#This has been sitting half-finished for months now. Made myself sit down and put a fork in it today

[solradguy]

''There sits Sigurd stained with blood; Fafnir's heart he roasts in the fire. I would call the prince wise and prudent if he himself ate that gleaming heart."

-Poems of the Elder Edda - tl: Patricia Ann Terry

#photopost #my stuff #guilty gear #sol badguy #order sol #finished stuff #If this looks familiar it's because I did the sketch digitally back in October for Soltober #I printed it out then lightboxed it onto a piece of bristol board where I inked it with dip pens #Then scanned it in and did the colors digitally #This has been sitting half-finished for months now. Made myself sit down and put a fork in it today #I like Jackson Crawford's translation of the Poetic Edda a bit more but Terry's is good #If you didn't know: Sigurd eats the heart of a dragon (Fafnir) and gets some cool powers from it #Sigurd is the same guy as Siegfried in the German stories (which don't seem to focus on the dragon stuff as much..?) #I haven't read as many of the German stories though. The Norse stuff's more my domain

[w2soneshots]

Toddler -W2S

Words: 0.7k+

Warnings: none.

In which you and Harry enjoy a holiday in Dubai with your toddler.

a/n: Currently got major baby fever so here's some dad bog content🤭. Enjoy!💓

y/username

Liked by wroetoshaw and 1,017,349 others

y/username: living the dream☀️🌊 @wroetoshaw

-comments-

gkbarry_: you look incredible get in my bed

-> y/username: 🛏️🏃‍♀️

faithloisak: enjoy my lovelys🫶🏼

taliamar: cutest family ever!🥹💗

y/nfanpage21: I love this sm

user2104853: the third photo is adorable🩵

Over a year and a half ago me and Harry welcomed our little boy into the world. So far it's been incredible and I've enjoyed every minute of being his mum, even through the tough parts his little smile would make the hardships completely disappear in an instant. Harry is also an amazing dad, it's like he was born for the role. A few months ago Harry surprised me with a week long trip to Dubai, and what is our first holiday as a family of three. I was extremely excited and almost immediately called Faith to get advice on what I should pack for Ollie, which is what we ended up naming him.

We arrived two days ago and are already having the best time. Yesterday we spent all day at the beach then went for a nice dinner, in which Ollie slept in his buggy the entire time. Today we're going to the Dubai aquarium, getting some lunch and going shopping. I woke up to the sound of giggling, I pried myself from Harry's grasp and reached forward to grab the smiling baby from his travel cot. I placed him between me and Harry in the bed then drifted back off to sleep. I woke up an hour later, reached over to the nightstand and grabbed my phone to see a message from Harry saying he'd gone out to grab some breakfast from downstairs. I got up and took a picture of Ollie surrounded by the white fluffy bed sheets.

y/username just posted a new story!

I quickly got dressed while Ollie slept and Harry soon came back with breakfast. When we were all ready we left the hotel to head to the aquarium. We rented a car the first day we arrived, since Ollie has to sit in a car seat plus we'll be spending much less on Ubers. I drove (since Harry despises driving) and we were soon parked outside.

Harry pulled the exited toddler from his seat, and we headed inside. Ollie seemed to be absolutely mesmerised by the sea creatures (especially the 'big scary sharks'). When we'd walked around the entire aquarium we left to go get some lunch since we were all hungry and Ollie was getting quite restless and in desperate need of a nap. We went back to the car to grab the buggy from the boot then walked to one of the nearby restaurants.

We sat down to eat our lunch as Ollie soundly slept. As me and Harry finished up our food Ollie woke up, now full of energy and hungry. We'd ordered him some plain chips so he ate them along with some fresh fruit. Which they seem to have lots of here, probably because of the hot weather.

Then we paid and made our way to Dubai mall, which thankfully has air conditioning. I happily looked through some shops while Harry followed me with the buggy. "Almost done?" Harry asked, very clearly bored. I turned around and shook my head jokingly "almost." I said with a smile. "M- mummy?" Ollie babbled. "Yes baby?" I replied squatting down in front of him. "I wanna go- the pool." He smiled. Harry chuckled and I glanced up at him "ok, let's go." I said and a look of pure excitement spread across his face.

y/username

Liked by wroetoshaw and 719,238 others

y/username: my toddlers new fixation: sharks😂🤍

-comments-

tobjizzle: looks like so much fun! Hope you're having a great time guys❤️

-> y/username: we are ty uncle jizzle💞

faithloisak: so stinking cute🥺

y/nfanpage21: the mum fits are👌🏼

user50172932: those burgers omfg

When we arrived back at the hotel we got straight into our swimming costumes and headed down to the pool. We found some deck chairs and put our things down, then (after smothering Ollie in suncream) all three of us got into the pool.

y/username just posted a new story!

Later... "I'm so lucky." Harry whispered, as we lay in bed and Ollie lightly snored in his cot. I smiled "you're so cute." He pulled me into a sweet kiss "I mean it, I'm so lucky to have you and Ol, I love you both so much." "And we’re so lucky to have you Haz."

#sidemen #fanfic #image #oneshot #w2s #harry lewis #harry w2s #wrotoshaw #w2s imagine #w2s x reader #wroetoshaw x reader #wroetoshaw oneshot #wroetoshaw #dad!harry #toddler #tobjizzle #faith kelly #talia mar #gk barry #instagram #instagram au #fluff

[crescencestudio]

Devlog #35 | 09.26.23

Hi everyone!

Hope the beginning of Fall has been kind to you all <3 To be Frank, it has not been Kind to me LMFAO. But I'll get into that, so let's dive in yippee!

Before I do, someone liked this post recently, which was such a throwback. It was before the full demo was out and everything!! I was so young and full of life. I'm going to sprinkle some comparison shots of the new assets with the old ones to break up the text and also walk down memory lane with me! (Full GUI not shown as I'm still waiting on the assets)

Chapter Cards (Left: After | Right: Before)

The "Progress"

I'm going to structure this devlog a little differently from the usual template. The main reason being, for those of you who didn't see, I have not been feeling Myself recently.

This month I found myself all out of sorts. While I felt like I was making progress and doing so much everyday read: fighting for my life, when I looked back on things at the end of this month, I didn't feel like I really did much.

On a higher level, I finished fulfilling Kickstarter physical rewards, opened a Kofi shop of the remaining merch, edited Druk's route and continued writing Etza's route, updated assets and code for the updated demo, and then general commission stuff (BGs from Vui, soundtracks from Peter, etc.).

But overall, Alaris felt largely like it was kinda sitting at around the same spot as it did when I entered this month. Which made me a little sad! I had wanted to make So Much Progress on Alaris because next month I won't be able to work on it really. Then, I realized I haven't taken a break from game development since I started it two years ago HA!!!

The Real Progress

Development for me has been back-to-back. Chapter releases every 1-2 months during my first half year of development, Full Demo release shortly after, Kickstarter shortly after, Full Game Development shortly after. When I was feeling burnt out from Alaris, I made intertwine. Then I was Heavily Involved in the development of two games shortly after.

All of this on top of my IRL responsibilities, which include a job, PhD school, and well, functioning as a normal human occasionally.

And then here we are at the end of September 2023, and I'm wondering why even though I creatively want to work on Alaris, I find my brain literally just getting too tired to think.

Etza CG (Left: After | Right: Before)

I think ever since the Kickstarter, I've put a lot of pressure on myself to consistently put out LOTS of updates for each monthly devlog. I don't want people to think I'm not working on things or I'm not committed to delivering after giving me their hard earned money. But now, with two years under my belt, I'm realizing that is... HMM maybe too high of a standard to put on myself for my first game ever. There are many much more seasoned developers than me who don't put that pressure on themselves (which is Good and Healthy).

So this month, I debated scrounging around and gathering all my crumbs to give you all a devlog that you'll be satisfied with. But I decided ultimately that wouldn't be good for me and would honestly not be the most transparent way to present the current process of things.

And so. Here I am. Head in my Hands. Letting you all know that while I'm not "burnt out," I am.... only human LOL (one human at that). And so some months, like this one, will just not have much progress to report. Not because I'm not working on it or any other deeper reason. But because it's physically impossible and unreasonable for me to be continuously pushing out a steady stream of content.

In-Game Sprites & BGs (Left: After | Right: Before)

Next month, I'lll be taking a vacation. It's actually my first Big, Official one in a Long Time! I'm very excited for it. And while I did initially think about working on Alaris while I was traveling on trains or things like that, I decided to respect my own need to be a Human and just take a break for once in my life. I don't even want to say I Might work on things, because that sentiment alone will pressure me to make some progress. So yes. Next month, there will be no devlog or updates. But please rest assured, I am "working on Alaris" by letting myself just Exist and Rest Up!

Not an Alaris screenshot but it is market research that deserves to be included because I played House in Fata Morgana recently and it was Phenomenal!

Thank you all for understanding and your continued support. I'm extremely appreciative to have such a kind and patient community. Hope you all have a wonderful October filled with Fall Treats, and I'll see you in November! <3

#alaris #devlog

[moonlightspencie]

eyes full of stars

Part 6 of ‘the sweetest con’

Pairing: Aaron Hotchner x fem!Reader

Word Count: 1.7k

A/N: we get a bit more progression in the next chapter— stay tuned!!

<- PART FIVE

“This is it,” she said as we stepped out of her vehicle. 

I hadn’t yet thought about the fact that at some point I’d have to get my car back from the parking garage at Quantico. At that moment, it was definitely a back-burner thought. She smiled back at me, waiting for me to follow her to the door. I obliged, stepping inside the small building with her and immediately being hit in the face with the smell of fresh food. I was much more hungry than I’d realized. 

“What do you recommended?” I asked, looking at the sprawling menu. 

She had plans, however, and started an order as if she’d rattled it off a hundred times before. Maybe she did. She only paused to make sure I was okay with the ingredients on the tacos she was ordering, then finished it up and paid before I could protest. 

“Come on,” she said, leading me to a table. 

I trailed along, sitting in the seat across from her as she took off her jacket. 

“What do I owe you?” I asked, watching as she picked up the two empty cups I hadn’t noticed before. 

She laughed. “Nothing. My treat, Hotchner.”

“I’m not letting you pay for—“

“It’s women’s history month, you’re going to let me pay.”

I laughed in shock. “What?”

“You heard me,” she said, unable to stop herself from laughing at the silly joke. “Do you like horchata?”

I stopped myself laughing, though a smile stuck to my face as I told her I did. She walked to the drink station, filling up the cups to the brim and expertly walking back to me. 

“What, were you a waitress in a past life?” I teased as she set down the cups. 

“I did waitress for a couple years, actually.”

I raised a brow. “Really?”

She sat across from me. “Yep. Hated every second of it.”

I laughed again, then took a sip of the drink she’d brought me. 

“I can’t imagine you hating a job where you get to talk to people all day.”

She shrugged. “The talking was great. The incessant flirting was not. People get real brave when they think someone has to be nice to them.”

“Oh,” I nodded solemnly. “I’m sorry.”

“It’s okay. I got through it, it just made me really uncomfortable.”

“And then you came and had to deal with Morgan,” I said with a chuckle. 

She laughed again. “He’s a whole different breed, though.”

I hummed, looking at her again. She smiled at me, noticing the smile still stuck on my own face. At the moment I realized we’d probably been staring too long, a tray was set down in front of us. She thanked the waitress by name, then explained what she’d ordered, putting extra emphasis on the fresh salsa. She lit up talking about it all as if nothing could be more special. 

“You really love it here,” I said, more as a statement than a question. 

“I do,” she nodded. “I’ve been coming here constantly since I was in the academy, and moving into an apartment so close was a dream. Comfort food.”

I smiled again, unable to stop myself from it. 

“I can’t help but wonder if that was a deciding factor in which apartment you chose.”

“It wasn’t,” she smiled as she finished preparing her food. “That was just a blessing all for me.”

We started eating, though it took much longer than we anticipated as we did more talking than eating. I didn’t realize until it was too late that we were only halfway through when we started getting stared down from the counter. I checked my watch, seeing we only had five minutes until close. 

“What?” she asked, noticing my face shift. 

“It’s almost closing time,” I said, voice unintentionally quieter now. 

“Shoot,” she sighed, looking at everything left over. 

She suddenly got up, getting some takeout boxes from the woman at the front counter. She packed up the rest of our food, only looking at me again once it was finished. 

“Wanna go back to my apartment and finish this up?”

“You’re sure?” I asked, skeptical. 

“Why wouldn’t I be? We’ve still each got a taco and half our chips and salsa.”

I smirked. “Very convincing.”

“I also have a ton of DVDs and blankets,” she said, hiding a smile. 

I stood. “At least until we finish the food. I can’t promise anything after that. We do have work tomorrow.”

“At least stay till the end of the movie,” she bargained, helping me pick up the boxes. “You can’t make me leave in the middle of a movie to take you back.” 

I paused. “Shoot. I’m sorry, I completely forgot about my car.”

