#whenever i doubt that i was like i am now when i was younger someone just needs to point at these comics.

[autism-disco]

ffs tumblr why did you have to dig me into a pit of old interests i have a test in like eleven hours!!! i don’t have time for this!!

anyway if they ever do release tamsin and the days as a book like with deep + dark i will loose my absolute shit. yes it has been at least like 4 or 5 years. no i don’t care give it to me phoenix comics please i need to remember what the funny pumpkin man did

[auras-moonstone]

hockey player ethan/jack?? what do we think

HOT!!! that’s what we think. anyways happy august season to the august girlies<3 this was very painful yet fun to write btw

august — ethan landry

word count: 3,180

pairing: hockey player!ethan landry x fem!reader

based on: august by taylor swift

summary: y/n and ethan had never seen each other with romantic eyes, until she pulls up her car. after that, their summer love adventure starts.

warnings: angst, fluff, cheating and that’s it i guess

part one part two

Y/N WAS CERTAINLY NOT PROUD OF WHAT SHE DID, BUT SHE COULDN’T LIE TO HERSELF, SHE DID NOT REGRET IT. Did that make her a bad person? Probably, and maybe that’s why karma got her, because sneaking around with someone’s boyfriend—even if it that someone was Betty, whom Y/N absolutely despised—had been a dick move, and she knew it all too well. But then again, Ethan’s puppy brown eyes had been like a trap. A trap she had fallen for unexpectedly and deeply.

Ethan Landry was the captain of the Blackmore Hockey Team—which Y/N’s brother, Drew, was a part of—, and Blackmore University’s golden boy. He was beyond untouchable, and taken by the captain of the cheerleader squad: Betty Harkness. They were the perfect couple on papers, but everyone knew they didn’t get along very well, and that they broke up and made up back and forth.

Everyone wanted Ethan—he was gorgeous, confident, hilarious, kind, athletic and pretty much every positive adjective you could find. But Y/N always saw him as Drew’s friend and Ethan always saw her as Drew’s little sister (although she was only a few months younger than them). Until one action completely changed the course of their lives.

“Eth? Are you on your way to hockey practice?” Y/N pulled up her car when he saw the tall boy walking on the sidewalk, hockey stick over his broad shoulder.

“Y/N! Yes. My car broke down, and now I have to walk” Ethan said, scrunching his nose.

“Get in the car, dumbass. I’ll drive you” she said, opening the shotgun door.

“Are you sure? Aren’t you heading somewhere else?”

“No, actually I was going to see the practice too. My best friend left to visit some relatives, so I have no plans. Drew invited me to the practice when he saw me mopping around the house”

Ethan laughed, and got into the car “You’re a life saver. But hey, does that mean you have to spend your whole summer all alone? That’s awful”

Y/N shook her head “Only a week and a half. Now I kinda wish I had more friends, although staying at home watching rom-coms doesn’t sound that bad”

“God, you depress me” Ethan groaned.

“Sorry Mr. So Popular I Get Invited To Every Party” she teased him.

“You could get invited to parties too, if you didn’t have that bitchy face whenever someone approaches you with an invitation” Ethan said, trying to contain a smile.

“I do that?” she asked, genuinely surprised.

Ethan raised his eyebrows “You don’t do that on purpose?”

“No! I mean, I would take the invitation even though parties aren’t my thing and will probably not go”

“Why? Because you’re not like other girls?” he joked.

Y/N scoffed “No, you dick. I get anxious around big crowds, especially intoxicated crowds” she explained.

“Oh… now I do feel like a dick”

The girl sent him a reassuring smile “It’s okay”

“You know, this is the first time we talk without Drew around” Ethan said.

“You’re right. What’s your veredict? Am I better company than my brother?” she asked, playful smile on her lips.

“Oh, most definitely” he said mirroring her smile “Jokes aside, you’re actually fun to be around”

“You doubted that?? What a wrong thing to assume from someone who was the authority to kick you out of her car” Y/N tried to keep a serious expression, but Ethan’s laugh ruined it.

“True, true. I’m sorry I ever doubted you, Y/N/N. Please don’t leave me stranded” Ethan said, putting his palms together and looking at her with his deep brown eyes.

Had he always had those cute puppy eyes? And holy shit was he handsome, and charming. How did that go past her all this time?

Y/N did an exaggerated sigh “Fine, I guess I am feeling a little kind-hearted today, so I’ll give you a pass”

“Oh, thank you, benevolent Y/N” he said, and then both bursted out laughing.

Ethan sneaked out glances at her throughout the rest of the ride, wondering how he had never noticed how funny and gorgeous she was. And had she always had that shiny smile?

what are you wearing? 😏

um my grandma’s camisole

who is this?

you’re supposed to say i’m just in my underwear or something sexy jesus y/n🙄

you’re absolutely disgusting, stranger

who are you??

a very handsome and espectacular hockey player (the best on the team, if you want my opinion)

omg julian hi!! i was going to ask for your number but i never had the courage tbh

WHAT THE FUCK YOU HAVE A CRUSH ON JULIAN YOUR BROTHER IS GOING TO KILL YOU

AND HES NOT THE BEST ON THE TEAM 😡

lmaoo

you’re fricking adorable ethan

oh you knew it was me

what gave it away? the handsome part or the espectacular hockey player??

your ego🫤

ah yes makes sense🤔

so… no crush on julian?

nope :)

why are you texting me tho?

i’m bored and you told me you had no plans

so, meet me behind the mall?

we can go see a movie or something

if you want to, ofc

oooh i heard they are playing twilight 🥺🥺

not gonna happen

pretty please????? don’t be judgemental

it’s a classic

we have very different opinions on the term “classic”

come on don’t be like that😫😫 i really want to go

plus we can watch a movie you want another day???

okay fineeee

see you in an hour?!

see ya👹

what the fuck is that emoji

it’s the closest thing to a vampire 😭

🧛🏻🧛🏻‍♂️ there you go, the emojis actually exist

OMG YOU JUST CHANGED MY LIFE

you’re the dorkiest dork i’ve ever met

a cute one tho ;)

thank you but get your ass moving

robert pattinson is waiting for me!!!

ETHAN WOULD ABSOLUTELY HATE THE MOVIE IF THE SIGHT OF Y/N’S EXCITED FACE WASN’T SO GODDAMN HEART WARMING. Ethan didn’t know what was going on with him, but he hadn’t been able to stop thinking about her ever since the drive—which was a week ago. He yearned for her sarcastic remarks and funny comebacks. He found himself going to Drew’s house more often just to catch a small glimpse of the gorgeous girl, who would smile brightly at him when she caught him staring.

Yes, they were definitely flirting. And he felt like he was fifteen again having his first crush. But the attraction was obviously mutual, so he didn’t hesitate to make a move.

“How many times have you watched this movie again?” Ethan whispered in her ear, and she felt goosebumps all over her body. How could a voice be that sexy?

“Like… ten times? I don’t know. Why? Am I reciting the lines too much?” she asked embarrassed.

Ethan bit his lip softly, his heart not taking her cuteness “No, just wondering if you could miss five minutes of it”.

“Why?”

“Because I want to kiss you”

“But I wanna keep on watching Robert” she teased as she got closer to the tall boy.

“You’re seriously talking about another guy while I am one second away from kissing the fuck out of you?”

Y/N shrugged “Deal with it”

“As you wish”

The arm rest was stabbing her ribcage but Y/N didn’t care about anything else other than that intoxicating kiss. She didn’t feel anything but the heat of his touch on her waist, on her jaw, on her neck—everywhere. And Ethan didn’t care about anything else but her soft lips, the feel of her fingers on his hair, the little whimpers she was making as his tongue explored her mouth.

“Now that I think about it, I can miss the rest of the movie” she spoke against his lips.

Ethan smirked “My house?” Y/N nodded eagerly.

THE SILKY SHEETS FELT SOFT AGAINST HER NAKED SKIN AND THE WARMTH OF ETHAN’S BODY MADE HER WANT TO NEVER GET UP. But it was practice day, so Ethan’s alarm went off, and they both groaned. The night had been amazing, after whispers of ‘are you sure?’ and ‘never have i ever before’, they ended up twisted in his bedsheets and the memory of the passionate rounds were the first thing that came to their minds as they woke up.

“We need to get up, Eth. You have practice” Y/N said as the sleepy boy pulled her towards him.

“But you look so pretty beneath the sun and in my sheets” he whispered, kissing her collarbone.

Y/N blushed “Come on, we have to go”

“We? Are you coming to the practice?” Ethan said excitedly.

Y/N nodded “If that’s okay”

“Yes! Prepare to be left enchanted by my hockey skills”

“I’ve seen you play hundreds of times, Eth” she laughed. “I know you’re fantastic”

“I will dedicate every score to you” he kissed her softly.

“Wow, I’m so excited and honoured” Y/N said in a high-pitched voiced.

“You’re so mean” Ethan laughed. “By the way… are you feeling okay? Aren’t first times painful?”

“Well, my legs feel a little bit weird, but I’m okay. Thank you” Y/N smiled sweetly, and he pressed his lips to her temple.

Was it too soon to say she had, maybe, fallen for him? Could he possibly feel the same? Y/N could only hope it wasn’t just a summer thing for him, because she certainly knew it wouldn’t be for her.

AUGUST HAD SIPPED AWAY LIKE A BOTTLE OF WINE AND SOON CLASSES STARTED AGAIN. And the feeling of anxiety filled Y/N’s chest. What would happen now? Would Ethan break up with Betty or was he going to let the memories of august slip away into just a moment in time? They had never talked about it, they just enjoyed their moments together.

“Well, well, she’s alive! Who would’ve thought?” the voice of Willow, her best friend, filled her ears.

“Hi, my gorgeous beautiful pretty friend” Y/N said with a guilty smile as she approached her.

“No, no. There’s not enough adjectives in the world to remediate the fact that you cancelled our plans all summer” Willow crossed her arms in front of her chest.

“I’m sorry… I need to confess something”

Willow raised her eyebrows “I’m hearing”

“Promise not to freak out? It’s important that you stay calm, we’re in the hallway”

“I promise”

“I’ve been seeing someone during the summer” she whispered.

Willow’s eyes almost popped out of her face “Holy shit! Who?”

“Remember your promise, okay?” Y/N reminded her, and she nodded impatiently. “Ethan”.

Willow didn’t scream, or gasp, or choked in surprise. She laughed. “Oh my god, imagine!” wow, was it that unbelievable? Y/N stared at her with a serious expression and soon Willow realized it wasn’t a joke. “Are you fucking kidding me, Y/N/N? Are we talking about Ethan Landry? Captain of the team? Your brother’s friend? Mr. Popular? Betty Harnkness’ boyfriend?”

“Yes, Willow. Congratulations, you know him!”

“Don’t use that tone with me right now! Y/N he has a girlfriend”

Y/N sighed “I know, okay? And I feel a little bad. But it’s too late, okay? It’s done”

“A little bad?” Willow repeated, trying not to laugh.

“Well, it is Betty we are talking about. And are they really into each other or is just for social status?”

“Yeah… what is going to happen? Are him and Betty over? Are you two dating?”

“I don’t know, I don’t know and no” she answered. “We haven’t talked about it”

“I bet you didn’t talk at all” Willow smirked.

“Actually… we did. I mean, we did have fun doing… physical stuff but we also talked a lot” Y/N said with a smile “He’s so amazing, Willow. He’s so easy to talk to, he’s funny, sweet, laughs at my jokes, takes care of me, compliments me every chance he has, he’s an amazing kisser… he dedicated me every single score he did when he played. It was so sweet”

“Holy shit, Y/N you really fell for him”

“I know” you could almost see the sparks radiating off her.

