#the best the design group has to offer. // ic

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Those Eyes Chico ༓ myg (m) | chapter one

✑ Summary: As the new marketing director for Min Yoongi’s upcoming D-Day album & tour, you’re expected to bring your expertise to the table. This shouldn’t be a problem—you’re the best in the business and you’re used to drawing a strict line between your professional and personal life. But what happens when the lines you’ve fought to keep as separate blur for the first time?

pairing: idol!yoongi x plus size!poc!reader

genre/AU: angst, fluff, smut, slowburn, coworkers2friends2lovers, winter setting, forbidden love,

word count: 6.5k+

warnings: oc is 28, Yoon is 30, oc is not originally from South Korea, oc has light brown eyes, swearing, mentions of alcohol consumption, mentions of anxiety, panic attacks, body insecurities, fear of being blacklisted, emotionally restrained yoon, unstable parental relationships, conservative parents, rude Hybe executive that should be fired, bestie!tae is wonderful support 🥹, and cute yoon and oc interactions bc yeah....its thier first time actually meeting so it must be cute!

now playing: Sweet Dreams by The Last Shadow Puppets

a/n: YAHHH chapter one!! Ok i apologize if the meeting is so long and drawn out...I really tried to make it fun but so much info is needed too haha. Anyway this series is dedicated to my wonderfully crazy friend and sorta beta, Gloom @theuselessdaydreamingidiot, and to all our fellow Yoon lovers bc we miss our sweet man SO MUCH 🥺 Enjoy! 🥰 Also huge thank you to @itaeewon for designing this beautiful series header! Love it!!

Series Masterlist | next chapter >>

Winter in Seoul feels like stepping onto the set of your most beloved holiday film.

As the brisk air wraps around you, delicate snowflakes gather atop your head, urging you to cocoon in your finest wool trench coat. Yet, despite the chill, the sight of frost-bitten trees basking in the morning's golden rays offers a source of warmth and delight. Perhaps the most radiant tree of them all is the towering Christmas tree that sits proudly in the heart of the city. Adorned with shimmering red and gold baubles, the giant evergreen catches the eye of every person that walks by–both tourists and locals alike.

Nearby shopping malls buzz with holiday fervor too as shoppers scour for treasures, couples engage in friendly competition to find the ultimate gift, and children line up to take their picture with Santa. But the best part is when night falls. The whole city comes alive with joy and laughter as loved ones meet one another on the ice-skating rinks, while karaoke bars echo tipsy renditions of timeless songs sung by overworked professionals, each with a bottle of soju in hand.

Yes, Seoul is a place for making memories and you’re in the thick of it.

Having been in the city for three years, one might assume you’ve become well accustomed to the energy of the season. You've really grown to love it here. But adjusting to the new environment is still proving to be a challenge, the most outstanding being the prevailing beauty standards.

Massive billboards featuring stunning models serve as constant reminders of the type of beauty one should aim to achieve as you commute to work. Impossible to miss are the shining examples themselves – iconic k-pop groups Seventeen, Red Velvet, EXO, BlackPink, Mamamoo, TXT, and of course BTS plastered on the side of every flat surface imaginable. You’re not exactly complaining about that aspect as you’ve helped design a good handful of them as a top marketing and advertising professional. But the strict image of what constitutes a beautiful and worthy individual weighs on you more than you’d like.

While a conventional body type isn’t what you’ve been given in this life, you don’t consider yourself to be completely unattractive either. Having high cheekbones, a strong jawline, striking light brown eyes, good enough ass, and a full chest shouldn’t classify as undesirable. Still, you wish you’d adopt this more body positive mindset rather than your current overthinking one. It’s easier said than done, being that you not only see idols everyday on the streets in digital form but at work as well.

You continue further into city until a set of tall, glass doors meet you mere steps away. You tilt your head back to catch the name of the skyscraper before nearing the building’s sturdy, silver handle.

BigHit Music.

Feeling its cool metal under your fingertips, the door swings open with an easier pull than imagined to welcome you into the bustling lobby. You feel a rush of confidence return to you upon entering– this is your domain, this is where you truly shine.

“Did you get the files I sent to you?”

The woman nods her head in affirmation while sweeping a few pieces of her long, silky hair behind an ear. To strangers, she appears to look about 24 which is only four years younger than yourself but nonetheless she’s the same age as you. Hei-Ran is her name, meaning “graceful orchid” according to Korean translation.

Hei-ran is one of Hybe’s newest hires and based on her experience, a near perfect fit to being South Korean boy group Tomorrow X Together’s new marketing manager. Until about three months ago, this had been your job.

You never imagined giving up the position after three years of working in the role. But with December right around the corner Hybe had other plans for you.

"Graduated summa cum laude with a bachelors degree in BTech in Electrical and Electronics Engineering and a MBA in Marketing from NYU Stern. You worked two years as a brand manager for U.S record label Atlantic Records immediately after graduating, and are now working at BigHit Music as a marketing manager for TXT including liaison with their global marketing team.”

You recall Bang PD's voice vibrate in the back of your mind from mid-August. You thought you were called into his office to discuss details of TXT’s latest promo, so having your resume read back to you was a sweeping curve ball. Your determination must have far exceeded the heaviness you felt in your chest because before you knew it you, you were shaking hands with your boss in acceptance of your role – the new marketing director for Min Yoongi’s upcoming D-Day album & tour.

The tedious knot that’s formed in the nape of your neck reminds you that as surreal as the situation might be, it’s undeniably real.

Months spent drafting a comprehensive marketing proposal for D-Day; often until the wee hours of the night, inevitably takes its toll on even the mightiest of warriors. An entire new team of fifty people, all of who you’ll be in charge of orchestrating for the next eight months, doesn’t provide much to relief either.

You’re excited nevertheless. Working with one of the most respected artists in the music industry is an opportunity you couldn’t let slip by, especially since the album’s rock-inspired genre aligns closely with your own music taste.

“Thank you so much for helping me get settled __,” Hei-ran’s gentle voice returns you to the present. “I appreciate the time you’ve taken these last few months to train me despite the tight deadlines you have.”

Smiling, you shake your head. “It’s no problem at all and if there’s anything you need in the future, feel free to give me a call or stop by my office.”

“On the 16th floor right?”

“1656A. Take a left off the elevator and walk to the end of the first hallway. The door on the right is mine.”

Referring to any room on the 16th floor as your own is something you don’t take lightly. For one the offices are double the size of any other office spaces in the building. Yours in particular has a giant skyscraper window draped with heavy white curtains. Secondly, the floor above is the 17th floor which is exclusive to Hybe artists only.

"How's the proposal coming along, by the way?" Her curiosity is palpable, genuine in its nature. You’ve always appreciated that in an individual.

“It’s done,” you respond. “Only thing left to do is to prepare for our meeting with C-suite executives next Monday. It’s nearly perfect as is, but the presentation could use a bit of refining in terms of organization.”

Hei-ran is silent for a moment longer than usual before her next inquiry, which is undoubtedly the question on both of your minds. “I can't help but wonder what it'll be like to meet him for the first time,” she muses.

You don’t bother asking for clarification on who the “him” is; you’re already well aware that it’s Min Yoongi. The same subject has managed to intrude your own thoughts more and more as the date of meeting him draws closer. It's peculiar honestly, considering you’ve encountered him before.

Granted, it was only a small handful of times the hallway, both heading in opposite directions. Min Yoongi typically greeted you with a hoarse 'Good Morning' those instances, along with a curt nod of his head. You would nod back with a brief 'Morning' yourself. Deep down you feel he'd make a quality friend, though it's only a premonition. It’s not like you actually know much about him beyond those small exchanges.

"I'm not sure what to expect, honestly," you admit. "I imagine it'll be similar to previous professional collaborations—composed, focused, and intense. D-Day is poised to become a global sensation for the next year, so it's going to need our full, undivided attention."

Hei-ran gives a knowing nod. “Good luck __,” she wishes you well as you head towards the elevator doors. Breaks over, back to work.

After another late-night prep session for Monday’s D-Day proposal, you trudge through your apartment door well past 8:30 pm with an empty stomach and a throbbing headache. Good news is that your graphic design team seems to be well on track with their album mockups ready to present.

The same can’t be said for your U.S. promo team however, who required additional guidance on their projects. The social media team was in a similar boat. Somehow several of their members lost track of time and were convinced the proposal was still two weeks away.

Despite the hiccups, you managed to tie up the loose ends, but it meant that none of you got to leave early.

When you finally get to curl up in your fluffy sofa, a loud, exasperated sigh leaves your lips. Your lids flutter shut too as you rest your head against the soft cushion. Silently, you make one last mental rundown of all the tasks you checked off today.

Did you miss anything?

D-Day is the most crucial project you’ve ever taken charge of—you need it to be flawless.

When nothing pressing comes to mind, you grab the tv remote from your dark oak coffee table and aimlessly flip through the channels. You’ll unwind for an hour and then call it a night.

Ten minutes into an episode of Brooklyn Nine-Nine and the light chime of your phone's notification bell catches your ear.

Tae 💚: Haven’t heard from you all day. Everything alright?

Taehyung, your best friend. You smile fondly at his message as your thumbs hover over the reply button. He's always checking in on you. You and Taehyung have been friends ever since you first moved to Seoul and started working at Hybe. You didn't expect your friendship to become this strong, but both of you are sociable individuals, which led to discovering several unexpected commonalities. One of those is a shared love for jazz, which has been one of your all-time favorite genres for as long as you can remember.

You: yeah, I’m good. Just tired. Been working on D-Day's proposal for months and finally got it fully prepped for.

Tae 💚: Well, that's amazing news! You feel good about it?

You: I don't know. I’m definitely ready for this project but I’m also starting to feel a little burned out. The proposal is only the beginning you know, and it's already taking the wind out of me.

Tae 💚: Sorry to hear that 😞 I'm sure it must be draining, but I also know this is your territory. No one is more fit to head this project than you. Everyone thinks so. How about you take the weekend to rest?

You: Yeah...I'm watching B99 rn

Tae 💚: B99?! Without me?

You can't help but giggle. Somehow over the course of three years you've roped your best friend into becoming obsessed with your mindless sitcoms. You've done more than a handful of binge watching together, until all hours of the night.

You: Wanna come over for an hour?

The company might be nice.

Tae 💚: Be there in 20 🏃

Your door bells rings exactly twenty minutes after you and Taehyng finish exchanging texts. He's so prompt it scares you sometimes.

“Hey.” His deep, baritone voice greets you first, along with a friendly hug. Taehyung slips his snow covered boots off upon entering your apartment and hangs his wool jacket on your coat rack. His limited edition Gucci scarf is next. Taehyung loves the winter as it’s the time he can wear his most luxurious clothes.

“What’s this?” You peak inside a brown paper bag that Taehyung has conveniently set on your kitchen countertop. He flashes you a playful grin and gestures you to open it. Naturally, you're suspicious but it all washes away when a new, unopened bottle of whiskey presents itself. “Oh my god, you didn’t!" You swat his arm in a rush of excitement.

“I had to!" Taehyung opens a kitchen cupboard and grabs a glass from the top shelf. He's been in your apartment enough times that he’s grown comfortable with your place. That and he's also your best friend.

"With all the recent events you've had going on, I think it calls for a celebration." Taehyung expertly pours you a glass of the smooth, rich liquor and offers it to you.

“Thank you, Tae," you say, taking the glass from his hand. "Come sit down. Jake's about to sing I Want It That Way with the police lineup.” Taehyung pours himself a glass of Pinot Noir and follows your lead.

After about forty minutes of sitcoms and booze with your best friend you begin to feel yourself relaxing. Whatever challenges lies ahead, you know you'll be able to handle them one whiskey at a time.

All stream of thought is interrupted when your phone dings off again. It's now half past 9, who on earth is trying to reach you?

Fuck.

You tighten the grip on your phone as soon aa the message appears. Taehyung, previously occupied by the end credit scene, catches the sudden shift in your demeanor and calls your name but he's inaudible to you.

Mom: It’s been almost two weeks since we last heard from you. We know you're busy but your father and I want to know if you’ll be coming home. The holidays are coming up right? Why don't you use some of that time to come see us? There's someone we want you to meet.

"__, who is it?" Taehyung's voice manages to break your intense concentration.

“Just my mom.” You answer briefly, still averting eye contact.

“What’d she say?”

“She wants me to come home for the holidays.” You shut your phone off in an effort to calm yourself.

Unlike Taehyung your relationship with your parents has always been rocky. Expectations are set high from birth and you never see eye to eye. Likely, the only accomplishment that's earned genuine praise from them was when you accepted your initial job proposal with Hybe. A respectable career is only second to health to them after all. Your father was more torn with the news that you’d be moving hundreds of miles away than your mom however, not that you’re surprised.

Of course while having a healthy and respectable career is priority for your parents, there is no mistake that their greatest wish is to see their daughter married. A stable man with ample resources to provide her a secure home and healthy children is preferable.

You love your parents and you'll always be there for them, but you must admit that their traditional outlook is one you can never live up to. They tried setting you up dozens of times before, and tonight's request to have you come home "for the holidays to meet someone” is simply another attempt to marry you off.

Yes, you would like some sort of companionship in your life and you hope if you find it that they’ll approve. But giving your hand in marriage to the first notable suitor isn't your forte. You consider yourself to be an independent woman with a tender heart, and you'd rather be single for the entirety of your life than be forced into another obligation.

Preserving your independence is highly important to you. So no, you draw the line when it comes to relational affairs.

If only you could be firm and repeat all the above to them aloud, rather than within your own head— if only.

“So are you gonna go?"

You don't respond immediately, still weighing out your options. "Not sure," you murmur. "I don't really want to but maybe I should. I haven't gone home to see my parents since last year."

Taehyung recognizes the growing tension in your voice as well as the flushed expression playing on your face. He wishes he could take it all away but instead he moves closer to your side of the sofa and lets you rest your head on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry." He's silent for a moment before continuing. "Why don't you tell them you can't go because of work? There must be a number of things you'll need to get ahead of for Yoongi's album."

"True. But it's too easy, they won't buy that. I have to go."

"What if you say I invited you to celebrate with my family this year? We're going to a nice, cozy cabin a few hours north of here for Christmas."

The offer is temping and you know he means it but it's also not enough.

"No," you reject. "They'll think we're dating and ask to meet you."

"I'll do it!" Taehyung's voice lifts into a more playful tone, earning a soft chuckle from you.

"Very cute Taetae, but no. Neither of us are going to say 'that was a good idea' in the end, trust me. I'll have to make this decision on my own."

