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dandydingo · 7 months

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Why I’m Leaving Freelance Commission Work An essay about doing furry commissions by DandyDingo

Preamble First and foremost I’d like to state that this is not a post geared toward complaining about commissioners or fellow artists in my industry. I’ve simply noticed a concerning disconnect between commissioners and artists about several topics and wanted to make something that explains, clarifies, and elaborates on some of those issues.

I love the community I’m a part of and would like to see it do better! Though it’s a meme that if you want to make money as an artist you should become a furry, it’s actually a double edged sword that I’ll be trying my best to pick apart and display. The following points I’ll be rambling about are also based on my personal experiences working in this type of career for 3 years. I am by no means the most qualified but I’m not the least qualified either; this to say please take what I say with a grain of salt. It won’t apply to all situations!

With those disclaimers out of the way, get ready for a whole lot of reading!

What is this job and how does it work? Typically when someone is referring to a furry artist they mean an artist selling illustration commissions on a freelance basis. There are many different kinds of independent creators though and this could include someone who sells merchandise, makes a living off patreon with comic work, or does fursuits. For the sake of staying focused we’re discussing artists who specifically sell illustrations and work one-on-one with commissioners to accomplish this.

As any seasoned commissioner knows, the way an artist’s process works can be varied but typically involves:

buying an open slot for a commission type (ex: a painting)

handing over your references, requests, and paying

waiting for a work in progress image to approve

receiving the final product

This process is the basic premise, an industry standard if you will. The artist gets the benefit of controlling when they can take on work and the commissioner has the opportunity to communicate what they want at multiple stages of the project.

But why are there so many variations to what projects an artist will even accept, what’s in their TOS, and how long it takes them to do it?

Specialization The thing about many furry artists is we’re independent creators with little to no formal education in illustration. We’re not the type of artists you see putting together Magic the Gathering cards or developing a big title game. To expect that level of industrial standard with speed and quality would be ludicrous! This is what makes us appealing to commission though- you’re not going to find our product anywhere else and you’re supporting an artist you like directly.

In fact, every furry artist is a unique snowflake with their own specializations. This is partially since art takes a ridiculous amount of time to get good at. An artist is almost forced to choose what they can offer and what they’re going to invest in trying to sell. This can even be out of our control! For example, one of the running jokes with my slice of community is the fact that after drawing a single bird furry there was suddenly an entire flock asking me to draw their bird sonas.

Specialization directly rewards furry artists with more steady income / clients and thus they might have to restrict what they can offer. Again, learning to draw something new takes a lot of time. An artist who has never touched backgrounds will struggle a lot to suddenly try and include them in their work. This doesn’t mean it can’t be done or that an artist doesn’t want to. I would even argue this hyper specialization can often leave artists in a depressing loop they feel they can never escape from. If they suddenly draw something else it won’t sell, their personal interests have been buried by what actually works on the market.

Some artists do break this mold though and either enjoy the specialization they’re in or are experienced enough to draw whatever they fancy at a high quality. Perhaps even, their audience expects and celebrates an experimental approach from them which is something that’s true in my case. One of my most successful commissions were “surprise bags” where requests and edits weren't even allowed! Others are not fortunate enough to have that option though.

In any case, this is not the sole reason for the insane variety we see in furry artists and why their commission processes vary so much but it is a huge part of it. For context, the level of skill you see in my art took 5 years to get to and I would consider myself intermediate at best. It’s truly an underrated skilled trade.

Prices - Part 1 Cost of Living Money, everyone’s favourite non-controversial topic! So why is furry art so expensive?

It costs a lot to be a living breathing creature with a roof over your head and food in your belly. We all feel the current effects of inflation and ridiculously high rent. This is definitely a big reason why art can / should cost a lot and believe it or not MOST artists do not make minimum wage.

This doesn’t just apply to furry artists of course and I would be beating a dead horse on something we all already know, the economy is in a terrible state right now. It depends on what country / area you live in, what your living situation is, if you have any pets or health issues, etc.

In general though, that $200 price tag for a reference sheet doesn’t make the cut in most places. It might be the single biggest reason why I cannot continue this work anymore, the price I can sell something for is only so high but my workload will remain the same. That reference sheet will take me 2-4 days to complete no matter what if I want to maintain the good quality a commissioner is (understandably) paying me for.

Depending on what you're selling and where your experience level is at (the more experienced you are the less time it takes to complete something at an acceptable quality) a commission can take 1 hour to finish or it can take 12 hours. So… just do a lot of smaller cheaper stuff right?

Prices - Part 2 The Great Artist Killer, BURNOUT If an artist cannot manage to sell a few big things to meet their monthly bills they might instead switch gears to sell lots of small affordable things. This can mean doing 20-40 commissions a month at a back breaking pace. While all jobs slowly drain the life out of your soul, art demands a level of mental focus that is often overlooked and in the case of this career, you only have you to do the work that is required.

There is no one to cover your shift, there is no one to assist you, and if you don’t make your deadlines your reputation is at stake. The very same reputation of good work ethic that keeps your commissioners coming back the next opening. You must push through the burnout! You must work until your hand aches and bleeds! You must- there is no one to save you from this Hell!

If you try to be an affordable or high production artist this is the life you have to look forward to. Desperately churning out product as you retrofit your creativity and passions into a well oiled machine. Often to try and prevent this artists will raise their prices to something they can live off without breaking themselves or have a mix of high / low prices. A middle ground if you will, something that still doesn’t make the standard of living but isn’t a death march either. It’s a precarious and strange limbo with financial insecurity but hey… at least you’re not dead. It should be noted as well that most artists struggle with some form of mental illness and selling commissions might even be the only career open to them. This is not a topic I feel qualified to speak on but it does play an enormous role in experiencing burnout and the general struggles of this career.

Prices - Part 3 Afterthoughts While I wish artists could push for an appropriate living wage, I understand the commissioners' side as well. Spending $100 that could go toward groceries is just not feasible for the vast majority of us and so when we see something that is actually in our range, a $20 headshot or $10 sketch, we often hop on it without a second thought on the ethics of paying that low. It is okay to buy a treat for yourself that is within a price range you can afford though! You should never spend what you can’t nor should you ever feel pressured or guilty to buy something.

If a commissioner is concerned about paying enough I would recommend saving up and giving as big of a tip as you can! Artists are almost always underselling themselves and even just a $5 tip covers the cut that Paypal takes or buys them a coffee to get through the day. Buying what’s reasonable for you is absolutely still supporting them and a little goes a long way!

NOTE : any artist can experience burnout or struggle with meeting minimum wage no matter what they’re selling; this is a hard topic to pick apart Making Art - Part 1 The Process So how does making art work? That might seem like a silly question but it’s hard to understand when you’re not the one creating it. Given how closely a commissioner and artist must work together in order to achieve a desired result I think it’s worth breaking down what goes into making a piece. Of course every illustrator is different but here’s how it generally works:

Hope You’re Mentally Well Art requires mental concentration, particularly for something complex such as a city. Often a bad mental state can be worked around but sometimes the process stops here- you’re just not able to focus enough to measure out that perspective or break down the complex anatomy that goes into drawing a hand.

Find References An artist may need to take an hour or so to find the right references or to make thumbnail sketches. Especially if your client asked for something specific (like a particular brand of whisky) you need to know what it looks like and how it will fit into the piece. For small quick pieces though this is usually a waste of time and skipped.

Sketching Here is often where the commissioner sees the first glimpse of work done- the sketch! Some artists are messy, some are neat and tidy. They might be drawing you a reference sheet or a headshot but either way you typically get to take a glimpse at their blueprint and ask for changes before the rest happens. Sketches are easy to change and can be redone from scratch with the least amount of time lost if needed. It is the optimal step to work with the client on making sure expectations are met.

Rough Render To keep it across the board for all types of art (painting, cell shading, lineless, etc) we’ll call this part the rough render. A commissioner may be shown the flatcolor swatch to ensure markings were drawn accurately, the lineart to double check all requested details have been included, the rough lighting to give an idea of the mood… the list goes on and on! Some artists skip this step entirely if it’s not needed, there is such a thing as oversaturation when it comes to communication.

Final Product This is simply where the commissioner and artist part ways once everything has been approved, the final product! It may have taken hours or days to get to this step but either way it’s been completed.

Making Art - Part 2 When It Doesn’t Go Smoothly Sometimes an artist’s workflow is so rigid even a single missed day from bad mental health or a life event can have a cascade effect that puts them behind schedule. Quite literally an artist can only draw for so many hours before their hand (or body in general) physically gives out. I’ve had work days where I’ve tried to push myself in order to catch up, to the point of rubbing the skin off my finger enough to make it bleed. In the long run this can mean career-ruining cases of carpal tunnel in the wrist or hand and like with any other desk job; your neck and back aren't very happy about the workload either. Artist work days are often shorter than what’s considered normal which adds to the general difficulty of the career as well. While some artists can certainly work that full 8-10 hour shift, others might only be able to handle 3-6 hours before they can’t concentrate or are in too much pain to continue (speaking in long term for that one, it took a few years of regular work before I started having real physical issues from drawing too much). Given most are stuck at certain price points for selling their art it’s almost impossible to charge more in order to compensate for these possible missed days. It’s an issue with other careers as well which I do want to acknowledge; missing even one day of work could mean less groceries that week or cost someone their job in extreme cases. We truly live in a society! It should be noted though that keeping an impossible schedule is a huge stressor for artists who are stuck having to produce more than they can mentally or physically take on. They often know they can’t do it but what other choice is there- not buying the medication you need that month? This always seems to lead to something public and discussed a lot in the community; the instances of being issued a refund out of the blue or seeing a lengthy mental breakdown post about suffocating in the stress of it all. The wear and tear on creativity is visible as well. An artist’s work may become monotone or lifeless as they sink further from the weight of impossible to meet expectations. They might struggle to produce what they used to be able to as time marches on or simply feel unbearably hopeless. If the unsustainable workflow continues for too many years passion becomes strangled and real physical consequences are apparent.

Some are able to escape this or don’t have this issue! Others suffer in silence or might not be aware of the strain they are being put through, as is the case with plenty of other careers.

How Can I Support Artists? If you’re interested in making life easier for your favourite artist there are a few simple things you can do; specifically in regards to the commission process!

Read the Terms of Service This is not something you should skip over as it could detail how edits are handled, what an artist is willing to draw, etc. It's beneficial for everyone that the TOS is read.

Look Before You Buy Take a peek at an artist’s gallery and decide if you like their style before you purchase anything OR buy a small sample to see if you enjoy how they draw your character! I feel some commissioners don’t understand that an artist cannot change how they stylize on a whim (for example a semi-realistic artist isn’t going to suddenly draw anime). If you’re indifferent or you like experimentation then this isn’t something you need to worry about.

Have A Reference Sheet Although reference sheets are expensive, if you frequently commission artists and are able to afford it BUY ONE! It saves a huge amount of time and frustration- so much so that some artists won’t even consider accepting your commission without a proper reference sheet. Having to guess the body type or colors takes a lot of time and can easily be prevented!

Leave Wiggle Room Give an artist some room to breathe with a bit of artistic freedom! Do not expect them to get that exact #CCE5FF shade of blue you want or draw every single marking of a complex pattern. Lower your expectations if they’re that high, you’ll enjoy the piece more when you do!

Tip Particularly if you’re commissioning a character with a lot of detail or have very specific requests, leave a tip. Again all it takes is a $5 tip to make a difference!

Advice For Artists If you’re truly looking to get into this industry or have been in it for a while, here are some tips that can (hopefully) help make your job a little easier or get started. I don’t want to discourage people from this job by any means! We wouldn’t have the community we do without freelance artists. NEW ARTISTS

Start Small If you’re just starting out you’ll want to aim for the $10 - $50 price range with marketable pieces such as icons or chibis. You may have to heavily undersell yourself for a while to grow a client base. If you don’t sell anything at first don’t be discouraged! It’s perfectly normal to struggle for a while (even years) before you have anything steady.

Experiment Now is the perfect time to experiment and see what works and what doesn’t, what you like and what you hate. Try different platforms, different commission types and styles, whatever you fancy! The goal is to find a niche you can wedge yourself into, feel happy with, and work towards; not to fish around for immediate results.

Focus On Studying The more experience and tools in your belt, the better. For the first while you should be focusing on improving your art if you’re not at an intermediate level. Once hands don’t feel like such a struggle you know you’re at the right place! This will set you up to be more efficient and feel less frustrated down the road.

EXPERIENCED ARTISTS

Personal Time For the sake of your mental health you need to set aside time to do personal art, experiment, and relax. This could mean having a consistent day off, finding a new hobby, or making vent art just for yourself. Also, don’t be afraid to post personal art! You should not be apologizing for taking reasonable time to yourself.

Experimental Commissions Allow yourself to open weirder commission types from time to time. Maybe lately you’ve been really into drawing beach scenes, you could open a 2 slot commission that promises summer vibes. These could be filler between your bigger pieces or replace them every now and then depending on what you can get away with. Other examples I’ve seen are selling goretober calendar slots or $10 artistic freedom sketches. Just try to get yourself out of that repetitive loop if you feel like you need to, worse case it doesn’t sell!

It’s Okay To Quit Not all of us have this option given personal circumstances but there is no shame in leaving this career. Doing commissions even as a casual filler can rob you of the passion you once had for your hobby. If you feel genuinely unhappy with this job and come across the opportunity to safely leave, go for it! In my case I’m going from commission work to comic work, something within the same general field that I can do at my own pace.

Afterword Although I tried to cover as much as I could with this, I know not every issue of the relationship between commissioners and artists was addressed. There are artists who take large amounts of money and then ghost their commissioner. There are commissioners who negatively nitpick at every step of the process and leave an artist feeling like a beaten down dog. The furry community is huge with lots of different folks, there will of course be bad eggs that make things harder for both sides.

I simply hope this leaves commissioners with a better understanding of an artist's perspective and gives some well deserved compassion to the creative people that breathe so much life into our community. We as artists should also appreciate the clients that support us with positive enthusiasm. This special relationship doesn’t exist in a lot of places and I hope I've offered something to help furries have a better understanding of one of the biggest aspects of our community.

Written with much love for the wonderful people that have cheered me on over the years and the community that has always shown it's full support toward me.

#furry community discussion #long post #essay #dandydingo

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clown-cryptid · 3 years

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This character brief is making me run in circles. Like “oh I want to make a creepy man” then cycling back to “oh maybe...a cute bat doctor maybe??”.

#ClownHonks #I’m not used to drawing people #luckily I’m fixating on a game that requires you to draw humans but hhh HUMAN #but also I can’t do furries for every single project #uni #university

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kirishoshego · 3 years

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Confidental Composition//Bakugo

!!!MINORS DNI!!! 18+ONLY !!!

This is the first part of my little 'Teachers Pet Series' (I will add the link once I got all parts covered and the right ideas).

Summary: A simple task fucked up late at night as you send the wrong version of a piece of homework to your English literature teacher Mister Bakugo. Of course, he would want to see you after class the next day. But not for the reasons you might think. Pairing: Docent!Bakugo x afab!student!y/n // Words: 4.2k+ Side note: Insert a friend or random name you want for X :)

TW: nsfw: slow burn (sorry), spanking with a ruler, hair pulling, being bend over a desk, calling him sir, spitting, choking, dirty talk, degrading, slight praise

„Write an essay about the worst description of a woman or coitus. In the essay, explain why it is bad and then rewrite it. At least 30 pages, max. 60 pages (sources and any other extras you please to include, excluded). Due Date: 8 weeks from now on, 35% worth of your end grade. Questions can be asked per E-Mail, or, if you must, I’m free every Wednesday afternoon for meetings strictly for this essay and this essay only.“

A sigh left your lips as you starred at the piece of paper for the tenth time today ever since he handed it out to you and your classmates. The options you had were endless, you knew so many bad pieces about both topics and could write more than 100 pages about them as well. Everyone in class you talked to had decided on their topic already, some were even further. It was X who told you to just write the topics on a piece of paper and let fate do its work.

Black ink on a badly ripped blue note decided that you were going to write about a sex scene. Just now that you thought about it, rewriting something like that for your professor to read was an awfully stupid idea, yet you decided to listen to a small piece of paper.

At first, you were going to go with Fifty Shades of Grey but you felt like the choice was chewed up and spat out. It took you three days to finally decide on a book and once you settled there was no turning back. Considering your ignited interest in this topic you weren’t surprised when you were done within the first four weeks. Knowing the editing is going to take another week, maybe even a week and a half, you decided to take a small break, just one or two days off. On your second day, you decided to visit the new coffee shop that had just opened up around the corner.

Never had you expected to see your professor near your living spot. You were about to greet him when you noticed his pissed-off expression on his face and only now did you spot the woman behind him. She grabbed his arm and made him turn on the relatively small and empty street.

„Suki you can’t be serious,“ she was angry and hurt, while he seemed to be angry and annoyed. Not much of a difference than to how you see him on the daily, to be honest. „Are you fucking stupid? Of course, I’m fucking god damn serious. It was your choice to cheat on me and now I choose to throw you on the streets where you apparently belong, go ask one of your little boy toys to take you in for all I care,“ you were frozen in place, not entirely sure what to do. Right now your eyes were glued on his chest that was clad in a tight, black pullover, rising up and down heavily as his nostrils were flared caused by his anger. „Because you gave me no choice! If you like that sort of weird, rough shit then paddle your own canoe! I need something soft and tender-,“ before she could finish her sentence he laughed. Cold and slightly maniac in a way.

„Then get some fucking chicken! If you don’t like how I’m in bed then break up with me and piss off but don’t send my best friend a nude to ask him to come over. Even a ten-year-old would see how stupid that is,“at that moment your eyes met. His eyebrows were furled together, red eyes expression furry and disgust. Blond hair usually styled like he was going to be on the cover of Vogue, like he had been before, now slightly messy. Plump lips slightly apart to let his teeth shine through slightly before wetting them with his tongue. Your eyes widened and before you knew what you were doing you waved at him, making him cock his eyebrows in confusion for a second before noticing it was you who he was looking at. Turning on your heels you walked past busy crowds of people as you walked back home, trying to understand what you had just seen and why your angry professor had turned you on more than anyone had done before.

