#finding stuff that fits is hard but then finding stuff that fits and looks decent and is affordable

[ghostlythunderbird]

The Pack ~ The Letter

Pairings: Alpha!Konig, Alpha!Simon “Ghost” Riley, Alpha!Keegan P. Russ X Omega!Fem!Reader

Warnings: 18+ Minors/Ageless Blogs DNI, Omegaverse, Mentions of Anxiety/Panic attack, Ghost and Keegan are kinda mean for this one (Im sorry!), Konig being a big softie for Reader, Mostly Fluff for this one!

Words: 4,437 (Went a little too wild with this one!)

Author’s Notes: Please do not repost, edit, or translate my work. This blog and all content will be marked 18+ even if there is no NSFW content, if you are underage or have no age I don't want to deal with you. So sorry for the long time to update, I'm currently recouping after my hand surgery so ill try and update when I can, it sucks trying to write with one hand XD.

Summary: After being introduced to your new pack, you are taken to your new home or 'Den' at this point. While the introduction part went almost seamlessly, your starting to figure out that these alphas might be a little hard to get along with.

The drive home was nothing less than silent; aside from König sitting in the back seat with you, the two other alphas were quiet. 'Maybe they are the strong silent type.' You had told yourself. While you wanted to ask anything about themselves, you had a strong feeling that you would be told to be quiet by these alphas.

Close to an hour later, the car had come to pull into a short driveway. Looking out the window, the house itself was decent from the outside. A standard brick suburban house, copied and pasted much like many others on both sides of the street. The red bricks and white paneling nearly blinded you as you stared at it. Before you could ponder more on the look of your new 'home' the door on your side opened, The Alpha known as Ghost stood there "Come on, out ya get."

Sliding out of the vehicle you were snatched up by König who gently guided you up the steps to the front door. "Don't worry about your stuff right now, Schatz. We will get it later." Without another word, the front door was finally opened.

Your new home was lackluster; if you googled a Bachelor pad, this would be the definition of one. While there was furniture, it didn't feel as homey as you had expected. The living room was bare other than the oversized L-shaped couch and T.V. stand it faced. Hell, these guys didn't even have a fucking coffee table, of all things. As you further overlooked the room, you noticed the bare white walls. No different colored paint, picture frames, or calendar was hung up.

Just an empty minimalistic house. Perfect for three military bachelors.

As you stepped through the front door, you nearly lost your breath after the mix of alphas scents. The overall musk almost sent you to your knees, through the overbearing scent hints of Cinnamon, Vanilla, Mint, Smoke, and Leather blended in almost perfectly.

 Minutes passed as you regained yourself before you looked back towards the door to find König waiting for you to continue. "Are you okay, Schatz?" His voice was soft as he began to approach you. While you knew his second gender and the horror stories your family had told you growing up, none seemed to fit his character. His sheer size alone would make anyone panic if he approached, but with him nervously clutching his hands to soothe his anxiety. It made him appear much less intimidating and rough around the edges, reminding you more of a large shelter dog being welcomed into a new house for the first time. He wanted you to accept his home, his den, as somewhere you would feel comfortable and safe. 

From Konig's point of view, None of this seemed real to him.

In two weeks, König went from a pack-less and omega-less Apex to not just having his own pack but an omega that he could protect and care for. Everything was a mirage that could disappear should he touch it. But seeing you here before him, nothing less of a goddess, made it much more believable. "If you two are going to have an emotional moment, at least move out of the fucking doorway so people can get into the damn house." Ghost growled out as he passed both of you. Keegan followed close behind, but unlike Ghost, he gave you a blank stare as he passed. 

Looking down towards you, König felt his anxiety rear its head. Your face had fallen and a sour tone began to line your once relaxing scent. as you watched the two alphas walk away from the door.

As wordlessly they came in, they disappeared up the stairs to their shared room. This brought König to sigh heavily as he looked down at you again. "Don't worry, Schatz. They will warm up to you……eventually" He wasn't sure if he was telling you this or trying to reassure himself at the pair's attitude that one eighty once they were back in their den.

He didn't want you to feel they despised your existence as soon as you entered their lives. "Why don't we get you settled? I'm sure you're ready to rest." With the Apex mentioning this, your eyes lit up, and you couldn't help but smile at him. "Definitely; it seems like we all need a fat nap."

Both you and König laughed before he led you up the stairs. Reaching the next floor, he showed you where the single bathroom was and his, Ghost, and Keegan's bedrooms, just in case. At the end of the hallway was the final room. "This was Ghost's room originally, but once we were accepted, we all decided to leave one room open for you. So that you have your own space away from us." Upon opening the room, you were presented with one of the most enormous beds you'd ever seen. Resting on top were bags on bags of not just new nesting material. This ranged from thick fluffy comforters to sleek silk sheets; however, they lacked color.

It was a swirl of black and white with an underlying mix of grey.

It rendered you motionless as you took in the sheer amount, had these alphas gone out and bought you a whole nest and a half of material? You had never heard of alphas going to these lengths to make an omega comfortable. As you looked toward the Apex in the doorway, the anxiety in his posture was evident.

His hands were drawn up to his chest, clutching pieces of his shirt into his hands. He was even slouched forward to lower his overall height to match yours, even with it being impossible without him going to his knees.

"Well, I uh.....I'll leave you to get settled. Just call for us if you need anything." Without another word, the Apex left, closing the door behind him.

With that, you turned back to look at the covered bed before finally moving to clear off the excessive amount of nesting material lumped together. What you thought was an easy 15-minute job turned into 45 simply because your omega was getting too far distracted by the number of gifts she was given.

'Soft and Secure. Alphas are perfect, bringing nice gifts for a nest. The perfect nest for Alpha's pups.' She yipped. You were startled back to reality, god you haven't even known these alphas for a whole day, and suddenly, your omega is presenting herself, begging to be bred by these practical strangers. 'Jesus, you need to focus' Shacking your head to rid your mind of the intrusive thoughts, you attempted to finish your task.

Why would your omega be so enamored even after how the other two alphas seemed to want nothing to do with you?

Once all the material was put away for the time being, you had a yawn slip from your mouth. How long have you been up today? It was well over 14 hours at this point. Why not take a quick break. Deciding to rest, you had walked towards the sorted assortment of nesting materials before you settled on one of the larger and softer blankets. The void color overtook your view as you pulled it from its packaging.

'So soft,' You tiredly thought. After making it onto the bed and ensuring the blanket fully covers you, you finally lay down. Letting the bed hold the weight of your body.

It was quiet as you brought the blanket further up your chin. The only audible noise in the room was the sound of the ceiling fan. You hadn't realized how mentally exhausted you were from the entirety of not just today but the past few weeks. Each blink drew slower and slower until your vision went black, and your mind drifted to dreamless slumber.

~~~~~Flashback~~~~~

The sound of the T.V. did so little to drown out König's thoughts; König primarily spent the little time he had away from his rather dangerous occupation thinking about the 'What ifs' of his life. He was so caught in his thoughts he didn't realize Ghost had come back into the house, his hands full with mail. Most were bills, but one was large and thick compared to the rest.

Ghost placed all the envelopes on the counter before sorting them; the largest was addressed to König. From the Alpha Pack Selection Program. Something that the resident Apex had waited for close to 4 weeks for a response, one that hopefully bared good news. "König." His gruff voice echoed out.

Being pulled from his overreactive mind, the Apex leaned slightly to look at the other Alpha. The manilla folder being held transformed into a brightly lit target to the Austrian sprawled out on the couch.

The large man lunged off the couch, startling the smaller Alpha, who had just descended the stairs. "Jesus, König, a bit of a fucking warning." Keegan couldn't help but snarl after nearly getting run over by the Apex. It was rare for these sorts of incidents to happen in the house; the two alphas and the Apex were incredibly aware of where each was and their schedules. 

König was zeroed entirely in on the envelope in Ghost's hand, while he may have been eager to receive this letter. He couldn't help but fear their answer; after their last response, it would make seven rejections from the program. Each time was for the same reason "Due to your Apex representation, we regretfully have to decline your enrollment to our program." But it still didn't stop him from taking it and tore the envelope open. "well, come on mate, what does it say?" Ghost nudged his arm; the Apex hadn't realized that Ghost had even rounded the corner to stand beside him.

König took in a deep breath before releasing as he unfolded the papers to read the words printed onto the paper.

Dear Applicant,

It has come to our attention that you have sent multiple applications over the last few years. Each one followed with a swift rejection from our programs as your representation would cause an upset in both our application alphas who may be paired with you and in the omegas who could be assigned to your care.

While we appreciate the time and effort you have invested in becoming part of this program, we have concluded that we will no longer accept any future applications from you. However, with this harsh news, we will allow a new application with you, but you must have at least two other alphas willing to become paired with you in a pack. 

This envelope contains four applications for alphas willing to work and be assigned to a shared omega. These applications are only viable for 30 days; afterward, we will no longer accept any attempts to pair you. As well as, all previous information you provided will be deleted from our database.

~ The Alpha Pack Selection Program council 

The silence that surrounded the air of the Alphas was suffocating. Even with the tv playing in the background, it was drowned out by the tense atmosphere. König felt like he couldn't breathe; until a sob forced its way out, and air seemed to flood his lungs again. How was he supposed to find someone willing to pack with him? and within 30 days? No one wanted to be stuck with him, and he hardly knew any other Alphas outside his work. And those he did work with? Most were already packed or swore off mating altogether. 

This was it, his final chance to be accepted. With no potential pack-mates, he would lose his only chance of finding a mate and having pups. The world wanted him to live the rest of his life, never knowing the sweet touch of the omega for which he would lay down his life. To never know the feeling of pure happiness looking at a pup made from his omega and himself. A piece of him that he helped create.

Why? Why. Why. Why. WHY.

He hadn't realized that he was beginning to have a panic attack until Ghost dug his fingers into his shoulder. König could feel his body trembling, rolling off in waves, making his balance waver. "König, mate, you need to breathe," Ghost told him hushedly. Ghost and Keegan shared a look as the Apex slumped forward onto the counter, his head falling forward into his hands. 

Steadying his breathing, König straightened his back and pushed the papers away as they burned him. While his day may have been uneventful, he wished he had never opened the damn letter now. The crushing weight that bared on his shoulders now seemed to grow heavier as the seconds passed. Looking at the stack of papers, Ghost couldn't help but look at the pages that caused König to damn near crumble before them. 

The words spilled out before he made him sick. Why are they just now sending this? After all those years König spent trying to be accepted in this shitty program and getting rejected every time, they decide now to tell him what he needs to be accepted. Talk about hitting a man while he's down. Looking towards the dark-haired Alpha, leaning against the back of the couch, "Keegan, take a look at this fuckin' shit." While reading over the papers, the smaller Alpha couldn't believe the audacity of these fucking people. All this just because he was a slightly different second gender?

Casting a glance at the large Apex, who seemed to be on the verge of shutting down completely. While Keegan was a hardass, usually, he couldn't help but feel bad for his brother-in-arms. "So they are telling you to find a pack outside this program to be accepted? What a load of crap." His brain couldn't help but reel at the fact they were giving him only 30 days to figure this out; who could even help him now? He paused. Looking between Ghost and König, he knew what he was about to say would either be genius or he was about to be hit for. "What if Ghost and I pack with you?"

König and Ghost both wheeled around, both wearing surprised expressions. "The fuck are you on about? Did you hit your head on your last O.P.?" Ghost exclaimed as he stepped toward the smaller Alpha. "How are we the best options for a fuckin pack?" Keegan took a step backward as Ghost entered his space. 'Fuck, probably should have kept my mouth shut.'

Clearing his throat, "Think about it, Ghost, we're both unbonded alphas who know König the best; hell, we already live with him. And he needs a pack to be accepted. Why not throw us in and see where we go?" The air between them grew tense as the larger Alpha stared at him. "Right, and we're the best choices to take care of an omega; last I checked, neither of us have been around one." Ghost spoke through a tense jaw. As much as he was against being anywhere around an omega, he knew it was the best option between them.

König looked at them both. "A-are you guys sure? I know you guys aren't comfortable with this; I don't want you to force yourselves into this just because of me." The Apex was ecstatic to hear that they would try, but he knew he couldn't get his hopes up with this. There was still the possibility they would all be rejected. 

"If this gets you into that program, I will push for it as much as possible." Keegan calmly stated. The Apex looked towards Ghost, who still looked unsure, giving him a kicked puppy look.

The blonde Alpha signed before giving König a look. "Alright, we'll give it a go. But if they reject us, this Program business stops. Are we clear on that?" König nodded ecstatically while Keegan released a deep chuff. The emotions swept over the Apex so much he didn't realize he had dragged Ghost into a bear hug. "GET OFF ME, YOU FUCKIN MUPPET; Keegan, help me out ere'!"  

~~~~~~

After sending in the paperwork, they got their response two weeks later.

They were accepted.

König felt like he was about to pass out; everything was starting to work out. But it was only the beginning for the newly formed pack. Not only were they a pre-formed pack, but due to their extended military service, they were also notified that they could choose their omega. Hence the giant pile of files on the kitchen table.

It felt like they'd been at this for hours, passing the scent samples for each one to inhale. Each Alpha had the scent samples they liked, but when presented to the other two, it was met with a swift rejection and sometimes with a comment. While some omegas looked good on paper or had a decent scent, the Alphas couldn't agree.

"How about this one? She comes from a wealthy family in Italy, and it even says, 'She enjoys the finer things in life.'

"No, Keegan, It sounds like she'd be more of a glorified brat. Anyone born with a silver spoon in their mouth is nothing but trouble for people in our job."

Or it's a same-answer vote.

"Yeah fuck this one; smells like a Hospital."

"I'm going to have to agree with Ghost on this one. It reminds me of when my mom used so much cleaner in the house when I was a kid."

They thought this would be the easiest part, but they were definitely over their heads. Ghost finally stood up in a rage. "We've been sitting here for fuckin HOURS, and not a single one we have agreed on. Most of them smell like shite too." The Alpha raised his hands and walked to the fridge to grab another beer. KKönig stood as well at the other Alpha's tone. "No one said the selection was easy, and there's only a few left. Let's get through them, and then we can take a break." The Apex pleaded.

That only seemed to rile up the exasperated Alpha more "How the hell are we going to find an omega at this point? We can't agree on a single one?" Both alphas stared at each other "HOW DO YOU KNOW? WE ARENT EVEN DONE!"  

Keegan watched as both alphas continued to argue; their conversation slowly was tuned out as he watched while resting his head in one hand. As much as he wanted to pipe up to aid König in calming Ghost down, He knew better than to get between these two during times like this. Before Keegan could intervene, a quick breeze of something sweet passed his nose, and the Alpha couldn't help but follow it back to the remaining folders. This scent was the best one he'd had all day, so he couldn't help but be curious.

It led him to a file towards the bottom that seemed much newer but was thinner than the other files in the stack. Once he opened it, the sweet scent was no longer teasing him. Taking the scent sample from the file, Keegan couldn't stop himself from pressing it to his nose and inhaling deeply.

It felt like he became weightless for those seconds; how had he not noticed this one earlier? It reminded him of the smell of fresh rainfall, a sweet yet calming scent. His Alpha couldn't help but be drawn to whoever the smell belonged to; without a second thought, Keegan pulled back from the cloth to look at the pages in the folder. Whoever's file this was about was the smallest one he had seen from the entire stack.

The picture attached gave him a view of the person that caught his Alpha’s attention.

You were stunning; His Alpha yipped in delight. ‘Yes, yes! Pretty mate! Must mate, Must protect!’

However, something felt wrong in the picture. Looking closer, the smile that graced your features didn't seem to reach your eyes. Your eyes held sadness and hidden anger that could reveal itself should you choose to snap. As his eyes flickered across the pages, Keegan stored everything he could about you away.

Omega Profile

Name: (Y/N) (L/N)

Age: 23

Sex: Female

Second Gender: Omega

Personality: N/A. Omega and Family declined to file the Omega Attribute survey.

The sickening sound of glass crack made Keegan snap his head upwards; the sight before him was far from good. Ghost and König stood only a few feet apart; the Apex and Alpha had their teeth bared and chests puffed up. Ghost was making his displeasure clear to the Apex while König was getting close to putting him back in his place among the three. It wasn't often it happened due to each other's work schedule, but when it did, someone was going to have their ego bruised, and some furniture might end up being broken.

“I highly recommend to watch what you say next, Simon.” The Apex spoke. His voice had dropped an octave; His Apex was close to taking over to deal with the Alpha. Ghost was silent before scoffing, moving to clean up his broken glass of bourbon. Keegan took this as his chance to break the tense air. “If you two are done with your pissing contest, I think I got one.” He slowly held up the small cloth between his index and middle fingers. As much as Keegan wanted to hoard the small cloth to himself, he needed to let at least his newfound packmates have a chance to decide if the omega was a good fit.

König was the only one who returned to the table to remove the cloth from Keegan’s hand. Lifting it towards his nose, he caught the scent almost immediately. It had him completely forgetting his altercation just minutes prior. “wow….I like this one; her scent is not overpowering and smells good. Simon, wanna try this one?” The Apex had turned back to the Alpha, who was leaning on the counter nursing a new glass of bourbon. The look in his eyes made Konig nervous; the Blonde Alpha was definitely over the whole experience, but seeing how both Keegan and König agreed on the scent patch, it seemed to be at least a contender.

Sighing, He set his drink on the counter before returning to the table. König slowly held the cloth towards him, but before he took it, he looked towards the two Alphas. “If this one smells like shite, I'm punching both of you.” Simon grumbled before snatching the small fabric. He stared at the cloth before finally giving in; as soon as the scent filled his nose, it was as if all the tension in his body had just melted away.

The other Alphas held their breath as they waited to see what the blonde alpha had to say. Simon looked at the pair as he set the cloth on the table near the open file. “Well, she doesn't smell bad. What's in her file?”

Keegan and König shared a look before handing Simon the file; It seemed they finally agreed on their potential omega.

~~~~~

The days counting down to them finally meeting you and bringing you home were absolutely hectic, to say the least. So many emotions filled the small townhouse as all three alphas cleaned and organized the house as best as they could, no omega should have a dirty home when they come home in the alpha's mind. Most were bouts of Anxiousness and Frustration, a vast majority were from the poor Apex who checked everything twice to make sure everything was perfect.

At the one-week mark Ghost and Keegan decided to move into the same room to make sure you have a space for yourself as you settled down. The move sparked from just the simple question "Where is our omega going to stay until she's warmed up to us?" To say it had the alphas taking multiple steps back was an understatement. Another thing that was brought up (By Ghost mind you) was what were you going to use should you decide to make a nest.

It may have not been something the Alphas were well versed in, but they at least made an effort. Cue the three alphas going out and buying almost two whole carts full of nesting material, plus the whole material selection boot camp.

"What about this one? It's big and it's super soft!" ~ König

"No no, She needs something that won't stick to her if she uses this for her heats. What about that silk sheet kinda stuff?" ~ Keegan

"Why not just get her some fucking blankets and pillows, This nesting shit can't be that complicated" ~ Ghost

It was definitely quite the scene watching these big alphas carry multiple bags worth of nesting material due to them being unsure what to get.

Once everything was settled, the day when they finally got to meet you arrived. The checking-in process was seamless, soon leading to the alphas being led to a smaller room waiting for the actual introduction. From what the receptionist had told them the Omegas family still needed to finalize paperwork, It had been the longest wait any of the alphas had ever done. But when the door finally opened to reveal the betas and you, time seemed to stand still.

They collectively decided they would die for you if it made you happy.

