#I'll also have a better environment for writing so there's that | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

comicaurora · 5 months

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Hi! I finally got the chance to read Aurora a bit ago. It's a wonderful story--all I was expecting and better! I was particularly amazed and delighted by the artwork and visual mechanics used to tell the story, so I wrote a post to yell about how cool it is and break some of it down. (No criticism, just praise.) I'm mostly a hobbyist, so I'm hoping I've done it justice.

That said: zero pressure to read it or respond to this ask. Normally I wouldn't send it since I tagged, but I know Tumblr's notifs are a mess and things get lost very easily. I've been in both the "one (1) word of praise will feed me for a year" and the "oh gods don't talk about my writing/art because anything that seems Off will break my brain" modes before, and I absolutely don't want to push or make you uncomfortable!

If you are comfortable, however, I wanted to ask about your use of what I'm assuming are Screen and blending modes in sound effect words. (I'm only guessing that's the technique, though, so I could be totally wrong about how it's done! I'm mostly experienced in image manipulation in Photoshop.) Making them semi-transparent over the actions is genius :) What inspired you to do that, and are there specific techniques you use to make it work?

Same questions go for using specific colors to distinguish different characters' words and actions. I really noticed it in the cave sequence with Falst and Dainix, since their colors are so vivid in the dark (ex. Falst's little swats and Dainix's swooping kick at 1.20.9). It lends excellent clarity to busy scenes.

Thanks! Have a lovely day, enjoy your break, and happy holidays <3

You're correct about the technique! "Screen" is the blend mode I use most often for sound effects. I stumbled on it mostly through trial and error - I love how sound effects add depth to a comic panel, but it's very easy for them to obscure the art in a way I find counterproductive, so "Screen" lets me put the sound effect directly over the origin of the sound while still letting it be visible through the word. Early chapters didn't have it as much-

Most of the sound effects in early chapters are just solid colors with reduced opacity if I'm feeling fancy. But I started figuring it out around chapter 8 and 9, because Falst is kind of a sound-effect-heavy guy, especially in his fight scenes.

In order to make sure they don't impede the visibility of the action, I'll often soft-erase the top or bottom half of the SFX to reduce its opacity while still leaving it readable.

I'll usually double that up with an outline on the SFX so it's still readable. This is an especially important consideration if the SFX goes over an area of the background that's very bright or glowing.

Color-coding the speed lines and SFX to the character or force causing them isn't a hard and fast rule, but I like using it (in part because it's a habit from the OSP illustrations, where every character has a single pop of color in their lineart) mostly because it sort of codes every sound to make it clear where it's emanating from, or the general feeling of the sound. Since I normally do character-colors for SFX, something like this stands out more jarringly-

Which it's supposed to, but a big lightning strike doesn't register as anything too worrying because it's just Tess up to her usual shenanigans.

It's also very useful for magic effects, because each form of magic has its own associated palette.

And when I had a very complicated fight scene in a dark environment, I used the texture pattern I'd already made for the monster to color its SFX, so when I Screened them onto the panels they didn't obscure too much while still communicating "this is something else."

Changing the weight, lined-vs-not-lined, and opacity of the SFX words also helps to communicate that not every sound has the same feeling. A strong motion is solid and aggressive, but a crackling, unstable sound is more ephemeral and staticky.

It's definitely been a process of learning as I go - looking back at the earlier chapters I can actually see when I first tried various tricks I now use regularly, like doubling and distorting an SFX to produce the effect of a camera-shaking impact. I haven't really seen any other comics that do it like I do, probably because most other comics follow a more traditional production pipeline where text bubbles and sound effects get locked into the composition early, before the inking stage, because traditional physical comics don't have digital-art layers to play with. Adding sound effects to a page is almost the last thing I do before exporting them, and that only works because digital art and layers allow for a ton of flexibility.

#asks #aurora #art stuff

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spidernuggets · 2 months

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I was listening to Matilda by Harry Styles and...

Can I ask something about the reader living in a toxic environment or having a toxic family but seeing it as normal, until she meets Jason and he makes her see that it's actually not normal?

Only if you feel comfortable writing it tho 🥲💗

Jason Todd x Fem!Reader

Note: I LOVEEE this request. It gives me the opportunity to show the little things in a toxic environment/family that are DEF mentally unhealthy, but it can be played off as, idk the word, normal, or not a big deal.

Reader's back story: Reader grew up with a family where there's always a lot of petty disagreements but always leads to being yelled at. Reader was also raised to respect others, but hypocritically, her parents don't show that same level. So when they yell at her, she doesn't say anything back, she doesn't talk back or defend herself etc etc. But the day after, her parents "apologise", Reader accepts, but the apology means fuck all because her parents always makes the same mistakes and the cycle continues.

"Fucking hell! Can you just fucking leave me alone!" Jason yells after climbing through the fire escape. He just came back after a rough mission and is in no mood.

You ran up to him, trying to give him a hug, and at first, he lightly pushed you away, but poor you didn't get the memo and tried to give him a sweet kiss on the cheek.

Jason really didn't mean to lash out on you. During the mission, he got scolded by Dick and got punched across the jaw by Bruce. He also failed the mission anyway. And honestly, all that time wasted when he could've been in your arms instead pissed him off more.

But now that he's here with you, he doesn't seem like he's in the mood to be held by you. He just wants everything to be quiet. Except, now he's the one being loud.

"I'm sorry, Jay, I just-"

"Y/n, please, just shut up for five minutes because I don't think my head can last another second with you!" He storms away, taking an extra pillow and blanket and goes to sleep on the couch. You let him leave, knowing he'll be better in the morning.

This was the first time Jason had raised his voice to you. But it was fine.

You woke up to the feel on fingers running through your hair and light, damp kisses on your nose. You twist and turned and groaned at the feeling, wishing for more sleep.

"Wake up, sweet thing. Please?" You heard a deep, raspy voice ask.

You barely opened your eyes but made out the figure in front of you. Jason was on his knees, kneeling beside your bed with roses and your favourite candies in his hand.

"Mm.. Jay?" You groaned once more, trying to sit up while rubbing your eyes open. "Special occasion?" You groggily asked.

Jason looks at you slightly confused. "What? No.. no, I just wanted to say I'm.. I'm sorry. I acted like an asshole last night, a major asshole. Scream at me, hit me, do whatever. Please, please forgive me," he whines, looking down while presenting the gifts to you. He tenses up as you stay silent. When he looks up, your head is tilted, accompanied by a questioning look on your face. "And.. And I told Bruce that I'm taking the week off. I'll take you out on dates, wherever you want to go, I'll buy you everything you want." At this point, he'd give his soul to Trigon just for you to forgive him.

Slowly, you take the candies and roses from him. "That's really sweet, Jay.. but.. why?" Now it was Jason's turn to look at you in confusion and disbelief.

"What- What do you mean why? I was a bastard last night! I told you to shut up, I told you to leave me akone! I left you alone in bed last night!" In all realness, the moment Jason sat on the couch, he thought you indirectly broke up with him and left. He didn't expect you to be in bed. So he ran to the closest ooen shop and bought you all your favourite candies.

"Oh..." You pondered, looking at the pretty petals in your hands. "It's okay, Jay. Don't worry about it, it's fine," you smiled.

Jason frowned. You were smiling. Genuinely smiling at him. As if nothing happened. As if what he did wasn't wrong. "What? It's not- It's not fine. How can you say that?"

"Well, you're sorry, yeah? So everything is good," you try to hold your hand in his, but the contact made him flinch. It's like Jason is getting angry for you.

"No. No, everything's NOT good. Why are you acted as if I didn't just fully disrespect you last night? Why are you acting as if nothing happened? What if I yell at you like that again, huh? It wouldn't be fine!" Jason doesn't understand why you think everything is fine.

"I mean.. If you say sorry, then you're sorry," you shortly explain.

"Were you always like this?" He quietly asks, holding your hands, caressing them with his thumbs. "A lot of the times, sorry isn't enough. Why- Why do you forgive so easily?" There's a plead in Jason's eyes. Through his life, he's always done so much wrong. He always lost people. Forgiveness was a foreign thing to him. But the fact that you gave no second thought into forgiving him had him worried.

You look down in such shame. You don't really know. But then you think back to when you were a kid. Back to when you reached out to pour some juice in your cup, but then you knocked over your dad's glass of water, and it smashed all over the ground.

You were eight. You were eight when your dad started yelling at you, asking why you were incompetent. You were crying and didn't hear your dad saying you had nothing to cry over.

Later in the night, your mom went to you, telling you your dad had a rough night, and he didn't mean to take it out on you. Then your dad walked in, kneeled, and said he was sorry. He said he'd never say anything like that to you ever again. And you forgave him. Because you were eight, and you believed that he was sorry.

To this day, you still weren't sure if he was sorry. Because he always noticed the small mistakes you made and lash out on you. Your mom did this, too. But the two of them always crawled back, asking for forgiveness, telling you they didn't mean it, promising it would never happen again.

The one time you tried to defend yourself, it just ticked them off even more. So, every time they raised their voices, your own stayed silent. You'd just wait for them to take out their harsh emotions on you, and you'd just wait for them with their routine of apologies, you'd just wait for the next time they gave out to you.

Maybe you're projecting this method onto Jason. You already knew how much of a hot head he is. But you still don't know. His apology seemed more alive than your parents'.

But, still. It was the same. 'I'll never do it again.' 'I'm sorry.'

The difference was.. was Jason WANTED you to be angry with him. Maybe that's what was missing. A chance to secure yourself. A chance to fight back. A chance to respect yourself.

"I don't know.." You whisper, too tired to lift your head to look at him.

"Hey.." He gently calls out, his finger under your chin, tilting your head up. "I'm not saying forgiveness is a bad thing. But you need to be angry about certain things. About me. Not everything is sunshine and rainbows. Just because someone says they're sorry, it doesn't mean they actually are. Except for me. I'm so, so sorry. Like, if I were you right now, I'd probably dump my ass." His last statement made you giggle ever so slightly.

"There's my girl," he says, one of his hands reaching up to hold her cheek, squishing it gently. "Next time I make a dick move, be angry. Yell at me, hit me. Threaten to dump me. That'll definitely make me feel real sorry." He smiles.

You let out a chuckle, turning your face to kiss the rough palm of his hand. "Okay," you mumbke through his hold.

Are my fics getting shorter and shorter each time? That's my worst fear.

ANYWAYS, I genuinely hope this problem makes sense!!! It's light, but as I said, it's unhealthy!!

Very very very very much hope that you've enjoyed, Anon 🙏🙏

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raina-at · 5 days

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Pride

Omg, you guys, it's the last one! Where did the month go!

A huge, huge thank you to @calaisreno for keeping is going the entire month, and a huge thank you to all of you for reading and writing and gushing and commenting and crying and making this more fun than it had any right to be. I'll miss this!

I did a Pride ficlet last year as a bonus ficlet because I missed two days. I had a lot of ideas for this year's, and maybe I'll post some of them as bonus ficlets through June, but for now, I say goodbye to May with John and Rosie.

