#the bold type review

[redflagshipwriter]

Hi, it's Tim (just Tim) chapter 6

Masterpost

San Francisco was a breath of fresh air. It would have been better if Dick wasn’t shepherding him there like the world’s most anxious and chatty herding dog. Tim halfway wanted to make a break for it to see if Dick would bark at him.

He nobly resisted the urge. He actually hadn’t gotten in trouble for going no contact. Incredibly, Bruce hadn’t noticed that he had been with Superboy. He must really be wound up about the Red Hood.

Speaking of- “What’s the Red Hood done that makes B think I’m the target to be concerned about?” Tim asked.

Dick looked a little ill. He clearly didn’t want to answer. “Well, he’s been pretty clear,” he said apologetically. “Very clear. A lot of metaphors about breaking off your wings that B is taking pretty seriously. It’s like English class all over again,” he complained. Dick scrunched up his face and gestured wildly with his long elegant hands. “There was this like, poetic reference that I didn’t get, but it was about stomping on a bird and crushing all their bones under your boot. B had to look it up.” He cocked his head to the side at the end.

…This guy was referencing poets B didn't know offhand, and they were meant to think he was some big scary thug?

“...So he’s, uh, well-read, then,” Tim concluded, adding it to the very short list of things they knew about the Red Hood. “Loser.”

“We shouldn’t say that,” Dick demurred, which meant ‘lol yeah.”

Tim gave the older bird a judgemental look for even trying as Dick typed in pass codes for Titan Tower. That was their whole thing as Bats. They took information and made deductions. This particular deduction made him feel cockier. While the big bad Red Hood had been wasting time reading, Tim had been studying the blade and uh, making out with a really hot guy. Heh. He couldn't hold in the self satisfied smirk. Hood was a loser. He could use his time much better than by reading moldy old books.

Dick stayed long enough to get Tim settled, but he was clearly anxious to get back to Gotham.

Tim was torn. On the one hand, he did not like essentially being benched. But… Well, he wasn't benched outside of Gotham, Tim decided, wandering through the shared kitchen and rummaging around for a snack. He could go on any Titans mission that came up. He opened the fridge and squinted suspiciously at something in the vegetable crisper.

He had always assumed someone really liked potatoes. But knowing what he did now, he wondered if those were Kon’s groceries. Did the guy just eat raw fruit like some kind of lunatic?

…Maybe no one kept potatoes there after all. He had thought it was weird since he never really saw anyone cook. Tim picked the suspect up and sniffed at it. This ugly thing was a fruit?

Well. He was brave and he was bold. Tim bit through the skin. His teeth sank in with much less resistance than he expected: not a raw potato. It tasted okay. This was Kon’s favorite flavor? Tim had another bite and mulled it over. It was alright. It wasn’t exactly bacon and artichoke pizza or sour cherry candy, though.

Huh. He shut the fridge door with his hip and made his way to his room, planning to drop off his travel bag.

A window opened and slammed shut nearby. Tim detoured to see who it was. His heart beat hard against his chest when he rounded the corner.

“Superboy,” he said casually, as if he hadn't been making out with the guy a couple hours ago.

“Hey, Rob.” Kon breezed past, obviously lost in thought. He stopped midair and frowned. “Do you smell mango?”

Tim hid the half eaten fruit in his utility belt. “No. Maybe you're just hungry.”

Gaslight gatekeep girlbossing worked, as always. Kon let out a “huh,” cocked his head, and zipped away to the kitchen.

Ah, hell. Tim realized he was smiling like a dope to the empty hallway. He wiped the expression from his face and hoped that no one ever reviewed that section of security tape. How embarrassing.

He hid away in his room for a while, letting tactics and plans stew away in his mind. He was hyper aware of the fact that Kon was somewhere in the tower. Was anyone else? He didn't know. He should check.

While he was at it, he should try and hack into whatever B was hiding about the Red Hood on the bat computer. Tim spun idly in his desk chair as he thought it over. Bruce was being twitchy. He wanted Tim so far away from the situation that Tim knew in his gut it would eventually be his problem. That was how this shit always worked; the most dramatic thing possible would happen.

He emerged from his room to find Kon in some kind of argument with Cassie. Tim decided to stay way the fuck away from that. He steered to the living room. Raven looked up from her book, expression flatly unamused.

“Robin.” She acknowledged. Then she looked away.

She was in a great mood, then.

He checked through the logs: it was just the four of them. As Tim watched, Cassie's status dinged to display ‘out of the tower’.

Just the three of them, then. And Raven wasn't going to come seek anyone out.

Tim went Kon hunting. Kon was sprawled out in his room, tossing something up and down. It glittered where it caught the air.

“Superboy,” he said, leaning on the doorframe casually. Did it look casual? Did it look douchey? Tim stood up straight before Kon looked up.

“Hey, Rob,” Kon said. He flashed his toothiest grin at Tim. Fuck, he was pretty. “Did you want something?”

“Yeah, I wanted to talk. Can I come in?”

Kon sat up on his elbows. “Come right the hell in, my dude.” He cocked his head to the side and a curl fell over his face. “Everything alright?” A smile tugged one half of his mouth up mischievously. “Come sit on my lap and tell me all about it.”

The thing was that Kon said shit like that all the time. He said it to Tim, he said it to Cassie, he said it to any number of civilians. Tim had thought that Kon was just being kind of a bitch to him.

“Thanks,” he said easily, and sat with his knees on either side of Kon’s thighs.

Kon’s mouth fell open. Tim waited, but no sound came out.

“I was actually wondering- you say things like that to me a lot,” Tim continued, feeling very smug. Haha, Kon hadn't just been needling him. He'd been pulling pigtails. He wanted Tim, what a loser. “A guy starts to get the impression that you're interested. And…” he dragged his gaze pointedly down Kon’s perfect body. “I'm not disinterested,” he finished coyly.

“Robin.” Kon swallowed visibly. “I uh. I'm really flattered.”

Ah. Fuck. Tim had a very bad feeling.

“I'm kind of seeing someone at the moment.” Kon’s voice cracked. “If- if I hadn't been, I would be all over this. But I am. So.” His hands hovered uselessly a few inches from Tim’s sides.

Well then. Tim slid off Kon’s lap. He didn't let howling frustration show on his face. He was cock blocking himself. “I see,” he said simply. “No worries. I'll see you around.”

“Right.” Kon’s voice cracked again. He shoved his hands in his pockets. His eyes were wild.

Wow. Okay, so life isn't fair. It was good to know. Tim sulked his way back to his room. Well no, actually, he hated this information a lot. But it was useful for his prediction models. He should have known better than to think things would work out.

On the one hand, Kon was apparently loyal to his flavor of the week. Tim could choose to appreciate that, since he was flavor for early September.

Or he could be mad that he'd apparently chosen the wrong ID to flirt with Kon under. He paced an angry circuit in his room around the pile of things he was going to eventually reconstruct. Hell. Fuck. This sucked. Kon had a crush on Robin, the guy he actually knew. What a wasted opportunity!

He calmed down enough to think.

Of course that was when sirens went off. Tim booked it to the landing pad, pulling up the alert on his wrist computer on the way.

They had a mission. Okay. Tim compartmentalized away all the mortification. He could deal with it after they got back.

#red just tim #timkon #tim drake

[stevesbestgirl]

Phases of the Moon - Part 3

Steven Grant x f!Reader, eventual Marc Spector x f!Reader

4747 words

Warnings: minor angst, mutual pining, idiots in love, chances of a few minor swears, miscommunication

As always, keep in mind that I am not a system and am not an expert. All of my information about their relationship comes from the Moon Knight show and I use that as my reference point.

*Bold type is spoken by Marc when Steven is fronting.*

Masterlist

Steven sent you his schedule for the next week on Sunday, “We can start the north wing this week, if you like.” He was a bit nervous about it- after what Donna had said.

You wanted to see him again; you were still happy to be friends with Steven. But you hadn’t replied yet- you needed a bit more space than you’d originally thought in order to get over this crush.

Steven was working Tuesday again and even though you hadn’t responded to his message, he’d still hoped you would show up. But his break came and went and he started to worry that Marc had been right. Maybe he had blown it. He’d must’ve done something on Saturday that made you decide not to come back. He knew he could be a bit oblivious, but he couldn’t figure it out for the life of him.

Come Wednesday, he spent far too much time agonizing over whether he should call you. He was up so late, he overslept Thursday morning. It was strangely nostalgic of his life before he’d known about Marc, but the charm quickly wore off when Donna got on his case. Not that she ever needed a reason, but she seemed pleased to have an excuse to torment him.

In fact, she must have enjoyed reaming him so much that morning that she returned in the afternoon. He did his best to appear busy as she marched up to the counter, her phone clutched in her hand, “I suppose you and your girlfriend think you’re being rather cute, don’t you?” Her tone was more derisive than downright angry.

“Sorry, what are you on about?”

“Like you haven’t seen this?” Donna brandished her phone. Steven tried to get a look, but only caught a glimpse of the some website before she huffed and pulled it back around, reading aloud, “Received a tour today from the gift shoppist, Steven Grant. Steven’s knowledge of Egypt is only surpassed by his enthusiasm for it, which makes this museum patron pity the museum management who waste his talents for touring in the gift shop. So-” 

Steven didn’t realize he was smiling until Donna looked up from her screen, “Oh- don’t look so pleased. Your girlfriend can write all the reviews she likes, but it won’t convince me to make you a guide.”

“There’s more?”

“Like I’m going to continue stroking your ego or whatever,” Donna wrinkled her nose. “Just get back to work. At the counter.”

As soon as Donna disappeared from sight, Steven had his own phone out, not bothering to hide it from the customer that had just walked over to browse. He scanned the site until he found it- your review. 

He read aloud, beginning hushed and growing louder as he went, “So, I will most definitely be returning for the rest of the tour in hopes that others might share in the experience. As lucky as I’ve been to enjoy a private tour, it would be selfish to keep Steven a secret.”

Steven’s chest felt light, “Did you hear that, mate?” The young man clutching a plastic pyramid looked around, confused, but Steven didn’t wait for a response, “I think she likes me. Or she did like me. Bloody hell, I’ve gotta call her- I’ve gotta call her right now.”

He pulled out his phone and faltered, “Wait, but-” his finger hovered over your contact, “If she liked me enough to leave that review, why hasn’t she replied to my message?”

The customer gave a weak shrug, hesitantly setting the pyramid on the counter. Steven seemed to only notice him just then, “Right, of course, let me get that for you.” He cashed him out and once he was out of sight, he continued staring at his phone. He’d texted you Sunday; this was the fifth day with no response. What if you’d changed your mind?

“Steven, just call her.” Marc sounded exasperated, watching on from the mirror behind the counter.

Steven glanced at the mirror, looking stricken, “What if she doesn’t like me anymore? That’s why she hasn’t answered.”

Steven was putting the phone away, moaning under his breath about how he’d blown this. Marc knew he could front, call you himself, but that kind of defeated the purpose. This was Steven’s show to run.

Steven pressed his palms into the wood, “Alright, get a grip on yourself, mate. C’mon.” 

His halfhearted attempt at a pep talk stuttered to a halt when he glanced up, seeing you walk in. You were dressed casually today, wearing a pair of jeans and a tee-shirt with planets on it. Not that it made any difference to Steven; he thought you looked lovely in whatever you wore. 

“Marc, she’s really here right, I’m not just mad, am I?”

“Two things can be true,” Marc quipped, falling silent as you approached.

*

You tried not to look too much at Steven as you approached the gift shop; you needed to keep yourself in check today. No flirting, no admiring, and definitely no pining. Steven was your friend, that was all.

“You came back.” Now your eyes were drawn to Steven as he spoke, sounding like he’d seen some kind of angel instead of just you, torturing yourself.

“Of course I came back, I need the rest of the tour, right?” You smiled; that wasn’t flirting, right?

“I didn’t hear from you, so I thought you might have gotten tired of hearing me talk,” he chuckled weakly. 

You breathed a sigh of relief; at least it didn’t sound like he’d seen your review. He deserved it and you hoped he might read it someday, but it was easier this way. It gave you time to quash the little ache in your chest at the sight of him.

“I’m sorry about that, my cousin’s been dragging me off to visit family all week, so I’ve been a bit scattered.” Lying to Steven didn’t feel very good. “But I’ll always come back for a tour; you’re not giving yourself enough credit.”

Steven couldn’t figure out what you were thinking. You were being perfectly pleasant to him- it didn’t seem like you were upset. But you’d withdrawn from him; you weren’t being as playful- as open with him as you’d been before. You were being polite. Distant.

He tried to swallow past the tightness in his throat, “Does that mean you want to start the north wing today?”

“If you’ve got time for me- if not, that's completely alright, I should have told you I was coming-”

He nodded furiously, “Course I do; always got time for you, don’t I love?”

You tried to keep your expression even; why was this so hard? Why did he have to be so sweet and charming and positively dense? “Thanks.”

There was a beat of silence before Steven clapped his hands together, “Well, let’s get started then.” 