~~~~~

It had been a few hours since König had left your room. Call him paranoid, but no noise was coming from the door. Worried about you, he walked back to your door before knocking.

"(Y/N)? Is everything okay?" Hearing no response, he slowly opened the door and was greeted by a dimly lit room. And there on the bed, you laid completely still on the massive bed, sound asleep.

Once you walked in through that door, all his fears and worries seemed to implode and no longer existed. You were more than everything he could have dreamed of; how you weren't already paired was beyond him. You entangled him. Everything about you was beautiful, from your hair and eyes to your body. It wasn't until he had heard his name from downstairs that he was brought out of his trance.

He was casting you one last glance, taking in your sleeping form before turning to leave. König told himself he would make this work. Because now that he had you, He wasn't ever going to let you go.

Tag List: @silentmel, @thisperspective, @thebestgirlever2, @ghostalina, @pascallllllll1, @jujitsuito2069, @hypernovaxx, @frazie99, @v1naco, @littlezarp, @thatoneautor0123, @credince--writes, @4ndjelij4, @alonelyteenagebroncinbuck, @alonelyteenagebroncinbuck, @random0lover, @wintersnnowie, @operatorinvestigatesco, @marytvirgin, @nightriver99, @l-lend, @kelpiesummer, @quietlyignoringyou

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[camaro-and-smokes]

✨ This is my contribution to the Harringrove Relay Race! ✨ @harringrove-relay-race

Screwdriver

S: I'm not looking to fuck right now, but my bathroom sink is currently flooding the bathroom

S: I know it's kind of random, but can I borrow a flathead screwdriver by any chance?

S: I don't really know my neighbours and you're the closest person to me on Grindr

S: 😅

Billy stared at the four messages he'd received, not quite knowing what to think about them. They were from Steve, the guy he'd been messaging on Grindr for a while here and there.

It had been a kind of a mistake for Billy to even see Steve's profile. Steve had said he had been meaning to delete the whole profile since all he'd gotten through it was heartache and pain, but then had decided against it. Billy had the same kind of experience, so he'd suggested that they could just talk. And Steve had agreed.

They really didn’t know that much about each other, they talked about just casual stuff; work, TV shows and such. But Billy didn’t have anything special to do that evening, so why not. Steve seemed like a decent guy and Billy had an extensive selection of tools at home because of the Camaro he’d kept as a second car since it always needed something to be fixed.

B: Yeah why not.

B: Send me your address and I’ll bring it. BTW you should turn off the main water in case you haven’t yet.

Billy put his phone into his back pocket and went to the garage to rummage through his tools. Soon the phone blipped with a message.

S: Thanks, the water’s turned off. I’m panicking, didn’t even think of that. The address is 357 Oak Street, 3rd floor.

Billy snorted.

B: No problem. I'll be there in fifteen.

Steve didn’t actually live that far from Billy, which was surprising. Billy was sure he had never seen Steve around. Brown-haired, doe-eyed and tall men were his kryptonite. He was pretty sure he’d remember a guy looking like Steve.

He parked his truck and Steve buzzed him in.

Billy stepped out of the elevator in Steve’s floor. It wasn’t hard to know which one was Steve’s door: it was the one ajar through which he heard cursing. He walked to the door and knocked on it before opening the door wider.

“Hey, it’s Billy,” he said after he opened the door and couldn't see anyone in the corridor.

“Yeah, come in, I’m a bit busy right now,” came from somewhere behind the open door. “Shut the door.”

Billy closed the door and turned to look at the corridor opening behind the door – and almost inhaled the gum he’d been chewing, followed by a coughing fit.

Steve was on his knees on the bathroom floor, leaning under the sink into the sink cabinet – his ass high up in the air, clad in nothing but wet, green basketball shorts that were glued to his ass and his hairy legs – jesus christ how can someone be that hairy – and not leaving any other assets to imagination either.

He backed out from the cabinet, turned around and sat on the floor. “Oh good, thank fucking lord,” he let out, looking tired but clearly relieved. When he saw Billy all red from coughing, his expression turned worried. “You okay?”

Billy nodded, still trying to catch his breath, and lifted the toolbox in his hand.

Steve got up and walked to the bathroom door, looking flustered and rubbing his hands to his thighs.

For fuck's sake would you stop doing that Harrington.

Billy was half hard already from seeing that wet ass, no further sights needed.

“I wish we could’ve met under other circumstances,” Steve said, smiling awkwardly, not knowing where to place his hands, on his hips, his arms crossed, again finding their place on his hips. He pointed at the toolbox. “Uh… I needed only one...”

Think about the tools. THE TOOLS.

“There are more than one size,” Billy croaked before coughing a few last times to his sleeve. “You didn’t tell me which, so I brought all I have.”

“Oh.”

“Oh?” Billy asked, his brows raising.

This is turning into a porn film cliché.

Steve turned red and grimaced, trying to turn it into an awkward smile. “Like I said in the message, I panicked.”

If he curls his hair around his finger and bats his eyelashes a few times I swer I won't be able to hold it.

Billy looked Steve in the eyes for a moment, trying to concentrate to all possible horrors of mismanaging a burst water pipe or a broken tap could cause. Then his eyes fell to Steve’s chest and the dark hair, a lot of it, that was clearly visible under the wet white t-shirt and he felt himself blushing.

Act normal, act normal, act normal....

To keep his thoughts on the task, Billy set the toolbox on the floor and took off his jacket and set it on the chair that was in the corridor. “Okay, let me take a look. Is the floor wet?”

Steve shook his head as he stepped aside to let Billy into the bathroom. “Not anymore. I mopped the floor, but I just didn’t see a point in changing clothes. Didn’t want to get the rest of my wardrobe wet.”

The bathroom was small, so they brushed against each other just a little as they passed, enough for Billy to get a whif of Steve's scent. He smelt of cedar wood, hairspray and a little sweat – a winning combo, apparently, since Billy's had to hold back a whimper and lock his eyes to the sink cabinet. “You didn’t think to call a plumber?” he asked, trying to keep his voice even, as he squatted in front of the sink and looked into the cabinet to check what kind of screws he had to open.

“I did. The one I reached said that if the drain isn’t clogged and the tap isn't leaking there’s no point in me paying for the nighttime extra and that he comes to fix it first thing in the morning. But he said that I should get rid of anything that’s under the sink so that he can get to work when he arrives. So I was doing that when I realized that I didn’t even have a coin I could try to pry open the screws.”

Billy took a deep breath. “Okay, well, that’s good. Based on your messages I was afraid that you were trying to fix the pipes with the screwdriver.”

Steve snorted, amused. “Well, I might not be a handyman but even I’m not that dumb.”

Billy looked up at Steve with a smirk. “You need to take this cabinet out for the plumber?”

“Yeah.”

“Okay, it’s good then that I brought my whole toolbox then because not all of these won’t open with a flathead, they need a Phillips.”

“They need a what now?” Steve asked, raising his eyebrows.

Clueless pretty thing, definitely checks the box.

Billy got up and chuckled. “I’ll take the cabinet apart for you, now that I’m here. But could I get a glass of water first? The coughing…”

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Steve said and left the bathroom to fetch it.

Billy was setting up the electric screwdriver when Steve returned with the glass.

Steve was still wearing the same wet clothes, because of course he was.

I want to claw those off and bury my face into that chest hair.

Steve looking down at himself all of a sudden made Billy realize that he had probably stared a bit too intensively and blushing. He downed his water quickly before handing the empty glass back to Steve.

“Uh… I’ll leave you to it,” Steve said, smirking. “I'll go change.”

Yeah, you had to point that out. What, you want me to follow instead of taking this shit apart and fuck your brains off?

Well, okay, maybe Billy wanted to do that, but that was not what they'd agreed upon. Better if he stayed on his lane, for now.

This isn't a porn film, not a porn film...

“Yeah, this shouldn’t take long,” Billy replied, not daring to look back at Steve again, and got to work.

Once he had taken the cabinet apart he put away his tools and looked into the living room where the bathroom opened to. Steve was sitting on the couch, staring intently at his laptop and tapping away. He was wearing eyeglasses, something Billy hadn’t seen in any of the photos Steve had shared online. They fit him, framing his face nicely. Billy's eyes wandered lower and he realized that Steve was wearing only sweatpants, his glorious chest hair all on display. There was a lot of it indeed.

I want to press my nose into that, snuggle into it, run my fingers through it, tug it when I come. He cleared his throat. “Uh, I took the cabinet apart.”

Steve looked up, smiling and put the laptop away. “Hey, that’s awesome. Thanks, man! How can I repay you?” he asked as he walked to Billy.

Do not think about it, do not think about it, DO NOT…

“Uh...” Billy managed to get out, rubbing his neck with his hand. This wasn't a fucking porn film, he reminded himself, even if a handyman came to fix something at the house and oops, only the good looking little missus is at home, wearing skimpy clothes and instead of fixing anything they end up fucking against the kitchen counter like horny bunnies. Okaaayyy, well, Steve had been wearing wet skimpy clothes that left nothing to imagination and now he was wearing even less, he was maybe also a bit clueless and…

Billy tried to keep his head in check and glued his eyes on Steve's face. “Can I take you to dinner?”

Steve raised his eyebrow and measured Billy from head to toes with a lazy gaze.

Billy felt naked.

Steve smiled. “Uh… Should I be the one doing that, though?” He was quiet for a moment and smirked. “What if I'm all out of money and you have to get your pay, are there other ways I could do that?”

Billy swallowed and turned beet red. He let out a laugh and licked his lower lip.

Steve hooked his right thumb on the waistband of his sweats, pulling it down a bit and revealing the beginning of a very hairy happy trail.

The fucker.

Billy started to unbutton his shirt. “Well... Maybe we could come to a mutual agreement about that.”

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Please look forward to the lovely, wonderful and amazing work from the next contributor @hg-deranged-edition

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The ficlet is based on this meme:

#harringrove relay race #harringrove #harringrove ficlet #harringrove fic #steve x billy #billy x steve #suometar writes #stranger things #billy hargrove #steve harrington

[deviousdeliciousness]

Not a Mouse Pt. 1

And here's a lil' drabble from a giant's POV this time; Unintentional Fear Play, here we come! :333

~~~~~~~~~~

Of all the times for the power to go out, it just had to be in the middle of the night right after Jack was sure he'd seen what had to be a mouse ducking behind his toaster.

Yeah, he'd wandered into the kitchen for a late night snack - unusual for him already, since he tended to go to bed early - and he'd snagged a couple pop-tarts from the counter 'cause he didn't want to bother with anything requiring more prep than they would. Then, as one does, he'd looked up as he headed to the toaster. Only, he did so just in time to see something dart behind the stainless steel appliance. Something had had definitely been too big to be any kind of bug. Which meant that it was probably a mouse - or worse, a rat.

To make matters even more terrible than they were quickly summing up to be, Jack didn't have time to do more than inhale in shock before a thunderous boom practically shook the house along with an accompanying crack of thunder, and all the lights went out, pitching the world into darkness.

Fuck.

He blinked rapidly, trying to get his eyes to adjust to the sudden loss of light while unconsciously shifting into a defensive position, his still sealed pop-tart held up like a weapon.

He quickly compartmentalized. One, the power was out, and by the loud crash nearby, it probably wouldn't be turning back on anytime soon. Two, there was a rodent in his kitchen.

As if to reinforce his thoughts, his ears pricked at the sound of a tiny, barely audible scuff, and he squinted his eyes in the direction of the sound, his brows furrowing low on his forehead when he realized it was from the same direction where he'd last seen his intruder, undeniably confirming its existence.

There was no way he was gonna be able to go back to bed while knowing that he had a damn rat in his apartment. Just the thought of it crawling all over his stuff, getting into his food, crawling over him while he slept - eugh. He shuddered in revulsion.

Hey, alright, he didn't have anything against mice or rats, not in general, but wild ones were known for being prime disease carriers for a reason: because they were. So he was very much against having one of the things in his home.

There was another little noise - it was sort of sharp and almost like a barely-there breath - and Jack steeled himself as he realized what he'd have to do.

He'd have to catch it - and fast. Before it had the chance to get away and do whatever it was that rats did after finding a home to inhabit. Like invite its little rat friends over or have a hundred baby rats in his walls. Yeah. No thank you.

Fumbling around in the dark (which was thankfully not completely pitch black to him anymore as his eyes finally began to adjust), Jack grabbed one of the plastic food containers from the drying rack at his side, simultaneously dropping his pop-tarts back onto the counter.

The Tupperware was rectangular and of a decent size. He was sure the rat would fit comfortably inside once he caught it.

What he would do with it after he caught it? Well... he'd figure that out then.

Clutching the container tight in his hands, he crept closer to the soft little scuffling sounds that he was able to better pick up on as he approached his invader, and the noises seemed to pick up in their urgency the closer he got. His muscles tensed in preparation as he scoured the near-darkness for any little figure out of place, his heartbeat picking up its pace in his chest with both nerves and thready anticipation.

He roved his eyes over the countertop, and -

There!

A small blob of shadow - smaller than he'd been expecting - moved, and he reacted. His arms came down from above his head to slam the lidless Tupperware container down over of the thing, and he almost winced at the sound of the plastic slamming hard against the countertop.

In the exact same instant, a sharp, piercing cry cut through the air, and for the life of him, he couldn't help but think it sounded far less like a squeak and disturbingly more like a high-pitched, terrified scream.

~~~~~~~~

Dun Dun DUuuun.... Pt 2 ya think?

#g/t #g/t community #gt writing #borrowers #giant tiny #fear play #unaware #giant/tiny

[unhappytimeleaper]

Character analysis; main concepts

A lot of this references some hints to lore and stuff I found. Not a lot are direct spoilers, but since Venti is built on his vagueness to his past, this likely will be able to be subject to change as time goes on.

Also, I wasn't sure if I asked if anyone would reply to whom to pick for my analysis. I asked some friends on a Yandere discord server, and in passing, one of them mentioned Venti, so I just went with it. Shout out to them. I hate making decisions. And leaper lore, but Venti is the reason I got into Genshin, so I guess it's fitting he is first.

Anyway, that means sending who I should do next. I'd prefer to space Genshin characters out, but anyone on my lists can be requested, as well as general requests being open.

The final quick personal note is I wanted to thank everyone for the 150 followers. I know it's not a lot, but I am thankful for the handful I know have been around for a while and for those who have considered following; Tumblr and most other SNS are rough for creators as reblog ratios are so low and other issues, but I am very grateful for those who keep coming back.

Venti [Barbatos]; Unedited. Gender neutral reader. Part 1 of 3

Warnings; yandere!! It touches on every main category of the troupe, so if you are sensitive to manipulation [emotional and mental], alcoholism, codependency, guilt [even self-imposed], obsession, lying, stalking, some general creepy behavior, breaking and entering, possessiveness, delusional thoughts, unwanted touching [sfw], and anything else you can think of being related to yandere troupes, then it's best to just not read. Also, a massive warning for talks about religion, idolization in the 'church,' and abuse of power within religious settings.

Word Count: 8.4K

This blog is 17+ please have your age in your bio or tagged; any ageless blog and below the age asked for will be blocked at the end of the week.

Maxed Stats

General manipulation

As a key component, Venti is a general trickster; he comes naturally with the skills of forgery, fabrication, pilfering, and illusion-making. These tools under his control make him naturally an enigma but build into easy traits of manipulation as he needs not just to you but to anyone. And for an early establishment, Venti's natural manipulation is not just tied to these specific skills. Still, it almost comes coded into how he exists as more of himself is revealed. Though these particular skills of lying are much harder to pick up on, between the riddles of his words and decent, innocent appearance, it's easy for him to pull off a twist of words or lie his way out of a situation.

As pointed out, manipulation is a skill that Venti can best use against anyone. To you, he is likely able to find excuses to keep up his actions. Outside of the wall of Mondstadt, he can quickly find reasonings as to why he's there, too. More often than not, he's somewhere close. While in areas like Windwail and Brightcrown, he can stay hidden, only needing to reveal himself if you find yourself in trouble, in regions like Starfell and Galesong, you can often see him not too far off in the distance. Even if you doubt his reasoning, it's hard to find proof of his stalking, making the moments unsettling, but his cuteness and way of words make it hard to get upset. Guilt festers as he looks so sad with accusations of something more sinister and that he has ulterior motives. Or how within the walls Venti is quick to find you and cling on, either in close proximity of walking or physically bound to you somehow— it's easy to tell when he's been drinking as he tends to be much more touchy in those moments. While it takes a lot for him to truly get drunk, he likes to play it up as there are so many more benefits and things you let slide. You have to take care of him in some way, and he always has a reason to be around longer.

In cases of late nights together, Venti sometimes lets you feel as if you have the upper hand, too. Pretending to be more drunk than he is and more open, allowing you to handle your chance at burning questions as he wistfully gives answers. Often, they are still vague but do let you delve more into his past, the trauma he has endured, or the loneliness that has come into his life. The more you learn, the more guilt grows at the idea of rejecting him. Of leaving Mondstadt in favor of exploration or answers. It's also not one where everything he shares is a goal of manipulating these feelings or actions.

Venti's love is absolute; for that, he wants to share what he can, with his goal of being bound to you, which means sharing these personal moments. For him, learning about you is so much easier with his status and age. Still, you can seldom learn about him in the same way, even more, as he can't fully spill his guts about his past at a moment's notice. However, he can think of this as an added benefit; manipulation, even if it's not the goal, is still emotional manipulation.

These times, there often are levels of manipulation about other places and people he puts in place. Different regions and gods aren't free from their past either, and Venti is known to share moments of these in his riddles. Aspects of how the lands have changed, how they have changed, but the imposing struggles carry through their lands. It's not really shit-talking them, nor a full-on slander campaign, but the language and words he uses are often dulled in favorability of what they could be. Similarly, he might often find ways to weave in things that could cause greater fear in you to manipulate you into thinking you are much too weak for the creatures that lurk there. While some parts you can chalk up to his story-telling nature and that by making it more dramatic, it sounds better, there often is a growing uneasiness about how vicious parts it could really be. More than countless times, there have been moments of your own danger, only saved by the grace of the wind and Venti nearby… In contrast, he speaks of Mondstadt and its people much more positively, and while he has some jealousy of those in his region you gain closeness with, he also tends to have a much more positive relationship with them, allowing those to be better tools to help in his love life than those in say Sumeru or Inazuma. He tends to maybe add in some more lighthearted jabs that can have an air of jealousy in them, even more if Venti feels you've been around them a lot recently, but in the way he talks, it often is more of playful bad-mouthing than down right insults.

