#wow i did not know how to draw properly

[swallowtail-art]

Kyrieela and her older half brother, Masutaro reuniting again after a huge event has passed.

The rose hairpins are gifts from her father. He made them because he wants her to be happy and loved, just like every day.

Kyrieela's a daddy's girl.

Masutaro was low-key inspired by Izuku Midoriya because of the hair mainly, but that's it.

[jamiethebeeart]

:D (I ramble in my tags about this)

[halfbit]

i am getting started on productivity for the night but haven't figured out yet if i want to write or art first and there's also the tiny part of my brain that just wants to stare at kabru until it is ok to stop staring at kabru

[royalarchivist]

Pac: I don't know if you remember, we left Cell on an island with just a bullet and a revolver at his disposal and we fled. So, theoretically, we outsmarted* Cell and gave him what he deserved, understand? So, my headcanon, understand? You know? But the drawing was really cool.

[ *passar a perna – literally to deceive, but the direct translation is like a leg sweep, which is why Chat responds with "What leg?" ]

Pac: [Reading chat] What leg? Yeah, not the right one. Wait– not the right. Exactly. The left. Is it the left? Wait, which leg did I lose? [...] No, wait– the left, because my dominant leg is the right. So I will choose the left. [Reading chat] "You chose?" I like to think I had the power to choose.

—

Pac talks about Fuga Impossível lore and implies that Cell let him decide which leg he'd lose. 🔪

[ Full transcript / translation ↓ ]

—

Pac: Guys, it's not the other way around, in my headcanon– in my headcanon– you have to know how to respect my headcanon. In my headcanon– because, I don't know if you remember, we left Cell on an island with just a bullet and a revolver at his disposal and we fled. So, theoretically, we outsmarted* Cell and gave him what he deserved, understand? So, my headcanon, understand? You know? But the drawing was really cool.

[ *passar a perna – literally to deceive, but the direct translation is like a leg sweep, which is why Chat responds with "What leg?" ]

Pac: [Reading chat] What leg? Yeah, not the right one. Wait– not the right. Exactly. The left. Is it the left? Wait, which leg did I lose? Oh sht... [Long pause] I don't remember, man. Oh, I don't know guys, I don't know. Did I decide? Oh, man. None? I'm kidding–

Pac: Well, if I have to decide? The right? I don't know. Nobody knows, right? But this drawing was really cool, it was really cool. You choose one there and I choose the right one. No, wait– the left, because my dominant leg is the right. So I will choose the left. Because like, I'm thinking like this, look what came into my head: Which leg would go away? Wow, I thought "So, if I'm going to kick a ball, I'm going to shoot it with my right leg. If I didn't have a right leg, I wouldn't be able to shoot the ball properly. So I prefer the left." That was my line of thinking, you know? I don't know. It's a bad example, right? And that's it, right? [Reading chat] "You chose?" Yeah, I like to think I had the power to choose.

[borninwinter81]

Edit: wow, I did not expect to get this much interest in my little drawing! I'm afraid I'm new to Tumblr so I don't know the etiquette here - I'd love to thank everyone for their likes and reblogs! You're all awesome 😁

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

"So, you've not drawn properly in over 20 years, your second attempted sketch is going to be something easy yeah?"

"Well actually I thought I'd drive myself crazy trying to do complicated hair involving a braid, and clothing that looks like it should be simple by comparison but isn't"

I had to give this a try as I think the shot is beautiful - I didn't even realise Crowley had braids at the flood until I saw this.

This fandom has some phenomenal artists so please be kind, I'm in the process of re-learning how to do this, and it's not finished yet! I realise I haven't captured much of a likeness with the facial features, but I'm reasonably happy with the hair.

[barananduen]

Art Advice: The Misconception Behind "Study Realism"

Most people who draw anime/cartoons have, while asking for ways to improve, at one point or another been told to "study realism." A common response to this is, "But I don't want to draw realism!"

But, did you know that the purpose behind this suggestion is NOT so that you draw realism? They're not suggesting you change to a more realistic style. What, then?

Let's look at this through an analogy:

Say you don't know music yet and decide you want to learn how to play the Happy Birthday song. You're not interested in playing anything else, just the HB song, and you haven't started learning anything related to music at this point. OK, that's fine, and now we have our situation set up. Once you've decided this, you set yourself to learning the sequence of notes to the HB song. You practice and practice, and, after a while, you can play it really well without a hitch. After a few years, it starts feeling bland to you, and you ask, "How can I make my HB song better?" And someone tells you, "Learn all the other music notes," and "Study classical and other genres of music." And you reply, "But I don't want to play that type of music; I want to play the HB song!" (And that's FINE! It's valid; it's what you want to do.[*Footnote 1]) But without having learned all the other notes and other types of music, you can't make a remix of the HB song, or an "epic version," or a hip-hop-fusion version; you've capped at the end of the first paragraph of this story.

So drawing anime or cartoons is like playing the HB song, or any one song in our example.

And here's where our misunderstanding comes in:

"Study Realism" DOES NOT MEAN "Draw Realism"

Yes, you'll have to draw it to study it (not only your brain, but also your hand needs to learn the skill), but it doesn't mean that's what all your artwork will look like. It is meant to give you more tools to make your anime and cartoon work stronger, more appealing, and more unique.

How will it do that? The more music notes you know, the more types of music you understand and can play, the more original a remix /version of the Happy Birthday song you'll be able to make - and it will be unique. Because you will be able to take all that diverse knowledge and apply it to your song, making it stand out, and the next time you play the HB song, people will go, "Wow! This is a really cool version!"

So now we can be clear: There is a difference between learning something and performing it. You can perform whatever you choose, but by learning all the things, your performance of your "Thing of Choice" will be stronger.

What, Exactly, Will Studying Realism Teach You, Then?

I. VALUES

If you learn how to paint/shade with a full range of values (by learning realistic shading) that properly depict both volume and lighting, you will have no trouble simplifying that to cel-shading or gradient-shading in your anime or cartoon drawings, because you will at once spot when something is undershaded or the shadows are in the wrong spot.

On the other hand, if you try to do cel- or gradient-shading first, you are way more likely to a) undershade, and b) have an inconsistent light source. And when these things happen, you won't be able to tell *why* your drawing looks "off" or bland.

II. COLOR

By studying realistic coloring, you'll be able to learn how color varies across an item (say, a shirt) that is a "solid color." Example: you're drawing a character with a pink t-shirt, standing in the sun, at the end of the school day. The t-shirt is solid pink, however, the colors on it will vary from orange-ish to purple-gray, with some areas almost a bright red (and that's not even considering items around the shirt that would bounce light back onto the shirt and change its color). But you'll only know this (and how to do it) if you study realistic coloring.

Then you can apply that knowledge to your stylized artwork and make it stand out more.

Painting of a stylized pear, where I studied real pears to understand their coloring and texture. See how studying realism can enhance your cartoon work.

III. MAKE BETTER STYLIZED ANATOMY

By studying and learning realistic anatomy, you will be able to make stylized art that, for example, doesn't have one arm longer than the other, because you will have learned how to measure proportions, even if you don't draw realistic proportions. So that if you decide you want to draw unrealistically long legs (eg: Sailor Moon), you'll be able to make them look good and keep them consistent.

You will also be able to draw figures in any position, because you will have learned how body parts are made up and how they move, as well as foreshortening/perspective. Then, when you go to draw a pose you haven't drawn before, it will be WAY easier.

IV. UNDERLYING SHAPES

Although this is one of the least-mentioned aspects of art-learning, it is, in my opinion, one of the most important, because when you learn to see underlying shapes (the quasi-geometrical shapes that build up a figure), coupled with learning how to measure a form using other parts of the same form as reference (measuring the length of one body part by the number of times another body part fits in it, as mentioned in Section III, above), you will be able to DRAW. (Period.) You won't be able to draw just people. Or just wolves. Or just cats. You will be able to break down a new subject into its building blocks and come up with a very reasonable likeness. And whatever's different, you'll easily be able to make relative measurements to spot why and fix it.

Once you learn to identify underlying shapes and how to measure proportions in anything, you will also be able to pick up and reproduce any existing style without much trouble.

[link to Tumblr post with this artwork]

For example, this was my first time drawing anything Peanuts. I didn't have to do practice sketches for it (though there's nothing wrong with doing that). But I knew, from realism, that to achieve a good likeness, you need to measure body parts relative to other body parts, so I looked at Schulz's drawings and was able to determine: OK, Charlie Brown's head is roughly this shape, his body is so many heads tall, his eyes are this % of the head, the ears are this far in, the arms reach down to here, etc. I knew what to look for.

V. FOR THOSE WHO WANT SEMI-REALISM

If you want to do "semi-realism," you'll have a way easier time of it by learning realism and then stripping it down as much as you like, than by starting off with "100% anime" and trying to build it up without knowledge of realism. People think the latter is easier, because it *seems* less intimidating, but it's like trying to drive to a store you've never been to without knowing its address: you'll be driving around forever trying to find it, and it will be frustrating. What people call "semi-realism" is stylized realism, and you can't really hit it without knowing how realism works.

CLOSING NOTES

It also doesn't mean you should stop drawing anime/cartoons and focus solely on realism for X amount of time - you can do both concurrently. In fact, the most fun way to study realism is to do so on your favorite subjects; you can even turn your reference into your favorite character!

Studying realism is also one of the best ways to help develop your OWN, unique style; one which, when people look at it, say, "Oh, that's [your name]'s work!"

[*]Footnote 1: It is fine as long as you are drawing for yourself. As soon as art is a job and you're drawing for an employer, you have to draw in the style they tell you to. So, in this case, it's to your advantage to be flexible.

I hope this was helpful and helps clear up a common misunderstanding people go through when receiving feedback. 💞

MORE ART ADVICE ARTICLES

You can find the index to all Art Advice Articles [here] including:

How to Deal with Art Block

How to Have a Positive Outlook

How to Develop Your Own Style (coming soon!)

etc.

[tokosparrow]

Could you do max Fischer headcannons of him and a gn reader in a relationship (hope this makes sense first time requesting :3)

a/n: OMGOMGOMG first time actually getting a max fischer request and i’m pretty excited (i’ve never seen any other content with him so i’m happy :3) plus sorry if it may seem hes a bit ooc, i kinda don’t know how to properly characterize him just yet >.<

> you two possibly met at one of the many clubs that max either is the head or founder of, which was pretty surprising to you but yet very impressing.

> and you maybe got his attention by sharing the same couple interests that he happens to be really interested, so your friendship with him kinda just happened.

> soon max seems to find himself more interested in you and your hobbies than he would his other friends at rushmore.

> then soon….BAM

> max realizes he has a big rising crush on you, he’s a little worried at first but he soon gotten over it when he’s also realizes he enjoys just being around you and talking to you as much as he can.

> like he was with miss cross in the movie, he’s very VERY much smitten with you.

> the moment you mutter something you enjoy deeply, he’s immediately on his way to imply it to the school in some way, shape or form.

