#there are bigger things to worry about here. if i can put aside my own concerns as to who i'm talking to you can hold your tongue

[thcfountain]

I recieved 2 requests for enemies to lovers between Matt and Reader.

tags: enemies to lovers, mentions of male masturbation, implied degradation kink.

word count: 2,029

banner cred. Join my tag list.

tag list: @to-be-written @th4t-em0-k1d @cheyyyr @somewhere-diamond @ravieisunhinged @blackveilomens @sprokat @jilliemiw86 @cookiesupplier @emmmm127 @thatchickwiththecamera

A/N: Hey guys, sorry about the somewhat hiatus that happened from me without warning. I don't have an excuse for vanishing really, so I'm sorry and please know that I'm working on your requests now!

“I do not need an assistant,” came the same complaint that Matt had already given the rest of the band multiple times over the course of the last week.

Unfortunately, Matt did need an assistant, so much so that he had been complaining about it for months. The bigger the band got, the more responsibilities hit his plate and the less time he had to work on each responsibility, let alone have time for the occasional problem that occurred. He was stretched thin and the band knew it. Noah had told Matt not to worry, that he would find Matt the perfect assistant and that had been that.

At least until Noah had announced the new hire.

There weren't many people in Virginia that Noah kept in touch with, outside of Ruffilo's family and her. A childhood friend of Noah and Nicholas who was still close enough to both of them that Matt and the band and crew had met her and hung out with her on a multitude of occasions over the years.

Matt knew Noah had a soft spot for y/n - they had met in high school and back then she had been just as enamored with the music industry as Noah and from what Matt knew, she had doubled as photographer and occasional manager for Noah's high school band. (Of course she was also a high school student, so Matt had been put under the impression that Noah and his ex bandmates had paid her in drinks or weed or dinner here and there.) 

She had gone on to work as a tour manager for a few small bands here and there since then and maybe Matt would have been more impressed if he didn't hate her.

“She's extremely professional, you could do a lot worse,” Noah countered Matt's complaint in a tone that said he wasn't going to have this argument again.

Matt persisted, he wasn't the hater king for nothing after all, “she's obnoxious, she's not as good as you think she is, she'll slow me down or get in the way,” he listed off his reasons.

So called ‘boba’ eyes roll as Noah doesn't even make an attempt at hiding his own annoyance towards Matt's complaints. “I don't know what your issue with her is,” he says, pointing a finger in Matt's direction, “but you need to get over it. The decision is made and I'm not going to listen to you hate on my friend the entire time she's under our employment. Which means suck it up.”

And that was that. Case closed, at least in Noah's opinion.

With tour upcoming, Matt had a long list of things that needed to be finalized before they left. Normally it would have taken him days to get through them all but she showed up (and Matt could only describe her as a whirlwind) and took one look at his list and completed more than half in a day.

With ease and professionalism, she finalized hotel rooms across the tour as well as a slew of other things, leaving Matt more angry than relieved. She made his job easier while simultaneously making it all look too easy.

“What's with that scowl?” she asked, smacking him in the face with a pen in what he could only assume was her attempt at being silly. “If you want, I can pick up lunch while you finish your half of the list?”

The pen is yanked from her hand and tossed aside, hitting the floor with a clack and although it was a relatively quiet noise, it felt all too loud in the sudden silence between them. There was an intensity in Matt's eyes that she hadn't before noticed. He suddenly seemed to loom over her, as if his anger had made him taller but she was used to tantrums and shitty people, it came with the territory of working in the industry and so she held her ground, meeting his gaze with an unblinking stare.

The silence remained for a good 30 seconds as neither of them said anything, each waiting for the other to back down and break the silence first. She wasn't afraid, at least not of Matthew Dierkes, he was all talk and no walk, and she knew it. And he knew she knew.

“You should quit,” he says finally, breaking the silence between them with quiet words filled with anger. “I don't want you here.”

“Too bad, throw this small dick syndrome tantrum elsewhere because we both know I'm doing a good job,” and with that, she spun around on her heel and walked away, head high and without a glance back in his direction to see whether or not the words had stung him.

He didn't want to admit it or even think about what it meant for him, but her attitude and crude remark, paired with that cleat confidence went straight to his dick.

The thought of her plagued his mind. He ran and re-ran her every word in his head, again and again as he laid in bed that night. He fell asleep to thoughts of her and those thoughts turned into dreams.

Dreams that woke Matt up in the middle of the night, his cock straining against his boxers as precum made a small wet patch over the fabric. He palmed his erection through his boxers, half asleep and thinking of her and how she stood up to him. He pushed his boxers down his thighs, just enough to free his cock before spitting into his palm.

It didn't take much - just a few strokes over his cock before he was shooting ropes of cum over his stomach and chest. 

“Fuckin’ Y/N,” he murmured.

Gear and suitcases and everything in between had been loaded onto the bus and band and crew had chosen their bunks. Matt wasn't exactly sure how it happened but he had a sneaking suspicion that Noah had been involved, but Matt had ended up with the bunk beneath Y/N's. His suspicions were immediately confirmed by a wink from the frontman and Matt had a moment of fear, wondering if somehow Noah had found out about Matt's late night masturbation session and who exactly he had been getting off to.

He shook those thoughts from his head because as weird as Noah could sometimes be, he definitely wasn't a mind reader.

“Uh-oh, Matt, looks like we're bunked close together. Hope that doesn't cause you to have a piss party,” she stated, tossing her bag into her bunk.

“The shits a piss party?” he grumbled back, immediately back to his hater self. “You say the stupidest shit. Fuck, you're so annoying.”

Jolly, from his own bunk, nodded solemnly at Matt. “I've had a piss party,” he stated and then proceeded not to elaborate further and Matt wasn't sure if that was a good thing or not.

As the weeks crept by, Matt became more and more agitated. He couldn't deny that Noah had been right about Y/N being a good assistant tour manager. No matter what kind of shit was flung at her, she handled it quickly and professionally which ultimately made Matt's job easier. 

He tried to find things to nitpick and reasons to be mad, but he failed. Her time working as a tour manager for other, smaller bands, had given her plenty of experience and the very few times that she came up lacking or un-knowledgeable, she proved to be a quick learner.

As much as he hated to admit it, she was the proverbial yin to his yang.

“Hey, Matt,” her voice knocked him out of his thoughts about her and he turned to face her. They'd just finished loading the last of their gear back up and the band had dispersed to figure out their dinner situations. “Let's go get dinner,” she continued and then gave him a mischievous grin. “You're paying since you've been eye-fucking me for the last hour.”

“I have not,” he denied, immediately following after her as she began walking in some direction, clearly having an idea of where she wanted them to get dinner. “You are so fucking full of yourself, you know?”

“Yeah, because I'm the fucking shit,” she answered. “Plus anyone with eyes can tell you wish I was full of you.” She waggled a finger at him. “I finally have you figured out. Well actually, Noah figured you out and then ratted you out.”

Noah Fucking Sebastian. He loved the man but hated how easily Noah figured out how to fuck with him. And this time it was by realizing that Matt had developed feelings for Y/N.

He snorted and then went silent, unable to think of a comeback for what she had said. So instead he just shrugged and followed her into the little restaurant. He was somewhat surprised the place was still open but that was the bright side to American tours, there was always one or two little places with kitchens that didn't close until one or two am.

He followed her up to the counter and, yes, he paid for her meal too. It wasn't until they sat down to eat that he finally had input to give on her little revelation towards his feelings.

“Noah's a bitch,” he grumbled. “But yeah, fuck it, he's right. I guess you aren't that bad.”

She laughed and then choked on her drink, causing him to smile. “It didn't take him long to figure it out since you keep moaning my name in your sleep at night. Here I thought you were fighting me in your dreams but Noah said those were wet dream moans.”

It was Matt's turn to choke then. “I fucking did not do that,” he argued in horror.

“Ask anyone on the bus, they'll agree that you did,” came her amused response. “Kinda cute in a perverted way.”

“That shits fucking embarrassing,” he said, unable to believe that this was how the current admission to feelings was happening. If he wasn't as close to the guys as he was, he might have crawled into a hole to die.

She caught him by surprise, leaning over their little dinner table to steal a kiss. “Shit talk me again and I'll beat your ass,” she warns.

“Not going to lie, that kinda turns me on,” he laughs, cheeks going a little red because its true.

“Well in that case the next hotel we're all in, come to my room and I'll beat your ass for fun.”

He reaches across the table, taking her hand in his, not exactly sure what this meant for their relationship or how they would even define whatever this was between them.

“Noah's never going to let you live this down,” she said, squeezing his hand. “Lets fuck with him and fight even worse and see how long it takes for him to figure it out.”

“I might be a little in love with you now,” he says, agreeing to her proposal. “Maybe we can trick him into buying us dinner while we're at it.”

The two of them walked back to the bus, practically giggling over their little prank idea on Noah.

Noah, who took one look at them over the top of his phone when they got back, and then proceeded to announce to the whole bus that Matt and Y/N were dating. 

“Please,” Noah says after the announcement, “you two have been in denial about liking each other since you met. I'm just surprised it took this long. You're both welcome for setting you up by the way. When you get married, I expect to be the maid of honor and the best man.”

“You motherfucker. I love you though,” Y/N says with a laugh. 

“Hey, remember the bus rules you two,” Jolly adds quickly. “No fucking on the bus. Unless I'm allowed to join.”

Matt handed his new girlfriend the pillow off his bunk wordlessly and then cheered her on as she used it to beat the shit out of Jolly. 

“Thanks, Noah,” Matt added quietly and Noah just laughed before retreating to his own bunk.

[wejustvibing]

have this unfiltered verbal diarrhea 🤗

after a night of careful reflection i still believe lewis was not a 100% at fault irrespective of whether he has taken the responsibility for it followed by apology world tour or not. but there are clearly bigger issues here that this social media facade is just not able to hide and that worries me.

the treatment they're giving lewis is just shocking and unacceptable given what he brings to the table. even if i put aside the megastar status (which i'm not sure i should, considering they never shy away from using it for securing the bag and engagement), he is still their leading driver in the championship. he has scored 60% of the team's points and the only pole so far, in an effort for P2 in wcc. he is closing in on 2nd in the wdc despite being in the 3rd or 4th fastest car. by that logic alone he should never be subjected to all these shenanigans.

no matter which way you slice it, lewis is always the one with the short end of the stick. he is always the scapegoat. he is always the one taken for granted. he is the one covering up the clear mismanagement. instead of getting full support from the team he is the one out there assuring team harmony to the media, apologizing for a racing incident which it shouldn't have been considering he was the one who trusted the team and his teammate with whatever the fuck that tire strategy was and was the one who got dnf'd.

i know he will be the bigger person just to protect his peace and with constant target on his back no matter what he does, because god forbid a black man expresses himself the way his white counterparts do. i'm not asking for the sassy LH back either. all i want them to do is be fair. it's this glaring disparity they need to be ashamed of and sort out as soon as possible. well they've stolen his words "we win and we lose together" they might as well act like it. we've seen clear examples of the tone they're setting for this, especially after the two dnfs.

and lewis said that's my role. i just want to know what he meant by that? role in what capacity? is he the team principal now and taking the fall for everything? or has he signed on to be the team's punching bag with the new contract? i'm not being dramatic when i say this. his teammate dnf'd through his own fault & lewis got the podium and got silent treatment in return instead of celebration but when he dnf'd after the teammate disregarded previously agreed upon strategy, he's again the one getting gaslit into apologizing in front of the world instead? there has to be a way to explain this.

and i'm ride or die for him. i believe he can and should and will do whatever necessary to protect his sanity. maybe he's in too deep with that kumbaya shit and damn, good for him. full support to that. the question remains — why must he? i refuse to move on from every little thing by saying oh he is a better person than me. oh the sport doesn't deserve him. oh he has matured. oh it's not that deep. and by the way, his teammate can own up to his mistakes and see clearly in mirrors when it's any of the other 18 drivers so those excuses don't work for me. and no, replacing the teammate or bringing back valtteri will not sort this out. it's for mercedes and toto to decide and prove to lewis if his faith in them is justified? they have created this and they must sort it out.

this is about basic respect as a human being that this sport and fans have NEVER granted him. it's sad to see his team do it too. this is about reciprocity. has the team or teammate apologized to him for the recent fuck ups? no! but he does something slightly wrong and they're parading him on social media, making him apologize on camera, weaponizing his magnanimity against him to act like they forgive all his fucks ups?? and i'm supposed to sit in silence about this?

[rehfan]

New Ralph Penbury fic…. This is only chapter one. More to follow!

The Hat Shop Girl

Inexperienced!Ralph Penbury x Fem!Reader/AFAB!Reader

Summary: You were working as a clerk in a hat shop when Ralph Penbury walked into your life. Nothing was ever the same.

Tags: Under 18 - DO NOT READ PLEASE, Eventual smut, slow burn, class differences, fantasies, implied/references to drug use, sexual inexperience, first kiss, first French kiss, vaginal fingering, nipple play, PIV sex, blow jobs, cream pie.

Read the story on AO3 — LINK HERE

DO NOT REPOST MY STUFF TO ANY OTHER SITE PLEASE.

***********************

CHAPTER ONE: THE BOY WITH THE SUNSHINE SMILE

“Good grief! You don’t mean that she’s actually tricked me into purchasing my own hat?” the man’s brown eyes got bigger in his incredulity.

“I’m afraid so, sir,” you whispered quietly. “This hat is yours? Your name is on the band inside,” you showed him the inside of the boater that you were holding out to him, “‘R. Penbury’? That is you, isn’t it?”

“It is,” he blushed beautifully in his humiliation, his brilliant smile gone. You couldn’t help but feel for him. He wasn’t the brightest bulb, but he had shone just the same. When he had first entered the shop, he was all smiles, eagerness, and jolly good times. He had tried several different styles of hats, showing increasing enthusiasm for each one that was brought to him. He had been especially impressed with the styles and materials that you had designed, describing them as ‘wizard’, although you hadn’t mentioned that personal point to him. You had been flattered by his candid positive reactions.

Your boss, on the other hand, just wanted him to buy all the damn hats and be done with it. You were bringing out his twenty-third selection to him when she pulled you aside and said: “God, he’s insufferably stupid. More money than brains, that one.” She paused, an evil glint in her eye. “Do you know? I bet I can sell him his own hat back to him and he would never notice.” So she did; she wrapped his straw hat which he had discarded when trying on the new styles in a hat box and brought it out, flourishing it as though it were the perfect answer to sir’s troubled soul, the very thing that sir was looking for, and would sir care to try?

And sir did. And he said it was perfect. When he said to put it with everything else he was purchasing, your boss gave you an avaricious grin and wink as she smoothly carried it off to the growing stack of other selections he had made, expecting a little extra in the till at the end of the day from that trick.

But you couldn’t live with that. While she cooed over him again about one of the more expensive hats and would sir care for a handkerchief to match? You stole the hat back and timed it so that when Elvira went to the back to fetch another, you pulled him aside to share the bad news.

He was sweet, a true innocent, and there was a motherly side of you that leapt up to protect him from harm - including that of your own opportunistic boss, the owner of the haberdashery shop you were employed in. At least, the one you were still employed in. By preventing your boss from taking advantage of this poor man, you may not have a situation to report back to in the morning.

But Elvira, or Evil-virus, the nickname given to her in secret by you and the other clerks who worked under her iron fist, was living up to her nasty reputation and you weren’t going to take it any longer. “I should have applied for a job at Selfridges,” you muttered, more to yourself rather than the humiliated man beside you.

You heard him sniff and saw his terrified indecision. “Don’t worry. We’ll pretend that she’s gotten away with it. I’m the one who will tally everything up, sir. I won’t charge you for it. Promise. I won’t let her do this to you. Alright?”

He smiled through eyes that welled up. “I’ve been a ruddy fool, haven’t I?” he said, his voice shaky. “I expect you will all have a jolly laugh about it after I go.”

“I won’t be laughing, sir,” you said. You were angry. Angry that this terrible excuse of a human being would take advantage of a man made of starbursts and sunshine. “I’ll be looking for other employment, but I won’t be laughing.”

“D’you know what?” he said, donning his hat and setting it at a jaunty angle in the mirror, “I’m going to reward you for your kindness.” At that moment, Elvira came out of the back with the next hat in hand. Mr. Penbury straightened his spine and said to her: “Never mind, my good woman. I’ve changed my mind about your shop. Sell me my own hat, will you? Well, I’ll be certain to inform all in my considerable social circle not to bother with this place.”

Elvira’s face dropped and she stared daggers at you. You swallowed hard, expecting a vicious private word once the gentleman had gone, purchasing nothing. Elvira’s smile recovered seconds later but Mr. Penbury brooked no arguments, further machinations from the woman, and he certainly wasn’t about to allow her to abuse you - even with so much as a look - right in front of him.

