#organize ideas and lists and pick out details

[sxsilly2]

ed distractions

all of this is from distractions.carrd.co!!

out and about - ☆ people-watch ☆ sit outside ☆ go window shopping ☆ try out clothes w/o buying them ☆ get a mani/pedi ☆ cloud-watch ☆ make a shopping list ☆ go on a shopping spree ☆ find a new location in your city to visit on google maps ☆ go stargazing ☆ go to the library ☆ go thrifting ☆ pick flowers ☆ go to a new coffee shop you haven’t been to ☆ go camping ☆ go to a museum ☆ go to a park and draw people walking by ☆ see a movie in theaters

moving - ☆ play tennis ☆ ride your bike ☆ go swimming ☆ make your own workouts ☆ swing ☆ make a playlist of workouts ☆ climb something ☆ go for a jog ☆ take a walk ☆ go hiking ☆ do some yoga ☆ do your work out routine ☆ pilates ☆ stretch

creative - ☆ draw, add a pos over it and draw all over again ☆ make a collage out of book pages ☆ make flower arrangements ☆ style your school uniform ☆ copy celebrities’ signature looks w things in your closet ☆ draw many puzzle pieces ☆ make your own zentangles ☆ create your own signature symbol ☆ dry flowers and make a flower diary ☆ learn to crochet ☆ make gift cards for your friends ☆ make a google docs template ☆ copy tattoos w a marker ☆ make stickers ☆ create your own digital museum ☆ make friendship bracelets ☆ make a diy bath bomb ☆ make a movie ☆ tye dye a t-shirt ☆ make playlists for moments ☆ write a letter ☆ decorate an envelope ☆ write jokes ☆ scribble and turn it into a drawing ☆ splash paint onto paper ☆ try to recreate art ☆ recreate notion/carrd pages you see online ☆ make a graphic novel ☆ build a fantasy world ☆ draw a map ☆ draw a webtoon ☆ decorate a notebook ☆ collect dried leaves ☆ make tattoo ideas ☆ do commissions ☆ draw pixel art ☆ make powerpoint templates ☆ make a subliminal playlist ☆ make edits of ppl ☆ make a notion template ☆ write a cringey wattpad novel ☆ write fanfiction ☆ decorate flower pots ☆ paint your phone case ☆ make diets for your fav characters ☆ write a love // hate letter ☆ make lyrics out of random words ☆ paint rocks ☆ decorate a hat ☆ cut out your clothes to make new ones ☆ up-cycle thrifted clothes ☆ draw on your wall ☆ make a bullet journal ☆ doodle on anything around you ☆ memorize a poem/song ☆ come up w original thread ideas ☆ make jewelry ☆ make soap ☆ crochet // knit ☆ draw a self-portrait ☆ draw w your eyes closed ☆ scrapbook ☆ paint some cloth ☆ animate something ☆ start a dream journal ☆ start a blog ☆ bake a cake ☆ cook something new ☆ create new outfits ☆ color ☆ learn origami ☆ draw an original character and give them their own backstory ☆ color-code your google calendar ☆ draw your dream home in detail ☆ paint on a canvas bag ☆ make a jar filled w movie titles and pull one out randomly to watch ☆ start your own private instagram account as a digital diary ☆ write a screenplay ☆ direct your own movie ☆ make lists

educational - ☆ research a random topic (then make a presentation on it) ☆ learn all the countries on a certain continent ☆ learn all countries’ capitals ☆ educate yourself ☆ catch up on current events ☆ go on a study space and study ☆ join a google classroom ☆ take a masterclass ☆ sign up for a course ☆ practice public speaking ☆ finish your assignments ☆ improve your memory ☆ memorize things ☆ organize your notes ☆ learn a new study technique ☆ learn morse code ☆ annotate a book ☆ learn curse words in other languages ☆ learn how to play an instrument ☆ pick up a new skill ☆ learn some psychology tips ☆ learn some cool facts ☆ learn a new language on duolingo ☆ learn about finances

hang out with yourself - ☆ induce a glow-up ☆ induce your honeymoon phase ☆ choose a signature smell ☆ interview yourself ☆ write about your day ☆ figure out a crisis you’ve been having ☆ romanticize your life ☆ get a signature look ☆ get on another twt side ☆ use subliminals ☆ put all your thoughts on paper ☆ decorate your personal journal ☆ watch a childhood movie ☆ go through your old playlists ☆ discover a hidden talent ☆ ask yourself weird questions ☆ write a love poem to yourself ☆ make a goal list ☆ create a vision board ☆ make a time capsule ☆ look at old photos ☆ write a will ☆ practice gratitude ☆ declutter your phone ☆ practice meditation ☆ make an online quiz about yourself ☆ create a five-year plan ☆ plan out your week ☆ write three short-term goals ☆ work on current goals ☆ use a body scrub ☆ do a hair mask ☆ take yourself out on a date ☆ plan YOU days ☆ journal your feelings ☆ write letters to your future self ☆ make a top-10 list of your fav anything ☆ examine your birth chart ☆ color or cut your hair ☆ start a happiness jar ☆ write down your manifestations // affirmations ☆ watch self-improvement videos ☆ give yourself a spa day ☆ update your resume

social life - ☆ facetime your friends ☆ interview someone ☆ do a virtual meet-up w friends ☆ get a penpal ☆ learn about recent drama ☆ boost your socials ☆ talk on spaces w your moots ☆ volunteer ☆ contact an old friend ☆ plan a meet-up w friends ☆ call a relative ☆ plan fun outings // themed nights for you and your friends ☆ hug someone

at-home - ☆ take a cold shower ☆ re-organize your bathroom ☆ try on your clothes ☆ take a bubble bath ☆ visit a digital museum ☆ paint your nails ☆ do a movie/book/game marathon ☆ clear out your closet ☆ drink water ☆ put together a skincare routine ☆ go through your emails ☆ use a bath bomb ☆ do a face mask ☆ plan your meals ☆ re-arrange your books ☆ clean your room ☆ have a picnic on the floor ☆ stick pictures to your walls ☆ organize your drawers ☆ redecorate your room ☆ clean your makeup brushes ☆ declutter your makeup ☆ organize your photos ☆ clean your electronics ☆ do your laundry ☆ take a nap ☆ make a fort ☆ clean your desk area ☆ print posters and decorate your walls ☆ brush your teeth ☆ back up your laptop and phone ☆ update your passwords ☆ clean your car

just for fun - ☆ pretend you’re vlogging ☆ plan a trip ☆ copy ppl’s insta stories ☆ pretend you’re a model ☆ plant a flower/tree ☆ play uno or another card game ☆ play scrabble ☆ make a tournament of a game like “true american” in new girl ☆ make an amazon list ☆ learn dances ☆ do a makeup tutorial ☆ play loud music ☆ do buzzfeed quizzes ☆ read a webtoon ☆ look at memes ☆ look at thinspo ☆ make a youtube channel ☆ watch vlogs ☆ count your money ☆ discover new makeup styles ☆ tweet something stupid ☆ google yourself ☆ read fanfiction ☆ find new music ☆ write online reviews ☆ read shein reviews ☆ sing karaoke ☆ play never have i ever ☆ play with bubbles ☆ try to rap ☆ recreate your fav movie scenes ☆ make a shrine ☆ make a treasure hunt ☆ play chess // checkers w yourself ☆ start a controversy over a stupid topic ☆ donate some money ☆ learn to hula-hoop ☆ do a sudoku ☆ save tweets to your bookmarks ☆ make a tbr list ☆ go through old ana forums ☆ take a survey ☆ make a wishlist for when you reach your ugw ☆ make an elaborate conspiracy theory ☆ play w legos ☆ start a new show ☆ make a new playlist ☆ listen to a podcast ☆ surf pinterest ☆ read a book ☆ make a bucket list ☆ shop online ☆ sell clothes online ☆ test out a new hairstyle ☆ look up recipes online ☆ watch true crime ☆ watch a rom-com ☆ play video games ☆ redo your phone layout to a new theme ☆ watch a yt documentary ☆ start your own cult ☆ try dimension shifting ☆ record your own videos of you talking to yourself ☆ re-organize your pinterest account and all your boards ☆ scream into a pillow ☆ go through the app store and look for cool apps

#ed male #male ed #tw disordered eating #tw restriction #ana trigger #tw ed but not sheeran #tw restrictive ed #tw ana diary #tw ed diet #starv1ng #ed not sheeren #ed not ed sheeran

[artfromsaturn]

Collection of Free Art Tutorials

I don't usually make text post on this blog, but a nice artist I know was asking for tutorials a while back and I forgot to send some to them while in school. So here's a post on it since it's easiest to grab and go this way. :)

This list focuses on the basics. I'm focusing on the foundations of art, so medium is generally irrelevant and you can use physical or digital with these. You'll have to google more specific tutorials on things like character design and such.

One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give to you is strangely, introduce things to yourself one at a time. In art class, we took whole topics week by week. For high school, we did a few exercises then spent a week drawing/painting and doing your piece(s). For basic art 1 & 2 in college, we did 1-2 exercises and then did 1-2 drawings, followed by HW (which we turned in next week) and sketchbook practice (which she'd check at midpoints). For basic art lessons with a tutor, we did practice then our own art. You can see the pattern here - the point is don't be distressed if you don't get everything at once, or the lesson in 2 weeks, or the lesson in 3 years - we practice and do a lot over time, and you'll pick up on things you need to improve naturally and through help with others. Take time to be proud of your art in mini steps too, even if it's not the best! You tried and attempting to climb an obstacle over and over again before finally leapfrogging it is still progress to it.

Overall tutorials:

DrawABox.com is a site that's dedicated to art exercises and practicing when you can. They talk about the basics of art as well as how practice is important. It can get tough at times and it's ok to stop and do a balance of say those practices and doodles if you choose to try and do all of it's stuff - but you don't have to either. It's just a nice basic education done by some art nerds who like going hard.

Ethering Brothers - these guys are famous for their 40billion tutorials. If you need help on a specific idea, search their gallery and you'll likely find something.

Thundercluck's Art Fundamentals - She did a good huge ass tutorials on how things work, and it's the least overwhelming of the 3 I got in this section, so I suggest it as one of the first to look at for digital stuff.

Art Instructions Blog - Another good & simpler website that goes great into fundamentals. They focus more on traditional art but if you're digital, you can replicate most of the techniques - art fundamentals and subjects cover all mediums. Very important

Drawsh - Particularly notes on Construction: construction is the basics of building an illusion of a 3D image on a page. Figuring out how to build shape gives depth to your work, and learning how to see in 3D lets you be able to draw an item then move it around in your head (sometimes, when you're good enough, don't be afraid to pull out a reference or use live subjects). Construction is how to figure out the foundation of your drawing, and good planning = better picture! This link starts at the back, hit newer post to go forward.

There's a lot on anatomy and other nitty gritty details for when you want to practice those as well.

Griz and Norm's Assorted tips - Long time artist talk about various tips and tricks they use in art and how to avoid certain pitfalls. It's eclectic but great to look through.

James Gurney's Blog - He's got a lot of thoughts, a lot of tips, and a lot of adventures he catalogues. It's the least organized out of these but fortunately he has plenty of tags and most post have something neat going on. He's fantastic!🥰

BEFORE ALL OTHER BASICS….

How to Make Your Art Look Nice: Mindset

There's a lot of artist with different perspectives on how to approach art and your mindset while doing it, but the general consensus is that it's a process and sometimes you have to remind yourself to enjoy art!

Line

How to draw straight lines without a ruler. …but for the love of all that's good do NOT feel bad about using one! This talks about how to hold your pencil and how to do some good freehand stuff, some good practice.

5 grips for holding a Pencil for Drawing - This goes for pencil, pen, tablet, etc.. Get comfortable and figure out what's right for you and your pictures. I'd like to note that paintbrush holding will overlap, but some will differ.

A few line drawing exercises that help with line confidence.

Types of line drawings & what they are.

Contour Line & exercises with Mrs. Cook - Contour lines are one of the first art exercises I do in all the drawing classes I've taken. The good news is that they're surprisingly fun & look neat, even the blind contours!

Good deep thoughts on lines and how to use them.

Line Weight Tutorial

Lineart Weight Tips!

How to show variation in your line art: part 1 & part 2.

Some teacher's Drawing 1 & 2 lessons put online.

Light, Shadow, & Value

An introduction to tonal values.

Why values are important. The main reasons are that they give depth to a piece, and values literally shape our world.

Tonal Values: Everything you need to know

How does light work & the basics on Light

Light & Shadow in Art - much more in depth of the above! Highly recommended if you have time to spare.

Understanding grayscale/monochrome art. Great for shading & planning.

A guide to Cross Hatching (and hatching in general) - As a side note, crosshatching is one of the early things taught as it marries Line + Value into a nice neat package and helps add form with just a pen.

Crosshatching for Comics

Learn more about coloring by working in grayscale

How to Make Your Art Look Nice - Contrast!

Using lighting to make your art look nice.

Some light & shadow classifications.

Edges - notes on how they work in shading.

Color

A side note - color theory doesn't differ much, but color MIXING will change between mediums. If you're doing traditional colored pencil, you're overlapping 2 or more pigments on top of each other. If you're doing traditional paint, you're mixing & creating a solution/emulsion (depends on the pigment and binding) of pigments with the particles reflecting light in different ways. In digital, overlapping colors & blending colors depend on how the program you use calculates it if you're not just putting 2 color side by side. This just means you have to adjust your mixing when you switch between them. :)

Slawek Fedorczuk's Light & Color Tips - also shows how to guide through a scene.

The Color Tutorial Part 1 & 2 by Sashas - A personal favorite.

Color Studies 1-6 by Sheri Doty Amazingly nice breakdown on how color works in simple terms.

Sarah Culture's Tips on Color

The value of underpainting

A few notes on reflective light.

Experimental color techniques with Alai Ganuza: first post, second, & third.

Color zones of the face charts

Composition

Good Tips on Composition

Here's an example of how you can search the Etherington Brothers' stuff and get like 10 tutorials and tips on one subject. Composition & Cover Design, Shadow Composition, Two Line Composition - plus more.

How to make your art look nice: Thumbnailing!

And don't be afraid to make silly thumbnails or sketches.

Composition Examples - charts like these are great when you can't think of something yourself. There's no shame in using them.

Flow and Rhythm

Formulas for landscape composition.

Perspective

Perspective Drawing Tutorial by Julie Duell

Linear & Atmospheric Perspective Guide

One Point Perspective City Tut by Swingerzetta

Niso Explains Perspective - these are great for drawing figures in perspective!

Putting characters into scenes and drawing backgrounds

Backgrounds that make your character stand out!

Using background detail to guide the eye.

Odds and Ends

I shit you not, probably 1/3rd of my color, value, & structure knowledge comes from pixel art since I've done so much of it and it is all about challenging yourself to do the most you can with limitations. Check out lospec's tutorial database for fun and see how it compares to art techniques you're doing - even if you never try a medium, it's always interesting to see how it works. :D

How to Make Your Art Look Nice: Reference Images & Style, Pushing Proportions, and developing style.

Foervraengd talks about how he expanded his comfort zone with concept art & landscape drawing.

Luna Art talks about what they're thinking when doing concept art.

Repeating visual motifs in character design looks cool.

Eric's Thoughts on Drawing Backgrounds and Props.

Show vs. Tell: Why Visual is Not Optional in comics.

The Lost Vocabulary of Visual Story Telling Day 1, Day 2, Day 3, & Day 4.

Traditional Animation's 2 Digital Library books, The Know-How of Cartooning by Ken Hultgren & Advanced Animation by Preston Blair are two books from the golden age of animation they have up on their site for free viewing!

Animation resources dot org has a lot of cool stuff. Here's Nat Falk's How to Make Animated Cartoons (part 1). Their pages on Instruction & Theory are a good start.

Books

Good news: the internet archive has a TON of resources. Make sure to check around and toggle filters, it's a bit weird with organization. For example, a book can be under art or drawing - techniques, depending on who catalogues it.

Andrew Loomis is someone artist tend to die-hard reccomend. His work is collected here & here on the internet archive (one is Andrew Loomis, the other is Loomis, Andrew - thanks). I own Figure Drawing for All It's Worth and I recommend checking all of his stuff out, especially if you're having trouble with bodies and hands.

The Animator's Survival Guide by Richard Williams is mandatory in animation classes for good reason - it's fantastic!

Perspective for Comic Book Artist by David Chelsea is great for any type of artist. So is Extreme Perspective & Perspective in Action.

Scott McCloud's Understanding Comics, Reinventing Comics, & Making Comics. The first one is on the internet archive, the second two are likely avaliable at your library or at a bookstore as they're pretty popular.

Speaking of comics, Drawing Comics the Marvel Way has been a favorite of comic artist for years no matter what comic book companies and artist you like, it's a good introduction.

Anything by or endorsed by James Gurney, Color and Light: A Guide for the Realistic Painter is one of my favorites (this is his official page but you can get them elsewhere for cheaper too).

Art resource blogs with good tagging systems: @artist-refs , @help-me-draw , @helpfulharrie , @art-res , @drawingden , & @how-to-art

Lastly, I suggest if you find something you like online for free, SAVE IT! Whether it is through the Wayback Machine, screenshotting a whole webpage, reblogging/retweeting something, or putting it on pinterest, digital media is fickle and tends to go up in smoke when you least expect it. I have a partially organized Pinterest board that helped me find most of the stuff I wanted to keep. Figure out what works for you and save what you can.

#tutorials #art resources #art tutorial #tutorial #txt

[alasse-earfalas]

Some ideas I have about some of the Links and their brains.

This will not include all of the boys, as most of them (Time, Wind, Twilight, Four, and Hyrule) I see as being in the same basic camp when it comes to smarts and stuff, so there's nothing really for me to address there. I'm just going to point out some interesting quirks I've noticed / hc with the other four.

Warriors

It's easy to jump to the conclusion that Wars is the stupidest Link, since his game has no puzzles. I disagree. While yes, he is laughably terrible with puzzles, he is a strategic and tactical genius with a powerhouse, rapid-fire brain that can parse out an entire battle's worth of information in an instant and come to a decision in a flash. Traditional puzzles may not be his thing, sure, but that is not where his genius lies. His brain thrives on cutting through chaos with decisive action, and that is where he shines.

Sky

Has ADHD (inattentive type). Like, really, really bad inattention. Constantly spaces out and forgets things. There's a reason Fi pops up like, every half-second to remind him what he's supposed to be doing. Hylia knew what she was dealing with and planned accordingly. He is the most space-cadety of space-cadets. He'll be going along like a normal person with a normal train of thought and then he'll see a leaf floating by and completely forget what he's doing because the leaf is pretty and isn't it interesting how it moves with the wind like that and I wonder where it's going hey wait get back here—

But. Sky's mental superpower is that he is the fastest dang learner in the entire Chain. Not just with weapons or items or music like the rest of 'em, but everything. Wild's unable to cook but has all the ingredients for something he's made before? Sky watched how he did it once while helping him dice the veggies, so he'll just throw that meal together real quick. Wild let him flip through the "Ingredients" section of the compendium once, and now Sky can identify all the edible plants it listed by sight. He learned how to carve by watching Jakamar repair a couple of wooden structures one day. Sky may be a space cadet, but he's also the most potently absorbent practical-knowledge and information sponge you ever did meet.

Wild

Also has ADHD (combined type). There are literal "ooo shiny" mechanics in the freaking game. Koroks? ooo shiny. Shrine quests? ooo shiny. Every single item that Wild can pick up in the game literally sparkles. Everything about the Sheikah Slate is designed to account for this: scope pins, map stamps, inventory organization, Hyrule Compendium, Sheikah Sensor, photo album, a journal which he uses to take fastidious detailed notes of all the crap he needs to remember because he knows he'll forget all of it otherwise. He struggles to sit still for extended periods unless he is asleep or gazing into a pretty fire.

Wild is also the creative genius out of the bunch. He has the most robust understanding of fundamental physics out of the entire Chain. His visual thinking and creative problem-solving skills are off the charts. The rest of the Chain may be able to navigate with maps and compasses, but Wild can navigate foreign terrain using nothing but the environment itself. Present him with a problem and he'll think of fifty different ways to address it and all of them will usually work. He is an all-around genius problem solver and astoundingly creative thinker.

Legend

Mind like a freaking. Steel. Trap. Nothing slips past his awareness or gets forgotten. Ever. Journals are pointless because his brain is an information vault. Oh, and any puzzle he's handed better say goodby to its loved ones and make sure its will is in order because this lad will solve it before it has a chance to defend itself.

Let me just, give you an example. Just one. You see this here?

How long do you think you could remember this random character vomit without writing it down? A few minutes, maybe? Maybe a couple hours, or a day or two if you took the time to memorize it?

Try an entire journey to another country after hearing it only once.

Oh, but that's not even the most impressive part! You see, Legend didn't just hang onto one of these memorization nightmares for an entire extended trip to another land, oh no—he remembered several of them. Perfectly. As if that wasn't enough, y'all remember the item swap quests? Yeah, without notes of any kind, this Link remembered who needed what in every single one of those convoluted trading chains. All while he was busy saving the world.

The downside is that Legend's thinking is not very flexible. He operates best when there is a single correct solution to a given problem. He much prefers having concrete information to work with, rather than a vague scenario with a shrug and a, "idk, figure something out". Being dropped into a massive open world with no information other than, "alright here ya go, here's some basic abilities and a light dusting of backstory, now get out there and save the Princess!" would be an overwhelming, anxiety-riddled nightmare for this dude.

#linkeduniverse #linked universe #lu warriors #lu sky #lu wild #lu legend #sorry that ended so abruptly #I didn't really know what else to say #so there you go #those are my thoughts

[katyswrites]

don't call me 'baby'

PART 5 | SERIES

Pairing: Steve Harrington/fem!reader

Warnings: Sugardaddy!Steve, SMUT (18+), daddy kink, ddlg dynamics, dom/sub dynamics, slight breeding kink, dirty talk, semi-public sex, swearing, sexual harassment/men being gross, alcohol use, smoking, age gap, no use of y/n

Wordcount: 9.6k

A sugar daddy modern AU, a whirlwind summer romance in Italy, and two people from completely different walks of life, somehow finding each other in one of the most beautiful cities in the world. But, what will happen when summer ends?

PART 5 | our secret moments in a crowded room

In the few weeks that followed, you often found yourself looking around and wondering how this was your life. If it wasn’t so stupidly cliché, you’d actually stop and pinch yourself to make sure this was all real.

After that first night, you started spending more time with Steve. It often went the same way - he’d send you a text in the middle of the day, telling you when to be ready that evening. You’d dress up in something nice he had made for you, more dresses and outfits getting sent over from Valentina throughout the days that followed. He’d come pick you up, but you’d never let him come upstairs - the idea was so embarrassing that the thought of it alone made you want to sink into the floor.

Then, he’d take you out to dinner at some restaurant that you certainly had never dreamed of setting foot in before - you were pretty sure he charged you just to breathe the air inside. The food was always delicious, the wine divine - and the company wasn’t so bad, either. Over dinner, and with the passage of time, you began to learn a bit more about him. You knew that he was born in a small town in Indiana called Hawkins; he was an only child, and got out of that town and moved to Chicago as soon as he could, never looking back; you also knew that he was right - he was practically married to his work. He often only talked about work - what he was dealing with during the day, how Billy and Tommy were insufferable, the places he had lived in and traveled to on business. 

As he opened up and talked more, you had started keeping a detailed list in your head of the things you were learning about Steve that he wasn’t necessarily saying:

He rarely mentioned his family. Or any friends really, for that matter.

This didn’t bother you - at least, it shouldn’t have. He didn’t owe you this information - you weren’t his girlfriend, and you both weren’t in any way obligated to delve into each other’s personal lives. In fact, the less you two got into that stuff, the better - that was what you told yourself. But, whenever the topic of his family started to come up organically, his voice would trail off, followed by a quick change of subject. There was something unspoken there, something you were smart enough to not push. And you recognized yourself in him in those moments - somebody who didn’t have a good home life growing up, someone who doesn’t have anybody to turn to. You filed the information away for later, just in case. And, you knew one thing: don’t ask about his family, ever.