--------

"Dad."

"Hmm?"

"Dad!"

John puts down the newspaper. Apparently this is a serious discussion. "Yes, love?"

Rosie throws herself into Sherlock's chair and contorts herself into a pretzel-like shape that can't be comfortable. "I'm...um..." It's apparent she doesn't quite know how to phrase her issue, because she's unnaturally hesitant. Sherlock's influence has made her shockingly blunt, while John's influence has made her shockingly foul-mouthed. Arguing with her is a joy. But now, very untypically, she looks confused and a bit lost.

"Ro, whatever it is, you can tell me," John says, leaning forward, a bit worried now.

"It's..." She sighs, looks down at her hands. "It's a bit personal?"

"Oh my god you're pregnant!" John blurts out, his momentary fear overriding his usually good brain-mouth-filter.

"Dad, what the actual fuck! I'm not fucking pregnant!" Rosie rolls her eyes so hard John wonders if she sprained something. "You know I'm on birth control. You went with me to get my first prescription, for fuck's sake."

"Accidents happen, my dear," John says, gesturing at his lovely daughter, who, light of his life, and joy of his world as she may be, was also very much an unplanned pregnancy.

"Fair enough," Rosie admits, deflating a bit. "Still."

"It wasn't a completely unreasonable assumption. You have a boyfriend, you're twenty, I'm assuming you're having sex."

"Please, dad!" Rosie exclaims, the tips of her ears turning red. "I really don't want to talk about my sex life."

"You think I do?"

Rosie makes a very Sherlock-like 'never mind all that nonsense now' gesture. "Anyway," she says, giving John a glare that tells him to shut up until she's finished. "It's actually kind of about Mark."

John nods, to let her know he's listening, but carefully and deliberately keeps his mouth shut, even as he's thinking, If he hurt you, I'll kill him so fucking dead so quickly he'll never know what hit him.

"It's... you know... he's... well, he's a boy," Rosie finally gets out.

John blinks a few times. Waits a bit. When it's clear Rosie won't be any more forthcoming about the issue, he dares to ask, "And?"

She looks down at her hands, studying them with unwarranted fascination. "I'm..." She sighs. "When did you know you were bisexual?"

John exhales audibly. Now he knows what this is about. In a family of mostly queer people, Rosie seems to have assumed she'd be some kind of queer as well. And if anyone knows how complicated identity can be, especially if it's weighed down by expectation, it's John. "Um. Quite honestly, I'm not sure I am."

Rosie looks up, surprised. "I mean. Mum. And Paps. Um. You know..." she makes a 'please fill in the gaps yourself' gesture.

"Look," John says, leaning forward and taking his daughter's hands. "I personally think labels are vastly overrated. If a word, or a label, or a phrase, helps you to better understand yourself, that's great. Use that label as long as it serves you, and if it doesn't anymore, use another one. As for me, I was raised in an environment where being different was bad. What kind of different you were exactly was completely beside the point. And I saw first-hand how the world treated your aunt, so I thought, best not think about it. I wasn't that attracted to men, it wasn't difficult to ignore. Until I met Paps, and you know how difficult he is to ignore."

Rosie grins. "Oh, yeah. So Paps made you bi?"

"No, you know it doesn't work like that. He made me... " John answers, smiling fondly at the memory. "Well, quite simply, he made me fall in love. He was—still is, of course—the most intriguing, gorgeous, infuriating, exasperating, fascinating person I've ever met, and I fell in love with him so hard, and so fast. But I wasn't ready, and he wasn't ready, and it took us years to get our acts together. And part of that was that we both couldn't accept a fundamental truth: The heart wants what the heart wants. Fighting against it only brings misery and destruction." He squeezes Rosie's hands. "So. Do you love Mark?"

She nods, her eyes shining with the truth of it.

"Is he good to you? Good for you?"

She nods again.

"Then who the fuck cares about anything else?"

Rosie's silent for a bit, apparently mulling over his words, still holding on to his hands. "So," she finally says, looking up from her joint hands with a smile. "You'll love me even if I'm straight?"

"Well, love, I suppose I can overlook this glaring character flaw. Also, you might meet a stunning lesbian when you're forty and she'll rock your entire world and turn everything you thought you knew about yourself upside down. And I want you to remember," he says, leaning in a bit more, looking deeply into her eyes, "I'm fine with everything, as long as you give me some grandkids first."

Rosie laughs and pushes him away. "Fuck off."

John gets up and makes his way to the kitchen. "So, sexual identity crisis over? You want to have some tea now?"

"Of course I want tea. But what you're saying, if I understand you correctly, is not to assume I'm straight just because I fell in love with a man?"

"I'm saying," John says, flicking the kettle on, "is that it doesn't matter, love. Gay, straight, pan, bi, ace, all these labels are useful if they help you understand yourself. But if you feel boxed in by a label, don't use it. Use another one. Use none at all. Let nothing ever keep you from knowing and understanding your own heart. That's the only thing that matters. I might be bi, who knows. The important thing is that I love Sherlock with all my heart, and that I made a commitment to him. Everything else is just noise."

Rosie is quiet for a bit, looking thoughtfully at the fire crackling cherrily in the hearth of 221B. "You're getting soft in your old age, Dad," she finally says, with a grateful smile.

John hands her a mug, drops a kiss on her head. "Love you too, dear," he says, smiling into her hair.

----

Don't forget that I'm collecting these ficlets here on AO3, and don't forget to check out the wonderful collection of May prompt ficlets as well. I know I'm already looking forward to reading all of them again.

Tags under the cut as usual.

@calaisreno @totallysilvergirl @jrow @peanitbear @jolieblack @meetinginsamarra @helloliriels @keirgreeneyes @lisbeth-kk @friday411 @givemesherbet-blog-blog @weeesi @thalialunacy @thegildedbee @dapetty @salmonsown

#johnlock #bbc sherlock #my fic #may prompts 2024 #pride #rosie watson #parentlock

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doumadono · 7 months

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does this count as an emergency request?

ive had such a bad period (worst one of my life. my cramps are so bad i cant even sit down.). could you write bf!bakugo when his gf has periods? i have no clue if this would count as an emergency requestt😭

Bakugo & his girlfriend dealing with the period

A/N: I'm sorry to hear that you're going through such a tough time. Dealing with strong period cramps can be incredibly challenging. And absolutely, your situation counts as an emergency, and I hope these Bakugo headcanons provide a bit of comfort ♥

EMERGENCY REQS MASTERLIST

Bakugo has familiarized himself with the signs and symptoms of his girlfriend's period, and he's attentive to any changes in her mood or energy levels.

Bakugo creates a cozy environment with blankets and pillows, making sure his girlfriend feels as comfortable as possible. Bakugo minimizes noise or disruptions to help ease any sensitivity.

He's on hot water bottle duty, ensuring it's at the perfect temperature to ease those cramps as it's pressed to her abdomen.

Bakugo takes charge of food delivery, making or ordering her favorite comfort foods. "You gotta eat something, even if you don't feel like it, dumbass."

"Take your medicine," he reminds her, setting alarms if needed to make sure she stays on top of pain relief.

Bakugo offers unwavering support, assuring her that he's there for whatever she needs. "Just tell me what you want, and I'll get it."

He provides comforting cuddles but also comes up with distractions, be it a favorite movie, game, or just talking about anything to take her mind off the pain.

Bakugo understands that mood swings are part of the deal, and he handles them with surprising patience. "I get it, you're not being crazy. It's the damn hormones." Bakugo creates a no-judgment zone. If his girlfriend wants to vent about the pain or complain about anything, he's there to listen without making her feel like she's being irrational.

He regularly checks in, asking how she's feeling and if there's anything else he can do.

Bakugo offers to run any errands or pick up supplies. Bakugo, in his own gruff way, tells his girlfriend to "get whatever the hell she wants" from the store to make her feel better, whether it's chocolate, ice cream, or both.

He suggests wearing loose, comfortable clothing and provides an oversized hoodie or sweats if she prefers (of course from his merch!)

He might grumble a bit but ends up giving a heartfelt speech about how amazing and resilient his girlfriend is. "I know it does hurt but look how strong you are, babe."

"Rest up, okay, nerd? Your body's going through a lot. I'll be right here," he assures her before setting up a cozy space for her to rest.

In a rare moment of softness, Bakugo surprises his girlfriend with a gentle forehead kiss, silently expressing his love and support.

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hypnostouched · 6 months

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Reread Dark Heir and I love that the trauma the characters go through actually follows through in the writing

Visander is incredibly claustrophobic after having to dig himself out of his grave and its a repeated theme when hes anxious; walls closing in, shortness of breath, darkness, returning to that box. Its such a nice touch, especially because Visander does keep getting put into claustrophobic environments; the carriage, tight clothes, the boat, small rooms... He's the perfect Champion and he is traumatised and he is still the perfect Champion. He's very human, for lack of a better word, he isn't untouchable

And Will has a so much trauma from his mother, and then from Kathrine and he links them together so much. To be hated, for those he loves to try to kill him. Choking. Being stabbed; his mother through the hand, and Kathrine's visage stabbing him as Prescott.

A lot of characters in media go through shit and while they might talk about it, the way Pacat writes out the extending effects of trauma is so good. Especially when you can just assume that all of Will thinking of his mother was just to build up to the reveal in Dark Rise, but he continues it into Dark Heir because its not just a writing trope, not just for a reveal, its part of him

(also speaking of repeated words and a reveal, im fucking feral in realising that the 'try to run, i'll always find you' was said to Sarcean by Anharion and not the other way around, even though its echoed now in reverse with James and Will fearing the Dark Kings pull over James)

#dark heir spoilers #dark rise spoilers #dark rise #dark heir #will kempen #visander

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manipulatedstars · 11 months

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We'll Be Alright

Genre: fluff, slight angst if you squint, non-idol AU, office romance, coworkers-slash-friends-slash-idiots-to-lovers

Pairing: Mingi x gn!reader

Word Count: 3.3k

Warnings: Pink Mingi (a valid warning), symptoms of anxiety and panic but nothing serious, mentions of gambling ig, Wooyoung being Wooyoung

Summary: When Mingi overhears some colleagues talking, he realizes he has to finally make his feelings known - easier said than done.

A/N: Can you believe this bitch (me)? Apparently I write now?? This is my first ever finished fic, and I'm eternally grateful to @hobarine for being the greatest beta reader without agreeing to being one in the first place. I love your sexy brain. [clears throat and wipes tears] I'd also like to thank my dear friends who made this possible in the first place - check the end of the fic for what violently inspired me to write this. Feedback and reblogs appreciated! Also - this is not a song fic (well... I suppose it very much is, but not in that way), but I'll Keep You Safe by Sleeping At Last very much set the tone for this, so I highly recommend you check it out.

The first couple times your new coworker had poked his head around the side of your cubicle, it was all business - or at least as much business as it could be considering that new colleague was Song Mingi.