Taehyung grimaces slightly at your last choice of words. "I really think you should consider telling them you can't due to a full schedule. We don't get that much time off at the company any way. Don't your parents live at least 7-10 hours away? Come on, spend the holidays with me and the guys. Plus, it'll be my birthday soon. I want you there at my party."

When you look at your best friend to gently scold him for not so sneakily using the guilt tripping technique, he's pouting. Like a baby. Not even you can resist him with that face on.

"Fine. I'll think about it."

"Good," Taehyung chirps and snatches the tv remote to flip through episodes of Brooklyn Nine-Nine. "I want you to be around those closest to you, especially around the holidays. You're my badass best friend who deserves more than some stupid forced marriage to a guy with an unhealthy alpha male complex. Should we top the night off with one more episode by the way?"

You nod and Taehyung hits play on the remote. "Thank you," you coo, feeling a tad better.

The weekend is a blur at best and you’re back at the office before you realize. Of course this is no ordinary work day however, given that today signifies the day you officially start work as D-Day’s marketing director. You’ve been perfecting every detail of the proposal like a madman since the beginning, meticulously obessing over every element. Your new team members must have a pretty eye-opening understanding of what it’ll be like having you as a lead for the next year–you pity them to be honest.

Between your fingers clutches a small tube of lip balm, berry flavored with a faint tint to match. You love chapstick for some odd, inexplainable reason and you felt the need to apply a generous amount of it on your lips for good luck.

“No one’s here yet,” Yi-joon, one of the members of your graphic design team, speaks first upon stepping foot into your assigned conference room. Others hum, unsurprised. Being the ones leading the presentation, you’d be startled if anyone actually arrived beforehand.

A grand mahogany table, seating up to 14 individuals, boasts itself to you in the middle of the room with every chair lined in genuine black leather. Traditional seating arrangements have one chair at the head of the table, but today’s meeting has two, both positioned to face the wide presentation screen at the opposite end.

Undoubtably, they’re reserved for Bang PD and Min Yoongi.

A momentary shiver courses down your spine, yet fades quick when one of your team members asks if anyone's seen the remote to the projector. There’s no time for nerves to be acting up, you remind yourself calmly. Only 15 minutes remain until every C-suite executive in Hybe congregates into the room.

With a composed demeanor, you swiftly gather your thoughts and respond, "Try checking inside the podium. It's likely close by, but if not, we can always power it on manually." You then start delegating tasks to the rest of your team, mentally rehearsing key points of the proposal between each instruction.

Time appears to have vanished in the blink of an eye because in a matter of seconds a gentle breeze slips through the conference door, accompanied by the arrival of several Hybe executives. You offer a polite "good morning," which is briefly reciprocated as they take their respective seats around the conference table.

You count twelve at the table in total, including your own team.

"Sajangnim should be here in about–"

Hybe's Chief Finance Officer doesn't get to finish his sentence when an older gentleman in a freshly pressed suit walks through the door, fully immersed in conversation. The person following close behind him is none other than the man of the hour himself–Min Yoongi, fitted in a clean white dress shirt that's unbuttoned at the collar and sleeves rolled to the elbows. His soft, raven hair falls gently in front of his eyes, framing his face a little too well.

Unexpectedly, both your gazes shift from Bang PD and onto one another. His dark, intense eyes pierce through you as they observe you from the opposite side of the room. You're certain he recognizes you from your previous shared encounters, though you don't have the slightest clue what he's thinking. Min Yoongi has been known to be many things, but an open book isn't one of them.

He then walks in your direction until he's directly toe to toe with you for the very first time. Completely against your wishes, you feel all the tiny hairs on the back of your neck stand straight. You've never officially met before.

"It's nice to finally meet you __-nim. Those nods we give each other in the hallway hardly count as a proper introduction." He extends a hand to you, offering you a sturdy handshake which you accept.

"Absolutely, it's a pleasure to meet you as well Min PD-nim," you say, smiling warmly. "I'm looking forward to working with you on your new album. I truly appreciate the opportunity."

For a split second, Yoongi allows his professional demeanor drop. "I should be the one thanking you. You'll be the one leading this whole operation right? So I'll be in your care."

You want to respond with gratitude, but you're not given the chance due to an authoritative voice speaking up from behind.

"Min PD-nim," Hybe's Vice President calls out to the man in front of you, requesting his attention.

Yoongi is hesitant to leave you mid-conversation but you assure him that it's alright. "Please, feel free to take a seat," you offer. "The presentations will begin soon."

A small, subtle smile graces Yoongi's lips before he turns around to take his seat beside Bang PD at the head of the table. He engages in small talk with Hybe's Vice President who's conveniently seated across from him. Yet despite their conversation, he's only half focused; his eyes repeatedly wandering back to you. At this point, however, you've already stopped looking at him.

"Good morning, all," you address the room when the time comes to commence the meeting. "We'll be getting started now that everyone's here. I'm sending down samples of the album design our graphics team has created for D-Day. Please pass them along." You hand the stack of copies to Hybe's Chief Technology Officer who smiles courteously.

"On behalf of my team and me, I want to thank you for joining us today to discuss our marketing strategy for Min PD-nim's upcoming D-Day album. Our agenda will be as follows," you guide everyone's attention to the presentation board, which provides a rundown of all the points you plan to cover for the remainder of the meeting.

"Let's begin with introductions. My name is ___ ___, I hold a Bachelor's degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering from NYU Stern, as well as an MBA in Marketing. Over the past five years, I've worked in the music industry as a marketing manager. Three of those years were spent here at Hybe. The recent promotional campaign for TXT's The Chaos Chapter was lead by my previous team and me, resulting in a positive return on investment. Now, with a new team, I aim to achieve similar success with Min PD-nim's D-Day album."

Once you finish your introduction, you introduce each member of your team. This is soon followed by a brief introduction from each c-suite executive.

The whole room falls silent when you begin diving into the bulk of the proposal; every measurable objective, goal, and market analysis is shared for D-Day. When it comes time to present the brand guide and album design, you invite your graphics team to speak.

"You'll notice that we have two versions of Min PD-nim's albums on the sheet in front of you," Yi-joon refers to the mockups you handed out earlier. A few executives nod quietly as they study the proposed album packaging while Yoongi leans over to Bang PD. He's whispering something but you're far to distant away to hear. His expressions aren't telling either.

Does he like it? Does he not? You don't know.

Nevertheless, you give a subtle smile to Yi-joon as encouragement to continue.

 "We've opted for a sleek, pitch-black design for the first version, and a dusty brown for the second. The first version symbolizes the past, characterized by societal expectations and internal struggles, while the second represents the present and future, conveying a message of liberation. To complement these themes, we've selected a bold and daring font to exude the album's transparency. This design consistency extends to the album's contents; for instance, lyrical cards will reflect the respective color and style of the version they belong to."

Hybe's Chief Marketing Officer appears to be in approval with the entirety of the plan so far, yet it's short lived when a low voice interrupts.

"I think the vision of album's design aligns closely with mine, so I like what I see in front of me." Yoongi pauses and places the mockup on the table. "There's one aspect that I'd like to discuss in hopes of some insight however. I've been mauling over it for a while now."

"I'll do my best to–" Hybe's Chief Marketing Officer opens his mouth to respond yet closes it immediately when he notices Yoongi's gaze sharply shifts to you. It's a signal that it's your insight he specifically requests.

"Please go on," you reply.

"Regarding the name under which the album should be released, should it be 'Agust D' or 'Suga'? I'm personally biased towards Agust D because it holds more weight for me. It's close to my heart and the stories I have to tell as Agust D are heavier than those of Suga, right? The D even stands for Daegu, my hometown where I grew up and where my parents still live. Suga on the other hand is my stage name, which I have some identity in as well."

You don't answer immediately, preferring to carefully process everything he's said. Your team has already proposed to release the album under 'Agust D', yet he makes a valid point that 'Suga' is also a part of him.

"I understand that releasing the album under 'Suga' has its merit. However, I still support the original idea of releasing it under 'Agust D'. As you've mentioned, the name carries a deeper meaning, evoking memories, emotions, trials, and tribulations. I'd also like to emphasize that by releasing D-Day under 'Agust D', you can showcase who the real Agust D is. The collaboration with IU in People Pt. 2 already has you one step in that door."

Like you, Yoongi considers your words cautiously, weighing them in his mind. "Thank you ___-nim," he finally speaks. "Your perspective is reassuring. We'll proceed with releasing the album under 'Agust D'.

Following your short discussion, the graphics team continues presenting their design materials. Minor comments are made by Hybe executives, but Yoongi doesn't comment again until half-way into the social media segment.

"Why do we need to schedule this many Weverse Lives? People might get tired of seeing my face after so many in a row. ARMY will read, 'Min Yoongi started a live' and say to their friends, 'This is the fifth time in a row, is he in love with his own voice or something?'." His joke sparks a light in the room as Bang PD gives a chuckle.

"I don't think that's going to be an issue for you Yoongi," he replies. "Don't you know the strength of your own fanbase?" Bang PD's statement is undeniable. Everyone in the room is well aware of Min Yoongi's international fanbase who willingly stay up all hours of the night just to catch a glimpse of him. In fact, rather than seeing less of him, they hope to receive his live notifications more, as Yoongi isn't as active on Weverse as other idols.

It's clear that compliments like these aren't easy for Yoongi to take though, judging by the flushed look that subtly sweeps over his face. You'd react the same way to be honest.

"If I may Min PD-nim," you speak up, deciding to offer an alternative plan. "Leveraging Weverse Live to help promote D-Day will draw significant international engagement. We know that time differences pose to be a challenge which is why we proposed an increase of live sessions per week. However, we understand that going live this often might be exhausting. Would you consider reducing the frequency to once or twice a week instead?"

"I'm open to once a week but didn't we film the 'Suga: Road to D-Day' documentary for a similar reason? Won't it be too much to add more than two Weverse Lives throughout the entire promotional phase?" Yoongi's challenge is met with an unanimous hum of support from his fellow executives. You'd feel intimidated if you didn't already have a justification mapped out.

"The objective behind releasing 'Suga: Road to D-Day' on Disney+ differs from that of Weverse Lives," you rebuttal confidently. "While the documentary presents a structured behind-the-scenes view of D-Day's development, the Lives focus on building hype among your existing fans who know you well, will spread the word to their peers, and will likely pre-order the album. As you're aware, Lives are more personal and stripped down, allowing your fanbase to feel closer to you."

Thinking of no further objectives, Yoongi, still somewhat unsure, accepts your suggestion. "Once a week will be fine then. While we're still on the topic, do we know when 'Suga: Road to D-Day' is set to release on Disney+?"

"Our digital marketing and promo team will be reviewing the specifics of that soon," you inform. "Right now we have the documentary releasing April 23 of next year. The poster for the film will release a week and a half earlier on the 12th."

Rather than furthering the discussion, Yoongi sends an understanding nod your way which allows the social media team to resume their portion of the proposal. Recording more Weverse Lives than usual remains a pain point for him, but he's willing to move forward if it means connecting with his fanbase.

Alast, after what seems like three hours of social media; followed by financing & budget talk, the last team to present their material takes lead of the meeting.

"We'd like to provide a timeline for D-Day's promo schedule as a way to wrap up today's proposal," So-hyun from your digital marketing and promos team explains. "Promotions will begin April 10, 2023 and will run until April 25th. During this time the album's track list, concept photos, MV Teaser, and official MV will drop. As far as concert schedule, we're proposing April 26-June 24. These dates include U.S, Asia, and Korea Tours."

"We might need to rethink concert dates but for now I'm on onboard." Yoongi remains brief in his interjection, allowing So-hyun to continue.

"As far as other marketing channels, we plan to implement both print and digital methods including billboards, banners, paid search ads, and YouTube. We'd also like to reach out to a variety of magazines like Rolling Stones Magazine for interviews. If we want to extend our global reach even further, we can book a time slot on the Jimmy Fallon Show. Bare in mind that if we go this route, we'll need to decide fairly quick, as slots are in high demand."

You notice Bang PD whispering amongst Yoongi and his Chief Finance Officer when Jimmy Fallon is mentioned. Yoongi seems the least interested. Perhaps he isn't fond of being front and center of talk shows, you guess.

"When will we need a decision for the Jimmy Fallon Show?" Bang PD inquires for the group.

"No later than three weeks from now," So-hyun answers. "It's a tight deadline but it can been done if we get the official go."

Bang PD directs his attention to Yoongi who's chosen to be silent in this conversation. "What do you think, Yoongi? It's your call."

"Maybe," he says, "give me a day or two to think on it."

Another ten minutes of productive overview with your promos team pass and soon, you're standing up to adjourn the meeting. You have to admit that out of all the proposals you've given in your career, this goes right to the top.

Your team was phenomenal today, and despite the the fact that several Hybe executives are biting at the bit to finally go on their lunch break, you feel confident that everyone is leaving on the same page.

"Min PD-nim."

You're ears inevitably pick up the conversation in front of you as you make your way out of the conference room. Yoongi and his Chief Financial Officer are running through some quick numbers only a few steps steps ahead, but with everyone simultaneously rushing in the same direction, neither must have realized you were within earshot.

"There's no doubt that she's good at what she does," Hybe's Chief Financial Officer continues. "Still, it's hard to believe that she's only 27 or 28. A person should take better care of themselves don't you agree? Like our Eunchae for example."

If there was a way to erase what you just heard, you'd do so, because in an instant, all previous successes you felt from today's proposal shatters to the ground. You're no stranger to receiving these sorts of comments about your appearance, yet it leaves your confidence fleeting, along with any amount of resilience you've built.

Blinking back the tears that threaten to spill, you exit the conference room the first chance you get. You have no desire to stick around for Yoongi's reply.

Not long after you leave does you phone ring off.

Tae 💚: Hey! How's the meeting going? Still available to get lunch this afternoon? I'm heading to the cafeteria as I type this.

You: It went okay. But I don't think I'll be coming to lunch, just a lot to do. I'm also not that hungry.

You second-guess how convincing your message is, knowing that it's your best friend on the other line. Regardless, it's the only words you can come up with right now. You really do have a lot of work ahead of you though, at least that part is true.

Tae 💚: Are you sure? I was looking forward on hearing how the meeting went! Wasn't there something you had to give me too?

The meaning of the last line suddenly dawns on you as you make your way down the long hallway. How could you forget? You made Taehyung one of his favorite foods to surprise him for lunch; Japchae, a sweet and savory dish of stir-fried glass noodles and vegetables.