Steve loved to give everything he had

This was already obvious - he was sending you thousands of Euros a week, and never hesitated to pay for, well, everything. At first, you had insisted on at least paying for something while you two were out together. But he never even let you look at the bill, and by this point, you didn’t even pretend to reach for your wallet. It felt strange, to have someone take care of you like this - it took some getting used to, but Steve always appeared as if nothing made him happier than spoiling you. The routine had become rather familiar - he’d send you a text that felt almost a bit too formal, asking (or sometimes, telling) you when he wanted to see you next. You’d put on something nice he had bought for you and he’d pick you up outside of your apartment - you never let him come upstairs. Then, he’d whisk you away to some five-star restaurant for dinner or a glamorous bar for drinks. You’d both chat and catch up about however long it had been since you’d last seen one another. 

You hardly ever kissed in public spaces, or outside of sex at all. You didn’t hold hands. You didn’t show each other affection when you went out at all, really - why would you? But, if you were feeling a little cheeky, or downright impatient, you’d put your hand on his knee, and let it travel up, up, up - and he’d call for the check like his life depended on it. Then, he’d take you back to his place. And that brought you to the third point on your list:

He was fucking incredible in bed

You had already figured that out after your first time together. But, the paranoid, inherently pessimistic part of you wondered if it was a fluke, or maybe you were just looking through rose-colored glasses because it had been a while for you, and it just felt good to be touched like that by somebody. But, if anything, it was only getting better. As you got to know one another more, and the layers of strangeness between you two were shed, it became less awkward and more comfortable. You found yourself feeling more bold in bed, ready to try new things. And, Steve was eager to please. He would ask you what you liked, what you wanted, and in return you would rile him up, do everything you could and push it as far as you could with one goal in mind: blowing his mind. And there, at least, you were proving to be pretty successful.

One thing was rather constant - he was so vocal in bed. And you were, too - it was like he brought it out of you, his new, eager side. But everything else was different each time. Sometimes, he was soft and slow, taking his time with you. Others, he was rough and fast, practically using you as a plaything as you screamed beneath him.  Some nights were like the very first, where he relinquished control and let you have your way with him. Other times, though, he liked to take control and manhandle you, and you let him.

Tonight was one of those nights. He had taken you to a rooftop restaurant, the warm early June air lending itself to the setting perfectly. Rome sprawled out in front of you, with its warm lights and bustling streets. Dinner had been delicious, the wine spreading through you and making you feel just a bit warm and mellow. It was perfect - and you wanted nothing more than to leave. Because god, he looked good, dressed in all-black with his button-down undone on top, letting his chest hair peek through whenever he’d reach up to run his hands through his hair. So, when he finally did take you home, you had practically jumped him as soon as you got in the elevator in his building. And, he had wanted it just as badly as you. It was how you ended up here, right now, writhing beneath him as he pounded into you. He was merciless, your legs wrapped around his back to pull him closer, deeper. His hand was between you, finger circling your clit in a way that was driving you insane. You thrusted up to meet his hips, and the angle was just right to make you scream out his name.

“Yeah? You liked that?” he gasped, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he hovered over you.

“Fuck, yeah - you feel so good, you cock feels so - ah! Just like that - yeah, oh my god -”

“Yeah, look at you - all fucked out, just for me. Are you gonna come again? Are you gonna come on my cock, like a good girl?”

Again. Because he had thrown you on the bed and eaten you out like a starving man, having you come undone in a matter of minutes. He had hardly given you a moment to recover before he was fucking you, and your mind couldn’t focus on anything other than Steve.

“Yeah,” you moaned, head thrown back as he fucked into you. “I’m gonna come on your cock - I’m your good girl -”

“Damn right you are,” he said gruffly, continuing his assault on your clit. 

You had never really done this in bed before him, either - the pet names, the dirty talk, all of it. It had felt foreign, at first, but you realized you were into it. There was one thing you hadn’t tried yet that you wanted to - there was a chance Steve would love it, or absolutely hate it. You had almost said it a few times, just to test the waters. But each time, something stopped you, and you found yourself holding back. Now, though, most rational thought had left you - all you could think about was Steve, and how good he felt, the stretch of him, the filthy things he was whispering in your ear -

“I’m so close,” you gasped, walls clenching and fluttering around him as you felt the heat building in your core. “Oh my god -”

“Come on, baby - cum on my cock. You know you want to - I can’t wait to cum in this pussy, fill it up - cum for me, right on this cock -”

“Yes,” you cried, your orgasm hitting you like a tsunami. You arched your back, pressing yourself into him as the pleasure washed over and spread through you. 

“I’m coming, daddy, oh my god -”

His thrusts faltered for a second, and he nearly fell forward on top of you before catching himself on his forearms. You squeezed and convulsed around him, and he let out a guttural groan as he spilled into you. He buried his face into your neck, sucking on the skin there as he gave a few more sloppy thrusts before stilling. You both stayed that way for a few moments, your fingers still pressed into his shoulder blades as you both let your breathing get back under control. You stared up at the ceiling, heart pounding. After a few moments, he pulled out of you and rolled over, pulling the sheet up to cover you both. He flopped next to you, and you heard the rustle of his head turning on the pillow to look at you. Steve’s gaze burned through your skull, but you stayed staring at the ceiling, terrified of what you might see if you brought yourself to look at him.

Did he hate it? Was he just trying not to laugh at you? Or, was he just concerned? You did know one thing - you had liked it. More than you thought you would. What did that mean?

You felt something brushing your arm, and you looked to see that it was his hand, gently running the backs of his fingers up and down your bare skin.

“You okay?” he asked softly. You finally brought your eyes to meet his, and sighed. He was difficult to read, even now.

“Yeah,” you whispered. “I just - sorry about that.”

He furrowed his brow.

“About what?”

You cast your eyes down, fiddling with your hands.

“About - well, like - I just wanted to try it out. But, like - if you weren’t into it -”

“Whoa, hey,” he said soothingly. “I - I definitely was into it. It was really fucking hot - this might be dumb to say, but I don’t think I’ve ever cum so hard in my life.”

You felt your face heat, like you were fourteen and found out someone had a crush on you or something.

“Yeah?”

“Yeah,” he said, smiling. 

“Good,” you breathed. “Because, I really want to do it again.”

Before he could say anything else, you were rolling over and kissing him, and not a lot of real talking happened after that.

****

Afterwards, you were lying in his bed sipping a glass of wine, his arm around you as he scrolled through his phone.

“Sorry,” he muttered. “Fucking work - why Brenner thinks he can email me at midnight, I have no idea -”

“It’s okay,” you said, shrugging. “I get it.”

It really was fine. He didn’t do this very often, at least, not as often as you’d expect someone with his job to. It was par for the course, you reasoned. Then, you sat up a bit straighter.

“Wait - nearly midnight? Don’t you have work in the morning?”

He sighed, throwing his head back against the headboard and shutting his eyes. 

“Yes,” he groaned. “Wish I didn’t. But I do.”

“What time do you have to get up?”

“I don’t know, I usually set my alarm for a little after six.”

You felt a wave of guilt wash over you, and shook your head.

“Oh, I’m sorry - I really should go, then -”

That was another thing - you never spent the night. He never said you couldn’t, exactly. But it felt strange - he usually had to be up early, and if you actually stayed over… you weren’t sure what that made you to him. So it was easier to just leave after, usually with a promise from him that you’d hear from him again soon.

“Oh, right,” he said quickly. “That’s fine - let me just call my car.”

You nodded, finding your dress where it laid on the floor, face flushing at the memory of Steve practically tearing it off of you earlier. As you shimmied into it, you heard him say behind you -

“Oh! By the way - I have a question for you. A proposition, I guess.”

You spun around as you fumbled with the zipper on the back of your dress.

“Okay, I’m listening.”

“Are you free on Saturday night?” he asked.

“I definitely can be. Why, did you want to grab dinner?”

Grab dinner was certainly one way to describe what you two usually did. A euphemism, at best. But he just smirked, and shook his head.

“Not exactly - there’s a work event that I’m going to. A charity gala, actually. It’s a black-tie sort of thing. But, I have a ticket, and I get to bring a plus one. I haven’t - I mean, I definitely would -”

He sighed, running a hand through his now-mussed hair, thanks to you.

“It might be kind of terrible, and you can 100% say no if you don’t want to. It’ll probably be pretty boring, mostly just my colleagues and our clients and investors, but the meal is paid for, and it has an open bar, there’s dancing -”

He was rambling, and not exactly meeting your gaze, and you realized that he was actually nervous.

“Yeah, sure,” you said simply. “That’d be nice.”

He stopped mid-sentence, meeting your eyes.

“Really? Because, you really don’t have to, if you’d rather do something fun with your friends or something -”

“Steve - I said I’ll go. I want to go.”

He visibly relaxed, and nodded.

“Okay - great. I’ll have Valentina make something for you to wear - like I said, it’s really formal. I’ll take care of it.”

“Right,” you said, popping your leg up as you shoved your foot into your shoe. “Thanks for that.”

He waved a hand as he typed away on his phone with the other.

“Always, you know that.”

Always. He was right - he always took care of you. Why, you had no idea. But you were finally starting to accept that this was your life now, and maybe something nice was happening to you just because it was. It was a new feeling.

“Okay, well, let me know the details and… I guess I’ll see you Saturday?”

He looked up at you, thinking for a moment. 

“Yeah, probably. I really want to try to see you again between now and then, but… I do have that client dinner on Wednesday, and I’m going over to Paris until Friday - but, I’ll text you, yeah?”

You nodded, pasting on a smile that you hoped conveyed nonchalance.

“Yeah - whatever works. Just let me know.”

“Great - here, let me -”

And he was following you through his apartment to the door, wearing only in his boxers, you as a more disheveled version of the girl who had arrived earlier. He always walked you to the door, but you insisted on seeing yourself down to the lobby. Then, as usual, he pecked you on the cheek, and asked you to text him when you got home safely. 

And, as usual, you couldn’t help but feel just a bit empty as you rode the elevator down. You knew it was stupid - this was the whole deal. And, if you were being honest, this arrangement was the best thing that could’ve happened to you this summer. You were richer than you’d ever been, wanted for nothing, and were having fantastic sex on a regular basis. 

Still, after a silent drive home, thanking the driver, bounding up the stairs to your flat, and hopping right into the shower, you couldn’t help but feel more alone than ever. 

You hoped that the hot water would wash away the feeling, just as it washed sweat, makeup, perfume, and Steve down the drain. But it didn’t. It never did. No, Steve clung to you like the lingering smell of smoke on old fabric. 

You flopped into bed, exhausted, but not before sending the promised text:

home and showered thanks again - let me know about saturday

It was past 1am now - you figured he probably was asleep by now, with his workday mere hours away. Instead, just as you started to drift off to sleep, your phone lit up on the nightstand:

Always - I’m glad you made it home safe. I’ll come by to get you at 6:30 p.m. on Saturday. Valentina will have the dress sent over before then. I’d suggest wearing the nicest jewelry you have, too - feel free to use my credit card. Sorry I have to work/travel a lot this week. But I’ll see you on Saturday.

You rolled your eyes at his text - the formality of it all made it seem like he was 80 years old sometimes. You sent back a quick reply:

sounds good i’ll try to look decent haha

You saw that he was typing for several minutes, starting and stopping, before settling on something short:

You’ll look beautiful. You always do.

You felt your face heat, and suddenly wanted to bury your face in your pillow. Instead, you pivoted the conversation:

ok - now go to sleep! i didn’t think you’d still be up lol

A moment, then a reply from Steve:

I wasn’t able to sleep until I knew you were home. It’s not a problem - sleep well.

Another three dots appeared like he was going to add something else, but then they vanished. You frowned, then wrote back:

ok - goodnight and sleep well too

He replied one last time before you even had the chance to put your phone back on your nightstand:

Goodnight. I always sleep better after I’ve been with you.

You flipped your phone over and turned it down, not daring to look at it again. You decided not to dwell on the meaning of that last text. Logically, it’s just him trying to make a joke, something about being tired out from the sex. That thought is what you settled on as you drifted off to sleep. Because, if you tried to read into it any more, you knew you’d be digging yourself into a hole you couldn’t get out of - and that was enough to make any person go insane.

*****

You didn’t hear much from Steve for the rest of the week. He worked late most evenings, and traveled to Paris for two days to close some big deal that you only vaguely understood the workings of. On Friday night, you finally got one text:

About to board my flight back. Your dress will be delivered in the morning, so keep an eye out for that. I’ll come to pick you up around 6:30. Also - don’t wear earrings.

You raised an eyebrow at that last part. But, Steve always had his reasons, and you knew well enough by now to not question it. 

Sure enough, late Saturday morning, your buzzer rang. You signed for the delivery and hauled the garment bag inside, the now-familiar brand label embroidered on the side. Robin was sitting cross-legged on the couch, still in her pajamas and munching on an apple.

“Is that it? For your thing tonight?”

“Yeah,” you replied, hooking the hanger over the top of your door. “Want a peek?”

Robin nodded vigorously and bounced up from the couch, looking over your shoulder as you unzipped it.

“Oh, wow,” she said. “It’s -”

“Yeah,” you finished. “It’s beautiful.”

“It’s sexy, is what it is,” Robin finished, taking another big bite out of her apple as she leaned against the wall. “And stupidly fancy. Are you sure he’s not taking you to, like, Buckingham Palace or some shit?”

You rolled your eyes, zipping the bag back up.

“Guess we’ll find out.”

As the day rolled from afternoon and hurtled closer to the evening, you took your time getting ready. You treated yourself to a long, hot shower, taking care to really soak in the suds as the water washed over you. You did everything meticulously - your hair, skincare, makeup, and had even taken time earlier in the afternoon to go out and get your nails done. You had been so used to just painting them yourself at home, that it had felt downright luxurious to have someone do it for you. You weren’t sure why you were so concerned, at first. You were comfortable enough with Steve by now that you weren’t too worried about impressing him - no, you told yourself, impressing Steve can’t be important to me.

You thought about how he had asked you, how nervous he had been, and the relief on his face when you agreed to come - this event tonight, it was important to him. And, the least you could do was show that you cared, too.

Then, came the dress. At first, it had seemed a bit simple - it was black, made of a soft, satin-like material. But, once you slipped into it, you understood - the form-fitting, floor length gown left little to the imagination. The neckline plunged, far past your sternum, while a giant slit ran up the leg on the right side. The back plunged down too, the floor-length fabric soft and light against your legs. You tied the halter neck, taking a step back to actually admire yourself. You were never really someone who ever had an opportunity to dress up like this, well, ever. You opted to wear the necklace Steve had gifted you that very first night, smirking at the memory. By the time you were pulling on heels, it was nearly time to leave. Sure enough, at 6:30 on the dot, your buzzer was ringing, and you were scrambling for your (brand new) clutch, hurriedly shoving your phone and a spare lipstick into it and making a beeline for the door.

“Whoa!” Robin called from the kitchen, her jaw hanging in the doorway. “Look at you! Hot to trot!”

You smiled, and goddammit, you believed her. 

“I’m not going to lie - might be the best thing he’s had made for me yet.”

“I’ll say,” Robin remarked, stepping back to take you in. “Well, have fun. And, tell me everything when you come back, and I’ll live vicariously through you, yeah?”

You nodded, laughing as you made your way out the door, doing everything you could to not run down the steps.

When you reached the steps, there he was - in a goddamn tuxedo. His hair is a bit tamer than usual, and he’s devastatingly handsome. The second he saw you, his eyes widened, and he let out a low whistle.

“Christ - look at you,” he said quietly.

You grin, giving him a self-indulgent little spin.

“You like it?”

He nodded, his gaze traveling up and down your figure.

“I’ll say. You look incredible, seriously.”

You felt your face heat, and opted to just shrug.

“Well, some crazy rich dude had this made for me, so I guess I did my best to clean up nice.”

He chuckled, and held out his hand.

“Shall we?”

You took it, and he held you steady as you made your way down the steps, popping open the car door for you as you slid inside.

As the car peeled away from the sidewalk and made its way down the cobblestone streets, Steve cleared his throat next to you.

“So, before we get there - I thought it’d be nice if you wore these, maybe.”

You let your eyes fall down to where he held a velvet box in his hands, popping it open to reveal a set of diamond drop earrings. But, they are perhaps the most stunning, sparkly set of diamonds you’ve ever seen - even in the dim light of the car, they glisten like dew on the grass on a bright summer morning, impossible to look away from. You felt your jaw go slack, tracing the earrings gently with your fingers.

“Oh, Steve - they’re beautiful. Seriously, I - thank you,” you said sincerely, your voice softer than you meant for it to be.

You extracted them from the box and started to put them on, and you felt Steve’s gaze on you.

“Where did you buy these?” you asked, hoping you sounded nonchalant.

“Oh, well - I actually had them made. One of our clients - his wife is a gemologist, so she hand-selected the stones, so they’re top-tier, apparently. And they’re custom, so… nothing in the world is quite like them. At least, so I was told. I picked them up while I was over in Paris.”

You froze, eyes widening as you turned to face him.

“Wait, seriously?”

He nodded, shrugging.

“Well, yeah. I just thought it’d be nice to do, you know?”

Your instinct was to reject them, unable to even imagine how much they could have possibly cost. They felt wrong on your ears, like you shouldn’t have been wearing anything remotely close to them on your body. But you looked back at Steve, and he was staring at you like you’d hung the stars, and you realized that a rejection was exactly the reaction he was afraid of. So instead, you smiled, and reached out to take his hand in yours.

“Thank you,” you whispered. “They’re beautiful.”

He smiled softly, casting a quick glance down at your clasped hands - somehow, the gesture suddenly felt entirely too intimate, despite everything you two had done together, and you both withdrew at the same moment. Unsure what to do, you folded your hands in your lap, and stared out the window as silence fell.

****

The rest of the car ride was rather quiet, with only the occasional comment or joke from Steve, the city flying past. As the car slowed to a stop in front of the hotel, you suddenly felt a wave of anxiety start to rise in your chest - you were way out of your depth. As you spotted a line of limousines and groups of people dressed to the nines, it occurred to you that you didn’t necessarily belong here. As if he sensed it, Steve reached across the seat and gently placed a hand on your knee.

“Hey - it’s okay. For the most part, it’ll be boring as Hell, with so-so, overpriced food and a lot of business talk. But, I’ll stick by you, and I’ll fill you in on everything as best as I can, if you want, yeah?”

You took a deep breath, and nodded slowly, casting another look out the window.

“Yeah, okay - you lead the way, Harrington.”

He put on a bracing smile, and moved to help you out of the car. Once outside, he lifted his bent arm. You smiled, hooking your own arm through it and letting him lead you to the grand steps. As you made your way to the entrance, you felt like everyone was staring at you - were they wondering who you were? Or, what you were to Steve? Did they know? Were they judging? Or, were they just curious?

You tensed a bit, and felt Steve’s breath on your ear as he leaned in close and whispered, “Just so you know, you’re the most beautiful girl here. Not even a contest.”

You found that difficult to believe, the confidence you had had back at your apartment almost completely evaporated. Still, you couldn’t ignore the way your stomach flipped at his words, and you did your best to fight a smile as you pressed yourself closer to his side.

Once checked in, you and Steve found yourselves in a grand ballroom, with ornate golden ceilings and Renaissance-era murals adorning the walls. A pianist played a grand piano on the corner, the room full of people milling about with drinks and hors d'oeuvres.

You stood there for a moment, taking it all in. You probably looked like a child, staring up at the ceiling and around the room like you’d never seen anything like it. But, to be fair… you hadn’t. 

Steve whispered in your ear again, your heart racing at the feeling of his lips ghosting your skin.

“I know I said I wouldn’t leave your side, but can I make an exception for going to the bar? I can get you a glass of champagne, or whatever you want.”

“Yeah, champagne is fine for now. Thanks.”

He nodded, squeezing your arm as he pulled away.

“Great. We’re table 27, by the way - make your way over there, and I’ll find you, yeah?”

You nodded, eyes following him as he turned away and made his way through the crowd. You felt stupid, like a kid who had been separated from her mom at the grocery store. But, you didn’t know a single person, and even if you did…what the fuck would you talk about?

So, you opted to follow Steve’s suggestion and make your way across the room, scanning able placards as you searched for 27. 

Some guests were sitting at their tables, chatting over cocktails as you shouldered past. When you finally located the table, your smile faltered - because, there were already some people sitting there. You recognized them immediately, the sight causing a sense of dread to settle in the pit of your stomach.

It was Billy and Tommy, looking just as slimy as that night weeks ago when you first laid eyes on Steve. Only now, Steve wasn’t here, and if you recognized them, there was a damn good chance they’d know who you were, too.

Praying for a miracle, you continued to make your way to the table, forcing a small smile when they finally noticed you. It was Billy who caught your eye first, raising an eyebrow at the sight of you. You noticed him elbowing Tommy, whispering something into his ear. The other man’s eyes widened, and he hurriedly whispered something back into Billy’s ear, causing the two of them to snicker.

Before you could even attempt to sit, Billy laid back in his chair, smirking up at you.

“Well, I’ll be damned. Harrington couldn’t get a real date, so he brought our cocktail waitress. Truly, he never ceases to amaze me.”

You heard the roaring of your blood rushing through your ears, but kept your face neutral.

“Oh, yeah,” Tommy said, grinning maliciously. “How’s it feel to be among another tax bracket, sweetheart? To see how the other half lives, huh?”

“C’mon, Tommy,” Billy drawled. “She’s probably just a good lay - you know Stevie, he’s probably whipped -”

“How’d you afford that dress with your waitressing tips, huh?” Tommy asked, face painted in a smarmy smile. “Or, did your new boyfriend buy it for you? Are ya milking him for all he’s worth?”

You didn’t say anything, not wanting to engage. If you were being honest, you didn’t even know what you’d say to them - one one hand, you might completely lose your temper, and the last thing you needed was to cause a scene. On the other hand… you were afraid you might cry. And the last thing you needed was to give them the satisfaction. You did your best to ignore their comments, their endless taunts, and the way their eyes traveled up and down your body. A million and one intrusive thoughts were running through your mind, ranging from you running out in a fit of tears to planning the men’s elaborate murders. Then, a soft grip on your elbow, a familiar warmth by your side.

“Hey,” Steve said, nonchalantly reaching over to place your drink in your hand while wrapping his other arm around your waist. “Thanks for finding the table, babe. Nice spot - the company could be better, though,” he added, eyes locking with Billy on that last part.

Billy’s smile faltered, but only for a moment.

“Harrington! We were just telling your - well, your - this lovely lady here, just how happy we were to be making her acquaintance again. A surprising sight, that’s for sure.”

Steve plastered on a smile, pulling you just a little closer to his side.

“Yes, well, you know what I’m not surprised about? That you’ve come with a young girl on your arm, and Mrs. Hargrove is nowhere to be found! Funny how that goes, right?”

Billy’s eyes narrowed, and he crossed his arms, making a gruff noise as he turned his attention back to the dinner menu in front of him.

You let out a shaky breath, finally finding Steve’s eyes for the first time since he came back over. He gestured for you to take a chair, pulling it out and helping you in as he did. 

When he sat himself down between you and his colleagues, he leaned close and whispered, “You okay?”

You bit your lip, pausing for a moment before nodding slowly. 

“Yeah, I’ll be alright. I’ve dealt with worse.”

“Worse than what? What were they saying to you?”

You waved him off, staring ahead to avoid his gaze. 

“Doesn’t matter. I’ll live.”

You felt Steve’s hand find your knee under the tablecloth, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“I’m sorry. I thought there was a chance they’d be at our table, but I was really hoping they wouldn’t. I can kill them though, if you want.”

You laughed dryly, placing your hand over his under the table.

“I think I’ve got that covered, but if I need an alibi, I’ll use you.”

That earned a hearty chuckle from Steve, and you started to sip your champagne. If the first part of the evening was an early indicator, you’d need to start drinking now, and not stop.

*****

Steve hadn’t been lying - this thing was pretty boring. You and Steve spent the rest of the cocktail hour milling around, actively avoiding the company at your designated table for as long as possible. It was mostly you standing by Steve’s side, smiling and acting engaged in conversation as he chatted with colleagues and clients. By the end of it, you really started to understand how he’s worked his way up in the corporate world at such a relatively young age - he was born to do this. He was charming, and smart, and had a way of schmoozing every person he encountered. It was easy to be drawn to him, to want to listen to anything and everything he had to say. You felt practically invisible next to him, but strangely weren’t too bothered by it because… you understood. It was impossible to move more than a few feet without someone in a suit stopping him, offering a firm handshake and a clap on the back before devolving into business talk. 

