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aphrodite-would-be-proud · 3 years

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🕯Anon said : Can I request headcanons with a Modern Au Teacher!Erwin and his s/o is a slightly famous artist like a painter that’s always in the basement. Maybe have a moment where the art teacher begs him to bring them to the school when they find out who Erwin is with. ? 🕯

Teacher!Erwin brings you, a famous painter, to work.

{ Erwin x Reader | tw:none | fluff, suggestive kiss | modern }

{ "Leisurely Sunday in the Villa Comunale in Naples" 1993 by Francesco Tammaro Born in 1939 }

Grassy fields surrounded the old big building as the trees undressing of their leaves onto the sidewalks, currently being swept away by the janitor.

Students were filling the halls, the sound of chatter and laughter following after. Outside in the yard, the whistle of the gym teacher could be heard following by heavy footsteps as the football team started their morning practice. Not long after the bell rang, the halls were empty again only for some crumbled papers and snack covers left behind.

"Pigs, all of them. There's a trashcan right there." Levi scrunched his nose at the smell of axe spray and deodorant near the trophy cases. "Tell Miche to spray his running monkeys with soap every once in a while."

"Now now, what got you so grumpy this early in the morning?" Adjusting the lab coat on their suit, Hange replied. "Oh cut the kids some slack, their big game is coming soon or something."

"And he's been implenting a more strick hygiene policy." Said Erwin, holding a plastic binder with a stack of exam papers, mostly marked red. "He's trying to convince the principal to ban deodorant during practice because it's making his nose burn."

Huffing in response, Levi crossed his arms. "Yeah because the principle will definitely listen to him after that whole sniffing people scandal- Hey! Brats, don't you have classes"

As Levi went to scold the two students currently hanging a handmade poster for the upcoming game on the wall, a couple of students came up to Hange, looking in a hurry as they explained the Science lab was locked and they're getting tired of sitting on their backpacks outside.

Soon after, Erwin too made his way to class.

Upon entering the room, the talking quieted down as the squeaking sound of people going back to their own desks followed. Walking upfront, Erwin dropped the binder on his desk beside the empty mug, a couple of groans filled the room as the students realised what it was.

"Mr.Smith, didn't we just take the test yesterday? Shouldn't you like...I don't know double check or something? Maybe you rushed grading them?" One student called from the back as some chuckles and agreement followed from the rest.

Taking the stacks of papers out, Erwin made his way between the students, giving each on their graded paper. "I don't know Connie, maybe you should've double checked your answers instead?"

The playful atmosphere of the classroom was cut short as the door slammed open, making everyone freeze in their seats, none other than the art teacher walked in.

Nile Dawk, current art teacher who fails at least a quarter of his class each year. Who has oh just the most swell relationship with Erwin and anyone can tell you that.

You see, Erwin adored art, both the classic and the modern. Nile admired history and knew just how each art era had its link to a historical event.

And the pair couldn't stand each other.

Crossing his arms, Nile said "Erwin, you have explaining to do." Before dropping a newly printed magazine onto his desk,

Its cover, showing a brand new art museum that just finished construction and is hosting a lot of different paintings from unrecognised underground talents.

"Nile, I think you misunderstand. I teach history, I'm not an architect." He said raising an eyebrow, before tilting his head as if he's deep in thought, "or do you want me to explain what a museum is?"

Sneering at his remark, Nile flipped through the pages till he reached a certain one. It depicted a one of the paintings that will be displayed in the museum, a portrait of a blond man with broad shoulders and sharp blue eyes seemingly distracted from reality by the book in his hand.

The soft glow of the fireplace next to the red armchair he sat in, adding a certain orange hue to his light complexion. His long fingers holding the leather book as a glass-stained maroon vase sat on the small table behind him, containing a single red rose.

It's clear from the details poured into his eyes and the shading for each strand of his hair that whoever made this painting, held a great affection for the man.

"Now Mr.history teacher, care to explain why your face is on this painting? By one of the few promising artists of this useless generation?."

Hushed murmurs filled the classroom as students took out their phones googling the name y/n, showing each other the said painting while staring with wide eyes at Erwin.

Rubbing his temple with his fingers, Erwin frowned at the scene the other was causing. Knowing very well it won't take long for this fire to spread, he decided to add more fuel to the flames.

He took a long breath, before telling the class to quiet down with a stern expression.

"Mr.Dawk, are you really asking me why y/n, my love, the person I'm married to, paint me?" He said facing the other, looking directly into his eyes. "Maybe you should ask y/n instead if you're so insisting on forcing yourself in my private life."

Narrowing his eyes, Nile snorted. "You know what Erwin? Maybe I should.

And that's the story Erwin told you while having dinner that day.

He looks at you with pleading eyes as if to silently apologise for dragging you into this mess, his plate still half full and drink untouched.

Please reassure him that it's alright, you don't mind taking a day off to visit his work

He'll reach out to gently squeeze your hand in his, whispering a small thank you as his thumb rubs against your skin.

He also says he'll do the dishes that day, you can go rest and he will join you in bed after a while, a relieved smile on his face.

The next day, as he wakes up early like usual. He makes sure to wake you up with a kiss, stroking your face before murmuring "good morning" against your lips.

He knows because of your work you don't wake up early, so he's really patient and understanding if you happen to get grumpy for a while.

Handing you a warm drink to help wake you up, he'll make sure you eat something before changing and heading out.

You're not surprised to find him already done and dressed himself.

Hair as perfect as usual.

On the drive to school, you'll feel the cool morning air against your skin while your head leans back into the seat, eyes fluttering shut.

You can have your mini nap, Erwin will make sure to wake you up when you arrive.

When arriving, he made sure to open the car door for you. The fresh air and green scenery surrounded you both.

When arriving at the teacher's lounge, you're almost surprised to see two people already there from how early it was.

The first was sitting on the old black couch near the window, his dirty blond bangs covering his eyes. The second you could see making tea on the other side of the room Where the kitchenware was.

Both of them glanced up when Erwin called their name, staring at the way he had an arm wrapped around your waist while introducing you.

It was Miche who came first, standing from the couch you noticed just how tall he was. Offering your hand for him to shake, only for him to pull you into a tight hug instead.

He pulled away, tapping his nose before a smile slowly formed on his face, nodding in approval

The second was Levi, who ignored your offered hand only to sip on his teacup, assessing you up and down.

Not too long after, a person with a messy ponytail and a colorful lab coat arrived.

They took one glance at you, then the matching wedding rings on yours and Erwins fingers before taking an immediate interest in you.

Hange asked questions faster than you can answer them, with sparkling eyes and a wide smile.

At the first sign of you being uncomfortable, it was Levi who stepped in to tell Hange to tone it down before apologizing to you.

And it was Miche who got you some snacks from the teacher's secret stash after.

You've heard stories and one sided phone calls about them from Erwin, yet it still didn't prepare you for actually meeting them.

While overwhelming at first, the more time you spent talking as Erwin reassuringly sat beside you, you noticed how genuinely interested they were.

Levi, while seemingly cold, was actually the most considerate and paid the most attention to you. He'd step in whenever things got too much and would be really polite despite having a colourful language. By the end of it he even made you some tea, something that seemed to surprise Erwin and the rest.

"It's just...he never trusted someone this quickly before."

Hange was genuinely interested in you, having researched you and your art beforehand. They really were eager to hear even the most boring details and were capable of understanding your way of thinking. They even gave you a small rubber frog they carried around in their pocket to hand out. It would've been cute wasn't for the fact immediately after they mentioned the real human skeleton they have pinned to the lab door.

"His name is bean! I've been actually investing into getting him a human heart for Valentine's day, but all the ones I've found so far were in jars."

The most quiet of them was actually Miche, although he'd smile at you whenever you looked his way. Despite his intimidating size you learned how harmless and easy going he is, the most chill out of the three. He did mention knowing Erwin for the longest time out of them, having been childhood friends even. He promised to tell you all the embarrassing secrets Erwin tried to erase from existence as he added his number on your phone.

"He ain't as proper as he looks, I got the dirt on him."

You saw Erwin's jaw tightening before he changed the subject quickly, giving the side eye to Miche who only smiled back.

The rest of the day went by smoothly, Erwin didn't leave your side for one minute and made sure to check on you constantly.

He introduced you to the rest of the teachers and seemed only amused at any teasing he got from students passing by.

By the end of the day, as the sun began to set and the students already done with their clubs, you and Erwin had one final place to go.

The art classroom.

"Just one more thing before that" he told you, guiding you into an empty classroom.

You saw his desk, the mug you gifted him on father's day as a joke sat on his desk, several paper sketches you made were framed next to it.

It was his classroom, with only you and him, the door open.

He closed it.

You stood against his desk as he moved closer, arms circling you, not breaking eye contact.

"May I?" He whispered, licking his own lips.

As he got your permission, he pressed his lips against yours, arm stroking your back before pulling away after some seconds.

He rubbed your swollen bottom lip with his thumb, a small smile on his face before pulling away.

Your heart was still fluttering against your chest as you left the classroom, while Erwin seemed to be smiling at nothing with a slight curl to his lips, steps more lighter than before.

Right after that he took you to the art classroom. The smell of oil paint and sound of brushes scratching against paper filling the air.

Stepping inside, the scratching sound stopped as a certain black haired man stared at you, eyes wide and lips parted.

Disbelief clear in his face, Nile was quick to mask his emotions as he noticed the smugness Erwin was in.

"Nile, I'd like to introduce you to my lovely darling, y/n." There was a chipper to Erwin's voice as he leaned in to kiss your cheek.

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come-on-shitty-boys · 4 years

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//general dating headcannons//

Characters: Daishou Suguru/ Kita Shinsuke/ Yamaguchi Tadashi

Warnings: i don’t think any??

Word Count: 2K (~650 a piece)

Notes: i am soft for kita shinsuke. that is all.

Daishou Suguru

He’s a top tier boyfriend and no one is allowed to tell me otherwise

He is a first-class WEENIE for his s/o and would genuinely do anything for them

But noooo y’all hate him smh

Daishou is the kind of person who puts every important date of your relationship in his phone. He is never missing your anniversary or your birthday or any other important relationship dates.

