#this does not include my large stack of library books

[thepoisonroom]

okay i am a strong advocate against commodity fetishism for books specifically but this did turn out pretty cute i'm sorry

[fzzr]

What Is It About Dinner Parties?

Spoilers for:

Rocky Horror Picture Show

Shrek 2

A Civil Campaign (Vorkosigan Saga book 13)

The Nightmare Stacks (Laundry Files book 7)

I recommend every one of these works, with the caveat that you should really get into their respective series where applicable for the best results. Spoilers will not completely ruin the experience, but if you have the patience and opportunity to watch three movies and read several thousand pages, go do that first. (After is acceptable if you prefer.) When obtaining books remember to first check at a library or local bookstore. Do not buy from Amazon if you can avoid it. Audible is Amazon.

Content advisories: Works discussed here include depictions of sexual assault, murder, cannibalism, adultery, and various anti-LGBTQ+ phobias. (Rocky Horror is the main offender but some of the others contribute.) Additionally this explores awkward social situations in great detail, so you may want to skip if that sort of thing lives in your head.

I have noticed that fictional works often use scenes at dinner parties as key turning points in their stories. This is achieved through a combination of rising tension, humor, and tying together many plot threads at once. It's possible to do something similar without the humor (eg. the Hitchcockian suspense of a bomb under the table) but that's not what I'm looking at today.

A note on definition: when I say “dinner party” here, I mean a social event in which a group of people who do not share a household meet for the main purpose of sharing a meal. This is different from a regular party, gala, ball etc. where activities other than the meal are the focus.

In my observation, the anatomy of a dinner party is as follows:

Stage Zero: Setup

A key element will be the interactions between characters who would prefer not to deal with each other. There are a few ways to build the guest list to achieve this. You can have the simple case of someone bringing a plus one without warning in advance who (or what kind of person) they would be. It's also possible that invitations were sent before a conflict came up, or the host may be unaware of the issue. There may also be a broader social obligation on attendees, such as a holiday. Wholly uninvited guests usually don't happen in this sort of scene (those are more characteristic of less intimate social events, like a charity ball turned hostage situation).

Rocky Horror's dinner party takes place right after several less than fully consensual sexual encounters and a very bloody murder, with the characters being assembled through social force and implied threat of violence. Shrek 2 has it as the first sustained interaction between the title character and his royal in-laws after his elopement with Princess Fiona. A Civil Campaign spends about half the book just building up to this event, with protagonist Miles so focused on making it a success for his main goal that he loses control of the guest list, the menu, and even the staff. In The Nightmare Stacks, it's a family meal introducing two prospective (and unconventional) significant others to the parents at the same time.

Stage One: Civility

The scene begins with all parties acting superficially civilly. The threads of the narrative and the stressor are both on the back burner as action begins. There will be hints of the conflicts to come, especially as the principal characters become aware of the full guest list and its implications. This phase may be very brief, or even skipped if the story uses immediately previous scenes to establish sufficient tension.

The Rocky Horror party's first minute strains the definition of "civility", with awkward silence accompanying deliberately sloppy table service. Shrek 2 likewise uses silence to delay interaction as long as possible. A Civil Campaign has a very large cast to introduce, but the atmosphere is casual with just a hint of stress as Miles does his best to manage the bloated guest list. The Nightmare Stacks barely gets everyone in the door before the incompatibility of hosts and guests becomes apparent.

Stage Two: Interaction

This generally starts with the appearance of food and of necessity seating of guests. This is the point where the characters in conflict are first forced to interact rather than passively stay away from each other. It's possible for this stage to still be indirect, but proximity means that there's no way to sustain the illusion of civility.

In Rocky Horror they can't even finish singing "Happy Birthday" before things start to escalate. Shrek 2's initial interactions are wordless, using the series' signature facial expressions to show to what degree everyone is already hostile or unaware. A Civil Campaign has Miles realize his carefully arranged seating positions have been disturbed by someone with different priorities, but most of the social tension is surprise rather than hostility. The Nightmare Stacks stumbles past this step right into the next when it turns out the guests have mutually exclusive dietary preferences.

Stage Three: Conflict

Next, some minor issue arises, like one character breaking a social convention. There is almost universally some issue with the food itself as well. Depending on the number of characters and plot of the story, this can go on for some time. This is often where most of the comedy of the scene comes in. Events may become more and more absurd, allowing things to escalate without over-burdening the reader with stress. Often the issue isn't even directly related to the core conflict of the story, or starts with a lower-stakes side plot. In doing so, it can weave such plots into the main one.

Rocky Horror is already under so much stress that it takes just the smallest spark to get things burning. Shrek 2 likewise gets here quick, as Shrek's cluelessness with regard to etiquette kicks off an escalating series of indirect and then direct criticisms. In A Civil Campaign the awkward seating arrangement makes social interaction difficult, and Miles realizes that the menu has been undermined in a way that could cause an uproar and deeply offend some very senior guests. The Nightmare Stacks lays on the dramatic irony, where a conservative father is too busy learning about gender nonconformity to worry whether his son is actually dating an Unseelie Fae princess (the answer is "unclear", but only about the "dating" part).

Stage Four: Eruption

The issue that led to the tension established before the scene is exposed to all present. More often than not this is caused by something in the comedic action accidentally exposing concealed information or causing a stressful event to be discussed or even repeated. Sometimes the comedy itself is the issue, with the disruption alone being enough to expose the issue eg. if it’s due to contrasting social norms. Regardless, this is the climax of the scene where everything comes to a head at once.

Shrek 2 kicks into high gear, with characters becoming so incoherent they can only scream out each other's names. Rocky Horror and A Civil Campaign reveal the truth about the meal they've been eating. The lack of coordination in A Civil Campaign causes Miles to move forward his social plans to disastrous effect. The Nightmare Stacks has the meal collapse into such disarray that the protagonists are able to escape unscathed.

Stage Five: Tone Shift

The comedy is (usually) suspended and drama kicks in. This is often also a turning point in the larger story. It may mark an act transition (typically second to third) or just a change in the intensity of the conflict. In a romantic comedy, this is a prime opportunity to get into the things-just-got-serious phase where the core relationship is under threat.

Rocky Horror's dinner party serves to launch the climax by getting everyone in place for the final showdown. In Shrek 2, where it's the act two kickoff, it establishes the stakes that Shrek can't simply slide into place as a socially acceptable fiancé for Fiona. In both A Civil Campaign and The Nightmare Stacks, the result of the dinner party is the revelation of the true intentions of a main character, respectively openly courting another (it's complicated) and tricking her counterpart into meeting her parents (it's complicated). They both leave the protagonists with few paths open to them and even fewer good ones.

Why do they work like this?

I think the main thing that makes the dinner party so effective at progressing a story in both plot and tone is the contrast between natural and unnatural human interaction. Sharing food is one of the most basic interpersonal activities, with archeological evidence going back further than anatomically modern humans. This is in tension with the artificiality of the actual situation, where precise details of food presentation, respect for social norms, and personal behavior are under scrutiny from individuals you may not fully trust. Food in general also has a visceral impact on everyone. No one is sophisticated enough to willingly eat all of "Meatloaf", escargot, "bug butter", and vegan "pizza", so you as the consumer of the work are forced into empathy with the characters.

Given a scene where everyone is under stress by default, you add on the wider context of the story. Any plot where progress is blocked by "well what if everyone who isn't getting along just avoids each other" is immediately reinvigorated. It's often the case that not everyone is aware of other moving parts, so things can move forward by broadening the impact of ongoing issues to the rest of the cast. If it's too early in the story for things to really blow up, the dinner party can still raise the stakes or expose fault lines that were previously unseen.

If you accept either of the theories that humor is built on tension and unexpected relief or on juxtapositions between the familiar and the incongruous, the natural/artificial split in the dinner party setup also provides these. Everyone on both sides of the fourth wall expects a certain degree of decorum, but it soon goes out the window and leaves you and the characters equally off balance. Likewise, the sharing of food presupposes that everyone can actually partake in the food presented, and undercutting that is a further violation of the common vision of what a dinner party should be. The way characters react to that challenge is another easy hook for comedy.

Conclusion

Putting it all together, dinner parties really do it all. Tension and release, humor and drama, heightening and resolution - the dinner party has the tools you need. Next time you read or watch a dinner party scene, think about the role it plays in the story and the way it's constructed to fulfill it. They're some of my favorite scenes, and I bet they could be some of yours too.

Detailed Examples

Originally I planned to give each spoiler-warned work a stage-by-stage breakdown, but they needed so much context that tumblr's editor broke. Instead I will give them dedicated posts and update this one as I go.

[archivyrep]

Archivists are not librarians: Understanding the differences [Part 2]

Continued from part 1

Peridot goes through an old file system to find information about the Cluster in the Steven Universe episode "It Could've Been Great"

While archivists undoubtedly also create and use databases, help patrons do research, organize materials, and maintain collections, it is unlikely that a librarians would be teaching classes or researching what equipment will be purchased. In some smaller archives, it is likely that librarians would be planning programs, training and supervising other staff, and preparing budgets. One fundamental difference is that archives preserve materials which have long-term value, not just something like the latest smash hit from Hollywood that a local public library would have, that no one will likely care about in five years.

Reprinted from my Wading Through the Cultural Stacks WordPress blog. Originally published on Dec. 9, 2021.

Libraries and archives have their own important functions, but they are not the same. This is clear from the skills that archivists usually have. This includes a broad (and deep) knowledge of records, special preservation and access training, passion for history, eye for detail, and strong commitment to service. Just as important is collaboration with others, using innovative methods, working independently and on a team, strong research and writing skills, and creative problem solvers. It is also said that archivists show a natural curiosity, have an in-depth knowledge of digital preservation, general understanding of cataloging, web archiving, delivery, and web site preservation, and an understanding of how different system parts contribute to the job. [2]

Librarians, on the other hand, help "people conduct research or find information" and have a wide range of responsibilities, as noted by Maryville University. The aforementioned BLS Occupational Outlook Handbook states that job duties for librarians "vary based on the type of library they work in, such as a public, school, or medical library," adding that in small libraries, librarians are "often responsible for many or all aspects of library operations" but in large libraries they "usually focus on one aspect of the library, such as user services, technical services, or administrative services." There are some similarities to archivists at small archives, or archives-lite, like Historical societies, rare book collections, and special collections. More specifically, there are:

Academic librarians

Administrative services librarians

Public librarians

School librarians (also called school library media specialists)

Special librarians (also called information professionals) and can include corporate librarians law librarians, and medical librarians

Technical services librarians

User services librarians

There are, similarly, different types of archivists, whether those who work in colleges and universities, corporations, governments, historical societies, museums, religious institutions, and special collections. [3] However, librarians can said to be much more public-facing than archivists, but this is sometimes not the case, with archivists dealing with the public as much as librarians, especially if they work at a small institution or their archive is within a library.

© 2022 Burkely Hermann. All rights reserved.

Continued in part 3

Notes

[2] For this paragraph, see "What's an Archivist?" on the NARA website, "Who is an archivist?" on the International Council of Archives (ICA) website, "Archivist vs. Librarian: Which Career Path Is for You?" from Maryville University, Jennifer Wright's "Some Archival Career Advice" post, and Peter Chan's "What Does it Take to Be a Well-rounded Digital Archivist?" post.

[3] See "Types of Archives" page on the SAA website.

[mothman-rewatches]

Rewatch: Buffy the Vampire Slayer, "Welcome to the Hellmouth" (S1Ep1)

Summary: In this episode, we meet Buffy Summers, a teen girl with a secret - she’s the Slayer, someone destined to fight the forces of Evil. As she tries to navigate being the new girl in town, she learns that Sunnydale is not as it seems. 

Written by: Joss Whedon, Matt Kiene, Joe Reinkemeyer 

Directed by: Charles Martin Smith, Joss Whedon

Aired: March 10, 1997

WARNING: This post contains spoilers.

It’s here!! The first episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, not so eloquently explained as I break it down and share my thoughts. 

As a pilot episode, there is a lot to cover, so let’s jump in. 

Recap (What happened this episode? In two minutes or less): Buffy starts her first day at Sunnydale High School. After one of her classes, she goes to the library where she meets Giles - a creepy librarian who tries to give her an ancient looking book. She goes to lunch and meets Willow, Xander, and Jesse before Cordelia approaches her and informs her that gym is canceled because of a dead guy in a locker. Upon investigating it, Buffy goes and confronts Giles, who reminds her of her duty as the Slayer. She tells him she is retired and leaves, and it is revealed that Xander has overheard the whole conversation. That night, she goes to a local club called the Bronze. On the way, she encounters a mysterious man who warns her of “the Harvest” and gives her a necklace with a cross on it. When she gets to the Bronze, she chats with Willow, encouraging the girl to seize the moment. She gets distracted by Giles, who tells Buffy to use her natural abilities to find vampires. She spots one, and he turns out to be talking to Willow. As they leave, Buffy rushes after them, running into Xander who reveals that he knows Buffy’s secret. They follow the vampire and Willow to the cemetery, where the three of them and Jesse are attacked by vampires. Buffy fights a big one as Xander, Willow, and Jesse flee. 

Overall Thoughts (Literally anything. Thoughts, questions, grievances. Basic commentary): First and foremost, this episode does not give you a good feel for the show. It gives you the general idea - one girl in all the world, blah blah blah - and gives you shells of the characters, but fails to feel like it belongs with the rest of the show. The show is finding it’s footing, though, and there are plenty of good episodes to come.

Funnily enough, despite this episode not feeling like Buffy, this episode gives us two very significant images to the rest of the show - the Vampyr book, and the cross necklace. These two things become part of the iconography of the show from this point forward. 

Tropes, unsurprisingly, are a large part of of Buffy, even in this episode. Famously, Buffy as both a character and the show, is based on the damsel in distress meets big bad monster trope, albeit turned on it’s head. Buffy would go on to be the fore-bearer to a lot of tropes that come up in YA media today (thank you to my friend Kay, who pointed this out during a conversation we had about the show). This episode plays around with a few tropes, notably in the scene in which Buffy awakens on her first day at a new school. It’s young adult in a way that forces me to remember this is a show about teenagers, for teenagers and young adults. Other tropes include Xander’s immediate infatuation with Buffy despite not knowing her, the obvious crush Willow harbors for Xander, and the whole reveal that Xander has accidentally overheard a very private conversation. 

Speaking of, I just have to point out that there is no reason Xander should have been able to overheard that conversation. Giles comes out from the stacks, which could imply that he was helping Xander look for a particular book. You’re telling me that Giles had no idea that Xander was in the library? And even if he did, he and Buffy could have had their conversation in his office, not out in the open where anyone could walk in and hear something they weren’t supposed to. 

Also, the way that Buffy’s “transfer” to Sunnydale feels very poorly handled. It is the 90s, but it doesn’t stop me from wondering why Joyce wasn’t included in the meeting with Principal Flutie and Buffy. At first, Joyce is very concerned with Buffy’s education and her successful transition to the new school, so the fact that she isn’t there at the meeting is surprising. 