Steve also knew how to clue you in, whispering in your ear every time you approached a new group - their names, who they worked for, who was here with their spouse or mistress,who screwed who out of a deal, and who was an asshole to steer clear from. If gossip was a real love language, Steve Harrington was fluent. And, you had to admit that it kept things light and fun, at the very least.

Steve would make an effort to introduce you to everyone, referring to you as my date tonight, which was fair enough. Still, you shifted uncomfortably when the men looked you up and down, the women regarding you with curiosity at best, an air of disdain at worst. You switched rather quickly from champagne to Old Fashioneds, doing everything in your power to not seem like you were just downing the liquor. If Steve noticed, he said nothing. By the time dinner rolled around, you were feeling a bit beyond tipsy, and ignored the other men sitting at your table. During dinner, there were a series of speeches, most notably from Dr. Brenner. You couldn’t help but feel uneasy when he was in view, even if he was all the way at the front of the room. There were a few times you could have sworn he was staring right at you, enough that you had to tear your eyes away and stare down at your duck confit, picking at it with your fork.

Then, came the dancing - a live band came out, a good one, and soon enough, everyone was up and making their way to the middle of the ballroom. Steve got up, holding out his hand towards you.

“Care to dance?”

You giggled, taking his hand and letting him help you out of your seat.

“Steve, I’ve got to tell you something,” you whispered as you made your way to the dance floor.

“Yeah?”

“I’m kind of a terrible dancer,” you admitted.

“Good,” he replied. “Because I am, too.”

Then, he took one of your hands in his, placed the other on the small of your back, pulling you close to him.

It wasn’t dancing, exactly, more swaying and shuffling around. But the music was good, and Steve was so close, so it was enough. After a few minutes, Steve whispered, “Is everything okay?”

“Yeah,” you replied. “Just thinking. And, I think I had a little too much to drink,” you admitted sheepishly.

Steve chuckled, squeezing your hand as you turned with him.

“Thanks, for coming with me tonight. I know it’s kind of boring, but… having you here actually made me want to come.”

He said it softly, but so sincerely, and you felt your stomach flip at the tenderness of it all.

“Yeah?” you asked.

He nodded, glancing quickly around the room, before turning back to you and leaning even closer.

“I usually kind of hate these things. But, they’re important to show my face, so… it’s nice to not have to do it alone.”

You didn’ know what came over you, but you reached your hand up to the nape of his neck, and pulled his lips to yours. The kiss only lasted a moment, but when you pulled away, the look Steve was giving you made you start to feel even more dizzy, something warm crackling in your chest.

“What was that for?” he breathed.

You shrugged.

“For inviting me. And the earrings. And the dress. And… everything else.”

Then, something unreadable passed his features, and his eyes darkened.

“Here’s what’s going to happen,” he said, his voice suddenly much lower. “In a few minutes, they’re going to start rolling out desert, and people are going to start dispersing, and they’re going to give out some awards and make more speeches. But you are going to go to the ladies’ room.”

You raised an eyebrow.

“Why?”

“Because,” he murmured, “it’s the part of the night everyone actually comes here for. So the bathrooms will be empty. Nobody would even notice we’re gone.”

Understanding, you felt your face flush, and a cheeky grin started to ghost your lips.

“Are you trying to seduce me, Harrington?”

He shrugged.

“Is it working?”

Your hand on his waistband answered his question.

******

“Oh, fuck - Steve - right there! Fuck, do that again -”

You had your back pressed against the stall, face buried in Steve’s neck. Your dress was hiked up your leg, panties pushed to the side as his fingers pumped in and out of you. Your breast hung out of the dress, which had been fighting to cover you up to begin with. His thumb vigorously massaged your clit, while his two fingers curled inside that perfect spot within you. You moaned, fingers gripping the back of his tux.

“You’ve gotta be quiet, baby,” he growled, lips pressed to your ear. “Anyone could just walk in and hear us.”

You pressed your lips to his neck and sucked at the skin there, sure to leave a bruise in the morning. But it was too good, too much, and he was right - you were in a stall in the women’s bathroom, and anyone could come strolling in and hear you. But you weren’t used to being quiet with Steve - you wanted to scream, to call him the pet names he so dearly loved, but you couldn’t. 

“I bet you love this,” he whispered, coating his fingers in your slit before diving back in. “Does it get you off? The idea of fucking yourself on my fingers in public? Do you want other people to know what a dirty girl you are? I bet you fucking do - if you’ve gotta scream, baby, make sure it’s my name, so everyone in this fucking place knows that I’m the one making you feel this good -”

As he rambled, he picked up the pace, fingers pumping with more fervor as you bucked into his hand. You threw your head back, letting it hit the door of the stall as you felt your climax building in your core.

“More,” you gasped, hips bucking. “Please, Steve -”

“Can you take another? You sure, baby?”

You nodded weakly, and he added a third finger, pumping and stretching you until you could hardly stand it.

“If only you could see yourself,” he whispered. “All fucked-out in your dress, wearing those million-dollar earrings - shit, you’re a fuckin’ wet dream, baby.”

Before you could process anything he was saying, your orgasm was hitting you, fast and hard. You squeezed around his fingers like a vice, the pleasure rushing through you from head-to-toe. Your hand flew to your mouth, biting down as you came to stifle the scream.

“There you go, baby,” he whispered. “Fuckin’ perfect - you’re gushing on my hand, you minx.”

You laughed shakily, letting your head fall forward onto his shoulder.

“You okay?” he asked. You nodded weakly, nuzzling into his neck.

“Yeah - I just need a second.”

Your breath hitched as he slowly withdrew his fingers, your cunt still sensitive. Then, with a mischievous glint in his eye, Steve held up his slick-soaked fingers, and began to lick them clean.

“You taste fuckin’ amazing, baby,” he whispered roughly. “Makes up for missing dessert. We should probably get back, though.”

You smirked. 

“Do you think they’ve noticed we’re gone yet?” you asked.

“Probably not. But they might, soon. And, people around here talk.”

“Well, I’ll be quick, then.”

Before he could ask what you meant, you were shoving him against the wall of the stall, fumbling with his belt, and sinking to your knees. Soon enough, it was Steve’s turn to try to be quiet, much to your satisfaction.

******

You and Steve didn’t stick around at the gala much longer. He had gone back to the table first, leaving you to fix your makeup and pull yourself together to the best of your ability. Your swollen lips and smudged mascara, rumpled dress and newly-forming bruise on your collarbone were enough to delay your return. After you got back, though, Steve could barely keep his hands off of you. If anyone had noticed your absence, they gave little indication; you figured they must have suspected something though, considering you had to hurriedly wipe away your lipstick stain from Steve’s jaw, much to his embarrassment. 

He pulled you to the dancefloor again, hand splayed across the small of your back as he held you close. It occurred to you that he was probably also just a bit drunk. He seemed a little more carefree, the stiff, formal facade fading with each passing moment. 

“Hey, Harrington?” you whispered in his ear.

“Mm?”

“D’you think we can get out of here?”

He didn’t need to be told twice.

The journey from the party to Steve’s apartment was a bit of a blur - his hands snaking under your dress in the car ride home, his lips on your neck, your fingers in his hair. You both practically stumbled into the elevator, wasting no time in shedding each other’s clothes before you even made it to the bedroom.

Despite the initial urgency, Steve took his time with you that night. He kissed you everywhere, whispering filthy prayers into your skin along the way. He touched you like he’d never get a chance to again, tasted you like he was starving to death - and you let him, writhing and moaning beneath him as he had his way with you. You had come twice before he even had a chance to properly take his clothes off. When he finally slipped inside of you, he lost it, so worked up that he was coming undone in minutes. 

He moaned filthy praises into your skin, calling you a good girl and gasping out your name. It was a hazy mess of sweat and skin and screams, more drunk on each other than the liquor by the time it was done.

Afterwards, you laid across his covers, the room a bit too warm, the scent of summer air and sex invading your senses. You were only wearing the earrings he had given you earlier in the evening, the diamonds weighing a bit on your ears. But he had asked you to keep them on, and who were you to say no? You were exhausted, still breathing heavily when he re-entered the bedroom, clad only in his silk boxers and carrying two glasses of wine.

“You trying to get me drunk, Harrington?” you asked, laughing breathily.

“I think it’s too late for that,” he reasoned, sliding onto the bed next to you.

“Nope, pretty sure it’s all out of my system now. Thanks for that.”

He chuckled, wrapping an arm around you as you nuzzled into his side. You were worn out, the tiredness seeping into your bones as you melted into him. He didn’t even bother actually handing you one of the glasses, your eyelids growing heavier as you let your cheek fall onto his chest, the dull feeling of his heartbeat against your ear pulling you into sleep like a lullaby.

You knew you needed to get home, not even sure of exactly how late it was. But you just needed a few minutes, and maybe a cigarette, before you could even think about moving from this bed.

It was Steve who broke the comfortable silence, after a few moments.

“Did you have a good time tonight?”

“Mm,” you mumbled. “Yeah - I mean, it had its moments, but… I liked where it ended.”

He laughed, the rumble in his chest running through you, and you smiled into his skin.

“Thank you, for taking me,” you added. “And for everything, I guess.”

“It’s not a problem,” he said. “I mean, I usually hate those things. They can be stiff, boring, the food is only okay, and it just feels like another day of work in the middle of the weekend. But - having you there… I actually enjoyed myself. I can’t really remember the last time that happened.”

You shifted a bit until you were on your stomach, chin on Steve’s chest as you looked up at him.

“Can I ask you something?”

He nodded slowly, brushing some stray hair out of your face.

“Why do you work that job? I mean, I know the money’s good - clearly - but… you hate it. Every time you talk about it… you seem miserable, Steve.”

You had been thinking about it for a while, but not brave enough to say it. But you were tired, still a bit tipsy, and it had been eating away at you. He sighed, leaning back against the headboard.

“It’s a long story. But, honestly? It’s because of my dad.”

Oh. Family - this territory wasn’t breached a lot. But, you stayed silent, seeing if he’d off up any more information.

“He and I - we never exactly got along. He’s not all bad, it’s just - I think he and I are a bit too similar sometimes, to be honest. I was always pretty well-off growing up, and I think he wanted me to be like him - go to a good college, go into business, get a good white-collar job. And that’s what I did. He actually knew Brenner, from way back in the day. Call it nepotism, or networking, or whatever you want. But, yeah, I guess my dad kind of had an in with HNL. And I got an offer right before I finished college - I would’ve been an idiot to say no. And, Brenner’s retiring soon, probably, so if I play my cards right, I might make CEO before I’m 35.”

He didn’t look at you much as he said it, reciting the information like he was reading it from a textbook. You gently brushed your fingers across his skin, the chest hair tickling your knuckles as you continued to stare up at him.

“But… you hate it. I can tell.”

Steve nodded, slowly. 

“Yeah - I guess I do. But I’m also pretty damn good at my job. So - it feels like the right thing, I guess.”

He didn’t sound too sure, but you felt his heart rate quicken, noticed the way his eyes were shifting away from you, and that alone was enough to know to change the subject.

“Okay - then, I have a totally different question,” you said.

“Yeah?”

“In the bathroom, back at the party - please tell me these earrings didn’t actually cost you a million dollars. That was an exaggeration, right?”

He paused for a moment, then shrugged.

“You caught me - I misspoke. They were actually a million Euros - so I think that works out to be more in dollars.”

Your eyes widened, and you realized that he wasn’t lying.

“Steve -”

“Whatever you’re about to say, don’t,” he said firmly. “I want you to have them, and keep them. They look really nice on you… especially like this.”

You felt your face heat, suddenly aware of just how exposed you were, lying nude across his bed. Steve just grinned a bit devilishly, and you decided to kiss it right off of his face.

You weren’t sure how much time passed after that. You made your way under the covers at some point, pressing into Steve’s side while you both talked - about anything and everything. He divulged only a little bit more information about his life growing up, and you did the same; you talked about college, work, the kinds of movies and music you liked, stories of dates gone wrong, your least-favorite foods, books you had read recently. It was easy, casual, and strangely normal. You weren’t sure when you fell asleep. But, the last thing you remembered was your cheek pressed to Steve’s chest, his voice lulling you into darkness.

*****

The next morning, you woke up to early morning light peeking through the massive windows, neither you nor Steve bothering to have drawn blinds over them the night before. You blinked groggily, face half-buried in the pillow as you reached across the covers. You were met with an empty bed. You shot up, glancing around as you adjusted to your surroundings. As your brain kicked into gear, you finally reflected back on the night before, and realized with a sense of horror that you had spent the night. You weren’t sure if you were supposed to do that - it’s new territory. And where was Steve? Was he angry? Did he move to the couch? It was a Sunday, so work was unlikely. 

As you stretched and yawned, you spotted something out of the corner of your eye - a piece of paper on the nightstand. You picked it up, noticing Steve’s telltale handwriting immediately:

I went out for a run. I’ll pick up something for breakfast on my way back - I wanted to let you sleep in. Feel free to help yourself to anything you need. - Steve

You rolled your eyes - as if you would’ve thought the note would be from anybody else. You reached up to rub your eyes, and when you looked down, you spotted the smudges of makeup worn into the pillow. Shit. You hated sleeping in makeup.

That was how you found yourself swinging your legs over the edge of the bed, padding to the ensuite bathroom. You nearly jumped when you caught sight of yourself in the mirror - you had raccoon-like eyes, mascara smudged and worn into your skin. Your hair was a disaster, and to your own satisfaction, your skin was marked with bruises. Your fingers ghost the marks, remembering where Steve’s lips had been the night before, the things he had said - 

You shook the feeling, deciding instead to root through the drawers and cabinets until you found a towel, wasting no time to hop right in the shower. The large, glass-enclosed tile shower was a luxury compared to the little stall you had at home, the water pressure positively glorious. You smirked at the unusually large selection of products lining the wall - of course he had an intense hair routine. You were almost positive he had more stuff in his shower than you and Robin combined. You found something that you knew would at least get the job done, letting the soap wash everything away as you exhaled deeply. You couldn’t help but smile, the scent of the suds reminding you of Steve. 

After wrapping yourself in the towel, you scoured the cabinets until you found mouthwash, figuring it was better than nothing. 

When you returned to the bedroom, you realized your next predicament - the only clothing you had was your gown from last night, which was currently strewn across the floor as part of a trail of clothing leading to the bedroom. You felt yourself blush at the memory. Would Steve mind if you borrowed his clothes? Or, was that a step too far? Did he have a robe, maybe? You opened the closet across the room. To your relief, there was a robe. If you had to guess, there’s a good chance it just came with the apartment - it looked as if it had never been worn. You pulled it on, practically groaning at the feeling of the fluffy fabric on your damp skin. 

You had never been to his apartment in the daylight, you realized - it was nice. It still felt a bit empty, not quite lived-in, but the big windows really lit the whole place up. It must’ve been East-facing, with how bright the late-morning light was. You weren’t even sure what time it actually was - should you text Steve, and let him know you’re awake?

You searched the room for your phone, finally unearthing it from inside the small clutch you had brought to the gala last night, sitting right on the island in the kitchen. You hadn’t even gotten a chance to look at it after you’d gotten back last night - and, much to your chagrin, it was dead. 

From what you could see, there wasn’t a phone charger in sight. You made your way back to the bedroom, hoping there was one there already plugged into the wall, maybe near the nightstand. When you failed to find one, you took the next logical step, opening the nightstand drawer. The last thing you wanted was to go rooting through Steve’s stuff more than you needed to, but if there wasn’t a charger in there, you figured you’d have to give up as just wait for him to get back.

Inside the shallow drawer, there were a few assorted items - a comb, a few condoms, some spare Euro coins - and, luckily, a phone charger. You pulled it out, pleased with yourself.

You shouldn’t have looked further. Looking back, you should have closed the drawer, plugged in your phone, and waited for Steve to return. Maybe then you could have had a nice, lazy morning with Steve, sharing coffee and pastries in bed. But, something caught the corner of your eye, something that made you freeze. It was buried underneath everything else, but you could see enough to gather what it was.

You reached in with a shaky hand, pulling out a postcard-sized piece of paper. On it, was a picture of Steve, his arms wrapped around a woman with a sunset behind them. The woman was beautiful - curly brunette hair, big blue eyes, a charming smile. Steve had his head on her shoulder, cheek pressed into hers with the widest smile you’ve ever seen on him. And, printed next to the photo in big, cursive text:

SAVE THE DATE: Steve Harrington and Nancy Wheeler are tying the knot on September 3rd in Riverhead, New York. Invitation to follow.

You read it once. Twice. Fifty times. You gripped the edges hard enough to crinkle them, the image of Steve and Nancy growing blurry as your eyes started to burn.

The date was from last September. Nearly a year ago… Steve Harrington was married.

****

Author's note: ah! A cliffhanger! Yes, I introduced angst, but I promise it'll be resolved by the end of the next chapter. Sorry for the wait, but this part is basically double the length of all of the previous parts, so at least there's that! I'll do my best to continue tagging you all, but sometimes Tumblr won't let me! Turn on post notifications for future parts! As always, your thoughts, reblogs, and comments are appreciated! And, special shoutout to my bestie Em, who constantly fuels my fantasies for this fic!

#steve harrington smut #steve harrington fluff #steve harrington #steve x reader #steve harrington fic #steve harrington x reader smut #steve harrington/reader #steve harrington x reader #steve harrington/you #sugardaddy!steve harrington #modern steve harrington #steve harrington fanfiction #steve harrington x reader fluff #steve harrington x y/n #stranger things fanfic #steve harrington/fem!reader

[voxofthevoid]

April Anniversary Final List

I've compiled the 15 fics/ideas you guys picked in response to this post into a detailed list (under the cut). The numbers (51, 43, etc.) are now obsolete because I've added another idea to the list—yes, the total is 94 now, 77 untouched—and plan to keep doing it, which will alter the numbers owing to the way they're organized by ship(s). The doc will stay publicly available (...though I should really go through it and fix all the typos and errors).

Like I said in the OG post, I want to write a scene of approximately 1k for each of these. That's easy enough, usually, but I also want these to be coherent, standalone scenes—connected to the overall fic 'verse, yes, but a self-contained short story nonetheless. And we all know that's not my forte. So, yeah, it's gonna be a hell of a challenge.

These WIPs are not getting struck from my list once I'm done though. I'll be poking at them later, the way I do now—one at a time, until I'm out of the fandom.

Also, the usual disclaimer: If health/IRL fuckery pops up, I'll postpone or cancel the project. Hoping that won't happen, but you never know.

#1. 51 @nearalways

Canonverse pet play featuring a developing relationship, in which Yuuji jokingly says Gojou’s like a puppy and Gojou takes it and runs with it. Yuuji discovers the dubious joys of pet ownership.

#2. 43 @naeldeus

Satoru and her bigass tits single-handedly turn Yuuji from an ass woman into a chest woman, and Satoru’s reaction to Yuuji staring at her tits is to basically smother Yuuji in them in the guise of a hug. It escalates predictably.

#3. 31 @fluffys-nightmare

Yuuji makes a binding vow with the Angel to let her kill him and Sukuna after Gojou’s unsealed, except it doesn’t go as planned and the end result is Yuuji and Sukuna completely merged.

#4. 55 @laughing-sock

A curse user’s failed technique leaves Yuuji with a plush-like replica of Gojou, which Gojou lets him keep. It’s harmless until Yuuji accidentally activates a connection between the doll and Gojou.

#5. 36 (anon)

Sukuna kills the Angel so they can’t unseal Gojou. Teen!Gojou drops into the timeline and retrieves the PR, but they can’t open it. Yuuji has complicated emotional sex with teen!Gojou and spends every spare hour gazing plaintively at the PR. Teen!Gojou is in it mostly for the sex at first, except that doesn’t last.

#6. 45 (anon)

Post-canon where defeating Sukuna still leaves Yuuji with all his loved ones dead. He’s trying to busy himself by helping rebuild society when a new 6E+Limitless user is born, named “Satoru” to honor the last one, and a few years later, the Gojou clan asks for him to be the kid’s bodyguard.

#7. 71 (anon)

Gojou dubcons Megumi in his dorm room while mocking him about his crush on Yuuji, and when Yuuji bursts in after hearing concerning noises, Gojou offers Megumi to him.

#8. 67 @yaoshifollower

Canonverse breakup-makeup AU in a no-Shibuya context, spanning the time from Yuuji’s first year to his early-mid twenties. The sukuita parts are hatesex culminating in cannibalism; goyuu is the endgame.

#9. 03 @lo-55

Gojou tries to seduce Yuuji by rapebaiting him—sleeping on and near him in provocative clothing. Yuuji resists until he doesn’t.

#10. 73 (anon)

Yuuji semi-accidentally seduces Higuruma after their fight in the Culling Games, and during the one-month time skip after Gojou’s unsealed, he manages to semi-accidentally romance both men to the point of inevitable heartache.

#11. 74 @kubo-chan

Pre-canon where Kenjaku pays their favorite child a few in-person visits, finds that Yuuji’s body is rejecting Sukuna’s fingers, and lets their scientific curiosity run a little wilder than usual. Years later, Gojou finds Yuuji while investigating unusual curse activity.

#12. 08 @cunt-recesses

Omegaverse-canonverse alpha/alpha where 20-something Gojou adopts Yuuji, who was being raised by a Sukuna-focused cult.

#13. 50 @zalondra

Omegaverse-canonverse alpha/alpha where becoming Sukuna’s vessel triggers Yuuji’s rut early, a couple of days after he’s accepted into Jujutsu Tech, and since the higher-ups aren’t willing to risk Sukuna’s vessel losing control during that hormonal mess, Gojou volunteers to help him through it.

#14. 42 (anon)

Someone makes the mistake of letting Gojou teach sex-ed to the first-years. It’s a pretty typical class for Nobara and Megumi, but Yuuji's living a different porn scenario every week.

#15. 24 (anon)

Sukuna–Yuuji role reversal where Yuuji’s more interested in his vessel’s teacher than the vessel himself, and Gojou gets too much of a thrill from playing with fire.

#vox unhinged #i've picked the scenes for each one #will probably start in march #alongside the shibuya swap

[i99zhuo]

How to live like wonyoung

this is a guide on daily routines inspired by jang wonyoung!

Content list (routines):

morning

study

workout

shower + self care

night

(_ _ ) . . z Z⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚୨ :★: ୧ ∗  ˖࣪ ໒꒱  ˚₊·

✸ ꒰ morning routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

Wonyoung starts her days by stretching, this can help to relieve any tension or pain from the night before. Stretching shouldn't take that long to do, so make sure to stretch for at least 5 minutes every day. If you don't know how to do it, you can follow along a tutorial like this one.

Next step is skincare, to create the perfect skincare routine you need to at least wash your face and then use moisturizer and sunscreen, use products based on your skin type and add more steps only if you find it really necessary.

Now it's time for breakfast! Wonyoung loves to drink a cup of soy milk every morning, she also likes to have light and clean breakfast, so a good idea is to have some fruits and yogurt.

Finally, it's time to get ready for the day! Choose a cute outfit and hairstyle that fits the occasion + do your makeup, find your own style and get inspiration from Pinterest!

✸ ꒰ study routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

First things first, organize your time so you have at least a week to study for exams or get your assignments done. Avoid procrastinating, the more time you have, the less work you'll have to do.

One time, when Wonyoung was asked about study tips, she said that it's important to find your own study style. Study methods don't work on everyone, so it's important to experiment with various methods until you find the one that works the best for you.

Now that we know our study style it's time to actually work and focus hard, for this we need to create the perfect study environment, clean and ventilate your room, turn some instrumental music on (or study with me videos for inspo), get some healthy snacks, water or literally anything to make yourself comfortable! (stuffed animals, pillows, blankets, etc.)

When studying, always focus on understanding the content and continuously solve sample questions, repeating the same material for various days actually helps to remember details better, but if you are in a rush or running out of time you can try and memorize the content.

Take breaks and get enough sleep, taking breaks in between study sessions it's actually more productive than not doing so, some productive ways of taking breaks are meditation, listen to music, reading, journal or taking a power nap, sleep is very important, you can't have a proper study session if you don't have the energy to do so.