Things were awkward. And it was your fault. But you couldn’t let yourself be sucked back into that magnetic field of Steven’s warm personality. It would make this- being friends- impossible. You were probably giving him a weird vibe. And maybe he was mad at you for ignoring him. Most people would be; you might’ve been if you were in his position.

But he didn’t give up on you, that was for certain. He still spoke to you with the same enthusiasm as before. You wondered if he even had it in him to be mean to someone; it seemed doubtful. 

It felt like if you tried hard enough, you could envision the little bubble of radiant energy that emanated from Steven, with you standing just outside. He was trying extra hard to make you smile, it seemed, adding little jokes to his explanations. You couldn’t help yourself, lips turning up as he asked you, “Why didn’t Cleopatra go to the psychiatrist?”

“Why?”

“She was the Queen of Denial.” He rocked on his heels and did a “buh dum tss” motion with his hands, a goofy smile on his face.

You couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled out of you, “That was absolutely awful, Steven. How long have you had that abomination in your pocket?”

He seemed rather relieved to see the hint of your usual self and suddenly it felt the same as it had before. You were back to making your little quips and teasing him again. He realized he’d missed hearing your laugh. 

He kept moving, beaming as you continued to complain about the bad jokes. He’d been scolded an awful lot of times in his life, but he never liked it so much before you did it. The way you’d roll your eyes at him, but then you’d smile; it made his stomach drop. 

Glancing at his watch, his stomach dropped again, but not in as pleasant a way, “Oh bollocks, I’m late getting back again.” He hadn’t thought you were coming today so he hadn’t set an alarm.

This time Steven pulled you by the hand back toward the gift shop. “I can’t believe we’re doing this again,” you huffed, trying to keep up with him and ignore the way he was clutching your hand.

“Sorry, I’m a bit hopeless I’m afraid,” he grimaced as he hurried around a corner, only to stumble to a halt as he caught sight of Donna over by the front desk with JB. He ducked back behind the wall, pulling you back with him. Surprised by his sudden change in direction, you stumbled.

In a moment of rare coordination, Steven kept you upright by your hand, pulling you back in and catching you in his other arm. Your breath caught in your throat as you stared up at him, pressed to his chest by his arm around your back. 

“Careful,” he breathed, speaking so low that his accent was barely audible.

You peered out, comprehension dawning on your face. That is, until you inhaled, the scent of whatever kind of soap Steven used filling your senses. You were far too close- this was not good. It felt like you were short-circuiting, staring up at him with your mouth half-open like a deer in headlights. Two minutes ago, you were thinking that maybe you could pull off this whole friend deal and now you were struggling to form even a single word because proximity to Steven was intoxicating.

“Sorry to surprise you,” he whispered again, only now beginning to blush. 

“You’re- uh- it’s fine. Fine,” you managed to get out. You peeked around the corner again, “I think you’re safe now.” 

You took a hasty step backwards and now Steven looked flustered, “Right. Better get back then and hope she hasn’t gone to check on me.”

You nodded, following him back the rest of the way to the gift shop, relieved to see Donna wasn’t poking around. You leaned against the counter, hoping your face wasn’t flushed, although you supposed you could blame it on all the rushing around, “Sorry.”

His brow furrowed slightly, “What are you sorry for?”

You gave him a wry smile, “Seems like I keep getting you into messy situations. I’d hate for you to get into real trouble.”

“I’ve been in real trouble before, you don’t need to worry.” He chuckled and you almost felt like you were being left out of a joke. But he smiled at you, “But just to be safe, when will you be back? So I can set another alarm. Just in case you get busy again, you know.” You weren’t prepared for Steven to tease you; you suddenly felt a bit warm.

You turned away, absently examining a stuffed mummy off one of the racks, “When do you have time?”

“I’m working the morning shift tomorrow; if you came by around two, we could do like we did on Saturday,” he offered.

“You don’t mind staying late after a real shift?” You smiled; teasing him wasn’t flirting. And he was doing it to you too. 

“I told you, love, I’ve always got time for you.” It was like he wanted you to suffer.

You chuckled weakly, “And you’re sure you haven’t gotten yourself punished with inventory again this week?” 

“I haven’t been punished quite yet, although that might change now that Donna’s read your review,” Steven smiled. “She was a bit steamed about it this morning.” You tried to smile back, but your mouth was suddenly dry. Steven tilted his head, “You alright?”

You prayed your cheeks didn’t give you away even as you could feel the warmth creeping through them, “Sorry, yeah. I didn’t, um, realize you’d seen that. It’s a bit embarrassing.” 

“Why’s it embarrassing?” That little furrow between his brows returned and you wanted to shout the answer at him; it felt like it was so obvious and it was somehow more humiliating that he hadn’t picked up on it.

“You didn’t think it was-” you bit your lip, searching for the most diplomatic way to put it, “A bit much?”

Steven’s lips parted in understanding, but his brow remained furrowed, “A bit more than I deserve, maybe, but I thought it was lovely. No one’s ever said something so nice about me- not that I can remember anyways.” 

You had to bite your tongue to stop yourself from telling him that he deserved to hear so much more than that; Steven was oblivious, but not that oblivious. At least you didn’t think so. “Well, I’m glad I posted it then. Especially if Donna wasn’t happy,” you smiled.

“She read about half of it to me and it was quite satisfying, if I can be honest,” Steven grinned guiltily.

“Did she see any of the others?”

“The others?” Steven cocked his head. “Did you leave more than one?”

You shook your head, “No, the other people who have been listening to your tour did.” He stared at you like he didn’t understand, so you smiled, chagrined, “Okay, so maybe I mentioned it to a few of them when that little boy was asking you if he could draw on the walls like in the displays.”

You gestured for him to check his phone and Steven was quiet for a long moment, just scrolling through and seeing his name before speaking softly, a small smile on his face, “No wonder Donna was so short with me this morning.” 

“And you still didn’t get inventory? You must be having a good day.”

Steven remembered how nervous he’d been this morning, thinking that you didn’t want to see him anymore. You’d pulled away from him and he wasn’t sure why. But all of those worries had dissolved into nothing when he’d heard you laugh. And he’d gotten to hold you close, albeit because of Marc’s split second of intervention. And you were coming back to see him again tomorrow.

The corners of his lips tugged up, “Yeah, I guess I am.”

“Well, I’ll leave you to it,” you patted the counter. “See you tomorrow at two then?”

He nodded,  “I’ll be looking forward to it.”

Once you were out of sight, Marc spoke up, “No one’s ever said anything that nice to you, huh?”

Steven rolled his eyes at the gift shop mirror, “I was excluding people I share a body with.”

“Oh, well you should have said so-”

“Yeah, I’ll be sure to mention that to her next time, won’t I?”

Mark’s retort was cut short by the clack of Donna’s shoes on the polished floor. “Stevie, glad to see you’re back at your post,” she mused, sarcasm evident. He opened his mouth to protest, but she tapped her watch, “I came by at three seventeen and where were you? Not here, that’s for sure. Off with your little girlfriend again? You know what I’m gonna say.”

“Donna, no- I’ll stay late tonight to make it up-”

“What good does that do me? No. You’re in the back tomorrow.”

“I can’t work late tomorrow, I’ve got a date.” He was going to ask you to dinner after the tour was finished.

“Well I imagine you don’t anymore, do you?”

“I can’t cancel, Donna, I’ll do the next two Fridays instead.” Steven hated that he had to plead with Donna; he usually just put his head down and took it, but he couldn’t cancel on you. He couldn’t risk messing this up again. 

Donna gave her head a derisive toss, “Well, guess you should have thought of that before you took an extra long break, yeah?” And she clacked away, taking Steven’s good mood with her.

Steven shook his head insistently, “I can’t- I can’t cancel on her.” But still, he took out his phone, sending you a text, “Spoke too soon on inventory, I’m afraid.”

You were already on the bus, on your way home, so you replied quickly, “Oh no. Was it because of the reviews?”

“No, completely unrelated.” Steven wasn’t going to tell you that it was because he’d gone over on his break either. He didn’t want you to feel guilty about coming around to visit him.

“Well, I’m still sorry- I’m sure it wasn’t justified. We can reschedule, no big deal.” 

“We could still get dinner after I’m off at eight, if you like?”

Last week you would have been overjoyed at the offer, but now you felt strange. You wanted to go, but you had a feeling it might be bad for you in the long term. You were already pushing your luck as it was. 

“I’m sorry, Steven. I’ve actually already got plans for dinner tomorrow.” It was difficult to type and even more difficult to actually send it; you hated lying to Steven.

“Right, of course. I’ll let you know my schedule tomorrow. We can choose another day.” He felt a bit of panic; what if you had a date with someone else?

“Looking forward to it.” You sent a follow-up message, “Don’t forget to read those other reviews. Hope they cheer you up a bit.” 

Steven sighed at his phone. So much for his good day. Although, thinking about the nice things you’d said about him, the way you’d looked at him when he’d held you close- maybe it was still alright. He returned to the website, searching more thoroughly this time. 

There were a handful of others, the most recent from barely twenty minutes ago. He wasn’t even sure when you’d found time to speak to anyone today, but somehow, you had. And they were all lovely. He felt his face flush at the idea of all of those people saying nice things about him. One in particular caught his eye, though not because of what it said about him.

In the very last paragraph, it read, “Steven, if you’re reading this, you’re a lucky man. Hold onto her. -Dorothy.” She signed her name on the review like it was a letter. Steven remembered the older woman who’d been trailing after you during his tour; he’d slowed down a bit that day so she could keep up.

“Well Dorothy, I gotta get my arms around her to hold on, don’t I?” he murmured sardonically. 

Come Friday, Steven started his shift feeling a bit downcast. He should be walking around the museum with you right now- making you laugh, finding a way to hold your hand again. Instead, he cursed Donna under his breath and clocked in. He was pleased to find out from the first shift at the gift shop that she’d left for the day; at least he wouldn’t have to listen to her complaints today.

Around four, Steven’s heart leapt as your name popped up on his phone, “How’s the inventory going?” 

“I’ve not started yet. Manning the counter until 7 and then inventory after close.”

“I could call Donna and try to order a pizza if it’ll make you feel better.”

Steven chuckled, “Afraid she’s ducked out early today.”

“That’s hypocritical.”

Steven hit a bit of a busy spurt in the gift shop; it was Friday, which meant that the kids in the after-school programs were extra rowdy. They needed to touch absolutely everything, but rarely had the pocket money to buy anything. So he spent a great deal of his afternoon fixing the displays, his phone still hastily stuffed in his pocket.

Meanwhile, you were deciding where to order pizza from. If Donna wasn’t in, you could afford to brighten Steven’s day a bit. Especially since you still had a sneaking suspicion that he was working late because of you.

He’d told you about JB’s negligence; you waltzed right through the lobby at quarter to seven with a pizza box in your hand and he didn’t even look up from his phone. Pausing at the entrance to the gift shop, you watched Steven for a second. He was typing something on his phone, only to shake his head and mutter something before deleting and typing again. He repeated this process twice before tucking his phone away and moments later, your own phone chimed in your pocket.

Steven’s head snapped up from the plushes he was sorting and you lifted the pizza box, “I really wanted to order that pizza.”

A slow smile spread over his face, “Are you having a laugh? You’ve actually brought pizza into the museum?”

You shrugged, “You told me JB wasn’t the best security guard.”

“Actually I said he was bloody awful, but you’re much sweeter than I am,” Steven chuckled. 

You set the box on the counter, “If we want to eat before I get busted with this, we’d better get going.” Noting his hesitation, you added, “It’s vegan cheese. Don't worry."

The corner of his mouth quirked up. He'd only mentioned it offhand, but of course you were listening. You always listened- you made him feel like the most interesting person in the world, even if no one else but you cared. He followed your lead, taking a slice of the still warm pie, “Thanks- for this. I’ll admit, I was having a bit of a shit day-” he caught himself, “Sorry-”

“Steven Grant, did you just curse?” The little bubble of laughter that left you was pure delight.

His face went hot, “Yeah, sorry, slipped out I guess.”

“No, I love it,” you grinned. “I wanna hear more Steven curses.”

“You want me to- curse?”

You nodded, laughing again, “Let them all loose- all the curse words you know, right now.”

“I don’t think it works that way,” he chuckled weakly, half-tempted to comply, if only to see the way your nose scrunched up when you laughed. “After all, you’ve gotta earn a true curse.”

“I suppose you’re right,” you conceded.

He smiled, tentatively checking his watch; he didn’t want you to go. He was about to invite you to stay while he did inventory- he could tuck you in the back until JB had done his walkthrough, but then he remembered that you were supposed to be busy tonight.

His brow furrowed, “Did your dinner plans fall through?”

He seemed so genuinely concerned, you crumbled immediately, “That was a bit of a fib actually,”

Watching his expression fall made your heart ache, “So you didn’t have dinner plans tonight?”

You chewed your lip, suddenly nervous, as you shook your head, “I thought maybe we shouldn’t get dinner- together, you know. It would’ve felt like a date and you made your position on that clear, so I-”

“Oi, what the- You can’t bring food in here!” JB had started his rounds early, likely eager to get out of work on a Friday night.  

You jumped whipping around, “Right, sorry about that. Wrong address.”