“Now don’t bother blaming your clerk here,” he said, “She’s got moxie. Honesty is the best policy after all and I’ll be damned,” the word spoken with emphasis and care, as if the man never swore in his life unless he truly meant it, “if you think for one minute I’m going to leave her here to be reprimanded for doing the right thing.”

Turning to you, he said, “Retrieve your belongings, my dear. You’re coming with me. Let us leave this horrid woman to her horrid ways in her horrid little shop.”

You blinked at him in amazement, jaw dropped, wondering if this was a dream, or a trick, or a hallucination. His smile and encouraging nod to you reinforced his statement; he had meant what he had said. You went to the back, gathering your coat, hat, and handbag and, with a last look around the place, you left. You were going to be sacked either way, so you may as well go off with a man who could at least prevent you from having a strip taken off of you by your boss.

Out on the pavement, he turned to you with another burst of smiling energy. “I heard you mention Selfridges and I happen to know the chap who’s one of the floor managers. What luck, eh? He’s set to join us at a party at our country estate tomorrow. Would you care to go? I could make the introductions and you could have some champagne and we’ll all celebrate your new position!”

You were utterly gobsmacked. “Sir? Are you joking?” You had to ask because not only was he too good to be true with his tailored suit, bright face and gorgeous brown eyes, this was too similar to dreams that you had had about being swept away by a handsome, wealthy man who could make all your dreams come true. Not that you were a gold digger. No, not you. But you had been an adult in the world long enough to know that money may not buy happiness, but it could purchase a close cousin or two.

“Why, no.” He looked a little offended.

You quickly added: “I only ask, sir, because I’ve never met anyone quite like you. You don’t seem real, really.”

“I don’t?”

His eyes were killing you. He didn’t see himself as others did, that much was obvious. “No,” you laughed, “you’re like a dream. Like you’re some knight come to rescue me and I’m secretly some queen or sommat.”

His grin spread ear to ear. He held his arm out to you. “Then let me guide you to my motor and on to my castle, your majesty. I plan on treating you like a queen for the favor you’ve done for me today.” His arm was warm and strong and it seemed more and more as if he was that knight from your fantasies.

He strolled with you on his arm openly down the street, the two of you creating such an odd pair: a dapper man-about-town with a woman who was obviously a shopgirl on her day off. But he didn’t seem to notice. He kept giving you proud glances as you walked along until suddenly, stopping next to a rather impressive Rolls Royce, he announced: “And here we are! Your chariot, my queen.” A liveried driver came out from the front of the vehicle and opened the rear door for both of you.

Your head swam. This had to be a dream. You tried to relax into the soft buttery leather seat, Mr. Penbury next to you, his straw hat on his knee as he regaled you with the plans for the party on the weekend as the vehicle smoothly pulled away from the kerb. It was no use. All you could think was that you really shouldn’t be there. You weren’t of his class and it showed. Lord only knew what the chauffeur thought of you. Probably thinks I’m some chippy, you thought. Mr. Penbury, on the other hand, didn’t seem to mind one bit.

As Mr. Penbury spoke, you realized that he really just floated along in life without any concern or stress at all. He didn’t have to worry where his next meal was coming from. He didn’t have to worry about the worn appearance of his clothing and whether anyone else would spot it. He never had to make do with the bread and butter in the larder because his pay packet wouldn’t arrive for another two days. You, on the other hand, well… your bills were always paid, but you were living close to skint; Mr. Penbury had never had the experience. The gulf between the two of you widened that much farther.

Yet for all his wealth and privilege, he didn’t seem selfish at all, which is a realization that gave you pause. All the wealthy folks you had met in your life - including the Hollingsworths that your parents had worked for - they had always been too busy with themselves to worry about any other human being. They sat in high judgment of people like you and people who were poorer than you. To them, you were nothing more than ‘the help’, there to make their lives easier without a thought to how much more difficult they were making your life. There was no self-awareness on their part. There was nothing but the next thing that would keep them amused, comfortable, and insulated against the cruelties they were happy to inflict on others.

Mr. Penbury wasn’t anything like that - or so he seemed. Sure, he was ignorant of the day-to-day details of your life including the insecurity of shelter and food that you fought off on a daily basis, but he seemed aware that poorer people existed and - miracle of miracles - actually seemed to acknowledge that you yourself were actually a person.

He was interested in music - specifically jazz - which you also loved and his eyes lit up even more when you told him about an American cousin you had that would send you phonograph records from artists you couldn’t find in England.

“Oh you must bring your collection to the party!” He instantly gave his driver a command to take them to your place. You supplied your address and off you both went, Mr. Penbury simply beaming at you. “You really are the mutt’s nuts, aren’t you?”

He clapped a hand over his mouth. “Oh! Was that rude?” He laughed freely. “I’m sorry. I just get so excited.”

“I can see that,” you said, smiling. “I’ll be glad to bring my meager collection.”

“And a change of clothes! Bring your party dresses. And your dancing shoes!” he said. You shook your head at him, unable to tell him that you didn’t really own party dresses (plural) nor did you own dancing shoes. You did, however, own one dress you were quite proud of and you set your mind to bring that one. You only hoped it would be nice enough to get a new job, but not too prudish not to have fun in. Mr. Penbury would probably fancy it if you showed up in sackcloth and sandals on your feet. Lord knows what the manager at Selfridges would fancy.

It didn’t take you long to arrive at your home, a seven storey structure in a more modest part of Spitalfields. It struck you what Mr. Penbury had just said. “Wait,” you said when the car stopped. “What did you mean by ‘bring a change of clothes’, sir?”

“Oh,” he stammered, blushing suddenly, “I only meant- I mean- If you weren’t going to be working at that horrid shop anymore…. Why don’t you just spend the weekend? Or the week? You don’t have to start at Selfridges straight away, do you? You could just… have a bit of fun first?”

Fun. You haven’t had any of that in years. You’d almost forgotten what it was like. And you didn’t have a position to return to anymore, did you? You had paid all your bills for the week so, why not? Why not go and have some fun with this ball of absolute joy? He was looking at you expectantly, seemingly ashamed of his forwardness. It was your turn to smile at him.

“That sounds wizard,” you said. His excitement warmed your heart and you went in to gather your things for a weekend you weren’t sure you were going to remember, but one you knew you would never forget.

CHAPTER TWO: The Whirlwind Twins LINK HERE

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Tagged People: @h-ness1944 / @crazyjenny8675309 / emma77645 / @hahahafucku

[wifegideonnav]

I'm new to Tumblr. How do Tumblr users usually engage with each other?

well first of all welcome haha. the main ways to engage with people are:

liking and reblogging. platforms like instagram and tiktok run on likes and an algorithm, but on tumblr, people almost exclusively use their dashboard and turn off suggested content, so they’re only seeing what people actually reblog onto their dash. that’s why people on this site are so adamant about reblogs, because likes basically do nothing. i saw someone say once that anything you would like on a different social media, you should reblog on here, and i totally agree. and don’t worry about how old a post is, or about reblogging something you’ve previously reblogged. there are posts from 2014 that i regularly see on my dash a decade later, so literally don’t feel awkward, it’s 100% normal to engage with old posts.

tags. there are three main ways tags are used: labeling original content so people find it in searches, internal organization systems when reblogging or posting (for instance, many people have a tag for their original posts, and will tag reblogs by fandom or character or whatever - important note that reblogs do not show up in search results), and to make sotto voce comments on a post. it’s normal for people to make jokes, add their own commentary, ramble about something semi relevant, or say something to op in the tags on posts they reblog.

reblog additions. every time you reblog, you have the chance to add something to the post, which unlike tags will be retained when someone reblogs from you. a good rule of thumb is to comment instead of tagging when it’s something you actually want other people to engage with, as opposed to tags where you’re just kind of expressing yourself lol. don’t be surprised however if you see people’s tags getting screenshotted and added to a reblog. if this happens because the screenshotter likes what the tag writer said, it’s jokingly referred to as “passing peer review.” (and of course people screenshot tags to criticize or mock them as well.) essentially, tags are like being at a big group dinner and saying something to the person next to you as an aside, and then sometimes that person goes “hey everyone listen to this”

post comments. there’s also an option on every post (unless op has turned it off) for people to comment on the post itself, not on a specific reblog. mostly this is useful for talking to people on personal posts or posts with reblogs turned off. on a bigger post, just reblog it and put your thoughts in an addition or tag.

asks. seems like you figured this one out! lmao. asks are used for a wide variety of things, but essentially it can either be a prompt for someone to make a post or a way of having an interaction/conversation with someone without dming them.

dms. these work like dms everywhere else, except the functionality is limited and it kinda sucks.

games. there are also many varieties of games that people play with each other, ranging from ask games (things like “rec me some music” or a post with prompts and people send you some from that list), tag games (typically there are questions you answer then you tag other people to fill them out for themselves) handwriting tags, follow chains, giveaways, name/url playlists, and more. with the addition of polls, brackets have gotten popular too (eg the tumblr sexyman bracket). there also used to be a lot of in-character ask blogs, where a user would set up a blog and roleplay as a specific character that people could send questions to (there still are some but way fewer and way less popular than there used to be)

to be honest i feel like i have to put “discourse” and “drama” on this list too. people on this site loveeee having the most insane arguments of all time and then everyone else memes the hell out of it. google “sonic for real justice” for an example lmao. (of course there’s also very unfunny political and fandom discourse that goes on as well. i would advise you to avoid discourse blogs as a general rule regardless of whether you agree with their position or not)

tagging people. you can also @ people in posts you think they’d like or if you feel like they have relevant input. typically this is something you would do either to people you’ve spoken to before, or a big blog with an established persona and rapport with their followers (eg if you follow a blog about snakes and you see a random post with snake info that seems wrong but you’re not sure, so you tag them to ask for their expertise).

and this isn’t a specific “mode” of communication but it’s also a thing to “interpret” (for lack of a better word) other people’s posts. for instance, people drawing a photo from the original post (i cant find it but there was a post going around recently where op posted an aesthetic photo of an egg cooking and then several people painted it), or people trying/recreating something a post was about (example). it was also a thing for a minute there where people would rewrite funny exchanges as shakespearean dialogue

those are all the ways i can think of, although im sure i’ve missed some (if other people think of any pls add on!). good luck, and i hope you’re able to meet some cool people!

[clumsiestgiantess]

Erica pov of chapter 16; new love is in the air!

[A love larger than life]

There was nothing left for me in the mansion; I was so sure of it.  However, shortly after finishing a wonderful breakfast made by the box I’d come up with for her, Alexis dug through the rubble regardless.  I was about to tell her to just leave it alone, when I noticed the large wooden dresser she’d cast to the side, still intact.  “Hey, wait!" I called, "That’s my dresser!”  I know that must’ve been obvious, but I was so shocked to see it in one piece.  Alexis pulled away from the cliffside to let me across.  Once I got over, I yanked the drawers open wide.  Inside, a few sets of old clothes sat pristinely untouched.  

“Finally!” I cried out, holding up one of my shirts, “I can wear my own clothes!”  Oh how badly I’d missed wearing decent things!  Sure, I was given plenty of options in the hundreds of empty houses left in all the subdivisions that surrounded the cliff, but they were unnerving, really.  I could never quite shake the unease of wearing a person’s clothes who may or may not be getting tortured somewhere by some insane giants from the portals.

Putting together a decent outfit from the items in the drawer, I clambered back across the rubble to a small part of my house that was still standing.  “Ok, I take back what I said.  Maybe there are some useful things in here,” I noted as I ducked behind the single wall to change.

Once I’d finished, I stepped out from behind the rubble to examine myself.  “Damn, I haven’t worn this in forever.  Probably because I stashed it in there,” I said, gesturing to the dresser.  After that miraculous find, I helped Alexis dig through the rest of the junk left from the hazmat giants’ destructive pillaging.  I couldn’t do much with the bigger pieces of rubble, but Alexis was happy to push them aside for me.  With a few hours of searching, we collected a fair amount of my things that I’d assumed had long been lost.  Most of the items I was glad to see; they reminded me of my life before all of this, when things were more normal.  However, after Alexis cast aside one piece of rubble in particular, I recoiled away from what I’d found underneath.  “Oh, it’s.. that,” I addressed it in disgust.  

The safe where my infinite supply of money had been stored sat eerily pristine beside the rest of the torn up pieces of my house.  This was taking me on a trip a bit too far down memory lane — all the way back to the months Alexis had controlled me.  Curiosity hummed in the back of my mind, wondering how much money was still left.  But I had to remind myself that it didn’t matter.  Money’s basically worthless now, which is a crazy notion in itself.  Why would I even need to buy stuff anyway?  Alexis and I go out and sort through all the free things left in houses all the time.

Alexis and I both glanced warily at each other, immediately turning away as our gazes briefly met.  “I.. should get rid of that,” Alexis stated nervously, reaching down to snatch the safe from the rubble in front of me.  I stood in silence, recalling all the days I spent wondering if I would ever have my freedom back.  “You seemed so horrible back then,” I said quietly.  “I thought you were some invisible being from another dimension, playing god with creatures beneath yourself, using me like a character in a game to interact with my world.  Seems silly, huh?” I laughed bitterly.  “I really believed I’d never have control over my own body again.”  

Alexis hadn’t meant to torture me; she was only trying to give me her slightly twisted version of a normal life after watching me royaly fuck mine up a few different times.  She’d swore left right and center that she’d never do it again, so I wasn’t worried I’d ever end up like that.  In fact, Alexis would probably tear apart any giant who even tried to control me.  A lot had changed in those four years she was gone.  To think there was a time I was afraid of her — just yesterday I kissed her, and she kissed me!  And wow did it feel good!

I shook off the memories and turned back to Alexis.  Her cheerful expression had fallen into a look of despair.  I could only imagine the internal struggle Alexis constantly had to face, always haunted by her past mistakes.  Once she dared to look at me again, I held out my hands, palm up.  This was our signal to call the other person closer.  Alexis would offer me her hand so I could step onto it, and I would offer up my hands as a gesture for her to get more level with me.  If I was lucky, she would place her chin squarely in my upturned palms — close enough I could feel the breath on her lips.

Hesitantly, Alexis stepped forward, resting her chin on the lawn in front of me to get closer to my height.  “You weren’t the first person to make me feel like that,” I told her once she settled.  It was true.  During my horrific time with John and the others, I’d had about as little control over my body as I had while being actually controlled by her.

“However,” I added, “you were the first to apologize for it.”  Alexis stilled as I stepped up to her, eyes darting away from me and back again.  When we first befriended eachother, I’d thought that she was always distancing herself from me to stop us from getting too attached to one another — that way she could freely leave me without too much guilt.  However, over the last few weeks, I've come to realize her hesitation stemmed from an awful fear that she might hurt me in some way or another if she even physically came too close to me.  

So, if Alexis wouldn't fill the space between us — which was almost always the case — I made it my job to do so instead.  Closing my eyes, I took the final step forward and leaned against her trustingly, my forehead coming to rest on her brow.  “Thank you,” I whispered.  My voice was so quiet, I feared Alexis might not hear it.  “for letting me rely on you.  Stay with me, please.  Y- You probably want to go home by now, but I’m not ready for you to leave yet.”  

God, why can’t she stay here with me?  Or, better yet: why can’t we just go back to the way things used to be?  Before our little picnic by the lake that ended up driving us so far apart?  However, Alexis had warned me not to keep thoughts like that in my head.  She wants me- needs me to be here, not in the past.  If she’s ever going to get home, I have to be ready to take care of myself without her.  The thought of being without her now that I found out she loved me was cruel.  It practically tears out my heart whenever I think of it.

I took a shuddering breath as Alexis pulled away from me.  Moments later, her lips pressed lightly into the left side of my face.  Warm ecstasy spread through me from the spot where her very large kiss covered my head.  I still can’t believe she loves me.

“I wouldn't trade your company for the world, Erica,” Alexis told me lovingly.  I blushed, absentmindedly brushing my hand over the place where her lips touched my skin.  Before Alexis could retreat back over the cliffside, I rushed forward and hugged a few of her fingers in a strange embrace.  It’s unbelievable that this was how much of her I could hold — only a few fingers.

Alexis seemed a bit shocked at first, but she soon came around to the odd gesture.  The rest of her digits slowly folded in around me, creating a soft all-encompassing embrace.  Screw a normal hug; this was infinitely better.  My eyes teared up and I nearly gave in to the temptation to pull myself further into her hand.  I so badly wanted to curl up and let her hold me, but it just wasn't the time.  I have bigger plans on my mind.