As touched on, Venti's manipulation of you isn't always intended or done with negative goals. One side of this is again linked generally to how he speaks. Being this enigmatic person whose words are always wistful and hold more profound meaning, there is a natural draw to learn more. It's only made more of something that is hook when he doesn't often go around sharing this self-lore to someone so known but distant in Mondstadt to just anyone. It's almost like a balloon or bubble; the hints that are added build up little by little as time goes on without seeking out Venti for more until it pops. A droplet of information at a time until it consumes your mind, going back looking for more details to answers to the questions you'd had running in your mind for days. Soon enough, you are the one asking where the mysterious bard is to the townspeople, only cementing more in their minds the nature of your relationship being more than platonic. It also, again, just makes you feel special, a self-imposed superiority that you are the person who knows him best [which this ego can be inflated more if you know him as barbatos as well]. Venti knows these actions are manipulative in a sense, and again. At the same time, it doesn't truly harm anyone; it's still manipulation at its core in building this unique reliance on him.

And Venti's manipulation is ever present in the town and the people of Mondstadt. The key ways he uses these are to get more information about you and, as usual, get away with things. However, as briefly stated, Venti uses the wind and himself as a factor in starting rumors that there is naturally more to what is happening between you that can be exploited for later use. But back to the first point, Venti is able to once again use his 'charm' and way of speaking to easily coax others to give out more information about you. He literally likes things about your past, interests, personal relationships with others, likes, dislikes, and such through his friendly demeanor and guiding the conversations. And while he can easily track and monitor you through the wind, by talking to others around and having them tell him where you are, it helps set up a close alibi if you were to question him later. Essentially, in this case, the guards and townpeople become effective scapegoats for his stalking if needed. Furthermore, these questions end up helping intensify any rumors as the questions, over time, can become more and more romantic.

His manipulation does also be a benefit as he really is one with the people, if not distant in details. By having personal connections to groups like people in the Adventure's Guild and Knights of Favonius through people like Jean & Kaeya, they easily can be tools to help with his… well, propaganda. Even the temple with Rosaria. You ask about traveling and other nations to people in the Adventure's Guild, and they tend to often only share more gruesome or darker aspects of their stories. Of have plenty of tragedy by the time they reach the 'positive goal' that it's a natural persuasion to not want to often venture too far outside of Mondstadt. Or say you are one to leave; Venti could use points of manipulation he's built to have, say, Rosaria or Kaeya go with you, depending on where. The wind can always join you, but Venti isn't up and one to fully be able to run off from Mondstadt for long periods of time. If you plan to go on just a trip for travel, it's one thing for him to run off and join you, but freedom itself in Mondstadt is unique. It's not necessarily true freedom, and while he's awake with a purpose, he can't in his heart run from Mondstadt to travel with you. And while he'd be able to do anything in his power to persuade you to not leave, he's one to physically force it unless you're genuinely trying to run off for something dangerous. However, if someone else were to go. Friends of you and Venti… you'd have to come back, right? Kaeya can't leave his post forever, and it was him who accompanied you for this task, so it would be unfair to go on alone and not see him back… Yes, through others, you'd always be lured… guilted into returning home to him eventually.

Manipulation is also used here in more of a test; he does this often with people but imposes an idea or thing involving you. Those he wants to use in a way of getting close, he bluffs some lies out, and their reaction or steps they handle in regards usually is how he tests to see if they are reliable in what he needs. It's nothing extreme, but it's best to know if he can trust their feelings and opinions on you before letting you get too close. If they fail, well, a little bending of the truth to make it so neither of you wants to interact and never really hurt anyone.

This all helps build into how appearance tends to help. Not only for the general public but even for you, as his boyish charm and looks naturally tend to frame him as innocent. People are quick to brush off his questions even if they progressively get more concerned as 'puppy love' or that it's simply 'too cute' to see the young love from the bard. Many might even favor this as they see it as him likely being willing to turn a new leaf and grow into something worth settling down [i.e., get a job and place to live, though really, instead, it grows more into him crashing at your home and still playing song for whatever he can— money or alcohol]. His verbal actions are easily brushed off, but even the physical side of things, too. Pilfering is a great talent of his, but when caught with your items or breaking in when you're out, he tends to be pushed aside if he plays up his demeanor and lies. Scolded with warnings, sure, but scratching his head and sighing with a 'promise I won't do it again' tends to get everyone to roll their eyes and back off. As mentioned, his appearance can even present him as harmless to you; if someone brings it up, you might also awkwardly laugh and brush off the events. It's just Venti being Venti. He truly is primarily harmless, and he's stayed over so much at this point him breaking in was likely just a result of a habit of being in there…

And the limits of manipulation can be pushed if he so chooses. Call it divine intervention, more or less cause while he does so more with a dirty conscience, he can be driven as Barbatos to truly step in. Religious intervention. It seems weird when the Church of Favonius suddenly comes in contact with some old documents, ones with never seen details of an old love interest to their beloved god. The news and rumors sweep the nation, and even weirder, most of the details and notes recount someone… like you. Things seemed to get stranger, and from there, only more documents could be found of this exact figure appearing throughout history, like some sort of reincarnation. The fascination of it all quickly became the center of the topic, and with the likeness you bared in the story and aspects of appearance, you're status seemed to shoot up within the night. Not so much a holy figure but deemed with some strange uplighting in the way people spoke. That is, or how Barbatos ever seemed to come back to Mondstadt, you'd need to be there just like how the past reminisced. For those who do know, it weirdly only pushes you away from them if you ever seek help, that that story must be bound to fate, and that Venti can't be as much of a nuisance if you give it time. The problem is only dug in worse as Venti creates poems and ballads of the sort, claiming he actually had heard of these but never sought to share them until now. As the stories grow, you're pushed more and more to the church with the idea of gaining barbatos' favor and attention. Leaving… just became much more complex.

Dependence [reversed]

Dependence comes in a weird form, at least compared to others. While in general fashion, dependence typically is the idea that they want you to solely rely on them for everything, not only for power and love, it can even be with money, housing, or other necessities. While Venti likely would be much more dependent on him being really the main source of your love and affection, the rest… he doesn't care so much about. Power may be a little; he doesn't need or want you to depend on him for it, but it does give him a little ego boost when you have to or ask him. And too many other aspects of actual dependence go against aspects of his belief in freedom. Venti's course of manipulation never truly prohibits your own freedom; again, less you actively seek to do something he knows poses a threat; it just often forces you to rethink and become more hesitant in actions or thoughts.

As for other forms of dependence, well, Venti doesn't have them. He steals, only really eats apples, to your knowledge, and is homeless. It's quite pitiful in a humorous way. However, as you get closer and bond more with the bard-friendly nature, it is hard for you to let him live like this. Well, in certain ways, stealing alcohol or bribing others to give him some with songs you can't really stop unless you plan on going bankrupt. But more frequently, you invite him for meals and shelter him in your place. Even more frequently if the weather is bad or as winter approaches. Venti isn't manipulating you necessarily into these tasks, but dependence some with a factor of self-guilt. He's your friend, someone you've gotten close with, and with that, he's come to truly rely on you for these things. He was fine in the past, but to leave for who knows how long and let him fall back into such a life would make you a bad person. Right?

Logically, Venti knows he doesn't need to depend on you for these things as they don't have any real effect on his life, but it's so domestic. He gets access to all your items; you put time and love into meals, or even sharing what you purchased from Good Hunter fills him with warmth. On cold nights, he finds it easier to slip under your blankets and, even if it's fake, pretend to sleep like how couples would. Being a god comes with a lot of good but a lonely life, and after seeing so many, there comes a time when it's nice to indulge in it. Gluttony has always been a crime of his, it seems, such as with alcohol, but this also can't be that bad if no one is getting hurt. So just let him depend on you a little longer. At least until he can find out some solution before he sleeps again.

Self Harm

Similar to dependency on basic things, one form of manipulation that Venti doesn't do on purpose but knows that there still is a benefit to his actions is his indulgence in drinking. While it takes a lot for him to truly get drunk, as noted, he does like to play it up for you, and it's not uncommon for you to have to take care of him or come help him. In all sense, Venti, while not necessarily drunk, is an alcoholic, and to a detriment, it is a form of self-harm. Through learning more and hearing the tales and songs of his past, it's apparent the wounds run deep, and Venti's only way he knows to deal with them is through drinking in an attempt to numb or forget. The reality of knowing this is hard; you see it with others you've likely gained closeness with and how drinking has affected the lives of so many.

This leads to two outcomes: this, again, guilt that breeds when thinking of leaving. The connection Venti has formed is tangible with how deep it is to you, even if you don't reciprocate in that way. That's if you were to leave, would things only get worse with his drinking problem? Unlikely, he would died from drinking, but it's more than just drinking; it's the mental state of him in that position and how the loss of more people would rip the wound open even more. Furthering, if you had actually spent time talking about his past and working to unpack and find better ways to cope with the trauma outside of alcoholism, leaving would be a dick move and revert all that progress no matter how you explained it. How much could you're conscious take knowing this? How far could you make it without the guilt of him back home as the stories of his past cloud your mind? The wind tickling your skin and almost like a whisper reminding you of it. It's one thing to share a drink or two with the bard and have a fun night in the tavern, listening to his songs and dancing. It's another to picture him alone under a tree, empty bottles scattered from stealing from him alone, reminiscing about his lost friend and the imagery of war. The wind gets colder, licking the back of your neck, and the guilt is painful, ready to burst out your chest for even thinking of it. Some wounds you cannot heal, but the idea of making them worst or abandoning the person who's come to need you most is mentally crippling.

General obsessiveness

Venti doesn't necessarily read as obsessive. Not outwardly, at least, though it's easy to blame his charm for that. Okay… well, maybe not charm, but within his manipulative nature and looks, his actions and questions regarding you don't play as obsessive to those who listen. It's unlike many others who you can just look at them and feel in your bone there is something off, or in how they speak, they care just a little too hard. His sharp tongue and trick of words allow people to very easily give up information without thoroughly having them aware they have, making his tendencies go far under the general public's radar still. And for those who do somewhat witness it, he doesn't mind playing up his role a little more. Just a young, helpless bard looking to woo someone. It isn't a crime, right?

The mask he wears holds many layers. The bard, the god, the lost wind. Not many will ever get a look at what really goes on and what is an exaggeration. Or under exaggeration when it comes to you. In most cases, Venti stretches his stories up, his words riddled and larger than life that people have to dim down to work out the true meaning. So when he sells his obsessive love as much less, people are quick to brush it off or dim it down further to avoid those actual layers of emotions being peeled forward.

A chunk of this also extends to the shame and questions it brings out of freedom. Venti has never tried to take it away in a solid way, but is it true freedom to either of you when you fill so much of his thoughts that you can't really do anything without him? It is the thought that replays and replays of you and him doing things; it's the obsessive nature of having to know where you are, who you're with, and what you're doing. Are you safe? Are you planning on leaving? Should he come to find you just to be sure?

What about the images. The visions he remembers from the wars, from the people he's lost, and that truly, at any time, perhaps something will happen, and you'll be next. The flashes of violence and fear that only make the goal of getting his next drink to numb them go away— or you. The sight of you, the smell of you. Having you hold him and remind him that the past is gone.

You'd be able to see it, maybe not the full extent, but you've come to know the bard enough to tell when the cogs in his mind are turning and the way he tries to drown out aspects of himself. It's hard to tell what he's thinking, but you know some of it is tied to the past as he holds the stolen wine in one hand and grips you so tightly with the other as you try to stumble back to your home and out of sight. You can tell something is off when he's snooping through your things early in the morning as you're just waking up and when he's clearly been inside your place while you were out with a friend. Or that he's been leaving more and more questionable lyrics? No, less like poems or lyrics but ramblings about love and fear and what can only be aspects of you on the counter as he runs around god knows where. It's worrying. It's uncomfortable to an extent, but not enough or in a way that you can just cut him off. Kick him out. Maybe just talking or setting a little break, but the pressure in your chest and bile in your throat at the thought of cutting contact brings you to a sobbing mess each time.

But, what does keep him from being fully obsessive is that Venti still has things to do. Freedom of Mondstadt and giving up his title as the god doesn't mean he's abandoned his role truly, and if he's awake, that means between drinking, being with friends, telling stories, and everything about you, there is something he has to do. He still is out fulfilling a duty no one, but he knows of, and really, part of that seems more scary than anything he's done to you. You know he'd never hurt you; it's not a fear of that, but as Venti opens up more to you, the parts he still keeps hidden remind you that this is only a fraction of what you know. Guess it's good that you still have some time and space to yourself, but as obsessive as he is in his thoughts and other flaws, he can dial it back if needed for a short amount of time. At least from your perspective.

Wrong idea; type 2

In a sense, Venti is give an inch; he'll take a mile. Like a stray cat. You feed him once he keeps coming back for more. One thing is that this wrong idea can start more slowly, but the second you mess up and do something more romantically affectionate, it instantly becomes much more intense in the progression of what he's willing to take or do.

As mentioned, for anything to start, you need to be at least on a friendship level basis with Venti, and a sorta higher level of one. Nothing extreme, but the type of friends who do spend a considerable amount of time together and, for example, willing to open your house to him to stay in occasionally. Not even in a 'stay in the same bed' type way, but he knows aspects of your personal life, and to a level, you learn more of his 'Venti' side for any of his traits to really start manifest. However, it is already very easy to set off more and delve into the realm of leading him into the wrong idea territory.

Some ideas of how this might be are such as gaining more physical contact. While the intent is friendly, Venti is from a different time, and being touchy already seems less common than you already have a 'flirty' aptitude. Grabbing his arm or hanging off of him when sober makes his heart flutter that there could be more. Certain gifts, flowers, or making uniquely special foods just for him. Not just any meal, that's normal, but if you were to make something sweet with apples that wasn't a typical dish, it leads his heart to beat just a little harder. Or that one time when he did stay over and you fell asleep holding onto him rather than the usual routine of wandering off to your own spot after putting a drunk Venti 'to sleep.' You must have been exhausted… but this is his first time really getting to see you up close.

You must be doing all this with some… ulterior motive. Sure, he's heard of courting; he's older than people think and knows more of the ins and outs of things. People treat him like someone far more innocent by these looks— not just with drinking. And yeah, it comes in handy sometimes, but not when people talk down to him about this. At first, there was some apprehension. Teyvat was in a dangerous time, and as carefree as he plays himself up, he's always guarded about his next move.

Obsessiveness starts more simple. His questions are more of curiosity about many things, and what is better than to trick it out of people and you. Sure, he knows most basic things of your life, but that couldn't mean you aren't linked to more questionable things and had figured out he was Barbatos, either. He comes off a nosey at best. When digging to see if you'd ever been caught doing 'bad things' most inform sure— but in the sense you had been a kid and teen once. You'd easily gotten into trouble more than a few times but never was it for anything imminent or serious. He digs more into the lineage of your family and the other people you associate with. Nothing strange… fine, but perhaps a different route. He remembers some old common courting techniques, and he's seen some of them in this era, too. He's not blind to it, but as he shares more of the details, the more people tell the 'young' bard. It's probably a hint that he should reciprocate. I mean, he already hangs off of you like a hangover anyway. It's surprising he isn't already attached at your hip with how much you both sort of rely on each other. Although you tend to treat him more as a companion than him, he depends on you like a leech.

And the switch flips.

In certain aspects, if you did have some sort of crush, it likely would melt away with how quick his obsessively wrong idea notion takes over. What was harmless flirting testing the waters is instantly blown into a large scale. Even if you didn't like him in that way and other signs were one of platonic closeness or accidents, it doesn't seem to make a difference. His touchiness is insatiable, and the amount of time he starts demanding you spend with him is much more intense. If you try to brush him off, his poutiness damps the air, and things just an uneasy tingle. You find him trying to make all sorts of snacks and now haggling not just for drinks but for gifts. Every story he tells, every song he sings, and every poem has some romantic undertones that, paired with former questions and actions, people know it is about you. And the stalking doesn't help.

Venti's turning point makes him feel like there is more and that there could be more. He's not fully delusional. There are aspects of a lucid point that you're pulling away, but that just means he needs to try harder, right? He's seen so many relationships go like that. If you stop trying, if you let them pull away, that's really how you lose them. It's obvious how much time he puts into this, how much he thinks about how to move forward, and how he can use things like his skill sets of manipulation to keep you bound to him [not literally but in a figurative state]. However, it is only time before you get worn down from trying to fight and redirect… adapting does become just so much easier. Conversations, trying to explain, just don't seem to reach him. Lucid and all, you can't understand him or his goals anymore, and even when he does calm down back into a slight breeze, the second you give him a bit of that former closeness back, it picks back into a blustery.

Stalking

While Venti's stalking habits have mostly been pointed out, there is one other big thing that needs to be recognized. Sure, in Mondstadt and the borders of other regions, he often can find himself about to sneak away and physically follow you around for extended periods of time [days, weeks, etc.]; what happens if you leave. Of course, Venti can easily manipulate others to go with you as a safety net and use it to get you back home, but things are rough when you're gone. Luckily, or to your dismay, you aren't ever really alone as the wind follows you. No matter how far you go, how pleasant the weather is, or how rough the wind is a constant companion following in your wake. It's often a nice breeze, though it picks up a significant amount if you're nearing danger or in danger. Though a strange pattern of it picks up when you spend a little too long talking with locals…

Yes, the wind itself can't do much, but its following reminds you of your faithful companion back home, the one you'll have to eventually return to. And while 'freedom' is given, it's never truly 'free' as the wind follows far and wide until you come back to your love.

Final [unique]

Where final comes in is related more to Venti's 'sleep.' From the context, it seems Venti has less control over when he sleeps and for how long. It's not that he chooses to abandon his land in the time. It's that he cannot fight when he goes into his slumbering state. For hundreds of years, and the times he wakes up are only that when there is something of great importance. This wouldn't be much of a problem before you— Mondstadt was given their freedom, and it was just how it was. He awoke, he came, he helped, and he left; nothing more or less.

However, he had been awake for longer than usual. There was something, even outside of you, that had brewing. Something deeply important kept him awake, even if he didn't know what. And he established a life. A true life this time, with friends in the taverns and everyday 'enemies' with his habits. He found a 'job' and a 'home' within his city as one of the people. And he fell in love. It's one thing to become intrinsically a part of an environment, and even if you don't feel the same way, have that connection knowing any moment it could be lost. To go back into a long-standing sleep with every person, even facet of that life is potentially gone when you are to wake up again. To lose that loved one to time.

Venti has lost so much, each person he's established a bond with passing or having to move on to more incredible things. When he awakes, everything is different; every person is mostly a new face, with few exceptions of those only being a few like him. Is it wrong for love to be so fragile when he knows the change of fate of it being lost is greater than the reward? That if he were to fall asleep, you would easily be able to move on. Find someone new, forget about him, or at least be nothing more than a distant memory. He knows other types of love can be platonic, that the affection you give to the city kids isn't the same, or the way you play with the cats as he watches from a distance. He knows that when he sees the couples in Mondstadt, he's supposed to be happy for them, and imagine if it was you two rather than have the breeze pick up ruining their outing. That he shouldn't be this jealous or bitter; it's unsuiting of his persona, but how else are you supposed to know when love is useless if not with you, the one person he could so quickly lose. When you're not around, this gets worse. Celestia, be damned if he were to fall asleep without at least getting to see you one more time.