JB grabbed the pizza box from the counter and shoved it into your hands, giving you a firm push toward the exit, “We’re closing up anyway, get moving along.”

Steven felt a flash of anger that was unusual for him, “Hang on now, no need to be so rough.” And he wasn’t finished talking to you; what had you meant about his “position?”

“Stand back now, Scotty, let me do my job, yeah?” He pressed a hand to Steven’s chest and Steven felt the irrational urge to grab his fingers and twist. 

“You don’t need to touch her- she wasn’t hurting anything!” 

“Look mate, it’s Friday, I wanna get out of here, alright?”

Steven pulled JB’s hand from his chest, glaring at him as he dropped the closed sign down on the counter with a loud clatter, “What’s stopping you then? It’s closing time.”

 JB glanced off in the direction you’d gone, muttering something under his breath before moving on. 

Steven wanted to follow you- to chase after you and talk more, but he was on thin ice as it was. He’d been lucky to get his museum position back at all, after everything, and if JB was feeling cross with him, it wouldn’t be a surprise if he reported back to Donna. And he was always on thin ice with her. So he stayed where he was. But once he was sure JB was out of earshot, he pulled his phone out.

You hesitated a second before picking up; you were just out front. You’d needed to stop and take a moment to admonish yourself for blurting so much out; you’d been so swept up in doing something nice for Steven that you’d forgotten about the lie you’d told him. When he’d brought it up, you’d panicked.

“Hello.” You grimaced at the forced normalcy in your tone. 

“Are you alright, love? He shouldn’t’ve pushed you like that and I’ll be sure to have a word with-” there was a pause as he considered who’d he’d be chatting with, “-someone, about this on Monday.” You’d never heard Steven so riled before.

“I’m fine, Steven. No need to get all worked up, alright?” You were hoping- praying even, that Steven had only called to check on you. But that hope was short-lived.

“Yeah, you’re right, I know. I just-” he took a deep breath, “Right. I’m good- I’m aces. Very calm.” There was a pause, then he cleared his throat, “What did you mean, back in there?”

You played dumb, “What do you mean?”

“Well, you said you didn’t think we should get dinner because it would feel like a date.”

“Right, that,” you acknowledged.

“Then you said that I’d made my position on that clear. But the thing is, I don’t remember that. And sometimes I forget things, but I don’t think I’d forget that, you know?”

“Steven, we don’t have to-”

“If I said something, I want- no, I need to know what it was. Please tell me.”

“Right.” You sighed, “Last Saturday, you mentioned that you’d told me you were working because otherwise it would have seemed like it was a date.” 

“It wasn’t, was it?” To Steven, giving you a tour wasn’t a date. Not a proper one, like you deserved. But he did remember saying that and now that he recalled the memory, he remembered the way you’d faltered in the conversation. And you’d worn that dress.

And suddenly it all made sense. The long silence in your absence, the way you’d been reserved when you came back; he’d hurt you. And you’d still left him that lovely review. You’d still come to see him again. You’d brought him dinner at work just to toe the line he’d accidentally drawn in the sand. 

“No, of course not, you said so yourself,” you agreed quickly. “Sorry Steven, I’m getting on the bus, so I’ve got to go.”

“W-wait-”

“I’ll see you again soon, alright Steven?” And then you were gone. 

If he could have made it down the street to the bus stop before they pulled away, he would have made a run for it. But he heard the familiar hiss of the brakes just before you hung up, dropping his phone onto the counter and fisting his hair. 

“God, I’m such an idiot!” He raised his hand in a mock toast, “Cheers to Steven, the biggest knob on the whole bloody island.”

“Statistically, probably not the biggest.” 

Steven glared at his reflection in the mirror at the back of the counter, “Not helpful, Marc.”

“I wasn’t trying to be helpful.”

“Great. Thank you for that. Well, if you’ll excuse me, I’ve got work to do.” He began working on the inventory, but the real work was brainstorming how he could make this up to you. You deserved something special- something that would make it obvious how he felt about you. 

#steven grant x reader #marc spector x reader #moon knight x reader #steven grant #marc spector #steven grant fluff #moon knight fluff #moon knight fanfic #steven grant fic #phases of the moon series

[angelsworks]

Nowhere to Hyde 1 Dark! Tyler Galpin x reader

1

Type: series

Requested: N/A

Summary: At his day job where he masquerades as just a Barista, Tyler meets his mate in the form of the new student at Nevermore.

Warnings: mature 18+ only. dark!Tyler, with yandere themes. Eventually the themes will get darker. Possessiveness, adult themes

Being a new student at Nevermore you were unsure of the people around you. The student body was split into social groups, often reflecting which species they were. For you, someone who didn’t fit that, it made it increasingly hard to find friends. You had no idea where to begin with navigating this strange new school you’d been sent to.

However you quickly caught up with the help of Enid, a friendly and extremely bubbly werewolf. She told you all about the groups on campus, and the history of all the couples, and the teachers, and the rumoured secret societies. It helped a lot to have someone like her around. You became fast friends. You lived close to her on campus and were able to visit often.

You bonded over many shared interest. While you weren’t as preppy as Enid you did class yourself as an optimist. You had to be.

The reason you had been sent to Nevermore was because of your puzzling abilities. While you didn’t have green fingers literally, you did have control over nature. You’d only really experimented with small plants and flowers.

After it had all gone wrong, you’d been sent here. It was a simple mistake. You’d been growing a tree from a sapling to a fully grown adult in your backyard. It took a lot of energy and concentration. What you hadn’t realised is that you were being watched, as some of your fellow school mates shouted at you and jeered, you’d lost concentration.

You could only watch as the branches grew out of control, launching through the windows of your house. The kids in question ran away. Telling anyone who would listen. It put your parents in an awkward position. Although they themselves had strange abilities, it was made clear - you had to leave.

Enid kind of understood what it was like to not fit in. She herself struggled with her lack of Lycan abilities.

When you heard she had a new roommate coming, you both looked forward to seeing a new face. That new face however didn’t look forward to seeing you. Wednesday was bold and honest. She didn’t hold back on anything she said. Her rawness drove people away and in truth it almost drove you and Enid away. But over a couple of weeks you grew as close as you could to the girl. Even though that wasn’t very close.

Over those weeks you and Wednesday talked over the case, leading to new discoveries down the road of Joseph Crackstone, Goody Addams, the case of crazy Rowan and the all too happy therapist. Enid tried not to listen, she thought the both of you crazy and paranoid. Although as time ticked on even she couldn’t deny that something was going on in Nevermore and in Jericho.

You made some serious break throughs, one of those being the discovery of a creature called the Hyde.

You’d kept in contact with your parents, using your weekly phone call to ask about the Hyde creature that seemed a mystery to all. Surprisingly your family had a history with the beast. Dating back generations. You asked for all the information they had to be sent over in the post.

After reviewing it you went to meet Wednesday and at the weathervane.

Tyler was the Hyde, that much was true. He’s been working with Marilynn Thornhill; against his will as it was, to act out her plan to rid Jericho of outcasts.

Trapped as the Hyde and alone with that knowledge had made Tyler paranoid. Paranoid someone would find out, take him away, or try to fix him.

While the murderous tendencies he faced while being the Hyde weren’t ideal, and neither was the blacking out, it made him feel alive. It gave him power he’d never had before.

It was just all being controlled by Thornhill.

His current job was to keep an eye on Wednesday and report back any discoveries she’d made. It was easy enough to do when she kept walking in to do her investigating at the Weathervane. The place he worked.

Sometimes she brought her little friends too. The werewolf, Enid, so bright it made his eyes hurt. The creep Xavier, his previous run ins with the guys had left a sour taste in his mouth.

To get close to Wednesday he’d had to feign some sort of interest in her and her dark ways, which hadn’t been easy. While she was pretty, she wasn’t his type and the hassle of dealing with Xavier would never be worth it.

Yet all his work seemed to have paid of because today she brought someone different. She brought someone new. She brought you.

As soon as you walked in, Tyler was hit by an overpowering scent. The scent so sweet it reminded him of summer. The flowery and vanilla scent engulfed his senses. For a minute he almost stumbled, making him grip the counter for support.

After becoming the Hyde he’d had an increase in his senses. His sight, hearing and smell had all become superhuman.

But no one smelt like you. He was ready to become the Hyde there and then. In the quiet coffee shop, in the normie village. Take you back to his cave and make you his, many time over.

The thoughts made him hot all over. It made blood flow to places he didn’t want it to flow to. It took a lot of deep breathing and some off putting images in his mind to calm his situation.

You sat with Wednesday, smiling brightly as you greeted her. A contrast to her blank stare and cold demeanour. Wednesday already had her drink, whereas you were left without one. This was his opportunity. The shop barely had an customers and those that were here were focusing on work for the most part.

He walked over to see you animatedly explaining something; smile bright, eyes gleaming, hands moving, lips so soft. By the time he’d walked over he had almost forgotten what he went over for.

“Tyler.” A monotone voice greeted.

The girls now stared at him, he needed to keep his cool.

“Wednesday, nice to see you again. And you are?”

You smiled, shooting out a hand for him to shake, “(Y/N), nice to meet you Tyler.”

Your skin was soft, so soft. Your touch send shivers down his spine. He wondered what it would feel like to have you hands on his cheek, in his hair, on his chest, on his -

He clears his throat, “What are you working on?”

“Classwork.” You lie. He can hear your heart beat faster as you struggle to make eye contact. You lied, and to him. But why?

He didn’t let it show on his face, but he was disappointed. Did you not feel what he felt.

“Ah, can I get you a drink or anything?”

Your smile returned and he was grateful, “oh just a (Y/D) please.”

He left to make your drink. Trying again to cool his blood flow.

You took out the old book your family had sent you. Explaining to Wednesday that your family had a history with discovering creatures. The Hyde had a whole chapter in the ancient book. Covering its appearance, it’s behaviour, it’s habitat, it’s mating rituals.

When you asked your parents how your ancestors knew such things they told you that they had close connections with them. Your mothers great great grandmother had been mated to one. Much different to being married to one.

For a Hyde, their abilities often made them uncontrollable. Their infliction occurred from a mutation and would only be triggered by a traumatic event, chemical inducement or hypnosis. Yet when under the control of a master this was rectified.

“So the Hyde is only part of our mystery, we’re looking for a Hyde and it’s Master.” Wednesday stated.

You nodded, smiling politely as you saw Tyler coming over. You shut the book moving it aside.

He placed your drink on the table.

“Thank you Tyler.” You smiled, meeting his eyes.

“No problem, are you working on the case?” He asked.

Wednesday flips her eyes up to Tyler, “Yes we’re researching the Hyde.”

Your eyes widen and they switch between Wednesday and Tyler. She sees your confusion, “Tyler knows about the case.”

“Oh.” You pull your book back out, opening it on the right page.

Tyler looks it over, not having to fake his interest this time. The pages are way past yellow, adorned with brown dust.

Pictures of the Hyde littered the page in various different mediums. Neat cursive writing annotating certain parts of the anatomy. He’s intrigued how you know so much; or how you’ve gotten such an old book about him.

Even Thornhill has little to no idea about Hydes, she just knows how to control them.

“Wow this book looks ancient, where did you find it?”

You explain it’s a family heirloom that’s been passed down and added to. You miss out that you have slight Hyde heritage.

Still you scent is intoxicating and when you move your hair from your shoulders it wafts more his way.

“That is interesting, what have you found?”

“Just a few things about the Hyde really. What it’s triggered by, where it lives, it’s mating process.”

Now that, that caught his attention.

“Really, a mating process . It’s like you’ve got a guide to the Hyde right there.”

Wednesdays eyes widened a fraction, realising that with slight Hyde heritage, it could be you. You noticed her change in demeanour, frowning.

“Are you okay Wednesday?” You asked , concerned.

She nodded, stiff as a board - not all that unusual for the girl, “I forgot I was meeting Xavier later today. You’ll have to excuse me.”

With that she leaves, making you sigh. You don’t know how your going to find your way back to Nevermore now.

Tyler moves to sit in the booth opposite. Analysing your appearance. From your eyes that sparkle in the light, to your hair that shimmers and your hands grip your (Y/D).

“Hey, if you don’t mind I’d love to learn more about the Hyde. Any chance you don’t mind sticking around for a bit?”

“No, not at all.” You smile. And he’s sure he’ll never grow tired of seeing it.

“Great, I finish in 20 minutes. Then I’ll be over.”

Tyler walks back over to the counter. Formulating a plan in his head of how he’s going to get to you. Here you were naive to the fact that he was the Hyde, with a book all about him.

He knew he wasn’t going to let you go anytime soon.

#Wednesday #tyler galpin x reader #dark!tyler galpin x reader #yandere wednesday #series

[ot3]

The Flower That Bloomed Nowhere: Poignant, Mind-Bending Sci-Fi Yuri at its Finest

I went and wrote a review for the Flower that Bloomed Nowhere covering the 5 categories Royal Road requires for it's advanced reviews: Overall, Story, Style, Character, and Grammar. I figured I would crosspost it here as a sort of companion piece to my Flower rec post. If you haven't read Flower, give this a once-over and see if it might interest you. If you have, please consider leaving your own review over on Royal Road to help give the story the glowing reputation it deserves.