Pushing away Alexis' fingers, I stepped off to the side of her hand just slightly as I quickly brushed the tears from my eyes.  "I'll finish sorting this out," I said once I composed myself, nodding at the lopsided pile of my things that we'd collected.  "But once I'm done I'd like to practice balancing myself on your shoulder."  The very second I announced my plan, Alexis looked ready to shoot it down with something along the lines of 'Erica, it's too dangerous, you could fall'.  

Before she could deny me, I held up a hand to silence her.  "Don't ruin the mood," I chided, "Last night you promised me I could try it again.  How am I going to get better if I don't practice?"  I watched Alexis' expression shift in thought while hopefully awaiting some sort of approval of my antics.  In the grand scheme of things, I understand why Alexis would be so protective of me.  I mean, I have been kidnapped twice now.  Add on the fact that she has feelings for me, making her doubly protective of me.  I'm certainly not complaining, though.  I need someone like that in my life; I've always needed someone like that — someone who could stop me from making bad decisions before it was too late.  Or just.. stop bad things from happening to me, period.

I began sorting through the pile of my things as Alexis still mulled over my request, clearly lost in thought.  Though all of these items brought back pleasant memories, some of them were a bit annoying.  Like my cell phone charger, for instance.  My phone is long gone — god knows where that thing is — but my stupid charger was still miraculously unaffected by the damage inflicted on my house.  I quickly got bored messing around with my stuff and wandered back over to the cliffside where Alexis stood.  I tried to be nonchalant about it, but I did really want to ride on her shoulder.  It's such a neat vantage point — almost like I’m a giant too — and I feel so much closer to her sitting there.  

Finally, Alexis lowered her hand to the lawn where I stood.  I could tell by the cute little expression on her face that she'd given in to my silent begging.  "You're adorable," I whispered under my breath as I climbed up and into her hand.  She obviously didn't hear me; she never did.  Alexis was far too big to ever hear me whispering to myself, which is probably a good thing.  I've occasionally made fun of her under my breath simply because I know she can't hear me.

"Hold on tighter this time, alright?" Alexis asked as she lifted me up to her shoulder, "I don't want you to fall over backwards like you did yesterday."  I nodded freverently, excited to get going.  "I know, I will."  Staying true to her protective ways, Alexis began walking agonizingly slowly.  “Come on!  You went faster than this yesterday!” I complained.  “Yeah, and you also fell off yesterday.”  I hate it when she’s right, but she is right.  However, after a few walkarounds of proof that I could handle that speed just fine, Alexis did steadily pick up the pace.  Over the next few days, we practiced at a faster and faster speed until I could sit comfortably on her shoulder with her normal gait.

Surprisingly, there were very few mishaps.  Most of the time I managed to right myself before I fell too far.  Only once did I completely fall off of Alexis, and it was partially her fault.  She’d pointed out how the creepy ruined water tower in the distance kinda looked like a satellite crashed to Earth.  I had to lean out fairly far to see it around Alexis’ neck, which was a bit too far past where I was safe from falling.  

One moment I was clinging to her shoulder, the next I was free-falling through the air, plummeting to the ground far below.  I barely had time to cry out before I was firmly pressed between two surfaces, both of which were pleasantly warm and soft.  Knowing that Alexis had caught me, I took a brief moment to calm myself down.  I assumed I’d been pinned between Alexis’ hands, so I hugged myself deeper into the surface below me, assuring my racing mind that I was safely in her grasp.  However, once I was nestled into her skin, I realized the surface was a lot more plush than it usually was.  Wait.. is this clothing material?

It took me a few moments to figure out what had happened.  Alexis had quickly pinned me between one of her hands and her chest to catch me, pressing me firmly onto one of her breasts.  I immediately flushed deep red as I realized what I’d just snuggled into.  Trying not to be too conspicuous, I pushed myself away from her slightly, only blushing harder as I watched my hands sink into her skin.  Seconds later, I fell backwards onto Alexis’ outstretched palm.  She’d finally released me.  

I sat dumbfounded in her hand as she scolded me to be more careful.  Her words were lost in my own thoughts.  I’ve never been held that close to her before.  I stood and stepped carefully over to Alexis’s chest again, placing a single hand over the place I’d been moments before.  I barely even processed what I was doing.  I was too mesmerized by the rhythm of Alexis’ heartbeat, mixed with the offbeat swish of air rushing to her lungs.  It was a strange sensation, feeling the thundering of her heartbeat beneath my fingers as her chest rose and fell with each breath.  This was proof that she wasn’t some impossible being, but rather one gigantic living thing.  It’s insane how impossible that seems.

Suddenly, I became aware of what I was doing.  “Your heart’s beating really fast,” I said awkwardly, pulling my hand back in embarrassment, “I can feel it, it.. sounds.. nice.”  What are you acting so embarrassed for? I internally scolded myself.  Do you want her to realize that you enjoyed snuggling up to her like that?!  A part of me responded with a ready ‘yes’, but I turned away and played it off as best I could.  Though she had confessed she liked me, I didn’t think Alexis was quite ready for that kind of intimacy yet.

I waved a hand nonchalantly at the cliffside where my house used to be.  “I’m ready to go back now.  I- I think that’s enough practice for today.”  Alexis gave me a curious look, but said nothing and headed for home.  The moment we got back to the remains of my house, I quickly changed the subject by complaining about my dirty clothes.  Alexis and I came up with a plan to visit the one house in the subdivision that still had power.  Hopefully the washing machine actually still works.

Later we ate dinner together, and all traces of my awkwardness had disappeared.  While I finished my meal, I watched Alexis patrol the abandoned neighborhood for signs of her own kind.  I'd told her how upset I was about them.  Could they control me like Alexis could?  She was adamant that it wasn't possible, but she couldn't know that for certain.  

Once she finished her search, Alexis came to rest on the cliffside to my right.  I absentmindedly drew a bit closer to her, rattled by the thought of the hazmat giants taking over my world.  Alexis must've noticed me move closer, because she shifted to the side, letting her head rest on the top of the cliff, level with me.  I know her well enough that this was a silent ask for me to move closer.  Normally, Alexis won't get too close to me thanks to the fear I may or may not have vested in her by scaring her off four years ago.  However, on occasion, she'd offer herself over to me.  My favorite times spent with her often come from these moments, where she would let me get as close to her as I dared.

I stood suddenly as a brilliant idea struck me.  Striding up to the place where she settled down, I lay back on the side of Alexis' face, sinking into her soft cheek.  The feeling was akin to sitting on a heated bean bag chair.  I thoroughly enjoyed it, especially since the nights were getting slightly colder every day.  I was distracted from her by the flickering of lights out in the yard.  For the briefest of moments, I thought they’d come from flashlights further down the road and gasped, causing Alexis to tense beneath me.  However, they were only fireflies.  I pointed them out to Alexis to put her back at ease.

In slight amusement, I watched her try, and fail, to catch the little bugs.  They were tiny compared to me.  I could barely imagine how small they’d be to Alexis, and how impossible they would be for her to catch.  She sighed longingly; I stood up, slightly concerned.  Alexis began a small story about her childhood — how much she loved catching them when she was younger.  Aww, now she’s literally too big to catch them.  Though, I’m not.

Moments later, I was out in my old front yard, stepping through the dark to capture the tiny floating lights, which mostly didn’t seem to care that they were being taken.  When I’d caught a few of them, I returned to Alexis with a smug smile.  “I got you something,” I told her nonchalantly.  “What is it?”  Her voice sounded curious, but I know she already knew the answer.  She’d watched me gather the little bugs.  “Hold out your hand and find out,” I replied, playing along.  

My heart skipped a beat as her right hand slid up to me, resting the tips of her fingers on the bottom of my cupped hands.  For a moment, it was jarring.  I mean, she can hold me captive between her palms just like the little fireflies crawling around in mine.  Despite her obvious ‘dangers’, the risk of befriending, then loving, her came with too many benefits for me not to risk it.

With the gentleness I’d want her to use with me, I released the fireflies into her cupped hand.  They drifted through the space between her fingers for a moment before floating up into the night.  Alexis’ look of pure awe reflected their light as they left, and I watched her as pride swelled in my chest.  I did that.  I made her so happy!   Then her pupils darted to me.  Her look softened with a small smile that made me giddy under her loving gaze.  Using a gentle grip I hadn’t even experienced from someone my own height, Alexis brought my hands into hers, pressing them softly between two of her fingers.

“Thank you.  I have something for you, too.”  God, how’d her voice get so hot all of a sudden?  Alexis leaned over the cliffside, her face coming up beside mine as lips longer than my forearms slid softly against my cheek, drifting down over my neck.  I froze for the briefest moment — my mind overwhelmed by everything.  Then, I practically melted against her, pressing deep kisses into her bottom lip.  I tried to give more, but she didn’t even move.  Was I not enough?  Or was it another one of Alexis’ moments where she somehow believed that she would be too dangerous for me?  Likely, it was the latter.

Sighing with loving annoyance, I stepped away from her just slightly, and her eyes fluttered open.  “I- I don’t want to sound greedy,” I began quietly, “but can I have a bit more?  It’s so.. big.  But I can tell you’re holding back.”  Her confused look soured into confliction.  “I don’t want to hurt you.”  I knew it.  She’s holding back to keep me ‘safe’ from herself.  When will she learn that she’s the safeguard, not the danger?  Shaking my head pityingly, I reached for her chin, which rose just below my face while she spoke.  “You won’t,” I told her sternly.

I worried that she might never want to be too intimate with me — fearing for my safety and whatnot.  However, she exhaled a slight chuckle.  “It’ll cost you extra.”  I was midway through rolling my eyes in exasperation when my chin was gently raised by a finger so big it took up the entire space of my neck.  Irrational, or actually, rational fear lit up my veins.  Any sane person would run or at least struggle feeling their throat pressed against something so heavy.  But I practically craved it.  

Alexis bent down over me.  Her lips were still slightly parted when I shifted up to kiss her.  My heart raced wildly in my chest as a tongue wider than my head slid over my lips.  I inadvertently made a small noise and pulled myself closer, sloppily kissing the gigantic slick muscle.  I know she’s big but holy shit, she’s big.  Her tongue slid into my mouth while I kissed her.  Because of its sheer size, all I could do was sit there and take it as Alexis worked to love me.  My jaw began throbbing as I opened it wide, disbelieving that only the very tip of her tongue was somehow all it took to make this happen to me.  Only for a second did I find myself frightened that my jaw would break loose, but then Alexis pulled away for a breath of air and I fell backwards, gasping for breath.

Saliva dripped off my face in globs that somehow made me queasy and horny at the same time.  “That was-”  I had to take another breath mid-sentence, still not fully recovered.  “That was a really good gift.  Mine kinda sucks in comparison,” I chuckled.  Alexis brushed a finger slowly down my arm before reaching out with a bit of the fabric of her shirt to wipe away the stuff left on my face.  If only we could go to bed together.  We do, but I always have to leave because she might crush me if I sleep with her.   …but what if I don’t sleep with all of her?

The moment Alexis was done cleaning me off, I ran to my sleeping bag.  Before she could take back her hand, I grabbed her pinky and dove into bed with it tucked to my chest.  I slid around it almost protectively, silently pleading with her not to take it back as I got comfortable with it.  The single finger was nearly the same size as me, and I treated it as if it were all of her, twinning it slowly between my arms and legs, finally resting my head on its side.  

After ensuring she couldn’t get out of my grasp, I glanced up at her.  Alexis stared down at me in shock, and I suddenly got the notion of how strange it all must look and feel to her.  “I- I know it’s not normal, but I uhh.. don’t think anything between us will be.  Not that that’s a bad thing!” I added, catching myself.  Shit, she’s going to think I’m weird, or.. or she’ll think I don’t like it!

“You can have your hand back if you want-”  I began to back off her, but Alexis quickly shook her head.  “Keep it,” she replied, moving her finger so it fit snugly against my chest.  “At least until you fall asleep.”  I felt as if I’d burst from joy as she curled up on the cliffside right beside me, gently pulling my sleeping bag closer until it was only a foot away from her chest.  The rumble of her voice was all-encompassing as she spoke, making me shiver.

“I don’t care what we have, as long as we have it together.  I’m so glad you confessed.  It was probably hard for you.  I don’t think I ever would’ve said anything if it weren’t for that.”  “Why?” I joked, “Were you scared of me?”  Alexis’ laugh sounded incredulous, and I frowned.  Is it really that impossible for you to be scared of me?  Haven’t you been scared of me? 

“Don’t take that the wrong way,” she assured me gently, “but it was the opposite; I was worried you would be afraid of me.  I didn’t want to end up forcing you into something you weren’t ready for or didn’t want… again.  I do love you, Erica.  I never want you to feel helpless against me.  Not ever.”

Oh Alexis.  My eyes began to tear up the moment her rumbly soft voice had told me she loved me.  The rumble in her voice only grew stronger as she spoke, more seriousness placed behind it.  “If you ever feel like that, tell me, ok?  I’ll stop whatever I’m doing.  I promise.”  Giddy with joy, I sprung out of bed and raced over to Alexis, hugging her as best as I could with her being so much bigger than me.  I pulled myself into the fabric of her shirt, breathing in her mostly earthy scent.  

A quiet thanks escaped my lips.  “God, it’s so nice to have someone I can trust again.”  I don’t think I’d been properly hugged in a long time — unless you count our reunion in the city while I was drugged up on who-knows-what.  Suddenly, I felt something press lightly against the backs of my legs.  Realizing it was Alexis’ cupped hand, I let myself lean backwards, tucking my legs up into her palm.

Again it struck me just how massive she was.  Her grip was all-encompassing as her fingers slid around me, tucking me against her chest.  I snuggled deeply between them, wholly uncertain of what to even do with such an overwhelming mixture of relief and comfort.  I pressed her fingers tightly against me, as if the pressure would calm away such a giddy feeling.  Their textured pads slid down my legs and across my body, holding me tight.

Alexis’ heartbeat sounded so close too — just like earlier.  Only, instead of the quick pulsing throb of her calming down from near disaster, it was slow and rhythmic and loud, but in a weirdly quiet way.  The sound itself was soft and muffled, but the sheer scale of it made my bones rattle.  I would listen to it the rest of my life if I could.

There was something indescribably comforting in the way she could hold all of me in the palm of her hand.  It was terrifying at first, but now it just makes me feel cared for in a way I never really have before.  Confessing my feelings for Alexis had been a long-debated internal argument that went on from the moment I realized she’d actually returned, not just in my desperate imagination.  I don't doubt for a moment that I made the right decision.

Past her fingertips, I watched Alexis’ expression.  It flickered in a myriad of miniscule ways that you could never have noticed unless a person’s face were so much bigger than your own.  Her loving gaze grew into a little lopsided smile, which grew into a wide grin.  Heat crept across my cheeks seeing her look at me like that.  It suddenly felt a lot warmer than it did a few moments ago.  I stifled a nervous laugh, “You look so happy for once.”  Stretching out of her grip, I tried to shake off the flustered warmth.  “I am happy.  Are you?”  I nodded without a second’s hesitation.  “Never been happier,” I told her confidently.  “You think we can make things work this time?  I’m feeling really good about all this, which.. isn’t actually normal for me.”

I know what ‘normal’ is supposed to be: love unconditionally.  Or maybe it’s just a pipe dream for someone like me.  Yet.. with Alexis it’s different.  She- She really does love me.  There was really a time I told myself this was impossible; now look at me.  I was lifted up steadily until I sat in front of her face.  Alexis rested her lips on me, just beginning to kiss me again, but I stopped her with a light shove.  “Just-”  I paused, trying to think of what to tell her — how to tell her.  “Stay like this.”  I let her lips fall back across my body again.  It felt heavenly — the texture, the plush surface. 

My giddy adrenaline spike crashed into a wave of tiredness, and I gently sank against her.  “I love you so much.”  The last thing I remember feeling before I fell asleep was the slight curve of a smile against my side before I couldn’t stay awake any longer.

[hungry-tum-stuff]

Regional Phenomena: Zora’s Domain

! Spoilers for the Regional Phenomena Questline in Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom !

Synopsis: Link and Sidon venture together to save Zora’s Domain. However, Sidon is exhausted from working tirelessly to keep the Domain’s water clean, and he might need a break before they can tackle what’s waiting for them on the sky islands.

CW: Hunger, Stomach growling, Denying one’s own needs, Angst, Tummy rubs, Starved-to-stuffed, Cuddling.

Word Count: 2.3k

Author’s Note(s): Okay so I’m making moves in my niche little fanfic here, but

1. I won’t be rewriting actual cutscene dialogue from the game even though it takes place when a cutscene happens, this is all just fanfic. You know how it works.

2. Link talks briefly in this one. I have never written speech for him before, and feel free to comment any feedback you have on how his voice sounds to you! But just bear in mind that Link, as a silent protagonist, is meant to be interpreted by the player. And as a semi-verbal person, I put a lot of thought (and had a lot of fun) in writing him, even though he doesn’t even say an awful lot.