It was a stupid idea to ditch the next teaching unit of his but you had absolutely no clue how you were going to look at him. You knew teachers had a private life themselves, but never would you have guessed that you would run into one of them in your small area. As far as you knew he lived across town according to the very, very few private stories he had shared in magazines.

„Dear Professor,

down below is my finished project as an attachment in form of a PDF. I know you request it to be printed as well and I had planned to hand it in today, but sadly I came down with the flu. I’m looking forward to attending your next unit in the following week.

Have a nice week,

Y/N Y/L/N“

Maybe he had forgotten that you were there already and you were worrying too much about it. You were his student, nothing more, nothing less. Bakugo could care less about you, right? The flu did go around a lot right now, so it wouldn’t be completely unthinkable that you were sick. Itching eyes signaled you that it was time to go to bed now, so you closed your laptop and went to bed, not knowing what the next day will hold for you.

X had waited for you at the main entrance the next day to give you all the information you might need and ask why you weren’t there, considering it was obvious that you had the flu for one day only. At first, you were hesitant to explain what you had witnessed, it was messy already and you doubt Mister Bakugo would want the fight to go viral at his workplace. „Just one of those days you know? I had my mind completely full and felt like crap,“ that was the best excuse you could come up with, a white little lie that wouldn’t harm anyone. „Glad to see you’re doing- Oh, hello Professor,“ X smiled at someone behind you. There was no need to turn around to know who it was, the scent of his very expensive and extremely beguiling perfume clouding your mind. „Hello,“ his gruff voice greeted your friend shortly as you turned around, met with his muscular chest. You didn’t expect him to be so close to you, but here you were, tilting your head slightly as you looked up to him through your lashes, feeling not just your cheeks growing hot. „Good morning Sir,“ your voice sounded a lot more confident than you were feeling. Bakugo clenched his fist around the fake leather of his bag, his red eyes starring right into your soul as you had no chance of escaping whatever was going to happen next. „Miss Y/L/N, just the person I was looking for,“ fuck. „You were?“ X and you said at the same time, but your friend decided to excuse themself after a single glare from the older man. „How may I help you, Professor?“ You asked after swallowing down the anxious feeling that threatened to rise. „I received your Mail yesterday, with the PDF,“ okay, why did he search you just to tell you he got your assignment? Was it that bad? „But I’m relatively sure that it was the wrong one, considering I doubt that you want your teacher to know that 'this shit is so bad, but I wouldn’t mind being bent over a writing desk like that' with a smirking emoji at the end,“ only when his finger pushed your chin upwards gently you noticed that it was agape, shame filling every molecule in your body as you already planned your escape out of this country. Nobody was near you to see the weirdly intimidating scene happening between you and your teacher.

„Also I know you didn’t have the flu. I don’t appreciate being lied to. Tomorrow five p.m. in my office, don’t be late or you will get in more trouble. Send me the actual version tonight so I can grade it. I won’t let something as unprofessional as this slide again, understood?“ You nodded, taking in all of the information given to you, and somewhat in all of this mess felt thankful that he was giving you a second chance. The man in front of you rolled his eyes and clicked his tongue, ordering you to speak up. „Yes Sir, thank you,“ you sounded more confident than you felt inside. „Good,“ was all Bakugo said before he turned around, leaving you behind in the big hall dumbfounded and confused… And horny.

As if Chronos himself felt immense joy in your misery, minutes appeared to be hours and the panic inside of you only grew the closer you came to five in the afternoon. You tried everything, watching a show, listening to podcasts and audiobooks, reading a book you had put of for so long, went outside, cooked something, worked on another assignment, stopped yourself from destroying your hair, made the phone call you so desperately had put off and it’s still only ten p.m on the same day. How was that even possible? As you laid in bed you tossed and turned, the thought of your really hot teacher all angry, breathing heavily, his hands roaming your body. It was hard to pinpoint exactly when those thoughts turned into a very lucid dream, but when you woke up in the morning, already an hour too late to your first period, all you wanted to do was scream into your pillow.

Considering first class is canceled, you wanna go grab breakfast? X texted you.

Canceled? Checking your mails you saw your teacher had sent out a mail, excusing themselves and explaining they came down with the flu. A blessing in disguise. You let X know that you would meet up at the building and go grab something near it. Once agreed, you took a quick shower, a moment of peace given to you as water hit your body. There was no way you could do anything between your last class and the meeting with Professor Bakugo, so you tried to look your best possible for the next upcoming hours.

Suddenly time flew by and the closer you got the more you begged for a little bit more time, for him to postpone it, anything. But no, here you were, five minutes early and looking around to spot the blond man with no luck. „Miss Y/L/N. Step inside,“ you jumped slightly as his voice boomed up behind you, not expecting him to be in the office already.

Once you walked inside you were stunned about how clean everything was, no matter where you looked it was neat. His books were sorted alphabetically with marks between them to let him know when a new letter began. As far as you could tell he used cherry wood for his pieces of furniture, a big, black carpet in a corner underneath a small seating area, and some books placed on the table. Even his paperwork was stacked in order. Big glass windows allowed the evening sun to fall into the room, its warmness kissing your skin while you were seated in front of him, a big writing desk between the two of you, on it your work.

It was quiet for a short moment, before he leaned back in his chair, red eyes mustering you up and down which didn’t help at all. „What would you like to talk about first? Your assignment or the fact that you lied to me?“ Why was he so bothered by your lie? You knew plenty of students calling in sick every once in a while even though they aren’t. „I apologize for both of it. It shouldn’t have happened and I learned from my mistake,“ you were hoping that it would ease his anger a little bit but he seemed more worked up than usual. „Although I don’t understand why you are so angry at me for it? Plenty students lie-,“ „Yes, but they aren’t stupid enough to make it so obvious,“ he interrupted you. „I could care less about who’s missing my class, it’s their fault in the end if they decide learning is unnecessary. However you are one of my top students, I expected better from you. You could have excused yourself with no explanation. But you chose to add the feeble lie about being sick for what?“

You took in a deep breath, feeling as if another lie would be caught immediate, so you had no other choice but to tell him the real reason: „I heard the fight you had with the woman you were with, in the café, and I didn’t know how to react when I see you in your class,“ there was a small moment where he looked honestly confused before something clicked in his brain. „So it was you who I saw. What did you hear?“ „I can’t really rem-,“ „One more lie and I will lose my temper, don’t test me,“ shit, why was he turning you on so much right now. He’s your teacher for god’s sake and angry at you, this wasn’t the right time. „That she doesn’t agree with certain things in your private life,“ „Like?“ he knew you tried to talk around it, yet he wanted you to talk about, to see you embarrassed again, he liked that look on you. „The way you fuck,“ it was said before your brain could even comprehend the words, another apology laying at the tip of your tongue but his next question cut you off before you could say something else. „Why were you there in the first place? I’ve been there a few times and never saw you or any other student,“ he explained. „Because I live close by?“ It sounded more defiantly than you had wanted, causing your opponent to cock his eyebrow.

„I feel like you’re forgetting who’s the authority figure here,“ he walked up to his door, locking it before coming back. Now he was right in front of you, slightly sitting on his desk and the sleeves of his button-up shirt pushed up a little. „No sir, I’m sorry,“ „You see, the problem is, I don’t really believe you,“ with that he pulled you up, bodies pressed against each other, letting you feel his toned torso while the muscles in his arms flexed slightly.

„You lied to me once already, I think I have to teach you a lesson,“ everything happened so fast and you suddenly found yourself face down on his desk with his hand between your shoulder blades, the other one grabbing his wooden ruler. „If I recall correctly this is what you wanted right?“ His voice was low, slightly above a whisper as his upper body was pressed against your back while he pulled a few hair strands from your face. „Yes, but Professor I don’t think this is a good idea,“ your inner voice yelled at you, saying this was the best idea ever, angry that you possibly ruined your dreams coming true.

„Tell me to stop and I will do so immediately. Your choice. There will be no consequences if you worry about that,“ he reassured you, waiting for you to get up and run, but you didn’t and the current position allowed him to feel you clench your legs. „So?“ He asked again, the ruler in his hand basically burning with the anticipation of hitting your skin. „No, don't stop,“ you breathed, awaiting his next move.

„Good,“ with that he exposed your raised ass, your underwear the only thing between your bare skin and the wood that came down upon it, one foot raising in the air because of the sudden pain. „From now on if you say stop I won’t listen, you will tell me how you feel through colors. If it’s too much you tell me red and I will drop everything, understood?“ Another spank was delivered to the same spot.

„Yes,“ another one. You weren’t sure if he hit harder or if your skin turned more sensitive with every blow.

„It’s sir to you,“ you could feel him lunge out but shortly before the ruler came down he stoped, laughing slightly at your small jump.

„Yes sir,“ another one.

„You’re going to apologize every time my ruler paints your cute ass even redder, got it?“ You nodded your head, a moan escaping the back of your throat as he spanked you yet again.

„One more thing, be a good girl and stay quiet, wouldn’t wanna get caught now do we?“ He knew it was going to be torture for you to follow his order the more he continued and in a way he wanted you to fail. There was so much build-up inside of him and it appears that you were willing enough for him to use you as he pleased. That’s why you were his favorite. Bakugo knew what he was doing was wrong and he never expected to feel this way for one of his students but forbidden fruit tastes the best.

You stopped counting after the seventh blow, sorries, sirs and small whimpers fall from your lips as if they were your whole vocabulary. At one point you started crying, tears mixed with mascara running down your cheeks. He tried to remember something that turned him on more than the sight of your messed-up body with no luck. Everything build up inside of him, everything itching in his hands, the inner desires he had to soften for his ex, it all was going to come down on you. His thick girth twitched at the simple thought of finally being surrounded by your dripping wet cunt.

A warm soft hand rubbed over your bruised flesh while the other one found its way into your hair to pull you up to him, your back arched.

„What are you sorry for?“ Your mind was clouded with pleasure and pain, the only thought right now was the feeling of his dick print right between your sore cheeks. „I asked my little bitch a question, I expect you to fucking answer,“ this time he spanked you with his hand but it was just as intense as his ruler. „I don’t know,“ you breathed, a soft moan slipping out of you when his thumb barely circled your throbbing clit. „You’re just apologizing because you want me to use you?“ You could hear him chuckle lowly before he pushed your underwear to the side, his middle finger now playing with you. „Yes sir,“ Katsuki couldn’t hear a single ounce of shame in your voice and he wondered how long you had been thinking about him like this before.

„I never expected you to be such a dumb, cock hungry whore,“ The sound of his belt hitting the floor was dull like it was far away from you but at the same time, you felt him closer than before. Strong hands around your waist turned you around and once again he lifted your head with his finger underneath your chin, studying your ruined make-up as if he was memorizing every little detail he never wanted to forget. The blond, muscular man lifted you with ease, your behind getting a small moment of cooling as it hit his wooden desk.

Bakugo dried your tears slightly with his thumb, smearing it even more. „Only for you,“ you whispered and in that moment he couldn’t stop himself, he just had to kiss you. Not sweet and gentle, but passionately and hungry, like he was poisoned and your kiss was the antidote. The hand behind your head traveling to the front as you were laid down completely.

„If I had known before I would have fucked you so much sooner,“ with one hard thrust he was buried deep inside of you, one hand over your mouth because he knew you wouldn’t be able to keep quiet and the other one around your throat, squeezing shut and watching you struggle against it slightly. Your professor was thicker than what you were used to and you didn’t know how good it would feel until now. With the first few snaps of his hips, you knew you never wanted to feel something else anymore.

Your hands went to his arms and you tugged on them, causing him to let go as the blood found its way back to your brain. „Color?“ he asked, afraid you weren’t able to handle him. „Green,“ was all you could get out before another moan cut off your ability to talk.

„Good girl,“ he whispered into your ear, kissing down from your earlobe to your shoulder before sucking on a rather sensitive spot. Both of your wrists were held over your head with his left hand, with the explanation that he doesn’t appreciate being stopped while using you however he pleased. The right hand was going from between your chest after he admired your bouncing tits thoroughly, to your stomach to connect with your most sensitive bundle of nerves. Bakugo switched from circles to eights, from fast to slow, but the harshness of his hips never haltered.

„I know you wanna scream right now, but I can’t allow that. Can’t let others hear what a dirty slut you are for me right now. I promise I will fuck you in my house if you behave now. You can moan my name as much as you want. Or maybe I will gag you, watch you drool all over yourself. Maybe I will tie you up and edge you for an hour straight until you’re begging me to fuck you, you like the sound of that, huh? I can feel you squeezing around me,“ another chuckle left his plump lips as he watched you struggle to stay up on your feet.

„Maybe I will let you choke on my dick while I work on something for the next lesson. Gonna use you as my little cum dump. Let you think about it again when I talk about it in front of the whole class. Do-,“ you were so close when a sudden knock on the door startled you both, but he never once stopped what he was doing, if anything he went even harder, whispering into your ear to be quiet for him.

„Hey Kat, your ex is outside and says she wants to talk, want me to send her in?“ It was the psychologist professor Shinso, his voice as done and deep as usual. „No, I’m occupied,“ Bakugo saw your mouth open after you fought so hard against it, he couldn’t let you moan, not right now. He did the first thing he could think of, spitting into it and watching you swallow. Oh, he would definitely film you do this with his cum covering you everywhere and the thought brought him slightly closer to his release. „Still grading papers huh? I don’t get where you got all of that energy from,“ his voice was blurred out by Bakugo whispering into your ear. „Do you want me to tell you what we're doing right now? Let him know I’m fucking my little toy stupid right now?“ And while you were shaking your head no it was the last straw for you and you found yourself grabbing his hand to put over your mouth, biting your lips until you tasted blood to muffle the scream you couldn’t stop. Bakugo cursed under his breath when he could feel you throbbing around his dick and your nails digging into his arm. „Tell her to leave me the fuck alone, she’s already forgotten,“ his voice sounded strained and you knew he was close as well. „Ah, I see. Well then have fun,“ his laugh was fading away the further he went.

„Can’t believe that made you cum, you’re even more perfect than I thought, such a dirty girl, tsk,“ both his hands are on your hips and he pulled your body against him with every thrust. You were still coming down from your orgasm when you felt his thrusts turning sloppy before he stopped completely, his dick now pulsing while he was holding you tightly. Breath uneven and getting stable on his feet again he turned you around, careful so he wouldn’t hurt you.

„Next time I gonna make sure you can’t walk but right now I need you to be able to leave the building,“ he pulled his pants back up and added: „Sadly,“ before walking around his desk.

It was still hard for you to stand so you sat down, wincing as the usually soft cushion now felt like thousand of tiny spikes on your bruised ass. Before you pull your bottoms up again he grabbed your wrist and pulled you up, once again with a stern expression on his face you were so familiar with.

„I apparently really fucked you stupid if you think I let you leave like this,“ having him put cooling cream on your bare bum felt more intimate than having him be balls deep inside you. „Sorry I just thought-,“ „Well, you thought wrong. I don’t know what kind of boys you had in the past but now that you have me there are going to be changes, got that?“

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ruby-whistler · 3 years

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i made a list of the vibes of the hermits i watch, so you might want to check some of them out! this is just mostly jokes, but i thought all of the more “serious” propaganda was missing something, so have what truly makes hermitcraft worth it; the players’ unique styles!

will be back on my dsmp stuff asap but it’s the first day of season 8 and i would really appreciate if you checked them out through the links provided :]

Grian; [ episode one link ]

vibes of a 17 year old mcyter, is actually 27 and married

noo not my red jumpah!

chaotic capitalist

someone is making the server better through order? *starts another war* whoops, hand slipped :D

he built a- he rebuilt his entire megabase in survival, above a giant lake of lava, in the nether, on hard mode, upside down??

“watching as scar dies over and over in my trap is peak comedy and i’m tired of pretending it’s not” but it happens like 5 times i every season

video editing is very main-stream and good for short attention spans!

*sad montage over losing stuff he’ll get back in 15 minutes because he’s rich*

pesky birdd! great elytra flier! amazing builder! will tnt your house! poultrymannn!!

wholesome, chaos incarnate, talented architect

why won’t mumbo respond to my messages it’s been two weeks :[ (clingy)

doors???????????? your house has doors???? no doors for you good sir!

will laugh a lot at a lot of things, esp when he’s with his friends

genuinely just so fun to watch

Mumbo Jumbo; [ episode one link ]

perfect british accent

mustache man (warning: he has no mustache irl)

*fails ten businesses in a row* iskall please help

redstone is his element

“it’s actually quite simple” i like your funny words magic man, now can you repeat how in the hell you made a that fancy vault work-

filmographer?? i think? met up with grian irl

him and grian have a robot son named grumbot. that has nothing to do with the vibes but i had to mention him because he means a lot to me.

tries to stay out of wars and server politics until someone (grian) drags him into them

minigame maker, makes the hermits competitive and that is scary (also very funny) e. g. button, hermit challengesss!

“it’ll be fineee” *que shot of everything on fire behind him*

makes his base a living being and then all his neighbors end up feeding it instead of him

conspiracy theorist. bumbo baggins. the usual.

very entertaining videos that help you learn more about minecraft mechanics!

GoodTimesWithScar; [ episode one link ]

wheelchair creator with literally the best vibes

so wholesome i. he is so cool he makes me so happy :’D

*extremely cool announcer voice* ooooo hello there my fellow miners and crafters, good timeees with scar heree, and welcome backk to the wonderful world of hermits and crafting, and we’re flying over-

commentates everything extremely well

spends tenths of hours on builds within a single video and doesn’t bat an eye

lore for all of his builds! he builds these amazing bases to tell a story!