This review contains no spoilers.

Overall:

Flower accomplishes what I believe is necessary for all great sci fi to accomplish; it provides a world that feels real and prescient enough for its political and philosophical questions to be meaningful and compelling, without just being a futuristic re-skin of contemporary conflicts. Additionally, it manages for its character-driven storytelling and its complex worldbuilding to compliment and reinforce each other. The character writing feels deeply informed and enriched by the story's political context, and the political context is woven in to the story in this matter rather than running parallel to the murder mystery. It's all inseparable.  Additionally, Flower wears its influences on its sleeve without sacrificing any of its unique identity. It skillfully pulls from its sources without being derivative of them, and truly synthesizes the ideas its working with into something new and bold. It is an unflinching work, that categorically refuses settling on any easy answers to its own questions.

Story:

Flower is a mystery story, and it is exacting and thorough about providing a breadcrumb trail for the more theory-minded red string Pepe Silvia types among its reader base. If you, like me, aren't much of a mystery buff and have no interest in solving the mystery yourself, there's still more than enough compelling stuff happening in the story outside of that context that you can enjoy letting Flower take you on its ride. To me, Flower is about getting to watch the complexities of Su and Ran's relationship unfold alongside the political and philosophical complexities of the world they live in. It weaves a compelling yarn about mortality, and what the consequences are of a desire to live without the corresponding means. Its ruminations on death run the gauntlet from brutally cavalier depictions of suicide to existential machinations that attempt to claw all of mankind away from the inevitability of an end.

Flower is slow. This may be a turnoff for some people, but the time it takes is clearly deliberate and does not feel wasted. The parts where I was least engrossed were the parts that were more bogged down in the murder details, but considering this is a murder mystery that sells itself as such, it would be insane of me to criticize it for including genre conventions I'm just not personally fond of. Fork spotted in kitchen, etc. Despite being slow, it is not poorly paced. New revelations about the characters, setting, and underlying mystery are drip-fed to the readership consistently enough that reading feels rewarding. You're not left with the impression that the narrative is detrimentally withholding information in order to artificially encourage continued readership.

Style:

We spend the vast majority of Flower on the receiving end of first-person narration from our protagonist Su. First person can be difficult to pull off, but Lurina nails it here. There's an intimacy and vulnerability to Su's narration as we see all of her worst traits on full display, with the truth of her actions and their motivation trickling in as we begin to peel back the layers of her character. But there's still room for deception, if not dishonesty, in Su's narrative. Very in line with the way Flower questions our ability to ever know another person. It reminds me a lot of how the same subject is explored in Omniscient Reader's Viewpoint which has similarly effective use of first person albeit in a strikingly different context.

This all to say that the style is perfectly fitted to what the narrative is trying to accomplish. Su's narration is suitably pessimistic, deeply prone to navel-gazing, and often judgemental. The biggest stylistic issue I tend to see with first person is when the more descriptive parts stop feeling like a character's own observation and analyses, really jarring you out of their headspace, but every bit of exposition we get throughout the course of the story is so painfully Su. It's a delight to read.

Character:

Oh man is the character stuff here fantastic. Su is Harry DuBois for girls who realized they were lesbians in middle school. No, but seriously Flower is definitely up there alongside Disco Elysium in terms of portrayal of mental illness that have personally resonated with me. On top of Su herself being a peak insane woman in fiction, Ran, Su's best friend by circumstance and right hand man in their personal quest is a fascinating character in her own right. Slowly peeling back the layers of their relationship and beginning to understand what the dynamic between the two actually is has been my favorite part of reading Flower and it's definitely some of my favorite character writing of all time. Flower's supporting cast is an absolute blast as well. Lurina does a great job of writing characters who I almost definitely would not want to hang out with but nonetheless love reading about. The characters don't fall into stale archetypes and instead have enough little details and quirks that make them feel plenty human.

Grammar:

The finicky technical bits of writing rank really low on what I care about in a story unless there's a particularly egregious amount of errors. Flower has some typos and grammatical issues, but with a work of this size that updates regularly and doesn't have the privilege of professional editing services, I think it'd be pretty unrealistic and unfair to expect it to be typo free. None of it has ever impeded my ability to understand or enjoy what's happening in the text, which is really the only standard I hold self-published/ongoing works to in this regard. 

TL;DR:

Flower is good and you should read it if you like insane women or when characters take a break in the middle of someone trying to murder them so they can have an impromptu political debate.

#the flower that bloomed nowhere #flower

[peaky-shelby]

New Romantics | Mbappé x OC

baby we're the new romantics. Come on, come along with me. Heartbreak is a national anthem. We sing it proudly.

» summary: in which an arrogant and talented football player (the best of his time as some say) and a focused and harsh critic of a journalist are gonna have to find a way to co-exist.

» Prologue

» writer's note: posting this as a first taste before the first chapter which will hopefully come soon as well. If you'd like to follow the story please comment so i can know if people are actually interested before i start writing.

Taglist: @mywhimsyjournal @mrs-bellingham

“Everyone is cheering for the young man everywhere he goes, comparing him with Ronaldo and sometimes, his teammate Messi but ones the true Messi is out of the picture, Mbappe seems unable, in the least, to keep the fort down– what in the actual fuck- J'emmerde cet article stupide. Putain de merde.”

“Oi! Oi! Tranquilles!” Hakimi neared him, holding up his hand as a sign of good faith and took the article from his hands. He started reading it himself while Kylian paced around the room in anger.

“It’s not the first time this man has attacked me-” he started “he always has an opinion and never seems to be satisfied with anything-”

“He’s written things about me and Leo as well. I recognize the name. Don’t take it personally it’s just an angry journalist, there are a lot of those-“

“An angry journalist with views and reads. It’s like fucking gossip girl for football and why is it always about me-”

“You’ve watched gossip girl?” asked Hakimi raising his eyebrows. Kylian paused at his question, like he had confessed to a crime or something.

“My girlfriend used to- why do I have to explain this?” Hakimi shrugged, waving away his previous question. Although Kylian was certain that he would probably bring it up again at some point. “Can we please get back on the real issue?”

“Which is?”

“a fucking random guy who has probably never even touched a football in his life. Who the hell even is he-” Kylian snatched pack the article, searching for the name of the author. “JW” he read “is that even a real name”

“Ok!” Hakimi grabbed back the article, throwing it on the nearest table “I think you need a break.” He pulled him by the hand to drag him out on the training field.

“Im telling you it’s not a real name-”

“No, I bet it’s not. Let’s go.”

Kylian was grumpy for the rest of the training. Kicking the balls and imagining it was JW, running as fast as he could around the field to take out his anger and tackling even his teammates. When he was over, he sat on the bench in the changing rooms, a towel around his waist and nothing to cover his broad chest. He was holding the article in his hands, reading it again and again. His phone next to him was buzzing with messages and when he opened it his Twitter feed was spammed with the same article. J.W. didn’t have any of his personal information on his website or his socials. Following no one, liking nothing, there was nothing to connect him to an actual person but there were theories about him being a girl. Kylian laughed when he read one of them, it actually brightened his mood, like any girl was bold enough to write such harsh and-as much as he hated to admit it- on point reviews for football players and especially him, who was every girl’s favorite according to… well himself. No, that was just an asshole that was jealous of him. An asshole that probably couldn’t play football or get any of the girls he liked, so he had his fun ruining others. “Typical” he mumbled and shut off his phone but not before typing back a quick respond under his latest tweet “get a life”.

Taylor JW's House / London — Night

“Oh no he didn’t!” Taylor’s mouth dropped when she saw his tweet. She got up from the couch, stumbling on the blankets she was covered with and falling on the ground.

“Oh my god, are you ok?” Yelled Trish while eating her popcorn on the other side of the small living room, leaning forward in her seat to look at Taylor, who was now laying with her face planted on the carpet.

“No!” she said putting strength in her hands to get up, groaning as she did that “no I’m not ok! I’m angry” she sat on her knees, staring at her phone “he’s such a cry baby!”

“Who? Oh god Tay, is it your ex again? Didn’t you block him?” she was still eating her popcorn.

“its not Alex! It’s Mbappé!”

Trish mouth remained closed. Her eyes opening wide. She left the bucket with the popcorn on the couch while getting up to get to her friend, sitting on her knees to look at the screen “the hot one?”

“Oh-” Taylor’s hands dropped and she let out a deep sigh of annoyance, looking at her friend like she was done. Trish shrugged her shoulders and got hold of the phone. She began to laugh, trying hard to keep it in so Taylor smacked her in the stomach, getting her phone back.

“What? I’m sorry! It’s funny!”

“It’s not funny!” she finally got up from the floor, untangling herself from all the blankets, throwing them right and left, one of them falling on Trish’s head. “He doesn’t even know me.” She walked over to her computer was, opening it quickly.

“I mean” Trish threw away the blanket she had thrown on her and got up as well “you don’t know him either but you’ve been writing about him every week, judging him-”

“I’m not judging him. I think he’s great! I’m judging the way he plays. Last night he missed 4 chances and ruined 1 because he didn’t want to pass the ball over to Junior-“ Trish had already lost interest but she let her go on for the shake of it “—I’m telling you There’s a difference, and also, it’s my job-”

“It’s not a job, it’s a hobby! Did you even finish that article about the sales, Miranda asked you for?” Taylor looked up from her computer screen slightly. Her eyes betraying her. Trish sighed, shaking her head “you’re unbelievable”

“There was a game last night- I had to watch and write a post. My fans are very demanding.”

“Fans aka creeps on a screen obsessed with football”

“Hey!” she pointed at Trish “I’m one of those creeps”

“Why don’t you just get a job at sports magazine?”

Taylor laughed, while moving the pad to get on her website. There were so many comments on last update about Kylian, it seemed she had really hit a chord. “When you find me one that doesn’t treat women like shit, I will. People find out you’re a woman in this world and suddenly your opinion has no place in their columns. It’s in fact, annoying.”

“So is staying without a job, which is what will happen if you don’t write about those goddamn sales in two hours.”

“It will only take 10 minutes, it’s fine!” she waved it off, hitting press on the new post tab but before her fingers met the keyboard, she got an inbox. She opened it quickly, it was a message from psg, one of their employees. “No shit” she mumbled, barely able to function.

“What now?”

“Galtier wants to speak to me.”

“Who’s that?” Trish walked over to her, a confused look in her face.

“It’s the coach of PSG.”

Trish stood next to her reading the message

“Dear JW.

My name is Julie Blanchet. I work for the PR of Paris-saint German.

The coach of our team, Mr. Galtier, would like to get in contact with you, so I’m tasked to arrange a meeting with you and him in Paris. Please send us an email we can communicate with or a phone. Below you’ll find my personal ID CARD attached so you won’t doubt for the authenticity of this message. Thank you very much.

Have a good day.”

She paused “well send the email what the hell are you waiting for?”

Taylor was frozen. She was thinking of all the possibilities, fearing them even. Her heart sinking.

“What’s wrong with you?”

She looked up at her friend, desperate. “Any time someone has asked to meet me and I go, they minute they see me they think I’m the assistant and they don’t even believe me when I tell them it’s me. Do I really want to fly all the way to Paris just to get that same reaction?”

Trish bit her lip and kneeled down next to her friend, giving het a sympathetic look. “Just prove to them you are better than any man they could have wished for, no matter the hell they give you. I think it’s time for you to stop hiding, chase what you actually love and put your foot down. You’ve been wasting away your time in things you don’t love for years” She smiled “in the words Kylian Mbappé-”

“Don’t- don’t you fucking dare-”

“Get a life!” she finished the sentence and Taylor jumped on her. Play fighting with her on the floor. She was actually considering it, leaving everything behind in London and chasing something new in Paris, maybe. Or just the opportunity of seeing psg playing live, well that was enough to make her quit her day job and do something spontaneous for ones.

PSG TRAINING CAMPUS / PARIS – DAY

“he hasn’t stopped coughing ever since Saturday. You know how many days is that Ky? 5 days- 5 days off listening him cough his lungs out-“ Kylian wasn’t really listening. Not that he didn’t care about Hakimi and his baby, who apparently was sick, but his mind couldn’t focus. He was pulling on the sled drags and slowly coming up. These exercises were usual for him, he did them every day but today was different, he had this heavy feeling on his stomach. He stopped and released himself from the sled drags, nudging his friend.

“Let’s go have a run.” He said quickly and was already sprinting on the open field. Snatching a ball on his way there and throwing it back on the grass, kicking it. He did a few tricks, kicking it up in there and then pushing it with his head on his friend who stepped on it and kicked it back to him.

“You ok bro?” he asked, while they exchanged passes at each other.

“Sure. I may had overreacted with the JW thing.”

Hakimi laughed “No kidding.”

“I don’t know. There’s something awfully annoying about him-“

“GUYS!” Neymar Jr. ran about to them, out of breath like he had been running from the other side of the stadium. Kylian noticed he had a weird look on his face and ducked down to get the ball while Hakimi was approaching him “I went to see Linda, you know, new secretary, upstairs. Looks very pretty today by the way-“

“To the point Junior!”