3. No Yona Hate! I don’t want to see it! She’s neat and I purposefully left the relationships in this fic as ambiguous (aside from Yona still being Sidon’s fiancée) so you can interpret the fic however you please.

4. Thank you for reading <3

Link readied his spear just as Sidon’s water bubble enveloped him.

“You have him now, Link!” Sidon called out from behind him as Link rushed the monster. It lunged at him, and the protective bubble burst, showering Link with water. That was his signal to thrust at the creature with his spear, driving it into its weak point. The slimy monster wailed, and both Link and Sidon heaved a sigh of relief as it wilted and disappeared in a puff of gloom. Link looked to Sidon, who had taken a knee and was leaning heavily on his spear.

‘Are you ok?’ Link signed, to which Sidon nodded and pushed himself up wearily.

“I’m quite alright, brave Link. It is still as exhilarating as ever to fight alongside you.” He smiled encouragingly, to which Link smiled back. They both turned around as Yona stepped forward, worriedly looking them both over.

“Goodness, I’m glad you both are alright…” Yona took Sidon’s hand and inspected anywhere he might have been hit, and the Prince chuckled abashedly.

“I’m alright dear, really…” Sidon takes her hand, squeezing it gently. “I must ask though, are you certain Mipha Court will be safe if I leave? What if another monster like that attacks while I’m gone?”

“Sidon dear, we’ll have bigger things to worry about if you don’t go.” Yona stopped her fussing over her fiancée to take both of his hands, looking him in the eyes. “I know for certain that Zora’s Domain will be safe with the help of you and Link, I just hope you trust me to keep it safe while you’re gone.”

“Of course I do!” Sidon insisted. “My love, you are the caretaker of our people. There isn’t a soul I would trust more than you.”

Yona beamed. “Then it’s settled. Go with Link, and save our domain.”

Sidon nodded assuredly, and gave Yona’s hands a quick squeeze before letting go and starting towards the cliff atop Mipha Court.

“Link, let’s not waste any time. To the reservoir!” He called, charging ahead as if he were already on the front lines of a battle. Yona and Link both watched him dash away with equally amused grins, but before Link could take a step to follow him, Yona caught his arm.

“Link. I have a favor to ask of you.”

Link turned around, already listening intently.

“Could you please… Keep Sidon safe? I know that sounds a bit silly, but you know him… He gets in over his head, and I worry not just for him, but for the whole Domain if something were to happen to him. Especially after his father was attacked…” Yona trailed off, and Link placed a hand on her shoulder, nodding solemnly in understanding.

‘We’ll keep each other safe.’ He signed. ‘You don’t have to worry about either of us. I promise.’

Yona smiled, nodding gratefully.

“Thank you, Link. Good luck, I’ll be here when you both return.”

And with that, Link waved goodbye and headed up the staircase of Mipha Court. He gave Mipha’s statue a fleeting glance before diving off the cliff and into the reservoir below. As soon as he surfaced, he caught sight of Sidon standing atop a chunk of ruins, staring down at the Hylian in awe.

“That was an impressive dive my friend! I would expect most to be scared of a plunge like that.” Link hoisted himself up onto the rock and put his hands proudly on his hips before signing a response.

‘If we’re going into the sky, I can’t be afraid of heights.’ Sidon chuckled softly, and at that Link couldn’t help but raise an eyebrow. The Prince was still acting less energetic than usual, and he couldn’t tell if it was nerves or something else.

“I suppose not. Though I still don’t see any clear way to get up onto the island… Come, let’s investigate that light in the water.” Sidon readied himself to dive into the water, but before he could, Link stepped in front of him to keep his attention.

‘Wait.’ He signed quickly, looking up at the confused Zora. ‘Are you sure you’re ok?’

Sidon tilted his head, though his gaze did not meet Link’s. “Of course. I wasn’t hurt in the fight, my friend. I cleared that matter up with Lady Yona.” He insisted, but Link shook his head.

‘That’s not what I’m asking.’ Still confused, Sidon opened his mouth to speak, but he froze as a loud, angry growl tore from his stomach. Link immediately looked at the Prince’s midsection, surprised by the noise.

‘I was going to ask if you were tired or hungry.’ Link raised an eyebrow again, glancing up at his friend. ‘But I guess I don’t need to ask anymore.’ Sidon looked away and placed a hand over his belly; embarrassed.

“I apologize… I am a bit hungry, but we don’t exactly have the time to stop on account of me, now do we?” Sidon tried to step into the water again, only for the Hylian to throw both of his arms out and stand firmly in front of him.

‘You need to eat.’ Link signed sternly. Sidon’s stomach grumbled again, and the Prince sighed and shook his head.

“I am hardly concerned with what I need right now. We both need to focus on what needs to be done.” Sidon argued. Link glared at him before dropping his arms and stomping off the edge of the ruins, beginning to swim towards one of the docks at the edge of the reservoir. Sidon watched him, briefly turning back towards the beam of light before following Link into the water.

“Link! You’re going the wrong way!” He called out, but the hero ignored him as he pulled himself up onto the dock. Thunder crashed overhead alongside the setting sun, and Link hurried under the awning as it began to pour. Sidon, already caught out in the rain, watched as he took something from his bag and set it up: A cooking pot. As Link began rifling through his bag and taking out ingredients, Sidon stepped over to stand just outside the edge of the awning.

“Link, you really don’t have to cook something for me.” Sidon swallowed thickly as Link took out some fish. “We should just figure out how to get above the clouds so we can get out of this storm…”

‘We don’t know what’s waiting for us up there.’ Link signed grimly. ‘I know you want to press on. But you’ve been in Mipha Court purifying the water non-stop. Bazz told me you were up there for days on end without breaks. So when we go up there I want to make sure you aren’t already at your limit. Because it sounds like you’re close to it.’

Sidon blinked, taking in Link’s words for a moment before lowering his head. Link frowned and set his ingredients in the pot as he got up to stand in front of Sidon.

“I’m afraid you’re right, my friend…” Link rolled his eyes and signed ‘Obviously,’ to which Sidon chuckled. “I apologize, everything that I’ve done in these past few months since The Upheaval has been for The Domain. I suppose I just… find it difficult to consider myself when the lives of so many others are at stake.”

Link nodded. ‘I know the feeling. Trust me. That’s all I felt when I woke up after The Calamity.’ Link admitted. ‘But then I met you. And everyone I know now. I’m still trying to put it into practice but you all taught me that I don’t have to carry the weight of protecting Hyrule alone. And that I’ve only hurt myself trying.’ Sidon smiled, but before he could say anything heartfelt in return, his stomach groaned longingly. Link snickered, and Sidon flushed, rubbing circles over his empty tummy.

“Your words mean a lot, dear Link. But you have me convinced, the smell of your cooking alone is driving me mad.” He admitted, and Link gasped and rushed over to his cooking pot to stir the stew he was making. Sidon finally stepped under the awning and sat beside the fire, his stomach churning and rumbling in anticipation. After determining that it needed a bit more time, Link set his ladle aside and sat down next to the Prince.

‘Done soon.’ He signed quickly, sighing and rubbing his own belly. Even though he started making this meal for Sidon, it was nearly dinnertime. He’d be lying if he said he wasn’t starting to feel hungry too. Though, he figured Sidon had worked up far more of an appetite than him. ‘How long since you last ate?’

Sidon thought for a moment, seemingly looking for the answer in the flames of the fire. “About two days… That was when I last stopped to rest.”

Link’s eyes widened and he stared up at him in worried disbelief, and Sidon simply nodded and made the universal ‘it’s okay, calm down’ sign in the hopes that Link would hold his lecture. “I know I know, there was initially a night shift while Lady Yona was overseeing the purification alongside me, but then people in the Domain began to fall ill, and then she left to aid them, and the sludge just kept coming so I kept working…” His stomach moaned again, this time it was enough to make him flinch. “I felt like I couldn’t leave.”

Link huffed and reached a hand towards Sidon, to which he removed his own. Link placed a hand over Sidon’s belly, beginning to rub in slow, wide circles.

“Well now I feel kinda bad for making you wait.” Link said quietly. Sidon looked over, the fin on the back of his head wagging slightly. Link didn’t speak often, but when he did, Sidon was assured that the young Hylian was perfectly comfortable. But before he could make any comment, Link held a finger up to Sidon with his remaining hand. The strange new one.

“I just need both hands.” He interjected before he began rubbing both hands in opposite-direction circles. Sidon sighed, relaxing under the other man’s touch. His stomach however, was getting whipped into a frenzy and was growling furiously beneath Link’s fingers.

“That feels very nice…” Sidon winced as a particularly painful growl rippled through his belly. “But when will the food be done?”

“Soon.” Sidon frowned at the unclear answer, but nodded and continued to relax as Link rubbed his tummy. He could have sworn he heard Link’s stomach growling too in the moments when his own stomach was silent, but that wasn’t much of a surprise. The hero had an appetite that rivaled his own.

And of course, as soon as Sidon was eased perfectly into the motions of the other’s hands, Link got up, tasted the soup that was beginning to simmer over, and nodded before pulling out two bowls and filling them up generously. He handed Sidon his bowl, and the Prince hardly took the time to consider where his spoon might be before he began slurping down his stew with as much famished politeness as he could muster.

‘Slow down!’ Link signed frantically before beginning to slurp from his own bowl. Unfortunately, Sidon didn’t see his sign, and Link was still only halfway through his bowl by the time Sidon stood up to pour himself a second helping. By the time Link finished his bowl, Sidon was going in for thirds.

‘Be careful.’ Link signed, waving his hands around and repeating the sign a couple times to make sure Sidon got the message. Sidon just nodded, sipping a bit more politely now that the sharpest edge of his hunger had been staved off.

“Don’t worry, friend Link. Your stew is amazing! I surely doubt I’ll feel anything but full when I’m done.” Link smiled at the compliment, but he couldn’t help but shake his head. At least Sidon’s energy was coming back just fine.

Link himself went back for seconds, but he was surprised to find that there wasn’t an awful lot left in the pot. He glanced between it and Sidon as he poured himself another bowl, deciding that the rest would be better off left to him.

And that it was, because Sidon went in for fourths. And after that was finished and the pot was empty, he really began to feel the weight of his fullness.

“Oh dear…” Sidon exclaimed softly, setting his bowl aside and looking down at his belly. There was a gentle roundness to his usually toned torso, and Link couldn’t help but lower his own bowl to have a peek. He raised an eyebrow, and Sidon glanced over abashedly.

‘Overdid it?’ Link asked with a grin, and Sidon just pursed his lips.

“It’s hardly my fault. As I said, your stew is amazing…” He sighed, beginning to stand up. He took one look out towards the storm still pelting the reservoir, and immediately didn’t want to go back out there. He wasn’t even sure he could swim while he was so full.

‘And heavy. I told you to slow down.’ Link signed, packing up his bowls and cooking supplies before glancing over to the bed that Sidon was already eyeing up. ‘You should probably get some sleep too, y’know?’

The Prince looked back at Link, and then back at the bed. His belly felt heavy, but his eyelids felt far heavier.

“I suppose it couldn’t hurt… And we’ll head out first thing tomorrow!” He exclaimed, excitement for their upcoming adventure still filling him with energy despite his drowsiness.

Link just nodded, yawning as Sidon got into bed. The stew had made him a bit tired as well, and without a second thought, he flopped into bed beside him.

“…Link?” The hero looked up drowsily, and Sidon paused for a moment before gathering the smaller man up in a tight hug. “Thank you.”

Link froze before smiling gently and returning the hug, and within the next few moments Sidon had laid his head down and fallen asleep, his stomach still churning away and digesting the four helpings of stew he’d eaten.

And Link simply curled up beside him, and fell asleep soon after.

[freestyle-crocodile-trashpile]

IM EARLY LETS GOOO!

I love your hc so much and it gives my creative mind a boost. So uh- I would like to see how the turtles react when the m!reader gets kidnapped and turned into something instead of raph :)

your work gives my imaginative mind a boost ( I know I said that already)

A/n:I don't remember this scene so were just gonna try and remember it and make it our own for a second it.thank you for requesting

Summary:instead of raph getting taken and turned into a krang alien its you

Type:scenario:Turtles & male reader

Version:rise

~

They were all panicking cause you were right there. But of course they hadn't looked up yet, donnie was looking at his device worried since he knew you were above him. But instead of saying it he slowly looked up and pointed. Everyone looked up and froze. There you were, in some weird goop. They all were guiet because they were scared. They didn't know what happened to you, all leo can remember is you forcing raph inside a escape bot and saved him and leo and now you there above them possibly dead. Mikey was the open to get you down by wrapping his mystic weapon around the goopy thing and tearing it down. It hit the ground with a thud and broke. They were all disgusted by the goop but instantly pushed that aside when they seen you all beaten up with all the weird alien stuff on you.

"Y/N!!"

Leo rushed over to you and pulled you out of the goop. He froze when you stayed limp.

"Donnie, is he okay"

Leo looked at Donnie scared, you were limp and cold which is never a good thing.

"Um"

Donnie quickly rushed over to you and leo and checked your pulse and used his goggles to see better, like your temperature,heart rate, etc. Donnie was quiet for a second.

"Donnie?"

Donnie looked at April with a sour look.

"Is he okay"

"I-"

As soon as Donnie was about to say something you groaned. But it wasn't a human groan. They all looked down at you.

"Leo I think you should put y/n down and come over here"

Leo didn't put you down, he didn't think of the fact your currently covered in alien stuff. He just held you carefully not wanting they you go. But he soon regretted it. You woke up well alien controlled you. And not long after attacked leo without hesitation. You got leo pretty good, knocking his sword out of his hand, cutting his mask and arm pretty bad. Raph quickly grabbed leo and ran because they had bigger things to deal with and you and leo were to good of friends for him to accept the fact your not in a good state of mind right now, and everyone knows that leo wouldn't let them hurt you and he would say 'he's fine guys y/n is fine don't hurt him' then get attacked so for now they'll keep leo out of reach. But just for now

A/n:I hope you enjoyed

[umichenginabroad]

Madrid Week 7: Viva Italia (not america..?)

Hola a todxs :). Niko back here again with week 7’s blog of my study abroad experience in Madrid! Like I mentioned in last week’s blog, this last weekend I traveled to Italy, and this past weekend I was in Sevilla, Spain. My trip to Italy was particularly transformative and jam packed with personal reflection. Read on for the reflection, stay for the photos (and Italian food p*rn). This blogpost probably took the longest for me to write, and was honestly pretty difficult for me to put in words. I hope I captured my thoughts well, and I always welcome feedback and discussion to any and all readers (at any point in time!).

Argentina (but aren’t we talking about Italy?)

As I’ve mentioned before, the summer after freshman year, I studied for 6 weeks in Buenos Aires, Argentina. One particular weekend, I took a trip to Iguazu Falls — the largest waterfall in the Americas by volume, and one of the 7 natural wonders of the world.

Long story short, I got onto a tour bus with a bunch of strangers from around the world, drove 15 hours across Argentina to get to the falls, randomly selected hostel room groups based on who was sitting nearby on the bus, and ended up in a group with 4 girls from Mexico, my travel buddy from the USA, and 1 girl from Italy.

We spent a wonderful weekend together seeing the waterfalls (barring a short-lived but intense spout of food poisoning after eating something funky at a Brazilian buffet), and formed the foundation of what could turn into lasting friendships. But, come Monday, we parted ways, not sure whether we would ever see each other again. 

This trip was the first time I went into a travel situation without a true support system, and an important exercise in “trusting in the process” — and It helped me realize that I was capable of forming meaningful connections across language barriers, cultures, and in un-traditional social situations.

If it wasn’t obvious already, you might be able to see where this little backstory fits into my recent trip to Northern Italy. Before I departed for Spain in January, I sent a text to Gaia — the Italian friend I met in Iguazu — that I would be in Europe for the semester, and would love to see her at some point if the logistics work out.

Now we actually talk about Italy

Flash forward a few months, and well, the logistics worked out. Although our original plan was to go skiing in a small village in the Alps, we ended up being unable to due to weather issues. Instead, Gaia, her friend Camilla, and I took a tour of Northern Italy, visiting Turine, Asti, Moncalvo, and Milan. 

In a way, this trip was an even bigger exercise in trust — although this time, it was my gut I was trusting, not the process. I hadn’t seen Gaia in nearly 2 years, and the only other time we had met lasted just 3 short days. I was about to spend another 3 days with her — but this time, nearly every waking moment would be spent together.

