#and yes I keep using larger and larger text sizes

[wearecrowley]

good omens crack 2 of ∞

#good omens #gomens #aziraphale #goodomensedit #my gifs #good omens crack #good news I started a new job today yay #bad news I'm now too tired to do a set for ihaw23 #so you get this dumb set I made a week ago instead #love you all #and yes I keep using larger and larger text sizes #I'm not gaslighting you I'm experimenting #and yes this set completely contradicts the first one I made #it's still funny #I'm going to shut up now and get some rest

[gallusrostromegalus]

On God I was working on the AEIWAM Outline today but I also got "The AEIWAM cast, post-fic, go to the Aquarium" brainrot so have this:

It kicks off with Retsu seeing Kenpachi deep in thought for once and asking him what he's mulling over and after a moment he asks: "Are there zoos for fish?" "...Pardon?" "There are lotsa fish," he reasons, "-at least as many as there are land animals, but they're all really hard to see, because they're in the water." Retsu considers him for a moment before gently asking "Do you mean The Aquarium?" "The what?"

Retsu, texting Ichigo in the Gotei-13 Groupchat at 2AM: I need you to acquire tickets and human chaperones for a group field trip to The Aquarium Ichigo, who fears her above everyone else in soul society: Yes, Captain. Retsu: If it was just the SWA I'd only ask for tickets but you know what The Lads are like. Ichigo: Unfortunately, Yes. Ichigo: I'll bring the first aid kit, zip ties, duct tape and candy. Retsu: Good man.

Upon Arrival, Kenpachi has already been lectured about "You ARE NOT ALLOWED to fight and/or eat the fish, no matter how annoying and/or delicious they look

Turns out they were lecturing the wrong guy because it's Byakuya that develops a personal rivalry with a grouper ("It's smug expression disgusts me." "Captain that is a FISH.") and has to be talked out of climbing into the tank to fight it

after that he has to hold hands with Rukia or Renji.

Rukia discovers Sea Bunnies and ends up crying about them.

Yachiru gets to see them feeding the Piranha and it's a Spiritual Experience for her.

Later, she gets to see them feed the sharks and it's an EVEN BETTER spiritual Experience.

Hitsugaya learns Penguins are real and not just 'made up for christmas, like the flying reindeer and the guy with the suspect toy charity'.

Momo lights into him about "Penguins are my favorite animal, they've been my favorite animal for decades YOU THOUGHT THEY WERE FAKE?" Hitsugaya: "YOU ALSO USED TO LIKE UNICORNS!" Momo: "THOSE ARE ALSO REAL!" Orihime: "They are?" Momo: "...I keep forgetting they're extinct in the living world."

Tousen gets to experience the Touch Pool and the docents realize what's up so they start pulling out the cool stuff like sea hares and moray eels because he's an adult that can be trusted to pet things gently.

When the group comes back to collect him the staff is letting him hand feed a Pacific Red Octopus, and Yachiru immediately demands she be allowed to as well.

Retsu quietly releases Minazuki into the stingray touch pool so she can "go play with her cousins :)"

Kenpachi and Yamamoto asking "Can we eat it?" about every. single. animal.

The extremely dedicated docent that is *just* Psychic enough to know something is up with this group of chucklefucks so they're following them through the aquarium, but is also genuinely having fun answering every fucking insane question these guys ask.

Yoruichi was not anticipating there to be Tigers at the aquarium (they ARE semi-aquatic and part of a larger exhibit on Tropical Riparian Ecosystems) and she is SUPER NOT JEALOUS of how much Urahara and Baby Labcat like them.

There is also an exhibit with an Anaconda that the docent finds Rangiku staring at with a forlorn expression. Docent: "It's okay, not everyone is a fan of snakes." Rangiku: "What? Oh, no, I love snakes. They just also remind me of my Ex." Docent: *WomanTryingToDoMath.Meme* Docent: *Considers the size of the Anaconda* Docent: "...Ah. Yeah, I'd miss a man like that too."

Renji, Ichigo and Ikkaku going "Its YOU!" to each other over every single red, orange or round creature.

Kenpachi going "IT ME!!" about the black urchins before anyone can get him though.

Shunsui pointing at the sea otters that are holding hands and declaring, tears in his eyes "Jushiro! It's US!" Ukitake then prompty ruins the moment by telling Shunsui Fun Facts about Sea Otters like how they're basically giant marine weasels that will absolutely drown each other's young and maul anyone dumb enough to touch one.

The Dolphins all love Komamura and he is just a little bit smug about this.

Relatedly, not sure if its funnier for Komamura to show up in a Human Gigai, or as Tousen's "Service Dog"

Human Gigai: -Komamura is weirdly stony-faced and sort of intimidating and everyone thinks he's stressed out but really he's used to making micro-expressions and gesturing with his ears so he sorta just forgot how to move his face. -Still Nine and a Half feet tall and smacking his head on Everything

Service Dog: -"He's uh. A Shepherd. Mix." Ichigo says to the aforementioned Docent about what is very obviously a Bigass Timber Wolf. -Sajin doesn't give a rat's ass about his cover and keeps talking to Tousen while in dog form. If anyone looks at him funny he makes direct eye contact and says "Woof. Bark."

Yamamoto vs. Escalator. Catastrophic Beard Incident. 2 injured, 16 Dead but they were like that already.

Ukitake, Retsu, and Tama all Not Shutting Up With Facts About Every Fish Ever because they all share a Special Interest.

They briefly lose Byakuya in the Jellyfish exhibit because Rukia and Renji both thought the other one was holding Byakuya's hand and he is *enchanted* by the wall-sized tank of Moon Jellies.

Ikkaku attempting to talk Yachiru out of getting the ridiculously oversized Great White Shark plushie only for Zaraki to get it for both of them instead.

Everyone had a great time and is Very Tired and so they don't realize anything is amiss until they get back to Ichigo's place and the nightly news comes on. "Hey ichigo?" Yuzu calls. "Why is Ms. Unohana on TV?" The news has a story with a still image of Retsu on CCTV and "Authorities are looking for this woman who somehow ADDED a fully intact and highly venomous short-tailed stingray to the aquarium's touch pool" "OH MY GOD WE FORGOT MINAZUKI!"

#AEIWAM #An Elephant Is Warm And Mushy #Bleach #Bleach fanfic #retsu unohana #kenpachi zaraki #jushiro ukitake #Genryusai Yamamoto #kaname tousen #sajin komamura #yachiru kusajishi #rukia kuchiki #byakuya kuchiki #renji abarai #ichigo kurosaki

[black-academia]

Tips on how to properly annotate a book/novel? I’ve seen pics all over tumblr and I’d love to know how to :)!!

Hi anon! Thank you for asking, I've done my best to write it out below 🖤

How To Annotate

First of all, ask yourself why you are annotating. It may be for academics, personal use, or to share with someone. There isn’t one most correct annotating style! I annotate differently when it’s for college, versus for my personal enjoyment, versus when I’m annotating a book as a gift for someone else. Feel free to experiment and find out what works best for you in a variety of situations.

Things you will need might like to have…

a pencil or pen (play around with colors!)

a little ruler (very optional)

a highlighter (or many)

sticky notes (i like to have different sizes and colors)

tabs (can be found cheap in diff. styles and material)

STARTING

The most important step is to start. Annotating still feels taboo to some people. Please remember: your thoughts and feelings don’t have to be “good enough” to justify annotation. You aren’t “ruining” a book, you’re augmenting it. Think of the millions of copies there are of this book… yours is now unique. Books go unsold in stores, end up in landfills, all the time. Not only have you fulfilled this book’s purpose by reading it, you have gone far and beyond to get intimate with the author’s words, conspire with this book, and join the author in the creative process. No matter how many words you misspell or cross out, how “bad” your handwriting is, how “dumb” your comments are… they are worth, at the very least, the paper they are written on. Yes, even if that paper already has words on it.

REMOVABLE

Tabbing; if you’re still not over your reservations about writing in your books, that’s okay! Using tabs is a fairly good way to keep track of the parts of the book you loved or despised, or have questions about, etc. Just remember that you from a year from now might not know exactly what the tab is keeping track of… you may want to augment with sticky notes if you want future you (or someone else!) to know exactly what made you feel something, and how it made you feel.

Sticky notes; sticky notes are a great way to add comments to pages you’ve tabbed. There usually isn’t much margin space for writing comments, especially if you’d like to add in depth thoughts. With sticky notes, you can place them so that future you can just lift them to keep reading (because they will likely obstruct the text) and they are removable!

PERMANENT (FOR THE MOST PART)

Underlining; if you really want to keep track of exact sentences and even words, I highly recommend underlining! You can do it in pencil if you’re still worried about making “mistakes,” however unless you realistically see yourself going through, page by page, erasing all your lines, I would consider this somewhat permanent. So in my opinion, if you’re going to underline, just commit and use your favored writing implement! Also, you can use a ruler (or anything with a straight edge) for straighter lines.

Highlighting; similar to underlining! You can also use different colors, for that, see the section on color coding.

Marginalia; like sticky notes, but more permanent and (usually) less space for writing. I rarely write in the margins, even though I love this word and the history of marginalia. I mostly use sticky notes for the larger writing space.

COLOR CODING

I love, love, love to color code. The downside is that you need many more tabs and highlighters and pens that you would without doing this. However, the upside is that meaning is added to everything you do. For example, I could underline something in Dead Poets Society, and all future-me might see is that that line meant something… However, if I underlined in green, for example, and had an annotation key, then every time future-me sees green she’ll know the past-me thought this was related to life and death. ALWAYS have a key if you color code. Your chosen colors might be perfectly sensible to you now, but future-you or someone else might just be lost without one.

GOOD PRACTICES

ALWAYS HAVE A KEY! If you use symbols, colors, anything that has meaning… write down the symbol and it’s meaning IN THE BOOK so you will never be wondering what the hell blue, or purple, or this star, or daisy, or skull means.

Always try to leave some indication of what any form of annotation meant. This can be through color coding, or a little heart, a sad face, a comment etc. You want there to be meaning, otherwise all you’re saying is “this is important!” but not why.

Start with annotating secondhand books, and always remember you can buy a new copy of most books, but unless you start annotating, your special edition is missing from the world.

WHAT TO WRITE/UNDERLINE/TAB?

Literally anything! But here are some ideas:

Track themes throughout a book (love, death, gender, etc).

Underline things that make you think or feel, or both, and then write down what you thought or felt.

Make a playlist for the book and add it to the beginning of the book, or of each chapter, feel free to write these on sticky notes.

Suggest books like the one you're annotating! You can add this on the last page or on a sticky note, etc. This is great if you're gifting a book.

But really... anything you add to a book is worth writing down. Annotating makes you read closely and engages your critical thinking. It's a great skill to practice.

Thanks for asking, and lots of love!

— Sai 🖤

#ask #annotating books #book annotations #dark academia #black academia #dark acadamia aesthetic #light academia #books #academia #reading

[torreshalstead]

It Seemed Like a Good Idea - Chapter 6

Summary - Hailey’s US visa was due to expire, which normally wouldn’t be an issue as the CPD would get it renewed but due to a backlog of paperwork, this wasn’t possible. This meant Hailey was faced with the real possibility of having to leave the country, her job and everything she held dear. That was until Jay offered up a solution which would allow her to stay in Chicago, in Intelligence, with him - they could get married. Getting married was a good idea, right?

Chapters - 6/18

Chapter Title - The Written Proof

Notes - absolutely blown away by the response on the last chapter so thank you so much! I hope you enjoy this chapter! AO3 Link

‘Wait so let me get this straight,’ Mouse’s voice echoed through the speaker of Jay’s phone. ‘You, the law abiding cop, want me, your not so innocent friend, to change the metadata on some photos and edit your text and phone records? And you won’t tell me why?’

‘That’s about the thick of it, yes,’ Jay said with a sigh. He knew it was an ask and a half. It would have been a lot to ask of Mouse even if he gave him the full story but he was keeping him in the dark. Having Will know what they were doing was already a big enough risk, they couldn’t have their secret in the hands of someone who by his own omission was less than innocent. Jay trusted Mouse, he trusted him with his life and he had done so on more than one occasion, but this was something bigger. It wasn’t just Jay’s life on the line here, it was Hailey’s too. And it was Jay’s job to protect her.

He heard Mouse laugh down the phone, ‘I’m in.’

‘Really?’ Jay said, a little shocked with how easy his friend had agreed to it.

‘If you say you need it done, then you need it done,’ Mouse said nonchalantly. ‘Just checking, is this for a case or something else?’

‘Something else,’ Jay admitted.

‘Okay then brother, I’ll do whatever you need. Come over in an hour or so, bring both the phones and I’ll see what I can do.’

‘I’ll owe you one Mouse,’ Jay said, running his hand through his hair. This part of the plan was making him a little nervous, even if he’d admitted the opposite to Hailey this morning when she had asked. He had told her that it would all be fine, no problem at all. However his mind had been full of images of them both in cuffs being perp-walked out of the district. It wouldn’t get that far, and if it ever did, there was no way he was letting Hailey take the fall for it. It was his idea. This whole thing, it had been his idea.

‘I’m sure I’ll cash in on that someday,’ Mouse said with a chuckle before ending the call.

Before Jay had too long to spiral about the fact they were really breaking the law now, he heard the front door open and he greeted Hailey with a warm smile.

‘Hey,’ she said, her arms full of shopping bags. ‘I may have gone a little overboard but I thought better safe than sorry,’ she lifted both her arms to demonstrate and Jay chuckled.

‘Well we don’t want the apartment looking bare,’ Jay got up to relieve her of some of the weight. ‘Okay, maybe a little overboard,’ he said once she passed over a couple of the bags and he felt just how heavy they were. ‘Did you buy every frame in Target?’ He joked.

‘No, but I did go to HomeGoods as well just so we had a variety,’ Hailey dropped all the remaining bags onto the coffee table, rubbing her hand over her wrists where the bags had started to cut in.

‘And you got the photos printed too?’ Jay asked, starting to decant the bags and stack the frames according to size. There were some small ones with plain frames, some larger ones, a couple with different shapes for the photos, and one large one that he already knew was going to take pride of place on their shelves.

‘Yep, I just got them all and figured we could see which ones we liked?’

‘Sounds like a plan. Oh I spoke to Mouse,’ he added.

‘And he’s okay with helping us?’ Hailey asked, pausing from unpacking her own bags to glance up at him.

‘Meeting him in an hour,’ Jay nodded. ‘I just told him I needed a favour, he doesn’t know anything else.’ Hailey hummed in response, turning her attention back to the stacks of frames.

‘Sorry you have to lie to him,’ she said quietly after a moment. ‘I don’t like putting you in that position.’