You: Right, sorry it slipped from my mind for a second. I'll meet you in the cafeteria to give it to you.

"Why won't you stay and eat with me?" Taehyung devours the homemade Japchae you made for him with delight, a pair of chopsticks clamped in his hand.

"I don't have much of an appetite, Tae."

You've already told him this twice already, clarifying that you'd be heading back to your office once you deliver his food. Evidently, he's not letting you slip away easily.

"Then take a break with me instead, even if it's only for ten minutes." You watch as your best friend swiftly pulls out the chair next to him from under the table, gesturing you to sit. "Tell me what's got you down," he says. "Did Yoongi say something to you? He can be a bit too outspoken with his opinions sometimes."

Feeling defeated, you slide into the chair. "No, the meeting was fine. I'm just overthinking something that happened."

You then proceed to explain what you overheard Hybe's Chief Finance Officer say about you from earlier, that you didn't look healthy enough for your age and using Eunchae as an example. The scowl that appears on Taehyung's face as you retell the incident is unmistakable–he's clearly pissed.

"First of all," Taehyung starts once you finish, jaw clenched. "Eunchae is 17 and is a part of a Korean girl group. She has an entire team dedicated to making sure her appearance is flawless. It's the idol life; trust me, I'm well acquainted with it, so it's not a fair comparison. Secondly, Hybe's CFO is an asshole who I'd replace in a day. I don't want you letting him make you feel insignificant just because you don't conform to his narrow idea of how a woman should look."

You appreciate Taehyung's efforts to cheer you up, though you remain unaffected. Besides, he still isn't aware of Yoongi's involvement since you purposely left that detail out due to their close friendship.

"Yeah, I don't know. We don't have to talk about it anymore." You decide to dismiss the topic entirely and reach for your phone, along with a pair of earbuds bundled in your pocket. "Wanna listen to something?"

Music has always bonded you and Taehyung's friendship, as you've frequently found yourselves fully immersed in timeless songs from King of Leon and Led Zeppelin together. Taehyung nearly accepts the offer to listen with you once again, but then he freezes all movement. An eager grin follows close after.

"Hyung!" His voice echos though the room, earning the attention of Min Yoongi who's just entered the cafeteria. This time, you feel nothing but discomfort when the man looks your way.

"I have some material I need to review from my promo team. I'll text you later, okay?" You leave your best friend no time to reply as you quickly rise from your chair, stick your phone in your pant pocket, and head for the nearest exit. Yoongi attempts to make eye contact with you on your way out, but you avoid it completely.

When he approaches Taehyung, he acknowledges your semi-odd behavior. "I didn't mean to make her leave," he states, joining the younger at the table.

Taehyung offers a light shrug in response. "Don't worry, you didn't. She had other matters to get to. Something with her team members I think."

Yoongi grabs a fresh clementine from a nearby fruit bowl and beings peeling it little by little. "You two must be pretty close if you're having your lunches together."

It's not hard for Taehyung to read between the lines of what his member is insinuating.

"We've been friends for a while," he clarifies. "Just friends, nothing else."

a/n: Hope you enjoyed! Lmk what you think 🥰

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no reposting, copying, or translating my work– © kookslastbutton

[quinn10121012]

After the invention of the Zero Point drive, the human race rapidly spread out across the stars, from the solar hub to the fringworlds. However, space is a hostile place, and habitable worlds are quite rare. As a result, many new variants of humanity have emerged, modifying themselves in order to survive the strange, alien environments they find themselves in… or sometimes just for fun. Pictured here are but a small sample of variant human subspecies…

Titanian: Corpulent, furry human variant adapted to extremely cold environments; initially developed to better withstand the harsh conditions of Titan, Saturn’s icy moon, but have since spread to other frozen worlds; typically inhabit pressurized underground tunnel cities carved into the ice.

Spaceborne: Tall, lanky variant with prehensile feet and tails, optimized for life in microgravity; one of the oldest variant groups, created during the earliest days of the first interstellar age; designed to live aboard long-distance exploration/colonization vessels.

(Artist’s note: these folks are heavily influenced by @jayrockin ‘s tailed spacers - go check out their stuff, it’s awesome!)

Rock Rats: Another early variant designed to live and work in the asteroid belt; short, stocky bodies built for navigating the narrow ducts, crawlspaces, and passageways common aboard mining vessels, as well as the labyrinthine tunnels of their hollowed-out asteroid homes; “rock rat” is a colloquial term, originally derogatory but has since been reclaimed.

Voidwalkers: Highly-modified variant designed to survive in the vacuum of space; originally created by a dubiously-ethical megacorp to serve as an orbital labor force; have since gone on to form their own society of nomadic spacefaring clans, offering their unique services to ships and stations in need.

Vamps: A collective of eccentric horror fiction enthusiasts who deliberately bio-modded themselves to resemble their favorite imaginary bloodsuckers; long-lived, sensitive to sunlight, crave the taste of blood; actually pretty harmless, as they tend to subsist on synthetic blood substitutes.

(Artist’s note: apparently its a weirdly common thing for vampires to inexplicably show up in otherwise grounded hard-sf settings, so I decided to jump on the bandwagon!)

SmartPets: Bipedal uplifted animals with trace amounts of human DNA, available in a wide variety of species; created and sold by a division of the same megacorp as the voidwalkers; designed to be the ultimate domestic companion; infamously advertised with the tagline “man’s best friend just got better.”

[harinishivaa]

Ch 3- Hopes and Wishes ( Kaavyam )

@vibishalakshman and I are backkk!

*****

Vishva was in a hurry to get home. His cousin, Suresh, had let slip that Jeevika would be at his house with Kaamaakshi that day, and he wanted to see her, especially after the long day he had, coupled with a bad feeling of something big coming his way, case wise.

He rushed in through the door, hastily taking off his shoes. His sister smirked at him and made an excuse to leave at that moment, exiting into the kitchen and leaving him alone with Jeevika.

*”Vishva! Hey,” she smiled softly, her sweet voice like nectar to his tensed self. He automatically relaxed, leaning into the couch next to her, just needing to be close.

"Hello, Jeevika," he said softly. He ran his eyes over her face, wondering how it was possible for any woman to look this beautiful.

“Are you okay?”

Her gentle concern filled his heart with delight, her warm gray eyes making him smile in delight almost. 

“I am… now.”

Her small smile melted his heart instantly. He would do anything for her to be his- but he'd rather he suffer without her than make her suffer with him.

“Home, hmm?” She smiled softly. “You know, this home is like home to me too?” 

He brightened. Was it really?

"You're practically family, Jeevika." He whispered. Oh, if only he could really make her family.

“Really? Practically family? Akka and Anna have been pushing me to move in, actually,” she blushed.

Oh, he'd love it if she moved in! But could he really see her every day at home and resist the urge to take her into his arms and kiss her?

*”I don’t want to push myself into living here though, Vishva. I would be a burden for you all,” she said sadly, diverting him from his work stress with purposeful words that made him suddenly realize what she was doing.

"A burden? Why would it be a burden?" He asked, confused. When had Jeevika ever been a burden to him or his family?

“No no, I’m not saying you think of me as one. I am saying, what if I become one?” She said softly. “I love being here, but what if you three get bored of me? What then?”

"We could never get bored of you," he said firmly, "You don't get bored of family. That's not how it works."

She smiled softly. 

“I’m glad you think of me so, Vishva,” she reached out to pat his hand. “Now tell me, what’s bothering you. You can’t hide from family, right?”

He gave her a tired smile. "Just a bad feeling about work." He frowned, "I need to talk to Varun to see if he feels the same."

“He will be here soon, he said,” Jeevika responded. “He has just gone to get me chocolate ice cream. I was craving, and.."

"And Varun can never resist you." He said with a knowing smile.

“Best friend’s charm,” she giggled softly. “Hey, I am making him peach cobbler in return, so…”

"Would I like some? Absolutely." He smiled. Jeevika was, in his not so humble opinion, the absolute best at cooking. He would never turn down food from her.

“I kept you in mind before offering it for him too,” she laughed. “It will be enough for the whole group of us.”

"Good. Akka and Anna will get mad otherwise."

“Okay so, I have been thinking to do a food drive to raise money for the cancer patients at the Apollo cancer ward. What do you think?”

"I think that's a great idea." He said, smiling at her kindness.

“Will you help?” She looked at him with such beautifully hopeful eyes. How could he deny her?

"Of course I will." He said softly. More time with Jeevika and helping people in need? He would never refuse.

She smiled at him and was about to ask something, when of course someone interrupted. 

“Jeevi!”

“Yes Anna?” Jeevika turned to Aakaash, who had just come out of his room, or man cave as Vishva teased him. 

“Will you ask the designer to come for the event? I want to thank her for such a perfect suit. Really, it fits like a glove.”

Vishva laughed at his brother. "Finally decided to make an appearance?"

Jeevika smiled at him, elbowing Vishva. "I already planned to, Anna."

“You read my mind, baby sister. Vaalu, you just came home da. How was your day?” Aakaash looked at Vishva in concern, just as Kaamaakshi came out. 

“Well, dinner is almost done,” she smiled softly. “We are having peas pulao, and Jeevi’s potato karamadhu.”

"Nothing, Anna, don't worry. And I'm starving, so let's go eat!" He said cheerfully.

****

Vishva frowned, tensed as he heard the details of the case. His bad feeling had inteunsified that morning, despite seeing Jeevika’s lovely face.

He looked up as Varun walked in, sighing in relief.

"Varun!" He called him over.

Varun walked towards Vishva, frowning at his friend’s tense frame. 

“What happened? You were smiling this morning at the house?”

"Do you have...a bad feeling that something is going to come up?" He asked, rubbing his forehead. It had slowly turned into somewhat of a headache for him.

“I did, actually…” Varun said slowly. “What’s going on?”

He shook his head. "I don't know... the Commissioner wanted us to take a case and I've been feeling off about it. He just handed me the file, I've yet to look in it. Didn't want to start without you."

“I’m here, let’s do this.” 

Varun sat next to Vishva, the latter opening the file, and both reading the details, horrified.

"So our uneasiness was justified." He groaned.

"You bet it was."

“Let’s start then, Varun,” Vishva said, taking over once more, focused completely.

****

Pandimaa poured over her recent designs, crumpling the paper and throwing it away. Her room was filled with various pictures: dresses, awards, designs- all interspersed with pictures of her foster brother and Aakaash from when she was in college.

The sound of the shop opening reached her ears. She had to go and attend to a customer it seems. 

She walked out, only to hear a familiar voice say, “are we at the right place, Jeevi?”

“Yes Akka, I am sure of it,” came a sweet voice.

Her eyebrows furrowed. It almost sounded like Kaamaakshi- the girl was only a year younger than her, born three years after Aakaash. They had shared a lot of classes together.

"Welcome to Authentic Madurai, how may I help you?" She asked sweetly.

Kaamaakshi’s eyes widened. 

“Pandimaa? Is that you?”

So it was Kaamaakshi. She smiled and invited them inside. "Considering your shock, I'm going to guess your friend brought you here?"

“She did. Pandimaa, this is Jeevika. Jeevi, this is Pandimaa, you would have heard about her from Anna,” said Kaamaakshi frankly. 

“I have indeed! It’s a pleasure to meet you. Aakaash Anna loved the suit!” Jeevika said. “It was I who ordered it for him. He keeps… forgetting, apparently.”

She sounded incredibly skeptical when she said that.

Pandimaa blushed. "He might have just wanted you to do it." She said, "Do you want some tea?"

“That would be lovely,” Kaamaakshi smiled. 

“He absolutely did, so that he can make me order Vishva and Varun’s too,” Jeevika said. “He does not have an assistant, so I basically seem to have become a fusion of people for these two siblings.”

Pandimaa laughed, pouring them some green tea. "How are you both?"

“We are good. How are you? Where have you been?” Kaamaakshi said. “Anna kept searching for you. He was nearing the thought of asking Vishva to find you.”

Nandhini's heart melted. He'd searched for her? Really? She had assumed he would have moved on after a while. Hoped, really.

"An anonymous person got me in touch with my birth family in college and I moved away." She said. "I finished most of my education abroad and then moved to Madurai to start my own fashion business. I managed to get back in touch with Anna but not... not Aakaash."

“Do you want to get back in touch with Anna? Becoming the CEO made him have to shift into private numbers and emails,” Kaamaakshi said apologetically. “But he did try to find you. Jeevi even knows all about it.”

Pandimaa bit her lip softly. "I don't want to interrupt his life if it's going fine without me," she said firmly, "But if he wants me, then yes."

“He always wants you,” Jeevika said. “I have heard a lot about you from him in our late night Maggi sessions.”

So clearly he and Jeevika were close. She figured as much from the internet, which hinted at potential romances between Jeevika and someone in the family but Pandimaa had paid it no mind. People commonly speculated whom celebrities were dating.

"I'd love to reconnect with him then," she smiled, a text on her phone gaining her attention.

“Then come for our event? Let Anna meet you as a surprise from Jeevi and I?” Kaamaakshi said, pulling out the invite.

"Hm?" She said, shooting a quick reply after frowning. "Oh! Yes, I'd love to."

“Here you go. The dress code is inside,” smiled Kaamaakshi. “Let’s exchange numbers, and Jeevi and I will get going.”

Pandimaa smiled and nodded before handing over her phone. "Just type your number in. And I have Jeevika's too, from when she placed the order."

Kaamaakshi typed the digits in, saving her number and smiling. 

“Send me a text, yes?”

"Sure," she nodded, shooting her a quick 'Hi'.

“It was good to see you, Pandu,” Kaamaakshi smiled, hugging her gently. “Let’s go, Jeevi.”

Jeevika smiled and said her own goodbyes before both left, arms linked and giggling about something like best friends do.

Pandimaa smiled down at the invitation and opened up to see the dress code. Oh, she could work with this.

****

@vibishalakshman @thelekhikawrites @nspwriteups @whippersnappersbookworm @ragkee @chemicalmindedlotus @dr-scribbler @willkatfanfromasia @balladedutempsjadis @freeunknownwasteland @ramcharanobsessed @gemmusings @vijaysena @thirst4light @hollogramhallucination @chiyaanvikram @moon-880 @sakhiiii @thereader-radhika @ambidextrousarcher @celestesinsight @yehsahihai @thegleamingmoon @dumdaradumdaradum @rang-lo @yehsahihai @ragkee sorry to all those I forgot to tag!  Let me know your thoughts.  