“That’s okay. I really don’t mind at all.”

I nodded after a beat, then we left and got back into her car. We drove off towards her apartment, and she wasn’t kidding about it being close. It was only five minutes until we were getting out again, and walking into her building. 

“This is nice,” I commented as we entered the lobby.”

“It is. It’s a good place to live. I feel safe.”

“Good.”

We rode the elevator up to her floor, and she soon let me into her apartment. I looked around briefly, noticing a lot of warm tones. We took off our shoes and jackets, then she led me further inside. 

“You can go ahead and make yourself at home on the couch. Or pick out a movie,” she said, already walking with our boxes to what I assumed to be the kitchen. “I’ll be right back.”

I nodded, spotting the shelf full of DVD’s. I looked through them, smiling at the selection. I picked out one that I hadn’t seen in a while, hoping it was one she would like, if anything for the fact that I would choose it. I spotted the DVD player, and inserted the disc, getting the movie to the introduction so that she wouldn’t see the menu beforehand. 

She came back out a moment after I finally sat down, a plate in one hand that held both tacos, and a bowl in the other with chips. 

“I still have to get the salsa and drinks, but I’ll be right back,” she said, running off again. 

She came back a moment later with a bowl of salsa in her arm, and two cups in her hands. I took the bowl so that it didn’t drop, helping her set down the drinks as well. 

“I don’t exactly keep horchata in my apartment most days, so I hope water is okay.”

“That’s perfect,” I said with a nod. “Thank you for this.”

“Of course,” she smiled softly, plopping herself down on the couch next to me. 

I pressed play on the movie, smiling when she started laughing. 

“Clueless? Really?”

“I am not ashamed of the choice,” I said with finality, taking up my taco as she started on the chips. 

“I love it,” she said, nudging my leg with her knee. 

We sat and watched the movie, finishing the rest of our food by the halfway point. She told me every fun fact about the movie and the actors she could think of as it went, and I made sure to listen to every word. Though, suddenly, I jolted.

My eyes opened to the movie’s menu screen, and I blinked a few times to adjust to the light. I turned my head to accept the inevitable embarrassment, just to find I didn’t need to be embarrassed at all: she was passed out with her head against my shoulder.

I reached for my phone as it sat on the cushion next to me, seeing the time. We’d slept much longer than I thought. 

“Hey,” I said softly, reaching one hand to rub her shoulder. 

She shifted, not waking. I called her name this time, and she grumbled. 

“What?”

I smiled. “It’s almost seven in the morning.”

She perked up, sitting straight to look at me. 

“Excuse me?”

“It’s almost seven. We have work,” I replied. 

“I’m so sorry, I didn’t realize.”

“Neither did I.”

She got up, frantically looking around the place. 

“Uh,” she started, turning her gaze back to me. “I’m going to clean up quickly and get ready, then I can drive you home.”

I stood. “You can go get ready. I’ll clean up here.”

“Hotch, you’re not going to—“

“Yes, I am. Go on,” I said, leaning down to pick up the dishes. “I’ve got this.”

She said a quick ‘thank you’, then ran off to her bedroom. 

I found the kitchen, tossing out anything we left out, and set the dishes in the sink. I turned on the faucet to fill the sink with water and soap, then started on an attempt to make coffee. As it started to brew, I cleaned the dishes, leaving them in the drying rack rather than trying to figure out where all of the dishes usually resided. Luckily for me, she had a set of to-go cups out on the counter in plain sight. As I poured two cups, she walked in, not alerting me of her presence until she was standing next to me. 

“Oh,” I exclaimed, thankful I wasn’t holding anything in the moment, “You’re… silent.”

“Sneaking around is part of the job, right? Be thankful,” she said with a laugh. “You made coffee?”

I paused. “Yes.” 

“Thank you,” she smiled, taking one from in front of me. “Now, let’s get you into some new clothes, huh?”

I agreed quickly. We made it to my place, then to work with a little time to spare. We made it inside, and started heading towards the elevator. 

“I have some granola bars in my desk, by the way,” she stated. “You’re still going to eat this morning.”

“I concede,” I said, hands up. 

She hit the elevator button, then we heard a familiar voice. 

“Good morning,” Rossi said, coming in behind us. 

“Morning,” she replied with a smile as he stood next to her. “How are you doing today?”

“Good. Seems you two are as well,” he noted. 

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she asked with a laugh. 

“Coming into work together, now?”

I sighed. “I just needed a ride, Dave.”

“Oh, right,” he nodded, “Right. Because you don’t have your own vehicle to drive.”

I glared at him, thought it didn’t seem to phase her in the slightest. She laughed again, being the first to step into the elevator.

—————

the sweetest con taglist:

@evee87 @spottedzebrasinpartyhats @rousethemouse @lalalove-56

aaron hotchner taglist:

@mrs-ssa-hotch @hyunjaebaby @ssamorganhotchner @criminalskies

[shai-manahan]

Hi! It's been a while since I've talked about the upcoming updates, but I finally had a chance to actually sit down and make plans! (the life of a corporate slave, am I right? 🙃)

It has something to do with the changes I will be implementing on my patreon, though. I've thought for a while how to give content that's worthwhile of subscriptions while also making sure I can be comfortable with them, and in all honesty, I had a tricky time doing it. HM is too personal for me, as I used to talk about before, and some of the patreon benefits I promised before eventually felt too revealing - of my own thoughts and people whose lives were a huge inspiration for this story.

I will be talking about these changes and the update schedules as well below the cut.

UPDATES

I aim to finish at least half of HM's Book 1 this year. It seems to be a more realistic goal than forcing myself to finish everything right away (which tbh may have been a huge pressure I put on myself the past few years), though admittedly, things are unpredictable in the field I'm in; my job is full of overtime hours, and I spend most of my weekends trying to recover (or sick).

Still, I gotta finish it one way or another, and it's not going to write itself (though I wish it would!), so yeah, set realistic deadlines, pull out a few all-nighters, and maybe I'll actually get through it, who knows?

I do hope I'll have steadier finances by the time Book 2 starts so I can put more focus on writing and have sufficient energy for it, but that's a conversation for another day.

Changes in Prologue - Chapter 2

Okay. I know I promised not to make revisions until I write more chapters, but changing how some game mechanics work and reworking the stats made it a necessity, and I underestimated how much rewriting I'd have to do. A few scenes ended up not working well anymore, and I couldn't resist from revising a few clunky sections while I was at it.

Dialogue options were one of those that were significantly affected by the stat changes, but no worries, nothing is changed in the story -- meaning Wesley still fucks with the Ripper's life (oops), Richard still goes off doing whatever non-sus thing he's doing, you can still punch Bale (it's even a lot funnier this time), Bertrand remains a bitchy cop, and you'll still have your sad flashback with your former best friend/lover/crush or whatever they are to your MC.

The plan is to release the updated version of Prologue and Chapter 1 to patrons by the end of March (I will have a few days off work that week) and release it to the public once the new content is also ready, which I presume will be available next month (I will keep you all posted but I really hope I can get it done by then because it's been forever 🥲).

I might tweak Chapter 2 a little so the available portion can stand on its own rather than be divided into two parts, because it's just too long lmfao and is harming the pacing as I keep worrying about the length. I'm also incorporating a few suggestions a few folks gave me these past few months.

Succeeding chapters

I've probably said this before but things are bound to get more insane in HM once we're past the first three to four chapters. But also quicker to write in a way. They're the kind of scenes I thrive in, and while they have bigger variations, they're a lot more fast-paced, characters start being manipulative little shits, and the threats are more prevalent than ever. Your Ripper will not have a good time, but I certainly will (I say as I look at my outline and get sad doing it). There will be a few "breaks" in between, but this is not and will never be a light-hearted story. Anyway, I'm inclined to believe I'll be more consistent with updates when that time comes, so bear with me for now :')

PATREON CHANGES

This is getting long, so I'll just list the updated tier benefits and end the day with it. I'll be posting a schedule that I will be committing to (here and on patreon tomorrow morning), with the below details as well (so if you wanna stop here that's totally valid) but for now, here's the tentative list:

Tier 1

Early access - 4 days before a public update (this month will be an exception and you'll get the update as soon as the other tiers get it, too).

Sneak peeks and deleted scenes - I included the latter because apparently I delete a lot of great scenes

Hints for future revelations in the story - the categories will depend on results of polls; the hints may be about Bale's death, about Ripper's family, Pharos, Cyro, the ROs themselves, or the nightmares that the MC is getting, etc. Might be in form of vague conversations/dialogues between unknown characters, might be me dropping subtle info about those involved. Either way, it will be fun :). The polls and these hints will be given monthly.

Tier 2

Early access - 1 week before a public update

all the other benefits for Tier 1

monthly RO snippets - I'm still experimenting with this, but I might simply write MC x RO snippets (with different kinds of MCs for different scenarios because I deeply hate writing blank slate MCs, sorry)

a choice to see the POV of a character, decided through polls, for every chapter/update.

Tier 3

Early access - as early as it's available and goes through testing stages

all other benefits for previous tiers

Non-RO short stories

Previews on unintroduced characters :)

That's all for tonight! I am so tired lmfao but I hope you all are having a great weekend so far! See you tomorrow :)

#patreon #patreon changes #updates #hollowed minds progress update #interactive fiction #hollowed minds series #hollowed minds #wip #writing #hollowed minds book one #if wip #interactive novel

[bts-hyperfixation]

Outside of the fox

Chapter 16

Y/N longs for a new life when the one she'd been living comes to an abrupt stop. Without much thought to those she is leaving behind, the little fox packs a backpack and disappears. She stumbles across the shelter and makes an interim home for herself while she works out exactly what she wants from her second chance.

Last

If you'd thought the table had been a tight squeeze yesterday, this was almost unbearable. The addition of Jin's broad shoulders around the circular table made it feel like the equivalent of the underground at rush hour. Jin had initially offered to sit at the breakfast bar but Namjoon would hear none of it, insisting on everyone crowding around.

A lot of mumbled apologies flew around the table as everyone reached around to pile their plates high with food. It's a little easier when everyone settles down. Everyone has more than enough food on their plates with the serving dishes still being half full. It seemed like you all might be eating leftovers for a few days.

You accidentally elbow Tae as you lift your fork to your lips. He sighs dramatically as some sauce escapes his spoon dropping onto his slacks.

"Remind me to buy you guys a new table as a courting gift." He grumbles, dabbing at his new stain

"I think it's cosy." Jimin shrugs, cuddling against Taehyung from the other side to you.

The panda snuggled back abandoning his attempt to salvage his trousers.

"You're courting the pack? That's lovely. I don't think I ever asked. How long have you all been together." Jin asks.

"We aren't all together." You answer a little too fast.

Jin looks down at his food awkwardly, clearly thinking he said the wrong thing.

"What she means is we have found ourselves in a very interesting situation." Namjoon supplies. "While our official pack is myself, Yoongi, Jimin, and Jungkook - we have been courting Y/N over the course of the last couple of months. And Hoseok has been dating Yoongi for a few weeks now. And Taehyung..."

"And Taehyung is a completely mad stranger that we are apparently indulging." Yoongi fills in.

"I see you are warming up to me." Taehyung flashes his best smile at the predator.

"What he means to say is Tae is a colleague of Y/N's that we invited to join us for the holidays." Jimin corrects.

"Well, that's great. It must be nice to be so connected to so many people." If Jin finds the situation odd he does a good job of hiding it.

The dinner continues with idle small talk. You all learn a little more about Jin and his background. He is a quokka hybrid, common in the medical field because of their jovial attitude. It explains why his smile so easily puts Jungkook at ease. He moved to the area a few years ago, but work keeps him that busy he hasn't had time to create a social circle outside a couple of other doctors at the hospital.

Far too full for dessert, everyone abandons the table as soon as the main course is finished. Seokjin and Taehyung insist on washing up while Hobi wraps up leftovers leaving you and the others to adjourn to the garden.

The boys had cleaned off the garden furniture especially for tonight, laying blankets out across them for when it got bitingly cold later on.

"I never want to eat again." Jimin groans dramatically, flopping into your lap.

You push his fringe away from his forehead, the exertion of eating too much making his hair stick down in a funny way. He leans up into your touch and you let your hand stay there, playing absently with the copper strands.

"When they've finished tidying up perhaps we should go for a walk?" Namjoon suggests. " We still have a long time before the sun sets low enough to start the bonfire."

There are mumbles of agreement before a comfortable silence overcomes the group, too full to continue making conversation.

You don't really notice as the others join you, slotting silently into spots that had clearly been waiting for them.

Yoongi's arm falls naturally around Hobi's waist as he leans into him. You feed Taehyung some of the blanket that was wrapped around your shoulders as he settles in next to you. Jungkook sits up a little straighter and offers Jin a pillow from the collection he had built himself.

All too uncomfortable to move, you wait until some space reopens in your stomachs' before moving on to your next planned activity.