For some reason, the thoughts of “what if we didn’t get along?”, “what if it was awkward?”, “what if we got on each other’s nerves?” — normal things to think in this situation — never crossed my mind. I trusted my gut: that Gaia was someone that I got on with in the past, and I had a feeling that the people we grew into over the past two years would mesh just as well.

So, I didn’t worry. And I was right not to. After a short period of hesitancy, we clicked. We spent the weekend learning about each other — both from a personal and cultural point of view.

And by the end of this trip, I felt culturally enriched. There’s a level of cultural intimacy (is that a term? Well now it is, I just coined it) that can only be experienced by being someone who has lived and breathed that culture for their whole life — something that I feel like I’ve never had the pleasure of experiencing in my own heritage, first or second-hand.

A short aside on heritage in the USA

Ethnically, I am half Italian, half Greek. My great grandparents immigrated to the USA from the south of Italy through Ellis island, raising my grandmother, who gave birth to my mom. 4 generations later, I feel more comfortable calling myself Italian-American than Italian. 

My mom’s side of the family was raised in northern New Jersey. I was raised Roman catholic, and I have 11 first cousins. Family gatherings are loud and boisterous, and people talk with their hands. My grandmother makes delicious Italian cookies called Pizzelles, and we call dish towels Mopinas (which isn’t even in the italian dictionary — it must have evolved on its own. Call it Englitalian [Italinglish? Coined.] ).

And that’s about all I’ve got to hold onto of Italian culture. Although I have more contact with Greece through the Orthodox Christian community and my direct-immigrant grandparents, I’ve never felt particularly connected to either culture. I don’t speak either language, and up until this past summer (when I visited Greece), I’d never been to either country. 

People from the United States of America — especially, I think, those in the Northeast — place emphasis on their ethnic heritage that those from other countries around the world do not. Ask an American, and they’ll probably know where their blood comes from — if the records of their ancestor’s immigration do exist. Ask an Italian, or a Spaniard, and they probably will not. Odds are, in fact, that their blood will be just that: Italian, or Spanish. 

The USA is a country built on immigrants, and it continues to be so to this day — and to me, it somehow feels wrong to not know anything about your cultural background.

This is a weirdly complex topic — one that I’ve thought about a lot —but bear with me here (and keep in mind, this is all from my personal point of view, and I welcome all new perspectives! Feel free to send me a message to discuss🙂). I think that, in the more liberal sphere of American adolescents, it’s almost “bad” to not know anything about your heritage — especially among white people, which is a label that I identify with. The USA has done a lot of messed up stuff in the world, and I think this is true to an extent that young Americans feel a desire to distance themselves from their nationality. 

Instead, we grasp on to what we have that sets us apart from it — where our parents, grandparents, or great-grandparents come from. It gives us something to point to in conversations, something that lets us say “see, look, I’m not just a white-washed American, I’m cultured”, something to help us feel like we have more depth — especially in a country where everything feels like it comes from something else.

This is why I mentioned above that this is more common in the Northeast — although I can only truly speak on what I’ve experienced in Northern Virginia and in the University of Michigan. When I think of the term “melting pot”, I think of places like New York City. Southern states, and perhaps those in the West, have developed a culture that feels more unique, more distinctly American, and this is why (from my outside perspective) it seems like something more people feel proud of and claim as their own.

As I mentioned, this perspective comes from personal experience. And this is all something I’ve felt as a white American, at least 2 generations removed from my “mother countries”. After spending a weekend in Italy, I finally got a piece of that contact that I had always craved.

Italo-

Italian culture is just that — uniquely italian. Food, history, architecture, art — not only is it unique, but it is rich. From the first day that I spent with Gaia and Camilla, it was apparent that they felt a deep connection, pride, and understanding of their culture — and this is something that they graciously and enthusiastically shared with me.

I now have a greater — albeit limited — understanding of what it means to be Italian, in Italy. I learned about Italian espresso, when to have it (spoiler alert — any time of day is game), how to prepare it, and how it tastes. Some of my favorite moments of the trip were peacefully spent over the breakfast table in Gaia’s home, enjoying a light carb heavy breakfast and freshly brewed coffee.

We ate simple, delicious food at every restaurant we went to. The food was less extravagant than I expected it to be. Most of the meals were simple, with a focus on the ingredients and their preparation. Pastas, pizza, Milanese, Ragu, more pasta. Tiramisu, and gelato, too.

We had a night out — first to aperitivo, then to dinner, then to a bar that was built in an old desecrated church, then to a cheesy karaoke bar where the whole place was singing old Italian songs at the top of their lungs — with a group of 12 in Gaia’s hometown, which was made up of friends stemming from her high school days. The biggest difference between the Italian dinner party and an American one — we took our time. There was a feeling of ease at the table. Nothing was rushed. We enjoyed each dish, each glass of wine, and over everything, enjoyed each other’s company. The focus was on the people and the conversation, not on what was to be ordered and how fast it came out. I hope to bring this rhythm back to Ann Arbor with me (but that may be more difficult than I think. See footnote 1 below*).

We explored multiple Italian cities, and walked a TON. I learned an interesting perspective of Milan (which was a beautiful city) from Camilla’s boyfriend — Milan is Italy to Europe, and Milan is Europe to Italy. (See footnote 2**). The architecture was beautiful, and after a rainstorm, Milan looked magical. The ground was sparkling, reflecting the dramatically lit buildings of the city center in the puddles that gathered on the ground. I saw the Italian countryside, picturesque rolling hills backdropped by an epic sunlit cumulo-nimbus cloud.

I even learned a base of the Italian language (I probably said “Come si dice” 100 times) that will serve me well if and when I want to learn it in the future — or if I ever get my Italian citizenship and decide to move there. Guess only time will tell.

-americano

3 days is not a long period of time, but I can confidently say now that I understand a little better what it means to be Italian. I feel more connected to my cultural heritage — and in turn, I feel more connected than ever to my native culture in the USA.

It’s true that the USA has done a bunch of messed up stuff in the world. Imperialism, war crimes, political and economical extortion — the list goes on. But the longer I spend in Europe — the more I come into contact with different cultures, and understand foreign perspectives on the USA — the less these things feel like they’re inside a black box. Instead of avoiding these hard truths, I can face them head on — allowing me to acknowledge the bad and the good that comes with US culture.

A big critique I’ve heard abroad is that the United States has no culture of its own — but I don’t think that’s true. The USA is a place where global cultures collide, providing its citizens the opportunity to experience bits and pieces of the world and giving rise to unique elements born from this fusion.

Over the past 2 months, I’ve slowly shifted away from the feeling of shame that comes with being an American in Europe — and that’s thanks to a willingness to learn, adapt to, and accept cultures that I experience while I’m abroad (re: cultural humility, blogpost coming soon). Now, I’ll proudly say that I’m 50% Greek, 50% Italian, and 100% American. With my continuously evolving understanding of my individual parts (and all of the other cultures I come into contact with, especially Spain), I feel like I can better understand and contribute to that fusion, both in the melting pot of the United States, and as an international citizen in Europe — enriching the lives of myself and those I come into contact with.

Such is becoming “cultured” — a concept that has a bit of a pretentious connotation (IMO), but is worth striving for. I’ll be returning to Italy for spring break (Rome, Florence), so hopefully I’ll continue to develop this connection then. I also bookmarked in Google maps here all the places I visited in Italy this trip (and will do so in the next one) if you're considering taking a trip and want recommendations!

I planned on writing about Sevilla this week too, but I think this post has gone on long enough. I thoroughly enjoyed the different vibe it has from Spain, even through the rainy weather we experienced. 

As always, check out the image descriptions for more details on each one. I hope everyone has a great rest of their week, and see you back here next soon!

Hasta luego,

Niko Economos

Aerospace Engineering

Universidad Carlos III de Madrid

Madrid, Spain

* In Italy, and the rest of Europe, servers get paid fair wages. In the USA, it’s not required, because it’s expected that servers will make up the difference in tips. I worked as a server for 2 summers, and made $3.50 an hour. The amount of money I made in a night was directly correlated to the number of tables I turned over. As a result, I did my best to get orders in fast, food out faster, and clear the table as quickly as I could so that I could make more money. Until this fact changes, I think it’s hard to have the same no-rush Italian experience over dinner unless you’re really conscious of it. Personally, if I’m not feeling pressure from a server to leave quickly, I’m likely feeling a sense of guilt for staying too long and reducing their nightly wage, no matter how well I tip. Maybe home cooked meals are the answer, which I’ll hopefully be well practiced with next semester :)

**To Europeans, they look at Milan and see what they think of Italy. The world capital of fashion, beautiful architecture, prosperous and well known city. Italians look at Milan and see what they think of as Europe —highly international, intercultural, and as a result more gentrified and expensive. I found this to be really interesting. Is there a US city that fits this bill?

[storiesofsvu]

A Redemption Earned Ch 24

Heather Dunbar x reader Warnings: language, tiny bit of smut eluded to, thats about it.

Heather let herself into your house using her own key, her coat and blazer getting hung up by the door while she stepped out of her shoes, her bag finding a home on a spare chair in the living room. She padded through the space, following the sound of music into the kitchen where you were at the stove, your back turned to her as you focussed on dinner.

“Hey.” You greeted, barely glancing over your shoulder, “you’re early.”

“I decided to call it a half day, no cases anyways.” She replied, wrapping herself around your back and pressing a series of kisses into your shoulder and neck. You let out a happy hum at the sensation, spatula finding a home on the counter before you turned in her arms so you could greet her properly, kissing her gently.

“What?” You asked as she gave you a perplexed look, her hand raising to your temple.

“You experimenting with new makeup styles?” She asked with a grin, plucking a gold star sticker from beside your eye and you laughed.

“Oh, I totally forgot that was there. We turned science into trivia today, kids actually remember things and it’s far more fun for everyone.”

“And stickers make everything better, I know.” She repeated your words from back over Christmas back to you with a light tease, “how about we put this somewhere safer?” Her free hand wrapped around your wrist, pulling your arm up and placing the sticker into the inside of your forearm, the same place you’d put one on her months prior. Just as you had, she pressed a kiss beside it and your chest swelled with love.

“I ran into Rob, he said you had lunch with Becca?”

“Yeah.”

“How was that?”

“Good. She found Lily on Instagram; they’ve got a couple of mutual friends which doesn’t surprise me too much.”

“She message her?”

“No. Just followed her and figured if Lily went through her account at all she might be able to put it together.”

“Did you look at her account at all?”

“No, I just felt like that would be intruding, even if it is on a public internet forum. But Becca says they’ve got a nice life, Lily appears to be an only child and that her parents are relatively well off.”

“That’s good.” You smiled and Heather returned it, “you wanna crack a bottle of wine?”

“Red or white?”

“Your pick.” You turned back to the stove as the timer went off, pulling the rice off the burner. Heather plucked a bottle from the wine rack to compare to a bottle of white in the fridge and then let out an audible groan.

“What?”

“I need your help with something.”

“Picking the wine?” You laughed, “you’re the connoisseur here.”

“No.” She shelved the red, pulling down two glasses to fill with white considering you were cooking shrimp. “Aside from the whole Cody thing, sessions recently have been focussing on my need to constantly be in control and I’ve been left with some homework.”

“You don’t sound too excited about this…”

“Starting tomorrow morning and until Monday morning I’m not allowed to make any bigger decisions that aren’t solely for myself.”

“Interesting….”

“So you, Becca, Rob, whomever has to decide how we spend the weekend, where we eat,” she picked up a wine glass to pass to you, “what kind of wine goes with dinner… and this extends to in the bedroom as well.”

“Oh?” you raised a brow, taking a sip of wine.

“To a limit.” She held up a hand, “don’t get any crazy ideas.”

“I am more than well aware that I will not be strapping you, don’t worry.” You laughed, stepping forward to kiss her cheek, “we can talk boundaries and a safe word after dinner?”

“Thank you.”

Heather smiled softly, her hand stroking at your cheek when she pulled you back for a second kiss, as apprehensive as she was about this task, she knew it was one that she could trust you with. She watched you flick off the second burner and she pulled down a couple of plates from the cupboard, helping you plate up dinner and following you to the dining room. You caught each other up on your days, Heather more talking about lunch with Becca than work since she’d begun to get bored with going into the office all the time now. She said that Becca hadn’t been too surprised at the news of Cody, though she hadn’t know anything about it. Her and Jordan may have only been a year apart but they were very different kids and didn’t hang out or talk personal too often if at all. She was curious about meeting him, excited about being an aunt and of course had teased Heather about being a grandma.

You updated Heather on Cody, how he was doing with school and integrating with the new class. At first she had insisted that you not get tangled up in everything, that she felt bad about it and as much as she loved finding out these things, she didn’t need you to be keeping track of things. You reminded her that no matter what happened, you would be stuck in the middle, you were Cody’s teacher, Lily seemed like someone you could be friends with, and you were her girlfriend. You gave her hand a little squeeze to assure her that things wouldn’t get too messy, no matter what her past experiences made her think.

She talked a little bit about her session that afternoon, her therapist’s thoughts on Cody and how to gently approach things. You were always extremely happy to hear Heather talk about therapy, that you were someone who was privy to what went on and was talked about in those sessions. You knew there must be things that she didn’t bring up with you, and you didn’t mind that. You were still open and honest with each other and every so often she would ask you to join her, sometimes on her therapist’s request, sometimes on hers, and each time you would. It was a level of trust and security that you’d never experienced before and you were more than ready and willing to go.

Heather helped you tidy up after dinner, doing dishes and setting coffee to be brewed the next morning. You couldn’t help but smile at just how comfortable she was in your space, how well she knew her way around, it was just natural, and it was the same with you at her house. Your lives had been very much intertangled since New Year’s, favourite mugs finding homes in the other’s cupboards, spare phone chargers left to always have at the ready. Favourite pantry and fridge staples always around to add into meals and dishes (Heather preferred siracha while you couldn’t live without Valentina hot sauce). Both of your closets were now a mish mash of both of your wardrobes, casual around the house comfy clothes, some errand running outfits, work outfits hung neatly, and a few fancier pieces for date nights. You were even currently on a one week at your place, one week at hers schedule, and it just worked for both of you, having that time around your own space but also feeling at home in the other. You weren’t constantly together, occasionally work taking priority and one returning to their own home, or someone simply needing space. Heather understood that sometimes at the end of a long week surrounded by loud children, you just wanted to burrow into your own couch in silence with a good book and be left alone. You on the other hand understood when, even if you had plans, a session was particularly heavy or hard, that she would much rather return to her own space and be alone to work through it.

There still were days where things like this happened and you still returned to the other’s house, wanting to honour the agreement and the love you shared while still being alone. There were nights you would come home to Heather’s on a Friday, silently kiss her cheek and then make your way upstairs to a guest room, the doorbell ringing with pizza half an hour later. The next morning she would let you sleep in and not bother you until you came to her, pressing a kiss to the top of her head and asking how her week went. There were days when you were both spending the week at your place, and as much as Heather wanted to retreat back to her place, she also wanted the comfort of you. So she’d show up, exchange a little bit of small talk before retiring to one of the spare rooms, you’d ignore the fact that you knew she was sneaking onto the back porch for a cigarette and let her have her peace. There was a high chance she was up hours before you, meeting Rob for a walk, or jogging by herself before making the two of you breakfast and you’d start your weekend. Overall, you were managing the balance incredibly well.

On top of intertwining your lives in that sense, over the past month, you’d been added to the family group chat. There were a couple of different ones on the go, but this one was just you, Rob, Heather, and Becca. And that chat was pulled open as you and Heather settled on the couch with wine and your preferred tv binge of the month.

Heat:

‘Any big plans this weekend?’

Becca:

‘Sarah’s out of town, so absolutely nothing here.’

Rob:

‘Weather’s supposed to be garbage so I was just planning on a few chill days with Steve, what’s up?’

Y/N:

‘She’s got therapy homework. The three of us are in charge for the weekend.’

Becca:

‘Is that so?’

Heat:

‘Play nice…please.’

Rob:

‘Don’t torture your mother.’

Becca:

‘Well.. I did a quick search, and there’s an adult ballet class Saturday at three?’

Heat:

‘You really want ballet?’

Becca:

‘Second chance for everything, right?’

Heat:

‘That sounds great.’

Rob:

‘Are these all one on one things, or group activities?’

Heat:

‘Whatever works, any combination I guess.’

Y/N:

‘I’m already calling dibs on sleeping in tomorrow morning, so no brunch plans please.’

Rob:

‘What about tennis followed by a late lunch at the country club Sunday?’

Heat:

‘Am I allowed at the country club?’

Rob:

‘Considering how much money you’ve given them over the past thirty years you practically own it at this point.’

Becca:

‘I’m not down for tennis, but I’m down for food.’

Heat:

‘Of course you are.’

Y/n:

‘I’ve gotta side with Becca on this one.’