[seancekitsch]

Die With Your Boots on: A Vamp!Eddie Munson x Reader fic

warnings: cursing, talks of canon deaths, vampire shit, angst then fluff, im turning this into a series. 3k unedited

You’d been staying at Harrington’s since the town split open. Your home, your room full of reminders of Eddie didn’t feel right. Your house was pretty close to the worst of the damage, but spared from anything but your porch crumbling. Despite that though, it feels like it was destroyed. The comfort you felt in the four walls of your room was completely sucked out. Your once warm bed now cold as ice, hard as a rock. Your knick-knacks all meaningless except for your polaroids and the random shit from Eddie’s pockets he’d left on your dresser. You couldn't stay, so the first night you fled, and walked the streets until a BMW filled with your remaining friends pulled up next to you.

Luckily, Steve is a good friend who lives in an empty house. He realized you out of all of the group, really shouldn't be left without support right now. Did his parents even know what happened to the town? Who fucking knows. He’s convinced they just live in the vacation home full time now. Steve is twenty, so it's fine to abandon their only child in a house they’d paid off. It felt weird in Steve’s guest room, impersonal like a hotel but yet so familiar, the former designated room to toke up at his parties, but he made sure you had everything you needed, and even was helping you decorate because in his eyes ‘if this is going to be a long term thing you need to feel welcome’ which is extremely nice but now you’re worried your choked sobs and mourning don’t convey your gratitude enough.

Robin visits every day to make sure you've eaten and you smile at least once, and now on Tuesdays she has been bringing the new release horror films for you. She helped you move the basement tv set and VCR into the spare room and stayed the night with you watching anything you wanted, even though horror isn’t exactly her genre. You fell asleep cuddled up, tangled in the sheets, and Steve came in to turn off the tv when he found you two. He’s glad you and Robin get along so well, noting how he thinks Robin needs more female friends. The next morning she made you watch cartoons with her until her shift helping out at the school turned shelter.

The kids try, when they can. They understand, Dustin most of all, but their methods of keeping your mind off of things don’t really help. You can only reminisce on the good times with Eddie you had for so long before you're locking yourself away again. You hope they can get it on some level, and they don't think this is you being malicious or otherwise hateful towards them.

All in all, they’re the best friends possible, and helping you mourn. The loss of Eddie Munson weighed heavy on you. It would be so much harder without them. Your best friend, the guy you were in love with for two years, and now the hero that died saving you all. You’re kicking yourself, beating yourself up about his death. You could have done something. You had the sinking feeling he was planning something like what he did. You could have stopped him. You wanted to tell him how you felt when it was all over, but he didn’t give you that chance.

In a perfect situation you would have enacted your part of the plan, and then after Vecna was dead, you'd take him somewhere private and kiss him until he was dizzy. Tell him you loved him, and then hopefully found a way to clear his name. And then maybe he would finally graduate. 

Instead, you and Dustin held him as he died, sputtering and choking on his own blood, and in his last few moments he was wiping tears from your cheek with a bloody hand.

Dustin had to drag you off of his body so you wouldn’t meet a similar fate. You honestly don’t know where you’d be if Steve didn’t offer the spare room, opening his house to your blood covered self, and giving you space your family wouldn’t have. They couldn’t, they didn’t understand. They hated Eddie, hated your friendship, your obvious love for him. Nothing to go home to, and a family that would not have let you grieve.

The movie of the night is Fright Night, a favorite from last year. Its good background noise, you figure, while you fold laundry and try to take your mind off of everything, and maybe you'll fall asleep thinking of the club dance scene instead of your face covered in your best friend’s blood.

You did a huge load earlier today, dumping everything in and waiting with all of the clothes you could take from your house in one trip. Tomorrow, you have to start the hunt for a new job, your gig at the diner gone because the diner is now a pile of rubble, and you want to start earning your keep around here if this is truly going to be long term.

You fold a sweater, hang a dress, fold a tee shirt, match a pair of socks, fold three pairs of jeans, hang a nicer pair of pants, hang a skirt, fold another shirt. It becomes methodical, machine like as you work yourself into a rhythm.

Your hands stop their work when you come across a certain tee shirt. A size medium mens Iron Maiden shirt. Eddie. You’d washed it on accident, and tears you didn’t know you had spill onto your cheeks. You’d been sleeping with it since everything, the smell of his cologne mixed with drug store deodorant and slight BO. The last bit of him you had left, now reeked of lavender tide. You practically crumple into the bed, hoarse sobs wracking your frame as you hold the shirt close, it’s softness no comfort to you.

Eddie Munson just died a second time, you realize. This, your last momentum of him, scrubbed clean of who he was. A shirt is now just a shirt.

You think about turning the tv off, turning the lights off, everything. Turning this room into your tomb. Who cares about a job or a life when yours began and ended with Eddie.

A knocking startles you. You scramble to get up, wipe your tears. You expect to just half heartedly reassure Steve you’re okay before locking the door and hiding for the rest of the night.

“Steve what is it?” you whine, opening the door, but you find… he’s not there.

Weird.

The knocking comes again, from behind you.

From the window.

You whip your head around, hand still on the door handle.

Fuck, when was the last time you ate, drank any water? You must be hallucinating, woozy from crying yourself sick or something.

No fucking way was Edward Wayne Munson sitting perched on the roof on the other side of the window pane.

He taps on the window again, smiling as you take in his appearance. He looks just like he did that night, his hair held up in that bandana, his torn up leather jacket over his shoulders.

“Let me in, sweetheart?” he asks, fingertips resting on the glass.

You take a deep breath, and then another.

And then you scream, bloodcurdling and full of fear. You pull open the door and start running through the dark and apparently empty house.

“C’Mon Sweets don’t be like this!” he calls from his spot on the roof.

You practically trip down the steps, down into the living room, and as if your in a horror movie you see him again when you pass the sliding glass door that leads out to the pool.

“Why are you haunting me?” you shout, more because if he doesn’t respond you can chalk it up to your own mental anguish and have a few drinks to help yourself sleep.

“Sweets you know I’m here. It’s me, Eddie. Let me in,” he begs and you pause, not entering the kitchen. It’s him.

“E— Eddie?”

“Last time I checked, yeah.”

Your entire body shakes as you get closer to the glass door, taking in his entire appearance now. Had he not actually died? Did you leave him there like the worst friend ever?

You press your palm against the cold glass, and he presses his hand back.

You nod gently, a weary little smile on your face as you flick the latch and pull open the door. He doesn’t move.

“Can I come in?” he asks, as softly as possible.

“Y—yeah,��� you stutter, still not sure if you can trust your own eyes.

You step back as he steps forward, and it feels like all of the air comes rushing back into your lungs as his boots cross the threshold.

You breath deeply again, and he thinks you’re about to bolt again, but instead you surge forward to hug him, your arms flung over his shoulders as you bury your face into his chest.

“I’m so sorry we left you, I didn’t want to leave. I’m so sorry we left,” You sob, clinging to him like he’ll go away again.

His arms come up around your waist to hold you to him, rubbing soothing circles into your back as you cry it out.

“Shhhh, it’s okay, you didn’t know, you couldn’t know,” he tries to calm you down, and it only helps slightly. He uses one hand to close the sliding glass door behind him, and he starts to walk you back through the living room.

“Let’s go to your room, and we can talk this all out, okay?” he asks, and you’re feeling crazy that he’s so calm. That he’s just so relaxed and taking the lead. You would have expected Eddie to be skittish, jumpy, shrill and yelling. It broke your heart the way he shook and cried before you all battled Vecna. Now he seems confident.

You nod against his chest and peel away from the hug, looking up into those big beautiful doe eyes before you turn and lead him back up the stairs.

“I can steal a pair of Steve’s sweatpants? If you want to change. I know you’re still wearing….” The fucking clothes I watched you die in.

“That would be nice, Sweets.”

You hold his hand as you lead him down the hall, ushering him into the spare room before you creep into Steve’s room. Damn, you really thought he was home.

You dig through the dresser until you find a pair of black sweats that looked like they were Eddie’s size and a fresh pair of socks.

When you come back into the spare room, he’s sitting on the bed, holding his shirt still wet from your crying.

“I hate it when you cry, Babe,” he sighs, before peeking up at you, “Mind if I wear this?”

You relent, and then give him the privacy to change into the new outfit.

“Do you want to shower?” you call from the hallway.

“Maybe in a bit, I want to talk to you first!” he calls back.

It’s only a few moments before he’s pulling the door back open so you can come back in. He plops down on the bed and you join him eagerly, clinging onto him desperately. He looks good in his shirt, but you barely pay attention to that. Now that he’s in the brighter light of your room you see his skin, mainly where he has scars on his arms and neck. Fully healed scars. You choose to ignore it, even though you can hear your conscience telling you to say something about it.

“Thought I lost you, Eds. Thought I had to live without you,” you whisper, snuggling in closer. He relaxes at your touch and lets you rest your head on his chest.

“I love you, Eds, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you before,” you break down crying again, but it’s not as heavy as before. It felt good to get that out, the tears are just steady without all of the hiccuping and sobbing now.

“I love you too, that’s why I had to come back,” He kisses the top of your head but doesn’t move to push you further. You’re thankful for that; in your sorry state you probably would have been a sucky lay.

“Can you, sorry,” you lift your head, “Can you explain how you’re …”

“Here?” he offers, and you nod.

“Sure babe,” he sighs, and you lay back down on his chest, fully ready for whatever he will say.

“I’m not sure if you’ll believe me, but I did die. I don’t blame you for leaving me. I was as dead as disco.”

His hands smooth down your hair as he talks, his rings catching in the strands every here and there.

You suck in a breath, seized with fear and sadness.

“Baby, relax please. Please, relax,” he begs, like he’s desperate, “I can feel your heart racing.”

You take a few deep breaths, trying to calm yourself like he wanted you to. He waits for a minute, giving you that time to compose yourself before he continues.

“But then I woke up, I could barely breath. All those… stupid fucking bats around me.”

Your grip on him tightens at the mention of the bats.

“And all I could think of was you, getting back to you, making the coolest girl in Hawkins my girl, if I don’t end up in jail.”

“Nancy wrote a piece about you, actually,” you interject, “Your reputation has somewhat improved.”

Not really, but at least they didn’t think he was the killer. He was still the freak. Eddie was more back to square one.

“Ah, I’ll have to thank her then. But anyway, you notice the big gates everywhere now?”

You nod against his chest. Of course you noticed.

“I crawled up through one of them and I’ve been looking for you since. Probably stupid for not checking Harrington’s sooner. King’s got himself a castle to hide in.”

“S’not stupid,” you mumble, “My room didn’t feel right without you.”

“Awww, well isn’t that sweet? I hope what I’m about to say doesn’t ruin the moment.”

You wait with baited breath, all ears for him.

“You know Evil Ed? From uh? The movie that’s on right now?”

Right, you’d forgotten all about the tape playing in your room, good call on Eddie to mute it while getting changed you figure.

“The best friend turned vampire?”

“I think that’s what those bats did to me,” he whispers, and his grasp on you loosens until his hands are completely off of you.

You jolt up, not believing your ears. What the fuck, what the fuck, what the fuck? What did he mean by that?

“Sweetheart I’m really gonna need you to slow your heart rate. At least until I know what I’m doing better,” he begs again.

“H-how? Why?”

“I’m hungry, and it’s not for food. I drained a pig dry last night because I was too nervous to talk to you. I’ve been watching you make yourself sick over me but I wasn’t sure if I could control myself enough to even let you see me until I had something.”

Eddie looks like he’s about to cry. You're realizing he’s been here and you haven't even noticed him. 

“I don’t know if I can just eat pigs. I don’t want to hurt you,” his voice sounds so weak and broken.

“I invited you in,” you realize, and now it makes sense. The healed scars. The fact he could get from the roof to the backyard that quickly.

“Am I the only one?” you ask, your hand reaching up to cup his cheek. He nods against it.

“I don’t want Wayne to be disappointed in me,” he whispers.

“Oh Eds, babe, he couldn’t be. He’d want to know you’re safe.”

“Is this what you call safe? I’m dead, your damn heart is giving me the biggest boner and the worst hunger pains I’ve ever endured, I’ll never see the sun again. I shouldn’t even be here,” he rants.

You grab Eddie and square his shoulders, forcing him to look you in the eye.

“Now I didn’t get you back just for you to pull this shit and leave again. I’m fucking scared Eddie, but I love you, and I’ll gladly be damned with you if it means I don’t have to lose you this time. I know you’re scared. This isn’t who you were supposed to be, but we’re gonna work with what we’ve got. You won't hurt me, I know you won't. I have you, and you have me. It will kill me if I lose you again. Don’t make me lose you again,” you add the last part in desperation, and now you’re the one begging.

This look of shock, confusion, sadness, and something you can’t place takes over his features, and then it all just melts. His eyes close as he drops his head back against your pillow.

“How can I say no to my girl?” he sighs, and you lay back down next to him. His hands reach for yours, tangling your fingers together in a mess of rings both yours and his. You sigh and finally let yourself close your eyes, a smile so rare spreading across your lips. Without even looking, you lean over and press a kiss to his shoulder. Hope, something rare in Hawkins, now blooming like wildflowers in your chest.

“Y’know the others are gonna flip when they see you,”You mumble, lips still against his shirt.

“No shit, I just hope none of them have any stakes lying around.”

And both of you laugh, just like it was back to normal. Like you were up late in each other's rooms on a weeknight writing for campaigns or reading horror novels to each other, joking around without a care in the world. And maybe you shouldn't be. This is fucked. Beyond fucked. Eddie would have to feed, that's non negotiable. That's something you'd have to figure out without him becoming one of the monsters you fight. You didn't have to figure that out tonight though. You could wait until after you fill out a stack of job applications tomorrow morning to start diving deep into vampire lore to find something that might help him while he sleeps. So you keep laughing, and joking, and pressing kisses into each others skin.

And then the unmistakable sound of the front door opening catches your attention.

[plushii-gutz]

Fallen Stars part 4, who would've guessed

🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴🦴

The group of little monsters were bundled in blankets, each warming up after the hours of play outside in the snow. Glaishur and Syncopite kept the group entertained while Attmoz and Scaratar gathered drinks, each made specific for their designated monster. Despite how picky each of them could be, it was embedded into the older monsters minds what everyone would and would not accept. Even so, occasionally they would experiment to give them a wider pallet in case there's ever a shortage.

"Alright," Scaratar began, placing each drink down, "Orange juice for Galvana, a lemonade for Plixie, plain water for Blasoom and Hornacle, grape juice for torrt, and pineapple juice for Vhamp- ew."

With each monster satisfied and relatively relaxed, Attmoz led Glaishur, Syncopite, and Scaratar back into the hallway.