‘Hails, we talked about this. It’s a necessary evil but if he knew, he’d understand. They all would, you know that,’ Jay said, taking a seat on the couch although Hailey kept her back firmly to him. ‘I need to bring your phone too, you going to be alright without it for a bit?’

‘Oh, of course, I hadn’t thought about that, but yes, I’ll be alright. I’ll get all of these put together and put up. Do you have any preferences about which ones we use?’

‘No, just leave me an empty one?’ He asked. They had discussed putting a photo on each side of Hailey’s bed, and Jay knew exactly which one he wanted on his side, but knew if he asked Hailey to frame it, she’d say no. When they had been taking photos on the dock of the lake house, it had taken him a couple of tries to get the timer set up properly so there were some candid shots of just her at the end of the dock. In one of them she had been laughing, he couldn’t remember what he had said or done to cause such a reaction but she looked so happy, so free. She looked beautiful in it, and he had known as soon as he had seen it, that that was the one he wanted in a frame. But she had blushed when she had seen it, it probably hadn’t helped that he had told her it was a beautiful photo. But it was, and Jay wasn’t in the habit of lying. Especially not to Hailey, not about that.

Hailey paused and turned to look at him before nodding, ‘yeah I can leave you one if you want.’

‘Thanks,’ Jay said, relieved that she wasn’t questioning him on it. ‘I’ll pick up some dinner on the way back from seeing Mouse?’

‘I’m feeling Thai if you are?’ Hailey suggested.

‘Thai it is then.’

——————————————————————————

Jay had been sitting in Mouse’s rundown studio apartment for over an hour, both his and Hailey’s phones were connected up to a number of monitors and goodness knows how many wires. He had no idea how Mouse was doing what he had requested and he really didn’t want to know how many rules they were breaking, or at least bending by doing what they were doing.

‘So I’m changing the dates on the photos to random days over the past 2 years? Or 18 months?’ Mouse asked, not looking up from where he was typing away feverishly.

‘18 months would be fine, maybe the ones at the lakehouse more recent, the ones at the Bean the oldest?’ Jay suggested. He knew the ones they had taken at the lake were the most romantic, and if they truly had been in a relationship then a weekend away wouldn’t have been something they had done right in the beginning.

‘I got it,’ Mouse said. ‘I’ve gotta say though mate, this girl. You’ve lucked out with her.’

Jay couldn’t help but blush slightly. ‘Thanks man,’ was all he could say. He knew Hailey was gorgeous, had known it for a long time, and he would be incredibly lucky to truly have her as his own. But he didn’t, not really, he was just her best friend. And as much as part of him may want something more, he loved being her friend. He wasn’t going to do anything to jeopardise that, she meant too much to him for that.

‘Don’t know what a girl like this is doing with the likes of you though,’ Mouse chuckled.

‘You almost done?’ Jay said, not wanting to acknowledge Mouse’s comment. It hit just a little close to home for him.

‘Almost with the photos, then I’ll need a little more instruction about what you want done with the texts.’

‘Great, I promised Hailey I’d get dinner.’

‘And you want to get back to your girl, I get it, I get it,’ Mouse chuckled. ‘Okay that’s the photos done. If anyone looks at these it’ll look like they were taken across the last 18 months and the data matches on ones on both your phone and hers.’

‘Thanks Mouse,’ Jay said with a small smile.

‘Sometimes I use my powers for good,’ Mouse said, taking a swig of the beer that Jay had brought him. Jay had offered to pay him for his help but Mouse had refused, saying he didn’t charge friends who needed help. But Jay had still brought him over a six-pack and if he was planning on leaving some twenties tucked down the side of the couch when he left, he would deny it if anyone ever asked.

‘So these texts,’ Mouse said, scrolling through the conversation between him and Hailey. ‘Not going to lie to you man, they are pretty flirty anyway.’

‘No they aren’t,’ Jay said, blushing slightly. ‘Strictly professional.’

‘Well I’d like someone to be this professional with me if you get my drift,’ he winked and Jay threw one of the pillows from the couch at his chair. ‘Hey, I’m just saying!’

‘Can you just add some love hearts or shit like that?’ Jay ran his hand through his hair, he hadn’t really thought this bit through. ‘Maybe some I love yous?’

‘I can definitely add shit like that,’ Mouse chuckled, turning his attention back to the screen. ‘I would ask why, but I know you’re not going to tell me.’

‘Wish I could man, but…’ he tailed off.

‘Need to know basis, I’m sure,’ Mouse shrugged. ‘Now when did you first tell Hailey you loved her?’

‘What?’ Jay spluttered on his own beer.

‘Well when did you say it and then I’ll add some in from that point onwards.’

Jay was glad that Mouse still had his back to him, he was certain his cheeks would be the colour of beets right now.

‘Oh umm, like 2 months in,’ he said, thinking quickly on his feet. ‘We had been partners for a while first so it didn’t take long.’

‘Halstead the hopeless romantic, who knew,’ Mouse chuckled as his fingers continued to work at breakneck speed on the keyboard.

‘Shut it,’ Jay murmured without much conviction. It was true, he thought, he was a hopeless romantic and his current predicament had done nothing to change that.

‘This Hailey must be really special if you’re going through this much trouble,’ Mouse said.

‘You have no idea,’ Jay muttered.

——————————————————————————

When Jay walked back into the apartment that evening, he’s struck by how different it felt. A good different. Hailey had finished putting all the photos in the frames and had scattered them around the room, it immediately gave the place a feel of a home. A home for two people who loved each other. He swallowed quickly, his throat suddenly hoarse before calling out.

‘Hey I’m back.’

‘Oh great, I was about to starve,’ Hailey said dramatically, appearing from her bedroom.

‘Because there’s no food in the cupboards for you to eat,’ Jay smirked as he started to place the take out on the counter.

‘Of course not,’ Hailey grinned as she jumped up onto the counter, swinging her legs happily as Jay passed her some food. Jay couldn’t help but smile, seeing Hailey happy and comfortable like this, it really felt like something special. Sure they had spent plenty of time together as partners and as best friends but sharing a space like this, it was like seeing her in a brand new light. And he wasn’t complaining.

‘So Mouse sorted out all of the photos and added some stuff to our texts to make them flirty like we were actually dating,’ Jay said as he opened his own order. He left out the bit where Mouse had stated that their texts were already a bit flirty, he didn’t want to make Hailey feel uncomfortable. Passing Hailey her phone, he turned his attention back to his dinner as she scrolled through the messages.

After a brief moment he heard her breath hitch, glancing over he noticed that her cheeks had reddened slightly too. It was quite embarrassing having someone else read through all your texts, he assumed that’s all it was.

She cleared her throat, ‘thank Mouse for me, these should be perfect.’

‘I will do,’ he smiled gently up at her.

‘So the next step is setting a date to have Trudy and Mouch round for dinner,’ Hailey said.

‘Still can’t believe you invited them for dinner,’ Jay chuckled. He loved Trudy as much as the next person but having her over seemed like a recipe for disaster.

‘It’ll be fine!’ Hailey responded. ‘But we should probably set some ground rules.’

‘For them or for us?’ Jay raised his eyebrow.

‘For us, if they are seeing us in our home then they are probably going to expect us to be a little more… umm… hands on than we are at the district or even at Molly’s,’ Hailey’s cheeks reddened as she spoke.

Jay choked on a piece of chicken at the thought of him and Hailey being hands-on, he tried his best to disguise it as a cough. ‘Umm, yeah I guess so. No different from being undercover right?’ He remembered her words when she had first mentioned the dinner.

‘Exactly but we should probably have some lines, what we are happy with and what we aren’t’, Hailey brushed a loose piece of hair that had fallen out of her messy bun behind her ear.

‘That sounds like a conversation that would be better with beer,’ Jay smirked when Hailey nodded and scooted down off the counter to fetch them both one from the fridge. As they both settled down on opposite ends of the couch, they took matching long swigs from the bottle before Hailey finally spoke up.

‘So holding hands and hugging, we are fine with that right?’ She asked.

‘Yep, I mean we hug anyway right so that’s no problem,’ Jay said calmly, wondering what else she was going to list off.

‘And small touches like a hand on a back or shoulder or something like we did on the photo day?’

‘Fine with those too,’ Jay agreed.

Hailey pauses before continuing, taking a long take from her beer, ‘but not kissing, I mean we wouldn’t be making out in front of Platt anyway would we?’ She chuckled, her embarrassment clear.

‘No I don’t think we would, I mean maybe on the cheek or something but not if it makes you uncomfortable,’ he said, running a hand through his hair as he spoke. Even the thought of kissing Hailey was making his heart quicken, ever since she had kissed his cheek at Navy Pier he had wanted to reach over and return the favour. His dreams had been a repeat of the same scene over and over, many a time she turned her cheek just as he was approaching and he caught her lips with his own.

‘That wouldn’t make me uncomfortable,’ Hailey said quietly, barely louder than a whisper but it was enough to wake Jay up from the semi-conscious dream he was experiencing. ‘If it was the right moment.’

‘Okay, we will just see how the evening turns out?’ Jay asked, hoping to put an end to this conversation quickly. Trying to list things he was uncomfortable doing with Hailey when it couldn’t be further from the truth was what was making him uncomfortable. He was also worried that she might be able to see through his facade, she could usually tell everything he was thinking. Lucky for him, she was clearly preoccupied with the current topic to notice.

‘Yeah, that sounds like a good idea. We are both good at thinking on our feet right? It’ll be fine.’ It sounded like she was trying to convince herself more than him at this point. This whole thing had been her idea but now it was actually about to happen, it clearly was fazing her somewhat.

‘Have you decided what you are going to cook?’ Jay asked in a subtle attempt to change the subject. It clearly worked as Hailey perked up as she answered.

‘I was thinking Spanakopita, it’s a classic,’ she smiled.

‘Sounds delicious, I can pick up some wine on the way home tomorrow if you want to invite them for like 7?’

‘Okay, and for dessert?’

‘I’m happy to make my Mom’s apple pie? It’s not Greek but it is really nice,’ he offered.

‘No that sounds perfect, you’ve never made me that before?’ Hailey’s head cocked slightly to one side as she asked.

‘No, it’s umm.. it’s a special one that I just don’t make often but this seems like the perfect occasion for it,’ he shrugged. Truthfully he hadn’t been able to make it for years after she passed, it would make him cry halfway through and it never tasted quite as good without having her to share it with. But in a way it felt like it was his way of introducing Hailey to his mother, he knew it was silly but he knew his mom would love Hailey, and he knew Hailey would love this pie.

‘Well then I’m honoured, and I’m sure Trudy and Mouch will be too,’ she smiled warmly, reaching out to squeeze his knee. He rested his hand on top of hers appreciating the support. Hailey knew how much he loved his mom and he could tell she knew how much it meant for him to share this with her, even if it was just a pie.

—————————————————————————

The evening was going surprisingly well, a slightly awkward start had melted into a lovely meal with good company. Platt gave Jay permission to call her Trudy which made Hailey give him a playful nudge with her shoulder as he had spent 15 minutes before they had arrived worried if he should call her Platt or Sarge and Hailey had laughed at him the whole time. Slipping into pretending to be dating Hailey was also very easy, just like it had been when they had spent time taking the photos round Chicago. It meant Jay didn’t have to second guess every time he was drawn to touch her whether it was an arm around her shoulder, a hand on her thigh or his hand on her back as he slid past her in their kitchen.

Hailey seemed to find it equally easy, she gravitated closer towards him than she usually did, leaning against him in the kitchen as he poured the wine, scooting her chair slightly closer to him when they sat down to eat, rubbing her hand across his back when talking about the trip they had taken up to Wisconsin. It was easy to forget it was all for show.

Jay almost forgot how to spell his own name towards the end of the evening. He brought out the apple pie for dinner, the one he had made earlier from his mother’s hand written recipe cards, the one Hailey had offered to help with and stood with him as he made it, listening to him telling stories about his mom and her famous desserts. She proudly told Trudy and Mouch all about it when he sat it down on the table and he couldn’t help but smile. He knew his mom would have done the exact same thing and that brought him such comfort.

When they all dug in and exclaimed how delicious it was, she leant across and kissed his cheek. He felt the warmth grow in his cheeks at the feel of her soft lips against his skin, it took everything he had not to close his eyes and relive it again and again. She’d kissed him on the cheek before, twice. Once during an undercover role and then once when they had been taking their photos the other week, he remembered both times vividly. But this was different, they were just quick kisses, mere pecks to be precise. This was a kiss. Her lips had grazed the corner of his, far closer than just a friend would kiss. She lingered longer too, he felt her breath on his cheek as she pulled back and felt the imprint of her lips. He knew he would feel it for hours.

‘It’s wonderful, babe,’ she said as she pulled back. It felt so natural, so right so he tugged her into his side in a quick hug before letting her go. If they didn’t have company he might have kissed her right there and then, just pulled her into his arms and tried to show her how wonderful he thought she was. But the realisation hit him - that if they didn’t have company, she wouldn't have done it. She wouldn’t be calling him babe, he wouldn’t be hugging her like that, she wouldn’t have kissed him. It was all for show. It wasn’t real.

After they had said goodbye to Trudy and Mouch, waving them off with their arms around each other, slotting together as if it was something they did all the time.

‘That went well,’ Hailey said as she pulled away and Jay tried to pretend that he didn’t miss the warmth of her body against his.

‘Yeah it did,’ he said, a fake smile fixed to his face. It wasn’t a lie persay, it had gone well, but it had also made Jay remember that it wasn’t real.

‘I don’t think they suspected anything,’ she said from where she had busied herself in the kitchen cleaning up and loading the plates into the dishwasher.

‘No not at all,’ Jay stood awkwardly by the door. ‘You can leave that, I’ll clear up in a bit, I’m just going to shower first,’ he said, heading towards the bathroom quickly before waiting for her to answer.

If he’d have turned back, he would have been met by a confused expression from Hailey. She had thought it had gone well, but maybe the kiss was too far. She hadn’t meant to do it, but it had just felt right but maybe she had crossed a line. She hadn’t meant to make him feel uncomfortable but by the way he scurried out of the room as quickly as he did, clearly she had. Seeing the words ‘I love you’ on the texts earlier from him, well edited to be from him, had lit something inside of her that she had unknowingly been ignoring but now it was bubbling right up to the surface. She just wished she hadn’t made him feel uncomfortable over something that wasn’t even real. Those words weren’t really from him.