Neymar took in a few more breaths, pointing up at the offices of Galtier. “JW is here. You know, football writer, he has a website-“

“Yeah we’ve heard of him- Kylian where are you going? Kylian-“

Hakimi rushed behind his friend, who was walking very fast down the hallways. Kylian heard him yelling but he wasn’t going to stop, he wanted to meet that fool even if it got him in trouble with Galtier, see if he had the balls to say all that he was writing on his face. He brushed passed a few people who called his name until he reached the upper floor where the offices were. Linda, stood up when she saw him and walked towards him to stop him- “Mr. Galtier is in a meeting-“ The moment she said that the door opened, Galtier coming out first, Kylian moved closer to him, angry. Hakimi had just reached him, to hold him back.

“Is it true? is that fucking fool here. Where is he? Scared to come out-“ he went quiet quickly when he saw a girl coming out, no older than 25 years old. Brunette hair, hazel eyes. Holding a pile of folders in her hands. She looked small next to Galtier, she looked nervous. Kylian laughed, rubbing his face “He couldn’t even come here himself? He had to send his assistant? Who the hell are you-“

Galtier went to speak “She’s actually-“ but the small girl raised her hand to stop him, faking a smile.

“I’m Taylor. Jo’s assistant.” She answered, reaching her hand out for Kylian to shake. Kylian looked at her hand suspiciously before accepting the offer.

“Your boss is a coward, isn’t he?”

She laughed, taking back her hand. “Is there a message you want me to give him Mr. Mbappe. Except of course the one you already sent him yourself.”

Kylian backed off, placing his hands on his hips “Tell him he should keep his nose out of things he doesn’t have the knowledge on. And he was unfair for Friday’s game-“

“So you didn’t actually avoid passing the ball to Number 10 who was unmarked across from you because the defenders were occupied with the golden child, that’s you by the way, and instead chose to go with an impossible kick for the net which of course resulted to you missing a golden chance.” She spoke so quickly he could hardly follow her rhythm. She gave him a smile at the end, like she knew she had already won the argument.

Hakimi got close to him, putting his hand over his mouth and whispering repeatedly “abort, abort, abort.” Kylian had to slap him on the chest for him to stop and getaway.

“My boss writes what he sees. If you don’t like what he writes, you have to change what he sees.”

“Yes, of course!” said Galtier, in an attempt to cut the tension. Kylian was staring at Taylor like he was going to attack her any time now. “Your presence here, I’m sure will help with that.”

“Her presence?” Kylian raised his eyebrows, he could feel his anger raising as he realized what the situation he walked in on actually was.

“Yes, Miss-“

“Taylor” completed the girl, like Galtier was gonna go ahead and say something different.

“Taylor, yes. She’s here to journal your trainings and your games.”

“In what capacity?” Asked Kylian narrowing his eyes. “This doesn’t make any sense.”

“Well she’s-“

“My boss wants a better look at the team of the guy that insulted him on social media. Maybe he really was wrong. But before he gets here to apologize, we wanna make sure he won’t be wasting his time.”

“Waste—” he laughed “wasting his time? Are you boys listening to this?”

“On top of that. He is writing a special article on the website. A month with Paris Saint-Germain.” Galtier explained. Giving him the true reason of her arrival.

“Yes, of course, there’s that too.”

Kylian could understand just be her look that she only said the first part to piss him off and in all honesty she had succeeded. He walked closer to the girl, looking down at her. “He shouldn’t have sent a poor girl like you down here to clean his mess.”

“You’ll find I’m not easily intimidated sir.” She shot back “But very easily provoked.” Kylian let out another bitter laugh. He backed away, if it was a man standing across him this conversation would go a completely different way but it was just a girl. So he turned his back on her, leaving. Deep down knowing nothing about her being here would be easy and this next month would be the worst.

Next chapter: Young, bored & dumb

.

Not gonna lie I'm crazy excited to start this series if this post does well. Raise your hands if you'll be reading and please please please always comment so i know what you think and if you're following the story. It helps keep the motivation to keep writing hehe.

#kylian mbappe #mbappe imagines #mbappé #mbappe x reader #mbappe #mbappe imagine #mbappe one shot #neymar one shot #neymar imagines #neymar x oc #neymar x reader #football writing #football imagine #Spotify

[cometlevi]

Levi Week - Day 1: Teashop ☕️

Tags: @leviweek2023

After the war, Levi didn’t really have a clear plan on what he wanted to do. To him, the mere idea of not having to be on guard 24/7 was absurd. It’s safe to say it took him quite some time to get used to his new life, a life of peace. Around a year and a half after the war, Levi decided to pursue one of his life long dreams. Opening a tea shop. Levi is a picky man so finding a property he liked proved to be a challenge. He would spend hours viewing potential properties but he didn’t like the majority of them, mainly due to the locations.

Eventually, he struck gold and found a gorgeous little property with a medium size front deck that overlooks the picturesque harbour. There were two large willow trees on either side of the deck, the leaves swaying along with the gentle sea breeze. The moment Levi laid eyes on the property, he couldn’t help the small smile that graced his angelic face. Sure, there was quite a bit of work to be done before the teashop was up and running but Levi was more than eager to get the renovations underway. His dream was finally coming true.

9 months later

“Hello, what could I get you?” Levi stated calmly whilst looking at the tall black haired man who stood at the counter.

“Hm, I’m not too sure…what’s better, Assam or Darjeeling?” The man asked inquisitively whilst eyeing the large display of tea leaves.

“In my opinion, I’d say Assam. It has an extremely pleasant malty taste. Darjeeling on the other hand, has a more fruity taste” Levi answers confidently.

“Ok! It’s settled then, could I please get a pot of Assam tea with two butter croissants?” The man states exuberantly.

“Of course, please take a seat inside or outside and I’ll bring your order to you when it’s ready” Levi says smoothly whilst tapping the mans order through the till.

Since Levi first opened the doors to his shop 5 months ago (Kuchel’s teashop, a name everyone in town was familiar with), business was booming to say the least. The day he first opened the shop, there were queues of people waiting to sample the infamous Captain’s wide selection of teas and pastries. Levi was overwhelmed, in a good way of course. The amount of support he had received from the local people moved him, more than he’d like to admit.

During the first week, Kuchel’s teashop had received a hugely positive influx of reviews. Everyone loved Levi’s tea and the warm, welcoming atmosphere of his teashop. But most importantly, people loved Levi. They loved how passionate he was about tea and they loved how knowledgeable he was about the numerous different types of tea he offered.

Levi was getting ready to close the teashop for the night, he had finished cleaning the tables and counters and was now restocking the large display of tea leaves as low classical music played throughout the shop.

Once he has finished the closing tasks, he walked to the storage room and grabbed his belongings, throwing on his black trench coat and hanging up his beige apron on the peg behind the door. He turned all the lights off and walked outside to lock the front doors. As he walked down the deck stairs he stopped on the middle step and looked back at his shop, a huge sense of achievement and joy filled him.

Levi smiled to himself as he looked at the wooden sign that hung above the door. The words ‘Kuchel’s teashop’ laid on the wooden sign in bold black writing. He reflected for a moment, he knew his mum would be so proud of him. That thought brought him happiness. He was finally where he wanted to be.

#LeviWeek2023 #levi ackerman #teashop #attack on titan #captain levi #drabble #fluff #fluff drabble

[titaniasfairy]

john price might be a little territorial

cw: fem!reader, soft dom!price, oral (fem receiving), fingering, p in v,

honestly got this idea after @glossysoap mentioned needing to experience beard burn 😭

18+ MDNI !!

being a liaison for the SAS unit, specifically the task force 141, was working out wonderfully for you.

despite you being a glorified paperwork handler, the job had its perks. with government healthcare and a pretty hefty salary, you were going along just fine.

not to mention your co-workers, who are just lovely. most of them have become your best friends who you can tell anything to.

soap who’s just a sweetheart, always trying to help you in whatever way possible. you remember one day where he brought you lunch because you were so busy with your reports, saying he couldn’t stand to see you hungry.

gaz who’s so patient with you! he doesn’t mind if it takes a little longer to get his files turned in or his mission reviews typed up. some nights he’ll even bring you a cup of coffee to keep you awake.

ghost who’s just a gentle giant. always telling you dad jokes to brighten up your day, going above and beyond to make you smile. he’ll leave sticky notes on your desk with silly puns or inside jokes to make the day a little easier.

and captain john price, who never fails to make you cum. after a long, hard night he’ll come knocking on your office door to lay you down on your desk and fuck you with his fingers. his thick digits will curl up into your g-spot to make your legs spasm and your back arch.

if you ever needed an off day to destress or relax, best believe he’s at your door the moment he finds out. in his eyes, the best way to destress is to bend you over the bed and fuck you into oblivion.

while your moments with him are so blissful, the second he leaves you’re stuck in a state of loneliness. you’ll lay in your bed that just feels so cold without his warming presence. john says he can’t spend the nights, afraid of what would happen if anyone found out about your relationship.

but this idea changed all so suddenly.

the team was out one night celebrating their recent mission. they sat in a dimly lit pub drinking in celebration. while john was only a bit buzzed, the rest of the team was piss drunk.

gaz and soap were arm wrestling , and simon was acting as a ‘judge’ for the contest. the three of them were laughing hysterically when price’s phone rang.

you were still on base getting some reports done, and had to ask john an important question on filing the documents. you got your answer and thanked him before hanging up.

when john put his phone away, the boy’s focus was now on him and his phone call. gaz asked if it was you on the phone with a cheeky look on his face and john nodded.

“did ya’ see what she was wearin’ today? i could barely take my eyes off of er’ arse in that skirt.” johnny said while sipping his pint.

“cmon, soap be a gentleman.” kyle said while nudging his teammate’s shoulder.

“don’t deny it! you n’ LT were just goin’ on about how good her tits looked in that blouse last week!”

“he’s right, gaz.” simon mumbled out from the other side of the table.

all the while price was clenching his fists furiously. he couldn’t stand having his men talk about what was his— what only he could have. he stood up suddenly and gathered his things.

“i’m goin’ home, got laundry to do.” it was a bold face lie. price had no intention of going home, not until he claimed you for the night.

before the boys could say anything john was gone. he slammed the door of his truck closed and started the engine, dead set on making you know you’re his.

price’s hands gripped the steering wheel hard, his jeans growing tighter just at the thought of what he was going to do to you.

without having to think about it, his feet led him to your office and knocked on your door loudly.

your sweet voice called out “come in” and he barged into the room, slamming the door behind him.

“john, what’s wrong i thought you went-”

“strip.”

his words took you off guard and you gave him a confused look by squinting your eyes and furrowing your brows.

“what are you talking about-”

he interrupted you again

“i said strip. do it before i make you.”

you closed your laptop and began unbuttoning your blouse, fingers nervously shaking in anticipation of what was to come. you shrugged the blouse off and threw it across the room while john hummed in approval.

“turn around and take the skirt off.”

his arms were crossed and his gaze was intensely fixed on you. you turned slowly and john got a good look at your ass in that tight pencil skirt you were wearing. you unzipped the skirt and threw it onto the pile before you hastily took off your heels. you were left in your bra and panties, a wired t-shirt bra and your cotton underwear.

you turned back around and john advanced on you by grabbing your waist and pulling you into a hot kiss. his teeth clashed against yours and his tongue fought its way into your mouth while your hands held his face.

his hands lingered on your body and palmed your breasts through your bra. john pushed you up against him and you could feel his throbbing erection through his jeans, making you moan softly.

“gonna show them all who you belong to.” john’s words came out in a growling voice and before you could respond, he picked you up and placed you on your desk. his lips traveled from your mouth to your jawline and eventually falling to your neck. he left dark marks with his lips and teeth, effectively claiming you with his marks.

between moans you huffed out in protest, “john- people will see them.” your hands moved to push him away, but he persisted.

“let them see. let them know who gets to please you like this.”

you’ve never seen john so possessive, he’s always been cautious with your meetings, too scared to have everyone know of your secret. the hanging threat of the consequences always loomed over his head, but now it seemed like the captain had nothing to lose.

his words went straight to your core, soaking your panties with arousal. john reached his hands behind your back and freed you from your bra. his eyes immediately glued onto your tits as your nipples hardened from the sudden cold air.

greedy hands groped your breasts while john’s lips wrapped around the bud of your nipple and sucked hard. your fingers ran through his short hair and gripped hard when his teeth grazed against you.

he moved his mouth to the other breast, repeating his actions. his hand slid down your stomach and into your soiled panties. you could feel him smile against you when his fingers ran across your wet slit.

“so wet for me, love. you been thinkin’ about this all day?”

it was like he could read your mind. ever since you woke, dirty thoughts of john and his cock filled your head. your thighs squeezed together with every word he spoke.

“yeah.. been needy all day for you.”

he took his mouth off of your breast and gave you a soft kiss. “i know, love. i’m gonna take care of it, f’you.”

his hands moved to rid you of your panties, leaving you completely naked on your desk. john’s lips left a wet trail of kisses down your body, landing on the hood of your pussy. soft blue eyes started into yours as john sank to his knees in front of you.

john took hold of your thighs and left small pecks on the inside of them. he teased you relentlessly, making you ache inside. you needed his mouth and whined out to let him know.