Finally, my last comment is on how the Buffy and Giles relationship is handled. It is odd to me why Buffy and Giles are just meeting, rather than having a professional relationship prior to Buffy’s move. It could have been much more interesting to see them already know each other, and it would have made the scene where Giles reminds Buffy of her duties and she tells him she’s retired much more impactful. As the series progresses, we learn that Watchers and their Slayers have personal connections, have formed bonds in their time of knowing each other. Buffy and Giles do end up forming a bond, but I think these first few episodes would mean more if they already had one. 

That being said, season one is going to be a journey. The show is trying to get on it’s feet, and tonally it might not be like the rest of the show. It will be interesting to look at it through this lens, and I look forward to it. 

Fashion Corner/Costuming (Comments about the clothes): Really the only comment I have on costuming this episode is laughing at what Buffy says about the vampire at the Bronze. She points out that the outfit is “carbon dated” and no one dresses like that anymore, but if I remember correctly, Xander starts dressing like that at some point. 

Characterization/Dynamics (Comments about the characters, especially as they grow or change, and relationships between characters): The characterization in this episode is a doozy. I mentioned earlier that the characters are shells of who they really are, and I stick by that. The show fails to find most of it’s characters’ voices in this episode, leading some of them to be unrecognizable. 

On one hand, Xander is painted to be somewhat of a cool guy. He’s not popular, no, but in comparison to the character he becomes, they are worlds apart. He is dorky and a little awkward, but if you didn’t see those parts of him, you would genuinely believe that he fits in. 

In comparison, Willow is a ghost. She is given an almost childlike quality in this episode, one that makes you think she’s fresh out of middle school. She’s innocent and shy and awkward, which are qualities that our Willow has initially, but she’s basically a kicked puppy in this episode. 

Because of this, it’s hard to believe that Xander and Willow are actually friends. It feels more like they were friends when they were kids, but grew apart, and now Xander only hangs out with Willow because he feels bad for her, or because he feels obligated to. I wish I could see their genuine friendship, because without it, the show feels a little lacking. 

Facts (Things I know about the show or calling out specific things): For those of you who don’t know, the high school used for Sunnydale High is also the same one used in Beverly Hills 90210. 

Xander is shown skateboarding in this episode, but we never see him skateboard again. 

The Vampyr book has, as mentioned before, become an iconic image throughout the series. However, we never see it again, aside from the credit sequence. 

Quotes (Things that were said that were funny, iconic, or overall interesting): “What is your childhood trauma?” - Cordelia Chase. 

Apocalypse Counter (Is there an apocalypse that the characters have to try and prevent?): 0

Final Notes: Please feel free to leave comments, suggestions, and questions in the ask box!

[conspiracyofcrazy]

Save the Books!

I teach at a small university and this summer we will be merging with a few other small schools to become the Vermont State University. This was to be done to save money. Apparently, part of that plan includes getting rid of our circulation libraries. All of the book, journals, periodicals, audio books, picture books, collections, DVDs and CDs are going to go into the recycling bins on July 1, 2023. They say that they will disperse the contents to the community at large, but that does not include faculty or students and the local libraries are not in a position to take on my little school’s enormous academic research catalogue. 

Do you think you could be a Sweetie and click the link below and tell the people in charge of this misguided delusion what bell-ends you think they are? Or you could cite that only 10% of the students responded to the survey about this that they sent out. Because they sent it during finals. And that of that 10% (526 students), over 100 of them were not seeking degrees and had no reason to ever set foot on campus. Or that of the 50% who responded to what the library should do in the future was either Nothing, Expand resources and books, or Expand hours.

The link to have a say is right here:

https://actionnetwork.org/letters/we-3-our-state-college-libraries-and-athletics?source=direct_link&

A few pictures of what they want to get rid of:

The students bought it for the school. I wonder where it will go...

The entire collection of Life Magazines are going to wind up in the recycling bins.

There are two other banks of microfiche that are also going to get tossed. I wonder how much of them have been transferred to digital images...

No more free movie nights in the dorms. 

The life-sized Human Anatomy book that has served so many nursing, physical training, and sports health students is going in the bin too.

Who needs free audio books? Can we say ADA violation? I knew we could!

Pretty sure this hasn’t been digitized.

And then there are the books you don’t want on your search history, but exist in the stacks. Or the ones you don’t know to look for until you walk past it. 

I have more pictures, but they are too big. Like the ones of the Dorothy Canfield Fisher Collection of children’s books that get used regularly by the education and literature departments.  My heart is breaking. Please help me and my students save their books.

[rollihuman]

Subversion reintegrate

#SUBVERSION REINTEGRATE PASSWORD#

#SUBVERSION REINTEGRATE FREE#

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#SUBVERSION REINTEGRATE FREE#

If you want Visual Studio integration, check out VisualSVN ($49) or the free Ankh tool: and adding a Visual Studio Solution with a couple of projects to it. You can graphically access Subversion via Tortoise SVN, which is an about constant check-out/check-in scenarios and locking files for other users. Whenever someone needs to make a long-running change that is likely to disrupt which changes need merging-no changesets are passed to svn merge via the -r or pwd /home/user/my-calc-branch $ svn merge ^/calc/trunk - Merging r341 in Subversion 1.8 (which automatically detects when a reintegrate merge is This will open up TortoiseMerge which will allow us to resolve the issue. Click Next, then the 'test merge' button. Choose 'Merge a range of revisions' In 'URL to merge from' choose your trunk.

#SUBVERSION REINTEGRATE WINDOWS#

Right click project root in Windows Explorer > TortoiseSVN > Merge. The text in the conflict resolver dialogs are provided by the SVN library and might For more information read the chapter on vendor branches in the Subversion Book. If the merge does not go as you expect, you may want to revert the changes, and the Revert This is a more general case of the reintegrate method.

#SUBVERSION REINTEGRATE PASSWORD#

In-memory password caching via GnuPG Agent (Unix client) The Berkeley DB-based repository back-end has been deprecated. HTTP client support based on neon has been removed. Working copy records moves as first-class operation.

[mochacoffee]

I created a 3D model and floor plan of Aziraphale’s bookshop in Good Omens!

I really wanted one for reference and it seemed like many others did too, so I put together my best approximation of where everything is. Beneath the color version, you’ll see I’ve included two simplified, labeled versions of the plan. The verbal labels are so you know what the object is. The numerical labels are there to make it easy to find more information about the object. I’ve put a numbered index below the cut that features the relevant reference images I used for each object and some more information about why I put it where I did/why it’s relevant/etc. I want to be very clear that I did not add anything to this from my own imagination; every single item and feature represents something I actually saw in the shop.

If you have any questions or want more information about this, PLEASE do not hesitate to ask! I put so much time into figuring it out and I would be more than happy to be a resource for anyone who needs it. Also, if you notice any errors, let me know and I’ll update the post. I hope this is helpful!

Update: Here’s a link to an interactive view of the shop! It takes a moment to load. You can click the “3D” tab in the top right to view it in first person and walk around inside. Double click a spot on the floor to move there and pan around by clicking and dragging. The oval symbol next to the person walking gives you a birds-eye view.

Update 2: Here’s a higher quality rendering of the first person perspective! Update 3: I made an alternate first person render here complete with a ceiling, light fixtures, and ambient lighting from outside. This one is optimized for making it seem more like you’re actually there, whereas the previous one is for maximum visibility. This render also has some minor accuracy improvements, which are detailed under the cut in the relevant sections. (The first interactive link with the birds-eye view updates automatically.) Update 4: In case you’re interested in Aziraphale’s books specifically, I’ve made a catalogue of those here.

1. Unknown closet

Images

There is a door behind Gabriel when he talks to Aziraphale in the backroom. So where does it lead? Well. The wall we can see behind Aziraphale when he encounters Shadwell in the shop (see #17: boxes/storage) doesn’t have a door in it. It’s also facing the wrong direction and it’s in the middle of the southwest wall ⁠— we know this because Aziraphale can see Shadwell in the entrance from there. So the wall behind him at that moment is definitely not the wall of the backroom. We’re left with this door and unaccounted-for corner. The only thing that makes sense to me then is that there’s a closet there between the two spaces. My personal theory is that this closet is “the back” that Aziraphale refers to keeping the Châteauneuf-du-Pape in since I didn’t see any other obvious alcohol storage space in the shop. Update: @n0nb1narydemon has suggested this could be a bathroom for guests or because culturally it’s a room you can use to extricate yourself from situations, which is another possibility! They also asked where I think the doors behind object #20 lead, and I thought it would be good to add here that they might lead to the shop next door or to this unknown room. It’s possible the room actually extends further into the next shop and encompasses the part of the wall where the doors are, but I didn’t have concrete evidence to support that idea so I didn’t include it in the floor plan. Update: I was wrong about the Châteauneuf-du-Pape! In the DVD bookshop tour we learn that the cabinet in the top left corner of the backroom is where Aziraphale keeps his alcohol, including that particular wine. I added a reference photo of Neil pointing it out. Thanks to @fuckyeahgoodomens​ for bringing the existence of this tour to my attention — ya girl got the special edition blu-ray even though I don’t have a blu-ray player yet so I hadn’t actually seen it. Also, there is a chair right next to this cabinet against the wall which I missed in my initial rendering of the shop but have since added.

2. Part of shop next door (top right)

Images

This was very tricky to figure out because you can see from the exterior of the shop that there is no wall past the back door, but from the interior there is clearly more space there. BUT in a behind the scenes photo of David during the fire scene, you can see on this back wall that there’s actually a nook with two large entryways, similar to the one that makes up the backroom. From the exterior you can see that the area next to the back door is taken up by the window of the next shop, so I concluded that this little square of space was not part of the bookshop’s interior, but the nook did extend further back than where the shop appears to end from the outside. I had to make one bookshelf more nubby than the others to make this work, but after a LOT of trial and error I decided one nubby bookshelf was the only thing that could explain the apparent architecture of the space. Any floor design that accounted for a bookshelf of the same length as the others just did not make sense on a fundamental level.

3. Part of shop next door (bottom left)

Images

From the exterior of the shop you can see that this window belongs to the adjacent store, as the wall is a different color. Within the bookshop you can also see when Gabriel and Sandalphon enter the backroom, there’s no window behind them; there’s a sink. So it’s definitely not Aziraphale’s window. The wall of the backroom is also further into the shop’s interior than the wall Aziraphale’s desk sits against, so there’s a corner of space inside that’s unaccounted for. At first I assumed it was plumbing from the sink that had been sealed off or something, but when I realized that’s where the window was on the outside, I figured the space is probably part of the next shop over.

4. Aziraphale’s desk

Images

This is where Aziraphale sits in the shop like 90% of the time. It’s on the Eastern side of the shop because Aziraphale was the guardian of the Eastern gate in Eden and because production designer Michael Ralph is a goddamn genius (source). Shout out to @posted-omens for this fascinating post analyzing the chariot sculpture on his desk. Update: Fun fact, the ladder behind his desk is actually called a library chair, supposedly designed by Benjamin Franklin. It functions as a ladder but you can also fold it into a chair! Neil mentions this in the DVD extra bookshop tour. I added screen caps of it to the reference photos above since I don’t have a specific section for the ladders!

5. Phone Aziraphale calls Crowley from

Images

I will be honest with you: I think there’s something a little fucked up about this corner. It is my nemesis. I tried so many things to make it work and I just could not get it exactly right, but what you see in the floor plan is my best guess as to what’s going on. The conundrum is that the spot where Aziraphale stands when he’s on the phone with Crowley is definitely closer to the fence around the staircase than it is in my layout. But the table he’s in front of is also clearly against the outside wall of the backroom, and the stairs being where I’ve put them here is the only thing that made sense based on the reference photos. So there’s some weird spacing issue where there’s a little too much room between the fence around the stairs and this phone. If I were to move the walls to close that gap then there would be way too much space in the backroom and way too little space on the southwest side of the shop, so I think the walls are correct as they are. So  ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. What I can say for certain is that the phone is there and it’s on a table next to a lamp, and the table is definitely against the wall of the backroom and behind the staircase. The distance between these things doesn’t hold up perfectly, but their arrangement does. On another note, this is one of two phones in the shop. The other is on the table next to the cash register (see #9) which Aziraphale picks up when Crowley calls to say they need to talk about Armageddon. I believe this is the same one he uses to call Adam’s house in episode two, only he moves it from the table by the register to the top of a pile of books (which I’m pretty sure were stacked on the circular table between his desk and the sofa). Update: OKAY SO it turns out in the behind-the-scenes bookshop tour on the DVD we get two more teeny tiny glimpses of this corner! I added them to the reference photo album above. It appears I was right about the lamp, phone, and bookshelf being where they are, except that the bookshelf and table are touching. There’s also a ladder propped against the shelf. I’d say it’s possible there are actually two bookshelves here; based on the parallax in the DVD tour, the one next to the phone didn’t appear to be against the wall, but we know there is a bookshelf against that wall because we see it in the show. (P.S. There’s also another chair against that wall which I didn’t see because Aziraphale was standing in front of it, so I added that too.) This leads me to believe there’s one against the wall and another one further from it next to the table. But that’s just my speculation, so I won’t change the actual floor plan unless I find more evidence.

6. Where they’re drinking when Crowley realizes Adam has named the hellhound

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When Aziraphale sits down at this table, the background is of the same space he refers to as the “backroom” when Gabriel and Sandalphon show up. He’s across the table from Crowley, behind whom you can see a bookshelf, the staircase, and the coat rack. The table is half in the backroom half out, since the room has two large entryways in its wall. Update: I realized the wall behind this table actually dips back further! It is a weirdly-shaped wall! But in the DVD special tour of the bookshop Neil walks past it and there’s clearly an area that recesses even further, so I’ve modified that in the interactive floor plan :)

7. Bench of books that start the fire

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When Shadwell leaves the book shop and slams the door, one of the candles knocks over and rolls into a pile of books and other papers (including the Sound of Music lmao). You can see it’s the same bench the customer is standing in front of when he gives Gabriel a weird look after he yells about pornography. (I love this customer so much because they gave me a super HD shot of this particular area.) The poles of the fence around the bench, the staircase behind it, and the smaller shelves beside it holding Terry Pratchett’s books make it clear that the bench is in that spot in the shop and that it’s the place the fire starts.

8. Coat rack with Terry’s hat on it

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Aziraphale hangs his coat here right before Crowley calls him to say they need to talk about Armageddon. Out of focus in the frame you can see the lion sculpture that sits on the fence surrounding the stairs (see #11) and a bookshelf. The camera pans past the shelf and we see him walk past his desk to pick up the phone by the cash register, which puts that shelf right next to his sitting area. We can also see the coat rack in the background when Crowley realizes Adam has named the hellhound. The coat rack has Terry Pratchett’s hat and scarf on it in his honor (source).

9. Antique cash register

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You can see this register in the background when Crowley is on the couch and when Aziraphale invites Gabriel and Sandalphon into the backroom. I know it’s an antique cash register because it’s photographed and referenced directly on page 79 of the Good Omens TV Companion. It’s a typewriter in my floor plan because the website I used (floorplanner.com), who knows why, did not have a 3D model of a cash register from the early 1900s.