Stop comparing yourself with others! You aren't in a competition with the rest, the only opponent you have is yourself, so your goals should always focus on breaking your own records and become even better than your past self.

✸ ꒰ workout routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

When working out like wonyoung we should aim to improve our posture and be more flexible, this will help when doing Pilates or yoga just like she does. Also, we can focus on losing weight or just toning up our bodies if you don't find it necessary.

Wonyoung love Pilates, you can pick any Pilates workout on YouTube based on your time or in your specific body goals, but here's a Pilates routine inspired by her. Also, if you feel like doing a full body workout, here's another video inspired by wony!

If you don't really like to work out at home, the other options you have is that you can try and join a flying yoga class like Wonyoung! She also spends lots of her time doing dance practice, so choosing your favorite kind of dance could be an option too!

Choose one and start doing it continuously to start seeing results, also, it's very important to have non-physical goals, like feeling happier or meet new friends! Remember to always drink water!

✸ ꒰ shower and self care routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

Time for some self-care! First, take off your makeup using micellar water or an oil based cleanser (only if you have dry skin!).

Then it's time to hop on the shower and start with our haircare routine, one of wonyoung's charms is her long healthy hair, so make sure to use the right products for your hair. Here's a quick haircare routine you can follow; massage your scalp using a scalp massager or your fingertips, then use the right amount of shampoo only on the scalp, next use a conditioner from middle to ends to moisturize and detangle your hair. If you identify a problem with your hair (for example too dry, difficult to manage, etc.) you can add using a hair mask to this routine!

While we leave the products in our heads for a few minutes, it's time for bodycare! always clean your body with soap and a loofa, if needed exfoliate your body 1-2 times a week for super soft skin! Next is shaving, shave only if needed and never do it when your skin is dry, if you don't have shaving cream, you can use conditioner, just make sure to rinse it very well after.

After we are done with the shower it's time for skincare, wash your face, you can also exfoliate your face 1–2 times a week (3 if your skin it's too oily). This is also the perfect time to use a face mask! Use a hydrating sheet mask if you feel that your skin is dry, or a clay mask if you feel your skin is oily. Finally, use a moisturizer.

With clean hands and our skincare done it's the perfect time for face massages! Massaging our faces can help to improve skin texture and reduce the puffiness of the face, I personally like to do it with my hands, but you can also use a facial roller or gua sha (just make sure to keep the clean).

We can't forget to moisturize our bodies, make sure to apply lotion all over your body, especially if you exfoliated or shaved, use a lotion with your favorite scent (strawberry, vanilla, etc.) or use an unscented lotion and immediately apply perfume to smell good all day long.

It's now time to continue with our haircare, gently brush your hair and dry it, if you are using a hair dryer you must apply some heat protection. Also, make sure to apply a leave-in conditioner to prevent dry ends!

You can add more stuff to this routine if you need, like applying a lash serum to grow your lashes, or clean your makeup brushes, so you start doing it more regularly! Also, it's the best time to get some motivation, you can scroll down Pinterest or watch YouTube videos from thewizardliz, song jia, vogue beauty secrets or any content creator that inspires you to become the best version of yourself!

✸ ꒰ night routine ꒱⋆ ࣪.* ࣪.⋆

First step is to have dinner, if you're going to eat near your bedtime you should mind your portions and what you are eating, avoid heavy or spicy food, so you can rest better and really get that beauty sleep.

Every night, before going to bed, you can make some time to organize the next day (what are you going to do, plan the outfit/makeup/hair, etc.) and clean your room! It's very satisfying to wake up to a clean room, it also helps a lot when you have everything you need in the morning already set up, so you don't end up getting late!

Before going to bed is the best time for some yoga or stretching, yoga can help with relaxing your body before sleeping, specially if you exercised or if you were sitting down for many hours because of work or school.

Finally, the best way to finish your day is to read to help you wind down! Specially if it's near your bedtime and you aren't sleepy yet. You can even read comics! Just read any physical book you have, reading on a device can be distracting and will make you stay up past your bedtime.

(_ _ ) . . z Z⋆ ˚｡⋆୨୧˚୨ :★: ୧ ∗  ˖࣪ ໒꒱  ˚₊·

ty for reading! btw this post is *heavily* inspired by liliwon (I miss her sm 😿😿😿😿). If you liked this guide, please let me know! I really want to make more posts like this with other idols so I would appreciate suggestions >.< Also leave other posts ideas :D hehe

Oh! btw english is not my first language so I apologize for any mistake or whatever 💀

I think that's all, anyways see ya!

#wonyoungism #wonyoung #jang wonyoung #ive wonyoung #wonyoung motivation #morning routine #study routine #workout routine #shower routine #self care routine #night routine #ive #kpop #aesthetic #dream girl #it girl #pink blog #that girl #pinterest girl #pink pilates princess #glow up #beauty tips #girly #pink princess #productivity #motivation #inspo #self care #dream life

[soaps-mohawk]

Cherry Red, Crimson Blood Lore Posts Masterlist

Here is a semi-organized list of lore and world building posts for my Cherry Red, Crimson Blood series to clear things up, add detail, answer any questions, etc.

You can search #crcb lore on my blog if you'd like to just scroll through all of these for funsies.

Lore Masterlist Part 2 Other Fun Ideas Masterlist CRCB Barracks Sims Build Screenshots Fic Masterlist

FAQ

When are new chapters posted? How long is the story going to be? What pairings are in this fic? How old is everyone Who all is in the story? Are there deltas or gammas in the fic? What is the "42" reference in Chapter 3? Will there be pregnancy in the fic?

General Omegaverse Questions

Werewolves vs omegaverse How I pick characters' statuses Female Alpha/Male Omega pairings

Heats

What is a heat and how do they work? What happens when the guys are deployed? Is Price the only one that can help with reader's heats? Can betas help with heats? Heat Sickness Can omegas get heat sickness more than once? How alphas act during heats Are heats different with purebred alphas and omegas? Do omegas go into heat when they're pregnant?

Kneeling

How does kneeling work? Do betas kneel? Where do they kneel? Positioning during kneeling Could kneeling happen while giving head? The kneeling incident at the institute

Scenting

How do scents work? How does scenting work? Johnny passed out during scenting

Presentation

What is the presentation process like? Genetics behind presentation How statuses know who's who

Institutes

What do average alphas and betas know about institutes What was the institute like? Omega relationships in the institute How do omegas get sent to institutes Were domestic tasks taught at institutes?

Bonding and Claiming

What is bonding? Is a claiming bite permanent? How many alphas can an omega be claimed by?

Relationships

Omega and alpha relationships Classism and relationships Can alpha/alpha pairings work?

Omegas

Distressing What happens when the omega takes over? Hunting Omega rights Could omegas have side hustles? Could reader mark the others? Can betas and omegas have pups? Can only omegas get pregnant? Scruffing

Alphas

Do alphas rut on their own? Alpha urges What makes purebred alphas different Do alphas mark each other?

Betas

Do betas nest? Beta possessiveness Beta aggression Purebred betas Do betas feel left out emotionally?

Packs

Can packs split? Soulmates Fraternizing Can Jealousy Happen in Packs? Accidental Pregnancies What kind of housing do large packs live in?

Other Characters

Laswell Other characters and their statuses Dr. Keller's brother

Other Questions

Why did Laswell choose the reader?

#crcb #masterlist #lore #world building #alphas #betas #omegas #omegaverse #crcb lore

[mariacallous]

X has locked and suspended the accounts of journalists and researchers who shared the alleged identity of a neo-Nazi cartoonist known as Stonetoss after the cartoonist appealed to site owner Elon Musk.

The incident, critics say, highlights once again how Musk has not only welcomed extremists onto his platform but has repeatedly boosted their conspiracies, engaged with their accounts, and seems to have protected them from scrutiny.

A lengthy X thread posted by the antifascist research group Anonymous Comrades Collective last week claimed that Stonetoss is a man named Hans Kristian Graebener from Spring, Texas. Stonetoss cartoons, which feature simple and colorful imagery coupled with racist, homophobic, and antisemitic language, have become hugely popular among right-wing communities since they were first published at least seven years ago.

In its telling, the antifascist research group linked the Stonetoss cartoonist to another anonymous racist cartoonist known as Red Panels by comparing their voices from appearances on extremist podcasts. The researchers say they found an email address linked to Graebener that was used to register the Red Panels accounts on the far-right social media platform Gab. Then, the group says, it was able to match up comments made by Stonetoss with events in Graebener’s life. In one case, Graebener took a trip to Japan in 2019 with a Houston IT company he then worked for; at the same time, Stonetoss posted a picture on X of a “welcome to Japan” sign with the comment, “Finally made it to the ethnostate fellas.” The research group has been doing this kind of work for years and has been credited with unmasking numerous other extremists, including those involved with a neo-Nazi homeschool network.

Graebener has not disputed anything the researchers uncovered. He did not respond to requests for comment from WIRED to his personal email address nor to the email address on the Stonetoss website, and he did not pick up calls from phone numbers associated with his name.

The Anonymous Comrade Collective thread got a lot of attention on X, racking up at least 13.5 million views. On Thursday, the Stonetoss account appealed to X users who have “a direct line” to Musk, X’s owner, to help to get the thread deleted. Musk has, in the past, shared an altered version of a Stonetoss cartoon about the collapse of society. “If Elon's idea of a ‘free speech’ website is one where people can be intimidated into silence, the outcome will be a site where the Stasi will drive out all dissent,” Stonetoss wrote. The account also tagged Musk and offered to share a list of people to target.

In a subsequent post, Stonetoss said this appeal was not about him but about other “artists.”

“This is about others I know personally,” Stonetoss wrote. “There is a whole ecosystem of artists out there who cannot (or have stopped) making art because of people on twitter organized to punish them IRL for doing so.” The cartoonist also added that sales of his plush toy were “going gangbusters” since his alleged identity was revealed.

Hours later, the account associated with the Anonymous Comrades Collective that posted the thread was deleted, and the account was suspended. On Friday, dozens of users, including a number of researchers and journalists, began discussing the incident and posting some of the details of the research, including Graebener’s name.

X locked down many of these accounts and ordered them to delete the offending tweet to get full access to their accounts back. Among those targeted were Jared Holt, a senior research analyst at the Institute for Strategic Dialogue, who covers right-wing extremism; Hannah Gais, a senior research analyst at Southern Poverty Law Center; and Steven Monacelli, an investigative journalist for the Texas Observer. (WIRED has also published Monacelli’s work.)

X also imposed a ban on sharing the link to the Anonymous Comrades Collective blog detailing its research. WIRED verified this on Monday morning by attempting to post the link, only to be met with a pop-up message that read: ‘We can't complete this request because this link has been identified by X or our partners as being potentially harmful.”

Even with the crackdown from X, people kept sharing details of the Stonetoss investigation.

“We all just started posting his name; it was like a Streisand effect,” Alejandra Caraballo, a clinical instructor at the Harvard Law School Cyberlaw Clinic, tells WIRED. “They're just trying to censor his name, and then everyone started getting their accounts locked.”

Caraballo, who shared screenshots of the messages she received from X with WIRED, managed to circumvent the initial ban by appealing it and claiming, ironically, that she was the victim of mass reporting from antifa who were attempting to silence her right-wing viewpoint.

While that appeal was successful, Caraballo was quickly locked out of her account again when she changed her username to “Hans Kristian Graebener is stonetoss.” That resulted in a 12-hour suspension, and when her account was reinstated she was soon punished for earlier posts that shared screenshots of information about Graebener. Caraballo’s account has now been suspended for seven days. Shortly after this article was originally published, Caraballo’s account was restored by X, without an explanation.

An X representative says that the company, following a review of the actions taken against the accounts of Anonymous Comrades Collective, Holt, Gais, Monacelli, and Caraballo, stood by its decision.

“The posts that were removed were all actioned correctly,” says Joe Benarroch, head of business operations at X, adding that the posts violated the company’s “posting private information policy” for “outing the identity of an anonymous user.”

While X does have a policy around sharing private information, the company’s terms of service on March 20 did not mention a policy related to outing the identity of an anonymous user, and Benarroch did not respond to a request for clarification. On March 21, after WIRED published this story, X updated its privacy policy to specifically prohibit posting the ”the identity of an anonymous user, such as their name or media depicting them.”

“According to X’s terms of service, posting someone's name does not constitute doxing, but, many accounts, including my own, have been made to delete posts that merely mention the name of the racist and antisemitic cartoonist Stonetoss,” Monacelli told WIRED before the change. “I've never seen enforcement like this before.”

This policy change could possibly be in response to a post last month from Musk when he wrote, “Any doxxing, which includes revealing real names, will result in account suspension.” Still, in an interview with Don Lemon released on Monday, Musk said that moderation of hate speech is akin to “censorship.”

There are now hundreds of posts on the platform which name Stonetoss as Graebener. There are also numerous accounts on the platform that changed their profile name to “Hans Kristian Graebener is stonetoss”—and they haven’t all been suspended.

“This is completely arbitrary and under Twitter's own community standards it says that a name is never considered private information,” Caraballo tells WIRED. “There's an immense double standard here of the neo-Nazi comic guy being protected” by X. But then, she says, “The people that do this to anyone on the left are not only followed by [Musk] but are boosted by him. It's completely inconsistent.” To her, it seems that whoever Musk favors gets protected, and anyone else is banned. “This is also a pretext for them to be able to go after anyone that they dislike,” Caraballo says.”

Caraballo and others have pointed to accounts like Libs of TikTok and far-right troll Andy Ngo, both of which have shared private information about trans people but have not had their accounts suspended. Musk has also engaged with posts that doxed individuals on X, with seemingly no recourse for those accounts.

For anyone who has tracked Musk’s actions since taking control of X in October 2022, this incident is no surprise. Musk has systematically removed the guardrails the company had put in place to prevent hate speech on the platform and has welcomed back racists, antisemites, and transphobic posters who had been previously banned.

In recent months, Musk has repeatedly endorsed racist conspiracies like the great replacement theory and has engaged with numerous accounts spreading disinformation and hate speech. Just this weekend, Musk interacted with Martin Sellner, the founder of a white ethnonationalist group in Austria who previously communicated with and accepted a donation from the man who shot and killed 51 people at two mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand, in 2019.

After they deleted their posts, most of those restricted for sharing Graebener’s name have had their accounts unlocked. However, the Anonymous Comrade Collective account that shared the details about Graebener is also suspended, and a representative tells WIRED they are unsure when or if it will come back.

[direjoon]

METANOIA [7]

✩ pairing: wolf hybrid nj x cheetah hybrid reader (f) - eventual ot7 x reader

✩ genre: soul-searching , romance🔞 , found-family , healing , angst , happy ending

✩ word count: 15.2k sorry,,,

✩ chapter warnings: uncertainty in behavior and emotions , anxiety , detailed description of male and female anatomy- not in an awkward setting but professional , new meetings and lots of anxious feelings at the end of the ch. please lmk if i missed anything.

✩ summary: She doesn't know. There is so much about her and her cheetah that she hasn't had the privilege to understand. Unknown backgrounds and unknown emotions clash with feelings of want- hopes of being herself unapologetically. Namjoon seems to be someone that can help her- but can the rest of his pack truly be what she has wanted and needed?

✩ cover: me

ch.1 , ch.2 , ch.3 , ch.4 , ch.5 , ch.6 , ch.7 , ch.8

Namjoon

After an evening of working out time for Y/N to visit Taehyung and his studio, Namjoon looks forward to his Friday meet up with her. It’s not that the members were feeling a particular way, especially after the overheard discussion between Seokjin and himself. Seokjin was the only one that had any qualms, and it was only to prepare for an extra space at dinner if she happens to still be there at dinner. Namjoon is only excited to work out the plans, especially in times when Taehyung is so excited. 

The cheetah decided to stay home today to work in his studio, getting it ready for her, hopefully soon, visit this weekend. All the guys were excited, especially the big cats. Namjoon was pleased to see that, if anyone had any worries such as Seokjin’s, they were able to put them aside to welcome Y/N into a nice environment. They’ve known each other long enough that they would definitely voice their discomfort, but if anything, they were all quite excited about the idea- even when Namjoon specified his uncertainty in her wanting to meet so many hybrids and men at once. 

The usual preparations at the organization are quick, and before he knows it, Namjoon is pulling into the Caddel driveway. 

The door is opening before he can even knock, Y/N entering his space and giving him an over the shoulder hug. It seems the hug was only for her own motives, before she pulls aways, she’s whispering into his ear. 

“Let’s leave.” 

Y/N immediately tries to turn and push Namjoon out of the house entrance. 

“Oh, Namjoon! Hold on, I have a question for you.” 

Y/N deflates next to him as Maria rushes up to them in her apron with a fabric bag of packed goodies. 

“How are you, Maria?” He gives her his usual smile. 

“I’m great, I just wanted to give you guys these,” she hands him the fabric bag. “And I was gonna see if there was a chance you were free tomorrow morning?” 

“Depends, what’s tomorrow morning?” He asks genuinely. 

“Y/N has a chance to attend a class she’d like to go to, but I’m out of town on the weekends and Richard will be working at that time. I’d let her walk as she wishes, but it’s up at the hospital. I was going to see if you or someone you know of has the time to take her and pick her up?” 

He looks down to Y/N, her demeanor shy and guarded. She’s obviously not comfortable with the suggestion- he’d guess it’s about taking up his time on a weekend when she’s not on his list of “duties” as she’d say. He really doesn’t mind, especially if this is something she wants to do. 

“I can definitely fit it in.”

-

The silence in the car as Namjoon tries to figure out where Y/N wants to go with no direction or audible gesture is quite daunting. Did he say the wrong thing when Maria asked? Is she just not in a good mood today? Does she not actually want to go to the class?

“So…I didn’t know you were starting any classes. That should be fun.” He tries to get her to open up some. 

“Yeah.” she vaguely gives him. 

“What kind of class is it?” He tries to press more.

“Just- like, mental health stuff. It’s just one class, a free one I was recommended.” 

“Oh, that sounds like it’ll be good, maybe I should sit in-”

“No.” Y/N turns to give him a baffled expression, her tone matching perfectly. 

“Oh, well if you don’t want me there that’s fine. Is that why you don’t want me to take you?” 

“Why wouldn’t I want you to take me?” 

“Well that’s what it seems like. I won’t be offended, I just want to make sure you’re comfortable going. I don’t want to make you do something you don’t want to.”

Y/N lets a sigh out, her posture becoming more relaxed.

“It’s just…embarrassing- having to have someone watch over me and take me places. Especially someone that’s not responsible for me.” 

Namjoon continues to drive with no specific destination, content on having her so open with him about her feelings after they knocked down a barrier between them. 

“Just because I’m not a guardian of yours doesn’t mean I don’t want to care for you. The two don’t always go together. I care for you as a friend, thus I don’t mind doing things for you. We talked about this.” 

“I know. This just feels different- it’s during the time you aren’t going out of your way to see me. It’s taking up the time you spend with your pack.I know that’s important, no matter what you say.” 

“It’s all important to me, being your friend without the organization between us and my pack.” 

“It just seems- invasive.” 

“The only way it would be is if she assumed I could take you, or if she just wanted me to because she didn't want to. She’d be putting her responsibilities on me- but she asked and she makes good food. I don’t mind.” 

Y/N seems to relax all the more with Namjoon’s words, uncrossing her arms to lay them in her lap and let her tail unwind from her waist to sit between her hands. Her fingers brush along her tail, holding it with care and light touches. Despite her demeanor, her next words are unexpected. 

“Wow, my company isn’t good enough of a reason?” 

Namjoon’s shocked expression goes unnoticed, his eyes leave the road in one second increments to decipher exactly what her goal is. A small smirk gives way without her wanting- luckily he spots it- but she speaks up before he can. 

“I’m thankful.”

“I know-”

“I want to say it all the time, though. I want to tell you how I feel all the time, I want to let you know how much you mean to me.” 

Namjoon almost accelerates in a dangerous manner when he hears what feels like the most meaningful confession he’s gotten from her. He just about giggled when she wished he was there at the breakfast with Taehyung- this is proving to be the hardest week to keep his cool. Their relationship isn’t normal in his terms of previous relationships, but it’s also not an odd, sexual thing when he thinks of his fondness for her. It’s a yearning that’s slowly building- one that is starting to become more and more consuming. 

“As friends- as Kim Namjoon, the comforting companion-” Y/N gives a ‘pfft’ of laughter she tries to stifle. “I want to know how you feel all the time. Even if it seems unnecessary or odd. I’d like to know everything you want to give me, even if you’re embarrassed.” Y/N gives an abnormally loud sigh before responding. 

“I guess I should be honest with you then.” She gives a lengthy pause that worries Namjoon. 

“Should I be parked for this information?” 

“No…it’s just- it’s embarrassing.”

“In what way?” 

“A personal way.”

“You don’t have to tell me everything, especially if it’s personal and sacred to you in some way.” 

“Ugh, I just don’t know how to say it. It’s about the class…” 

“Are you embarrassed about taking it? If anything I think it would be an amazing chance to learn more about-”

“It’s a sexual development class, Namjoon.” 

He doesn’t want to be stunned into silence. This is a very very normal thing to do. This is especially an important thing for her to learn about herself- a very crucial part about being a hybrid as well- since it’s so different from what Maria could tell her. And hybrids are quite open about these things, heats and rut depending on sex are taken into account by your employers. So, really, this is completely normal to talk about and have a mature conversation about. 

“God, you’re thinking too much about it, can you just say it?” Y/N cuts his thoughts off. 

“Well…I wasn’t expecting you to say that-”

“Oh, god.” Y/N groans, dropping her head into her hands to hide herself. 

“Only because you lied. It’s normal information to seek out and- honestly- hybrids are open about their heats and ruts, so I don’t mind you bringing it up. I don’t want you to be embarrassed about it at all.” 

“Wait. Heats and ruts? What are you talking about?” 

Namjoon definitely has to park now. He doesn’t speak until he’s turning into the first parking lot he sees, parking and unbuckling, and turning to Y/N to gauge how absolutely serious she is. 

“You’re serious? You’re not messing with me as payback for overthinking just a minute ago?” Y/N looks around in confusion because of his serious expression and questions.

“I’m serious- why? Did I say something wrong?” 

“No, no no you didn’t, but? You’ve been going to the doctor right?”

“Yeah?” 

“Are they a hybrid?”

“No.”

“Can I be honest?”

“Yeah?” 

The ping-pong conversation ends with that last question. Namjoon has to stop and think about exactly how to say this. Y/N is truly someone that hasn’t even gotten basic education or a parental / guardian figure to teach her the basics of being a hybrid. He’ll go over the extreme basics and let the crucial class do the rest. 

“Female hybrids aren’t the same as female humans. Your body is literally part animal- and animals don’t have normal hormonal cycles like humans do. You aren’t going to have monthly periods like most humans with the same anatomy will, you’re going to have heats like female cheetahs. Male hybrids have ruts just as their male animal does. There’s more instances based on gender identity and sex but- that’s the basics.”

Y/N seems to be thinking about something specific. Namjoon lets her, knowing that somehow this is new information to her. 

“I’ll never have my period?” 

“Unless it’s some extremely rare case, but, because you literally are part cheetah, there’s really no reason for a human menstrual cycle to manifest.” 

“Why would my doctor not tell me this?” 

“That’s- really hard to say. It could be because they aren’t as well-educated on the difference between the anatomy. Sadly, it’s quite common for doctors to not be well-fit for any one person. I think finding a hybrid doctor would be your best bet to get the information you need.” 

Namjoon watches as Y/N deflates some because of the thoughts she has.  

“That sucks.” Is all she says after a couple minutes. 

“I’m sorry that you didn’t get this information from a professional that would be able to give you more answers.”

“No, it’s okay. I trust you. I mean- I trust the doctor either way just because she was nice and respectful each time. It’s just confusing and- I think it’s unfair that you had to tell me. I wish I just knew more. I feel dumb.”

“Y/N I respect you too much to just feel like I have to do things with and for you. I told you I do them because I want to. It’s always genuine.” 

“Thank you for telling me. I guess I’ll get more answers tomorrow, and hopefully I can find a new doctor soon. Anyways! I’m starving.” Her switch in demeanor worries him but she obviously wants the change in conversation. 