It had all started out with work-related questions when he joined the company and, being one of the company’s top salespeople, you were quickly tasked with showing him around and answering any questions he might have. Your boss had personally offered Mingi the position, so he wanted to make sure the newcomer was going to stay, considering he was a “natural at his job” and would “undoubtedly prove to be a huge asset to the team.” You'd learned not to question your boss's decisions after he'd proven time and time again that he had a gift for picking out new team members, despite his sometimes questionable and unusual methods.

You also didn't question why Mingi, even after he'd grown accustomed to his new work environment, kept sticking around you. He never addressed this but he was shy around other people and you were still the only one he sort-of knew. And you, having grown to enjoy his company despite him being borderline clueless and painfully clumsy at times, weren't gonna complain.

So what started out as, "I'm so so so sorry, could you please explain the printer to me again? I'm so sor-" quickly turned into deeper, more personal questions and conversations. Not in a weird way, of course, he just really enjoyed being around you and wanted to get to know you better. Or so he kept telling himself and others when someone pointed it out. Over time, he had become fairly confident that you two could be considered friends, and he couldn't be happier. So you got used to him just poking his head, adorned with his signature pink hair, around the corner and asking you about movies and books you’d recently enjoyed, your most hated color (because according to him, asking for a favorite everything was overused), and your go-to spots in the area. At times you'd even catch yourself thinking how cute his childlike nature was. The only thing that put a damper on his mood was when one day he was put in a cubicle on the side of the office furthest away from you, for “productivity reasons" - not that it actually kept him from coming over to you just as often. In fact, he claimed to need a rest at your desk from the “extensive workout” they made him do in order to come this way. You never commented on how he was the only one to blame for full-on sprinting through the office space instead of walking like a normal person.

His favorite days are measured by how often, and how loudly, he managed to make you laugh that day. He could get lost in the sound, and knowing he was the reason for it? He wouldn't be able to wipe the smile from his face if he tried.

If only he knew that his visits had started to become the best part of your day, too...

You were thoroughly enjoying each other's presence. Always having lunch together, and taking a little bit too long to walk to your respective cars after work.

It was a regular Tuesday when Mingi made his way to the break room to get his regular drinks - a green tea for you, and a coffee with an obscene amount of sugar for himself - something you’d chided him for, telling him time and time again it would kill him one day.

He didn’t mind waiting for some coworkers to free up the coffee machine. He’d gotten used to it pretty quickly after the second one had broken some time ago. This just meant that the room was less crowded, since the majority of his colleagues had since chosen to head to the cafeteria downstairs instead of having to stand in line like he was now. But in his opinion, they were the ones missing out. He enjoyed getting to know the usual suspects of the breakroom a little better each time they happened to get something to drink when he did - which was the same time every day.

So it would’ve been just a regular coffee run on a regular Tuesday, if it hadn’t been for the conversation happening in front of him. He wasn’t one to eavesdrop, but nothing caught his attention quite like you did. Or, in this case, your name falling from one of the men’s lips. Mingi decided that he didn’t like the way it sounded coming from someone else, someone who probably didn’t even appreciate you in the way you deserved.

The men didn’t seem to notice him standing close by, or simply didn’t care whether they could be overheard or not, because their conversation didn’t seize.

‘’...I mean have you seen them lately?’’

He sure had.

‘’I’d be stupid not to make a move. They’re a catch.’’

NO! Well, yes..but-

’’Isn’t Song head over heels for them though? Kind of a dick move if you ask me…’’

They knew?

’’Come on, we both know he’s too much of a coward to actually go for it.’’

Mingi began to panic. He’d been so enamored with you since the two of you had been introduced that he’d never even entertained the idea of someone else possibly hitting on you. Of course he knew you were pretty. Gorgeous, even - he had eyes after all. He also knew you were the epitome of grace and kindness. Anyone would be lucky to be with you. But he’d been trying slowly and carefully to inch his way into your heart, and now realized that he was so focused that he hadn’t even considered the possibility of anyone else sharing the same end goal.

God he was so stupid-

He knew he had to act. Fast. Despite his insecurities trying to convince him that you’d surely be better off with someone who didn’t stumble over their words, someone who was confident and could sweep you off your feet, he knew he would forever regret it if he didn’t at least try.

Even if the chances may be slim, he couldn’t live with himself if he lost the opportunity to make you his, especially if he lost it to his own mind.

You were just typing up a response to Park Seonghwa from HR, who had once again asked you to consider joining their team, when suddenly, a loud BANG startled you out of your thoughts. You joined some of your other coworkers in getting up from their seats to see what the commotion was about, and you couldn’t help a bright smile from lighting up your face the moment you saw Mingi standing in the doorway. Though your smile dropped just as quickly when you noticed the look of pure distress on his face, his eyes scanning across the room rapidly. The second your eyes met, he started hurriedly making his way over to you, ignoring any of the worried and questioning glances and occasional comments that people were throwing his way.

What was going on?

‘’Mingi, what-’’ your question was cut short when he gripped your shoulders the moment he reached your cubicle. He was panting, eyes blown wide and never leaving yours, as if he was afraid you’d disappear the moment he so much as blinked.

As if he was only now noticing the stares and whispers directed his way, he glanced around the room timidly. His nerves seemed to catch up with him, because he turned and went to leave as quickly as he’d arrived - if it hadn't been for your quick reflexes and your hand curling around his wrist, stopping him in his motion.

It took you gently calling his name a couple of times for him to finally turn around to face you again - and now you could see the sheen of sweat covering his forehead.

He was also avoiding eye contact.

Now you were really worried. Was he sick? Did something happen?

"Hey, what's wrong?'' No answer. ''You look really pale... are you not feeling well?"

When he stayed silent again, you brought one hand up to his forehead - an instinctive action for you, but definitely not what he’d expected, because his face quickly went from looking sickly pale to flushing a deep scarlet.

Your eyes widened when you noticed how warm his skin was, placing your other hand on one of his cheeks. "Mingi, you're burning up. Do you need to see a doctor?" When again he didn't answer, you turned to grab your things, preparing to carry this man to the nearest hospital if need be, but now it was his hand around your wrist that kept you from moving further.

You glanced from where he was touching you with a gentle yet desperate, clammy hand and back to his face, noting the panic in his eyes that were still refusing to meet your own.

Any stranger passing by would've assumed you were approaching a stray kitten, desperately trying not to scare it off, but you knew how much of a flight risk Mingi could be when things got too much to handle. "Hey, you know you can talk to me, right? I'm only trying to help you," you said with the gentlest voice you could muster despite your racing thoughts.

Yeah, that was the main problem, he thought, you're the only person who makes this job bearable, and I can't lose you by messing this up. You bring both your hands up to cup his cheeks when you notice the tears welling up in his eyes, threatening to spill over.

"Hey, look at me.’’ you dipped your head trying to lure his eyes into meeting yours. ‘’You won't lose me. Why would you?’’ a gentle brush of your thumbs over his pretty cheekbones ‘’How could I make it through one day at this crappy office, with its crappy coffee and the crappy AC that’s broken more often than not, without you?"

Oh shit, his eyes widened even further. Did I say that out loud? Oh god-

He was about to bolt again, mentally calculating how long it would take him to make a detour to a wig store or a hairdresser on his way to the airport, determined to start over in a faraway country, when he involuntarily locked eyes with you. He never understood how you did it, and he was sure there was no possible scientific explanation for the effect you had on him, because the way your eyes, filled with nothing but kindness and understanding, always managed to calm him down instantly was nothing short of magical.

You had to be a heavenly being sent to look out for him - him, this mere human - and him alone. It was in this moment that he remembered what you'd told him time and time again. Realized that he really could say what had been running rampant in his mind for months now. Reminded himself that he could be open and vulnerable with you. You, who had never shown him anything but support and guidance, even when you were having a bad day yourself. Alright. You, who always managed to find a peaceful solution to any argument or tension that arose in the office… He'd be alright. You, who somehow didn't hold grudges even when people had wronged you. You'd both be alright.

You must've noticed the change in his demeanor, because your lips curled up into a small version of one of your beautiful smiles that he loved so much. Shit, he wouldn't be surprised if you could hear his pulse slowing down, his heart rate finally dropping to a point that wouldn't have sent an entire hospital wing into a panic had he been hooked up to a monitor, with news reporters flocking to his bed trying score an interview to find out how the hell he had managed to survive that.

So he closed his eyes, which were now stinging in protest to having been kept open wide for way too long, and took a deep, if shaky, breath.

That was all you, too. Your encouragement to face difficult situations despite every fiber of his being telling him to run. Your influence. You were the one who told him time and time again that things were going to be okay. You showed him that he was in control of his fate and his feelings, and that even when it felt like the whole world was against him, you'd be by his side. No wonder the HR department was desperate to get you to join them…

Mingi couldn't run away now if he tried. He owed you this much. If nothing else, he owed you an explanation, and honesty. He wanted to make you proud.

So with another deep breath, this one a little less shaky (the first one had you worried he might burst into full sobs at any second), he covered your hands in his much larger ones, pulled them from his face and intertwined your fingers with his between your bodies. When he finally opened his eyes again, they were full of determination.

This shift in tone, with him being calmer and more confident than you'd ever seen him, had you thankful for the grasp he had on you, needing his hands around yours in support as your breath hitched when you noticed the raw adoration in his gaze.

His voice, beautifully airy and deeper than you swore you'd ever heard it before, sent shivers down your spine. There was everything yet nothing as you got lost in his gorgeous, warm eyes, and now his voice too. You weren't in your office anymore. You were standing barefoot in a forest, surrounded by majestic trees and vibrant wildlife, a gentle breeze almost calling out your name. You were on a beach, the warm sand comforting between your toes, the waves softly crashing behind you, a pair of strong arms wrapped around your shoulders. You decided then and there that his eyes' gorgeous shade of brown was your new favorite color.

It took his voice calling your name softly to bring you back to the present moment, a bashful smile on his stupidly handsome face. Had he always been this pretty?

"Please tell me you heard what I just said?'' he asked shyly, knowing full well you'd completely spaced out.

"Uh..." You grimaced. At that, he couldn't help but turn his face downward as he murmured to himself, but you were so focused on him now that you had no trouble making out the words. "Oh my god, I can't believe you're making me do this again". He would've buried his face in his hands had they not been occupied with the much more important job of holding the world's greatest treasure.

He hadn't missed the way you'd gotten lost in his eyes, and it only fueled his confidence. He hoped that maybe, just maybe, it was the same way he’d been looking at you more often than not since he'd met you.

He took a deep breath. "I said..." he paused as he brought one of his hands up to your cheek, his other hand easily holding both of yours in their previous position.

You felt yourself blushing. Hard.

Stroking his thumb over your cheek gently, he continued "...that I like you. I like like you. No, scratch that -’’ a gentle shake of his head ‘’-I'm crazy about you.’’ His gaze dropped again as he started rambling. ‘’I hope this doesn't make things weird between us, and I'm so sorry if I read things wrong, and if y-" he started mumbling, nerves catching up to him again, insecurities trying to invade his mind and win back precious land. But you noticed. And you smiled at him in adoration, and squeezed his hand in reassurance. This made him look up at you again. You're going to be alright, you tried to convey with your eyes, we're going to be alright.