_____________

It's early evening before Yoongi finally groans back to life bringing you all with him. The sun is still peaking out over the horizon but it won't be long until you can get to the main event. For now though, it seems everyone is still rather looking forward to their walk.

You partner up somewhat accidentally but it makes sense. Namjoon insists on picking Jin's brain, the two have a lot in common it would seem. Taehyung attaches himself to Yoongi, determined to win over the stubborn jackal. Hoseok falls into step with Jungkook, the younger having relented to an uneasy alliance with the man after figuring out he gave the best ear scratches.

That left you with Jimin. You trailed behind the rest of the group, watching as they all talked excitedly about a variety of topics you couldn't quite make out. Occasionally your fingers would graze against Jimin's as you walked together but neither of you acknowledged it.

"Are you having a good time?" He asked, staring at the ground.

"I really am." You answer. "It's nice to see all of the little traditions you guys have built together."

"I hope we can make more traditions with you." He says.

This time as his pinky grazes against yours he takes your hand, and you let him.

He holds on tightly, like a kid with a balloon threatening to fly away.

In the meantime it seems you have fallen behind, the others a spot in the distance. Still close enough to catch up to if you tried but you aren't sure you want to.

"What are you going to wish for tonight?" You ask.

"I'm not sure, I've got almost everything I could ever want. How about you?"

"If I tell you it won't come true will it?" You tease.

"That's not fair! You can't ask me and then not give me an answer when I turn it back on you." He pouts.

"But you didn't answer me properly anyway!" You point out.

"Fine, there is one thing I might wish for..."

"I'm listening."

"A kiss." He states.

"A kiss? You've got three men who will happily kiss you whenever you ask, plus Taehyung if you wanted I'm sure."

"I want a kiss from you.

"Jimin..."

"I know... and I'm happy to keep waiting a little longer. So tell me what's your wish?" He says changing the topic.

"What if my wish is that everyone else's wishes come true?"

"Then you might be kissing more than just me tonight." he laughs as if it's a joke but it doesn't quite reach his eyes.

"I'm not sure what I'm ready for Jimin, but I think I can manage a kiss."

His eyebrows crease together as if his brain is trying to catch up with his ears. You imagine if he thought any harder smoke might have started escaping from his nose. You watch as he processes his way through it's evident when the lightbulb appears above his head, eyes going wide with excitement.

"You mean it?" He asks trying to tamper his excitement.

"I do." You confirm.

He stops dead in his tracks, your entwined hands bringing you back to him. He glances over your shoulder to make sure the others haven't noticed.

"Can I kiss you now? I want to kiss you for the first time when we are alone and I'm not sure we are going to get another chance in the next few days"

"But you haven't made the wish yet."

"Then I'll wish for a second kiss, or a third, or a fourth... Or maybe for Taehyung..."

You slap his arm playfully but he just slips his free arm around you and pulls you into him. Your entwined hands fall apart and he encircles you fully.

"Is that a no?" He asks eyes lidded, lips a mere inch from your own.

"It's not a no."

He presses his lips against yours gently to begin with, testing the waters until you respond, applying more pressure to the kiss. He tilts his head to the side and his lips part slightly, you mirror his actions. It doesn't go much further than that. A shout from ahead brings you too away from one another.

"Are you guys coming?" Hobi yells.

"Yeah, one second!" Jimin screams back, stepping away from you.

His hand finds yours again and he pulls you to catch up with the others. You try to focus on the rest of the walk, but you find your eyes keep wandering back to Jimin's lips and the pillowy feel of them against your own.

____________________

Next

Masterlist

____________________

Notes:

The other bottle inscriptions on the perfume if anyone wanted to know are:

MC: to my favourite fox

Yoongi: to the fierce protector I wish to put at ease.

Jungkook: to the bunny I want to show the world

Jimin: To the panda I already might love

Hoseok: To the human I want to ruin in the best ways

Namjoon: to the leader I wish to spoil

Sorry I was MIA again, I went to Disneyland 🤷🏼♀️.

Also this chapter was not at all planned, but here you have it 🙃 I promise next time will be the bonfire that was supposed to happen three chapters ago and then we will move on from solstice. Next time should be next week but ive been working myself up about this chapter so much now that it's going to be very convoluted so it might be the week after.

#bts fic #bts smut #bts hybrids #hybrid bts #kpop fic #kpop smut #BTS poly #bts polyamory #jungkook smut #jimin smut #taehyung smut #hoseok smut #namjoon smut #jin smut #yoongi smut

[remmicreates]

I would love to see snippets from your au!! 👀

Info for the AU!

-I’ve been calling it “Confidant” / “ConfidantAu” and it’s in Chloe’s POV

-Chloe redemption arc

-Chloe knows Adrien is Chat

-Adrien and Chloe found family is a big thing

-Endgame Luka x Chloe x Kagami, or uh, Luklogami (I think that’s it)

((I may edit this ask and add more info later ;) ))

Here are two snips I’m working on for it.

——

First one

——

“I don’t think she’s coming back” Chloe says out loud, hands pressed firmly against her cheeks as she stares blankly at her homework.

She’s been trying for months to get back into the habit of doing it on her own, and having someone around helps, but even as she stares at her half finished set of notes, she can’t find it within herself to return back to them.

Adrien looks up from his work, he’s laying down on his stomach, Plagg resting on the space on his back. He looks up at her before propping himself up on his forearms, pushing his papers to the side. “What brought this on?”

She purses her lips. “I don’t know, I think I’m just doom-spiraling. That’s what you call it right?” She leans back against her bed frame and closes her eyes.

“Do you know what triggered it?” Adriens sitting up now. Plagg rolls off his back and zips to his hair.

and Chloe feels guilt building up in her gut, the same way she does everytime she makes a point to humiliate her classmates, he snuck out to be here and now sitting and he’s listening to her vent. Ugh.

“I uh, I tried talking to Marinette again today” she picks at the seam on her leggings. “It im, it didn’t go well, it hasn’t anytime I’ve tried. She always thinks it’s a joke or I’m making fun at her expense. I can never get a minute to talk to her. I think she’s started to avoid me now” she laughs sadly.

“It just feels like mothe- Audrey follows me everywhere, even when I’m trying to fix the mess I made”

Adrien sighs, pushing up to lean against the bed frame next to her. “I mean, that makes sense though right? You haven’t been exactly nice to Marinette.” He presses his shoulder against hers. “It sucks though, I get that, it took me a while to be able to apologize to her too, and she hasn’t known me for years.

“Do you want me to talk to her? Convince her that you’re being genuine”

Chloe shakes her head, “no, I got myself in this mess, it’s about time I take care of it”

Adrien hums, and wraps an arm around her shoulder. She can feel a purr reverberating from his chest.

She leans forward to rest her in her hands again. “I just wish it was easier.”

——

Second snippet

——

Chloe brushes the nonexistent dust from the lapel of her blazer, leaning to the side to be closer to Kagami. She has somehow managed to convince the fencer to go out on a shopping trip with her.

The girl next to her, like a lot of the others, was still convinced that she was an annoying brat. And she could be, that’s true. But she was trying to expand herself past that, you know?

They pass a thrift store and Chloe feels an old feeling ick crawl up her spine. The place reeks of strong perfume and old fabrics.

She inwardly holds her breath, trying to not seem off put as she gestures Kagami towards the store.

Adrien had said she should try to experience new things, and this was a very new thing. Besides, Kagami’s mother probably didn’t want her to be there either, which made it slightly more appealing to the blonde.

Kagami raises a brow, expression a curious neutral as they enter the building. “I didn’t think you were into this sort of thing, Chloe. Seems like,” Kagami takes a cardigan in between her fingers, rubbing the fabric against her skin, “it’s something you would be against”

Chloe huffs, walking towards a rack of clothes labeled ‘prom’. “It is, but I’m trying to get into trying new things, and for as much as I dislike these places, I’ve never actually been to one.

“I don’t know if you’ve been to one either, so I figured, why not, right?” Chloe finds herself going on, so she bites her tongue.

Out of the corner of her eye, Chloe thinks she sees the other girl smile. And carefully cataloged the moment as a win in her book.

“I have not been to a place like this” Kagami admits. “It’s an interesting place.” Kagami has another piece of fabric in her hands, a bright red blazer with gold trim and teal accents, Chloe thinks it suits her.

She snaps out of her thoughts when Kagami catches her eye, and starts mindlessly looking at the dresses in front of her.

They aren’t as bad as she thought. Mostly just new or rarely used items.

She finds a bluff dress with golden trim around the sleeves and neckline and holds it up against her.

“I think that would look very good on you” Kagami says from behind her and Chloe almost jumps out of her skin.

“You think?” Chloe says with a carefully crafted smile, red burning onto her cheeks, and vaguely she’s glad for the large amount of makeup she had on.

“I do” Kagami says honestly, before looking to her side. Do you think they have a dressing room here? I would like to see you try it on.”

Chloe flushes again, looking around as well, before spotting a small line of stalls against the far wall. “I think so, but if I try it on, you have to try on the blazer, it’s definitely your color.” She smirks, pushing her hair behind her shoulder.

Kagami gives a small smile back, turning to grab the blazer off the hanger. “Sounds like a fair deal.”

——

These are both going to be scenes in the full fic but for now they’re just oneshots/one offs

Feel free to ask any questions :)

#mlb au #miraculous au #miraculous fic #mlb fanfic #cliffhanger #remmicreates #chloe bourgeois #chlogami #kagami tsurugi #adrienne agreste

[risingwiththeheatabove]

A Little Honey - Chapter 8 - Baby I’m Your’s

Pairing: Josh X Reader

Series list

Warnings for series: 18+, Alcoholism, toxic parents, domestic abuse, drug use, alcohol use, coarse language, angst, fluff, explicit sexual content, NSFW, smut, unprotected sex, fingering, oral, blood kink, praise kink, daddy kink, and probably so much more that I am forgetting.

Word Count 7K

A/N I apologize for this chapter taking so long. Life has been crazy, but I am so excited to finally get it out! I know I left y’all with a bit of a cliff hanger but I hope this chapter makes it up to you. She is a spicy one! As I have mentioned before I am doing a tag list for this series so comment below or send me a message if you would like to be included. Peace and love.

“Fuck, I am so sorry Honey. This was supposed to be our day. None of this should have happened.” He said unable to mask his own sadness. You had nothing left to say. Sitting there silently you decided to take Sam’s advice and just listen.

“Before I explain I need you to know none of this is your fault. Sam had no clue what he was fucking talking about. He caused this disaster not you!”

You were confused as to how any of this was Sam’s fault, but you remained listening. Hoping that somewhere in his explanation things would start to make sense.

“I was with Nora last night, but it is not at all what you think.” He paused taking your chin into his hand meeting his eyes with yours. “This is not how I wanted to do this. I wanted it to be romantic.” You looked at him completely disoriented by what he was saying. “Nora was helping me plan a surprise for you. I needed your work schedule and a few other things I couldn’t have asked you for with out tipping you off. I wanted to plan something special for you at the Vegas show.” He said with a nervous smile on his face.

You were frozen trying to put all the pieces of the puzzle together. “Why would Jake tell Sam you have been dating Nora?” You ask searching his eyes desperately for answers.

“That is a bit more complicated..”

February 14th - Valentines Day at the Studio

The boys had spent the first half of the day preparing set-lists and coordinating lighting and effects. Josh had been nervous all day thinking about what he was planning for you. The guys had picked up on his jitters. Josh admitted to having an important dinner planned with Nora, so the boys insisted they could finish the rest of the days tasks with out him. He jumped at the opportunity to leave.

Danny had similar nerves as he hadn’t planned anything for Valentines Day. He and Nora had been secretly dating over the past month and he was unsure as to how she would feel spending the holiday together. Airing on the side of caution he treated the day like any other. Throughout the day he feared he had made the wrong decision. Jake picked up on the unusually unsettled state of his brother from another mother.

“Are you doing okay dude?” Jake asked Danny.

“Yeah, just distracted I guess.” Danny responded shaking his head.

“Care to talk about it?” Jake offered as he took a set across from Danny.

“If I tell you, you have to keep in on the down low. Nobody knows yet, not even Y/N.”

“This has to do with Nora?” Jake quickly picked up on where the conversation was going.

“We have been… seeing each other. For about a month now.”

“Congrats man!”

“Thanks! Yeah I am pretty stoked! I just… I didn’t plan anything for Valentines Day. It felt too soon, but now I am second guessing myself.”

“Nora is a cool chick. I am sure she doesn’t mind. Plus it sounds like she is busy tonight helping Josh.”

“You are probably right… So he is really going to do it?” Danny asked in reference to Josh’s upcoming surprise Nora had informed him of.

“I think so! I have never seen him so in love. They deserve to be happy.” Jake said through a big grin, excited for his twin.

Jake and Danny meet up with Sam as they signed off on their individual documents approving tour details. Danny finished up first heading out for the night. Leaving Jake and Sam to close up the studio.