10. Back door

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Thank you so much to @fuckyeahgoodomens for this post where they figured all this out!! Wonderful work! You can see this door from the exterior of the shop and its existence is referenced in the Good Omens script book on page 94. It’s also in the background of a behind the scenes shot of Aziraphale pulling away the carpet so he can contact heaven. Behind him in that shot you can see the bust (which moves around a lot - see #19) and a grandfather clock, and in the show from one of the aerial shots you can see that the carpet is pulled west, further confirming the door’s location.

11. Fence around the stairs

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I have concluded that this is a fence to keep customers from going up to the second floor. It looks to be made of golden pillars with wooden shelving atop them. The fence crosses beneath the staircase on one side and the other side ends about where the stair’s railing does. You can see this fence behind Crowley when he realizes Adam has named the hellhound, behind Aziraphale when he calls Crowley to tell him he knows where the antichrist is, and next to the customer who gives Gabriel a look after he yells “PORNOGRAPHY!” It’s also visible in one of the aerial shots of the shop. Update: In the DVD extra bookshop tour I noticed the lion sculpture on this fence is not just a lion, but a lion with a woman holding its mane. I think it might also be a lamp? In one of the reference photos, the one that looks down from the second floor, it appears there’s a light in the woman’s other hand. I’d be interested to see if we can track down what this particular sculpture is and what it might mean. Update: @cantdewwrite has suggested here that the light/sculpture could be a replica of one of the bronze statues in the Victoria Memorial, which does look quite similar. I’m fairly certain Aziraphale’s sculpture is of a woman, which would make it the figure in the memorial representing peace.

12. Open book of illustrated story of Adam and Eve

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Shout out to @amuseoffyre for this post where she figured out what this was! Update: I’ve determined that this book is The Gospel in the Old Testament: A series of pictures by Harold Copping. The painting is, naturally, by Harold Copping. It’s called “Adam and Eve after the fall.” Unfortunately this book is out of print and I haven’t been able to track down an ebook or scan of it, so I can’t confirm the text just yet. But based on its premise, I think it’s safe to assume that it’s telling the story of Adam and Eve directly. Aziraphale has a second copy of this book visible on the shelf next to the sofa.

13. Antique computer

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This is the computer Aziraphale does his extremely scrupulous taxes with, as confirmed in this ask that @neil-gaiman answered from @prismatic-bell! It’s an Amstrad, according to the bookshop tour in the DVD extras.

14. Spiral staircase

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These stairs are in many shots of the shop so it was pretty obvious where they were.

15. Sink, teapots, etc.

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You can see this wall right before Gabriel walks into the backroom and behind Aziraphale when he’s drinking with Crowley at the end of episode one. It appears he has two hand towels, a ceramic angel soap dish (aw), some teapots, and a decorated box above it, among other things. On the floor beside the sink is what I believe to be a broom handle, though it could be a mop? Next to that is a bronze statue of an angel atop a small table piled with books. On the other side of the sink is an open book on a stand ⁠— it has a fabric bookmark in it with a crucifix at the end, so I’m assuming it’s a bible. Light reading while you make your tea I guess. Update: Thank you so much to @brightwanderer for pointing out in this post that he has four extra angel wing mugs above the sink as well! I couldn’t figure out what they were! Update: Neil said in this ask that you can see an oven by the sink when Gabriel and Sandalphon walk in. Which you can! It’s real small and there’s a little pot on top of it. I’ve added a screencap of it to the images album for this area. Update: I’m donating my heart and soul to @ack-emma for suggesting in the replies to this ask that the central object above the sink is a samovar!! I had never heard of this so I had absolutely no idea what it was, but I think they hit the nail on the head. Y’all Aziraphale really likes tea.

16. Sculpture

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Thank you @ineffable-endearments, @behold-my-squeees, @srebrnafh, @aethelflaedladyofmercia for contributing to this post about the statue and its potential symbolism! Update: @doctorscienceknowsfandom has added some analysis to the post above suggesting that this is a sculpture of Paris, the figure from Greek mythology. I’m inclined to agree! Update: BINGO! @tifaria​ has found Aziraphale’s exact statue (confirmed Paris!) in this post. Brilliant work!! This community continues to blow me away. Further discussion about the sculpture’s meaning in the context of the show here — be sure to check the notes for further commentary.

17. Boxes/storage

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These boxes and piles of books can be seen behind Aziraphale when he encounters Shadwell in the shop and behind Crowley while he’s rambling drunkenly about why they should stop Armageddon in episode one. They’re in a nook that goes further back than where the shop appears to end from its exterior (see #2 for more info on that!). 

18. Stacks of books

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You can see this stack in one of the aerial shots of Shadwell in the shop. I didn’t include most stacks of books in the floor plan because they’re literally everywhere and I had to manually set how high each book would be from the floor, so putting them in piles got tedious very quickly. But I did include a few notable ones, and this is one of those imo because there’s not much else in that area as far as I can tell.

19. Bust

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This little guy moves around quite a bit, unlike most things in the shop. In some photos/scenes it’s where I put it on the floor plan, but in others it’s closer to the northwestern wall and in this 360 video of the shop it’s right between two of the columns. I chose to put it where I did because it’s there in the scene where Crowley is drunkenly rambling about Armageddon, whereas the other locations I’ve seen it in were from behind the scenes shots and stuff. I’m not sure who the bust is of! It appears to have a little ribbon with a medal around its next though. Update: More speculation about the bust here, courtesy of @aethelflaedladyofmercia! Update: @fuckyeahgoodomens has confirmed in this post that the thing around the bust’s neck is the medal given to Aziraphale by Gabriel in this deleted scene!

20. Divider I think?

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Please for the love of god if you know what this thing is, tell me. My best guess is it’s a room divider because what else looks like that?? But I don’t know why you would put a room divider there. And it still doesn’t look exactly like a divider either. But the decorative element at the top and apparent gap between the metal frame and the red bit leads me to believe it’s not furniture or a box. This mystery object is my second nemesis after the weird corner (#5). Update: @brightwanderer has suggested that it might be an embroidered/tapestry draft screen, which I think makes more sense! Update: In the DVD extra bookshop tour I found a very brief image of this item over Neil’s shoulder which I added to the reference photos above. I think by some miracle I was right and it is a divider. It could be a draft screen but at the very least it is shaped like a divider with at least three sections. Wahoo!

21. Record player

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This is the phonograph that’s playing Franz Schubert’s String Quintet in C major (thank you again to @fuckyeahgoodomens for that info) when we first see Aziraphale in the shop. It also plays Queen’s You’re My Best Friend when Crowley runs into the fire.

22. Terry Pratchett’s books

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Another one of the many little Terry easter eggs in the show is this set of his books! @devoursjohnlock made a post highlighting some other specific books you can find in the shop.

23. Chess set

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I saw a post once pointing out this chess set and the implication that Aziraphale and Crowley must play together sometimes, which I thought was a really nice detail to put into the set. But I can’t find the post to credit it! I will update this with a link if I do. Update: Pretty sure this is the post I saw. Thank you to @losyanya for mentioning it :)

24. Circular entryway

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This is one of many circle motifs that production designer Michael Ralph incorporated into the shop. It’s gorgeous. I think there’s actually more room between the archway and the door than I’ve included in this floor plan; Shadwell takes a few steps through it when he runs out of the shop. But I think the fix is just the door being further out from the entryway rather than the entryway being further in. I didn’t want to fuck with the walls to improve this particular area because when I realized the spacing was wrong, I was almost done and would’ve had to manually move each object in the shop over a few inches over. Made more sense to leave the caveat in a footnote. Update: In the DVD extra bookshop tour you get a brief glimpse of something on the inside wall of the entryway. I think it’s a wall sconce or something along those lines. There’s one on either side. I added them to the reference album above! I also figured out how to extend the walls to accommodate some more space there without having to move everything else, so I did that. Update: Here’s a link to some meta discussion about the cupid sculpture in front of this entryway!

25. Sofa Crowley sits on when he suggests they could be godfathers

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You can see that the sofa is next to Aziraphale’s desk and the cash register, and also that there’s a bookshelf behind it. From the entrance to the shop you can see two bookshelves on either side of the central circle, so it was pretty clear that the couch was on the other side of one of those shelves.

26. Wall crucifix

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I find it very interesting that Aziraphale has this considering Jesus isn’t a big part of angelic lore or heaven’s general priorities in the show. It would make more sense to me that he has it because it’s another memento of his time with Crowley, sort of like the illustrated story of Adam and Eve by his desk (#12). Also, fun fact, the opposite side of this wall segment is where he put up all his maps and notes about the whereabouts of the Antichrist in episode three.

[witch-hazels-musings]

Hello, if you don't mind, could I request headcanons of Diluc and Kaeya with an s/o who has cat traits?

(To be more specific, s/o has actual cat ears and tail, which makes their mood really easy to read. And they'll even purr when they're feeling really comfy and relaxed, like during cuddle time or they're getting headpats.)

^ thank you for the request! Don’t give these boys another reason to fall in love with you, uGH

Warning -> none, fluff 

Includes: Diluc, Kaeya

character x GN reader  |  Anthology

Diluc

Diluc is a pretty relaxed person. He keeps in his own lane and doesn’t much react to others unless they irritate him. So, he wouldn’t change much if his partner had unique features, or looked different than others 

The fact that you had cat-like features didn’t bother him, in fact, he found those features to be very helpful when he wanted to read you 

No matter how hard you tried, he was able to tell when you were cross, when you were happy, or when you were feeling embarrassed

Diluc walked down the path to the winery and saw his staff hard at work. Some of them in the fields picking out the ripe fruit, others preparing for the shipments for their destination to eager customers. He saw you talking to one of the sales clerks, a stack of documents in your hands. He noticed your ears were flicking and turning, something about the conversation must have been irritating. 

As he made his way up the steps the conversation you were in had ended. You sighed and looked out over the orchard, before coming to rest on him.

“Diluc!” You shouted, your ears perking up and your tail swaying back and forth. “I didn’t expect to see you back yet.” You walked toward him and he greeted you with a nod and placed his hand on your shoulder. 

“My business finished early.” You both stood there for a while, just basking in each other's presence. “Did something happen with the sales clerk?” He asked, gesturing in their direction. 

“Huh? No.” 

“Oh, you just seemed upset when you were talking to him.” 

“Oh, yeah.” You look at your documents and away from his eyes. “I was explaining to them how we needed to make sure to stick to the route. Last time we lost precious time because they got lost.” 

“I see. I’m sure the store owners appreciate your diligence.” He glanced around and when he saw no one was looking he placed a kiss on the top of your head. He watched as your ears turned and dipped against your hair. “Do you need any assistance?” 

When he pulled away he saw the color of your cheeks and smiled. 

“Not sure, I was going to go check on the fields, and then check our delivery schedule.” Diluc grabbed the documents from your hand and gestured down the steps.

“You handle that, and I’ll get started on this.” He watched as you bounded down the steps and toward the vineyard. Your tail happily dancing around you. 

Kaeya

Kaeya is all about your features. He thinks they are such an amazing part of you and often finds himself drawn to them

He may not keep his hands to himself - and he especially enjoys how expressive they are. They are so useful when he wants to know exactly how you are feeling, or how he is making you feel 

There is something about your pleasurable humming when you feel safe and comfortable around him which is so soothing

He walks into the Library and see’s you sitting beside one of the large windows. You are quietly reading a book and basking under the sun which spills through the glass. There are particles of dust that catch in the light. It is just a beautiful scene and he wonders if it’s okay to disturb you. 

The floors creak beneath his feet and alert you to his presence. You lift your eyes from your book and when you see him standing there your neutral expressions shift into a warm smile, your ears perk up. 

“Hey,” you greet him, resting your book in your lap.

“Afternoon,” he walks to you and sits on the arm of your chair. “What are you reading?” 

“Mm, it’s just some storybook about brave knights and epic battles.” You place the bookmark in between the pages, the cover is smooth and you let your fingers run over it. 

“Sounds exciting.” Kaeya leans over and places a kiss on your head. He chuckles as your ears graze his chin. “I could tell you stories much like those.” “Ah yes, but these are of real heroes, my dear” You look up at him with a mocking grin, your ears playfully moving with your emotions. 

“Hey, I’ve done my fair share of heroic things.” He retorts. 

“Yes, but how many of those things did you manipulate behind the scenes, hmm?” 

“Whatever works, the outcome is still the same.” He shrugs his shoulders and closes his eyes. You let out a laugh and shift yourself in your chair. 

“Well, either way. What brings to the Library?” You look up at him and see the light glowing on his dark skin. He looks so dashing in this sunlight, as he does in any light. 

“I wanted to spend some time with you if you’ll be so inclined?” 

“Absolutely.” You take his arm and he lifts you from your chair. He runs his hands through your hair before kissing the tip of your nose. You let out a soft hum, almost like a purr as his lips connect with your face. You love how easy it was to love him.

[writing-in-april]

Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde (1/?)

Part One: The introduction

Spencer Reid x Female Reader

Summary: Reader meets a mysterious stranger at the library during a book club meeting.

Part Two, Part Three

Series Masterlist

A/N: Hey Heyyy! This is my first Dom!Spencer fic in so long!!! My last one was also funnily enough for a fic swap as is this one! I had @aperrywilliams for the fic swap organized by @imagining-in-the-margins. I had so much fun writing this one- it’s based on a prompt that I got from @andiebeaword and @spencers-dria helped me by guiding me with the book club idea- with a little twist! I am considering making this a series, if y’all are interested PLEASE let me know- I really want to because I had so much fun writing this. Thanks to all y’all for reading and requests are open!!

Warnings: 18+, Dom Spencer, Public Sex (is anyone that surprised??), Impact Play, Post Prison Spencer, Use of the nickname Doctor during sex, Spencer is a brat tamer, Spencer is morally ambiguous but doesn’t do anything explicitly immoral

Main Masterlist Word Count: 3.0k

As soon as you walked in through the large wooden doors it felt like history hit you over the head with a book. Even though it was on the small side for a library it still probably held more books than a normal public library, almost every wall was adorned with built-in shelves stacked from bottom to top with old books. They ranged in every subject you could think imaginable, from every point in history imaginable, and from every point of view that was imaginable. When you had first discovered this place it had felt like you had been transported to another world. You were surprised that more people didn’t know about this old library nestled in the corners of D.C, it was just sitting there idly watching as history passed by day by day, while it sat writing down all its secrets.

A meeting of the classics was scrawled on the standing white board you saw right when you walked into the library. A meeting of the classics from 7pm to 11:30 in reading room C were the exact words, you didn’t even really need to read them as you had been looking forward to this event for weeks.

You made your way down to the reading room that was specified, only encountering a few stragglers similar to yourself on the way down. You were somewhat new to the events that this library ran, only coming to the past four months. It was quickly becoming your favorite thing to do every month.

There was always a theme to each of the parties, ranging from different eras of history, specific novels, and including things that were open to interpretation. Tonight’s theme was as stated on the white board, a meeting of the classics, which had been described as “Pick your favorite literary icon from a classic novel and dress up as them.”

You had decided to not pick a character from a classic novel, but rather an author, Mary Shelly. You based your entire look on the iconic writer of Frankenstein (with a twist of course) because it had been your favorite novel as a child, it still was your favorite novel.

Once you had made it into the large reading room you took in the full room like you did every week. People were dressed as many outlandish characters, with some being more difficult to decipher than others. As you walked around the reading room you could feel the eyes of another on you.

