over. JJ inhaled sharp through his nose, fist trembling with rage near his waist. – “You better run Rafe before I murder you!” – Kiara shouted making her way over fast.

Rafe and his friends took a wary step back. JJ grabbed Rafe by his shirt, pulling it up to his nose. John B and Pope grabbing one of his friends. – “Are you threatening my daughter?” – JJ questioned loudly. JJ pushed Rafe into the sand, not wanting to be violent aroudn you. John B and Pope elbowed the guys in the stomach. Rafe was getting up as Kiara stepped in, slapping him across the face. – “What the hell!” – Rafe called out, touching his cheek. – “Get out of my sight before I beat your ass up.” – She shouted at him.

Rafe nudged his friends, taking a run for it. – “Y/n!” – JJ spun around, running to you. He picked you up, hugging you tight. – “Are you alright? Are you hurt?” – he questioned. – “No daddy.” – you said, hugging him back. JJ sighed relieved. John B had collected your shells, giving them back to you. JJ set you back down, holding your hand as he led you back to their gear. All sitting in the sand as you gave them each a shell.

---------------------------------------------

Read more of my fics on my Masterlists!  

[sunnyyflowerrs]

our song

yuuji asks megumi what their song is. cute itfs established relationship fluff. minor 268 spoilers. very silly and unserious. under the cut! ~800w

Sunlight filtered through the window, casting an orange glow in Megumi’s bedroom. The two of them were sitting on the bed, doing nothing but enjoying each other’s presence. Yuuji’s head was rested on Megumi’s chest, and music was softly playing from his phone as he scrolled through some dumb app. Megumi had a book open on his lap, a new release on penguins migration patterns that he’d been meaning to read.

“Hey, Megumi?” Yuuji said, the music from his phone stopping as he paused.

The name catches him off guard, as it always does. It’s still new and fresh, and with where his boyfriend’s head is precariously rested on his chest, Megumi is sure that Yuuji can hear how his heart speeds up.

“Yeah?” Megumi responded, not looking up from his book. It was a futile attempt to seem disinterested, an act where Megumi pretended as if he wasn’t holy distracted by the feeling of Yuuji’s warmth. He’d been on the same page for 30 minutes, barely advancing a paragraph.

“What do you think our song is?” Yuuji asked, his head at a weird angle to catch his eyes.

“Our song?” Megumi echoed, giving up on his reading act to meet Yuuji’s honey brown gaze.

“Yeah, like a song that encompasses our relationship. I saw a Tiktok about it.”

“You know I don’t listen to music much.”

“Yeah, yeah, you have a soul of an old grandpa and no creativity.” Yuuji laughed, the complaint lacking any real bite.

“Old soul,” Megumi corrected. “What do you think is our song, then?”

“Hmm.” Yuuji’s eyebrows furrowed like they always did when he was lost in thought. “Oh! I know! Hakari introduced me to these english rappers and I love them. I think I might even change my type.”

“Really?” Megumi said, eyebrows raised in surprise. Yuuji took his type seriously.

“Yeah. I’m thinking of changing my intro to, ‘Hi, I’m Itadori Yuuji, and I like tall woman with a big ass, like Megan thee Stallion”

Megumi sighed, “Or, you could just say ‘Hi, I’m Itadori Yuuji.”

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“I’m confused. If I’m not your type, then why date me?” Though it was meant to be lighthearted, Megumi did wonder what made his boyfriend choose him. He might be tall, but he wasn’t as well endowed in the ass department.

“What do you mean?” Yuuji said, tilting his head like a confused puppy. “That’s completely different! Type has nothing to do with who you love”

“I-“ Megumi blushed at his blunt confession, and desperately wished of a change of subject before he turned into a tomato. “Shut up. What does this have to do with our song?”

“Well, she has this one song, Wanna Be, and I think that could be our song!” Yuuji said, excitedly. He pulled up a music app on his phone and suddenly the song started playing through the speakers.

As the music played, Megumi just stared at his boyfriend incredulously. “What.”

“You don’t think this is us?”

“No?”

Yuuji shook his head. “Wait, wait, see i translated the lyrics-“

“You translated the lyrics?”

“And here she says ‘if he don’t wanna be saved, don’t save him,’ and isn’t that what I said to you? During the battle?”

Megumi just continued to stare at him in disbelief. “I don’t think that’s what she meant. At all.”

“And here at the end,” Yuuji continued, ignoring him, “the other rapper is hyping her up, saying ‘Go Meg, Go Meg’, and that kinda sounds like your name!”

“Your english accent is horrendous,” Megumi commented, at a loss for what to say.