Becca:

‘And I really wanna see that new Marvel movie that just came out, can we do that between lunch and dinner?’

Heat:

‘Yes.’

Becca:

‘Amazing, I love this. Y/n, dinner suggestions?’

Y/n:

‘How about we throw it back and head to Dumplings and Beyond?’

Becca:

‘Oh fuck yes!’

Heat:

‘I’m on board…obviously…”

Rob:

‘Sounds perfect.’

Heat:

‘Alright. Becca, I’ll see you tomorrow afternoon, send me the details?’

Becca:

‘Course.’

Rob:

‘Proud of you Heat.’

Heat:

‘Thanks.’

Y/n:

‘It won’t be that bad. Pinky promise.’

Heather turned to you as you tossed your phone down on the coffee table,

“You sure about that?”

“Hey, Becca had every opportunity to drag you to things you absolutely hate.” You squeezed at her thigh, “instead she’s wanting you to do something the two of you can bond over and maybe even continue and a movie’s only a couple of hours and we’ll all be there.”

“You’re right.” She smiled softly, leaning in to steal a kiss, “are you really going to make me sleep in tomorrow?”

“As late as I can.” You grinned, “listen. The weekends are for lazy cuddles, smooches and warm naps in bed. If you must insist on any being human before one in the afternoon it’s simply ordering in breakfast and eating it in bed, maybe some soft sex.”

“Okay…” Heather chuckled, “well that… I can probably get behind.”

“Even if I’m in charge?” You grinned and she huffed, tucking you into her shoulder, pressing a kiss to your head.

“I suppose I’ll have to, won’t I?”

_________________ @ms-calhoun @naturalxselection @yesterdaysgone @hbkpop @giftedchildturns40 @anya-casablanca @svulife-rl  @swimmingstudentchaos891 @alexusonfire @jamiethetrans @natasha-danvers @oliviaswifey @mysticfalls011 @cmmndrwidw @bumblebear30 @svushots @yourtaletotell @cerberus-spectre @emskisworld @ex-uallyactive @addictedtodinosaurs @imaginaryoperagloves @multifandomlesbianic @annegilletteslostwh0r3 @bookpillows @drduckthief @whimsicallymad @mmmmokdok @ladysc @momlifebehard @mmemalwa @holycrapraewth @poisonedcrownss @wannabe-fic-reader @when-wolves-howl @dead-of-niight @fighterkimburgess @lannister-slings-and-arrows @borg-queerr @godard-muse  @itisdoctortoyousir @brooklynmhm @nobody-important1212 @emilyprentiss4life @red1culous

[namboobieslover]

Kintsugi: the beauty of broken things || MYG

Chapter 5

Summary: Yoongi and Minnie have been friends for quite some time now, almost... 15 years? 15 years since they ran into each other in that music classroom by an unlucky (or not) mistake. They've grown close, but both of them have strong characters and insecurities that will have to be put aside when Minnie falls into her own lie, risking her job in the process. They have 3 days to feel comfortable and make everyone believe their role as the young engaged couple or she is fucked :[

Pairing: musical producer! Yoongi x lab tech/science nerdy! f reader au; non-idol! BTS members make a brief appearance

Genre: fluff, angst, kinda slow burn (?), best friends to fake couple au, constant unresolved sexual tension, two idiots too proud to openly speak but pinning each other

Warnings: use of bad language, mentions of insecurities/low self-esteem, anxiety, trauma; light use of weed, little smut if you scrutinize, SFW

Masterlist: 1 // 2 // 3 // 4 // 5 // 6 // 7 // 8 // 9 // ...

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

CHAPTER 5: Future's gonna be okay

Word count: 3776

"Where am I?" That's the first thought that comes to my mind.

My neck hurts like a bitch while one of my arms feels sleepy. What the heck?

I open my eyes to see nothing more than the dim light; I don't have my glasses on. Where are they?

I up my head from whatever comfy pillow I am to realise that it's, in fact, some boobies. Not other than Yoongi’s boobies; this man must have been hitting the gym lately, damn.

-Y'know, my eyes are up here -a raspy and low voice calls me in a tone full of fun.

If I squint, I can see my dear friend lazily rubbing his eyes with a smirk.

-Calm down, Mr Modest; mine still are bigger.

-That's true -he bluntly admits.

I swear, I have to. Hitting him must have become part of my DNA after so many ages.

-How long have you been awake?

-No longer than you. I felt you detaching from my body; you are nothing careful.

-Where are my glasses?

-Here -he turns his body to his side of the sofa and must be to get them- You fell asleep with them on; I thought you would prefer not breaking them unconsciously. It happened once to me.

He is right. Once I have them on, I can see we are still in his dining room.

We call it quits because it's really late, and even if I don't have to work tomorrow due to the ball, he must go to the photoshoot for the new álbum.

We lay side to side in bed, and even with all the alcohol and the time it is, I can't sleep. A lot of thoughts are going at high speed in my mind.

-Yoongi? Are you awake?

-What do you want? -he says in a sleepy voice.

-Do- Do you think this plan is going to work?

-Of course.

-What if not? It would be a matter of time for everyone to know about it, and sooner or later, I would have to find another job. Do you know how hard it will be? My lab has a high reputation to the point that, if they want, I won't find any other job in this country. Maybe neither in others. Trust it's fundamental in this hazardous environment and-

-And if I grow some wings suddenly, that would make airlines useless. Would that mean that they all would demand me cause of unfair competitiveness? Or would I be a victim of some scientist trying to understand how it happened?

-Yoongi, that's impossible.

-Point made -he says proudly- I don't say that you can't feel afraid but don't go so far; you'll never know till the moment comes. Step after step. First, complete the plan, then go to the event. After that, we will see. 

-But what if?...

-What if everything goes well?

He sighs.

-Don't worry, Minnie -he says while manhandling me till I'm laying again in his chest, engulfed by his arms- you are crazy, thinking that all this effort we have put in, it’s to be wasted.

-Oh, so your primary motivation is about that and not about your best friend about to be fired?

-No, of course not -he agrees with me as If I were dumb -Of course not -he pats my head with little hits.

I can't help but laugh, and he also does, allowing me to hear him directly through my ear. It has to be one of my favourite things in the world.

-Seriously, let's rest enough to think rightly; the theme of my mixtape ain't about zombies. We can text throughout the day about the final touches of our "love story" -he remarks, using his hands.

-Seems nice. As you know, I'm free tomorrow, meaning I’ll be capable of using my telephone.

-Okay, then. Now. Sleep -sentences while closing my eyelids with soft fingers.

I laugh again, fully knowing that he is putting these jokes to cheer me up. He does too, and between these beautiful sounds and some more little comedic comments, embraced by his warmth and the smell of the perfume I gifted him, I fall into the arms of Morpheus. 

I must have slept very deeply because I wake up feeling rested. I also wake up alone, but not completely: a post-it with Yoongle's handwriting. "I left for work. Make yourself home; you already know where everything is. Idk which time I'll be back, but before the ball for sure. Stay as much as you want to".

Not a single smiley face, "dear" or a goodbye. Very Yoongi-like.

Once I get rid of sleep, I open the windows to get some fresh air. The day is cold, but there isn’t a single cloud in the sky. I march to the kitchen where coffee has been cooked earlier (probably Yoongi leftovers). With my breakfast, I sit on the couch to watch the TV. Something resting there, all alone, calls my attention.

Oh shit, the to-do list.

-○—○—○—○—○—○—○—○—○—○—○—○

"Free Minnie"

☆ 2-part plan

Day 1:

✅️ Partying together and pretending to be a couple.

✅️ Wearing clothes the other likes.

✅️ Getting used to holding hands and side hugging.

✅️ Getting comfortable being close to each other.

Day 2:

☑️  Accord lovey-dovey nicknames

☑️  Comfortably hug each other/being near/share the same vital space.

☑️  Practice:

Introducing each other

"Love story"

Pecks (????)  🤮🤮

-^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^

I search for a green pen, wanting to give a check for everything done.

Nicknames? Yes. 

To be comfortable around each other? It was hard, but we did it.

Introduce each other? The funniest. He couldn't stop jokingly doing it when he said that we should sleep. I remember clear as the day his "Excuse me, mister. My fiancé is sleeping because she's trying to keep herself on my same level of beauty, perfection and intelligence" as his last words before I drowned to sleep.

Love story? Maybe… check in orange? We have almost finished.

Pecks?

Pecks.

Pecks? 

Not as long as I know. But not the most relevant one since that would happen in an unfortunate scenario. It would be bad luck, right?

That means that, except for the final touches, we have finished.

-○—○—○—○—○—○—○—○—○—○—○—○

"Free Minnie"

☆ 2-part plan

Day 1:

✅️ Partying together and pretending to be a couple.

✅️ Wearing clothes the other likes.

✅️ Getting used to holding hands and side hugging.

✅️ Getting comfortable being close to each other.

Day 2:

✅️  Accord lovey-dovey nicknames

✅️  Comfortably hug each other/being near/share the same vital space.

✅️ Practice

Introducing each other ✅️

"Love story" ✴️

Pecks (????)  🤮🤮  🚫

-^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^---^

-Hello, sleeping beauty.

-Hello, you.

-I have to be honest; this morning, when I woke up, I felt envious of you.

-I understand. I was sleeping so deeply that I didn't notice when you left.

-I’m taking a life-changing nap when I come home, don't worry. Okay, correct me if I'm wrong, but what follows it's the… proposal?

-Yeah. Your turn to shine.

He laughs.

-Well, I was thinking about something intimate. Big gestures feel like a no-no to me.

-Yes, please. There's nothing worse than the typical ones where everyone is looking at you, waiting for the answer. If someone creates a flash mob or makes the petition appear on a screen… I'm leaving that person right there.

-ugh, just thinking about it gives me goosebumps.

-Yeah, that's not us. What fits us the most is something unserious and routine type of moment. Do you get what I mean?

-I do. Like getting to bed together and suddenly… bam! The ring ninja.

-Exactly. What would be something that would turn the marriage switch "on" in your brain?

-Mm, that's hard. Let me think.

-Don't worry. I'm entertaining myself by looking through your lyrics' notepads.

The line goes silent. Deadly silent.

-Minnie…

-God, Yoongi, I'm obviously kidding. I can't believe you fell for it; I know those books are like your children. "The only thing I ask you to be off-limits in our friendship are my notepads; I want my inner thoughts to be private till I'm ready" is the phrase I have nightmares with.

-Good girl; I have you well trained.

-Keep going with that attitude, and what you'll have well trained is receiving the hit of my hand with your face -I mindlessly sing back while roaming through the apartment.

-That's not ladylike.

-You know what is not wise like? Put Puerto Rico 0-3 Portugal in the World Cup bet. It's crystal clear that you don't have any idea about football -I tiredly answer with said bet in hand- If you had done your research, you would have known that European teams do worst in warm environments as they suffer a lot more flues due to the accumulated tiredness of ending the first round of their leagues weeks before World Cup and the air conditioner in the hotels. This year's favourites are south american countries.

-I heard some NBA players talking about this option being the best and-

-And if Damian Lillard tells you to jump off a bridge, you do, I know, but trust your football player best friend here for once. You didn't even ask me, idiot.

-Yeah, you are right. Damian would have that power over me. No doubt.

-Of course he does. I’m wondering…who would you obey most between him and J. Cole?

-Unfair question I won't answer because you don’t even like them that much.

-But you do, and it is always fun to mess with you; I even watched the last Damian match to screw you hehehe.

The line goes silent.

-Hey, are you there?

-Yes, I am. I was just thinking.

-I imagined. I didn’t want to say anything, but I was impressed with your ability to give me five minutes of uninterrupted attention. Coffee must be hitting real bad your ADHD. Have you at least come up with an answer to why you proposed?

Silence again.

-Pro-pro- what? -he sounds disoriented.

-Proposed Yoongi, the fake proposal. You know, to avoid my dismissal.

-Yeah, right. I'll see at that moment or wait throughout today if I can invent something. 

-C'mon Yoongi. Am I so horrible that you can't imagine one thing you like about me? -it stings a bit.

-No, it's not that.

-Then what? I did not consider this one as the hardest of all tasks we've done.

-I have to hang up; somebody is calling my name. I'll talk to you later, bye.

-Sure -I answer back acidly non intended.

I don't even change into my clothes; I don't have the humour for that (not that Yoongi’s lent clothes seem deteriorated or anything).

I start to walk to the nearer bus stop, Wild Flower from Indigo blasting full-on volume in my earbuds.

Buses have something I can't explain but… travelling in them usually makes me sad. I don't know why, but something like nostalgia invades me, and I can't shake it.

For me, a bus feels like a little window to the world. You can see what's going on, both out and inside the vehicle, with the perception of anonymity. You can see everybody carrying on daily tasks, unaware of your presence.

That makes you feel like your existence isn’t relevant, that if you disappeared from the surface of this earth, everyone would be able to keep going on like nothing. Your existence means nothing.

After 10 minutes, I’ve finally come home. I’m unsure what to do next: should I be showering or relaxing? Perhaps shower, or then I’ll be unable to move due to my lazy ass. Diligently, that’s what I do.

I play some music in the background, as always, something to feel sexy and try to get in a better mood. The chosen option is a playlist I did, composed with songs from Yoongi's close circle of composer friends: Vibe (Taeyang ft Jimin), Smoke sprite (So!YoON! ft RM), Bad Decisions (from some of them ft Benny Blanco and Snoop Dog), Change pt2 (RM), MORE (J-Hope), etc.

Two or three songs play before being interrupted by one I didn’t expect: Golden hour by JVKE. In other situations, that one is a favourite, but now? I don’t know why, but it makes me sad, to the point that tears flow from my eyes. I stay there for the whole duration of the music, crying under the water that wets me from head to toe; its warmth being the only comfort.

The last time I felt this way was long ago, maybe… when I was on the latest exams for my doctorate, trying to access my ongoing job? Likely. They were the darkest years

of my life: no self-confidence, constantly doubting my capacity. I isolated myself from everyone around me till, thanks to Yoongi’s temperament, I was ready to talk about what I was feeling. Maybe that’s why seeing him behaving as he has, hurt me so much.

He has always been supportive and my anchor when I let my head be full of dark thoughts. I feel bad because now he is putting everything in his hand to help me, and here I am, still being childish. Only caring about what he didn’t say or do instead of being grateful for everything he did.

I’m being stupid, and I should be putting aside all my insecure nature to make this plan work. I shake my head physically and mentally.

-Focus, Min Young Mi -I whisper to myself.

I feel so much better, sadness from before slowly disappearing upon the relevance of the stratagem we have between our hands.

I get ready except for dressing the clothes; I still have some informs to write and some chores to do before leaving. One by one, they are done, remaining to finish my makeup and wear the fancy clothes. 

It was hard to choose, but I decided on a light and shiny eyeshadow and products to realt my natural beauty (If there’s some, I’m not sure) and clothing… damn. I don’t usually assist to formal events, so I was unsure about what is considered appropriate and what is not. After researching on work and between my girlfriends, I’ve come up with a long but pompous sleeve incorporated into a tight bodice that contrasts with a loose, long skirt; everything in different shades of white and golden details (imitating the chinese technique of repairing broken ceramics with gold, Kintsugi).

I add some pale colourful butterflies and shining stickers on my hair styled in messy space buns.

The final look I see in the mirror is better than expected. All has come together nicely, highlighting my curves where they should be.

-Girls, you never looked this good -I say to my boobies, well put and round; they don’t seem like the usual ones that make me insecure.

I feel pretty, even… empowered.

A message bleeps in my phone.

As I’ve been told, I call a taxi that gets me faster than I imagined to the placement where the ball is happening tonight.

It’s an incredible old-styled mansion, decorated for the occasion with flowers and little lightbulbs. But that’s not all; the interior is as beautiful or more, totally my style. Feels like a set from that period series I love to watch; romance and secrets oozing from every square.

I force the chat to be about superficial stuff, trying to avoid the main thing of tonight, but the question appears from one of my workmates ten minutes later while talking in a circle.

-So… where is your soon-to-be husband? We are dying to meet him.

-He had an inconvenience in his work, making him late. He must be about to arrive.

-Once again, what does he work as?

-Producer. He writes and composes music for other artists and himself, but now he is finishing the last touches of his upcoming album, which is also his first one.

-Is he an independent artist or…?

-Oh, no. He works for a prestigious music company, but till now, hadn’t found enough time for his own projects. His schedule is tight, so all the arrangements have to go as planned. These days he’s been busy putting hours and hours into it and making space to come here to meet you all… means a lot to me.

Everyone is glancing at the same place, the entry. Naturally, I follow along, discovering that the cause of all this shock is no other than my best friend.

-Speaking of him… -I whisper unconsciously loud enough for people near me to hear.