He’s a good morning/good night texter too. I know that everyone thinks he’s an asshole, but after being broken up with for focusing too much on a club, he doesn’t want you to feel like he only cares about volleyball. If he’s going to be busy for a few hours, he’s going to tell you so you don’t think he’s just flat out ignoring you

I promise, he will let you do anything to him if you just ask. Want to try to curl his hair? Cool, just please don’t burn him. You want to pluck his eyebrows? Go ahead. He doesn’t mind. Did you see this really cute nail design that you want to try? Suguru already has his hand held out towards you so you can practice.

He’s not telling anyone that he does all of this so willingly though. He has to maintain some essence of coolness

Literally the whole volleyball team knows that he’s a total simp, so idk who the hell he thinks he’s hiding it from

His love language is quality time, so as long as he’s with you, he’s perfectly content. Daishou will happily just sit next to you for hours, sending each other memes or stupid tiktoks.

When it comes to actually going out on dates, he’s really simple. He likes picnics in the park or taking hikes or going stargazing. It feels very intimate to him and allows a certain degree of vulnerability that can’t be found anywhere else.

You guys went stargazing on your first date and he brought you flowers and the two of you shared snacks it was all very cute and there was no way that you weren’t going to go on a second date with him

Speaking of flowers-

One time you made him mad over something really stupid and he brought you some flowers as a partial apology for him being overdramatic, but the card just said “fuck you” in really pretty lettering, but there was a really small, “but also, I love you” on the other side.

The two of you pick up random hobbies together? For no other reason than the two of you spend an awful lot of time just sitting at each other's house? So, you decided to do something other than just sit on your phones for h o u r s

You’ve made those giant arm-knitted blankets together. One time, you tried to make soap, but it didn’t smell good so that hobby got scrapped. You’ve tried to learn how to roller skate together, but Daishou almost broke his arm so you thought maybe something less dangerous like puzzles. But, those got old really fast.

Please for the love of god run your hand over his arms. He will be putty in your hands. He loves it so much.

Better yet? Put your hands on his biceps when he kisses you and he’s a happy boy. His arms are the feature that he’s most proud of, so knowing that you like them too is a big boost to his ego.

He has two main nicknames for you smh. When he’s teasing or just being a little shit, he calls you sweetheart. If he actually wants to be affectionate, Daishou calls you babygirl.

He’ll pull you into his lap and pepper your face in kisses while telling you, “I love you, babygirl, you know that?”

If you call him ‘Sugu’ or just ‘ru’ he may actually die right there. It just plucks something in his heart that sends him to cloud-9.

Suguru really is a fantastic boyfriend who just wants you to be happy ;-; He wants you to smile and laugh and be comfortable around him, because he’s here for the long-haul. When Daishou falls in love, he falls hard

Kita Shinsuke

An absolute sweetheart

He’s going to take care of you so good

Kita for sure walked straight up to you and asked you on a date. He gave zero fucks. Nerves? Kita has never heard of them before. If you reject him, you reject him. It’s not like it’s the end of the world.

You met his grandmother really early into the relationship because she’s really important to Kita, so he needed to know that she approved of you before fully committing to a relationship with you.

But, I promise, she loves you and now that Kita is finally dating someone, she’s going to pester him about wedding plans once he comes home from your date. She doesn’t care that this is only the second date. She wants to see her grandson married.

Kita genuinely loves domestic life? Please please please come over and cook with him. If you offer to help him with the dishes, he may propose right there. Okay not literally but you know what i mean. Come over on Saturdays for laundry and gardening.

I should mention that dating Kita isn’t always chores and housework, but even when it is, it really doesn’t feel like it? The two of you joke around, definitely throwing dirt at one another while you’re pulling weeds in the garden or flicking water at him while doing the dishes.

He’s an “acts of service” kind of person. Little things like having your favorite snacks in the cabinets for when you come over or turning the heat up before you get there so it’ll be warm because he knows you get gold. You left your math binder at his house once, so he took the time to put all of the loose papers where he knew you would’ve wanted them.

If you’re a person who gets periods, he has pads and extra painkillers stocked in the bathroom cabinet.

Please note that Kita has zero shame in buying you period products. You need tampons? Okay. What size and what brand? Do you want anything else? He can get some snacks while he’s at the store too. You can say no and he’s going to pick up a package of pizza rolls anyway. He knows you well enough that you’ll say no, but only tell him that you're hungry the minute he gets home. He’s played this game before. He knows.

It makes his grandmother so proud, seeing him love and care so wholeheartedly for another person that isn’t related to him. She just knows that he’ll make an excellent husband to you one day

She cares about you just as much as he does. Kita mentioned that you weren’t feeling well once, and she packed up a bunch of leftovers and some tea for him to take over to you, pretty much telling him not to come back until you were feeling well again.

Kita doesn’t beat around the bush, so if he has something he wants to tell you, he’s just going to say it. Communication is really important to him and he believes that it’s the key to a healthy and happy relationship.

But, because of this, it took him a while to say I love you. He didn’t want to just say it, you know? He wanted to genuinely mean it. He believes that that phrase gets tossed around too easily. So, it was a few months before he actually said it, but you knew that he was serious when he did.

He likes to kiss the top of your head. If you’re tall, he enjoys kisses to your temple just as much.

I 10/10 recommend a Kita. He would love you wholeheartedly and, don’t tell his grandmother, he really does want to spend the rest of his life with you.

Yamaguchi Tadashi

Another absolute sweetheart of a boyfriend oml

But, I promise that you’re probably going to have to make the first move if you want anything to come from this.

He’s just so shy and nervous when talking to people that he finds cute ;-;

Although, there is a chance that Tsukishima told him to get over himself and just ask you out.

“It’s not that big of a deal. If they say no, you move on.”

Shut up, Tsukki.

Yamaguchi really likes to hold your hand. It’s really grounding for him, so if he’s ever starting to get panicked, he’ll reach for your hand.

Before every game, he has to hold your hand and he’ll squeeze it three times before he has to go. So, if he starts to panic during the game, he has a fresh memory of the feeling of your hand in his.

Yamaguchi lets you wear his jacket during games ;-; He didn’t even think about it as something to show you off as his, he was just worried that you might get chilly in the stands, so he offered for you to take it.

But, now he’s obsessed with how cute you look with his jacket around your shoulders that he’s letting you hold onto it whenever he gets the opportunity.

Study dates study dates study dates

The two of you will either go to a cafe or a library and claim a table and just hang out and do homework together. If you’re struggling with something, he’ll walk you through it. He moved his chair close to yours so that your knees just barely brushed against one another.

He loves to bring you little gifts. If he sees something in a shop that reminds him of you or if he thinks you might like it, he’ll buy it and give it to you the next time he sees you.

He usually doesn’t like nicknames? He'd rather just be called by his actual name, but something about you calling him ‘dashi’ just feels right and he really likes it.

Tadashi has a lot of insecurities, especially in the start of your relationship with him. He doesn’t understand why you’re so willing to be with him?? He’s just a bundle of nerves and he’s convinced that you could do so much better than him, but yet you still stay with him?

It took him a really long time to get comfortable with the idea of being in a relationship and realize that you weren’t going to just dump him because you really got to know him, but when he does get comfortable, it’s like he’s a totally new person. His nervous laughter actually becomes more full and free and he smiles a lot wider. He isn’t afraid to tease you and he’s a lot more open about his emotions.

Tsukki is the first one to really notice just how good you are for Yamaguchi. Tadashi isn’t super open with anyone but him, at least, until you came along and gave Tadashi another person that he could connect with and feel comfortable around.

Tadashi loves it when you play with the hair at the base of his neck. It feels so comforting and he would love to just fall asleep right there with your fingers in his hair. Everytime you play with his hair, his head immediately goes to your shoulder and he’ll wrap his arms around your midsection and tell you that he loves you.

You will never go a day without Tadashi telling you that he loves you and that you’re absolutely incredible. He finds something to compliment you on every single day because he just wants you to know that you’re loved and, while yes, he does find you absolutely beautiful, sometimes it’s nice to be complimented on things other than physical appearance and that’s where Yamaguchi really shines.

{Taglist: @moncymonce @nicka-nell @celosiiaa @lovinnoya and my fellow daishou suguru simp @kuronekomama}

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naralanis · 3 years

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My first pen was a Pilot Metro Retro. And was promptly broke by an E-2 I let borrow it to sign paperwork (i kept the cap so he would have to give it back, but alas). And then a couple years later I jumped to a TWSBI Vac700 Iris. Anyway, i have a few different pens, but I havent found even a basic instruction on how to tune tines or maintain them besides washing them out with distilled water. And suggestions?

Hi there! Sorry about your Metro, and hope you're happy with the TWSBI! I once let someone borrow my Décimo and they... mangled it. Heartbreaking! I was eventually able to fix it, but it took some doing, and it was also a last ditch effort -- I was already fully prepared to dish out the money for a brand new nib unit, so I figured there was no harm in trying.

I'll get to the easy stuff first: if your fountain pen is writing OK, it doesn't really require more maintenance than a good flush every now and then. You don't even have to use distilled water (unless the water in your area is like, exceedingly mineral-heavy) -- plain tap water and regular dish soap will do just fine.

As for nib tuning/readjustments, they are not part of a pen's general maintenance. Readjustments are done if there's a problem with how your pen is writing, and personally I view nib tuning as something done to improve the experience to the user -- mostly to smooth a scratchy nib.

Here's the short answer as to why info on making these adjustments is a little less widespread (though still relatively easy to find):

1) While often simple, these alterations can be a bit fiddly, and it's very easy to irreparably damage your pen.

2) These alterations, but especially tuning/otherwise modifying your nib/feed, will almost certainly automatically void your pen's warranty.

Keep that in mind if you decide to undertake any tuning -- it is always at your own (and your pen's) risk.

That's the short of it! For the (much, much) longer version, as always, see below the cut!

sorry this one took so long, I got really, really into it and it is stupidly long adalskjadhls

So, first things first. Your pen writes completely fine, you wash it every now and then or whenever you're changing inks, and have an overall pleasurable experience writing with it.

Congrats! Nothing else needs to be done. Enjoy your pen.

Now, let's say your pen isn't writing completely fine. Maybe it's skipping, maybe it feels scratchy, maybe it's laying down too much ink or not enough.