#upstead #Hailey upton #Jay Halstead #Chicago pd #one Chicago #hailey x jay #upstead fic #chicago pd fanfic #upstead fanfiction #chicago pd fanfiction #upstead fanfic #chicago pd fic

[cyncerity]

ok guys bit of a serious poll today.

don’t read if you don’t wanna think about or read about the controversy stuff rn (talking about mostly George and bringing up Wil a little bit)

i have a bunch of wips (like, a lot) that i’ve been looking to finish for a while. With my first year of college coming to an end next week (yippee!) i’ll hopefully have more time to write again and finish those. The downside here is that a significant amount of them involve someone who has had recent controversy. Not that one, but George’s.

If you wanna answer this poll without all the context (i’m physically incapable of writing a post without making it a wall of text), go right ahead, the tldr is that I believe the situation is extremely opinionated and there’s no right or wrong way to view it. With a community this size and the larger group of gnf fans so divided on how to feel, I feel it better to let you guys pick whether or not he should still be in stories.

context under the cut for those who wanna read everything before voting on the poll. I kinda wrote a lot tho so sorry lol

I wanted to give it time before I made this post given that unlike with the first situation, there are a lot more holes and a lot more nuance. I wanted to wait until both sides stated their cases and make my own decision from there. And in my opinion, this situation 1) should have been handled personally and 2) is entirely based on opinion. Both sides did right and wrong, but there isn’t a correct way to perceive this. Some people will believe one side while others will believe the other because the evidence presented can be taken in many ways. I know I personally lean one way, but this post isn’t about my own opinions.

I’m making this post to ask if people would still be ok with me using his character in stories. I’ll say it again: I haven’t really ever watched the DTeam so I do mean it when I say that I base what I write around a character and not him. I stopped writing for C!Wil because I am uncomfortable with writing his character interacting with the characters of people who have spoken against him, but so far most of George’s friends have defended him or stayed silent since this situation isn’t like Wil’s at all. It’s mostly all died down since both sides have moved on (i think?) knowing that they won’t agree on what happened.

I’ve already given my piece on You Know Who, and how numerous people spoke against him and many of his close friends dropped him. This post is not about him, I believe that there is no argument to be made for him. The facts are clear and the testimonies clearer: he is a bad person. As of right now and for the foreseeable future, I will not write him or his character, not unless he gets some serious help or makes some serious changes. I believe that people can change, but trust is easier destroyed than built. You shouldn’t forgive someone who doesn’t seek forgiveness.

anyway i know that this is a smaller community, so i wanna know how many people want me to just re-write things or feel uncomfortable with him in stories now. This isn’t asking if you think George is innocent or if you think he’s a bad person or anything like that, this poll has nothing to do with personal opinions of the situation itself. It’s simply asking if you would be uncomfortable with reading about his character because of the situation.

#serious post sorry #cyncerity #mcyt gt #mcyt g/t

[strobbylemonade]

explaining why this is poor design: new on left (light mode) and old on right (dark mode)

having tag thumbnails is quite ineffective when all tags have the same thumbnail

i don't know about other people but i personally prefer not to search by tag? i usually search by keyword because it gives me more varied content in my search. strange choice to prioritise tagging but lmk what other people think

"217 recent... 63K..." yeah this is sooo optimised for different browser sizes

when have follower counts for tags ever been important information that we need to know while navigating to a tag? on the website where "follower counts don't matter"??? this is useless information; i used to primarily use instagram, it was also useless there and mainly used to double check i didn't misspell anything.

the leading and vertical margins/padding are bad; not only makes the title and subtitles feel disconnected, but also makes it harder for your brain to distinguish between sections.

making everything larger makes it more cramped, and again, removes the spatial distinction between where one entry ends and the next one begins

props for making stuff more distinguishable for colourblind users and also easier to read from further away though. although uh some other website has done it better and... well... we'll get to that later

before we do, i had a search of what other people thought and stole this screenshot from @helpimstuckinafandom (ryuji image to stop the screenie from taking up too much space)

this is somehow WORSE - it's so cramped on the left side with so much empty space on the right, making it feel bloated and empty at the same time, the text in the different sections don't line up (they didn't used to either, i know), the enlarging of the icons reduces the negative space that was already lacking with my update, and somehow the bolded text of the search suggestions makes it feel even emptier compared to the cramped "tags" area. the good thing? less unnecessary information, like no tag follower counts, and no icons for recent searches.

alright. moving on, i sure do wonder where they got this idea for larger and bolder font choices from OH WAIT (roland image to stop it from being so damn large)

oh wait this actually looks pretty good though. so why does twitter's layout work? same reason why tumblr's old one was, frankly, pretty ugly but worked:

SPACING VS CLUTTER

there's no images for the tags / searches because there doesn't need to be! there's no information about follower counts because again, it's not important! notice their width is almost the same as tumblr's, but it still feels better because the content is smaller and the spacing appropriately allows your brain to digest things into smaller chunks.

it's also completely legible and comfortable to read no matter your browser size!!!!!!!!!!!! which tumblr fails to do! even when display names reach their character limits (see: PearlescentMoon) it's still completely legible and not confusing.

ok so if twitter's so good why do i hate it looking more like twitter? simple: brand identity. tumblr removing the stuff that makes it look like tumblr, is in fact, bad. having thick weighted, rounded fonts is not inherently bad. it's what twitter looks like, it's what apple looks like - they have a certain brand identity of legibility, professionalism, and cleanliness that they need to uphold. which is great. microsoft is straight edges and geometric shapes - utilitarian, functional, professional.

what i'm trying to say is this: if you want to keep branding tumblr as the stupid clown funny gay people ancient hellsite, then revel in the aesthetic. in the blatant html-ness of it all, it's unique, you can't get it anywhere else (you can but not on a site as popular). YES make it more accessible, YES make it more welcoming and easy to pick up and use for new users. you don't have to strip it of it's individuality to do so.

i was going to end it here but right before i hit post, i realised tumblr has a tumblr-looking, well spaced, organised and aesthetically pleasing suggestion-based navigation system already - right under the search bar. anyways. that's all. goodbye

#tumblr #design #rant

[sys128]

Revolt!

I have found this wall of text that I made back on March 13, 2023. I want to update myself on how my experience with this app was so far. This was the text that I typed up originally:

I have been thinking about trying out this app called Revolt. It has been brought to my attention via a user on my Discord server that wanted me to have a Revolt server. (And bridge it to the Discord one.) Another reason why I think it would be worth my time is because it seems that Discord has been turning into one of those services where you are not as free to enjoy it unless you are subscribed to Discord Nitro. “Pay to enjoy” was it called? What it is called is not important right now. I have looked into information about Revolt, and this is what I was able to find.

The software is completely free and open source, which would likely eliminate the chances of the platform suffering the same fate as Discord, with all of the Nitro features.

Revolt has themes that are completely free to use! Discord once experimented with this, but it looks like not much can be done with it… unless you have Nitro of course. Technically, there is already a free way to get custom CSS themes on Discord, but that requires something like BetterDiscord, which of course, is against the platform’s Terms of Service.

Just like Mastodon, you can self-host your own instance of Revolt, so it will become harder to take down if something goes wrong with either Discord getting salty over its existence or some other reason.

The file size limit on Revolt is larger that what free users have on Discord. As you may know, on Discord, the max file size that you can upload per file is 8 MiB maximum. However, this is over doubled on Revolt, allowing you to upload files up to 20 MB / MiB (I am not sure what base they are using here. It is definitely either 1,000 or 1,024.)

I think the most important plus for Revolt is their goal to be user-first. A mentality like that is CRUCIAL for platforms to do if they want to have loyal users. Being there for your users whenever possible can allow you as a platform owner to add what the users want, while you still have the choice to comply with the demands of advertisers or colleagues. A happy medium is probably the best you can get.

Apparently, it is possible to bridge Discord messages into one of your Revolt servers. However, the program cannot be used to control your Discord account, which is a shame. It probably makes sense though because I don’t believe Discord would be very happy about it. Terms of Service would likely get in the way again.

These are some good things about Revolt that I found to be enticing to me, as a long-time Discord user. However, there are some drawbacks that do make me wonder about how long I will use it.

The main reason is because of how many of mutuals use Discord. I can probably convince a few to make a Revolt account but I highly doubt that they will be nearly as active, let alone keep their account active at all. Getting a good portion to switch would be a real pain.

I have been told that screensharing is not a feature that exists on Revolt. I know a few people that screenshare what they are doing in voice chats very often, and they may be deterred by the fact that it just cannot be done on Revolt directly. My friend group does have remote desktop software that we use for when we want to do collaborative work, though.

When I get the chance, I will totally play around with it, maybe get a few people on it, and see how it is. If I find it to be good enough to replace Discord, I will see what I can do from there to manage things. Here’s to hoping for the best with Revolt.

Update time! Yes, it is a pretty good app so far, but there are two main things that is stopping me from using it at the moment. One, I joined onto the site at a very bad stage – well, for audio anyway. Partaking in voice chats on Revolt the moment I was on it was pretty much impossible. The audio sources, input or output, both were not able to be detected and/or applied. It turns out that the Revolt devs were working on an entire rewrite of the audio functions of the app. I don’t think there has been any status on it since January 24, 2023 that I could find, but I could very much be wrong.

Of course, the second thing was getting my mutuals to be interested in it. I was met with immediate declines when asking people to try it out. That did not help towards how long I ended up being interested in Revolt. Maybe one day, when Discord REALLY falls off, something may happen otherwise. And hopefully, by that time, the audio will have been properly rewritten and working.

#text block #revolt #discord

[tuiyla]

“I’m also just curious to know which tools and methods you found useful [...] So yes please reach out again (either on or off anon whatever feels comfortable).”

Please bear in mind that English isn’t my first language and that it’s difficult for me to talk about Photoshop features, so I hope this is comprehensible ;-; Anyway, things you did that I found useful:

- Using the Transform tool to change the size of images/logos, text and most importantly gifs (when you’re blending them). In the latter case in particular, I used to crop them separately before combining them in a separate document so I’d have to proceed by trial and error until the gifs finally looked good together. The way you do it is much more flexible and quicker. I tested it and it worked! The only downside is that the file size can become much larger with this method. I was going to ask how you managed to use it while still working on seven gifs at the same time (ie in the fourth gif of the set, the one showcasing the last part of Naya’s career), but then I saw that you lowered the gifs’ dimensions before adding them to the document... I had forgotten to do that lol. Good trick, this will definitely come in handy.

- Combining two different ripped papers in order to obtain a different shape... That was pretty clever. And using the pen tool in order to cut parts of these ripped papers. I had never used this tool and didn’t know what was its purpose. Still need to try it and see if I can work with it lol. And also working on the ripped papers and text in a separate document before adding them on the gif. That’s a good method, it helps to keep things organized.

- Using a document with a bigger height than the actual gif's and adding a shape to represent the small space between gifs on tumblr in order to create a continuous transition between the separate parts of Chris’ tribute to Naya. I didn’t really know how to connect images or passages or whatever from one gif to another like that, but now I think I could make it work after seeing how you do it.

- Creating an outline for the butterfly by duplicating it, changing its color and blending mode and moving it a bit. I’d seen people add similar outlines in other sets, but had no idea how they did it. 

- Using the rectangular marquee tool to delete parts of the gifs. I wasn’t sure how this tool worked, so it was interesting to see you using it.

- Using the method import video to layers. I still haven’t figured out how to use it myself because my Photoshop (I use the 2022 version) refuses to open the vast majority of the clips I download and I don’t know why. So I always used the Load Files Into Stack method. Still, good to remember that I can use another method if I manage to figure out how to do so, lol.

- Seeing the settings of the noise filter you added for your gifs. I never used it for my own, but I really like how it looked on yours and might try it at some point.

- Letting me know about the existence of another Youtube Downloader website. (It isn’t available in my country for some reason, but it works when I activate my VPN)

- Looking at your list of fonts also gave me some excellent recommendations like Partsold and Soulwave.

I imagine some of these methods/tips might be self-evident for you haha, especially bc I don't remember any gifmaker explaining most of them in any tutorial (and I search for and read a lot of tutorials). So seeing someone doing these things in a screenrecord was incredibly helpful. Hope you post more videos showing your gifmaking progress, I watched the previous ones too and they're all fascinating (especially the Naya one bc the set is so incredibly gorgeous and complex) <333

Oh wow, thanks for this summary! It was very interesting to read. And no worries about the language everything was perfectly clear.

If I may just reflect on a few points and maybe provide some further tips:

Transform tool: big yes, use transform and use it often! And yeah I've only recently started resizing the images before dragging them to the gif file itself and it saves a loooot of storage. You can't always know what size you'll need but I'm usually good with sizing the height to whatever my gif's height will be, 500px for example, and then I'm already much better off than with a smart object that's actually twice the size I need. I've been shaving off hundreds of MBs this way. I often work with several smart objects within the same file and they add up so yeah resize before converting into smart object when possible. And play around with the transform tool as much as you like! Its user-friendliness is one of the things that puts PS miles above similar software for me.

Pen tool and image combos: the pen tool is an old friend of mine from my shitty Avatar still image edit days. Again I recommend playing around with it because it can be such a powerful tool. Not shown on the video but I separated the Naya image used for the butterfly from its background using the pen tool. So I would mostly use it for cutting or small adjustments. And yeah sometimes you just need different shapes, so again the transform tool can do a lot and the pen tool helps with those final touches. I almost didn't include this section of the ripped pages in the video but I'm glad I did.

Using other docs: I don't usually but when it's something like this where the bottom of one gif "bleeds" into the next one I think it's just way easier to get the bigger picture. And then the shape used to represent tumblr's 4px gap helps to then place it on your actual gif.

Outlines via duplicates: it's become a "popular"technique from what I can tell haha, and all it is is nudging a duplicate and putting whatever effect you want on it. I had a few different variations of the butterfly but also if you look at texts like Naya's and Santana's names, they follow the same principle of duplicating and nudging, only there I put the fill percent on zero and add a stroke. It's mostly to help the text or object pop more, distinguish it from the background. (I guess I didn't include this in the video put ended up adding those outlines later.)

Rectangular marquee tool: particularly useful when used in combination with a layer mask and, like with the TV sets, deleting the unnecessary bits. With the TV sets, I just put the scene/smart object and all its adjustment layers under the TV's layer and whatever parts weren't needed got cut via this tool. In cases like these and where I do want a rectangular shape in the end it's just faster than the eraser.

Importing video to layers: this was life-saving when I upgraded my PS and started using it instead of manual screenshots. Maybe check the file formats? Mp4 should work best and, iirc, PS might not import from formats like mpeg and wmv. If you found a workaround that's good too, but might be worth looking into this issue as well.