“i wanna see white flags! white flags, outside your base, by-“ wait no wrong anti-rebellion army leader

all videos have a clear objective

mostly building, but he loves hanging out/helping his friends!

loves disney movies! wants to go to space! :D

kind-hearted, always makes everyone else smile

can be chaotic but usually just tries to have fun and make sure everyone else has fun too

*flies into a tree on half a heart* wait what why did i die D:

scar. scar please eat. you’re going to die for the tenth time this video-

the non-chaotic capitalist, has extremely creative shop designs

a danger to himself, but also the kind of person you can’t be angry at for long

BdoubleO100; [ episode one link ]

the guitar music at the beginning of his videos brings a smile to my face, it just has such an immaculate mood

*camera pans over him as said music plays* ladies and gentlemen welcome to another episode of hoimycraffff

the way he talks is extremely endearing

one of the best builders on the server - probably best builder of interiors in existence

able to make a palette using any number of strange blocks and then make amazing builds using it

built a whole castle as a backdrop, then built an entire giant mountain for said castle

extremely sensitive to short jokes, usually gets pranked by others because his reactions are always so funny

his daughters show up from time to time in his room while he’s recording and it’s so cute

*has no way to see the sun but still knows it’s nighttime* gotta go schleep!

scar, pointing at him “this is why we can’t have nice sunsets”

(scar dies because of mobs every time bdubs isn’t on the server to sleep)

likes to be accomplice because he isn’t the one being made fun of (/lh)

*shoots himself in front of a confused grian because he thinks the guy wants his face again when he’s actually just looking for a netherportal*

is usually the underdog so it feels good when he wins

they’re all actually such great friends so it’s genuinely funny to watch

he himself is amazing at entertainment and just a very cool guy

ImpulseSV; [ episode one link ]

what’s going on everyone, my name is impulse and welcome back to hermitcraft!

always speaks with a smile in his voice

has a good dynamic with basically everyone

great co-worker and always helps out if he can

had his base turned pink during the swap, and instead of changing it back afterwards, he dyed his skin’s hair and clothing pink to match it

very cool and original building style!

makes a lot of farms and sells what he gets in his few shops

makes money to be able to do more stuff and make more farms

blows up most his base ever so often to rebuild parts. you know, like a normal person does in minecraft survival.

the grind is never over

the guy who always gets all of the work done on the school project and proceeds to be chill about it

always has very cool side-projects going on and puts his heart into all of them

pog timelapses!!

Rendog; [ episode one link ]

*short, funny scene from the video at the beginning slowly fades out into great music

dogs howling as the half-dog half-cog logo comes up*

greetiiings cyberdogs and citizens of the interbubs! this is ren diggity dawg coming atcha, in another minecraft episodes varuuummm the hermit. craft. server. (hey!)

we’re kicking things off today my friends, from the- *location name on screen*

that intro gets me hyped every time

he’s a furry who talks in bro language it’s great i swear - very atypical but fun

he transformed an entire biome into a star wars planet for his base

his building skills and dedication are incredible

horny (just a little bit)

the only person who cared about mycelium in the whole rebellion

does a lot of roleplay-themed stuff and mysteries to be solved

“b-dubba-dubs one hundred”

extremely upbeat & sweet guy

adds -age after everything “biddage” “flyage” to make it sound Cooler

amazingly positive always and funny as hell

mcc winner!! wooooooooo :D

always tries to be where stuff is happening and interact with people

very entertaining editing style

Iskall85; [ episode one link ]

drives joke into the mud and then picks them up and does it again which is funny

starts videos with one-off bits

iskallman!!! the superhero literally no one needed and yet there he is

only has one (1) braincell when with mumbo

they both do and they’re hilarious together every time

like when they laughed at squeaky noises for ten minutes straight. guys please you’re adult men

bernie the leaf master

omega (something) of doom!!

encourages gambling (in a videogame)

he has so many jokes he keeps using i can’t possibly fit them all in here

basically a wildcard

i have no idea what he’s doing this season

i have no idea what he’s doing ever actually

tame chaos, confusing to the point when it’s funny again

really great builder as well!

mostly for younger audiences but his videos are a good watch in general

feel free to send asks about hc! i’m already loosely involved in hermitblr but yeah, my dsmp followers aren’t immune :] /lh /j

#long post #hermitcraft #hermitcraft s8 #hermitblr #ruby's rambles #:]#all my personal opinions #just wanted to add to the hype lol

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arctimon · 3 years

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The Big Hero 6/Pokemon Crossover We All Wish Would Happen

Over the past couple of weeks, members of the Big Hero 6 fandom have been drawing/making mock-ups of the team with their respective Pokemon partners. Now, in total accordance with being late to every single trend ever, I will now do the same, but I won’t be backing it up with wondrous drawings.

Mostly because I can’t draw. Some of the members were really obvious, and some...weren’t. Out of everyone, Hiro was actually the hardest one, and I actually am still not really sold on my choice. That’s mostly because the specific Pokemon is not his schtick. There’s not really a Robot Pokemon. There are certain members that were tremendously easy.

And we’re going to start with one of them: Go Go. 1.) The picture I drew of Chibi Go Go and Cinderace (which I still have to finish, for the record) doesn’t actually depict the Pokemon I’d put with her. Cinderace would be her second choice. The first?

Falinks, the Formation Pokemon.

Genwunners may not know this one, because it’s from the newest Pokemon games, but it’s very symbolic of Go Go: there’s six of them, it’s pure Fighting-type, and it has a signature move in No Retreat, which is basically a Pokemon version of “Woman up!”. It raises all of its stats in exchange for it not being able to escape from battle.

But Go Go never escapes from anything, so it’s appropriate.

Plus they have the discs as well. Cinderace would be her backup, mostly because of the speed and rabbit parellels for her roommate, who is up next.

2.) Honey Lemon actually had the most options for her, because she’s the cutesy one. That means she can be handed literally any Fairy type and call it a day, but what fun would that be?

Especially because there’s another bunny Pokemon that she’d be with...and that’s Lopunny.

It doesn’t really delve into her superhero side because it’s a bunny and cute and furry and all that jazz, but imagine HL’s completelyf amazed face when she gets one. The squeeing would be nonstop.

Her secondary would be a Fairy type, and something that would change colored flowers based on the mood: Flabebe.

3.) Wasabi was also entirely way too easy, and he gets, in my opinion, one of the coolest Pokemon that was introduced back in X and Y: Aegislash.

I can’t even think of a proper backup for him; Aegislash is just that good. Plus, if worse came to worse, Wasabi could grab him and swing it around himself. But not too much, because the Aegislash line have a thing about possessing people with their tassels. His backup is another blade-related one: Bisharp.

Dark/Steel, cool design, somehow got Laser Focus as a level-up move in the latest games. Pretty much a no-brainer. 4.) Karmi is also an easy one, and her inspiration came from one of the occupants of her lab when Hiro came to offer his help in “City of Monsters”: Mr. Varicella Zoster.

What Pokemon is cute, semi-translucent, looks like something scientific, and is also a psychic powerhouse (you’re assuming Varicella Zoster is not)? You guessed it.

Reuniclus. The Multiplying Pokemon. The origin of it is based off of cells and amoebas, which is a perfect thing for a very scientific person like Karmi. And the imaginary story in my head has her getting her partner first through the mysterious means that the team has to investigate. Her back-up plays off of her other project: the tech rose. And the only Grass/Steel Pokemon (Ferroseed/Ferrothorn) isn’t really much of a fit. So we’ll play off of her wannabe superheroics with another plant-based masked powerhouse: Roserade.

What’s better than a bouquet that has flowers for fists? Nothing. 5.) Fred is a mascot for a “living”, and I think it would be funny if his partner would be very similar to a mascot, and that would be Bewear.

No, it doesn’t have cool Fire/Ice-type moves, and it’s not a lizard, but it’s a pun name, and I think Fred would appreciate a Pokemon with a pun name. Plus, I couldn’t really find anything that had Fire, Ice, and was a lizard.

At least with Bewear you can chain-breed Ice Punch onto it from Cubchoo, thus making Cubchoo an even greater Pokemon than before. His backup is one of the Pokemon based off of kaiju: Tyranitar.

Do you think that Fred is actually a Pokemon guy, or is Hiro the Pokemon guy? Methinks it would be a collaborative effort to try to get everyone else to know what the heck they’re talking about.

6.) You didn’t think I would forget about Baymax, would you? Now, you’d think that with being a healthcare companion would make me want to go for the obvious choice.

Blissey. And...you’d be partially right. But Baymax can’t just sit on the sidelines and heal, even though that’s his...purpose. Nah, we gotta get something a little more...metal.

Melmetal, to be precise. He’s very Baymax-y in the anime when Ash has him, and plus he’s got a two-fist move in Double Iron Bash.

Oh, and we’ll just give Mini-Max Meltan for funzies. 7.) As I was writing this up, I scanned back through it and was like “Who am I forgetting?”.

Oh nuts, Hiro is the one I was forgetting. So here’s the thing. I actually really like the idea of giving him Magnezone, because of “lul magnetism” and all that.

And I was struggling to give him a back-up when I saw @baymaksu and his drawing of him and Riolu, and it just clicked for me.

Plus the mental image of Hiro manipulating Aura just like Ash gets me excited. So there it is. My long, exhaustive post about Big Hero 6 and their Pokemon partners, based off my twenty some odd years of being a Pokemon trainer. I wonder if I should do the villains next. Or maybe the Beta Team. Or both.

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smallpotatoknitwear · 3 years

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WIP blanket update 6/05/21*

*The information in this post is outdated because I typed the whole thing up, saved it to my drafts to add links… and promptly forgot to do so 😅 I’ve actually finished the ten-stitch by now, and done work on a few others as well, including my Granny Square Quilt!

Hey, y’all! It’s been about two and a half months since I did a blanket update, but I’ve been doing a lot of work on some of them lately, trying to get as much done on the ten-stitch and granny stripe specifically before I go back to work in a week! My goal is to finish the ten-stitch before the 13th of June, but… we’ll see 😅 The reason I’ve been focusing so much on those two blankets specifically is because they’re not so transportable, so, while I am able to bring projects to work with me and work on them during breaks and downtime, I can’t exactly transport an entire, massive “worked in one piece” blanket like the ten-stitch or granny stripe with me. But smaller quilt-style or pieced afghans are a lot easier to transport, because I can throw a few balls/skeins/etc of yarn into my bag for the day and make a few pieces if I have time! Thankfully, 3/5 of the blankets on my to-make list ATM are pieced blankets—you can check out my “coming soon” blanket post to see what some of those are, but two of them are also introduced in this post!

Not pictured: Granny Square Quilt, because it’s still currently on pause, although I plan to start working on it again once I go back to work; Mitered Granny and Tilt-a-Whirl because I’ve finished them both! Stay tuned for individual posts about those two FOs!

Ten-Stitch (Knit)

As of these photos, I was about halfway through this blanket—I was around halfway through cake four, and I’m planning to use eight cakes total and then use the ninth to just finish up whatever edge I run out of the eighth cake on so that I don’t have a weird chunk missing out of it! Since I took these photos about a week ago (I’ve really been procrastinating on writing this post oops—) I’ve finished the fourth cake and have only a little left of the fifth cake! So, even if I don’t finish the blanket by 6/13 like I’d like to, I should be close and can hopefully get it done before work gets crazy again. As you can see, though, my little furry lady seems to like this blanket already! She used to sleep on it a lot before I had to move all my work back up into my room when my brother moved back into the basement, so I’m sure she’s looking forward to being able to sleep on it again when it’s finished!

Floral Beauty Throw

The last time I talked about this blanket, it was in my “coming soon” post. I decided to make a few test squares before starting the blanket itself, because I wasn’t sure if I wanted to use a US H or I size hook, so I made two squares with each size. The two on the left are with the H hook, and the two on the right are with the I hook. As you can see, there isn’t really much difference between them 😂 I plan to block them (the yarn has a wool content, so I’m going to have to soak rather than steam block, which makes me a little sad because steam blocking is so much easier) to make sure, but at this point I’m planning to use the I hook, and, if I can block all four to be close enough in size, I’ll probably just include the two H hook squares in the final afghan.

On the bright side, I won’t have tons of ends to weave in for this blanket, since the yarn is self-striping!

Total pieces: 4/30 (although I may do more squares depending on how my yarn gets used)

Granny Stripe Blanket

It may not look like it, but I’ve actually done a ton of work on this blanket recently! In my last WIP post, I had about 38 rows done—as of these photos, I have about 60 done! It’s officially gotten too long to double over for photos, and the width of it makes it really difficult to take top-down photos, so it’s hard to get good pictures of, but I really love how it’s turning out so far! I also love how the color pooling has been sort of bouncing from side to side the further I go! I can’t wait to see how it turns out!

Scrap Granny Triangle Quilt

I wasn’t planning on starting this blanket just yet—it’s going to be a good one for taking back to work—but I hit a point recently where I didn’t want to work on any of my WIPs so I decided to start this instead 😅 I’m really happy with how it’s going so far! I’m using scrap and leftover yarn for the triangles, and plan to do some mixing of textures in it. You can already see a bit of that here, as I’ve used some bits of fuzzy yarn, as well as some Caron Simply Soft scraps that have different textures than the worsted yarns I’ll be using for the majority of the blanket. I already know that I’ll have to pick up a few skeins to supplement my scraps, so I think I’m going to look for more of the turquoise/grey/white variegated yarn from those two triangles at the top left, as well as some different shades of purple and blue, keeping the red for more accent triangles rather than making it a main color of the blanket. There are a few things kind of bumming me out about this blanket, though—namely that I’m going to need a lot more triangles than I realized to make the blanket as big as I’d like to… and that it looks like I’m going to have to block every. single. triangle…

I’ve also tweaked the pattern slightly (check my coming soon post to see the photo pattern I’m using for reference) because I wasn’t able to neatly work the corners the way the pattern indicated they should be work, so you can see where my rows are joined in the middle of the triangle sides. I don’t mind this too much, though, and I think once the ends are woven in, and the whole thing is pieced together, they’ll be much less noticeable. Hopefully.

Total pieces: 15/225 (approx)

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qwordy · 2 years

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Find the Word Tag Game

I was tagged by @drabbleitout with the words: Spite, Wall, Race, Fly, & Top.

I had to jump between projects to make this one work but thank you for tagging me!:

I’m tagging @draculinawrites @pens-swords-stuff @raevenlywrites

Your Words are: Truth, Hide, Return, and Laugh SPITE: From the short story A Diamond in the Shambles

“Why would he give us the money? I can’t imagine you’re that good in the sack.”

I stopped Dawson before he could say anything to the contrary. “He and his friend would like to escape from London society. In helping him do that, he and his friend will seek livelihood elsewhere.”

“I don’t buy it.” The captain shook his head. “Why would the Marquess want to get rid of all of his fortune just to spite his father? You could run off with his money either way. Why give it to us?”

This was a fair point with an answer just as unbelievable. Laurence was merely a good person with a heavy conscience. When he told him so, all the Captain did was let out his big bellowing howl of laughter, the moniker of our ship.

“It’s a good deal. That way there is less suspicion around the deaths of the entire house. With him on our side, we can do this smarter.”

“Saying I’m not smart now, Jem?” The captain growled at me. What was the matter with him? If he just took a moment to listen everyone would win here. What was he hiding?

WALL: From the short story: Kozue Hacks the Universe

“You do not have the necessary skills to hack into the weaponry systems. The others will have to be enough to do that. By staying here you shouldn’t be compromised should anything go wrong.” He turned to leave but I rushed forward, grabbing his shoulder and slamming him against the wall.

“I’m getting sick and tired of you telling me I’m not good enough. I have skills. I have worth.” I had caught him off guard again, allowing me to hold him there in my grip. I may be small but I learned how to defend myself. I’d been through enough shady transactions and jobs to know how to use his bulk against him. “I may not be the best hacker in the world, but I do get the job done one way or another. I’m not going to sit up here and wait for humanity to be destroyed because you were down a man.”

“I understand your frustration.” His attempts to calm me only served to anger me further. “But I cannot risk your life anymore than I already have.” In a flash, he twisted and had me restrained before I’d even realized what had happened. Had he just been letting me get my anger out on him? If there was one thing I hated more than being told I was useless, it was being patronized.

RACE: Also from Kozue Hacks the Universe

Then, Elijah stepped forward…and started to break-dance?

I looked at Rudix but his expression, as much as I could tell, actually appeared excited. As if Elijah flipping his body around in spins and pops and locks was the most amazing thing he’d ever seen. I looked around trying to find anyone as confused as myself but every single Phyxnak in the room had their eyes locked on Elijah’s silent break dance.

Finally, Rudix’s father raised his hand and Elijah fell back into place at the furry alien’s side. “That was most impressive. I believe I speak for the entire Imperium in saying we deny your request for exclusive rights to this human and I will be taking him for myself.”

Rudix anticipated my shock, clamping a hand around my arm. Elijah looked up at me and quickly shook his head. This was part of the plan? What the hell was going on? What did a blood-thirsty alien race want with a break dancer?

Fly Excerpt from the short story Tinker Witch

With a lurch, the creature bashed into the trunk, sending Auric flying from his perch, winding himself as he struck the ground. With silent gasps he tried to get air back into his lungs as whatever had knocked him out, reared up as a black mass above him. He had no time to move, no time to grab a weapon. He was completely immobilized from the fall.

Then a blinding light lit up the forest as if it were midday and not the exact opposite. The creature above him was a massive beast, with skin like bark and terrifying sharp claws, extending out to maim him. Then, the Gray Poplar’s branches reached forward, grabbing the creature and launching it far across the way. With a horrifying yelp he heard the beast crash to the ground, then the fading pounding of its feet as it ran away, bested by a magical tree.

But it hadn’t really be the tree at all.

“I told you to be mindful of the Willowweres.”

Top: An excerpt from my brand new WIP titled Acing It!

She stripped down into her comfy pants and a tank top, sat down at her desk which was really just a wobbly table she’d found by the dumpsters, and opened her laptop. Perhaps tonight was finally the night she would write again. She’d been in a slump for months now, unable to push the story forward.

It was a little fantasy novel following a mundane town in a magical world filled with dragons and demons but instead of being the heroes, they were just trying to get by while their homes were set ablaze by raiders and heroes came and went, leaving them to clean up the mess after the battle. She’d thought the idea was funny to begin with as a take on how NPCs must feel in video games but now it was feeling stagnant. Where was this story even going? Where was she even going?