Before you go straight to tuning your nib, the first thing you do is: you clean it.

"But Nara, I already cleaned it." Clean it again. You'd be amazed how often a more thorough flush fixes simple flow problems -- do it with dish soap if you used only water the second time.

The next step? Try a different ink, if you have some. Then, try some different paper. It's good to have a paper/ink combo that you're familiar with to use as a standard. I like to use a Rhodia No. 19 Dot Pad and Waterman Serenity Blue to test all of my pens -- nearly every pen I buy writes an 'inauguration' page with that exact combination.

If your pen is a cartridge/converter, always make sure the cartridge or converter is the right fit and that it's seated properly. It should fit securely without a ton of pressure -- if you can basically bop it off without trying, it's probably the wrong fit. If the converter provided to you by the retailer doesn't fit, contact them -- maybe you got a defective pen.

Alright, so you've done all of the above, but your pen is still writing funky or not at all. Now it's time to take a closer look at the nib.

Enjoy this expertly made reference image I made on my phone before I realized I could just link you to a better one.

Before you start researching how to tune/grind your nib, let's check the nib and feed alignment -- the feed is what allows the ink to travel from reservoir to paper, and if cleaning your pen hasn't solved the problem, there's a good chance it is probably not seated correctly.

Here's what you should check for:

1) Make sure your feed is flush to the underside of your nib

If there's a major gap between the underside of your nib and the top of the feed (where the ink channel is), the ink simply can't get to where it needs to be (i.e. the tip of the nib). I

If there is a major gap, you can check if your nib and feed are seated correctly in the nib section. This depends a little bit on the pen and the model, but most of the time, you can try grasping nib and feed together and gently pushing down. Remember to never grab your nib by the shoulders/tines, as that will most likely ruin it.

2) Make sure your feed is properly centered with the nib.

This is easier to check if your pen has a breather hole, which most of them do. Basically, check to see if the ink channel at the top of your feed (you can see it through the breather hole) lines up with the ink slit. Here's a good example:

And here are... not so good ones. Coincidentally, both on Conklin pens.

This is usually a simple fit -- sometimes you can gently wriggle it back in place. Other times, you need to remove the nib and feed from the collar (basically the plastic thing that holds the nib unit together) or they are friction fit to the section altogether (like in the Lamy AL-Star). Do a bit of research on your pen model before you try disassembling it.

Feed is centered? All good to go? OK, now we move on to checking the metalworks, so to speak. I recommend using a magnifying glass or loupe for this part. Here's the one I use.

4) Check your tines for a) factory oopsies and b) misalignment.

Here's an example of tines that were just... cut very wrong (sorry for poo-poo pic quality, but you should be able to see the tine on the right just... ain't right)

In the case above, contact your retailer. I noticed this one before even inking my pen, but they should cover a replacement regardless.

DISCLAIMER: all adjustments from here on out may void your pen's warranty.

(maybe not a simple realignment, but don't risk it, or ask your retailer before you try anything).

Here's an example of slightly misaligned tines (ON THE SAME PEN AFTER EXCHANGE BTW).

I stupidly didn't get pictures of my Décimo or the Duragraph above looking straight at nib pointing up -- you could actually see one of the tines sloping slightly downward. That causes unbearable (to me) scratchiness and can tear off paper fibers. No fun.

There are better examples from JetPens' Fountain Pen Troubleshooting Guide (which you should absolutely check out!)

You can fix misaligned tines yourself. It requires patience, a little pressure, and a lot of finesse not to overdo it. You can manually bend the tines back into place, but before you try it yourself, I recommend going to YouTube to see how other pen people do it. My method is similar to this one, but there are several others. You can use your fingernail to push it down, just be very careful with how much force you use.

The one method I personally don't recommend is, ironically, the one JetPens recommend on their guide. It might work just fine, but I just think it is way too easy to overdo it and get splayed tines or create a major gap between nib and feed.

OK, seems like the tines on your pen are fine? Time to...

5) Check the distance between your tines.

Your tines should, ideally, be juuust a hair apart-- only enough for the ink and capillary action do their thing. They shouldn't be touching, since that would hinder ink flow, but there should not be a gulf of distance between them either. Let's revisit another Conklin

Yay. Fun.

This is also fairly simple to fix, but again: you have to be delicate about it. I manually manipulate my tines into position and kind of go by feel by now, always testing and checking with my loupe. Here's how PenBoyRoy does it:

youtube

Again, there are many different methods, and you will often hear different things from different pen people. It's down to preference and what works for you!

OK, now we've gone through an odyssey of troubleshooting (I AM SO SORRY), let's talk about nib tuning.

Yet another disclaimer: doing anything I describe below will 100% void your pen's warranty.

Tuning your nib isn't necessarily fixing it. It certainly can, if you've done pretty much all of the above and everything looks fine but the pen isn't writing the way you want it to. I use it to smooth down pens that are technically writing OK, but the experience of writing with them isn't entirely pleasant for me.

Essentially, you're using a rougher surface to basically... 'sand down' your nib. There's a wide variety of techniques (from using a rough paper bag all the way to actual fine-grit sanding blocks), but the most important detail you need to remember is you're removing tipping material (however little).

While tuning your nibs isn't necessarily hard, it's very, very easy to overdo it, and that will cause pretty much irreparable damage. If tuning nibs is something you're interested in, practice on inexpensive pens first -- I practiced on ye olde Pilot Varsity.

The Varsity is great to practice tuning because 1) it's super cheap, so even if you fuck it up completely, it's not the end of the world. 2) It has a medium tip.

The bigger the tip = the more tipping material = more room for error.

I mainly use two things to tune my pens: micromesh and mylar paper, which are both super fine abrasives. Goulet (and other pen retailers) sell entire nib-tuning kits with everything you might need to get started, but here's my own (plus a few extras that may look scary, but trust me, you don't need all of this):

In my pen kit above, you can see my newer sheets of micromesh and mylar and the scribbles I use to tune my nibs. I hold the pen the way I normally would when writing with it, and scribble over the abrasive, but I don't do it randomly. Figure 8s are usually the go-to for simple tuning; you can also go a particular direction if you know exactly which area of your nib needs to be smoothed.

Again, even micromesh and mylar paper (particularly the latter) are incredibly fine abrasives, it is still very easy to overdo it. I have fucked up nibs before, mostly on my practice pens, but also on a not-super-cheap pen, and I had to buy a whole new nib unit.

So, like I said, possible? Very! Simple? Sure! Finicky? Hell yeah.

Side note: tuning a nib is mostly just making it write more smoothly. If you'd like to change the shape of the tipping material entirely (and thus create line variation), that is totally something that can be done!

It is called nib grinding, and it is better left to the professionals, but it is super cool!

pOK, I didn't quite mean to go into a full nib troubleshooting post, but I should have known my brain could not be stopped. Hopefully, this (extremely) long-winded, tangent-riddled descent into the rabbit hole was at least a little bit useful!

Thanks for dropping by!

#soulofkeys #ask naralanis and maybe she will deign to respond #fountain pen #pen asks #nara rambles #and holy shit how she rambles #I AM SORRY I COULD NOT HELP MYSELF #anyway #have fun I guess?#also #please do more research than reading what 1 (one) hyperfixated idiot put together on a Tumblr post #I avidly encourage it #pen talk

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yikesharringrove · 4 years

Note

I’ve just always loved the idea of Billy and Steve being chilhood best friends since they were litte kids and then slowly as they get older they’d start to like each other. So, what about them having their first time with each other? Billy slowly fucking Steve while they’re both so new to all of it and in a way it’s very tender.

Steve met Billy at the park when he was six.

Billy was only five, was new to Hawkins with his dad and his brand new baby sister.

Steve liked his curly hair.

Billy liked Steve’s brown eyes.

They had been inseparable since.

Steve came over for lots of play dates when his parents were out of town and his nannies didn’t mind dropping him off at the little house on Cherry Road.

He and Billy would run around in the backyard, would jump in puddles and stomp through mud. They would help Mrs. Hargrove with dinner and clumsily set the table with chubby hands.

And then Steve’s nanny would whisk him away and Billy’s father would berate him for whatever he did wrong that day.

But the two boys were joined at the hip, spent as much time as possible together.

They knew one another inside and out.

Steve was the first person to tell Billy that he loved him.

Billy was the first person to tell Steve that he loved him.

And they shared everything. Their clothes were so intermingled that neither knew which t-shirt originally belonged to whom.

They told each other everything.

“Don’t you think that Stacey’s totally hot now?” They were fourteen, laying on their stomachs on Steve’s bed, talking through the first day of high school.

“I don’t know. Wasn’t really looking.” Because Billy only ever had eyes for Steve, had since he was five.

“She’s got boobs now.” And Steve had only come into his own. His braces had come off two summers ago, and he was beginning to fill out, probably had one last growth spurt left in him.

“I didn’t notice.” Billy was trying as hard as he could to keep off the baby weight he had finally shed this summer. He was going out for the high school basketball team, was heartbroken when Steve decided he was going to go for swimming, since he already swam for the Hawkins Comp. team.

“You never notice girls.” And Steve said it so nonchalant, like it was just a plain old fact. Billy supposes it is.

“I notice boys, though.” Billy’s voice was small.

He knew he could trust Steve, but his heart was still thundering as Steve flicked the page of last year’s yearbook. What if Steve turned? Called him disgusting like his dad does and told him to get out of his house.

“Yeah, me too.”

So they shared the same shameful secret.

It was only fitting.

“What do you think sex is like?” They were sixteen, sitting in the front seat of Steve’s brand-new BMW. The old Camaro Billy bought much too cheap and had been fixing for the past year and a half was so damn close to being finished.

Sometimes Billy got jealous. Steve had fucking everything. He didn’t have to buy a junked car and fix it up just so he can have some transportation. He doesn’t have to clip coupons with his step-mom just so they can afford some dish soap.

But Steve didn’t ask for any of this. It’s just what he was born into. And he shared it with Billy, no qualms about it.

“I mean, like jacking off. But better, I think.”

“I guess that would be pretty good.”

“I don’t know. I kinda just wanna get the first time over with. I feel like there’s too much pressure for it to be this magical thing you’ll fondly look back on for the rest of time.” Billy took a drag of his cigarette. Steve stole it from him as he was blowing the smoke out the window.