Noise (and other filters): noise is a funny one because I don't typically use it. To be honest, I don't spend all that much time on sharpening and adjusting gifs to perfection like more disciplined gifmakers than me do. I usually just slap the usual settings on lol. But both because this project was a love child and because I worked with some truly, truly low res footage I tried everything I could to make it not look like it has the grand total of two pixels. For reference, this is the video of Naya hosting GLAAD in 2011, used for the last gif. This is the official GLAAD video and it still looks like it was recorded from a pen I found on the floor. I can't turn something like this into HD but a careful balance of sharpening and especially noise creates a nicer look, I hope, or at least adds a charm to the low quality. Long story short, there are lots of sharpening and probably some noise tutorials out there that I recommend looking into because it can really elevate gifs. At first glance, these are the ones I could find.

On the topic of youtube downloaders, I just ended up sticking with that one but I'm sure there are loads out there, and in terms of fonts I have way too many haha. And end up really favouring the first half of the alphabet as an unfortunate result. But if you want to explore more gifs, searching for font recs and font packs is a great start, as well as websites like Dafont or 1001 fonts (my new fav).

All in all, very happy I could help and very impressed you got all that from a video running on times 64 speed haha. Thanks for sending this in, I hope I could provide further tips and as always I'm happy to walk through more gif stuff if needed.

Also! I don't know if you've seen the two other gif videos I've posted in the past but they're waaaay slower (and less complicated). Maybe those will be nothing new after this massive Naya one but in any case I have a proper tag for them now and hoping to post more in the future.

#anon #gif asks #gif tips #gif tutorial #okay well barely but we need to keep the tags consistent #or at least try

[orchidglass9]

Utilizing Likelihood When Hitting The Slot Machines

Yes, they do, though you shouldn’t expect wins on all spins. With a good slot machine strategy, you'll squeeze higher wins out. More importantly, our strategy for slot machines works in the long term and will help you discover the slots that pay the most. Nổ hũ) are a lot tougher to win in comparison with on line casino slot machines, but if you need to have an edge in 2022 then you should take a look at what’s forward of the game. If you manage your bankroll appropriately, you’ll have a neater time surviving the swings which are inevitable when taking half in slots. A simple slot on-line strategy will do wonders to get you again on observe, but you need an accurate bankroll evaluation in place before taking half in. Yes, a casino employee TOLD ME they’d see someone win multiple hand pays utilizing it. All I had to do was hearken to what they have been saying. As you must be asking your self at this level, did I make a profit? The true energy of this strategy is that simply about all its winnings are revenue. At Seminole Brighton in Florida, these follow-up thoughts for utilizing a working strategy on high-limit slots ought to work fairly properly there. It is a useful advertising technique that provides new players. favorite slots When you register to an internet on line casino, you can receive a pre-determined quantity into your account. This quantity differs from one casino to a different, and you can use the quantity to play various video games. Though there may be wagering requirements, you'll find a way to reap the benefits of this quantity to enhance your abilities. Read reviews, reviews to understand tips to win on slot machines at casinos. Even when you have a good online slots strategy, you shouldn’t rush to the very first option you’ll see after requesting online slot video games. Take your time to learn more about video games you have an interest in. Read the reviews of different avid gamers, explore something about its developer, and foremost you must keep in mind you could belief only reliable playing platforms. Not each casino that provides you to play certain slots can assure you truthful situations.

Video Slots Strategy & Tips To Employ

Both charges are normally given a rating that ranges between high and low. Top Bitcoin slots with Provably Fair software can also be trusted, as these make it virtually unimaginable for casinos to cheat players. Their virtually common enchantment is down to a selection of factors, including that they are super simple to play! All you have to do is set how a lot you wish to guess per spin, and press the Play button. At finest, you'll win from a free machine only to lose your winnings to a decent one, or you will lose to two tight machines.

Did This Text Assist You?

Maximum wager limits clarify how a lot your maximum stake can be, which includes bets on slots. Remember the decrease your wager, the smaller the payout might be. But whoever considered using this for video slots clearly didn’t actually perceive how they work. This means, you can keep tabs on your spending and maximise your taking half in time. High-volatility and variance slots normally problem less frequent, but larger-sized payouts. Low-volatility and variance slots often issue more frequent, but smaller-sized payouts. Also, if the web casino provides bonus factors or has a gamers club, it's usually finest to benefit from the offer. A random number generator determines if you'll win or lose earlier than you even sit right down to play the machine. A laptop chip has your selections already decided. The payout charges are regulated in licensed casinos to prevent dishonest. All our articles are there to improve your on line casino experience. As the name of the system suggests, the Reverse Martingale is the other of the Martingale. So, on this model, you double your wager per spin whenever you win, and also you go back to your authentic wager whenever you lose. I didn’t suppose a lot of such a small jackpot, because it was not even taxable, but it was one thing I observed. Remember, casinos don’t dip into their very own pockets after they can avoid it. Jackpots are funded by the dropping spins on the slot machine. Some slot machines have lots of exciting bells and whistles which might be enjoyable to play.

#online slots #best online slots #high rtp slots #favorite slot #slot games

[sailorbadger]

I finished binding my fanfic! More pictures and details + comparisons to my previous project under the cut.

These are my bound fanfics, and yes, they’re all alternative BBC Robin Hood series 3. I need to keep up my brand. (the glue on the newest one still needs to dry so ignore all the weird spots)

I bound the first one pretty much exactly a year ago (tumblr post). The second one was done quite soon after it, I don’t remember when. I thought I’d do a comparison on the first one and this new one and show what I did differently.

(I’ll refer to the first one as Life and the new one as DSK so that I don’t have to write out the full titles all the time)

As you can see, I did the cover slightly differently this time. I wanted to keep the spine the same color as the others so that they would match when displayed on a shelf, but I also bought some fabric in a lighter green color and wanted to use that as well. (Yes, the DSK cover is green, I’m not sure why it looks grey in the photos) I hid the seam with a ribbon, which worked better than expected.

The end papers for Life are all over the place, so I made sure to line them up properly for DSK. I want to buy metal corners for all of these fics to hide the fact that I still don’t know how to do the corners neatly.

One of the biggest difference is that I switched to cream colored paper. Life was done on regular printer paper, but for DSK I decided to invest in colored printer paper to make it look more like a regular book and to make the reading experience better for my eyes. In the cream paper the ink on the other side shows through just a little more, but not so much that it's too distracting.

I did small edits all around the book. In some places, like this “copyright” page, I made the font smaller.

The summary page is centered better and because the summary for DSK is longer than Life, I centered all the text as well.

(spoilers for DSK in the form of chapter titles lol) The index page got a major glow up. When I did Life, there were plenty of things I forgot to do/didn’t consider, but for DSK I messed around with the index a lot. In life, the page numbers are a different font, I bolded them for some reason, and I left in the dots Word makes automatically. In DSK I made sure to make the numbers look pretty and deleted all the ugly dots.

Here’s the first page of chapter 1 for both fics. With the titles, in Life I went a little overboard with the pictures. The font isn’t that easy to read, especially on top of an image, so for DSK I simplified the titles to just a larger font.

Speaking of fonts, in Life I used Times New Roman, but in DSK I used Georgia because I think it looks a little more modern. I also remembered to make the page numbers match this time, and I even added those dashes on either side to separate them from the text better.

In Life I left in an indentation at the beginning of each chaper, but in DSK I deleted them and replaced them with drop caps. I also made the font size a little bigger on DSK. I had noticed that with the pure white paper + Times New Roman + small font, Life was not very pleasant on the eyes when reading it. So I just compared some other books I own and tried to match the font size to those.

The biggest difference in the binding process itself was that this time I glued the boards for the cover onto a piece of paper first before attaching the first layer of fabric, whereas previously I had glued them straight on the fabric. This allowed me to keep the lines straighter and avoid wrinkles.

Anyway, that’s my journey with DSK finished (except for publishing the second half over the summer on Ao3). Go read it if you haven’t yet. Also, in case someone is reading this far, I’m curious to know if you’ve ever bound fanfics (or books in general)/if you’ve ever thought about doing so.

#vlnvj #dsk #no I still have not made dustjackets for the other ones #but I might look into making some now

[who-is-page]

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS: Inky Paws

Inky Paws is a nonhuman zine for original fiction writings by nonhumans and alterhumans about nonhumanity, alterhumanity, and similar, related themes. This zine is primarily literature focused, but will also be open to more illustrative methods of story-telling such as comics. The zine’s focus is on fictional pieces that are centered around nonhumanity, alterhumanity, therianthropy, and similar (see Submission Guidelines section for more details).

You are welcome to submit:

Short stories

Microfiction

Satire

Poetry

Song lyrics

Experimental fiction (fake newspapers, fake recipes, fake blogs, etc.)

Mixed media

Comics

How to participate:

Email invisibleotherkin(@)gmail(.)com with your submission. With your submission, please include:

A name or pen name to attribute the piece to,

Any social media handle or personal website you'd like to be published alongside your piece (optional), and

Any relevant author's notes or author biographical information (optional).

Anonymous pieces are also welcome.

Once submissions have been collected and the deadline has passed, these submissions will be put into the zine and it will be posted online as a free PDF. Submissions are due by August 15th, 2021.

Please see the Submission Guidelines, and Submission FAQ, below cut.

SUBMISSION GUIDELINES:

Each individual or individual system may contribute up to 3 accepted submissions to be published in Inky Paws. Comics and similar multi-part pieces count as one submission.

Submissions must fit the thematic criteria of

Being explicitly about or based on nonhumans, otherkin, therianthropes, fictionkin, alterhumans, or similar groups, or;

Having strong themes or describing experiences strongly reminiscent of or related to nonhumans, otherkin, therianthropes, fictionkin, alterhumans, or similar such as (but not limited to):

Experiencing nonhumanity or alterhumanity as being a part of themselves/their identity,

Experiencing anything similar to a shift (including physical shifting),

Struggling with (emotionally, socially, or otherwise) being both human and nonhuman or alterhuman in some way,

Having a past-life as something nonhuman or alterhuman that strongly still impacts their current life, or

Desiring to be nonhuman or have nonhuman attributes.

Written submissions must not exceed 15 pages, and if they are being submitted in a multi-font or multi-size format due to specifics unique to the piece or type of writing (experimental pieces trying to imitate a style such as a newspaper or blog, certain types of poetry, etc.), they must have the main body of text submitted in a legible 14 to 16 pt. font. Multi-part image submissions must not exceed 5 pages in length, and must also use a reader-friendly font with a text size of or exceeding 14 pt. Images larger than 8.5 x 11in. will be scaled down to an appropriate size; please take that into account when creating and submitting your images. It is also recommended that images be vertical or square in their orientation.

Written submissions should be submitted as a .docx file. Images and mixed media pieces should be submitted as either .jpg or .png files.

All submitted pieces should be your own work. Individuals caught plagiarizing within their submissions will be barred from participating in Inky Paws, including in any potential future volumes.

SUBMISSION FAQ:

Q: Where will this zine be hosted? A: We are currently looking to host the zine on Issuu. If we are unable to host the zine on Issuu, it will be hosted on Gumroad. If this changes, we will inform everyone in future updates.

Q: What is the cap on submissions? A: At this time, we are not looking to accept more than roughly 30 submissions at most, in order to keep numbers and expectations manageable. If that cap is reached before the deadline, we will announce so and proceed with formatting and publishing.

Q: Can I update my application after submitting? A: Yes, so long as the updates are submitted before the submission deadline!

Q: What is your policy on content moderation and content warnings? A: If you feel your piece needs content warnings, please include them in the submission, as we are hoping to include relevant content warnings and maturity ratings alongside all pieces. We are at this time accepting pieces of all tones and ratings. It should be noted that any items submitted with soapboxing intent and anti-nonhuman, anti-alterhuman, anti-fictionkin, or similar leans are largely not welcome, as this is a zine geared towards all aforementioned groups and then some.

Q: Can I submit an in-progress draft or sketch? Can I claim a spot in the zine before sending in my submission? A: We are not currently accepting WIP pieces for submission at this time, though feel free to send us your WIP if you have questions related to its future submission. We also cannot reserve or guarantee a spot in the zine pre-submission, regardless of any existing drafts or WIPs.

Q: What is the projected timeline for this project? A: Currently, our hopeful timeline is to have submissions closed by August 15th, to coincide with the end of Othercon, and then have the zine published online by mid-to-late October.

Q: Can I rescind my submission? A: As long as you request to rescind your submission before the submission deadline, yes. After the deadline passes and the formatting and work towards publishing begins, we cannot guarantee that we will be able to remove your work from the zine due to time constraints and potential formatting issues. Please take this into account before submitting.

Q: Will there be any physical copies of this zine? A: Due to cost restraints and a lack of printing experience on the part of the zine organizers, we have no physical copies of this zine planned for print. You are, however, welcome to download and print copies of the zine for personal use.

Q: Who are the organizers of this zine? Where can I reach out to ask further questions? A: Who-is-Page and Noel Sol of the Sol System are organizing this zine. Feel free to send us any questions, comments, or concerns to invisibleotherkin(@)gmail(.)com.

#otherkin #alterhuman #therian #fictionkin #zine #call for submissions #Inky Paws

[romioneficfest]

Double Hazelnut Almond Milk Macchiato

Title: Double Hazlenut Almond Milk Macchiato

Prompt: Day 2/Meet-Cute

Tumblr Name: 

Rating: General

Summary: Muggle AU. Hermione Granger is new in town, and she has a pretty complicated coffee order.

Trigger Warnings: N/A

xxx

It’s seven o’clock on a Monday, and the morning rush is in full swing at The Burrow. Forming a line out the door and around the block are dozens of important, yet fidgety business people with complicated coffee orders, and little patience.

Ron Weasley opens every morning, Monday through Friday, and he handles it well. Most customers are regulars, and he’s already memorized their morning joe specifications.

The majority of the morning crowd has been forgiving of the occasional slip-up. Seven years of working the first shift at the family-owned coffee shop means a history of accidental extra-whipped cream, almond milk instead of soy, and finger-slips on the espresso machine, and the customers always return.

Maybe it’s because they’re too tired to notice their Americanos are actually Flat-Whites. Or maybe it’s the hospitable vibe of The Burrow that makes complaining about bad latte art seem as petty as telling Grandma her muffins are dry.

Every now and then, there’s a new customer, and Ron has to whip out his earnest, people-pleasing attitude to assure that the newbie sticks around. He’ll do what it takes to turn them into a regular, and make them thankful that they chose the local joint over the cookie-cutter corporate shop across the street.

‘Take an interest in their day!’ his Mum would say. ‘Validate their order! Then make sure to ask their name, and use it!’

Monday morning, at seven o’clock, is one of those times.

“Double Hazelnut Almond Milk Macchiato.”

“Size?”