"They oughta' be fine for a while - best get the floor swept while no one's on it."

"Yeah," Glaishur spoke, moving back to reveal puddles of cold water that were dragged in from the snowy adventure outside, "and maybe mopped, too. I don' think I planned this out very well."

Syncopite was off in an instant to gather supplies, leaving the bunch behind.

"Do you ever wonder why he never talks?" Scaratar asked. Attmoz could only shrug.

"They used to. Don't know why he stopped. Sometimes, it feels like living with a robot. Er- two robots."

"Like a worker-bot!" Glaishur suggested

"Ah, he still has some personality."

"A worker-friend-bot."

"Well don't think too hard, Glaish, wouldn't want'cha to hurt yourself."

It wasn't long til Syncopite hopped their way back to the group, carrying a mop, a broom, and even a duster.

"How about you keep an eye on the rest?" Attmoz offered to Scaratar, "Maybe go see if Furnoss needs any help. He's probably organizing the rest of the Little ones' rooms while they're off."

Scaratar accepted the task, thinking of it as a quest. How fun! Glaishur mopped up the puddles, Attmoz sweeped out any pebbles or ice that trailed in, and Syncopite.. well, it sort of just did its own cleaning. They were focused on the areas downstairs that weren't commonly touched or marked up, which admittedly wasn't much. Maybe they just wanted to give Furnoss less to do? Or maybe it just wanted something to keep him busy.

The chore was quick and easy. Glaishur even seemed proud of himself, having done 'extra' to keep the castle neat and tidy. Maybe Furnoss would be happy with it, too!

The cold monsters hopes were quickly pushed aside when Scaratar scittered back into view, her antenna lowered as if they were ears.

"Furnoss didn't want help. He's mad again."

"For the love of all that is good," Attmoz huffed, dropping the broom completely, "What is he pissed about now?"

"The younger ones fell asleep-"

"Isn't that a good thing?" Glaishur cut the insect off, "We did a good thing, right?"

"They were supposed to be awake to eat lunch."

Furnoss didn't even look at the group, instead peeking into the room of tiny monsters, each in a deep slumber.

"Now all the meals I made will be cold by the time they wake up! And they won't be tired later when it actually is their bedtime."

Once more, as always, Furnoss had something to complain about. Attmoz simply rolled his eye, crossing his arms. Syncopite was quick to turn around and dust off whatever was yet to be cleaned, avoiding any contact with the group. Poor little Scaratar could only stand there with Glaishur and listen.

"We were only trying to help," Glaishur mumbled, tugging at the fur on his arms. He couldn't make eye contact if his life depended on it. Even now.

"Maybe check in with me next time? Or better yet, actually listen? Maybe if a certain someone," the fire monster looked Attmoz's way, the air monster still shrugging off every word as he did millions of times, "Who actually knows the schedule was willing to stick with it, this wouldn't be your problem now."

"Our problem?" Attmoz spoke

"Your problem," Furnoss confirmed, "I already do too much for this damn castle. Tonight, you'll have to be the ones who put them to bed."

"Heh, 'Vanas gunna get a kick outta this."

"I hope they do."

And like that, Furnoss was gone. Syncopite finally looked at the rest, tapping his foot impatiently. Attmoz didn't seem really happy with that.

"Maybe if you spoke up more often, we'd listen to a bit of advice. You don't gotta' give me that look!"

Body language wasn't much of an option for Syncopite. All they could do was stomp in return.

"You know, you really don't have any right to be ticked off with me," Attmoz argued, "If you knew this was a bad idea, why didn't you do anything? Huh?"

"Attmoz-"

"Don't even start, Scaratar."

The poison monster was taken back by the harshness in her cousins voice. She gave the rude tone the most angered look as she could before leaving to her room. Glaishur inched behind, disappearing into his own. Attmoz rubbed either side of his head, walking barely a yard to his room.

"If I end up like 'Noss.."

He's stuck now with his own thoughts. The four are left to rest for the remaining time they had before dealing with the consequences of their actions.

❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️❄️

Two hours have passed. The castle had an uncomfortable silence. The tense, uneasy feeling was palpable.

Glaishur sat alone on the floor of his room, fidgeting with a small cube of ice. He chipped away carefully at its corners, not making anything in particular with its form. He needed something to fidget with to keep his mind off.. well, everything now.

He didn't understand why his mind did this. When one bad thing happened, it reminded him of another. Then another. Then another. He was reminded of his stupidity, his mistakes, the words Loodvigg or Furnoss threw at him. Why did he go through this torture? Why was it so easily pulled from his mind after the smallest of things? It hurt so much. He kept his eyes on the ice cube, which was barely visible anymore. Just a shard of what used to be.

"Glaish?"

The cold monster grew tense at the sudden noise, only to calm once he realized it was his pal.

"You mind if I come in?"

"Yeah, c'mon in."

Attmoz pushed the door, but it wouldn't budge. A little more force, and he almost fell onto the floor. It was frozen shut.

"Wow- uh, kinda chilly in here, isn't it?"

Glaishur shrugged, flicking off what remained of the ice. He pulled over an old stuffed toy he had for years, feeling the fabrics texture on its ears. The plush wasn't a specific monster or creature. It was vaguely shaped as anything, really. Still, the material it was made of still held a soft, almost curly fur texture to it. It was nice.

"Look, dude, I already apologized to Scaratar and Syncopite. I let them know they didn't have to help me out later."

The air monster sat on the floor next to Glaishur, crossing his legs.

"I know you don't like anyone fighting. Especially with how often it happens -"

"Don't worry," Glaishur interrupted, "It's not that. Well, not mainly that."

"Yeah?"

The cold monsters eyes kept on the toy as he spoke.

"I dunno, man, I just.. I kinda feel like I'm not doing enough. Furnoss usually watches the kids, prepares the meals, clean their rooms while they're busy eating- and I wanna help him out! I wanna do something to make stuff easier for Them.. maybe we'd actually get to know him again. Sometimes I think that if he's happier, then maybe, just maybe, Loodvigg wouldn't be so mad all the time. Maybe they would stop fighting. Maybe we could all be.. normal.. for once."

Attmoz gave a sorrowful but understanding look. He turned his head to the wall in front of him.

"That's the thing, Glaish, they're never satisfied with how we help! It doesn't matter how much we do, what we do.. Furnoss always has something to complain about. I love the guy, I really do, but I don't like how little they appreciate our efforts."

Glaishur slowly turned his gaze to Attmoz, letting go of the toy he fiddled with.

"Attmoz?"

"Eh?"

"Are we.. burdens?"

The air monster felt his throat tighten as if he were being held under water.

" 'course not, bud.. you know, I think what bothers me the most about Furnoss is how he makes you see yourself. How he makes everyone see themselves. I know they don't mean it. But to him, all they see are annoying teenagers."

The room fell painfully quiet.

" 'Moz?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you really think there's nowhere else to go?"

"I dunno," Attmoz shrugged, "Never really went far from home. If I can't bring anyone with me, what would be the point of going?"

"But.. do you think there's more?"

"Can't say I do. What makes you ask?"

"I dunno," Glaishur mumbled, pulling his legs to his chest and resting his arms on top. "Sometimes.. I think of this world. One where I'm able to make things better, make monsters better. Leaving those I hurt alone for once and being useful. I dont like it when I upset others."

The air monster felt his blood run cold.

"Y-you're not thinking of doing.. anything bad, right?"

"No! No, no, absolutely not. I don't wanna do nothin' like that. Maybe I should've phrased this better.."

Attmoz gave a sigh of relief.

"Nah, it's ok, I understand.. I wanna make sure you're ok. I care about you a lot."

The purple monster hiccuped.

"Yeah?"

"Absolutely. I don't think you hear this enough, but I'm proud of you. You work just as hard, maybe even harder, than everyone else here to keep the environment chill and, well... better. You make us really happy, man. We just don't express it enough."

Glaishur leaned into a hug. A solid minute of silence and sniffles. The room grew less cold as the crying monster simply let out all he had been holding in. Attmoz let him go.

"You'll be ok."

[stitchthesewords]

I see your tags about the rendubs divorce arc + Ren running off with Bdubs' ex + Bdubs declaring himself king because he can do it better, and I hear you loud and clear

But I am now here with a counter offer, aka you got my thoughts spinning and this relates to a fic I started but never finished because writing angst makes me too sad. (this ask that ended up way longer than I thought it would oops)

What if renthubs polycule (or some flavor of poly hermits i'm not picky) where the three need some time to mentally recover and process the whole king arc. Ren goes to Doc, Etho goes to his single player world and Bdubs goes to Empires.

Doc ends up helping Ren get through his anxieties and fears after being king, including his dynamic with all the people in the rebellion and the feeling that his friends and partners would hate him for everything, which is of course not actually true. And I think that Ren is the type of guy to process things relatively quick and be able to bounce back. So once he is more stable, he follows everyone to empires.

Bdubs runs away through the rift and declares himself a god on Empires, which shows you about how well he is (not) coping with everything. To me, he is the type to loudly declare that he's over it, but he ends up festering the emotions, particularly when no one else is really talking about the king anymore. He's fine, why wouldn't he be fine, he's a god. (side eyeing joel here as well after dl)

Then Etho. Hmm. I think he isn't as bothered by it by the other two but I'm not 100% sold on that either. There has to be a certain melancholy to knowing your partners aren't in the best headspace and not really being able to do much about it. And the guilt about fighting against them and having to be part of the group to kill them. The third life memories would have to be coming in at full force. It may be lower stakes on hermitcraft but I don't think that matters when the memories are that emotionally charged.

I think that in the chaos of the empires collab and then the start of a new year with new projects and tcg and everything, the three don't really get a chance to sit down and talk. Bdubs is hiding away in the monolith drafting up visions of another grand castle base. Etho and Ren see each other more often with tcg matches and, through a number of casual interactions surrounded by other hermits, decide that maybe it would be time to talk. And there wouldn't be a better excuse to talk than a big project.

So the boat race idea is born. Etho and Ren go out to the ice spikes and scope it out. They end up around a fire made of some spare wood and end up talking well into the night. It starts out with plans and slowly ends in a heart to heart, where they finally express their struggles with everything and their commitment to each other going forward. They fall asleep cuddled together in a sleeping bag under the stars.

And bdubs is still festering. He doesn't stop long enough to realize. His days are filled with planning and designing and gathering materials. He works himself to exhaustion so he is too tired to think about who and what he is missing. He's fine. He builds a throne room.

Em you have no idea how insane this ask made me I am. HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH.

GOD! GOD! You are soooooooo right about how they would each react and recover/not recover tbh. And its like - Ren isn't 100% but he's like. He's getting there and being up and moving around will help him out - and Bdubs just. HHHHH Bdubs throwing himself into his work to hide from his woes while putting on the 'I'm FINE! ACTUALLY!!!" im ill. And Etho just having. No clue really god bless him he's looking between the two of them and trying to figure out what the best way to approach everything is.

GOD and then the way you thought about rentho bonding and finally talking bc of the TCG and then going out to build the boat race while bdubs unknowingly is festering back home im hhhhhhh. I am normal about this i am so normal. [They should. play clocks against each other in the tcg where they bond. For no reason. ]

Imagine coming back from having a boat race and doing fun stuff out in the ice to find bdubs having completely thrown himself into an insane task without break and its like. you've gotta figure out how to approach it he cant just fester but he's closed off and hiding behind work to not have to address his feelings. I am normal I am feeling soooooooooooooooooooo normal.

[niyana-the-ambiguous-mobian]

Headcanons of the Wachowski's bros in Father Day's ?

This father's day would be another memorable one since he's upgraded to now 3 kids to be thankful for and although only one of them for now calls him 'dad', he still sees them as his boys regardless.

Unlike how they started mothers day, how they begin father's day is just with craziness as Sonic leads the other two by literally rushing into the master bedroom and jumping on the bed to wake Tom up, which also wakes Maddie up, to which she moves out of the way and watches on while they tussle around and hit each with pillows.

Tom preferred to usually make breakfast, even for special occasions so he just makes everyone their food for them.

Then come the gifts for the beloved donut dad.

Sonic would give him a blue Hawaiian like t-shirt that would be custom made to be decorated with a many vary of donut designs because that is Tom’s signature name and he should wear it proudly. 🍩

Tails would probably create something that he could use on a daily basis since he works all the time. Like a advance digital watch or a coffee thermos that can hold hot and cold liquids. ☕️

Knuckles would give him a handmade pocket knife he wittled from wood in the forest with Tom’s initials carved on the side. 🔪

I can see them driving around the town together in the truck for the day, Sonic in the passenger seat while Knux and Tails are in the back. Most likely they'll head towards the park, where they have a special father's day picnic for the families.

And Tom, like his usual goofy self, tries to compete against the kids, like having a race, arm wrestling, etc, knowing full well that they outnumber him 3 to 1 but he does it just to see them crack up at his attempts.

He evens come up with a mini game for them to compete against for fun, saying that whoever wins will receive shoulder rides for as long as they want to. Tails ends up being the winner even though Knuckles was close to success and takes the prize in full pride.

For the boys, it would be a one they hold close to their hearts since for Sonic and Tails, they didn't really vivid memories of their birth parents, nonetheless their fathers so they make sure to make every bonding experience they have with Tom is a memorable one.

But with Knuckles, he does remember. He remembers what it was like to have his father around before he was taken away from him forever, the memories of them training together, the time he spent with him, his presence making him feel safe whenever he felt scared and the strong, warm hugs that he missed so deeply. It was something he'd thought he'd never have again and was given a second chance for it.

Near the end of the day, all four of them are sitting on the roof and hood of the truck, chatting about random little things. Tom suddenly asks them to has them to get off, each of them hop off and Tom kneels down to their level, looks them each in the eye and tells them,

"The way you three came into me and Maddie’s life was something I'd never thought would ever happen to me, let alone anyone else on the entire planet. But it did, it happened to us, and that random occurrence gave me the best kids I could ever wish for. I care about each and every one of you, never doubt that, never forget that. I'm so lucky to have you as my boys."

Of course, it ends with a massive group hug, as well as some tears that are shed. They head home with good feelings and they promise of ice cream after Tom had offered it to them to not tell Maddie that he “made them cry” during the day.

[aristocratic-otter]

Thank you to @bookish-bogwitch, @ivelovedhimthroughworse, @larkral, @palimpsessed, @faacethefacts-dead, @moodandmist, @whogaveyoupermission, @ionlydrinkhotwater, @basiltonbutliketheherb, @hushed-chorus, @nightimedreamersghost, @fatalfangirl @tea-brigade, @stardustasincocaine, and @artsyunderstudy for the tags today and Wednesday.