“Well, lover girl. Let’s go to class, and then you’ll tell me all the details”

And as they walked through the hallway they caught sight of Ethan’s group. Against the lockers were Drew, Julian, Chad, Tara, Mindy, Anika, Betty and Ethan, whose arms was draped around Betty’s waist.

Y/N felt her surroundings get frozen, a knot appeared on her throat and she was pretty sure she was about to cry. Just like that, every hope and excitement left inside her turned into ashes. She wanted to keep walking, but her feet were glued to the floor.

“Fuck, Y/N/N” Willow whispered, as she saw what had left her best friend in such state “Let’s keep walking” she grabbed her friend’s hand and started to guide her towards the classroom.

But to do that, they had to walk past the group. The two friends set their eyes on their goal—the classroom—praying they wouldn’t notice them.

“Y/N/N!” shit no, no no. Willow squeezed her friend‘s hand tightly as they heard Drew calling her. She had no choice.

“It’s okay, I’m here” Willow whispered as they dragged their feet towards them.

“Hi” they said, Willow’s tone was dry while Y/N’s was just low and unstable.

“Hey, just wanted to give you these” Drew said, handing her two tickets. “For the hockey match this weekend. You are going, right?”

“I don’t know. Willow and I have plans” Y/N said, only looking at Drew.

“But it’s our last match. And we’re pretty confident we’re winning, with our star player right here” Drew said, patting Ethan’s arm. The boy laughed, and Y/N felt her heart clench at the beautiful sound.

“Yeah, Y/N/N come on. You enjoy hockey” his voice addressing her did nothing but make her want to cry in the spot. Was he mocking her? Y/N didn’t look at him, and Willow threw him a dirty glance.

“Y/N’s thing is to stay home with her lame romantic comedies” Betty’s annoying voice said.

“Shut up, Betty” Tara said harshly.

“Please? I really want you there” Drew told her.

How could she say no? She loved her brother “Okay, okay. We will be there” she faked a smiled so he won’t see how miserable she was feeling.

But he was her brother, and knew her like the back of his hand “Hey, what’s wrong?” he grabbed his sister by the cheeks, eyes reflecting how worried he was.

“Nothing” god she felt so pathetic. It was now obvious she was about to cry. And she was doing it in front of her brother’s friends, the boy who broke her heart and his girlfriend “I need to go to class, see you later”.

By the end of the day, Y/N felt absolutely defeated. Her energy was drained, the knot on her throat didn’t want to go away and her mind was making fun of her by replaying the memories of her summer love thing with Ethan. But as if God took pity on her, the last class of the day got suspended so she got to go home early.

But apparently it was the Let’s Make Y/N Feel Like Shit day, because Ethan had been waiting for her in the hood of her car, with his perfect mullet hair and his hockey jersey that looked absolutely amazing on him. She had no escape.

“What the fuck are you doing?” she spoke. Now she felt furious, how dare he show his face after that morning?

“I needed to talk to you” Ethan said in a soft voice.

“I have things to do. So, I’m really sorry, but not right now”

“By ‘things’ do you mean go home, make cookies and watch 10 things I hate about you?” he asked with a knowing smile.

“Don’t act as if you knew me” she spitted in anger.

The smile fell from his face “I do know you, Y/N/N”

“Well then, you might’ve realized that I don’t want to talk to you at all” she said, trying not to let the tears fall. Why was he there? Wasn’t the pain he put on her that morning enough?

“Please… I- I need to explain what happened. It’s not what it looked like” Ethan said.

“So, you’re telling me that you actually broke up with Betty?” she asked, already knowing what the answer would be. Ethan sighed and shook his head no. “Then it was exactly what it looked like. And you even had the audacity to mock me!”

“What?! I didn’t mock you” Ethan said truthfully.

“Y/N/N come on. You enjoy hockey” she imitated his voice. “You were mocking me. You know I don’t care about hockey, I just cared about seeing you and my brother”

“I- god yes, it sounded bad. But I swear I didn’t mean it like that. It was my way of telling you everything was okay”

“What the fuck?!” she laughed dryly “Nothing is okay, Ethan! You are still with her. And I know we didn’t state you were breaking up with her to be with me, but I just thought… I thought you would do it. That we had something going on. I thought it was more than a summer thing”.

“It was more than that, I promise. It was so much more than a summer thing. I’ve never felt something so strong towards someone”

“Then why are you still with her?”

“I… don’t know. I just-she saw me and everyone was watching us… I couldn’t break up with her. I’m sorry. With the match coming up, I didn’t want to add any unnecessary drama… I just thought it wasn’t the right time to break up”

“Unnecessary drama? The match? Are you fucking serious? It didn’t cross your mind how would I feel when I saw you with your arms around her? Well, in case you were wondering it was fucking devastating. I was just telling Willow what an amazing guy you are… how in love I am with you. And then I saw you two… it sucked, Ethan. So I’m sorry if your apologies aren’t enough. Now I need to go”

“How in love I am with you” were the words that resonated on Ethan’s head as he watched Y/N drive away. She was in love with him, and he was very much in love with her too, but he wrecked everything.

“Hey, man. What’s wrong? Why are you crying?” Drew found him in the empty hallway.

“I screwed it up, Drew. I hurt her”

“What’s are you talking about?” but Ethan did nothing but sob with his head in his hands. “It’s okay, man. Just breathe, just relax, it’ll be okay”

But Ethan didn’t know if it was going to be okay. He cursed for having been so careless with the relationship, for having though that wanting would be enough. It wasn’t. He should’ve been clear with Betty. His top priority should’ve been Y/N, not Betty nor the hockey match. He ruined it, but he was going to do everything in his power to make it up to her. He was determined to win back the girl he loved.

[muxshwriting]

the way i loved only you (pt. i)

Eloise Bridgerton x fem!reader

summary: you never thought you'd find someone again, let alone find that someone in a girl from a past you'd left behind || warnings: mentions of childbirth, death, abandonment || word count: 1379 || masterlist

REQUESTED BY @baylegend6

Your mother's screams cut through the air and through your bones. They wouldn't let you into the room, pushing everyone away despite the fact that you were nearly seven and ten. Lady Danbury rushed past you, a worried expression on her face.

"Lady Danbury, is Mama alright?"

She was solemn. "I don't know my child. She is strong and a fighter, I'm sure she will give birth to a brother for you."

Your mother did birth a son, but not for you. Your father couldn't have been happier and her screams faded into the excitement. You weaved through the corners of the room, unnoticed in favour of the new male heir. You creeped into your mother's room, trying to see if she was alright. Instead you saw maids carrying bloodied cloths and hiding tears. Mama was dead, killed by the child she loved unconditionally.

Choosing your future above your father's reputation and not wanting to meet your mother's fate, you packed the necessary clothes and pin money and took off into the night.

Three years later, a lot had changed. At seventeen, you'd met a boy who you'd thought loved you more than life itself. As young lovers do, the consequences of your actions didn't occur to you until they were hitting you in the face. You gave birth to a beautiful young girl alone named Abigail and afraid after your lover abandoned you in the middle of the night. You had held that babe with such tenderness, whispering sweet nothings and promising that you would never let her have the life that you did. You promised you would be there, that you would protect her and hold her close as long as you were able.

Now your baby had grown into the most mischievous toddler you'd ever met. She would try and trick you and her favourite person in the world whenever she could, Theo. Theo had been there since Abigail was born, helping you care for her when you were working. The two of you had met when you got a job working as a shop assistant at the same printing shop. There was no doubt that Abigail adored Theo, she would run to him whenever she could. And on one occasion, Theo wasn't alone.

"T'eo!" Your daughter cried, running towards the boy. As she toddled closer, Theo bent down to take her in his arms and her tenderly. He had always been the best with Abigail. You chase after her, taking Abigail from his arms and turning to the girl he was talking with. She seemed only slightly younger than you but was dressed like aristocracy. There was no dirt on the hem of her dress, no scuffs on her shoes.

"I'm terribly sorry about her." You say to the girl, lowering your gaze slightly to look her over. She was pretty, blessed with brown locks and the kindest eyes as she looked at your daughter.

"No problem." She replied.

"What brings you so far from Mayfair?"

"Mayfair?" The girl says slowly. "Am I that obvious?"

You smile at her. "I happen to be an expert in noticing those who don't fit it. However, you are particularly obvious Miss...?"

"Bridgerton. Eloise Bridgerton." A Bridgerton, in these streets of London. Perhaps pigs were about to fly.

"Well Miss Eloise, it is an honour to welcome you into our corner of the world. I'm Y/n, this is Abigail, my daughter."

"Your daughter?" Eloise seemed surprised. "You two are married?"

Theo, who had been watching this conversation burst out with laughter. "No!" He cried, then steadied his emotions. "I'm not Abigail's father, nor am I married to Y/N."

"We're friends. He's helped me greatly. As for Abigail's father, he uh- he isn't around."

Eloise stared. "You are not married?"

"No..."

"But you have a daughter?"

You roll your eyes slightly, tired of this conversation. "Yes, yes. I'm a sinner, having a child out of wedlock. My soul is damned, my virtue is ruined. Please, spare me the lecture."

"No!" Eloise tried to defend herself. "I just mean to say that I didn't know that unmarried women had children."

"Ah." You understand what she means, and she means no insult. "You'll find there are plenty things Mayfair doesn't teach you."

"You speak as though you know."

"Because I do." Abigail fidgets in your arms and you say your goodbyes to Theo and Eloise as you try and calm her before she starts screaming. "Sorry, I really must put her down for her nap otherwise I won't be able to work. I hope I see you again Miss Eloise."

As it happened, you did see her again. She would visit and ask for Theo in the beginning but then she would ask for you and Abigail. Eloise could easily spend an afternoon sitting at your desk and entertaining Abigail whilst you poured over the printer's accounts. More often than not, Eloise would bring ribbons and small toys far too expensive for you to afford, all so that Abigail could be happy.

You found yourself growing closer to the girl, craving her visits and unable to hide your smile when she did. Eloise shared your smiles and the secrets the two of you held for each other only grew. Until one day, Eloise simply vanished. She didn't come and visit, she left no note, no hint of where she had gone or why she didn't visit.

Theo managed to find a copy of Whistledown that slandered Eloise for daring to enter the poorer areas of London and talking with commoners. But Eloise had completely cut off you and Theo and Abigail with no warning and no apology. Perhaps you should be the one apologising to her; she was a young girl, perhaps you had pulled into a part of your world she wasn't meant to see.

You had made a decision to walk away from the upper class and aristocracy. You couldn't try and relive some of your childhood by burdening Eloise Bridgerton. For the sae of your future, and your daughters future, you had to forget that Eloise Bridgerton ever existed and ever entered your life. She would never be yours to have and hold and love. It was better to move on now, so that you didn't convince yourself that something might happen.

But something did happen. A letter arrived, hand delivered by a man not dissimilar to Eloise. He was dressed in a spotless suit, awkwardly looking around with a letter clutched in his hand.

"Can I help you sir?"

He suddenly turns to you and seems glad to see a person who doesn't want to steal from him. "Yes, I'm looking for Y/N Y/L/N?"

"You've found her."

The man straightened his jacket and offered you the letter. "My name is Benedict Bridgerton, I believe you knew my sister? She wished for you to have this."

"Eloise-" You were stunned for a second. "Eloise wrote me a letter?"

"She also wanted me to apologise for it taking so long."

You practically snatched the letter from his hands, tearing it open and reading the words she wrote for you.

Dearest Y/N,

Words can't express how sorry I am because I am eternally sorry. But I cannot come to the shop to see you and Abigail. I don't think I'll ever be able to see you again and that is my greatest disappointment. My eldest brother intends for me to spend my summer fixing my reputation and then likely intends to find me a husband next season or perhaps the season after that.