#writeblr #find the word tag #wips

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moonb-eam · 4 years

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We're all still reeling from saying goodbye, so let's try to focus on something more positive. What are your ten (or more if you want) headcanons for Elu's future?

oh this is sweet 🧡🧡🧡🧡

(I’m so sorry this took so long to answer!! It wound up being longer than I thought it was going to be 😳)

These are a few things I think happen over the coming years:

i. They learn how to communicate. It takes time, and some days their communication dissolves into arguments and some days it endlessly circles, but then, there are days when one of them comes home late and the other says, alright, I’ll make you some tea. There are days where one of them walks in to see the other crying and they say, will you tell me what’s wrong? There are days where they sit together on the sofa, legs entangled, and they talk for hours, about everything from their dreams the night before, to the deepest corners of their hearts. There are days where only a glance is needed for them to understand each other. But it’s work. It’s work, and it’s as messy as it is wonderful, and they keep trying.

ii. They get a pet together. Maybe a cat, or maybe a dog, or maybe even a bunny - but they go to a shelter together, and they leave with a little furry friend. The buy a specific bed for it, but of course it never sleeps there. At any given moment, when Lucas or Eliott are wandering through the apartment, checking underneath the sofa or behind the curtains, their little friend is actually curled between their pillows on the bed, warm and content in the space that smells like its two favourite humans.

iii. They establish small traditions together: Friday night is movie night; Sunday afternoon is when they clean; they cook for each other on their birthdays; they sleep on the balcony together on the first long summer night of the year; they take turns hiding mistletoe around the apartment in the weeks leading up to Christmas. They also establish some things that aren’t traditions, really, but just routines. Patterns. Whoever wakes up first has to make coffee and water the plants (usually it’s Lucas); whoever goes to sleep last has to turn off all of the lights and empty the dish rack (usually it’s Eliott); whenever they wash their sheets they wind up making a fort in the living room; whenever Eliott is out late at an urbex party or at work, Lucas will leave some dinner in the fridge for him, and a small note - the note may say something like, don’t make any noise, I have an exam, or something like, wake me up when you get home, I’ve missed you, and one time, memorably, you’re so hot xoxo. And you’ve probably guessed it. Eliott keeps every single note.

iv. The entrance to their apartment becomes known as a veritable revolving door of chaos. At any given movement, there is someone bursting in, either in celebration or distress, sometimes alone, sometimes with the rest of the circus right on their heels. People are also known to stay the night: sleeping on the couch, in the armchair, even on the floor on top of a pile of blankets. Lucas often complains, says that the whole point of him and Eliott moving in together was to have privacy, but Eliott doesn��t buy it. He sees the quirk of Lucas’ mouth whenever a knock comes to their door, sees how he paces around the kitchen until eventually he gives in and starts making a pot of coffee, and produces a semi-stale bag of croissants from seemingly out of nowhere, heating them in the oven and passing them out along the table. When Lucas catches Eliott staring, he just blushes, smiles, and shrugs.

v. They wear each others’ clothes all the time. There’s a drawer in their bedroom that is filled with nondescript t-shirts that have become so mixed up they can’t discern which belonged to who in the first place.

vi. When Eliott shows Lux and Obscurus to his film class, everyone is surprised. They had no idea what to expect from this coursemate who they only know as someone who is a little quiet, a little awkward, and they’re impressed by it - by the film, by the fact that Eliott was able to produce it with an amateur crew, and soon everyone is asking Eliott what his next project will be, and students from the other courses are asking him if he needs a production designer, a camera operator, a sound technician. Eliott comes home from class one day with a troupe of people following him who Lucas has never seen before, and when Eliott introduces him as, my boyfriend Lucas, there’s a collective gasp. The muse, one of them says, and the look of pure confusion that Lucas sends Eliott makes him burst into laughter.

vii. On Lucas’ first day of university, Eliott wakes up early and packs him a lunch, presenting it proudly to Lucas when he stumbles into the kitchen, bleary-eyed. It’s unbelievably sweet, and Lucas tells Eliott this, kissing him on the cheek in thanks, but he regrets those words later that day, when, sitting on a bench on campus, he opens up the lunch to find a sandwich with ham, Brie cheese, mustard, and strawberry jam. (What he doesn’t admit is that somehow, it actually tastes really good.)

viii. The first time Lucas’ mom comes over for dinner, Eliott gets so nervous that he manages to burn ready-made pasta sauce, and Lucas gleefully recounts the story to his mom when she arrives. Eliott is laughing along with them, bashful, a little embarrassed, but Lucas’ mom smiles, pats him on the shoulder and says, there’s no need to worry, darling. With the way he talks about you, I feel as though you’re already my son-in-law. Eliott grins, pleased, and it’s Lucas then who blushes, sending his mom a pointed look that she returns with a satisfied smile.

ix. Eliott refuses to drop it, is the thing. Remember when your mom called me her son-in-law? So of course, Lucas turns it around on him, a joke that he pulls out whenever Eliott turns down an offer to join him on a night out, or on another trip to Basile’s grandfather’s. Oh that’s too bad, Eliott, he says. I was going to propose to you. Eliott tries to one-up him, naturally, and it turns into this - them keeping score for a game nobody else understands, with Eliott pretending to stumble onto one knee and asking Lucas if he will do him the honour of helping him up, and Lucas presenting a small, velvet box to Eliott at his graduation dinner, and Eliott opening it to find a condom. No one understand it, but they accept it. Just another quirk that makes them Lucas and Eliott. Well, everyone except Basile, who, when he learns that they’re not actually engaged while at Eliott’s birthday party, drunkenly bursts into tears.

x. When it does actually happen, though, it happens like this: with a date at a familiar spot, a bottle of champagne opened and emptied, with Lucas procuring another small box, and solemnly promising that it’s not a condom this time, and Eliott is laughing because his boyfriend, his fiancé, is a bit of an idiot, but he’s Eliott’s idiot, and Eliott loves him so much he can’t breathe, can’t speak when Lucas slides a ring onto his finger. They kiss, and they’re both crying, salty tears down rounded cheeks that mix with something else, something cold, and they realize at the same time that it’s starting to rain, big fat drops that land in their eyes and soak their hair and they both laugh in delighted wonder, tilting their heads back to watch they sky together.

#asks #anon #i only saw you #could be filed under #fic tag #elu #skam france #i was working on this while also starting my misn epilogue #so clearly i have elu marriage on the brain #this is why i shouldn't be allowed to watch wedding reality shows on netflix

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michaelsheenpt · 3 years

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Michael Sheen's beautiful love letter to Port Talbot

The actor takes us, and Jennifer Saunders, on a trip down memory lane as he shows us where he played footy and worked in Wales' first drive-thru

Actor Michael Sheen has done something tonight no-one has ever done before.

He managed to make Port Talbot look awesome, without saying that the steelworks looked like Blade Runner.

Now, I'm not being facetious - ok a little - but Port Talbot often has the face only a mother could love, and you can apply that cliché to many parts of Wales - did you see the valleys in the grip of the pit heads and chimneys? I'm from Treorchy, I'm allowed to say that.

We, and Michael, know that where we come from is pretty awesome and his return to live in Wales after two decades away is testament to that appreciation.

It's often said that we can only appreciate where we come from once we have either been away, or are shown it through someone else's eyes.

Those eyes actually belong to Jennifer Saunders. Michael is her guest on her one-off special, Jennifer Saunders' Memory Lane with Michael Sheen, which follows her and the Quiz, Staged and Prodigal Son actor bombing around Michael's favourite parts of the country in a swanky Jaguar E-type, with the latter in an even swankier waterproof cape.

The programme starts with waving tara to parents Irene and Meyrick, fantasising about having a ski lift to get back up the hill to his home and visiting the pitch where he played most of his games for Baglan Boys club - the Evans Bevan Field.

"I was obsessed with football," said Michael. "I played for Baglan Boys Club at the Evans Bevan pitch. My memory of playing football here was the stinging feel of rain on 10-year-old legs.

"I used to feel a mixture of joy at playing and utter terror. One [because] wanted to play as well as possible and also there was always a sense of latent violence constantly," he laughs.

"There was one famous game, [I was]probably around 12/13 and someone started to have a fight, in the middle of the pitch, and we had been told that if a fight starts you have to find your opposite number.

"Everyone started looking round for their opposite number and our goalkeeper, I believe his nickname was 'Unky' he ran, I remember watching him run, all the way across the pitch to hit the other goalkeeper.

"The match was abandoned."

Not perhaps a rose-tinted view, depends who you are really, but he added: "To this day if I can't sleep I imagine myself on this pitch and certain goals."

It wasn't all football and fighting, though, he also tantalisingly asks the Ab Fab creator: "Would you like to see the site of Wales' first drive-thru burger bar?"

You can't say that Michael Sheen doesn't show visitors all the good places, so off they went to a disused patch of land off the A48 where Burger Master once stood, a drive-thru restaurant that opened in 1988 and where Michael worked while waiting to audition for drama school.

Okay, so you might be thinking 'how is this a love letter to Wales?'

But it's the funny, warm, vivid memories Michael shares with the backdrop of sweeping aerial shots of the lush, green and rust brown backdrop of Port Talbot and golden sandy beaches of Aberavon, the site of the culmination of his huge theatre event , The Passion, in 2011.

And it's the trip to Hay-on-Wye that really shows just how much Wales means to Michael, a place he requested to visit one birthday and then hankered to return ever since.

As the pair leave Port Talbot to the intro of Super Furry Animal 's Juxtaposed with U and weave up towards the near-border town via the A4059 (the moor-road that takes you from Penderyn to the Beacons Reservoir) and the A470, the show, and Michael's memories just invoke the wow-factor you get every single time you travel that route.

From dodging the ponies and sheep, to the view back down to the Cantref reservoir and the stone tower that sits at the tip of the Beacons Reservoir, if Welsh expats weren't homesick before, they definitely were by then.

The 51-year-old actor said: "I remember the first time we ever went to Hay-on-Wye and I was looking out the window and I'd never seen landscape like it, it wasn't just fields and I remember just going into bit of a trance and my imagination going wild.

"The first time I saw that [stone tower] I thought I was in Lord Of The Rings and some sort of wizard lived there."

Back at Port Talbot a visit to the Plaza Cinema - which is currently in the middle of being regenerated - reminds Michael of going to see Star Wars, people dancing in the aisle to Grease and flicking Maltesers down to the people below. Jennifer asks him if seeing the places from his past changing and disappearing is the reason he returned home to Wales.

"It is a weird thing to see the old footsteps just disappear it has forced me to think about how fortunate I'd been," he answered. "Suddenly it makes you realise that things aren't there forever and unless you fight for them they can go.

"I found myself starting to do more things around [on a] community level and I thought 'I just want to be here now.'

"I'd got myself to a point in my career where I had a lot of resource, not just financial, other resources and I want to use that to at least do my bit to try and make sure that the people where I come from have the same opportunities, at the very least , like I had."

The episode ends with a trip to Aberavon seafront, where The Passion came to it's grand end back during Easter 2011.

After making a joke - "We are now approaching the roundabout I was crucified on, not many people can say that' - the master impressionist who's taken on a mastered Kenneth Williams, Tony Blair (x3), David Frost and Brian Clough, talks about the National Theatre Wales production which involved thousands of locals as well as the actor as the lead character. And he gets emotional.

"It was incredibly emotional," he said, noting that the images projected behind him on the cross were home videos, memories from Port Talbot in years gone by.

"Home videos, events from the past, my mum and dad's wedding, over the years of developing it I kept a list of people who had died and events that used to be put on in the town that weren't put on anymore, things that has been lost."

Explaining the final words of The Passion: "It has begun!" he told Jennifer how important his home is, and why he returned and you can feel the authenticity in his strength of feeling. He said: "It was the story of the rebirth of the town. The story of The Passion was always the story of this town. I remember thinking I will never do anything as meaningful as this again.

"It changed my life in all kinds of ways, the time I spent working on it I developed a new relationship with this place. I got to know it in a way I never knew it growing up here and it pulled me back."

You can see Jennifer Saunders' Memory Lane on ITV player.

SOURCE

#michael sheen #jennifer saunders #itv #memory lane #port talbot #wales #its gonna be so emotional

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e-vasong · 4 years

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hi!! I just wanted to ask about the daemon AU--do you have a headcanon abt when their daemons would settle? or did they just settle after puberty? Did 5's daemon settle before or after the apocolypse?

AH!! this is such a good question. I’m gonna put a cut after this first bit, though, because I took a simple question and accidentally...wrote a 2k thing that kinda straddles the line between answering your question and being a freeform fic? whoops.

Okay. So I think all the kids probably settle a little later than normal for most people. It’s been a while since I read the books, but I recall that most daemons, though not all, settle towards the start of puberty. I headcanon that trauma is one of the things that can push that process back, and all the Hargreeves kids have that in abundance. Not to mention that I don’t think isolating your kids from a normal childhood and forcing them into a vigilante lifestyle is exactly helpful for their development.

Luther settles first, a day after their thirteenth birthday. It happens without much fanfare, while they’re resting at home after a mission. There’s not much a golden retriever can do on a mission that another animal can’t do just as well or better, and Reginald really emphasizes the utility of their daemons above all else. But sometimes Luther likes to let Amalthea turn into big, soft things when their dad isn’t looking. He likes them, even if Diego mocks him relentlessly for it. And that afternoon Amalthea plops down on his chest and turns into a golden retriever, licking at his chin to comfort him after the verbal excoriation their father had given them after the mission had gone wrong at every possible turn. It’s a miracle none of them were hurt. That scares Luther more than anything else. How close he’d come to failing and getting someone killed. And they don’t even realize that she’s settled until like an hour later when they’re headed downstairs and Amalthea tries to shift back into a form that their father will find dignified and just...can’t.

Klaus settles next much to everyone’s surprise. It happens a few months after Luther. Their father has them locked in the crypt again, and it’s particularly bad tonight. Klaus can see them everywhere, tearing at his clothes, clawing at his skin, and he can barely breathe. They go after Cassandra just as eagerly as they do him, but she’s harder to catch. Suddenly she’s a falcon, an ermine, a rat scuttling through a new hole in the wall that their father must have missed. And then she’s outside. Twelve, thirteen feet away maybe, and it pulls at the connection between them, almost to the point of being painful. Hurts enough to gear Klaus out of his catatonic haze and get him to push through the throng of ghosts just to get a couple feet closer to her. And then Cassandra is a cicada, fluttering up to the lock. And then she’s a raccoon, clawing futilely at it with those deft, clever fingers, but unable to work it open without anything to jimmy the lock open with. Yet she’s also trapped by their bond, unable to venture and look for something to use. And so she tries to shift back to rat, to get back inside, and just. Doesn’t. Can’t. So Klaus stills his breathing long enough to stumble over to the door of the crypt, pressing his back flat against it and trying to still his breathing. Cassandra curls up in a small ball in front of the door. And they stay like that all night, until their father comes to let them out in the morning.

Allison, Diego, and Vanya all settle pretty close together, towards the end of their thirteenth year and the start of their fourteenth.

Allison settles on a mission. She’s so busy rumoring a bad guy into killing his friends that she doesn’t notice the one behind her until Diego drops to the ground with a muffled cry of pain. She makes a noise, a hoarse-sounding scream of shock and surprise. But she’s well-trained enough to wrestle her gut reaction under control quickly. She whips around, a rumor already on her lips, but before she can say anything Alexander is there. A flash of muted gold and black, not hulking but still larger than she expects. He jumps, first onto a table. The spring inside a loaded gun. Fifty pounds of coiled muscle and snarling rage. Then he leaps again, surprisingly agile. There’s a flash of canine, long and sharp. The man dies with a gurgle, and when Alexander pads over to Diego’s injured body, licking at their brother’s face with concern, Allison sees that those white teeth are bloody and red.

Diego settles during one of their sneak-outs. They’re walking along the pier, eating fish tacos they bought from a vendor nearby. Ben is reading as they walk, flipping pages idly. He’s not paying attention to where they’re going, though Luther keeps trying to get him to put the book down. But then Diego had told Luther to lay the fuck off, and that had turned into a whole thing, and Ben’s still reading his book. If Five were here, there wouldn’t be any concern about it. He’d had that sort of quiet, watchful way about him, where you knew that even if he wasn’t actively stopping you from doing something, he was still keeping an eye out to make sure it didn’t kill you. If Five were here, he’d have made them take Vanya. If Five were here...

But he isn’t. He’s probably off somewhere, living happily away from their father and from them. Asshole. It’s an uncharitable thought, and Guinevere would bite him for it if he said it out loud, but Diego is so caught up in his anger that he doesn’t see Ben walk into the pole until its too late.

Ben swears, hands flying to his face automatically. Klaus bursts into hysterical laughter. Allison’s gasps, putting a hand to her mouth. Ben’s book tumbles out of his hands and into the water, and Guinevere--also laughing--follows it, turning small and furry as she does. She doesn’t catch it before it gets soaked, but she gets the book in her teeth and paddles over to a small ladder that drops down off the dock. Ben turns to thank her, but Diego is too distracted to catch what he says. Diego just settled, he’s pretty sure. He can feel it in his bones. He’d kind of been hoping for something that would prove once and for all that he’s better than Luther, but frankly their father isn’t going to be any more pleased with otter than golden retriever. That’s kind of a bummer. But when he kneels down to let Guinevere scramble up his arm and around his neck, he can’t really bring himself to care. She’s Gwen, and he’s Diego, and if their father has anything to say about it? Well then. He can go fuck himself.

Vanya settles that winter. She’s playing her violin in the living room. Ben is sitting nearby. They aren’t hanging out, not exactly. None of her siblings really hang out with her, not since Five, but Ben maybe comes the closest. Calliope usually takes the form of a cat, winding around Vanya’s ankles as she plays. She used to turn into a capuchin sometimes, to flip the pages of Vanya’s music, but Io has more or less soured Vanya on monkey daemons these days. But still. Things are nice, and today they are in a particularly good mood. Ben’s company is comforting; it’s nice not to be alone; and Vanya hasn’t missed a single note. So today, Calliope flutters up onto her shoulder and sings along with her. And she never changes back. And when Vanya shyly shows her to their family later, Reginald sniffs, disdainful, having barely spared them a flicker of a glance. Just a songbird, he says dismissively. And that is that.

(And later, years and years later, Leonard peers into the veil of Vanya’s hair.

“Is that your daemon?” he asks affably. He looks unbothered by the way Vanya cringes. His orb weaver is crawling up the sleeve of his shirt, looking almost like a toy or a strange decorative pin.