I managed to catch up with my work enough tonight to actually post something! I've not written a ton, just a few sentences a night. But here's some short bits. Ok, not really very short bits😆 :

Under the cut for length

From next year's COTTA contender, Baz POV:

Bunce sniffles hard, and swipes her arm across her eyes before nodding. “He was my best friend,” she says, her voice thick with more potential tears. “Or is, I suppose. It’s not like we had a friend breakup. But he moved away, a bit over two years ago. And he never called, or wrote.” She swipes at her eyes again. 

My heart aches for her. Whoever or whatever this boy is, he has a lot to answer for when I see him next. Who does that to a friend?

From my 2021 COTTA , Westward Son (help 😭), Shepard POV:

“What do you know of the trail ahead?” Baz asks. I can tell he’s striving to sound casual, like this news isn’t everything to us. We’ve lost time battling the demons, and the gruesome fate of the Donner party is constantly in our minds. 

The mustachioed Captain shakes his head solemnly. “It’s late for you to be heading west, I won’t lie to you, son. You’re looking at over two hundred miles just to get to the Blue Mountains, and then the crossing…” He shakes his head again. “You’ve got nigh unto 800 miles to Willamette valley and it’s nearly September. You’d probably be better off wintering here and trying again in the spring.”

I watch as my friends exchange glances. Then Baz (he’s apparently been designated the de facto leader of our little group. Henri’s English isn’t great, and Simon’s speaking isn’t good at the best of times) asks, “What of supplies? Are there supplies enough to support our group through to April?”

The Captain’s grim look answers for him.

From Raising Dragons, Chapter 8, Simon POV:

I’m nervous now, though. Things have gone well…but I’m not sure how he’d prefer to end the night. He and I are back home now, watching an old episode of The Great British Baking Show and I’m watching him while pretending not to watch him. There’s a particular thing he often does while watching telly, and I need him to do it so that I’ll have an excuse to suggest our next activity. 

So far, he’s just looking sleepy and content. Maybe I overdid it with taking him for Italian for dinner? Pasta does always make him sleepy. (And that old idea that vampires are repelled by garlic is bollocks; Baz inhales the stuff). 

But there! Baz stretches his neck and rolls it a bit from side to side; his tiny little tell that his muscles are stiff. He may be immune to germs, but he suffers as much as any human from sore muscles, and I kept him on the go all day today. 

“Sore?” I ask, striving to sound casual.

“Mmmhmm,” Baz hums. 

“Want a neck rub?” I offer, without looking up from the telly, so he’ll think that this isn’t at all premeditated. 

Baz turns to give me an unreadable look. I don’t look back. I pretend to be engrossed in watching Mary Berry eat yet more cake. 

“That’d be nice,” he says slowly. I nod, trying for nonchalance, and gesture for him to sit in front of me, between my spread legs. He complies.

And, SFW, but a hint at sexy times to come, from my Carry On Reverse Bang fic, Playing with Fire, Treading Thin Ice, here's some Simon fretting:

I’m eying the bed with a sense of unease. I’ve been wanting to have sex with Baz for weeks, and I think I pushed for an overnight getaway to psyche myself up for it. 

So, object achieved. Now if only I can keep my spark reined in long enough to consummate (heh) my goal…

The problem is, my spark seems as obsessed with Baz as I am. I’ve dated before, boys and girls, and it stayed firmly inside my skin the whole time. But all Baz has to do is touch me and it’s surging towards him like the tide. 

It's late, but I'll tag a few folks for Sunday:

@angelsfalling16, @bazzybelle, @carryonsimoncarryonbaz, @cutestkilla, @dragoneggos, @erzbethluna, @fight-surrender, @foolofabookwyrm-activated, @giishu, @ileadacharmedlife, @johnwgrey, @krisrix, @prettylightsbigcity, @raenestee, @urban-sith, @whatevertheweather, @you-remind-me-of-the-babe

[whatcouldgowrong-ohthat]

Can you tell us a little bit more about Henrietta, Emma, Jensen and Benjamin please?

Absolutely! We'll do some fall tidbits sprinkled in to go with the season :)

Details below the cut!

Henrietta loves cold drinks even during the coldest days. But not iced coffee, no no. Henri became obsessed with energy drinks when she was about 8 years old. Ever since, they're the easiest way to bribe her to do the stupidest things. Someone once tried bribing her with hot cider and instead, it was dunked on their head and she stole the energy drink sticking out of the kid's pocket. She was 9.

Henri also loves collecting leaves. Doesn't matter the shape or size, but the color has to be red, orange, or yellow. She's stuffed six books with the ones she's collected over the years.

Henri's favorite thing about earth and visiting her mom is the changing seasons. Asgard is usually warm with perfect weather and perfect seasons. Unless she's visiting a frozen tundra of a world, she doesn't really get to experience otherwise. So it became a tradition for her and her mom to spend fall and winter together on earth so she could experience it.

Henri's face paint that she wears during her fights was actually designed after a bonfire with her family. She got into the ash and painted her face and...well, the look stuck.

Emma has a playlist designed for Halloween, Thanksgiving, the Christmas, and New Years. But they're not the typical "holiday" music playlists that you would expect. It's types of music that she associates with the experience of those seasons, those days, those memories. Her favorite playlist is the Thanksgiving one because she's done more friends-giving experiences than anything else. And Emma is a sucker for her friends.

As Queen of Asgard, Emma made a point to bring traditions from other universes/planets/cultures to Asgard. Fall Festivals from Earth, Mating Rituals from the Shi'ar, Birth Celebrations from Xandar - anything that she found could help advance Asgard's understanding of the universe, she brought to it. This included chips, soda, and dip from earth... (Girl has cravings!)

Emma is always bubbly and happy, so when that switch flips, everyone knows to take a step back. There's a very well known memory throughout Asgard of when the sky lit up with lightning. No other source of light in sight. Children refer to it as the day the sky cracked. Gorr had dared to show up after having killed her mother, seeking help for his daughter. And Emma had to make a choice whether she would take revenge or not.

She has a soft spot for her Earth-friend Regina. She's brought her to visit Asgard many times and loves every visit. She just wishes they could have video game marathons on Asgard too.

Jensen hates how obsessed with winter Jorund is. It's a joke that because he's half Jotun, it's only natural that he likes the cold. But Jensen remembers pumpkin carvings and apple cider and early Christmas shopping. He remembers dressing up Lucky in Halloween costumes. The idea of his brother experiencing similar memories with the same mother, but for winter? It's a sore spot. Still...he likes the memory of Jorund getting nailed with a snowball in the face. He couldn't deny how funny that was.

He is the "older brother" of the group. Very protective of friends because he can't stand the thought of letting them go. That's why he has such a hard time with Jorund's role in his life. Technically...it makes him the little brother. And that just won't do.

Jensen loves weird socks. The brighter, the more colorful, and random? The better. And it's the BEST if they mismatch. He's worn an ankle sock covered in tacos on one foot and the other had a knee high sock covered in flying unicorns. When asked about it, he offered for the person to wear the other two so they could match.

Jensen likes pumpkin spice lattes. No, no one knows. And yes, he will die before letting Jorund find out.

Benji likes creating his own Halloween decorations because the basics simply aren't freaky enough to scare his teammates. And what's the point of decorating for Halloween if no one is going to get freaked out? (It's created QUITE a few stories and he has several polaroid pictures for proof)

Benji misses Mila a lot. He wishes they got a genuine second chance to do things right, but knows that will probably never happen. Still, he hopes that she gets everything she's ever wished for in life.

Benji has mommy issues. It's not intentional, it's just that she wasn't always there. He doesn't know her and isn't familiar with what it's like to have that sort of person in your life. It's one of the reasons he'd like to have a "whole" family some day. He forgets that it isn't always blood that makes the family.

Benji actually likes bitter over sweet. He's not a big fan of hot cocoa or fancy lattes that make your teeth hurt because they're so sweet. It was actually one of his teammates that introduced him to a latte that had dark chocolate and cayenne pepper in it of all things. And with an extra shot of espresso, it became a go to drink for him.

THANK YOU for asking about my babies!!! I hope you like these tidbits. :)

[fangaminghell]

I guess this will be a new master post since it's been a while and I've gotten pretty far in rejuvenation! That, and the new ocs I've made. Please keep in mind that these character bio's are prone to change as I get further into each story.

Rejuv Cast

Imani Ambrose ( she/her. Has gotten used to they/them): The main protagonist of Pokemon Rejuvenation! She's a chill and cheerful gal who has a small mischievous streak ( read: she's a chaotic gremlin)! All she wants is to protect her friends and make people happy! She's very into fashion and can sketch and make her own designs.

Flynn Fujimori ( she/her): A student at Axis High University aiming to be a doctor....at least that's what her parents want. She doesn't really know what she wants herself, even if she's really good at what she currently does. Is friends with Risa, someone who got her out of her shell.

Arrow Chalcedony ( they/them): Lives in GDC( The Underground), but was originally from the Badlands. May or may have not joined Team Bladestar but quit when realizing how dangerous they really are ( this is still undecided, but thought I'd mention it)

Reborn Cast!

Leo Joshi (he/him): Reborn main protag.Formerly a rich douche bag, now a runaway to get a new start when he got a wave up call( via his friend group finally leaving him). Actively trying to be better than he was before, but still puts up the mask of being cool and confident ( he doesn't really see himself in the best light anymore). Did not expect all shit that's going down to go down. Send help.

"Delia"/ Suraya Joshi ( she/her): Leo's older sister who followed him to Reborn. He did runaway after all. Use the fake name of "Delia" to get around easier ( as easy as you can when you look moderately rich), and is generally more prepared than her brother. She's very concerned for him, and can only hope he's doing okay.

Blair Winters ( Xe/xem and they/them. Mostly xe/xem): Formerly an assassin, now a gun for hire/bodyguard, now tasked with escorting "Delia" across Reborn in search for her brother. They are as cold as ice with many inner demons, and they have a deep hatred for Team Meteor.

Desolation Cast!

Asra Reverie ( they/them): Desolation main protagonist! Posh goth royalty with a cool ass parasol. They are good at cooking, music and especially physical fitness( their parasol can be deadly). Despite having a calm collected demeanor, they love winning and can be pretty competitive. They are still fairly easy to talk to, especially over a cup of tea.

Cande Caballero ( he/she): Eldest sibling of two that lives in Cellia City. Takes on lots of jobs to provide for her siblings, but also has a strong sense of justice, this refusing the offers that the Foxes offer him. Is generally well loved among his community, always willing to help those in need.

Philomena ( she/her): A mysterious woman that seems to know more than she lets on. She's friendly enough,and has a slightly air headed nature to her. Whether or not that air headedness is an act no one knows. She likes to call Lilith "Lillie".

As you can see, desolation doesn't have a lot of ocs. This is mainly because I don't have a good basis for them yet. I haven't played desolation in a long while and am currently waiting for the update! That being said, Asra won't be the only one from desolation, I assure you!

So that's it! Other than these guys, I'm gonna just be posting a whole lot of reactions to the fangames and rom hacks I'm playing ( which probably means more ocs lol). Also feel free to interact if you wanna! Ocs and all :).

Okay, now that's it. I hope you enjoy your time here!

[bintadnan]

Sisters, if you're interested and looking for an Arabic course to get yourself started, here's the perfect opportunity for you to sign up for this course. The Uloom Academy (UK) has designed and structured this course for anyone ranging from a beginner to a person on an Intermediate level. The icing on the cake is that this course offers more much flexible timings that you could choose based on your preference. There are three timing slots and you can pick whichever suits you the best. In addition to that, the classes will be held weekly every Friday so if you're swamped with work or other responsibilities you can still manage to spare at least an hour one day of the week to take the classes. The course is completely free of cost and you will also receive a certificate on completion. They had to keep delaying starting the course because it is in a huge demand and scores of sisters have signed up for this course already, including myself. The course will commence at the end of this month so hurry before the registrations are closed.

Option A

⏰ Every FRIDAY 9:30 AM UK

Your Local time:

Saudi 12:30 PM India 3:00 PM

Pakistan 2:30 PM UAE 1:30 PM

Sri Lanka 3:00 PM Qatar 12:30 PM

Bangladesh 3:30 PM N York 4:30 AM

Malaysia 5:30 PM S.Africa 11:30 AM

Perth 7:30 PM Europe 10:30 AM

Tokyo 8:30 PM Kenya 12:30 PM

Montreal 4:30 AM Oman 1:30 PM

Nigeria 10:00 AM Maldives 2:30 PM

Kuwait 1:00 PM UK 9:30 AM

Option B

⏰ Every FRIDAY 2:30 PM UK

Your Local time:

Saudi 5:30 PM India 8:00 PM

Pakistan 7:30 PM UAE 6:30 PM

Sri Lanka 8:00 PM Qatar 5:30 PM

Bangladesh 8:30 PM N.York 9:30 AM

Malaysia 10:30 PM S.Africa 4:30 PM

Perth 10:30 PM Europe 3:30 PM

Tokyo 11:30 PM Kenya 5:30 PM

Montreal 9:30 AM Oman 6:30 PM

Nigeria 3:30 AM Maldives 7:30 PM

Kuwait 5:30 PM UK 2:30 PM

Option C

⏰ Every FRIDAY 8:00 PM UK

Your Local time:

Saudi 11:00 PM N York 3:00 PM

Europe 9:00 PM Malaysia 4:00 AM

S.Africa 10:00 PM Malaysia 4:30

Perth 4:30 AM Montreal 3:00 PM

Nigeria 9:00 PM Kuwait 11:00 PM

Oman 12:00 PM UK 8:00 PM

These are the three time slots you could choose from. If you do not find your country in this list, please translate these timings for your country from Google. Use the link below to message your preference to the Admin who will add you to your desired group, إن شاء الله

If you're indecisive, pray two raka'at of salat al-istikhāra and leave your affairs in the hands of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala. He will guide you to the best decision.

SIGN UP NOW!

[oliviabone]

Olivia Bone - Salas Real Estate

We are a team of Spokane Realtors with over 12 years of experience in Spokane and the surrounding areas.

Buying or selling a home is an important, sometimes emotional event. Our team of agents takes pride in guiding you through the entire transaction. No matter the price, size, or location of the property. Each client and property we work with is our number one priority. With extensive knowledge and experienced negotiators, we have successfully closed hundreds of transactions. This website is all about serving your Spokane real estate needs. Our tools are designed to give you a quick and easy way to find the information you need for all of Spokane and its surrounding areas. You can quickly search for home listings for sale, condos, land, and foreclosure properties.