“if you want something, you have to ask.” he mumbled out against the plush of your thighs.

you whimpered out, but to no avail. john’s eyes stared into you and you had no choice but to beg.

“please eat my pussy! i need to feel your mouth on me, john.”

“that’s better.”

his mouth latched onto your sex and began to lap at your inner folds. it was messy and wet the way his tongue ran along your cunt and slobbered on your clit. you muffled your moans with your hands and arched your back, trying so hard to get even closer to him.

you ground your hips into him and held his hair with your fingers. his lips latched around your clit and sucked hard. john began to palm his length through his jeans, making him moan against your core. the vibrations against you only made your peak come faster.

his beard stung against your thighs, only adding to your pleasure. you were sure that tomorrow it’d hurt like a bitch, but right now it was fucking divine.

“taste so fucking good, love.” john’s middle and ring finger slipped inside of you, causing your mouth to let out an involuntary moan. john chuckled and circled your clit with his thumb while thrusting his digits into you.

“go on, baby. let everyone know who you belong to.” in reality there was no one left in the office area. everyone had either gone to their barracks or the dining hall.

you moaned out as his fingers curled inside you, hitting that spot only john could reach. your legs shook and he could tell that you were close.

“you gonna cum for me? gonna wet my fucking fingers with your juices? come on love, let go for me.”

his lips wrapped around your clit once more, sending you over the edge. you moaned out in bliss while your body spasmed. you soaked john’s fingers with your cum as he continued to thrust them into you.

once you came down from your high, john carefully removed his fingers from you and sucked them clean. after which he kissed you hard, letting you taste yourself on his tongue.

while his tongue was busy in your mouth, his hands began to unbuckle his belt and undo his pants. john pulled down his jeans along with his boxers and revealed his achingly hard length. it throbbed at the feeling of the air, standing tall at about 7.5 inches.

john pulled his lips from yours and aligned his cock to your entrance. “you ready, dear?” his eyes were filled with gentleness and lust and you could only give him a small nod. his hips slowly thrusted forward inside you, filling you up by the second.

when his hips were flush against yours and he was fully inside you, he kissed you softly. “you feel so fucking good. no one else gets this but me, you understand?” the feeling of his cock inside you was so overwhelming that you could only let out a whiney “mmhm!”

after your response, john began to thrust his cock into you hard. his hands gripped your thighs as pounded into you. his cock was so big that it hit every spot inside you, leaving you a crying mess below him.

your moans were reduced to small ‘ah ah ah’s while john let out grunts and groans from the feeling of your cunt squeezing around him. he swears that you’re the tightest pussy he’s ever fucked.

his balls slapped against your ass and the sound of skin on skin filled the room. john pushed your legs back against your chest, getting the deepest angle he could. your tummy bulged with him inside you and john’s eyes focused hard on your abdomen, pressing his hand on the prominent bulge inside you.

“you feel that baby? i’m so fucking deep inside you, love. wonder how your tummy would look if it was full with my kid.”

your eyes shut at the thought of john impregnating you and your cunt squeezed around him, sucking his cock back inside of you.

“you like that, hm? like the idea of carrying my baby? gonna tell everyone who’s it is? tell everyone it was me who did this to you?” john’s grip on your waist tightened and his thrusts were harder.

your orgasm began to rise up again, getting closer with every thrust inside you. john’s grunts became full on moans and his thrusts began to stutter. your hands groped your tits and your fingers swirled your nipples, bringing you closer to release.

“come on, love, let’s cum together. i need to empty my balls in this tight little cunt. need to give you my baby, need to breed this wet pussy.”

before john could finish his sentence you were moaning out and cumming on his length. his seed began to spill inside you in long fat ropes of his cum while he let out pornographic groans into the air. you threw your head back and rode out your high as john did for his.

once the both of you were spent, john slowly pulled out of your pussy and pulled your panties back on before putting his own pants on. he sat in your office chair and pulled you into his lap while you were still nude.

he held you against his chest while running his hand up and down your back. you felt complete with him, you found solace in these moments with him.

“i don’t want us to be a secret anymore, love. i can’t take it.”

you lifted your head and stared into his eyes in disbelief. “but what about-?” he shushed you and held you close.

“i’m not worried about that anymore. i want everyone to know you’re my girl.”

[jeonwonoow]

Chapter 2. Stalker(?)

warnings: none

taglist: @miraes-world

—

The sound of you clicking on the keys of your keyboard is starting to irritate you. You've been so irritable and short tempered lately, after that day actually. Instead of getting distracted by work from the thoughts of Wonwoo, Wonwoo running through your head is distracting you from work instead.

"Good?" Your kind boss, Myungho, peeks through your office. "You haven't gone out of your office since this morning."

You got up and bowed in slow motion, having zero energy. "Mr. Seo, I'm okay. I'm just busy with the new magazine."

"Come on," Myungho comes in and pushes your laptop close before sitting on your table. You give him an 'excuse me?' look and he just tilted his head. "I'm your boss, I tell you what to do, right? So if I tell you to eat-"

"Myungho," you groan and roll your eyes, only earning a chuckle from him. You end up inside his car anyway, sitting on the passenger's seat while he drives. Myungho was one of the people who tried to help you when you were at your worst after your break up with Wonwoo. You're glad that even though you made it clear to Myungho that it's still so difficult to love again, he stayed, he still does what he does back when he said he was gonna pursue you which you already made him stop doing so because you don't wanna bring up the kind man's hopes when you know yourself that you're still too damaged for it.

He drove to your favorite restaurant, ordered your favorite food, showing just how well he knows you by heart. If you were better now you'd probably choose him but you can't force yourself even if you like to think you're okay. "Thank you, Myungho."

"I really like it when you call me by my name, you know?"

"Hey," you chuckle. "This is why we get into dating allegations." You remember that one day he requested you call him just Myungho already instead of Mr. Seo even if you're inside his building and it became a hot topic among the other employees.

"So?" Myungho laughs softly and takes a sip of his soup. "We're good friends. Let them think whatever the fuck they want."

—

Wonwoo spun a pen on his fingers, his chin rested on his other hand as he thinks about you with that guy earlier eating at your favorite restaurant. He didn't follow you there. It was purely a coincidence. He's not the type. But his curiosity was making him consider it.

"She'd hate me even more, wouldn't she?" His friend, Mingyu, gave him a confused look. "Do you know Hao & Co.?"

"Oh my god, I'm a fan. Sohee loves their jewelries so much too. I'm actually wearing a Hao & Co. leather shoes right now," Mingyu wiggles his feet, excitedly telling Wonwoo about the fashion line. "I've met the CEO once, actually. No, twice. He's really nice."

"How could you say so. You only met him twice," Wonwoo scoffed. Mingyu clicked his tongue and shook his head. "Seo-what?"

"Myungho. Seo Myungho." The younger man fumbled through his phone to find a picture he took with Myungho whom he met just lately at a fashion event. He was even surprised that Myungho remembered him from their first meeting and was actually the first one to approach.

Wonwoo's eyebrows scrunch a bit upon seeing the photo of his friend and Myungho. This was the guy you were out with. And now his closest friend is also fond of this guy. What's with Seo Myungho anyway?

"Also, I might have opened a possible deal with him, actually."

"Without my knowledge? Who are you?"

"CTO," Mingyu fights, stating his position. "It makes sense for a CTO to see opportunities too, sir." The younger man emphasizes the 'sir' and rolls his eyes. "What's your issue with Hao & Co.?"

—

You can't remember where or when, but you were sure you heard about ONETech before. Your eyes lingered on the bold letters as you review documents before passing them to your COO.

"We're going for partnership with OneTECH for the website dev.?!" You ask loudly as soon as you barge into Myungho's office. He even flinched in surprise when your voice boomed through his four corners. "Jeon Wonwoo?"

"Won-who?" Myungho asked back, confused until he realized you were talking about the CEO of ONETech. "Well, I became friends with their CTO and we've been planning to develop a better site since we're getting better. I've also heard good news about ONETech, you know?"

"With my ex. Myungho," you say as if you didn't hear any of what he just said.

"Oh, this Wonwoo was that Wonwoo," he nods then his eyes widen before repeating in shock, "THIS WONWOO WAS THAT WONWOO?!"

—

The day of the first meeting. The world seemed to move in fast forward the moment you walked out of your office to go to the conference room. Myungho was already inside and a few officers were settling down. You bowed a little and then straightened your dress. You then walked to your spot but before you could sit down, people from ONETech came in.

"Good morning, Mr. Jeon," Myungho greets and walks to them, giving Wonwoo a handshake before turning to his new friend, Mingyu.

"Seo Myungho," Wonwoo calls his name with a forced smile on his face. "Nice to meet you." The smile drops when his eyes find you. Not even five seconds, he would look away. You swallow the lump that had formed in your throat.

Wonwoo didn't even know you worked under that guy you were on a date with. He wasn't expecting it. The whole meeting, he tried to focus so much but he could feel you burning holes on his skin with your eyes. He'd already finished the glass of water served for him in his nervousness too.

"I guess we're done for today?" Myungho stands from his seat and fixes his necktie. Everyone follows him and takes a bow. One by one, they bid goodbye. Myungho walks to you and places a hand on your waist which Wonwoo couldn't help but look at. "I'll catch up with Mingyu," he whispers and you give him a small nod while picking up your folder of papers. Myungho doesn't stop there though. He pulls you gently to face him and puts his other hand on your cheek, gives you a smile and inches closer to let the tips of your noses touch. He then leaves with a teasing Mingyu, both of them acting like high schoolers as they walk while bumping against each other's arms...yes, in their corporate attires.

"In front of me, really?" Wonwoo scoffs and walks out of the conference room but before the door closes, your anger issues get the best of you and you throw an empty water bottle at him. Wonwoo slowly turns back to you and leans on the door frame.

"In front of me, really?" You mock him. "Yes, in front of you, you cheating fuck—"

"Hey," he points a finger at you. "Language."

"I don't care," you point back at him. "You planned this, didn't you? You're following me. You should have continued ghosting, you coward."

"Mingyu did this. I didn't even know you worked here. And I see, you have something going on between you and your boss. You were better than this."

"What do you—" your breathing got heavier as your anger pooled up. "I worked hard for my position. I'm not here because of what you think. How could you talk about me like that?" Did he really think you were some opportunistic girl who'd get dirty with your ways to strive through life? "How could you, the worst man I've ever met?"

Wonwoo clenches his jaw, "I don't know how many times someone has to tell you I never cheated on you. You never heard me out. You never believed Soonyoung and Hayoon either."

And you thought he was just gonna turn away again this time. But he went closer to you and grabbed your wrist, pulling you out of the conference room, out of the building, without any word.

"You never proved me wrong." You were starting to tear up. But you knew the type of person Wonwoo was. He wasn't gonna push himself onto something that he felt wasn't for him. He was just gonna wait until the right time came. But to you, after Soonyoung and Hayoon set you up, he felt like there will never be a right time. That no matter what he did, he wasn't going to change anything between you two.

"You never let me try."

"Eh?" Myungho tilts his head. Mingyu squints his eyes too, watching you and Wonwoo storm out of the building.

"Isn't she your girlfriend?" Mingyu asks and Myungho chuckles while waving his hands in front of him in a 'no' motion.

#jeon wonwoo #wonwoo #wonwoo x reader #wonwoo smut #wonwoo angst #wonwoo fluff #minghao #xu minghao #the8 #mingyu #kim mingyu #jeonwonoow : works

[enby-ralsei]

JUST ROLL WITH IT FANS!

Do you need help this finals season for math and/or science? Do you make art?

I want to help you out this finals season in exchange for some art! Think of this as a sort of trade :D

I have been a tutor at my university for two years, and have had great reviews. I can tutor all usual math levels, including calculus! Exact courses I can tutor are under the cut.

DM me and we can come up with a way to do the tutoring (likely over discord, but we can figure out something else if you prefer) and the types of art you are willing to make!

Classes: Algebra 1, Geometry, Algebra 2, Precalculus, Trigonometry, Calculus 1 (AP Calculus AB), Calculus 2 (AP Calculus BC), Calculus 3, Differential Equations, Linear Algebra, Physics 1 (AP or General), Physics 2 (AP or General), Chemistry, Organic Chemistry

Bolded and italicized courses will require more prep time on my end, so I will need more of a turn around to plan a session.