“Yeah,” Vanya says. Cal is a bundle of fluffed-up feathers nestled in the crook of Vanya’s neck. She huddles in closer at the sight of Leonard’s attention.

“What is she?” Leonard asks, then holds his hands up apologetically. “I mean, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“Just a songbird.”

“Just a songbird?” Leonard echoes. He leans in closer. “Hey, she’s a...great tit, right? I’ve read about those.”

“Oh?” Vanya asks, bracing herself for whatever is going to come next. Leonard is a nice guy; she’s sure he means well. It doesn’t mean that what he says next isn’t going to hurt.

“Yeah,” Leonard smiles at her. “You’re right. They are songbirds. But they’re more than that.”

Vanya pauses, lifts a hand to her hair uncertainly. She hadn’t expected that. “What do you mean?”

“Well, I’m surprised your family didn’t ever say anything to you, I have to admit. They are songbirds, Vanya. But they’re hunters too,” Harold says. There’s wonder in his eyes, and when Vanya looks up to meet his gaze, he just smiles.)

Ben, like Luther, settles without much fuss. Once a week, since they turned ten, they’ve had a designated time to try out new forms for their daemon. Their father brings out books on zoology. Gives them specimen after specimen to try. Ben isn’t quite sure that this is how it’s supposed to work. All accepted science suggests that settling is half a physical affair and half a mental one. It’s not just about finding the right shape, it's about state of mind as well. Amalthea is a golden retriever, but if she had tried that form when Luther was eight, Ben doubts that she would have settled. But their father doesn’t much seem to care, nor does he seem to understand. Then again, Io and their father have a dynamic that Ben doesn’t quite get either. They seem less like human and daemon and more like warden and prison guard. But maybe that’s just Ben projecting.

Melpomene takes to their father’s training with more courage than Ben does. His stomach hurts; he wishes that he could go back to bed. This is worse now. All the others have settled, and Ben’s been doing this part of their training alone for almost a year. But Mel is braver than Ben is, and she takes the lead. So they go down the list, while their father watches with those piercing eyes. Io is perched on the desk, lips drawing back from his teeth whenever Ben so much as twitches a muscle in the wrong direction.

Mel turns into a large octopus. A cassowary. A vulture, a great Philippine Eagle, a Sumatran rhino, a spectacled caiman.

And then she stops. Tries to shift again.

“I’m stuck,” Mel declares, sounding just as surprised as Ben feels. Their father’s back straightens, and it’s the nearest thing he’s ever given Ben to pride. He peers over his spectacles. Nods.

“This is acceptable,” their father says, like there’s any other option. It’s not like Ben can do anything about it, but he holds his tongue and stares at the floor again. A predator. A scary one, not like Guinevere or Amalthea. Even Alexander is cuddly. Crocodilians, though, people hate. This isn’t how Ben wanted his settling to go. He hadn’t wanted their father to be right.

Ben’s stomach twists. He feels something nudge against the inner lining of his gut, like it’s trying to escape, and ignores it.

“Dismissed, Number Six,” their father says, and when Ben turns to go his eyes feel wet.

And Five...Ugh. I’m debating how much of this I want to share, because I actually have this scene written elsewhere? But Five settles last. Five settles last by no small margin, not just chronologically, but by age as well. Five settles late even among other late bloomers. He settles when he’s eighteen. Approximately. It’s hard to keep track of days in the Apocalypse; Five is good with numbers and has a great memory, but it’s been five years by this point and the days are starting to blur, even for him. The lateness of his settling comes from a combination of trauma, a lack of socialization, and the fact that he is desperately trying to avoid it. He and Dolores keep a list of forms that they know are safe, forms that she’s taken again and again and hasn’t settled in yet.

Because in the Apocalypse, an unsettled daemon is an incredible asset. She can be a hawk, fluttering up to a roof to scout for places to salvage. A wolf, sniffing out supplies. An elephant, moving rubble and bricks so they can turn what remains of the library’s atrium into a makeshift shelter. And a bear, warm and hardy. That form’s kept Five from freezing to death for the past several winters. But the thing about nature is that it always finds a way. They can only fight it for so long. And one night Five wakes up, and Dolores is a snake, and she can’t shift out. She’s cold, too. The night temperatures are too much for her now.

I’m sorry, I’m sorry, she says to Five, almost frantic with it.

It’s fine, he tells her as she curls up under his jacket, soaking up the warmth radiating from his chest. You’re beautiful. It sounds like a lie. It kind of feels like one too, even though he means it.

This should be a wonderful thing. It would have been, under almost any other circumstances.

They do make it, of course. We know that. Five is clever and he is determined and he has no choice but to survive. He will accept no other outcome, and he’s right in that. They suffer, but they live. They win and they get back to their family.

In the moment, though, they are just a seventeen-year-old boy and his daemon, entirely alone in a world that doesn’t care whether they live or die, and it mainly feels like a death sentence.

(BUT THEN ALSO THEY ALL REUNITE WHEN FIVE TIME TRAVELS BACK AND BEN COMES BACK TO LIFE SOMEHOW AND LEARNS SELF LOVE AND THEY ALL RECOVER FROM THEIR TRAUMA TOGETHER YEE HAW)

#tua #the umbrella academy #my writing #daemon au #this is actually sadder than my normal fare i promise it all works out but by virtue of being a settling fic this involves their childhoods #which were. awful.#sorry for any crappy writing its literally 2am for me i just got fixated on this

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starr-fall-knight-rise · 4 years

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Humans are Space Orcs “Christmas.”

wrote this based on a request for fluff, so I have delivered the fluff. There is a certain group of you who will probably be a little bit made at me when you finish :)

But here is the token Christmas episode, and I hope you all like it

“Alright, try it now.”

“But Commander, I'll have to pull power from the reactor core.”

“I said do it airmen, did it sound like a question?”

“Yes, sir.”

A sudden eruption of lights exploded about the mess hall, and down the hallways of the ship, thousands of tiny twinkling lights. Krill, having been walking to speak with the Commander paused at the entrance to the room and spun around in wonder. Lines upon lines of lights had appeared out of nowhere to be projected around the walls of the room and down the hallways of the ship. They weren’t bright or anything, instead an almost delicate yellow in color gently twinkling like the light of distant stars.

“Get those overhead lights off,”

With a loud thud, the lights switched off, casting the room into the warm ambient glow of those thousand twinkling lights. He spun in a circle staring up at the ceiling, shocked to find a mosaic of falling snowflakes, which faded and vanished before hitting the floor,

“Give me more fall-off on that snow airman. Tomorrow better be magical or someone is getting their ass fired.”

He turned his head again eyes widening in geater wonder as they fell on the center of the room. The flickering, projected hologram of a massive tree. It was one of those furry looking earth plants that could reach higher than thirty feet tall, though this one only nearly brushed the ceiling. It stood in the middle of the room decorated by hundreds more twinkling lights, yards of red ribbon and shiny glass balls. Atop the tree, there was projected the human caricature of a star glittering with firelight.

Tongues of phantom fire licked against the far wall, under a mantle of stone and brick.

Krill turned in another wide circle as the strange lights flickered around him, reminding him strangely of the space walk he had gone on with the commander so long ago, stepping out into the darkness surrounded by stars, alone in the vastness of space, but where that had been cold and distant, this was a close warmness that filled him up from the inside and made him feel oddly warm.

Soft footsteps behind him and then a pause.

“Beautiful, isn’t it?”

“What is it?’

“Realistically, more than four thousand years of pagan-christian and corporate tradition.” Krill looked up to find the array of glittering lights reflected against the human’s bright green iris. His voice grew soft, though it stayed warm, “More romanticized…. This is…. Home. This is childhood and imagination, and family wrapped in a box and tied with a bow. This is being warm when its cold and loved when you’re alone. This is comfort on the edges of space when earth is a trillion lightyears away and you may never go back.”

“Feeling a bit poetic today I see?’

The Commander shrugged, “Maybe a little…. Kind of homesick too.” he sighed, “This is the first year I won’t be celebrating Christmas with my family.”

“Christmas?”

“Yeah, I’m not exactly sure what it meant to other people, but when I was a kid, it was mostly just a day to celebrate our family…. Mom loves Christmas, she goes all out every year, even when things were tight…. She always managed to make things special. One year dad snuck out in the middle of the night and left reindeer tracks in the snow to convince us they had been there.”

“Er, Reindeer?”

“Ah, never mind. I’ll tell you about it later. Important thing is getting everything ready for tonight. If you want to see the real magic.”

Krill stared at the commander as he walked away not entirely sure what the hell that was supposed to mean. He was trailed by a rather grumpy looking Glados. In the past few months the adaptid had grown to the size of a medium sized dog, and the Commander was, more and more, forcing her to walk on her own, Which she didn’t much like.

Krill glanced around at the lights one last time before returning down the hall and towards the medical bay. All across the ship crew members were busy putting up decorations, stringing strange fluffy streamers over the exposed piping.

One crew-member, in a red and a green hat with a bell on top was hanging strange plants from the tops of doorways. He looked on in confusion before stepping into the medical bay greeted by Dr. Katie, who was wearing a red and white dress with a matching hat and striped leggings. She looked like a peppermint stick...

“Good evening krlll, are you ready for christmas?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Other than it's some sort of human holiday.”

“Yeah, it’s the one day of year where people get together and give each other gifts and stuff. To some people it means different things, simply a family day or to celebrate religious figures. Just sort of depends. Some people don’t celebrate it at all, but the Commander seems pretty big on christmas, so why not.”

“Why are you dressed up like that?”

She winked at him, “Because I’m an elf silly.”

“You know this is almost the first time in half a year in which I have no understood a single word coming out of your mouth. She simply winked and continued on her way whistling happily.”

Of course the night came, and out of Character Dr. katie curled up on one of the hospital beds and fell asleep leaving Krill alone in the half darkness. He spent the rest of his time on the internet looking up information on the so-called holiday. What he found was a tangled mess of pagan-cristian-and corporate traditions just like the Commander had suggested. A lot to do with saints and demons and more information than he was willing to read all the way through at this moment. He wasn’t a xeno historian after all.

The night wore on, and he sensed a strange stillness in the air around him caused by the ambient light leaking in from the hallway, warm and fiery.

It was close to two in the morning when a knock came on the door to the medical bay. Dr. Katie stirred and sat up adjusting her dress as she ran over motioning Krill after her. Curiously he followed after her, stepping into the hall to find….. More than a strange sight. There was Conn, draped all over in glittering tinsel to add to his flowing ribbons. A couple other humans were dressed in the strange red and green costumes with pointy hats and bells on their shoes. Waffles, the dog, was sitting just before the door wearing a fake pair of antlers, her tongue lolling happily from one side of her mouth. Sitting with her were the three adaptids in similar states of dress glados looking cowed but a little more than miffed to be there. Both of them were covered in bells as well, and all of that strangeness arrayed around the weirdest thing of all, a very large fat man in a blindingly red suit, and big white beard.

He moved forward ad Dr. Katie hopped over to join the strange party grinning and giggling as she patted waffle’s head. The dog licked her hand, “You make such adorable reindeer.” She reached down to pat Glados next, and the adaptid sulked, but didn’t try to bite her as she might have done with someone else.

“HO HO HO, Merry Christmas!” Said the big fat man, and looking up into his eyes, Krill suddenly grew very suspicious. He had only ever seen a shade of green like that on one human.

“What the hell have you done to yourself.” he demanded.

Adam raised an eyebrow, though most of his face was covered by a beard, “I have no idea what you’re on about.”

Krill was horrified, “Look at you…. How…. how do you gain that much weight in such a short amount of time. Are you mad? Are you ok? Are you going to die of a heart attack in the next fifteen minutes because something tells me this can’t be healthy.” He glared at the human, “When were you going to tell me that humans could just spontaneously gain an enormous amount of weight. Whatever this is, it is an immediate medical emergency. Plus the beard, some serious hormonal dis-regulation I can’t even begin to imagine what sort of-”

“KRILL! Its a suit, a costume, I didn’t just spontaneously gain weight.” The human adjusted his beard voice sounding more normal now that he wasn’t trying to make it deeper, “I’m Santa Claus?

“And who is that supposed to be?”

“Well, he is the physical embodiment of the spirit of Christmas. Legend says, he lives at the north pole, and works with the elves making toys all year round. He keeps to lists, and on one list appears the name of all the well behaved children, and on the other list appears the names of the naughty children, he will check both lists twice, and there is no point trying to trick him because he sees everything. And then on the night of Christmas, he gathers all the presents into the back of his sleigh, which is pulled by nine magical flying reindeer. Then, he takes all night to to fly all around the world delivering presents to kids. Most of the time he comes down the chimney, if you have one. He will fill stockings (socks) hung over the fireplace with small toys and then put the big presents under the Christmas tree. If you were a bad kid than he wouldn’t leave a present, but a lump of coal instead. Generally it is recommended that one leaves some cookies and a glass of milk out as a thank you, oh, and carrots for the reindeer.”

….

There was silence for a long moment, “What in the name of beelzebub's balls kind of story is that.”

Even through the beard he could tell that Adam was frowning, “Stop being such a Grinch. It’s a great story, to help kids behave, and keep the magic alive for a little while before you become and old cantankerous adult that doesn’t believe in anyone or anything anymore.”

“And what is a grinch.”

“A grinch is an angry green person who hates to see other people happy….. Arguably they also hate corporate Christmas, but I digress. Scrooge is also someone who doesn't get the point of Christmas, and both are definitely insults, now come on. You are joining me and my elves while we go deliver presents.”

Before he could protest, he was presented with pointy hat with a bell on it, and forced to follow as they wandered silently off down the halls.

Adam pulled out a clipboard, “Alright everyone, our list here says that approximately 85% of the crew celebrates Christmas, but we will still be delivering presents to everyone because we are nice and that is what we do. Nobody is expected to join in tomorrow but everyone is invited because we aren't trash humans.” Glados and Waffles walked at his heels as the rest of the humans followed behind lugging large bags over their shoulders, “Alright Katie, you’re with me in filling the stockings, the rest of you are charged with leaving a trail to the mess hall where the actual presents will be, one for everyone at least, no one is left out. Corporal, you get the people who don’t celebrate Christmas, and just leave the gifts outside their doors. Make sure to leave the notes for them as well so they know they are invited if they want to come.”

“Yes s…. Ur Mr. Claus?”

“Damn Straight.”

“What about the Drev?”

“I am including them in the list of people who celebrate simply because I want them to have the experience once before they decide whether they like it or not. Everyone should get the chance to at least choose.”

It too nearly the next few hours to get things done. Krill Accompanied the Commander, Conn, waffles, and the Adaptids as they jingled quietly up the halls slipping into rooms where crew members had been instructed to leave socks hanging from their bed frames.

On more than one occasion Krill watched as a very confused human, light sleeper, sat up and watched blearily as they exited the room with a confused look on their faces. Some seeming even amused. The heavier sleepers didn’t notice a thing.

They reached the Drev and Marine quarters at some point towards the end of the night, making it through one relatively quickly, but just as he was about to step into the last room, Glados growled and snapped at his boot.

Commander…. Santa? Looked down and harrumphed, “Someone here is going on the naughty list.” Katie and Krill leaned forward as a light shined down on the delicate silver trip wire cut across the door.

Katie snorted, “Coal.”

Quietly, he stepped over the line and into the room Glados leaping behind him. “Alright which one of the naughty children is trying to capture St. Nick?”

Krill turned on his thermal vision and could see the vast majority of the marines were not sleeping.”

He turned to look over at Krill and Conn, who motioned in the direction of one of the beds. He walked quietly over leaning next to the ear of the ‘supposedly” Sleeping marine, “I see you when you’re sleeping Ramiez .”

There was an eruption of uncontained giggling around the room, which was rather strange coming from the large, muscular humans.

“Oh…. kinky.” A muffled voice whispered from somewhere.

More giggling.

“Is that you Santa?”

“Guess who's getting coal for Christmas.”

He turned towards the door.

“Wait, wait, Santa, wait! I have a question. “

He paused in the doorway raising his eyebrows at the marines who were sitting up, “What?”

“How did you get here without reindeer?”

He wagged a finger at them, “Very carefully. You better thank my elves, they had to get degrees in engineering, physics and rocket science to get me here. And what is worse, my Star-sleigh was pulled by a bunch of snarky starborn led by that one.” He pointed towards Conn, “he almost guided us into a black hole, so you better be nice and leave me out some cookies next year.”

He stepped over the tripwire and back out into the hallway allowing the door to shut closed behind them.

Outside there was a trail of tinsel and strange footprints leading away from the doors and down the halls. He left the bag just outside the door with the rest of the stocking stuffers in it, not ever having intended to leave the marines with just coal.

They took one last jingling run up and down the halls for effect before retreating to the mess hall where they promptly passed out on bean bags by the holographic tree in front of the holographic fire.

Glados crawled up onto the fake belly and curled up there glowering at anyone who got to close. Waffles and the other adaptids curled up just to the side.

***

Sunny woke up early the next morning thinking how odd it was, that strange tinkling sound in the middle of the night. She sat up looking over at the sock she had been asked to place in her room. She had been forced to borrow it from someone considering she didn’t wear socks, and was surprised to find something sticking out of it.

She wandered over and tipped the contents into her hands surprised to find an earth flower, and some miscellaneous items of use for her work down in engineering.

Curiously, she opened the door into the hallway idly munching on the flower, and found a trail leading from her door and down the hall. The scene surprised her, and she wasn’t entirely sure what to think. It clearly had the intention of being followed, and curious, she followed finishing off the flower as she came around the corner dropping the stem in surprise when she saw the room before her.

Hundreds of holographic lights, a tree, fire, piles of blankets and beanbags and lounging humans half asleep. Conn was floating up near the ceiling trailing tinsel. Krill was hovering beside the tree looking more than a little confused. Dr. Katie was moving wrapped gifts below the tree dressed like a peppermint stick.

Adam….. Well Adam was peeling off a suit that added about two hundred pounds to his frame. It seemed as if there had also been a fake beard and massive coat, as far as she could see. Took him a few seconds to wriggle out of the boots and oversized pants dumping them on a chair close by leaving him in a white shirt and military issue olive green pants.