You could feel his stare following you intently as you walked around mingling with the others that you had met before. The eyes belonged to a man you hadn’t had the pleasure of meeting yet, a man dressed as someone instantly recognizable, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. What other iconic character would be split down the middle, half innocent doctor and half evil alter ego.

Even behind the costume you could tell how attractive the man was. He was extremely tall and lanky, with deep brown eyes and the fluffiest brown hair you had ever seen.

“Who’s that?” You asked the married lady and gentlemen dressed up as Elizabeth Bennet and Mr. Darcy. Maybe it was shameful that you didn’t know their actual names, but you guess that’s what some people want when they come to an event like this

“That’s Dr. Spencer Reid, he hasn’t been here for a while and he sometimes misses things because of work. You didn’t hear it from me, but I heard he got in trouble with the law, that’s why he hasn’t been here for almost six months.” Her gossipy voice was drenched in fake sugar that made you gag on the inside. You still did appreciate her information as it gained you the name of the man who couldn’t stop staring at you like he was trying to figure you out.

“Must not have been that bad if he’s already out now, or maybe he’s innocent.” Ms. Bennet shrugged her shoulders at that. You may have even been naive to not heed her warning, but the idea of getting to know the mysterious fluffy haired man that had been staring at you all night was too intriguing for you to ignore.

“Who are you?” The mysterious man asked when he finally decided to approach you instead of staring at you from across the room.

Trying to maintain the same level of mystery as the man had you dodging his question with a simple redirect, “Who’s asking?”

“I thought it was quite obvious who I was.” He was right it was obvious, but why would you let him know that despite the fact that you knew what character he was you could tell the man underneath was the real mystery of it all.

“You’re the one who is not obvious.” The back and forth you had already picked up with him was thrilling, you sensed the fact that in most conversations you would have with him it would be a kind of battle that you would have to win.

“If you must know, kind sir, I am dressed as Mary Shelly, author of Frankenstein, with a bit of a modern twist.” You made sure to call him sir instead of his earned honorific this time, to see if it would poke any buttons.

“I am not a sir since my name is Dr. Spencer Reid. I can see now who you are dressed as, but I would still argue that it is not what the intentions were when they set this up.” You could tell that he was only teasing you with the way the inflections of his voice sounded, you were glad your teasing had been a moderate success.

You did also provide him your name before deciding to poke his buttons once more,“But, isn’t she a classic, Dr. Reid?”

“But, you have not made her a classic anymore by putting as you say a ‘modern twist on things’ though I must say it does look well made.” You would’ve been offended if you could not tell that it was all in jest, though you still got the sense that you still were not seeing what all this man was about.

“Thank you, Doctor I made it myself. However, you still haven’t answered my question yet, Dr. Reid.” You asked the next question hoping he would get what you were implying, “Who are you?”

“I suspect you may already know, but I am dressed half as Dr. Jekyll and half as Mr. Hyde.” At least he started to somewhat catch on to the hidden meaning in your words, though you still had not dug up the real answer you were looking for. He was too intriguing to persuade you to stop digging, you wanted to find who the doctor really was, not the partial mask he was still using.

“Yes, I suspected as much, but aren’t you breaking the rules by dressing up as technically two characters?”

“Were there rules that said I couldn’t dress up as two characters?” He fell nicely into the small trap you had set for him, retorting quickly without thinking. Which you found odd for a man that was clearly intelligent.

“No, but were there rules that said I couldn’t dress up as a classic author with my own twist?” The look on his face had let you know you had won the debate. You smirked with triumph as you glanced over the man, taking note of each of his handsome features in case you would never see him again.

You decided to pivot the conversation to another question that was on the forefront of your mind,“Do you have a dark side, Dr. Reid?”

“Doesn’t everyone?” He was deflecting, but he didn’t seem agitated by your question, simply amused by your dogged curiosity.

“I am curious though, what are you exactly underneath it all Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde?” Your coy smile was most definitely not lost on him, he could see right through your facade. He could see right through Mary Shelly to find the true you underneath. You only wished you could figure him out as well, you wondered how he got so good at being able to read people in an instant.

“I haven’t figured that out yet.” Well, at least you got the answer to what you were looking for, even if the answer wasn’t as straightforward as you may have been expecting. But, you were realizing that Dr. Spencer Reid was probably anything but straightforward.

Your heart was pumping fast, his words had a bigger effect on you than he had probably expected, your panties hidden underneath your long dress were dampening quickly. Though as you saw the smirk on his face grow as you fidgeted in your chair you realized that maybe this was intention all along.

You excused yourself for a moment with a veiled excuse of going to the bathroom. You hoped he’d follow right behind you, to see that you were going to one of the empty reading rooms. If you had read his intentions correctly the heavy doors on each of the rooms should significantly squash any noises he or you would make.

Sure enough after an appropriate amount of time had passed so as to not raise suspicion, the good doctor (that may or may not be good at all) entered the empty room.

He brought you into a dominating kiss that made you want to cower at the same time as be completely defiant. You fought with valor as he tried to consume you entirely with the kiss, not letting his tongue slip into your mouth for as long as you could hold off. In the end you still lost the fight when he lifted you up onto one of the large wooden desks in the room, causing a gasp to fall from your lips that finally gave him full access to your hot wet mouth. He suddenly pulled away to pinch your cheeks together with his hand to make you look at him which made you whimper pathetically at first, but you appreciated his next question immensely.

“Do you want this?” You nodded as vigorously as you could with his hand pinching your cheeks.

He however was not satisfied with my eager nod and prompted you to confirm once more with an even harsher tone, “Speak up when you’re talking.”

“Yes, Doctor.” You replied with his honorific instinctually and you were pleasantly surprised with the eager groan that came from his lips in response. Plus, you were slightly rewarded with being able to feel his lips on your collarbone, sending even more shivers down your spine.

“Let me know immediately if that changes.” The contrast of his sweet meaning words with his hand gripping your jaw was jarring, but you couldn’t deny that you enjoyed it. It just made you want to be as bratty as possible because even if he was harsh there was still the underlying care in everything he did, you felt safe.

“Maybe I should just call you Mister instead, since that’s clearly your dominant side.”He growled into your neck that was quickly getting covered in hickies, next thing you knew he flipped you around to face the desk closest to you with your back to his chest.

“Bend over.” He commanded, to which in response you opened your mouth to retort. Instead of letting you run your mouth as you had done before he wound his hands through your hair and pushed you down to take the position he wanted. He then pulled up your dress to uncover the panties you had soaked through. You thought maybe he was going to give me some relief of the ache in my core, but you were given a harsh slap on your ass instead.

A whimper involuntarily came out from your lips from the harshness of the slap that you assumed was revenge for not following his commands. He then spoke with deadly conviction, “I want you to say thank you, doctor after every time I spank you.”

You only agreed because you were afraid that if you did not comply now he may not give you what you wanted. So, as soon as the next stinging slap came down on the same spot as before the phrase fell from your lips, “Thank you, Doctor!”

He continued his repeated hits onto your ass and you made sure to never miss thanking him with a cry. Once he was satisfied with how much you were punished for your sassy remark he rubbed over the inflamed skin of your ass with his large, unbelieving hands. He moved your panties to the side to dip his deft fingers to run through your folds, collecting some of your wetness. You whined loudly and perhaps pathetically in response to him only lighting touching you instead of obliging the heat you felt everywhere.

“Be patient, you’ll get what you want since you decided to start listening to me.” He snapped which caused your knees to buckle again.

“I can be patient, Doctor.” He definitely appreciated the continued use of his honorific in this scandalous situation as he let out a groan almost every time you said it. Instead of answering you he started to undo the pants of his outfit, a pair of slacks that were also equally as split as the rest of his costume. You didn’t look back to see his cock because you did not want to be punished by him twice in one night. But, you certainly felt it.

You could tell just as he was running the head of his cock through your folds and pulling your panties to the side again that he would be the biggest you had ever been with. What should have worried you slightly only ended up sending a shock through your core instead. He was at least somewhat gentle when he finally started to enter you, letting you get somewhat adjusted before sinking in all the way to the hilt.

As soon as he sensed that you had adjusted he started a rough brutal pace, not that you were complaining as he hit all of your most sensitive spots as his cock dragged through your walls.

He made no effort to stifle the loud moans that were coming from your mouth, maybe he thought the thick wooden doors would stifle the noises. But, there was no way no one would be able to hear the unintelligible wails that were coming from you.

“You like bringing out this side of me don’t you?” He rasped out after he pushed your torso back down to flat on the desk once you started to lift yourself up on your elbows. When you only answered with a noise that was not understandable he prompted you to speak up with another slap on your ass and said, “I said earlier to speak up when you’re trying to talk to someone.”

“Yes, Doctor!” You finally were able to cry out with a few more slaps to your ass from him.

Each time you kept getting close to the edge he’d pull away from you slightly dashing your orgasm away from you cruelly. Each time you decided to whine out loud to voice your displeasure even if it was involuntarily he would just prolong edging you for even longer. You were babbling incoherently when he pulled you by the hair so your back was pressed into his chest and after a few more moments of hearing you beg nonsensically with tears in your eyes he finally gave you the command,

“You can cum.”

“Thank you, Doctor!” You wailed as your orgasm washed over you in devastating waves, you were sure no other man had made you finish so hard in your life. You kept repeating, “Thank you, Doctor!”over and over until you had completely come down from what was arguably the best orgasm of your life. Your own orgasm helped propel his forward, and you made sure to confirm out loud that you were ok with him cumming inside you. The warmth that filled you as he pumped into you a few more times caused one last groan to come from you that was weirdly harmonious with the groan from the doctor.

Normal aftercare wasn’t really applicable in this type of situation, you hardly knew him and the added fact that you were in an old library with a party down the hall didn’t help either. He still cleaned you up with a softness you had yet to see from him during your short encounter. Aloe probably would’ve been the best option to soothe your raw bottom, but he did massage you for a few minutes after he cleaned the rest of you. He had even made sure your clothes that were not period accurate, as he had pointed out earlier, were neat before you both left. There were no cuddles and soft loving words exchanged, but you still felt immensely cared for by a man who claims he might not be a good man. He was a strange case.

“You still never answered my question, Doctor.” You stated as you stood on the steps of the library after you two had slipped out to leave.

“That’s because I still don’t have an answer.” And, with that you parted ways into the cool air of D.C. You hoped he had the same feelings as you when you had both parted ways, you wanted to see him again. There was another meeting next month, maybe then you would get your chance again.

The thrill that ran through your veins whenever you interacted with him, whether he was fucking you or having a rousing conversation about classic literature made you want him no matter whether he was Dr. Jekyll or Mr. Hyde. You’d take them both.

Part Two, Part Three| Series Masterlist

———

Tag list (message me if you want to be added):

All works:

@shotarosleftpinky @90spumkin @kyra-morningstar

Spencer Reid/CM:

@calm-and-doctor @destiny-tsukino @safertokiss @slutforthegubes

Dom Spencer (new tag list):

[oumaheroes]

Ok now I'm sorry if I'm being annoying, if I am I'll just exit. But the crackhead of the walls is back with a query/ stupid headcanon ask.

What kind of books would Germany, Australia, Canada, Italy and Denmark like?

Because Germany in nation age is still very, very young so I feel like he occasionally reads YA fantasy romance to feel like an actual teenager and not the personification of Germany.

I have no clue what Denmark would read.

Australia would 100 percent love adventure books, and he has a special love for lord of the flies, just because of all the absolute chaos that goes down in there.

I also have no clue about Matthew.

Your question are always welcomed and adored, crackhead in my walls ❤ I hope you're comfortable back there

What sort of books would they read? Hmm hmm hmm

Italy

You know, I don't think that he reads much for fun. He's more of a visual oriented kinda guy and likes painting, or plays, or opera and would prefer this sort of media and expression over reading. That being said, he likes the classics more when he does choose to read as they're often more poetic and visually descriptive and he has read all of his most famous national classics. He prefers books with a point to them, a moral to learn and a lesson to learn and enjoys stories that include philosophical debates.

Australia

Action. Bold adventure, daring do, and fraught challenges are what he likes to read, be that fiction or non fiction. He prefers stories with an underdog as the protagonist and sees himself subconsciously in their position, the one who started from nothing growing to show everyone who doubted him what he's really made of.

He also likes stories that have a journey to them, a world to cross or a sea to sail into the unknown. The world has been mapped and explored by plenty before him and then his brother took ahold of the stars, leaving nothing untouched left. Australia has this same yearning for discovery himself, to be the first at something, and this comes through in what he chooses to read.

Canada

Matthew's a very happy go lucky reader. Will read anything he's given without complaint and will, and has, happily browsed through England's higgledy piggledy library picking up whatever caught his eye out of the thousands stacked there. He veers more towards non-fiction than fiction and enjoys biographies, finding the careful and controlled breakdown of someone's life interesting and oddly comforting. Also enjoys reading to learn- a common habit from when he and Alfred were younger as the only way to find out anything new going on in the world. Still to this day if he wants to understand a new invention or topic, he prefers to read about it and study it from a written form, curled up in a corner or, when he was younger, on the floor behind a very large sofa in England's library.

His guilty pleasure, however, for when he's feeling overly self indulgent, is romance. Desperate lovers pulled apart by circumstance, love triangles with disastrously unhappy endings, or the soft, soulful ones of finding understanding and a home in another person that will remain true until the end.

Canada has a small shelf in the back of his wardrobe where he collects his favourites and which he hopes no one knows about. (New Zealand and America both know about it and have read them all but don't tell him they know in case he moves the collection. They're sometimes secretly sappy too.)

Germany

For fun, Germany is happy to read pretty much anything. He's a sucker for fantasy but also is quite happy with other forms of fiction and non fiction.

His guilty, shameful secret, however, is that he'll binge read history books.

Ludwig is new. His culture may be old but its weighted down and shaped by years he has not lived and he carries it with him like he's wearing someone else's too big clothes. Europe is old surrounded by nations who have personally been there to see it all and this makes Ludwig feel, at times, out of his depth. He is as much of an adult as they are physically but he's not, he's a child by comparison and he can't shake the feeling that the rest of Europe do see him very much as that. Hungary and Austria will laugh at jokes about people he's never heard of, Sweden will mention this event or that which someone else will either contest or agree with confidence. Bulgaria will remember a five hundred year old promise and France and England will share a quick look across a loud, crowded room- a whole silent conversation passing between them and needing nothing more than a raised eyebrow or a tilt of the head to tell a thousand things at once.

Germany is a baby trying to walk amongst ancient giants and he feels this deeply. Not matter how much Prussia tried to school him, no matter how much Germany himself has tried to learn and understand, the history he knows is always tainted by an opinion or viewpoint that isn't his and its also never enough.

So, he reads. He'll research battles he's never heard of in wars that don't even sound familiar, will read up on a royal family he has no connection to and will pay for essays about an obscure political decision made in 1300 Lithuania so that he can feel slightly more connected to his peers.

Denmark I'm afraid I don't know about! I've not thought about him enough as a character to have an opinion either way, so do share if you have any ideas!