Feel free to ask about a course not listed here if it's STEM related! These are just the ones I came up with on my own <3

#jrwi #pinned

[kittenpower05]

Wait hold on I need to share my friend's based take on Helen tma

So yknow- most people, you know the fandom Helen design: Spiral Edition

It's the long boi stature with the wide smile, too tall for her own good, seems to have too many edges and corners for a person, yknow

My friend, who does not consume much tma fan content and only recently listened to tma was sharing his Helen design and headcannons and honestly I vibe with it so hard so I'm putting his brain fluids on the site for peer review knowing full well that most people will probably disagree but that's ok

He doesn't draw Helen with any of the spiral!micheal characteristics! And at first I was like "bold move but ok" because the Twink Horror Hands are kind of a staple for spiral shenanigans esp since Helen had taken Micheal's place

But he was explaining how he wanted her to go more down the uncanny person path where she looked like the type of person to be sickeningly sweet, and looked like a Good Friend who is actually manipulative on levels that are incomprehensible to those who grew close

And honestly I hadn't really considered how the difference in manipulation tactics between spiral avatars would impact their design and tbh I'm all for it

Micheal was a very aggressive and sinister type of manipulative, where his whole thing was to run things behind the scenes, everything always leading back to him type

Helen on the other hand, was nice and friendly and got to know you and supported you- until you weren't of use to her anymore. Until you posed a threat. Her whole thing was to get you to trust her and then use that trust to her own benefit

And I could absolutely see how Micheal's incomprehensible body shape with pointy ends and bulging joints that hurt to look at would fit his character

While my friend's design of someone who is your good pal and friend but Slightly Off though you can't put your finger on why would fit her personally

And having that variety in depictions of spiral avatars? Honestly? Good shit. I eat that up. I feel like there's an underrepreentation of spiral avatars that aren't just Long, and having that physical distinction actually goes hard imo

#in case yall were curious- #he drew helen as a person of color (so that lines up with the fandom design) #but notibable differences included a bandana #her hair in longer braids #and i think he was contemplating whether or not she had eyebrows/had thinner eyebrows (for that uncanny wide-eyed stare) #in case you were curious #helen tma #the magnus archives #tma #the spiral tma #the magnus archives spoilers #tma spoilers #i dont expect this post to get back to him but if it does- no one tell him it was me i said nothing /j

[adobe-outdesign]

May I request a Barboach/Whiscash review ? I know they are not the most outstanding Pokémon out there, but I've always had a soft spot for those guys...

Barboach is surprisingly cute. It's based off a loach, which is a type of fish known for reacting to storms before they happen.

Visually, the plain grey is a bit of a surprise—I would've assumed they would've gone for a brown at least to reflect its ground-typing, if not something more vibrant like yellow—but otherwise, there's nothing all that wrong with it. The little dot eyes are adorable, the blue fins pop nicely, and the zig-zag is a pretty bold visual that stands out nicely. It's a bit weak conceptually, mostly just being a loach and nothing else, but it is a nice looking loach.

Barboach's evolution into a catfish makes more sense when you take into account that Japan has long associated catfish with earthquakes, due to their long whiskers allowing them to react before one actually hits. This ties back into Barboach's loach-ness, with them being able to predict storms. It's a decent little concept, but I do wish it played more of a part in the designs—maybe they could've had some forehead gems and been psychic-type, or maybe cautionary signs and symbols could've been worked in as a visual motif.

That said, Whiscash is fine as-is. I always enjoy a Pokemon with a dumbass expression, and the colors are pleasant. There's a bit of a visual connection with Barboach as well, with the whiskers, spotted back fin, small pupils, and the zigzag becoming a W-like marking (ironically, it's name staring with a W sound is only an English thing). I do kind of wish Barboach had more of Whiscash's color palette just to make the similarities more obvious, but that's more of a pre-evo thing.

I'd say that if this line needs something, it would probably be a regional (an evo's also not out of the question, though I'm not sure what direction you'd take it). The designs are fine but fairly bland, and the theme's not really obvious from a visual standpoint, which makes it a bit hard for these guys to stand out compared to other water/ground types. That said, these are still some decent looking 'mons regardless.

#barboach #whiscash #pokemon #pokemon reviews

[forthegothicheroine]

Best Fragrantica reviews of (some of) my favorite perfumes, Part II

First installment here

Maison Martin Margiela By the Fireplace

Careful not to be worn by this perfume instead of being you the wearer. Not that it is oh so powerful, but it may be too bold of a statement piece for, ahem, some. Wearing BTF when you don't look the part and don't give it sense will have you smelling borderline unhealthy. Like your organs inside have worn off and darkened (and burned out, I guess). Truly as weird as it sounds. The raw thing smells very exciting. I love it ashy. I don't see myself daring any soon, however. And I don't find that it worked for the men I know either, as they have (and I cringe to say) whiter auras and don't fit the "handling cognac by the fire" thing. So I've yet to see it really work, which I'm sure will be great. It's a lovely perfume.

Black Phoenix Alchemy Lab Bewitched

This is the smell of a witch's brew. She made a special tea for you to drink. You pass out. When you awaken you find yourself in her garden full of poisonous berries, patchouli, weeds, clary sage, and flowers whose petals have been plucked. This is an herbal scent, like walking inside a shop selling only herbs. It's medicinal and like a tea. Not always easy to take in...The smell of sage and musk give it a unisex/masculine quality. I would say that it's more of a guy's type of cologne than a woman's. I would wear it for Halloween with a witch costume or as Morticia Addams. It's really a very engaging scent but it's linear and simple. It's a little green tea and berry. It's got a bite but it's witchy and dark, but not a strong cologne either. For a niche indie frag, not bad.

TokyoMilk Gin & Rosewater

I was in a boutique that carries the Tokyo Milk Curiosite & Bon Bon lines, and I was entranced by this. Florals are not usually my thing, by the way, because I get monster headaches from most of them. Suddenly the salesgirl is RIGHT NEXT TO ME leaning in conspiratorially and says in an awed tone that 'Blake Lively LOVES this one'. OMFG, Blake Lively, you say??!? Like for serious, the real Blake Lively?? OMFG, do you have like, more in the back?!? I'm totally going to buy every bottle you can shove in my basket because BLAKE LIVELY would hang out with me if we ran into each other and then my life could end. Um, not. I almost DIDN'T buy it because of the salesgirls then going into a tizzy about how amazing Blake is. I could not care less, although I'm sure Lively is nice enough. But it did smell cool, so home with me it came, along with the matching lotion.

Serge Lutens La Fille de Berlin

It’s an overwhelming fragrance that smells like the bottom of my grandma’s small square leather purse when we went to mass (her old dried up lipstick💄 the powder compact, the newspaper, the pack of strawberry-ish scented kleenex, the peppermints). It’s vintage, it’s a bit suffocating and I have it printed in my memory 4 ever.

Juliette Has a Gun Magnolia Bliss

Anastasia Steele, no longer a virgin. In her Audi A3, the smell of her new car, first edition books and a new life... That's what comes into mind with this perfume. The night Christian took her for the first time on his helicopter. I can imagine this is exactly what she smelled like that night. With Ellie Goulding's Love me like you do playing in the background. 

Maison Francis Kurkdjian Baccarat Rouge 540

I’m too embarrassed and ashamed to wear this in public just in case a fragrantica influencer comes out of a bush and starts pointing & laughing at me in front of everyone

Tom Ford Tobacco Vanille

what all the hot daddies in every lana del rey song smell like

Jo Malone Velvet Rose & Oud

If your family was religious, traditionally Asian, or both, you'll know this scent. This is the scent of a temple. This is the scent of an altar. Personally I can never wear this because smelling this brings back so many memories of burning incenses, visiting funerals, and saying prayers and wishes. My bottle is literally sitting on an altar.

Perfumer's Workshop Tea Rose

Speaking of the devil. This scent is the one with the Prada's shoes.

4160 Tuesdays Doe in the Snow

This is borne on a Christmas Eve, under the moonlight, a baby fawn just out of it's mother's womb. The moon is full light casting blue shadows snow lightly falling delicate flakes each one unique on the nose of the new born... Pure fresh Christmas morning air stillness not a sound blanketed with drifts of snow that is Doe In The Snow... pure white innocence...velvet petals so delicate under the driven snow...I have seen this in a dream... Another love... I get it...

#perfume

[romiyaro]

Men!!!

cw: implied fem!reader, referred to as girlfriend (or so ig)

a/n: no idea of word count i just wanted to warm up my writing gears. positive criticism appreciated, like, reblog, comment if you like this and would like to see a part 2 (which gosh i want aby to write so spam her inbox yall i wanna read the rest in her writing )

for a part 2 contact @/sanoinc cuz my brain ded

Your eyebrows twitch in annoyance as you stare at the unchanging google doc.

It's been 30 minutes already and Atsumu has yet to add another word to the document. You can see his cursor on the doc, and he told you he's researching what he's going to write.

But it surely wouldn't need thirty fucking minutes to research about MBTI types, would it?

You call him. The phone rings for a moment before Atsumu picks. "Hey babe, I'm still researchin'. Gimme a minute."

"Alright." You reply, crisp and short. You don't hang up, hoping he doesn't notice. And to your smug chagrin, he doesn't notice. You can hear the slight creak of his gaming chair as he twirls around, already imagining him putting the headphones around his neck back on.

And his next words don't disappoint you at all. "Hey, I'm back. Where were we?"

"Who was that?" It's faint but you can tell it's Osamu from the strong accent.

"Y/n. They have been pestering me with a stupid project. I'll do it later." His tone sounds carefree, ignorant of you seething on the other side of the phone. You throw your phone on the pillow, muting yourself worried you might say something in anger. Sighing, you fall back on the bed, project all but forgotten.

Yes, it carried no marks. But the topic was MBTIs, and learning more about the MBTI of your partner. You had taken a leave of two days from your part time job to get this group project done with. And a little part of you also wanted to have a little bonding time with your silly boyfriend.

So when he did what he did right now, it really grated on your nerves in the wrong way.

You sigh once again, and your roommate looks over. "What's got you sighing like that?"

"It's nothing," you wave it away, "Just a ruined project, and a ruined mood." You mumble the last part, not wanting to bother your bestie with your boyfriend troubles.

She doesn't get the hint, furrowing her brows as she asks, "Is it Atsumu again?"

You chuckle, nodding your head, "Yeah, kinda." Gosh, the entire world could tell when you were dissatisfied with your boyfriend. Everyone except him.

"Y'know, you can always play dirty." She winks at you.

Your mouth falls slack, "No. I'm not sending Atsumu a nude." Hell nah, you were not bold enough to do that. Your roommate was a risky little shit, but that didn't mean that you would let her influence your reasoning.

"Your call," She shrugs, knowing she couldn't persuade you unless you wanted it, "It works for me." She rolls back into the cocoon of her blankets, resuming to idly watch Instagram reels.

You bite your lip, pondering over the suggestion. The wheels whirr in your brain, frustration from your boyfriend's neglect, and anger from earlier clouding your judgment as you grab your phone and head to the dresser.

Sitting before the waist-length mirror, you pull off your tshirt, exposing your bra-clad skin to the mirror. Biting your lip, you open the camera, trying different poses and angles. You pout, reviewing the pictures, none of them seem appealing enough. The images are blurry and the lighting seems kinda dull.

"Want some help with that?" the cheery voice rings behind you. You laugh. Oh, you could you forget that little minx.

"Yes," you nod, "I'll treat you to fries." You promise.

Ro jumps off her bed in one fell swoop. She turns off the lights and switches on the LEDs she taped around the room for this sole purpose. Now bathed in a romantic red color, you glance at yourself in the mirror.

You have to admit you look hot. The lights do your skintone justice and it blurs your face, making it hard to realize who you are. Ro giggles mischievously, "Now comes the good part."

She smacks at your spine. "Ow!" you groan, arching your back. Grabbing your shoulder she whispers urgently, "Hold that pose." She straightens your shoulders out a bit, making your chest pop lewdly. But the lighting falls on your chest, reflecting a pretty red all over your exposed body. The shadow falls on your waist, making it look more appealing.

Ro hands you the phone, camera open and timer for 10 seconds started. She hurriedly sets the phone in your hand, leaping out of the way when 5 seconds are left, "Don't move!" she whispers. The camera shutters, capturing an image of you bathed in red and partially covering your face. You look at the image closely.

A smile lights up your face. The picture turned out very good, lewd but not pornographic, enough to tease. You haven't felt this hot in a while. And you like this. Turning to Ro, you exclaim, "We should do this more often!"

She laughs, "I do this all the time. You tell me when you wanna rile that bitch up again. I'll help you." Her smug smirk tells you she loves the idea of torturing others. And she would be down for another session later.

You send the image to Atsumu, clicking back to the phone call that's been going on for 45 whole minutes already. With bated breath you listen in on his conversation with Osamu.

"Hold up, 'Samu. I got a message from y/n on discord."

"Ya should really get working on the proj-"

There's a dull thud from the other side. You wonder what happened and as if answering your question Osamu hollers, "HOW THE FUCK DID YA JUST FALL OF THAT CHAIR, 'TSUMU-"

"I- JESUS FUCKING CHRIST, 'SAMU I-" Atsumu's muffled groans reverberate throught he phone and you giggle, accidntally hitting unmute on your phone.

The other side goes silent for a second. You hear shuffling from the other side and Atsumu's voice this time is clear as daylight as he exclaims, "Ya didn't hang up?"

You peep amidst laughter, "No- didn't-"

"Ya mean," you can imagine him drearily gulping, "Ya heard all of that?"

"I did." You smile, "And I didn't hang up cuz I wanted to tell you that," You lower your voice, mysteriously whispering, "You can get the uncensored version of that pic if you finish the theory work of the project tonight." You resolutely hang up, cutting his high pitched excited squeal off.