“I hope mine is.” Billy rolled his eyes. He knew Steve was a hopeless romantic, always had been. “I hope it’s with someone that I care about, and that cares about me, and even if we break up or something, I’ll always think about my first time and feel good.”

Billy took back the cigarette.

He had an idea. Didn’t know if he could broach it to Steve, didn’t know if Steve would take it well.

He had thought about fucking Steve plenty of times.

He had swiped enough gay skin mags from truck stops outside of town to know what to guys got up to together.

And he knew that Steve’s eyes were big, and his legs were long, and his heart was kind. And he knew that he was in love with Steve. He’s known that since he was a little boy.

He blew out the smoke, locking his jaw. Didn’t want to ask.

“Um, hear me out.” Steve wasn’t looking at him, focused on the windshield. “What if, what if we, um, did it.”

Steve was staring at his hands, fidgeting with the steering wheel.

“Wait, like, you and I have sex?” Steve shrugged.

“I mean, best of both worlds. Like, you can just kinda get it over with, and I can have something nice with someone, someone that cares about me.” He got quieter with every word.

“So you, you think we should fuck?”

“Just forget it. It was dumb.”

“I mean, I was thinking the same thing.” Steve’s head snapped to look at him, dark eyes searching his face.

“Really?” Billy shifted in his seat, trying to open his posture.

“It makes sense. Plus, I mean, I know I said I wanted to get it over with, but at least I’ll never regret it, you know? Plus like, I can make it real special for you. Candles, and Michael Bolton. All of it.” Steve had red patches on his cheeks, looking past Billy out the window. “What do you say?”

“Um, yeah.”

Steve didn’t know what gay sex was like.

He had pawed through a few of Billy’s nudie mags, had seen naked men enough to know that he wanted, had seen Billy naked enough to know that he really wanted.

He drove out the city, shoved a hat low over his brow as he walked into the store.

He bought a few different films, watched them that night with his hand on his cock.

He thought about fingering himself, getting used to the stretch of something inside him, but then he thought about Billy’s fingers, thought about how thick they are, thought about Billy stretching him open, and he blew his load.

Steve had told him he didn’t want to know what Billy was planning, and he especially didn’t want to know when he was planning it.

Billy had pulled out all the stops.

Well, as many stops he could pull out on a limited budget.

He bought lots of nice candles, and put a lot of ideas into music.

He picked a random Saturday, when he knew Steve was at swim practice to get everything set up.

He toyed around with taking him in Steve’s parents room, but didn’t want to give Steve any reason to be uncomfortable.

He had made a mix tape, songs that he knew would make Steve all sappy and gooey. He lit the candles, put lube and a few condoms on the nightstand.

He was a little jittery.

Steve had told him that he wanted to be the one taking, that he had come to really love the idea of Billy fucking him.

Which, Billy was fine with, had been hoping for.

He had whacked off that morning, figured he wouldn’t last long once he got inside Steve.

He was getting hard just at the idea.

He heard Steve’s car out front.

He sat on the end of the bed, didn’t want to pull some awful pose.

Steve’s eyes were wide when he opened the door, hair still wet from his post-practice shower.

He dropped his bag.

He was on Billy in a second, straddling his lap, sinking both hands into his hair.

“You ready?”

“As I’ll ever be.” Billy pushed forward, connecting their lips.

Steve sighed into him, melting into Billy.

Billy brought his hands up Steve’s frame, feeling up his back from his hips.

He laid back, Steve pulling Steve on top of him.

They made out for a little while, just taking it slow, easing each other into it.

And then Steve ground his hips down, and they both gasped, breaking their kiss to look at one another.

Billy rolled them over, Steve’s eyes were wide as Billy settled on top of him.

“You want this?”

“Yeah, I want this. Want you.”

Billy pressed his hands under Steve’s shirt, pulling it over his head, tossing it on the floor.

Steve scrambled to get Billy’s shirt off as well, feeling down his chest.

He squeezed at the bulge in Billy’s jeans.

“I wanna blow you.” Billy fucking moaned at Steve’s voice.

“Yeah, Baby. Go for it.” He rolled off him, sitting against the headboard.

Steve sat on his knees between Billy’s legs, undoing his belt slowly.

His hands were shaking a bit as he pulled the zipper down, reached inside and pulled out Billy’s cock.

He stared at it for a second, and then bent forward, sucking the head into his mouth.

He thought about what he saw the pornstars do, licking up the length of Billy’s dick.

Billy sighed above him as he took him into his mouth, pressing down as far as he could.

He buried his nose in the soft pubic hairs at the base of him, the head of Billy’s cock hitting the back of his throat.

“Holy shit, Stevie.” Steve pulled off, jerking his spit-slicked cock.

“What?” He sank back down, taking all of Billy, bobbing his head.

“Oh my, God.” Billy was stuttering. “I thought deepthroating was supposed to be-ah-hard.” Steve pulled off him again.

“I don’t really have a gag reflex.” Billy rolled his eyes.

“Jesus, ‘course you don’t.” Steve just shrugged, kept going.

Billy was gonna lose his shit.

Steve gave head like a goddamn pornstar, like he’d been doing it for years.

He set a sloppy pace, swiping his tongue along the underside of his cock.

“Stevie, Baby pull off.” Steve pulled off him with a frankly obscene slurping noise. “Don’t wanna cum yet.” Steve smiled coyly at him. “Yeah, yeah. You did a good job. Whatever.”

Steve laughed at him, started tugging Billy’s jeans down and off.

“I mean, didn’t really take you for a minute man, Bill.” Billy kicked off his jeans, slamming Steve back to the bed.

Steve yelped as he roughly pulled off his shorts.

“Let’s see how cock sure you get.” He reached for the lube, pouring some out onto his fingers.

He pressed Steve’s legs open, taking a look at his hole.

He pressed one finger against him, just rubbing small circles.

He pushed his finger inside.

Steve gasped sharply as Billy teased his finger, pressing in slowly.

“You ever finger yourself?”

“Thought about it, but, but wanted you.” Billy pumped his finger in and out.

Steve breathed deeply, relaxing into it.

“You okay?” He smiled lazily at Billy, nodding slowly. “What’s it feel like?”

“Honestly, doesn’t feel like much.”

“You think you can take another?”

“Yeah.” Billy pulled his finger out, began prodding at him with two.

Steve’s eyes went wide.

“Okay, yeah, now I’m feelin’ it.”

“Good?”

“It’s just, it’s a lot.”

“You want me to slow down?” He was still drilling his fingers in and out of Steve, and gave an experimental curl.

Steve arched off the bed, inhaling sharply. He went limp again, Billy watching with wide eyes.

“Whatever the fuck you did, do that shit again.” Billy barked a laugh, started curling his fingers, making Steve moaning loudly, and fucking writhe below him.

And then Steve went rigid, his thighs trembling, cumming all over himself.

He was breathing heavy as he opened his eyes, looking back at Billy.

“Who’s the minute man now?” Steve lazily slapped at him. “For real though, that was hot. Didn’t know you could cum like that.”

“Yeah, me neither, or I woulda stopped you.” Billy was suddenly aware he stil had two fingers in Steve.

“So you want me to stop, or?” Steve shook his head.

“I’ll be good in a minute or two. Just keep, you know.” He waved a hand at Billy’s arm, his face flushing. Billy smirked at him.

“Just keep what, Doll?” The more embarrassed Steve got, the more Billy wanted him to say it. “I don’t know what you want.” Steve whined.

“Keep, like, keep fingering me.” Steve wasn’t looking at him, his cheeks red.

Billy took out his fingers, pushing three in at once.

He rubbed up and down Steve’s chest, could feel him tensing against the intrusion.

“Breathe, Stevie.” He closed his eyes again, visibly relaxing.

Billy fucked him with his fingers, moved slowly in and out of him.

He spread his fingers, making room for himself.

He took his time, loved sitting here making Steve feel good.

He was starting to get hard again, bucking his hips to fuck himself on Billy’s fingers.

“I’m ready, Bill.”

Billy pulled his fingers out, lubing up his cock. He wanted to feel Steve, knew they were both clean anyway, didn’t wanna bother with a condom.

He scoot on his knees closer to Steve’s body, lining himself up.

“You ready?” Steve wrapped his arms around Billy’s neck, pulling him closer to him.

“Want you.”

So Billy pushed his way in.

It was like Heaven, sinking into Steve.

His body was so hot, tight and perfect around him. He slumped on top of Steve, lazily kissing his neck.

Steve was holding onto him, started tapping his shoulder.

“Move, Bill. Fuck me.”

He pulled his hips back, pushing back in slowly.

“Oh my God.” Steve felt like he was being split open, his mind short-circulating at the feeling of Billy on top of him, all around him, inside of him.

Billy lost himself in the slick slid of his cock, the perfect heat of Steve around him.

“Feel so fucking good.” Billy’s mouth was right against Steve’s ear.

Steve was completely hard again, his dick caught between their stomachs.

“God, Billy.” Billy pushed up on his elbows to look at Steve’s face, still moving slow.

Steve wrapped his leg’s around Billy’s waist, pulling him close. Billy picked up his pace a little bit, bucking his hips a little harder, a little faster.

He was toeing the edge, felt like he could cum for the past half hour.

“Love the way you feel.” Steve was babbling, his eyes hazy. “Love you.”

Billy bucked his hips, and came deep inside Steve.

He buried his face in Steve’s neck, embarrassed that Steve saying he loves him made him cum.

And then he thought about it more, realized Steve had just said he fucking loves him.

“Wait, hold on.” He pushed back up to look at Steve. “Did you, did you mean that?” Steve looked to his right, trying to avoid eye contact at all costs.

But his cheeks were red, and his bottom lip trembled just so, and Billy knew.

“I love you too, Stevie.” He reached down to tug on Steve’s cock, jerk him quickly.

Steve’s eyes went wide as Billy touched him, his hips bucking into his hand.

“Wanna watch you fall apart again. So pretty when you cum. Lemme see it.” Steve was panting, his body going tight.

His eyes screwed up as he came for a second time, his chest heaving.

Billy flopped next to him, pulling Steve into his side.

He brushed his fingers down Steve’s back.