Another deep breath, followed by a lighthearted chuckle at his own antics.

"The point is, I really like you, a-and I would love to take you out on a date? O-only if you want to of co-" he couldn't finish the sentence, because you promptly freed your hands and grabbed his face again, pulling him down to you (what they fed him as a kid to get him so tall, you'd really have to ask his parents one day) and pressed your lips to his in a firm and reassuring kiss.

His eyes widened again, cheeks heating back up, but he melted into you as soon as the first shock wore off, arms wrapping around you almost on instinct. As if holding you was their only job, and what they were meant to be doing all his life. He pulled you up to his level seemingly without effort before getting lost in the next kiss. Feeling your fingers running through his hair, he groaned inwardly. Mingi could do this forever, and he would if you let him. He'd figure out a way to survive without oxygen. If not, he decided the team would be fine without him.

You only pulled apart when you noticed the cheers and clapping that had erupted around you, even the occasional wolf-whistle coming from your coworkers, most of who'd gotten up from their seats again, if they’d even settled down after the shock of Mingi’s arrival. You hadn't seen them this lively since the day your boss had ordered a coffee and snack truck to the parking lot in celebration of sealing a deal everybody had worked hard to finally make happen. The majority of them had their headsets still attached, and had you not been so ecstatic you would've felt bad for whoever was getting their ears damaged on the other end of their lines.

"About damn time, Song..."

"TOOK YOU LONG ENOUGH!!

"He finally grew a pair!"

These were only some of the lines being thrown at the two of you that had you blushing furiously, and Mingi hiding his face in the crook of your neck.

You could've sworn you saw a few fist bumps and some money being passed around, but you decided not to dwell on it for your own sanity’s sake...

After the noise had mostly died down, Mingi put you back on your feet just so he could press his forehead to yours, both of your breaths mingling. Maybe oxygen wasn't so bad after all if he got to share it with you.

You almost missed the signature fake gagging sound of your most obnoxious co-worker, but before you could chase him off like you usually would when he started to tease you about the way you, in his words, "spent more time staring at Mingi than actually working", the telltale sound of a palm making not-so-gentle contact with the back of someone's head (and the dramatic pained yelp that followed) made you realize that your boss had already taken care of Wooyoung himself. You swore he kept an extra set of eyes on the mischievous man-child just so he wouldn't miss an opportunity to reprimand him.

The same boss who sent you a curt nod and a small smile, before telling “the two lovebirds" to get back to work. Though you knew that he’d want to have a word with Mingi later, seeing as how the force with which he’d slammed open the door must’ve left at least an indent on the wall behind it.

It was safe to say you didn't get much work done the rest of that day, but you also never had to eat lunch alone again, or walk to your car without a strong, loving hand holding your own...or drive to work yourself, really.

Even years later, with your left ring finger now permanently occupied, you loved to remind him how proud of him you were.

✨Lore time✨

Here's how everything started:

Bonus:

(I was, in fact, not almost done)

A loving shoutout to my dear friends for planting this idea in my head. And thank you to everyone who read through it and left valuable feedback - you know who you are 💜

©manipulatedstars 2023 - do not steal, copy, repost, translate or otherwise plagiarize my work. If you do, I'll eat all your cereal and pour milk in your shoes.

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callsign-dexter · 10 months

Text

Meet and Greet (18+)

Request: Love ! I adore your writing so so much 🩷 could I send in a request for Bradley Bradshaw where he has a non-Pilot girlfriend and she's afraid that his friends won't accept her because of that. But as she surprises Bradley at the bar, everyone is immediately fond of her and they like her a lot and are very happy for Bradley, even Jake :) Also later at home he is very happy that she is here with him and it ends in some cuddly fluffy smut ? THX

Pairings: Bradley Bradshaw x Civilian!Reader

Warnings: angst, fluff, smut, swear words

A/N: Reader is a bartender at a different bar.

Masterlist

Bradley had been begging you to meet his team and you wanted to but with your job as a bartender at a bar on the other side of town it was a little difficult. Both you and Bradley were disappointed, but your boss was a hard ass. Oh how you wish you could quit and get a better paying job and better work environment, it was just so toxic where you were at now.

All week you had been trying to find a way to meet Bradley's team and surprise him but luck was not coming to you. That is until your only friend there said she would cover for you since she needed the extra cash and knew that you desperately needed time off. It was a Friday the end of the week which was perfect because that meant you could stay out until late with your boyfriend and his team. You couldn't wait. But also worried they wouldn't like you and you voiced that to him.

"What if they don't like me?" You asked Bradley one night as you were getting ready for bed. He looked at you like you had grown two heads.

"Baby they're going to love you." He said and turned to look at you. You had a look of doubt on your face and he walked over to you and started to kiss your face. "You know why they're going to love you?" He asked and waited for a response.

"Tell me." You told him as you turned your head for him to have better access to your neck and you felt him smirk into it.

"Because you are the most beautiful, smart, loving, and perfect girl ever." He said while kissing your lips. "You have nothing to worry about." He finished off and you left it at that. You trusted him with all of your heart.

Bradley told you that he was going out that night after work and as far as he knew you were working that night. Perfect you could get dolled up but still relaxed and not wear reveling clothing, which you hated and so did Bradley since it wasn't for him. You checked the time and it was exactly 5 PM which meant that he was heading to The Hard Deck or getting ready to go there. You decided to wait at least 30 minutes to give him enough time to get there and get started for the night.

5:30 PM rolled around and you left for The Hard Deck luckily it wasn't too far away from Bradley and your house. 5:40 PM is when you arrived in the parking lot and immediately noticed Bradley's signature electric blue vintage Ford Bronco. You smiled and pulled your olive green Jeep Wrangler to the right of it, you shut off the engine and got out careful not to damage or scratch the paint. You ran your hand over it admiring the beauty of it, once you were done you headed to the entrance and into the busy bar. You were met with civilian clothing, khaki uniforms, and flight suits. Instantly you noticed Bradley's Hawaiian shirt and smiled.

It wasn't too terribly busy but you knew bar life and knew it would only get busier throughout the night. You walked up to the bar and smiled at the woman behind it, she was pretty and looked like the owner and like she was in charge, she must be Penny, Bradley talked about her all time at first you thought you should be jealous but after hearing that she has the hots for Maverick that quickly went away.

"Haven't seen you around here before. Want can I get you?" Penny asked you and you smiled back before replying.

"I've been around just not in here. I've always been at work and never seem to find the time to get off. As for what I'm having, I'll have two of whatever Bradley is having and put it on his tab." You told her and she nodded and getting the drinks ready.

"How do you know him? I'm Penny by the way." Penny asked and introduced herself.

"I'm his girlfriend. Had a night off and decided to surprise him. He has been dying to for me to meet his team." You told her and could already tell you were going to like her.

She handed you the beer bottles with a smile and said "Watch out for Jake. He likes to flirt especially with pretty girls like you. When he find out you're with Bradley he will flirt with you just to get under his skin." Penny said giving you head's up. You laughed and smiled, you knew how to deal with cocky men.

"Thank you for the heads up." You told Penny and pushed off the bar and headed to Bradley to surprise him which was going to be easy since his back was to you. You walked up to him and placed a bottle in front of him and put a hand on around his shoulder and you felt him tense. He was getting ready to turn around and tell you off but then he recognized the hand and you felt him relax and he turned around facing you and his face lit up.

"Hey babe!" He shouted over the music and loudness of the bar. "I thought you had to work." He said in a shocked voice.

"Marie said she would take my shift for the extra money. I decided to surprise you." You said and kissed him which he returned.

"You defiantly surprised me. I thought it was some random chick, and thought I was going to have to tell her back off because I have an absolutely beautiful girlfriend that I love." He said and you swelled with pride knowing that he would turn down a woman and that he loved you.

"I love you too babe. Now you going to introduce me to your team?" You asked him noticing the 7 pair of eyes on you both. He nodded excitedly and turned around.

"Y/N meet Maverick, the leader of the group, Bob Floyd, Natasha Trace, Mickey Garcia, Reuben Fitz, Javy Machado, and Jake Seresin." He said pointing to everyone of them and they all greeted you with their own greetings.

"Nice to meet you all finally. I would've met you all sooner but with my work schedule that was near impossible." You told them and Jake spoke up.

"Well nice to meet you too Y/N. Are you sure you're with Bradshaw? You're awfully pretty." He said with a smirk and you scoffed and rolled your eyes, thank you Penny for the warning.

"I'll have you know. I would rather be with Bradley than with someone like you that is too cocky and has an huge ego. Being with someone like you would only make them cockier and stroke their ego." You said to him and silenced him and his smirk fell for a second but came back full force.

"I like it when a woman can hold her own. Bradley sure picked a good one." Jake said "I like her, better keep her. Bradshaw." He finished. Jake liked having someone to bicker back and forth with, he knew she would be a fun person to be around and be friend.

"Bradley, I like her. Keep her." Natasha said and you both smiled.

"I'm planning on it." Bradley told her and Jake.

"So, what do you do for work?" Maverick asked you curiously.

"I work at a bark across town. The pay sucks and it is not a good atmosphere. I wish I could quit but can't." You told him and he nodded "Maybe Penny can help you out." He added.

"I would love that but I don't want to trouble her." You said

"Nonsense! I can talk to her if you want." Maverick said

"That's ok really." You said and he dropped it for now but you had a feeling that it wasn't fully dropped. The night went on with games of darts and pool which you beat Jake at several times and he pouted about it but congratulated you and drinks. You didn't have much and neither did Bradley since you both knew your limit and both had to drive.

It was nearing 9 PM and the crowd was getting bigger and it looked like Penny could use a hand and that is exactly what you did and excused yourself. Bradley asked what you were doing and you told him, he smiled you always love to help people out. You walked up to Penny.

"Hey, Penny. You need help?" You asked her and she turned around to you shocked.

"You know how to bartend?" Penny asked you shocked

"I do! I do it for a living." You said and she looked thankful.

"Well what are you waiting for!" She said laughing which made you smile and laugh and you got behind the bar and started to help. You served beer both in bottles and on tap and made drinks. You helped her until the crowd died down and it was near closing. Bradley's team was in awe. "Thank you so much! If you're ever looking for another job hit me up." Penny told you as you wiped down the bar and cleaned some glasses.

"Well actually..... I'm thinking about quitting my other job. It's a bad atmosphere and my boss only cares about making money and serving his friends and has us dressing inappropriately." You told her not wanting to tell her everything but you knew you could trust her. She was outraged and you could see it.

"Nobody should be treated like that. Considered yourself hired." You looked at her in sock and she laughed.

"Really?" You asked her

"Absolutely! The customers love you and you took Jake down a peg. You proved yourself tonight. You can start tomorrow. Come by at noon and I'll get you set up!" Penny told you and all you did was pull her into a hug.