Thanks for the ask ❤

[criticallyacclaimedstranger]

Fic: What We Don't Know Can't Hurt Us

Fandom: Triple Frontier

Pairing: Frankie Morales x Librarian!Reader (cishet female) meet-cute

Warnings: No warnings really, some language and mention of masturbation and sex. Reader doesn't like kids. Yearning. Frankie is a TOTAL DILF SWEETHEART. Sad ending.

Summary: Reader is a librarian who has to temp at the kids' section desk from time to time which is a pain because she doesn't like kids. And who is a regular if not a very hot, scruffy-looking dad with the very polite and mild-mannered daughter? Sparks fly but some things maybe aren't meant to be.

Words: 5,155

a/n: Just to be clear, this one doesn't end well. I just wanted to write something sad, I guess.

Oh, shit, there he is again. The Hot Dad.

You straighten a little in your chair and once again curse the fact that you’re working in the children’s section at the library: the only desk that isn’t adjustable. You prefer to do your service desk duties standing up, not only for ergonomic reasons but because you hate how patrons look down on you – literally – when you’re seated by the desk. Also, you tend to slouch and it’s not an attractive look. And at the kids’ section, you’re all supposed to work on the same level as the little tykes. And you’re not particularly keen on those.

You are, however, keen on hot dads. God knows you only get them once in a blue moon and if they show up, it’s usually in tow of a whole clan of children and a wife. But this dad has been in once before when you’ve had desk duty and you saw him stop at the shelf for picture books about divorce and pick out a few. You also heard him tell his little girl that she shouldn’t bring the books she chose to her mom’s. Divorcee, so fantasizing was even more allowed – although he probably had a girlfriend. Guys like that always do.

“You don’t want to lose them, sweetie,” he had explained patiently to his daughter. “You can keep them in your room at my place but if you take them to your mom’s there’s a risk you lose them and that means I have to pay for them. You see, we’re only borrowing these books, that’s what you do in a library.”

You had smiled an inwards smile when listening to him. There was nothing you loved more than parents who actually seemed to understand that all the material in the library was free at one simple condition: return it in time, in the same condition as you borrowed it. A lot of people did not seem to grasp this and made a huge deal when they failed to meet these conditions and were faced with late fees or even had to compensate for lost books. But when parents who knew how to use a library include their offspring, explain how it all works for them, well, that’s how you foster a new generation of good library patrons.

This dad did just that. And he was very careful with the books, prompting his daughter to be the same. Every book she pulled out of the stacks, he helped her put back in the right place. That’s practically marriage material right there and it was enough to make you weak at the knees, to be honest. After almost ten years working in a public library, you were disillusioned about people in general and their intelligence in particular. Sure, you liked your job enough to not cry in the mornings when you had to leave bed, and you did enjoy the work itself (mostly), but… having to deal with people was exhausting. Having to deal with little people even more so, and the worst was having to deal with adult people who had little people with them. Parents.

Hence your absolute obsession with Hot Dad who was soft-spoken, really good with his kid, understood to appreciate the library and its services, nodded his hello to you when passing by the desk, didn’t make a mess, clearly read to his kid regularly and encouraged her to read for herself. You just didn’t get to see people like that so often, and it triggered your interest. You allowed yourself to daydream about him.

Francisco Morales. You remember his name from his last visit, when he and the kid came up to the desk with their haul. You always encouraged patrons to use the self-service check-out (the less you had to do deal with them, the better), but for this guy you were more than willing to go the extra service mile, even with the kid staring at your every move from across the desk as you registered all the loans. You silently gave her plus points for not trying to “help” like some kids did, and for the quiet but clear Thank you she gave you without prompting from her father.

You’re busying yourself with the returns, loading them onto a cart, when you hear a soft, deep voice go Excuse me behind your back. You twirl around and see Morales, pulling his baseball cap off his head to reveal curls that would make any hair model cry of envy.

“Sorry to bother you,” he offers. Take me now, you think to yourself but instead, you give him your brightest customer service smile, the one you rarely give patrons.

“No worries, how can I help?”

“We’re looking for picture books about farm animals. You don’t happen to have those separated? I noticed you have some subject areas separated.” He gestures back towards the picture book stacks where his daughter is quietly perusing.

“We don’t, but I think we have some Julia Donaldsons available, let me come and have a look.”

You don’t always offer. With most patrons, you’d tell them to look under D for Donaldson and then smile sweetly and ask them if they’re okay to do it themselves. You can’t do everything for everyone, that way they’ll never learn. But for Francisco Morales and his well-behaved little girl, you’re absolutely willing to make an exception.

There are some Donaldsons that the girl, whose name you learn is Sofia, eagerly accepts when you present her with them.

“I love fawm animals,” she sighs happily as she browses the first one. “Do you?”

“Who doesn’t love animals?” You make the effort to small talk although communicating with kids usually makes you awkward.

“What’s youw favowite? Mine is bunny. And howses. And lambs.”

“Goats! I love goats, they’re so cute and sweet and playful.” You almost add something about goats being the devil’s favorite animal as well but manage to stop yourself in time.

“Is there something else you want to ask the librarian?” Morales asks his daughter. “If not, I’m sure she has a lot of work to do, and we shouldn’t keep her any longer.”

“I’m here to help,” you shrug and give him a little smile: not a polite, impersonal one that you’d give a patron, but a more intimate one. A flirty smile. “You just need to ask.”

The smile he gives you back is warm and grateful, and you realize that he doesn’t have different facial expressions for different people. He doesn’t work in customer service because if he did, he’d know the difference. Not that you ever thought he worked in retail or anything like that, well, maybe a hardware store, but no. He just doesn’t seem like the type. The way he moves his body suggests something a lot more physical.

Oh, you’d like to get physical with him, alright…

All the sucky library-themed pick-up lines flash through your head. Can I check you out as an overnight loan? Can I insert my private collection into your empty stacks? My reference desk or yours? Am I being too loud, well, you’ll just have to shush me with your lips. You’re like an overdue library book because you have fine written all over you.

Worst part is, if Hot Dad Morales tried any of these on you, you’d probably forgive him and go for it. Maybe. You’re really not that simple, but a girl can dream, right?

The kid thanks you and you return to the relative safety of the desk and the mundane task of alphabetizing returns. You need to calm the fuck down and act professional. Daydreaming is fine but you’re barely toeing the line.

God, you need to get laid. As if that’s something that one can remedy just by walking into a store and ordering a medium dick with a side of hands and tongue.

📚📚📚

The next time you see Francisco and Sofia Morales, you’re taking your lunch break in the small park outside the library. It’s a sunny day and you didn’t fancy sitting in the breakroom with your salad, listening to colleagues talking about who cares what. So you took your lunch box, fork, and water bottle, and went to sit on the park bench the furthest away from the swing set and sandbox. The weather is nice and you enjoy yourself and your break from the library’s chat service. You never know what you’re gonna get when you work the chat: a stupid question about opening hours which anyone could google the answer to, or something more complicated like requests for books with partial or no titles, rarities, or subject areas that you don’t know much about. That’s when you get to use your whole competence and really dig deep, think outside the box, solve problems. You love it but it’s challenging at times, and takes a lot of energy. Your outdoor break is welcome.

“Hi!”

You hadn’t noticed the girl walking up to you and the greeting startles you.

“Oh, hi.”

“We’we wetuwning the animal books,” Sofia informs you seriously. You have to smile.

“Good job. You want more of those or something else this time?”

“Mowe. Will you help me find some?”

“I’m not working the desk at the children’s section today but my colleague there will absolutely help you. Just ask her.”

Now you see Morales walking towards you from the swing set, carrying the large, flowery canvas tote that says “book bag” he always brings to the library.

“Hello,” he nods with that warm smile that he definitely gives everyone. “Sofia, don’t disturb the lady on her break. I’m sure she wants some peace and quiet before she has to go back to work.”

Jesus fucking Christ. How does this man just know shit like this?

“I’m sowwy,” Sofia immediately offers. “I wanted to say hello.”

“Don’t worry, it’s okay,” you allow, although technically, he’s not wrong. “I’m almost done. It was nice to see you. I hope you have a good visit to the library.”

“Thank you!” She skips along and Morales chuckles as he takes off his baseball cap and scratches his head, swipes his long locks out of his forehead, then puts the hat back on.

“You’re her favorite, you know,” he tells you. When you raise your eyebrow, not comprehending, he hurries to elaborate. “Of the librarians. She says you’re the best.”

“Thank you, but whatever for?” You know you do a good enough job at your usual position and that your regulars appreciate you, but you are also very aware of not being at your finest in the kids’ section.

“You have to ask her,” Morales grins as he looks out for his kid, who has returned to the swing set and is pumping her legs on the swing, brows knitted in concentration. “But she’s very taken with you. I think it’s because you’re very calm and focused with her.”

Calm and focused??? You almost laugh out loud. That’s everything you’re not when you’re at the kids’ desk.

“Thanks,” you manage, because you have to say something.

“She’s also really interested in your tattoos and I definitely think she wants to get her nose pierced now,” Morales goes on. “I told her that we don’t comment on people’s appearance, but just a heads up, she might ask you about those.”

Ah, the unpredictability of children.

“I appreciate it.” You really do. You don’t mind talking about your tattoos or the septum ring you have but if a kid suddenly asks about it, you’d rather be prepared.

“Anyway, sorry to intrude on your lunch.”

“No worries,” you reassure him. “You can… sit down for a while if you want to? I have ten minutes left.”

Your heart beats faster at your proposal. It’s not exactly appropriate but you just want to enjoy his company for a moment. And discreetly sniff him because he smells so fucking good, woodsy and smokey but with a hint of… vanilla? You’re terrible at recognizing smells but it reminds you of some aroma reeds you had a couple of years ago that smelled like a wood cabin with vanilla sugar spilled on the floor. You loved it but like everything you love, it was discontinued.

Morales looks over at his daughter before nodding, the book bag slipping down from his shoulder as he places it next to the bench.

“If you’re sure?”

“Wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t.”

He likes your straightforward answer, you can tell from how his eyes crinkle a little and how relaxed his body language is when he sits down.

“I’m Frankie, by the way,” he says, like he just remembered that introductions are a normal part of human interaction. He extends his right hand to you and as you accept it and tell him your name, you can’t help but marvel at how huge his hand is. Big, warm, slightly damp but not in a weird way.

“Nice to meet you, Frankie.” Frankie. Francisco Morales is Frankie. It suits him better than Francisco, to be honest.

“And that’s Sofia.” He points to the girl who seems content swinging by herself. You realize you’re expected to say something nice about her to the proud dad.

“She seems sweet.”

“Yeah, she’s awesome. And she loves coming to the library, it’s all she talks about when I have her.” He clears his throat and adds: “Her mother and I got divorced quite recently. I only get her five days every other week.”

“Sorry to hear that.” Shit, it’s divorce and custody talk from the start. You have no idea how to respond to that.

“That’s life,” he shrugs, “but I figured that going to the library every time I get her could be a good routine to ground her. And then we have books that we can read together for her entire stay.”

It’s definitely a good routine as far as you can tell.

“When I was between nine and thirteen years old, my dad would take me to the local library every Monday evening,” you tell him, smiling at the memory. “My dad never opened a book in his life but he patiently read the auto and tech magazines while I collected half the kids’ section with me. When I went to tell him that I was done, he always pretended to object to the amounts, but then he’d help me carry it all to the car.”

As you tell him this, you’re looking at him, no, staring at the patchy, grey-splashed beard he’s sporting. It’s the most fascinating thing you’ve ever seen. What’s the story there, why doesn’t it grow evenly? Is this a thing? You don’t have enough experience in the field of facial hair. Is it genetic? Is it always like this?

He keeps looking at his daughter as he listens to you with a small smile on his face, clearly enjoying your little anecdote.

“That’s lovely,” he says, turning his attention back to you when you’re finished. “Dads and daughters, huh?”

“Yeah, I guess.”

You pick up your phone to check the time. Shit. You have to return to the chat.

“I gotta go. Lunch break’s over.”

You collect your things and stand up, brushing off your skirt. Frankie stands up as well and picks up the book bag.

“I’ll see you in there?”

“I’m not a the desk today.”

“Oh.” He seems disappointed, his eyes flickering from you to the ground. “That’s too bad.”

“And the kids' section isn't my primary department.”

“The bad news just keep on coming, don't they,” he jokes as the two of you start to walk towards the entrance. Sofia jumps from the swing and comes running.

“She's not at the desk today, daddy,” she tells Frankie precociously.

“I know, mija. We'll have to ask someone else about the animal books, okay?”

Sofia doesn't seem too happy with this solution but nods. You take your leave before she has the opportunity to ask about your body modifications, and disappear through a door marked “Staff Only”.

📚📚📚

The following weeks you seem to see Frankie everywhere. You run into him at the supermarket and get drafted into advicing him on what cereal to buy for his kid. “Something healthy, but good so she'll actually eat it.” How the hell should I know? you want to scoff, but you're simping for him enough to help him choose something you'd never in a thousand years touch yourself. You see him in town one afternoon when you're running errands and he suggests you grab a coffee - holy hell, in your book that's a fucking date - but you decline as kindly as you can, citing a busy schedule when in fact you're mostly just scared out of your mind. The daydream is becoming a little too real and you're absolutely not ready for that, especially not because of the kid. If it wasn't for Sofia, you could have dared the leap, but dating a guy relatively fresh out of a marriage, and with a kid to boot? No, that's asking for trouble and you don't want trouble.

One afternoon at the kids' desk, you once again get to help Sofia find books, this time on sharks.

“She went from farm animals to sharks in one week,” Frankie confides in you when the girl is sitting quietly in a reading nook, carefully studying every page and occasionally widening her eyes at what you suspect is pictures of shark teeth. “It's sharks this and sharks that. She asks if there are sharks in every body of water she sees, from the pond in the park to the ditch outside my parents' house.”

“Have her watch Jaws and she will never want to think about sharks ever again,” you suggest, earning a laugh although the idea was probably a little bit on the morbid side.

“Maybe, but that would probably scar her for life. I actually want her to learn how to swim.”

“Then best not.”

You pick up a couple of books someone else left behind on a table and make a gesture that says I have to re-shelve these, come with and Frankie follows you to the right shelf.

“You know, she talks about you as her friend at the library.”

Now, some people would find that adorable but you don't. You're not friends with this kid, you're in a position where you could possibly influence her keenness to literature and literacy but you will always risk critique from her guardians. Being a children's librarian is like a hybrid between being in customer service, and being a teacher. You get to form young malleable minds but you are always subjected to criticism, even when you've done nothing wrong. Kids are patrons, like adults, and to have them see you as friends is only going to complicate things.

“That's nice,” you reply carefully, not really sure what else to say. It's so hard to talk to parents sometimes, one wrong words and you're basically Satan, you can't know because you don't have kids yourself, how dare you not worship the ground my offspring just vomited all over?

“You're definitely her favorite librarian.”

That you can take. You have a couple of adult patrons who come in regularly and prefer to get their reading recommendations from you. They always have time to discuss literature and they bring you a box of chocolates for Christmas.

“Well, she's easy to help. She always knows what she wants and she's polite. And quite easy to please,” you smile, meaning every word. You don't mention that the only time you like kids is when they're like Sofia is right now: reading quietly in a corner, handling the books with care.