-It’s that your man? -a couple of them ask with evident surprise on their faces.

He seems lost, probably searching for me. He also looks stunning, almost unreal.

I salute him from afar, and once he sees me, a big pretty smile appears on that pretty face. When he’s coming my way, I have finally gathered the courage to admit it.

-Yes, that’s my man.

I’m as surprised as everyone by his beauty, having fallen in his enchantment. He shines through the room charmingly, making it understandable all eyes are on him, but he only seems to see… me? What?

Once he is a couple of metres away, I tell myself to breathe again, too stunned to speak.

-Hi, babe -he greets me encircling my waist with his arm- You look beautiful, as always -he seems to say truthfully, looking into my eyes, finishing the sentence with a quick peck on my lips.

What. The. Fuck. It’s. Going. On.

What?

My brain has forgotten how to work, unable to process surprise after surprise.

-Sorry for being late -he adds upon my silence- today has been crazy, but I don’t wanna bore you with work. We are here to enjoy and raise some funds, aren’t we?

-ye-yeah.

Am I stuttering? What has he done to me?

-Sorry, we haven’t been introduced properly. I’m Yoongi, Young Mi’s fiance.

He greets everyone with a handshake and naturality that I have never seen on him, never leaving my side or peeling his arm around my body, that touch almost burning me. I feel my face getting redder every second that passes.

-Young Mi, are you okay?

-What? Why? -I shyly ask, touching my flushed cheeks.

-You haven’t talked since your boyfriend arrived. Cat got your tongue?

I look at Yoongi, both of us aware of the ongoing joke of him being the human personification of a cat. He gets it because a devilish smirk appears on his face.

-yeah, something like that -I admit, mortified

-You know how shy she is with personal stuff, let her be -he jokingly says while hugging me tightly and kissing my forehead.

-Honey, behave -I warn him lightly, hitting him in the arm. He’s having way too much fun with this, and it shows off in how his smile doesn’t go away- would you get me a drink, please?

-Of course.

Other partners of my co-workers join him in the task, letting us talk, but especially me and “my man” to fence for ourselves in front of a public that requires answers about our relationship.

Once they near the table with drinks, the season is open. They start to shoot questions without leaving me time to answer them.

-Wow, Young Mi, he is…

-Handsome -other interrupts, making us laugh.

-And he has this aura of a rockstar…

-yeah, and he seems so in love with you. Can’t keep his hands to himself.

-Both of you make an incredible couple, both sophisticated and pretty.

-No, not just pretty. Hot as fuck.

We laugh, but all the compliments make something deep inside me tingle.

I look at him, finding out that he is already looking. He seems surprised at being caught but smiles at me in that beautiful and particular way I’ve only seen him do on counted occasions.

“What?” I mouth at him, not understanding what’s going on.

His only answer is a wink, and I can't put my finger on what it is, but suddenly all this feels new. And exciting. And like butterflies dancing around in my stomach.

This night will surely be going to be one to remember.

A/N: Sorry I've been missing but uni still has me on house arrest with all the finals. Hope you like it and hope you have a good night/evening... Feel free to give some feedback :)

[askrivetra]

Hi, Petra! I could use some advice. I'm giving it my all at work and some of my comrades are taking advantage of that. I find it a challenge to say no to people and so they use that to get me to do some of their duties. But they'll make me feel part of the gang when I do. I find it hard to confront people about this sort of thing but I did try once - politely - but they just treated it like I was overreacting. They accused me of not pulling my weight enough on missions and so they have to cover me so why should I not repay it in duties? I know there are bigger problems in the world but honestly this has me feeling so anxious. I'm finding it harder to focus on my training.

You don't seem like someone who's dealt with this but I could use some advice from someone stronger.

TW: toxic friendship, bullying, gaslighting and manipulation

"Hi there, anon!" Petra greets them with a kind smile. "Thank you for reaching out and... you should know that you're pretty awesome for speaking out about this." She pours a cup of tea and pushed it gently across the wooden table towards the anon.

"You're right in that I've never experienced anything like that. I'm pretty lucky in that way. But I've witnessed my share of really toxic behaviour and it makes me furious that your squadmates are treating you like that. It takes guts to come and talk about it the way you did. This will probably sound like obvious advice but I really recommend that you speak to your squad leader about it. They are there for you to talk to. Please don't worry about it "not being relevant to the mission" or anything because this sort of thing is very relevant."

"As Scouts, we rely on team work to kill titans and save lives. It's essential for us to trust each other and work as a unit, to have faith in each other's ability. Without those things, we'll just lose more lives. What your teammates are doing - and I use that term very loosely here - is putting other people at risk. So your squad leader needs to know that these people are slacking on multiple fronts."

She smiles and tucks some hair aside. "That's my practical advice. I would also say that you need to get into the practice of saying no to them more, of putting yourself first. They can bitch about it but if they complain to your squad leader, that just gives you an opening to have the conversation with them about your squadmates' behaviour."

"But I can imagine that must seem intimidating since you haven't raised this with them yet. If you'd like, I could accompany you to speak to your squad leader. You've already told me everything so if you get a bit nervous, I can help explain. You're not on your own in this and I'm happy to support you if you'd like. You did the right thing in reaching out."

[waywardsunlight]

3x02 Thoughts

Spoilers below

- Things I was spoiled for before the episode: saw that ghost!caleb was going to haunt Belos in writing, saw a screencap of possessed Raine. - Amity wants to be a writer!!! :D I was kind of wondering about what she was interested in doing bc we’ve talked about Gus wanting to be a representative to the human realm and Willow has flyer derby and Hunter has palismen carving and Luz, of course, wants to be a witch (and maybe an artist too). So it feels nice to get what amity wants to do. Also nice to see them together. - MURDER CAVE!!! It’s back and bigger than ever!!! I was kinda hoping that Caleb had moved on, and while I can see the spin on this that Belos is just seeing things because of “guilt” (hmm...) I kinda doubt it. Caleb is giving me death omen energy. The scene when Belos tried to possess that grimwalker was super cool though. - I’m unhappy about the whole puppet thing. I get it, but it actually dampers my enjoyment a little to see that happen to these characters because I really can’t imagine two months of being like that, especially for Darius and Raine (and Eber), and even like... Perry and Willow’s dads.) It’s p bad and I know they can turn back but I hope we get to really see them again before the end of the show, like I hope it gets reversed before halfway through next episode because I’m gonna cry and scream if we don’t get the adults fighting alongside the kids. Also it just really sucks that Belos didn’t possess Odalia fr.  - King. That’s the whole point here. -Aside from the puppet stuff, the Collector is growing on me a little. I like that he let Eda and Lilith out because he saw how much King loved Eda. I love his vibe, he’s very special to me. I like the outfit he put Odalia in, she looks nice lmao. I hope he realizes that he needs to make his own friends and put the effort in and goes off somewhere else to grow because that would make me happy. - I don’t like the Raine possession, it makes me sad and I’m worried we won’t get to see them enough before the end of the series because we already missed out on them in this episode. Same with Darius but oh well. It also flags some bad tropes about poc being possessed for white people narrative (like... Raine is Eda’s love interest and it feels that this choice was only made for Raeda which I’m sure is correct and even though I love that couple I think there were better ways to deal with it but I hope they surprise me. -I don’t like Boscha’s redemption (She’s giving Belos codependant energy a little and it’s funny that she focuses on Amity when Skara is right there although Skara knows Skara deserves better) but I liked the Hexside stuff still and Matt. I like him more now that we had more time with him and bc looking glass ruins. -And the topic of the hour, apparently... Huntlow. I think it’s cool that Willow kind of starts as someone who ignores the bad things around her and learns to accept them and be okay with crying, that’s cool. Willow really needed that. I don’t like that Hunter has magic but I didn’t mind the Huntlow, it didn’t bother me that much because I liked what they did with her arc and how they got there, even if I’m still not happy about magic Hunter (that better be the only magic he got istg). 

[luminberry]

Twin Troubles

More Jericho and Atticus shenanigans featuring me and @acorncake's sonas..cause i have brainrot for my own characters and cant help it.

its very self indulgent, so you were warned lol. this is part one with my sona and Jericho

It wasn’t often you got sent out for missions for SQ,usually helping back at base keeping things orderly and trying to go about your day. But after two or three missions had gone awry in one particular sector, 2B had pulled you aside and decided you were ready for more serious work.

You weren’t entirely made for the normal run and gun missions most of the grunts working under SQ were sent out on, fortunately this was something different and surprisingly well fit for what you were able to do. You never cared for guns much, you never really learned to use them outside of extreme emergencies..Instead you preferred other weapons, but considering everyone else preferred guns you were mostly out of luck.

Which was why 2B had introduced you to the odd secrets of the Magiturge, or simply put, magic of some sort. Surprisingly you were pretty good at it and picked it up faster with each passing day. Which is what landed you where you were now.

Doc had asked you and a few others to do some basic recon on a newly made group called "PrivSec". The most common knowledge was that they were generally a security business of sorts. You only knew about them faintly, they worked alongside Nexus and a few other mostly shady businesses that wanted to keep the public eye from looking too closely at their going ons.

They hired anyone willing to work and had a rather high turnover rate, which wasn't surprising since most who seemed to sign on were bandits and just about anyone desperate enough to risk dying in a gunfight. They looked fairly similar to MERC but a bit more organized on the surface.

You were sent to sneak into one of the bigger branch buildings with a teammate. The two of you were supposed to stay low profile and grab any info you could without setting off alarms if possible.

Unfortunately you couldn't just walk in given your..strange appearance compared to most other grunts. So that's where your new lil magical hobby came into play.

It took several tries and tests but you managed to perfect an invisibility charm of sorts for yourself. No one would be able to catch you if they couldn't see you to begin with. Your teammate on the other hand knew how to make herself non imposing to others, making them just assume she worked there.

Shadowing her through the front doors you broke apart, wishing each other good luck and starting on your separate missions.

Watching her wander off for a moment you stepped aside from the direct stream of busy working grunts to survey things before heading out yourself. Being invisible you felt relaxed for the moment, eyeing the few low ranking banditos stationed at the front of the building and nearby the front desk.

Among them however was a figure that made you pause briefly. A taller than normal cowboy in a faded denim long coat. SQ had made it grievously clear to avoid him and his twin counterpart at all costs..You remember his name was Jericho right?

He was currently talking with two stressed looking grunts in suits near the front desk, and curiosity got the better of you as you quietly made your way forward to listen in.

"I know y'all are worried bout them hoodlums from SQ muckin around these days but don't worry! Me n tha lads here know how ta keep things in order, I promise ya."

"Well Ranger Jericho that is what we pay you for! We've already had SEVERAL close calls with our sister branches, we absolutely cannot handle another break in. Nexus is already on our throats to reclaim what was stolen last month.."

"I know that, I got a crack team hunting loose ends down as we speak..y'all can rest easy knowin my boys are on that case. N I personally won't let anyone or anythin slip past me."

As he spoke his eyes moved to fall squarely on you for a moment, making you jolt for a second…There's no way he could see you…right?

"Hey easy there with that shortstack, y'all need a hand?"

You turn to see a grunt with several large packages shakily stacked atop one another just about to crash into you and the corner of the front desk. Moving aside quickly as Jericho stepped in to lend a hand you let out a quiet sigh of relief..You were still safe, he was just helping a very over encumbered worker..He didn't seem too bad, just if you weren't breaking the law you figured.

Shrugging to yourself you slipped away from the group to sneak into the elevators and catch a ride to the next floor and start your mission properly.

The second floor was quiet and somewhat dimly lit, you did come in fairly close to closing time afterall. The less people to deal with the smoother your end of the mission would go. Your partner however was working on a bit of a time limit and would finish up just in time for the building to close if things went alright.

Walking quietly down the long hallway you stopped now and again to peek into darkened rooms and rifle through files, taking a few here and there that held promise. You needed all delivery schedules and rosters the most, but account information and the like helped just as much you figured. If SQ could take supplies and recruits from Privsec, they'd start to fall apart from the inside out with time.

You weren't in any rush, you had all night to grab what you needed. And considering no one was up here yet you were relaxed while you worked.

Eventually you reached the last room on this floor.. ironically it seemed to be Jerichos office of all things. You were certain anything important would be here, the lights were off and door unlocked..for a Ranger he was very trusting of his co-workers.

Sneaking inside you closed the door quietly and pulled out your small flashlight to have a look around. The room itself was shockingly big..well given how damn big the owner was you supposed he needed a room to match his stature.

The desk was impressively built, it came up just below your chest, you searched it quickly only to come up with nothing to note sadly..Eyeing the large set of locked file cabinets next you moved to start picking them open one by one.

You weren't exactly skilled at picking locks of any kind but using a tiny bit of your magic to force it kinda counted as lock picking right? The tiny bright flashes lit up the darkened room around you almost playfully now and then, kind of like mini fireworks.

The first file cabinet held a rather bulky looking folder with several oddly coded texts inside…Well Doc did say grab anything that looked of interest and judging by all the weird symbols several documents held this was something alright. You moved to place it on the desk behind you when something caught your eye.

The office door was wide open, and you distinctly remember closing it behind you when you came in several minutes ago. Just as panic was starting to rise up the back of your throat you sensed something..or someone behind you.

But before you could even bother to turn around a very warm and heavy weight settled itself against your back, pinning you to the desk and then some. Warmth slowly bloomed over you as the stranger behind you squished you further into their gut as they settled against you and the desk. Large clawed hands lazily found their place at either side of you, trapping you in place before the owner spoke up at last.

"Might be a good idea for y'all ta drop yer lil cloakin charm right now before I start ta get a might bit angry."

The dark tone in his voice clearly stated he wasn't in the mood for fooling around, how he caught you without making a damned sound was unnerving enough right now. You dropped the charm as asked and hesitantly looked up as best you could at your captor.

Jerichos glasses seemed to glow in the faint light coming from the hallway, making him much more menacing looking as he stared down at you still pinned between his stomach and his desk. As he got a good look at you his glare softened before turning into a look of interest. Your blue outfit and matching bandanna got a soft smile out of him for a moment.

"Well now my sneaky lil bluebird, mind explainin why yer sticking yer nose inta things that don't concern y'all?"

If it wasn't for the fact he was more or less leaning halfway onto you and pressing you into his oversized gut, you'd mouth off about being called a bluebird of all things..But given that you were pinned by someone possibly two feet bigger than you who was very much dangerous to be around, you found your voice dying in your throat looking up at him.

"Hm, cat got yer tongue eh? Well why don't we fix that? Since y'all made tha mistake of fooling around in my damn office of all things….I think I'll have a bit of fun with ya."

"W-wait, hang on."

"Oh so ya did have a voice after all eh? Guess that'll make things easier. While I am a bit displeased with ya, I will apologize for this next bit..I know sudden shifts tend ta make a few folks sick."

"What? Wait no, please jus-"

You felt something lurch all around you..like you were being pulled backwards without even moving a muscle. The world tilted in ways you weren’t entirely sure were possible, the entire ordeal was starting to make everything go black at the edges of your vision. The brief pain of being pinned to the desk vanished and you felt yourself fall for a second or two before landing on a hard and cold surface. You hear..as well as felt Jericho hum to himself, satisfied with whatever he just did to you.

"There we go, much better. Sit tight while I get tha lights real quick."

Jericho sounded suddenly so much louder now, you felt him moving more than anything, distant tremors rattling your frame as a distant realization came slamming into you just as the light flicked on and blinded you.

Yelping softly you clapped your hands over your eyes for a moment, senses going on high alert you noticed Jericho hadn't moved yet..

When you removed your hands and opened your eyes you knew why immediately. You were stranded on his desk, now no bigger than a damned doll if not smaller..As for the one responsible he now towered over you at the doorway, grinning down at you as he waited for your situation to hit home.

"Well ain't ya just tha cutest that size? Lookin round like a lil lost bunny..Was wonderin what y'all were up ta when ya slipped in earlier..N now I know."

"W..wait you knew I was here from the start? H-how??"

How the hell did he spot you?? You tested your charm thoroughly before even stepping foot in this building..Jericho laughed at your reaction for a moment before gently tapping his glasses with a clawed finger, giving you a devilish smile.

"Can't outfox a fox sugar~ These glasses just ain't for looks, Atticus n I are fairly skilled at magiturge practices ourselves..Made these lil beauties ta help spot things that ain't quite right..Saw ya sneakin in from tha start n just decided ta play dumb n see what trouble y'all would get inta before steppin in."

So your mission was a failure from the get go…great. That meant if anything your partner was also doomed for capture as well if she wasn't careful. You backed away from the large stack of files..and tried to keep some semblance of space between you and Jericho, who hadn't stopped smiling at you since this all began. The longer you eyed that grin of his the more dread you felt in your stomach.