The truth is, I want to see you and knowing that I can't only makes me want it more. I hope you write to me throughout the year because I will answer. If you chose not to write, I will not harass you any longer and I'll leave and Abigail alone. I hope Abigail knows how much I care. I'm sorry for abandoning you and her. I imagine that you're upset and angry and I don't blame you one bit.

I don't want you to blame yourself for this, it isn't your fault and it never will be. I just hope you can forgive me for all this. If you'll have me, I'll be yours, forever.

Eloise Bridgerton

part two (now here!)

so... it's been three weeks since my last upload. but this took me a while. i hope you like it xx

[shamachan]

Can you do romantic mcxqiu?

Qiu Lin x gn!MC romantic headcanonsꔛ

step 2.

amount of symbols: 3275± symbols

A/N below.

enjoy!

— Actually, it was obvious - their favouritism for you even when they were younger wasn't without any specific reason. You were their childhood crush and it's still present.

— They know that they closed themselves from the others, expect for some of their friends, oh yes they know they're still very well-known. But honestly? It doesn't seem to matter to them now.

— Autumn liked you so much. You'd never know how much they are thinking of you.

— Like, hey, you've been there for them as someone very close for 4 years, not giving any reason to untrust you or doubt you. But that wasn't the main thing.

— You looked out for them! C'mon, you visit their backyard just to talk to them practically everyday! You truly cared and thought about them, they know for sure. And they did it in return in their own way.

— And all of that made Qiu's heart flatter with emotions. They could barely contain them. Their mind was full of all kinds of things - even his notepad didn't help them out. But part of their thoughts become quieter whenever you're with them.

— I think relationship with Qiu is at the same time light, like summer evening breeze, as they definitely know what to do in practically any situation with you and how to communicate properly.

— But it can be as tough as winter cold nights too, when they again go into heavy thoughts about their “I am” and do not want to communicate with anyone at all. They are just become closed to everyone for this period of time, but they'll try and talk to you anyway.

— If someone else will try to get on your way when they're with you, Qiu will act the coldest with this poor person. They don't want this stranger just to be around now. Though if this person is someone who is at least a tiny bit close to Autumn, then they'll spare them.

— So it can be a little hard to be with them, but you know that it worth it and they don't do that on purpose.

— Sometimes they still come to the porch of your house, knock at the door and invite you to walk with them or ride a bike. They want to spend time with you.

— "...Wanna bet that I'd reach the end of the Golden Grove park faster than you?" Autumn would say in the park, already on their bike, smirking confidently at you.

— ...And this way they won't let you go home until the very late evening. But, of course, they won't do it too often.

— Rarely, but still Qiu would let you try to ride on their bike or use their notepad. It matters to them a lot, but you matter so much more.

— It doesn't seem like this, but they really are a soft kid. If you're up for some affection, they're up for it too. They aren't a fan of PDA, but they wouldn't mind if you like it. But if you're affectionate when you're alone with them, Autumn will melt more.

— They wouldn't show physical affection a lot, but they'll certainly support it. You want a hug? Oh, you may hug them all, they're all yours. You want to hold hands? Alright, here you are!

—They won't say many love you's. Qiu totally won't always express their feelings like this! But they would absolutely let you know that you're a "significant other" for them. 100% sure they wouldn't slip it.

— For example, they'll always have your back in any situation, caring and trying to help you, give you some wild flowers from the nearby forest or hand you his special notes.

— Believe me or not, but despite them being popular they have their eyes stay only on you. And that would never change.

— After all, Qiu does loves you. They'll never let you doubt this! Autumn will be there for you. Always.

A/N: Qiu Lin is one of my comfort characters and while writing this i felt how my love for them grows ahhh

BTW SORRY THAT TOOK A LIL LONG.. I'm a little busy these days so yeah!

but I'll definitely write other requests that i have^^

[ephemeral-roses]

Since it's been months, I am now forcing myself to be a brave little boy to post my process on my version of Ares, along with some art of Aphrodite. And sorry if the post is tagged weirdly, I still am unsure how to properly tag posts. I post every blue moon, so I don't think I still have an understanding of it.

These are my most recent and decent art of him, and I got a few notes on his design.

● His first scar is the one on his cheek, but it wasn't from any war or battle. When he was younger, he was exactly what one would imagine Ares to be, very arrogant and proud, with fighting on his mind despite having never been to any battles. He would play a game where he and someone would spar, and whoever gets the biggest scar wins. Hermes lost, only because he was so good at it.

● The tattoos he has are from Thrace, where he is said to have been born and was his favorite place. The symbol on the back of his hand is a snake, relating to them being one of his sacred animals.

And here is some art of him I made a few months ago, based on some paintings I've found of him. My favorite genre of Ares art is when he is dorned with flowers, the Erotes are playing with his weapons, and he is very happy with Aphrodite. It makes me very delighted.

Speaking of Aphrodite, this is what she looks like. I got a few notes on her personality and design.

● Since she is Aphrodite, she is very vain, focusing on her physical appearance a lot and becoming emotional whenever someone undermines or doubts her beauty, with the ability to become wrathful.

● But, as a mother, she is able to self-love aside for her children, putting her entire attention to them. Before she gets with Ares, she has already had a handful of children with previous lovers. Ares doesn't mind, of course.

● Her design is, of course, based on her origins from the sea and her being a sea goddess.

● She emerged from seafoam but was then taken in by Dione.

● Despite valuing her appearance and the way she presents herself and encouraging others to do the same, she does have one little quirk she inherited from her years living in the ocean. She eats like a beast, especially when it comes to seafood. When it is in her sight, she is devouring it like a wildwoman. This is just being very silly and having fun. Don't worry about it.

● Her little, uh, braid thing (I guess, I don't know what you'd call it exactly, I'm not good with hair) is divided into 7 sections, for the 7 types of Greek love. I'm gonna be transparent here. This is me trying to sound clever and creative when I'm not.

● When she is upset, whether sad or angry, her body starts resorting back to water and seafoam. I still can't find out how to draw it, unfortunately, even though the visuals look cool in my mind.

I am gonna try to post more frequently, especially the designs I've come up for the other gods. So far, this is all I could bring my energy to post.

[ghostbite0]

hihi!1!! i have a question about your ping sized pillars au! do they act differently towards eachother since they became children? dince because of their ages their behaviours could change so i’m just curious :D

hi anon!!! its 4 am sorry if i sound a little delirious at all when answering this question!

they absolutely do! i’ll make a very brief list just for the sake of simplicity but please feel free to ask for more clarification!! (i also plan to draw comics exploring this more so hopefully that will help showcase their dynamics too!)

Gyomei: After shrinking fourteen years and falling into the role of looking after the little ones until they can turn back, he’s much more gentle and kinder. he’s more expressive and talkative and is overall just a sweetheart toward the younger children and guides them however he can. at most he’ll pick on Sanemi and Tengen— but for the most part he takes all the responsibilities like a champ. older brother moment

He gets easily flustered and tends to mentally beat himself up a lot, often doubting his role and if he’s any good at it. He takes it hard whenever he accidentally makes someone cry :(

He’s very very close with Shinobu and Muichiro, but he loves everyone, and they all love him!

Tengen: he’s definitely more mischevious towards the others, but eeeextremely protective as well. he likes to carry everyone around + rough house and hates being the “bad guy” (aka enforcing rules), so naturally he becomes one of the favorite’s really quick

he’s kind of the equivalent of the older sibling who wants McDonalds and makes the younger sibling ask the parent for it. he bargains a lot with the other kids

He and Gyomei work really well as a team, with Gyomei being more nurturing and making rules (and consequences to breaking of said rules) and Tengen being more playful and funny. it really comes in handy when they have to distract the others from something distressing and Tengen entertains them while Gyomei works on fixing the problem!

Sanemi: Sanemi has the biggest change! he acts normal for the most part but is absolutely a big softie, as seen with how he will let Obanai hold his arm when nervous or how he’ll actively search for a flower to give Shinobu if she’s upset :(

He and Gyomei become closer during the whole ordeal, especially when Genya gets involved… Sanemi tries to get Gyomei to hide him from his (big?) little brother, but the eldest refuses and forces Sanemi to work stuff out with him…

Giyuu: his change is less noticeable… again, he’s mostly the same, but as things progress and he’s around Tanjiro, Shinobu, etc more, he loosens up. He actively looks out for the others in his own way, and never participates in rough-housing in favor of sitting with Shinobu or Muichiro. Honestly, he’s usually just hanging out with Tanjiro (against his will) and it’s difficult for me to word their dynamic without going into a lot of detail!

Obanai: he has a pretty big change as well. Obanai is shy as a kid, so naturally, he tends to keep to himself and only stick with the people he likes. He gets flustered around Mitsuri even more now, and the others tease him in the same way Elementary Schooler’s are like “obanai and mitsuri sitting in a tree!!!!!”

It’s also worth noting that he’s usually glued to Sanemi, Rengoku, or Gyomei/Tengen depending on who is around. He hates the situation they’re in and isn’t afraid to show it, but as soon as Shinobu and Muichiro are there, he acts like it doesn’t affect him at all. He’s closer with Muichiro as he actively tries to make sure he’s doing okay, and likes to help Gyomei watch him!

Rengoku: speaking of Rengoku…. yeah! He’s always been very loving and considerate, so it’s only amplified here. He likes to think he’s part of the “big kids” squad too… he’s more brotherly with Mitsuri and likes to drag Obanai out of his comfort zone, just like when they were younger. He’s much closer with Tengen! He has trouble playing with Muichiro because he’s so little, so usually when he’s with him he’s trying to feed him or entertain him (this rarely goes well)

Mitsuri: like Rengoku, she’s always been a sweetheart, so not too much changes. She’s much more affectionate and loving, though, and always wants to hug someone or play with them!

She becomes a lot more close with Shinobu, and likes to hang out with Tengen and Rengoku and join in on their shenanigans. She is clueless to Obanai’s feelings, and never notices how flustered he gets when she braids his hair or carries him around! She also plays a lot of games like “House” and what not, so dynamics shift whenever Mitsuri takes it veeeery seriously

Mitsuri lights up a room, and it’s noticeable if Mitsuri is down or not around. They’re all pretty close to her during this!

Shinobu: Shinobu has always been the mediator of the Hashira, and that reigns true even as a five year old. People think she can be a bit bratty or bossy, but that’s faaaar from the truth. Shinobu is even more persistent about Giyuu making friends and tries to include him however she can. Also, because she knew Gyomei at a young age, she tends to confide in him more often than not. She likes acting as a bigger sister toward Muichiro and having a lot of “girl talks” with Mitsuri; they have their equivalent of a sleepover pretty much every night.

Fun Fact: she gets pretty sad about not having Kanae around during this (since they grew up together and all), and Mitsuri kinda helps fill that role without either of them realizing it!

Muichiro: Being the baby of the group, quite literally, everyone absolutely adores him, but they don’t always know how to interact with him. At the start, his relationship with everyone is pretty sour, since he admittedly takes the whole de-aging thing the hardest. But with Gyomei’s patience and guidance, he warms up a bit and slowly starts to enjoy himself more, leading to his friendships with the others changing as well.

Everyone’s even more protective of him (especially after Muichiro protected them when they were all getting transformed— they feel kinda bad about it) and coddles him 24/7. They definitely spoil him, and Muichiro warms up to their affection and eventually begins actively seeking it. Tengen sometimes gets jealous about all the attention Muichiro gets, and it creates a fun dynamic between the two of Muichiro purposely trying to piss him off haha.