“What was up with him today?” Sam asked referring to Josh.

Jake mistook Sam’s question assuming he had been referring to Danny. “If I tell you, you have to keep it a secret!” Jake said shooting Sam a quizzical expression.

“Hey if there is one thing I can do, its keep a secret!” Sam said all too confidently.

“Him and Nora have been secretly dating for the past month.” Jake explained not knowing Sam would confuse the situation.

“No shit! How does Y/N feel about that?” Sam asked shocked by his brothers admission.

“She doesn’t know yet. No body does. They want to keep it a secret until they are ready.” Jake replayed.

“I didn’t see that one coming!” Sam exclaimed.

Jake confused by his brothers bewilderment shrugged him off and said his goodbyes for the evening.

February 15th 2022

Josh relays the conversations at the studio to you.

“Oh my god.” You say mortified by your contribution to the mess of the evening. “I am going to kill Sam!” You scream into the couch pillow.

Josh laughs at you, pulling the pillow down from your face. “Not before I do!” His fingers brush your hair off your skin and neatly tuck it behind your ear. Your face red with embarrassment about how far this misunderstanding escalated. “Can we kill him tomorrow? I think we have had enough fighting for one day.” He says followed by a lingering kiss on your forehead.

“Josh, I am so sorry…”

“Shhh it’s all okay.” He hums softly as he pulls your head to his chest. You release your weight on to him as his arms wrap around you.

“When Sam told me…” You paused trying to collect your thoughts. “I wasn’t thinking straight. I thought I was losing you.” Tears began to creep through your closed lids.

“Honey, I am yours… and if you ever want that to change you will have to pry me off with a crowbar.” He jokes as his hands begin to run through your hair.

“Things have just been so different lately. Nora has been distant and I thought I pushed her away. I felt like I was losing you both.” You nuzzle into his chest with your tears slowly finding his shirt. “You have been so busy, don’t get me wrong I am so happy for your success. I have just missed you. I have missed how things were.”

“I have missed you Honey, more than you know. This tour is going to be hard, but we will make it through. There is no doubt in my mind. All the prep is done so for the next month I am entirely yours.”

You wrap your arms around him holding on tightly as if he was going to disappear.

“I love you.” He offers as he places another kiss on top of your head.

Removing your head from his chest you look up to meet his gaze. Your swollen, and red eyes meet his. “I love you so much.” You say as he places his hand on your cheek wiping away tears with his thumb.

Just then you hear the front door open. Turning your head you look towards the entry way to see Nora come around the corner.

“I am going to kill Sam!” She says as she finds you on the couch, wrapping her arms around you as well.

“Get in line!” You chuckle as her apologetic eyes meet yours.

“Y/N I should never have kept things from you. I just didn’t want to shove my uncomplicated relationship in your face while… while you two figure out your relationship.” She said removing her arms from the group hug. Josh did the same as he shifted to get up.

“I will let you guys talk.” He said as he stood up, placing a comforting hand on your shoulder. “I will pick you up in the morning and we can try again with our valentines festivities?” He asks as he walks towards the door.

“Third times the charm.” You say playfully. He blows you a kiss before walking out, closing it behind him.

Nora gets up to grab a glass of water for each of you. You join her at the table.

“Did you really think I would do that to you Y/N? Date Josh?” She asked with a furrowed brow.

“I wasn’t thinking. Nothing made sense and things have been so weird between us lately.” You say offering out a hand for her to hold. She apprehensively takes it into her own. “I am sorry if I have pushed you away. I should have made more time for you.”

“After you left me at the bar, I felt I don’t know… like you replaced me. I was having a hard time with the idea of you having a new partner in crime. I see how happy Josh makes you and I want you to be happy. You deserve to be happy! I just miss my big sister.” She said looking down at the table as if she was embarrassed to admit her feelings.

You place your other hand on top of hers and offer a light squeeze. “No one could ever replace you Nora. You are my ride or die! I am so sorry I made you feel that way.”

“I am sorry I didn’t tell you about Danny.” She said keeping her gaze downward.

“I would have been happy for you! I am happy for you.You could have told me you know?”

“The last month went by so fast. I didn’t know how to casually slip that into conversation. Especially when I was seeing you so infrequently.”

“Well I guess Sam took care of that one for ya!” You said as you both laughed at the events of the day. “I have missed you Nora.”

“I have missed you.” She said offering another squeeze to your hand. “Also I would never date Josh. I would never do that to you! Plus I don’t date short guys!” She said laughing at her own joke. You couldn’t help but giggle.

You continue to catch up with her. Grabbing the remaining bottle of wine from the fridge you settle in on the couch and discuss Nora’s new relationship. She explains that Danny asked her out on a date while they were at his birthday Dinner. Since then they had gone on several dates. Nothing was official just yet, but it may as well have been. You both finished off the bottle and joked about all of the ways you could get back at Sam for causing this shit show. Eventually growing tried you parted ways to go to bed.

“Come here!” You held out grabby hands as you motioned for her to hug you as both stood from the couch. She accepted swallowing you in to her tall frame.

“When ever you get done playing house with Josh we should plan a camping trip. We haven’t done one in a while.”

“I’d love that. When the boys are off on tour it will be like old times around here!” You said looking forward to spending more time with her.

“Has your big surprise been ruined?” She asked with a quizzical look on her face.

“Not entirely! All I know is it has to do with the Vegas show. Thank you for helping him with that by the way.” You say as you walk towards your room.

“It’s my pleasure! That boy sure loves you.” She says before closing the door to hers.

You smile as you slide into bed thinking about your lover boy and what surprises he has in store for you.

The next morning you wake up to the smell of bacon, eggs and coffee drifting in from the kitchen. Slowly peeling yourself from your bed you make your way to the kitchen grabbing a blanket to wrap up in.

“Need any help?” You ask rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

“Are you awake enough to be on toast duty?” Nora pokes. She was already dressed and ready for the day. Unlike yourself who hadn’t even put pants on yet.

“I think I can manage!” You jest back in a sassy tone, pouring yourself a cup of coffee. Placing a few slices of bread in the toaster you walk over to the table to sit down.

“When is Josh supposed to be here?” She asked.

“Your guess is as good as mine.” You shrug your shoulders as you take a sip from your warm mug.

Before she could respond the front door opened. Josh stepped through the threshold with a tray of coffee in one hand and a bag of food in the other. Kicking the door shut behind him with his foot, he walked toward the kitchen. He had on his usual white tee with mala bead, his light washed jeans and white vans. I sight to behold no matter how many times you had seen it.

“Speak of the devil!” Nora said lightheartedly.

“Love you too Nora.” Josh popped back. “Well shit! I thought I would treat you ladies to breakfast.” He say defeated placing the food on the counter. “Is something burning?”

“SHIT, the toast!” You run over to the toaster to find a plume of smoke pouring out of the top. Quickly turning it off you find 3 black pieces of what was once bread. Josh and Nora laugh as you show them the damage.

“You had one job!” Nora teased. “You didn’t happen to bring toast?” She asked Josh.

“The French kind!” He said pointing a finger into the air all to excited to unpack the goodies from the brown bag. French toast with berries and fresh whipped cream.

You help him place the food and coffee on the table while Nora brings over the bacon and eggs. He pulls you in to his arms still wrapped in your blanket. Your arms snake around his waist as your face meets his for a kiss. His velvet lips taste of coffee and sugar. He pinches at your sides attempting to tickle you. You squirm away and find your seat at the table with Nora, he follows joining you.

“This looks absolutely divine! Thank you both!” You say as you dig in.

“Josh saved the day!” Nora exclaimed.

Josh gasped. “A compliment from Nora?! Do my ears deceive me?” He said as he leaned back in playful shock.

“Don’t get used to it!” She popped back. “I don’t know how you tolerate him sometimes!” She said directed towards you.

“Will you two stop it! You are the two people I love the most in this world. Would it kill you to get along?” You ask.

“YES!” They say in unison. You all break out into laughter.

After you all finish eating Nora insists on cleaning up so you and Josh could leave before traffic picks up. Your bags were still sitting in the hallway packed up so you slip on a pair of denim shorts and brush your hair before getting in the Jeep. Josh climbs in the drivers side placing a hand on your bare thigh as he pulled out of the parking lot.

“Jake is out of town until Sunday so the house is ours for the next four days.” He said with a devious smirk on his face.

“Whatever will we do with all of that time?” You tease reaching over to run your fingers through is curls. Finding a spot on the back of his head near his neck. You offer a playful tug causing him to bite his bottom lip.

“Mama...” He say through a little moan.

“Sugar you know what that does to me.” You said referring to the nickname he reserves for intimate moments.

“Trust me Mama, I know.” He says all to pleased with himself. His hand travels higher up your thigh gripping tighter around your flesh. “I would hate to ruin those panties, they are my favorite.”

“We can buy more.” You hum climbing over the console to place soft kisses along his neck.

His hand moves from your thigh to your cheek. His thumb brushing your lips. He presses in slightly as you suck his thumb into your mouth.

“I need you to be a good girl for me until we get home. Can you do that?” He says looking at you with nothing but lust as his thumb sits in your mouth. You nod your head yes as he pulls his thumb out. “That’s my girl.” He says placing a kiss on your hand.

You sit back in your seat letting out a small huff and crossing your arms. Josh chuckled at your theatrics. You continued your flirtatious tantrum until you pulled into the drive way. As Josh unbuckled you grabbed his arm before he could open the door.

“Leave the bags.” You said as you hopped out and ran towards the door with a frisky pep in your step. He also ran following you through the door. Throwing off your shirt as you fast step towards the bedroom. He trails close behind until he catches up pushing you against the wall his lips meet yours.

“I said be good.” He teased in-between kisses. His tone drunk with desire.

“You said be good until we get home…” You say before his lips meet your again. “We are home now and I can be as bad as I want to.” He quickly removes his shirt and you pull on the button of his jeans.

“Shower. Now.” He says leaning over you with his hand pointing towards the bathroom.

“Yes sir.” You bite flirtatiously as you skip off to the bathroom. His hand meeting your ass with a quick swat.

You undress and turn on the water waiting for him to join you. Music fills the air as Josh puts on your favorite record before returning to the bathroom in just his jeans. With the water now warm you step under and watch him undress.

“Enjoying the show?” He ask cocking an eyebrow at you.

“Very much so!” You chirp back opening the curtain further for him to join you.

He gets in and pulling you into a tight hug and dragging you under the water with him. You both laugh as the water sprays you in the face. With your eyes closed you find his lips again welcoming in his warm tongue. Still tasting just as sweet as it did earlier in that morning. His hands travel down exploring your breasts, and passing over your curves before he moves one down to your core. Your breath catches as he works his fingers between your folds.

“Such a good girl, so wet for me.” He says before moving his lips to your neck. His forefinger finds your swollen bud circling it slowly he teases you.

“Josh..” You moan.

“Yes Mama?” He hums into your neck. With out having to respond he new what you wanted. He tapped your thigh signaling he was going to pick you up. With one smooth motion he had your thighs in his hands and your back pushed against the shower wall. His tongue finding your nipple he bites at it lightly sending electricity through your core. His pulsating cock was pressed against you teasing you with every small movement. You reached down directing it into your entrance. Josh threw his head back as he bottomed out inside of you. “Fuck..” Slipped past his lips as his gaze returned to you. “You feel so good Mama, whose perfect pussy is that?”

“It’s your Josh.” You say through your moans.

“That’s right, its all mine.” He begins to thrust into you faster. Your back lightly smacking the wet tile with each motion. A string of moans and cursing escape your lips as you grow closer to your climax. Josh pulls out lowering you to your feet. “Not yet Mama, I wanna taste it. I want you to cum on my face.” You brace yourself as he pulls your thighs apart with his hands and buries his face in your center. His tongue making quick work on your clit as his fingers enter you curling just right. Your hands fly down to his hair desperately looking for something to hold on to as your orgasm washes over you. His tongue laps up your slick slowly as you come down from you high. Pulling him back up to you by his hair, he meets you with a devilish smirk. Spinning him around quickly you push his back against the wall. Lowering to your knees you look up at him. His hand finding your chin, he lightly strokes your cheek with his thumb. You place sloppy kisses on his lower abdomen causing him to twitch under your touch.

“Honey.” He moans as your tongue meets the head of his cock. Teasing the tip you lick down to the base taking his balls in your hand. His hands find the back of your head begging for me. “I need it Mama.”

“I love it when you beg baby.” You hum as you take him into your mouth.

“Fuck Mama I don’t know what’s better, your mouth or your pussy.” He says biting his lower lip. His eyes threatening to close as his head falls back once more.

“Look at me while I swallow you down. Who is your good girl?” You say through little licks to his shaft.

“You are Mama. Taking in every inch and begging for more. You are such a good girl for me. So pretty with my cock in your mouth.” He watches as you take him back in. Feeling him beginning to reach his climax, you pick us the pace as you work him through.