Feeling good about the community you live in can be just as important as selecting the right home. As a local expert, I can help you find a neighborhood that best suits your needs. From local restaurants and activities to school information and market trends, explore the communities I serve below.

ABOUT THE SALAS REAL ESTATE TEAM

Salas Real Estate Defined was founded in 2014 by Adam Salas. He worked to create the real estate business from the ground up. In 2018 Laura Salas joined her husband’s team. Together they worked to grow their real estate business into one of the top producing teams in the Spokane area.

Our team is composed of caring, knowledgeable professionals. We work tirelessly to help our clients with the home buying or selling process.

Salas Real Estate has streamlined the process of buying or selling a home to make it easier for our clients. We have built a group of industry experts we work with and trust. Our clients have access to local home inspectors, contractors, interior designers, lending professionals, title and escrow companies, home warranty companies, and more to provide you with the best service possible! We are committed to providing the most up-to-date market data in the Spokane area.

Adam & Laura Salas are licensed Real Estate Brokers in Washington State and are Associate Brokers

Spokane Homes for Sale

Spokane, Washington, is the second-largest city in Washington state. Spokane is known to be the "birthplace" of Father's Day and is nicknamed Lilac City.

Riverfront Park offers residents 100-acres of fun, featuring a gondola lift, carousel, and ice skating ribbon. Manito Park and Botanical Gardens is a beautiful area to take a stroll surrounded by art and nature. The Spokane Centennial River Trails permit 37-miles of hiking and walking paths to visitors. Homeowners in Spokane have ample opportunities regarding employment, activities, and attractions. If you are interested in buying a home in Spokane, Washington, please contact us today.

Liberty Lake Homes for Sale

Liberty Lake is a city in Spokane County, Washington that is populated by more than 9,000 people spanning over six square miles. Frenchmen from Canada settled the land in the late 1800s; the town was originally called Lake Grier and Spokane's Inland Seashore before it was finally and permanently named after Stephen Liberty. The town was incorporated in 2001, centuries after its inhabitance. Liberty Lake is in eastern Washington, just 20 minutes away from Downtown Spokane.

The strong community ties show in cases like public holiday celebrations such as the Liberty Lake Fourth of July bonanza. Held at Pavilion Park, neighbors come together for music, dancing, eating delicious home cooked food, and watching the fireworks sprinkle over the lake like confetti. Five Fingers Park and Half Moon Park offer residents with kids two playgrounds to run around. Harvard Road Trailhead permits hiking and fishing to homeowners, and Pumphouse and Little Bear Park both have basketball courts and playgrounds available publicly. Home buyers can attend the community gathering "Barefoot in the Park," where neighbors and friends have a fun excuse to picnic and listen to music as a community effort to have residents become more familiar with one another.

Get In Touch

Address:  1856 W Broadway Ave, Spokane, 

                   WA 99201, United States

Phone:  +15099913918

                +15099946777

E-mail: Adam@Salassold.com

[samueldays]

Sam Reviews: Books from this summer

Speaking of reading, this summer I slurped up lots of miscellaneous free book offerings from ÆtherCzar's Super Summer Book Sale. Here are some quick reviews, sorted into four tiers, mostly from memory and potentially inaccurate.

Best of the lot:

The Unexpected Enlightenment of Rachel Griffin, by L. Jagi Lamplighter. Young witch goes to magic school. Sort of like if Harry Potter had been written by C.S. Lewis. Better cast, better antagonists, better world-outside-school-country. This was the freebie giveaway that caused me to buy the greatest number of subsequent books by the same author.

Time Traders (with Galactic Derelict), by Andre Norton. Constrained time travel fic where the protagonists are trying to blend in and not disturb the timeline while playing spy games (US vs RU) among the Beaker people and looking for signs of aliens.

Would read again:

Cobra, by Timothy Zahn. Somewhat predictable supersoldier program fighting aliens and then facing home problems, but well executed. Author probably better known for Thrawn.

Trilisk Ruins, by Michael McCloskey. Space archaeology. Feels like fanfic of some big name scifi (Trek?) with names swapped and bits erased to make it sellable. Decent plot, weak setting, replaceable characters.

Fire with Fire, by Charles E. Gannon. The second half of this book is a pretty good story about meeting several aliens and having tense negotiations. The first half is a shaggy dog story about the protagonist's origins and I wish it had been condensed into a flashback chapter.

Oath of Swords, by David Weber. Swords-and-sorcery fantasy, quite 90s and D&D-ish, I liked it but might not recommend it as much as some other books here.

How Black the Sky, by TJ Marquis. Pulp fantasy but it's extra pulpy and heavy metal and everyone has names like "Axebourne" and "Deathgrip" and "Ice-Eyes the Flayer" and they ride bloodhoofs instead of horses and the kids play hurtball. Goofy, but original and entertaining.

The Empire's Corps, by Christopher G. Nuttall. In a declining space empire, a corps of soldiers is sent into semi-exile on a fringe world, with an outcast professor in tow, and they work to settle in and sort out the place. Overly fond of name-dropping Thomas Kratman as in-universe military author.

A Hymn Before Battle, by John Ringo. Humanity's first contact is learning that a conflict-shy galactic federation of aliens is at war with the Designated Antagonist, and we get recruited to be the war-happy frontline. Deep plot lurks in the background.

Nightland Racer, by Fenton Wood. What if you were a washed-out racecar driver brought back for one last great trip by a government program that gave you a nuclear-powered car and a mission of driving into the Twilight Zone, but it threw you into the far future where Earth is being oppressed by an evil sun that has usurped the regular sun, while factions of posthumans make war in the cold darkness.

Not to my taste, but:

Freehold, by Michael Z. Williamson. A fairly generic Planet Libertarianism wank with a bisexual female protagonist who reeks of author fantasy. Try Corcoran's Aristillus series instead if you want libertarian separatism.

Fire Ant, by Colonel Jonathan P. Brazee, USMC (Ret). Underdeveloped, unfinished-seeming book about space pilot.

The Divine Space Pirates, by C.S. Johnson. Space opera romance with star-crossed lovers and amnesia plot. Couldn't get halfway through before tossing it aside. I'm sure someone very different likes it.

Rawjack, by TJ Marquis. Superheroes ("Innates") have recently appeared in an otherwise fantasy setting, but an evil group of wizards is trying to reassert magical supremacy by taking away superpowers. Gimmicky.

Don't bother:

Faith & Empire, by Carlos Carrasco. I was promised Scifi Space Catholics by the art and opening, but what I got was extremely soft space opera mil-fic where the fleet commander (space is an ocean) says "Slow to one-half C" in a space battle, the religion feels copypasted rather than lived, and who the fuck names a ship Torquemada?

Recruit (The United Federation Marine Corps), by Colonel Jonathan P. Brazee, USMC (Ret). This is a very straightforward boy-joins-corps-and-becomes-a-man tale, no twists, one frill, entirely forgettable and indistinguishable from a hundred like it. Extruded Book Product and author indulgence.

The Brutal Sword Saga (Omnibus 1), by James Alderdice. It's cast as a gritty fantasy novel, but the protagonist might as well be a Warhammer Space Marine for the way he keeps carving through everyone and everything, garbed in the finest plot armor, taking wounds of plot-convenient severity.

[cmenvs3000w23]

Unit 02: Teaching Learners

My goal as an environmental interpreter is to establish/strengthen a connection between the learner and nature, in order to ultimately inspire environmental stewardship. My favourite and preferred audience of learners to work with is students from K-Gr 6. I especially enjoy working within this age range as these years are foundational to building a meaningful relationship to nature, and can lead to a positive effect on overall childhood development. As Richard Louv (2008) mentions in Last Child in the Woods, increased time in nature and green space can lead to higher academic achievement, social-emotional regulation, and confidence in children. I find that each age group offers unique gifts and challenges when it comes to designing a program that scaffolds learners effectively. 

Additionally, my ideal role as an environmental interpreter is one where I’m not only facilitating lessons, but also have a lead role in the development of programming. Throughout the experiences I’ve had as an interpreter, the ones where I felt I could make the best connection with each group I was working with were jobs where I could be part of the program development process. I found that certain jobs where I was handed pre-made lesson plans to follow left me feeling restricted, and feeling almost robotic at the end of a day's work. The researching and planning process is where I feel most creative and inspired to teach, as it’s also the time where I get to continue to learn and discover any potential new information on environmental science and education, and collaborate with other educators. 

I believe that using interpretation leader Sam Ham’s TORE model of thematic communication mentioned by Beck et. al (2018) would provide a great basis for the program planning process, leading to more complete and goal driven delivery. When delivering the same program content to multiple groups in a row throughout the year, I find myself going through the motions and at times forgetting to me mindful of the purpose and evolving theme of my interpretation. Although all cornerstones of the model are important to making an experience enjoyable for learners, R, relevance to audience, is one that I strongly believe is the critical component to whether or not an interpreter will achieve their goals for programming. An audience can listen and absorb all the information being provided and experienced, but I believe that results that last past the end of the program are only possible when the learner can relate to the content. Beck et. al (2018) mentions that connecting content with your audience can be a challenge, depending on whether or not you know your group and can prepare ahead of time, or if you start without knowing them at all.

I find that taking the first few minutes to do introductions, and simple ice breaking games can make a huge difference in establishing connections with the group, and getting to understand their learning styles and comfort level with the outdoors. For example, finding out that a student’s favourite thing to do in their spare time is play video games can be key information to incorporate later on perhaps in a game break may result in that student suddenly feeling included and excited about the content, despite never mentioning loving the outdoors. Learning back pocket games and icebreakers from other interpreters in the field has been one of the most valuable components to enhancing my lessons, and I hope to continue strengthening this skill, to build on my R cornerstone.

A resource that I've found useful for ice-breakers and games:

Even though it's camp related there's lots of games that work great for all ages, even adults!

Citations

Beck, L., Cable, T. T., & Knudson, D. M. (2018). Interpreting cultural and natural heritage : for a better world. Sagamore Venture.

Louv, R. (2008). Last child in the Woods. Algonquin Books.

[aurorasulphur]

Panfandom Longfic Recs

All over 50,000 words. In alphabetical order by author. Fandoms include Stargate, Marvel, Austen, Star Trek, ATLA, Good Omens, and Transformers, although many (most?) can be read fandom blind.

By Design by AmandaRex

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/6482863

Ratings/Warnings:             Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship:               Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons

Word count:         68,562

Author summary:               Jemma Simmons and Leopold Fitz are rival board game designers, each at the top of their profession. They’re offered the opportunity of a lifetime—but only if they can work together. Conflicting work styles, a tight deadline, and utter confusion are all that stand between them and the completion of the most ambitious project either of them have attempted, but what else will they discover along the way?  

My pitch:              TAKE YOUR FANDOM TO WORK DAY FitzSimmons

Tag teaser:          Game Designer AU, Awkwardness, Misunderstandings, Angst, Slow Burn, Take Your Fandom to Work Day

My comments:    I know absolutely NOTHING about game design and I adored this fic to the point that SIX YEARS LATER I clearly remember certain scenes.

  Meet Cute: A Team Engineering Group Writing Project by AmandaRex, capnamvrica, chinesebakery, dot11, DrsFitzSimmons, EclecticMuse, everyl1ttleth1ng, lettertoelise, lucyrinner, overworkedunderwhelmed, reymanova, santiagone, SuburbanSun, TeamEngineering, XOLove47

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/7331314

Ratings/Warnings:             Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship:               Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons

Word count:         133,620

Author summary:               (excerpt from a review of the new show, "Meet Cute")

Meet Cute, a show that could have been mindless hiatus-filler, promises weeks of effortless chemistry mixed with surprising emotional twists. In a throwback to old Hollywood, leads Leo Fitz and Jemma Simmons trade biting snark and witty banter, but with a decidedly modern sensibility.

As part of the experimental conceit of the series, each episode features entirely new characters and a new premise, with one coherent running thread — the leads meet and fall in love each week. In a further nod to Coulson's paradigm-transcending concept, every character on the show is named after the actor who plays them.

Jemma Simmons (Nothing Personal) is a surprising standout as lead, showcasing her versatility and effortless emotional range.  Starring opposite is Leo Fitz, known best for his well performed turns in the short-lived series Yes Men, Chaos Theory, and Watchdogs, who shines as Jemma's romantic foil. Together, they bring a spot-on, electric chemistry that seems to transcend the confines of the small screen, stunning enough that fans are already starting to refer to them as “Fitzsimmons”.  

My pitch:              Fitz and Simmons are actors, and they take the lead in an anthology series about falling in love, and fall in love themselves along the way.

Tag teaser:          Alternate Universe - Show Business, various AUs acted in each chapter, AUs within overall continuity

My comments:    This concept kills me every time. It reminds me of Yulin Kuang’s Kissing in the Rain webseries, and I do sincerely wish it were a common genre of work! The POSSIBILITIES.

  Five Times Frederick Wentworth Had the Breath Knocked Out of Him On the Ice (and one time he let out a breath he didn’t know he was holding) by AMarguerite

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/36935755

Ratings/Warnings:             Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship:               Anne Elliot/Frederick Wentworth

Word count:         83,672

Author summary:               Frederick Wentworth has always loved to skate, but skating has not always loved him back. Especially when it came to his Olympic dreams and pairs figure skating career with Anne Elliot.

(Persuasion Olympics figure skater/ hockey player AU.)

TW: for some mild modern racism-in-sports talk, and Louisa's canonical head injury.  

My pitch:              Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth always thought they’d go to the Olympics together, competing in pairs at the 2014 Vancouver Olympics. Life has other plans.

Tag teaser:          Friends to Lovers, Alternate Universe - Olympics,

My comments:    Look, I really just blanket rec everything AMarguerite writes. I adored her Pride and Prejudice retelling wherein Lizzy and her brother Jamie were ice dancers, Pyeongchang and Prejudice, and I was very sad to learn it had been permanently shelved. However, then she came out with THIS, and I possibly love it even more. What a way to translate this story to the modern era!! Do be warned that covid is a plot point, and while aspects of that are hand-waved for Drama Purposes, some of it is not. Can be read fandom blind.

 An Ever-Fixed Mark by AMarguerite

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/8523001

Ratings/Warnings:             Teen And Up Audiences, Major Character Death

Central Character or Relationship:               Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy, Elizabeth Bennet/Colonel Fitzwilliam, Jane Bennet/Charles Bingley

Word count:         190,537

Author summary:               One would think that having the name of one's soulmate appear on one's wrist on one's sixteenth birthday would make matrimony much less complicated. It mostly does not. And not at all for Miss Elizabeth Bennet of Longbourne.