It’s hard to pinpoint how much his relationships change with everyone without writing an essay about it, but you get the gist!

“im gonna make a short list” (insert giant paragraphs of info)

anyway; that was a really great question!!! thank you so much for your interest in my silly little au, i hope i was able to help clear things up!!! feel free to ask for more details im kinda crazy BAHAHA

[elficially-done-with-life]

hi, I just wanted to pop in and say I'm so happy to see that someone else understands how important soft!Celegorm is ❤️ I would love to see more of him if you feel up to it, hcs with a spouse and/or kiddos maybe? Honestly happy with anything soft though 🥰

A/N: Thank you so much!!!! I LOVE soft!Celegorm and I am so happy you do too. When I saw this ask I was so happy🥰. Writing about him again was a lot of fun. I went with the Reader being Celegorm's daughter! Hope you enjoy!!!!!😊

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

♡ Celegorm would be really protective, whether you were confident or shy

♡ But he wouldn't be protective in a oppressing way, but in a worried way

♡ He wouldn't forbid you to do something just because he doesn't like it, but would instead teach you how to defend yourself or talk to you about it in detail. The last thing he wants is for you to feel oppressed

♡ If you were a shy person, he would constantly tell you how proud he is of you and try to boost your self-confidence in other ways too

♡ Before he had a daughter, he only wove flower crowns for his wife, now he does the same for you and it makes him overjoyed to see how happy you are about the colourful flowers

♡ If you were ever to doubt yourself because you don't have any special abilities like the others in your family, he would do everything he could to show you that you are more special to him than the others even without them

♡ Would never let you think he is disappointed in you

♡ If you're sad about something for a long time, he'll persuade you to go for a walk in the woods until it gets dark, then you'll lie down in a clearing and stare at the stars while you talk about your feelings

♡ Celegorm has noticed over time that you open up to him better when he opens up to you first

♡ If he's ever completely absorbed in his duties, he would always try to spend at least an hour a day with his family, because you are most important to him

♡ Is very careful when he takes you hunting for fear you might not want to come along in the future

♡ His biggest fear is that one day you might be sad that he is your father and not one of his brothers

♡ When you were a newborn, he couldn't stop looking at you, he was so enchanted, he stood next to you for hours while you slept with a gentle smile and shining eyes

♡ Afraid of the responsibility he now bears, but couldn't wish for a better feeling than that of being an Atar

♡ Especially when you lie on his chest as a newborn and sleep as he strokes your still short hair

♡ Is himself more emotional than many people think, and when he realised that you seemed to have inherited this from him, he always tries to show you that you could talk to him about anything

♡ When you were a smaller elf, he stopped going into the forest to hunt and took you with him to show you the nature instead

♡ You aren't afraid of any animal, because they always remind you of your Atar

♡ Only when you were older did he go hunting again, but he rarely stayed away for more than two days unless you or his wife accompanied him

♡ Because of his closeness to Curufin, you and Tyelpë grew up inseparable and practically like siblings

♡ Celegorm is very affectionate, which is why he always hugs you and gives you a kiss on the brow whenever he comes home, no matter how briefly he's been away

♡ When you were younger and you were in the forest together, you always sat on his shoulders

♡ Loves tickling you, especially when you were a smal elfling, because as long as you were laughing, all was right with the world

♡ Always tries to hide from you when he's feeling bad, but when you realise and give him comfort and tell him you love him, he feels better straight away

♡ If you ever have a romantic relationship later on, he wouldn't try to scare the person away but get to know them better, after all, if the person makes you happy, than he is happy for you

♡♡♡♡♡♡♡

[moon-alight]

Hiii 🧚‍♀️ could you please write a ff with maki and older reader? One year to be the most? Or maybe how he would be etc…

As I am older than him myself *ahem 2 years* I will gladly do this while continuing to be delulu <3

Masterlist

&Team Maki with an older s/o headcanons

Warnings: fluff, gender neutral reader

Word Count: 439

CRUSH-PHASE:

-My man was confused when he first started liking you because, well, your about a year (or two) older than him.

-He brushed it off as a silly crush and decided not to think too much about it anymore.

-Then you showed up again and he couldn't help but fall for you all over again. He couldn't believe how beautiful (or handsome) you were and began to doubt himself.

-If it was just a silly crush, why did his heart almost explode when you smiled at him or why did he almost pass out when your hands accidentally touched.

-Immediately goes to either Kei or Fuma for advice because my poor boy is lot.

-The two eldest tell him that there is nothing wrong with being younger than your s/o and he makes a move on you when he sees you again because realistically he has nothing to lose

DATING PHASE:

-Adores you! Oh my God!

-His hyungs were right, there was nothing weird about dating someone a bit older. He actually really likes it.

-Pinches your cheeks 24/7 (even if they're not pinchable, he'll pinch them)

-Whenever you get insecure -- for example on birthdays -- he'd assure you that it's fine and as long as you two are happy it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.

-He might be shy from time to time but he'll get over it, don't worry.

-Be prepared for teasing remarks from Yuma and Harua lol

-Remember that scene in Twilight: New Moon where it's Bella's birthday and Emmett goes "Dating an older woman, hot"? Yeah, that's what you get from them two.

-They only do it to tease and are actually really happy for you.

-But I see them as absolute menaces so that.

-I think while Maki is pretty chill, he's also adventurous and wants to go to theme parks every now and then -- you better go with him.

-Whenever someone (who's not Yuma or Harua lol) make a comment about your age difference he will not hesitate to protect you.

-Has no problem with telling them how it doesn't matter and they should just shut up.

-Loves cuddles and expects you to love them just as much.

-Likes to be held by you almost as much as holding you.

-Lots of cute selcas together because he wants more footage for the album on his phone which he will show on your wedding day.

-This man said 'Go big or Go home lol'

-Loves you so much and will absolutely do everything in his power to never let you go.

-Will always reassure you whenever you get insecure <3

[bastionbibi]

Question if it’s okay to ask: what is it that made Akai one of your favourites? Or at least someone that’s cool in your book

Man.... This is like asking why I love soup.  Ok, I'm not sure if I can stay coherent but I'll try, 

Ive been reading detco on and off since I was a was a wee child and even back then he was already one of my favorites because I like mystery, and he was the definition of that. 

And this way before the revelation that he was a good guy too. There was this moment of 'yeah, okay, this is it, he's the one (that im not gonna be normal about)'. Specifically, I fell in love in that one scene where he met ran on a snowy night, something about that scene was just so striking, especially something about him that, despite how intimidating he sounded or looked, didn't set off any alarms in Ran, that was the point where I knew there's more to this character, and that I love him. 

On another lighter note. I like his shinigami aesthetic, his one liner and lack of facial expression, I like his lonewolf tendency, how weirdly dependable he is and yet, he's not, in any way shape or form, charming. 

Like that time where he confronted Gin for the first time, he could've told Jodie and Conan that he had a plan to elude the BO but he didn't, he acted alone, he's extremely slow to trust but when he does, he pledge to them his true loyalty. I mean, Conan was just a child in his eyes (even though now he knows him as Shinichi), and yet since he decided to trust him, he never dismissed his words or treat him like a liability despite his 'age'. 

When he trust people, he cherished them in his own ways, and that's what I find commendable. 

He's ANNOYING. An asshole 75% of the time, we never got more backstory about him and Akemi because I refuse to believe this man with the personality as hard to love as the taste of blue cheese could land not 1 but 2 amazing ladies like cmon now. I hate how he treated Jodie but I have no doubt he would take a bullet for her if need be, I guess that’s why Jodie still likes him too to a degree but he didnt deserve her tbh (<- says the girl who will still reblog redstarling fanart whenever it crosses my dash). 

The same can be applied to his ‘rivalry’ with Rei, it doesn't matter what his true reason was, he decided that night, when he was holding the bleeding gun of a man he failed to save, he would keep the truth away from Rei and he stick by that decision till now, Rei did everything in his power to literally hunt him down over a misunderstanding and he didn't care, come hell and high waters and he will still keep Rei away from the truth because that's what he decided to do and he keeps his promises, especially ones made to himself. 

I suppose I like him because outside of 'work', while he keeps people on a distance, you don't have to second guess on where you stand, there's a sort of ease in that. 

As the story progresses, we get to see reasons as to why he ended up this way and that was pretty entertaining, seeing how affectionate he can be to his siblings and what happened in his past to make him go the extreme lengths of being an agent to another country and infiltrating a deadly organization etc, it fleshes him out, it makes me excited to see where he'll end up next. 

Also, he looks kinda handsome ngl 

ON ANOTHER NOTE!! He's also just- Really weird?? 

Like ok, sure, he faked his death like one would do but he came back from the grave as a guy 5 years younger with pink hair that's taking his masters?? Hello???? Has he even been to college before like I legit wonder if he knows how hellish a masters program is AND, I know this is based on a situation that's out of his control, out of all the personalities he can embody, he chose to be a milfy malewife who's always ready to babysit others?? Dedication to the bit is unmatched. 

(Also bc i hc him as conans dad and made a whole series about it, thats fun!)

(Anyway if youre in the gc dont u dare call me a simp i am not . ) 

[chidoroki]

182 Days of TPN - Day 121

Chapter 121: "Isn't This Great"

It's kinda scary how they're so excited about violence and destroying this world, like I know y'all have experienced harsh times here and just wanna live in peace but damn.

When someone as logical as Ray starts to believe in the new plan then you know it's gotta be a more optimal strategy. The Seven Walls is a big bag of surprises on its own anyway so they're not entirely wrong to be skeptical about it either.

I know they're worried for Emma and it's very sweet that they see Norman's plan as a way for her to finally relax after everything she's done for them up to this point, but it's not like she's been doing absolutely everything on her own either. Yeah everyone is following her as their leader, but the whole family is supporting one another as well, whether it's proving food, safety, healthcare or assisting with gathering information about the human world, WM, the Seven Walls, etc.

And yet something about their praise towards Norman kinda bothers me, or at least the timing of it and how they word it. Everyone was just saying how Emma was doing so much for them but now with Norman here, he's gonna do even better "this time for sure." Emma was already doubting her choices back during & after the shelter raid, do we gotta lead her down the same train of thought again? Our girl is doing her absolute best! It's not her fault a few people died while she was in charge.

Words can't express how glad and relieved I am that Ray notices her bluff.

It's such a tiny panel too but I'm glad the anime remembered to include it anyway. Very important for the upcoming chapters.

I love that we get a moment away from all the drama and just see the kiddos all excited as they explore paradise. They definitely deserve some luxury after the stressful trip they enduring to get here.

Affectionately blaming Tag because this is all I can think about whenever I see this panel of Norman.. I still dunno why I find it so funny to this day, but yeah.

It's beyond precious to see the trio play chess together again, even if Ray's acting like their parent. Deep down he knows he can't say no to them. Just give in, sweetie!

I hate this speech bubble so much! Let me see my boy's cute sleeping face!! He's probably feeling so safe and content around his two favorite people in the whole world, I'm certain he's got a big smile on his face as well.

Favorite panel/moment:

The younger kids are so cute when asking Norman which name he prefers. They wanna be so proper and don't wanna make him upset or annoyed by saying the wrong thing. It's so heartwarming to see him drop the facade around his family though.

And they're so relieved by it too! Just to have him act as their older brother again! (Ray actually imagining him as a giant is hilarious.)

Absolutely one of my favorite panels of this lad, not even solely because he's getting tackled and knocked down by so many kids but also with the happy look on everyone's faces.