“Whatever, that doesn’t matter. what do you think?” Yuuji looked at him, now sitting up. He had so much excitement in his eyes, Megumi felt like if he voiced his true thoughts it would be like kicking a puppy in the face.

That doesnt mean it’s easy to come up with a compliment though. “Um,” Megumi started, reaching for anything positive to say, “it’s really something.”

Yuuji frowned. “You don’t like it,” he pouted, joy in his face dimming.

Fuck. That was the wrong thing to say. He was so bad at this. “No, no,” Megumi backtracked. “It’s so … us.”

At that, Yuuji smiled. “Then, it’s set! It’s our song.”

Megumi smiled softly at his boyfriend’s wide grin. Even though it wasn’t his first choice, or even in his first hundred choices, it was still theirs, and how Megumi not love anything that was theirs? He opened his book again and trained his eyes on the paged he’d try to read a thousand times, failing at hiding his blush. “Yeah, it’s our song.”

———

if you made it this far, thanks for reading!! this is such a dumb idea but i heard the song and needed to write them with it, but it was way too short/plotless to go on ao3 so i plopped it here. hope y’all enjoyed!

the song in question:

[mrsfrecklesmarauders]

It was at fifteen that Sirius felt something for someone for the first time.

He was just a silly boy who had kissed a couple of girls not because he wanted them but because they initiated it.

The summer when he met George, Sirius would call it the best of his life. The bloke was one of his Uncle's friends. He was way older. In his thirties. He was cool, handsome and easy going. He dressed like a Rockstar: cool leather jackets, tight jeans, piercings and leather boots. Plus he had the most angelical voice Sirius had ever heard.

They toured through different cities of Europe thanks to Alphard's money. George sang in every bar and club they could find. Alphard brought his nephews along, pretending they were more than eighteen and not minors with little experience of that world.

Regulus didn't enjoy his time much. He didn't enjoy the clubs and crowds and preferred to get lost in his books. Sirius was delighted with all that experience. With George and his Uncle, he learned to drink, to smoke, to listen to music, to flirt and to have fun.

Sirius thought Alphard's life was wonderful. Full of adventures, so different than what the rightful House of Black represented. During that summer, Sirius swore to be just like George when he was older.

But what George made him feel was intense and very different than what he had felt before. George was this amazing person that Sirius wanted to impress. He got nervous around him. And at the same time he felt so wild, like anything was possible around him.

Sirius couldn't stop looking at him, admiring every move, every smile, every word that came out of his mouth. His heart beat harder when George winked at him. He blushed when he rubbed his hair. And when he sang, Sirius was transported to another world.

Of course in Sirius’s fifteen year old mind, it was impossible to acknowledge these feelings as love. It was impossible for Alphard to be gay. It was impossible for him to be gay. So Sirius just saw all of this as admiration. Nothing more.

They were just bachelors having fun without compromise.

"George, Uncle has been looking for you"

George was at the hotel terrace, sitting at the edge of the roof, looking down at the street, feet tangling down. He held a cigarette between his lips. He had dark shades and wearing only a white tee he looked incredibly great. How could he manage that?

"Sirius, come here" George gestured for Sirius to come closer, smiling at him with his perfect white teeth.

Sirius couldn't avoid blushing as he approached.

"Look at this view, isn't gorgeous?"

Sirius saw the city of Paris in front of his eyes. Sunset was making the sky pink and yellow. The buildings had a certain glow in them. Everything looked as if it was made of gold. Paris was truly breathtaking. Eiffel Tower in the back. Sirius had been a few times, but he had never seen the city this beautiful.

"C'est trés jolie" Sirius commented as he took a seat besides George.

George laughed. His hair was also golden, shinning under the sun.

"At least I get you to talk to me in French, your Uncle doesn't want to"

Sirius was aware of his cheeks getting on fire.

"I bloody love Paris" George added "Might want to stay here forever"

"Me too" Sirius suddenly agreed looking at the landscape "I don't want summer to be over"

George raised an eyebrow.

"Come on, I'm sure you miss your friends" he said "Maybe a pretty girl you left behind?"

Sirius did miss his friends. The Marauders and their silly pranks. Although he didn't think about them every second of the day. Not when Sirius was having this much fun. He thought he should probably write to James. Then he felt nostalgic and got excited about the idea of telling him about of his adventures to him. He was surely going to love them.

"Maybe my friends, but no.. I don't have a girl" Sirius found himself nervously playing with his wristband as he said this.

"Oh yeah? A boy as handsome as you?"

Sirius now smiled at his own silliness and way of blushing so easily.

"I am like my Uncle. A free spirit. Do not want to waste time in just one girl"

He said it mainly to sound cooler. Like George as well. He flirted and talked with plenty of girls after his shows. But never actually stayed with one.