He looked up from where he had dumped his costume and grinned at her.

She walked closer.

“Merry Christmas.”

“Erm…. Merry Christmas?.... What’s a Christmas.”

“Apparently it’s a human holiday perpetrated on the idea that a magical fat man in a red suit, flies around the world on a magical sleigh pulled by magical non-flying flying mammal to deliver presents to children who were good…. Oh also he watches you when you sleep.” Sunny stared at Krill in confusion.

Overhead Conn was mimicking voiceless laughter.

“Don’t mind him, he's being a little grinch as usual. Come on, we’re just waiting to give people time to show up, and then we are gonna open presents.”

“How did you manage to get something for everyone?

“Well I asked for help number one, but number two, what else am I supposed to do with my money. I mean I have a place to live, a place to sleep, entertainment, food, anything a guy could as for, so I just threw a paycheck or two at it. Otherwise its just sitting in my bank account collecting dust until I can find something dumb and nerdy to spend it on…. I thought…. Well I thought this would mean more than getting myself a light-saber or something.”

She stared at him for a long moment, “You are such a…. Sap.”

He smiled, “Maybe a little. I mean it's not much, anyway, but it made me feel good.”

She paused, tilted her head, and then hugged him. He seemed a little surprised one eye peering up at her from a four- arm embrace. He didn’t say anything until she let him go and he stepped back to look at her, “What was that for?”

“You…. well. You… deserve it. And I don’t think you get reminded enough.”

She thought she saw a little bit of red creeping up his neck and he looked down at his feet, waving it off, “Nah, if you knew what went on inside my head, you wouldn’t say that.”

She decided not to argue with him, humans were horrible with accepting compliments sometimes. Instead she found herself sharing music with him as they lay on one of the beanbags waiting for the others to arrive.

He had his eyes closed appearing as if he was sleeping through she knew he probably wasn't . At some point he adjusted himself so that his head was resting on one of her arms, using her like a pillow. A few more people started to trickle in, including the marines, one of which, Ramirez, was wearing bright red footie pajamas and walked over to claim a bean bag just to the wide.

Adam opened an eye and looked over at him, “What the hell are you wearing.”

“My footie pajamas.”

“Yeah I got that…..”

“Don’t diss the footies..”

“ Yeah sure, anyway what would have happened if I stepped on the trip-wire?” Sunny lifted her head at the mention of a trip wire.

Ramirez grinned, “it would have been pretty glorious, that’s what, but guess you will never know.”

“Rude.”

A few of the other marines wandered in blearily, CJ, Davis, and maverick who took a seat cross-legged on the floor her short blond hair sticking up in all directions like the open wings of a bird.

Finally The commander determined it was time and began handing out the presents, first to the more introverted people, who he figured could take their present and head off if they really wanted. A few of the non-Christmas-people showed up just to hang out causing a sort of slow trickle in and out of the room almost constantly.

Krill and Conn were both presented with gifts, Krill who just happened to get a little cube that was advertised as holding about a million different puzzles of all different types and at varying levels He seemed pleased, though he insisted on his patrol through the room to make sure the humans weren’t doing anything stupid.

Conn was presented with some sort of hand-held gaming system, actually relatively cheap compared to what they used to be.

He loved it.

ANd based on Commander Vir’s smug expression, he had done it on purpose, probably to keep the starborn out of his head.

Sunny was standing at the back of the room watching the humans rather fondly, as well as the other Drev, who seemed to be enjoying themselves as much as the humans. Her brother and Maverick were causing trouble across the room and nearly giving krill a conniption. Watching all of this, she still noticed Adam approaching from the side holding one last box.

He held it up, “One more present left.”

She turned to face him, “For you.”

He held it out, “Well you, obviously….. I sort of waited till last because…. Well you technically got more than everyone else. My Mom sent a few things up, and I just added her gift to mine.”

Sunny took the box and looked up in surprise, “Your mom…. But she…. She hates me.”

A small smile, “I think she's come around. It’s just taken her a while. I think this is supposed to be an apology. It's pretty cute, I think you should wear it.”

Out of curiosity, she opened the box and looked inside to find a piece of fabric neatly folded on top. With her upper hands she reached to unfold it, whatever it was it was made out of very warm material, “What is it?”

“I guess it's called a cowl. She thought it would be something she could make that wouldn't get in the way of you wearing armor, and, since you guys sometimes wear capes, it would also go with that. Here try it on.” He took it from her hands standing on his tip-toes to pull it over her head and shoulders. Turned out it was pretty much just a hood, unattached to anything and that really only covered the head and shoulders.

She peered out form inside, to see him grinning.

It was a funny picture, though she could see out, really the only think everyone else saw was the end of her snout/beak peeping out from under the hood. She lifted her head, and the hood fell a little further over her eyes.

He laughed, and helped her pull it back a bit, “She thought since you guys are more… warm weather creatures, that you could probably use one of these on our expeditions.”

“You should tell her thanks, from me.”

“I will.”

She looked back down inside the box and was surprised to find it was full of different kinds of flowers. She looked back up at him in surprise, “How did you get these out here.”

“Wasn’t easy, tell you that.”

She leaned down snapping one of them up rewarded with a very light fragrant flavor. It was pretty nice, but then she looked back at Adam to see him smiling nearly dropping the box when she realized, “You! Where is your present. Didn’t you get anything?”

He just broke into a smile, “Sunny, I’m friends with like seven different kinds of aliens, I Command an entire FLEET of spaceships, and have like 300+ friends. I got my childhood dream, so what else do I need?”

She paused sure he was right, but also feeling bad.

They stood there together, looking out at the room when Ramirez glided past still in his footie pajamas. As he did his eyes widened a bit and he paused a slow grin spreading over his face. Adam gave him a very confused expression, but Ramirez just shook his head and pointed up before gliding away.

In confusion both Sunny and Adam looked up.

Sunny tilted her head.

“What is that?”

She turned her head down to look at Adam and found the man’s skin changing color again. “Er….. it’s…. That appears to be…. mistletoe .”

She lifted her head again to stare at the strange plant, “Oh….. like in that Christmas movie….”

“Yeah…. Like in that…. Christmas movie.”

“Oh.”

They both looked down at about the same time. The way the Christmas lights interacted with the UV patterns on his skin, turned the usually blue, turquoise pattern on his skin almost electric lightning blue. The green in his eyes was more potent with the way the light refracted in them. Little twinkling lights danced over the polished surface of her bright-blue carapace.

He didn’t look away.

Neither did she.

And then a small brown shape came screaming from nowhere cutting between them. They both stepped back in shock, and Krill roared past grabbing the plant from where it hung, “Reeeeeeeeeeeeeee! NO, NO, NO, NO STUPID IDIOTIC HUMANS HANGING POISONOUS THINGS WHERE ANY OTHER STUPID HUMAN MIGHT EAT THEM! I WILL NOT HAVE IT YOU HEAR ME. I WILL NOT” and then he went roaring away trailing laughter in his wake. Slowly Sunny and Adam turned to look at each other before doubling over racked with fits of laughter. Adam ended up on the floor leaning against the wall, just below where Sunny propped herself.

Just when they thought they'd stop laughing, they started up again.

“Damn…. Crazy…. Bastard.” Adam Wheezed crawling to his feet

“Did you hear that sound he made?”

“Yeah, classic Krill….. Anyway.” He paused shuffling his feet, “Wanna go, push Ramirez over or something?”

“Sounds fun, I’m in.”

“Sweet.”

By the end of the hour, Ramirez was upside down in a pile of bean bags everyone laughing at his expense.

All in all, it was a pretty good Christmas

626 notes · View notes

chaseatinydream · 3 years

Text

first kiss || j.wy (atz)

➵ pairing: reader x jung wooyoung (ateez)

➵ word count: 3148

➵ genre: convenience store date; confession; fluff

➵ synopsis: wooyoung just wanted cup ramen at 12:05am with a dash of seasoning “you”.

>>>

You’re startled out of sleep by the ringing of your phone.

For a moment, you’re tempted to reach for the accursed device and hurl it at the wall, but rational thought catches you before you can do so… that phone was expensive. Sitting up groggily, you push back the messy hair falling into your eyes and glare at your alarm clock. You feel like you’ve barely slept since the night before.

And with good reason, because it’s only freaking 12:03 AM in the bloody morning.

Your phone rings again and you scowl at it, willing it to somehow magically shut up so you don’t have to get up from under the warm covers of your bed, but alas, you don’t have any telekinetic powers and are required to crawl over to it like a poor, ordinary human being.

Flipping your phone around, you almost screech in agony as the unholy brightness of the screen seems to sear your eyes and you chuck it to the side. You barely got a glimpse of the Caller ID, but a mere glance at those first few letters is enough for you to know who it is.

Only one person is close enough (and also stupid) to call you in the middle of the night without fear of violent retribution the next day.

Grumbling to yourself, one hand fumbles for the device and you press it to your ear, burying your face into the plush pillows. You want to go back to sleep.

“What is it, Wooyoung?”

Wooyoung’s voice is much too cheerful for a Tuesday night, but its energy is infectious, as much as you hate to admit it. You don’t need to, he knows it already, that the longer he keeps you on the phone, the higher his chances are of you acquising to his often ridiculous requests. Knowing Wooyoung, it’s probably going to the nearest convenience store to buy ice cream in the middle of winter.

“Hey! How’s my favourite best friend in the whole world doing, Chin Hae?”

Honestly, you sometimes wonder if Wooyoung is a vampire. He never seems to sleep, living and thriving purely off a diet of caffeine and energy drinks and perhaps human blood. Maybe you should start wearing garlic the next time you see him.

“I dunno, but I’m pretty sure San is at home cuddling with Shiber in his sleep.” You reply with a completely deadpan voice, not at all amused at being woken up so early at night. Early at night? Or is it the morning? Late at night? Why are you even thinking about this?

“Aww, you know that you’re my best friend.” You can practically hear the pout on his face over the phone and let out a massive snort, rolling over on your bed to stare at the ceiling, internally letting out a massive sigh.

Best friend. A goddamn best friend is all you are to him. Stupid Jung Wooyoung and his stupid pretty eyes, stupid pretty face, stupid pretty everything. The two of you had met a couple of years back when you’d first started college, seated next to each other on the first day of school. Upon glancing upon his face, you had nearly choked. Knife like jawline, near flawless skin, adorably big eyes behind rounded minimalist glasses, you had momentarily wondered what a model was doing in your school. He could pull off silver hair without looking like an eighty year old man, for god’s sake.

Next to you, no less. You didn’t like how he was making you look like a pig just by existing.

That had already been enough for you to instinctively dislike him, so when the professor had asked for all of you to introduce yourselves to each other, you had intended to give him some silly, standoffish answer and never speak to him again. You knew it was petty, yes, but who had given him the right to look so good?

No one. That’s who.

But to your absolute shock, the young man had simply grabbed your hand and pumped it up and down enthusiastically, seemingly overflowing with too much energy to contain.

“You look like my new best friend!”

And everything had sort of… gone downhill from there.

Being Wooyoung’s best friend is somehow simultaneously one of the most beautiful and terrible things you’ve ever had to experience. He’s unbelievably kind, unlike what you had expected from such a pretty face, and possibly one of the most perfect beings to walk the surface of this earth. That’s the good part. You sometimes still can’t believe you’re friends.

The bad part is that you’re in love with him.

It’s no surprise, honestly. Who in this school isn’t in love with Jung Wooyoung? What you hate is that there are so many prettier, sweeter, nicer girls who all want a chance with your best friend, and you find yourself constantly grinding your teeth as they pass you love letters and chocolates with perfectly manicured hands, fighting the urge to throw them in the trash right before their eyes. You wish you could be half as bold as they are, but every time you so much as muster the courage to open your mouth to confess, Wooyoung’s breathless grin stops all brain activity and it just… somehow hasn’t happened for the last three months.

Swift and decisive, that’s you alright.

You scream into your pillow.

Best friend. Oooooh, you hate the sound of those words like it’s the screeching of the devil itself.

“Uhh, Chin Hae? You alright there?” Wooyoung’s voice suddenly drops in tone, a little more concerned and you’re tempted to chuck your phone out of the window while screaming obscenities to the heavens. He’s really not helping with this whole barely buried crush on him. In fact, you’re not sure how he hasn’t noticed. You’re pretty sure San already has.

But the phone. The phone is expensive.

You try your best to force a smile back on your face even though he can’t see it, raising the phone back to your ear. “I’m fine, Wooyoung. And don’t think I’ve forgotten that you woke me up. Why exactly did you call me again?”

There’s a brief pause at the other end of the line.

“Do you wanna go and grab some cup ramen?”

You actually lift the phone away from your ear to stare at the screen, as if Wooyoung would be able to see your incredulous face somehow. “Wooyoung, it’s 12.03 in the morning.”

“12:05, actually.” Wooyoung pipes up unhelpfully in a hopeful voice and you groan, rolling out of bed as you search for something appropriate to wear in this ungodly temperature, hoping that your fingers and toes won’t freeze off in the meantime. Shivering and dancing around once your feet touch what feels like an ice block under your feet, the cool marble of your bedroom floor chills you to the very bone.

“Ah, cold, cold, cold!” You yelp, scooting over to the wardrobe as fast as you can, fingers rifling through your selection of puffy coats before they still momentarily on a furry collar. You glance down at your current outfit, a lumpy, knitted sweater and fuzzy socks with reindeer print on them. Maybe you should wear something that looks better in front of Wooyoung?

“Chin Hae? Hurry up, it’s cold out here!” Wooyoung exclaims into your ear, pulling you out of your thoughts. Sighing, you shake you head as you imagine your best friend with an adorable pout on his stupid perfect face, pulling out the thickest black coat you have, one that Wooyoung gave to you a couple of months ago. Then something strikes you.

“You’re there already? Without knowing whether I’d be coming? In this weather?” You say almost incredulously as you shrug on the coat, adjusting the sleeves to fit better around your arms, the phone wedged in the space between your cheek and shoulder.

“Well, I knew you’d come!” Wooyoung says proudly, voice filled with so much surety that you’re tempted to cry for a moment. Maybe it’s just your infatuation, but everything he’s said lately has caused butterflies to flutter in your chest. You both love and hate the feeling at the same time, but it’s not like you’ve had much control over it. “I’m such an amazing friend-”

“Are you stupid?” You grumble, slipping down the hallway and grabbing your boots from the door side. Wooyoung gasps dramatically over the phone at your words.

“How dare you? I am hurt, you know. Are you questioning my mental capabilities?”

“Every single day.” You retort dryly, opening the door only to get hit by a blast of cold air right in the face. Holy shit it’s so cold you’re going to turn into an ice popsicle before you leave the house and maybe you should just go back to that warm, comfy bed-

Wooyoung’s laugh and perky voice comes over the speaker, echoing in your ears. “I’m waiting for you! Be there or be square!”

Before you can protest that he’s absolutely off his rocker for thinking that anyone in their right mind would leave the comfort of their home in this near hellish weather, the call ends and you’re left staring at your phone in wide eyed shock. His contact photo blinks back innocently at you, cheerful, bubbly smile on full display with his arms thrown around your shoulders, the two of you splattered with bright green and red paint after finishing your art project a year ago.

“I’d take being a square any day.” You mumble, then you smack yourself in the head and groan when you feel your heart melting. You’re not supposed to be this whipped for him, damnit! But you can’t find it in yourself to get angry at him in the least.

“You’re lucky I love you.” You hiss vehemently at your phone. And as you stalk towards the convenience store with murder in your eyes, you can’t help but feel like you really need to get over this stupid crush on Wooyoung before he makes you do something stupid.

When you do reach the midnight convenience store, it’s open and you step inside, glad to be free from the bite of the icy winds. It’s absolutely freezing out there, how Wooyoung can come out with the most ridiculous of plans is something you love about him, but will probably never understand.

Standing in the aisle, you wave at the lone cashier at the counter, he’s playing a game on his phone but returns your greeting, and your eyes scan the rows of snacks and bottled drinks in search of your best friend.

“You made it!”

A frightened squeak leaves your lips as you startle at the noise. Then you see Wooyoung sitting at the table near the glass wall with five cups of ramen before him, an endearing shit eating grin on his face.

You smack him in the shoulder hard as you slide into the seat next to him, grabbing your own cup from him with a pout. Wooyoung chuckles in amusement, rubbing at his arm in mock pain.

“I can’t believe you made me come all the way here for cup ramen in the middle of the night.” You tell him with a scowl on your face as you open up the lid. Steam creeps over your numb fingers and warms them up, and you grab your chopsticks to eat your ramen as fast as possible.

After that trek through all that snow, you’re ravenous.

“Hey, don’t eat so fast or-”

Shoveling the piping hot ramen into your mouth, you nearly choke on the first bite as the noodles scald your tongue. Coughing, you set the cup and chopsticks down and you can hear Wooyoung laughing hysterically at your side, his high pitched laughter bouncing off the walls of the empty store.

“Stop-” You cough again and hit Wooyoung on the arm in embarrassment. God, you should have never left the safety of your house. “Stop laughing at me!”

“Alright, alright.” He stifles his chuckles, passing you an uncapped bottle of iced coffee. Grumbling about betrayal and false friendships, you snatch it from him and down what’s left, his warm hands coming up to rub your back soothingly.

“You’re wearing those socks I bought you last Christmas. You swore you threw them out the second you unwrapped them.” Wooyoung remarks with a teasing grin and you growl at him, slapping a hand over his mouth.

“You saw nothing.” You whisper menacingly into his ear, Wooyoung’s eyes glinting with amusement as his gaze meet yours. Your heart stutters for a second.

Then he sticks out his tongue to brush your palm.

“Ew!” You yelp and yank your arm back from his face, only to find him howling with mirth. Scowling, you plop back in your seat and grumble under your breath, picking up your chopsticks.

For the next hour or so, you and Wooyoung eat cup ramen side by side and watch the snowflakes outside fall gently to the ground, covering your footprints from earlier in a blanket of soft, powdery white. Wooyoung speeds his way through the first two cups of ramen before finally slowing down on the third one, his lips adorably red and swollen from the spicy taste. The two of you talk about nothing and everything, merely enjoying the company of each other.