“Medium.”

The customer is about Ron’s age, and probably new in town. She doesn’t yet know that at The Burrow, ‘Double Macchiatos’ are simply called ‘Tall Macchiatos’, and instead of ‘small’, ‘medium’, and ‘large’, The Burrow’s sizes go by their family pets in order of mass: Pig, Errol, and Chudley.

“Great,” he says, grinning, “coming right up.”

“Make sure it’s almond milk,” she reminds him.

“Yup.”

“And hazelnut,” she adds.

“Yup.”

“Double-shot—”

“I heard you,” says Ron impatiently. Have a little trust, lady.

“Okay, just making sure!”

“Can I get a name for the order?”

“Hermione.”

Ron stares at the girl. Her brown eyes are round and drowsy, her hair is unkempt and wild, which contradicts the clean lines of the business suit she’s wearing. She looks so normal. “Can you repeat that?”

“Hermione. H-E-R-M-I-O-N-E.”

He hadn’t asked her to spell it, and the way she emphasizes each syllable reminds Ron of how adults would read to him when he was a kid. It’s condescending.

“Coming right up, Hermione.”

“Great.”

Ron resists rolling his eyes. He can handle a double hazelnut almond milk macchiato, and if he screws it up, she probably wouldn’t even know the difference. Most customers wouldn’t.

As Hermione paces by the counter checking her watch, he whips up a medium, double, hazelnut, almond milk ...cappuccino. Just to test his theory, of course.

“Here you go!”

He hands the drink to Hermione and watches as she takes a sip. Her eyes narrow, and for a moment, he’s convinced she can tell…

Then her face melts back to a polite grin. “Thank you!”

Maybe she can’t. Ron shakes his head as she turns and leaves, turning his attention to the next customer’s order.

Hermione returns on Tuesday morning at 7 am sharp. Her hair is pulled back into a stiff, tight ponytail that just barely lassos her wild mane, and she probably checks her watch fifteen times while in line. Ron suppresses a scoff—she can just make coffee at home if she’s in such a rush.

“Morning, Hermione!” he says with a forced smile. “Same as yesterday?”

She looks taken aback at first, clearly not expecting him to remember her name. “Um, yes, same as yesterday.”

“Coming right up.”

“Medium, Double, Hazelnut—“

“Almond Milk Macchiato,” he says. “I got it.”

“Okay,” shrugs Hermione, eyebrows raised. “Then do it.”

What’s her problem? “Are you okay?”

“Yes, I’m fine,” she snaps. “I need coffee, not a counseling session.”

Wow. He wants to retort back, but his mother’s nagging voice in his head stops him.  ‘Always be extra-polite to grumpy customers; remember they haven’t had their coffee fix yet.’

“Of course,” Ron says through gritted teeth, in as polite a tone as he can manage. To satisfy his desire to argue, he whips her up a medium, double, hazelnut soy macchiato, only half-hoping she doesn’t notice.

He doesn’t get a chance to see if she does, because she’s out the door before a single sip.

Her Wednesday return is accompanied by a looming dread in the pit of Ron’s stomach. He hates rude people, especially at 7am. Ron spots her impatiently tapping her foot in line, as usual, and prepares himself for their interaction.

“Hello,” he says politely, stopping himself before the natural ‘how are you?’ escapes his lips. “What can I get for you today?”

“Hi,” she says with a sheepish smile. “The same as yesterday.”

“Which is?”

“Erm,” she stammers, her expression confused, “a medium—“

“I’m kidding,” he laughs, “I know your order.”

“Oh. Thank you.”

She pays, and Ron fixes her a medium double caramel almond milk macchiato.

“Sorry about yesterday,” she says when she picks up her drink. “You were just trying to be nice, and I was rude.”

“Oh,” starts Ron, who isn’t expecting an apology. “That’s okay. Happens a lot during the morning shift.”

She smiles and nods before turning around to leave, taking a sip on her way out the door. Ron watches for her reaction, but doesn’t catch it.

She seems to be in a better mood by Thursday.

“The usual,” is all she says when she arrives at the counter, but this time she’s smiling. She looks different when she smiles—pretty. Something else unidentifiable replaces the dread in his stomach. Ron wonders if it’s the first time he’s seen her smile or if it’s just the first time he’s noticed.

But based on the tired circles under her eyes, she’s exhausted, so Ron prepares her a medium triple hazelnut almond milk macchiato. An extra shot of espresso never hurt anyone, and maybe it’ll help her get through the day. Or maybe, she’ll experience a coffee crash and have to return to The Burrow later.

Both good things.

“Just so you know,” she says as Ron hands over her cup, “it’s been a stressful week. I started a new job, and it’s not going well.”

“I’m—I’m sorry to hear that,” says Ron. He looks into her eyes, and for a moment, they soften. There’s more to her tough and professional exterior.

“These have made the week just a little better,” she adds, holding up her macchiato, before smiling softly and turning to leave.

Of course, Hermione requests her usual on Friday, and Ron is quickly running out of ideas for ways to screw with her order.

In celebration of the weekend, he might be able to pass a large off as a special treat. Other than that, he has to stick to the request—a double hazelnut almond milk macchiato. The first of the week. Better not mess it up.

As soon as he pops the cap onto her cup, it looks empty. He reaches for his marker again and scribbles something else—his phone number.

He’s not sure what compels him to do it. Maybe it’s because the larger size leaves so much white space. It could be because the grumpy brunette has been occupying his thoughts all week — he’s never purposely tried to fuck up someone’s coffee five days in a row.

Or maybe, it’s because when she walked in this morning, he smiled, and he just wants to learn more about the woman who thinks she knows what a double hazelnut almond milk macchiato tastes like.

She’ll probably ignore it anyway.

But later that day, his phone buzzes on the counter, and he scrambles for it faster than he’d run away from a mob of spiders.

The text is from an unknown number, but there’s no mystery. It only took five days, but you finally got my order correct!

Ron scowls at his phone. She knew? She was duping him?

Well, Hermione, why’d you keep coming back?

As soon as the message sends, he’s impatient, tapping his foot, pacing, and jittery. Just like Hermione every morning.

His phone flashes and buzzes, and Ron almost drops it by checking too quickly.

It wasn’t for the coffee…

#hpfic #romione ficfest 2021 #romione #ron weasley #hermione granger #coffeeshop AU #Rated G #Queue up for the Dragon #Ace Safe #cw: none

[jungshookz]

teeny tidbits: namjoon and y/n can’t get enough of each other & it shows

➳ pairing; kim namjoon x y/n

➳ genre; lveb!universe!!! smaybe/smalmost/smerhaps smut?? slightly suggestive is what i’m trying to say idk!! namjoon and y/n are obsessed with each other and yoongi likes making a big deal about it because both their faces get really red and it’s funny to him 

➳ wordcount; 1.7k

➳ gif sourced from here but please note that it still remains property of its original maker!

                                      »»————-　♥　————-««

“hello, hellooo!” yoongi kicks the door shut behind him as he steps into your apartment, tossing his set of keys up into the air before catching it and shoving it into his hoodie pocket, “let’s rock n’ roll, y/n! i’m ready to raid the supermarket!” he claps his hands as he enters the living room, turning to stare down the empty hallway before pausing

wow

the most exciting part of his week is when you guys go grocery shopping together?

there’s really no way to make that sound even remotely cool 

“…anyone home?” yoongi’s brows furrow in concern when he’s acknowledged by nothing but the sound of silence, “y/n?”

you’re usually sitting on the couch buzzing and ready to go when he gets here so it’s a little concerning that you weren’t the first thing he saw when he got here

he turns back to look at the shoe rack, everything suddenly clicking into place when he sees that there’s a pair of larger, definitely-not-y/n-sized sneakers sitting neatly on the top shelf

ahhhhh

okay

now he understands what’s going on

no wonder you barely responded to any of his texts yesterday

you were too busy getting busy with-

“yoongi! good morning!”

“morni-” yoongi turns his head back towards the hallway quickly, his brows practically stretching up to his hairline at the sight of namjoon’s current state

first of all, the man is wearing nothing but a blanket around his waist and it’s pretty clear to see that he’s not wearing any briefs underneath 

second of all, his cheeks are flushed, his hair is ruffled, and his skin is glowing

and yoongi isn’t a self-proclaimed genius but he knows that two plus two makes four 

“wow, wow, wow! good morning indeed-” yoongi whistles, immediately looking upwards as to avoid accidentally making eye contact with namjoon’s… fifth lim- “i’m hoping that’s a cactus under your blanket and that you’re not just ecstatic to see me-” 

“oh-!” namjoon gasps lightly, quickly pulling the blanket up a little higher before turning his hips in the other direction, “i, um, i didn’t know you were coming over today!“ he chuckles awkwardly, his grip tightening on the sheets, “i just came out for some water so i wasn’t expecting to see you- uh, did you have plans with y/n today?”

“yeah, it’s sunday, so… grocery shopping and stuff.” yoongi looks back down before holding his hand up to shield namjoon’s lower half from his poor, innocent eyes, “you’re welcome to come with us, but i’m definitely going to need you to at least put some underwear on-”

“today’s sunday?” namjoon breathes out, pausing for a second before blinking quickly and shaking his head, “jeez, i thought it was saturday! time flies, huh?”

“it sure does…” the corner of yoongi’s mouth twitches in a smirk before he pokes his tongue against the inside of his cheek, “…especially when you’re spending most of it railing y/n into oblivion-”

“yoongi-”

“speaking of y/n!” yoongi claps his hands and rubs them together, “is she ready to go?” he hums, leaning over slightly so he can peer into the hallway over namjoon’s shoulder 

“she’s, um, she’s actually still in bed but but i’ll go and tell her now that you’re waiting for her-” namjoon smiles sheepishly before pointing towards the kitchen, “do you want coffee or anything? i can make a latte for you! i’ve been practicing a lot with my frother- y/n really likes my milk foam-”

“oh, i bet she does-” yoongi snorts, leaning against the back of the couch before crossing his arms, “maybe next time, my man. you just go and get y/n for m- holy shit!” his eyes widen as soon as namjoon spins around to head back down the hallway, namjoon immediately turning back to glance at yoongi over his shoulder in concern

“what??”

“your back!” yoongi gawks, getting up from the couch to go over and force namjoon to turn back around so he can get a better look, “jesus, it looks like you got into a fight with like, ten cats!” he exclaims, his eyes glued on the fading red claw marks that start at namjoon’s shoulders and end at his lower back

he brushes his fingers over the (obviously fresh) half-crescent nail marks embedded on the tops of namjoon’s shoulders before wincing to himself, “maybe i should’ve gotten y/n a nail clipper for christmas-”

“o-oh-!” namjoon whips back around so that his back is facing the hallway before he reaches up to rub the back of his neck, offering yoongi a nervous smile, “i, uh, it’s- i’m totally fine, don’t even worry about it-”

“joonie, i-” yoongi perks up when he hears your voice only for you to pop out from behind namjoon a second later, “yoongi! ...you’re here?” you ask, ducking behind namjoon slightly and peeking at him over his shoulder

“it’s sunday, moron.”

“...?”

“oh, dear god-” yoongi gasps suddenly, eyes widening as he brings a hand up to cover his mouth, “namjoon fucked you dumb, didn’t he? i bet that banging your head against the headboard multiple times made you lose a bunch of brain cells. now i'm going to have to be the smart one out of the two of us??”

you roll your eyes immediately at yoongi’s sarcastic remark, though his comment about namjoon makes your cheeks warm slightly 

last week you slept over at his apartment so this week it was your turn to be a good host

and naturally…

let’s just say that you showed him how good of a host you were on the kitchen counter,,.., in bed,,.. on the couch,.,. in the hallway,.., in bed again.,.,

“anyway- how long do you need to get ready? twenty minutes?” yoongi pulls his phone out of his back pocket to check the time, “i wanna get my hands on a fresh, warm loaf of sourdough so we have to leave soon otherwise they’re all going to be gone and we’ll have to wait, like, five hours for the bakery to restock.” 

“right! yes! sourdough!” you clear your throat, reaching up to tuck a strand of hair behind your ear as you sort through your thoughts

you didn’t know today was sunday so you weren’t ready to go grocery shopping at aLL 

 “okay! coffee first, then i’ll change, then we go-” you nod, nudging namjoon aside so you can brush past him 

“yeah, i think i’m gonna pop in the shower-” namjoon clears his throat, pulling the blanket up again before gesturing back towards the hallway, “i’m happy to stay here if you guys wanna go off and do your yoongi-y/n-only activities-”

“woah, woah-” 

you don’t get the chance to walk past yoongi before he’s reaching over and pinching the back of your shirt to keep you from going anywhere

you let out a little yelp when he tugs you back abruptly before twirling you around so that you’re facing namjoon 

“kim namjoon, you naughty, naughty man! what did you do to y/n??”

“wha- what?” namjoon blinks owlishly, yoongi tsking shamefully before wagging a finger at him 

“look!” yoongi gasps, hooking his finger into the collar of the shirt you’re wearing before yanking it down so he can expose more of your skin, “what, were you trying to suck the blood out of her??”

heat immediately rushes up namjoon’s neck and up to his ears when he realizes that yoongi’s referring to the multiple blotches of purple and red staining your skin 

maybe he got a little carried away last night 

but there were no complaints on your end so namjoon was more than happy to mark you up!

“he-” your face flushes and you slap yoongi’s hand away before pulling your shirt up to hide them, “they’re just hickies, yoongi-”

“first of all, only horny teenagers give each other hickies- second of all, hickies are supposed to be sexy little secrets-” yoongi hums, seemingly uncaring of the way that you wince as soon as he jabs his pointer finger directly into one of them (ow!!), “and these practically scream I’M GETTING LAID and every single single person that we pass by is going to glare at you-”

“why don’t you go and make us some coffee while i go and get changed?” you turn to give yoongi a warning look before pointing to the kitchen door, “go!” 

“i’m just looking out for the two of you!” yoongi raises his hands in defense, letting out a laugh as when you start kicking at him gently all while slowly nudging him towards the direction of the kitchen, “is it so bad of me to want to protect you from mr. mosquito over ther- ow, okay, okay-!”

you close the kitchen door shut with a breath, rolling your eyes at the sound of yoongi still babbling away to himself (“i’m realizing now that a vampire would’ve been a sexier example but mr. mosquito was the first thing that came to my head-”)

you turn your head slowly with your hand still on the doorknob, you and namjoon exchanging glances before bursting into giggles 

“sorry... you know how he gets.” you mutter sheepishly, making sure the door is closed properly before making your way back over to namjoon

“it’s all good!” he flicks his wrist at you before reaching up to rub the back of his neck sheepishly, “sorry about the, uh, the hickies.”