This acknowledgment does considerably bring out more of his obsessive nature, almost like paranoia, but in a way that no one can quite place. That he needs to have knowledge of where you are and how long you've been gone, or that he needs to be with you to make up for the time. The obsession leaks into you're time together; since he doesn't need sleep, he'll just lay there watching you. Hands sometimes ghost your face as he pulls you close, worrying about if he can't save you if he were to suddenly fall back asleep tomorrow and never see you again. It's the way sometimes he grips your arm a little too tightly and breathes in too deeply when hugging. That he needs to find a solution to keep you immortal so if he does sleep, you'll still be there when he awakes, or even better, you can sleep with him [and awake] at the same time. You'd never have to be alone, he'd never have to be alone. And sure, it's a stretch, but it's not a loss of freedom because once awake, you can still go anywhere you want together, and even with this idea, you still have full mental awareness and control over your mind.

General Delusional [unique]

Venti isn't delusional. His perceptiveness to things around him and his need to protect himself, plus his lifetime, has made him more or less hyperaware of things and life around him. He hears the prayers of people and the lives of others, and being lucid/logical is simply a must for that of a god. But he hears the prays, he hears the others speak, and he yearns in a sense to be able to have the luxury of being delusional. Of just being able to let everything go and pretend things are good or that you like him back in that way. It sounds nice. Easy. To be able to imagine your life together as some fantasy story, he's the knight who'd come and save you and live happily ever after.

Scratch that. barbatos isn't delusional, but Venti can be. The mask, the person he's playing can be. He isn't just a storywriter; he's a storyteller. An actor, a character of his identity. So no, deep down, he knows the truth; he's extremely aware of that, but why not just play the part. Let him play as if he was lost in those delusions and that whatever it is can be that way. When you're cooking dinner for each other, Venti knows you're just making a meal as always, but why not play it up. That you're coupled and that this is making a meal together as a such— it was a little weird when he came over to help, but you didn't question it. At least he was doing something. But meal times together when he would help progressed weirdly. Putting his arms around you as you try to cut things, holding out utensils for you to try things on. It got very strange the one time when baking, he leaned over and licked a crumb off your face. You didn't bake for a while after that.

Or going out. What once was normal progressed into him inching closer and closer, then hands briefly touching. You didn't think much. It's the bard unless your Diluc. He's been pretty much harmless around the city. You think. So what if he was one to try to hold hands or brush arms that just matched his bubbly personality. Though the linking of arms and leaning into when waking, staring into your eyes with such affection did change things a lot.

It's nothing more than a role, or sort of game to Venti. The delusion is there, but it is more like oil sitting on top of water. He can turn it off at any moment, but where is the fun in that when everything in his life is so serious. With you, it's easier to just pretend. At least he still has all the control and lucidity of the problems when needed.

Projection

This has been touched on already, but to relate it back, Venti isn't so much delusional in the sense he believes it's real but that if he projects the message hard enough through stories, through songs, and to the people of Teyvat that you're together then in some way, that will be true. The projection of his words he knows are false, and he knows in some way, even if it isn't true, that if a story is spread enough, people take it as fact. And if everyone takes it as fact, then it's just easier for you to accept it as well. He really doesn't have to do anything to force you. It's not taking away anything. It's just altering it so that way things work out in his favor. Much like the general sense, it pairs as well. If he tells himself it's true, perhaps he can force that delusion to cloud the lucidity he feels about all of it. It's almost like in a state of being drunk, where you know what's going on to a certain level, but it's foggy. It's rose-tinted enough that if everyone thinks it, he can, too.

This projection is only made worse if he gets involved as Barbatos. It changes things from just the slightly weird couple who, honestly, the people of Mondstadt can't really explain how they ended up that way. They remember bits of it, but it seems like someone through someone, though some random grandma just mentioned you were taken, and everyone ran with it. But if the church were to find the falsified relics and stories, then there just is nothing you can do. Now, it's not only Venti trying to project something there but the whole church following, believing that you are some saint and by having you married? Honestly, you aren't really sure what all this goal is to have you 'connected to Barbatos' even means, but whatever it is… it doesn't sound good. The expectations of you are doubled, and the projection of you being more than human is suffocating. But it's only made worse when Venti comes forward as Barbatos to you, saying you should just play the part. Stay with the church as some saint and with him. You'll still have a life of freedom outside of it, just with some more expectations about how you interact with others. You'd be bound by the marriage of some sort, and he'd find a way to make it eternal. It doesn't sound too bad, right? Freedom isn't truly free, but it never has been. It's an elusive concept, something subjective, but if you still have the right to enjoy your life and the good of being such, then it should be okay. You can still leave the church figuratively and travel, arguing it's on some journey for something. You aren't restricted in how you speak or think, but things like infidelity and how you speak of love need to be more kind. Yet you'd live a life of peace, one of never needing to be allowed and have the blessing of a god in your favor.

If not, think of the projection people will have if you say no. If you try to run away, you lose everything. That would be the true loss of freedom. The loss of your friends, your loved ones. Your home. Venti projects this idea of love and what love should be for you two, not between you and him necessarily, but to everyone else, making it all the more terrifying at the consequences when he finally does. Not if, but when.

Monopoly

This is where things get rough because Venti is possessive in a way that can't be controlled. He feels it settling in his chest when he spends too long talking to the shopkeeper or giggling a little too hard at a friend's joke. He hates it when you work and when you dedicate your time to the kittens outside The Cat's Tail. He whines when you have to leave in the morning and when you turn up to Angel Share just a little too late, begging to know who you are with. It hurts him. He can't explain it in the way it crushes his soul, seeing you give your time to others, your energy, and your care. It pains him so deeply to see you run yourself thin for the world around you, for those who could never understand you like he does.

Venti knows it would be easy to whisk you away. To use his godly powers to keep you safe, to keep your attention and love only on him. How things would be so much better for you, for each other, if you could just monopolize your time for him and you and no one else. The idea weighs on him like a pile of bricks. He knows it's wrong; he knows it goes against everything he stands for. And call him childish, but he can't help how he feels.

It's true he never really acts on it. Clinging onto you and carping over it, sure, the way he tugs slightly on your arm after you keep talking to the passerby you bumped into, an old friend, ready to drag you off to somewhere in Mondstadt, you can be alone. How he holds on just a little too tight when you talk about events at work and the people you chatted with, quickly wanting to move to a more interpersonal topic.

Venti never really monopolizes you or your relationships, but his bratty and more childish act really is brought out more with you around. You still get the socialization and ability to be around whoever, but it always needs to be rightfully compensated with some alone time with the god as well, so pick your battles sparingly and just go with him when his fuse starts to burn out.

Bizarre Seeking [unique]

Tying back to his sleep issue, the case of bizarreness only relies so much on how far he's willing to push to keep you immortal, either through godhood or other means. It's surprising he'd even consider it; his testament for Celestia is apparent in conversations, and the path to godhood is not seen in a much higher light based on conversations. But Venti knows sacrifices need to be made to get what you want, and if that means the pursuit of godhood or immorality to not lose any more of his loved one, then that's a sacrifice to be made.

Because of this, Venti ends up pushing you into countless more and more weird scenarios. You end up visiting a certain alchemist more, not really ever knowing the reasons why, and stranger things of yours seem to be going missing. What is that strange bruise on your arm, and why does this one piece of hair seem slightly shorter than the rest? You also swore that Caramel Pinecone tasted weird last time, but even when you ordered the Love Poem instead, it was still off…

The limits of Venti's morality are very much pushed with the goal of finding a way to extend your life more permanently, and while the actions he takes are questionable, they aren't anything he would do less deemed necessary. Beyond that, once he finds the key to unlock it, his bizarre-seeking tendencies end up dying down or stopping altogether.

Also, while he considers and will try to push for a Celestia ascension if push comes to shove, the ability to actually achieve godhood this way is much more complicated and dangerous. Something he might keep trying for, but this way is much less likely to succeed, and he knows this, which is why other bizarre tendencies take priority.

General protectiveness

Overall, protectiveness is a standard feat. Venti doesn't want you to get hurt and will do nearly anything to prevent it, hence a considerable factor of his stalking outside of walls of the city or towns. Even with others, if he thinks they pose some physical threat, Venti has little fear of stepping between you and 'the threat.' It's not so much a protective coating or an extreme case where he needs to check everything you do, touch, eat, drink, or interact with. Still, there is a natural sense of him wanting to protect you and watch over you to make sure that nothing can gravely hurt you. This mirrors why the wind follows you if you travel and picks up to warn you and redirect you away from dangers, a protective aura of Venti that trails after you. It's not even a doubt that you can't, but the inherent need to make sure you make it back in one piece.

There is, again, only one primary reason Venti will use full force to intervene, and this is if he knows you are purposefully trying to run off somewhere that will put you in danger for any reason. Often downplaying his strength of wind, the storm, if needed, will border Mondstadt making it. Hence, nothing gets in or out until you agree to drop it, tearing nearly everything that comes in contact with the barrier if you don't agree to listen to him first and think of a genuine plan. The wind sees all, and while terraforming isn't much on his bucket list anymore, Barbatos has no fear of proving his worth and power if in the name of love and protection. Even if it hurts you to know whatever your goal is foiled, if it's the one-stop against your freedom, there are some things not worth being risked.

Lowest Stats

General [none]

The one trait Venti inherently lacks is sadism. Nothing he does to you or others is derived from the pleasure of hurting or seeing others hurt. And while those such as the abyss creatures for fatui foot soldiers are at the whims of his fighting, it's not done with the goal or satisfaction of a battle but rather a necessity for 'his' people and you.

It's apparent that actions that long-term hurt you or have serious effects, both mental and physical, that fundamentally change you aren't truly a goal. Yeah, the immortality would literally change you, but not with the goal of making you conform or transform into a new mental mindset. At least not right away, as he knows that a long life naturally changes people, but there never is a purpose to rid you of traits. To tie you down and break you until you love him the way he loves you.

Freedom, as touched on, is never truly free. Not of people, not of actions, or even of mindsets. But is it that Venti wants you to be you; be the self you choose to be and the freedom that comes with that, even if aspects of it hurt him. It's why if he has to let you go to Sumeru for a festival he knows wouldn't be possible for him to also attend, he lets you know you'll come back to him without the burden of being changed or conformed to have to come back. It's why, in every case, Venti does whatever is in his power to keep you from being genuinely hurt, even if he can't always fulfill that promise. It's why, despite everything, he can't hurt the people who create the fires of jealousy in his core being.

Venti has an awareness that many of his actions are immoral and that he has dirtied his hands in the past just as much. he knows of the guilt you struggle with, and then he is using his skills to manipulate and play everyone like a fiddle, but in the eyes of a god and one who believes in freedom, it is not in his role to harm anyone in the light of you. It's a turning point he could never come back from if he were to directly hurt you or anyone else with the goal of keeping you with him, and it would be a dishonor to everything he was created from. A stain on the nameless bard he honors so deeply, so while the envelope of what is okay is pushed every day with his other actions, there is never once a hand that is laid on you for the sake of 'love' from Bardatos.

──⭒─⭑─⭒────⭒─⭑─⭒──

Statistic diagram; Venti [Barbatos]

#leaper.analysis #yandere #yandere writing #yandere x reader #yandere headcanons #yandere scenarios #yandere genshin #yandere genshin headcanons #yandere genshin impact #yandere venti #genshin.leaps #genshin x reader #venti x reader #tw: yandere #tw: manipulation #tw: alcohol #tw: stalking #tw: religious themes

[mcufan72]

Sugar and Cinnamon

Loki x female reader (AU) / 18+

Chapter 2

Chapter 1 / Preview here

Warnings: none so far, contains fluff, angst, morally grey stuff and smut (eventually), it's a slow-burn love story

Loki didn't show much of a reaction towards your name which was obviously a stage name. You would never use your real name and you wouldn't reveal it either.

“Fine! That's a really…cute name,” and he couldn't avoid a small grin. “I'll see you then for my business dinner next week. Good night, Sugar. It was a pleasure to meet you.”

“Good night, Mr. Larsson. See you soon.” you smiled brightly at him, bathing one more time in the stare of his amazing blue eyes. It wasn't easy to resist his obvious charm. He was the purest temptation and you couldn't understand why he would book an escort lady when he could have any other woman without paying for it. It shouldn't be that hard for him. Women loved to throw themselves on filthy rich and super sexy, good-looking guys. But it was none of your business and you wouldn't complain about him booking you. It saved your job and that was all you were interested in.

He drained his whisky and left. After you said your goodbyes you waited half an hour before you left the bar, too. You always did it this way just to make sure that your client definitely was gone before you left the nightclub yourself. It reduced the risk of your client following you and allowed Walker to keep an eye on the leaving client while he waited outside for you by the car. Also when Walker drove you home he always made a detour to ensure no one would follow the limousine. You never knew if a client had bad intentions or not and Walker would never allow something would happen to you or a client to find out where you live.

Back home you undressed and kicked your shoes off with a sigh of relief. Your feet were massively hurting from the fucking high heels and you would never understand why so many women wear this torturous footwear voluntarily and with pure joy. You were glad you had to wear them just for your dates and just for a few hours. You preferred wearing trainers. They were comfortable and fit any outfit. You headed to the bathroom of your small but cosy apartment and took a hot shower. After a date with a client, you always felt the urgent need to wash the evening off of your skin.

With still damp hair, dressed in a fresh sleep shirt and pyjama bottoms you lay down in bed but you couldn't fall asleep right away. Your thoughts always went back to him. To Luke Larsson. You stared at the ceiling, clawing your duvet and reviewed the meeting with him. You have met a lot of men in the last few months. They all had been nice and decent, most of them extremely good-looking, and they complimented you and enjoyed your company and some of them brought you flowers as a sign of appreciation for spending time with them.

But Luke Larsson was different. Dark, distant, cold. And so damn beautiful as if he were not from this world. You believed him when he said he wasn't interested in flirting with you. He made himself very clear and you definitely saw it the same way. And he would never bring you flowers. He didn't seem to be this type of guy. Nevertheless, you were afraid you could lose the professional distance to him. And curse on your weakness for tall men with broad shoulders in black suits. You growled angrily, put on your sleeping mask, turned to your side and fell asleep.

For the rest of the week, you were fully booked and it guaranteed your income. And it had to. Among other things, invoices were soon due. As arranged you had no bookings for the weekend and so you did the groceries, cleaned your apartment and you also did some work and research for your studies. You started studying again three months ago. You didn't understand anymore why you had given it up years ago but back then you thought you would do the right thing. It wasn't but you couldn't turn back the time. On Sunday you visited your mum like you did every Sunday and you loved nothing more than spending time with her together. You wished you could tell her about your problems and your job she definitely wouldn't approve. Not to mention the fear she would have for you. All of this would break her heart and you couldn't let that happen. And by the way, what should you tell her? ‘Hey Mum, your baby is an Escort now. Are you proud of me?’ You weren't even proud of yourself that you had ended up there so how should she? So you kept your mouth shut, pretending everything was fine.

The next days were business as usual. Studying in the morning, dates with lonely gentlemen and escorting them to events in the evening. Day in, day out until the day had come, you would accompany Luke Larsson to the business dinner he had booked you for.

You were nervous. Your hands were trembling and you had to renew your mascara twice because you weren't able to apply it properly. Why were you so nervous? It was an appointment with a client like any other. Why did he make you feel like this? He had no business to do so! How dare he? You made yourself smile with these thoughts. You fixed your hair in a tight hair bun with the knot deep in your neck and added a small black fabric rose at its side. You put on an elegant, flared and high-waisted black midi skirt which emphasized your waist perfectly, a golden sleeveless top with a cowl neck and small straps and your black high heels with the red soles. Finally, you applied some perfume to your neck and dark-red lipstick to your lips. And there she was, looking at you from the mirror: Sugar, ready to meet Mr. Larsson and his business partners.

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

“You can follow the rules?” he asked you and stopped abruptly before you two entered the restaurant.

“Of course, Mr Larsson. I'm sure I already know what you want to tell me. I keep quiet, keep smiling and I won't say anything. I'll just sit there, being your arm candy and enjoy the evening. Discretion is my job and you're paying me for it. Did I forget anything?” You smiled tantalizingly at him. Somehow you had fun teasing him. He rolled his eyes and the tiniest hint of a smile curved one corner of his mouth. He bit the inside of his cheek before he spoke again.

“ Perfect. Exactly what I expect from you.”

“Of course, Sir.” Loki raised his brows. He wasn't sure if he wanted to hear this word from your mouth. Maybe in another context…

“But there's one more thing to clarify…I can't introduce you as Sugar. Do you have a surname for me? “

“You can introduce me as Miss Black,” you replied objectively. A stage name, of course, but as black as your soul and your future.

The dinner was beyond boring and you didn't even listen anymore to the things the people, sitting at the dining table, were talking about. It was something about international and intergalactic security agreements. Even if you would listen, you wouldn't be allowed to participate.

Luke sat next to you and looked very stylish in his dark grey suit, the black shirt and the black silk tie. The suit looked fabulously good, fit like a glove and you could see every well-trained muscle of his gorgeous body flexing whenever he moved. His flawless, beautiful face was framed by his obsidian curls, barely tamed by some hair wax. You had just one description for him: a god in a suit. If there were a god in this world then you were sure he must look like Luke Larsson. No doubt!

The girlfriends, fiancés and wives of the other guests were chatting about designer labels, purses and gowns and where to get them in Milano, Rome, Paris, London or Los Angeles and how they would make the credit cards of their spouses burn. You didn't want to participate in their conversation. How conversations like this pissed you off. You've already had your fill of all of this in your life. You had been long enough a spoiled girl like them, dolled up for the man who pretends to love you. And all of it was meaningless now. It had nothing to do with love. All of it had been just material. But of course, you kept smiling, that was what your client expected from you.

You poked around in your food and you pushed your broccoli from one side of the plate to the other. You weren't really hungry tonight but when on a dinner like this with four courses, you hardly could escape from these dishes. But you got paid for it and so you wouldn't complain. You just had picked up some scraps of conversation when you casually said:

“Sometimes it's just the simple things and needs nothing else than a comfortable atmosphere and an ingenious marketing strategy to get what you want.”

All of a sudden it got quiet around you at the table and all eyes were on you. Loki gave you the death stare and you swallowed thickly.

“I mean…I didn't mean…I'm sorry “, you stuttered and you grabbed your glass of water. Your throat felt dry like a desert and before you could talk more nonsense you took a sip of your beverage. You felt heat arising in your tummy and your cheeks blushed because of embarrassment. You replaced the glass on the table and stared down at your plate, Loki's eyes still fixed on you, the expression on his face a mixture of astonishment and annoyance. You felt awful and you knew there would be consequences. You just knew it.

“Maybe you're right, Miss Black”, said the host of this evening who had been introduced to you as Mr. Miller. “I really should think about it. “

You gave him a shy smile but you didn't say anything. You had lost any appetite. After the last course had been eaten, a dessert you didn't even touch, Loki grabbed your arm and tugged you slowly towards him.