“How you feelin’?” Steve hummed into his chest.

“Real good.”

“And um, about what you said-”

“Bill, just leave it. It’s fine.” His back was stiff, his shoulders rising to his ears.

“No, but I-”

“It’s fine.”

“I meant it when I said it back. Meant it the same way you meant it.” Steve looked up at him, his hair all wild.

“You serious?”

“As a heart attack.” Steve smiled, all big and so pretty, burying his face in Billy’s chest, let him pet through his hair.

“I love you.”

“Love you too, Baby.”

#yikes writes #lemons #steve harrington #billy hargrove #steve harrington x billy hargrove #billy hargrove x steve harrington #harringrove #harringrove fic #harringrove ficlet #harringrove drabble

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mollymauk-teafleak · 3 years

Text

just as much as all those years ago

Please consider reblogging and leaving a comment over on Ao3!

This is for my ever wonderful girlfriend @spiky-lesbian who is just the Best and will always be the absolute Best and I love her very much. Returning to my favourite comfort AU and of course it’s angst I write.

Trigger warnings: descriptions of an injury, specifically a burn

--------

Memories were funny things for Juno Steel.

They came when he didn’t call them and hadn’t asked for them. When he needed them, he couldn’t find them, only the ragged edged gaps where they’d once been. And they were never whole either. They came as sounds, one random lyric from a song his brother used to warm up to or the sound of his mother’s footsteps in the hall or the way the coffee maker in the HCPD had always sputtered close to the end of its cycle. They came as smells, Buddy’s hairspray or the way the hallways had reeked in his old high school, the milky smell of when his babies had been brand new or Rita’s goddamn salmon things. They were fractured and jumbled and awkward to hold.

And they were so hard to tell from reality. One moment Juno was up to his elbows in soapy water, taking advantage of the boys actually going to bed at a reasonable time to get the dinner dishes done. He was whistling a song that had been on the radio as he’d driven back from the office, tapping the hell of his bare foot against the tiles in time with the beat that existed only in his head. He was tired, he had a few new aches to catalogue and he was perfectly happy.

And the next moment his nose was full of burning ozone, scorched fabric, heat and blood.

Juno froze, hands stilling and letting the plate he’d been soaping drop back into the water. Suddenly he was pulled into a handful of times and places at once. He was at the practise range at the academy, he was trying not to be sick the first time a perp had shot at him, he was pounding on his brother’s bedroom door and begging him to answer, he was lying on the floor of the Carte Blanche and seeing Sasha shake, he was a cop, he was a kid, he was a pirate, he was a twin without a brother. All because of a smell in the air.

And he might have shook himself, pushed it all away and told himself not to be an idiot if he hadn’t heard the voice and realised it wasn’t a memory.

“Mama? I...I’m sorry…”

It wasn’t a memory. Juno whirled, eye wide, heart no closer to restarting in his chest. His oldest daughter stood just behind him, holding her arm tightly with a hand that trembled, with skin that was ashen and a face wet with tears. His old coat was black from elbow to shoulder, one stripe of it completely gone and giving a glimpse of raw, red skin. A laser burn from a distance, it had just glanced off her but it was enough.

She looked so scared.

“Bianca?” he breathed, not really wanting to believe this was actually happening. His daughter was off on a job, of course she could never tell them much about it but she was meant to be off being young and reckless and having fun and swinging on starlight, just like her daddy did.

“I...I thought I got away but I missed one of the guards,” Bianca’s voice was tight, adrenaline clearly the only thing holding back the pain, “Mama…”

Juno swallowed hard, putting a firm, hard foot on his panic and shoving down hard. His baby girl needed him and when it was over he could go and find a quiet corner to scream and cry and rage about it. But for now he needed to get a goddamn grip.

“Bathroom,” he moved forward, sliding an arm to take her weight, just in time as her knees buckled.

Suddenly her free hand was bunched in his shirt tight enough to pinch his skin, his arms holding her as easily as if she was two instead of twenty two. As if she was as small and delicate as she had been then, when he’d first met her and realised just how much he’d be willing to give to keep her safe…

No. Not now.

He went to call for Nureyev, he was doing yoga in their bedroom, but Bianca’s hand tightened and she gave a strained, pained whine through her teeth.

“No,” she begged, breathing coming hard and shallow, the pain of her wound coming in through the cracks as she realised she was safe and didn’t need to run on sheer adrenaline, “Please don’t, not until...not until it’s covered up, I don’t want him to see…”

Juno went to protest but stopped himself, they didn’t have time and he couldn’t say she was wrong. Nureyev didn’t need to see this part, his husband’s field medicine skills weren’t as practised and when he saw the state their daughter was in, it wouldn’t even have mattered. He would freeze and he would break. Juno didn’t blame him in the slightest, he’d nearly gone himself, but he couldn’t hold both of them together.

So he kept quiet and carried his daughter to the poky bathroom of their apartment, moving quickly and quietly as he could past the twin’s bedroom.

“You need to keep talking for me, kiddo,” he said through gritted teeth, as soon as the door was shut behind them, “Tell me how you got in without any of us hearing you. Give me all the details.”

Bee Bee managed a weak chuckle as he sat her down against the edge of the bath, “I’m not giving you all my secrets, mama…”

Juno could dredge a smile for her, if she was going to make the effort, throwing it over his shoulder as he wrenched open the medicine cabinet and pulled out one of the many emergency first aid kits stowed around the apartment.

“Then give me all the moons of Jupiter in size order, biggest to smallest. I know your daddy made you memorise them.”

Bee Bee swallowed hard, shifting as she started to slump, “Um...Ganymede. Callisto…”

“Good, good girl,” Juno was more focused on pulling out the scissors and cutting away the ruins of the coat sleeve so he could start cleaning and dressing it, but as long as he could hear her talking he knew she was conscious.

“Io…oh mama, no, your coat…” Bianca tried to lean away from the blades.

“Bee Bee, I don’t know if you noticed but I care about you a little more than I care about some ratty old coat,” Juno sighed, ignoring her weak protests.

He couldn’t help but wince as he saw her arm, fully exposed. The bolt had only grazed her but clearly it had been set to kill, it had scorched a clean edged, diagonal path along the top of her arm. If she hadn’t been running away, if the person had fired a second before…

Juno shook himself and focused, it was clean and wouldn’t need more than a gentle dousing with cold water which he quickly set to. Don’t think about what could have happened, focus on what’s in front of you.

It broke his heart when she hissed in pain, the second where she clearly wanted to pull away from him, however much he could rationalise it. But he’d been doing some version of this for a long time, from the first time Bee had caught her tiny fingers in the door on the Carte Blanche.

“Hey,” he gently reached over and turned her face to him, “Just look at me, okay? You’re doing so well.”

His brave Bianca took a shaky breath and nodded, ‘Himalia is next. In the size order.”

Juno smiled with a soft, tired pride, motioning for her to go on as he applied a thin layer of salve and started to bind it with the smart tech bandages that wrapped tightly around her arm with no effort from him. They’d hold it fast and safe, healing the torn and blistering skin underneath until barely a trace remained.

But Bianca wouldn’t forget this. This would be another one of her memories, the ones that would come up when least welcome and stop her in her tracks when she thought she was safe.

Juno contented himself with doing what he could for her now. He helped her up, though her legs were still shaky, helping her take shuffling steps to her bedroom, the one they still kept exactly as she’d left it the last time she visited. Neither he nor his husband could ever bring themselves to move anything around, happy to admit to themselves that they were just waiting until their daughter came home again. So the old stuffed animals were still lining the bottom of the bed, the books were still piled on the nightstand, there were still soft blankets ready for her to sink down onto.

“Right,” Juno brushed a hand over her curls, “Now water, painkillers and lots of rest. Got it, kiddo?”

“Yes mama,” she sighed, leaning into his touch, “Um...I think I want to see daddy now.”

He saw the guilt flicker through her dark eyes and he softened it with a kiss to her forehead. He understood the instinct to protect people you cared about, feeling like you couldn’t let them see you cry or fall or hurt because you’d see just how much they cared about you and it could be so scary. Knowing so much of someone else’s happiness rested with you.

He left her to get settled, needing to take a few deep breaths as soon as the door closed. Just a little longer.

Nureyev was just stepping out of their room, his long hair pushed back from his face with a band that had probably once been Bianca’s. He looked calm, content, and his whole face lit up when he saw his wife walking towards him. Having to watch all that unravel, that would hurt Juno as much as any of it.

He tried to speak clearly, concisely, only repeating again and again that she was fine, that there would be no lasting damage or even a mark. But he wasn’t sure any of it actually got through after he finally said the words ‘Bianca’s been shot’. Because that was when he pushed past him and started running down the hall. Cursing under his breath, Juno took off but couldn’t hope to catch his husband on those legs, only getting there when the bedroom door was already open.

He was braced for tears, he was braced for the anger that sometimes came when Nureyev was feeling too much to hold within himself and had to lash out to try and grasp some control. He was braced to have to pull his husband out of there.

What he found was his husband and his daughter embracing as tightly as her wound would allow.

“I’m sorry, daddy,” Bianca was sniffling, har face pressed to his shoulder, where it had always fit so perfectly ever since she was small, “I know you said to check, you said and I thought I did but…”

Nureyev shook his head, his own voice thick but steady, “No, no, it’s okay. You did nothing wrong, as long as you’re okay.”

“Promise?” Bianca mumbled, still sounding a little like a child wondering what her punishment would be.

“Oh my treasure,” Nureyev drew back to hold her face in his hands, “I promise. All I care about is that you’re whole and well and...and next time, you will see it. You’ll get better and better every time, just like I did. I just couldn’t be more thankful it was no worse but...next time will be better.”

Bianca’s face flooded with obvious relief, she’d clearly been worried her daddy’s first response would have been to ground her. Juno had to admit, he’d expected it too.

Nureyev only touched her bandages lightly, checking everything was in place, “But...if you wanted to stay here for just a few days just while you healed? We could make room for you?”

Bianca gave a tired smile, rolling her eyes, “Only if you could make the room, of course.”