“it’s okay... i like ‘em, so...” you confess quietly, your stomach fluttering at the memory of namjoon’s soft lips pressing against your skin, “sorry about the scratches.” 

“no, i like them too... they remind me that i’m probably doing a good job-” namjoon grins as he slips his free arm around your waist before pulling you towards him, another soft giggle bubbling from your lips when he swoops down to give you a kiss, “guess i’ll hold down the fort while you’re gone… i’ll miss you.”

“i’ll only be gone for a couple of hours…” you tease, reaching up to pinch his cheeks together so that his lips turn squidgy, “needy.”

“for god’s sake, i’m taking her grocery shopping, i’m not sending her off to space!” the kitchen door suddenly swings open as yoongi busts through, clapping his hands loudly to break the two of you up before he flicks his wrists to get you to move, “c’mon, let’s get a move on- i want my sourdough!” 

✨why don’t you explore the rest of the library while you’re here?

💫or perhaps you want something shorter to read?

🌟or something even shorter? 

#teeny tidbits #bonsai!joon #bonsai!joon drabbles #namjoon fics #namjoon fic recs #kim namjoon #namjoon smut #namjoon smut recs #namjoon fluff #namjoon fluff recs #bts fics #bts fic recs #namjoon au #kim namjoon au #bts drabbles #bts one shots #namjoon one shots #namjoon one shots recs #bts author #bts author recs #bts smut #bts smut recs #namjoon gifs #namjoon hot gifs #reader insert #namjoon x reader #bts au #slice of life au #bts fluff #bts fluff recs

[cyncerity]

Mmmmm.,, thinking about how if Tubbo nommed Tommy and Tommy grew just enough in his stomach to make a little bump.,,

Ok when I asked for sizeshifter Tommy getting nommed prompts, you got the message. You understood the assignment completely, you genius anon. Funnier yet, I had the same thought about Tommy shifting while in someone earlier, so you’re pyscic and also very much pandering to what i like to write and it’s working very well.

tw: vore, cursing

Btw, I took my shitpost idea from this post and made it a full story

“Tubbo, no.” Tommy deadpanned at Tubbo, who looked back at him with puppy eyes. “Tubbo yes!! You actually studied for this and I didn’t and if I flunk another test my dads gonna kill me!” the shorter teen whined. Tommy pinched the bridge of his nose and let out an exasperated sigh. “Well then maybe you should’ve studied! I’m not gonna help you cheat this, I don’t even know how i would do that!”

Tubbo pouted and gave him a death glare that he ultimately couldn’t hold as long as Tommy could, so he sighed in defeat and started to get ready for school.

*****

School went pretty well for Tommy. He’d been pestered about the test a few more times by Tubbo, but he ignored most of the advances. He was just walking from the class he’d taken the test in to his next class when he got a text from his best friend: ‘meet me in the storage closet by the caf.’ Huh. Odd. Nevertheless, Tommy shrugged and headed that way. Not like he had much else to do at the moment.

He soon stepped into the storage closet, the heavy door closing behind him and shutting him in almost complete darkness as he fumbled around looking for a light switch. He could hear things clattering around him, but every time he reached in the direction of the noise, more noise seemed to come from another direction. What was going on? “Tubbo?” Tommy whispered. “You in here, big man?” Tommy said, a bit louder. No response, except the noises. Tommy could feel himself start to shrink in a bit as his movements became more sporadic looking for the light. “Seriously man, this isn’t funny!!” Suddenly, a loud clap sounded from behind him, scaring him and accelerating the shrinking he had already subconsciously been doing as he shrieked, now a measly 3 inches tall.

Suddenly he felt himself be lifted off the ground as the lights finally came on. As soon as his eyes adjusted to the light, he looked up to see Tubbo holding him by his shirt collar, the heavy, large textbook that Tubbo had violently shut to make the clap noise now laying closed on the floor, looking smug with himself. Tommy glared daggers at him. “That was a low blow, Tubso.” “Of don’t be over dramatic,” the bigger teen smirked, “I’m just getting the help I need.” And with that, Tommy was tossed up into the air and quickly caught in Tubbo’s mouth. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing!!” Tommy shouted as Tubbo’s tongue lapped at his face. He was unceremoniously pushed into the side of Tubbo’s cheek as he tried to respond. “You just took the test, I’m going in to take the test now, so you can at least help me get some answers.” “You little-“ Tommy tried to finish before he was cut off by a loud swallow.

Tommy felt his legs get pulled down into the tight muscles of the throat. He tried to punch at Tubbo’s tongue to get his friend to spit him out but he only heard Tubbo chuckle as the muscles pulled him down to his shoulders and eventually sucked him in completely. Tubbo left the storage closet once he couldn’t feel Tommy in his mouth anymore and made his way to class. Tommy landed in his stomach with a dull thud as he heard the storage room door close and felt Tubbo start walking. Great. Didn’t this asshole know he had school, too?

Tommy pouted and laid back one of the wet spongy walls and slid down, begrudgingly accepting defeat. Eventually he felt Tubbo sit down, and he heard the lecturer start to speak, before silence once again. Tubbo poked his stomach. Tommy kicked at the wall where he had been poked. “You can’t just eat me and expect me to help you. Prick.” Another poke from the outside. Tommy kicked again.

There was an annoyed scoff from outside and soon the small space Tommy was sitting in practically folded in on itself as Tubbo moved to sit with his knees pressed against his torso. “Oh, fuck off, you dickhead!” Tommy shouted. “I’ll give you the fuckin answers, Jesus, just let up!!” Tommy could practically hear Tubbos smug grin as he put his knees back down and sat normally. Tommy sat fuming, giving Tubbo the answers to the test, waiting for the signal tap that signified his giant friend was ready for the next answer. So as Tommy sat and mindlessly rattled off information, he thought about what he could do to get a little revenge for the impromptu nom session. It was hard to think of something good enough. He needed something that was funny, but inconvenient, and that he could do from the stomach he was stuck in. Something that would piss Tubbo off in a playful way, and nothing that would cause him pain, maybe a bit of discomfort…wait. That’s it, that would work, all he had to do was time it right. The logical and mature side of Tommy’s brain said it was a bad idea: he’d never tried shifting while in a person before. Well, that part of his brain could fuck off for all Tommy cared. He’d never listened to it anyways. ‘Oh, this is gonna be so funny…’

****

A half an hour later, Tubbo finished the test. He was pretty proud of his successful plan to get Tommy to help him cheat, and he couldn’t see himself getting caught. There was no physical evidence of it, and he knew that as annoyed as he knew Tommy was, his best friend wouldn’t rat him out. He even made sure to fill in some answers wrong, it was foolproof! Tubbo leaned back, feeling the minuscule weight inside him, and if he focused hard enough, could even feel Tommy breath. He’d never get tired of how weird that felt, no matter how many times he ate Tommy. It gave him a sort of peace. He felt kind of bad for practically forcing Tommy into sitting in his gut, but it was his fault in the first place! If Tommy hadn’t refused to help him, Tubbo wouldn’t have had to resort to this! And he knew that Tommy would try to reign hell on him for this, but for the moment, he put that thought aside. There wasn’t much revenge Tommy could do from his stomach.

Tubbo soon heard the bell ring. And as soon as he went to stand up, he felt something inside him move. No, not move, grow. Double, triple the size Tommy was when he was swallowed, bigger than anything he’d ever even try to get down his throat, and all within the span of a second. The sudden shock of the change mixed with the uneven and unfamiliar added weight in Tubbos body made him fall backwards with a yelp, landing on his ass and knocking over a chair in the process. He heard some kids laugh at him on their way out the door, and saw other just stare. He could feel his face get hotter from the embarrassment. He not only heard, but felt Tommy laugh at him, the shifters now louder voice making the stomach walls around him vibrate slightly. And, oh god, that was a weird feeling.

Tubbo clutched his gut for dear life as he tried to stand. He grabbed a nearby desk and pulled himself up, doing his best to steady himself. And as soon as he finally managed to get used to the weight, more was added. He felt his stomach stretch around Tommy, more weight being added, making him stumble a bit more before he elbowed himself in the stomach, pulled his hood over his head, and tried to walk as quickly as possible to anywhere private, ignoring Tommy’s laughing fit.

Ten minutes later, Tubbo found a private, hidden area under a set of outdoor steps near his school. He pulled his phone out of his pocket and put it up to his ear just to be sure that if anyone saw him, they wouldn’t think he was a crazy person talking to himself. “Just what the hell do you think you’re doing?!” Tubbo yelled, making Tommy laugh more. “Oh, you have no idea how much I would’ve paid to see the look on your face!” Tommy wheezed. “What did you do?” Tommy’s laughter died down as he tried to answer the question. “Well, I think that’s pretty obvious big man. I shifted.” “In me?!” “Well, yeah. Consider this payback for scaring me shitless and swallowing me without permission.”

Tubbo face palmed with his free hand and started to pace, feeling Tommy’s much larger form sway in his stomach and stretch it with every turn he made as he walked. “Ok, ok, fine I guess I deserved that. Just, why’d you have to do it in class? People were looking at me like I was an idiot. And how big are you even right now?” “Cause you are stupid,” Tommy answered part of the first question, but pondered the other. “I’d say a foot tall? Maybe a foot and a half?”

“A foot?!” “Yeah, that’s what I said. Listen, maybe.” “Alright, alright, ok, you’ve had your fun, now shrink so I can get you out of there and we can both go about our days.” Tubbo sighed. “No can do, big man.” Tommy replied simply, as if Tubbo were to have expected that answer. He didn’t. “Why the hell not?!” Tubbo yelled again, sitting on a step, to frustrated to keep pacing. “You put me in here in the first place. I’m now your responsibility, and you did this to yourself.” Tubbo felt a somewhat uncomfortable pressure on the front of his stomach and pulled up his shirt, partially horrified and partially amazed to see the front of his belly pushing forwards, slight imprints from under his skin. Tommy’s hands. Before Tubbo could even get a word out, Tommy finished: “Remember, I’m not stuck in here with you. You’re stuck out there with me.” The pressure released, and Tubbos abdomen went back to normal. Well, as normal as it could be. It still looked somewhat bloated for obvious reasons, the outline of Tommy practically indistinguishable from any other stuffed gut to everyone but Tubbo, but it wasn’t anything his hoodie couldn’t hide. Tubbo made it a point to stand up from the step quickly to try and jostle Tommy, but only succeeded in making himself feel a quick pit in his stomach, making him instinctually hunch over as it stretched downwards to accommodate Tommy’s weight. “Whatever. I’m done talking to you.” Tubbo replied sternly before walking off to his next class, which he was now horribly late for. “Sounds good, but I’m not quite done talking to you yet.” So the next 10 minutes was spent with Tubbo walking to class and Tommy rambling about increasingly bizarre topics in an attempt to irritate Tubbo, and with Tubbo unable to respond without being heard since he’d put his phone in his backpack like an idiot and now couldn’t reach it.

***

He walked into his next class 20 minutes late, and as quickly as possible made his way to his empty chair next to Ranboo, who started giving him weird looks a few minutes after he sat down. Tubbo gave him a weird look, and Ranboo looked back utterly confused and somewhat distraught looking. Tubbo shrugged and went back to his work, trying to pick up what the teacher was saying and drown out Tommy’s nonsense. Ranboo didn’t stop giving him weird glances though, and he seemed to be getting more and more anxious. Tubbo was about to ask him what was wrong when surprisingly Ranboo stood up and addressed the teacher. “Excuse me, I have a really bad headache. Like, it’s hard to concentrate and I’m seeing spots and it’s all around just really awful, can I go to the nurse, please?” He was given permission and was told to take someone with him, roughly grabbing Tubbo by the arm and practically dragging him out of the classroom as fast as possible.

At this point, Tubbo was worried. Ranboo was an introverted guy, there’s no way he’d draw that much attention to himself in class unless it was an emergency. He got even more worried when Ranboo dragged him past the nurses office and into a storage closet not dissimilar to the one Tubbo and Tommy had been in earlier. “Boo, are you alri-“ “Out of curiosity, where’s Tommy?” Ranboo interrupted. Tubbo froze. “Ummm…I don’t know, why do you ask?” He replied, trying not to sound as guilty as he was as Tommy, who had been silent since Ranboo had dragged Tubbo out of the classroom, mumbled to himself. Something about Tubbo being an asshole. “Oh, maybe because once you came in late and sat down I started hearing Tommy. Quiet, muffled, even, but I know his voice. That, and literally no one besides Tommy can talk about absolutely nothing for so long.” Tubbo heard Tommy let out an offended scoff and a “fuck you” at Ranboo, who apparently also heard it. “See, there it is again! You can hear him to, I know it. So where is he? I thought he was in your backpack, but you didn’t bring it with you to the ‘nurses office,’” Ranboo said, putting in air quotes, “so I don’t know where else I’d be able to hear him from.” Tubbo was left speechless again. Luckily for him, or actually rather unlucky, depending on how you look at it, Tommy was incapable of being left speechless. “In here, Ranboob!!” Tommy shouted, punching the front of the stomach walls, making Tubbo let out a hiss of pain as he punched himself in the stomach. Ranboo just stared blankly. “He’s…he’s in there?” Ranboo asked, pointing at Tubbo’s midsection. Tubbo sighed and nodded. Thank god he had to explain this to Ranboo and not some rando who didn’t know that he and Tommy did this regularly. “I thought that no one besides you could hear him when you ate him? I’ve never heard him from in there before.” “Probably because I’ve never been this big in a person before.” Tommy shouted in reply. “He’s a fucking foot tall, Ranboo. He’s making me miserable.” Tubbo deadpanned. “Just returning the favor!” Tommy shouted. “Ok, ok, wait, what happened, I’m so confused.” Ranboo questioned.

Tommy and Tubbo filled Ranboo in on what went down, who had his face in his hands by the end of the explanation, his thoughts clear to Tommy and Tubbo: ‘why do I have such idiot friends?’ “…ok,” Ranboo finally spoke out, “If anyone asks, I have a fever and you two, er, well, Tubbo helped me walk home. School ends in, like, 3 hours anyways, so it should be fine.” Tubbo and Tommy both seemed ok with that idea, so they went back to Tommy’s house, since Tommy’s family was at work, where Ranboo made both Tommy and Tubbo apologize for being assholes to each other, eventually convincing Tommy to shrink back down and finally give Tubbo a break. Tubbo didn’t spit him out though, and from the one sided conversation Ranboo was hearing, it seemed like Tommy was fine with that. Soon enough, all three were taking a nap.