“Y/N…” He moans as his warm cum pours down your throat. Swallowing each drop as if it were honey. Releasing him from your mouth you pepper kisses up his body before meeting his lips once more. The water had since turned cold both of you too busy to notice. Josh turned off the water and reached out grabbing a towel off of the rack. He wrapped it around you before grabbing one for himself. Draping it low on his hips he steps out offering you a hand behind him. You accept as you walk toward the sink. He picks you up causing you to giggle before setting you down on the counter. He bites at your neck playfully as you swing your legs around him. “I love you.” He says kissing your cheek.

“I know.” You tease as he threatens to pick you up again. “Okay okay I love you too.” You say through laughter.

“What do you want to do today?” He asks as he slips back into his clothes.

“I was pretty happy with what we were doing.” You say in a flirty tone.

“We will have plenty of time for that Honey.” He responded offering you another kiss before walking into the bedroom to find his shirt.

Defeated you hop down and join him in the bedroom. Searching through his things for something to wear. Finding your shorts and a one of his shirts. to throw on.

“How does some lunch and a movie sound?” He asks grabbing your hand and leading you toward the kitchen. “I have this new India dish I have been wanting to try.”

“Ohh I love it when my man cooks for me.” You say taking a seat at the counter.

Josh prepared lunch while you picked out a movie. The record he put on earlier had ended so you put on some Elvis hits to dance to with him. You helped chop, but mainly distracted him as you danced around the kitchen in circles. Occasionally he offered a few of his own moves resembling the ones he used on stage. Somehow he finished the meal despite your wonderfully distracting performance. Hungry from your earlier activities you both inhaled the deliciousness in front of you. Josh cleaned up while you brought in your bags from the car. Taking the record off as you returned inside. Then finding a spot to cuddle up on the couch. After finishing in the kitchen he joined you snuggling into the space between your legs resting his head on your stomach.

“What did you pick?” He asked.

“It felt like a Star Wars Day!” You said pressing play.

“Ohhh A New Hope good choice.” He said cheerfully.

You hummed pleased with yourself. Settling in you began to softly play with his hair. About half way through you heard soft snoring coming from Josh. You laughed as you closed your own eyes to join him for a nap. A few hours or so must have pasted before you were woken up by a frantic Josh looking for his phone. “Honey get up! We are running late!” He said looking up from his phone screen.

“Since when did you care about being late?” You laugh as you sit up. “What are we even late for?”

“I made dinner reservations for 6 and its 5:30!” He said rushing into the bedroom. You follow him still laughing at his nervous behavior. You find him in the closet pulling a dress from the rack. It was a little black dress, satin with a plunging neck line and silver rhinestone embellishments. He hands it to you with a pair of black strappy heels.

“Josh…” Slips through your lips in a whisper as you look at him in elated shock. “It’s beautiful!” You said in a whispered yell. “Is this for tonight? Where are we going?” You ask as you strip off your outfit from earlier.

“You will see just get ready!” He laughs at your eager excitement. “Quickly!”

You slip the dress on as he watches longingly. He offers a hand in zipping up the back before you run into the bathroom to do your hair and make up. He changes into a pair of khakis and loafers, replacing his long sleeve shirt with a form fitting charcoal turtle neck. The most dressed up you had ever seen him. You style your hair down and quickly apply some minimal make up. Adding a red lip to spice it up a bit. Strapping up your heels you step out of the bathroom to find Josh stroking his chin hairs in anticipation. The dress was pretty short showing off your legs. You place a foot on the bed next you Josh. He places a soft kiss on the inside of your thigh before his eyes catch on your center.

“I am surprised you didn’t ruin them earlier.” He says referring to your satin underwear he deemed his favorite. “You look absolutely stunning Mama.” He said standing up placing kisses up your arm.

“I thought we were in a hurry?” You tease.

“There is always enough time to admire my Honey.” He says as he pecks your cheek. “But we are really fucking late so we should probably go!”

You rush to the Jeep and He drives you too a 5-star restaurant on the lakeside.

“Josh this seems really expensive.” You said feeling uncomfortable with how much money he was about to spend on you.

“You deserve it.” He said offering you hand to slide out of the Jeep. His other hand meeting the small of your back and leading you in through the entrance. The restaurant was dimly lit with warm candle lighting at each table. It was private and quiet despite all of the tables being full. Josh checks in at the front desk and the hostess guided you to a table next to a large window looking out over the water. The lights and the stars reflected off of its surface, dancing in the waves. He pulled out your chair as you took in the view. Sitting down he pushed you in before taking his seat across the table. “Do you like it?” He said nervously.

“This is amazing. You are amazing.” You said taking his hand in yours.

Your touch helping him to relax some. “Hopefully this makes up for the last two days?” He asked scratching his head.

“And then some!” You say as the waiter comes over to take your drink order. Josh orders a glass of wine for each of you.

“So as you know we have our show in Vegas next week opening for Metallica.”

You nod as a smile creeps up on your face.

“I have already ran it by Debbie and she covered all of your shifts. That is if you want to join us for the weekend.”

“No I think I will stay in Nashville and work instead.” You say sarcastically. “Are you fucking kidding me?! Of course I want to go to Vegas with my best friends, sister and lover boy!” He laughs at your excitement.

“We have tickets to fly out Wednesday night the show is on Friday so we have sometime to find trouble in sin city.” He said regaining his confidence shooting you a wink.

Your wine is served and you both order your meals. While you wait Josh takes it upon himself to show you the empty patio area. He leads you out onto the wooden walkway. Holding tightly around your waist you find a spot on the railing to look out over the water. He tells you about the plans for the big weekend in Vegas as you run little circles over his hand with your finger. The soft lights glow off of his rosy cheeks and his eyes look almost black as they stare back at you. You can see through the window that the food is being placed at the table. He leads you back inside still wrapped snuggly around you.

“Jake and Jita recommended this place so if the food sucks we can blame them.” He joked as you both dug into your entrees.

“Mmmmm.” You cooed as you took your first bite.

“You are too cute Honey.” He chuckled, causing you to blush.

“Ooo that’s not what you called me earlier.” You jested with a suggestive smirk on your face.

“Dirty talk, in public Mama?” He said with lust filling his voice.

You brush your leg against his. “What are you going to do about it Sugar?”

“Does Mama want it a little rough tonight?” He purred just above a whisper. You rubbed your thighs together looking for friction as you bit your bottom lip. “At this rate you will definitely have those panties ruined before we even have dessert.”

“I’ve got your dessert and you can take it to go.” You flash him a wink.

He chuckles at your cheesy line but loves every second of it. Reaching a hand under the table to brush your knee.

“I have a surprise for you when we get home.” He said squeezing your thigh before returning his hand to the table. You wiggle in your seat at the loss of contact. “You are acting like you didn’t just cum on my face hours ago.” He continued to laugh at your antics.

“Excuse me?” You hear an unfamiliar apprehensive voice behind you. Josh’s face grew beet red as as he saw the young woman approach the table. You couldn’t help but laugh at his flustered appearance. “Are you Josh? From Greta Van Fleet?”

“Why yes, yes he is!” You answer attempting to hold back your laughter. He kicked you lightly under the table.

“Hi! Dear what is your name?” He said trying his best to compose himself.

“Ashley!” She squealed as he got out her phone. “I am sorry to bug you while you are at dinner but do you mind taking a picture with me?”

“Of course not, Honey will you be our photographer?”

“Always Sugar.” You say taking the phone from the young woman. You stand up from your seat to take the photo.

“You are gorgeous!” She says nervously referring to you.

“Isn’t she?” Josh agreed enthusiastically as he posed for the picture. You snap a few before handing the phone back for her to review.

“These are perfect! Thank you so much!” She said hugging her phone tightly to her chest.

“Thank you! It was lovely to meet you Ashley!” He said as he retook his seat. Still blushing from the embarrassment of what the poor fan may have heard come from his mouth as she approached. As Ashley walked back to her own table you broke out in laughter. “It is not funny!” Josh said laughing through his scolding tone. “Do you think she heard me?” He asked slightly mortified.

“Definitely.” You snort you laugh so hard. Causing him to let out a belly roll of a laughter. “That will be on twitter later.” You add.

“Shit.” He said throwing his face into his hands. “Do you want to just leave?”

“Oh no you were insistent that we stay for dessert!” You teased as you both finished your meals.

Your server returned. “Would you like to see the dessert menu?” He asked.

“No.” Josh said but you interrupted him

“We would love to.” You said with a playful smirk. He handed you the menu as you read it painfully slow. “Mmmm chocolate lava cake, crème brûlée… raspberry gelato.” You read off as your hand snakes under the table brushing his thigh. “What sounds good to you Sugar?”

He bites his lip and smiles, shaking his head at your teasing. “Whatever you want Mama.” He coos back.

“I think one of each… to go.” You smack his thigh before returning the menu to the waiter and placing your order.

Josh’s leg begins to bounce out of impatience as you wait for the bill. It only takes a few minutes for them to bring over the wrapped up desserts and check. Josh throws down a lump of cash with out even looking at the ticket. Grabbing the bag of goodies with one hand his other hand finds your waist once more as you exit the restaurant. Once through the doors he places a hand firmly on your ass, squeezing with a frisky force. You both practically run to the car, giggling with anticipation. As soon as he climbs in the drivers seat he meets you for a heated kiss. You crawl in to the back seat and he looks at you inquisitively.

“Here?” He asks turned on by your boldness.

“Get back here before I change my mind.”

He makes quick work of joining you as you shimmy off your satin panties. Now completely soaked through with your slick. Josh grabs them shoving them in his pocket.

“These are mine now. A memento for lonely tour nights.” He says with a grin, undoing his khaki pants.

You push his chest back until he is seated in front of you. You climb into his lap, straddling his legs with yours. He works his pants down just far enough to get the job done. He collects your arousal with his fingers and coats his shaft with it before lining up with your entrance. His eyes meet your for consent. You nod as you lower your hips down onto him. You feel him filling you up to the brim. He places messy kisses along your chest as you begin riding him. He pulls your dress up over your ass fully exposing it. His hands each grabbing at your cheeks, he helps conduct the rhythm. Soft moans fill up the small space as the windows fogged over.

“Fuck Mama I am not going to last long.” He said through gritted teeth.

“Cum for me Baby. Show me how good I make you feel.” You say tugging lightly at his hair. Causing a louder moan to escape his lips. You pick up speed as you ride him.

“Y/N…” He said as you felt his warmth fill you. He always said your name when he came, never a nickname.

You sat there leaning your forehead against his as you both caught your breath.

“Are you going to be able to drive home?” You teased as you climb off of him and back into the passenger seat. He followed behind still catching his breath.

“It’s a shame I am going to have to take that dress off of you when we get home.”

“Mmmm I’ll remember what it does to you, I can capitalize on that in the future.” You flirtatiously jest back.

His tongue sneaks out passed his lips as he grins deviously.

The drive home was fortunately very short. Josh fumbled with the keys as he attempted to unlock the door. Eventually getting it open you ran inside to secure the desserts in the kitchen. Just as you closed the fridge for Josh had your wrist in his hand guiding you to the bedroom.

“Leave it on for just a bit longer.” He said referring to your dress. Sitting you down on the bed he walked over to the dresser, grabbing a few things out of the top drawer. “Close your eyes.” He instructed. You did as he asked. You felt a silk fabric cover your eyelids and that he knotted at the back of your head. “Do you trust me Honey?”

“I trust you Josh.” You say as you feel his soft lips meet yours for a sweet kiss.

“Lay back with your hands over your head Mama.” You do as he says. You feel similar silk ties wrap your wrists together. “You are such a good girl.” He offered praises as he secured them. “Honey, if at any point you want me to stop just say so. Green, yellow, red, got it?”

“Green Baby. Very green.”

His hands trail down from your thighs to your ankles. Delicately undoing each of your heels and removing them. His touch disappears for a minute and you wiggle with a need for it to return. Just as you are about to speak you feel a cool silicon object touch your skin.

“Joshie you bought me a toy?” You tease all too excited.

“Just a little something to have while I am away.” You feel his weight crawl onto the bed next to you. His lips dance along your neck as he turns the vibrator on moving it closer to your center. “I want to watch you play with yourself in that dress, but right now its my turn.” He says as the toy finds your swollen clit. He flicks it on for just a second warming you up. Your legs squirm longing for more. He doesn’t make you wait any longer. Turning it back on he runs the toy along your sensitive bud. You find yourself holding you breath chasing your release. His other hand comes up to your throat.

“Green!” You say so quickly you were almost embarrassed. He hums at your eager excitement as his hands wrap around applying pressure to just the sides. “Baby don’t stop… I am going to…” Just as your orgasms threatens to slip over he shuts the vibrator off.

“Does my good girl want to cum?” He teased.

“Please Sugar, please I need it. I was so good earlier.” You beg in a helpless tone.