"..I guess that's why you shrank me too..? To teach me a lesson not to go where I shouldn't?"

"Sorta..but mostly just so I can have a bit of fun getting info outta ya, cute lil thing like yerself I just couldn't resist."

You paled a bit listening to him, you needed to run..or at least get away before he could get his hands on you. Eyeing your surroundings you could only try running towards the back of the desk.. hopefully the fall wouldn't hurt.

Jericho seemed to have other ideas about you making a run for it, a soft tsk reached your ears before you saw a hand looking out to grab you.

"I ain't blind my lil dear, ain't gonna do ya any good ta try n run from me now. C'mere n lets have a nice lil chat just tha two of us."

Backing up you tried to at least dodge the oncoming hand looming over you, ignoring the squeaking gasp that escaped you in your growing panic. In the back of your mind you knew it was a useless attempt, but hey who could blame you for trying anyways?

You felt the warmth seconds before you felt Jerichos hand reach you, in your efforts to try and get away you stumbled just for a moment, which he took full advantage of to knock you over. The air in your lungs was gently but firmly pressed out of you as the massive hand came down to pin you firmly to the desk. You could still breathe easily but trying to wiggle free at all proved fruitless.

“Now now, I jus got finished sayin there ain’t a point in runnin..Now lookit ya, tiny lil thing, I am gonna get some answers outta my lil bluebird or we’re gonna be here all night. If ya behave for me, I might even let ya go with a warnin. That is, if y’all behave n stop tryin ta run on me.”

“F-fine..fine I’ll behave..just stop squishing me so much already, your hands heavy!”

That at least got a laugh out of him, and the hand did move…only to be replaced by one finger as your tormentor shifted to take a seat behind his desk, forcing you to roll onto your back and look up and up and up into that smug grinning face..Something about him was making your face heat up and you hated it, unfortunately he seemed to notice this and leaned in while shifting to scoop you up between two fingers.

“Aw now ain’t that just tha most darlin lil thing..y’all light up like a lil light onna christmas tree~”

“S-shut up, just ask your questions and stop manhandling me so much please!”

He shifted to prop his head on a hand, elbow settling on the desk below while you were unfortunately moved so much closer towards that damned smug face. You really didn’t like the way he smiled at you, it made your stomach flip and seize up being caught like this.

“Aw c’mon sweetheart, I’m bein gentle with ya..Better treatment I give most lil thieves that I catch sneakin round my office. Ya actin like I’m bout ta snap ya up like some big ol’evil beast or somethin..”

“..W-well I don’t know what you have planned for me so of course I’m scared! You were already big enough as it is before you did this! Couldn’t you ask your questions with me being my normal size??”

“Well I could, but y'all might try n make a run for it my frightened lil bluebird. Better ta keep ya close at hand..Tell ya what though, y'all cooperate with me I'll let ya go with just a lil warnin like I said earlier..sound good?"

You gave him a very skeptical glare..which didn't exactly do much since he was still grinning at you being held fast between two or three of his fingers. You didn't trust him but you honestly had no choice here it seemed.

"..maybe, you promise to let me go afterwards?"

"Course! I'll let ya go right on yer way..all ya gotta do is play nice n I'll send ya on yer way right where ya gotta go."

"…fine, not like I can say no anyways."

You couldn't help but pout a tiny bit as he grinned somehow even bigger at you agreeing, feeling like you got yourself into deep trouble now as he started with some very simple questions. Knowing Doc would have your ass if you gave away info so easily to PrivSec…you decided to lie and only offer out half truths. He didn't ask you to be truthful, only to give information.

Several long minutes of questions and mild teasing later he seemed very satisfied with the info you gave him. He sat back in his chair, bringing you up along for the ride as he got comfortable once more. You didn't like how he had just casually manhandled you the entire time, like some personal fidget toy or something. You swatted a few times at his hand to get him to stop, only earning you a deep laugh and a half apology before he continued your line of questions..Frankly you were tired of it and wanted to leave. Your face still felt warm even now, you hated how he seemed to pick up on what made you flounder and fluster..You just wanted to leave and have nothing else to do with Jericho after today.

"Alright my lil bluebird I think that'll do me for now..Thank ya kindly my dear for being such a good sport for me for so long. I think I'm ready ta let ya go on yer way now."

"Alright cool..you gonna change me back to normal first right? I can't get home being this small.."

"Oh don't worry, it'll fix itself in due time my dear. Let's get ya goin where yer needed most."

"..why are you saying it like that..? Wait..wait what are you doing? Hey! HEY."

Instead of setting you down on the desk or floor he was bringing you far too close to his face..and opening his mouth up far too wide for your liking, making you yell and thrash in his grip. You knew something had been wrong from the start and now you were going to pay for not trying to run sooner.

"Well I said I'm gonna let ya go~”

He seemed to pause if only for a brief second to reach up with his free hand and gently cup your legs between two fingers, taking your shoes off with an odd level of gentle care before resuming bringing you back up towards his mouth. The weird action makes you go silent for the duration, mind focusing on the strange sensation of massive fingers gently encompassing each of your legs in turn to slip your shoes off and place them out of sight somewhere below. The moment the action is completed however, you snap out of whatever silence you slipped into to resume yelling at him, the action making him snort slightly in amusement.

“You didn’t say fuckall about outright eating me!! Put me down on the desk or something. I didn't agree to being your meal damnit!”

“Fraid ya did, y’all agreed ta me lettin ya go after we were done..Not my fault y’all didn’t quite ask for specifics here before we got started. Sides, y’all are still a lil sneak thief and I ain’t bout ta let that go. Y’all will get ta go home..after I’m done with ya that is~”

He seemed tickled at your angry thrashing and complaining, shifting to dangle you above his wide open mouth with another soft chuckle. You didn’t really appreciate being lied to so blatantly, or getting a very good look down his throat. Cursing up a storm at him to let you go, your voice shot up several octaves as he suddenly lets you freefall the last few inches onto his outstretched tongue and into his mouth with a screech of alarm.

You did not want to be in here, in a mouth of all goddamned things. Twisting around you tried to frantically climb back out, even risking grabbing Jerichos bottom front teeth to try and wrench yourself out.

All your efforts however only served to make him laugh, deep baritone voice rattling the empty space in your lungs and down to your very bones for a few good seconds. You let out an angry shout as you felt yourself being carefully shifted, hands being pried loose from their hold as his tongue easily scooped you up and back, forcing you to watch the world before you get cut off with a soft click of teeth.

Sealed away in hot humid darkness and now more or less powerless against Jericho, he took his sweet time tasting you. Gently rolling you about in his mouth with a happy hum or two, seemingly very satisfied with your taste as your angry ranting and fighting slowly began to weaken with time.

You only tried to fight a bit more urgently when you felt him shift to swallow you down at last, trying to blindly grab onto something to prevent your descent. Everything you tried to grab proved to be too slick to keep a grip on, forcing a frustrated and soft wail from you as you felt his throat grab firmly onto your legs and pull you down.

Forced into the unbearable warmth and pulled down along the strong muscles of his throat, you felt something from the outside follow your descent for a few seconds or so. It felt like an eternity was passing by as you slid down deeper, but you knew it was likely only a few scant seconds before the vice-like grip you were in suddenly fell away.. You landed on your back with a grunt of surprise..you were in his damned stomach like he wanted at last. It wasn’t exactly spacious or cramped..somewhere in the middle. You felt your new space shift and sigh as Jericho let out a long contented breath once you were settled in his belly at last. Hearing the world around you breathe and hum happily was..something.

That of course did not mean you were going to stay settled. After a moment of letting your situation hit home you forced yourself up shakily to your feet and proceeded to pound on the warm slick walls with all you could, yelling at your captor angrily to let you go. You tried to ignore how everything just seemed to want you to sink into its warm slippery folds, tried to ignore all the sounds going on around you now.

All your efforts seemed to do was make him let out a soft burp or two, quickly followed by a belly shaking laugh which knocked you on your ass.

“Land sakes darlin, yer a lil pistol in there ain’t ya? Won’t do ya any good though I’m afraid, I’ve kept worse in there..though none that tasted as sweet as y’all I’ll admit. Just settle down in there, y’all be fine. Jus let ol’Jeri here take care of yer sentence sweetpea, alright?”

“NO! I want out!! This isn’t fuckin faiiiir! ….please? I don’t wanna be food..I don’t want this..I’m sorry okay? Please just let me back out..please.”

Jericho sighed again..poor thing was sounding so upset, but laws were laws and the dear needed to learn that. He rubbed at the spot he could feel them pressed against for a moment, offering some comfort if he could. It tore him up sometimes how distressed and upset some folks really could get.

“Listen darlin, I know it’s a bit scary but y’all knew what y’all was doin was wrong. And this is y’alls punishment. I’m a man of morales and principals first and foremost..but I can tell y’all it won’t hurt. Jus be good for me in there alright?”

He could feel them still put up a bit of a fuss, much weaker than before at least. They eventually settled down like everyone else he jailed, he’d take good care of em though. They were a rather fun lil treat, tasted oddly refreshing he thought to himself..He’d have to keep an eye out for the lil hooligan, not that they were hard to miss looking like they did.

He’d be sure to give em an extra sweet send off, to make up for lying to them a little bit. Couldn’t help just playing around with em, so something sweet before they woke up would do..He could already picture their face lighting up that pretty shade of blue now.

Made him just want to do it all again~

[moviemunchies]

Look, at this point, we all know that you’re here to watch Keanu Reeves shoot people and you’re going to get plenty of that here.

Also, I’m going to do my best to avoid major spoilers.

After the events of John Wick - Chapter 3: Parabellum, at the end of which he declares all out war on the High Table. He starts this movie following up on that promise, but the High Table is so huge this fight isn’t working out as well as he’d hoped. Eventually he gets a bit of hope though: if John can challenge the High Table representative tasked with eliminating him, the Marquis Vincent de Gramont, to a duel to the death, he can be free of the High Table. But becoming eligible to make the challenge isn’t so easy, and even then, he has to make it to the dueling ground on time for it to count–something the Marquis is invested in him not doing.

If I had one problem with this movie, it’s that it’s really long. It’s almost three hours. And yet the part of the Plot that was advertised in trailers, the duel? That doesn’t come up until quite a ways into the movie. The Osaka sequence doesn’t have anything that couldn’t have been established in another part of the Plot. Likewise, the entire Berlin sequence isn’t actually necessary, it just adds some more fighting into the story.

Mind you, that’s not bad. You come to these movies to watch John Wick fight the heck out of a bunch of bad guys, and you’re going to get that. As usual, all of the fight scenes feature top-notch choreography and are absolutely spectacular to watch. So no, I don’t really mind, but I think that the movie isn’t as efficient with its time as it could be–again, especially since, as I mentioned, the actual point of the movie takes a while to actually come up.

I also think another problem with this movie is that the cliffhanger for the last movie didn’t amount to much. You would think that John would storm towards Winston with reckoning on his mind, but aside from a couple of bits of dialogue, they tend to skate past the fact that Winston shot John off the roof of the Continental. Yes, John survived, and Winston probably expected that, but you would think this would be a bigger deal to all the involved parties?

I suppose they have bigger things to worry about with the Marquis.

Of the new characters, Caine is a highlight. Supposedly the original character was a more stereotypical Zen master with a name like Chang, but Donnie Yen protested that he didn’t want to do a stereotype, and worked with the moviemakers to create Caine. And the result is loads of fun. He’s a blind kung fu master, and unlike most examples of the trope he’s actually depicted as being handicapped. He frequently feels out rooms with his cane as he walks, and one scene has him put up sensors to detect enemies in the room.

He’s also a genuinely fun character. He’s an antagonist, but he doesn’t particularly want to be. He’d rather just mind his own business and let John live his life. But he HAS to do this fight, so he gets to do some awesome fight scenes.

Also, with this and Rogue One I wonder if Donnie Yen just really likes playing blind martial artists. Which I’m cool with, for the record.

It’s a fantastic addition to the John Wick series, even if it did feel longer than it actually needed to be. But is a little bloat bad when it’s filled with the high-octane fight scenes we’ve come to expect from this series? I don’t necessarily think so. Longtime fans should definitely watch this movie, but I think it’s not a good introduction if you’re new to the series.

[wildlife4life]

So just wanted to get this out there while severe storms are keeping me up (they make me anxious). I love Chimney, I do. He cracks the best jokes, makes the best duo with Hen, and is a good brother/brother in arms. Here’s what keeps nagging at me, I’m still upset with him. It has lessened since the infamous punch and getting some perspective from my own fiancé, who was by my side as I went through PPD and the bouts of depression and anxiety I currently face from time to time. It’s hard to watch and yes sometimes he wished he could pretend that I was a happy new mother and a lot of times he didn’t know how to help me. But his fear, anger, everything that came with wanting me to be okay never had him lashing out at anyone, not even those who would scrutinize him. He didn’t get upset when I went to my aunt for support and told her information that I just didn’t feel comfortable telling him at the time. Our daughter was still happy and healthy, and during those times that’s what matter most. Maddie reached out to another person in her support system, her brother Buck, who we all know would do absolutely anything and everything for the woman who raised him. He was put in a difficult situation and maybe he should of come clean a little sooner, but he didn’t want to break a promise. My fiancé understood Chim’s worries, but he also felt he should of trusted Maddie a bit more. He did not agree with Chim lashing out at Buck the way he did and then continuely stayed upset with him because he kept a secret. Chim did the exact same thing with an even bigger secret. What’s a little sad is that Buck probably forgave him long before Chim “apologized” and agreed they were okay over the damn phone. Which I’m really not wanting to get into right now. Anyways, since Chimeny’s return, there very few scenes with both him and Buck, but never just the two of them. So it’s kind of telling that all is not forgiven, at least on Chims part. He’s a little snarkier with Buck and his teasing, seems harsher? That may be just me. But also, I can understand wanting to place blame for the narrative that came from the whole broadcast fiasco, but Chim and Hen went to Taylor Kelly, knowing how she was before hand. Buck couldn’t control her actions anymore than he could control Maddie’s. I’m hoping next season they’ll actually talk things out and be brothers again, but for now I’m just tired of seeing that Chim is completely sweet and innocent and all is forgiven yada yada. The simple fact is, he punched his partners brother and he just brushed it aside, yet still gets to be upset. Buck isn’t entirely innocent and I’m not trying to make it out that he is some sweet innocent boy that has never done anything wrong, but he doesn’t deserve Chim’s anger anymore. He didn’t deserved to be punch and continually be punished by Chimney bc he felt guilty about what was happening with Maddie. I do love Chimney, but he needs to be called out before being fully redeemed.

Chim stans…. Don’t come at me unless it’s civilized.

[sheerioswifties]

Sorry I'm gonna post all my Bejeweled video easter egg theories but... I can't stop thinking about Bigger Than The Whole Sky. And I looked to see what others are saying and it seems like a lot aren't getting what story is being told I mean then again like Taylor has said and is always the case with her music we all make it our own I mean all her heartbreak and breakup songs I apply to my abusive family so I get how many are taking BTTWS and applying it to general grief or heartbreak or sadness over the person one never was able to become... I've also seen some good applications to movie and TV characters (can I just say the TIMING of this song release and the HOTD finale has me WRECKED). But this one like I just... it's hard. Bc this is a thing that is so painful, at least from my perspective so much more than broken relationships or melancholy over lost childhood innocence etc. And this has me thinking of Taylor in another light, where my heart truly not just breaks but bleeds for her while also admiring her for her strength and how she just. How she's gotten through things. And what else has she gone through that we don't even know about... I just. It's hard because there are some things in life that you need amazing support systems to get through, you need people there for you that are more, more than just friends and family, I don't know how to explain that but like when I look at it in the context of the rest of the album especially anti hero, I worry like... did she have those kind of really close people there for her, and really THERE for her, deeply and sincerely, when she needed that? When she needed the big celebrity aura that surrounds her pushed aside and to just have people that love and care for HER there... idk how to word this to make sense. But again I also- she is so incredibly strong and I know she's also been trying to hide her times of sadness and vulnerability and this album puts a lot of it out there finally and she's so AMAZING for that but again what other demons might she be battling... bottom line I just really hope she knows deep in her heart how much she truly is loved and cared about, as herself, not just as THE Taylor Swift, you know? That she's not too big to be able to have those things... @taylorswift if you see this please just know that. And please also know that your bravery in continuing to share things like this put beautifully into song form becomes art that comforts SO MANY people who are going through or have gone through things, including and especially this. We're here with you, alongside you, we got you, we love you, we support you, and not because you're a sparkly celebrity- because you are the wonderful, funny, clever, deep, insightful, kind, loving, caring, dorky, cat loving, strong, empowered, inspiring and amazing YOU. ♡