“We need to talk! Now!” he growled quietly into your ear and you nodded. You followed him to the entrance hall of the restaurant without hesitation. You knew what would follow now.

“Would you please have the kindness to tell me what that was about?” he asked you, slightly annoyed but still respectful.

“I'm sorry Mr.Larsson. It won't happen again. I didn't do it on purpose.” you answered apologetically.

“I hope so. I don't pay you for participating in my conversations. You're just my escort. Did I make myself clear?” his tone was strict but still calm.

“Of course, Mr.Larsson. I got it.”

“Good. Otherwise I have to tell your boss that you can't follow the rules.”

“Please, don't Mr.Larsson. I need that job. It was just…I'm familiar with some kind of negotiation strategy. Forgive me for being unprofessional. I'm genuinely sorry.” You said and held his gaze.

How could he not forgive you especially because you were right about what you said? He didn't want to harm you or intend to get you in trouble with your agency. He immediately felt bad when he saw your guilt-ridden face. He already knew he wanted to meet you again and escort him to his next event, whatever event it might be. You were clever, eloquent, and naturally elegant. Additionally your bright eyes, your lush lips, your soft, shiny skin, and your beautiful legs he wished you would wrap around his waist, got him all hot and bothered. A deadly mixture of intelligence and sexyness and definitely a turn-on for him. And regardless of whether he wanted it or not, he sort of enjoyed your company.

“It's alright, Sugar. But please don't do it again.”

“I won't, Sir." Nope, he didn't want to hear that word from your mouth, not in this context.

“Shall we go back to the event?“ he asked you.

“Yes, that's why we're here”, you smiled at him, still embarrassed that you made this stupid mistake. You believed him that he wouldn't tell Rhea anything about what had happened but you were pretty sure he wouldn't book you for a further event. What was a pity actually because you liked his charm and his respectful and forgiving behaviour.

As announced, after dinner everyone was invited to join the dance floor in the ballroom next to the restaurant. Drinks were served and a DJ greeted the guests with music from jazz to classic rock and pop songs and also love songs. Loki and you stood at the edge of the dance floor, already filled with dancing people, and watched them move to the music. The next song was a more romantic song and many of the dancers left the dance floor again. To the song that was played now, you could dance a waltz and when you heard the first bars of the song you began to swing to the music.

“Tell me, do you dance, Sugar? A waltz I mean.” and he looked at you. Flashbacks of Asgardian ballrooms came back to his mind when he was a mischievous, innocent young Prince, playing harmless, funny tricks on others, falling in love for the first time and many more times after that. The love had passed but his love for dancing remained and he hadn't danced for a very long time.

“I do”, you answered softly. His question surprised you. You didn't expect him to like dancing. He seemed to be too cold and emotionless for that but maybe you were completely wrong. You loved to dance, for you dancing was emotion, lightness and passion but you hadn't danced for a very long time.

“May I have this dance then?” He asked you politely and offered you his hand.

“Yes, of course, “ you said to him with a warm, bright smile.

He led you to the dance floor, put his right hand on the middle of your back and took your right hand in his left while you placed your left hand on his shoulder. Immediately you two formed a unit like you were made for each other and never before has someone danced with you in such perfect harmony. Your bodies close to each other, he floated with you across the dance floor. His posture was utter perfection, his muscles strong and solid and tightly pressed to your body. It felt good to be so close to him, too good but in his strong arms, tenderly holding you, you felt kind of safe. His breath fanned over your face and your cleavage and he smelled so good. You loved his scent, fresh and warm and spicy, something you still couldn't define. His embrace, even if it had nothing to do with sympathy or anything related to it, comforted you. A feeling you truly had missed. But you had to be careful, you really should keep a professional distance.

You felt so perfect in his arms. Soft, warm, fragile. The way your body melded into his and the touch of your hand on his shoulder, your other hand in his, evoked a feeling in him he thought was long gone. He wanted to protect you, and take care of you. Worse, he wanted to make you his. But that was a no-go. He had to keep this professional but it was so difficult not to be enchanted by your grace and your beguiling scent, that perfect mixture of your perfume and your natural scent. Why did you have to feel so damn good in his arms?

Too soon the song was over. You both wished it would just be the two of you, alone, dancing the night away. But it wasn't and both of you kept this wish buried deep inside of yourselves.

“Would you please excuse me, Mr Larsson? I need to go to the ladies' room, freshening up myself and my makeup“, you told him kindly, loosening yourself from his grip. He didn't want to let go of you but he had to.

“Of course, Sugar, take your time”, he replied and you left the ballroom.

You needed a short break. Your head was spinning and it wasn't just because of the dance. He had made you sweat. With the dance, the way he held you in his arms and his pure masculinity. You stood at a sink and opened the faucet to let some cold water run over your wrists. You had to stay focused on your job and the professional distance to him. You dried your hands with a paper towel, tossed it into the bin and decided to go outside for some fresh air on the location’s veranda before you would go back to Luke. You put your hands on the border of the terrace, kicked off your high heels and took some deep breaths to calm down your nerves and to get rid of the inner heat.

Loki wasn't sure if it had been a good idea to dance with you. He enjoyed it, indeed. Maybe way too much and he had a feeling that it could get very difficult to see only the escort lady in you and not the woman behind that facade. He knew there was more about you. Secrets, fears, rage, vulnerability. Your eyes gave it away. There was an indelible fire in them. But who was he to judge you? He had his own issues and was still working on it. Nonetheless, the urge to learn more about you grew.

He was still waiting for you but you obviously hadn't returned to the ballroom. It has been a while since you left and so he decided to look for you. You weren't inside the building but finally, he found you on the terrace. Alone and barefoot, your back facing him, your high heels laying right next to you. He grinned, amused and walked slowly toward you. Your sight touched his heart. You seemed a little lost.

“Here you are. I already missed you.”

“Now you've found me”, you answered smilingly, turning your head around to look at him. “I needed some fresh air “, you explained apologetically.

“It's alright, Sugar, I was just missing you. There's no reason for justification.”

He stood next to you now, looked down at your bare feet and the high heels on the floor and smiled at you.

“Do your feet hurt?”, he asked softly.

“Not in the slightest “, you answered ironically and laughed lightly at him. It made him laugh too. He loved your attitude and the sassy undertone in your voice.

“Sorry for being unprofessional again but yes…the little beasts are damn hurting me. They look good at our feet but they're pure torment”, you laughed lightly and wanted to put them on again.

“For me, you don't have to put them on right now. Give your feet some more rest. I adore your ability to walk and dance in them properly”, Loki answered.

“Aren't you freezing, with your bare arms?”, he wanted to know.

“No, I'm fine, thank you”, you replied kindly. It was just the half of the truth. You were freezing but somehow you enjoyed the cool evening breeze. It was refreshing and cooled your inner heat down and cleared your mind. Before you got aware of it, Loki was draping his jacket around your shoulders. It felt like a warm embrace and you truly appreciated his gesture. It has been a long time since a man paid this kind of attention to you.

“Thank you, Mr.Larsson. That's very kind of you”, you said gratefully.

“No issue. And call me Luke, please“, he replied softly. He observed you for a few seconds before he asked you carefully a question he didn't expect you to answer entirely.

“Why are you an escort lady? What made you choose this job?”

“Why do you care? Does it bother you?”

“It doesn't bother me. I'm just wondering. Please don't get me wrong, Sugar but you seem to not belong there, in an escort agency I mean.” Loki refused to imagine you with other men, wanting to touch you, lusting after you and perhaps sharing a bed with you, legs tangled under rumpled sheets. If something was bothering him, then that.

“The answer is a simple one, I guess. I got fired from my old job, I needed a new one quickly because I've invoices to pay and no chance to be picky so this is how I ended up here. That's life and shit happens. End of the story.” you answered quickly and without any ado. No one was to blame for the wrong decisions and faults you had made in your life and there was no need for pity or good advice. The tone in your voice made it clear that you won't tell any more details so Loki didn't ask you further questions about it. Also, you changed the topic immediately.

“I should have eaten dessert…now I'm craving it. Can we go inside and look for some dessert? Please!” you asked sweetly.

“Dessert! Seriously?“ Loki retorted wonderingly.

“Yes, dessert! Did you eat your dessert earlier?” you wanted to know.

“No! I hate desserts! “

“You don't. Who hates dessert? Everyone loves it!” and you smiled unbelievingly at him.

“I hate it,” he repeated.

“Liar! Come, let's go and look for desserts.” You put your high heels on and with his jacket still wrapped around your shoulders, you grabbed his hand and tugged him with you towards the restaurant. Loki shook his head in disbelief, grinning and he couldn't resist your incredible charm and adorable excitement for some dessert and let you drag him with you.

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

After Walker had driven you home, you emptied your letterbox and took the stairs to your apartment on the second floor. You closed the entrance door, kicked your shoes off, gave the letters a closer look and opened them. You hadn't expected that, it hit you out of nowhere. How quickly tables could turn. And all of a sudden you were in a situation you never wanted to be in. You needed more money and you knew exactly what that meant. Bookings for the weekends and…

The sheer thought of it made you tremble. But that would be the very last option to get more money quickly, the very last thing you would do and you put that thought aside for now. And anyway, there was only one man imaginable for you, you would ask for it. But unfortunately, he had told you right from the beginning, there would never be more than escorting him to functions. Tonight you couldn't sleep because you didn't know what to do now and despair and fear came over you. First thing in the morning you called Rhea.

“Good morning, dear. How was your evening with Mr Larsson yesterday?” she wanted to know.

“Good morning, Rhea. It was a wonderful evening. Mr.Larsson is a real gentleman and it was wonderful to spend time with him. I had an enjoyable evening and I really like him. But this is not the reason for my call. Rhea, I've decided to accept your great offer and I'd like to get bookings for the weekends too.” This phone call wasn't easy for you.

“Great, dearest, but how come? The weekends are holy to you. Not that I would complain. It's solely your decision. I'm just curious,” Rhea said wondering.

“My landlord has increased my monthly rent,” you told her with unease.

“Mm-hmh, that sucks but sometimes I think you live in a Palace instead of a two-room apartment, dear. Is the rent increase really that high?” Rhea joked but her question was still one of concern.

“I wish I would, Rhea. But yes, I need more money now. It's not only the rent for my apartment …my mother's nursing home has increased the monthly accomodations- and maintenance costs, too. So I have no choice…I'm available for weekend dates now, too. I just wanted to let you know.” You swallowed down upcoming tears and the lump in your throat.

“I'm so sorry, dear. That's really annoying. I add you to the weekend appointments then... Oh and by the way… Mr. Larsson has booked you already for his next event. It seems he was very satisfied with your company, and I have got the impression he's very impressed by you. I'm delighted to have him as a new regular client for you." Rhea said.

“He did?” You couldn't believe it because you thought he would never book an escort again who definitely hadn't followed the rules and made stupid mistakes.

“Yessss…and it also seems he's just interested in you.” You could literally see Rhea grinning from ear to ear at the other end of the phone.

“Yeah, sure!”, you answered ironically.

“Maybeeee…he's your prince on the white horse…” Rhea couldn't suppress a chuckle.

She would love that for you like she would love it for any other of her escort ladies. But somehow you had a special place in her heart. Your whole attitude and your lovely behaviour whenever she talked to you, eye to eye or on the phone, made her think you didn't belong there. For her, you seemed to be too adorable and too decent for that job.

But you didn't need a prince on a white horse though. They didn't even exist. And if they existed you would go for a dark prince on a warhorse who would ride together with you through hell and back. But these were just dreams.

You needed money, lots of money. And in your job, there was only one way to earn more…and for you, Luke would be the only one you would dare to ask, the only one imaginable.

🌹🥂🌃🌹🥂🌃🌹🥂🌃🌹🥂🌃🌹🥂🌃

The song that inspired the dancing scene:

Tag list:

@lokisprettygirl @faesimps @anukulee @fictive-sl0th @fandxmslxt69 @chantsdemarins @justjoanne242 @gruftiela @stupidthoughtsinwriting @wheredafandomat @lovingchoices14 @lokixryss @huntress-artemiss @smolvenger @km-ffluv

#loki #loki x female reader #loki x reader #loki x you #loki x reader fluff #loki laufeyson #loki x reader fic #loki x reader angst #loki x reader smut #loki x female reader smut #loki x female reader fluff #loki x female reader angst #loki x fem!reader #Spotify

[the-s1lly-corner]

Ideas for a scenario where the Reader meets the Creepypastas? Perhaps Laughing Jack, Slenderman, and Ben Drowned if that's okay with You?

Meeting Laughing Jack, Slenderman, and Ben! (platonic)

or as i like to say; reader being the main character and being spared by the silly monsters!! very heavy on the hcs in bens segment with the "hes stuck in electronic devices" thing i got going on with him eheheh platonic for the simple fact that this is a meeting post!

SLENDERMAN:

would it really be a meeting with slenderman if i didnt bring up his pages? i think i made a joke post somewhere where your vibe alone intrigued the entity enough not to krill you on the spot... and given how i sometimes write slenderman to be a curious creature, i think it would be fitting that we revisit that idea! though, i dont think you would properly meet on your first encounter; no i dont think you guys formally introduce yourselves to one another until a few days/weeks after the event, when you notice that hes taken to following you around and sticking to the side.. honestly in a weird way its endearing, youve gotten the attention of this old forest monster... creepy but cute! like a stray puppy but if the puppy was like ten feet tall and faceless! thanks to you looking into him on the trusty internet you already know who he is; but you decide to go talk to him anyways. probably go into his woods again after he initially lets you escape... kind of slowly cocks his head to the side when looking down at you and listening to you tell him your name... you kind of jump when you hear /his/ voice in your head telling you that he already knows your name.. friendship.. if you can even call it that, starts off as just him observing you and learning your routine for the first few weeks... youre going to have to make the first big moves in order to get that man to do more than watch

LAUGHING JACK:

whenever i think of scenarios for the reader meeting jack, it always circles back to one main idea. i personally think that jack is in some way tied to his box. you know, the box to his jack. that box.. i think its like a cursed object, like you get it and jack is going to start messing with you not long after. usually i imagine the reader purchasing him at a garage sale, and then the antics ensue... imagine waking up one night and seeing this giant clown leaning down to your face, his cone nose lightly poking the tip of your own nose... you shouldnt be blamed for being even just a little spooked! and.. well next thing you know you have this clown roommate. i think not freaking out is key in making sure you dont die? i mean lj thinks krilling is mostly a game thanks to isaac and usually the victim is well... scared, naturally.. perhaps being outwardly calm dismisses any idea that theres a game going on. shrugs, thats the only decent idea i have... now go domesticate that clown! make him your best friend! or your malewife if thats what you want! just know hes going to be attached to you by the hip; a friend who wont leave him! how fun!

BEN DROWNED:

sure i could say that you go to a garage sale and buy the DS ben is on but thats boring and jack already has the garage sale idea... so im going to be a little different here. i have a headcannon that about 80% of the time ben is tied to a device, but he does have the ability to hop around if theyre linked up in some way... i think a hard drive could work, how he got into one we dont know... but lets say you find a random one, and against your better judgement you decide to plug it into your computer... and oop...! you have a virus.. but no matter how hard you try to look for it you cant find anything... no one can find anything, but your computer is acting so.. weird... its not until it starts leaving notes that you think that someone is doing something... you think its some dark web stuff going on.. what could they want? you guys talk back and forth. at first its just you trying to figure out what the person wants, but over time it turns into just simple chatter... though theres still a tenseness. youre still convinced its someone remotely messing with your computer until that 20% of the time where ben isnt confined happens... needless to say youre absolutely shocked to find a random teenager in your room at your computer, getting water absolutely everywhere mind you! definitely going to need a minute to process whats going on; but honestly i think ben is less of a kriller and more of a troller, at least in my mind... does lead to you trying to find out what happened to him, and perhaps try to find a way for his soul to move on.. funky sibling dynamic, i think

#creepypasta headcanon #creepypasta x reader #creepypasta x you #slenderman x reader #slenderman x you #slenderman imagine #laughing jack x you #laughing jack x reader #laughing jack imagine #ben drowned x reader #ben drowned x you #ben drowned imagine

[ilikepjo24]

@annie-handholder rebloged a post I made with some Ursa and Azula art (that does not belong to me, I just got permission from the artist to share it on this platform) and those were the tags, and I'd like to address them.

First of all, there's no indication of Azula being spoiled. Being a prodigy and being praised isn't the same as being spoiled, you are simply getting recognition for the skills you do have that are great and do deserve recognition. To assume that this recognition isn't essential and is actually spoiling a child will only serve to un-motivate them. So Azula receiving praise for being good at stuff is just a normal thing. You try hard and are skilled and you get praise as a reward. This isn't being spoiled.

Being spoiled is to be harmed in character by being treated too leniently or indulgently. This is a definition that I copy-pasted. This definition does not fit Azula. We see Ursa make an attempt to set boundaries and be stern whenever the situation called for it. We even see Ozai tell her to fuck off when she asks for credit for her own plan (which wasn't good parenting, it was toxic as well, but it was the opposite way. If giving your children too much praise is toxic then not giving them recognition at all for their own achievements and ideas is the other end of the rope, and both are toxic. You should find the middle ground and give your children the proper amount of praise).

Additionally, we don't see anything that would imply that Azula is being spoiled with material possessions. We see her get a gift once, but that's all. It's not like she goes around pointing at things she wants and everyone breaks their back to get her that thing. She's not obsessed with material possessions, as you'd expect a spoiled child to be.

Yes, Ozai did not address her bad behavior, in fact, he encouraged it when it didn't affect him personally. But he also nipped it in the bud when Azula did something that annoyed him. And Ursa addressed her bad behavior too. So it's not like Azula grew up spoiled and without rules because her parents let her do whatever she pleased. The problem is that the rules that were in place by Ozai weren't the correct ones. Instead of being a decent dad and person and teaching his daughter to also be a decent person, Ozai just taught Azula to not be a bother to him. And she did do that. So Azula did follow the rules that were in place for her. You wouldn't call a child that follows rules spoiled. At this point, you have to realize that Azula wasn't the problem. She wasn't spoiled. She followed the rules. The problem is that the rules in question were unreasonable. So you can't really blame the child and call them spoiled. You have to hold accountable the people that set those rules in place.

If Azula behaved the exact same way, but the rules she had to follow were the ones society has agreed upon, she'd be a model child. So she's not the problem. She's not spoiled. The problem is that she was playing a version of the game with different rules that the agreed upon, socially acceptable ones. The one to blame in this situation is the one that set her up for failure and taught her to play the wrong version of the game. I'm looking at you, Ozai.

The child isn't spoiled, she follows rules. The problem is the irresponsible parenting. So you can't just go ahead and paint Azula out to be the problem. It's shifting the blame from the irresponsible parents to the misguided child. It's simply not fair.

So if Azula wasn't spoiled, then why didn't she realize Ursa loved her?

Well, that's because Ursa wasn't that good at showing it. I have made multiple posts about how Ursa parented Azula, and so have a bunch of other people. The truth is, while Ursa was strict with Azula when needed, she was too lenient with Zuko, with who she clearly favored and spend more time with. I'm not saying Ursa didn't love Azula, but I am saying that Ursa could have done more to express that love, and then Azula would know it's there.