“You're my favorite librarian as well,” Frankie adds, and now that sweet smile he's always wearing when you see him is shy. There's definitely a red tinge on his cheekbones as well and it makes you want to lean forward and kiss him on his goddamn mouth with that goddamn full lower lip that he sometimes sucks into his mouth or fucking licks...

“How many librarians do you know?” you ask and manage to sound easy-going, or at least you think so. The laugh Frankie produces is low and rolling and it makes your stomach coil in on itself. Fuck him and that deep voice he rode in on!

“Got me there. It's basically you and Mrs Wilkerson, the school librarian who scared the shit out of me when I was in elementary school. She made sure I didn't step foot in a library until, well, now.”

“Oh, I so wanted to be a librarian like that when I was a kid!” You grin at Frankie's horrified expression. “No, no, hear me out! I always had this idea that those librarians led these super rich, fulfilling lives as night-time vigilantes or that they were actually millionaires who spent their free time floating around in pools with fancy drinks in hand.”

“Were you... a normal child, besides these illusions?” Frankie teases you and before you can stop yourself, you're slapping his arm playfully. Like a girlfriend would. Or someone more intimate than a Favorite Librarian, at any rate.

“I'll have you know that the voices in my head are saying that we had a very normal and healthy childhood,” you reply with as much dignity as you can muster, while desperately wishing for the phone to ring or another patron to ask for your help. But no, the ones present seem to be managing on their own - except for one mom who seemed to have overheard your joke because she is now staring at you with hesitation in her eyes.

It's Sofia who comes to your rescue with her request of being taken to the bathroom. By the time she and Frankie are done there, your colleague has come to relieve you of your duties at the children's section.

📚📚📚

You knew of course that it was coming. You may not be that experienced in the terms of dating and relationships but you weren't stupid and you had some experience: Frankie was going to ask you out. It had to happen. Technically, it had already happened that afternoon in town when he asked you out for coffee. He maybe didn't see it as a date, but you certainly did.

It happened when you had just started your shift in the children's section and it was a fucking mess. A class of kindergarteners had just left and the teachers hadn't bothered to keep them in check, so there were not only books on every available surface, they were also put in the wrong way and in the wrong places. Your colleague who you were relieving stayed behind to help you, feeling too bad to leave it all to you.

That's when Daddy and Daughter Morales showed up. You weren't really happy about the existence of kids in the first place but made an effort for Sofia, who brought you a drawing she had made in preschool that day. It featured some figures in green, slightly reminiscent of animals and one human but you wouldn't be able to tell. Luckily, Frankie explained it to you.

“She's waited all day to give you this drawing of you with goats.”

“Wow,” you manage. “Thank you, Sofia, this was so kind of you.”

The girl is beaming with pride. “Will you put it on the wall?”

“Super probably!”

“I can see you're busy,” Frankie notes and ushers Sofia along. “We won't distract you. Come on, honey, let her do her job now and maybe you'll get to talk to her later.”

You nod your thanks and focus on cleaning up the entire department before you colleague leaves and Frankie and Sofia come to the desk to borrow this week' picks. Sofia seems uncharacteristically giddy.

“Do you want to come with us to the awbowetum?” she asks with a wide, expectant smile. Fuck shit ass hell.

“We're going on Saturday,” Frankie fills in, “and we were both hoping you'd want to join?”

Saturday. Thank goodness.

“Sorry, I work on Saturday,” you say, trying to sound rueful. It's true and you're relieved about not having to lie. “But thanks, it's sweet of you to ask.”

Sofia is clearly disappointed and so is Frankie, but he masks it better.

“Some other time, yeah?”

If it were only him, you'd tell him it wasn't a good idea. But you can't say that with the kid right in front of you. You may not like kids but that doesn't mean you want to scar them for life.

“Yeah, maybe.”

You loan them the books and as they leave, Sofia waves happily at you and Frankie shoots you one last smile that makes you press your thighs together in your seat.

Come Saturday, you're by your usual desk in the section for adult fiction and you almost fall off your chair when you see Frankie come up the stairs and straight up to the desk.

“Hi.” He's had a haircut and a shave and looks different. Still good, but very different. The dark locks of his hair are more tamed. The mustache is still there but you miss the patchy beard.

“Um, hi? Where's Sofia?”

“In the car, with a friend. We're going to the arboretum.”

“Right. I hope you have a good time, the arboretum's lovely.” You still don't understand what he's doing here and he seems to have some difficulty in telling you. Moving his weight from one foot to the other, he scratches his neck and looks down - why does he have to be so freaking cute? - before looking up at you.

“About that... I wanted to apologize. I wasn't sure it was a good idea to ask you to come with, but Sofia was so persistent. She likes you so much. I didn't mean to put you on the spot like that. I'm sorry.”

“That's alright,” you brush it off because there's not really anything else you can say. “Don't think about it, just go have a good day.”

“I also wanted to ask if you wanted to go grab a drink with me. Just me. Maybe next week when Sofia's at her mother's.”

Fuck, there it is. His hopeful face makes you hate yourself for the answer you have to give.

“I'm not sure that's such a good idea, Frankie,” you begin carefully. “I'm really flattered, but you're... recently divorced with a kid. That's a lot of baggage and things could get complicated. I don't want to get caught up in that.”

You've practiced this speech at home but it still breaks your fucking heart because Frankie is so good-looking, kind, funny, and sweet. You would've asked him out yourself already if it wasn't for the baggage. Fuck, you masturbate to the thought of him, for crying out loud! You imagine what it would be like to be with him, to make dinner together and watch movies and go to bed and wake up in each other's arms. You think about sex with him a lot. You make an effort with your appearance those days you know he'll show up at the library, you don't even mind the kids' section that much anymore because you get to talk to him.

You are fucking in love with him, or at least the idea of him because you don't know much about him, only that he used to be a pilot in the special forces but now he trains new pilots, he has best friends who are like uncles to Sofia (and who have been asking about this mystery librarian she always keeps talking about), he likes cooking and loves baking with his daughter, he hates working out but knows he should take better care of himself, hell, you even know what brand of milk he buys.

He's clearly disappointed but keeps a brave face, one that you can see right through because he wears his heart on his sleeve.

“I understand that,” he says quietly, mildly. “I'm sorry, I hope I didn't embarrass you.”

Jesus fucking Christ can this man not???

“No, don't worry. I'm sorry I couldn't give you the answer you wanted. It's just... not a good time.”

Shit. You shouldn't have said that. Now he might think it could be a better time later.

Frankie nods and smiles sadly. “Yeah, you're probably right.”

“I'm sorry.”

“Yeah, me too.”

He clears his throat and nods. “I better be going. You have a good weekend now.”

“You too.”

He shoots you one final smile before he turns around and leaves. As you watch him go down the stairs to the exit level, you just want to call his name, do your run through the airport and hurry after him, throw yourself into his arms, kiss him, Jesus, imagine that somewhere there's someone who'll get to kiss him some day, tell him that you made a huge mistake and you want to go out with him, you want to have drinks with him and dinner and breakfast and lunch for the rest of your lives because nothing would make you happier than making him happy. You want to be the reason his eyes crinkle and his cheek displays that little dimple that makes you lose your train of thought every time you see it.

But it's not for you. People with kids need to prioritize their kids and you know that you can't be anyone's number two. You don't want to get caught up in custody disputes, you don't want to be "your father's new slut", you don't want to be anyone's stepmom. You don't want to have to spend five days a week in the same house as a five-year-old. Being in a relationship is difficult enough as it is and if you can make choices that avoid some of the problems, you're going to make them, no matter how much it hurts.

And it hurts. A lot. But so much in life hurts and you've made it through before.

He must already be out the door, probably in the car. Does he say something about this to his daughter and friend? Is it a female friend? No, it must be one of his army buddies, probably one of the brothers.

You pull up Frankie's profile in the library database and see his phone number. You could call him anytime. Or send a text. Keep talking to him, flirting.

Shit. It's a bad idea.

A patron approaches the desk and you force yourself to look mild and service-minded.

“Hi, do you have Hate To Want You by someone called... Ray, I think?”

“Please hold a moment, I'll check.” You stifle the sigh that threatens to escape you and hope that the day will be busy so you won't have time to think about Francisco Morales again.

[barbatos-the-loyal-butler]

Hi! I was wondering if you could do a gender neutral MC coming out as aroace?

Woo! aroace pride! Y'all are always welcomed here! and if anyone says other wise they suck. Also should I write headcanons about queer platonic relationships??? Is that something people would want? Mc is gn!

Mc was so happy when they came to devildom, it seem that many expectations relating to romantic and sexual relationships where either non existent or very different then they were in the human realm. After while Mc felt fully comfortable with all the demons and members of the exchange program

Lord Diavolo had invited Mc over for some tea and conversation, and it somehow ended up on the topic of romantic relationships. They thought it would be a better time than any to tell him about their being aroace. Lord Diavolo just smiled brightly, moving over to give them a tight hug.

"Thank you for telling me and trusting me. I be not believe you ever needed a romantic relationship to be successful or 'complete'. Its a foolish thing really, I am so happy to be your friend."

After telling Diavolo, mc decided to tell Barbatos. They were baking together one day when they decided to bring it up, Barbatos gave them a small smile before nodding.

"I understand how that may feel, while it is not the same I am demiromantic... so I do support you fully. Platonic relationships are as important as romantic ones may be, and are as fulfilling"

Lucifer was working and Mc was helping him with it, by the time he was done with the large stack of paperwork he thanked Mc and asked if there was anything he could do for them. Mc simply asked him to listen as they nervously told him about their sexuality.

"Mc you do not have anything to worry about, I care deeply about you. It does not matter if you have sexual or romantic relationships. I'm happy you told me and trusted me enough to do so."

Mammon was always around Mc in one way or another, so there was plenty of times to tell him. They decided to after school when mammon was counting the money from his latest scheme, he was a bit surprised at first but quickly smiled.

"huh? Of course I still like ya, your my human! and my closest friend! that's never going to change, doesn't matter what happens!"

Mc was with leviathan and they were playing some video games together, it was over all a normal thing and since it was rare to find levi relaxed they decided it would be best to tell him then. He looks over to them once they said it, looking a bit confused to why they were so nervous but smiled.

"Huh? well romantic subplots can be really boring and forced alot of the time. The action and story is always so much cooler anyway! Now, I know this super cool anime I know you'll love!"

Satan was going through the library with Mc sharing a few books he enjoyed, they spent the evening reading and sharing interesting stories and after a bit he shared one with an aromantic protagonist. given the he like the protagonist they shared that they where aroace. Once he knew he recommended a few other books without romantic subplots and aroace characters.

"Sex and romantic love is not what makes you human, all animals do such things. If anything cooking food is what makes you human, so do not let what other people may say affect you and if they are bothering you I can deal with it."

Asmodeus always respected Mc comfort level with physical touch and his more suggestive talking. Once they did tell Mc, he immediately was over the moon that they told him. Giving Mc a ton of compliments and praise.

"Yes sex is a beautiful thing, but so many other things are beautiful. Including you, and if anything this makes you even more beautiful. Thank you for telling me, and I promise to make sure you are comfortable everyday."

Beelzebub was such a sweetheart, and was making Mc some food when they brought it up. Which just caused him to give them a big hug as he smiles brightly.

"Your part of the family... I'll always care about you. I'll do anything to make you feel safe there... cause you mean so much to me"

Belphegor was cuddling Mc, and almost had fallen asleep on top of them. Both of them were relaxed and Mc told him about it, and belphie opened his eyes looking at them before cuddling them more with a small smile on his face.

"Well.. It's not like cuddling is a romantic thing.... and well we are friends are we not. you did trust me enough to tell me... which is really nice... and hey, if any dumb humans try to tell you anything bad about it I'll kill them for you."

Simeon was sharing a recent small story he wrote with Mc, It was a nice moment between both of them and he could tell that something was on Mcs mind so he asked. Mc told him about it, he was fully supportive.

"Humans are all unique and diverse, that's what makes you wonderful. It doesn't matter if you are different then other, you are perfect the way you are."

Luke was such a sweet child, and overall never really knew why people would think that romantic relationships were something you needed. So it wasn't surprising at all when he fully supported Mc.

"ohhh, that cool!! Your like one of those heros from the shows! The ones that do stuff through the power of friendship... t-they aren't kids shows! I-i'm not a child!"

Solomon was teaching Mc a few spell in their spare time, they were goofing off and just having fun. After a while Mc decided they trusted solomon and told him. He asked a few questions about their comfort level and was mostly just happy to know about it.

"i've met a lot of people in my life and have had a wide range of relationships with them but are friendship is one of the best i've had in awhile. I wouldn't want anything to change about that, so I'm extremely happy you feel comfortable with me enough to share this."

[bumblebee-moreno]

Awkward meetings (GN!reader)

Request: "Awkward first meeting for all the boys" and "Awkward first meeting and You lost something very important to you and they’re helping you look for it with Frankie Morales" for @luminescentlily

(Boys included are: Din, Javier Peña, Agent Whiskey, Frankie Morales, Max Phillips, Marcus P, and Marcus M.

Warnings: None?

A/N: Sorry this took so long to write. I had to leave a few boys out due to writer's block (Ezra, Tovar, and Zach Wellison), and I wanted to get this posted rather than continuing to stare at the screen in hopes of my brain miraculously functioning. To make up for my lack of inspiration at least a little bit, I added Marcus Moreno. Hope that's ok :)

Din Djarin

You feel a tug at your pant leg. Looking down, you are greeted by a pair of large watery eyes and big green ears. “Well hello there,” you smile, crouching down to be closer to the small child. “Where’s your family?”

He simply responds by lifting his arms towards you. You take that to mean he’d like to be lifted up. Scanning through over the crowded marketplace, you search for someone who the kid might belong to. You really have no idea what you’re looking for, having never seen anything like him, but you search nonetheless.

“Hey!” an angry voice calls out behind you. You whirl around, and before you know what’s happening, the child has been torn from your grasp and there’s a blaster to your head.

“I wasn’t going to hurt him I swear, I was just trying to find his family,” you blurt out, raising your hands in surrender.

The figure in front of you doesn’t respond at first, keeping his blaster pointed at you while he inspects the child for injury.

“Why did you have him?” The voice from under the helmet demands.

“I just found him by himself and I wanted to make sure he found his family,” you explain, voice shaking. “Are you his… Does he belong to you?”

“… yes.” He cautiously returns his blaster to its holster.

“I’m sorry,” you relax. “I didn’t mean to scare you. He’s just so… small. I didn’t want him to stay lost.”

The Mandalorian clutches the kid close to his chest as if he’s afraid they’ll be separated again. “Thank you.” He nods his head just enough for you to see the motion.

Javier Peña

“Shit, I’m going to be so fucking late,” you mutter to yourself, walking as fast as you can without sending the tall stack of papers in your arms flying.

On your way down the hall, you start going down your mental checklist.

‘Closed the window so the cat doesn’t escape? Check.’

‘Turned off the lights? Check.’

‘Locked the front door? Fuck.’

You stop in your tracks. How could you forget to lock your front door? You spin on your heel and run back towards your apartment, your one free hand switching between searching for your keys and adjusting the unstable tower balanced on your other arm.

In your haste to get your apartment locked so you can get to work on time, you fail to watch where you’re going.