When the two of you step out of the convenience shop and start on the road home, the snow has stopped for the most part aside from a few stray snowflakes here and there, but it’s still freezing cold. You raise your hands to your mouth to blow on them and rub them together, shaking your head in exasperation.

“I still can’t believe you ate five whole cups on your own, Wooyoung.”

“You know me, babe.” He winks impishly at you, but then his gaze softens a little as he looks at you with a fond smile. You watch the snowflakes land in his soft grey hair and for a moment, he looks so ethereal that he really just steals your breath away.

“Don’t call me that.” You bop him on the nose and he jumps, taking your hands into his.

“You’re freezing!” He comments with a pout, puffing out hot little breaths over your fingers. You try to wipe the warm, content smile off your face before he can see it, fixing your face into a scowl.

“Of course I am, who do you think dragged me out at 12:03 in the morning to eat cup ramen?” You shake your head in exasperation as you glance at the head of silvery grey hair before you, his head rising to give you a mischievous grin.

“Alright...” He drags the word out playfully, his cheeks flush from the cold. “Where else do you want me to warm you up?”

You point to your cheeks. The sides of your face feel near frozen. “Here.”

Wooyoung ducks to the side, blowing warm air on each cold cheek. They turn red upon contact with his breath, whether it’s from the cold or embarrassment, you hope he never finds out. “Where else?”

You point to your ears. You can’t see them for yourself, but Wooyoung has always told you that they flush pink in the cold winter air. Wooyoung grins and blows on each too, and warm blood rushes there in response to his touch. “And?”

You point to your nose. “It’s cold here.”

Wooyoung’s face leans forward to meet yours and your eyes slide shut. His breath ghosts over your nose, tickling you just a little, and you can feel his lips brush against your skin ever so gently before he pulls away.

“Where else?” He hums, squeezing your hands lightly in his. There’s a distinctively teasing smile playing on his lips. You touch your own in response.

“Here.” You point at your lips. They get cold fast, and in the winter they always get chapped, which you absolutely hate-

Wooyoung’s mouth dips down to meet yours.

You don’t register it for a moment, the taste of spicy ramen lingering on your lips as you ponder the flavour. It’s faint, not quite as strong as earlier, and you mumble against his lips. “You really ate too much ramen, Wooyoung, even your mouth tastes spicy now-”

Then you freeze.

Your eyes fly open in shock at what has just happened, a sharp intake of breath passing your lips. Wooyoung looks temporarily confused for a moment, before he too, realises what he’s just done.

The two of you spring apart, both turning red as tomatoes. You gape at him, mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water, your brain short circuiting as if you’ve walked straight into a power generator.

“You kissed-”

“I kissed-”

The two of you fall into utter silence for a moment, merely staring at each other in shock. Wooyoung’s face is as red as a cherry, a rosy red blush spreading across his cheeks and down his neck, mouth sputtering out nonsensical words of its own accord. “You... I... if... kiss... become...girlfriend?”

You shriek and bolt down the path at the last word.

Your short circuited brain can’t take any more.

Wooyoung sighs as he watches you go, shaking his head under his breath. Yes, he has feelings for you. Yes, he has been crushing on you for the last six months. Yes, he has asked you out tonight to enjoy your company because he loved seeing you like that, face bare and hair thrown into a messy bun, completely and utterly real.

But he never intended on kissing you out of the blue!

“I... I just need to apologize to her tomorrow and tell her it was all a mistake.” Wooyoung runs a hand through his hair, teeth worrying his bottom lip anxiously. What if you’re too awkward to look him in the eye after this? He smacks himself in the forehead with a groan.

He’s such an idiot.

Suddenly, he hears the sound of crunching snow and blinks in confusion, raising his head. The second he does, soft, warm lips press against his too, moving so gently he feels all the air leave his lungs in one gasp.

Then all too fast, you pull away and Wooyoung only blinks at you owlishly in shock.

“Your lips were cold too!” You shout in his ears, face burning bright crimson with embarrassment. “See you tomorrow, Wooyoung!”

And then you’re running off again at top speed, nearly slipping on the snowy road and his heart leaps into his chest in a panic. But you catch your balance, slipping and sliding, before disappearing around the corner of the street.

His tongue darts out, sliding across his lips in wonderment.

His first kiss tastes like spicy ramen, iced coffee and best of all...

You.

#ateez #ateez fanfic #ateez fanfiction #ateez wooyoung #jung wooyoung #w; wooyoung #w; oneshot

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theindiegamereview · 3 years

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Meet the creative team: “Spellstone”

Are you a collectible card game (CCG) fan? If so, read on, because this week we spoke to the makers of Spellstone, a free-to-play (F2P) casual story-based fantasy card game that features vibrant, colourful, hand-drawn art on hundreds of beautiful cards that you can acquire and use in battle, both against the computer and other players!

TIGR: PABLO and DUSTIN are artists who have worked on Spellstone's art, helping create some of the iconic characters Spellstone fans know and love. We asked them how they came to work on the game, as well as what intrigued them about this project.

DUSTIN: I was working as a contract artist when I was asked to create some sample cards for a potential CCG, which is something I'd always wanted to do. The samples I submitted eventually led to me getting a contract to create the initial art for Spellstone. After about four months, I was offered a full-time position. I had such a great experience working with the team that I jumped at the opportunity!

PABLO: Prior to starting work on Spellstone, I remember doing an art piece to test my skills. I greatly enjoyed that because I particularly liked this game's art style - which is actually similar to my own! There were still slight differences though, so I've had to adapt a little. Blending my own personal style into an existing one was challenging. But something that intrigued me about Spellstone was the variety of factions in the game. Each and every one opens up a big array of possibilities when it comes to creating a character. I felt my options were unlimited and I loved it!

TIGR: Spellstone features many different cards and characters. We wanted to know who conceptualises all this, and how much creative licence artists get when crafting a character. FERNANDO, currently the main artist for the game, gave us more insight.

FERNANDO: That Spellstone has such an immense variety of characters means it's a complete and delightful dish for artists. It's hugely gratifying to find such visual diversity with which to play with. You're completely free to create, as long as you respect the game's universe and visual language.

As for the process, the concept of what a card must look like and how it must be functional in terms of gameplay comes from the guys in the game design department. Very creative people... sorcerers maybe? I don't know. Haha!

From a brief but concise description they give me, I can get a sense of what kind of character and action they want to see in a card. Once I have all the information I need to start sketching, my favourite hour finally begins: creative hour!

If the card description involves an existing type of character, like a goblin, part of the fun has to do with the way you depict that character, situation, action and specific emotion. There's also some freedom to create from scratch if needed - that's exciting and challenging! Sometimes the ideas come from a mix of characters, and that's when the laboratory inside my mind starts working: I press a button and something cool, spooky or funny comes out - whatever the game requires. Other times, new concepts require that I look for approximate references of what's needed, so that serves as the starting point. No matter what, it's always a very enjoyable process. Sometimes we have to make corrections, that's true. But as with everything in life, this is necessary for things to work properly. You may have to redraw stuff, but finally the card is done - it works, it delivers and it entertains!

TIGR: In Spellstone, cards can be upgraded from a single to a dual to a quad, and we really like that this sometimes tells a "mini story" of of sorts through the artwork. Some are funny (we just love Honeycomb Lobber!), some cute (Bomb Spirit is soooo adorable when he’s angry!), some uplifting (Aurora Shaver ranks among our favourites), and some, um, a bit disturbing, to be honest (Cleaverstorm Hunter, anyone?!)! And some are just sad - we can't help but feel sorry for the poor li'l forest furries that presumably got devoured by Alphamech Stalker! We asked the team how they came up with ideas for all these tiny narratives, and MELINDA, one of the game designers, told us more.

MELINDA: When I was younger, there were a few creatures in video games that terrified me. One of those I remembered most was Medusa, an air jellyfish from Ecco: The Tides of Time. While traversing through a water pathway in the sky, Medusa would try to pick up Ecco the dolphin and fling him off the path. Tetraspout's concept came from that, and you can even see poor little dolphins getting swept up in its attack!

TIGR: We asked the team if there were any cards they particularly liked creating, or found challenging to conceptualise. IVÁN, a colorist who worked briefly on the game, chipped in, as did TONY and RHADA, two of Spellstone's game designers.

DUSTIN: I loved working on the goblin cards! You could get silly with them. Frogs were a lot of fun too - the variety of colours made them interesting. For me, the water cards were challenging but I grew to love working on them.

PABLO: My favourite characters are Goblins! You can play around with them, making them look funny even when the card is telling a dark story, like a massacre. All of the cards were challenging to create!

IVÁN: I enjoyed working on Hedron The Critical Threat, Zyd The Unhinged, and some awesome Insect cards that have yet to be released (as of the time of this interview). I mostly liked them because of their cool concepts and Fernando's awesome sketches. Hedron in particular was a technical painting challenge, as it has textures, transparencies and glow!

TONY: As something of an artist myself (/sarcasm), the card I am most proud of has to be Dinged Waptor. Or really any of the cards I did for the April Fool's event, which is about the only time the art team lets me anywhere near card art. :) For April Fool's, I decided it would be funny to try my hand at drawing some cards I felt players would enjoy. So the first year I drew some original characters that consisted of a few stick figures, a chicken, and a bomb. The response was good, so the following year I continued the tradition, eventually going through and tracing some famous cards like Winged Raptor. My one rule while making these cards was that I could not erase what I did!

RHADA: We used to sell boxes that contained two new premium cards instead of one. We thought of making both cards in the box thematically linked. At the same time, while brainstorming concepts for dragons, I thought we could try to make cards that formed a bigger picture on the battlefield when placed consecutively, side by side. The initial idea was a serpent whose artwork overflowed into a second card, and after some iteration, we stumbled upon the idea of a dragon dance. The result was very cool!

TIGR: With the Spellstone story campaign recently concluded, we asked what was next in store for Spellstone fans. Would there be anymore new characters and amazing art to look forward to?

TONY: Absolutely! While the main story has come to a close, we still look forward to adding new characters, cards, and art to the game that lets our artists have fun and shows off the world of Spellstone.

TIGR: And finally, the most important question of all: would real-life Spellstone merchandise ever be made available for fans of the game? We really want a plushie of the adorable Bomb Spirit (complete with detachable bombs, perhaps?), as well as his angry counterpart, Firebomb Spirit! Also for Quetee Que and Adorabilis, please! And would there ever be any actual physical Spellstone cards produced for collectors?

TONY: I would personally love to see real-life merchandise, but we currently do not have the means to take on such an endeavour. Maybe one day we can strike a partnership with a team that can make this happen!

We thank the Spellstone team for their time and all the wonderful art assets that accompany this interview! Check out the game here on Kongregate, on Steam, or on mobile - three different ways you can enjoy this fun, cheeky and adorable CCG!

P.S. We just had to include our favourite card: Darkwater Adonis - don’t be fooled by his charms!

#developers

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imaginebabygurl · 3 years

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Feeling Good Part 3 F.V-Imagine

Hey loves, since I had not posted in a bit This is gonna be a really long one I hope you enjoy the read and music that has been attached. P.s - sorry for any spelling mistakes it should still be a good read.

youtube

There were angry hisses and growls from Jacob and your family. Edward's face grew cold with great concern for you: Bella started to panic "no, No!. There Not taking Her anywhere and she's not going to stay with those monster!... Wh-What if they Kill her because of the last time With Renesmee." " She's leaving, she can't stay here, I won't let them take her. She's going to live with my mom in Jacksonville". As Bella frantically tries to pack her things, Edward stops her "Bella", you know that's not going to work. They have a tracker Demetri. They could easily find her, your mother, and Phil and Kill all three of them instantly. There's no point in putting others in danger." Carlisle spoke, " Edward is right, we just all need to be calm and there old friends of mine, they will come we'll have the meeting and clear the air, but we should also prepare they can be unpredictable." With that said, your mom still packed a small bag with your stuff just in case everyone started being more alert and wary of their surrounding. As for you. You had to start coming home earlier and stay out late less, which put a damper on your senior your but you didn't mind because you still thankfully have the chance, to even see and hang out with your friends. And coming home earlier wasn't such a bad idea since now it was November 1st, winter was approaching fast, and it started to get darker quicker. But that also meant the Volturi were on there a way you didn't know when exactly. And on the first week of December, they arrived, you were at school when they had come, and you had a group project to complete, which was already completed: you just stayed back at school to finalize the presentation of the slide show and sort out who did what in your project. You said bye to your girlfriend's Lily, Dee, and Kiki and told them: you'll see them when you've returned because you were going on a getaway trip just for the weekend with you and your sister only. Arriving home, you see a strange set of vampires with crimson red eyes. Anyone that saw them would be a fool to think they were normal or contact lenses. They all waited for you to step into the house, soon as you turned to close the door behind you, you felt a presence standing quite close smelling you. Remembering that they drank human blood while the Cullen's settled only for animals. "ahh...delicious." the voice quietly whispered into your ear. Quickly turning around facing them, but by the time you had done so, the vampire retreaded standing next to the other kings, the one that had spoken was Aro. The three were quite beautiful, you could tell who wash who and their personality: Aro with life in his eyes was the main king out of the three yes hey shared the same power, but he was the head and looking at you wildly with gleaming eyes. Next on his left was a bored and a perpetually sad-looking man, looking as if he had a sense of longing to end his miserable life and has seen the many secrets and mysteries of the world ad is not tired. On the right was Caius, the pure blond-haired man, which his hair was better than your aunt Rosalie's, not a single strand astray but put together and looked as if every strand is from silk. But his expression filled with such disdain you had never seen such a face, not even when Rosy disapproved of Bella and Edward taking you in the first place she grew to like you and became your second or third mother. As for the guards, you recognized every last one of them: Demetri, the world's best tracker no know can hide from him, then there were the twins' Jane and Alec, Jane could make others feel pain while her brother could take away peoples sense completely, and finally the man towering an over everybody else next to Demetri was Felix, and he was beautiful, and I couldn't resist him. I knew deep down he was most likely the killer of my parents only following orders. I regained my composure and said "hello" anyway. Aro then grabbed my hand without hesitation and began to look through all the memories that I had lived through, "Interesting, you've had quite the bittersweet life." all the while, Aro still looking intensely into my Y/e/c colored eyes. Pulling away completely and turning to look at my parents, "She'll be coming with us now." " She Won't be going anywhere!" my mother said while whirling me behind her back, not even realizing. But my body was feeling the after effect. My dad Edward in front now in front of both of us. Aro looked at Felix, and Felix stared approaching, smiled, "Edward seems like you've come back for round two." Hisses were erupting from the room before Esme stepped in." please not in the house. I'm sure there must be some mistake. Y/n has done nothing wrong and she will be turned, in due time when its right Carlisle will take care of her." " Yes I already have the preparations in place Aro" and unexpectedly a "No!" had come from Felix. Aro looked at Felix and took his hand. Felix obeyed, when Aro was done he laughed like a maniac and turn to me, repeating what he said earlier, " interesting." With everyone in the room at that point confused as to what was going on. I spoke, "What so interesting? and why do you keep saying that?" by this point, I was incredibly annoyed. I just wanted to eat, " I'm going to the kitchen, I'm hungry and this whole dramatic crap, I'm over it." Walking away. Nessie had made my favorite chicken parmesan with some pasta and salad. Setting my plate down on the table, everyone was staring at me, but I ignored the burning stare put in my earphones. One of the King's Marcus taps me on the shoulder, "May I join you?". I paused for a while unsure of what to say and he followed up the silence by saying "I had already drunk so, I won't bite." Marcus offering me what appears to be a sympathetic smile on a sad-faced man. It was kind of nice to see him smile, " sure." I said plainly and he motioned everyone for us to be alone. Everyone left, but the tall one hesitated to leave, which then Marcus said" Felix, she will be alright, I promise." The man only nodded and took his leave, "why is he so concerned about me? and what does he have to do with me?". Marcus replied, "Y/n your his mate." the man said point-blank. I looked at him as if he were mad, and he knew what I was thinking. He followed up by saying, " I know you're upset about the death of your parentings, and yes, he was a part of the cause that they're dead. But he simply follows orders if not he will suffer the consequences or maybe a fate worse." "Death." was all I said and a yes was retorted back at me. We sat in silence so I could digest what I have just learned. That the man that I'm supposed to be with: one was my lover and two a part of my parent's death. It was all too much for me to bear and, I ran away as fast as could I ended up taking a nasty fall down a hill and didn't remember a thing about my parent or how they died. All I knew was I falling for a man, I barely knew and I would soon come to know that he sweet but very flirtatious and that would one day get him into trouble and possibly lose all he had with me. He would flirt with everyone including my mother but she doesn't even realize and honestly, at first, I thought okay haha, but when I did decide to leave after graduation to be with him at the castle in Volterra. I was amazed and in awe of the building and come to realize that the rules they enforce I understand but the way they go about it is a little brutal but overall understanding, anyway back to Felix. That's when the boredom started to kick in, after that Felix was on missions constantly and flirting with every dead and living girl that was in sight but the living ones usually became the snack afterward. it finally came tumbling down when we had a big fight. I was going about my business touring and sightseeing parts of the city I have never been to, one because my Italian wasn't that great and two I was scared being on my own, but boy when I started to speak a bit more fluently be able to get around on my own the sight and places, as well as the delicious pastries and goodies I got to eat, was great. The day was great until Felix angrily approached me, I swear if he still had life in his body his face would be mad with furry, practically dragging me by my wrist and how I know he was angry, Gianna said hello and he did not even bat an eye in her direction and with that, she tried to ask "Hey! Y/n what happened?" and before I can respond Felix picked me up and threw me over his shoulders. "Felix!!!" I shouted because at this point I was angry he was acting like this and he picked me up and headed to the throne room. Aro had looked at me and said "Y/n dove eri?" I responded, "Aro in un Citta in un Caffe". Felix then responded, " If you were in town at one of the cafes!, Why didn't you say anything! or tell someone when you left!". "I did if you had gone into the room to look Smartass! You would have seen It!". and then the line was drawn " What kind of Girl are you!, You so free-willed, careless, would it kill you to use your head Y/n!?!, you could have been Kill or hurt by some low life!". "But I was-. before I could speak Felix pinned me to the wall and I then felt true fear of what others fate that had suffered at the hand of the great Felix Volturi and worst of all the thing that hurt the most " Y/n we should have killed you when we had the chance, like your mother and father!!." him not realizing what he said "Felix!!!" Aro called "put down the girl, she's terrified...". Once Felix snapped out of it "Y/n I'm sorry." But before he could touch you, you slapped his hand away and made your decision to leave but Caius spoke "What you did and said to Y/n was distasteful and I don't care for humans all the much, but I think some time in the dungeon would do you some good." Without Felix saying anything he simply nodded and took himself in and before he would have come to know you had already packed your things to go home.