“i actually really enjoy art museums :)”

“……”

“i’ll be right back, give me a moment please”

> soon he has all art classes go on weekly mandatory trips to art museums to study in after many convincing arguments how it’ll help students learn better.

> and when max actually comes around to actually confessing, he writes you a letter, giving it to you in a neatly put together envelope with little drawings and hearts that he drew (how sweet of him <333)

> let’s just hope you could understand the french writing he sparkled in the confession here and there, he just wants to be as romantic as he can <333

> now let’s get to the ACTUAL relationship headcannons LOL

> like i said before, max is VERY much smitten with you, like either getting you a small bouquet of your favorite flowers or leaving sweet hand written notes in your locker expressing how much he loved you.

> one time he even went up to your window while it was raining because supposedly he was caught in the rain while getting home and he was close to your house already (he just missed you, that’s all <3)

> he soon stayed at your house for the rest of the night since it was getting late and you didn’t him going home in the heavy rain.

> max seems like someone to really enjoy PDA so expect some hand holding and some kisses on your hand as he walks you home or just out in public <333

> he’s just such a showoff so he always brings up something good about you at any second of the day.

“did you know my partner is an amazing writer <3?”

“yes max, you’ve said this many times…”

“well you’re in to learn many more things about them from ME >:)”

> max even has a couple printed out pictures of you that he likes to keep around his room and even a picture of the both of you in his pocket that he carries everywhere since he says it gives him a bit of luck (he got a D on a test once when carrying the picture and swore it gave him luck)

> he even shared his first kiss with you, it was a bit unexpected for him since it felt like a normal day with you to him until you randomly kissed him.

“oh wow….i didn’t expect that all…wanna do it again :>?”

“you’re so silly <333”

> since then, he always finds an excuse to kiss you, he loves you a bunch <333

[shuhwaa]

Aespa Reaction | You stealing their first kiss

Aespa all members x gn!reader genre: fluff, reaction warnings: none

Author's note: I present to you: some fluff for a change and also wow, my first thing to post here in almost two months???

Karina:

gasps and pulls back in shock the second your lips brush against hers

"Oh my god- I didn't-" - stammers about while slamming both hands over her mouth, both surprised by your kiss and her reaction to it

"I mean-!" - even though she's struggling to speak, the deep blush on her face is making it pretty clear what she's trying to convey to you

you ask if you were going too fast and if you should've warned her beforehand that you wanted to kiss her, to which she stutters an incoherent answer again, before finally managing to tell you that that was her first kiss

and now you begin to understand why she's panicking so much

you reach out for her hands and take them into yours, squeezing them tightly before whispering the question if you could kiss her

she nods, taking a deep breath, and when you go slow this time, you can immediately feel her melt against you as you kiss her

Giselle:

raises her eyebrows at you after receiving a short peck on the lips from you

she's definitely taken by surprise, and for a second you get the impression that you've just gone too far and you're about to apologize

but that's when the blush on her cheeks becomes apparent and she laughs awkwardly

"I... didn't know you like me in that way..."

you do say sorry after all, but she's quick to stop you

"No, I mean... I liked it." - she adds those last words very quietly, before throwing you a challenging look

you're relieved, and so you fail to notice that she's simply waiting for you to kiss her again and eventually she speaks up

"Don't you wanna do it again?"

as you draw closer and she wraps her arms around your shoulders, she adds,

"And kiss me properly this time."

Winter:

she frowns at you after you pull back, and you get ready to softly laugh at her expression, thinking she's just embarrassed at first

however, when she starts scolding you about how you can't just kiss someone without asking first, you realize your mistake

she watches as you apologize, her cheeks heating up more and more, and then eventually she just looks away in a sorry attempt to hide her blushing face

"And besides... that was my first kiss..." - she admits and it makes you apologize even harder cjjxjxjxjhxjxj

"Stop saying sorry! I... it's not that I didn't like it... I was just startled..." 

shyly looking over to you, she now draws closer without breaking eye contact

"Can we... try that again? A little slower this time?"

and who are you to say no to that?

so you do as asked - you cup her face with your hand and you kiss her again, soft and careful, and while pouring all of your feelings for her into a gentle kiss

Ningning:

the second your lips leave hers she just laughs because of how flustered she is

and then when it dawns on her what just happened, she goes very quiet

"Did you...?" - can't even form a full sentence

just goes back to giggling about it until she registers the blank expression on your face and finally stops herself

"No I-! Don't misunderstand! I didn't-!" - still can't form a coherent sentence, and now that she's fanning herself with one hand you notice the way her ears have gone beet red

when she finally collects herself she leans a little closer, meeting you with a sincere look in her eyes

"I like you too." - she tells you that while staying serious, and as her gaze drops to your lips, she eventually starts chuckling again

"Aren't you gonna kiss me again?"

whether you take her up on the offer immediately or you're too stunned to move - she will make sure her lips are on yours again eventually

[heyiwrotesomethings]

So, your requests are open, huh? Cool, could you write a shinoby x demon reader who feasts off of strong negative emotions? And that's why they're so attracted to Shinobu? Enemies to lovers fluff is always the way to go :>

Bottomless Well

Shinobu Kochou x They/Them Demon Reader

A/N: AAAAHHHH so much longer than I would have liked but it’s finally done! Sorry if there are more errors than usual, tumblr is breaking because of how long this is. Anyways, enemies to lovers with a bit of angst but it all works out in the end thanks for reading, hope you like it! Word Count: 5,928

There was a sense of danger that clung so thickly to the air that (Y/n) could taste it. Normally, they would make themself scarce when the presence of a skilled demon slayer was felt, but the taste of danger wasn’t the only thing the demon could feel sparking against their tongue.

A deep-seated hatred, disgust and coveted anger that seemed to know no end. (Y/n) wasn’t even close enough to feed off of the feelings properly, and yet they could feel themself growing stronger. It had been weeks since they had found someone suitable feed off of, and whoever was sharing this mountain path with them tonight could easily sustain them for the next thousand years.

Their curiosity outweighed their sense of caution. They needed to see the vessel of these powerful, negative emotions. They had never tasted such flavors at this intensity before. Even at the risk of their head, it would be worth it to trail this human at least until they made it to Tokyo. The big city promised an abundance of bitter souls to draw energy from. Though compared to the extraordinarily deep well of this single human, (Y/n) thought that even the entire population of Tokyo would be lacking in comparison.

They tip-toed from tree to tree, slowly gaining on the soft footfalls shuffling the dried leaves that littered the rugged earth. A tentative peek around a sturdy pine revealed the back of a small woman, hair tied up with an ornate butterfly clip, sheathed blade peaking from beneath her haori as it billowed slightly in the breeze.

“Wow,” (Y/n) murmured, “how does someone so small carry so much spite?”

The woman paused, and (Y/n) ducked back behind the tree trunk before they could be spotted. They held their breath until they heard the woman start walking again. They waited until the footsteps began to fade before picking up their pursuit once more.

They were delighted to find that when dawn threatened to light the sky, the slayer decided to rest. Hopefully she would rest most of the day, that way (Y/n) could easily catch up to her again when the sun went down once more, though now that they had honed in on the anger this woman kept, she’d probably need to travel at least halfway across the country for (Y/n) to lose her now.

The woman took a spot where the sun would would make first contact and (Y/n) took cover beneath the thick pine trees, close enough to study the woman further, but not close enough to be discovered, hopefully.

(Y/n) keen ears caught the woman’s tired groan. She leaned forward and rubbed at her face and (Y/n) hummed sympathetically. They wondered how long the slayer had been on the road. Where did she come from and where was she heading? Was she on her way home or was she heading towards her objective?

(Y/n) continued to ponder these questions, among others, as they watched the slayer rest in the sunlight for the next several hours.

“Finally!” (Y/n) stretched and stumbled out of the thick woods when the last sliver of sun faded away.

The demon slayer had left about an hour before sunset so they had some ground to make up. However, that distance was easily closed since they were energized by the their previous proximity to the woman’s fury.

They knew they were close when they heard metal scraping against metal and a wild yowl. (Y/n) spied on them from behind a grove of bushes. The demon slayer was fighting a lone demon and by the looks of it, she would easily win. Her movements were methodical and at first (Y/n) wondered what the point of those quick jabs were, but it soon became clear.

“Poison?” They marveled, watching the other demon collapse and choke with morbid fascination. That woman was really not one to be trifled with.

They watched her flick the blood from her blade, but then their eyes wandered beyond the butterfly woman to the tree limbs above.

“Above you!” (Y/n) shouted spontaneously, ducking below the shrubs, placing their hand over their mouth much too late to be effective.

The demon slayer’s head jerked to where (Y/n) hid within the bushes before craning up to the trees, finding two more demons who screeched angrily upon being discovered. They descended upon the demon slayer, but as with their fallen companion, they stood no chance. With impressive speed, the slayer disposed of them both.

She flicked her blade clean once more and dutifully checked her surroundings, including the bushes, but found nothing.

“Hello? Where did you run off to? You can come out, I don’t bite.”

Somehow after watching her kill three demons without breaking a sweat, (Y/n) found that hard to believe. Especially if she found out they were a demon as well. Since those deaths by poison seemed less than pleasant, they would stay hidden.

It took a minute, but the woman finally shook her head and sheathed her sword, then went on her way. (Y/n) peered around the rotted tree they had crouched behind and watched her go. When her back was swallowed by the shadows of the trees, they began their pursuit once more.

For a demon slayer so full of hate, her voice sure was soft.

Another day another night, (Y/n) followed the slayer across the countryside. In another couple days, they would arrive in Tokyo. (Y/n) was almost sad to be losing her unaware companion, but it was a dangerous game they had been playing and the slayer seemed to grow more paranoid as the hours dragged by.

Another nightfall, another night of playing catch up, yet something felt different about this night. It seemed like the demon slayer hadn’t made it very far at all despite leaving before sunset as she had done previously.

(Y/n) grunted, mildly annoyed. The slayer’s essence seemed to follow no set path, it surrounded them like a fog. They closed their eyes and parted their lips, inhaling deeply to try to find the thread of where the negative emotions were strongest.

Finding a promising lead, they followed, the negative emotions grew stronger, but (Y/n) had yet to catch sight of the slayer again. Then they saw a strange shape hanging from a tree branch and went to investigate it. On closer inspection they saw that it was the demon slayer’s haori.

“What the hell is she up to?”

And then (Y/n) suddenly found themself in the dirt their arms pinned painfully against their back.

“So my suspicions were correct.”

(Y/n) grit their teeth in pain and twisted their head to the side to look up at the demon slayer they had been trailing for the last handful of nights. A knee dug further into the base of their spine, a warning not to make another move.

“How long have you been following me exactly, demon? And to what end?”

Well this was intimidating. (Y/n) had known they had been playing with fire, but they weren’t dead yet. The demon slayer had made a mistake by not running her poisoned nichirin through them the second she had the chance instead of choosing an interrogation. Had she discovered them on the first night, she could have done away with them just as easily as those other demons from a few nights prior, but since (Y/n) had harvested a steady intake of the plentiful negative emotions lurking within her, they were leagues stronger now. But they would let the slayer think she had the upper hand for the time being. They weren’t too confident they could free themself without accidentally hurting her. They were unused to being so strong.