Your body smacks into another. You fall backwards, losing your grip on the meticulously organised files. They scatter across the floor, completely losing the order you’d spent all night putting them in. The wind is knocked out of you for just long enough to hear the man you ran into grumping about how you should watch where you’re going.

“Shit, I’m so sorry, I’m running late, I should’ve been paying more attention.” You pull yourself to your knees and start gathering your work off the floor. You’d normally stand and make sure the man you ran into is okay, but things at work are tense as it is, and being even later than you already are isn’t going to reflect well on you. Especially now that all of last night’s hard work needs to be done over.

You expect him to get up and walk past you. After his reaction to being practically tackled, you wouldn’t expect him to give you more than a second thought. But then a stack of papers lands on top of the one you’re already holding.

Your eyes shoot up to meet his. “You okay? You hit the ground kind of hard there,” Your neighbour asks.

You swallow thickly. “y-yeah, I’m fine,” you give a shaky smile. “How about you?”

“I’m all right, just running a bit late,” He offers a hasty smile before helping you to your feet. “I gotta get to work, but um, I’ll see you later?”

“Yeah,” you breathe, momentarily forgetting how late you are.

Agent Whiskey

‘Ugh I really needed this day off,’ you type underneath the photo before pressing send.

You place your phone on the edge of the tub before relaxing back into the warm water.

It isn’t long before your phone buzzes. Your eyes widen in horror at the response:

‘I think you’ve got the wrong number, darlin’.’ It’s paired with a photo of a man you’ve never met.

He is kinda cute though. You’d never think the whole “unironically cowboy” thing could ever work but… No. No. You can’t be thinking that kind of stuff. You just texted a stranger a photo of you in the bath for fuck’s sakes, you can’t be attracted to him after that!

You frantically scroll up to examine the photo you sent, breathing a sigh of relief when you confirm that the photo you sent didn’t have anything too revealing in it; between the angle of the camera and the bubbles in your bath, nothing too embarrassing is visible.

‘Shit, I’m so sorry, that was meant for a friend ’

You pick up the shred of paper your best friend scribbled their new number on while you were at lunch with them yesterday, to figure out what happened.

‘not a problem, It’s a nice distraction from this god awful meeting I’m stuck in’

You frown. ‘You’re in a meeting and you’re texting a total stranger?’

You return your gaze to the phone number in your hand. “what in the fuck,” you say aloud to yourself. The second to last digit. It’s supposed to be a 4. Not a 9.

A shaky photo appears on your phone. It’s obviously taken from peeking just the camera of his phone over the edge of the table.

‘Damn, that looks like a serious meeting, shouldn’t you be paying attention?’ If you were texting at work, especially in a meeting, you’d have your ass handed to you unless someone was dying (and even then, it would depend on what kind of mood your boss is in that day). And this guy is just casually texting you, a stranger, during a meeting with people who look like they make more money weekly than what your whole car is worth.

‘I’m a bit more concerned that I don’t even know the name of the person who texted me such a lovely photo 😉’

‘It’s Y/N.’ you send. ‘And please delete that picture, that’s kinda private’ you ask, crossing your fingers that he respects that.

‘Already done. Mine’s Jack, since you obviously weren’t going to ask 🤠’

A soft smile appears on your face. Maybe it is kind of okay that you accidentally typed in the wrong number. Or… it will be after you (lovingly) cuss out your friend for having such bad handwriting.

Frankie Morales

“Shit.” You mutter to yourself, searching through your pockets. “shitshitshitshitshitshitshit” You swear you just had them. Or… maybe you left them on the counter back at the library?

You turn around to run back, rifling through your bag. You only make it a few steps before you’re knocked backwards to the ground.

“Shit, I’m so sorry,” you blurt the moment you catch your breath again. Barely sparing a glance towards the man you ran into, you start gathering your books.

“No, no. I’m sorry,” the man insists. “I wasn’t watching where I was going.” He helps to gather your books.

“You okay?” he finally asks.

You look up at him and freeze. He’s really cute. In the ‘I give the best hugs in the world’ kind of way.

“Yeah,” you respond breathlessly. “I just think I lost my car keys at the library, and I’m running late for lunch with a friend.” You mentally kick yourself. You just ran over the only attractive man you’ve seen since moving here, and then the first thing you do is overshare?

“Oh, did you want some help looking?” he immediately offers.

“I wouldn’t want to be any trouble.”

“Don’t worry about it,” he shrugs. “I’ve got lunch plans I’m desperately trying to find an excuse to get out of, so you’re helping me, really.”

“Okay, um… sure,” you nod. “an extra set of eyes looking wouldn’t hurt.”

“Cool. I’m Frankie.”

You introduce yourself and shake his outstretched hand.

The two of you make your way back towards the library.

“so…” you break the uncomfortable silence. “Lousy lunch plans, huh?”

“…yeah,” Frankie falls silent for a moment. “A couple of guys I used to serve with invited me out and I didn’t really have an excuse to say no.”

“Don’t get along with them?”

“We used to be friends, but I’m kind of rethinking that lately.”

“Oh,” you debate asking more questions. But then again, he doesn’t have to answer if he doesn’t want to, right? “Did… did something happen?”

“Convinced me to go to South America a while back, which would’ve been fine, except we kind of got stuck there, and my wife was left alone with the baby.”

Your stomach dropped at this. You’re not even sure why; you just met the guy, you really have no reason to be disappointed he’s taken.

“Was she at least understanding?” You ask.

“huh?”

“Your wife.”

“Oh,” Frankie chew his lip for a moment. “no. When I got back, she was… possessive. Searching my phone, never letting me go out with friends, that kind of stuff. Separated a few months later.”

“Oh,” you try to ignore the fact that your heart skipped a beat; you can’t be excited—that’s insensitive. “I’m sorry.”

“No, don’t be.” Frankie pinches the bridge of his nose. “I’m sorry, actually. I was helping you find your keys, and here I am ranting about my whole tragic backstory as if you actually cared.”

“I don’t mind.” You actually like listening to him. But you keep that to yourself.

“You shouldn’t have to listen to all that though—”

“Shit!” you interrupt him. “I’m such an idiot.”

“What? What’s wrong?” Frankie looks like he’s assuming the worst.

“…I didn’t lose my car keys. I walked here. And lunch with my friend is next week.” You chuckle bitterly. “I was so lost in my head I completely forgot she rescheduled. Sorry I wasted your time.”

“It’s okay,” Frankie laughs. You can’t help but smile at his lopsided dimple. “Hey, since you don’t have lunch plans and I want to get out of mine… Can I take you out? You can tell me your life’s story since you already know mine?”

“Sure,” you smile, though half of you is screaming to just leave the country to escape the embarrassment.

Max Phillips

“Ew, no.” you scrunch your nose.

“Hey, you’re the one that lost the bet.” Eva insists.

“I am not kissing a random stranger.” You sweep your gaze across the crowded café.

“It was your idea.” Eva sips her tea.

“That was because I thought I was going to win.” You cross your arms across your chest.

“You don’t get to opt out just because you’re a sore loser.”

“Yeah, but I don’t know them, what if they have a disease or something? Gross.” Your stomach turns at the idea.

“Okay, fine.” Eva sighs. And, for a fleeting moment, you have hope that she’s given in. “Kiss that guy then,” she points.

You turn. “Oh my god, Eva. No.”

“What? He doesn’t look like he has a disease,” Eva shrugs.

“He looks like a frat boy.”

“He’s cute though.” Eva leans in a not-at-all-subtle way to get a clearer view of him.

“I hate you.” You stand up. “And when I’m done, you’re buying me an entire bottle of vodka to wash my mouth with.”

“Yes!” Eva cheers triumphantly. A few people shoot her expressions of annoyance at the outburst.

You storm over to the man and pull him in by the collar. His lips barely brush against yours before you’re stomping back to your friend. Though, for a moment, you actually consider staying to talk to him. Eva was right, he definitely isn’t hard on the eyes.

You push the thought from your mind and collapse back into your seat, scowling at your friend.

“You’re literally the worst human being on the planet,” you huff.

“You’re just being dramatic,” Eva laughs.

“Am not.” Okay… maybe you are, but Eva can’t know that.

“Fine. We’ll go get you a drink once I’m back from the bathroom.” Eva skips off, still laughing about your reaction.

She’s barely out of sight before her seat is filled by the stranger you just kissed.

“Don’t flatter yourself, I lost a bet,” you don’t look up at him, instead choosing the glare at a stain on the wooden table.

“I figured as much.” You can practically hear the smirk in his voice. “I also figured I have the right to at least know the name of the person who just kissed me.”

You reluctantly introduce yourself, still refusing to make eye contact with the man.

“I’m Max. And, if you want to apologise for kissing me without my consent,” he throws a napkin with a phone number scribbled in red sharpie onto the table in front of you, “You can call me.”

Marcus Pike

You hum quietly to yourself, unable to stop smiling. It’s been so long since you’ve gone on a real date. You turn on your shower, but instead of water coming from the showerhead, it starts leaking from the base of the hose.

That can’t be good. You turn off the water and fiddle with the shower. Maybe it just came loose.

You reach for the handle to try the water again. But before your hand can even touch the cool metal, the entire shower head disconnects from the wall and clatters to the shower floor.

Letting out an exasperated groan, you start gathering your clothes into a bag. You really don’t have time for this today. Crossing your fingers your neighbour is home, you head next door.

You’ve never actually talked to him, but you figure he’s probably a safer bet than the crazy old neighbour on your other side; the way he looks at you whenever you run into him gives you the jitters. And not the “he’s a creep” kind of feeling you get when anyone else stares for too long. More like the “he’s probably got a taxidermy cat in his living room and a human body in his closet” kind of feeling. So the neighbour you’ve never even introduced yourself to will have to do.

Your knock echoes through the quiet air. Shifting from foot to foot, you wait impatiently for an answer.

The door clicks open, leaving you face-to-face with your neighbour, who is way cuter up close than you expected him to be.

“…hi,” He greets you as if he’s startled by your presence.

“…hi…” you bite your lip and tear your gaze away from his face to examine your shoe. “I… Well, I live next door, and well—”

“I know,” he interrupts.

“I-What?”

“I’ve seen you… around. We get home from work at the same time, so…”

“Oh.” You chew on your lip for a moment. “Look, my shower broke, and I have a date I have to get to, and well…” you drift off. Are you really asking your irresistibly adorable neighbour who you’ve never met if you can use his shower?

“Oh. Okay, did you want to use mine then?” You pretend not to notice how pink his face has turned.

“Would you mind? I just—I’m running late and I don’t have time to figure out what’s wrong with mine before I leave and still have time to get ready to go.”

“Sure, Come on in,” He shuffles out of the way to allow you space to enter. “Down the hall, second door to the right.”

“Thank you so much,” you smile awkwardly. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise.”

“Don’t worry about it.”

You walk as quickly as you can without breaking into a run to get to the bathroom, leaving Marcus frozen in the doorway.

This is not how he imagined meeting you. Not that he imagined that at all. And he definitely hadn’t spent hours trying to figure out how to ask you out. Because that would be weird.

And he just let you use his shower to go on a date with someone else.

Fuck.

Marcus Moreno

“Excuse me,” a voice speaks up from behind you, just barely audible over your music. You turn around to find that the voice belongs to a young girl.

“Hello,” you greet taking out your headphones.

“Do you see that guy over there?” she asks, pointing across the cluttered bookstore to a man struggling to balance a tower of books while skimming the shelves for more.

“The one in the glasses?” you confirm.

“That’s my dad,” the girl nods. “He thinks you’re cute, but he’s too afraid to talk to you.”

“Oh,” you say, unsure whether you should be flattered or amused.

“He says it’s ‘cause he doesn’t want to weird you out,” she elaborates, “but I think he’s scared you won’t like him back.”

The man glances up, and, upon seeing his daughter talking to you, rushes over. He pauses only briefly when he trips over a box of books placed in the middle of the walkway.

“Oh, here he comes, act natural,” the girl whisper-yells just before her father arrives. “Oh, hey dad,” she greets him nonchalantly.

“Missy, what did we just talk about?” he scolds.

“I know, I know,” she rolls her eyes. “I shouldn’t go up to strangers and tell them my dad thinks they’re cute even when he totally does.”

Missy’s dad freezes, a look of horrified embarrassment washing over his face. “You… You told them what?”

“I’m going to shop some more,” she walks away, winking at you.

“Hey, you get back here, young lady,” he calls after her, struggling not to raise his voice above a murmur in the middle of the peaceful book shop. His daughter ignores him.

He groans under his breath. “I’m sorry about her,” he turns back to you.

“It’s okay,” you laugh. “I’m Y/N,”

“Marcus.” He looks down at his armful of books. “I’d uh… I’d offer a handshake but…”

“Don’t worry about it,” you smile. Marcus smiles back. You allow a moment of uncomfortable silence before speaking up again. “So… you think I’m cute?”

“What? No! I mean, Yes. I mean…” Marcus’ face scrunches up in embarrassment. “Yes? But not… not in a weird way. I wasn’t like… admiring you or anything. That’d be… weird.” Marcus hangs his head with an exasperated sigh. “I’m sorry. I’ll just shut up now.”

You smile again at the flustered man in front of you. After a moment, you pull a pen from your sweatshirt pocket.

“Well, here’s my number,” you say, writing as clearly as you can across his forearm. “You can text me if you decide you do think I’m cute… In a weird way.”

You walk to the counter to pay for your books, sincerely hoping he decides to text.

---

Taglist:

@pascalisthepunkest @trashbin2 @anatanotegami @beesting77 @northernpunk @pumpkin-stars

[pokemon-hermits]

Despite Mumbo's help, Grian arrives at the Professor's lab.

[First/Previous Part] [Next Part]

(This part is written by the lovely @justletmeplayminecraft ! Check her out!!)

At least Grian can blame Mumbo. That's his sole thought as he finally enters the professor's lab. His hair is ruffled from the wind, he's out of breath from the speedwalk over and he didn't even get to take in the sights, for goodness sake! His sneakers squeak on the tiled floor, glancing around the lab as he closes the door behind him.

"Professor?" He calls. The lab has neutral colours, a grey floor and white walls. It's been a long time since Grian has been inside a Pokémon lab (not since his internship, in fact), but he recognises the lab equipment around the room. He can't help his curiosity as he wanders around, taking in the bookshelves that section off the space. There's lots of interesting books based on anatomy, Pokémon behaviours, common traits, evolution… It's like a library. There's so much information on these shelves alone! A glance into a partially open crate pushed against the shelves reveals a stash of Pokéballs.

If he wasn't in a new region, he'd totally nab one. But he wants to make a good impression here. Stealing someone's Pokéballs is not a good first impression. He isn't ten anymore.

"There you are." Grain jumps at the voice, twirling around. An older man stands in front of him, with a fluffy white beard and bright blue eyes. His hands are in the pockets of a white lab coat, thrown on top of what looks like a black t-shirt. "You must be Grian." Grian smiles, well, he tries to. He thinks he's overdoing it.

"Yes! That's me, I am so sorry I'm late, sir." The professor waves him off, gesturing for Grian to follow him through the lab. Grian does so eagerly.