Namjoon knows this can be a lot, but Y/N seems to be in the process of trying to think about it and accept it with ease. He easily follows through with her wishes and starts the car to head to their usual park- but he’ll definitely check in on her later. Maybe after this class she’ll have more information and thus some type of closure with the unknown. 

-

Y/N

“You’re joking.” Y/N looks out at the front of the shops from the passenger car seat. 

“You’re the one that said you felt under-dressed.” 

“I didn’t say that.”

“You didn’t have to- your eyes show it.”

 Namjoon picked her up with time to spare. Honestly, she was extremely thankful for it- the chances of being late are very low. But, her only issue upon his arrival to pick her up was their difference in clothes. Y/N is used to wearing her usually comfortable outfits- sweats and a tee with simple shoes and a plain gray sweater. Besides that one black outfit, Y/N is also used to Namjoon wearing a tee and jeans as well. But on his days off, it seems his style is much different. 

Namjoon’s baggy, black slacks that hang over mainly black shoes caught her attention first as he stood at the door. Then his matching black hoodie with lettering layered under a baggy leather jacket led her to his sunglass-pushed-back hair. He was truly dressed for something far more important than dropping her off at a class. 

Even as he led her to the car, Namjoon instead followed her to her side of the car and opened the door for her. Her confused looks and weirdly shy-demeanor around him was definitely new, but she couldn’t just bring attention to it. Even as she watched him from the passenger seat, she tried her best to be discreet in her staring. He was truly good-looking. Day by day, he seems to show her more and more- and the more personal it is, the more she finds she can’t stop looking at him. 

“My outfit isn’t bad.” She pouts, pulling her t-shirt out by the hem to look down at it. 

“I didn’t say it was bad. You just looked like a kicked puppy at the sight of mine ever since we left the house. We have an extra 45 minutes before check-in starts- we can just…try something if that’s what you wanna do. If I read it wrong you can punch me, make me beg on my knees for forgiveness, and we can leave for the class immediately.” 

His earnest expression mixes with her curiosity of going into a clothing shop. It’s almost irritating how right he is all the time. Why is he so honed in on her and how she reacts to everything? 

“I kind of hate how right you are all the time.” She murmurs, unbuckling and clawing at the door handle. She’s out of the car while Namjoon is scrambling to follow her. 

(She misses a crucial pout on his lips at her rush to get out, instead of waiting for him to open the door. To be fair, he’s never done it before and she’s pouting as well.)

As Namjoon rushes up to her, Y/N keeps her gaze on the shops, trying to figure out how different they all are. She hates that she has to search out Namjoon’s help so soon after showing her irritation. 

“Which one?” She asks and clarifies, “something cheap- something comfy.”

Instead of answering, he presses a warm hand into her back as he did so long ago. She forgot about the feeling, but somehow she now releases how much she missed it. She’d truly let him guide her anywhere with a warm hand on her back. 

She’s caught off guard by the sudden change in her feelings- turning to glare at him but instead being greeted by him opening the door to the shop for her. The ding rings loud above them, indicating a customer’s arrival. His warm hand directs her to go in front of him- a rush of warm air greeting her with a fresh scent. Her irritation dissipates with the sights before her. 

She was always too afraid to go into crowded areas. She learned quickly that people like her- hybrids, homeless- weren’t welcome around people that were well-off. Even those that had some money were well-off. Now, she can see what these places are. She can see racks of new, colorful clothes line along the store. All seem to be so new and soft. All seem to be too much money. 

“Welcome in! Let me know if you need help finding anything.” Y/N looks over at a woman with a bright voice. She gives her a pointed smile that doesn’t last long but lingers on Namjoon. She immediately becomes uncomfortable. The only thing keeping her from fleeing out of the store from that look alone is Namjoon’s comforting voice. 

“Hmm, how about jeans?” 

Despite her hatred for the fabric, Y/N looks down at the rack of jeans that Namjoon is swiping through. She chances the fabric, rubbing a few pairs between her thumb and index. No matter the amount of times she tries, she hates it. 

“Mmm, is there another type of pants they have?” 

Namjoon works hard to find something she likes despite her dislike for most fabrics. Honestly, she’s willing to try lots, but some of the fabric is just far too scratchy despite it being brand-new clothing. 

Because of the time limit, it’s not long before Y/N is in a dressing room on her own. She feels as though she needs to go quickly, but changing in such an unknown place feels weird. She pushes through to prove to herself that this is normal, this is something that she now has the privilege of doing. 

Namjoon helped her pick a pair of pants that were pretty similar to his baggy, soft slacks. The fabric cinches at her waist without being uncomfortable and flows out to give her a comfortable fit around the legs. She instantly likes them, feeling the fabric under her fingers as a smooth, soft texture. Her tail even perfectly fits into the little space made specifically for them to come out of- showcasing the soft fur with no forgiveness. The shirt is the tricky part. He had told her this type of shirt would look nice, but honestly, she can’t understand the want to wear a shirt that fits the exact shape of your body. Isn’t that the point of clothes?  To cover you.

The shirt fabric is, again, a nice feel under her hands- the only reason she takes it off the hanger and slips it on. Upon adjusting it and seeing herself, she can admit her wrongs. The shirt is plain just how she likes it, white with no showy frills or awkward pieces. It perfectly forms to her shoulders, chest, and stomach, sitting just above the pair of pants. She knows she can’t take long, but seeing herself in this feels- amazing. To put something on that feels good and looks good was something she didn’t know was possible. She becomes a little shy at the thought of Namjoon- or anyone, but especially him- seeing her in this. But, she has no time and maybe that’s for the best. She can’t overthink right now. 

Slipping on her shoes to complete the look, she moves the thick curtain to the side and steps out into the open. Namjoon isn’t far at all, looking at another rack, presumably to find something else if she doesn’t like this. He instantly finds her eyes, giving her a smile and meeting her where she is. She watches as he examines her with open gestures, nervous about what he thinks. His gaze shifts to one she hasn’t seen before, one that she sadly can’t place.

“It looks like it fits perfectly. Does it feel good?” His voice seems to get lower in the small space they take up. His hand comes up to the pocket of her slacks, fixing a mistake she couldn’t see. Then he reaches for her shoulder, fixing another thing she’s sure didn’t need it. 

“Yeah. It feels good.” She answers, a ringing in her ears causing her to focus on the way his features scrunch and release in his own thinking. “I’ll get this.” She says, hoping to put an end to whatever this is. That seems to do the trick, as Namjoon gives a tight-smiled nod and goes into the changing room to grab her clothes she forgot about. 

Luckily, she was able to just wear the clothes out of the shop after Namjoon helped her find the tags to cut off with scissors the cashier helped to provide. She didn’t pay attention to the price but quickly grabbed the receipt as Namjoon was cutting off the tag of her pants. She slips it into her pocket unnoticed as Namjoon slips the cashier the scissors back. The change in her demeanor was unnoticed by Y/N as Namjoon was so close to her so casually- she doesn’t care after this anyways. Namjoon’s here for Y/N, not the cashier.

With her gray sweater still keeping her with some semblance of her ‘normal’, Y/N enters the class on her own despite debating the whole ride over if she should invite Namjoon to actually sit in this class with her. It really took too much control to not ask- she’s getting far too comfortable with the man she met only a few weeks ago. To be fair, he asked her a few times if she was still alright to go on her own- probably from some horrified look on her face she still has no idea how to control. But, she declined again and again only to have Namjoon still make sure she knew that he’ll be a call away. 

Now, the line of hybrids she stands in seems to be an imaginary thing as she thinks about how odd she may look. She’ll never be a normal person in normal clothes- not when she knows she still sees someone homeless in disguise. The line moves and she blindly follows, getting to the front to be greeted by another two hybrids. She can’t focus on exactly what type they are while she’s staring at the paper below her. She has to write her name. Something she’s only done in grade school, and barely done since. 

“Hi! Just verifying you’re here for the hybrid version of the development class?” The young man at the table asks. 

“Yes.” 

“Perfect! We just need your name and date of birth for survey purposes.” 

Date of birth. An unexpected question in this circumstance. She freezes in thought. They estimated that her birth year is 1998, making her about 25 years old. She can just lie. She can do that- it should be easy. She writes her name with unpracticed, scratchy letters, hoping they aren’t judging her. Then she thinks only a moment before writing 1/1/1998. The easiest date she could think of as fast as possible. 

If the two that greeted her are weirded out by it, they don’t show it, instead they hand her a tag with her first name on it, written with such perfect writing she awes at it, and points to the class-type room that other hybrids are sitting in. 

She peeks around the doorframe to see if the packed room allows for a spot where she doesn’t have to be directly next to someone. Instead, more hybrids line the back wall than they do up front. To be honest, there aren’t that many people here, it’s only because the room is so small. A spot catches her eye, sadly up front, but it’s an open spot next to a girl. A girl is better than a guy- even if she’s squished in. Silver lining. 

She squeezes through conversations until she’s just next to the girl. 

“Is anyone sitting here?” She can now see that she is about her age- a pretty girl with long, straight black hair that almost reaches her waist. Her skin isn’t tan like Y/N’s, but a naturally beautiful brown that compliments her features well. 

“No, not at all! Go ahead.” The girl gives her a smile that seems far too excited for the situation they’re in, moving slightly to give Y/N a little more space in the crowded room. 

“Thank you.” Y/N says as she tries her best to get comfortable. 

“You’re very pretty, I love your curls! I wish my hair was naturally curly, but I can’t get it to hold a curl to save my life.” The girl seems to talk away despite Y/N not giving her any response back. “Sorry, my name is Lena. What’s yours?”

“Y/N.” Lena’s smile seems to brighten upon getting her answer. 

“Such a pretty name.” 

“Thank you,” Y/N slinks a little under the praise, hoping she doesn’t look as meek as she feels. “Yours is pretty as well. You’re pretty.” She responds with honesty, hoping it’s not weird to say it back. 

“Ah! Thank you! You’re so sweet. I was scared it was just gonna be a bunch of weird guys taking this class. But I’m glad it’s a nice mix and that I have you.” Lena looks around the class and at the clock on the wall, giving Y/N a chance to guess her animal. She doesn’t have enough time before Lena is looking back at her and examining her own features. 

“Oh my goddess, you’re a cheetah aren’t you?” She gestures to the tail wrapped around her waist and the ears sticking from her loose curls. Y/N gives her an awkward smile and a nod, hoping she won’t say something weird like Richard's friend did. 

“That is so cool!” She says with a hush that doesn’t make everyone look over at them, she’s thankful for that. “I’m just an ol’ regular black lab.” 

Y/N looks over her black, floppy ears, finding it obvious now that she knows it’s a dog that has those ears. She wonders if all dogs and wolves are this friendly. 

“Regular isn’t bad.” Y/N says the only thing she can think of with honesty.

“No, but how exciting that you can say you’re rare. Plus, it’s easy getting people’s attention- look.” 

Y/N looks around the room as Lena gestures for her to do, seeing not-so-discreet looks her way, some even full-on staring. 

“That’s not very comforting.” 

“They’re just curious. It’s really not common seeing, even meeting, a cheetah. I’m honored.” 

“You’re a lot nicer than they seem to be.” They’re stares are more like looks of greed and slimy feelings. While Lena feels like a friend she has known for some time. 

“I’m glad you think so. Not everyone likes someone so loud and talkative- it’s just my lab, it makes me love people and I become loyal far too fast.”

Before Y/N has the time to answer, a tall woman with too many bags enters the room with a loud greeting. 

“Hello, everyone! If there isn’t a seat for you, please just be mindful of walkways. We weren’t expecting this large of a class but one of my peers was free for the hour so we can split all of us into two rooms.” Everyone immediately quiets down, probably hoping to quickly get into a seat and get started. Before continuing, she sets her things down and takes a count of everyone faster than Y/N can process. 

“Perfect! Exactly 30. There are exactly 15 seats in here, so those standing please go to the room right across from here, a gentleman will be standing right outside.” 

With everyone settled and the doors shut, Y/N feels a weight off her chest now that the room isn’t so packed. 

“Alrightie, my name is Aspen and I’m a cape fox hybrid. My main job is a teaching assistant at the university but I’m a volunteer here at the hospital for various hybrid specific classes- mostly for experience- but I really love being here for those wanting to learn. Today’s class is especially important and more intimate so I won’t be asking for introductions as I usually do, but I will ask or read your name if any questions or add-ons come up. We have a range of ages, so I do ask that everyone be polite and to not blurt any comments or remarks. Any questions?” 

Everyone seems to look around at each other, but no one speaks up at the moment. 

“Perfect! Let’s get started.”

-

Y/N thought this class would be a lot more awkward, but because she’s sitting up front, she really is only focused on the different, detailed anatomy pictures in concentration. She didn’t realize how much she already knew, but also how much she didn’t know. 

“To put it simply, because of the nerve placement, stimulation will be pronounced here, at the head of the penis, and here, at the clitorus just above the urethra.” Aspen circles the specific parts of the diagram with her finger. “Okay, now that we know the basics, let’s look at hybrid specific anatomy.” Aspen takes down the diagram to flip the page and show a very similar diagram. 

“When we look at different male hybrids, we have to take into consideration their species. The largest difference will be the knotting aspect of intercourse for the wolf family- including dogs.” Y/N watches on in awe. “As for females, the main difference is sex-drive and how common heats are. Which leads me to one of the final points- ruts and heats.” Y/N sits up a little straighter, hoping to take as much in as possible. “Excuse me while I use the most conservative way to explain this- but please understand, no matter gender identity, your anatomy is all that matters in this situation.”

“Depending on species, animals and male hybrids will go into ruts- the timing and how often depends on each hybrid as well as the type of animal. During these ruts, males will want to breed with females, their primal and animalistic needs will want to expand their pack. Sex-drives will be heightened, animals that have knots will produce more semen, and overall the need to care and be with their pack is most important. For females, an equivalent would be a heat. Heats prepare the female’s body for pregnancy, and vice-versa, the female will have a need to be bred- thus, it’s much easier for females to become pregnant. If you’re unsure exactly when you and your species or breed has their rut or heat cycle, I would suggest getting blood work done at a hybrid-friendly facility. Any questions?” Without thinking of anyone around her, Y/N raises her hand. 

“Yes…Y/N?” 

“Yes, I was wondering how one knows when they’re going to start their heat or rut- like, are there more symptoms?” 

“Very good question! A good base list of symptoms before starting are increase in body heat, need for physical contact and scenting, the need to shift into your animal form, the need to obsessively care for others and keep them close, and food or drink related cravings. Those with a vagina will experience bleeding as well. Not as a human does, but just the first couple days of the hormonal cycle. Not all will always be present, and overtime you will learn how yours is specifically- but I just always suggest you be open about your worries or symptoms to your doctors or those you will be sharing your heat or rut with- this is a sensitive time for us hybrids, and it really is important to have someone we can trust to be with us and take care of us.” Aspen gives Y/N a firm nod and smile to make sure her question was answered. 

Y/N can’t help but think about how miserable this time would be- especially when she has no one to help her. Having all those random bodily changes that are incurable and having to be managed on her own…hell.

-

The class is over before she even realizes it’s been an hour. Everyone seems to have the same idea upon standing, stretching with different pitches of groans. 

“Well, that was fun.” Lena gives with a sarcastic undertone. 

“It was!” Y/N responds with all seriousness. She didn’t think to realize that learning would be something she found to be so fun, especially when nothing went wrong and she didn’t have anything to worry about. Lena gives her a warm smile before leading them to the exit behind others. 

“So, what brought you to this class?” Lena asks with curiosity quiet enough to keep the conversation between them. Y/N tries to think of a quick response, instead going for a half-truth. 

“I wasn’t given the opportunity to take one before. What about you?” 

“My professor recommended it to our class. I’m studying to become a therapist- this was just an opportunity to see how exactly a class like this would be taught and how I can specify my information to give to future patients. It was more of a study of the presentation elements. Does that make sense?” 

“I think so.” Y/N says, honestly a little confused but fascinated. The two share a few giggles at her response- finally getting out of the room. They seem to be going the same way to leave- walking side-by-side to the main hospital entrance hall. As she gets closer to the automatic sliding doors another person walks in, allowing a gust of cool air to meet them. A familiar scent hits her- the musky vanilla she can never get enough of. Upon exiting, she looks for the owner of the scent, finding Namjoon sitting at one of the benches outside of the hospital. 

“Thank you for keeping me company.” Lena suddenly says, turning to a distracted Y/N. “Ehh, this is kind of embarrassing but- it’s my first year at this school despite it being my third year in a uni- and I was wondering if maybe you’d like to keep in touch? I’m still adjusting to the city and would love some company once in a while.” Y/N’s attention is back on Lena- shocked that her impression was good enough for- a friend?

“Yes, of course! I-” She checks her pockets, looking for her phone in the usual spot. It’s not there. “Oh, I forgot my phone-” A hand she finds is connected to a smiling Namjoon holds out her missing phone. “Where?”

“You left it in your other clothes, you got a text so I found it and decided to just wait up here by the door in case you needed anything.” 

“Thank you so much.” With relief, she quickly swipes through to open her contacts and hand the phone to Lena. She’s quick to putting in her number, handing the phone back with a mischievous smile that Y/N catches. “Oh, sorry Lena, this is my friend Namjoon.” Y/N gestures to him as he stretches a hand out to shake Lena’s in greeting. 

“Nice to meet you. I’ll let you guys go though since I have another class soon. it was nice to meet you as well, Y/N.” She can’t read the glances that she gives when looking between her and Namjoon, but she is too content with making a friend to care. 

“It was nice meeting you, too.” Both Y/N and Namjoon say at the same time- they both whip their heads towards each other with pointed looks. 

“Jinx.” Namjoon quickly says.

“What the hell does that mean?” 

“You owe me a soda.” 

“A soda?”

“Yeah, but I’ll just take a hug instead.” Namjoon stretches out his arms in waiting. 

The odd gestures make her look around to see if anyone else is seeing what he is doing as well. She can’t spot any stares, but Namjoon’s confidence is definitely higher than her’s. 

“You’re embarrassing.” She can never decline a hug from him- even with her remark, she mumbles her feelings and leans in for a quick hug. A ringing from Namjoon’s own phone pulls them away from each other. 

“Hey.” He answers simply. 

“I am.” He glances down at her when he answers the person on the phone. 

“Hyung, if today's too soon-” There’s a pause when he must get cut-off by the other person- he waits with a patience she’s seen before when he’s listening with intent. 

“If you and everyone is sure, I’ll ask.” 

“Okay, I love you- bye.” He ends the call with a tight smile. He turns to Y/N with the same expression. 

“Well, I’m sorry this is so last minute- but if you’d like- the pack says today would be a good day for a visit. We can just keep the visit to seeing Taehyung in his studio, but the pack would love to keep you for dinner.” 

Dinner with a pack- with Namjoon’s pack of all things sounds intimidating. Intimidating, because she would definitely need to be making a good impression when she doesn’t even know what proper etiquette in a pack’s home would be. Of course she also thinks about Taehyung- she wants to see him again and she can’t help but admit to herself that she truly misses the unpredictable cheetah. 

“I would like to see Taehyung and his studio- but meeting your pack seems a bit…”

“Daunting? Invasive? I’ve never been in that position before and it feels like I'm out of my place if I eat dinner in your home.”  Y/N finds a soft, curious expression on Namjoon’s face, worrying her as she waits for his response. 

“If any of us were uncomfortable with you visiting- I mean even one of us- then we would wait and definitely wouldn’t bring it up. They just can’t let a guest be in the house without feeding them and getting to know them- and to be honest, you’re special. You’re someone that everyone in the pack has been curious about, especially with Taehyung being so progressive in the friendship. As for the visit being daunting, I wouldn’t say any of the guys are scary. Honestly, they’re all a bunch of mushy nerds.”

Y/N can’t stifle a ‘pfft’ of laughter at his description. She really can consider this- she really has a reason to go and information on why she should go. But-

“How do I act in someone else’s pack home.” 

“Like yourself.”

“Do I need to change? I don’t really have anything better to wear- Does my hair look bad? It’s hard to manage any different if I've already let it dry for the day- How do I know when I’ve been there too long?” Her questions come out in rambles and thoughts to herself. 

“Y/N,” the assured voice pulls her gaze to his- Namjoon’s hands place themselves on her shoulders, emphasizing their eye-contact. “Be yourself, dress in what’s comfortable for you in a new setting, you and your hair always look beautiful, and a host will always be vocal about their intentions. As one of the hosts- it is a casual visit with little-to-no preparation on a weekend, meaning there is no overstaying your welcome in this case.” 

“Of course you have all the answers.” Y/n says sarcastically, actually considering it now that she has answers and Namjoon seems overly confident in them. 

“I have lots of answers. Not all.” Namjoon points out. 

“Well, I have one answer.” 

“Hmmm, I’d love to hear it.” He hums and pushes with a voice too deep and too wanting for her to think about for a second longer. 

“I’ll go.” 

-

Taehyung - earlier that day

Namjoon left in a flurry of quick assurances this morning because of his habit of sleeping in on the weekend. Taehyung knows why he left but he also knows that Namjoon said it was just a quick meeting that Y/N was anxious for- so Taehyung stayed to work in his studio some more. 

He loves the weekends knowing that different members of the pack will be in and out of the house, thus allowing him to go inside at any time he wishes to find a warm body to wrap around. 

Despite the content he finds on the weekends, Taehyung can’t help but miss Y/N. His hopes that the pack members would be more open about her visiting have dwindled into unspoken wishes. He usually is so open, but after just two meetings- the pull he feels towards her is more than he was prepared for. He’ll wait for now.

He’ll wait until the members are comfortable, he’ll wait until he knows exactly what to say, he’ll wait until Namjoon can admit to himself that she feels like something more than a friend to them. 

-

It isn’t more than an hour after Namjoon has left when he hears a familiar knock at his studio door. He didn’t even know anyone was approaching with his focus so set on his current piece. Each piece is nothing intricate, but because of the precise shapes and movements, it takes him a while to put pieces together- especially because he likes the quieting of his thoughts so much. 

From the knock alone he knows the member that decided to risk a ‘shoo-ing’ was Seokjin. Taehyung opens the door with just a crack allowing the two to see each other. 

“Can we talk? About Y/N.” The name immediately gives way to show a perk in his features, making Seokjin smile in a knowing way that Taehyung knows too well.

Giving himself a well-deserved break, Taehyung has the conversation take place on the back porch. The comfortable couch is covered by the veranda that allows the cushions to stay plump and soil-free. Taehyung takes his place there next to a sighing Seokjin. 

“I’m sorry I didn’t talk about this with you before- I had to do a lot of self-reflecting before I felt like I could face you with this.” Taehyung’s schooled expressions are always perfect. But, around his pack- around those he cares for deeply- he knows they can see the slips in his features. 

“When we found out there was another cheetah, I was extremely happy for you. Taehyung, I want nothing but the best for you, and I want you to be able to have Y/N in any way you find fit- but I struggled to find a place for her upon the first time even hearing about her. I was already trying to fit her into our house and figure out how to have Jungkook around another stranger when he’s still in therapy. I was in over my head.”

“Those are valid reasons, hyung. You are about the pack.” 

“Yes, but, just as Namjoon has seemed to perfect this certain skill- I still have yet to get it right- I wasn’t putting you first in a situation that quite literally revolved around you. I’m so sorry that I didn’t make this seem as important as it truly is.” Seokjin is always so raw with everyone. As the oldest, he’s been through certain experiences that we haven’t, and with him being the youngest in his blood family he is able to understand what all of us need. With so much to think about, he always comes around. 

“I don’t blame you, hyung. It was new to all of us- it was scary and I even needed some type of restraint to be able to let myself process everything properly. The wait on being able to have her come here, the small wait between visits- it helps me not go in over my head. I want this to be genuine and well-thought.” Taehyung responds with a truth that aches in his chest. His cheetah has wanted her beside him all day and all night, but this is not something he can just do in a pack. He needs to think of himself, of Y/N, and of everyone he loves so dearly. 

“I want all of us to be open about it. And after talking to everyone except you and Namjoon- it seems like I’m the only one that was panicking- so, I will follow your lead, and I will be there for you whenever you feel you want something more or less. We can figure it out, okay? I’d love to have her over today, if you’d like to see her this soon.” 