#atla #azula #ozai critical #fuck him #ursa critical #Azula meta

[moon-alight]

I don't know if you know the game but i feel like you can easily tell someons personality from their animal crossing island.

What would playing acnh be like with &T?

I love Animal Crossing and I must admit, I'm a bit addicted.🤣

Masterlist

&Team reaction to playing Animal Crossing with you.

Warnings: none

Word Count: 952

-K

-Chaotic island #1

-Has a bunch of random stuff all around because he does not know what to do with most of it

-Funnily enough hates it whenever you move something because even though its chaotic and all over the place, he loves it a lot.

-Tries to speedrun through the game but forgets it exists and gives up a couple days in

-Only to love it a week later and then forget about it again

-Has the most random villagers and has no clue how to get rid of them.

-Marshal is his pride and joy <3

-Never plays acnh ever again once Marshal decides to move lol

-Fuma

-The cleanest and most gorgeous island you have ever seen.

-Seriously, everything is so aesthetically pleasing.

-This man has a bedroom with a queen-sized bed for the both of you

-Loves playing together and giving you sweet little gifts

-Has the cutest and most adorable villagers that fit his island

-Made an entire beach, playground and refuses to use vehicles because "it is bad for the environment"

-Dom is his favorite and he loves spoiling the damn sheep

-Knows what he is doing and does it amazingly

-Nicholas

-This guy is a bit lost

-Swears he won't like the game because it is "boring" but you catch him playing at the most unholy hours just to catch fish

-Has no clue what he is doing but somehow his island turns out ok.

-Like, he has weird and random stuff but you can tell he put a lot of work into his paths and scenery

-Will melt when you two play together like watching the stars or visiting the museum

-Date night is usually you two grinding on Animal Crossing.

-His favorite villager is Eugene because -- and I quote -- "He looks like me"

-EJ

-His first villager was Fauna and he immediately fell in love lol

-Tries his hardest but it never turns out the way he wants it to

-Gets a lot of inspiration from Fuma and sometimes even asks for help.

-Would love it if you visited and complimented his house (because he worked hard for it to look like that)

-The biggest grin whenever he catches a bug but cannot fish to save his life

-He has missed a lot of sharks because of his terrible skill

-His mission is to have every single different type of fruit without help so you can often find him on Nook-Mile islands

-Cries when Fauna tells him she wants to leave

-Yuma

-Chaotic Island #2

-This guy leaves trash around everywhere and then complains about the damn ants on his island

-Collected the ugliest villagers on purpose because he knows you hate them.

-His only decent looking villager is Marlo and he's only there because it was his very first villager so he is proud of him.

-Despite his island looking like a dangerous toxic environment, his house is really cute and pretty.

-According to him it's because he doesn't want you to feel uncomfortable whenever you visit <3

-Plants random flowers around your house whenever he visits

-Jo

-The calmest boy ever.

-Plays everyday and does his tasks like he is supposed to but at the same time makes sure all his villagers love him.

-This man once received a gift in his mailbox from Mint and almost teared up because he didn't know they could do that

-Has made it his mission to write his villagers every few days to keep the good vibes

-Funnily enough, his house is pretty empty

-It's because he places everything that's useful outside so his villagers can enjoy it more than him

-Enjoys fishing with you or decorating his island together.

-Sends you letters and cute gifts almost everyday.

-He's determined lol

-Harua

-Chaotic island #3

-Not because everything is everywhere like the other two but because it is indeed very chaotic.

-He has placed his buildings all around the damn island

-Has a random basketbal field in front of his Nook's Cranny

-Accidentally put his device in English so he has no clue whatever Tom Nook asks him to do

-Always comes to you to translate everything because he is clueless

-Has trouble understanding why his villagers want to leave but he also never speaks to them

-Except for Moe that is

-Harua loves Moe and always has long conversations with him

-Has many different pictures with just Moe and random fish in his hands

-Taki

-This man had one mission and one mission only

-An island filled with horses and it is almost exactly like that

-The only non-horse villager is Shep and he cannot physically get it over his heart to bully this dog away

-It was his first villager together with Savannah so he decided to love Shep because he was really cute

-His island is pretty normal by the way

-Just does his tasks as normal and donates things to the museum

-Always laughs whenever Blathers shows a disliking into bugs

-Likes to go to other people's islands just to annoy them

-Maki

-He is a pro at ACNH

-Makes his island look pretty and does his tasks until KK Slider has visited

-After that all hell breaks lose

-His members ask him where he gets all the cool stuff from but Maki knows about Treasure Islands.

-Sneaks the most amazing things from there and makes sure you get a copy of things he knows you'd like

-Does not tell anyone about how he gets these things and remains focused on his own island.

-All his villagers are different types of animals

-His favorite villager is Vic

-Simply enjoys his island and does not let anyone on it lmao

#&team #&team drabbles #&team scenarios #&team imagines #&team fluff #&team headcanons #&team k #&team maki #&team taki #&team ej #&team nicholas #&team fuma #&team yuma #&team jo #&team harua

[alostlittleriverlotus]

the fact narcissists, antisocials, pwPDs are required to be in recovery and getting help to be treated with decent respect and still won't get that respect because people will see the disorder and instantly think abuser/not human/psychopath/sociopath in derogatory ways says a lot.

We are told to get help, but the ableism of (disorder) abuse prevents us from getting help. The demonization of us prevents us from even finding resourceful articles to help us. Many professionals won't treat personality disorders because of stigma. Yet we're told to get and help and are treated like we're the ones unwilling to get help. That it makes us less acceptable because we don't get help.

If we have to be perfect human beings in recovery and so mature and self aware and basically everything positive and nothing negative to be worthy of respect and still will have people bombard us for simply having a disorder, that is ableist. These expectations wouldn't be on neurotypical shitty people or those without personality disorders. And the group of those with BPD lumping themselves in with being "anti narcissist" do nothing. These same stereotypes were there for BPD. I've seen BPD called Bratty Princess Disorder, told that they can't love, been called an emotional leech for having BPD.

The requirement that we must all be perfectly recovered healthy people to be acceptable and not treated like dirt or like monsters is the ableism we are calling out. But then narc abuse folks will take their trauma and use it as an excuse for throwing us under the bus.

Guess what. My abusive mom has NPD. The NPD doesn't make her abusive. She simply is a narcissist (neutral usage.) She's not abusive cause she has NPD. It doesn't make her more likely to be abusive. Her NPD doesn't create a unique type of abuse. She's just my mom that's abusive that has NPD cause of her own trauma. That's it.

Like I have to monitor my tone, I have to ensure everything I do is written perfectly, just to avoid being hurled verbal abuse and being told I'm a liar or treated poorly. I have to work so hard to be the patient and calm one and still won't be taken seriously. And if we're using abuse as justification, using my own emotions against me is exactly what my abusers did. I am not lesser because I get upset. I am not lesser because I have emotional regulation problems. I am not lesser because I don't monitor my tone. A lot of these also intertwine with my autism and BPD too.

So yeah. Telling someone to go get help or they should be in therapy fucking sucks. You don't know us, you don't know our experiences. Telling narcissists and pwPDs in general to be in therapy while simultaneously making it difficult for us to get help is ableist. We can't look up npd without being bombarded with how to spot a narcissist. Using the narcissism tag shows a lot of narc abuse stuff that stigmatizes us. And when we explain and ask you, calmly or not, you will not listen and paint us as villainous. You fit your own definition of narcissism by that logic. Big scary narcissism.

Maybe if you want narcissists to get better, stop making it difficult for us to get help. And you may not want narcissists dead, but I have seen natc abuse people who do. Look who you are siding yourself with. Look at the arguments you use and really examine them. They are similar thinking to other forms of ableism and other types of bigotry. We are expected to act perfectly or we are discredited.

No disorder makes someone more likely to be abusive. An abuser having a disorder that may impact the abuse does not make it (disorder) abuse. This kind of ableism WILL come back at you and is STILL being used against all disorders even if it's only popular for certain disorders. You won't win this way.

We just want you to fucking listen without getting defensive and using your trauma as a reason to feel justified in being ableist. I'm sorry for what you went through, but it will NEVER give you the right to stigmatize a group of people and lump a disorder in with abusers.

The things I've seen narcissists called or compared to is disgusting. Seeing psychopath narcissist is disgusting. Actually just be normal about mentally ill people for fucking once. And if we're using trauma to justify stuff, WE ARE TRAUMA VICTIMS AND ABUSE VICTIMS TOO!!!!!!!

Literally just stfu and stop. I've made posts being nicer about it, but frankly it's 2:30 am and I don't give a shit. I'm mad. And me being mad does not discredit anything I have said. You can listen or you can block me and move on.

Again, this post is very centered on narcissists/npd, but this goes for any abuse that may get treated as abusive. Y'all are just as welcome here in this safe space. Any disorder that gets lumped in with abuse is welcome here cause fuck that ableism. You're not abusive for having a disorder. Your disorder doesn't make you more likely to be abusive. You don't deserve the shit you get. We love you here :)

#narcissists #narcissism #narcissistic #narcissistic abuse #narcissistic mom #narcissistic abuse isn't real #actually narcissistic #actually npd #npd #narc abuse #narc abuse isn't real #surviving narcissism #narcissistic personality disorder #actually traumatized #abuse victim #abuse survivor #npd safe #be fucking normal about mentally ill people for once #ableism #npd stigma #npd abuse #ableist

[peanutpinet]

My Forever Only - grumpy CEO! Jaehyun x sunshine fem reader

A/N: hi, I've been wanting to write a grumpy x sunshine trope for so long and what better way to write it for my friend @anya-writes-stuff on Tumblr whose birthday just passed! But this is also to everyone who has been struggling and going through uncertainties!

Warnings: toxic working environment, anxiety, sexual talking, cursing, some form of torture

Inspired by Ana Huang's Twisted Love and Twisted Lies

Synopsis: you were working under a company that was going to collaborate with Jaehyun but your ex-company wanted to sue you for something and when you suddenly weren’t the one that would help Jaehyun, he started to question about your presence and when he found out what actually happened, he was ready to make a move and make sure that your ex-company was going to burn for you

Finding a job is one problem. Hoping that the workload was bearable was another. But is getting a job and a decent workload really worth it when your environment is shitty? You were afraid of not doing well in your freelance and that your contract might be terminated so you slowly didn’t realise how much your boss was taking advantage of your skills and selflessness.

Well, it wasn’t until you changed from freelance to part-time, your boss was slowly “pressuring” you to do something that is completely out of your control and specifically requested that you handle it all that you started to realise that while in the beginning he was genuinely thankful for your hard work, ever since you actually worked more with him, he was slowly using you.

Because you didn’t want to disappoint your parents but can’t stand your toxic boss anymore, you secretly tried to look for a new job, hopefully, a full-time one. But it looks like that all the shitty things you had to endure were all worth it when you landed on what might be part of your dream job.

You have always loved being involved in creation; especially if it has something to do with the fashion, lifestyle or entertainment industry. Whether it is just creating ideas or stories that might seem cool to be executed or even execute your imagination. Now, you actually got to do what you love since you were accepted by a Korean fashion brand that you have been loving.

Of course, you were nervous on your first day. Like, who isn’t nervous about starting their first job at one of their dream companies and industry? Wanting to make a good first impression, you took one of your decent-looking top and bottom that fits perfectly with your curves and accentuated your body shape (note: everyone has their own preferences and you all look amazing with whatever you like to wear).

Thankfully, your dad agreed to drop you off on your first day just to make sure the place was correct and you wouldn’t waste any time. Upon arriving, the security guard made sure that you were meeting the HR which they confirmed (well, you still can’t believe you got accepted so you were definitely worried that the HR made a mistake).

Lucky enough, you didn’t mishear the HR and after 10 minutes of waiting, the HR came and brought you and another girl that just came to a room to review the contract for your work. In the midst of going through the contract, you and the girl, who you came to know by Nova, started to get to know each other because apparently, the two of you are going to be working under the same supervisor.

After getting to know the other divisions, you and Nova were brought to the highest floor and into the room where the two of you will be working together. The two of you got to know your supervisor and were immediately given your new laptops and emails. The two of you spent the first hour or so setting up your new emails and laptop, getting used to it and everything when the door opened and revealed a woman somewhat in her 40-50s and was wearing smart casual wear whereas a young man next to her looked to be in his 20s, wearing a casual white top with a denim jacket on top but somehow, looks like a model.

“Mrs Jung, Jaehyun, welcome. Oh, these are the new workers. Nova for social media and (Y/N) for marketing executive. Nova, (Y/N), this is Mrs Jung, she’s the brand owner and fashion designer whereas Jaehyun is her son, he works with brand partnerships, events, photoshoots, etc.” your supervisor, Doyoung announced

“Pleased to meet you girls. We’re happy to have you on board, especially with our new sister brand which Jaehyun will be handling. Also, it’s finally nice to have someone that’s around Jaehyun’s age. I hope that you all will get along with one another. I’m here to just watch over whilst Jaehyun go over about the sister brand and everything” Mrs Jung announced, taking her seat whilst Jaehyun was setting up his presentation

Because it was a sister brand, the fashion styles weren’t that far off from the parent brand. The main difference is that the sister brand’s target audience are millennials and under; the main reason why they’re starting to hire younger people like you and Nova. Long story short, Jaehyun had some of the designs and actual clothing ready and he wanted to have ideas of photoshoots and concepts on where the brand might lead.

Being someone who has been lurking around the fashion industry, getting to know the newest and latest trends, you suddenly pop up on the idea of a sister photoshoot. Somewhere along the lines of two sisters who have quite an age gap, the little sister always looking up to the aesthetic of the older sister and the older sister wanting to help the younger sister find her own style.

You had no idea how on earth you managed to speak up about that idea or how you managed to even continue the idea on the spot. In front of everyone. Especially who is practically your boss and the owner of the brand. What’s more is that the universe seems to be repaying all those hardships you went through because the next words that came out of Mrs Jung not only surprised you but everyone else in the room.

“That is quite the idea you have there, (Y/N). Because the aesthetics are similar and only the cutting and styling are different, that idea of yours might be a great start! What do you think, Jaehyun?” Mrs Jung asked

“It’s definitely something new and fresh. Do you think you can have some mood boards and storyboards sometime end of this week or next week?” Jaehyun asked out of the blue

“Yoonoh, I think that’s too early. You should show her your rough designs, the process of it all and the final product. Don’t just let the poor girl do everything blindly” Mrs Jung commented

“Yes. I will” Jaehyun stated firmly and suddenly his phone was shoved at your face. “Excuse, me?” you asked, looking up at Jaehyun who was staring down at you

“Your number. It’ll be easier for me to see if your vision is aligned with the brand rather than going back and forth through emails or Doyoung. Don’t be mistaken, you still have to get your his acceptance. I just want to make sure that you’re not going off-track or anything. Text me when you’ve finished your lunch, I’ll show you the rough sketches we did in the beginning” Jaehyun stated as you key in your number and handed it back to him as he bowed to everyone and headed out

“Well, that turned out better than I expected. Now, don’t feel pressured girls, it’s just your first day. Enjoy the process. Oh and (y/n), I apologise in advance if my son makes you feel pressured. But I’ll let you in on a little secret. He normally doesn’t agree with my comments like just now about your idea. He’d typically have a debate and ended up scaring my employees. He also practically never saves any employee’s number except your supervisor, his assistant who used to be his nanny, some of the managers and the COO. Just let me know if my son becomes a bit too much for you and I can’t wait to see your idea come to life!” Mrs Jung explained whereas you just paid attention and bowed when she left

Well, you might’ve “escaped” one problem but Jung Jaehyun just might change that. Or, he might actually show you the differences between toxic working culture and boss with a friendly environment where the heads of the company feel like your seniors from university.

Days have gone to weeks and suddenly you’ve already been working for nearly 3 months; which is basically your probation time under Jung Jaehyun. Throughout your probation, you‘ve been working closely with Jaehyun and you can say that he’s basically your boss and supervisor because the time you spend working with him is basically longer than with your own supervisor, Doyoung.

Throughout that time, you’ve come to unintentionally memorise his little habits. How he likes to order or make his coffee, that he almost never wears a suit and when he does, he always has to have someone help tie his tie; on occasion, that person is you. How he scrunched his nose whenever his glasses were slowly dropping. That he doesn't like to smile but that one time you defended him towards some rude business partners, Jung Jaehyun actually smiled and he had dimples!

There were ups and downs working directly under Jaehyun. But never once did he actually push you too far that would make you uncomfortable. He was also a reasonable and understanding man. He never took advantage of your skills and when there are things that you could actually do, Jaehyun would actually do them instead, making the excuse that he wanted to be more involved which made warmed your heart at the thought of a boss actually wanting to be hands-on even on some miscellaneous things.

Though the two of you rarely talked to each other except when it comes to work, it was a nice atmosphere. Sometimes when you had to work overtime with Jaehyun, he would ask what you like to eat and though it was probably different from what he was used to eating, he enjoyed the options that you give him. In return of his kindness, sometimes, when you arrive earlier, you would have his coffee order along with some pastries and a sticky note, telling him to eat breakfast.

Little did you know that Jaehyun was slowly warming up to you and your personality. He didn’t know what hit him but when you voiced out your opinion on your first day, Jaehyun was quite stunned. He wasn’t used to someone, especially someone new, showcasing their thoughts that easily. While asking for your number for work was his original purpose, Jaehyun can’t help but want to try and talk about other things than work with you. Those little texts asking what you typically like to eat, places you visit, and even university experience, they all might look like they’re related to work at first but in reality, it’s just an excuse for Jaehyun to talk to you.

After your probation, Jaehyun had to review your contract and determine whether you’ll get a raise or not. Which, after those 3 months, it was a simple decision on Jaehyun’s end. He already requested the HR and legal team to prepare for both you and Nova’s new contracts. Of course, there were some tweaks for both of you, mainly you because Jaehyun wanted you to officially work under him.

After reviewing the contract and being satisfied with it, Jaehyun was more than ready to personally hand you the new contract the following week. Unfortunately, his hopes were soon crashed when the HR informed him there was a problem with the previous “company” that you worked at as a part-timer and thus your contract had to be postponed.