Juno leaned against the doorframe, giving them a few more moments together before joining them, giving Bianca some time before having to endure both of her parents fussing over her. As he watched Nureyev draw Bee Bee back in to hug her tightly and let her rest against him, he felt other times overlapping it, other times he’d seen that light in Nureyev’s eyes, the smile he saved only for their babies, the way they clung to him and looked to him for safety. He felt the years they’d spent together as parents, the memories sending warmth running through his chest, soothing the anxiety still gnawing there, giving him a few more hours before he’d need to release it. Hopefully Nureyev would be in his arms by then.

Memories were funny things for Juno Steel. But some were everything.

#jupeter #juno steel #Peter nureyev #Bianca nureyev #jupeter dads au #hurt/comfort #tpp #the penumbra podcast

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hellorebecca · 3 years

Text

Back From the War

Some 80s era Stancest I wrote a while back. Inspired by some of @nekoaimy‘s posts on the subject.

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

"So, um, you okay?" Stan asked, his hands unsteady.

Ford nodded, and sipped from his mug of coffee. "I feel better, now."

"Okay," said Stan. He breathed out a sigh, ran a hand through his hair. "Okay."

It was almost surreal, remembering the events of the past hour: him and Stanley fighting over the journal in the portal room, him branding his brother's shoulder (and oh, was that going to leave a mark), the shove, the panic that filled him as he floated above the room--

Then, the rope, the relief, as he was slowly pulled back to earth by his brother's strong arms.

Stanley cleared his throat, snapping Ford out of his reverie. "So, what's up?" he asked, a look of concern on his face. "You kinda spaced out for a second there."

Ford shook his head. "Just thinking over the day's events," he said softly. Then: "How's your shoulder?"

Stan looked ashamed, as if he had been the one who had burned his own brother. "I mean, it hurts, but... it's fine, really. I mean, I can still use it." He rotated his right arm for emphasis. Ford couldn't help noticing the wince that Stan made at moving it around.

“Let me take a look at that,” he said, setting his mug down and reaching his hand towards his brother’s wound.

Stan hesitated; then, he slowly took off his jacket and shirt, carefully avoiding touching the cloth to the brand. Ford drew in a deep breath as he took in Stanley’s bare back. His muscles were cushioned under a layer of fat, and there were scars scattered across his skin. There was one particularly nasty one, just above his waist, that Ford wished he could ask about, but he just didn’t have the time.

Right. The brand. “How badly does it hurt?” asked Ford, as he carefully inspected the still-blistering scar.

“Honestly, it’s not too bad,” Stan answered. “I mean, I’ve definitely had worse.”

“Hmm.” Ford gingerly touched the tips of his fingers to Stan’s brand; he couldn’t help his heart from sinking when Stan flinched away from that. “Well, first we need to clean it, of course.” He went to the cabinet and got out a rag and the first aid kit. He ran the faucet cold over the rag, and added a little dish soap for good measure. Gently, he washed the burn, taking care not to pop any of the blisters. He then fished out a tube of aloe vera from the first aid kit.

“Pull your hair back for me,” said Ford. “I don’t want this to get messy.”

Stanley did as he was told, and Ford carefully spread the lotion over his brother’s charred skin. As he did so, he thought of long, hot summer nights, when they would rub aloe vera into each others’ sunburned backs. It was a good memory, and Ford felt a pleasant shiver thinking about it. Stan let out a sigh of relief, apparently releasing some of the tension from what had happened that night.

“Good, good,” said Ford, as he checked his handiwork. “Now I just need to cover it with a bandage.”

“You’re not gonna kiss it better?” asked Stan.

“No,” said Ford, suppressing a laugh. “It just wouldn’t be sanitary.”

“Ah,” Stan replied, and if Ford didn’t know any better, he’d almost say Stan sounded… disappointed. “Well, alright.”

Ford took out the gauze and the medical tape from the first aid kit and said, “Um, I can kiss you, though.”

“What?”

“If you want me to,” Ford added. “Not… not on the lips, of course, but I can kiss you. Just—just say where.”

“Um.” Stan craned his neck towards Ford. “Are you serious?”

Ford grew oddly hot. “I mean, ah, touch has been known to lower the body’s stress levels, which can help with, with the healing process—That’s... why I suggested it.”

“Ah,” said Stan, turning his head away from Ford again. “So you’re just being a weirdo.”

Ford swallowed. “Stanley, I...”

Stan waved him off. “It’s fine. Just… bandage me up, man.”

There was no point in disobeying that, so Ford carefully positioned the gauze on Stan’s burn wound, then applied the tape to make it stick. “We’ll need to reapply the bandage every day until the burn fully heals,” he said when he was done.

“‘We,’” Stan repeated. He turned around to face Ford. “Does that mean I’m staying?”

It was strange, how shocking Ford found the question. “I guess so,” he answered, considering his words carefully. “At least, for now. But—Stanley, it’s not… safe, here.”

“Because of the portal.”

Ford nodded. “Not just that, but yes.”

Stan groaned and ran a hand through his hair. “So, when do I need to leave?”

Ford held up a hand. “Stanley...”

“No, no, it’s...” Stan starting pacing around the kitchen, gesturing wildly. “I mean, I know you don’t—well...”

Ford caught Stan by the chin. “Stanley, please, just—listen to me.”

“C’mon, Stanford, it’s fine,” said Stan, who still resisted meeting Ford’s eyes. He sounded like he was going to cry. “If you don’t want me around...”

That definitely wasn’t true, so Ford needed to prove it false. If he was any less sleep-deprived, he might have done something else. As it was, his brother’s chin still in his hands, he laid a kiss upon Stanley’s lips.

Stanley tasted of cheap cigarettes and stale coffee, but Ford didn’t mind, far more interested in the way Stan warmed up to the kiss, tense at first but soon kissing back, running his hands through Ford’s hair. It was the culmination of everything they had been dancing around for a long, long time.

“Thought you said you weren’t gonna do that,” Stan gasped out, once they broke away.

Ah, right. The offer he made from earlier. “Guess I lied,” Ford panted.

They drew in for another kiss, deeper, more passionate. It left them so breathless and panting that it took a while before either of them spoke again.

“So, why can’t I stay, for real?” asked Stan. “Because I know there’s something there.”

Damn. Stanley knew Ford all too well. “There’s… an entity, that takes control of my mind when I sleep. I don’t want it to harm you,” Ford admitted, as much as he was willing to admit.

“Is that why you’re so strung out?”

Ford nodded. “Mostly, yes.”

Stan grunted and lifted himself about the counter, sitting on the countertop. It would annoy Ford were he not so charmed at the moment. “Okay, so, is there like, a way we can get that—thing out of your head?”

“There is one way I know of.” Ford scrubbed his face and frowned. “But it involves dealing with creatures that I’ve found to be—quite frustrating, in the past.”

Stan looked at Ford expectantly. “Well?” he asked.

“You’re going to laugh,” Ford replied glumly.

“C’mon, just tell me!”

“Unicorns,” Ford answered.

Stan let out a loud guffaw, and for a moment Ford truly hated him. “What, ain’t they really fond of virgins?”

“Actually, no,” said Ford stiffly. “Though the requirements for dealing with them seem just as strict as in legend. And by the way, I’m not a virgin.”

Stan grinned. “Sure you’re n--”

“Would a virgin kiss you as well as I just did?” Ford replied smugly. He took a certain amount of pleasure in the shock on Stan’s face.

“Man, you really have changed,” said Stan. “Gone a long way since your ‘kissing machine’ days.”

Ford groaned. “Please don’t mention the kissing machine, Stanley.” He took the journal off the kitchen table and started flipping through the entries. “Anyway, if you’re really serious about this--”

“Of course I’m serious,” Stan retorted.

“I’ll warn you again, unicorns are not easy to deal with,” said Ford. He found the entry on unicorns in the journal and handed it to Stan. “Their standards for good behavior are very exacting. I doubt you’d be able to live up to them.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Stan grumbled. He seemed upset by Ford’s assertion. He always had carried a chip on his shoulder on being the lesser of the two Pines twins. “I’ll just kill one of them, so what?”

“Stanley...” Ford started.

“What, they need to be alive?”

“No, you’ll just need the hair from their manes,” answered Ford. “But killing a horse—or horse-like creature—can be harder than it looks.”

“Eh.” Stan shrugged. “I mean, I killed a llama once.”

Ford raised an eyebrow. “Lama-with-one-L or llama-with-two-Ls?” he asked.

“Llama as in the weird animal with the long hair,” Stan said with an eyeroll. “Cripes, you’re a nerd.”

“Technically, that could describe both--” Ford got a poke in the ribs. “Oof. But seriously, are you sure you want to do this?”

“I mean, if it’ll keep you safe,” said Stan. He looked down at his bare chest. “Though, uh, I’m gonna need some clothes that haven’t been singed.”

Ford looked Stanley over. He was still naked from the waist up, and though that was fine for an evening of making out, it was less than ideal for a night in the cold and snow.

“Hang on,” said Ford. “There are some sweaters in my room.” He dashed over there as quick as he could, unable to suppress the irrational worry that Stan would be gone by the time he got back. He fished through his drawers and found a bright and cheery Christmas sweater, a gift from Fiddleford when they were still in college. (Ford didn’t have the heart to tell him that he was Jewish and had never celebrated. It was good at its main purpose, at least, which was keeping warm.)

Back in the hallway, he was struck by the sudden realization that this was real, that he had really kissed his brother and his brother kissed him back. It was funny, how repressed they both had been about it, and how open they were now. He supposed it made a certain amount of sense—incest was a Rubicon that neither of them were prepared to cross, even as odd a pair as they had been, but once they set their mind on something, there was no doubt, if it were in any way possible, they would get it.

Once they put their mind on something, there was no doubt they would get it. Ford smiled at the thought, and hurried back to the kitchen. He found Stan sitting on a chair, a far more reasonable position than the counter. “Here,” he said, and handed Stan the gaudy sweater.

“Bit late to be wearing this,” said Stan, looking it over.

Ford shrugged. “If it keeps you warm.” He grabbed his coat from his chair. “Here, wear this, too. Do you still have your gloves and hat?”

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Stan grumbled. “I’m not gonna freeze to death, Ford.” He grunted as he struggled to put on the sweater.

“Careful,” said Ford. He helped pull the sweater down. “You still need to look out for that shoulder.” He gave his brother a quick peck on the cheek.