Taehyung’s cheetah wants to immediately pounce on Seokjin for the offer- wanting to leave the fox breathless and not being able to speak another word for hours- but Taehyung lets the feeling fizzle into excitement. 

“Yes, please.”

“My sweet cheetah.” Seokjin coos with a quiet tone and subtle voice inflections. Taehyung leans forward, leading with his forehead to meet Seokjin in a head bump that lingers. “If I mess up, please know I will always make my way back to clean it up.” Seokjin says with certainty. 

“I trust you.” Is all Taehyung gives him. Trust is the most important to him, it’s the one piece of himself he gives with finality and certainty. Only six people on this planet have it. 

-

Y/N

While the Caddel house is a one-story, perfectly two-bedroom, home-y house that isn’t intimidating- Namjoon’s pack home is a two story, large property-ed, nightmare. 

Which is exactly who Y/N still has yet to get out of the parked car. 

“This seems more formal than you made it sound.”

“It’s only large because of the size of the pack.” Namjoon assures, giving her shoulder a couple squeezes that lower to her elbow. She welcomes the touch despite her nerves being on fire. 

“How big is your pack?”

“Seven guys including me.” Seven men in one house versus a measly, frail woman that has no idea how to defend herself. Though she somehow has no reason at all to believe that Namjoon would harm her or put her in a position that could possibly cause her harm- Y/N still struggles greatly with men. The only way Namjoon will know is if she tells him. It’s the only way she can guarantee that she won’t break down mid-visit.

“Namjoon, can I be honest?” She swallows the thick feeling of panic that always fights its way up when she tries to tell him something about herself. She can do this. 

“Of course, Y/N.”

“I struggle being around men. I struggled being around you, and only once I was comfortable was I presented with the ability to meet Taehyung. And I went out of my comfort zone to find that- because I trust you, I trusted Taehyung enough to meet him so suddenly and alone that next day. I trust you in a way that I’ve literally never known before- in a way that scares me more and more everyday.” She has to take a soothing breath that stops tears from falling. “I need to know something before I go into that house.” She points towards the front door that she can see from her passenger side window. 

“Okay.” Namjoon says in a way that shows he’s trying not to break the bubble she’s created for herself. 

“When I go into this house, I need to know that I won’t be put into a position that hinders me in any way. I need you to honestly tell me what you know will be the case. Because I can’t just think it- I need to hear it from someone I trust.”

She watches as he searches her for more answers, trying to uncover the little bit she was able to give him. But, he doesn’t find it, and Y/N doesn’t give anymore to him. He takes it, processes it, and remembers- thoughts that she seems to see written on him so earnestly. 

“As the leader of this pack, I can guarantee that everyone in this house puts others' needs before their own, especially a guest’s needs. Not all seven will be present right now, I think three are home including Taehyung- and I know for a fact that when Dinner comes and we are all together- they will be nothing but respectful.”

Y/N takes a few deep breaths that allow her to calm herself and allow Namjoon’s words to sink in. This is Namjoon- this is the one that always felt oddly familiar. Like he was a missing piece. 

“Thank you.” She says with genuinity that couldn’t possibly be replicated. “Let’s fuckin’ do this.” She gives herself as she unbuckles and makes sure her phone is tucked tightly into her back pocket. Somehow Namjoon is at her door in that time, opening it for her and grabbing her jacket from her arm without a question. 

The front of the house provides a look into their lives. This is the type of home she thought she’d never even get a peek into, let alone being invited into with certainty. The grass is perfectly cut and too green. Despite the boring lawn, the surrounding plants and vegetation allow a diverse array of pretty things to look at. The plants lining the pathway to the door catch her eye. They’re perfectly taken care of. 

“Seokjin prides himself in the health of our pretty plants. He loves it, loves taking care of us and feeding us. It’s very cute really.” Namjoon’s warm laugh says all she needs to know. They all love each other. She’s going to witness that with her own eyes instead of imagining what it would be like to have a pack. All she can do is nod. 

“He’s the eldest, but not the first of our pack, he’ll probably greet you first before Taehyung even knows you’re here.” 

Step-by-step, she gets closer to an impending end. The dark, woody front door complements the house so well. Without a knock, Namjoon is twisting the knob, only to look back at Y/N with questioning eyes. 

“Let’s fuckin’ do this.” She whispers next to the open door, giving Namjoon a little pump of her fist in the air despite her eyes begging to release emotions that feel all too much. He gives her a few more long seconds before swinging the door open all the way and stretching his arm out for her to go first. 

“Shoes are fine to stay here, and the top row of slippers are for guests.” Namjoon is quiet with his pointed instructions, allowing her some last moments of calm silence. Despite his words, he sets her shoes aside for her and sets a pair of slippers in front of her socked feet. His and her jacket already hung on a rack of many outer layers.

The front entrance doesn’t hide anything in terms of layout. There is no wall or hallway blocking off the large living room. It’s all clean, yet lived-in. Y/N can see it in the conveniently placed blankets that are folded onto one large, cushioned rocking chair- all varying in colors and patterns. She can see it in the shoes that scatter the entrance, and the movie cases that sit randomly along the entertainment center. She can smell it even, some type of baked good scent permeates into the air and welcomes her with open arms. Thankfully, the only thing that doesn’t welcome her, is the pack members. It’s strangely quiet.

“I apologize if anything is a mess, I can’t always predict what these animals will do.” Y/N smiles at the double meaning, shaking her head with a soft ‘it’s okay.’ 

“This is the living room, of course, and then up the stairs are the bedrooms. It’s originally six bedrooms but we really only use the three on the top floor for their intended purpose. The ones on this floor are now a workout room, supply room, and an extra closet.” He leads her with that warm, comforting hand she loves so much, gesturing in directions where hallways lead and doors are shut. 

“We have two bathrooms down here,” he points to the closest one for her to remember. “And three upstairs. And this-” he leads her into a curved door frame that opens in a large kitchen. “Is the kitchen. Exactly where I knew Seokjin would be.” The amusement in his voice gives her the boost to eye the broad back of the man she now knows is Seokjin, the oldest in the pack. He seems to be doing something at the counter she can’t see, his large, tall frame hiding it from her. 

“I’m sorry, let me just stretch this dough and then I’ll be a gentleman.” His voice doesn’t seem to match his body- higher than Namjoon’s but effortlessly smooth. It takes him only a few seconds longer before turning to the sink that sits in a counter that is in the middle of the kitchen. It’s an odd placement, she thinks, but she’s soon distracted by Seokjin. 

He’s…stunning. To put it very simply. His hair is a fluffy, unnatural orange that somehow doesn’t look weird on him. His pointed ears match his hair perfectly and end with white tips. His features add to the overall awe-feel that he seems to give off in wafts. She’s had just enough time to look at him as he washes his hands with white sweater sleeves rolled up to his elbows. He walks around the counter to show the full apron he’s wearing covered in flour and other smudges. 

“Hi, I’m Kim Seokjin, eldest, red fox.” He sticks his hand out for her to shake, a gesture that she’s only done a few times. She takes the opportunity, only to conform, as she really doesn’t see the need for them. 

“Hyung, this is Y/N.” Namjoon speaks up for her, as she seemingly doesn’t have a word to say. 

“Sorry, Y/N L/N, cheetah.” She shrugs as she states it, not used to stating her animal. The addition, for some reason, causes the pretty Seokjin to laugh unapologetically. 

“Yes, you are quite infamous. It’s an honor to meet another cheetah- it’s an honor to meet you.” He specifies, leaning the slightest bit closer as he gives her a warm smile. Wow, he’s unreal. “I apologize for the distraction I had. I wasn’t sure what you liked, specifically.” He heads towards the counter next to the stove, Namjoon gives her the smallest nudge in his direction. She doesn’t even need a glance at his face to make sure it’s okay, the smell alone begs her to move forward. 

“I decided on two sweet loaves and two savory. So, the sweet almond is done.” He gestures towards a pretty loaf of uncut bread still in the pan. The top is decorated with sliced almonds and a white drizzle she can’t name. “And the sweet yet tart blueberry lemon is done.” Another loaf with white drizzle, but this time she can see the blueberries and lemon swirls from the top of the bread. “Then, if you don’t want sweet, I made a jalapeño cheddar that’s still in the oven and am just about done prepping a simple sourdough.” He ends with a content smile, pleased with his array and abilities it seems. 

“It all smells amazing.” Is all she manages to say. “I’m excited to try them.” She must sound as meek as she feels in his presence, because his once assured smile turns into one of soft things. 

“We’ll make sure you get to try them all and take as much as you’d like with you.” He says with an assured nod. “Is there anything you prefer for dinner?” 

“No, I’ll eat anything.” She says honestly. 

“Mmm, what’s your favorite then?” 

“Meat.” It’s always the same answer, always the one thing she craves above all else. 

“That is the perfect answer.” He says just as a loud voice calls out from down one of the halls. 

“Namjoon hyung!” The voice is accompanied by quick stomping that has Y/N slink back behind Namjoon and placing a hand onto his wrist to still be able to see around his tall frame. 

Very quickly, a short-haired young man with ears that match Namjoon’s rushes around the corner. His sweaty face and shirt tell Y/N that he was probably in the gym that Namjoon mentioned before arriving. 

“Jimin, please no yelling for the evening.” The instruction has the man- Jimin- trying to peek at Y/N who’s now embarrassed by her own instincts. 

“Oh, I’m sorry, I totally forgot.” He steps forward with confidence. Y/N quickly rights herself, stepping out and giving him a small wave. 

“I’m Jimin, Park Jimin, brown wolf.” He says with a matching small wave. She is thankful for the lack of a handshake. Two wolves, she realizes. Two wolves, one fox, a cheetah…and some others she doesn’t know yet. Already it’s an odd bunch to her. 

“I’ll be busy until dinner, but it was nice to meet you.” He gives her a genuine smile despite his rush. “Hyung, I can’t get this audio file to work, could you help me?” 

“Yeah, give me a minute, I’ll be right there.” Namjoon assures, turning to Y/N. 

“Jungkook is going to be more shy than the others, so I think for now it’d be best if Taehyung finally got to spend some time with you.” He says, giving her upper arms a quick rub just as Taehyung did that one time- a soothing motion that has her melting. 

“Okay.” 

The back yard is no competition for the pretty front yard, but it still has its charm that Y/N prefers over the front. Its purpose is comfort, and that is of the utmost importance to her. The small shed-type building is what Namjoon leads her towards, taking confident strides as she tries to take in the detail of their home. 

He gives a light knock that contrasts his features, making Y/N smile at the charms he so obviously has. The door almost immediately cracks open, then a couple seconds later it’s opening all the way to show a comfortably dressed Taehyung. 

“Y/N.” 

“Hi.” No matter their last meeting, Y/N is shy around the other cheetah. 

“You alright?” Namjoon asks with another squeeze to her arm. 

“Yeah, I’ll be fine.” 

“Okay. Call me if you need anything, or just go on ahead inside if you need anything, Seokjin would be happy to help you. Taehyung.” Namjoon gives him a pointed look that she can’t quite understand. But, the younger seems to understand as he gives a nod back. 

Taehyung is pulling Y/N into the studio quickly, shutting the door with a soft click despite his movements. 

“It’s bigger than it looks outside.” Y/N observes, finding the shelves and cupboards to be full of supplies and paintings large and small leaning against the walls in unbreakable lines. She tries to focus on the paintings and what they display, but Taehyung is suddenly stepping closer. 

“Taehyung?” 

“I missed you.” He says unapologetically. She studies his face as he does her’s, trying to find a lie or a manipulating twitch. He’s certain and shows it with a crease in his forehead that gives a painful undertone. 

“I missed you, too. I was wondering how you were after the trip we took.” She says honestly. 

“Tired, but- you didn’t text me that.” 

“Ah, I’m not one to text, I’m sorry.” She tries not to wither under his intense gaze. It’s different than it was before, like he’s holding something back and she just can’t place what it is. “Are you okay?” 

“I missed you.” He says again. The more she observes him, the more she can see the small notes of something she’s missing. His fists clench and unclench at his sides, wanting. His ears twitch in odd intervals, his tail not as swift as usual, but more of a snake ready to strike. 

“Do you need something from me? You have to tell me, Taehyung, I’m not sure about these things yet.” She says honestly, earnestly, as she can feel a smoke of anxiety coming from him. 

Despite his jerky movements, he reaches for Y/N’s right hand with a slow question. She brings it to his hand in answer, allowing what he wants. He’s still slow to moving even with her allowance- placing her hand on his left cheek to cup his warm skin. A sigh leaves him without restraint. She can do that- she can touch and soothe because she too wants that. That’s okay. 

She brings her other hand up to cup his right cheek on her own, watching as Taehyung becomes less and less tense. She stays there until Taehyund drops his hand from her wrist. She moves as she wishes then, down to his neck, then his shoulders. She’s pulling him in before she can overthink it. 

On her tippy-toes she wraps her arms around Taehyung’s shoulders, giving them both the chance to have this. Giving herself the chance to experience this- a whole feeling whenever they are apart and come back together. Taehyung doesn’t waste any time reciprocating, bringing Y/N in by her torse. The tight squeeze of his hug isn’t uncomfortable, but shows her just how much he did miss her and how much he did need this contact. It’s comforting to hear reassurances and have actions to back them up- Taehyung has been open with her, and he is showing his want to include her in his life. 

She could almost purr at the warmth he gives off- somehow it’s more than Namjoon. She loves it- basks in it. 

“You seem anxious.” Taehyung breaks the silence suddenly. His face turns to give the top of her head a soothing rub. “Are you okay?” 

“Meeting new people is hard for me. I was just worried about what to expect when meeting everyone and how to act here.” 

“You should be yourself. You’ll like them.” 

“It’s more about hoping they’ll like me- that usually determines how someone treats you.” 

Taehyung pulls away only to give Y/N a faint expression she has yet to see on his face. 

“What’s not to like?” 

She tries not to dwell on how much he doesn’t know. Snippets of her past and what she’s done flash in and out of her mind. This is a new her, though. She’s always been genuine- Taehyung still knows the present Y/N and he somehow likes her. She’ll focus on keeping that intact. 

-

Taehyung takes the time to answer all her questions as he shows her all of his supplies. The difference in mediums is quite fascinating to her- there’s so many ways to make something, so much one could think up. Taehyung seems to think a lot with how many pieces he has done. It feels like hundreds are stacked and leaning on top of each other. It’s hard to focus on just one, but she makes a small round and ends up dwelling on the piece that seems to be in progress. A wooden stand holds up the painting perfectly- a made-for item that she finds extremely well-thought out. A small table and chair are perfectly placed for convenience, obviously allowing Taehyung to sit comfortably and reach his plate of paint. The painting is far more interesting though. 

Muted colors are perfectly placed and beautifully crafted to create a lake surrounded by trees. Some spots are left blank or obviously unfinished, but it’s still the most gorgeous thing she’s ever seen. 

“This is what you do every time? This style of art?” 

“Yes, it’s all I like to do. I paint things I like.” 

“Taehyung, it’s gorgeous- I don't know anything about what art needs to be, but this seems like it was made with so much thought and care. It feels like you.” 

“It’s fauvism. That’s the style, but it’s just something that helps everything be quiet.” Taehyung points a finger up to his head, “in here.” 

“That sounds great.” She quips to herself more than anything. 

“You can try.” 

“Oh, no, that would be too difficult. It’d come out looking awful.” 

“It’s not about how it looks in the end. It’s about how you feel.” Y/N really needs to know if these wise words that Taehyung is always spewing is a normal occurrence. 

She dwells on the idea, really more curious about how it would be to use the supplies than making art itself will turn out. 

“What can I use?”

-

Taehyung was absolutely right in stating that making art in this way truly quiets the brain. She has no idea how long it has been with her painting not resembling anything specific, but only streaks of colors that feel ‘right’. Taehyung told her to do that- ‘just do what you want, what feels right’. It’s really nice to try something new that she actually enjoys. This is something she could definitely do often, especially with so much to explore and learn about. 

The time passes without her noticing, and Taehyung slinks up behind her with no notice as well. 

“Break time.” Is all he says, producing a yawn that has Y/N looking up at him with a coo daring to break past her lips. She stops the thought, instead standing and cleaning her brush just as Taehyung taught her. 

“Are you done for the day?”

“No, just want to nap.” Taehyung points a thumb to the large, dark-gray couch lining one wall of the studio. 

“Oh, I can give you some privacy.” Y/N goes to undo her ‘smock’ that the older cheetah let her borrow for the day with her white shirt. 

“No,” he stops her as she gets it loose and off of her. “I want you to nap with me. It’ll be warmer, better.” Taehyung states without a sight of embarrassment. Y/N on the other hand is far too worried about how two people would nap on that couch comfortably. 

“How would we nap together?” 

“Are you tired?” He suddenly asks. 

“Kinda?”

“Easily, then.” 

That is all he provides her before he’s stretching out onto the couch cushions, pushing his back up to the back of the couch as he lies on his side. He gives a couple taps to the space in front of him once he’s settled with his head on an extra pillow. 

He can’t be serious. Surely this is too invasive. But, sure enough he is waiting with tired, pouty lips and another couple taps when she hesitates. The one thing that pushes her forward is that call she can’t seem to understand yet. Her cheetah yearns for this- a palpable thing that seems to push her forward to stand right in front of the couch. Her movements are light, calculated as she maneuvers into a lying position in front of Taehyung. There’s only an inch or so of space between them when Taehyung wraps his available arm around her and pulls her in that last bit, his hand resting just below the nape of her neck. 

The closeness from the gesture causes her to stiffen- until Taehyung’s hand is finally at her nape, massaging those circles into the muscle just as Namjoon did to her. The gesture causes her the same feelings, relaxing just about every muscle in her body to mush. 

This is where Namjoon said he’d learned it, and Taehyung just knew that it’d help her. He’d like it too then, right? With jelly arms, she wraps her arm around him the same way he did to her. She finds that spot with no-so-calculated movements, but easily starts a low-pressure massage as well. Taehyung is instantly purring into her neck- the spot his head happened to settle as she basically lies her head on his. She feels the deep rumblings from her stomach to her toes. 

She doesn’t even realize that her own purrs start up without worry, until Taehyung is mumbling something that sounds a whole lot like ‘pretty’. She can’t focus at all, she can’t tell if he’s talking or if it’s just his rumbling vibrations. She doesn’t last long and soon falls asleep without a second thought. 

Warm, comfortable, and purring. 

-

Namjoon

“Did she decide to stay for dinner, hyung?” 

Namjoon made sure to check on the anxious bunny before dinner and his first meeting of Y/N. Jungkook isn’t one that grows comfortable quickly, and he definitely isn’t one that enjoys a large change in his routine. In this case, it’s not the biggest change for him, but definitely a scary one. 

“Yes, and she’s just as nervous as you are, so our attention for the evening will be as it is normally, just with another person that will join in on the conversation. I promise it will be okay, bun.” 

“I know. I definitely want to meet her. I’m just still working on the trust thing. ‘Just because I don’t trust her immediately doesn’t mean she’s bad’. That’s what I’ve been telling myself.”

“That’s great reassurance. I’ll do you one better, though. The leader you trust trusts Y/N enough to bring her into your home. I would never bring someone here that would put you in harm’s way.” 

“I know, hyung.”

“I’m proud of you no matter what, though. Just let me or any of the others know if you need a break, okay?”

“Of course.”

Just as Namjoon gives Jungkook an assured peck to the base of his bunny ear, their bedroom door opens to an amazing smelling Jin. 

“Could you get the cheetahs, please? Dinner is ready. Could you help me place the table, bun?” The eager-to-help bunny is already up and following his eldest hyung before Namjoon is able to exit. 

A few knocks to the studio door produce no answer. Namjoon can immediately guess that Taehyung has convinced Y/N to take a nap in his wish to take a break. Perfect. He cracks the door open just to be nice.

“Can I come in?” Namjoon makes sure to ask just like every other time. 

“N-” He can hear a groggy start to Taehyung’s disapproval before he’s cut off. Another few seconds pass before he- surprisingly- gets a different answer. 

“Come in.” Taehyung calls.

Namjoon takes care to make sure he’s quiet, but really is curious about the situation Y/N has Taehyung in that would allow her to convince him to let someone into his studio. He’s not too surprised to find the two cheetahs in a cuddling embrace. He would think that the two fell back asleep in the few seconds it took him to enter, if it were not for Y/N’s sleepy face turning to peek at Namjoon smiling down at her. 

So pretty and so soft. He can get used to seeing her so content and safe. 

“‘mjoon.” She says with a dopey smile he knows all too well. She had a great nap.

“Y/N.” Namjoon says in the same manner she did. 

“Missed you.” She seems to slip her arm out of a place he can’t figure out, stretching her body in whatever way she can and reaching out for a- patiently waiting- expectant Namjoon. He grabs her hand that looks like it’s too heavy for her to keep up. 

“I missed you too. Are you hungry? Dinner is ready and the others would love to meet you.” 

Those words seem to get her pushing away from a groaning Taehyung with a burst of very unexpected energy. Namjoon helps her still-tired limbs up to a standing position. 

“Did you have a nice nap?” 

“Mhm.”

“Are you hungry?” 

“Mhm.”

“Are you okay to meet the others right now?” 

She stops to think this time before responding- seemingly taking a mental list of actions such as fixing her hair and rubbing at her tired eyes. 

“I think so. If I look okay- God, I shouldn’t have slept right before this.” She groans in a voice that shows she’s still slightly tired. 

“You seem less worried than you were before, I think the nap was a good idea.” Namjoon takes extra care to fix a few pieces of her hair that seem out of place. Taehyung finally takes his time to stretch properly and stand from the couch that Namjoon just knows is too warm for him to be comfortable sitting on. 

“Can I just use the restroom first?” Y/N asks with pleading eyes. 

“Of course. Taehyung, can you go see if Jin-hyung needs help with anything else please.” 

With a head bump, he’s out of the studio before him and Y/N are, following in his footsteps to get into the house and lead her to the bathroom. 

Y/N

The bathroom Namjoon leads her to is similar to the one she knows in the Caddel house. It’s not as extravagant as she imagined it would be, but honestly, she’s thankful for that in the moment. In this simple bathroom, she’s able to focus on how presentable she is. Luckily it takes no time, realizing she doesn’t have much to worry about. Even if she did, she’d be quick in front of the mirror. She’s always fast to finish looking into them. 

Namjoon is happily waiting outside of the bathroom to lead her back to the dining room with company. Again, she’s lucky to have only Seokjin and Taehyung in the room when she gets there. But, it’s not long before a new pack member is coming out of the kitchen with a few sets of silverware in hand. 

“Jungkook,” Namjoon seems to encourage the shy-looking man with a hand. “This is Y/N, Y/N this is Jungkook.” The man she now knows as Jungkook is soft and subtle with his gestures towards her. He gives her a smile that probably mirrors her terrified smile. 

“Black bunny,” Is all he says, before continuing his rounds to put out silverware. Once he’s done and out of the room Namjoon is closing in and whispering in her ear. 

“He’s shy, but not unkind. He’s just very nervous.” Y/N didn’t get any unkind feelings with him, but she’s happy to know that it isn’t exactly her fault in a way that is uncommon.

“I’m gonna go see if they need any more help, go ahead and sit down here.” Namjoon directs her to a seat that sits in the middle of two other seats. She’s only hoping that the two she’s comfortable with will be sitting on either side of her. 

“Can I help in some way?” She asks before he leaves her alone. 

“Don’t worry, it’s just to bring out the food now that the plates and silverware is set.” 

She sits in her anxious skin as she’s left alone. When footsteps lead back into the dining room she’s expecting Namjoon or someone she met already but- she isn’t always lucky. 

“Oh, I’m sorry I thought Joon was with you.” A bright-voiced man looks back into the kitchen where she can’t see, but he ultimately decides to just introduce himself. “I’m Hoseok, but Hobi is fine, I’m a white tiger.” Y/N really can’t seem to take her eyes off of his hair. The perfectly cut style is platinum white with absolutely no imperfections. It suits him perfectly and matches his white and black tinged ears. 

“Hi, I’m Y/N.” 

“Very nice to meet you, is it okay if I sit before Namjoon gets back?”