"Thank you so much!" You told her

"Not a problem. Now go be with your man." She said and that is what you did. You put the rag on the bar and walked out and over to the group. You told them everything and they were ecstatic especially since they can have you around longer. You all talked and laughed a little bit longer until 11 PM and you all called it a night and headed off. Bradley and you were the last one to the cars. You bid everyone a goodbye and a nice to meet you and they said it right back.

Bradley backed you up against your Jeep and started to kiss you once everyone was gone. "You know you are sexy when you bartend." He said kissing your neck his mustache tickling you. You giggled "I think this deserves some celebration." He said in sexy voice.

"Then we better get home." You told him with a smirk of your own and got in your Jeep and him in his Bronco and you both headed home. Once home it was game on. You both got turned off your vehicles and got out and you both were on each other. He picked you up and carried you up the porch, unlocking the door was a challenge but it got done. He walked you both in and shut the door locking it and going straight to the bedroom.

Bradley laid you down on the bed and you tried to get up but he stopped you "No this is all about you." He said and continued to kiss your neck and moved his hand up and down your sides and moved his hands under your shirt and bra, where he started massaging your breasts. You moaned as a reply and turned your head to give him more access. He sucked until a hickey was formed and he pulled off and looked at it proud of his work.

He pulled your shirt off slowly and once that was off you he unclasped your bra which you arched your back for and laid back down. He slid it off your arms exposing your hardened nipple and he immediately went for the right one which had you moaning. He flicked it with his tongue and swirled it around you were a moaning mess arching up pushing the nipple into his mouth further he bit it and soothed it. He massaged the left one and tweaked it and then he switched giving the left nipple the same treatment as he did with right one. Once he was satisfied he started kissing down your sternum until he got to the top of your jeans. His hands were rubbing up and down your thighs.

Bradley looked up and smirked at what a wreck you were. He was proud he could make you like that. He was half hard and wanted nothing more than to pound you into the mattress but this was about your pleasure. He popped the bottom of your jeans and slowly pulled them off along with your underwear and he was met with your glistening core. "Bradley." You moaned and looked down at him "Baby more." You moaned out and laughed.

"Patients baby." He said as he brought a hand to cup your cure and stroke through your folds and occasionally teasing your entrance and occasionally pushing a thick digit in making you a moaning mess.

"Just like that baby." You said and moaned even louder when he put his mouth on your hot leaking pussy and started to eat you out with the occasional tongue going into your entrance. He was holding your hips down with one hand and the other one teasing your clit. You felt the tight rubber band getting tighter and Bradley could tell by the shaking of your legs. "Yes! Just like that!" You moaned and then the rubber band snapped and you came hard seeing stars but Bradley kept going helping you get through it. Your juices soaking his mouth and mustache. You came down from your high and saw him undressing and once he undressed he climbed up on the bed and stroked your folds with one hand and made you jump while the other stroked his cock. He had that stupid smirk on his face, he knew what he did to you and was proud of it.

"You ready baby?" He asked you and you nodded and moaned.

"Absolutely baby." You replied and he smirked. He lined himself up and pushed in both of you moaning. He had always been thick and stretched you in all the right places. He hit that one spot that made you see stars each time.

"You're always so tight for me baby." He moaned out and started to slowly thrust into you, hitting that spongy spot that made you moan out. You were overstimulated from the first time he made you come. "Gonna make you cum again pretty girl. This is all about you." He moaned out in pure bliss. Your toes curled, your hands gripped the sheets, and your head tilted back eyes closing which allowed Bradley to attack your neck again and he did. He continued thrusting into you nice and slow he grabbed your hands and pulled them over your head. "You're perfect." He said against you the hallow of your throat. "Absolutely perfect." You couldn't say anything too spaced out in pure bliss. You moaned something incoherent "What was that baby? You want me to go faster?" He asked and all you could do was nod and open your eyes and look at him. "Your wish is my command." He said and snapped his hips forward going faster and your eyes rolled into the back of your head. He kept going at a brutal but pleasuring pace. His hips started to stutter and you knew he was close. "Gonna make you cum with me, baby." He said and took both of your wrists in his and brought one hand down to your clit and started rubbing. That familiar rubber band feeling was back.

"'M close." You barely got out and he moaned.

"Me too baby." He replied and sped up his torture on your clit not pinching the little bundle and flicking it and moving his pace up. Finally, after a few minutes, he said "Cum for me baby." and you sure did. Both of you let out pornographic moans. He spilled deep inside of you painting your walls white. You were coming down from your high when he pulled out. Cock now limp and dangling against his thigh. He kissed you like his life depended on it and you returned it. He got up and you made a sound of protest not trusting your voice. "I'm gonna go get something to clean you off baby." He said and you nodded and he got up and walked into the connected bathroom.

You heard the water running as you lay there. A few seconds he came back and started to clean you up which made you jump when he passed over your sensitive bundle of nerves. Nobody talked it was a more than comfortable silence. Once he got done he discarded the washcloth and laid down opening his arms, you shimmed your way into them and face facing his chest.

"See you had nothing to worry about meeting them. You were amazing and they loved you. You even got a new job! You also took Jake down a peg." Bradley said and chuckled.

"I loved meeting them and they're a fun group." You said and looked up at him and him down at you. "I love you, Bradley." You told him as you buried your head into his chest feeling exhausted and he smiled and dropped a kiss on your head.

"I love you too baby." He said and felt you smile against his chest and felt. He felt your breathing even out and knew you were asleep.

Bradley started to drift off to sleep thinking how wonderful it was to have you in his life and that you and his team got along perfectly. He couldn't wait to marry you and start a family with you. In his eyes, you were amazing and perfect. He wasn't letting you go anytime soon and he knew you weren't letting him go anytime soon either. You both were made for each other.

Tag list:

@kmc1989

@els-marvelvsp

@atarmychick007

@nyx2021

#bradley bradshaw x reader #bradley bradshaw smut #bradley bradshaw imagine #bradley bradshaw fic #top gun imagine #top gun fanfiction #top gun x reader #top gun smut #bradley bradshaw x reader smut

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bonefall · 5 months

Note

Don’t know if this is the right place to ask, but could you talk more about zoos? I’ve seen many people say that zoos are inherently exploitative and that we should instead focus on advocating for wildlife preserves, etc., but I’m not sure what to think of that. You seem to know a lot about wildlife protection, so what’s your opinion on this?

There are folks faaaar better than myself to talk about the issues of zoos specifically and I'll try to toss in some sources so you can go and learn more, but let me try and explain my mindset here.

Summary of my opinion on this: BOTH of these things can be poorly managed, and I broadly support both. They should exist in tandem. I am pro-accredited zoo and am extremely sensitive towards misinformation. I also do think the best place for animals to be is in their natural environment, but nature "preserves" aren't inherently perfect. They can also be prone to the capitalist (and colonialist) pressures that less informed people believe they're somehow immune to.

Because of the goal of my project being to make the setting of WC accurate to Northwestern England, my research is based on UK laws, ecology, and conservation programs.

On Zoos

On Nature Reserves

An Aside on Fortress Conservation

On Zoos

The legal definition of a Zoo in the UK (because that is what BB's ecological education is based around), as defined by the Zoo Licensing Act of 1981 (ZLA), is a "place where wild animals are kept for exhibition to the public," excluding circuses and pet shops (which are covered by different laws.)

This applies equally to private, for-profit zoos, as well as zoos run by wildlife charities and conservation organizations. Profit does not define a zoo. If there's a place trying to tell you it's not a zoo but a "sanctuary" or a "wildlife park," but you can still go visit and see captive wild animals, even if it's totally free, it's a marketing trick. Legally that is still a zoo in the UK.

(for fellow Americans; OUR definition is broader, more patchwork because we are 50 little countries in a trenchcoat, and can include collections of animals not displayed to the public.)

That said, there's a HUGE difference between Chester Zoo, run by the North of England Zoological Society, which personally holds the studbooks for maintaining the genetic diversity of 10 endangered species, has 134 captive breeding projects, cultivates 265 threatened plant species, and sends its members as consultants to United Nations conferences on climate change, and Sam Tiddles' Personal Zebra Pit.

Sam Tiddles' Personal Zebra Pit ONLY has to worry about the UK government. There's another standard zoos can hold themselves to if they want to get serious about conservation like Chester Zoo; Accreditation. There are two major zoo organizations in the UK, BIAZA and EAZA.

(Americans may wonder about AZA; that's ours. AZA, EAZA, and BIAZA are all members of the World Association of Aquariums and Zoos, or WAZA, but they are all individual organizations.)

A zoo going for EAZA's "accreditation" has to undergo an entire year of evaluation to make sure they fit the strict standards, and renewal is ongoing. You don't just earn it once. You have to keep your animal welfare up-to-date and in compliance or you will lose it.

The benefit of joining with an accredited org is that it puts the zoo into a huge network of other organizations. They work together for various conservation efforts.

There are DOZENS of species that were prevented from going extinct, and are being reintroduced back to their habitats, because of the work done by zoos. The scimitar-horned oryx, takhi, California condor, the Galapagos tortoise, etc. Some of these WERE extinct in the wild and wouldn't BE here if it hadn't been for zoos!

The San Diego zoo is preventing the last remaining hawaiian crows from embracing oblivion right now, a species for which SO LITTLE of its wild behavior is known they had to write the book on caring for them, and Chester zoo worked in tandem with the Uganda Wildlife Authority to provide tech and funding towards breakthroughs in surveying wild pangolins.

Don't get me wrong;

MOST zoos are not accredited,

nor is accreditation is REQUIRED to make a good zoo,

nor does it automatically PROVE nothing bad has happened in the zoo,

There are a lot more Sam Tiddles' Personal Zebra Pits than there are Chester Zoos.

That's worth talking about! We SHOULD be having conversations on things like,

Is it appropriate to keep and breed difficult, social megafauna, like elephants or cetaceans? What does the data say? Are there any circumstances where that would be okay, IF the data does confirm we can never provide enough space or stimulation to perfectly meet those species' needs?

How can we improve animal welfare for private zoos? Should we tighten up regulations on who can start or run one (yes)? Are there enough inspectors (no)?

Do those smaller zoos meaningfully contribute to better conservation? How do we know if they are properly educating their visitors? Can we prove this one way or the other?

Who watches the watchmen? Accreditation societies hold themselves accountable. Do these organizations truly have enough transparency?

(I don't agree with Born Free's ultimate conclusion that we should "phase out" zoos, but you should always understand the opposing arguments)

But bottom line of my opinion is; Good zoos are deeply important, and they have a tangible benefit to wildlife conservation. Anyone who tries to tell you that "zoos are inherently unethical" either knows very little about zoos or real conservation work, or... is hiding some deeper, more batshit take, like "having wild animals in any kind of captivity is unlawful imprisonment."

(you'll also get a lot more work done in regulating the exotic animal trade in the UK if you go after private owners, btw. zoos have nothing to do with how lax those laws are.)

Anyway I'm a funny cat blog about battle kitties, and the stuff I do for BB is to educate about the ecosystem of Northern England. If you want to know more about zoos, debunking misconceptions, and critiques from someone with more personal experience, go talk to @why-animals-do-the-thing!