“It’s been a little less than a week, but I meant you no harm.”

“Am I really supposed to trust the word of a demon?”

“Well, why’d you ask if you aren’t going to believe me anyway?” (Y/n) retorted with snark.

The knee at their back added more pressure and their arm bent at an even more uncomfortable angle.

“Ah! Hey, take it easy!”

“Then explain yourself.”

“I’m trying! But you aren’t a very good listener!” (Y/n) huffed. “I was only following you until you got to Tokyo, or until you got off the path at least.”

“Tokyo?” The demon slayer was unmoved, “Fancied yourself a feast, did you?”

“Truthfully, yes, but probably not in the way you’re imagining. I get all the energy I need feeding off of the negative emotions of humans. You carry a very substantial amount, ergo, why I chose to follow you. There really isn’t anything else to it.”

“Again, I find that hard to believe. I doubt these negative emotions you chase are organically occurring. Do I look like I harbor anything of the sort?” The woman’s smile was sugary sweet, but (Y/n) was not at all fooled.

“Oh come on! You are a blistering inferno! I don’t know who hurt you, but they hurt you badly. You probably know more than anyone that there is plenty of grief and fury in the world. I don’t need to harm anyone to find someone upset with their lot in life. They’re an ordinary occurrence. But I have to say, I’ve never met anyone like you before. Your well is bottomless.”

The demon slayer hummed, but by her eyes alone, (Y/n) could tell she was still doubting them.

“Demon,”

“My name is (Y/n).”

“Demon,” the slayer began again, “how many people have you killed?”

What an unfair question! You’d be hard pressed to find a demon who hadn’t killed or maimed at least one human before they gained some control and introspection.

“I haven’t killed anyone, but I did severely injure a friend of mine at the time when I first turned. I’m not trying to excuse what I did, but—“

“Would you say you attacked them with the intention to kill?”

“I wasn’t myself, like I said I had just—“

“I think I’ve heard enough.”

(Y/n) heard the scraping of a blade leaving its sheath and decided the time to act had come.

With a careful kind of strength and speed, they flipped the script on the slayer, pinning her to the ground in a similar position that they had been in seconds before.

“Okay, you’ve had your fun. Now it’s my turn to talk!” (Y/n) growled. “Yes, I hurt someone I cared about. The fear and pain and betrayal they felt fed me more than the chunk I took out their wrist. But I don’t fondly look back on it as one of the ‘best’ emotions I’ve fed on. When I think of them, it’s about how they tried to help me and I repaid them by shredding their tendons. How they probably had to give up on their ceramist apprenticeship because of me. I left them every yen I owned, but I know it will never make up for what I did.

I haven’t hurt anyone since. In fact, I usually go out of my way to help people when I can. Like when I warned you about the demons about to pounce on your head the other night.”

“How do you help people when you feed off of their misery?” the slayer asked. Her voice though soft, held an undertone of bite to it.

“By feeding off of their misery.” (Y/n) went on to explain further, “I’ve discovered that if I feed on the negative emotions of a single person long enough, their well dries up. Not permanently, but until the next upset comes along at the very least. That’s why I want to go to Tokyo, there it’s always something.”

“You’ll make it to Tokyo over my dead body.”

The slayer’s voice sent a shiver down (Y/n)’s spine. They felt her shift her legs beneath them and heard a dual schwing! behind them, giving them enough time to narrowly dodge the knives that had apparently been built into the slayer’s footwear. She was very resourceful, they’d give her that much.

“Alright, knife shoes, that’s enough for me!” (Y/n) shouted, jumping back several feet, “This will be where we part ways. Wish I could say it was a pleasure, but actually having to talk to you was not a treat!”

(Y/n) darted away, really putting their newly invigorated speed to the test. All was well for but a few minutes before the slayer was soaring at them with all the force of a speeding bullet.

“Holy fuck!” (Y/n) felt the displacement of the air as the sword nearly grazed their cheek. “Holy fuck she’s fast!”

They pin-balled through the forest and it almost looked like the slayer —who just had to be a Hashira, had to be!— had (Y/n) right where she wanted them. The edge of a cliff.

“End of the line.” She drawled, fake smile holding on for dear life.

(Y/n) noticed the slayer’s apparent exhaustion and frustration, and smirked.

“Maybe for you, but if you took the time to actually listen to anything I told you, you would know I’m at the strongest I’ve ever been right now and that’s all thanks to you.” They slid their heel over the edge of the craggy cliff, “Not that you’ll believe me, but I promise to use this power for good as long as I have it. Bye-bye, Butterfly Girl.”

“Don’t move!”

But (Y/n) had already fallen. Wasn’t the most graceful dive, but they made it to the river far below relatively unscathed as far as demons go, and with the speed of the water’s flow, they would be long gone before the demon slayer safely made it down.

Shinobu clenched her fists to a knuckle-white hue as she watched the demon float away. They stuck their tongue out at her mockingly before they disappeared around the bend. Taking advantage of her solitude, Shinobu swore,

“Damn it!”

She had never been so embarrassed! If the other Hashira found out about this, she would never hear the end of it. That demon wasn’t even part of the Moons! She took a deep breath, letting it out slowly, then another. She fixed her hair back into place, her mind already made up. She would kill that demon after she had some time to recoup after spending so much time away from her estate.

“Run all you like, but I know where I’ll find you.”

***

“Oh! Missed again Bu-Bu, you’ll have to do better than that!” (Y/n) taunted.

“I will be sure to make your demise the most painful I’ve ever crafted.” Shinobu smiled tightly, veins fit to burst.

(Y/n) just had to learn her name after months of this cat and mouse chase and craft the most asinine nickname Shinobu had ever heard. Even Kanae would have known better than to ever utter something so childish.

“Sure, as you said the last time you made the trip to Tokyo, and the time before that, and the time before that—“

Shinobu pulled a throwing knife from her sleeve and tossed it at (Y/n) with wood splintering speed, luckily (Y/n) saw it coming, despite it being a new trick Shinobu had brought along. Shinobu grit her teeth together. No one could bring her fury to the surface like (Y/n) could.

“Don’t you think you’ll ever grow tired of this? Don’t you have more important things to do?” (Y/n) sighed, “Don’t get me wrong, I look forward to your visits but I can’t help but think your time would be better spent elsewhere.”

“It is my duty as a Hashira to destroy every demon the crosses my path, and that is just what I’ll do.” Shinobu dropped down I to another stance and burst forward in hopes of scraping (Y/n) just the tiniest bit, that’s all she needed! But again, (Y/n) avoided her.

“Come on, Bu-Bu, I’m sorry that I’ve damaged your pride time and time again, can’t we just start over? I think we’d make a pretty good team in all honesty.”

And (Y/n) was serious. Try as they might to dislike Shinobu, whenever they felt her arrival in the big city, they always went looking for her. They just couldn’t help but be drawn to her and the angst she shouldered. As hard a time as they liked to give her, they thought Shinobu was rather remarkable.

“Call me that one more time.” Shinobu dared.

“…Bu-Bu— AH!”

Shinobu pelted a barrage of knives and needles at (Y/n)’s retreating back as they sprinted and dove out of the alleyway, startling a pompous looking rich couple strolling down the street.

“Sorry, ‘scuse me! Trying not to die!”

***

Shinobu didn’t know what to do. She hated to even consider the possibility that this was a battle she could not win. She accepted long ago that (Y/n) really did feed off of the negative emotions of others and since that was the case, it was very likely that she could not be the one to kill the demon, simply because her well was much to deep. It pained her to say that (Y/n) was correct. As long as her anger remained unchecked, she could not defeat them.

Maybe it would be best to hand this self-imposed task to someone else. Kanao could probably overtake them… but Shinobu knew she would not be satisfied unless she ended things on her own terms. How could she lessen the hate within her so that she could utterly destroy (Y/n)?

Then Shinobu got an idea. A new approach. An insane approach.

What if she made an effort to befriend the demon? Maybe she could trick herself into lessening that hatred. Shrinking her well and thereby weakening (Y/n) enough to possibly defeat them on her own. At this point, she had no other options but to cut her loses and try to forget the infuriating demon and Shinobu was no quitter.

With that, she began planning her next trip to Tokyo with a renewed vigor. Who knew killing someone with kindness could be taken so literally.

***

“So let me get this straight…” (Y/n) rubbed the back of their neck, “You want a tour of the city and you want me to give it to you.”

“Yes.”

“But… why?”

“I was just thinking it’s been such a waste chasing you around. I’ve been all over this city but never stopped to take it in. You’ve been living here for months now, so I figured you could show me around. Does that not sound favorable? Didn’t you say you wanted to extend an olive branch?”

(Y/n) hummed, amused, “Are you sure this isn’t some elaborate scheme you are trying to pull that’ll render me worm food?”

No. “Yes, no tricks. I promise.” Shinobu held out her hand, then subtlety rolled her eyes when (Y/n) eyed the limb suspiciously. She rolled up her sleeves, “Completely bare, see?”

(Y/n) pursed their lips in thought before nodding in acceptance, a shy smile working at their lips as they reached their hand out to grasp Shinobu’s in a firm shake.

“Alright, what would you like to see first?”

“Surprise me.”

(Y/n) was a surprisingly competent tour guide bursting with information about themself and the sights around them. They had begun by telling Shinobu about the small village they had come from and how much of a culture shock it was when they finally made to Tokyo. They had never seen so many people and there were so many lights that it almost made night seem like day. It was very overwhelming at first, but they got a hang of it.

After wandering around for some time, (Y/n) asked Shinobu if she was hungry and took her to a ramen hut that was wildly popular.

“I’ve heard all sorts of great things about this place. If eating regular food didn’t make me feel so ill afterwards, I would be all over it! You have to let me know how it tastes!” They beamed excitedly.

Shinobu had to admit it was very good and well worth the wait.

“Hey Bu— Kochou, you’re a smart, science-y kind of gal. Do you think that a cure for demons is possible?”

“…I suppose it’s not out of the realm of possibility. Though I’d say it’s unlikely. It’s not something I’ve spent any time studying anyhow.”

“I see,” (Y/n) sighed, “you know, another reason I came to Tokyo was because I heard that there was a demon around here who was researching a cure, but I think she must have skipped town. It makes sense I guess. It’s a dangerous business trying to defy, ya know… so if a nobody like me heard about a demon doctor in Tokyo she must have packed her things and left the second her cover was blown. It’s still aggravating though, I really wanted to try to help her out.”

After Shinobu finished her meal, (Y/n) paid for it before she could retrieve her pouch.

“I thought you said you gave away all your money.” She recalled.

“I did, but I got myself a job that even comes with boarding! I only needed a place to protect me from the sun, but I thought I’d send the money I made back home to provide a steady income to my friend but the letters kept getting returned to me unopened so I’m kind of stuck with the cash…” They ran their hands over their clothes uncomfortably but put on a brave smile, “Well, anything else you’d like to do? The night is still young.”

They made their way down the bustling road, (Y/n) being the one to keep the conversation going most of the time. Shinobu made an effort to listen to at least pretend to be interested and file away any information that could actually be important moving forward.