"When you've known Mumbo as long as we have, you come to expect it." Grian slaps a few fingers onto his lips to hide his giggle. "Name's TFC, you don't need to call me sir."

"Right, TFC," Grian agrees. Through the sectioning, there's an office space. A wooden desk sits up against the wall, decorated by a stack of paper all neatly labelled with sticky notes and a thick, hardcover book. As TFC goes to pick something up, Grian takes note of the large region map on the wall. It's surprisingly well annotated. Mumbo said this region had a lot to offer.

"This is your first time in Hoevi, isn't it?" Grian nods. "Good, Mumbo wasn't wrong about that, at least." A few papers are placed in Grian's hands. "The most important thing there is your region map." Grian confirms that's what's on top of the pile. TFC draws his attention to the map on the wall, holding his hand towards it. "Hoevi isn't the most well-known region. We don't have any unique Pokémon, but we do have a wide range of Pokémon from other regions. This region is also filled with history, and several people on the island have dedicated themselves to studying the civilisations that came before us."

"Mumbo mentioned some ruins," Grian tells him. TFC circles the left of the region, and Grian raises an eyebrow when he realises TFC is including the ocean.

"We've explored more in this area, but there's other ruins throughout the region. But, outside of the contest arena, they're unlikely to be open to the public."

"The contest arena?" Grian's used to contest arenas being big, showy theatres, with dramatic curtains and lighting.

"It's an impressive sight. I'm not going to spoil it for you." Grian smiles, feeling some anticipation spark in his gut. "The map should have a code to load onto whatever fancy device Galar is using nowadays." Grian searches the cover, pleased to find the code across the bottom. He'll need to set that up later.

The next words that come out of TFC's mouth are less promising.

"The other thing I've included is a leaflet for our region's gym challenge." Grian laughs awkwardly, trying to find other things to focus on in the room.

"That's- really nice of you, but I'm not interested. My league days are far behind me." Far, far behind him. Something he never wants to revisit, actually!

"It isn't age restricted like other regions," TFC tells him. "We always have a wide range of people participating, and the battles aren't highly publicised like in… other regions." He doesn't need to say like in Galar for Grian to understand what he means. Grian focuses on some of the more personal accents of the room, looking just over TFC's shoulder at a framed picture.

"I'm just here for a holiday. I want to see the sights without getting bogged down with all the training stuff." The picture is of two boys, remarkably similar looking. They both have bright grins, one with white hair reaching his shoulders, and another with short fluffy brown tufts. It's the only obvious difference between the pair. Kids, maybe? They're pretty cute.

"The gym challenge is a good way to do that." TFC draws him back to the map, outlining a loop through all the town markers. "If you go through the gyms, it takes you on a neat loop around the region. It's one of the recommended ways to travel, you'll see far more areas you might miss otherwise." Grian hums. It's an... Interesting thought. He's used to gym challenges rushing you through, needing to reach the correct town, get the correct team. It's hard to imagine a challenge where that isn't the case.

"I'm- I still don't think it's really for me." TFC nods.

"Well, if you change your mind, then do it quickly. Sign ups close tomorrow." Good. There's unlikely to be anything big to change his decision by then. Grian really shouldn't go signing up for something like this again, not after last time. "Sign ups are on the form by the door of my lab."

"Okay, um. Thanks for letting me know!" It's best to be polite, it's probably part of TFC's job description, after all.

TFC nods, "Of course. I won't keep you any longer." Grian knows a dismissal when he hears one. He waves, heading to the door with his bundle of papers in hand.

"Thanks again!"

[raindancer2004]

Aro’s Choice

Word Count: 2,606 Demetri x reader Part Two. Warnings: Fluff, Angst

Summary: Aro chooses a mate for Demetri; someone that will link his coven to Carlisle’s, a gifted human like none he’s met before. But Demetri isn’t happy, he didn’t choose her, doesn’t want her so he does the only thing he can think of, he pushes her away despite agreeing to a compromise proposed by Y/N. So what happens when an event occurs that changes everything for Demetri and Y/N? Will he go and rescue her...save her? Or will he stay in the castle and wait for his mate as he has done the last 1000 years? Will he realise that the one he’s been waiting for was the very one he had rejected and pushed away? Is it too late, will she ever forgive him? Will she give him a chance to love and protect her or will she walk away from him for forever...?

Jane knocks on Demetri’s door and finds Y/N in the room alone “Good morning Y/N Aro would like to speak with you and introduce you to Demetri” Jane says with a small smile “Good morning Jane” She replies and follows Jane down to the throne room. Alec finds Demetri and Felix in Felix’s room “Morning you two, Aro wants to see you both in the throne room” Alec greets them “How come you are not in your room Demetri?” Alec asks along the way “Considering we have never met I assumed it would be best not to startle the girl when she woke this morning” Demetri replies “Sounds fair” Alec replied.

Jane and Y/N enter the throne room first and walk to stand beside Aro; Demetri, Felix and Alec arrive a few moments later. As the three male vampires enter the room they notice Jane and the human girl standing beside Aro and that there are no other guards in the room. Alec moves to stand on the other side of Y/N so she is now stood between the twins. “Thank you for meeting with us this morning. I have some news to share with you all, although it will affect Demetri more than the rest of you” Aro begins gaining the room’s attention. “I would like to introduce you all to Y/N Swan, Bella’s younger sister and she is to join our family…as Demetri’s mate” Aro adds looking at Demetri now to gage his reaction at the news. ‘So that’s what Jane meant when she said Y/N was mine’ He thought to himself and smiled at the girl, who smiled back.

“Brother, how do you know they’re mates?” Caius asks curious “I don’t brother. Jane discovered Y/N’s gift by accident and once I met her I knew that she would need to be changed as she was made aware of our world during our visit…” “You mean the Cullens told another human about us?” Caius cut Aro off “No, brother. Y/N found out about us after I asked to meet her as I was curious about her gift. Carlisle and Esme offered to turn Y/N and make her a part of their family but I knew you would not like that brother” Aro looked back at Caius, who nodded “So I proposed an alternative solution. Demetri has been on his own for a very long time and thought he would welcome Y/N as his mate. I have every confidence that he will treat her well and look after her” Aro adds smiling at Demetri, who was still looking at Y/N smiling “So you have ‘arranged’ this paring brother and are hoping that it works out?” Marcus asked “Indeed brother. Now I think Demetri and Y/N should go back to his room and get to know one another a little” Aro says and motions for Y/N and Demetri to leave the room. Y/N nods at Aro and walks to over to Demetri but before they can say or do anything Caius speaks up again “Brother you mentioned the girl has a gift. What is it?” “Ahh yes brother, Y/N has the gift of Telekinesis” Aro replies; Y/N notices Felix looks a little confused “It means I can move things with my mind” She explains to him and she hears Demetri chuckle beside her “I think we’ll get along just fine cara” Demetri says to Y/N and takes her warm hand in his cold one and they make their way back to his room. Aro was pleased as it seemed Demetri was interested in getting to know his ‘mate.’

A few days later Demetri leaves the castle to run a few errands and when he returns he immediately seeks out Y/N, finding her in the library. “Hello Y/N, I hope you have not been too bored in my absence?” He asked as he sat beside her “I think it’s hard to get too bored when you have a library as big as this” She replies with a smile and he nods “Yes, I must admit it is rather large and we do add to it every few decades” Demetri stands and holds out his hand “Come with me please, I have a gift for you” She places her hand in his and he leads her back to his room. Once inside he lights the fireplace and then sits beside her on the sofa “Here, this is for you” He says as he hands her a small box. She opens the box to see a gold ring inside with a small diamond set in the middle of two small rubies “Th-Thank you Demetri…you-you didn’t have to…” “I know but I wanted to Y/N” He said taking the ring out of the box and placing it on her finger, placing a kiss to her forehead. 

Demetri also seemed interested in Y/N’s gift of Telekinesis as noone else in the guard had that gift and he and the Volturi had never come across anyone with that gift before either. “So how does your gift work Y/N?” Demetri asked one evening as they sat reading by the fire “I can show you…if you’d like?” She offered and he nodded smiling “Ok, then” She added looking around the room and noticed that his desk was littered with papers and books. She stood from the sofa and made her way closer to his desk and waved her hands in the air over his desk and Demetri watched wide eyed as the papers were neatly stacked on the left side of his desk and the books on the right. She made her way back to the sofa and waved her hand over the coffee table and the book she had finished reading found its way back into the bookcase “That’s impressive Y/N” He said smiling at her “Thank you” She blushed a little looking down at her feet “I know it’s not much but Aro says if I practice my gift will improve” She looked up at him through her lashes and saw that he was smiling at her “He’s right it will improve over time. I can help you…if you’d like?” He offered and she nodded.

During the second week of Y/N being in the castle Demetri started to get a little frustrated at taking care of his human “How are you and Y/N getting along?” Heidi asked “It feels more like I’m babysitting the girl than spending time with my mate. Humans need so much attention and not to mention they need to sleep like eight hours a night, so whilst she sleeps I get to spend my nights alone just as I have done for the last 1000 years. I mean what’s the point?” He replied as he helped Heidi prepare for the following week’s ‘tour.’ “Don’t speak like that Dem, Y/N is your mate and yes she’s human but only until you change her” Heidi said defending the girl “That’s another thing…I have to change her, take responsibility for her…all because Aro thought he’d solve me being a little lonely by giving me a human as a mate” He replied sounding a little bitter “I’m surprised at you Demetri. I would have thought that you would have loved looking after her, taking care of her and eventually changing her as it meant that she was truly yours” Heidi added, Demetri didn’t respond so they continued with their task in silence.

Y/N had been at the castle for about three weeks when Demetri’s behaviour changed towards her; he no longer wanted to be around her, no longer wanted to take care of her. Having Aro choose his mate for him is something Demetri was not happy about and he made sure she remembered she wasn’t his choice. He stopped spending his free  time with her, this included not spending evenings with her; choosing instead to spend them with Felix or Alec or Santiago, sometimes the four of them got together and played cards, other times he just spent the night reading in Felix’s room thus leaving Y/N all alone except for the times when Jane went to see her, which wasn’t often.

After a few weeks of being left alone all the time Y/N begun to feel lonely but she didn’t say anything to anyone instead opting to just put on a smile whenever she was around the guards. Deep down she knew what was happening but she didn’t want to believe it.

Demetri was sitting in Felix’s room one night and their conversation turned to Y/N and that was the night Demetri finally rejected her. “I’m guessing as you are sitting here with me again things haven’t improved with Y/N over the past month?” Felix asked “She wasn’t my choice Felix, she was Aro’s. What happens when I meet my actual mate?” Felix didn’t answer, just looked over his friend’s shoulder to see Y/N standing in his bedroom doorway. “I didn’t think vampires chose their mates. I thought they had no say in who they were mated to” Y/N said sounding a little confused “Fate chooses our mate for us. Someone who is meant for us, the other half of our soul, the missing piece that compliments us…completes us” Demetri replied turning to look at her and empathising certain words to make his point. She nodded in understanding before she answered him “You weren’t my choice either Demetri. I had things I wanted to do with my life and now I’ll never get the chance. So...I propose a compromise...we get to know one another a little...become friends even and if / when you meet your mate, your other half…you can claim her and live happily ever after if that’s what you want. She never has to know about me being Aro’s choice” She tried to keep her voice level and Demetri thought for a moment before nodding “Fine...I suppose we can try and become friends” “Ok then. I’ll go pack my things and move out of your room…tonight” She turned and walked back to Demetri’s room going straight into his closet and began packing her clothes and shoes, biting her bottom lip hard to prevent herself from crying at being rejected by the man she had started to have feelings for. A few minutes later she heard Demetri’s voice behind her “The room opposite mine is empty, I’ll help you move your stuff when you’re ready” “Thank you Demetri, but I think I can manage” She replied not looking at him and continued to pack.

It took her less than an hour to pack her clothes, shoes and her other belongings, she wheeled her suitcases across the hall and into the closet of her new room. She turned to go back to Demetri’s room to collect the rest of her stuff when she saw him in the doorway “Here, they looked heavy so I thought I’d help you. Where do you want them?” “Er…thank you. You can just put them by the door as I’m not sure where I want things” She replied giving him a smile. He placed the boxes down by the door, making one last trip to bring her the rest of her stuff before going back to his room, happy he could spend a night in his own space…without her.

About a week later Aro found out about their compromise but did nothing about it for Y/N was still apart of his coven even if she wasn’t bound to Demetri as his mate. In fact he was impressed at how she handled Demetri’s rejection of her; being the bigger person and offering a solution to the ‘problem.’ Aro decided to let the two of them figure out how to become friends, hoping that it might become something more.

Over the next few weeks Y/N tried many things to try and connect with Demetri; to get to know him as a friend. She found out from Felix what his favourite book was and read it so they would have something to talk about; that conversation didn’t last long and nor did it lead to further conversation topics as she hoped. She even asked him to help her with her ‘gift’ to practice and hone her Telekinesis and he agreed to help after guard duty one Friday evening, agreeing to meet her in the training room. She made her way to the training room on the day and time they agreed but realised after ten minutes that he had stood her up. She made her way back to her room passing the Games Room along the way and heard him talking and laughing with Felix and Alec. She ran back to her room and locked the door before climbing on her bed ‘I didn’t choose to come here, to be with him but as least I tried’ she thought to herself. She cried herself to sleep that night at the realisation ‘I’m just not good enough for him.’

Despite the compromise they had made Demetri still wasn’t happy with the situation but he tried to get to know her or at least that’s what he told himself as he continued to push her away. Following him standing her up in the training room Y/N decided not to push him into spending time with her; she stopped trying to get know him. She had finally realised that he only agreed to her suggestion of a compromise as it meant that he got his room back, making it easier for him to avoid her.

Demetri spent so much time pushing her away that whatever little connection there was in the beginning was now fractured. This saddened Marcus most of all as he knew what it was like to spend forever alone; he would give anything to have someone to love, someone to take care of. For the first time since Demetri joined them he was disappointed in the tracker; disappointed with his behaviour and treatment of Y/N. For if he took the time to get to know her he would realise that she was indeed chosen for him by fate; that Aro was merely the ‘middle man’ bringing them together, ensuring their paths crossed. Y/N was the key to Demetri’s happy ending and he had rejected her. Marcus decided to keep this information to himself after finding Y/N in the garden upset one day whilst Demetri was away on a mission.

“Good afternoon Y/N. How are you settling in?” He asked softly taking a seat beside her on the bench “Good afternoon Marcus. I’ve settled in ok, thank you for asking” She lied and he knew it “Really? You have been here for a few months now and you don’t seem to have made many friends…” “Well as a human in a castle full of vampires it’s hard to make friends…especially as they are already friends with the one who…” She stopped herself from finishing that sentence “The one that rejected you. Is that what you were going to say?” He asked looking at her; she turned to face him her eyes filled with tears and just nodded in response. “I am sorry my dear that you are so unhappy…I wish there was something I could do” He replied softly, wrapping an arm around her “It’s ok really…I’ll be ok” She said trying hard not to let the tears fall. After that conversation Marcus figured being rejected once was enough heartache for the girl to endure and decided he would not meddle; he’d let things run their course, confident that fate would intervene and bring them back together before it was too late. If only he knew what the future held.