Keep in mind though, again, they talk about American zoos, where this post was written with the UK in mind.

(and even then, England specifically. ALL UK members and also the Isle of Man have differences in their laws.)

(If anyone has other zoo education tumblr blogs in mind, especially if they are European, lmk and I'll edit this post)

On Nature Reserves

Remember how broad the legal definition of a zoo actually was? Same thing over here. A "nature reserve" in the UK is a broad, unofficial generic term for several things. It doesn't inherently involve statutory protection, either, meaning there's some situations where there's no laws to hold anyone accountable for damage

These are the "nature reserve" types relevant to my project; (NOTE: Ramsar sites, SACs, and SPAs are EU-related and honestly, I do not know how Brexit has effected them, if at all, so I won't be explaining something I don't understand.)

Local Wildlife Site (LWS) Selected via scientific survey and managed locally, connecting wildlife habitats together and keeping nature close to home. VERY important... and yet, incredibly prone to destruction because there aren't good reporting processes in place. Whenever a report comes out every few years, the Wildlife Trust says it often only gets data for 15% of all their registered sites, and 12% get destroyed in that timeframe.

Local Nature Reserve (LNR) A site that can be declared by a district or county council, if proven to have geographic, educational, biodiversity, or recreational value. The local authority manages this, BUT, the landowner can remain in control of the property and "lease" it out (and boy oh boy, landowners do some RIDICULOUS things)

National Nature Reserve (NNR) This is probably closest to what you think of when someone says "nature reserve." Designated by Natural England to protect significant habitat ranges and geographic formations, but still usually operates in tandem with private land owners who must get consent if they want to do something potentially damaging to the NNR.

Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) (pronounced Triple S-I) A conservation designation for a particular place, assessed and defined by Natural England for its biological or geographic significance. SSSIs are protected areas, and often become the basis for NNRs, LNRs, Ramsar sites, SACs, SPAs, etc.

So you probably noticed that 3/4 of those needed to have the private ownership problem mentioned right in the summary, and it doesn't end there. Even fully government-managed NNRs and SSSIs work with the private sectors of forestry, tourism, and recreation.

We live under Capitalism; EVERYTHING has a profit motive, not just zoos.

I brushed over some of those factors in my Moorland Research Notes and DESPERATELY tried to stay succinct with them, but it was hard. The things that can happen to skirt around the UK's laws protecting wildlife could make an entire season of Monty Python sketches.

Protestors can angrily oppose felling silver birch (a "weed" in this context which can change the ecosystem) because it made a hike less 'pretty' and they don't understand heath management.

Management can be reluctant to ban dogs and horses for fear of backlash, even as they turn heath to sward before our eyes.

Reserves can be owned by Count Bloodsnurt who thinks crashing through the forest with a pack of dogs to exhaust an animal to death is a profitable traditional British passtime.

Or you can literally just pretend that you accidentally chased a deer for several hours and then killed it while innocently sending your baying hounds down a trail. (NOTE: I am pro-hunting, but not pro-animal cruelty.)

The Forestry Commission can slobber enthusiastically while replacing endangered wildlife habitats with non-native, invasive sitka spruce plantations, pretending most trees are equal while conveniently prioritizing profitable timber species.

I have STORIES to tell about the absolute Looney Tunes bullshit that's going on between conservationists and rich assholes who want to sell grouse hunting access, but I'll leave it at this fascinating tidbit about air guns and mannequins which are "totally, absolutely there for no nefarious reason at all, certainly not to prevent marsh harriers from nesting in an area where they also keep winding up mysteriously killed in illegal snares, no no no"

BUT. Since Nature Reserve isn't a hard defined legal concept, and any organization could get involved in local conservation in the UK, and just about anyone or anything could own one... IT'S CHESTER ZOO WITH THE STEEL CHAIR!!

They received a grant in 2021 to restore habitat to a stretch of 10 miles extending outside of their borders, working with TONS of other entities such as local government and conservation charities in the process. There's now 6,000 square meters of restored meadow, an orchard, new ponds, and maintained reedbeds, because of them.

It isn't just Chester Zoo, either. It's all over the UK. Durrel Wildlife, which runs Jersey Zoo, just acquired 18,500 acres to rewild in Perthshire. Citizen Zoo is working with the Beaver Trust to bring beavers back to London and is always looking for volunteers to help with their river projects, and the Edinburgh Zoo is equipped with gene labs being used to monitor and analyze the remaining populations of non-hybrid Scottish Wildcats.

The point being,

Nature preserves have problems too. They are not magical fairy kingdoms that you put up a fence around and then declare you Saved Nature Hooray! They need to be protected. They need to be continuously assessed. They are prone to capitalist pressures just like everything else on this hell planet. Go talk to my boy Karl he'll give you a hug about it.

"Nature Preserves" are NOT an "alternative" to zoos and vice versa. They do not do the same thing. A zoo is a center of education and wildlife research which displays exotic animals. A nature preserve is a parcel of native ecosystem. We need LOTS of nature preserves and we need them well-managed ASAP.

We could never just "replace" zoos with nature preserves, and we're nowhere near the amount of protected ecosystem space to start thinking of scaling back animals in captivity. Until King Arthur comes out of hibernation to save Britain, that's the world we live in.

An Aside

My project and my research is based on the isle of Great Britain. The more I learn about the ecosystems that are naturally found there, the more venomously I reject the old lie, "humans are a blight."

YOU are an animal. You're a big one, too. You know what the role of big animals in an ecosystem are? Change. Elephants knock over trees, wolves alter the course of rivers, bison fertilize the plains from coast-to-coast. In Great Britain, that's what hominids have done for 900,000 years, their populations ebbing and flowing with every ice age.

Early farming created the moors and grazing sheep and cattle maintain it, hosting hundreds of specialist species. Every old-growth forest has signs of ancient coppicing and pollarding, which create havens for wildlife when well-managed. Corn cockle evolved as a mimic of wheat seeds, so farmers would plant it over and over within their fields.

This garbage idea that humans are somehow "separate" from or "above" nature is poison. It's not true ANYWHERE.

It contributes to an idea that our very presence is somehow damaging to natural spaces, and to "protect" it, we have to completely leave it alone. NO! Absolutely NOT! There are places where we have to limit harvesting and foot traffic, but humans ALWAYS lived in nature.

Even the ecosystems that this mindset comes from rejects it, but this shit doesn't JUST get applied to British people who become alienated and disconnected from their surroundings to the point where they don't know what silver birch does.

It's DEADLY for the indigenous people who protect 80% of our most important ecosystems.

It's a weapon against the Maasai people, stopped from hunting or growing crops on their own land. It's violence for 9 San hunters shot at by a helicopter with a "kill poachers on-sight" policy, as one of the world's LARGEST diamond mines operates in the same motherfucking park. The Havasupai people are kept out of the Grand Canyon that they managed for generations because they might "collect too many nuts" and starve squirrels, Dukha reindeer herders suddenly get banned from chopping wood or fishing, and watch wolves decimate their animals in the absence of their herding dogs.

It's nightmare after nightmare of human displacement in the name of "conservation."

That all ties back to that mindset. This idea that nature is pure, "pristine," and should be totally untouched. There are some starting to call it Fortress Conservation.

You can't begin to understand the criticisms of modern conservation without acknowledging that we are still living under the influence of capitalism and colonialism. Those who fixate on speaking for "animals/nature/trees who don't have a voice" often seem to have no interest in the indigenous people who do.

Listen. There's no simple answer; and the solution will vary for each region.

Again, my project is within the UK, one of the most ecologically devastated areas in the world. There are bad zoos that the law allows a pass. There are incredible zoos that are vital to conservation, in and outside of the country. There's not enough nature preserves. The best ones that exist are often exploited for profit.

I hope that my silly little blog sparks an interest in a handful of people to understand more about their own local ecosystems, and teaches folks about the unique beauty even within a place as "boring" as England.

But, my straightforward statement is that I have no patience for nonconstructive, broad zoo slander that lumps together ALL of them, and open contempt for anyone who tries to sell nature preserves like a perfect, morally superior "alternative." We need them BOTH right now, and we need to acknowledge that zoos AND preserves have legal and ethical issues that aren't openly talked about.

#ALSO THAT GUIDE IVE BEEN WORKING ON IS DONE #Im just waiting for the input of the sensitivity readers bc I made a whole section on--#How ableis m might express in the different clans #And part of it became a thunder-callout post lmaooooo #Also this zoo doc has been sitting competed in my drafts for a while #All this to say that uh. I hope the strange place they visit in the upcoming se is not a zoo :J #I will hit it with a golf club if it is <3 #Leaning heavily towards the 'oh no two DEMIGODS ended up in a zoo' idea #Which is objectively funnier #And you know what else is objectively funny. When these posts break orbit and then ppl are surprised that i am a kitty cat blog #Hal. It's about Cats.#Bone Babble

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factual-fantasy · 6 months

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24 asks :0000 🦠🍤

@minnesotamedic186 (Post being referenced)

Not too long ago actually! And I made 7 of them! :DD

Here's my favorite/most polished post of them. But if you search up "kirby ocs" in my blogs search bar you should find most of my art of them! :}}

That's a good question.. originally I intended that she was her robe. There was gonna be a thing where Spamton stepped on her robe and she yelped in pain.

Or something where they get in a fight and River person is struck. There's a gash on her robe and it later scars.. like its skin.

But since then I've gone back and fourth. Imagining her as this shadowy creature that needs some kind of cloth in order to manifest. Kind'a like possessing her robe..? So if you took the hood off there would be no head but she's still there?? I haven't thought it through yet <XD

@housome (Post in question)

SKJAOKJF "oh and the bunny too i guess" GEE I WONDER WHO YOUR FAVORITE IS XDD

And yes! The post that goes up right after this ask post will have them in it! :}}}

ALSO THANK YOU! :DDD I'll be sure to take breaks! <XD

WAAAAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!!! 😭😭💖😭

Oof, that's a good question. Uhhh... I'm gonna say Sans

(XD jk its probably Seam)

He might not wound or scare Seam just to make him stretch the stiches. He would do it for other reasons-

But telling him to speak louder or more clearly? Despite the pain it causes? Oh 100% Spade king would do that. :(

aaaa I'm sorry, I haven't seen the movie yet. So I'm not sure what they'd think <:0

Is that from the Puss and Boots movie? I haven't heard it yet :0

He looks an awful lot like a regular wolf. I can see them thinking that Death is just lost in the everglades and would offer to help him 🥺

AWWEE!! THIS IS SO SWEET THANK YOU!! 😭💖😭 I'M HONORED THAT MY ARTWORK MEANS SO MUCH TO YOU!!

I hope things get better for you,, Until then at least I hope my art continues to make you feel better <:} 💖💖

I'm not sure.. I imagine that they have a list of activities that they can suggest to patrons and if they deny all of them well.. 🤷‍♂️ They'd probably just hope the kid can find something fun to do..

Glamrock Bonnie: "Same dude. Same."