George looked away into the sunset with a sigh "Your Uncle, a free spirit, isn't he?" he took a drag of his cigarette, then realized he was supposed to offer it to Sirius.

Sirius grabbed it between his fingers. He had managed to not cough the other day. He wasn’t very keen of the smell and taste. But he wanted to look cool. And George looked so cool while he smoked.

Sirius managed to take a full drag and only coughed a little as he let the smoke out. George was amused. God, why did Sirius want to impress him so much? And why did he fail miserably?

"Are you angry with him?" Sirius asked as he passed the cig back "With my Uncle? I heard you discussing with him yesterday after your show"

If Sirius had been paying more attention he would have seen George go a bit frigid.

"It was just some bickering, Sirius. Do you bicker with your mates?"

Sirius shared a dorm with his best friends. Sometimes they fought about silly stuff.

"All the time" Sirius sneered.

George nodded with a smile.

"Your Uncle has an insufferable temper, I must tell you"

Sirius chuckled "He is alright"

"Have we met the same Alphard?"

Sirius found himself laughing and afterwards he couldn't stop smiling. It was a stupid thing.

'I like you' Sirius wanted to say. 'I'm glad you are my Uncle's friend. And I am glad I met you'

"Don't worry about it, mate"

But he didn't dare. The words were just stuck on his throat like a bloody syrup.

George kept smoking in silence. Sirius opened his mouth trying to find the right words. It was the nervousness that got him this silly.

"Each morning I wake up and die a little, can't barely stand on my feet..."

However his thoughts were interrupted when George began singing. He winked making Sirius blush. It was an acapella song without music, without warning, just because he felt like it. And Sirius smiled because he recognized this song.

"Take a look in the mirror and cryyy... Oh lord what you're doing to mee... I have spent all my years in believing you... Someday I'm gonna be free Looooord!"

Sirius couldn't get more fascinated by George's voice. He hadn't heard something so beautiful. He hadn't seen anyone so beautiful. In his mind it was that he wanted to be exactly like George. That cool, that amazing, that talented, that perfect.

"Find me somebody to Looove... Find me somebody to Looove" Sirius sang as well.

George smiled before continuing.

"Caaan anybody find mee...." George made a pause looking at the beautiful sky "Somebody toooo....... loooooooveeeee...."

The last part gave Sirius goosebumps. Not even Mercury had managed that. So Sirius was smiling just because. Cheeks pink, no wonder.

And George was smiling as well. Cheeky little smile below his shades.

Sirius wanted to smile at someone someday and provoke all the crazy things he was feeling now.

"George, don't encourage my nephew to sing. He has a terrible voice"

Alphard was right behind them. He had a soft smile on his face. But he looked tired. Maybe he just woke up.

"And don't you dare encourage him to smoke" Alphard added as he practically ripped the cigarette out of George's hand.

"He is a grown up boy, Alphard"

"I am a grown up boy, Uncle" Sirius smiled innocently. He actually couldn't wait to be a grown up adult like these two. Free from Orion and Walburga, free from all the stupid rules.

Alphard rolled his eyes as he took a drag.

"Your mother will kill me if she knew what you've been doing this summer"

Sirius buffed. He was embarrassed to be treated like a brag in front of George.

"Better not tell her, eh Alphard?"

"Why don't you go and fetch your brother?"

Alphard asked as he kept smoking "He's been reading the same bloody book in bed all day..."

Regulus was just fourteen. And he was already behaving like a bloody boomer.

"Look at that sight, let's go eat something outside"

Sirius rolled his eyes.

"I am not Reggie's babysitter"

Alphard patted him in the shoulder. "Come on, lad. I need to have a moment alone with George, yeah?"

Sirius noticed George haven't said a word. He kept looking forward. Sirius wished he would know what he was thinking.

"Yeah, of course" he said reluctantly as he stood up. Alphard gave him a sympathetic smile before Sirius left.

As he was walking inside, Sirius turned to see at his Uncle and George discuss. They were talking in low voices so Sirius couldn't hear. He couldn't tell by the shades but was he crying?

Then Alphard whispered something to make George give him his handsome smile. And something weird happened. Alphard touched his cheek delicately. Both men looked into each other's eyes.

Sirius found the gesture so intimate that he decided to leave.

Sirius was blind back then. He should have seen that as romantic. He should have known what his Uncle was. What George was. Now with everything that had happened with Remus, it all made more sense. Remus was not the first bloke he had fancied. Perhaps...

Something was certain. Alphard had been terrified to tell everyone the truth. And Sirius was terrified as well. He wished his Uncle was not dead so he could talk to him. He wished Alphard had trusted him. But he didn't. And Sirius missed him very much. Now he had to figure out all of these feelings on his own.