#felix+volturi+imagine #felix+volturi+x+reader #felix volturi #imagine #twilight #volturi

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maluminspace · 4 years

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Genre: Fluff

Pairings: Michael Clifford/Reader

Word Count: 2.1k

Requested: by @calumsmermaid

For Hogwarts!SOS Prefect Hufflepuff!Reader gets paired up with Slytherin!Michael for a project (the troublemaker prompt thing) in Care of Magical Creatures, where they have to take care of a creature a la the muggle baby doll project but with a puffskein or some other single x rated creature according to Scamander's rating system

Includes: strong language, references to discrinitaion and judgement based on schoolhouse

A/N: Thank you for this really cute request, Lauren! I hope you enjoy it <3

***

As soon as your care of magical creatures professor places down the large basket of small furry creatures on the ground of the little paddock, you realise that today marks the start of the project you’ve been looking forward to all term.

“Throughout your time in this class since your third year, you’ve all demonstrated that you can take care of various magical creatures under my supervision.” The teacher explains, her friendly face lighting up in a fond smile as she surveys her students. “Now it’s time to find out how well you cope without my help…”

The rest of the professor’s sentence is lost as a mischievous giggle draws your attention to your least favourite classmates.

“I bet I could throw one of those little fluff things right through that open window.” Luke Hemmings chuckles, pointing at one of the nearest greenhouses. The morning sunshine bounces off of his caramel coloured curls as he flashes his notoriously cheeky grin.

“Fuck off…” Michael Clifford scoffs, nudging his friend’s shoulder as he shakes his head in disbelief. “They’re puffskeins, you troll, and you definitely couldn’t do that!” His dyed blonde hair falls onto his face, obscuring his pretty green eyes for a moment.

Luke scowls, his bright blue eyes flashing with something like determination. “I’m the best chaser that the Slytherin quidditch team has ever had, I could definitely do it!”

Michael rolls his eyes, seemingly unconvinced by his friend’s argument. “Calum’s a better chaser than you.” He replies simply. It’s hard to tell whether he’s being serious or just trying to tease Luke. His handsome face remains almost expressionless save for a tiny mischievous glint in his emerald green eyes.

Regardless of whether the slightly older boy is joking around or not, Luke genuinely takes offence to the comment. His pale cheeks turn crimson as he launches into a rant about why he’s a better chaser than their friend Calum Hood.

Your interest in their conversation couldn’t be much less, but their continued bickering distracts you from the professor’s explanation of the new project. “Excuse me!” You hiss, turning to face them fully. “Can you two keep it down please?” You ask, your tone clipped, fully conveying how annoyed you are by them.

Whilst Luke looks a little embarrassed at being called out by a prefect, Michael actually looks more pissed off than anything else. “I’m sorry…” He scowls, “I don’t remember asking for your input.”

Matching his tone you straighten your posture, ready to put the little idiot back in his place. “I’m not giving you my input, I’ll be taking five house points from Slytherin if you don’t shut up, though.”

Michael’s gaze flickers down to your gleaming Hufflepuff prefect’s badge, perched proudly on your pristine robes, before meeting your eye again. “Why do you think I’d even care? It’s not like slytherin ever win anything anyway…”

“That’s not true, Mikey!” Luke interjects, “We win more than Hufflepuff.” The tone he says your house name in makes you bristle, you hate anyone speaking ill of your house. That little spark of anger quickly develops into a raging flame when Michael laughs at his friend’s quip.

“Slytherin really are just a bunch of snooty purebloods that think they’re better than everyone else.” You sneer. “Well I’ve got news for you two, you’re definitely not…”

Michael’s face twists into a disgruntled expression but before he can reply to you, the teacher yells out your name. Your attention snaps to her as your cheeks begin to burn with embarrassment. “I’m sorry miss…” You mumble as the professor regards you with a mixture of surprise and disappointment.

“I expected better from a prefect.” She replies, “You’re supposed to set an example, not throw around judgements and accusations based on the house that someone has been placed in.”

You feel thoroughly humiliated, wishing that the ground would swallow you whole as you apologise once more.

“Since you clearly need a reminder as to why Slytherin is a valid and important cornerstone of the school, I’m pairing you with Mr Clifford for this project.” The teacher explains, before turning her attention back to the rest of the class. “In a moment I’ll ask you all to come and collect a puffskein…”

Your attention dwindles as the reality of your punishment hits you. This project was meant to be the jewel in your care of magical creatures crown. You’d researched puffskeins so that you were entirely prepared for it and you’d really hoped to get paired up with someone who was equally as academically gifted as yourself. Instead, you find yourself lumbered with one of the laziest and most troublesome students you’ve ever had the misfortune of being in a class with.

“Way to go…” Michael whispers indignantly, “Now we’re stuck working together for an entire week!”

“No one’s more upset about that than me.” You huff, scooping up your satchel as you follow the rest of the class to line up next to the basket of puffskeins.

The expression on Michael’s face silently expresses his doubt in your statement. The fact that he, a no-good layabout is displeased at being paired with you, makes you angrier than you care to admit. “Well at least you have a chance at getting a decent grade for this project.”

Michaels vague displeasure in the situation as a whole, suddenly starts to solidify into annoyance directed purely at you. “Shows how much you know, ‘prefect’…” He snarls.

You’re not entirely sure what his statement means but you have no time to press him for an explanation. He turns his back on you to take the tiny creature that the professor hands to him. To your surprise, Michael is uncharacteristically gentle with the puffskein, cradling it almost fondly in his cupped hands as he carries it over to the edge of the paddock.

Following him, you find that you’re suddenly a little less irritated by the Slytherin boy. Perhaps that’s just the power of cute little magical animals.

“Now…” The professor begins once the last puffskein has been handed to an eager student. “In your pairs, I want you to care for your animal until this time next week. You’ll be graded on how well you feed, groom, train and generally care for your puffskein.” The teacher stares directly at you and Michael as she continues her explanation of the project. “A large portion of your grade will also be determined by how well you work as a team. I expect you to organise a stable routine so that you don’t unsettle your creature. As this is a practical assessment, you will not be provided with any equipment that you may need for this project. You’re each expected to source and maintain whatever items you feel you may require. As always I commend practicality as well as imagination, so keep that in mind if you want to earn a top grade.”

As much as you’d like to take in every last detail of the project to ensure a good grade, you can’t help but be a little distracted by Michael. He looks so soft, bathed in the speckled morning sunshine filtering through the leaves of the plush trees lining the paddock. His expression is almost loving as he smiles down at the little fluffball in his hands. The puffskein seems just as fond as Michael as it hums contentedly.

“By the end of this lesson I want you to have all named your temporary pet, this in itself, is an important task as a name says a lot about a creature…” The professor rambles on, bringing your attention away from Michael. “I also want to see a brief outline of your care plan for your puffskein before you leave, does anyone have any questions?”

When no one raises their hand, the professor gives a final nod, “Very well, I’ll speak to each of you as I make my way around the class.”

Michael carefully lowers the puffskein to the ground before sitting cross legged on the grass. The tiny yellow creature bounces into his lap before you’ve even settled down next to him.

“I think he likes you…” You mutter, hoping to break the tension between you and the Slytherin. If you’re going to have to work together you need to be at least civil with each other.

The blonde boy meets your gaze, his green eyes still soft. “Yeah, I think he’s a better judge of character than you.”

A few minutes ago a sentence like that would have annoyed the hell out of you. Michael’s tone wasn’t as confrontational anymore, though, and he seemed content as he returned his attention to the tiny furball in his lap. “We’ll see about that.” You giggle, surprising yourself at the lack of malice in your own voice. “Do you have any ideas on what you’d like to name him?”

Michael looks kind of surprised as you reach over to tickle the top of the puffskein’s head gently. “You’d let me name him?” He asks.

“Well I think we should decide together, but I’d like to hear your suggestions first.” You confirm, “Especially since he seems to have already chosen you as his favourite.”

A tiny laugh escapes Michael when he scoops up the tiny creature and holds him out to you, “Maybe he’ll warm to you if you apologise for being mean to his daddy.”

As much as you’d like to argue that you were never mean, you succumb to the somewhat charming glint in Michael’s eye. “Fine…” You concede, gently taking the puffskein into your own hands. “I’m sorry for saying those horrible things about you and Slytherin. I was just angry, but that’s no excuse.”

The puffskein hums as it settles into your hold, seemingly as content with you as he was with Michael.

“There’s a series of muggle computer game called Final Fantasy.” The Slytherin explains, shuffling a little closer to you so that he could stroke the puffskein with his fingertips. “The main Character in one of them is called Cloud. He’s one of my favourites and the colour of this lil guy reminds me of his hair.”

Despite being unfamiliar with most of the muggle world yourself, you’re shocked that Michael has any knowledge of it all. Slytherins are still notorious for being from the strictest pureblood families.

“We’re not all distant relations of the Malfoys and stuff y’know.” Michael mumbles, evidently detecting a little of your surprise. “Slytherin is a lot more accepting of halfbloods and muggleborns than it used to be.”

Silently berating yourself for your blatant judgement, you tentatively place your hand on Michael’s upper arm. “I’m sorry, I just…”

“I know.” Michael smiles, albeit a little reluctantly as he stares down at your fingers that are still curled around his bicep. “Slytherins have a bad reputation, but we’re working on changing it.”

You fail to stiffel the giggle that bursts from you. “Really? You and Hemmings, the most mischievous boys in our class are trying to help Slytherin get a better reputation?”

There’s a note of amusement in Michael’s tone when he replies. “You don’t have to be a complete nerd to be a good person, prefect. Just because we don’t always pay attention in class, it doesn’t mean that we’re anything like the dickheads that gave our house a bad name in the past.”

Your guilt at possessing such critical thoughts based on someone’s house alone begins to twist your insides and you drop your gaze to the little puffskein that had now bounced back into Michael’s lap. “I’m sorry I judged you.” You mutter quietly. “I can tell you’re not a bad person.”

A moment of slightly strained silence stretches between the two of you, during which your puffskein continues to hum lowly.

“That’s nice of you to say.” Michael replies finally. “Not many people care enough to apologise or admit when they’re wrong about us.”

You shrug, smiling as widely as the discomfort in your stomach will allow. “Well I’m not like most people, Clifford.”

“I’ve noticed.” Michael responds, his cheeks turning a pretty colour as he meets your gaze.

After another moment of silence you decide to break the tension by refocusing on the task at hand. “I like the name Cloud, I think it suits our little guy.”

Michael smiles brightly, your approval apparently meaning a lot to him. During the extended eye contact the two of you share, you can’t help but wonder whether the fondness in Michael’s eyes is purely for the tiny creature you’re discussing, or if it’s possibly partly there for you as well.

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devourer--of--books · 4 years

Text

So, I just started to play Obey Me! Shall We Date

And well, I have thoughts

Im currently stuck on the first levels of lesson 5, so my knowledge of the plot is limited to that + some spoilers I accidentally got while going though the obey me! tag. Do I have a deep understanding of this game? No. Am I gonna rant anyway? Yeah. See me do another one of these soon after I play it some more, but for now, I need to put this out there:

First, mechanics-wise, the first thing on my mind was "Mr. Love from Hell", which is honestly not too far fetched. Maybe it's because I'm playing in my old ass tablet (I need a new phone, this thing ain't gonna survive 2020) but it's just so slow??? I've tried downloading full data, and it kinda helped, but still, it just annoys me so much! It's not crashing like crazy (cof cof Love Island The Game cof cof) but it could be better, it takes forever to get the itens to level up cards because it just ????????? takes forever for them to load???? anyone else got this problem or it's just my device? Anyway, that aside, I quite like it, if you played MLQC, it's pretty easy to manage, and while it takes a bit more of attention to win battles, I think that's a good thing. Getting shards has a been a bitch, like, I keep on suffering with the loading and my competitive ass wants to finish begginer's missions, and again I think Mr. Love has spoiled me. Also, someone please tell me how to level up skills, because I have no idea???

Now, moving on to the actual tea: what do I think of these boys?

Let's go in order, shall we:

So, I open the app and I see Lucifer in all his red and black glory, furry cape, Dom-Daddy, Big D Energy for days and go "Oh, Demon!Nobunaga, fun!". I'm immediately drawn to him beacause Nobu was my first ever otome guy and while I eventually grew out of the whole "this man is so controlling and sexy and dark" phase, nostalgia ya know? So, turns out the vibe I keep getting from Lucifer is more like all those dark-kinky-Jumin-Han-fanfics (as in, the only parts of Jumin Han that I hate) rather than Nobu? Idk man, this guy just seems shady?? They all do honestly but Lucifer is just plain scary. Dude, I know you've got the whole "most-powerful-oldest-control-freak" going for you but, like, can you chill?

Yet I can't really blame him, cause, Veronica (that's my MC's name) why, girl???? She be going up those stairs, and I'm just ??? Real talk, I'm kinda of a rule follower? I don't wanna make this guy mad, man, all I wanna do is hit on Satan (which we shall discuss soon) and see some family drama shenanigans. Lucifer says "don't go up those stairs" I'd be like "okay???" because up until now he hasn't given me a reason to not trust him (aside from being shady)??? But I have no choice but go talk to Belphegor (don't even get me started on this one) and I can just tell I'm gonna get in trouble for this. Could I not get there accidentally? Do I have to go there against Lucifer's direct orders? I don't think this is gonna go well, I just don't wanna get on his bad side hskshskshk

Lucifer's room, however, is everything to me, the deco is lovely (skeleton aside) and that bed, maaaannnn

Mammon started really annoying but he's been growing on me. I have a soft spot for dumb bitches like him, I guess? He just cracks me up? Not to be cheesy, but I like him as a friend? Maybe that'll change in the future, who knows, but for now that's how I see him, the best friend guy who is gonna be in love with you in every single route (read, Seven, but dumber). Can't wait for the angst. Looks wise I kind got him mixed with Solomon at some point (my dumbass though it was a bug) but all those Surprise Guest moments have me thinking he's way cuter than I gave him credit for at first.

I always feel bad for ratting him out to Lucifer, but boy, you and Veronica practically share one single brain cell, okay? I need to get my girl into Lucifer's good graces, I ain't about that troublemaker life

Levi is gonna be brief: No. He's not my type (otome or real life wise) and he annoys me. He reminded me a bit of Yoosung at first, and I'm trying to power though it like I did with him, but I can't. He keeps dragging me into his stuff and it's not cute, it makes me resent Levi. I'm not much of a tsundere enthusiast by nature, and I really don't like when they portray fans and gamers in this kinda "I'm weird, look at me I'm so weird and different" light ("have you ever seen me without this stupid hat on? that's weird" jsjdndmsksjdnsmskdjnddm). It comes across (to me at least) as childish and dumb (not endearing dumb, like Mammon). Idk, maybe I'll change my mind? Don't come for me, Levi stans

So Satan

I love Satan

Otome makes you say the strangest shit hm

Still. I haven't interacted much with him but I'm obsessed with this man. Let me date you, okay? You look like posh book-cat-candle super model I wish existed. Let's be petty together. Since I haven't been playing long I hope I don't end up regretting putting my heart and soul into loving you. I'm doing all kinds of jobs to get intimacy go up with him, because guyghbkhiugiygufgfydddyghvjgvjg I'm all about that soft dom energy he has going for him, it's basically everything I love about Jumin Ham, but less CEO and more cute-bookstore-guy. Ideally, Satan is 100% my type, even if not the usual otome route I take first. Also, he is the Avatar of Wrath, which, along with Pride, is my most prominent sin, so I might be projecting

Pls babe don't turn out to be terrible

Kay, so Asmo. Asmo gives me all the Shingen vibes but realistic Shingen. Like, of Shingen is all about worshiping his MC, Asmo looks like he wants to be worshiped himself. Not judging, tho. That thing he said about loving himself above all things, I feel like it was supposed to be shady but I kinda agree? He's onto something. All this self-sacrifing thing is so romanticized. Can't we all be in healthy non co-dependent relationships? Love yourselves, kids. Which is why, while I said Satan is my ideal type of man, in real life, most of the people I've been with are Asmos. That being said, that's why he doesn't really work as an otome LI for me (at least for now). I'm here to live a fantasy of dating demons, not to see my exes. He is tempting tho. Who doesn't want a friend to do face masks and fuck from time to time, no strings attached until, "oh no, we both caught feelings, whatever shall we do" and then have it end well? (can you tell I'm projecting? my therapist is gonna love this). Poor Asmo, it's not his fault. Darling I'm sure you'll turn out to be lovely

On Beel, not much. I'm not into him, at least for now. his personality so far is that he's hungry. So what, man. I'm not here for that either. I don't find food particularly fun or sexy, it's just here to keep us alive (unless it's sweets, sweets are the best, but I'm having to cut down on sweets so), so he's not doing much for me. Gotta wait for that character development I guess

And to end this rant, Belphegor. Bitch, I've seen you on my demon cards, don't you dare tell Veronica you're human. But she's a dumb hoe, my girl Veronica, so she just doesn't question it???? I swear, this girl. Shady doesn't even cut it with him. Sorry, you're telling me what to do? Dude, lol, you're lucky this is Veronica and not me, because I'd be out of there as soon as you started this bull about me doing pacts with demons to get your ass out of that room. Don't prey on my empathy, it pisses me off. Spoilers tell me he's like a human-hater or something? Boy, fuck you, okay? Am I going to end up loving him? Who knows. For now he can rot in that room for all I care

Anyway, that's pretty much my first impressions of this game. I'll be playing it for some more time, until I get up to date on lessons and story or until colleges comes to drag me to literal hell, whatever comes first

Peace, my dudes

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