And I especially love Anna, Sandy & Paula's reactions to finally seeing Norman; from the dramatic pause to their totally shocked expressions. Even Hayato is taken off guard as he's certainly never seen the boss act like this before. (it's a bit odd though because Paula was shown touring paradise with the others a couple pages ago so why is she suddenly surprised here? I know she and the other two were taking care of Chris & Dominic earlier and missed the initial reunion, but whatever.)

Don and I got that same mindset.

[mariana-oconnor]

The Naval Treaty pt 1

A four parter? Ooooh, exciting.

The July which immediately succeeded my marriage was made memorable by three cases of interest

I officially have no clue when we are. The timeline is a time spirograph. We're just going to pretend that time doesn't matter, okay? Because clearly ACD didn't care about it at all.

[The Adventure of the Second Stain], however, deals with interest of such importance and implicates so many of the first families in the kingdom that for many years it will be impossible to make it public. [...] The new century will have come, however, before the story can be safely told.

I feel like I have seen behind the curtain or stolen a biscuit from the tin without anyone knowing about it.

During my school-days I had been intimately associated with a lad named Percy Phelps

The evolution of language once again championing queer readings of text.

On the contrary, it seemed rather a piquant thing to us to chevy him about the playground and hit him over the shins with a wicket.

Oh those schoolboy shenanigans, what games, what japes we played! Like... *checks notes* beating a young boy's legs with wooden sticks. What fun!

I know attitudes have changed and yadda yadda but 'intimately acquainted' suggests you were friends but beating his legs with wooden sticks because his uncle was a lord - even if he was a tory - doesn't seem like friendship. Were you friends or did he just try desperately to appease you to stop you from hitting him with sticks?

'I have no doubt that you can remember “Tadpole” Phelps, who was in the fifth form when you were in the third.'

There is no way in which I can find to make 'tadpole' a nice nickname. I assume it's because he was younger than most of the people in his form because he was advanced two years for being smart. I assume that's actually the basis of a lot of this bullying.

'I have only just recovered from nine weeks of brain-fever, and am still exceedingly weak. Do you think that you could bring your friend Mr. Holmes down to see me?'

That feeling when you're recovering from a serious illness and you have to contact your childhood bully because it turns out he's now bffs with the only man who can help you.

There was something that touched me as I read this letter, something pitiable in the reiterated appeals to bring Holmes.

Seriously? Seriously? Now you're going to pity him. Watson... Watson, you're on thin fucking ice right now.

“You come at a crisis, Watson,” said he. “If this paper remains blue, all is well. If it turns red, it means a man's life.”

Another tantalising glimpse into a case we are not privy to. ACD does like these. He did it at the start of this story with The Second Stain as well, although we know he did eventually write and publish that one, because we've seen it.

"You are the stormy petrel of crime, Watson."

This is such a perfect phrase. I love it. I have nothing else to say about it, but I needed to share it.

“But the writing is not his own.” “Precisely. It is a woman's.” “A man's surely,” I cried. “No, a woman's, and a woman of rare character."

Once again, Holmes' supernatural ability to identify a person almost completely only from their handwriting comes to the fore! And Watson is so convinced it's a man. This is such a weird argument, but I've definitely had weirder with my friends, so who am I to judge?

...we were joined in a few minutes by a rather stout man who received us with much hospitality. His age may have been nearer forty than thirty, but his cheeks were so ruddy and his eyes so merry that he still conveyed the impression of a plump and mischievous boy.

I don't like him. Whenever someone in these stories is overly jovial, they turn out to be a dick. Or maybe it's the fact we've just seen what Watson considers the acceptable behaviour of mischievous boys. I just don't like him. Maybe I'll be wrong. Maybe I'm just overly suspicious and cynical. But the vibes are wrong.

“Of course you saw the J H monogram on my locket,” said he. “For a moment I thought you had done something clever."

Yep, don't like him. Rude.

A young man, very pale and worn, was lying upon a sofa near the open window...

So weird to refer to your old chum as just 'a young man' and not by his name. Like you didn't recognise him, when you claimed to be so intimately acquainted. How strange.

“How are you, Watson?” said he, cordially. “I should never have known you under that moustache, and I dare say you would not be prepared to swear to me."

I was just saying...

She was a striking-looking woman, a little short and thick for symmetry...

What does that even mean? How can thickness have anything to do with symmetry? Or shortness for that matter? I feel like I am missing something.

OK, so we've got a young man, his fiancee and her brother. As mentioned, I do not like the brother and I do not trust him. So far the fiancee herself has given me no reason to distrust her, but then neither has her brother. I just think he's sus. Guy's too happy, you know what I mean? I bet he's trying to discredit his future brother-in-law in order to scupper the marriage so he can keep his sister's fortune or something like that. Men in these stories do seem determined to stop female relatives from marrying.

Or maybe he's just a jovial man and I'm being paranoid.

He probably murders puppies.

That might be too far.

Nope. I'm right. He's evil. I refuse to hear otherwise.

[skymaiden32]

Hi everyone! This isn't a very happy post, but it is very serious. Something happened yesterday and I just need somewhere to vent.

(No members of the Thunderfam are involved; it's about people I know IRL.)

I used to have this friend. My closest childhood friend. Our parents were also friends and had the two of us around the same time. I remember he used to have a lot of Thunderbirds toys. I guess that makes him the first friend I ever had in the fandom, even if we had no clue what fandom was back then. 

Something I should get out the way is that we grew up in a religious background, and we were in the same congregation as kids. Later on when we were teens, we had a trio with another boy, who beta-read my stories for me for a while. During COVID, all our religious activities moved online, and we drifted apart. I’ll call my former bff ‘Z’ and our other friend ‘J’. 

The longer the isolation went on, I started noticing that Z was no longer attending the online meetings, and whenever his parents were there they had these weird looks on their faces. Well, one day Z organised a Zoom call between the three of us and told us he’d moved out of his parent’s house and had converted to Islam. Me and J supported his decision, there were no hard feelings, and we promised to keep in touch.

Well, we did keep in touch for a little while. Z and I met up a couple of times, but that’s pretty much it. When the pandemic ended, me and J stayed in our congregation without him there. J got baptised and Z was there. J left for university, and my communication with him broke down as well, but that’s another story. At this point, I decided to change congregations for reasons unrelated to Z and J, which I’m not gonna get into here but let’s just say there were issues. I’m happy in my new congregation, but back to Z.

My mum and her husband are still in that old congregation to this day, and once I was there visiting them. That’s when I saw Z. He must’ve come with his dad. His mum wasn’t there for health reasons, which I’ll get into in a bit. That’s when he told me that he’d met someone at university. Mind you, he’d been at university for just about a year, and they were already engaged, talking about having kids, the works. He even told me they were planning on moving to another country. He showed me a picture of his fiance, and told me I’d be invited to the wedding. That was last April.

Now, I’m already annoyed at him because we’ve barely talked up until now, and any conversation we do have is by text, extremely short, and initiated by me. Honestly, if I hadn’t seen him in person, I doubt he would’ve told me he was engaged. I’m even more annoyed.

We get to his mum now. Z pretty much cut his parents off when he left, and his mother was understandably beside herself with worry. His mum is a lovely person. I adore her and when we were younger, she was like another mother to me. When I’d come round to his place she made me feel like part of that family. Hearing that Z’s hurt her so much really drives the wedge further.

Fast forward to yesterday. I wake up early because I had a congregation meeting at around ten. I open up TikTok. I see that Z has posted something, so I click on it. It’s a slideshow post with him and his fiancee goofing off. I look at the caption. It says, “marriage has changed me”.

…

She’s not his fiance anymore. She’s his wife. 

He said, to my face, that I would be invited. I wasn’t. I was heartbroken. I still am. Not because I was interested romantically, but because I’d realised I’d lost one of my best friends. I went to that meeting, because I needed to be around people I trusted after what I just saw. But I kept thinking about it over and over. Eventually, I decided that it was a lost cause, so I sent him a congratulations on TikTok, and blocked him. I made a vent post on TikTok too. It’s still up, but I may set it to private at some point. The bridge was already burnt; I just cut the rope because there was no way to repair it.

20 years down the drain. No one ever mentions how painful friendship break ups are. He was like a brother to me, but I can’t be friends with someone who treats me like that. Like those two decades didn’t happen. I honestly think I'll be upset over this for the rest of my life.

Z, if somehow you’ve found this post and are reading it, I want to thank you for the friendship we had while it lasted, and wish you and your wife the best. May you have many happy memories together...

[seriouslysam8]

Brumous Sneak Peek

Chapter Twenty-Five: Nott Manor

“I have Potions today,” Ginny said as poured herself a glass of pumpkin juice. 

Harry chewed his food, looking thoughtful. “I do too. This afternoon.”

Ginny nodded. “I have her right before lunch.”

Harry glanced up at the professor table. Ginny did as well. Marlene was sitting between McGonagall and Hagrid, a nervous smile on her face as she listened to them talk. Ginny’s eyes roamed down to where Snape sat at the other end of the table. He looked stiff and uncomfortable for reasons Ginny couldn’t decipher. Even when Remus had taught at Hogwarts, he had reacted with disgust and annoyance. But with Marlene, he seemed downright awkward to be anywhere near her.

Ginny turned her attention back to Harry, leaning in close to him so she could drop her voice. “Are you nervous?”

Harry chewed on his bottom lip, his gaze snapping towards her. “It’s a bit silly, right? I was never really nervous around Sirius.”

Ginny placed her hand on his thigh underneath the table. “Sirius also remembered you and tried exceedingly hard to be a part of your life. He wrote you constantly, he dropped everything to come back to the country where he wasn’t safe during the tournament, he fought for you to live with him time and time again. Marlene’s just sort of there. But it’s not her fault, you know that, don’t you? She can’t remember who she really is let alone you.”

“We’re written a few times, but it seems awkward,” Harry admitted, his tone miserable. “Like neither one of us knows what to say. I certainly don’t. I mean, Sirius kind of took the lead in our letters at first. He asked me a ton of questions and he told me all about what he was up to. He kind of set the tone, you know? The letters don’t read as easily with Marlene as they did with Sirius.”

Ginny sighed, her hand moving from his thigh to grip his fingers. “I know, Harry, but it will get there. You’re both starting at the very beginning, trying to talk to someone you don’t even see on a regular basis. Meanwhile, with Sirius, he remembers you as a baby. He remembers minding you, playing with you, and loving you. He remembers what little toddler Harry was like. You can see it on his face whenever he mentions you as a toddler, how his entire face lights up. He has those memories of you, while Marlene doesn’t right now. But once she does get her memories back, I have no doubt it’ll be as easy as it was with Sirius.”

Harry nodded, though he still looked a bit uncertain. “No, you’re right. I could try harder too. I mean, she’s dealing with a lot right now trying to figure out who she even is. I could do better than I am.”

“It’ll be easier now that she’s at Hogwarts where you are,” Ginny assured him. “We can go have tea or something with her together. I can set the tone, if you want.”

Harry gave her a lopsided smile, his glasses sliding down his nose just a tad. “You’d do that?”

Ginny leaned in close to him, giving his hand a squeeze. “That’s what boyfriends and girlfriends do, Harry. They’re there for one another, they help one another, and they support one another. You just have to get used to asking for help, because I can’t always read your mind, you know.”

Harry let out a low chuckle. “You’re pretty good at reading my mind.”

Ginny grinned, reaching up and gently pushing his glasses back where they belonged. He had changed so much over the summer, and it wasn’t just his change in height or his tan from France either. There was something lighter about him, the way he smiled a bit easier and talked more openly about his thoughts and feelings. He had always been so tight-lipped in the past, burying all of his emotions and thoughts deep within him until he was screaming at anyone who even came near him. But he seemed more at ease with the people around him as he communicated better than he had ever done in the past. It smoothed some of the worry lines off his face to the point where he just looked younger and happier.