***

At 2 o’clock, Phil got home, surprised to find the front door unlocked. He carefully made his way inside the house, looking for anything that could have been stolen or god forbid a thief still in the house. But nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Until he got to Tommy’s room, where he found Ranboo and Tubbo asleep on a backup comforter they kept around for the two when they slept over. Phil only had to wonder briefly where Tommy was, until his mind registered Tubbo’s hand, which was pressed protectively against his stomach. ‘Wait, shouldn’t they still be in school?’ Phil thought. But he took one look at the sleeping teens and decided he would chew them out later, turning of the light and closing the door.

#Slime this is what I told you about #mcyt g/t #mcyt gt #g/t #tw vore #sizeshifter!tommy au #cynwrites #cyncerity

[drabbles-mc]

Hands Off

Bishop Losa x Reader

Request by @jmvalhalla1998​: Hi there! I guess this would be a request but is it possible to do a Bishop x Reader where her ex comes to town with them nothing talking to each other at all he doesn’t know she is with Bish so he tries to win her back causing Bish to get protective/territorial? You can make them engaged or have the reader pregnant if it makes it more interesting.

Warnings: language

Word Count: 2.1k

A/N: This was oodles of fun to write. Who doesn’t love to see Bishop getting a little worked up and protective??

Bish Taglist: @masterlistforimagines​ @sincerelyasomebody​ @sadeyesgf​ @thesandbeneathmytoes​ @tomhardydallasstarsgirl​ @multiyfandomgirl40​ @sillygoose6969​ @queenbeered​ @louisianalady​ @gemini0410​

You were looking at all the fresh produce in front of you, trying to figure out what exactly you wanted to pick up for dinner. Once Bishop got back from his run, he was going to be home all weekend and for you, that was worth celebrating. You toyed with the ring dangling at the end of your necklace chain, telling yourself that you had to get around to going to the jewelers to get it re-sized so you would actually wear it on your left hand. You tucked it back underneath the collar of your shirt as you started plucking a few things to put into your cart.

You were off to pick up the last of your dinner items when you heard an all-too-familiar voice, “Y/N?”

You spun around, your heart dropping into your stomach as you came face-to-face with your ex. You hadn’t seen or heard from him in three years, and that worked out incredibly well for you. He wasn’t missed by you. “What’re you doing here?” your tone had no sweetness to it.

He laughed, “That’s a funny way to say ‘I miss you’.”

“I don’t.”

“Oh come on, don’t be like that,” he forged onward despite the fact that you were letting him know that you wanted nothing to do with him, “I’m gonna be back in town for a few weeks because of work. Offer still stands, if you wanna get out of this town you’re more than welcome to come with me.”

You scoffed, “Absolutely not.”

You started to push your cart away when he spoke up again, “What’re you up to these days, anyway? You seeing anyone?”

You sighed, “As a matter of fact, yes, I am.”

He scanned the store, “Oh?”

You rolled your eyes, “Some people trust their partners to go places without them.”

He gave you a once-over, eyes lingering far too long, “I wouldn’t let you outta my sight.”

“Yea, you made that abundantly clear a few years ago. If you had any long-term memory at all you’d remember that that was half the reason I let you leave without me. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to finish my grocery shopping,” you huffed and walked away, desperate to get out of the store and as far away from him as possible.

You tried your hardest to push the interaction from your mind as you worked on putting dinner together when you got home. You had gotten a text from Bishop that he was less than an hour out and it made you get your butt in gear and start cooking. If you timed it right, it would be done just after he got home. He always told you that you didn’t need to make a fuss when he came back from runs, but you couldn’t help it. And truthfully, you knew that he enjoyed it.

You were setting out plates and silverware when you heard the door open. You looked up, a smile on your face when you saw Bishop standing in the doorway. He dropped his bag to the floor and held his arms out. You couldn’t help but to laugh as you ran over and jumped into his arms, letting him sweep you off the floor and spin you around in a hug.

You hooked your legs around his waist and kissed him, “I missed you.”

He chuckled as he hooked his hands together underneath your legs, “I missed you too.”

You let him go unpack and change into a more comfortable set of clothes while you finished bringing everything to the table. You smiled as you felt his arms wrap around your waist, pulling you so that your back was pressed up against his chest. He pressed kisses along your shoulder and neck.

“I told you, you don’t have to do all this.”

You smiled, resting your hands on top of his, “I know I don’t have to. I want to, though. It gives me a reason to actually do something with myself besides miss you while you’re gone.”

He chuckled, “You’re breaking my heart, querida.”

The two of you had dinner together, and all you could think about was how nice it was to have him home again. You knew that his life was never going to allow him to be home all the time, and you accepted that, but that acceptance never made you miss him any less. You couldn’t stop staring at him as he gave you all the highlights of the run.

After dinner, the two of you were curled up in bed watching a movie. You idly toyed with the ring on the end of your necklace chain as you soaked up all of Bishop’s body heat underneath your mountain of blankets. As your fingers slid across the smooth metal band, the events that happened at the grocery store all came racing back and you instantly felt a knot forming in your stomach all over again.

Bishop felt you tense up and he looked over at you, “Everything alright, sweetheart?”

You nodded, “Yea. I just, um, there was something I forgot to mention.”

He paused the movie, “What’s going on?”

You had no idea how to start this conversation with him. Nothing really happened, but you still felt like you should tell him, “When I was at the store today, I, uh, I ran into my ex.”

His brows furrowed. He wasn’t the type to get jealous, but he also knew that your ex hadn’t treated you well and that was his real issue. “What happened? I thought that he was gone?”

You shrugged, “He’s back in town for a while for work I guess. I don’t think that he’s a real threat or anything I just, I don’t know,” you shook your head, “I felt so skeeved out after talking to him, that’s all. I’m not telling you because I want you to do anything about it, I just figured I should let you know.”

He’d never met your ex—he was long gone by the time that you and Bishop had gotten together. But the stories that you told him were enough. The protective part of him was kicking into gear as he processed what you were telling him. Even though you said that you didn’t want him to do anything about it, that was exactly what he was planning to do.

“Hey,” you gently squeezed his arm, “Obispo, I mean it. Don’t do anything stupid—he’s not worth it.”

He kissed your forehead, “I love you.”

You chuckled, shaking your head, “I love you too, but that’s not a response to what I just said.”

He pulled you closer, your face resting against his chest, “It’s my response to everything you say.”

You didn’t push it, knowing that whatever Bishop was thinking about doing wasn’t anything that you were going to be able to talk him out of. The more you thought about it, the more you hoped that the odds would be on your side and that the two of them just wouldn’t cross paths for however long your ex was in town. They didn’t run in the same circles, so maybe, just maybe, you’d luck out.

Those thoughts got pushed from your mind, though, as Bishop started peppering kisses along your neck and jaw. You laughed and melted into him, happy to forget about whatever the future was going to hold that was out of your control.

The next morning, Bishop was up bright and early. He nudged you awake, telling you he wanted to take you out to coffee and breakfast at the café in town. As much as you wanted to stay in bed and do absolutely nothing all day, it had been a while since the two of you had a breakfast date, so you agreed.

He took you on the bike, which you loved. There was something exhilarating about not just riding through town on the back of his bike, but also just walking around with your hand entwined with his. Even when he was off the clock, he was almost always in his kutte. It made him stand out a little more but you didn’t mind it, especially because some of that confidence seeped over into you. There was something special about the president of the MC doting on you, keeping you pressed up against his side as you made your way through town.

His phone rang right before you walked into the café. He looked down at the screen and then back to you, “Want to grab us a table? I’ll be right in. Less than five, I promise.”

You smiled, shaking your head, “Anything for you,” you gave him a quick peck on the lips before walking in and asking for a table for two.

You were scanning over the menu when you heard footsteps approaching your table. You assumed it was going to be Bishop, or a waiter, but instead you looked up and into the face of the man you hoped you would go the next few weeks without seeing again.

“Fancy seeing you here.”

You sighed, muttering somewhat under your breath, “You gotta be kidding me.”

Without bothering to ask, he pulled out the chair across from you and sat down, “Some might say that this is a sign.”

“A warning sign, maybe,” you said with a shake of your head, “I’m engaged. Let it go.”

“Engaged and going out to breakfast by yourself?”

“I’m not by my—”

He held his hand up to stop you, “C’mon, just grab one drink with me tonight. One drink, and if you still want nothing to do with me, I’ll leave you alone forever.”

You looked up and you saw Bishop standing behind his chair, looking larger than life. You pressed your lips together, waiting for your fiancé to say something. He cleared his throat, “Sounds like something you should be doing anyway.”

He instinctively went to push the chair back, but Bishop was blocking him in. his hand came to rest on your ex’s shoulder, and from the look of pain on the man’s face, Bishop was exercising his grip strength a little bit.

“Y/N mentioned that you were back in town.”

“Oh? She did?”

“Yea,” Bishop’s other hand gripped his free shoulder, “she also mentioned that you have a bad habit of not minding your fucking business.”

Your ex was all but trembling in his seat, and it would’ve been a lie to say that you weren’t enjoying every second of the scene unfolding in front of you. You didn’t need Bishop to look out for you, but you enjoyed that he did anyway. And, judging by the satisfied smirk that was creeping onto his face, Bishop enjoyed it too.

“Look, I’m just saying,” you could tell that your ex was scrambling to string the words together, “she seems to be on her own an awful lot. Must get lonely.”

“And you’re just here to remedy that loneliness, is that it?” Bishop’s tone was begging him to say something stupid.

“Well, someone should.”

“Hmm,” you could see his grip tightening on your ex’s shoulders, “You’ve certainly given me a lot to think about,” he leaned down so that he could speak a little quieter, “But god help me if I ever see you anywhere near my wife ever again I will break every one of your fingers, one at a time, and then make you drive yourself home. We clear?”

He nodded, fear written all over his face, “C-clear.”

“Good,” Bishop finally released his grip, “Now get the fuck out so we can have breakfast.”

He stood up, giving you one last look to see if you had anything to say. You gave him a sickly sweet smile and waved goodbye without a word, and he scampered out the door. You turned your attention back to Bishop, who was sitting down in his seat.

You smiled at him as he sat down, reaching your hands across the table so you could hold them in your own, “How good did that feel?” there was a hint of laughter in your voice.

He smiled at you, his voice quiet, “Really fucking good.”

You gave his hands a light squeeze, “Also, getting a preview of what it’s going to be like hearing you refer to me as your wife? What a rush,” you giggled.

He lifted your hands up and pressed a kiss to your knuckles, “You’ve got a whole lifetime of that ahead of you, sweetheart.”

#mayans mc #mayansmc #mayans fx #mayans mc imagine #bishop losa #bishop x reader #bishop losa x reader #bishop losa x you #obispo losa #obispo losa x reader #obispo losa imagine #my writing #fanfiction #drabblesmc #bishop losa fanfiction #bishop losa fluff

[watchmegetobsessed]

VALERIE - Part III. (Harry Styles)

hello dears! i wanted to have a few words before this part. i would like to kindly ask you to give the chapter a like and/or a reblog if you enjoyed it, or reply on the post or even just send me a feedback through asks! these are the only forms of feedback writers have on here and it’s really hard to maintain your motivation to keep posting when you see your work being ignored. getting up the numbers and spreading our work is your way to let us know that you read it and like it, so please be so kind to use these tools! writers post their work for absolutely free for you to enjoy, pls take the time to get back to them! it means so so soooo much to them, im telling you! even just one comment can make the day of the creator! 

word count: 3.9k

SERIES MASTERPOST

masterlist

A few tequila shots and the sound of some stranger’s horrible attempt at karaoke is exactly what you need when you get off work that Friday evening. Luckily, Steven invited you along with a few of his friends to have a drink just a few days ago and you gladly said yes. You and Steven have always gotten along so well and it made Rosa happy to see two so important people in her life be friends, so it wasn’t weird that Rosa was staying home with Valerie, you knew quite a few of Steven’s friends and they all seemed like cool people.

He told you beforehand that Harry would tag along as well so you could brace yourself to try this whole “let’s be nice to each other for the sake of Val” thing you and Rosa talked about earlier. She said she has mentioned it to him as well and he seemed to be open to the idea. You could only hope he didn’t just try to get her off his business and truly means to change.

Arriving to the bar you easily spot your little group of people and sliding out of the booth Steven greets you with a hug.

“So glad you are here!” he smiles at you and everyone slides further into the booth so you can sit at the end, saying your hello to everyone around the table.

The waitress comes up just a few minutes later and you order a tequila along with a beer.

“You are letting loose tonight?” Andy, a colleague of Steve asks with a smirk upon hearing your order.

“I deserve it and it’s just the start!” you tell him making everyone laugh.

Your shot glass is emptied out and you’ve stared on your beer by the time Harry arrives to the bar.

“Hello everyone,” he waves around and asks for a free chair from another table and pulling it to the end he is basically sitting next to you. “I see you’ve started the party, Y/N,” he chuckles eyeing the shot glass and you just shrug your shoulder with a smug grin.

He is wearing a black shirt that’s unbuttoned at the top, letting you get a glimpse of his tattooed chest and necklaces. You don’t admit it to yourself but your eyes linger on his chest a tad bit longer than you intended.

Harry orders a beer for himself that arrives in just a few minutes and you notice how the waitress was basically was pushing her chest out while talking to him.

“Is there anything I can get for you?” she asks him with a charm smile, her red lips stretched almost up to her ears.

For your biggest surprise Harry looks at you upon her question.

“Do you want to have a shot with me as well?”

The girl looks at you with a dirty look that screams jealous and for a moment you don’t even know what to answer.

“Um, yeah, sure,” you nod.

“Then two tequilas, please,” he tells the waitress before she walks away, glancing back at him one last time, but he pays no attention to her, clearly. “Hope you take it better than champagne,” he teases you, but this time it feels more like a simple joke rather than an attempt to piss you off.

“We’ll see,” you tell him with an innocent smile. The change in him is obvious, it seems like he did take Rosa’s advice and a new chapter is about to start where the two of you are not planning the murder of each other anymore every time you meet.

You take the shot with Harry easily, the alcohol burning down your throat and as any responsible, mature adult would do it, you wash it down with some beer. The perfect recipe for a killer headache in the morning. Your little group is having quite the fun, would have been a shame to miss this evening with them.

It seems like Harry is making a real attempt at being nice to you, he is your partner every time your glass empties out and you head to the bar to get another one.

“Look,” he tells you pulling his phone out of his back pocket and a picture of Val appears where she is wearing a onesie that has pumpkins all over it, it’s got to be the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.

“Oh my God!” you gasp tapping your hand to your chest. “She is literally the cutest.”

“I know, I got her the onesie, it’s so soft,” he tells you happily before taking one last look at the photo and putting his phone back away.