#atsumu x fem reader #x fem reader #x fem!reader #tw fem!reader #atsumu x reader #miya atsumu x reader #haikyuu x reader #atsumu scenarios #atsumu imagines #miya atsumu imagines #miya atsumu scenarios #haikyuu imagines #atsumu fluff

[eloquentreverie]

𝐅𝐚𝐯𝐨𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐞 𝐖𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐑𝐞𝐬𝐨𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐞𝐬

Hello! I thought I'd share some sites that come in handy when I'm writing my fanfics. Feel free to reblog and share this around if you'd like!

Grammarly: Grammarly is an American cloud-based typing assistant. It reviews spelling, grammar, punctuation, clarity, engagement, and delivery mistakes in English texts.

Pro Writing Aid: PWA is an online proofreading and editing software. It's a grammar checker, plagiarism detector, writing coach, and overall editing tool. (I usually combine this and grammarly when editing my fics and it works wonderfully.)

OneLook Thesaurus & OneLook Reverse Dictionary: Self-explanatory but this is perfect when editing and you're looking for different adverbs, synonyms, etc.

Last Name Generator: Also has a first name & middle name generator. Very good when creating OCs.

Bold Text Generator: My go-to for formatting before I post my fics.

#writing #fanfics #creative writing #writing resources #fanfic writing #i'll add to this if i think of more

[momoliee]

Okay! now that I’m done rereading Mo Du by Priest, time for an overall review on the entire series! WARNING: unlike my previous book by book review, this review WILL contain spoilers, even if theyre not major, cause it’s more of an analysis than a review so beware!!

A piece of work about: a team of investigators, from the special crimes department, whose wildest wishes is not to spend the weekend working overtime; a sociopathic young CEO, who cant put the case behind his mother’s death to rest; five elderly policemen from the previous generation, two of whom have died under suspicious circumstances; and a never ending series of crimes varying from kidnappings to trafficking to murder and maybe even serial killings. If this already sounds complicated, then dont worry, cause it gets even more and more complicated to a point where you find yourself juggling two, maybe even three, cases at a time.

I’ll start with the characters:

Luo Wenzhou: a charismatic, quick tempered captain of the investigation team who’s a lil too full of himself but he still has a heart large enough to embrace everyone he comes across. i absolutely adored his character, his dialogue and quips, his fatherly demeanor in which he lectures his subordinates before proceeding to do exactly what they were doing, then buying them all food so they can overlook his shamelessness. Luo Wenzhou is the sort to overcrowd the room with his boisterous, loud personality; the sort elders lectured all the time for getting in countless troubles, but still openly favored anyway. He is bold, capable, kind, creative with his insults, and even though he’s always threatening to give everyone around him a beating, the most he does is smack them on the back of their head. His character is simple and easy to read, but definitely very lovable and warm.

Now meet Fei Du. Our beloved sociopath. Yes he’s an actual sociopath (he is NOT a psychopath, cause psychopaths are born that way, and sociopaths are MADE that way during their childhoods, which leaves room for them to heal and reverse what they were forced to learn and unlearn it all, a very important point. While we certainly meet a lot of psychopaths in the series, the difference between them and Fei Du is that Fei Du, later on, unlearns everything that was forced down his throat and heals, which is one of the themes in the series). Now what I really love about this novel, is that while in every other danmei, there’s always one shy and and quiet character while their love interest is always the loud and extroverted one, in this web novel, they are both equally flirty, equally shameless, equally extroverted, and equally bold in everything they do. While Luo Wenzhou’s charisma expresses itself in a more cocky, big handsome brave man type of way, Fei Du’s charisma is a lot quieter and more…seductive, sensual and silk-draped. His words are always as sweet as honey, he’s the sort to send flowers and wear expensive strong cologne, drive up to your work place in an expensive chic car, and open the door for you. A true Gentleman, the very opposite of the Hero and Savior, Luo Wenzhou, who’s a lot more aggressive and rough and protective.

But Fei Du’s character goes deeper than that. I absolutely loved how intelligent priest made him out to be, and i always looked forward to his explanations and deductions for every case, his chameleon like mindset and mirroring personality that seems to shift and change and adjust according to whom he’s talking to and what he wants from the person he’s around. His childhood is horrific, truly the most frightening backstory in any novel i’ve read, it exceeded my expectations the first time i read the series and completely took me by surprise, nothing i couldve ever expected. He is extremely manipulative, and up until the last few chapters in the last book, you still cant trust him or deduce his motives or know where he stands. And yet, priest somehow manages to make him no less lovable than Wenzhou, cause even if you dont know whether he’s evil or not, you still cant help but be fond of him.

I absolutely LOVE and ADORE fei du and luo wenzhou’s dynamic, with the way they spent the first novel bickering and fighting back and forth, unable to so much as stand being in the same room as each other, to the way they started shamelessly flirting back and forth and one upping each other in the next book, building up so much tension between them. And even when they got together, they still retained a very interesting dynamic, their relationship never mellowed down, it was still very entertaining through and through. A perfect enemies to lovers. (Also side note, i feel like if you were to take priest’s character Gu Yun from Shapo Lan, and split him in two, you’d actually get fei du and luo wenzhou. I feel like they represent the two different sides of Gu Yun, the flirty and seductive young master everyone wants to sleep with, and the capable and bold leader everyone would follow loyally to any battle.)

The rest of the characters, aka Tao Ran and Lang Qaoi and Xaoi Haiying and Zhou Huajin and basically everyone, are my CHILDREN i will protect them with my BLOOD.

Now for the plot, well, i’ve always been a mystery and thriller girl, so need i say more? All priest had to say was CRIME, and i came running. From the moment the first case presented itself, i knew this series was gonna become one of my all time favorites. I’m talking yellow “KEEP OUT” tapes, i’m talking forensics complications and bloody crime scenes, I’m talking clues and hints and evidence and suspects and a classic ‘who done it’. Every case was different from the last, so the series never felt repetitive or boring. Each time it was a different issue, a different pattern, a different plot twist. Priest definitely kept my nerves wrapped up in a twist throughout all five books, always on a look out for different clues and hints, always trying to put two and two together and figure things out along with the characters. She touched on topics from mass homicide to rape and pedophilia to prostitution and drug addiction to a wealthy family strife over inheritance to cults and the abyss behind victimhood and grief. I absolutely loved the range, how you could go from reading about the silly banter between the characters over what they should eat while they work overtime, to serious and deep discussions over trauma and justice, and what was the correct way to process grief and get over an event that ruined your life and the lives of everyone around you. Another thing that i loved, was how interactive the cases where. It felt like everything clicked, everything made sense, and nothing was overlooked. Every question i asked myself, a character in the book would ask and an answer would be presented, and every minor detail that was mentioned in the very beginning that i quickly forgot, was brought back later on and expanded on in more detail and care. It was an extremely fun read.

Finally, the overarching theme of the story, discussing the processing of trauma, grief, abuse and victimhood, as well as criminal psychology and the line between justice and self righteousness. I love how for every case presented, Priest always showed you the two sides to the same coin, the two paths anyone is presented with in the face of life altering events. Priest gives you the answer to questions like, why did Fei Du choose not to become like his father, an actual psychopath, why was he capable of undoing all the things his father taught him and why did he consciously CHOOSE that path, over simply following his father’s path of psychopathy and greed and apathy and murder. Priest presents you with characters that are born into circumstances similar to Fei Du’s, but with just the tiniest differences and alterations, they ended up on a complete different path, being on the opposite end of the interrogation room table, bearing handcuffs. But priest doesn’t give you all the answers right away cause where’s the fun in that? She leaves you wondering why fei du turned out different, or did he actually turn out different? Why didn’t he end up like all those other psychopaths who followed the lead of their parents? Till at last, she explains everything in the last book, and you put together a similar conclusion yourself just before everything is unraveled (if you guys want, i can do a whole meta analysis on fei du’s character, cause he is one of the most interesting characters that i’ve read about). Another example on the same circumstances but two paths concepts would be, without any major spoilers, the families of the deceased and the victims. Now i wont divulge into details not to insert any major spoilers, but whoever reads book 5, then reads the extras after the epilogue, will definitely understand what i mean. That was a brilliant stroke on Priest’s part, definitely genius.

This whole installment was intriguing, intricately woven, complex and simply mind blowing. You’ll laugh, cry, get anxious, feel relief only to end up anxious again, attempt to solve the cases along with the characters, stay up late while going over the INTENSE interrogation scenes, and meet all sorts of criminals and personas as you dive deep into their psychological thought process and motives. This series is a DEFINITE 1000000/10 to me, my third favorite danmei (right after the dumb husky and his white cat shizun by meatbun and heaven’s official blessing by mxtx). Also, there’s a pet cat :D

#long post but i couldn’t help myself #mo du #mo du zhe #silent reading #priest #danmei #danmei priest #danmei recs

[nebmia]

Reviewing every rpg book on my shelf: 7, Wolves of God

Wolves of God by Kevin Crawford is a game about adventuring in early anglo-saxon england and its prime virtue is in how thoroughly (and for the most part accurately) it develops that time period and attempts to place players in the outlook of those people. I happen to have a particular love for the early middle ages and for the anglo-saxons in particular, which places me directly in the target demographic for this game, and as far as I am concerned it delivers.

Mechanically Wolves of God is built on the same fundamental system as Kevin Crawfords other ‘without number’ games: So an osr type game with a greater than usual quantity of character build options and a particular focus on sandbox play.

The first thing you notice when you read the book is the framing device. The book is treated as if it was a manuscript written by a monk in 710AD (the rather opinionated Brother Cornix) documenting anglo-saxon gaming practice that has been unearthed and edited by Kevin Crawford. This lends the whole book a very unique and (to me) entertaining voice. For illustration here is a section from character creation:

The rules in these pages will show you how to make your bold adventurer, but do not be a thrall to man-marked ink on pale parchment. If your band of gamesmen has their own thought to the right way to manage a matter, then let it be done as you and your companions think best. Listen, then, and I will tell you how to make an English hero. From the first strong sinews of the mortal body to the crown of reason and high ambition, you will learn what makes a mighty champion of our people.

The styling as a medieval manuscript does, however, mean that many standard features of modern layout are absent, such as bullet points being replaced by paragraphs starting ‘primus’, ‘secundus’, ‘Tertius’, etc and that overall the text is much wordier than most contemporary rpgs. However, there are footnotes and sidebars from ‘the editor’ which summarise important rules or discuss some of Brother Cornix’s biases, and I find that, overall, the writing style is worth it for the level of immersion in the culture that it provides.

There are three classes you can use to create your ‘English Hero’ (plus an option for multiclassing): the warrior, the saint, and the galdorman. These are broadly analogous to the original D&D fighting man, cleric, magic user line up but each has twists to place it in the setting. The big point is that each classes has a set of ‘glories’ and ���shames, which determine how they gain (or lose!) xp. These do a lot to place your character within the outlook and value system of the early middle ages. For instance the saints shames tie them to follow the law of the church, while a warriors shames relate to oath breaking or betraying your lord or friends. An interesting feature is that, while warriors or galdormen can escape shame if no one knows what they did, a saint always suffers the penalty as ‘God knows all things.’

Which is a good segue for talking about christianity and how deeply enmeshed it is in the setting. The book spends almost as many pages detailing the essentials of early medieval christianity as it does describing the rules for combat, and then goes on to spend twice as many pages describing monasteries and giving rules for generating them. Basically, religion was really important then and also quite unlike how we as modern people understand it.

Among the other things that were important to people then but unfamiliar to a modern audience are: Cattle Raids, Feasting etiquette, a gift economy, and the weight placed on fate. All of which Wolves of god sets out rules and procedures to guide you though. Outside of what is rendered in the rules to book also lays out an expansive description of anglo-saxon england covering the legal system, customs, farming practice, history and the main kingdoms. In contrast to games (D&D) where you play as essentially modern people in an essentially modern world wrapped in medieval aesthetics, Wolves of God is a game where you simply must inhabit the alien world that is the past.

Apart from the areas where is does deviate from history, which is primarily in the transformation of old roman ruins into portals to pocket dimensions (or ‘arxes’) created with ancient roman magic into which the romano-british retreated. What with it being, at its root, a dungeon crawling game I can see why there was a need to add magical dungeons and a treatment of roman ruins is definetly appropriate as the remnants of roman civilisation is deeply important to this time period (see the old english poem ‘the ruin’) but there is still fundamentally something about the inclusion of arxes that does not work for me. I think it is, perhaps, that the existence of dungeons and the delving off them is too big a thing to add without it dramatically changing the setting. A world with dungeon delving adventures is inevitably drawn into the sphere of classical D&D fantasy and away from the early middle ages. Fortunately, I can simply choose not to have any arxes and instead focus on more historical adventures with the odd mythical creature or barrow delve thrown in (don’t ask me why a barrow feels different to an arxe. It just does, ok)

A final note: My copy is the deluxe edition, which is unfortunately no longer available. I think the only difference with the print on demand version will be a less premium binding and printing and not having the red cover with gold

#Reviewing every rpg book on my shelf #ttrpg #my stuff #osr #Wolves of god