“Heh heh.” Ford enjoyed the way Stan blushed. Stan cleared his throat. “Alright, so they live in this glade, right?” Stan said, as he put on the coat. “Shouldn’t take too long. I’ll be back in a jif.”

“Stay safe, Stanley.” Ford squeezed his brother’s hand. “Remember to come home in one piece.”

“I will,” Stan replied softly. He pat Ford on the shoulder, then pulled him into a brief kiss. “Take care of yourself while I’m gone, knucklehead.”

“Okay, okay,” Ford said with a soft laugh. He watched Stanley go out of the house and into the unknown, once again the brave hero of their youth. For the first time in a long while, he felt a deep, sustaining hope, one that would last him the rest of their lives.

#Stancest #I'm in the mood for sap okay so sue me #my drabblings

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thewildomega · 3 years

Text

Second Chance Ch.14

A/N: Ya’ll can’t tell me this man isn’t a hunk! Props for the awesome fanart goes to @insect_candy on twitter. I found it on pintrest. As always if the artist sees this and wants me to remove it just send em a message and I’ll take it down asap. I do think it’s really good though. Especially the eyes. If anyone gets a chance go check out their page. Link is in the name. Hope everyone likes this update. How much longer should this story go on? Is it still interesting and enjoyable to read?

Sitting quietly in your chair beside Ed you listened as they all spoke, Ed telling his sons what had happened when he had arrived in your world. You couldn't help but blush when he talked so fondly of you, telling his sons how you had helped him, taken care of him.

"Then it would seem we are in your debt Y/n. Thank you for helping our pops." Izo spoke to the woman who had remained quiet throughout dinner.

Looking to the man you shook your head. "Oh no, it's okay really it was no problem I..."

"It's okay Y/n you don't have to lie to us, we know how much of a handful the old man can be." Marco said making his brothers laugh.

"Agreed, I think we should congratulate her on not killing him in his sleep." Vista grinned.

"I am not that bad." He grumbled when he saw them all laughing. Looking beside him he even saw his lass giggling lightly at his son's teasing of him. All in all though he couldn't be mad, it was nice having some of his family all together again, even more so now that Y/n was here with him. Chewing a bite of his food he watched and listened as they went about asking Y/n about her world. Already his son's were starting to warm up to her and the sight made him smile softly.

........................

After supper you and Zella had moved to clean up while the men all talked and caught up. It made your heart warm to see Ed happy with his sons. Once everything was all tidy Zella had told you she was calling it a night. She had been very sleepy the past few days and while you wanted to ask her if she was okay you also didn't want to seem nosey. Drying all the dishes and putting them away you looked over everything and sighed. Walking out of the kitchen and into the living room you saw no one here as well, you could hear their voices from outside though and guessed they were all out there. Not wanting to intrude on their family time you looked down to your hand which you had successfully kept hidden the whole night. Walking to the guest bathroom you closed the door and finally unwrapped the dishcloth from it. Looking down at the bloody cut you winced. It wasn't that long, only half of your palm length, going from the middle of your palm to the space between your thumb and forefinger. It was decently deep though, especially the skin between your fingers. Setting the bloody dishrag in the sink you turned on the hot water and filled the sink so you could let it soak. Turning on the shower you pulled off your clothes, trying your best not to get any blood on them as well. Stepping into the shower you rinsed your hand, grabbing the soap you started washing, biting your lip and whimpering when it felt like you had poured salt into your wound. Washing your hair was annoying as well but you made it work. Quickly shaving and then getting out you grabbed a towel and started drying off.

Opening the closet door you moved to grab your clothes from the basket but when you looked down to the floor where they had bene you saw nothing there. "What... where..." you said out loud. Knitting your brows you looked all in the closet but didn't find anything but the spare towels and washing machine. Where the hell were your clothes? You had just did laundry the other day so you knew they weren't dirty. So where the hell... Ed. Closing the door you wrapped the towel tightly around you, thankful they were made for his size. Running your fingers through your hair when you also noticed your hairbrush not in the drawer or any of your other items he had bought you you sighed. Opening the door you peeked out to see no one in the house. Licking your lips you walked towards his bedroom which was the only other place you could think your things would be. Glancing around the room you tried to locate your basket. Seeing it on the dresser you moved over to it but saw it empty. "Where in the hell..."

"Darlin' are you back..."

Freezing when you heard his voice you looked up to the door to see him standing in the doorway, looking at you. Snapping your eyes down you felt your face, ears and neck catch fire.

"...here." he finished. Seeing her standing by the dresser in nothing but a towel he closed his mouth when he realized it was still open. The white towel that she had wrapped around her ended at her knees. While it revealed nothing but her lower legs, shoulders and arms he felt his manhood twitch all the same. She was naked, the only thing on her being a towel.

God you were so embarrassed. You both had only slept in the same bed for one night and now here you were just walking around his bedroom in nothing but a damn towel. What the hell would he think of you? "C..clothes?" you asked in a whisper.

She wouldn't look up at him but he could see the tips of her ears sticking out of her wet hair and noticed the blush on them immediately. "Right." Walking over to the dresser he opened the drawers where he had put her clothes in with his. Grabbing the black lace panties that she had on when they came here he clenched his teeth when his imagination decided to take over. 'NO'. Shutting the drawer he moved down to the next and grabbed one of his shirts that she was keen on wearing for a nightgown. Black lace panties and his shirt. God his pants were already tightening at the thought. Taking a deep breath he went to hand them over to her. "Here ya go lass." he said, his voice deeper than usual.

Keeping your eyes down some you went to take your clothes when he suddenly grabbed your wrist.

"What's that?"

Remembering your cut palm you looked up to him and shook your head some, "Nothing."

Refusing to let go of her wrist he turned her hand up and knit his brows when he saw the deep cut on her palm. "Sure does look like something to me darling. What happened?"

"I just nicked it when I was washing dishes earlier." you told him.

Humming he frowned. "This is more than a little nick lass. Why didn't you say something about, did Zella see it, she could have said something to Marco."

"No she didn't see it, it happened before..."

"Before when?" he asked and then shook his head and looked to her eyes, "Before supper? You did this before supper and you didn't say anything?" he asked in a disapproving voice. Now that he thought back he did think it was strange she had been keeping her hand under the table in her lap.

Sighing you took your clothes and moved towards his bathroom to dress. "It's fine Ed."

Walking behind her he crossed his arms over his chest. "Until it gets infected."

"It's not going to get infected, I cleaned it." you told him, pushing the door closed so you could dress.

Standing just outside of the door he waited for her to dress which only took a moment. Once the door opened and she went to step out he moved forward, scooping her up and sitting her down on the bathroom counter. "That's what everyone says. Trust me I have seen my fare share of injuries, little cuts that no one thought nothing of until it turns septic and then has to be chopped off."

Listening to his lecture you watched as he moved to grab something from under the vanity. Seeing him set a first aid kit on the counter next to you, you looked up to him. Placing your hand in his when he held it out for you. "How did you get those scars from your pictures, the ones on your chest?"

Beginning to clean the cut with alcohol he saw her fingers twitch but not snatch away. "Different battles. One from my old Captain, Rocks. Got one from fighting Roger and another from an old crewmate, Shikki." grabbing the roll of bandages and tape he applied a bit of cream to it to both help with pain and quick healing. "What about you, any scars on that pretty body?"

Blushing again you saw him noticed this time and heard him chuckle lightly. "That gunshot one..." you started but heard him grunt.

"Don't like the story of that one." he growled under his breath.

"I do, that's the night I got to come here with you."

Seeing her smiling softly at him he sighed. "While that may be true, it still should have never happened." taping down the bandage he lifted her up again to take her to their bed, cutting off the light to both the bathroom and bedroom on the way. Sitting on the bed he rested against the headboard with his feet stretched out and her straddling his lap. "Anymore?" he asked, knowing if he wanted her to relax he needed to keep her talking. There wasn't any light but that of the candle on the side table but he could still tell she was blushing.

Humming you tried to focus on the question he asked and not the fact you were currently straddling the lap of the man you loved. "Um well there's the one where Smoke bit me."

Looking down to her leg where she was looking he tilted his head at the faint scar on her thigh. Licking his lips he moved his thumb under the hem of his shirt and pushed it higher up her left leg, feeling heat pool to his pelvis at the feel of her soft skin. Seeing the bite there he huffed. "He got you good didn't he?" It wasn't a nasty scar but he could tell by each individual mark that the wolf had sunk his teeth in deep.

"Yea." you sighed.

Stroking her thigh with his thumb he glanced over the rest of her skin, looking for any other scars. "That it?"

"n..No. I have a 'W' on my right hip from where Keith branded me." you told him, having to steady yourself, the feel of his warm hands on your thighs making that tingling come back.

"He branded you?" he asked in a deep voice, a frown on his face as he lifted his eyes to hers.

"He didn't do it intentionally. He was making that new sign at Mel's bar for his dad and kept messing around. The letters that you use to burn the wood, he kept poking the 'M' towards me asking if it was hot. He wasn't trying to actually touch me with it but Trish came in and bumped into me and well yea." Seeing his brows knit together you took a deep breath, "It was definitely hot. Burnt straight through my shirt and everything. Keith felt horrible for it, he bought me dinner for the next week."

Looking down to her hip he thought for a moment before asking, "Can I see?"

Swallowing hard you felt your heart beat a little faster as you lifted the bottom of the shirt up enough to show him the 'W' over your left hip bone.

Forcing his eyes to focus on her hip and not the part of her covered by black lace that he wanted so desperately to look at he indeed saw the 'W' scar on her skin. He didn't like the idea of her being hurt like that and furrowed his brows. Rubbing his hand up her thigh and hip he held her with his hand over her side, feeling the material of her panties under the bottom part of his palm. Genty tracing the mark with his thumb he swallowed hard when his eyes dropped to the apex of her thighs for a fraction of a second. Instantly he knew that was a bad idea when he felt his cock come to life. Fuck he could make out the silhouette of her womanhood through the weblike pattern. Raising his knees some and spreading his legs so it wouldn't become too obvious he was aroused he held her steady as she slipped forward. Catching sight of the scar on her chest when his shirt moved some he furrowed his brows. Keeping his one hand under th ebottom of the shirt on her hip he raised his other one to touch the circular scar. It wasn't too bad since Marco had healed her with ihs power but it would probably stay there for the remainder of her life. To him it would be a constant reminder of how she had saved him, while noble he couldn't get the image of her lifeless body out of his head. Even now it made his heart clench painfully.