Oh yeah! I can kind'a see it XD

@beryl-shade

I've never played that game,, so I'm not sure :0

But judging by the desert looking environment.? They'd turn right around and jump through another mirror <XD THEY NEED FOOD!

@bailey-dreamfoot

WAAA THANK YOU!! Also I hope you have fun in all your Pokémon adventures! :DD

@citrusfruitman

XD Don't worry its okay! Also I've heard of OMORI, but I can't say I've heard of Dialtown :0

Wow, I made that fic way back in 2019. Sadly I can't say I remember my thought process behind that. Looking back that kind'a sounds like a plot hole-

Also you were the one who had the idea for a crab comic re-write? :0 Neato! I suppose its always possible that I'll come back to it someday <XD

The main reason why Jevil cares for everyone so much is.. well, its becuase they're his friends. And he loves them.🥺 But the years of isolation would definitely play a role in his protectiveness. And I'm sure Jevil isn't comfortable going anywhere or doing anything alone..

(ALSO WAAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!💖💖💖)

Theoretically other people could learn the power yeah, but they would have to go through the very specific scenario that Jevil went through and have the same reaction to it that he did in order to learn how. Its not something he can really teach to others..

He was told about a way to escape this world. And after 10 years in confinement and nearly loosing all of his sanity.. he used the power in his very soul to rip through the wall of his world and escape.

If the roles were reversed and Seam went through all that, I cant say that he would have learned how to make the mirrors.. He might have just succumbed to the depression and insanity..

I suppose its possible..? But I don't think Bonnie would be willing to go that far to escape from the stress of everything. He does get breaks at night so..

@kautar-21

WAAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

Also I don't think I ever posted a coherent storyline for Bill fragment.. but if you search "bill fragment au" in my blogs search bar you should find most of it! :0

(also sorry, I don't take requests <XD -- )

@redzephyr05

I think that sounds about right, yeah. Being more monotone and harder to read maybe. I'm not sure how he'd act in the costume,, maybe more confident? Louder and more blood thirsty?? <:DD

And yes! Little Vanessa is definitely more hesitant and nervous than Gregory. She's shy and afraid of everything- but still curious none the less.. 👀

@nevereatingpeas

AAAAA THANK YOU SO MUCH!! :DDDD

Ultimately my thoughts are, "It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would be/could have been. 6 outa 10, would watch again and recommend to my friends 🎤🐻👍"

(post in question)

XD she feels safe around Seam and he is also very soft and cozy 🥺

#my response #fnaf security breach #octonauts #undertale #deltarune #jevil and seam #jevil #seam deltarune #kirby ocs #river person

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cripplecharacters · 1 month

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that has a supporting character with dwarfism, and he's really close with his older brother, who is pretty tall. would it be weird if i sometimes had the younger ask his older brother pick him up so he can reach things? its supposed to be a cute little quirk of theirs that shows their bond, but i'm worried it might come off as weird for some reason. also, do you guys could give me a couple more tips on writing a character with dwarfism, if you have any? thanks in advance! (2/2)

Hi! the guy who asked about less talkative autistic characters here. sorry about that! i was going for more of like... don't talk to a point where it wouldn't be considered "socially acceptable?" but i had a character limit so i couldn't really get my point across that well. now that i think about it, that would probably also be lumped into just, yknow, not being talkative too. anyways, i have another unrelated question! probably equally silly but w/e. i'm writing a slice-of-life story (1/2)

Hello lovely asker!

I just wanna say that because of the ask backlog and the rotation of mods I'm afraid I don't know what ask your talking about, but I'm sure it was simply just a question that was in good faith of curiosity which is what this blog is for 😊

And to answer your question, I'm curious with how old the younger brother is. I haven't been picked up since I was probably about five to help me reach something and even then I was getting yelled at for climbing counters and such. If the younger brother isn't a very young child I would avoid this.

Being picked up is a general no. if you wouldn't do it to anyone else don't do it to someone with dwarfism or any person with a disability. Unless it's under their explicit permission, or help with transferring (from say a mobility aid to a bed or another place etc) or life or death situation, it's almost always a no.

Instead using things like the broom handle to hit tall switches or they even have these things called a "Reacher Grabber" that makes grabbing high up things super easy. Stool also are a big help, the small collapsible ones are easy to carry and move, and certain placed handles help too. Tall people are an advantage I will say though. Having the older brother bring something down to the younger brother is fine. Also have the younger brother climb things and stack objects and use the environment around him so he can get what he wants. I assure you this is what most of us do a lot.

A few more writing tips I have would be:

Research different types of dwarfism and find out which one you want your character to have and how this will affect him. It doesn't have to be mentioned at all but you knowing what type will give you much more insight into building this character.

Don't be afraid to give them mobility aids. A lot of people with Dwarfism have them and use them because they help us and they're pretty common in the community. (Do plenty of research there too if they do have one!)

A joke once or twice, especially if the two characters are very very close, about his dwarfism is okay! Me and my friends joke about mine all the time but quantity control along with a joke in good taste and timing is very important.

The character getting frustrated with his disability is okay too! It happens to me a lot but usually I'll find a solution right after to the thing that frustrated me and that frustration is gone as quick as it came.

If he's having a long conversation or an eye-to-eye conversation with someone that's tall, have them sit down somewhere, get to eye-level (I wouldn't have them lean over to his height though). It really does start to hurt your neck and head after looking up at everyone for so long.

And lastly, I certainly use my height to my advantage in multiple different scenarios. Small hands and small containers or spaces are very compatible with one another. And even though I have to shop in the small teens or kids section for clothes or shoes, I will say certain things are made better for kids (for some reason). But I also know how to hem my own clothes and how to fix them! A lot of people with dwarfism make or modify their own clothes. I can't tell you the amount of times I've gotten discounts at buffets and restaurants because people just assume I'm a child and I'm not gonna protest the discount either so. There are many fun aspects to having dwarfism, I have more fun with it and get more laughs and community out of it than frustration or anything else.

I know there's many more little things that I'm forgetting right now but the dwarfism community could probably add a few things too. Good luck writing!

~ Mod Virus 🌸

#mod virus #anonymous #dwarfism

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deblklesb · 1 year

Text

[Let's get physical! Pt. 1 — Abby x Reader]

[established relationship, fem!reader, fluffy but gets kinda nsfw by the end, jocker!abby, modern!au, MDNI]

cw: flirty times, nsfw memories, hip trusts

a/n: this was a request sent by @cottagecheese340! thanks for the request, i had the most fun writing this. i plan to post part2 as soon as i can! hope you enjoy it! (ps.: not me projecting on the reader about the social awkwardness)

not proof read (eng is not my first language, if something is wrong y'all can let me know!)

reblogs are highly appreciated!

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

You almost didn't enter your apartment as your leg keeps pulsating with pain. Not only because of the physical difficulty, but also because you could already imagine your girlfriend's reaction: concern, and then she would help you carefully and spoil you for the rest of the night because you're hurt.

It didn't sound bad - it didn't feel either -, but you couldn't help but feel embarrassed anyway. Embarrassment got you there, in the first place.

Being a socially awkward person wasn't easy like some people think. Actually, it's hard to find ways to escape social situations just to feel a little more comfortable. Gym was an example of that: you've always had a hard time concealing with that environment because of the amount of people and the state of mind you'd have to get into - which was harder precisely because of the people around. So you didn't know much about gym exercises, despite needing to go there and do them.

But, hey, it could be easier since your girlfriend is a major gym goer, right?

Absolut, fuckingly wrong.

Asking her to help you was a hard time on its own. Abby was the most caring, sweet person with you, but… You're embarrassed. And not that you never announce your needs and wants, but that specific topic was difficult.

Well, that sore leg would do the work, uh?

Breathing deeply, you unlocked the door and carefully entered the illuminated apartment, trying your best to walk properly and not limp.

"Babe?" Her voice came from the kitchen, she was probably making dinner.

"Hi, love", you tried to sound chill and super not painful. "What are you doing?"

"Just some pasta and beef, thought we could use a proper dinner since I got out of work earlier today", her tall figure appeared on the hallway, reaching you in a second to kiss you once, twice. A small smile adorned her lips as she looked at you. "How you doing?"

"I'm fine", you smiled too, kinda using the hug to not lean on the sore leg. "And you?"

"Better now", her tone was so caring and flirty, it took a chuckle from you. "Were you at the gym?"

"Ah, I-...", you couldn't deny when wearing the same clothes from earlier, but you looked away and your brain malfunctioned for a second. "Uh- yeah! Guess I could try some gym time, y'know?"

"Oh, how was it?" Abby parted the hug, grabbing your bag to help you to the room.

"It was… Interesting", yeah, getting hurt it's very interesting.

You both started to walk to your shared bedroom, and as much as you tried not to look at her with guilt and walk properly, Abby stopped on her tracks and made your heart skip a beat. Fuck her sharp eyes.

"Babe, are you okay? Why are you limping?" Her hand rested on your shoulder, warm and careful as she was with you.

You hissed with pain when learning on the right leg to prove her wrong, ruining all the effort to hide the situation. Then you sighed, finally looking directly at her and supporting yourself on the wall.

"I kinda may have hurted my leg a little", her eyes widened at that, your bag being left on the table as Abby came closer to help you stand properly. "doing some movement. I think it wasn't exactly well done…"

"Shit, babe, come here", you leaned on her until reaching the couch, where you sat with your back against the arm of the furniture, stretching the leg. "I'll turn off the stove, be right back", she patted your thigh, running to the kitchen.

The seconds she was away were used for you to sigh again, trying not to feel too anxious. You didn't like to think that you were disturbing or something, even though you knew that was a crazy idea - the intrusive thoughts were troublesome sometimes.

"Now tell me how this happened", she held an ointment whilst sitting with your leg on her lap.

Abby didn't seem annoyed or anything, obviously. She just started to spread the mint-smell substance on the place you pointed when she asked.

"I was… trying to work my leg on one of those machines and then it started to hurt, I don't know exactly where I messed up." Your breath were a little bit short with nervousness.

"It's okay, it's normal. Especially since you aren't accustomed to gym props", her voice was so calm while the strong hands massaged the sore muscle. "Why didn't you ask me to help you?"

"Because I was kinda embarrassed", you revealed after some seconds, face blushing a little since you still had a hard time opening up. Well, if someone were there to support you and listen to you without judgment, that would be your girlfriend, right? Her and your closest friends were those people. "I don't like going to the gym, but I need to. And it's frustrating enough, I didn't want to feel like I was asking too much, or something, especially because… I have absolutely no idea of what I'm doing and it's even more embarrassing"

"Okay", Abby nodded carefully, locking eyes with you while her hands kept working. She remained calm, not wanting to alarm you in any way. "Well, I want you to know you wouldn't be asking too much. And that I will tell you if I can't help you with something, but I'll be here supporting you regardless and I'll do my best. Alright?"

The feeling of her palms on your leg were starting to relax you, as you nodded and breathed deeply for once.

"And look, I'm a grown woman. I think I can handle helping you and establishing my limits. What do you think?" She smiled to reassure you.