“For fucks sake, I’m basically her boss. So tell me, what the fuck happened?! She ended her contract with her previous company/boss, which means that she’s able to work freely” Jaehyun growled, running his fingers through his hair, aggressively throwing his tie because he couldn’t tie it properly, especially when the tie reminds him of you

“The thing is sir, h-her previous boss suddenly wants to sue her for some ‘damage’ she caused for their company. I’m not sure what are they suing b-but…” the HR tried to explain but Jaehyun cuts her off immediately

“I want proof. An email, letter, something. Dig deep and find something. Get me Johnny, Yuta and Taeyong. Now. And also, tell Jaemin and Jeno to keep an eye on her, to update me on what’s going around” Jaehyun demanded, the HR immediately rushing out of Jaehyun’s office to get everything he needed

“Where are you?” Jaehyun texted you

“Sir? I informed the HR and Doyoung about my absence. I apologise for my carelessness. Please don’t wait on me. You should find someone else to replace me” you texted him back

“Find someone else, my ass” Jaehyun tsked at the message as Johnny, Yuta and Taeyong came

“You called us?” Johnny asked, Taeyong and Yuta following close behind

“Find out about her previous job, the contract between her and the company…” Jaehyun demanded, showing them everything that the HR emailed regarding your sudden situation

“Ahhh, the girl that’s been working under you for the past 3 months? The only girl in this office aside from your mom, your assistant whose number you saved?” Johnny questioned, smirking when he looked at the files in Jaehyun’s tab

“I want the information in 10 minutes. Taeyong, I need you to go over the contract to make sure if they truly have the right to sue her or something else. Yuta, hack into the communication application that they used, I want to make sure if something happened in those conversations” Jaehyun commanded and everyone immediately got to work

Though Jaehyun requested all the information within 10 minutes, Jeno and Jaemin were in the midst of keeping an eye on you at the same time trying to connect to your device to hopefully retrieve some information. After nearly half an hour, everyone finally got what Jaehyun wanted and after much reviewing, Jaehyun was more than ready to kill someone. If someone thought that he was furious before, he was practically crazy at the information he received because you were actually innocent and your previous boss/company was suing you out of pettiness.

“So basically, she was originally working freelance for the man then transitioned to part-time where he basically took advantage of her kindness and made her do much more work than what he paid for and even made her work on other days just because she was still doing her freelance work for him. Suing her is a very petty move considering that the company’s earnings were pretty much relying on the public, like the fashion industry so it’s very much subjective. The funny thing is that she already voiced out her opinion on how to improve but the boss was pretty much ignorant about her advice and now that he’s suffering the result, he’s trying to get back at her by suing her” Johnny summarised the entire situation

“Fucking hell. You guys can make sure that she wins the case, right?” Jaehyun questioned

“What do you take us for? This is child’s play, Jung. Just make sure that she’s alright. We’ll sort this out” Yuta replied, finishing writing some stuff for the case

“We’ll get Taeil and Jungwoo to help as well. There’s nothing you should worry about other than (Y/N)’s well-being. We’ll let everyone know that you took the rest of the day off” Taeyong added on

“Aside from this case, I don’t want anyone or anything else reaching my personal phone” Jaehyun stated, grabbing some of his things and walking out the door. “Oh, and guys. Find me the boss of her previous company, will you? Thanks” Jaehyun added

Never in his life did he think that he would be that person that would go out of their way, their comfort zone for someone else. Typically, other people would have to adapt to his way but you somehow made him adapt his life to revolve around you. Jaehyun didn’t know exactly when it happen. But one thing was for sure, he wasn’t going to allow the one person that is keeping him sane go just because of some petty person who can’t let go of you. Well, in all honesty, Jaehyun sure as hell wouldn’t want to let you go but he also wouldn’t do anything to sabotage or hurt you.

After a horrendous drive because of traffic, Jaehyun managed to arrive at your home which he found, courtesy of the HR. Ringing the doorbell, he was greeted by the sight of your casual self, wearing an oversized hoodie and shorts that fall right above your knee, you weren’t wearing any makeup but to Jaehyun, you still look stunning.

“Hi” Jaehyun breathed out. “Hi. Are you here to take the company laptop back?” you asked

“W-what?! No. I’m here to take you back. Well, perhaps not immediately. What I’m trying to say is that your suing case is being handled. So, please, come back and work. Work for me” Jaehyun pleaded, almost sounding as if he was begging

“What?! What do you mean? What did you do?” you asked, so many thoughts running through your head that you had to sit down to process what Jaehyun just said

“I know what happened. I mean, I know about your previous company suing you. Technically I’m your boss so I have to know these things but when we dug deeper into the actual situation, he doesn’t have the rights to sue you. But since he did, he won’t win. I’ve made sure of it” Jaehyun explained, sitting in front of you and grabbed your hands in his

“S-sir?” you stuttered. “Jaehyun. Just, call me Jaehyun from now. I, there’s something I want to tell you that I’ve been meaning to tell you for quite some time” Jaehyun started, his breathing got heavier and his voice was not as smooth like usual

“I don’t know when it happened. Maybe it was the first day you came and stunned me with your voiced-out opinion. Or maybe it was during that time you defended me against the rude business partners. Or even when we were sitting on the floor in my office, eating takeouts while watching Disney movies. But one thing for sure is that somewhere along the line, I fell for you. Your cheerful, optimistic, selfless personality. I can’t imagine what the office or myself would be like without you. You’re basically the light to my darkness. Without you, I’d be lost. As much as I want you to be mine, I don’t want you to do it because you were forced to. But whatever happens, please stay. I’d do anything for you so that you’ll stay. Worried about the suing case, I’ve got it covered. Unsure about your career paths? I’ll help you go through each one until you find the one that you like. Worried financially? I’ll take care of you. I’d do it, for you” Jaehyun confessed, bringing your hands closer to his lips until he was kissing your knuckles

“S-sir, I mean, Jaehyun. I, I don’t know what to say. I mean, I used to think that you were so cold and closed from everyone that I almost find it impossible to approach you. But that time the business partners were rude to you, it just, it was out of the line. Sure you were cold and seemed a bit mean, but that doesn’t mean that you don’t have feelings either. Plus, you were considerate of your employees. You didn’t push people or force them to do anything they were uncomfortable with and I, I appreciate that. Also, the fact that you were considerate in giving leaves to your employees and secretly worked overtime so your employees don’t have to. And I guess, somewhere, down the line, I might’ve also slowly liked you” you slowly confessed to Jaehyun who suddenly pulled you into his lap

“Y-you’re serious right?! You’re not playing with me right now” Jaehyun questioned, looking into your eyes, worried that it was just some sort of dream

“H-honestly, I thought you were the one that was joking with me. I mean, you were quite cold but because of your warm behaviour, I found myself slowly liking you that I’m not sure if it was possible to get close to you” you stuttered, wrapping your arms around Jaehyun’s neck unconsciously

“I’m glad that I came over then. You don’t have anything to worry about, okay? I’ll take care of you” Jaehyun breathed, both your foreheads touching

“Jae…w-what if you’re the one that gets sued?” you asked, gripping his shirt

“It’ll be fine. Trust me. They won’t get to me. They made a mistake for suing you, for nearly taking you away from me. But let’s not worry about that right now. I want to spend the rest of the night with my girlfriend. Let me make dinner this time, okay?” Jaehyun smiled, kissing your forehead

To say that you weren’t expecting that day to happen was definitely an understatement. The entire week, your anxiety was building up from receiving the message about your previous boss suing you, your work piled up, having to tell the HR about the situation and even making a decision on continuing after your probation ended or not. At first, you really did think of leaving because you didn’t want to be a burden for Jaehyun, plus it would probably help you get rid of the feelings you had for him.

But on the other hand, you were glad that Jaehyun found out about the situation. Seeing him arrive at your home and confess everything lifted a heavy weight on your shoulder. You never imagined that you would actually confess your own feelings to Jaehyun but here the two of you are, in your kitchen, making dinner together.

“What got you all smiling all of a sudden?” Jaehyun asked, placing the dishes on the table

“I’m just. Happy. This all feels so surreal. You have no idea what I’ve been thinking the past week” you replied, leaning onto Jaehyun’s shoulder

“As much as I want to know what is in that pretty little mind of yours, I think it’s a topic saved for next time. Also, you have no idea how much you made me happy” Jaehyun cooed at you melting in his embrace as he placed a kiss on your forehead

By the end of the night, you and Jaehyun cleaned up and then watch some movies whilst cuddling under a blanket. When you started to feel sleepy, Jaehyun helped carry you up to your room and laid you on the bed, making you giggle.

“The back pain was definitely worth that smile” Jaehyun chuckled, sitting at the edge of your bed

“Well, let me help you out with that” you giggled but helped massage Jaehyun’s shoulders and his back that was tensing

You could tell that Jaehyun wasn’t used to the somewhat intimate interaction with his tensed back but slowly, he relaxed his shoulders and enjoyed the massage you were given. The silence between the two of you was a nice silence, well, until Jaehyun turned to look at you that just stopped your movements.

“W-what?” you asked, heat slowly rising to your cheeks when you realised how close the two of you were

“You’re just breathtaking, even in your casual wear and no makeup. You have no idea how long I’ve been holding back” Jaehyun stated, cupping your cheeks. “Th-then…don’t” you managed to breathe out before Jaehyun slowly pulled you in and closed the gap between you two

The kiss was actually something you did not imagine. You would think that someone that seemed cold as Jaehyun would be a bit rough or awkward but this kiss wasn’t any of that. Instead, it brought warmth to the two of you, like the two of you were destined to complement one another. The grumpy boss with the sunshine employee, the cold attitude with the carefree one.

“Promise that you’ll be my forever only?” Jaehyun asked, pulling away from the kiss

“If you promise to stay and not take advantage of me” you replied, your tone was a bit worrying but Jaehyun left a lingering kiss on your forehead

“Trust me, peach, you’re the only woman that I have eyes for, the only woman that I actually went out of my way to pursue. 사랑해 또 사랑해” Jaehyun replied back, capturing your lips on his again

Bonus scene :D because I want to (Jaehyun’s POV)

The night that I stayed over at (Y/N) felt like a dream that I don’t want to wake up from, that I want to relive every day. Days turn to weeks and (Y/N) came back to work for me, practically also being my assistant. The hard-ass days of work didn’t seem to bother me when I know that she was here, with me.

Unfortunately, when I received a message from Johnny regarding (Y/N)’s previous boss, the one that sued her, bitterness immediately drenched me. I had nearly forgotten about it had Johnny not texted me about it. Sighing, I opened the message from Johnny.

Johnny: I got the guy, took two weeks to track him down but we managed to get him. He’s in the basement, text me when you want to you know…

Jaehyun: why do you always have to ruin my good mood?

Johnny: hey, you already got the girl. It’s not like she’s gonna go anywhere. Well, unless you suddenly scare her

Jaehyun: funny. I’ll be there after work today. I just need to tell (y/n) that there’s a sudden meeting with you then probably ask Sungchan to drop her off

Johnny: she really has you wrapped around her finger, hasn’t she? You’re whipped

Jaehyun: I’ll see you after work, don’t forget to bring Yuta, Jeno and Jaemin.

After my short text with Johnny, (y/n) came into the room with lunch. Thankfully, I was good at switching my emotions. Especially when I started to date (y/n). Whenever I see or even just hear her, my mood immediately lightens up.

It has become known around the office that (y/n) and I are a thing and while some employees became jealous and even tried to get one of us to break, I immediately made them back off unless of course, they wanted to be sent out the door.

The two of us ate lunch whilst going through some of the new projects and collaborations, occasionally ditching work and just feeding each other, talking about our day which reminded me that I had to tell (y/n) that I had a sudden “meeting” with Johnny and told her that I’ll have Sungchan drop her off. She ended the lunch by pecking my lips and telling me not to overwork and that she’ll leave some dinner for me.

The rest of the day was nothing special other than (y/n) visiting me before she left to go home first. As much as I was tempted to just leave Johnny and the rest handle her ex-boss, I too wanted my fair share of “teaching” him a lesson about hurting someone I care and love. Sighing, I reluctantly pulled away from our kiss and send (y/n) off with Sungchan.

After receiving a message from Johnny that he and the others are waiting, I changed my clothing to a basic all-black outfit because there will probably be some bloodshed. Putting on my gloves, I made my way to the basement and opened the door, seeing Johnny, Yuta, Jeno and Jaemin at the center of the room with who seems to be (y/n)’s ex-boss.

I made my way in front of the man who was bounded onto the chair, with duct tape around his lips to seal his mouth. I roughly pulled the tape off which caused the man to scream. “Are you done screaming?” I questioned, standing back up and looking down at the man

“Who the hell are you people?! What do you think you’re doing?! Just wait till someone finds me, I’ll…” the man shouted and I shot a bullet that grazed his ear

“You’ll sue me? Like you sued my girlfriend because you were petty about her suddenly leaving you? Move on, man. You’re the one that took advantage of her. Which you probably didn’t realise because you were enjoying yourself while she did all the work for you” I scoffed at the memory of all the conversations (y/n) had with him

“You meant (y/n)? She left my business for you? What, the two of you suddenly met, had good sex and slept together? Is that why she suddenly left? What a pathetic b—” the man didn’t even get to finish his sentence because I had punched him with my brass knuckles

“You don’t get to say her name. Especially in here. And here’s another fact. You don’t own her. She’s her own person who just happens to be mine. And you know what I hate the most?” I yanked his hair back so I could get a better look at his beaten face. “I hate when someone hurts someone that I treasure, that I love” I growled, pushing his head as I walked over to grab a blade

“You got lucky that you didn’t go too far. Lucky for you that she’s nice enough to tell me to just tell you to cancel the lawsuit. Unfortunately. I’m not her. Let this be a lesson, hmm? Don’t. Come. For. What. Is. Mine. I assure you that next time, you won’t be as lucky” I stated, piercing the blade into his hands, pushing through the flesh and bones

A/N: I hope that this wasn't a bit much. Hope that everyone has been well and enjoyed the fic! As usual, stay safe and healthy! I'll talk to you guys in the next one! :) xoxo Vinet

#nct #nct 127 #nct x reader #nct scenarios #nct imagines #nct 127 scenarios #nct 127 imagines #nct jaehyun #nct jung jaehyun #nct jaehyun scenarios #nct jaehyun imagines #jung jaehyun #jung jaehyun x reader #jung jaehyun scenarios #jung jaehyun imagines #jaehyun scenarios #jaehyun imagines

[pass1onepr1ncess]

NSFW Topic Warning

Stark contrast from the posts I usually make, but this one's gonna have NSFW topics because I'm pissed off about things so be warned.

It's really been getting under my skin lately that non-fetishized lesbian porn made for and by other lesbians is SO hard to find. Another alter in the system, his name is Milo, is a stricly gay trans man and it's SO EASY for him to find content when he wants it. Even gay porn of trans men! But the second I go looking for lesbian porn, all I can find is straight women being sexy at a camera for straight men to fetishize. And I can tell because there is such a wide difference between the framing and videography and tones of fetishistic "#lesbian" content and actual sapphic content and the former just makes me feel so gross. I don't want to be fetishized, I just want to be horny!

I refuse to use PH partly because of the fetishization but mostly because of the mass exploitation and abuse that happens on there that goes completely unreported and unpunished not just of adult sex workers but also of children and teens that shouldn't be on camera in the first place. I normally use Twitter, but that's where my problem lies in trying to find decent content! I managed to find a singular good account, but not only is all of their content just the same maybe 7-10 videos reposted every month so there's NOTHING new, but they also repost straight content and while that's not, like, a bad thing I just want to be a lesbian in peace!! Without straight people!!

I vented these frustrations with a friend recently and he recommended a BDSM site but the thing is I'm not really into BDSM. I'm not looking for kinky stuff like that- not that anything's wrong with it. BDSM is genuinely one of the healthiest lifestyles I know of when done correctly- I literally just want vanilla lesbian porn made by lesbians for other lesbians! And for some reason, that's so much to fucking ask for!

I think the part of all this that really ticks me off is that content of gay men is so accessible. I can't even count the amount of accounts on twitter who are all gay men (cis AND trans men) making exclusively gay content for other gay men, but the fact that I can't even find ONE good account for lesbian content? It pisses me off!

In all the strides we've made in being a more accepting society of LGBTQ+, why the fuck is it so hard to find stuff like this? Why do the queer men get to have a good time, but I'm struggling to find ONE good source of exclusively sapphic content? Not to say that queer men have it easy, we're all struggling in the same boat don't get me wrong. But it just sucks that the sapphic side of the boat still has a good amount more water in it than the boys' side.

All of this in addition with the stereotypes? The whole thing of people expecting sapphic relationships to be a masculine, woodworking, flannel wearing butch and a dainty, nails and makeup, princess-like femme when there is SO much more than that! Butch4Butch lesbians I love you so much, Femme4Femme lesbians you are doing SO great sweetie. Lesbians who don't really fall into either category, you are incredible! Nonbinary lesbians, you're amazing and keep up the good work! Transbians, you are the bravest fucking people on the planet and I hope you get to fight God one day because you WILL win and you deserve that W.

Not to mention the weird purity culture involved with other queer people trying to palette us for straight people? Saying that lesbians as a whole are soft and nice and pretty? Girl, we're not all coquette and Lana Del Rey. Some of us are, sure, but there is literally no way to try and market lesbians to heteronormative society in a little bow because we don't all fit in one box! And yes, lesbians have sex! It's not all soft romance and cuddling and holding hands on cafe dates. Just like literally every and any other kind of couple, while there's still romance and cutesy moments we still get horny and worked up like literally any other person on earth (Other than asexuals. Not all of you, of course. Shout out to asexuals who still have sex, I see you and you are loved). And what happens when we do? We fuck! We have hot lesbian sex and it's great!

Also, might I add that it's really misogynistic to try and label lesbians as this group of pure, innocent, soft and fluffy group of women who couldn't possibly have a sex drive! Or on the other hand, saying that all lesbians are horndogs who can't keep themselves off each other- because I've seen that one, too! I hate being labeled like this, why is it SO HARD for people to just accept that lesbians are literally just people. We're just like everyone else- the ONLY thing different is that we don't wanna be romantically or sexually involved with men. That is IT!!!!!

And in terms of the lack of good sapphic content, it also goes beyong porn! Literally every sapphic show I've seen released in the past few years has been cancelled after ONE season and then a lot of it just gets deleted entirely so that one season isn't even available anymore!! But the you have Heartstoppers and Love, Simon and I just! I'm happy that we as a community have fought hard enough to have these things. I'm not trying to drive a wedge between the achillean and sapphic communities. I just wish us sapphics got the same treatment as the men do.

I love being a lesbian, don't get me wrong. But sometimes I am exhausted from being overlooked. From being glanced over and shoved into a box that I nor anyone else in that box fits into. I want to be a lesbian in peace.

#lesbian #sapphic #wlw #women loving women #rant post #Im angry and Im a lesbian and Im fucking fed up #lgbtq #lgbtqia #lgbtq community #queer #queer community

[mysteryshoptls]

SSR Leona Kingscholar Beastly Garb Personal Story: Part 2

"Whatever I feel like doing."

(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)

[Sunset Savanna]

Vil: The charter bus got a flat tire as soon as we entered the savannah, so I was preparing myself for a bumpy ride, but…

Vil: This is actually rather pleasant. Perhaps the roads aren't as bad as they look?

Kalim: Yeah. Leona said, "The roads are terrible, so hold on," earlier, but…

Kalim: It's not bumpy at all. I'm not even getting carsick.

Lilia: The last time I rode a passenger bus in Sunset Savanna it was insane.

Lilia: My body was bouncing up and down non-stop. I was bumping into the seats in front and behind me, as well as the other passengers.

Lilia: I bet the reason why this trip is so smooth is due to the driver's skill.

Lilia: Right, Leona?

Leona: Who knows. You probably just got a bad luck of the draw with that driver back then.

1. When did you get your driver's license?

Leona: Before I came to Night Raven College. Leona: Don't know how it is elsewhere, but in this country, it's not that unusual to start driving cars around that age.