She was distracted by a woman calling for someone as she clumsily navigated her way across the street. (Y/n) turned to greet her, seemingly familiar with her. Shinobu watched the interaction curiously.

“I just wanted to thank you for helping me the other day!” The woman bowed profusely, shoving a box of assorted treats into (Y/n)’s hands.

“You don’t need to thank me for anything, really. Somebody needed to step in.”

“Even so, please accept these as a token of my gratitude.” The woman shifted nervously before quickly kissing (Y/n)’s cheek before running back into the crowd.

“What was that about?” Shinobu asked.

“I, uh, punched a guy that was trying to feel her up. You probably don’t agree with the way I chose to go about it but,”

“No, I probably would have done the same. Good on you.” Shinobu half-heartedly praised.

“You mean it? Phew, I thought you’d be all like, ‘you mustn’t ever raise your hand to a human no matter the reason!’ or something.”

“I don’t sound like that.”

“You kinda do. Anyway, I would love to see you punch a guy. Just really wipe the floor with some jerk who really deserves— Hey! Watch out!”

(Y/n) disappeared from Shinobu’s side in a second and she heard an awful crunching sound and turned to the street. She saw a young boy on hands and knees, a temari rolling slowly away from him, and just a little further to the left, (Y/n)’s forearm had caved in around the hood of an oncoming automobile, stopping it in its tracks.

“Are you okay?” They asked the boy before checking in on the passengers of the vehicle. The obviously intoxicated driver shook an angry fist at them before puttering off at a much slower, jerkier speed.

Shinobu approached the scene, prepared to check over the boy for injuries. He clearly scraped up his palms and knees and was crying woefully.

“It hurts doesn’t it?” (Y/n) smiled sympathetically, “Here, I know a bit of magic that will help the pain go away.”

Shinobu watched the demon make a whole manner of nonsensical hand gestures and noises that made the weepy boy giggle and then with a deep inhale, the boy blinked, suddenly he didn’t feel so bad.

“You really are magic.” He whispered with awe.

“It’s our secret, okay?”

The boy made a show of zipping his lips and throwing away the key.

“Kochou, do you have anything for his scrapes? I can take care of the pain, but not the actual injuries.”

“Of course.”

She patched the boy up and (Y/n) retrieved his temari. Together they helped reunite the boy with his worried mother.

“Are you always so busy? Or are you putting on a special show just for me?” Shinobu asked.

“Not at all! I may feed off of negative emotions, that I’ll sit by if there is something I can do to make it better.”

“I recall you saying something similar before I suppose.”

“Oh, so you do listen to me. I wonder sometimes.” (Y/n) teased.

“Just take me to our next destination, please.”

“You got it, Bu-Bu.”

“Quit it.”

***

Another handful of months go by, more than a year since she first tackled (Y/n) to the ground and Shinobu knows she’s in too deep. Her plan was to marginally taper her hatred for (Y/n), not fall in love with them! Try as she might to ignore it, (Y/n) had shown their merit time and time again and grew on Shinobu like lichen on sturdy stone.

They were genuine, goofy, sweet, a pain in the ass, and Shinobu was smitten. There had been a handful of times where Shinobu thought she could do it, she could get the jump on them and end it all for good, but then (Y/n) would smile at her so sincerely or laugh in the way that would make her heart swell and she just couldn’t do it!

She told them things about herself that those closest to her had to twist her arm to get out of her. She just couldn’t believe she had gotten here from where she started, but try as she might to convince herself, she couldn’t say she regretted it.

“Oh great! You found a seat!”

Shinobu tried to temper the blush dusting her cheeks. She still hadn’t quite recovered from (Y/n)’s exuberant appraisal of the yukata she had worn for the occasion. It was a festival after all, why not dress up a bit? No other reason…

“Here, hope you like dango.”

“I do. Thank you.” Shinobu smiled, taking the offering and trying to ignore how her skin tingled when her hand brushed theirs.

They watched the procession of performers carry on down the street lit in a vibrant orange glow from the paper lanterns scattered around, but they kept glancing at each other, nervous for whatever reason. Their hands accidentally brushed when (Y/n) rested their palm against the branch. They jolted apart before cautiously meeting in the middle again.

“Shinobu,”

“Hm?” Shinobu attempted to mentally beat down her fluttering heart, when she saw how close (Y/n)’s face was to hers.

“Would it be okay if I kissed you?”

Already breathless, Shinobu nodded numbly. There had been a couple close calls in the past since they seemed to pull on each other like magnets, but now it was really happening. Or maybe not because Shinobu’s stomach was suddenly in knots.

This whole build up was built upon the fact that she wanted to take (Y/n)’s life. A secret she had kept to this very night. Perhaps if she brought it up when they first entered the friend stage they could have laughed about it, but now it was eating her up inside. She had to tell them.

“W-wait.”

(Y/n) pulled back, apologies ready for being so forward, but Shinobu shushed them.

“Before we continue. I must tell you something important.“

“What is it?” (Y/n) asked, shifting uncomfortably.

“My intentions towards you have not always been pure.” Shinobu swallowed. “When I first approached you under the guise of offering an olive branch, I was really coming at you as a Trojan horse. I intended to get close to you, in order to bring down your guard and lessen my hate towards you in hopes to more easily destroy you.”

“Oh.”

“Instead I accidentally fell for you. It’s rather ironic, isn’t it?” Shinobu chuckled, attempting to lighten the weight of her very heavy confession.

“Yeah,” (Y/n) chuckled dryly in return, looking down at their feet, “you must be disappointed.”

“I grappled with it for a while, but I got over it.” Shinobu slid her hand out to find (Y/n)’s again, but to her surprise they stood up before their hands met.

“I’m sorry falling in love with me was such an awful thing that you had to fight with yourself over it.”

“(Y/n)?” Shinobu stood as well, reaching out for them only for them to back away.

“Well, in a way I guess you still succeeded. I don’t think I’ve ever hurt this much.”

“I didn’t tell you this to hurt you, I just wanted to be transparent with you.”

“You had plenty of time to be transparent! When did you start to actually care? How much of the time that I look back fondly upon were you actually thinking about when to stab me in the back!”

“(Y/n), please,” Shinobu beseeched, but (Y/n) shook their head.

“I think I better go.”

“Wait—!”

Shinobu reached out to grab them but they were already gone.

***

Shinobu had searched for (Y/n) in all the usual places. She even waited outside their place of work, but their boss sourly told her they had been missing their shifts. They wouldn’t leave Tokyo without telling her, would they? She had looked in all the usual places, asked people for any hint of their whereabouts, but received no leads. Thinking about it now, (Y/n) always seemed to be the one finding her, not the other way around. (Y/n) probably tracked her through their abilities and this meant that if (Y/n) didn’t want Shinobu to find them, she never would.

Broken hearted, she returned home and the girls noticed the somber fog she brought home with her. She appreciated their attempts to cheer her up, but nothing would keep her from her brooding for long.

Day after day she wallowed, barely keeping up with her work because as long as she appeared to be functioning on the surface, people left her alone for the most part. She��d lay in bed, languishinging away. Stewing in her sadness and growing frustrated with herself. She was not Tomioka, she wasn’t the type to lay in a dark room all day and wonder, ‘why me?’ She took charge! She kicked ass and took names! She saw a butterfly in the garden that reminded her of (Y/n) and cried about it for twenty-five minutes…

Shinobu was absolutely miserable.

Taking note of the time, she took a deep breath and heaved herself out of bed to allow herself some time to fix herself into something resembling a functioning human being before she headed to the lab. She had been working on finding a cure for demons lately and though she really had no need to continue, except for maybe Nezuko she supposed, she couldn’t bring herself to clean up and pack away what she had worked out already. She wondered how long that demon doctor (Y/n) had mentioned had been searching for a cure.

As Shinobu dragged her feet through the halls, she heard a commotion. She was content to ignore it, thinking it was probably just the rowdy boys coming back from their latest missions until she heard someone shouting about a demon.

A demon on estate grounds was unheard of, especially during the day.

Shinobu ran passed the lab and through the sea of Kakushi frantically running about, yelling to quickly find her or Kanao to deal with the matter.

“Everyone be quiet!” She heard Aoi yell from somewhere within the chaos. “Remember the protocol! Get to your stations!”

The crowd thinned enough for Shinobu to make her way outside. Kanao was already there, sword at the ready. Shinobu aimed her gaze further ahead to see exactly what they were dealing with her heart nearly fell to her feet.

Underneath a large umbrella, only slightly singed, (Y/n) stood timidly, trying not to do anything that would warrant Kanao’s wrath.

Shinobu moved on autopilot, almost tripping herself a few times because she couldn’t take her eyes away from (Y/n). Her hand managed to find Kanao’s shoulder.

“It’s alright, they won’t harm anyone here.” She assured.

Kanao searched Shinobu’s face before taking a step back. Though she had been concerned with Shinobu’s behavior as of late, she was curious to see where exactly she was going with this.

Shinobu walked on until there was only a few steps distance between them. (Y/n) bit their lip nervously.

“Hey—“

“What are you doing out in the sun?!” Shinobu scolded, “You could die! Get inside right now before something goes horribly wrong!”

Shinobu shrugged off her haori and put it around (Y/n) in hopes of adding another protective layer and quickly ushered them inside.

“I’ve got everything under control Kanao, let everyone know there is no need to worry and to go back about their day, please.”

Shinobu pushed (Y/n) through the halls, finally shoving them into her room and shutting the door behind them.

“Are you feeling okay? Nevermind, stupid question. I know you aren’t.” (Y/n) blew out a gust of air and closed their umbrella.

“How did you know where to find me? Why did you come back?”

“Well, after I stopped feeling sorry for myself I thought about what you said. It wasn’t fair for me to run off on you like that, and avoid you in the days that followed. I went looking for you then, but I guess you had given up. I didn’t know how I could find you again to apologize, but then I started feeling your emotions again so I thought you came back. I followed your sorrow, and followed and followed, bought an umbrella, kept going, and then I wound up here.

I’m so sorry I left you alone like that. I obviously hurt you a great deal. Can you forgive me?”

“I think we both both have our fair share of blame. I forgive you. And I’m sorry, do you forgive me.”

“Yes, of course I do.” (Y/n) took a step forward and rose their arms halfway, hesitating. “Um, would a hug be okay?”

“Get over here.”

Shinobu grasped (Y/n)’s wrists and pulled them forward into a right hug. She relaxed into (Y/n)’s body when their arms wrapped around her.

***

“Darling, I already fed Fugu today.” Shinobu told (Y/n), taking the fish food from their hand and placing it back on the shelf.

“Are you sure? She looks hungry.”

“She is trying to deceive you. She knows you’re an easy target.” Shinobu smiled, pulling (Y/n) out of their room by their hand. “Come along now, it’s a full moon, and you said you wanted to go on a walk with me, didn’t you?”

“Yeah!”

They walked hand in hand through the cool night, the moon illuminating the path, occasionally deviating from the path to share a few stolen kisses along the way. Though Shinobu’s well of anger was far from empty, the love they shared helped make the pain much more bearable.