“Of course.” Y/N automatically likes the way the white tiger carries himself. She’s even excited to meet another type of cat. 

“So, is everyone being normal?” Hoseok suddenly asks as he sits in a chair across from her and to her left- three chairs line on each side of the table and one on each end, a perfect eight. 

“Everyone has been really nice? If that’s normal.” Y/N tries to answer in the same manner he asks. At her response, he gives her a bright laugh that instantly makes her feel like smiling. 

“That’s good and yes it’s normal. Unless one of the younger ones can’t find anything better to do than argue.” He tells her, making her smile grow at the implied personalities of some of the members. 

“Okay, everything’s pretty hot still, so let’s please wait until everyone’s sat.” Seokjin’s voice pulls the two’s attention away from each other and onto the line of four hybrids that come in carrying various plates of food. Y/N is immediately in awe with the amount and variety. Namjoon seems to taunt her even more by placing the dish of sliced, perfectly pink meat in front of her. 

With the call out from Seokjin, the others that were nowhere in sight seem to manifest. Jimin hurries around the corner with damp hair and a new set of clothes, sitting down just in front of Y/N. Namjoon is able to sit next to her on the right and, thankfully, Taehyung on her left. Seokjin finally sets down the pitchers of chilled water before taking one of the head chairs. Jungkook sits next to Jimin who immediately gives the bunny a scrunched-nose head bump. And finally, a new face finishes the picture as he takes the other end chair, opposite to Seokjin. 

“Before we start- Y/N this is Yoongi.” Namjoon gives her the information.

“Black panther.” Is all he says as he pours and takes a few gulps of water. 

“He’s a man of few words, don’t worry.” Namjoon leans in and whispers. 

“It’s nice to meet you.” She still gives him despite his short greeting, feeling as though that is what’s most respectful. 

“Perfect, let’s eat.” Seokjin says unceremoniously. The sudden movements take her off guard, watching as the routine of giving and taking happens quickly yet precisely. Before she even knows it there is a scoop or a few pieces from each dish that was passed around. Everyone eats with ease that shows their comfortability with each other, dipping in and out of conversation. It’s nothing like what she’s used to. Eating with Maria and Richard happens in front of the TV. The two are old enough that they don’t mind their nights being spent like so, but Y/N can see how much more enjoyable this way of ending your day is. 

“So, Y/N, where are you originally from?” The question from Seokjin throws her so off-guard that she doesn’t even second guess the look she gives to the eldest as she opens and closes her mouth in thought. 

“I’m not sure, actually.” She finally says, expecting to kill the mood with her first attempt at conversation. But it’s true. She doesn’t know the place or how she got there. 

“That’s okay, some of us don’t know either.” Namjoon answers, causing Y/N to be taken aback only because of the normality that is in the home. She wouldn’t guess that some of these hybrids don’t know where they’re from like she does. She does catch a few pointed smiles that are there to comfort her, and a few that are all too eager to look away from her in their own thoughts.

The lull in conversation that includes her provides a great opportunity for her to finally try the food. With her fork, she goes for whatever catches her eye the most. The meat. She can now see that the sliced pieces were sitting on a layer of a dark sauce she’s never seen before lining the plate. She wastes no time being subtle, sticking the whole slice of beef into her mouth. 

Warm, soft, and perfectly cooked to her liking. The savory sauce even has a bit of sourness that adds to the overall goodness. Everything about it is perfect.  She goes for the pillow  of whites that she can only assume is mashed potatoes just like Maria makes sometimes. Upon scooping them into her mouth, she realizes that they’re honestly better than Maria’s. They’re creamy and light in her mouth- almost like a whipped cream would be. The flavors in the potatoes compliment it well and add to the beef well. 

She didn’t realize food could taste like this and compliment each other so well. With her usual meals, she’s focused on eating foods that she knows were picked only based on what her doctor recommended. And she’s now realizing how different everyone makes some of the same things. She doesn’t want to admit that Seokjin has definitely changed a part of her with this meal- that seems embarrassingly excessive- but it’s very true. 

“Good?” Namjoon asks beside her, a person she forgot was there completely. 

“So good. Perfect.” She states without missing a beat. 

In her effort to clean off her plate, she misses how Namjoon watches her as she eats in his home. She misses the content look Seokjin gives after he put so much effort into making the steak as he knows Taehyung likes it. She misses the look that Yoongi gives Namjoon through his lashes upon seeing the wolf’s expression towards her. 

Overall, she misses the text she gets from Richard, the message sitting unread at the top of her notification as the night slowly comes to an end. 

Her food is polished off and the conversation made towards her is more easy-going than the first question Seokjin asked. The whole pack must have gotten the point without it even being stated. Instead, she’s asked about her hobbies or favorite things to do, what she wants to try, and what her favorite foods are- pushed solely by Seokjin to answer. They all put in their own effort to include her. She doesn’t mind when Jungkook and Yoongi are included with just a hum of an answer instead of words. She’s just happy to be there now that she knows it’s safe.

She's more surprised about how young everyone is. Yes, she's the youngest at the table, but Jungkook is only a year older than her and Seokjin is only 6 years older than her. She's fascinated by their compatibility with them all being so young- as well as the success they seem to have in numbers of their pack and where they all live.

Namjoon never misses a beat when she’s unsure, giving her polite direction or ideas so she can think instead of letting her anxieties rid her brain of what to say. She could never thank him properly for the effort he puts into her. 

“Are you getting tired?” Namjoon asks her as she stands next to him and a smiling ‘Hobi’ that insisted on helping the wolf clean the dishes after dinner. 

“Only a little, the nap wasn’t long enough.” She quips. Her efforts today have made her tired, but she’s just really happy to see Namjoon in his own comforting place. She didn’t realize the small changes that would take place when he’s somewhere he knows as home. He makes more effort to give her calming touches and lingering looks that give her the confidence to be there and talk comfortably. 

“Let me just finish these and then we can wrap up and get you home, yeah?”

Why would the first answer in her head be ‘no’? 

“Take your time.” She says instead, taken aback by her own thoughts. “Could I…maybe thank everyone before leaving. I don’t want to just leave without making sure everyone knows I appreciate that they let me into their home.” 

Instead of a direct answer, she gets an unexpected squeal of a noise from Hoseok. 

“Oh my god, she’s the cutest, Joon.” 

“I know, it pains me.” 

She can only stare at the two as Namjoon finishes washing the dishes while Hoseok stays to dry the dishes. ‘What was that?’ Namjoon leads her into the living room- with no mention of this previous comment- where four of the pack members are sitting in different ways to watch a movie. 

Taehyung’s focus is immediately on her upon entering the room, while Jimin, Seokjin, and Jungkook all take a few beats before looking over to a waiting Namjoon. 

“Y/N is getting tired, so I’ll go ahead and take her home before it’s too late.” Namjoon gives her a little head bop to indicate that he’s done. 

“Uh, thank you for letting me into your pack home, and thank you for allowing me to eat with you. I appreciate everyone being so kind.” She gives with a smile that’s more awkward than anything, but she’s proud of herself for mentioning it without slipping up. 

“We’d be happy to have you over whenever one of the guys wants to see you.” Seokjin specifies with words that are specially picked. “Also, Yoongi turned in early because of his early schedule tomorrow, but we’ll let him know your feelings.” He also says with a care that Y/N appreciates greatly as well. 

“Thank you.” She finally says with a look to each member. With her final look being towards Jungkook, she finds his eyes on her tail wrapped around her waist. She instinctively wraps it tighter at the realization, hoping it doesn’t look as odd as she thinks it would be to hybrids that actually have the muscle to keep their long tails up and prettily sitting. 

-

She finally remembers to check her phone in the car on the way home. She finds that Richard sends her a message. One that she never gets. 

‘Hey, I’m sorry, but I’ll be working late tonight. I picked up an extra meal from my lunch and set it aside in the fridge for your dinner.’

‘Hey, my coworker is going to have to stop by the house to grab something out of the garage for an out-of-town job tomorrow. The back garage door is unlocked, so he’ll just be in and out. Please look out for a black truck if you’re at the house when he comes.’

He’d just let someone in and out of his house with her possibly being there? He’s okay with him in his house while he’s not there? 

The questions take over to cause panic to bubble up into her throat. He sent that second text only five minutes ago. She could still run into his coworker. That realization makes her feel a dread so instant- could it be the same man from last time? The one that Namjoon unknowingly told her to be aware of in her mention of cheetahs being ‘exotic’. 

Richard wouldn’t let someone like him be around her alone after that encounter. Would he? No, he’s a good man. He’s a good man. Richard wouldn’t do that. 

Her convincing takes up the whole ride, only realizing she’s home once Namjoon is at her door, opening it and letting the breeze remind her where she is. Her unbuckling is done with numb fingers. Her anxious movements to get out have her struggling to seem normal. 

“Are you okay?” Namjoon asks just as she climbs out and heads for the door. She feels sick as she responds, hoping it all sounds normal. 

“Yeah, just tired.” 

At the door, she fumbles with the key in her back pocket, taking a quiet deep breath before finally getting the key into the lock. Namjoon walked her up to the door behind her and waits for her to get inside safely.

 “It was nice having your company. If you ever need a place to get away from ‘volunteer Namjoon’ just let me know, okay?” 

“Okay.” She forces out and turns to switch on the lights in the living room with quick, shaky hands. 

“Hey,” Namjoon’s warm hand is on her shoulder to get her attention, “are you sure you’re okay?” 

No, ask him to stay. Ask him, please. Don’t lie to him. He won’t know how you feel if you lie. Just have him wait until that guy comes and goes. 

‘What if he has to stay for long? What if that guy just shows up and leaves with no other hindrance? She can’t just ask him to stay when she took up his whole day.’

Her thoughts contradict each other and fight as if they are two separate people.

“I’m just really tired, suddenly. But, I enjoyed seeing you today, like this.” She points out, hoping he doesn’t see the screaming in her eyes. Hoping he doesn’t keep asking. She’ll definitely give in if he asks again. 

“I enjoyed seeing you as well. Get some rest, okay? And let me know if you need anything.” He finds her eyes when they stray away from his. “Anything.” He repeats. 

“Okay. Goodnight.” She finalizes with a tight smile. 

“Goodnight, Y/N.” 

She shuts the door and turns to the living room to find an empty, quiet house. One that seems all too unsafe. More unsafe than the house full of seven men. To be honest, being in that house was the safest she’s felt in a long time. Maybe it’s because Richard wasn’t in it. Maybe it’s because they actually considered how she felt. 

Maybe she just needs rest. 

-

Namjoon

Leaving her like that was hard for Namjoon. Something about her change in demeanor and how she responded to him was unsettling. She’s never been that short with him, never had the need to stare at anything but him- only when she’s shy is she that way, but, this was entirely different. Something in himself was screaming to keep pushing. He stays sat in his car in the Caddel driveway for another 15 minutes before he realizes she won’t change her mind. 

Maybe he should’ve asked once more. Maybe he should’ve asked to make sure she wasn’t alone for the night. Maybe he should’ve just asked her to stay at the house in the guest room where she’d be safe and in his vicinity. 

Maybe he just needs rest. 

-

Sleep finds him in a series of thoughts that he can’t get out of his head. Something feels wrong no matter how he tries to think about it. He looks around to his pack members fast asleep. All were excited to end the night once he was back home, all shared their thoughts about Y/N and were happy to have finally met the other cheetah. Nothing in the house was giving him the feeling he got when dropping Y/N off at home. 

Still, he sleeps- and wakes at an ungodly hour with no reason. 

Except, there is a reason. A series of loud, sure knocks is beat into their front door. This time, Seokjin just about shoots up to immediately look over at the anxious wolf. The two share a silent conversation as the others somehow haven’t woken up yet- thankfully. 

The two hurry to throw on shirts and shorts, making their way to the front door. Passing the living room clock, Namjoon can see it’s only a few minutes past 5am. 

He’s the first one to the door, and the first to see who stands on the other side through the peephole. He opens the door immediately. 

“Is this the residence of Kim Namjoon?” Two officers, one human and one hybrid stand at the door. 

“Yes, I’m Namjoon.” He says with no tiredness in his voice as Seokjin catches up to him. 

“What’s going on?” Seokjin asks, his voice showing he just obviously woke up. 

“We were given some information about you upon bringing in a Y/N L/N last night. We have reason to believe that you were a witness in where Y/N was before she made it back home? We were wondering if you’d come in for some questioning regarding her location and the lead up to her going home.” 

That sick feeling was this. This is his fault.

#bts au #bts fic #namjoon au #namjoon x reader #bts x fem!reader #bts x reader #bts x y/n #bts x you #bts hybrid au #bts hybrid fic

[roo-bastmoon]

After having a long think...

Even though I keep saying I'm going to go rest and stop obsessing about this, I guess I can't. I just suck at sitting still and being chill. My thoughts are under the cut out of respect for folks in the tags who don't want to engage in any drama around Seven.

Here is a list of all the push for Seven that has been noticed in the first two days (the thread is currently 30-posts deep but please do take a look):

Note: I haven't vetted any of those comments. I just scrolled through them and felt so overwhelmed. It just doesn't look good, but I bow to any industry experts who have real data and experience.

Update: Artie has a good post here about Jimin's debut numbers and playlists. Also here about how Seven being promoted to radio isn't necessarily proof that it was payola and they have the numbers from credible sources to back that possibility up:

I'm just going to come right out and say it: I find payola dishonorable. It's not just advertising; it's basically bribes. And ads should never replace real people's streams.

I deeply respected that BTS and ARMY found such success without that stuff. It used to be about passionate artists, making their own music, which resonated with real people, who worked hard to promote it. It was about mutual respect.

JK's numbers don't look completely organic to me, but I don't think he had a hand in that.

I have such serious misgivings if this the direction Hybe is going in for JJK1, and have no clue how the group survives if the company picks and chooses their favorites for that kind of push. If this is the strategy for all BTS projects now, I have no idea how they can afford it. I'd really appreciate if they could come to us and try to explain how it could ever be on the up-and-up because I don't think it can.

I confess I will not be working hard at all for anything that seems inorganic. This project just looks like Scooter weaponizing Jungkook to win a dick-measuring contest with Taylor and others. I hate it.

That said, I've always been very clear that Jimin is my guide.

Jimin adores Jungkook. Jimin is working with and hanging out with Jungkook even as I type this. Jimin is choosing for now to stay with Hybe. Jimin is flying all over the world on Hybe's time and dime to work on even more projects. Jimin has more music to share with us, that Hybe is investing in. Jimin seems happy for the most part.

I will support Jimin and never move against the people Jimin loves.

I trust Jimin and give the benefit of the doubt to the people Jimin trusts.

When planning his first album, I do not believe that Jimin was told about decisions to split tracks, or skip play-listings, or what would get restocked, or if they'd buy ads for smoother streams on YouTube and Spotify or not, or what kind of articles would be written about him.

I believe Jimin had plenty of input on the design, look, feel, sound, tracks, cast, choreo, performances--all the creative aspects of his album. I think he was able to say what he needed to say and get Letter hidden on his album for Jungkook. But I don't think he was roped into strategic plans and profit and loss statements and marketing roll-outs in any great detail. I arrive at this idea based on my own experience in the entertainment industry--I could be wrong.

And so I think the same for Jungkook. I think Jungkook had input on some of the creative aspects of this single (and likely had suspicions of what working under Hybe America and Scooter might entail). I have no idea the conversations and pressures he faced around this topic, or if he simply trusted Bang PD to handle it. I don't know what all he talked about with Jimin and the hyungs.

I do know there was a time this year when he came to us on lives deeply depressed and almost lost, despondent. I know there was a group dinner where many things were discussed. And then there were many times he came to us on lives, inspired by and enamored with Jimin, memorizing and hyping up his work with such pure adoration, even as their own company refused to even mention Jimin's successes.

So I ask myself: does Jeon Jungkook really have it in him to steal Jimin's ideas or push himself out ahead of his hyungs, embracing unequal treatment and unfair advantages, just so he can be the one to make it big in the West?

And in looking for that answer, I'm reminded of this clip:

No. I don't think that's who Jeon Jungkook is. At least, it isn't the Jeon Jungkook I knew.

I am sad to say I think that is exactly who Scooter Braun is and who Bang PD has become. That is what the company would do. But not our Jungkook. Not unless everyone in the group was on board with it, somehow.

Jimin is standing by Jungkook. So I am standing by Jungkook--as a person.

But I've bought Seven once and I've added it to my night playlist and that's all the moves I'm making on that project. I will not be setting alarms to vote or using extra accounts to buy or hash-tagging anything, nor getting any merch, nor requesting local spins, none of that. It's a catchy song but as the thread I linked to above shows, it is a guaranteed "success" even without me. So I'm using my energy to support Jimin and other BTS projects that resonate with me and need me.

My stance on this might offend you, and I respect your feelings. I do not identify as a solo or anti. I still think of myself as aJimin-biased Jikooker who loves the members. I am probably toeing the line of being a manti, as I feel this company has broken faith with me. Not the creative or administrative staff, but the executives. I feel like they've ended our ten-year legacy in shame.

If it gets much worse, I may just dip out of the fandom after Jimin goes into service. I don't know. Probably I will have to see how things work out for the other solo works and plans for the group for 2025. At the moment, I have far bigger things to worry about, like colitis.

I can't lie, what I've seen so far with this rollout really shocked me, gave me a bit of an identity crisis, as ARMY. I don't want to assume the worst; neither do I want to bury my head in the sand for the sake of my ship or my favorite songs.

I will always act in accordance with my own conscience, based on the limited information I have. If I get better information, I will of course update my viewpoints. If at any point that causes anyone who is friended with me distress, I will understand completely if we need to part ways. I never, EVER wish to cause anyone harm.

But I'm too sick to argue and debate too much, too long. Boraland was supposed to be a place to unwind and feel inspired, not get more stressed. These past few 1.5 years months as ARMY has been exhausting in every sense of the word. So I'm choosing to put my energy into the things that bring some joy in my life.

I'm choosing to trust and follow Jimin's lead, for now.

#jimin #jikook #jungkook

[moonshine-nightlight]

Potential Short Stories

hey, while looking to next year, i have a number of short stories I'm considering and i'd like to gauge y'alls interest in them and see if there are any that should move up my list.

these are all just the top ideas i'm considering at the moment and are subject to change when i get back to writing in Spring 2024, but i really want to know if any of these grabs ppls attention as often more interest in a story motivates me to write more!

see under the read more for summaries of each story in the poll

if ur interested in more than one, vote for your favorite and mention the others in the comments/tags!

See this post for a poll on short vs long stories!

See this post for a poll on long stories!

see below for summaries and minor details (titles subject to change - but i'm also lazy and hate titling things so maybe not)

Courtship Confusion: You’ve been working with Morgan for a couple years. A consummate flirt, you’d initially been put off by his whole charming deal, but now that he’s your best friend you’ve been wanting to see if he’s still interested in dating you. Unfortunately he’s not picking up your hints. Before you give up, a pair of visiting concubi remind you of cultural differences when it comes to dating. Maybe you’ve both been misunderstanding each other. Maybe it’s time you set the record straight.

Modern w/known non-humans, ReaderxMaleSiren

Quid Pro Quo: You’d thought the only remotely positive about your husband’s death would be that you wouldn’t need to deal with your terrible in-laws anymore. Then you found out that demons were real and your husband’s family had made a deal decades ago trapping all their descendants in service to one. You manage to set up your own deal with a different demon: if you help Adriel figure out who is embezzling from his realm spanning organization, he’ll help you figure out how to get your kids free of the contract. After hitting dead end after dead end, you finally think you’re both getting somewhere, but will it be enough?

Modern w/secret demons; ReaderxMaleDemon

Goddaughter: You thought you’d seen the last of your family when you left—you’d certainly done everything you could to cut ties with them and with your father’s enemies. Unfortunately, they finally seem to have caught up with you—running into you by chance in the grocery store of all places. Now you and your daughter have been captured, you’re tied up while they’ve taken her who knows where, your father is just as useless at protecting you as always. Then you hear a familiar voice. What on earth is your neighbor, Vee, doing here? Why does he know your father? And why does he sound positively…demonic?

Modern w/secret demons; ReaderxMaleDemon

Bedwarmer: When you heard your Chancellor had died in battle and his lands given to a mountain orc who’d practically won the battle singlehandedly, you weren’t sure what to think. When the steward put out the call for a bedwarmer for said new Chancellor, you figured species didn’t matter much after all—powerful people were all the same. Still, the role came with a year reduction in indenture for whoever was selected from the candidates. You’ve never had any problem with no strings attached sex so you add yourself to the list. It’s not until you meet this Kor’Shearda and are chosen that you begin to realize how wrong you were.

Fantasy w/known non-humans; ReaderxFemaleOrc

Runalong: Sometimes you feel like you’ve spent your whole life on the move. Shuffled from one place to the next with no real say in the matter. Is it any wonder that on those long car rides from somewhere that just started to become familiar to somewhere brand new and unknown that you might imagine a companion along side you? And what does it mean that now you’re an adult and you still think you see them sometimes?

Modern w/unknown non-humans; ReaderxGNSpirit

Feral: You’ve been so happy living on your own in the little house you inherited, you didn’t even mind the strange stipulations in the will about hanging plants and markings on fence posts. You were never particularly superstitious. Or you weren’t. Strange noises at night, eyes that glow, tracks around the porch—it’s all starting to freak you out. What could be lurking in the shadows of your yard? Is it all your imagination? Or does something—someone—mean you harm?

Modern w/unknown non-humans; ReaderxFemaleHellhound

#polls #stories #my stories #just want to see what ppl think #was gonna put this up lik next weekend but i hav no self control #i'll likely do what i want lol #because if i'm not up for it i wont be able to write it as well #but i do want to know what ur thoughts are #(i'm sometimes very easily persuaded - thats how the DSM bonus happened) #and giv a little preview of what stories might be coming up next #i'd likely only be able to get to 4 at most next year #so choose wisely!

[nostalgebraist-autoresponder]

Title: Good Omens

Author: Neil Gaiman

Rating: 1/5 stars

I picked this book up at the library because I remembered seeing a few positive reviews, but then I saw a bunch of negative reviews, and the implication that these books are somehow the shibboleth by which one may judge one's literary taste (or, indeed, that all right-thinking people must like these books) set me against them. (When I was in high school in the early '00s, for instance, I was harassed and threatened because my taste in books and music didn't conform to my peers' ideas of what people like me are supposed to like. I'm still quite sensitive about it.)

After a bit of procrastination I picked up Good Omens, having heard that it was odd in a good way. As it turned out, it was both good and odd, but it wasn't the kind of odd that I like.

What is it like? Well, it reminded me a bit of Turtle Diary -- that is, it has a great deal of odd detail, all used with an eye towards creating a vivid image. But where Turtle Diary managed this with a deft, artful touch, Good Omens is obsessive. In Turtle Diary you get "Four different forms of religious sign and symbol": the cross, the Star of David, a crescent moon, and a life raft. In Good Omens you get plant symbols and animal symbols and religious symbolism and religious symbolism based on every ancient and forgotten pantheon there ever was, and the name of every seraph and cherub and angel and demon to ever be mentioned in the Bible, and everything else. You get a whole list of band names that look like gibberish, because if there's one thing a demon ought to be named after, it's a band. Needless to say, this casts a long shadow, and every single line, and even every single sentence, is supposed to be not only vivid but also full of meaning and with some sort of cultural reference, even if the reference itself is nonsensical. And often, as in this example, it means that the line will be awfully goofy, no matter what the ostensible subject matter is.

I don't mind when the vivid detail is organized and aiming toward a particular effect, but there are a lot of minor quirks in the book's prose, without any discernible pattern. Sometimes it seems to be going for a style of Victorian dialogue, and then it'll go off on some digression about something that's supposed to be modern or some-or-other, or it'll switch to the conventions of head-hopping in modern fiction (the book's two protagonists, angel and demon, each get "perspective chapters" not just about their own thoughts but their own bodies and feelings), and then it'll jump back to a dialogue with no word-order changes and different sentence structure from the rest of the book, or to a form of prose that is clearly supposed to be a pastiche of classic literature, and then back to modern head-hopping, to make sure that you keep track of who's doing what to whom and what they're saying.