2. How long have you been driving?

Leona: Guess it's been about 4 years. Leona: …What's with that anxious look? Sure, that's not that long, but I'm not a completely incompetent imbecile.

Kalim: Wow, that's amazing. You gotta study real hard to get a license, right?

Kalim: That's kinda cool… I never even though about driving myself or anything.

Kalim: I always had my own driver, so I always thought that driving was for adults!

Vil: For me, whenever I'm traveling for work, my manager would drive me around.

Vil: Right now I'm busy, so it would be difficult, but… One day when I have a bit more spare time, I plan on getting my license.

Vil: It would be lovely to find a stylish car that suits me perfectly so I can drive so gallantly.

Lilia: Mhm. It's just a different feeling to be traveling this way via car, instead of flying.

Vil: That's true. Do you not have any desire to get a driver's license, Lilia?

Lilia: Welllll… So, I feel like I had already gotten one a while back, but maybe I didn't…

Lilia: And even if I had gotten a license, I wouldn't even be sure when or where I would have gotten it.

Kalim: Ahaha! Is it that hard to remember? Man, Lilia, you're so forgetful sometimes～

Lilia: Well, I'm sure it'd be way past expiration anyway!

Kalim: Hey. Leona, where do you like to take your car?

Kalim: Sunset Savanna's such an awesome place. If you got a favorite spot to hang out, I wanna know.

Lilia: Oho, I'd be interested too. Are there any hideaways that only someone who lives here would know?

Leona: Aren't we heading to the best little hideaway right now?

Leona: We're on our way to the special section of the Elephant Legacy that only the royal family can enter.

Lilia: Hm… Well, okay. You definitely didn't answer either Kalim's or my questions, though.

Lilia: It's not like you go to the Elephant Legacy often, right?

Leona: Unfortunately for you, I don't really have an answer that'll satisfy anyone.

Leona: I don't get in a car to go anywhere in particular, I just drive to drive.

Vil: Hmm, so you just like the drive itself.

Leona: Eh, it helps clear my mood sometimes.

Leona: There's not much land that the people inhabit on this country.

Leona: Once you leave the capital, it's mostly grassland as far as the eye can see.

Leona: There's no annoying traffic signals or signs, let alone any decent roads.

Leona: So I don't need to pick a destination, just head in a direction and drive forever, whatever I feel like doing.

Leona: On that one point, this place is actually a pretty good fit. I also don't need to be thinking of any unnecessary things while driving, so.

Leona: …But today, I got all this extra baggage with me, so that's a mood killer.

Kalim: Baggage? Oh, did you bring some stuff along with us?

Lilia: Oooh, Kalim. I see a herd of animals over there.

Kalim: You're right! They got their kids too. Sooo cute. Hey, did I just see the bush over there move…?

Lilia: Looks like a carnivore is preying on those herbivores. If we keep watching, we might be able to see it hunt.

[Kalim and Lilia start chattering away]

Vil: It seems Kalim and Lilia's attention have been drawn away by the savannah animals.

Leona: Good for them.

Leona: …Anyway, [Yuu], that furball's been real quiet.

Leona: He's always so annoying, what's gotten into him?

1. Looks like he fell asleep without me realizing… 2. He's sleeping belly-up.

Leona: Is that so. Let him keep sleeping, then. It's be a pain if it got even rowdier here.

Leona: Geez… I like driving alone.

Leona: Who woulda thought there'd come a time I'd be driving this many people in my car.

(Part 1) Part 2 (Part 3)

#twisted wonderland #twst #leona kingscholar #kalim al-asim #lilia vanrouge #vil schoenheit #twst leona #twst kalim #twst lilia #twst vil #twst translation #twst tamashina mina #mention: grim

[inlocusmads]

Starting Somewhere If Nowhere Tangible ~ nora rose, mafalda ginovesi

wc: 996, teen and up, warnings for drug mentions/usage

a/n:.. or how nora scored herself a job at the Ginovesi Agency.

___

Sometime in 2019-20

Nora did not expect to be high when she received a job offer. A friend of hers had told her it “cured anxiety” or something. It made her cough a lot. She didn't have any unexpected laughing fits or a blatant disdain for her life which probably meant what she smoked wasn't even good quality stuff. Maybe she was that immune. Nora wanted to care but a part of her told her it brought no use. 

She felt like a kid when Mafalda Ginovesi or someone came up to the terrace after a conversation with her uncle. Nora knew very little about Tommy's friends. Either she was too young to remember them all or never been introduced ever. Probably he wanted to make a good impression. Nora felt like an unwashed wound on someone's leg. Heck, she'd scrub herself extra hard in the shower just to get rid of the stains on her skin. As if she could only be defined by her stains. What was the point, anyway? College ended so long ago. She quit her job because the job sucked. Might as well check off another number by being a grubby mistake people wanted to hide. 

She tried flipping burgers and helping her uncle run the bar but with no avail. It wasn't going anywhere. Her friends took the money, listened to her talk about the restaurant industry and ran. Who were her friends?

She'd read every self-help book on the market from PirateBay. Everything told her “hey, just fucking commit to it” when her brain never really got it going anyway. Making to-do lists occupied most of her time and she'd cross them off regardless. Journalling felt like a waste of time when she could be using the book to write more to-do lists. Borrowing money from Uncle Tommy to get groceries felt like she'd hit a new low, so she'd gone to find herself a job which only resulted in getting fired on the same day. What was she to do with a criminology degree anyway? The NYPD were corrupt motherfuckers. Aneesa was gone. Nothing to live upto. 

But at the end of the day, she could roll a nice blunt however impure it might be and just stop worrying. Stop reading those books. Stop purchasing motivational keychains she didn't need. Stop cutting her hair. Stop browsing channels and get out of bed. Stop eating so many egg sandwiches after a smoke break. Stop taking breaks and wash up the counter instead. The granite isn't going to get all sparkly on its own. 

Wasn't like she had anyone to get excited about either. She'd take anyone at this point. Friends, romantics - the line started to blur.

Maybe it was just the weed. 

“I talked to your uncle.”

“Right. Uh, sorry --” Nora massaged her head. “Who are you?”

She flicked the cigarette to the trash. 

“Nice aim.”

“Who are you again?”

“A friend of your uncle's.” she crossed her arms. 

“Right okay so -- what do I do? Get you a chair or --”

“I came here with an offer. Your uncle said you needed more time -- is that pot?"

“Yes. Sorry I'm not more presentable.” Nora sniffed, adjusting her hoodie. “Please don't tell Uncle Tommy. He's going to be even more disappointed than he already is.”

“Do you want to sit down?” Mafalda Ginovesi’s voice nurtured her to take a seat. 

“No -- I'm not -- I'm -- fine.” She struggled. “Yeah. I am okay. So what's up with the offer?”

“He says you're in between jobs and you were a homicide detective down in the 53rd precinct.”

“And somehow I find flipping burgers more honourable.” Nora scoffed. “What about it?”

“I've heard of what happened and I want to offer you a job.”

“Wow, you do not beat around the bush."

“No. I am looking for qualified private eyes for my agency. My fourth kid was just born last year and I need to be at home as much as I can. Didn't get a huge response from the papers. Called some old friends. Tommy said you were available and had a decent record. Good education. Recently unemployed.”

“So it's a full time thing?”

“I'm swamped with cases. We don't get a lot but we do get enough to get by.”

“I've seen private eye agencies run to the ground. What's different about yours?” Nora asked. 

“I started it ever since I quit the NYPD myself, ever since they learned I'm gay. Which is enough to say, a long time ago. Ten years afloat. All me. My wife helps with the paperwork. My four kids are going to need some investment.”

“How much are you willing to pay me?”

“This isn't a standard 9-5. You get paid for the work you do. We split it.”

“But I'd still have to call you boss?”

“I don't mind the flattery. It's a small place. Near the bodega that sells egg sandwiches.”

Nora shrugged. “Still going to need a licence though.”

“Can be arranged. I know people. Just have to say yes.” Mafalda said. “You'd have to put in the work. For now it's grunt work. Help with running digital footprints, compile dossiers, write up reports, take notes - essentially an assistant job. Once you get warmed up we move on. I'm giving you a chance. Don't fuck it up.”

“All right, all right, sit down, jeez.”

“I am sitting down.”

“Yeah okay I think the weed’s already kicked in so -- I start Monday right?”

“Tomorrow. Your uncle needs you to get a job and I'm giving you one.”

“I don't need your sympathy.”

“No. You don't. But you need stability whether you like it or not. How long are you going to wallow in the what-ifs, anyway?”

“Yeah okay fair.” Nora said, nonchalantly. 

“Get a blazer. Get a shirt. Trousers. Belt. Watch. I need you in the office by nine sharp.”

“Or don't bother coming?” 

Mafalda stared at her. 

“I’ll show up.” Nora sighed. “Close the door when you leave.”

***

A/n: Aneesa was the reason behind Nora learning about the NYPD's corrupted interiors. She was wrongly accused of a crime she didn't commit - became a scapegoat for an underground crime organisation. Aneesa was also Nora's girlfriend/situationship at that time which made the loss even harder when the former had to flee the country. To this day only a couple people know about the incident and Nora's afraid of making contact due to the fact that the underground crime ring might trail it back to her.

She also suspects this underground ring to be a key player in her dad's death but it's still very circumstantial and disputed.

Tagging @choicesficwriterscreations

#nora rose #w:inlocusmads #crimes of passion fics #mafalda ginovesi #my drabbles

[cowboyjen68]

Cowboy Jen I am having a bit of a butch crisis !! Please do you have any advice. So. My parents are two wonderful butches who love and accept me but who have raised around their very strong lesbian identities. For a very long while (since I started middle school) I have been suspecting I am a lesbian. But as a result of growing up with my parents ideals I can't separate lesbianism from being butch. I'm having a very hard time figuring out if I really am a lesbian or if I just want to be more masculine or if I am a lesbian but I'm not butch. I know you cannot tell me the answer but I was wondering if you have any advice on how to navigate my way through this indecision. Alternatively any suggestions for a short haircut that works with a round forehead and face shape would be appreciated lmao (every short haircut I have gotten in the past has looked a little silly lol. Maybe I just have a bad barber)

The good news is, in the grand scheme of life, you don't have to be correct right away. You can take time, try things on and figure it out.

For me being a lesbian is just a fact. I am a woman who is only and solidly sexually and emotionally only attracted to other woman. That was pretty easy to figure out once I was honest with myself and who I found attractive. Once I stopped listening to all the crappy stuff people try to attach to the word "Lesbian" I knew it was really just one concise word to describe my orientation.

The butch part was longer in figuring it out. I always knew I was masculine, ie different, at least in the perceptions of others. I also knew I felt like my masculinity seemed different from the other Tomboy girls I grew up with that were straight. We just experienced different reactions from the outside world and I reacted differently to the expectations put on me both as a little girl (then young woman) and as an adult woman.

My tomboy friends outgrew some things, like not liking boys and never wearing a dress (willingly). I did not out grow these things. It was no phase for me. If the word "Butch" resonates with you then it is more likely a fit. If you experience things like being told "you should have been a boy" or "why do you act like a man" those are decent indicators.

The word butch gave me a succinct way to describe many of my experience as I navigate the world and, probably more importantly, helped me find others who were like me and shared so many of the same stories. You having two butch moms does complicate things a little because you need to separate your experiences from theirs. Some reactions you might be getting because you are already in a butch centric world.

You don't need to figure the butch part out immediately and there is not any harm in figuring out if it fits in the long run.

Instead of a barber, go see a cosmetologist and walk through some ideas. They are much more likely to be trained in more complex hair style and what might look good with you head and face shape. Super short is not always the best look on everyone. It is not on me. (lesson learned).

#butch #lesbian #confusion #sexuality

[quihi]

Okay, overall thoughts on Fablehaven and Dragonwatch. I hope to write in more detail later - I have a first draft of a post about my take on some of the religious themes and allegory in Dragonwatch - but I gotta start somewhere (that requires less citations).

I saw Carnival Quest on the library shelf last November, read that, and had so much fun I decided to go for more Brandon Mull and reread Fablehaven. (I don't read a lot of kids books, as an adult, but I hadn't felt like reading in awhile and this made reading fun.) The first book was rough, honestly—it was his first published book and it shows. The prose felt clunky and awkward, but I got used to it and it improved. Seth drove me insane—so much of the plot was driven by "Seth screws up." But it was a quick and easy and fun read, and the world and concept were a delight!

Books 2–4 were great. I only read the books once or twice over ten years ago, so all I remembered was the general concept, a little about Kendra and Seth, and a vague idea of the final battle. I got to experience all the twists again! It was very fun to see the people who populate this increasingly large world, and the people around the edges like that rich couple in Georgia who have fairies but have never seen a preserve. Like, how did they get involved, how much do they know? It's clear that Kendra and Seth are way more deeply involved than someone who just discovered the preserves normally would be. I have a lot of thoughts about their parents and how Fablehaven fits in with their lives, and I think I think about that a lot more as an adult—it doesn't bother me but I find it more sad now.

Keys to the Demon Prison was big, and wow did we see the world. It added a lot of stuff that hadn't felt foreshadowed at all—the Eternals, Vasilis, Bracken—so it felt a little disconnected and like there were some deus ex machina. I liked the ending, though, and how everything wrapped up with swapping the demon prison and the fairy realm.

So, fun series! They definitely felt like kids books, but I would still recommend them to kids and adults who want to read a fun, magical adventure.

After this, life got busy, and I needed a break, and time to let the books sink in and read a few other books, so I didn't start Dragonwatch until January. I raced through the first three books, then took about a week off before I could get myself past the beginning of Champion of the Titan Games, then finished the series in under a week. They got so frustrating and dark that I needed that break, but I'm glad I didn't force myself to keep reading when I was worn out.

Okay, look, I know this seems to be an unpopular opinion, but I enjoyed them. I don't know if it helped because I read them all in under a month and didn't think too hard or reread them in between, and I hadn't been eagerly awaiting them—I don't think much about Mull or keep up with his new books. I didn't notice a lot of the continuity errors that I guess were there, though I did notice the big thematic change from darkness being neutral to being more evil (though I have some thoughts on that, too). There were definitely some weird choices. The structure of book five felt very similar to Fablehaven's book five.

I liked Knox and Tess. I see reasons they would be introduced, and while they could have done more (Tess: spends entire series as the innocent girl, gets teleported around a couple times but never to anywhere from which she can get home), I couldn't help liking them. They're decent foils for Kendra and Seth, at least. I think I'd have liked more of them, over cutting them. I badly wanted Knox and Seth to sit down for a good conversation about mistakes and forgiveness.

One of the story choices that baffled or irritated me most was not putting Marat or Agad back in charge of Wyrmroost, after Celebrant lost his status. I guess the best argument is there wasn't time between them returning from Stormguard Castle and Seth's disappearance, and the explicit consent of both Kendra and Seth was needed, but like, that should have been the first thing they did. I guess no one thought of it. And I suppose there was still the issue of no easy way to leave.

There was a lot of religion, which I began to notice in Master of the Phantom Isle, and was surprisingly blatant in Return of the Dragon Slayers. Religious themes in books don't bother me, though I know that's a YMMV topic and I understand why some people don't like it. (Thank you to the Fablehaven fandom for, as far as I can tell, not getting into absolute hatred of Christianity.) But, well, they were still overall the fun adventures that I was reading for, even as they got more sad and the character arcs got deeper. I'm glad I finished and read through the whole series.

I was left with a lot to think about. I have ideas for fanfiction. Mostly canon compliant, set after Dragonwatch, with some earlier, and also one romance AU that I'm worried about people's reactions to the ship. I'm buying a lot of the books to reference more easily, since I like referencing books when I write and I'm no longer twelve years old with the time and urge to flip through and reread books a dozen times until I know every plot point by heart by the time I return them to the library, but I do have more disposable income.

So, uh, I'm not really one to rate books, but I'd still call these solid and fun overall, though they have their flaws. I far prefer enjoying books to criticizing them, so I'd rather like them and try to find ideas and headcanons that improve them, rather than linger on the elements I dislike. I want to be positive!

#fablehaven #dragonwatch

[ruhua-langblr]

Hi, you seem to have a decent grasp on Language Learning Resources™, so maybe you could help me.

I currently have a 2600+ day streak for Duolingo Spanish, which I initially picked up because I took classes in school and wanted to see if I remembered any. I'm well aware of the limitations on the app, and at this point it's just because I like to see the number go up. I've only ever been a casual student but I would like to progress eventually. The problem is I have trouble finding a method between gamified app, and full-blown, academic, novel -and- textbook self study. Do you know of good ways to move past Duolingo lessons without biting off more than you can chew?

Thanks for any input you have

Hi!

I feel like that "number goes up" connection is the main reason a lot of people don't want to move on from Duo and similar apps! I hope to do a post that goes into all of this more in depth, so consider this a shortened version~

My personal philosophy is that you shouldn't have to chose between just gamified apps and academic study—ideally you need it to be engaging enough to keep up for when you have less motivation, but with an academic rigor! I'm gonna drop some general resources/resource types and try to give them all a shot! Don't think of replacing Duo with a singular app or activity, but a collection of resources that you can switch between.

Anki: SSR vocab learning. Lots of customization and habit tracking features available so consider this a good "number goes up" replacement (and if you really love looking at data it's much more thorough!). With Spanish as your TL (target language), you'll have plenty of pre-made decks available. You can have specific decks, sentence mine, or have a huge 5,000 most frequent words deck. Anki isn't my favorite method personally, but people get SUPER into it and it works for them—also you'll hear this everywhere anyway.

Language Transfer: I wish my TL was one of the ones they have! If you're coming from Duo then you've probably been lacking a good method to really train your listening skills. 100% free, and I've heard great things about their Spanish course as well. All the files are available to be downloaded to listen to offline. Great to put on when you're getting ready in the morning, for bed, or during a commute.

LingQ/Youtube/Podcast Comprehensible Input: "[TL] Comprehensible Input" in the Youtube search will get you pretty far. There are podcasts like this as well, but it's nice to have a visual stimuli as well! This is pretty much the epitome of a ~natural language acquisition~ style. Immersion and immersion at an appropriate level is what works best. If you've even dipped your toes into the language acquisition sphere, you'll know Steve Kaufmann. LingQ is his app that's based on these principles.

Textbooks: Duo assumes that you can just pick up grammar from pattern recognition and that can work, but upper-level nuanced grammar or grammar patterns that are vastly different from your native language are hard to intuit. Find a good, dedicated grammar textbook and use that as what you will learn the details of grammar from. All that audio stuff will teach you what sounds right, this will teach you why/how it's right. (Buy a used textbook, visit your library, or check out my pinned post...)

+More: There's so MANY ways to learn a language. I'm focusing on specific methods that would fit in naturally with your existing habits (solo, digital, habit-forming), but there's tons more out there that you can do: journaling, discord servers, italki, chatting apps, graded readers, etc.

To start pick one that you feel the most drawn to and then a second that compliments where it might be lacking. Make a goal that you feel is reachable, and build from there.

Best of luck!

#langblr #resource #language learning