[iamnotoriginalphil]

The 5 Times You Almost Kissed Alex + The 1 Time Alex Kissed You (Alex Blake x f!Reader)

Synopsis: You just want to kiss Alex

Words: 3.3k

Warnings: usual CM type violence

AN: This is for @prentiss-theorem's Bingo. I hope you like it!

1

Alex Blake was beautiful in the afternoon light. She was beautiful everywhere, but the warm afternoon light streaming through the large windows of the cafe you were in made it almost painful to look at her. It had come on so gradually, the way she’d begun to take up more space in your field of vision.

She tossed some hair behind her shoulder, that floral scent you’d begun to associate with comfort swirling around you. It was like something in your body compelled you to step closer to her as you waited for your coffees. Those dark eyes found yours, pink lips pulling up into a small smile.

“You didn’t have to come with me, you know,” she said, “I think I can manage grabbing a coffee.”

“Maybe I wanted a drink too,” you said, fluttering your eyelashes at her.

Her laughter was like the sound of heaven to you. You wondered how you could make her do it again. You might willingly spend the rest of your life finding out.

“I would have brought you something if you’d wanted,” she said, still chuckling.

“And miss out on watching you put that boy in his place?” you asked, “never.”

“Do you think I look like a sugar mommy?” she asked.

“Definitely,” you laughed, “the biggest sugar mommy.”

“Would you like me to be your sugar mommy?”

Her voice had deepened and she was looking at you with those fathomless eyes, darkening the longer she looked at you. Your breath caught in your chest and your veins burst into flames. She lowered her chin, her gaze growing more intense. Your mouth grew dry, and you wanted so badly to say something flirty and clever, something to wow her but your brain felt empty.

“Well?” she asked, her voice husky.

Before you could answer her, someone bumped into her. She stumbled forward a step. You caught her, curling an arm around her waist as she fell against your body. Your cheeks immediately flamed, but with her so close you weren’t sure how to function properly.

She was like a blackhole, you could feel yourself being drawn towards her. Her breath ghosted over your face. You tilted your head up. Her eyelids fluttered closed, leaning in to you.

“Alex?”

She blinked, drawing away from you as she turned. Disappointment flooded your body as she stepped out of your arms, the coffees ready for her. When she turned back, it was with a small smile, almost bashful, as she held out your coffee.

“Well, we should be getting back,” you said, once you took it, hoping to smooth over the awkwardness.

“Of course,” she replied, but the way she was looking at you made you think this wouldn’t be the last of it.

2

You raised your hand to knock on the white door in front of you. You’d been thinking about it, that moment in the coffee shop, and what it could mean for you and her. Clearly, you weren’t the only one having some thoughts. You’d stake your job as a profiler on it.

Your fist connected with the door, knocking a couple of times. You didn’t have to wait long before the door was pulled open. Alex dressed in sweats and a hoodie, damp hair curling at her shoulder, stared back at you, surprise lighting up her features. You smiled, not able to help yourself. She was so beautiful she could steal your breath without even trying.

“Hey,” you said, “were you about to go to bed?”

“No, no, come in.”

She held the door open for you. You slipped in, your body brushing against hers. Warmth spread from the points you touched her, filling you with something close to excitement. Her dark eyes were watching you and you wondered if she knew why you were there. She was a good enough profiler to be able to read your mind.

“Did you want to talk about the case?” she asked.

You shook your head, watching her close the door and walk towards you. Without her heels on she was only just taller than you. Her bare toes were peeking out, painted a delicate pink. You felt your cheeks heat up just seeing them, not used to seeing such a casual Alex. No one on the team usually got the privilege.

“Were you looking for something?” she asked, snapping your attention back up to her.

“No, I…” You tried to find words to explain your presence beyond your need to kiss her, “I couldn’t sleep and thought I’d see if you were awake and able to distract me.”

“How would I distract you?” she asked, taking one of those steps towards you that had your mouth drying up.

“Well, I suppose you could…” You looked at her from under your lowered lashes, “do something that would make me stop thinking about the case.”

“Do you have a suggestion for me?” she asked, taking another step towards you.

“I do,” you replied.

“Are you going to share it with me?” She quirked an eyebrow up.

“Come over here and I might.”

Each step was agonising, waiting for her to reach you, but you enjoyed watching her so much. She stopped in front of you, her dark gaze smouldering. You didn’t seem to have the same restraint she did, your hands reaching for her.

You curled a hand behind her neck, fingers tangling in the hair at the nape of her neck. Her own hand settled on your hip, practically burning you through your jeans. You pulled her down, lingering for a moment, breathing her in. She was intoxicating.

Before your lips could press against hers there was a loud knocking on the door, practically hammering on the wood. You flinched back from her, startled at the noise, bursting the bubble of her touch. There was a flush high on her cheekbones and when she looked to you, you found conflict swimming in her eyes.

“Go on,” you whispered. She pulled away from you, leaving you cold.

Only once you found out that you were needed in the field, there was a part of you that wished you hadn’t. Another chance lost.

3

Alex was driving you crazy. There was no shrugging off what had almost happened in her hotel room. No way to misinterpret what you’d been doing. And she knew it. So now, it seemed as if she was determined to drive you insane.

Which is why, on a day when she was being particularly provocative, you retreated into a stationary cupboard just to have a break. She knew exactly what she was doing with her shirt unbuttoned just enough to make you lose your train of thought at the most inopportune times. The way she would look at you, it was making your blood thrum.

You weren’t expecting the door to open as you were looking over the pens, debating the merits of blue versus black ink. You turned, squinting. Backlit from the sunlight outside the door, a figure was staring in at you.

“Are you hiding from me?”

Alex. Of course it was Alex.

“I wouldn’t use the word hiding,” you replied.

She chuckled as she stepped into the closet, the door closing with a quiet snick. Your eyes found that tantalising shadow at opening of her shirt then snapped up to her face. Yes, she definitely knew what she was doing.

“What word would you use?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.

“Taking a breather,” you said, stepping back until your back hit the shelves behind you.

In such a confined space she was everywhere. You could smell her perfume, wrapped around you in the small space.

“You need a breather from me?” She was sounding so innocent but the way her lips were curling up let you know she knew exactly the effect she was having on you.

“If I don’t have a breather I can’t promise I won’t do something I shouldn’t out there in the bullpen,” you said.

“Such as?” She took a step forward into your personal space.

“Kissing you until you can’t remember your own name,” slipped from between your lips before you could consider the words.

Her smile grew and in her eyes you could see the pleasure your words brought her. Your teeth sunk into your lower lip, the heat growing. Her eyes dragged down to it, darkening, seemingly beginning to feel what you’d spent days feeling.

Her hand came up, cupping your cheek. Her thumb gently pulled your lip from between your teeth. You let your tongue flick over the tip of it, watching as her breath seemed to catch.

“Why don’t you then?” she asked, voice husky in the silence.

Your hands landed on her hips, pulling her closer until her body was pressed against yours. You spun her, pushing her back against the shelves. Her eyes widened. Pushing up onto your toes, your nose brushed against hers. Her hand shifted from your cheek to the back of your neck, as if urging you on.

“We have work to be getting on with,” you murmured, lips a hair’s breadth from hers.

You slipped away from her before she could say anything else.When she sat at her desk, the look she shot your way told you that you’d be paying for that later. You couldn’t wait.

4

Working on such intense cases could be draining. No one could blame you for wanting to blow off a bit of steam. Where better than the local bar to relax with some of your favourite people. It didn’t hurt that Alex’s thigh was pressed against yours at the booth, her shoulder brushing against you often enough to derail your train of thought.

You hadn’t had a moment alone with her since the stationary cupboard. A few shared glances, the brush of fingers, the weight of anticipation building. The heat in her eyes when they met yours had been simmering within you for what felt like an eternity.

Even there, sitting in a booth, surrounded by the rest of the team, you felt breathless.

Her fingers brushed over the top of your leg before finding the inside of your thigh, resting there just long enough to make heat bloom over your skin. She lent forward over the table to hear something Morgan was saying, fingers tightening on your leg.

“I need some fresh air,” you murmured, forcing Garcia to shuffle out of the booth to make room for you to get up.

Her hand slipped from your leg, seemingly without her noticing. You pushed through the crowd, shoving your way out the door. It was all becoming a lot, the rising tension between the two of you. You could have dissipated it in that stationary cupboard but the thought of teasing her the way she’d been teasing you had been too sweet to give up. Now you were suffering for your lack of impulse control it seemed.

You lent back against the rough brick wall of the building, staring up at the dark sky. The air was cool where it hit your skin. You let out a long breath, eyes sliding closed as you did your best to push thoughts of Alex from your mind. It wasn’t helping anything. They were driving you crazy.

“I hope I didn’t scare you away.”

Your eyelids fluttered open. It shouldn’t surprise you that Alex had followed you outside, knowing she would be looking for retribution from your last stunt. Still, she never failed to light the fire in your veins.

“Of course not,” you replied, “but it was getting rather warm in there.”

“So you’re not looking for someone to help warm you up?” she asked.

She stepped closer to you, hand in her pocket. The way she was looking at you told you exactly how she would warm you up. You shivered, wanting it more than you could vocalise.

“That depends.” You reached out to her, tangling your fingers with hers.

“On what?” she asked, allowing you to tug her closer.

“On if you’re going to tell me exactly how you’d do it,” you said.

Her other hand found yours. You tugged her even closer, needing to feel her against your body. She ducked her head, lips brushing the shell of your ear.

“You’re a clever girl,” she murmured, “I’m sure you can figure it out.”

You turned your head, nose brushing against the apple of her cheek. The weight of her gaze made your cheeks heat up, your fingers tightening around hers. You pulled her forward again, tilting your chin up. Her eyes flicked down to your lips then back up to your eyes.

“Please,” you whispered and you didn’t know who you were begging.

You drew closer, so close to tasting her.

The door slammed open, loud conversations spilling out into the street. She jerked away from you.

“Oi, Blake,” Morgan shouted from the doorway, “it’s your round.”

“Alright, alright,” Alex called back.

Disappointment flooded your veins. You sighed as she drew away, pulling her hands from yours.

“To be continued,” she promised.

You had to hope so as you trailed her back into the bar.

5

Finishing a gruelling case was always a good excuse to gather at Rossi’s for pasta and wine. Having that time to unwind together, swapping stories and laughing, it made your family feel so much closer than ever before. The warmth of the people you loved so much wrapped around you in a tight hug.

Alex was sitting across from you at the table, her eyes continually sticking on you as she glanced around at your team. Each time she did, you couldn’t stop yourself from smiling, averting your eyes down to keep yourself from staring. You’d stare at her forever if given half the chance.

So instead you did your best to ignore the feelings within you, distracting yourself with Garcia’s rambling about some convention she was going to with Reid. Perhaps that’s why it took you so long to realise she’d slipped away. When you finally did notice it was like an itch in the back of your brain, counting down the seconds to her return.

The time dragged on.

“I’ll be right back,” you murmured, knowing you had to go find her or lose your mind.