“Let me watch you Mama.” He says as he unties your hands, and the blindfold. He gives you the vibrator as he walks over to a chair that is in the corner of the room. He pulls it closer to the bed before taking a seat. You inch up the bed toward the headboard, pulling the bottom of your dress up slightly for better access. You spread your legs in front of him, planting your feet on the mattress with your knees bent. You grab the toy and run it through your arousal. Teasing yourself you bite your lip, locking eyes with him as you turn on the vibrator. He leans over the edge, placing his elbow on the bed and his chin in his hand. A lust filled grin grows across his face as he watches you bring your self to orgasm. It doesn’t take long, with in a few minutes your legs are shaking and the air is catching in your chest as you let go. Leaving the vibrating silicone pressed against your clit you feel a second wave of electricity pass over your body. Your toes curl as you throw your head back involuntarily. A large volume of wetness is felt between your legs as you come back to the moment. Turning off the device and setting it to the side your eyes meet his once more. Josh’s facial expression is one of pure astonishment. “That was fucking hot.” He says pulling off his turtle neck and crawling on top of you. “I will replay that in my head every night that I am away from you.” He says placing love bites down your neck and chest.

“I am not going to be able to walk by the end of the weekend, am I?” You tease.

“That’s the plan.” He hums seductively into your neck. His arms reach under you undoing the zipper of your dress. He takes his time pulling it off of you. Exposing inch by inch as he follows behind the dress with wet kisses and licks. Starting at your breasts, passing over your stomach, your hips, thighs, calves and even placing a gentle kiss on the top of your foot as he finishes pull the dress off. “I will never get tired of seeing you naked.” He said standing at the edge of the bed pausing for a few moments to take you in. You crawl over to the edge of the bed, popping onto your knees you wrap your arms around his neck as you lean in for a kiss. His hands find your ass once more.

“Ready for round three?” You whisper into his ear followed by a nip to his pierced ear lobe.

“Have mercy, Mama.” He chaffed in his desire filled tone.

Tag list: @jessicafg03 @gretnavannfleet @dammittjanet @shesawomaninadream

#josh kiszka #josh gvf #joshua michael kiszka #greta van fleet #josh kiszka fanfiction #gvf fanfiction #josh kiszka x reader #josh kiszka x y/n #greta van fic #greta van fleet fan fiction #gvf series #joshua kiszka #fucking hell joshua #A Little Honey #gvf smut #josh kiszka smut #gvf fic

[bellybiologist]

Tallying up the Year

I hope you guys' december (which is almost over already, wtf) is going/has gone well! 2024 is upon us.

This christmas weekend, I mostly found myself thinking about how this year went, and honestly? despite all the things I haven't gotten to do, I still managed to accomplish quite a lot.

Me typing this rambly post out is less anything anyone needs to read, but more to remind myself of Things That Got Done™ than anything else because sometimes... I forget I do be getting shit done! And it's important we remind ourselves of the work we do.

The Things That got Done™

I advocated for my own Health. I scheduled (and went to!) so many doctor and dental appointments this year, holy shit. But, if the last few years have taught me anything, I simply have to put in the effort. I got my colon mostly sorted out, started a new regimen for my skin and hair (after chopping it off) so I'm feeling better, schedule an appointment with the optometrist in January, and even got lots of issues with my teeth fixed. Granted, our broken medical system made it incredibly stressful, and i spent thousands of dollars on the latter that I will be paying off til next july BUT!!!! This section is about the good things.

Started Streaming Again! I've been missing streaming since I stopped way back in I believe 2020. It was a fun way to interact with followers and supporters, so I'm glad I'm back to it on a regular schedule, with many of the old regulars still joining me while I work. Speaking of which:

I finished 43 total stream doodles. While I'm only filling a handful a month, it's definitely adding up! 40+ boys in the span of 5 months is nothing to scoff at, and that's not even considering that I'm doing this alongside normal patreon work.

I finished 39 total commissions this year. I'm definitely still going quite slowly, and I thank everyone who has been extraordinarily patient thus far, but I'm happy to say that my pace has been decent... at least relative to previous years. I got more done in the last 5 months than i did in the roughly year and a half period before 2023!

Replaced SEVERAL appliances that broke down. My computer moniter, my microwave, my refrigerator... all failed on my this year, and it took some work, but I finally managed to get them all replaced! So far, everything is working fine, but next on my agenda is to save up for a new desktop. This one I use for work has been at it since 2017, and it's about time to look into upgrading.

My Google Drive is Looking Nice. It's still not perfect, but I'm still immensely proud of how it's shaping up. There's still some curating of older pieces to do, but I've found a stride where I'm regularly updating it for people to peruse.

=====

Now despite these W's, I still got a long way to go. The things below could be considered resolutions for 2024, but that feels cursed to call them that. They are simply:

Things I Want to GET Done

Adding more YCH Figures. I was definitely expecting to have more to choose from by this point. And I really need to update some of the older ones too, because I think they've aged poorly. I got some neat suggestions and hopefully will find some time this week to showcase them in my discord to collect some feedback before releasing them.

Do more involved pieces/projects. I want to do more things like Comics, or simply pieces that I work on over the course of several sittings, ones where I can experiment and fiddle and practice!!! I rarely ever get to do that these days (I've only finished a few Big Personal Pieces this year), and I need to find time and energy to do them more because those are the things that truly make me feel like I grow as an artist. (and maybe I can find a shading style I actually fucking tolerate.). I also want to get more OC development and stuff done too, cuz I really didn't draw my children a whole lot this year!

Make more fucking Money!!!!! Let's not kid ourselves. I want to get to a point where I'm not just barely meeting the monthly quota. How to get there? I don't know, honestly. Things are so very stacked against artists right now, so it really does feel like the only thing that can be done is Not Give Up. Which I won't do. If/when I go down, I'm making it everyone else's problem. Trust. 😏

Save up to Visit the Boyfriend. I haven't seen him since January 2022! Big goal is to be comfortable enough to where I can fly my ass up there and smooch him. 👏🏽

======

I won't lie, i'm going into 2024 quite anxious and still scraping by by the skin of my teeth (that I'm still paying for). It's going to be a BIG year cuz oh boy, it's election year, there's plenty of family developments i gotta keep an eye on and work to be a part of... not to mention all the horrible stuff going on still (free palestine!).

Here's hoping shit goes our way this coming year! And let's get ,more strikes going so everyone is getting their fucking money!!! :V

#verzi rambles #god 2024 is a BIG year for lots of reasons

[fioreofthemarch]

Finding Her - Chapter 7

Link makes notes, takes photos and keeps time on his quest across Hyrule, in the hopes of finding Zelda and staying sane until he does. [ Previous | Next | First | AO3 ]

Log date: 15:30. 6th month, 15th day 104AC Location: Kakariko Village Weather: Mild

Dear Reader,

I am sitting down now to recount the events of the past three days. I feel as though I could instead recount the past four and a half years, for everything that has occured in that time seems to have led to this day. 

I have never had the talents with Sheikah technology that some of my clan have, my Auntie Purah especially, so please forgive any spelling errors. I have written out all my thoughts on paper and am transcribing them slowly into this Purah Pad, as Master Link asked of me. 

Actually, I will recount some events of the past, for it is all relevant. It began some four years ago, when I first met Master Link. I had grown up hearing stories of his bravery, so when he finally arrived in Kakariko Village, I found myself quite awe-struck. Now I look back at that girlish time with laughter — I used to hide my face at the sight of him! And yes, while Master Link is unique among the Hylians for his strength and dedication, he is as approachable as any other, and I count him among my dear friends. You can imagine my joy when not too long after Master Link came to us, he returned with Princess Zelda. 

I expected the Princess to be very grand and intimidating, but instead when she met my grandmother and I in the Elder’s House, she bowed low before us, and expressed her humblest thanks to the Sheikah for saving Master Link’s life and for serving her family until the very end. She said she could never repay what the Sheikah had sacrificed, and hoped only to assist us with whatever we may need in future. She even turned to me and said (and I’ll never forget it), ‘Link has told me so much of you, Lady Paya, and your dedication to your people. My grandmother could not ask for a better heir’

Heir! There had never been talk of me one day leading Kakariko Village. Me, the shy, sheltered girl who could hardly look a young man in the face! And yet — Princess Zelda had absolute faith in me from the beginning. Since then I have vowed to always put my absolute faith in her, no matter what. 

That faith was tested however, not long after the Upheaval. But I will recount those events later. Oh, an entire hour has passed! I must do my rounds of the Ring Ruins and check on Master Link before supper. Last I heard, he was helping Trissa uncover where the cuccos of our village have been making their new roost. 

---

Log date: 19:00. 6th month, 15th day 104AC Location: Kakariko Village Weather: Cool, rain overnight

Dear Reader, 

I am sitting down again to transcribe my thoughts, having finished a supper of egg and rice curry that Master Link made. I encouraged him to cook for the three of us (myself, Link and my aide Dorian), as he told me earlier today that cooking always improves his mood. But I am getting ahead of myself again. 

When I was younger, I treasured the peaceful calm of Kakariko and was frightened of the outside world. That changed not long after I met Master Link and Princess Zelda and heard of their many travels beyond the village gates. From then on I longed for some change to Kakariko Village, one that would breathe life back into our home. I prayed for it! And I suppose my wish was granted when the Ring Ruins fell upon us on the day of the Upheaval. It has only been two months since then and now Kakariko brims with activity; researchers, tourists, traders and curious travellers. It is my duty as Chief to welcome and watch over them all. 

Three days ago, a new traveller made their way into Kakariko Village. He rode a speckled horse and kept his hood drawn, though his face was red and puffy as though he’d been crying. His clothes were sodden and slightly singed, and he carried no weapons. Riding into town, he paused very briefly to witness the enormous ruins that landed on our village, looked to where myself and Master Tauro stood conversing (but did not wave), and then went straight to the Inn. This, being closed, could not house him, so the traveller sat down by a tree, made a campfire for himself and went to sleep.

Only then did I see, when he lowered his hood, that he was none other than Master Link! This sent the town into a hushed frenzy. The Princess’ own chosen protector, here, and looking downright despondent! What on earth could cause Master Link to be so glum? I could not abide by what that would do to everyone’s spirits. I had to act. 

I summoned all my strength, marched over to where Master Link was napping, grabbed him by his strange new arm and dragged him into the Elder’s House. I boiled water for a bath, gave him a towel, and directed him to remain in the upstairs room until he’d bathed and was ready to tell myself and Dorian all that had happened. He reappeared an hour later, fresh but still morose, and handed me this Purah Pad.

‘Been keeping notes for a month. It’s all in there,’ he said. I bid Dorian to take Link and find the innkeep Oli so that he (and any other guest!) might have a proper bed that evening, and while they were gone, I read.

I read and read, every entry and every photograph. Goddess preserve me. I cannot imagine what Link and Zelda have been through. In fact, I can barely fathom it. Zelda, trapped in the past? Some great evil beneath Hyrule Castle? Secret stones and a Demon King? I feel as though I am reading the ancient texts kept in my grandmother’s library, not the words of a Knight of Hateno Village. 

I slept little after reading the contents of the Purah Pad, and was grateful to meet with Master Link the next morning to discuss. I had many questions but asked few. It is the Chief's duty to counsel, not to interrogate. I began by asking Link what had caused him to seek us out. He said he wanted to go somewhere familiar, and that in Zelda’s absence he figured her most trusted advisors would be the best place to turn. He recounted seeing Zelda in Hebra and Eldin, and hearing rumours that she had been seen all over Hyrule but was acting strange. He said he feared perhaps she had been changed somehow, towards malicious ends. 

This was all deeply troubling. I revealed to Link that I had seen Princess Zelda only weeks ago. She had arrived in the village on the day of the Upheaval, dressed in strange clothes, and forbade anyone to investigate the floating Ring Ruin above the village graveyard. He asked me how she seemed, and Link – I know you will read this. I must admit that I lied. I said I saw nothing out of the ordinary except her clothes. The truth is, her whole affect concerned me. Zelda had always been so kind and warm, but the Princess that I saw that day was stern, cruel even, and spoke to me as though I was a stranger. 

Despite my unease, I suggested to Link that sometimes, there are simpler explanations than the worst ones. He considered this, and nodded in agreement, saying, ‘Let’s hope you’re right’.

Ah, the hour grows late again. I will finish my tale in the morning. As a final note, I will remark on the moment I knew all was not lost. After our discussion, I had a favour to ask of Link. Lasli’s grandmother had been unwell, having wandered too close to the Gloom-covered chasm north of the village, and none of our medicines had proven effective. I asked Link if, in his travels, he had learned of any herb or remedy that could combat Gloom sickness.

Link smiled. ‘I know just the trick,’ he said. Taking the Purah Pad in hand, he materialised a handful of large flowers with otherworldly black and gold petals, and said, ‘Sundelions. I need to thank Josha for them next time I’m in Lookout Landing.’ And with a bow, and remedy in hand, he departed for Lasli’s home. 