“Hey, what happened to those matching stuff you called me back then?” you think back to the phone call the two of you had not so long ago.

“Oh, didn’t buy it.”

“Why?”

“They didn’t have your size.”

“You didn’t buy the set because of my size? You could have gotten me just a larger one or something.”

“Yeah, but I wanted it to fit perfectly. Doesn’t matter, I’ll find another one.”

Harry turns to Andy who is telling a crazy story of the last time he went hiking and your tipsy eyes linger on him for a little. You were definitely not expecting him to not buy the set just because they didn’t have your size, but it’s nice that he was thinking of you and wanted you to have it just as perfect as him.

Harry catches your eyes and you don’t turn away. Maybe it’s the alcohol or the magic of this new, nice era of Harry Styles, but you let your gazes lace together as he smirks at you.

“What?”

“Nothing. It’s nothing,” you tell him absentmindedly and turn to Andy to hear the ending of the story.

The evening is a blast and you are having an amazing time. It’s nice that you don’t have to worry about Harry saying something awkward about you, the two of you are getting along pretty well.

You even sing a song together at the karaoke machine, though you don’t see yourself, you know the two of you look ridiculous, singing Avril Lavigne’s What the Hell from the top of your lungs, both of you probably more drunk than it would be decent from mature adults. But you couldn’t care less.

It’s way past midnight when you decide to leave and Harry tags along with you saying that he is taking the same train.

“Shut up, I did not!” he narrows his eyes at you as the two of you sit in the deserted carriage, only two more passengers are there but they don’t even care about your existence.

“I’m telling you! You were shaking your ass when you sang that line! Almost twerking!” you laugh letting out a snort as Harry is trying his best to hold his smile back while defending himself. “I wish I had it on camera!”

“But you didn’t so it didn’t happen,” he tells you pointing his finger at you in a warningly manner, but you just start laughing even more.

“You wish, Styles,” you huff and he just bumps his shoulder against yours.

You pull out your phone to check the time and see that Marcus has texted you a couple of hours before, asking if you are free next weekend. Harry tries his best not to peek at your screen, but he just can’t stop himself. Seeing the name he can’t stop himself from letting an annoyed growl out.

“You’re still in touch with the guy from the blind date?” he nosily asks and you lock the phone, thinking it’s best if you reply in the morning when you’ll be able to type your words out correctly. Sliding it back into your bag you turn to face Harry.

“What’s wrong with that?”

“I just genuinely don’t know why you are even trying.”

“Excuse me?” you ask with a grimace. “Why wouldn’t I try to meet guys?”

“I didn’t mean it like that. You told me all about how you need to feel that special connection with someone to date them. I bet my life that you did not feel that with this dude.”

“What do you know about what I feel?” you snap at him, feeling your anger building up quickly.

“Because… I know you,” is all he says but you can only laugh at his words.

“You know shit about me, Harry.”

“That’s not true,” he shakes his head protesting.

“Stop pretending like you know me just because I told you stuff when I was drunk and then slept with you. Why can’t you fucking forget about it all?”

Maybe you shouldn’t have been naïve and think that he could change in such a short time. It seems like he is still the annoying prick he has always been.

“Because it happened, Y/N! Whether you acknowledge it or not, it happened, and if I’m being honest, you talked a whole fucking lot that evening so excuse me if I think that I know you.”

He is clearly getting irked too, at least that’s what makes the two of you. The urge to hit him is slowly returning into your limbs and you have to keep your fists in your lap.

“Oh, I’m sorry I’m not perfect when I’m drunk and it was an inconvenience to you to have to deal with me!”

Looking up you see that the train is nearing your stop so you slide out of your seat as you look down at Harry.

“Why the fuck did you even bother to pick me up then? I’m sure you could have gotten with any of the bridesmaids. Was a shame you chose to ruin my life with that night,” you spat at him as the train stops and the doors slide open. It’s clear Harry has a lot to say, but you just simply flip him off and get out of the carriage, heading to the exit with long strides, fuming and raging you even thought for just a moment Harry has changed.

 ***

 Just like the majority of the population, you consider Monday to be one of your biggest enemies, especially when you have spent the whole weekend trying to sleep your hangover off. You really shouldn’t have went overboard with the shots, but it’s always easier said than done. You don’t try to make yourself believe it won’t happen again, because it will surely do. Lately it has occurred to you that you might have a slight problem with knowing your limits when it comes to alcohol. It’s not that you are an addict and seek every possibility to chug down something in secret. It’s more about knowing when to stop when you are at it. It’s so hard to judge when you should draw the line and not have another one when you are having such a good time! You’ve heard endless sermons from your mother when you were younger and ended up coming home a little more hammered than what fitted her taste. She wasn’t completely against drinking, she believes it’s a nice way to ease your nerves and has been having drinks in the evenings herself, but she has a strong opinion about going overboard, something you’ve been struggling with. 

“Guys find it disgusting, Y/N. Know your limits or no guy will stay with you if you can’t stop yourself from knocking yourself out.”

You rolled your eyes at her then and you roll your eyes at her now. As if a man has a word in what you do!

Sitting at your desk you find yourself checking the time every ten minutes, longing for your lunch break already, but time seems to be passing extremely slowly on this miserable day. You basically jolt up from your chair when the clock strikes 12 and head out of the building to find a place to eat. You were certainly not in the mood to do any mealprep for the week ahead so now you are stuck with having to eat out.

There’s a sandwich bar down the street and you refuse to go any farther just to have to walk back after lunch. Walking in you are happy to see that it’s not jam-packed yet, but knowing well how it goes in lunch time, the seats will surely be taken in no time. Walking up to the counter you order a turkey sandwich with a lemonade and take a seat at one of the smaller tables in the back, putting your bag to the empty chair and leaving your phone on the table next to your plate you start scrolling while eating.

Just as you expected, people start to flow in pretty soon and all the empty seats get taken. You’ve just scrolled past some funny cat video when you glance up and almost choke on your food.

At the counter, back facing you, but you already know his figure enough, stands Harry Styles, hands stuffed into his pockets as he is checking out the sandwiches behind the glass.

“Unbelievable,” you growl to yourself as you try to turn so you are hidden somehow behind the plant that’s besides you. Peeking from behind its leaves you try to keep an eye on him without being suspicious.

Harry pays for his food and flashes a smile at the cashier before turning around to find a place. Unfortunately, there are no free tables left, only seats here and there, one at your table as well.

At first you plan on pretending you don’t see him and pay he won’t recognize you either. After your encounter on the train last Friday you are not quite in the mood to have lunch with him. But then you see the disappointed look on his face as he searches for a free spot and your conscience can’t take it any longer.

Turning to face him you bring yourself out from behind the plant and wave in his direction. His eyes catch your hand in the air and a surprised look flashes across his face but heads in your way anyway.

“Hey, I didn’t even see you there,” he chuckles taking the seat that you just emptied from your bag, putting it to the floor next to you.

“Yeah, probably the plant,” you say awkwardly and he just nods placing his plate to the table.

“Do you come here often?” he asks upon starting his ham and cheese sandwich.

“No, though my office is near. I usually bring food.”

“Ah, I see.”

“Do you?”

“No,” he shakes his head. “I was just nearby and thought I would stop by for lunch.”

There’s a long pause when neither of you say a word, just eat in silence though that conversation from Friday hangs in the air heavily.

Surprisingly Harry is the first one to break this silence.

“I… wanted to call this weekend to apologize.”

“Really?” It’s not that you didn’t want an apology, you were just definitely not expecting one from him.

“Yeah. I know I have overstepped quite some boundaries lately and… I’m sorry for that. I promised Rosa I would try to work on our…”

“Friendship?” you ask with a small smile. There’s not really a word for what the two of you really have.

“Yeah,” he chuckles nodding. “Look, I was drunk too, I don’t know what’s gotten into me. Sorry for sticking my nose into your business. You’re right, I don’t know you well enough to have an opinion on these stuff.”

You nod shortly, a sense of relief taking over your body. It’s nice to finally have your truth confirmed by him and it’s kind of ridiculous it took the two of you so long to actually have a nice, mature conversation.

“Thanks, I appreciate it.”

“And I know I’ve been the one to tease you and pick on you most of the time, but I promise I’ll try to work on shutting my mouth from now on.”

You laugh leaning back in your seat, because this is surely way more than what you were expecting from him, but it’s still funny to hear it from his mouth. Never thought this day would ever come.

“I promise I’ll hold my tongue too. I want Rosa to stop worrying about us. She clearly cares about us so I wouldn’t want to be the reason why she stresses, she has enough on her plate.”

Harry nods in agreement and with that, the topic is considered closed. You have officially called it truth with the villain of your life, Harry Styles.

 ***

 Valerie is watching the ducks in awe, as if they were the most beautiful creatures for her on this whole wide world. Her eyes follow them glide across the shimmering surface of the pond and pulling out your phone you take a quick photo of her before turning back to Rose next to you on the bench.

It’s a warm Sunday afternoon nearing the end of October, Rosa called you in the morning if you wanted to tag along for their afternoon walk and you happily took the chance to spend some more time with your sister and your favorite little niece.

“It’s so nice to get out of the house and go farther than just the supermarket,” she sighs, closing her eyes as she enjoys the warm sunshine caressing her face. You can tell she’s been losing sleep, Val just started teething and Rosa told you how fussy she’s been during the nights.

“The joys of parenthood,” you chuckle and she just huffs.

“Harry was over the other afternoon, dropped something off for Steven.”

“Uhuh.”

“He mentioned you.”

“Really?” you ask looking ahead of you, eyes glued to one particular duck as it nears the edge of the pond, then duckling out to the grass it sits comfortably in the sunshine.

“Yeah, he said you two had lunch together the other week.”

“Well, it’s not like it was planned, we just happened to be at the same place,” you correct her.

“Either way I’m happy you two are getting along.”

“It’s relaxing,” you admit with a soft chuckle. This worrying feeling you’ve been constantly feeling when someone brought Harry’s name up is finally gone from your chest. It’s nice to know you won’t have to avoid him at every event you run into him.

“So what do you have planned for the anniversary?” you ask her. It’s crazy it’s been three years since Rosa and Steven got married, which also means that it took exactly three years for you and Harry to put the past behind you.

“Uh, nothing?” she huffs with a grimace. “There’s not much you can do with a teething baby, you know? Will probably just have dinner together and if we don’t fall asleep immediately we can watch a movie.”

“Val is the only reason why you are staying home?”

“I mean, mostly, yeah.”

“I can look after her for a night, if you want,” you offer right away. It’s the least you can do for her.

“Nah, I can’t ask you that. I know how much you work and she wakes up at least two times during the night even on her best days. You need to rest too.”

“I have way more time to rest than you. You deserve a night off from your motherly duties.”

“Are you sure?” she asks, looking for any sign on your face that tells her you are not being serious.

“Absolutely. Just… give me a list of things I need to know and do and we’ll be fine,” you nod eagerly as you turn to look at Val. “Right, Princess? We’ll have a sleepover!”

Val just glances at you curiously, furrowing her tiny eyebrows before her attention is diverted by a falling leaf.

“She’s excited,” you tell Rosa and she just chuckles.

“Would you really do this for us?”

“Of course! It’s just one night, I can do one night.”

“You are literally an angel she sighs and hooking an arm around your shoulders she pulls you to her lovingly. This is what sisters are for.

 ***

 Your body is basically buried under your favorite thick blanket, sunk into the plush couch as you watch a rerun from How I Met Your Mother, a warm tea on the coffee table. You’ve had a long day and you intended to go to bed early, but figured six is a little too early, so you got stuck with whatever the TV had to offer you, however you know you’ll be in bed by eight for sure.

Munching on some dried apple chips you let out a tired sigh when you see that you’ve reached the end of the bag. Tossing it to the floor you slide down lower on the couch when your phone buzzes somewhere under your butt. It takes you some time to actually find it and get a hold of it, but you’re rather surprised when you see you just got a text from Harry.

To be exact, he just sent you a photo. Opening the thread you wait for the attachment to load and when it does, you snort out loud.

It’s a photo of him with a ridiculously small, pink hat that’s probably for Valerie, but seeing it on his head as he is grinning widely into the camera you can’t help but laugh.

“Looking great, new fit?” you write him back and the little bubbles start moving almost immediately.

“Thought it was time for a change in my image. You like it?”

“Pink suits you well.”

“Thanks, I’ve been told that.”

You smile at the screen as another message pops up.

“I’ve been going a little overboard with the shopping for Val…”

“Never feel ashamed for that!”

“But Rosa made me promise the Gucci onesie was the last thing I bought for her.”

“You bought her a Gucci onesie??!?!! Harry, she is not even one, she will shit into that Gucci..”

“But it looked so cute! I had to buy it!”

“You need therapy, Harry.”

“Isn’t that what friends are for?”

You have a witty comeback to make about how he has zero friends, but you don’t want to ruin the light mood with even the slightest possibility of sending him an insult he might take too seriously.

“You’re right!”

“Okay, now it’s your turn to send me a silly photo.”

“What?!”

“Come on, I sent you one, now you have to send one to me too!”

“Says who?”

“Me. Come on, do it!”

He is so childish, you think to yourself as you open your gallery and try to find something that’s silly but not too embarrassing either. You find a picture back from April when you were having a grimace contest with your cousin’s kids and someone snapped a picture of you with puffy cheeks and crossed eyes. You hesitate for a moment but then send it to him anyway.

Waiting for his answer you turn your attention back to the TV until your phone buzzes in your hands again.

“I said send me a pic of you, not a hamster!”

You gasp at the mean but also funny reply. He surely didn’t shy out from insulting you, unlike you did.

“Oh, fuck you, Harry!”

You almost instantly regret sending that to him, because you know what his answer is to that every time it leaves your mouth. So you are already bracing yourself to receive that “you already have” text… But it never arrives.

“Jk, you look cute. But don’t cross your eyes too much, would be a shame if they stayed like that.”

“And why is that?” you find yourself typing back.

“Don’t let those pretty eyes go to waste.”

PREVIOUS PART

NEXT PART

TAGLIST

let me know if you’d like to be added or taken off!

@f-vasquezp​ @perspnhel​ @http-cherries​  @h-arrystyles​ @just-damn-bored​ @millennial-teenybopper​ @sarcasticallywitty15​ @gwen-and-harry​ @perfectywrong​ @do-youseeme​

#harry #styles #harry styles #harry styles series #harry syles oneshot #harry styles one shot #harry styles angst #harry styles enemies to lovers #harry styles fanfic #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles imagine #harry styles x you #harry styles x y/n #harry styles x reader #harry styles valerie #harry styles valerie series #valerie series