You pushed back from the table, wandering into the house. You trailed from room to room, seeking her out, wondering if it was as simple as she was in the bathroom.

She wasn’t. With her back to the door, she was looking out the kitchen window on the small grouping outside. Her hands were resting on the counter, leaning forward, her shoulders tense. You were surprised she could see anything out the window with the bright lights overhead and the darkness pressing in from outside.

“You okay?” you asked her back.

Her head didn’t even turn in your direction.

“I needed a moment,” she replied.

“Sorry, I can go,” you said, “leave you alone.”

“No, no, you’re fine.”

She finally turned towards you, leaning back against the counter, crossing her arms over her chest. You stepped into the kitchen properly. You hauled yourself up, sitting on the counter beside her, with enough space to not crowd her.

“I don’t like cases that involve kids,” she said.

“Mm,” you hummed, not sure how to help.

“You were amazing,” she said, turning towards you, “I don’t think I got the opportunity to say that before.”

“Thank you.” You ducked your head.

“You’re truly a phenomenal agent,” she said, slowly making her way to stand in front of you.

Her hands landed on your thighs. From your position on the counter she had to look up at you. You reached out, gently tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. She stepped between your legs those warm hands sliding further up your legs until they rested on your hips.

“I want to be better because of you,” you admitted, “you make me want to be a better agent.”

“You give me too much credit,” she replied, shaking her head.

You caught her cheeks between your palms, holding her so she was forced to look at you. That soft smile was gone and yet the way she was staring at you lit you up from the inside until you were sure you were glowing. You lent down, determined to show her exactly how much you cared about her.

“I sure hope no one is planning on doing something I wouldn’t want to see on my kitchen counter.”

Your eyes opened, flicking up to the doorway. Rossi. Fucking Rossi.

“Of course not,” you replied.

“I’d suggest rejoining the rest of the team,” he said, crossing his arms over his chest like a disapproving dad.

You slipped off the counter, grabbing Alex’s hand to lead her back out to the table, ignoring the look Rossi was shooting the two of you.

+1

Standing outside the house was like torture. You felt useless, watching on. A gunshot went off somewhere inside, startling you so badly you jumped. Your heart clenched. You stumbled forward a step before stopping. Barrelling in there would not help anyone.

A hostage situation was not the right time to lose your head.

Alex was inside, holding on as the unsub did their best to try and get away unscathed. Another gunshot went off. You squeezed your eyes closed.

A shout went up somewhere behind you. Your eyes opened, the flashing lights of the cars around you almost blinding you as you stared at the house. First one then another body stumbled out the door, quickly followed by a third. You held your breath.

You let it out when a familiar figure stepped out, running towards your line of cars. You stepped forward, not able to stop yourself. You could see her head turning, scanning the line, most likely as blind as you were in the dark. You took another step as the family rushed past you, ignoring them, your eyes only on her.

Her head paused, pointed in your direction and then she was running straight at you. You caught her, arms wrapping around her, her body crashing into yours. Her hands grasped your cheeks and she was pulling you up onto your toes. Her nose nudged yours and then she was kissing you like you were her dying breath.

You held her closer, arms tightening around her until you weren’t sure where her body ended and yours began. She was leaving you feeling breathless, needing her with every fibre of your being. The fear and anxiety for her burned away in the wake of the feeling of her.

Kissing her felt like coming home. It felt right. Every particle of your being was alive and yearning for her as her fingers threaded through your hair. The brush of her tongue against yours only sent you higher.

“Is this really the time?”

Alex broke away, turning her glare on Hotch.

“Yes.”

She kissed you again before you could consider answering yourself and any words you might have said flew from your head. It was far more amazing than you had ever imagined. It was sweatier and a little ashier than you would have hoped, but somehow it was perfect for the two of you.

When you broke apart there was a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye.

“You’ll be coming back to my room, won’t you?” she asked, just a touch of worry hidden in her eyes.

“Of course,” you replied, not able to think about anything beyond being in her hotel room later.

“Good.”

Her lips pressed to yours chastely. That also managed to steal your breath. She left you struggling for words as she returned to the rest of the team, ready for the debrief. You needed a moment to collect yourself.

The wait had definitely been worth it.

Tags: @trippol-threat​​​​​​​ @theclassicgaycousin​​​​​​​ @prentiss-theorem​​​​​​​ @nightmarish-fae​​​​​​​ @storiesofsvu​​​​​​​ @rustyzebra​​​​​​​ @emsmultiverse​​​​

[celli-ohs]

hubba hubba!

part two of accidentally in love! series frat boy!yeonjun x stubborn!reader; college!au, one-sided love to lovers! comedy/crack, fluff, angst, smut

ATTENTION: reply/comment for taglist!

3. #hatersgonnahate (written portion 1.1k)

As soon as Yeonjun steps through those classroom doors, you feel your eyes subconsciously roll back into your head. Despite his cast, he’s dressed like a model off-duty. In fact, it’s almost as if his cast adds to the outfit, it's decorated with an array of messages, drawings, even- was that a dick on his arm? You don’t comment as he sits down beside you, actually you turn away. As if sensing your attitude, Yeonjun scoots closer. “Hey,” He tries to get your attention. You ignore him. “What was your name again?” You snap your head in his direction, eyes full of fury. You spent all class yesterday talking to this guy and he hadn’t remembered your name? Did he even listen to a word that had come out of your mouth?? 

“Just so I can write it correctly, you know? We gotta exchange numbers if we’re gonna be partners for the rest of the term.” He waves his phone, showing that he’d pulled out a fresh new contact for you. Maybe you overreacted, you think to yourself as you take his phone and punch your number in. A wave of embarrassment washes over you. When you hand his phone back, he stares at his screen before chuckling. “Beautiful girl deserves a beautiful name, it really suits you Y/n.” You have to bite back a grimace at the sound of your name coming from him. You can’t even spit out an insult, because your professor begins her lecture. 

After a short review on how to properly use a sewing machine, as well as going over all the different types of stitches one can make, every pair is assigned one machine. You’re lucky you go to a large university like HYBE, because if you didn’t, you’d have to go out and buy your own sewing machine. Having one provided to you was amazing for your wallet. But unluckily for you, your partner only had one functional arm, and you just learned it wasn’t his dominant one. “So when do you get your cast removed?” You ask looking at the various scribbles on his arm. You can spot out Jake’s handwriting: ‘at least it wasn’t ur face :P’

“Uh the nurse said about 6 weeks but it might be 8 depending on how it heals,” Yeonjun pouts, almost glaring at his arm. You struggle to hide your sigh, he’d be useless for half the semester, and you were stuck with him. “Look, my arm may be broken, but I can still help, I wouldn’t leave you hanging.” Yeonjun shrugs. You sit silently as you watch him struggle to take out his portfolio from his bag with one hand. (You’re doomed.) When he finally does, he opens it to show you. “I’m not just a pretty face you know.” He snickers and you decide to take a look for yourself, you’d be in charge of your own decision. 

Compared to your portfolio, Yeonjun was the exact opposite. Your portfolio was a large combination of photos taken from various places such as the internet, magazines, art books, and a handful were of your own friends you’d dragged into modeling certain pieces. But Yeonjun, you were absolutely astonished by what you found. Almost everything inside of his portfolio was handcrafted. Messy sketches of garments, colored designs of entire outfits, actual scraps of fabric glued down, and detailed handwritten notes littered each page. But what surprised you the most were the intricate drawings of his finished models wearing his product, drawn right beside their real life version. 

“Wow,” You whisper, eyes wide as you flip through the pages. “You drew all of this?” Your fingers glide over a certain top, its loose and flowing design catches your attention. “Yeah, before you know-“ He shakes his cast around. You’re flipping through the pages when you suddenly recognize a face. “Is that Heeseung?” You take a closer look and realize it is in fact one of your best friends. “Yeah, we’re friends. Do you know him?” You don’t notice the slight difference in Yeonjun’s tone. You simply nod, too amazed at the outfit Heeseung was modeling. (You were definitely going to interrogate him later on.) “Ok time to trade- lemme see yours.” Yeonjun slams a hand over his portfolio, covering his designs. You groan and roll your eyes. 

“Fine, but only because you showed me yours.” You grumble, fishing out your own portfolio. As Yeonjun browses through it, you watch nervously. Yours was not as impressive as his, not in the slightest. He probably thought you were lazy, boring, your designs unamusing. But he surprises you when he smiles at you. “This is really cool, I’ve never thought of using Pantone swatches for color themes.” He references the swatch cards you’d taken from the local home improvement store and taped inside your pages. “Oh, thanks.” You mumble, not really knowing how to react to the compliment. Feeling self conscious, you clear your throat and begin to tinker with the sewing machine.

“Yeonjun! Hey!” One of your classmates, a pretty girl with long dark hair and large doe eyes flashes a breath-taking smile as she leans against the table. Yeonjun looks up, and returns the gesture, smirking at her as he leans back into his chair. “Hey,” He says suavely, still clutching your portfolio. “I didn’t know you were taking this class, you should have told me! We could have been partners silly.” She giggles, and you can’t help but sneer. If she wanted him so bad, she could take him, you’d probably have an easier time without him. “Well this was the only seat left, sorry pretty,” He pretends to pout. 

That was a lie, and you both knew it. Because of his accident, Yeonjun missed the first day of class, and yesterday he plopped into the first open seat he could find, which happened to be right next to yours. There were a few empty seats a couple of rows back, but you held your tongue. “Well I wanted to see how you’re doing, does your arm hurt? Maybe I can talk to the professor and she’ll let you partner with me instead, I’m really good-” The screeching of your chair against the tile floor loudly interrupts whatever nonsense was about to spew out of that woman’s mouth. You stiffly turn to Yeonjun and whoever this girl was, and force a smile. “I’m going to the restroom.” You grit your teeth and walk out of class without another word.

Bonus:

It took Yeonjun exactly 3 minutes and 45 seconds to get his portfolio out he almost asked for help but our boy prevailed 💪

Y/n wants to quit her class so badly but she doesn't want to deal with getting in again; Jay was not kidding when he said Y/n fought tooth and nail to get in, she sent a girl to the dentist for cutting in line for the portfolio application

A reminder that Heeseung, Jay, and Jake (as well as Ni-ki) are all a part of Eta Theta Eta Nu, the local fraternity at HYBE Uni

(uhh ik I had said before in awooga that Heeseung lived in the frat house, I fixed that he doesn't lol sorry for my mistake)

Only Yeonjun and Kai are a part of the frat, but Yeonjun's been trying to get Taehyun to join

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reblogs appreciated!

[frodo-with-glasses]

More Reading Thoughts: A Conspiracy Unmasked

Ohohoho here we go >:-D

Merry like “hmm, I can tell something’s fishy about this, but we’ll have to talk about it later”

The Brandybucks being described as “virtually a small independent country” is GreatTM X-D

“…as a matter of fact, [the Bucklanders] were not very different from the other hobbits of the Four Farthings. Except in one point: they were fond of boats, and some of them could swim.”