---

Log date: 10:00. 6th month, 16th day 104AC Location: Kakariko Village Weather: Showers easing 

Dearest Reader,

I believe this may be my final entry into this Purah Pad. I have grown fond of the device. It has a calming glow that reminds me of blue nightshade and of clear nights under the stars. I can see why Master Link keeps it so close and makes it his travel companion of sorts. 

On the second day after Link arrived in Kakariko, I invited him to join me on my rounds of the village, visiting the researchers at each of the Ring Ruins. I told him he could rest as long as he needed, but that some light exercise might be beneficial to his spirits. He told me running around Hyrule in pursuit of a Princess was exercise enough, but was happy to join me. 

The Zonai Survey Team members were thrilled to meet Link and explain their work on the Ring Ruins. Gossip travels fast among researchers (for they love to talk), so many had already heard of his adventures in Hebra and Eldin, and swore they would do all they could to help find Princess Zelda. I could see no reaction on Link’s face at their pledge, only an affirming nod. Whatever he was really feeling, he could not tell them.

Later, there was a light rain falling as we walked past the fields of carrots and plum trees in the centre of the village, until suddenly the clouds above us split and bright sunshine streamed down. I could not help but pause and take in the sight. It was at this moment that Master Link began to speak. 

‘I saw a vision on my way here,’ he told me, and then explained the geoglyphs that had appeared across Hyrule. I know now that these are the symbols my grandmother has departed in search of. ‘There was a man of the desert, a Gerudo, leading an attack on Hyrule. Zelda was there, protecting them from him. It got me thinking…’ 

I could not help but interject. ‘Ah, that maybe that is why she cannot reveal herself to us? Because of some danger from the past that survived to our time.’

He nodded, and I was satisfied I was correct — until I saw tears in his eyes. I had no choice but to inquire directly. ‘What wounds you, Master Link?’

His face settled into a gentle smile as he blinked away his tears. ‘I just wish I’d been there, to help if I could,’ he said. ‘I miss her, you know?’ 

There in the sun shower, I finally understood the depths of his grief and pain at being wrenched so suddenly from his partner, who had been an anchor for him for as long as he could remember. However, among the gloomy clouds of his countenance there was a single ray of hope — one fueled by a quiet but boundless love. Link’s faith in Zelda had been tested, and it had survived. 

I had one final piece of counsel for him. I advised that his prior doubts about the Princess were not a failure on his part, and that Zelda would want him to be thorough and critical in his investigations. I said that Hyrule is a land of mystery, and in times such as the Upheaval, one cannot beat oneself up for feeling confused. He laughed a little at this, and I cannot express the relief I felt at seeing some joy returned to him. He thanked me for our time together and announced that he planned to stay another day or two to help out around the village where he could. 

As I write, Master Link is currently aiding Wortsworth with translations of some Zonai stone tablets that he came across in the skies above Eldin and Hebra. When he returns, I will hand him back this Purah Pad, but not before I ask another favour of him. Not for me, but for himself — to see in photographic colour how strong he is, and to see that he is alive, thriving even, in a time of great turmoil. I hope Zelda will someday see this too, so she can understand how hard he worked to protect this Kingdom of ours that I know she loves so well.

By the Goddess’ Grace,  

Paya, Chief of Kakariko Village

The final log is accompanied by a portrait of Link, taken on the balcony of the Elder’s House. He stands with an upright posture, outfitted for adventure: a sword and shield over his back, his Zonai energy cell at his belt, a Hylian hood clasped around his neck. There is a sorrowful calm on his face, but determination too. The sun is behind him and his hair is shining.

Caption: You will look back at this moment as your lowest. I encourage you to look back on it as the one with the most potential. 

#totk #tears of the kingdom #tloz #zelink #legend of zelda #tloz fanfiction #tears of the kingdom fanfiction #fanfic #my writing #finding her #this weeks episode is hosted by a SURPRISE GUEST

[sorcerous-caress]

I just wanna thank you so much for your completely earned deconstruction of the writer/reader relationship. I have 2 separate writing blogs, and one, my main in fact, I've all but completely given up on until I want to write again. The other is being transferred to be my new main, and I'm not sure if I'll take requests. I've been debating just taking commissions that I'm comfortable with, and posting my own writing when the mood strikes. You've really made me think, and I appreciate that so much! ❤️

I'm not sure if you've had a similar experience, but basically one of my works exploded somewhat and another did to a lesser extent. I was working on other things and all anyone cared about was those two fics.

When I tell you I pored hours upon hours into this super high fantasy rewrite crossover of my favorite game with the same characters, I mean it. My first chapter was over 8k and I made sure I did a bunch of research to nail both the combat, and dialouge.

I posted it, initially meant to be posted between that and one of the fics- only for it to be ignored and instead all I got was update asks. No-one cared when it was right in my rules that it gave me anxiety and made me not want to write.

It got so bad, I literally dropped the blog. I haven't updated my most popular work since 2019 and I've only the past 6 months got inspired for the secondary popular fic. I got so in my head- desperate to do what my readers wanted and not upset anyone. To this day the next chapter sits half written, with me still torn to rewrite it entirely, or just finish it the way I want to and go from there. Yet it's so soured for me. I still love my concept. I still kind of want to repurpose it and flesh it out but I just get such a bitter taste in my mouth and I freeze and get anxiety even now when I re-read it.

Ironically the lack of reception to my passion project was my wake up call. I was genuinely devastated. I had one thankfully amazing commenter(of course on Archive of Our Own), who didn't know my niche little fantasy video game save its very opening hours(It's Final Fantasy 4, in case you're curious), but clicked anyway and gushed about my execution. A whole 4-5 paragraphs. I cried when I read it, beaming ear to ear grin.

If it wasn't for her? I very well may have quit posting my writing altogether and you know what? I still post that fic. Slowly, granted. My 2nd chapter was 9k+ and the 3rd is looking to be over 10k and has taken over 2 years thanks to a lot going on. She posted again on that 2nd chapter though! And I go back and read it when I need inspiration. I'm basically solely posting it for her.

Just...thanks. For sharing how you feel on this. I've always really struggled with feeling selfish, or like I have no right to ask for a comment. I still can put myself down and feel incredibly guilty, especially about that constantly asked about fic. Feel like I should take the likes and update asks with a smile because "that means they like it, obviously, they're asking for more, right?" I don't think people not actively creating and posting get it, and you truly put it into words in a way I've struggled with for years.

I'm new here, and still playing through the game and all, but please know at least I see you. I appreciate all the hard work you do and put in. You don't owe any of anything, and I'm so grateful for anything you choose to share with us. I think a lot of people underestimate how intimate sharing our writing is.

Also appreciate you mentioning the difference in respect between fanartists and fanwriters. SO many people think "Anyone can write." and we get belittled so much faster for offering commissions too. It takes just as much skill, whether people believe that or not.

Just...thanks. For real. You've given me a lot to consider as I work on transferring my new blog over and I appreciate it more than you know. ❤️ -S

That genuinely means a lot, it's an honour to have even meant something to anyone at all.

Especially someone struggling with the same thing I am. Thank you for taking the time to write and tell me this, i never thought anyone would bother to read my rant or take it seriously.

I relate to a lot of the things you've just described, it's really horrible how the world can twist something we love and are passionate for into something that hurts us instead. I'm never forgiving anyone who made me feel anxious about writing a story I was excited about or for posting something knowing instead of feedback I'd be met with asks about updating the more popular story.

And I'm happy to hear that you take commissions, just to make it clear I'm totally against the whole "mixing money with art makes it lose meaning" fiasco. I think it's stupid and people who claim that they don't understand that you can never put art in a box or steal its meaning away, that artists are people who need to eat and pay their bills too.

Your writing more than deserves money, it's something intimate that we pour our heart into, that we take parts of our life experience and memories and put it in the story to give it its own life.

Fuck anyone who thinks writing is below art, just because it's written words. They never consider the planning, creativity, writing style and experience, the research, plot and energy it takes.

If anything at least you can draw and paint while listening to music or watching youtube, you can let your hand go on autopilot every now and then. With writing it's one of those jobs you can't distract your mind from, you have to be present and you have to focus on every word and line, consider every dialogue option and every descriptive word, it's draining mentally and takes so much focus.

Both art and writing are important, all artists deserve respect and compensation for their work. People are getting too comfortable demanding work that takes literal hours from your life for free or a low price, a work they'll consume so quickly and never give a second thought to.

I hope things get better for both you and me, I hope we find readers who appreciate us for who we are, who actually respect and value our work instead of consuming it mindlessly, who understand what it takes to create and the amount of time we're giving out for free.

Who realise that taking 10 or 5 minutes to write a comment under a fic and phrase it politely isn't that hard, how it's literally all we ask for because it means the world to see someone appreciate our effort.

Good luck on your new blog <3 Close the requests whenever you want and open them whenever you want. Write how you want to, and please don't let anyone steal the joy of writing away from you.

#♡-S #♡Writing

[recurring-polynya]

Writing/Art Update 10.3.2023

This week was...turbulent. I only had a couple of thousand words to get through to meet my 20k word goal and I just...could not. I would sit down and painstakingly write out one word at a time and make faces about how much I hated how the scene was going. By about Wednesday, I had decided that writing was no longer fun and not something I ever wanted to do again. Then I remembered how much I hate not reaching the stupid arbitrary goals I set for myself and spent a bunch of time brainstorming any possible scene I could write for this fanfic that I could eke out 2k words on. I came up with a half a dozen possibilities and managed to bang out half of an incredibly stupid Byakuya - Renji scene.

Anyway, so I did it, I wrote 20k words on my fanfic. I looked back at my records, and I set this goal on May 9, so it took me five months, which is pathetic, but I did it. Do I feel accomplished? No, it feels like nothing. Do I like any of what I wrote? Also, no. Did I at least have fun? Ha, ha, ha, absolutely not. All I can really say is that when I started, I had seven thousand words and now I have close to thirty, so hopefully at some future point, I will pick this thing up again, and it will feel a little more workable at that time (it is also extremely likely, based on past experience, that I will look at what I wrote and say 'hey, that's not bad, actually' even though I can't even bring myself to look at it at the moment).

I say this like I'm going to put it down, but I don't really have anything I'd rather be working on at the moment, although I have been flirting with the idea of trying to pick up a little in love again, the other fanfic I'm way overdue on. I will probably try to at least finish that half-done scene before I do that and...I dunno. I feel like I need to go back into one of those "I only write when and what I feel like it" modes, possibly for the rest of the year. I think I need to get back into some other activities I enjoy-- I'm trying to get back into reading (I re-read Hound of the Baskervilles while I was sick and it sure did have some racism!!), and I'm flirting with the idea of Attempting to Play a Computer Game, and I would really, really like it if I could manage to draw literally anything.

For the record, I have still not completely recovered from the covid. I mean, I'm a lot better than I was, but I still have some congestion and coughing and I'm not feeling fantastic. Anyway, I guess the most I can say is that I made it through last week. I'll let you know next week if I make it through that one, too.

---

Some raw numbers that are meaningful only to me: Main doc: 22,477 Misc flashback doc: 2,689 Clean, contiguous version: 5,941

#writing update #art update

[crmsnmth-journal]

3/29/2024

11:02 PM

I decided I need to get out of my slump I've been in lately. I may feel angry and depressed and very apathetic right now, but that doesn't mean I should sit and wallow in my own self-pity. It's not a good place to go, and I know that. I know better than doing what I have been, which is absolutely nothing. So today, I woke up, and had one cup of coffee (I've decided I'm going to attempt and cut my caffeine intact way way down). Talked with mom for a while, which is odd but was nice. Usually, we don't talk more than five minutes at a time. It almost always turns into a fight between the two of us, but right now, out of the three of us (my two younger brothers), somehow the felon with a really bad attitude is being the most responsible. I mean, it only took me 35 years to get here, but I'm actually doing pretty good, and I need to remind myself of that. I have come so far from where I was, even four years ago. Hell, even last year. And it's not arrogant to remind yourself of that every so often.

Anyway, I showered and finally bleached half my head. I took extra care in washing and cleaning and just making myself look like a person again. I think I read somewhere that that's supposed to help. I don't know if it actually does, but it kept me occupied for a while.

I got to work at 2, which is usual for Friday's. It gives me about an hour of alone time where I can just belt along to my music and get the prep for the night down. Honestly, being alone back there is my favorite part of part of my job. The closest I've ever come to a religious experience was back there. It was right when I got work release during my time in jail. I had sat six months already, and for the last three months I was allowed to have work release. And the first night I came back, I was alone for three hours before open. I listened to music for the first time in six months, and I cried like a baby and screamed along to Amigo The Devil's Stronger Than Dead while dicing tomatoes. It's an experience I will never forget. That song holds such a deep importance in my life (it's part of my next round of tattoos, my only hand tattoo is going to be Amigo's 'pineapple' logo with the chorus of that song). Only two songs I've ever heard can I say truly saved my life. Stronger than Dead and Frank Turner's The Ballad of Me And My Friends. Different reasons, but the end result was the same for both and I didn't listen to the impulses and bury a bullet in my brain. And I still listen to both songs, religiously. At least once or twice a day.