(A deconstruction of the "soulmate identifying mark" trope, using "Pride and Prejudice." Trigger warnings in the tags.)  

My pitch:              Incredibly thorough deconstruction and analysis of the soulmark trope, using Pride and Prejudice as the lens. Has multiple alternate endings if you prefer!

Tag teaser:          medicine sure was fun before germ theory, Elizabeth Bennet/ Mud, is the true OTP, Slow Burn, Reaaaally slow burn, Burn so slow it takes like six chapters to defrost first

My comments:    The Major Character Death is Colonel Fitzwilliam, whom Elizabeth has married. In one of the alternate endings, he survives, and Lizzy does not go on to marry Darcy.

   a sequence that you never learned by annataylor

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/1077361

Ratings/Warnings:             Explicit, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Central Character or Relationship:               James T. Kirk/Spock

Word count:         64,624

Author summary:               "'Spock,' Jim breathes out, completely overwhelmed by the gesture—not quite believing that Spock knows him so well, that's he's already started researching, that he trusts Jim with a member of his own endangered species."  

When Jim gets it in his head to adopt an eight year old Vulcan, Spock presents a logical solution to the issue of Jim's humanity: marriage to a Vulcan citizen.  

My pitch:              Spirk kidfic

Tag teaser:          Kid Fic, Fake Marriage

My comments:    I know so little about Star Trek that I was essentially going in fandom-blind, and it did not negatively affect my enjoyment at all.

 The Fourth Estate by catie56 (catharsis)

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/163688

Ratings/Warnings:             Teen And Up Audiences, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Central Character or Relationship:               Elizabeth Bennet/Fitzwilliam Darcy

Word count:         59,496

Author summary:               There are people who believe that romantic connections are the province of fate and destiny, the result of an alignment of constellations and conditions that bring two people together.  Others tend to discuss falling in love as the product of rational decisions that acknowledge attraction and compatibility.  Some people, however, seem to think these two seemingly-opposite perspectives are really just two sides of the same coin. Sometimes, after all, destiny just requires that two people make a single choice.

A modern/AU Pride & Prejudice.  

My pitch:              P&P Celebrity/Normal Person AU

My comments:    I’ve reread this one a lot. I only wish it were longer! Absolutely readable fandom blind.

 Freedom's Reach by dr_girlfriend

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/34860640

Ratings/Warnings:             Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship:               James "Bucky" Barnes/Clint Barton,  background Steve Rogers/Sam Wilson

Word count:         67,810

Author summary:               Clint is about to move on when his eyes drift up to the lettering at the top of the window.

 FREE PASSAGE TO THE WEST!

Clint knows that the circus folk mock him — call him too trusting, too soft-hearted — but even he knows nothing in this life comes free. The words puzzle him, and he reads them again carefully to make sure he hasn’t made a mistake.

His eyes are drawn to one posting at the very bottom corner, different from the others. This one is sun-faded and starting to yellow, curling at the corners. Clint crouches down, brow furrowing and lips moving as he sounds out the unfamiliar words.

 Western Man Seeking a Husband — I am a kind and unassuming man of good financial means seeking a helpmate and companion. I have lost my arm in the service of our Union, but am otherwise free from disease. I am not particular as to looks, but am seeking an individual of equal youth and vivacity with whom I can share my affection and devotion. I am a man of quiet habits, moderate temperament, and kind disposition and would seek the same in my husband.  

My pitch:              Clint Barton needs to get out of town. Bucky has advertised for a mail order husband. What could go wrong?

Tag teaser:          Marriage of Convenience, Deaf Clint Barton, Introducing Gosh!Clint Barton, War Veteran!Bucky Barnes, Circus Veteran!Clint Barton, Matt Fraction-inspired Clint Barton, Comic!Clint Barton, Fraction/Aja!Clint Barton, Homophobia Doesn't Exist, Natural Disaster (Tornado), Misunderstandings, Mutual Pining, Romance, Slow Build, Slow Burn, Idiots in Love, Touch-Starved

My comments:    Not pairings I usually read, but this was recced to me and I was drawn in IMMEDIATELY. Excellent characterization, predictable in all the right ways, and the payoffs really felt earned.

     The Dragon-King's Temple by Kryal

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/6211903

Ratings/Warnings:             Teen And Up Audiences, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Central Character or Relationship:               Crossover: Avatar the Last Airbender and Stargate SG-1

Word count:         196,311

Author summary:               Through the spite of the spirits or plain rotten chance, a door that would have been better left untouched has opened. On the other hand, with Fire and Earth as one's allies, sometimes escaping is the easy part.

 Even the Dragon-King's temple floods.  

My pitch:              The Stargate folks stumble across Toph and Zuko, and have to overcome the cold, an evil entity, and a language barrier in order to get the kids home. (Yes, Toph finally gets her field trip.)

Tag teaser:          Stealth Crossover, Ridiculously Long Notes, Friendship, Adopted Sibling Relationship, Languages and Linguistics, For Science!

My comments:    My only complaint is I WANT A SEQUEL! Definitely readable fandom blind on the Stargate side. Presumably also readable fandom blind on the ATLA side.

  PROOF SPIDER-MAN LOVES CLICKBAIT by mauvera

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/16084490

Ratings/Warnings:             General Audiences, Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings

Central Character or Relationship:               Peter Parker, some Harley Keener/Peter Parker later on

Word count:         87,736

Author summary:               When Peter Parker gets a job working at Buzzfeed there's really only one subject he can write about: superheroes. And what superhero does he know better than everyone's friendly neighborhood Spider-Man?

What he didn't expect was that everyone would think Peter's new obsession with the hero would be interpreted quite like That.  

My pitch:              Peter Parker, Buzzfeed writer, digs himself into some holes. His fellow heroes laugh uproariously before helping him out again.

Tag teaser:          Iron dad and Spider son, Peter is a Little Shit, everyone thinks peter is in love with Spider-Man whoops, I am cherry picking canon, Social Media, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Identity Reveal

My comments:    This is so full of shenanigans, and great for some laughs. A blend of MCU and other Marvel canons.

  Can't Take the Heat by memorizingthedigitsofpi

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/4256748

Ratings/Warnings:             Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship:               Leo Fitz/Jemma Simmons

Word count:         70,361

Author summary:               When Fitz's air conditioner breaks, Jemma lets him crash on her couch. Soon, the heat wave isn't the only thing raising the temperature.  

My pitch:              FitzSimmons smut, pure and simple.

Tag teaser:          Summer Lovin', havin' a blast, AC's broken, Fitz is aghast, Jemma lets him, stay at her plaaaaace, Fitz is gonna, get to third baaaaaase, summer dreams occurring to me, whoa oh oh those summer nights, well-a well-a well-a UNF, TELL ME MORE TELL ME MORE, is this gonna be smut?, tell me more! tell me more!, hell yeah I tell you what, and now for the real tags, UST, Smut, Explicit Sexual Content, Fluff, Sci-Ops Era (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.), Mutual Pining, Crushes, Secret Crush, Unresolved Sexual Tension, Resolved Sexual Tension, the resolution just takes a while is all

My comments:    This fic is the absolute PINNACLE of tagging for me. They grabbed my attention IMMEDIATELY and then I fell in love with all of pi’s works.

  Slow Show by mia_ugly

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/20395261

Ratings/Warnings:             Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship:               Aziraphale/Crowley

Word count:         95,505

Author summary:               In which temptations are accomplished, grand romantic gestures are made, and two ineffable co-stars only take four seasons of an award-winning television program to realize they’re on their own side (at last, at last.)  

My pitch:              A. Z. Fell and Anthony Crowley are co-stars on a very popular television show. Slowly, they fall in love.

Tag teaser:          Show Business, Secret Relationship, Pining, First Time, Internalized Homophobia, Past Drug Addiction, Ineffable Husbands (Good Omens), Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Excessive Drinking, Coming Out, Slow Burn, Oh my god they were co-stars

My comments:    There is a substantial amount of spin-off fic of these versions of A/C, as well as some solid fic for the fictional show, and even some in-universe RPF! You can probably read this fandom blind, since it’s an AU.

  Demonology and the Tri-Phasic Model of Trauma: An Integrative Approach by Nnm

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/20177950

Ratings/Warnings:             Teen And Up Audiences, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship:               Crowley and HEALING

Word count:         99,423

Author summary:               As soon as Aubrey Thyme, psychotherapist, had opened her office door and seen her new client, Anthony J. Crowley, sitting in her waiting area, she was observing and assessing him. At first glance, she paid attention to the following:

--His clothing was expensive and stylish;--He wore very strange but noticeable cologne;--His relationship to the seat he occupied could only, very loosely, be described as “sitting;”--He looked angry;--He was wearing sunglasses.

What Aubrey Thyme, a professional, thought, upon first seeing her new client was: you’re going to be a fun one, aren’t you?  

My pitch:              Crowley’s therapist is one-of-a-kind, and both she and Crowley know it.

Tag teaser:          Crowley goes to therapy, outsider pov, Everyone deserves a good therapist, Seriously if you identify with Crowley after the fire therapy would be a good idea, Crowley works through his problems, aziraphale gets carried away, eldritch angelic horror, Of course the DSM was the product of demonic influence, love is a four letter word, gardening advice

My comments:    My entire friend group regularly screamed about this fic when it was initially in-progress, and even now periodically someone will reread it and we all spend the next few days awash in feels. You absolutely cannot read this unless you know either the book or the show, and probably both.

 nor need we power or splendor by shellybelle

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/4053391

Ratings/Warnings:             Mature, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship:               Clint Barton/Laura Barton/Natasha Romanov

Word count:         242,662

Author summary:               She hadn’t been sure, at the time, what had finally driven her away from the training center, brought her to book a flight to Waterloo and rent a car for the drive out out to the farm. But when she had packed a bag and headed to the nearest airport, it hadn’t been her apartment in New York or her condo in DC or her London townhouse or any number of hidden bolt-holes she kept around the world that she’d flown to, but a creaking, busy farmhouse in Iowa. (Or: It's been a long journey to get to where they are, and it'll be an even longer journey home.)  

My pitch:              After Ultron, Natasha finally comes home to Laura and Clint.

Tag teaser:          the best solution to a love triangle is an ot3

My comments:    This fic makes me so sad for all the unrealized potential the three of them had in canon, but especially in fic!! Why did more people not jump all over this??

   Written by the Victors by Speranza

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/15

Ratings/Warnings:             Explicit, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship:               Stargate Atlantis

Word count:         52,843

Author summary:               Caroll, Franklin R. Atlantis Revisited. New York and London, Routledge, 2011.Chapman, Denise. Several Kinds of Genius: The Life of Rodney McKay. NY: Harper Perennial, 2015.Croft, Rosalind. City of Spires: A Memoir. Toronto: The Mercury Press, 2009.Dugan, Paul. A Political History of Atlantis. Oxford: OUP, 2012.  

My pitch:              Fictional bibliography of Stargate! Readable fandom blind but probably better if you know canon.

Tag teaser:          Alternate Universe, Footnotes, POV Outsider, War, secession, Unreliable Narrator, Epic

My comments:    No, that fic ID is not an error. One of the earliest fics posted to the archive.

  Give Thanks to Broken Bones by thepartyresponsible

Link:       http://ao3.org/works/20128243

Ratings/Warnings:             Mature, Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Central Character or Relationship:               Tony Stark/Jason Todd

Word count:         109,628

Author summary:               The bodyguard is incredibly well-respected in the superhero single parent community. He is also, Tony’s realizing, something of an asshole.  

My pitch:              I know that relationship seems like a weird one, but trust me. It works.

Tag teaser:          Kid Fic, Domestic Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Slow Burn, Team as Family,

My comments:    The timelines (both internally and in broader canon terms) do not make any sense at all, so just handwave them aside.

  Xenoethnography (series) by Therrae (Dasha_mte)

Link:       https://archiveofourown.org/series/913458

Ratings/Warnings:             Gen/Teen, No Archive Warnings Apply

Central Character or Relationship:               Original Character & Optimus Prime, although arguably it’s Original Character/Optimus Prime

Word count:         407,378 (series), 61,950 (first fic)

Author summary:               It also didn’t help that the average glyph message was only three characters long, used no articles or prepositions, and usually had no verbs. What was the proper response to:: Curiosity; Sensation of great speed? Was it a question? A comparison?  Why, after a brief visit by National Security Director Mearing, did four different ‘Bots send:: Emphasis; overlapping? Why was a particularly bad joke by Bulkhead derided as ::Undercharged when there were actual glyphs for Not funny and Humor fail? How did any of that work?

My pitch:              Kim wasn’t sure what she expected to do with her sociology degree, but it certainly wasn’t “assist the ruler of a group of aliens acclimatize to Earth culture while preparing to introduce said aliens to the world.” Easily read fandom blind.

My comments:    SUCH great characterization and plot development. Complete series.

[glittergrubz]

So some things came up and I need some extra cash for Christmas. I'd really like to buy some of my friends and family a little bit of something. I might make a couple more if I really need money but who knows. Good news, I have a job interview on the 20th! So lets hope that works out well ---

Please don't argue over the designs or prices. First come first serve. Only take Paypal. DO NOT OFFER OCS OR ART! I WILL DELETE YOUR COMMENT!  I WILL NOT BE DOING HOLDS! (Unless your a mutual which I will be expecting payment on the day we decide) ★ PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW MY TOS:  docs.google.com/document/d/...… You can change anything about the character's name and lore! I just thought it was neat to add some.

1) Spriggan - Ice/Sandwing - Price: $10 - 1000 Points - CLOSED CLAIMED ON DA - Cursed by an animus to kill whatever it lays eyes on - Became a runaway after the enchantment and now hides in the woods, doing his best to avoid any dragon he can - Named after the Leshen from the Witcher games 2) Occult - Nightwing - Price: $15 - 1500 Points - CLOSED CLAIMED ON DA - Very very shady dragoness - A cult leader of a small group of dragons, her powers keep them inline while she uses her followers to gain power from the rich and royal dragons - Has eye tattoos on her tongue 3) Sunset - Rain/Silkwing - Price: $20 - 2000 Points - OPEN - A very famous artist in the Rainwing Kingdom - Known for her soft spoken attitude and nervous mannerisms - Doesn't paint with paint brushes, instead she's able to make small details with just her talons and tail Buyers will get separate file without the watermarks. Feel free to comment/DM me to claim