*Phil Dragash Merry voice intensifies* I LOVE BOATS Y’KNOW HOW MUCH I LOVE BOATS SO MUCH I MEAN THEY’RE SO COOL AND BOATY AND THEY FLOAT

Aww, Sam’s already getting a bit homesick :-(

Gollummmm

Frodo: “I mean we already ate, but we could eat again.” Merry: “Say no more, fam”

Frodo seeing Bilbo’s things in the new house and being “sharply reminded” of him :-C Hello it is once again Crying About Frodo and Bilbo O’Clock

BATH SECTION YEAAAAAHHHH

“Which order shall we go in? Eldest first or quickest first? You’ll be last either way, Master Peregrin.” HAHAHA GETTIM FRODO

And Merry like “excuuuuse me, you should know by now that I’m better at planning and logistics than that; there are THREE tubs >8-D”

And Pippin splashing Frodo with the bath water 🤣 This whole section is so stinkin’ CUTE

I, too, cannot properly dry my hair until I am out of the steam in the bathroom. Frodo is the most relatable ever.

Merry has such dad energy 🤣 “You’d better clean up your mess, Pippin, before you get any supper!”

The squabbling over the mushrooms haha

Ooooohh The Talk is here

It honestly makes so much sense that Pippin is the one talking when Frodo refuses to. Frodo is trying to keep secrets, and Pippin has zero filter.

Also Merry reading Frodo like a book is SO GOOD

“You are miserable, because you don’t know how to say good-bye. You meant to leave the Shire, of course. But danger has come on you sooner than you expected, and now you are making up your mind to go at once. And you don’t want to. We are very sorry for you.”

THAT’S MY SMART BOI

I can’t wait to draw this part

“You do not understand! You must go—and therefore we must, too. Merry and I are coming with you. Sam is an excellent fellow, and would jump down a dragon’s throat to save you, if he did not trip over his own feet; but you will need more than one companion in your dangerous adventure.” Awww, Pippin!!

Also the foreshadowing, wow

Hahaha Merry presenting Sam like “TA-DA! Our chief spy!!”

Sam: “Gandalf did say to take someone you could trust, sir!” Frodo: “But I can’t trust anyone, apparently!” Sam: :-C

Oh oh oh it’s this part…!!

“It all depends on what you want. You can trust us to stick to you through thick and thin - to the bitter end. And you can trust us to keep any secret of yours - closer than you can keep it yourself. But you cannot trust us to let you face trouble alone, and go off without a word. We are your friends, Frodo. Anyway: there it is. We know most of what Gandalf has told you. We know a good deal about the Ring. We are horribly afraid - but we are coming with you; or following you like hounds.”

MERRY MY LAD I LOVE YOU TO DEATH

That’s true friendship right there

Frodo like “I am NEVER trusting that you are actually asleep ever again” 🤣

“Three cheers for Captain Frodo and Company!” I’m going to melt 🥹

Merry once again being the G.O.A.T. by having the ponies prepared

“It seems to have been a very efficient conspiracy.” HECK YEAH IT WAS

I love that Fatty has barely talked through the whole chapter except to blurt “NOT THE OLD FOREST” at the very end

Merry continues to have Dad Energy by breaking up the almost-argument between Pippin and Fatty

Oooof the dream about the Sea…

[doe-eyed-fool]

Fallen {Chapter Twenty Four}

Alastor x (fem)Reader

It had been about a week since that incident, I was still a little shaken from it. Though, I tried to keep my composure, and act normally. Most seem to buy it, except for two people. Angel Dust, he saw right through my act. He tried to make me feel better. Talking to me, inviting me out with him and Cherri. While I appreciated his efforts, it didn't help much. I tried to put his own worries at ease, but I wasn't much help either.

Then there was Alastor. Even if I wanted to pretend like everything was fine, it wouldn't convince him. He was patient with me and understanding. He did as I asked, and kept quiet about what he did to Liam. Though, telling from the grin on his face, he was satisfied with what he's done. 

Today, Alastor had stopped by my room. He wanted to take a crack at trying to cheer me up too. But, the way he went about it was...shocking.

I answer the door, I've learned overtime that his knock pattern was different from the others. He stared down at me with a friendly(?) grin. "Good evening Y/n! How are you feeling?" He asks. I shrug. "About the same." Not great, but not terrible either. Somewhere in between. But, it wasn't a good in between. I knew that much.

"Well, that's not good." Alastor knew it too. "It's because of that, I came by. I wanted to ask you to join me this evening." 

"Join you? I don't know Alastor, I'm not really in the mood to be going anywhere. I could tell I was dampening the mood, when Angel invited me out recently. I don't want to do the same with you." I tell him.

"Nonsense! You never let my spirits down! Y/n, I feel like this would be good for you. Trust me, you'll have a blast!" Alastor quickly adds. "And before you say anything, no, this evening will not involve murder or maiming of any kind." 

"Then, what were you planning?" I ask him. Alastor offers his hand. "That's for you to find out." I hesitated, but took his hand anyway. "Aha! Wonderful! I assure you Y/n, you won't regret it!" He begins to walk with me, but pauses after taking another look at me. I raise an eyebrow. "What?" 

"I feel as if we should properly dress for the evening, shouldn't we?" He says before snapping his fingers. Suddenly, we were both wearing new outfits.

I wore a red midi dress with a black bow tied around my waist. While Alastor wore a red suit, because of course it was red.

"Perfect!" Alastor exclaims. "Alright, are you ready, dear?" He asks. "I don't think I will ever get use to sudden wardrobe changes. But yes, I am ready." Alastor chuckles at my comment before leading me out. He teleports us both, as not to draw attention from the others in hotel.

We had traveled to a upscale part of the city, anyone here clearly were proper and fairly rich. I felt so out of place, though Alastor acts as if he's been here hundreds of times. He probably has, now that I think about it.

"I say we should start the evening off with a nice meal. What do you think?" Alastor asks me. I couldn't pass up the chance for food, especially when I haven't ate all day. "That sounds fine." I tell him. Alastor leads me to a fancy looking restaurant.

He informed the host of his name and reservation, and was swiftly welcomed in. Though, I'm sure without one he'd get in. He was an overlord after all.

We were brought to our seats, and given a bottle of wine that was sat in a small bucket of ice. The host told us our waiter would be with us momentarily before excusing himself. "I know you don't drink, so I won't force you. But, if you change your mind..." Alastor says as he pours both of us a glass. "It'll be there." 

"Well, it's not like I don't drink ever." I say while taking the glass. "I just, prefer not to over do it. I like to keep it light, you know?" I then took a sip. Wow. This is good. I dare not think about just how much this wine costed alone, on top of sitting down to eat here.

"Understandable." Alastor nods as he takes a sip himself. "I don't think I've gotten drunk in a while. Last time I did, I believe I found myself in a part of the pride ring I'd never been to before. Apparently, in my drunken state, I had bet quite the sum of money on a race horse...and lost." 

I couldn't help but laugh a bit at that. "How much did you drink?" I ask. "Couldn't tell ya. But my pockets were hurting for a bit after that, I can say that for certain." Alastor chuckles.

"I can't even remember why I was drinking that much to begin with. But I recall Mimzy being there, and when Mimzy and I drink together...The night can take us literally anywhere. I even asked her, and she can't remember why either. But she had gotten herself into some trouble as well." He takes another swig. 

"This Mimzy girl sounds like a blast." I say with a smile. "Oh, she is." Alastor chuckles. "Quite the trouble maker too. But, she's a decent woman. Me and her go way back. We were good friends when we were alive." He tells me. "We got each other out of a few sticky situations, every now and then." 

"I notice your quite popular with women." I say. "You get along with them better, and it seems you only make friends with women. I'm surprised you don't have a girlfriend, or a wife." Alastor shrugs. "I was never interested. Romance, love, it was never a priority." 

"Oh, I see." Something about hearing that made me a little disappointed. Not upset. But, I guess I was hoping for something? Then again, this could be a good thing. My delusions and silly emotions could finally settle. At least now, I know for sure I won't get hurt again.

Our waiter then arrived, and took our orders. As we ate, me and Alastor talked about all sorts of things. He told me a bit about his living days. How he was a popular radio host, though that was unsurprising. How he basically came from nothing made something of himself all on his own.

And being a black man in a time like that, it was more than a little difficult. But he did it, and he was damn proud of it too. He told me more stories of him and Mimzy, and from what he talked about, she was a handful. She would get herself into trouble and usually Alastor would have to help her out. But, she would always make up for it somehow.

By the end of dinner, he would take me to a jazz lounge. The relaxing atmosphere, along with a few drinks, had put me a calmer mood. While the restaurant made me a little anxious, this place was the total opposite. Jazz wasn't my most preferred music, but I still liked and appreciate it.

And as I said, it was very relaxing. I take a look around, there was a few couples in lounge, cuddled up next to each other. I smiled at the sight, but it made me a little jealous. My gaze then moved to Alastor. He was focused on the performance, so he didn't catch my stare.

Maybe it was the alcohol finally settling in, but, the lighting of the lounge made him look very handsome. And we were sitting so close, our shoulders nearly touched. My cheeks began to heat up, and I prayed he could hear my heart beating as fast as it was. 

"I was never interested. Romance, love, it was never a priority." 

My heart started to settle, upon remembering those words. I turn to face the stage, feeling that same twinge of disappointment again. 

After that, Alastor and I took a stroll trough the city. We didn't talk much, but it was a comfortable silence. My arm interlocked with Alastors as we walked.

The night here in Hell was different from the one on Earth. Instead of a black sky full of stars, the red sky was a cool maroon. Even the bright pentagram had dimmed down, still bright enough to light the sky, but not enough to hurt your eyes. It was like looking at the moonlight. 

"Y/n?"

I looked up at Alastor. "Did you have a nice time?" He asked me. I smile and nod my head. "I did. Thank you." Alastor's grin soften, he turned his attention ahead and kept walking. As we walked, the sound of music steadily grew louder.

Ahead of us, was a street performer, who was playing a saxophone. There was a small gathering of demons who watched him play, some playing money into the saxophone case next to him. He was pretty good.

Alastor suddenly stopped walking, unhooking his arm from mine, and twirled me around. "Alastor?" I gasp slightly. "May I have this dance?" He asks, pulling me close. "I thought I told you, I can't dance." I laugh weakly. 

"You did fine the last time we danced." Alastor said, beginning to move. "Don't focus on the dancing, just focus on me." I tried to do what he said, keeping my eyes on him, trying to drown out my thoughts as we danced.

I follow his lead, and like before, he was perfect. I couldn't help but wonder how long he'd been dancing. 

I became less tense by the second, just taking it all in. The soft music in my ears, the beautiful city lights. The very same feeling I had when Alastor held me like this before...I couldn't help but smile, and finally give in. Alastor made it clear, he wasn't interested in romance. But it was a nice thought. 

It was nice to pretend for a while. Just for tonight, just in this moment. 

 As the song slowed to an end, Alastor and I found ourselves closer than when we started. Our lips but inches away from each other's. I half expected Alastor to back away after the song finally ended.

But, he stayed put. His eyes, looking deep into my own. I swore I saw something in his, I had never seen from him before.