Sorry. I keep getting off track. Sherry came in around 3 and started putting together the salad bar. That's her one thing she has to set up for Fridays and she never complains about it. I always tell her I do nothing with the salad bar, that it's all on her. It used to be just a trick I learned a long time ago on how to deal with less then stellar staff. Give them something that is all their own. It give them a feeling of control, and let's face it, I hate putting our salad bar together. I don't like salad bars in general. They are extremely gross on the kitchen's side of things.

It wasn't exactly busy tonight, but it wasn't exactly slow. Just kind of real steady, plodding forward pace. And Sherry did alright, by her standards. We shut down, and when I left after doing all my closing work, Sherry only had to finish up her dishes. Usually she just leaves the extra for tomorrow, when she opens.

I did start getting a pretty massive headache around 7 though. I'm pretty sure that's just the withdrawal from caffeine. At least that's what it felt like. I'd get them a lot in jail when we'd run out of coffee. It's all we drank all day, that instant add hot water crap, and when we'd run out before commissary made it's way, everyone was in hell. Ibuprofen costs 75 cents for two pills. The price mark up is insane, which I really don't think is all that fair. I get having some cost added, this is jail after all and it's not supposed to be fun. But when a package of Ramen ends up costing close to two dollars, that is a little passed a punishment. That's an outrageous kind of extortion.

Back to what I was saying, I got out of work around 9:30 and got my cab ride home. When I got home, I had yet another actual conversation with my mom, finally got some Advil in me and showered. The bathroom still smelled like the bleach I did my hair with. And finally, I took my handful of pills and turned on Malcolm In The Middle. I've only got a few episodes to go before I move on to whatever the next mindless background noise I put on. I'll write and work with phrases for a little bit and read. I restarted reading my favorite book, The Great And Secret Show by Clive Barker.

For being as bitchy and moody as I have been the last few days, I think I did okay today.

#journal #my blog #blog #life #my journal #my stuff #my post #my writing #personal #personal blog #slice of life #writing #nonfiction #inner thoughts #personal thoughts

[benkyoutobentou]

31 Days of Productivity Reading: Day six

Before: Last day of job related testing! By the way, remember how I said I was only gonna rehash my goals for the month that one time? Yeah, I lied. Like badly. Here they are again

Finish No. 6 volume 3

Read 憎らしい彼

Read another novel (still probably gonna be 独り舞)

Read at least ten volumes of manga

Read at least an hour per day (still on track!)

Today I'm planning on shifting my focus a little bit. I love the library, but one of my main issues with it is that I always feel pressured to read my library books Immediately and that's not how I roll with my reading (that was probably obvious just by me doing this challenge at all). So, for the next few days, I think I'll be trying to read a volume of manga each day (typically at least an hour of reading, so we're okay there) and then reading Natural Beauty by Ling Ling Huang, so that I can return it to the library right away. It's in English, but my hold came in, so here we are. This is indeed the book that I picked up in my first update.

After: I'm done with testing! *Confetti* I'm so ready to get back to reading and studying and studying and reading. I still have rehearsals (and shows) until Sunday and next weekend too, but at least now I at least have the other half of my day back.

I feel like it’s been a while since I’ve read a volume of manga, and the font size difference between ぼくちき and No. 6 felt like some sort of culture shock. I felt like I had to put the book right up to my nose to be able to read the little words. I had also forgotten that ぼくちき has furigana so that was a nice surprise.

The cafe was bustling today compared to yesterday and I almost had to sit outside (thank god I didn’t, it started raining, and yes the book raincoat returned).

Okay, somehow I ended up wasting all my time this evening (but you bet your ass I found the time to watch this week's Cherry Magic episode!!!) so I'm just gonna wrap up my day because whoops it's one am. Today I read 120 pages over an hour and fourteen minutes. That's 1.6 pages per minute, or in the ballpark of about forty seconds per page, if my quick mental math is correct (don't make fun of me I didn't have to take any math classes in university), and I'm just over halfway through this volume. I feel like my reading pace was a little bit slower than usual with manga because the cafe was super busy and there were two people a few seats down from me talking super loudly, so I had a bit of trouble focusing. There were definitely times where I had to read the same thing three times because it just was not sinking in. I like to be able to hear a little bit of my surroundings so I don't usually take my noise canceling headphones places, but it's time like this that make me regret it. Especially when I'm listening to Beijing opera, it just doesn't drown out outside noise.

Also, I started reading Natural Beauty during rehearsal today and it made rehearsal feel like five minutes. In the entirety of last year, I felt like I only had one really great read out of all the English novels I read. I already found a really great read last month and hopefully I'll be able to do it again. I'm considering preordering the paperback and I'm less than a hundred pages in. I am hoping to high heavens that I haven't just jinxed myself.

#benkyou posting #30 days of productivity #langblr #studyblr #language learning #polyglot #study blog #studying #ill have free time tomorrow! ill walk my dog tomorrow! ill finish bokuchiki before going to the cafe tomorrow! #ill probably sleep till noon tomorrow...

[thenerdyfanwriter]

request- Steve Harrington -> 1st on the list of smu prompts?? Pls n thank youu

Surprise

Word Count: 807

Pairings: Steve Harrington x fem!Reader

Synopsis: For your year and a half anniversary, you decide to surprise Steve.

Warnings: 18+, Smut, fingering

A/N: Sorry it's kinda short. Also, it's my first time writing smut so it's a little cringy. Hope you enjoy!

Masterlist

-------------------

Steve’s house is huge. It may be the biggest in Hawkins. I know his parents are extremely wealthy. With them being gone so often, Steve gets the whole house to himself. 

We’ve been dating for about a year and a half. He gave me a key to his house for our 6 month anniversary. Steve told me he gets lonely sometimes and that I could go over there anytime I like.

Our year and a half anniversary is tomorrow, so I decided to surprise him. I know he will be at work until closing, so I have plenty of time to get everything ready. I start putting a change of clothes and my makeup into my backpack. 

After I’m done, I put my shoes on and leave my house. I start driving to the grocery store. I plan to make Steve’s favorite for dinner, fried chicken and mashed potatoes.

When I’m done shopping, I head to Steve’s house. When I arrive, I go straight to the kitchen to get started on dinner. I still have 3 hours until he gets home but it will take a while to cook. 

I decided to make homemade mashed potatoes, so I started with those. When I get them ready, I start making the chicken.

After the food is done, I plate it and put it on the table, then go upstairs to Steve’s room to finish getting ready. I plan to surprise him by sitting at the table in his favorite lingerie. While changing, I get distracted by a movie Steve must have left on.

I still have some time before he gets home, so I lay on his bed on my stomach to finish the movie.

An hour later, I heard Steve walking up the stairs to his room. I didn’t realize it was that late already. Before I could get up, his door opened. Steve stood in the doorway with wide eyes. He raked his eyes over me, surprise written all over his face.

“Is there a reason you’re naked in my bed?” Steve asked me. “ Not that I mind the view but I noticed you cooked my favorite.” He started walking towards me. I knew the look he had in his eyes. He was hungry, but not for food.

“It’s our year and a half anniversary. Thought I would surprise you.” I sit up. Once he reaches me, he leans down, grabs my face with his hands, and kisses me.

Steve straightens back up, keeping his hands on my cheeks. “ You are the best thing that has ever happened to me.” He leans down and kisses me again. “ As much as I want that chicken you made, I want my dessert first.”

He pushed me so my back was on his bed. Since I was already naked, he started kissing my neck. His lips trailed down to my stomach where he stopped. “ Keep going Steve, please.” I whined. I didn’t want him to stop.

“ Be patient. Let me enjoy this.” He leaned over me, brushing my hair away from my face. I felt his hand creep between my legs. “ So wet, have you been thinking about me all day?” Steve’s fingers circled my clit.

My breathing got heavier and my back arched. “ Yes, Steve.” I felt his fingers move from my clit to my hole. He put two of his fingers in.

“So needy aren’t you. I feel you clenching around me. Going to cum already?”  His voice was low and like a whisper. Steve started kissing my neck as his fingers worked faster inside me.

“Keep going. Please Steve.”  Steve's fingers moved faster and his thumb went to my clit. I was holding back moans.

“Don’t hide those sounds you make. I want to hear them.”  Steve’s fingers were going even faster now, if that's even possible. I could feel myself reaching my orgasm and so could Steve. “ Let go. Cum on my fingers.” 

My orgasm came fast. I grabbed Steve’s hair as I clenched around his fingers. My moans got louder.

Steve groaned as I pulled his hair. My orgasm slowly came to an end. “You ok baby?” Steve asked. He slowly took his finger out of me and layed down next to me on his bed.

“I’m amazing.” I told him as I curled into his side. “Do you want me to help you?” I asked as I glanced down to the tent in his pants.

“No, that's ok. But I would love to go eat that chicken you cooked.” Steve said as he started to get up. He walked over to his closet and threw a shirt at me.

“Ok lets go, but I probably have to warm it up again.” I said as we started to leave his room.

I’m definitely going to surprise him again if this is how he reacts.

#stranger things smut #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington smut #steve harrington imagine #steve harrington x reader smut #stranger things imagine

[anonofseasons]

So this is from a side story I started but never plan to finish. I just... didn't feel like continuing it after I started it months ago. Shannon's childhood (age 11), warning for cellars... ~*~

“Papa, please! Please, don’t leave me in here—”

The sound cuts as Vivian waves his hand impatiently. One snap of the wrist, and the noise—filtered through the cellar and laundry room doors—mutes behind the barrier he has cast.

Vivian sighs and leans back in his chair. It’s a temporary and inauthentic peace, but it provides him with enough time to calm down. If he’s lucky, the boy will as well.

Graham should be home soon. They’ll have to move again, and it needs to happen quickly, before the townspeople arrive to knock down their doors.

It’s all that child’s fault.

Bailey peers up at Vivian as she huddles against the back door. When there’s yelling, she always avoids him. Her tail sits between her legs, ears back, snout down.

Graham returns within the hour, carrying in a freshly snared rabbit for supper. He scares Bailey from her spot, and she slinks off to Shannon’s bedroom—presumably to hide beneath his bed.

The mood of the home is palpable enough that Graham pauses. Vivian sits stiffly at the table, eyes rimmed with red and mouth set in a grim line. His hair is disheveled, like someone tried to pull it from his scalp.

“What happened?” Graham glances around as he sets the rabbit on the bench where he skins and prepares meat. “Where is he?”

Vivian rubs at his face. “Cellar.”

Graham lifts the rabbit back up to slam it down again. “Vivian, we’ve talked about this!” He makes a beeline for the laundry room.

“We have to move. Tonight.”

Graham turns, uneasy eyes falling on Vivian. “What happened?”

“That insolent little fool blurted out something while we were in town. Made a comment that I could just cool myself off with my magic if I was hot. People overheard him.”

“He’s only eleven. He forgot.”

“Don’t make excuses for him. He knew better—he’s always known better! I might never take him into town again. He can stay in the cellar until he’s an adult. Let’s see how well he fares when it’s his magic they’re after! If he gets any magic. I hope not.”

“You don’t mean that—any of that.” When Vivian doesn’t answer, Graham grimaces. “Please tell me you didn’t mean that.”

“I don’t know what I mean, except that it can’t go on like this.”

“How long has he been down there?”

“Two hours, maybe?”

“Vivian!” Graham glances at the laundry room door before turning back to his husband. “He’s so quiet.”

They both are aware of how hard Shannon screams when he’s put down there. How he bangs on the door until his knuckles are bruised. How he scratches at the wood with his nails until they chip to bloody stubs at the quick.

Graham turns to Vivian, eyes narrowed. “I can’t hear anything at all.”

“I used a sound barrier.”

Graham closes his eyes, nostrils flaring with every angry breath.

“I liked living here,” snaps Vivian. “We could’ve eked out a living here for another year or two—maybe even longer, if we were careful. He ruined everything.”

They remain silent for some time. Graham finally drifts back to the table and sits down. “Can you move us? Where to? We have to get out of here before anyone shows up.”

Vivian nods. “I think I have the energy to take us fairly far now, and I’ll see if I can glamour the whole house now. We’ll avoid towns for a while. Do you think we can do that?”

“What about food? Work? I’ve just accepted a commission, I even took the first half of the pay, we can’t just take the money and leave! They’ll be after us for that reason alone.”

“What else do you expect us to do? It’s better than them coming to knock down our door or burn us alive in the middle of the night in our beds.” Vivian tilts his head. “I’ll return the money. I can warp in and out quickly.”

“You’ll exhaust yourself before we’ve gotten far.”

Vivian bangs his fist on the table. “Tell me you’ve got a better plan then!”