[howlofhades]

Barks, Storm, and Glowstick shenanigans

@canonically-a-genloser

Glowstick: What type of dog is this?

Barks: That’s a tortoise.

-

Glowstick: I am an expert at identifying birds.

Barks: Okay, what about those ones flying over there?

Glowstick: Yeah, they're all birds.

-

Barks: If you don't stop talking, I'm going to jump out of that window.

Glowstick: ...We're on the ground floor.

Barks: I know but I want a dramatic exit.

-

Glowstick: Is… Is that meant to be on fire?

Barks: No… not really.

Glowstick: Are you going to do something about it?

Barks: Hm… nah.

-

Glowstick: Barks, you’re such a genius!

Barks: Yes, I know.

-

Barks: If you think I’m playing favorites, you’re wrong. I love all of you equally!

Barks, earlier: I don’t care for Glowstick.

-

Glowstick: Are you this rude to everyone?!

Barks: Yup.

Barks: Don't think you're special.

-

Glowstick: What do you do for a living?

Barks: I exist against my will.

-

Barks: I'm not mean. Name one mean thing I’ve ever done.

Glowstick: When we were younger, you convinced me eggs weren't real.

Barks: They're not.

Glowstick: Haha, very funny.

Barks: I'm serious. Didn't you hear?

Glowstick: No... what happened?

Barks: ...Why would you fall for this again-

-

Glowstick: You know, when I first met you I thought you were a real bitch.

Barks: What changed your mind?

Glowstick: Oh, I still think you're a bitch. I've just grown to like that about you.

-

Glowstick: Here is my wall of inspirational people.

Barks: Is that a picture of you?

Glowstick: Yes, I am big enough to admit that I am often inspired by myself.

-

Barks: Glowstick, where’s your report card?

Glowstick: My friends stole it from me at school, so now I don’t have it anymore.

Barks: Do you think I’m stupid enough to believe that lie?

Glowstick: What lie?

Barks: That you have friends.

-

Barks: I believe in you, Glowstick!

Glowstick, to themself: God, I must suck. The nicest thing Barks can think to say to me is that they don’t doubt my existence.

-

Storm: Evil never sleeps!

Glowstick: But ugly gets plenty of rest.

-

Glowstick: Hey, what’s your Netflix password?

Storm: ihopeyoudie

Glowstick: Thank you!

-

Storm: Why's it called an oven when you of in the cold food and you of out hot eat the food?

Glowstick: ...What???

-

Glowstick: That was a joke. Say ha.

Storm: Ha.

Glowstick: Now do it again.

Storm: Ha.

Glowstick: Congratulations, you are officially the life of the party.

-

Storm: You have Crayons?

Glowstick: Yes, I have—

Storm: You're— how old are you?

Glowstick: YES I AM AN ADULT AND I HAVE CRAYONS, I HAVE A BOX OF EMERGENCY CRAYONS IN THE CABINET UNDER THE TV BECAUSE EVERYBODY NEEDS CRAYONS SOMETIMES, OKAY? EVERYBODY NEEDS CRAYONS.

-

Storm, trying to comfort Glowstick: What's the problem? Anxiety? Low self-esteem? Obsessive thoughts of random arson? I've been there.

-

Storm: What if Cinderella was a baking slave instead of a cleaning slave, and her name was Mozzarella?

Glowstick: Don't ever speak to me again.

-

Storm: That sounds super! Doesn’t that sound super, Glowstick?

Glowstick: No.

Storm: I think I speak for Glowstick when I say it sounds really super.

-

Glowstick: I’m not stupid, you know.

Storm: Well, you’re doing a really good impression of it!

-

Storm: There is no i in happyness…

Glowstick: There is if you fucking spell it right.

-

Storm: Holy shit, Barks, do you know what this means?!

Barks: Kid, whenever you start doing this, nobody knows what you mean.

-

*Storm and Barks are texting*

Storm: Who are you? Someone changed the names in my phone.

Barks: What did they change my name to?

Storm: Chosen One.

Barks: Don’t change it back.

Storm: BUT WHO ARE YOU?!?!

Barks: I’m the chosen one.

-

Barks: Deep down, I'm sure I was always pretty okay with you.

Storm: Thanks, Barks!

Barks: It wasn't a compliment, numbnuts.

-

Barks: When I first met you, I did not like you.

Storm: I'm aware of that.

Barks: But then you and I had some time together.

Storm: Uh-huh?

Barks: It did not get better.

-

Barks: What does a winner do when life gives them lemons?

Storm: Um, make lemonade?

Barks: No, they squeeze them right back into life’s eyes!

-

Barks, passing their phone to Storm: I'm passing the phone to someone, who if I had to choose between hanging out with them, and having my organs removed one by one, I’d choose the organs.

Storm, passing the phone back to Barks: I'm passing the phone to my best friend!

-

Barks: I wasn’t that drunk.

Storm: You colored my face with a highlighter because you said I was important.

Barks: BECAUSE YOU ARE!

-

Storm: My head hurts.

Barks: That’s your brain trying to comprehend its own stupidity.

-

Glowstick : What do you think Storm will do for a distraction?

Barks: They'll probably, like, make a noise or throw a rock. That's what I would do.

*Building explodes and several car alarms go off*

Barks: ...or they could do that.

-

Storm, rushing into the room: It’s terrible, just terrible! I am so upset!

Glowstick: Storm, honey, sit down! Sweetheart, tell us all about it. Barks, would you get Storm some water?

Barks: What are they gonna do with water? Has water ever made you feel better when you were upset? Have you ever heard anyone say, “Thank God, the water’s here!”?

-

Storm: I am the sand guardian, guardian of the sand!

Barks: Glowstick quivers before them!

Storm: Fuck off!

-

Barks: Five little monkeys jumping on the bed. One fell off and…

Glowstick: Was diagnosed with mesothelioma.

Barks: Mamma called the doctor and the doctor said…

Storm: You might be entitled to financial compensation if he or a loved one dies.

-

Glowstick: What would Barks think?

Storm: Okay, that’s an interesting thought, but hear me out: what if… we ran an experiment where we spent the rest of our lives finding out what happened if we never told them?

-

Barks: I have a bad feeling about this, guys.

Glowstick : Oh don’t worry, you’ll be fine.

Storm: Yeah, what’s the worst that could happen?

Barks, being bailed out of jail the next morning: I hate you all.

-

Barks: Glowstick, gather the others. We need to have another Storm-is-doing-something-stupid-again-and-we-have-to-stop-them-before-they-hurt-someone convention.

-

*The gang is about to do something dangerous*

Storm: Shouldn’t someone give a pep talk?

Barks: Go ahead.

Storm: Be careful.

Storm: Don’t die.

Glowstick : *Holds back a laugh*

Barks: Great. We’re all bloody inspired.

[fanficsforheartandsoul]

A Wolf’s Heart | [Deglan x M!Reader] | The Witcher | Part VII

Note: I’m proud (more like ashamed haha...) to announce that the one year anniversary of this requested fic has already passed, like oh god... Ngl I struggled so hard to find the direction I wanted to take this, I had several ideas but mid-writing I wanted to change it again and now we have this. Writing is hard. This will be a life-time lesson for me. But ey depression is really a big hurdle sometimes so yeah... anyways, please enjoy and once again, sorry for the wait :)

Fandom: The Witcher

Warnings: Mentions of Blood, Swearing, Depression, Angst, Slight OOC, Non-Canon Story, Century Typical Homophobia, Internalized Homophobia, Spiraling, Injuries, Self-Concious Reader, Misunderstandings, Mentions of Alcohol Abuse, Mentions of Addiction

Summary: After having suffered heavy injuries at the beginning of winter and being unable to return to Kaer Morhen, Y/N tries to mend his relationships slowly by approaching one of his friends but someone thwarts his plans and he has not yet prepared himself to meet that person again. 

Word Count: 5.05k

Taglist: @thatsequoia​

Note 2: For all the people wondering about the postal service in this story - like how the fuck did those letters find the witchers on the Path... Magic baby 😎 

The name of Deglan’s horse (Borsuk) translates to badger. 

This part mentions Vergen, which appears in the 2nd Witcher game but I haven’t played this game, so my description is inaccurate.

Part I, Part II, Part III, Part IV, Part V, Part VI, Part VIII, Part IX

Masterlist

Deglan once thought he was a patient man. He was wrong. 

Birke was in two weeks and he was about to lose his fucking mind. 

Y/N was invading every second of his days and he had a hard time focusing on training the new brats and lecturing them. Every little thing reminded him of the younger witcher in some way or another. 

In every nook of the school's keep, he could conjure up a memory of them together and if he couldn't touch the other soon, hold him in his arms, kiss him, he would go on a rampage. 

His bad mood could be sensed not only by his apprentices but also by the other witchers. Most of them had already left on the Path, the bunch he trained for example, but some were still here. And all of them were known to be lazy and therefore, their presence stoked his fury whenever he saw them chattering away and lazing around in the Evening hall. 

The fiery annoyance was visible in his eyes and so most avoided him whenever they crossed his path. 

While their presence had been a curse, the presence of one peculiar younger witcher ended up as a blessing. 

Wendir, Y/N's close friend, was one of the men who still lingered in the school and one peculiar Saturday evening, he ended up knocking on Deglan’s door. 

He was working on his next lecture when he heard the knock and he raised an eyebrow when he came face to face with the witcher he had trained alongside of Y/N, Fenri, Barmin and the three others.

The brown-haired man looked serious and a suspicious feeling rose in his chest.

"I received a letter.” 

Those four words were enough for Deglan's heartbeat to speed up. 

Wordlessly he received the paper from the other and he began to read. 

Wendir,

I write to you in hope that you will try to understand my thinking and actions with an objective view. I don't dare send these words to Fenri or Barmin because I must have made them angry and I expect them to doubt my words, which they have every right to do. You're free to do so as well, though I beg you to try and see my reasoning before making your opinion about me. 

As you may know, I haven't returned to Kaer Morhen this winter and have yet to explain why I couldn't. 

At this point, I'm certain you're aware... of my secret, but please do not blame my absence on that. 

You might have already left the keep and though I am uncertain of your next location I ask you to meet me in Vergen and give me the opportunity to explain myself. 

I’m not there yet but I am close and as slow as I currently am, I expect to arrive around the time of Birke and if you still ride like you did when we were younger you possibly will as well. 

I hope to see you soon. 

Y/N, Vengerberg

If you could spare some herbs for me... An accident happened and I lost most of my stash...

Deglan read the letter twice and it took him less than a second to make a decision after he read the last sentence again.

He pointed his finger at Wendir and his voice held a determined tone: 

"You saddle your horse and Borsuk." 

The younger man blinked. 

"Right now?" 

Deglan pushed the letter into Wendir’s hands and began to button up his shirt.

"Right now. And fucking hurry up! I'll go and talk to Rennes before we depart." 

Wendir scratched his head but the brown-haired witcher turned around and hurried down the hall.

Deglan’s lips formed a grim smile as he pulled his witcher medaillon from underneath his shirt and then he turned around and quickly grabbed a few things from his shelves and stuffed them in the bags he had already prepared weeks ago. 

His heartbeat quickened as he put on his fur cloak and his sword scabbards over it. He loosened their belts a bit and then grabbed his armoured gloves. 

Almost, he thought as he put them on as well. 

He glanced at the papers on his table. The lesson plan for the next few days, the unfinished suggestion letter for another parcours course. 

Fuck his lectures, fuck the brats he had to teach and fuck Rennes. 

He would leave right now, whether their leader wanted that or not. He would not ask for permission this time. 