"I think you're right, grown woman", you both chuckled as she finished the massage. You held a hand of hers and kissed the back of it, caressing her skin as you rested the head on the furniture then. Your heart was calming itself gradually. "Thank you. I love you"

"Love you too, kitty cat." The nickname made you laugh. She started to call you that way after finding a picture of you dressed as a human-size cat for your cousin's birthday. The costume had orange fur and your face was painted and all. You felt funny but your cousin loved it.

"Will you ever let go of this?"

"Never", the honey-blonde stood up and rested your leg on the couch again, kissing you on the lips briefly, her braid falling to the side when she leaned over. "Now let me finish the dinner. We'll eat and then go bath"

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

A week later you both decided to go to the gym together. Abby said that it would be empty on earlier hours, and so you got out of bed with difficulty due to the diminished sleeping time.

It started to be a routine: three times a week Abby helped you choose the machines to work on and then she'd indicate the right way to use it. The woman would supervise and then go to work on her own series, still watching you carefully from where she stood.

You had to admit, with that silence around and just the two of you there, the environment didn't seem that bad. The rays of sunshine would start to enter the place more brightly, as the morning advanced. Only you, Abby and the receptionist were at that entire gym.

But, on top of that, there was another thing that kept you coming to the gym all those days.

The vision of Abby concentrated, pulling weights in different positions and machines, made you quiver. And even more: her care and delicacy while teaching you the movements and explaining the machines… That was something else.

You were a major simp for your girlfriend talking about stuff she liked and was dedicated to, but it didn't help how she looked and behaved inside the gym. Knowing how your body comfort was in her hands created a responsibility, a commitment to lay all the information necessary in the most clear way.

First, she'd show you the machine in general. Explain how it worked and the purpose, show you the gadgets, all of that constantly looking back at you to be sure of your understanding. Then, Abby would have you positioned on the machine and would instruct how to work on it, slowly and attentive to your posture.

"Your back needs to be straight, babe. Yes, just like that"

After her blue eyes crossed over your body to catch in every detail she could, while you did a series, Abby would smile and say "that's it, you're ready to go, pretty girl"

And you didn't wanna say how absolutely sexy that was.

How you needed extra effort to concentrate on her words, because the overall situation threw you off so easily. How her gestures and indications with her hands made you hold back enamored sighs. Or how her light touches on your body, to guide you through the first few movements, or just get your attention to the correct position, created little heat spaces on your skin.

That whole situation unlocked a new amazing thing to notice about your girlfriend, and you felt like a blessing fell into you. The sore muscle was worth it.

"Understood?" Her voice called you back from a daydream.

Putting to the side the thoughts that came from her so eloquent speech, you nodded and thanked Abby, before the woman went to carry some weights.

Looking from afar, you tried to concentrate on your series, working your legs. The image of Abby pushing up with the arms on her sides, going up and down next to her head, biceps flexing and abdomen and chest moving with breath. Skin getting flushed red and sweaty with effort.

You tried so hard not to notice too much, not to make your sights explicit, but then the minutes passed and Abby finished her series. And the blue eyes rested on you, a fact you took longer to understand than you were proud of.

Looking away and finishing your own series, you tried not to blush under her attention and cleared your throat, grabbing the bottle of water. Your legs hurt a bit, heavy muscles.

"Okay, what now?" You asked, resting a hand on the hip.

"Now rest a little", the blonde suggested with a smirk while using the shirt to dry her sweaty face, your heart skipped a beat or two at the vision of her abs. Damn her for still getting you on your feelings. "Wanna help me out?"

"M'kay. Let's see what you got", she chuckled, going to a horizontal bench now.

You put the bottle to the side, and when you looked at her again she was seated on the floor.

"What you want me to do?" Abby looked up when you stood next to her, propping herself with her back against the bench, hips out of the ground and legs separated.

"Sit on me"

You blinked once and twice, gulping. Phrasing like that you might as well do it anyways.

"Excuse me?"

"Sit on my hip, babe. Rest your feet on my thighs", she kept instructing you, but your mind wasn't really caring about the indications. The implications were on stake here, as you straddled as she told and felt your face getting hotter. "You can put your hands on my shoulders to balance", and you did so, her warm hands holding yours carefully. "Ready?"

Before you could nod, Abby lowered her hips and then trusted up.

You couldn't remember a time when you got that flustered around her, trying not to think about what that looked like, what would happen if someone got in the room, how fucking hot was the fact that your girlfriend could sustain your weight on her hips. Without permission, your cunt throbbed.

For sure you had an unbelieved expression, staring at Abby's face in order to avoid the sight of where your bodies met lower.

"Keep still, okay? You're doing good", you couldn't talk. Any words were thrown away from your mind right now, at least the adequate ones.

She kept doing that and you kept trying not to pathetically moan over that situation alone.

Her body was so firm and hot.

What the fuck was happening?

Abby rested, sitting on the floor for some seconds with you still on her lap, hands gripping her shoulders. "That was awesome", her voice was excited but also with a hint of something else as she tenderly touched your hips and continued. "We should try it more frequently"

"Yeah", your voice cracked, demanding you to clear your throat. "Absolutely"

And then the silence was too loud and consuming, just the two of you there in that position.

Her features caught your attention; blue eyes and freckled skin, beautiful lips and nose, cheeks and chin you loved to kiss. All of her seemed to call for you.

"Babe", her voice, the velvety tone that could take you to the stars, drew you back again. "Ready for another one?"

"Go for it", you smiled with effort to not fall into more fantasies right now, in a public space. "Let's see how much you can take it"

Abby's smug sent chills through your spine as she adjusted and then trusted the hips again, eyes locked on your with the most consuming determination. You held back a whine, breathing deeply with her.

"Fuck…", you whispered at another trust, moisturing your lips.

"What, babe?"

And just like that you mind flew to that time when she fucked you with her strap. When you cried her name and let out incomprehensible words under your moans, having Abby asking "what, babe? I didn't catch that" as the silicone object were pushed and pulled into your wet cunt. You remembered her panting and smirking as your tits bounced in front of her, as you tried to move your hips along because you were getting more and more heated.

"Abby…", your hips moved once without you noticing and then you froze, the foggy memory fading as she trusted again and you recalled where you both were.

"Yes?" A shit-eating grin denounced all. She knew exactly what she was doing.

・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・・

[divider by @froopis]

#abby x reader #abby anderson #abby anderson x reader #abby tlou x reader #abigail anderson x reader #abigail anderson #abby tlou2 #abby tlou #deblklesb #abby x reader fic #ficblr #fic writing #abby fic #abby fanfiction #abby anderson fan fiction #requests

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demonslayedher · 5 months

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Things that went through my mind while watching this episode: --Gotouge must had been in A Mood when writing these chapters, and the animators were probably like, "sweeeet! I love weeks like this!" with those silly and simple scenes of Tanjiro Being a Dork feat. Kotetsu, feat. Kotetsu/Haganezuka/Kanamori, feat. Genya, feat. Nezuko, feat. Nezuko/Muichiro.

--but then partway through they probably dragged themselves back to more detailed serious work like Hantengu dragging himself to work. Sniffle, sniffle, fine, they expect so much out of us, fine, here's all the bone and muscle fibers of Karaku taking shape from a head still falling through the air.

--Speaking of animation details--the glow on Muichiro's eyes as he runs through the dark forest? Nice. So nice to see him using a sword modeled after the one which his "ancestor" used, even if he did steal it off a doll modeled off his "ancestor." (Side note--wouldn't it be fun to see the Tokitou twins with inherited memories?)

--Also, I am pretty forgiving of the CG fish (of anything, I was impressed). They didn't totally meld with the 2D environment, but for what Gotouge gave them to work with, they moved them around in a pretty satisfyingly believable way.

--So anyway, back to this first round of Tanjiro being a dork, I love the range of emotion we get him in this episode, when he gets to relax and just be a teenage boy. SWORD, COOL!! I can has it? I no can has it. Panic-and-protect-the-child mode. Haganezuka-san was working hard for meeee? Panic-and-protect-the-child mode. Haganezuka-san said not to peek. You think I can go peek? Friendship senbei! Tooth. I'll bet I can figure out how to braid Nezuko's hair like Kanroji-san's! Zzzzz. Oh, hahaha, Tokitou-kun, surely you'd never attack me in my sleep! Now I can go peek on Haganezuka-san like I was totally going to anyway even though he told me not to. Hmmmm. Oh, wait, what, that's a demon, nevermind--

--It's just so nice seeing him be some annoying random guy sometimes instead of just The Eldest Son.

--So, Haganezuka-san. It's not just that he was physically training himself to smith a better sword for Tanjiro, but he in fact had already made a new one, but he didn't feel it was good enough. Perhaps he spent some of those nasty letters in his initial outrage at seeing the chipped sword, but then after being scolded for making something that would chip so bad in the first place, he felt dissatisfied with the sword he tried to make better, and maybe some of those "I have no sword for you" letters were just a way of expressing "I suck at this (because I am a perfectionist)"?

--More Haganezuka-san: He was essentially raised by Tecchin because his parents couldn't handle his fits when he was a child (which is very, very sad), but he practices a sword polishing technique that has been handed down through the Haganezuka family (and in real life, sword polishing is recognized as a skill totally separate from smithing (though smithing does involve some preliminary polishing stages), so I love that a later Taisho Secret shows him doing finger push-ups because yeah, he's gonna need those fingers ready for a lot of the detail work in the polishing process). While I would also love to see "inherited memories" explored more in Haganezuka, this more likely means that he learned from the father who essentially abandoned him. Oh, to be a fly on the wall in that workshop.

--But also... this three day polishing process which has killed people for how extreme it is. Tanjiro, if he says not to bother him, please, don't both him. Have you learned nothing about the risks of upsetting Haganezuka-san? And this is of course not endearing you to Genya, who at this point still has every reason to find you annoying. You keep giving him reasons to dislike you, too.

--Classic Muichiro-Nezuko Head Tilt

--I wonder if Kotetsu lured Nezuko away with toys so that she wouldn't interfere with Kotetsu nearly killing her brother

--But also, mad respect to Kotetsu, he really was doing his best against that fish

--Might I just say, that little gasp Muichiro has when he remembers Tanjiro's words? So elegantly subtle in the sound design. --Interesting that Gyokko does not appreciate the flesh of the swordsmiths, even though eating strong people would presumably be nutritious. Hard to digest? Maybe not as nutritious as a Breath-using Pillar? But also, what with "Kakushaku-no-Ko" culture among those who use fire, perhaps all their work with fire (which demons show a distinct dislike of), or more directly with the metal of Nichirin blades is part of what makes them distasteful?

--My favorite Hantengu form is his basic sniveling "woe is me, I'm so weak" old dude form, because it's so ironic. He is the Zenitsu of demons.

--And bam, we already have his full set of four! That didn't take long at all. Also, Tanjiro is now back in The Eldest Son mode and Nezuko is in oh-yeah-she-is-A-DEMON mode, that didn't take long either. Oh, and Genya has already sustained what should be a fatal injury. That also did not take long.

#KnY rewatch #my art #too many characters to tag

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