It was really nice to pretend...

I inwardly sighed before pulling away from him. "That was nice." I say softly. Alastor was silent for a moment before speaking. 

"Yes...Yes, it was."

Tag List! @krak-jj

@martinys-world

@cherry-cola-100

[animazi]

well. hornet's nest time I guess. qimir is the one part of the acolyte I would cut to make it better. so the show is ostensibly about mae and osha's (and sol) relationship right? osha is our main character; the conflict with mae is a key part of her story. this is her sister who she loves and who tried to kill her. who is a danger to the jedi she once was a part of and who she knows she cannot stop. part of who she is however much she draws away from everyone and rejects mae. sol's line about how mae is her family is an acknowledgment of the fact that osha has conflicted feelings here. similarly, mae is willing to drop her whole revenge quest the moment she knows osha is still alive, that oshie is back, that the missing half of her soul can be reunited; born as two can become one again. sol is also deeply tied up in this - he failed (deliberately) mae, his desire for a padawan led to him triggering the actions that cumulated in osha being stripped of her family; hell he killed her mama! and he does love osha and want the best for her; for her to be safe, and he wants to use mae to atone. he has spent sixteen years thinking about what to say to her and now she is there and has to listen - she can be his arbiter in place of the council. he has failed his daughters padawans, time and time again.

qimir is also there. my main issue with him is that he comes at the story from a different, more philosophical direction, and one that distracts hugely from everything the show has set up earlier - he is also genuinely just unnecessary. introducing this new sith, complete with mysterious backstory and strange scars, properly half way through the show is such a strange choice. narratively he. well I don't really know what he represents honestly. sol does a great job of showing how desires cloud the mind and the issues with sw attachment (to an idea of a person. he wants osha-the-padawan, even though he can barely tell osha and mae apart). mae and osha have some of that juicy attachment going on too, as well as their own emotional story, and qimir is. there to tell you about the dark side? he's handing out free flyers with 'WHY YOU SHOULD JOIN THE DARK SIDE OF THE FORCE TODAY' emblazoned on them. I genuinely don't care what you think of him, all he has done so far is say he wanted a different, edgier, type of power than what the jedi allowed. he's so shadow the hedgehog coded fr fr. anyway, I digress. qimir does not share the same stakes in the emotional core of the story as the other three, he does not even serve as an interesting criticism of the jedi - and yeah sure maybe he'll be super cool and interesting in e8, but that doesn't change the fact that he isn't now, or that more development of mae and the witches could have easily substituted as a way of presenting an alternative to the jedi. i know I'm being a little harsh here; narratively qimir is there to show osha a feelings-based alternative to the jedi; to teach/corrupt her, but it is genuinely unnecessary to the emotional core of the show, the relationship between mae and osha and sol, and all he is doing is distracting from that. there is also the matter of time. there are just too many balls (ideas) in the air for this show to juggle well and satisfyingly. atm its like watching a shit clown that really wants everyone to take him seriously as he adds another ball to the juggling routine and everything starts to wobble dangerously and half the audience have wandered off to stare at the strongman doing bodybuilder poses. which is all to say I genuinely do not see how episode 8 is going to resolve all this also, justice for my girl mae; they could have had her as a conflicted sith figure who is a bit of a failgirl but also imagine her killing jecki. sol's greatest failure from the past striking down his padawan of the present - if he had waited, had never done what he did on brendok jecki would still be alive, and mae wouldn't be this murderer before him. imagine that. wow. imagine it being mae telling osha that the jedi can never love her the way she wants to be loved, blood is thicker than water, do you know what they did? I sure do like thinking about what could have been. oh no im just writing fanfiction of the acolyte...time to stop...

[richeeduvie]

thinking about logan jr making mothers day gifts for baby in school and then being told he needs to make one for his actual mom and he just half-asses that one. how is baby/shiv feeling if they notice? also how is baby feeling about getting one just in general, after all he is her first baby🥰

His teacher is going on about Mother's Day. Logan Jr's thinking about how Baby Jr's at her own home. Not at school cause Aunty and Uncle allowed it - she gets a tutor and they want her there.

"Can we-"

"Logan. You need to raise your hand first."

His brows make their own little pout. He raises his hand.

"Yes, Logan?"

"Is there an Aunty's Day?"

"...I'll check."

He nods. He'll make one for his mommy, but she probably won't even want to see it. Aunty will want to see hers. Apparently, there's no Aunty's or Uncle's day. Not one that really matters. That's stupid.

But he makes these little paper flowers - for a bouquet. He wraps them up in thin, pink paper and puts little stickers on them. He tries really hard to make them perfect.

"Damn it!"

"Logan."

Roman's sorta noticed the...you know, photos of his wife and soulmate gone from a couple of photo frames in his house? But Logan Jr needed those too. He got some photos of Uncle Roman too. And Baby Jr.

"...Who's that, Logan?"

"...I wanted to make something before I make a card for Mommy. It's none of your business, but I'll tell you anyway cause you've been helping me. It's my aunty."

"Oh. Okay."

Logan Jr then forgets he actually has to make one for his Mommy.

"Fuck."

She won't even see it anyway. So he just makes a card with a smiley face. He draws some flowers too.

Logan Jr gets nervous that it's just stupid. Baby Jr will make something and it'll be better cause that's her baby. Even though she is just a baby. She can't even write properly.

He's dropped off to their place on mother's day - a car that usually drops him off on Wednesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. Monday and Tuesdays are boring.

"What's this, sweetheart?"

He smiles when Baby smiles. Baby Jr comes toddling over, making happy noises at all the colors. Yeah, he's super good at making stuff.

"Is this for your mommy for Mother's Day? Shiv is gonna love this."

"Love! Is color!"

His smile drops.

"...No."

"Oh. Who is this for?"

She's bending down.

He looks down. It's not wrong to just make things.

"It's for you. I had time to make something, that's why. You-do you like it, Aunty?"

Baby Jr squeals because it means his little bouquet will be in their home. She waves her hands around.

"Yay!"

"Oh. Logan. I love it! It's just...what's the special occasion? I didn't know Aunty's Day was also on Mother's Day."

"It's not. But look! I got these batman stickers! I placed it on angles."

"At an angle?"

"Yeah! They're super cool! And I-"

"What did you make for Mommy?"

Logan Jr blinks.

"...A card."

Baby smiles. She wonders where her little nephew's thought process went.

"A card. How nice. She'll love it. Does that have super cool batman stickers too?"

"...Should I put some on?"

Baby keeps her smile on. Baby Jr comes to hug Logan Jr.

"Tank you!"

"They're not even for you."

He takes the hug, though.

"You're welcome."

Logan Jr pulls out the card, smiling bright when he shows it to his Aunty.

Baby keeps her smile on.

"Wow, Logan. She'll love this so much. Shiv is gonna smile as big as this smiley face you made."

"Really?"

"Yeah. You're such a sweet boy. Come here."

They squish a giggling Baby Jr in the hug. Baby thinks - no wonder why her nephew had time to make her gift. But maybe he knows it'll be enough for Shiv. She doesn't want to think anything bad.

Maybe she shouldn't be so bold to show her bouquet, though.

Logan Jr's smiling up at her.

[captainlunaxmen]

Shut it

Charlie Weasley x reader.

A sequel to this

This is a repost since the old blog doesn't work anymore. 🥰Also if you want to be tagged in future Charlie's stories let me know❤️

Summary: it's time for Charlie to get his tattoo completed and the reader to ger the first one.

Warnings: a sad story about a dog.

"Is it gonna hurt... a lot?" I ask worried as I hold Charlie's hand in mine, both of us walking to the tattoo shop, so Charlie can get his arm tattoo completed and I can get my very first tattoo.

"Love... should I remind you?" He asks, chuckling.

"Remind me what?"

"At the battle at Hogwarts" he starts theatrically "you calmly walking towards me, covered in blood, huge wound on your shoulder. Me running towards you, worried sick. I ask 'what happened?!' You answer 'it's just a scratch'. And now you're worried about a little tattoo?" He then laughs, squeezing my hand.

"Oh shut it. I just..." I stutter with a chuckle "Yeah... okay, you're right"

"As always, my sweet love" he says proudly.

-----

"You like the placement?" The artist asks me, motioning for me to look in the mirror.

I look first in the mirror at my reflected forearm and how the dog paw drawing, then directly at it and nod.

"Alright, dear, now sit get comfy and if you want me to stop just say so" she tells me sweetly.

I do as she said, Charlie right next to me smiling, his tattoo all done looks even better now.

"Still nervous?" He asks me.

"Nah... maybe a little" I answer with a nervous chuckle.

"It's gonna be fine, love. You can hold my hand if you're so scared" he sweetly mocks me.

"Shut it" I laugh waving his hand away.

"Ready?" The tattoo artist asks me.

"Yeah" I nod.

She starts to ink my skin.

It's a weird feeling, it doesn't hurt, but it's not that good either, so I just take deep breath.

"Why the paw?" Charlie suddenly asks me.

"Uh?" I ask confused.

"Why did you choose a paw?" He repeats.

"Oh... uhm... when I was younger, before getting my letter I had a dog." I start to tell, looking at Charlie "a cute, crazy little collie. He followed me everywhere. Everywhere. Remember I told you about this little pond close to where I lived? I always went there, playing, imagining to be a warrior, a magician, little did I know I actually was one." I chuckle at the memory "Anyway... I was also very clumsy, and there was always a high chance for me to fall into said pond and my dog always managed to prevent that. He was my protector basically."

"Sounds like the best of dogs" Charlie comments, moving his hand to hold mine.

"He was..." I take a shaky breath, tears starting to form in my eyes, but I blink them away "he really was. He died after during my third year... after Christmas, before I had to get back to Hogwarts."

I can't help it, some tears fall down my face and Charli is quickly to wipe them away.

"He wanted to see you. Say goodbye properly, uh?" He tells me.

"Yeah... and yeah... he was my best friend. You know... whenever I get a letter or something from my parents they always sent a piece of paper with his paw print." I sadly laugh.

"That's really sweet, love" he tells me.

"You know how I called him?" I smile.

"How?" He asks curious.

"Dragon"

"No way"

"Yap. The very first day we got him he stole my favourite blankie, the one with dragons on it. So that was it" I explain.

"How perfect" Charlie kisses my hand "how perfect"

"All done" the lady suddenly says.

Charlie and I turn our head to her, I look down at my arm, the fresh ink on my skin looks absolutely perfect.

"Wow" is all I can say.

She wraps my fresh tattoo and tells me how to take care of it.

"Thank you"

"Thank you, have a good day!" She waves at us as we leave the shop.

"You like it?" Charlie asks me as we hold hands and walk.

"It's freaking perfect." I say "what about yours?"

"Oh mine? It's still misses something" he answers with a smile.

"What?"

"Well... I got almost everyone from my family, except one" he shrugs.

"Who's missing?" I ask, confused.

"You, my love." He simply answers.

"Oh shut it" I slightly shove him, he holds my hands tighter pulling me closer to him.

"You shut it" he says before kissing me.