Quickly he wrote down a few words on a piece of paper, left the note on his bed and then he grabbed his bags and walked out of the room to go and find some herbs he could bring with him for Y/N.

Half an hour later Deglan and Wendir left through the gate.

Brace yourself, bastard. I’m done being patient, Y/N.

-

Lisica followed the path to Vergen in a slow but steady walk. The mare seemed content to take it easy for once and her ears moved around to take in all the sounds of the surrounding wildlife. 

Her rider absent-mindedly petted her mane and was deep in thought. 

Will he come?

Y/N had hesitated at first but Hannes convinced him to write a letter to one of his friends. 

At first, he thought about Barmin but something inside of him was too self-conscious to write to his best friend. It was the fact that he had not sent the other a letter in the last few months, he addressed the one where he apologized for his absence to Fenri...

In the end, he chose Wendir, the youngest of their friend group. He might be more understanding in this situation than his best friend. The brunette was surprisingly the most rational besides Barmin. Probably because he had a lot of time to think since he always used to avoid chores and his training in the school’s keep. 

Fond memories rose and he lifted his head to squint at the sun. He still had to ride for a few more hours before he would reach the next bigger village. And from there it would take him another 3 days until he would arrive in Vergen. 

The prospect of more aching leg muscles and a sore butt caused him to smile grimly. 

He had wanted to buy a new saddle for months now but he did not have the money. He had spent most of it on his unexpected stay in Vengerberg and alcohol. The druid, who more or less did a good job, had been expensive and even though Iven gave him a discount on his stay in the tavern, Y/N’s pockets were lighter than he liked. 

His annoyance only grew as he thought of how he spent the coins he had received from Fenri’s hunt. 

He sighed and patted his healing leg. It still hurt a bit and that was why he was travelling at such a slow speed. He didn’t want to hinder the healing process so he was riding at snail’s pace. 

On one side, it was relaxing, on the other, it was boring and it gave his mind a lot of time to wander and to mull over his upcoming stay in Vergen.

He really hoped Wendir would come. 

He needed someone by his side because the prospect of having lost his friends and giving up on the love of his life was filling his head with dark thoughts and things he did not want to think about at all. 

He sighed deeply.

I hope I can still fix this...

Anxious, his hand found one of the wine bottles in his saddle bag, while his other played with the blue cloth around his neck. .

-

3 days later Y/N lowered himself to the ground and led Lisica inside the stable of Vergen’s only inn, The Cauldron, with bowlegs.

Every muscle in his body ached and the dwarf who had pointed him towards the stables at the outskirts of the city and who he paid for Lisica’s stay, chuckled when he saw the hooded figure stiffly walk into the building.

The stable was made out of stone like all the other buildings in the town and since the sun had yet to set, the lanterns inside weren’t lit and therefore, only few specks of light entered the barn. Not that the darkness was a problem for his eyes.

He rolled his tight shoulders and examined the building. It was quite big with 12 horse boxes made of wooden walls that reached the middle of his torso. Most of them seemed occupied by horses of all sizes and colors.

The witcher led Lisica into the first unoccupied box near the entrance. Next to it was one with a white pony.

The little guy - who most likely belonged to one of the many dwarves in town - looked curiously over the wooden wall and Lisica greeted him with a snort, while her owner took off her bridle. She stretched her neck, and he followed her example and groaned as he stretched his whole body, her bridle still in his left hand. He stepped out after giving Lisica a head pat and hung it on the designated hook outside the door.

Next to the right wall of the box was a saddle stand and a small shelf with some brushes. He made a mental note to use them to reward his mare.

She had been very patient for the last day when they basically rode for 24 hours straight. He would give her a well-deserved massage and make her coat look the shiniest among the horses in the stable.

He was about to step into the box again to get his bags and remove Lisica’s saddle when he noticed a dark brown horse in the box right next to the white pony’s. He could only see the ass of the animal, but it had a scar on its rump that he could recognize easily and relief washed over him like a big wave.

Wendir was here. He had come.

A bit overwhelmed with joy, he quickly entered the box again and rifled through his saddlebags, while ignoring Lisica’s curious headbutts. He found the carrots he had bought from a farmer and gave one to his mare. She gobbled it up while eyeing the other one, but that carrot wasn’t for her.

He temporarily closed the gate to Lisica’s stable and then he walked down the hallway of the barn towards the box with the familiar horse.

In the dim light he saw how Wendir’s mare Katya was dozing while relaxing her right hind leg.

Based on the straw in her fur and some not-fully dried sweat stains, he guessed that his friend still rode like a member of the Wild Hunt and barely arrived before him.

“Hey girl”, he said in a low whisper, and she turned her head.

He held the carrot over the box gate, and it appeared as if she wasn’t interested at first. He frowned.

“Did he urge you like a demon again?”, he asked the horse, remembering the riding lessons he had with his friends, and he clicked his tongue disapprovingly. Katya huffed as if she was agreeing.

Tiredly, she stepped up to the gate and he petted her softly as she ate the carrot.

He was cooing her name, telling her how happy he was to see her, while scratching her head.

If someone saw him, the witcher who stank like a drunkard and looked like someone had used a plow on his face, talking in a high voice, they would probably shake their heads in disbelief and maybe disgust. But he was just too excited.

In maybe half an hour he would explain himself to Wendir and hopefully the other would understand him. His ugly mug would serve as proof and then his friend would help him calm Fenri’s anger and Barmin’s likely disappointment. He could see it before his eyes, and he breathed out as if a big weight had been lifted from his shoulders.

After realizing that he didn’t have more carrots, Katya had enough of his petting, and she walked away from him to return to her former dozing position.

Y/N saw that as a cue to take care of Lisica and returned to her box, where he took off her saddle and put it on the saddle stand. He grabbed one of the brushes and for the next 15 minutes he brushed her and spoke to her in a low voice, while she relaxed and nibbled away on the hay in the corner.

After making sure his mare was comfortable for the night, he grabbed his bags and left the building. It was quite dark now and, in the distance, he could see lights in the houses. 

He was about to slowly follow the stony path to The Cauldron when he heard a snort and when he turned his head, he noticed the small pasture next to the stable. Unlike he had thought before when he entered the stables, there actually was a horse in it.

Something put pressure on his chest.

A few feet away, behind the wooden fence stood an ash grey stallion.

He knew that horse well. He had learned mounted combat on it.

Memories bubbled to the surface, and he felt sick. The sweet aftertaste of Cintrian Faro suddenly tasted foul.

He remembered hours of training and having sore muscles, falling into the dirt, getting kicked after agitating Borsuk too much, hands that helped him out of the saddle, hands that checked him for blisters, hands that had put medicine on the hoof-shaped bruise on his back, hands that he had dreamed about so many times-

Y/N whirled around, his heartbeat thundering loudly in his ears and made one step, two, three- before someone grabbed him by his cloak and dragged him towards the side of the stable.

His attacker hurled him against the stone wall and the impact left him dazed and pain shot through his body from his head to his still healing leg. His collar was seized harshly, the other man basically carried all his weight, and he felt the breath of his assailant on his face.

Y/N didn’t dare open his eyes.  

“You goddamn bloody bastard”, said an agitated voice that he hadn’t heard in almost three years now. His heart quivered and he turned his head away instinctively. His hand let go of his bags in defeat.

Fuck was all he could think at that moment. Bloody fucking hell.

“Look at me, you fucker.”

The witcher breathed out shakily, and then opened his eyes to peer at the other man out of the corner of his vision.

Deglan looked the same as three years ago, besides maybe a few more grey strands in his hair and beard and some wrinkles. His jaw was still framed by a magnificent beard, and his sharp cheekbones combined with his broken nose embodied a handsome roughness. He looked better than ever.

Y/N had a hard time breathing.  

But Deglan’s face was dark, a blazing fury was visible in his yellow eyes and his lips were pulled into a snarl.

“You don’t know how long I’ve been waiting for this moment”, growled the older witcher and had he said those words to him in any other moment, Y/N would have felt a sharp tug in his lower body, but due to these circumstances, he only felt panic rising in his chest.

“...S… ‘s good to see you, Deglan...”

At first, he thought that his low murmur was left unnoticed, but his former mentor rose an eyebrow and a second later, he frowned and sniffed the air.

“You smell like shit. How much booze did you drink on your way here? Did you lose your way during the winter and end up in a Brewery instead of Kaer Morhen?”

All of Deglan’s words stung like hell. Fuck, they were a low blow and Y/N winced inwardly. Because as much as it stung, it was halfway true.

He sunk more into himself, and his mentor had to hold him up.

The lack of any reply didn’t seem to sit well with Deglan, so he grabbed him by the chin and roughly turned his head.

“Care to look me in the eye when I speak to y-”

Y/N’s eyes were downcast, and his face was covered in the shadows of his hood, but this didn’t stop the witcher’s eyes from spotting the new ugly scars across his face.

His mentor sucked in some air sharply and he automatically formed his hands into fists. The h/c haired witcher digged his nails into his skin trying to ground himself but this situation was so much worse than any nightmare scenario he had ever imagined, it was of no use.

The grip on his collar left and Y/N’s eyes widened slightly as Deglan’s hand entered his periphery. An absurd fear of getting hit entered his mind, but his mentor did no such thing. 

He touched his cheek, light as a feather and it was so unexpected after his rough handling and talk that Y/N’s limbs turned weak.

His breath quickened automatically as the man he still loved so passionately traced the scar tissue in his face with an unreadable expression.

“...A forktail. It got me good”, he said awkwardly and tried to ignore the growing heat that crept up his neck.

Deglan remained silent, his eyebrows scrunched and with his other hand, he pushed off the hood of Y/N’s cloak to fully reveal the length of his scars, his chipped right ear and his disrupted hairline.

Someone breathed out shakily, Y/N wasn’t sure if it was himself or the other man, but he felt extremely vulnerable and exposed.

This is the worst...

He felt so embarrassed, so ashamed- Talented my ass, if he remembered the last 2 years, he wasn’t exactly the prime example of a good witcher.

Standing in front of Deglan now, he felt inferior.

He hadn’t bathed in weeks, he smelled like a drunkard and was one too. He lost all of his herbs and elixirs, had barely any money left and looked disfigured, and on top of it all, he didn’t even consider the possibility of Wendir’s letter getting into the wrong hands.

Deglan had either forced his friend to read Y/N’s letter to him or his brown-haired friend betrayed him and went to his former mentor by free will. Not so clever, are we…

Anger churned in his chest, but it was overshadowed by the growing black hole that seemed to suck every snippet of hope away from him when he looked at the stony expression of his mentor, the snippets of hope that had begun to burn again after Deglan touched him with such tenderness.

He must be disappointed that his “talented” apprentice let himself get mangled by a monster to such an extent. Why else would he look so stern? There was no other explana-

“Fuck, I worried so much.”

Hands grabbed Y/N’s arms and suddenly there was a weight on his shoulder. Deglan’s head pressed against the thick cloth of his cloak, and he heard him sigh deeply.

His heart pounded loudly in his ear. He blinked. And didn’t react. He stood still as a statue, while his former mentor clung onto him, his fingers digging into the leather armor that covered his wrists. The warmth of the other man was almost unbearable, and Y/N’s breath turned erratic once more.

“L-Let go please”, he croaked, something was blocking his throat.

The older witcher lifted his head and halted. Y/N could practically see how his pupils began to focus on the blue cloth around his throat and had Deglan said something in that moment, he would’ve been unable to hear anything because his heartbeat was thundering so loudly in his chest.

Fuck, oh lord-

“I-“, he began but before he could find the words to formulate the dozen dumb excuses in his mind, Deglan grabbed his head and took his breath away.