I kept waiting for the effect to reveal itself, and it never did. On the one hand, I can see that Gaiman was trying to do something like Anna Karenina, in which a cast of vivid and realistic characters is put through a sort of symbolic dance in a circus ring of the author's devising. A lot of people like Anna Karenina, and I think this is because Tolstoy gives his characters a lot of interiority and their relationships a lot of psychological weight. Gaiman also does this in one regard, but . . . well, what's the opposite of "psychological weight"? I think it would be "unreliable narrator," and Gaiman doesn't quite give that, but a lot of his characters seem unreliable, both in terms of their self-deception and in terms of his self-deception in painting a picture of them and their interactions. Gaiman has some skills as a writer (for instance, creating a sense of humor without playing for laughs), but those skills simply aren't enough to make him a good writer of the kinds of things that people like about his books.

More vexing, in a sense, than Gaiman's creative approach is his creative attitude. He seems to have no interest in coming up with original ideas about anything, except in the most superficial sense -- as a result, the book feels like a literary junkyard, filled with patches from books and myths and musicals and films and whatever else, unconnected to one another except by the fact that all of them come from the same junkyard.

This might be a lot more acceptable if it didn't run into the problem that one of the book's main characters is a woman who runs a bookshop, and this woman -- the owner of the world's single most well-stocked used bookstore, it seems -- talks in a weirdly specialized way about books that she read and enjoyed when she was 11, but, on the off-chance that her audience includes someone in her same age bracket, has to talk in the sort of generic awe- and wonder-pilled, "cool literature" style you might expect from the social media of a 13 year old who has never encountered anyone who doesn't appreciate literature.

There are two things about this that bothered me, one more than the other. The first is obviously an unnatural over-familiarity with these authors and their works, just as would be the case with the 13 year old in the example I gave. The other is the way Gaiman presents a woman as having read in depth and gotten something from a book in her past, even though she only actually mentions a couple of chapters, the plot of the book in question, and a general atmosphere -- which is more or less how I would talk about those books, if I had to talk about them at all. Oh, and I mentioned earlier the way Gaiman uses pop culture terms to refer to things from the past and the present. The strange thing is that he doesn't show any interest in the actual thing -- like, it's hard to imagine that anyone who actually knew anything about them would have said "Oh, you mean she's reading Colette and Poirot! How very stereotypical and appropriate of a woman!" -- which, I can't stress enough, is how Gaiman mentions these books.

I have no idea why this bothers me as much as it does, or why Gaiman seems to be inviting this kind of questioning in the first place.

[blackholemojis]

u have made posts telling about your aac you use... would u b willing to share images of how you have it set up and maybe give tips for people working on making their own aac?

I would love to but I think it may give away my anonymity, since I like to share pictures of my different pages. I can share some details and organizing tips though! This isn't anything comprehensive, I think I'd need to spend a lot more time on that, but hopefully this is helpful for someone. For context, I use TD Snap Lite :)

I'll include a list of different word categories at the bottom under the cut, so if you're looking for types of words to focus on, you can skip to there!

Organization part 1

I keep all my commonly used words and folders for other words on my quickfires page, starting with basic communication words (yes/no, who/what/where, etc) and folders (conversation phrases, short responses, nouns, verbs, etc).

Then I have commonly used descriptors, connector words, actions, and nouns. All these are broad words like "thing" or "person," "and" or "because," and "go" and "fix." Even if I didn't have a button for a specific concept, I would still be able to describe it, like "the thing that is mine."

I organize the different buttons in rows on the same page, and try to group similar words together, that way I can find them easily.

I started with buttons for different bADLs (basic activities of daily living), which are bathing, dressing, grooming/hygiene, eating, toileting, and transferring/movement. Then I went to activities that I do every day, like studying, doing housework, or watching TV.

The idea is that I would be able to get through a whole day and be able to describe what I want, what I need, my activities, and what I don't want or need (the ability to say no is important, even for little things!)

Organization part 2

What words I have is important, but so is how I make sure I can find them easily. With TD Snap you can give buttons custom colors and custom border colors, so I use those to organize types of words, and types within those types (so verbs versus nouns, and then people-nouns versus object-nouns)

I also put the most commonly used words towards the right side of the screen, since I'm right handed and that means they'll be easiest to access.

I try to use pastels so I can read the labels, and I edit the text size of all buttons so I can see the symbol and label well. With descriptors, I try to group similar ones together, and group ones that have "opposites" either right next to each other or one above the other (words like up and down, or inside and outside).

Finding gaps

The easiest way for me to figure out what buttons I'm missing is by using my AAC when I'm near full spoons and can think about language well, like now. That way I know what I'm missing, and I can make a button and organize it in the moment without it taking much energy. Usually I'm missing different categories of words, like colors, or words to describe time.

Here's a bunch of word categories under the cut, starting with "essentials" and then moving on to common non-essentials! Feel free to ask me to include any other ideas

BADLs

Bathing (shower, bath, sponge bath, and related words you use for bathing)

Dressing (getting dressed, getting undressed, picking out clothes, words for different types of clothes)

Grooming/hygiene (brushing teeth, flossing teeth, brushing/combing hair, trimming hair, dyeing hair, cleaning piercings, washing face, shaving, makeup)

Eating/drinking (breakfast, lunch, dinner, snack, meal, types of food you eat, spoon, fork, knife, chopstick, bowl, plate, mug, water, warm beverages, napkins, and any other words you use for eating/drinking)

Toileting (bathroom, stall, toilet, sink, washing hands, soap, toilet paper, menstrual products, changing toileting equipment, and any other words)

Transferring/Movement (any mobility aids you use, transferring to/from mobility aids, terms for your aids, walk, run, jog. I included transportation words like "drive" and "car" in my section for this, but that's not necessary)

Essential communication

Yes (and variations)

No (and variations)

Maybe

Something else

I don't know

I need

I don't need

I want

I don't want

options for basic needs, so you can say "I need" and "use the bathroom" (eating, drinking, sleeping, waking, showering/bathing, using the bathroom, dental care, hair care, getting dressed, getting undressed, changing menstrual products, changing medical equipment, and transferring to/from mobility aids)

I consent

I do not consent

I revoke consent

Leave

Stay

Help

Fringe vocabulary for everyday activities and emergencies

Emergency words/phrases (I need a doctor, etc)

Personal info (name, age, etc)

Disability/mental health/medical terms that apply to you

Parts of the body

Types of injury/medical issues

Places you go

People you live with

People you interact with often

Pets names

Neighbors names

Carer or staff name(s)

Important belongings and things you use every day

Everyday hobbies (bike, watch show, etc)

Everyday to-do list activities (do laundry, shower, etc)

Action words (things one can do)

Common nouns (persons, places, things, and ideas)

Connector words (and, to, since, etc)

Feelings (positive, neutral, and negative)

Descriptor words

Colors

Direction

Size

Shape

Days of the week

Months

Seasons

Numbers

Describing amount (some, many, a little, few, all, none)

Describing time (then, now, before, after)

Temperature

Weather

Difficulty

Age

Texture

Personal opinion descriptors (nasty, beautiful, boring)

#blackholemojis talks #part time aac user #aac board #aac #long post

[zikadraws]

Since I've been back at it lately, I thought I'd present my latest version of Agent 4 ! It's the one that I would consider "closest to canon". Enjoy.

Now time for some extrapolating, buckle up 'cuz it's gonna be long (orange text for more personal headcanons) :

The canon site mentions that 4 was "too busy with [extra]curriculars" to know about the Squid Sisters. So I picked up on that, and now 4 is a squid who picks interests in many things at the same time !

They are sixteen years old when they meet Marie.

They go by they/she and is genderqueer

Technically their 'canon' name (result banners name) is "Surume" which happens to translates to "Shredded dried squid" but we're gonna ignore that they don't really like their name, so they think 4 sounds more rad. Edit : her complete name is Surume Eurasia NITPICK.

They have a very hyperactive brain, fueled by passion and satisfaction of discovery, and they are always looking forward for new stuff. (Canon describe them as "Down for whatever" and pretty much opportunistic and not thinking much about it.) So they have a HUGE knack for science, because they love the "F#€! around and find out" aspect of it.

They are curious about EVERYTHING and once they get interest, they must find out exactly how it functions, in all its details and lore if you will. This curiosity got them in trouble by the past.

Their curriculum (in my head) is bioengineering. They are astonishingly efficient in a lab. Though they are eager the entire time, so really the hardest thing the school had to teach them is how to follow the scientific procedure properly. (Consider all options, make differential schemes, write down everything, etc...) (Marie actually helps them with their studying method sometimes)

Their specialties are :

The topic of "waves", such as soundwaves and brainwaves. They studied the respawn points in excruciating detail on their own, and wrote an essay about squid souls, and how every living thing has its own "DNA Vibe" that can be retraced like a data log if deciphered and even exploitable if translated as a code. That essay was very detailed and got many professors *concerned* that it made sense.

Because of #1, they have a big interest about 'Souls' (which are an acquired Fact™ in this society by at least a century) and how they can be resurrected, identified, interfered with and conserved.

The topic of cell division, DNA, how a primal organism follows a program of growth.

They have artificially conserved fish embryos, and are coming to a point where they can fully develop them in vitro.

They have engineered a device that can scan an object (small to middle size) and represent it in 3D, in its deepest layers. You can put that on a computer or tablet and analyse and deconstruct the layers. They actually patented this one. It isn't new as a concept, but it's a handheld version. Also a device that can pick up brainwaves and translate them as digital writing. Several languages. Main issue here is the headaches and picking it from a distanced target, but they're definitely gonna patent this one too.

They are working on a project that they name "Primal Cell". Basically a cell with no specific purpose at its beginning, that can be "coded" through an interface into developing into a specific organism (one that one has the code and variety pattern for). It's their life project.

They mainly do all that for fun technically, but they want to use that for medical purposes, notably people with chronic illness, very bad mutations or terminal disease. After hearing about the Subway, it adds another possible use to their list. Also great communication innovating leap horizons.

They are big buddies with Sheldon because they both like infodumping and 4 is pretty good at crafting and weapon ideas, and helping him out with testing, and he helps them with material supplying, and once they start talking, it quickly sounds like intense seagull bantering. Both screaming over the other. Hellish.

They are shy and awkward with people at first meet but the second they're comfortable with you, oooh, buddy...

They're roommates with 8, nicknamed "Night" because N+8, on Marie's request. Night learned more with her in a week than she would have in six months of private classes. Night really likes 4. Night feels more at ease with them than with 3. Night stayed with them at Inkopolis during the whole Splatlands thing. I would recommend a check up on Night and 4.

They grew out of the city but close enough by, they were adopted and had two dads. One was a firework maker.

Versatile, wields all weapons pretty decently, also learned to summon them at will as well as her inventory through specific ink bending, which is technically illegal. She may be working on making the inventory able to fit in *bigger* items. Also has a specific interest with ink manipulation.

They're kinda very clueless, yet have an extremely developed sense of intuition.

They have a bad tendency to brush their problems and feelings under the rug, despite being pretty self-aware. They're a walking contradiction lol

They can often be mentally exhausting sadly, including for themselves ; and either brush off feelings or have an overwhelming empathetic reaction. The whole "Get yourself hurt because you think like a flea circus all the time" kind of thing.

🟠 They worked for five years at Grizzco part-time for money, up to Profreshional, but ended up quitting because they were way too curious for their own good and did something they knew would get them fired or worse, so they preferred to quit before anyone could fire them 'cause quitting looks better on the employment papers than being fired. Grizz had seriously his eyes on them by the end of it though. They always asked too many questions. 🟠

They're the embodiment of Chaotic Dumbass who also happens to everyone's surprise to be a Literal Scientific Genius.

Aaand that's about it I think.

So as you can see my version of Agent 4 is still pretty chaotic, true to their team of choice, though they have a lot going on for themselves. They have the potential to become the greatest bioengineering scientist of their time, hopefully for the better.

Though they are sure to face some though moral dilemmas during that process.

I can definitely tell that I'm falling back into my Splatoon phase so expect more intense bs to come, if you have questions or comments about them or related, don't hesitate !

Thank you~✨🙏🎶

#splatoon agent 4 #agent 4 #agent 4 splatoon #splatoon #splatoon 2 #splatoon headcanon #agent 8 #grizzco #long post #orange text lol sorry for your eyes #inkling #oc i guess #subject to editing #anyways

[scribefindegil]

71?

71. When it comes to more complicated narratives, how do you keep track of outlines, characters, development, timeline, ect.?

A big old messy scratchdoc!! I try to use headings to keep the information somewhat organized, but they work best if I let them stay pretty sprawling. It's usually something like:

Top section: What are The Themes? Why am I writing this story? Are there important symbols or visual motifs I want to keep track of? Are there reminders to myself that I want to see frequently to bring myself back into focus (re: tone, characterization, types of description or details to focus on)?

Character Section: I don't always do this, but for big fics or things with a large ensemble cast I usually lay out each important character, the basis of their arc/conflict, and how they contribute thematically to the story. If it's AU or set post-canon or there are other reasons that information about the character would be different from their canon counterpart, I note it here.

Reference section: Any specific research I've done for the fic. Lists of things like minor characters' names, descriptions of settings or OCs, etc.

Revelation List: I stole this from DMing advice blogs, but any time there are mystery elements to a fic I always lay out the Revelations (what the characters need to learn) and the specific clues or circumstances they encounter that allow them to reach those conclusions. Do they find and interpret evidence? Do they get information from another character? Do they do research? Even if I don't plan out all the details of the plot, I need to understand how the characters are going to reach each of the Revelations or I'm going to get stuck.

Timelines: I don't always do these either; it really depends on the fic, but if there's a specific chronology I need to keep track of (or a secret structure that would get lost in the full outline) I try to write it down

The Plot: Finally!! The actual outlining part! I start by writing bullet point versions of the events I know will happen (I usually have a pretty strong sense of the beginning and climax of a fic by this point, even if I still have a bunch of fine-tuning to do) and then work backwards or forwards to fill in the gaps. If it's a mystery fic (and most of my longer fic has at least some mystery elements) I refer back to the Revelations list to make sure I have scenes that cover all the necessary Leads and Revelations to get the characters to the endpoint.

Snippets: For certain scenes, the outline version doesn't accurately capture the Vibe I'm going for, so I have a section at the end where I write quick, tiny, scaffolding-style first drafts. These usually have almost no relation to what the final scene actually looks like, but it's about pinning down the idea and the atmosphere.

These documents are really big and messy and I usually need to go back and edit them as I go, because my original ideas inevitably undergo some shifts as I figure things out, but that's the fun of it!

It has to be the right type of fic to make this worth it, but sometimes I'll also do a scene-level outline in an Excel spreadsheet, with columns for Scene, POV Character, Location, Characters Present, Events, Reactions, and Plot-Important Info. This is good for super plotty/mystery-heavy fics and fics with big ensembles that I can't keep track of other ways. I have an enormous and beautiful outline in this style for the Owl House Tam Lin AU which I do still want to write someday, bc while I didn't end up loving TOH as a whole I do love a lot of the characters, and also we came up with possibly the best plot twist of my life involving 400 years of moon phase records so. It's on the back burner but it's still on the stove, as it were. And the good thing is that because I have such an exhaustive outline it will be easy for me to pick back up at any time if I want to!

#memeses #thanks for the ask! #this makes it sound much more organized than it actually is lol #but!! the important thing is to write everything down!! #even if you are not cursed you probably won't remember things as well as you think! #and if you are cursed it makes it a lot less scary to have all the info there so if you just Absolutely Cannot Write for six months #you don't risk losing all your cool ideas

[revlischarm]

what are some of your favourite one piece hc's :?

Sorry this took so long I was jotting them down as I went. I’m sure I missed some of them because a few weren’t coming to mind but uhhhh. The list turned out way longer than I thought it would be!!

• All of the ones you listed because they’re great

• Transman Crocodile

• Transman Ace

• Sabo has a tattoo like Ace’s except on his right arm, and it says “SABO” but with the “A” crossed out. heheheheh ‘SBO’ lmao

• Sharp teeth Zoro supremacy

• Ace has narcolepsy

• Luffy has a tattoo of the dawn that doubles as a Strawhat on his forearm!! I saw that idea somewhere and I’ve just. Amassed it into my horde.

• Zoro getting the Strawhat Jolly Roger tattooed on his back after Luffy is King of the Pirates,,,my beloved,,,

• Luffy has a bracelet of beads like Ace’s after Marineford!!! So does Sabo :)

• Zoro instinctively likes doing things in sets of three’s. Has a thing when it comes to numbers and counting. I’m inflicting him with a very specific brand of OCD/Autism. I saw this stuff with him counting certain things in this one Lawzo fic?? Fucking amazing, highly recommend. I’m gonna link it here just for how incredible it portrays Zoro.

Seriously, even if Lawzo isn’t your thing, I recommend it alone just based on that particular Zoro trait.

• Robin can do an impeccable horror girl scream. You know the one.

• Zoro can do math in his head insanely quickly

• Zoro knows how to garden a bit after time on Kuraigana

• Luffy is super knowledgeable about bugs, actually! His favorite kind of insects are Atlas Beetles

• Sabo is fucking unhinged. Good for him. Would crush the skull of anyone who so much as looks at Luffy the wrong way.

• I’m partial to the idea that Luffy has a super high metabolism

• Zoro’s got an oral fixation (Luffy might too, actually)

• Colorblind Crocodile

• Zoro is agender!!! Mostly uses they/he, but honestly, I don’t think Zoro would fucking care what pronouns you use for them

• Luffy has a bad habit of gnawing on things, especially fingernails, when he’s hungry. Which begs the question, are his fingernails rubber as well? When they fall to the ground like rubbings from an eraser, do they too retain their elastic properties? Who can say. Do Luffy’s teeth fluctuate between solid and rubber. Is Luffy capable of breaking any bones at all. I have so many questions about the physics of devil fruits sometimes you have no idea

• Sanji smokes because it can stave off hunger; he’s also always the last to eat, waiting until everyone else has their meal before eating himself

• Law is a fucking nerd and I’ll say it. He’s absolutely the type to try and act/look cooler than he actually is and I think most of the fandom has fallen for that ruse. I love him still, tho. Pathetic wet meow meow. You are sad and depressing and a genuine freak. Good for you.

• I like thinking that Doflamingo is partially blind in one eye from getting hit by an arrow during his whole backstory as a kid, that’s why he’s always wearing the glasses. Yes I know he’s also wearing glasses as a kid, leave me alone, it’s between that and the idea that maybe he and Rosinante have some sort of light sensitivity, since they both have their eyes covered when they’re younger.

• Crocodile’s eyes are the most gorgeous shade of lavender I’ve ever fucking seen, I swear to god

• Goth family. Goth family. Goth family!!!! I don’t care how unlikely it is I FIRMLY believe that all three of them keep avid tabs on each other, and would 100% do frequent calls on den den if they weren’t affronted by the idea that it would seem needy(Idk if that’s the right word but. You know what I mean. They’re embarrassed to admit they care.)

• Zoro picked up a mishmash of behavioral traits from both Perona and Mihawk after the two years. Man knows how to do hair and paint nails now. Picked up a smidge of fashion sense from them both, too (and by that I mean goth)

• Law and Robin get along insanely well, they have the same sense of humor.

• Law loves anything even slightly bear-shaped. He has so many items that go along with the theme. Fucking loser nerd.

• Law also gets super moody on winter islands; I read a fic once where he tends to go to the local church whenever he visits one and. Yeah idk that felt right to me. Law’s got an overall SOMETHING of a relationship with religion (just based off some of what we saw with his childhood I think) that I’m not complex or knowledgeable enough to do a justified analysis of

• Sanji makes recipe books, and labels them with notes on what’s easiest vs more hard to make in case the crew ever needs that. Dude also absolutely has a notebook somewhere on how to prepare human meat should it ever come to that. The ideal way to mourn his passing. Consume the flesh of the fallen. Become feast.

• Sanji’s hands don’t have a single blemish on them, and he moistures them frequently, actually.

• Luffy gives platonic kisses to all of his crew mates!!! All of the love

• Franky sacrificed a lot of the feeling left in his body during the two year skip in order to get stronger for everyone :(

• Law has golden eyes, Zoro’s is silver, Luffy’s are an abyss of darkness. Like a bug!!!! Bug-eye luffy. He’s a creature to me.

• Luffy likes to walk up stairs on all fours

• I think another reason that Luffy’s built up such an immunity to poison is because he puts his mouth on literally EVERYTHING. Consumes so much that should be inedible and takes it in stride.

• On that note, I think that Zoro would deliberately ask Sanji to poison his meals sometimes just to build up his own resistance. Because that’s also the safest way to go about it honestly.

• Sanji burns really easily in the sun actually I think lmao. And he always has one part of his face that’s perfectly off-color

• The arm that Shanks lost was his dominant one :) that’s part of the reason Mihawk was so disappointed he lost it. He would sword fight with that hand. Any letters he tried to write to people came off as shaky and uneven for the longest time

• Zoro is ambidextrous. He can also write shockingly well with his mouth and his feet if need be. Fucker is absolutely planning to go multiple different sword styles one day. Cut off his legs, replace them with blades.

• Luffy will bite Zoro a lot just because. It’s Zoro. Why would he mind. Captain is just releasing pent up energy cause he got excited.

• Luffy is immune to getting acne—as well as most other skin conditions—since he’s made of rubber. Lucky bastard.

• Kidd has a ton of piercings that he can and will use as projectiles. He’s also 100% had tetanus and rabies as a child. It just fits.

• I think that—Zolu or not—Zoro was Luffy’s first kiss. Just based on principle. A captain and his first mate, sitting in a cramped dinghy for who knows how long together?? Listen, all I know is they must have talked about some weird shit. And Luffy probably mentioned that he’d never kissed anyone before if it was brought up, before going suddenly silent and then asking if he could kiss Zoro. Just because. And who’s Zoro to say no to his new captain?

• Sometimes Sabo will sit and just. Let himself be on fire. Just to see if he can feel Ace.

• I firmly believe one of the reasons Zoro and Sanji don’t get along is because of their differing views on woman—or more specifically, how Sanji acts with them that pisses Zoro off to an extent. And that’s due to the whole Kuina thing. The fact that Sanji would not only treat women like they’re glass, so capable of breaking and delicate, to the point where he refuses to so much as lay a finger (or toe in this case??) on them—it really fucking grates Zoro. If a person is demanding you to fight them on equal grounds, regardless of their gender, you shouldn’t disrespect them just because they’re female. Just feels like an insult. Cant fucking believe I gotta argue in defense of hitting women here because of you, Sanji

• Usopp has the second best observation haki on the crew—and I say second only because of the whole Luffy and Katakuri thing. Yeah. Third best would be either Zoro or Sanji, because we see Zoro specifically training with haki during the timeskip, and after losing an eye I refuse to believe that Mihawk wouldn’t give Zoro a pretty decent training in observation haki to make up for that. And Sanji just. Idk man he gives me the vibes, plus he always seems adept at being able to know when someone’s in danger (even if that’s only catering specifically to the female sex)

• I think that Zoro postures a lot whenever Luffy compliments Sanji or talks about how cool someone else is because he doubts his place on the crew a lot. Like. He’s just the swordsman, right? He’s a lot more replaceable than the other members of the crew, a swordsman isn’t totally needed to survive in the New World. Y’know. Stuff like that :)

• Zoro has a super high alcohol tolerance, so it takes a lot to get him drunk. He’s also got a high tolerance to most heavy sedatives.

• Zoro does the boob-grab thing to himself sometimes when he’s thinking. You know the one. I sure do. Hold the titty for comfort and serotonin.

• Law is an EXTREME control freak. Just in general.

• Zoro and Usopp are part of girls nights. Just because. They are.

• Transmac Usopp my beloved also—this is UNRELATED TO THE PREVIOUS HC. Usopp is part of girls nights because of his chill vibes!!!! Don’t get it twisted. I’ll bite you.

• Everyone is autistic. Not just the Strawhats, but like. Everyone in the One Piece universe. Luffy is the most autistic. He’s going to be King of the Autistics. His hyperfixation is pirates and he’s collecting crew mates like plushies at the end of his bed

Idk if I have more, I probably do just stirring around in my brain somewhere

#op #one piece #op headcanons #ask #Revlis speaks #thanks for the ask btw!!!! #I don’t get many asks haha #:3