The kiss was sloppy and more forceful than anything else, but it ignited the dying fire in Y/N’s hollow chest, and before he could even think about it he found himself leaning into the touch subconsciously.

Their lips parted soon after and he breathed in hastily, feeling light-headed from the lack of oxygen and the fact that Deglan just fucking kissed him.

The younger witcher grabbed his mentor’s upper arms, keeping him at arm’s length away.

“What- what are you doing??” he whispered, staring at the thigh that invaded the space between his legs and his lip quivered as his mind spun from shock.

“Don’t run away anymore, Y/N. You bloody fool.”

He didn’t have time to process these words.

Deglan kissed him again, he pressed his body against his and in the dark of the night, against the cold stone wall of the stable, Y/N fell into the abyss.

His body was going up in flames, every part that Deglan touched started burning and the fire couldn’t be extinguished.

His mentor’s beard scratched his cheeks and his tongue sent shivers down his spine. His left leg was giving out, but it was nonchalantly ignored as the older witcher held him up with his arms and his leg on which Y/N was basically sitting by now.

The friction against his pants was driving him crazy.

Y/N moaned but the sound was silenced by Deglan’s greedy lips, and the two men lost themselves in the fiery heat of the other.

-

Sometime later he recovered and was suddenly he was sitting at a table in the tavern, one of his best friends in front of him while his mentor stared holes into the side of his head from the seat next to him. His bags were tucked under the stool he was currently sitting on.

He didn’t know how he even got there, still dazed from the sudden development. His face flushed as he remembered how his mentor basically devoured his lips and every spot that Deglan’s hands had touched tingled.

“Y/N?” Wendir asked and he blinked to regain his focus.

“Yes?” he croaked; his voice was rough, and he coughed.

Wendir gesticulated at his face, the brown-haired witcher was frowning since the moment he saw his friend’s red rimmed scars and his glossy eyes, as if he had cried just a while ago.

“What happened?”

He opened his mouth to answer but Deglan interrupted him:

“A forktail attacked him.”

Y/N stared at the older man in confusion while Deglan returned his look with a burning gaze. He gulped and turned his head to stare at the wood grain of the table. Because of that he missed Wendir’s raised eyebrow.

“I… I uh was on my way to Hagge when the bastard pounced on me. He surprised me, and I was careless”, he lowered his head and stroke his hair, clenching the other hand into a fist. It wasn’t exactly fun retelling that embarrassing moment again.

He felt totally out of it. All the things he had wanted to tell his friend were lost in the tornado that currently swept through his mind.

Deglan kissed me his brain screamed and between the excitement and the shock he was left dazed and speechless. So, he just told Wendir and Deglan the most important thing he wanted his friend to know:

“I was on my way to Kaer Morhen, you have to believe me.”

He hesitantly looked up at the other two and his gaze met Deglan’s. His mentor looked at him, his yellow eyes filled with something Y/N couldn’t quite fathom. Something flitted across his face and like many times before he wished he could hear what was going on inside his mentor’s head.

“I believe you.”

Wendir cut the moment between them short, but relief trickled through the h/c haired witcher and the tension in his shoulders disappeared. His eyes met his friend’s, and both smiled weakly.

“We know how old scars look on a witcher and yours are still fairly new” said Wendir and he gave their mentor a meaningful look.

Said man remained quiet, his expression was blank, hiding his feelings like a mask and it worried Y/N endlessly. But before he could say anything the inn keeper arrived and placed three jugs of beer down on their table.

“If ye want more, get it yerself, there-” the short man pointed at the barrels lined up at the wall across the tavern. The giant wood barrels were barely visible behind the number of patrons currently inside. “I’ll put it on yer tab. Ask my daughter if you want to pay.” He nodded at a young woman who walked past with some dishes in her hands.

The witchers all expressed their thanks and the inn keeper left, Y/N downed his drink in a few gulps, and then was about to stand up to get another and to momentarily flee but Deglan reached out lightning quick and grabbed his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. 

“If I were you, I’d stop drinking so much.”

His mentor’s hand burned like fire on his skin and for a second the h/c haired witcher thought about their moment next to the stables and how much his breath must have smelled, and he ducked his head and nodded slowly. 

Wendir looked at them with a strange expression but when he saw how Deglan watched his friend with eagle eyes after taking his hand back, his own eyes grew big and the corners of his mouth twitched. 

Oh, he saw what was going on. There must have been a reason why his mentor and Y/N had entered the tavern at the same time, the latter clearly dazed as if something life-changing had happened.

“Congratulations”, he said while lifting his jug, an amused smirk dancing on his lips.

Y/N stared at him and mirrored the gesture visibly confused but before he could ask why Wendir congratulated him, the brunette began to talk about his and Deglan’s journey to Vergen. 

The h/c haired witcher barely payed attention, Wendir suffering Deglan’s silence went in one ear and out the other, his head still back at the stable, Deglan’s words echoing in his mind.

“Don’t run away anymore, Y/N.”

Run away? Did this really mean what he was thinking? Was it all a misunderstanding? Did Deglan actually- 

“Okay, okay, that’s enough. Look at him, he’s fucking tired. He is not the only one. We should all go to bed, I already paid for our rooms.” 

Deglan interrupted Wendir’s dramatic retelling with rolling eyes and stood up, his empty jug in one hand, some coins for the payment of their drinks in another. His words interrupted Y/N’s racing thoughts and he felt as if he returned to reality. 

As if...

“Oh, yes, I need to ask for my room.”

“Wait-”

He stood up - his hands taking the bags from underneath his seat - and due to one of the barmaids manouvering herself and 6 jugs between the tables and bodies, Y/N evaded Deglan’s outstretched hand and he hurried to the inn keeper, who had retreated back behind the counter where he was cleaning the used jugs in a skilled fashion.

“I’d like to get a room please and a bath”, he said, a little breathless, rummaging through one of his saddle bags to look for his coin pouch. 

“Not with one of the others, huh? There’s only one room left and it’s connected to the one next to it but ye can lock the door. I’m sure ye take what ye can get. Room plus bath costs 120 a night, another 15 if ye want hot water.”

Y/N didn’t really understand what he meant with his first words but he didn’t think about it too long because he could feel a certain someone stare holes into his back and it messed with his head. 

“Uhh, yes, I’ll take that one. Here-” he handed the man the amount and some additional coins, “make sure the door stays closed. And I’ll take hot water please.”

The inn keeper nodded and then waved at his daughter, who hurried towards them as soon as she spotted her father. 

“Take the lad upstairs and prepare a hot bath in the corner room.”

His daughter, a red-haired, busty young woman, looked him up and down, her eyes visibly frowning when she saw his scarred face, but she said nothing and instead took the key for the room from her father’s hand and then gestured for him to follow her. 

The h/c haired witcher thanked the old man and then quickly followed her to the stairs. A look back showed him that Deglan was still watching him, his yellow eyes were dark and holding something predatory. Wendir behind him only grinned and gave him a little wave. 

The woman led him to the first floor and to the room which was furthest away from the stairs. She unlocked the door and gave him the key without touching his skin.

“Here”, she stated and quickly retracted her hand. “I’ll come back with hot water in a few minutes. It will be fully prepared in about an hour.”

He nodded and quietly whispered his thanks, as her eyes darted everywhere but his face. He bit his lip and then walked into the room, where he placed his bags at the foot of the bed. 

The room was small, there was only space for the bed, a chest in the left corner next to it and next to the door behind a folding screen was a wooden bath tub. 

The door which connected this room to the one next to it, was small, smaller than his height but it seemed to be used regularly as no dust appeared on the door handle. 

The daughter of the inn keeper took a bucket from behind the folding screen and then left him alone in the room, closing the door behind her.

Y/N sighed and sat down on the bed. He rubbed his face with his hands. 

What the hell had just happened in the last 30 minutes? Was he dreaming?

A certain witcher asked himself the same question but due to different reasons.

[fat-femshep]

The place was unique in the fact it was a buffet that catered to any and all tastes. It seemed, at some points, to be able to make food beyond this current universe too but who could say for sure. The vast dining hall was filled with the scents of food and the sounds of gluttonous eating and chatter. It was a welcoming place where someone like Hannah could easily be herself too. No-one looked or stared, no-one made a comment about her size. Here she was the average. Not everywhere was so accepting of such a grand size.

"Only recently learned about feedism, huh?" The short yet thick girl said, looking at Hannah as she settled at the table too, getting comfy in her seat with a little wiggle. "I am almost curious to ask what started getting you fat!"

She chuckled and waved her hand, suggesting she wasn't going to ask that right now. Instead, Hannah had asked about her. While true that Lizzie was not someone who thought herself to be much of anything, an earnest question got earnest answers.

"Me, huh? Well, I'm Lizzie. I'm an Engineer-slash-inventor by trade. I did some military service when I was younger as well as apprenticed under some Engineers. Though, these days I work on my own projects. Mainly the mobility aides, such as the one you are using. I make them from scratch, drafting and blueprinting before making. I have a small team that helps me out too though!"

Basically, former military, runs her own business, is pretty smart and a bit of a savant when it comes to her field of tech.

"Umm... Oh, I'm not great at cooking and I have a bit of a bad habit getting too engrossed in my work at times. Pretty good at social... things though I would say I am more... introvert than extrovert. More likely to spend a night in watching TV than go out somewhere if I have time free. Oh yeah... I am new to dating too! I think I might of mentioned that in our online chats? And yeah... I guess that's sorta... me? If that helps you get to know a bit about who this short girl who took you to a buffet is!"

Hannah took all of that in as she listened closely to what Lizzie was explaining, nodding along as she took it in. She liked that she was former military, it gave them another thing in common, someone who would understand the experiences and all the work that went into all the various branches of it.

"Thank you, that does tell me a lot. I'm glad you're a fellow career military one like me, though different branches. Civilians can't always get their heads around some aspects of our jobs. But I'm glad you were able to put those skills to use in your own business. I doubt I'll do anything else after I eventually retire, but I'm trying to put that off for as long as I can." She said, smiling back at Lizzie.

"Though, you asked what started me off with...all this." She gestured to her enormous form, patting her belly gently. "Well, it was a combination of things. Firstly, the Alliance started to wind down my active service role after the Reaper War, which meant I could spend more time with my little girl. If you've heard of Commander Shepard, that's her. I spent as much time as I could with her to help her recover. When I had to go back, I kept in touch whenever I could. She admitted that she was letting herself go a little, enjoying civilian life and not worrying about stuff, which I was fully behind her doing." She began to explain.

"I had been put on light duties, it got me thinking about things like that. If I was essentially just doing basic escorts and patrol's on my ship, despite it being a Dreadnought, I could probably get away with letting myself slip a little. Well, come my next visit to see Jennifer, she had really, really grown. Only reasons she wasn't needing a chair like this was because of her synthetic muscles and spine, and a little bit of anti-gravity tech from her friend Tali. But she was still able to do so much, enjoy her life at that size. That sort of clicked something in me. Then her sweet AI friend, EDI, approached me. She was... certainly quite the sight to behold, makes a lady feel a little inadequate in some ways." She giggled softly, blushing to herself.

"She offered me a copy of herself to help me experience what Jennifer did. This...Mommy Bot, she called it, started to cook all my meals personally, taking care of boring admin work in the blink of an eye, leaving me able to relax and enjoy all the food she made for me. A very doting servant. Soon, more of them appeared on the ship, taking the load off of my crew too to help relieve any stress on them. My ship became more like a cruise liner for Alliance personnel...and that's what led to me getting this big. But now, thanks to you, I can experience so much. I have this, I can go places now. And... hopefully I have you..." She said, smiling brightly, now she'd laid her fattening backstory bare.