Seeing his brows and lips turn into a firm line as he looked to the scar on your chest you gently took hold of his hand that was stroking the area. Looking into his warm yellow eyes as when they lifted to yours you watched his face relax.

"Why did you run after that man lass? You knew he had a gun, knew that he wouldn't care if you got hurt." he asked her and saw her eyes shoot down.

"He took all the money that was in the safe, that was everything Mel had..." you shrugged.

"Money isn't that important darling."

"Mel is sick, he's dying. I know money isn't the most important thing in life but when they were barely making it as it was that money could have meant life or death for him when it was paying for his medicine. After everything that family did for me I couldn't just sit there and let that asshole take everything from them like that."

Hearing this he sighed softly, stroking her hip with his thumb. He fell more and more in love with her everyday. "How the hell did this old pirate get lucky enough to have an angel like you as his soulmate?" he spoke in a low voice.

"Soulmate?"

Just realizing what he had said he blinked and felt his mouth go dry. "Ah... well yes..." Clearing his throat he tried to think of a way to explain their destined love to her. "You see lass here in this world soulmates are a thing... a ah... a natural connection. Not everyone has them but some get lucky enough. It's when two people are destined to be with each other and they have this... well this pull and..." Seeing her smile grow and her teeth bit down on her lip some he stopped, feeling a blush over his cheeks and neck.

"It's okay Ed, Zella explained them to me last week." seeing him furrow his brows as he looked down to you, you grinned nervously. "I wasn't sure you felt the same way and I didn't want to lose you so I never said anything."

She had been afraid he wouldn't love her back. She felt their connection as well? The knowledge made him smile. Still he could tell she was a bit nervous. "So you knew what they were and still you let me suffer through that horrible explanation like an idiot."

Seeing him cut his eyes at you playfully, a smile still present on his lips you tilted your head. "It was fun to watch you be the nervous wreak for a change." you admitted with a small shrug.

Growling he grinned as he quickly wrapped his arm around her and flipped her to the bed, holding himself up above her while her hands held onto his back and shoulder. Gazing down at her sparkling eyes he felt that swelling in his heart and sighed softly. "Never thought I'd experience that whole feeling that comes with having a soulmate. My entire life I've always felt like there was something missing. Ever since I was a kid the only thing I've ever wanted was a family. I gathered many sons and daughters over the years, children of the sea that I called my own but it wasn't enough. There was still some part of me that was missing and I could never find that lost piece. When I died in Marrieford I accepted that it would be a mystery that would never be solved. But to my surprise my story wasn't over. I was found by the very person I had spent my whole life trying to find. I knew from the first time I saw you that you were the one, that you were meant to be mine. I don't know which higher power was looking out for me but I thank them for finally allowing our paths to cross." His heart was hammering so hard against his ribcage he was sure it would soon burst from his chest. "Lass you make me feel complete, I will love you forever. Long after the seas dry up and the stars fade in the sky." He was so nervous he thought he might have another heart attack. Staring into her eyes he licked his dry lips. "I promise to care for you. You will be the only woman I ever love. I'll provide for ya and you'll never want for anything..."

"Ed.."

"Darling I don't have a ring to give ya, not yet at least but I..." Taking a deep breath he swallowed hard. "I'll get you one, anyone you want. I can't wait till then, not a moment longer, I have to ask you now. Will ya marry me lass?"

Four months, three weeks and six days. That's how long it had been since you had found him on the shore of the lake. It wasn't that long really but you felt like you had known him your whole life. Even from the beginning he had always felt like this old friend who had just shown back up from out of nowhere. Somewhere along those few months you had fell head over heels for him but you had said nothing. So afraid that he would soon toss you aside like everyone else had you had distanced yourself as much as possible even when it made your heart ache terribly. He was patient with you, he listened. He made you laugh and cry and he was right about feeling whole because not once in your life had you ever been so happy than you were when you were with him. Almost five months, most would probably say that that wasn't long enough to know a person to marry them but to you, that was all the time you needed.

Looking up into those warm yellow eyes you smiled, your eyes tearing up a bit. "Yes."

As soon as the word was out of her mouth he felt his face break into what had to be the biggest smile of his life. Without a moment's hesitation he lowered his body to hers, finally claiming her lips. Just as he suspected her lips were soft and smooth. A light sigh left his nose at being able to finally kiss her. Thankfully this time Marco wasn't here to interpret either. There was this strong pulling in his chest that turned into a comfortable warmth as he allowed his body to lower just above hers, still careful not to crush her. She had tensed the tiniest amount when their lips first met but quickly she had relaxed.

He was kissing you. You were getting your first kiss and it was so incredible. God his lips were so warm and only a bit rougher than your own. You could feel the slight scruff on his upper lip but it didn't bother you. Then there was the heat of his huge body laying over yours and that strange tugging that had turned into a comforting warmth. You could die happy right here and now. The hand holding your hip was gently messaging you while the one wrapped under your head made you feel secure and safe. When the need for air became desperate and he pulled away some you looked up into his soft eyes, his hair falling around the both of your faces making the moment even more intimate.

"...so what'd she say?"

"Yes of course!"

"I told you she would."

"Way to go Pops."

Hearing voices from outside of the window you peeked around his massive arm to look out of the window, you couldn't see anything because of the drawn curtains but when Ed let out a deep growl you knew someone was there.

Letting go of her hip he grabbed one of the pillows and threw it towards the window his sons were standing by. "If you four don't get the hell out of here I'll toss you all to the sea!"

"He does realize we are on land right?"

"Is that a challenge?!"

Giggling through it all you quickly wrapped your arms around his neck when he went to move.

Being pulled back down by his little woman he didn't get to say a word before her lips pushed their way back to his. "Overgrown children." he grumbled around her lips and heard her giggle lightly. Continuing to hold himself up with one arm he moved his free hand over to the table to pinch out the wick. Maybe if the room was dark his sons would get the hint to leave them alone.

..................................

"So what is it for?" Izo asked.

Seeing the three men looking to your phone you tilted your head, "Um well in my world people use them to call one another, like the den den's here. You can also use it to read books on, there's a calculator, a flashlight, a camera..." Showing them each feature you saw their brows raise when you turned on the flashlight. Taking a picture of the three of them you turned it around to show them and saw Vista smile. "Really there is a whole bunch of stuff on it. I can't make calls on it anymore since I'm here but I can still read some books on it and listen to music."

"Music?" Jozu asked.

Humming you nodded and brought up your music list. Tapping on a song you saw them all look to it in amazement when the song started playing.

"You'll soon be hearing the chime Close to midnight If I could turn back the time I'd make all right

How could it end like this? There's a sting in the way you kiss me Something within your eyes Said it could be the last time Fore it's over!

Just wanna be Wanna bewitch you in the moonlight Just wanna be I wanna bewitch you all night..."

"I want one of those." Vista said.

Giggling you held it out for him to take. "Here ya'll knock yourself out. I have to go pick up some stuff from town for supper anyway. Just don't hit anything that says delete okay." When they all nodded but kept their eyes on the phone you smiled again and stood.

Walking from around the house he looked to see Izo, Vista and Jozu all sitting on the ground playing with his soon to be wife's phone. Wife, the thought of being able to call her that made his chest swell with pride. Hearing the music playing from her phone he chuckled at the smile on his sons faces. Looking down at them with his arms crossed over his chest he chuckled. "So I see y/n has shown you her phone."

"This thing is amazing. Look at all the books she has.."

"There is over three hundred songs on it as well." Izo added.

"Yea she loves reading and music." he grinned.

"Marco said she likes cooking too." Jozu spoke.

"I bet Thatch would have liked her." Vista grinned.

"Ace too."

Sighing his grin turned bittersweet, he would have loved for her to meet the both of his fallen sons. He knew for a fact they both would have loved her. Looking to them all again he raised his brows, "Do any of you happen to know where it is my lass has run off to?"

"Yea, she said she had to go into town to get stuff for supper."

"Let us borrow her phone while she was gone."

Humming he nodded, "Don't break it."

"Yea, yea."

Huffing out he started towards town. Looking all over for her he didn't find her anywhere and when he finally asked around they said she had already left a little while ago. Knitting his brows he stood in though, if she had already left then he would have met her on the way back home but he hadn't. So where was she? Deciding to let his heart lead the way he started walking out of town and towards the entrance to the town. If she was going to get groceries then why would she need to come out here? Going up the hill and towards the ruins of the old town he had grew up in he looked across to the edge of the cliff where his and Ace's grave was. He had been to it a few times to talk to his son but he found it strange looking at his own headstone. A part of him wondered if there was anything buried there? Marco had told him that they had buried him, hell even that red head had helped but if he was here now was that body now gone or was this a whole new one? As tempted as he was to dig it up he figured he was better off not knowing.

Getting closer to the top he saw her h/c hair blowing in the breeze and knit his brows, what was she doing up here? Going to call out to her he stopped when he saw someone standing by her, the two of them looking to be speaking. Realizing who it was he clenched his teeth and marched a little faster towards them. As soon as he was close enough he saw Garps eyes shoot to him, his brows raising. Moving y/n behind him he stared down at the man, "What the hell are you doing here Garp?"

"What am I doing here, what the hell are you doing here? You're supposed to be dead damnit! And why are you young again?!" Garp yelled. "Wait a minute, am I dead? Did I die and for some godforsaken reason end up in the same place as you? If I did die how come I'm still old?"

"You're going to be dead if you don't get off my damn island!"

"Go to hell Newgate, I'm here to see Ace..."

"NO! You don't get to pay your respects to my son..."

"He was my damn grandson before he was one of your sons!"

"Don't act like you care so much about him now, you let him die!"

"Ace made his choice, he became a pirate and then he joined up with you! I warned him but he wouldn't listen!" The marine yelled, his face turning red and his veins sticking out in his forehead.

"What a load of crap! That boy had a target on his back before he was even born! For being Roger's son, something he couldn't even control. Yea he became a pirate and he was a damn good one. Much like that other grandson of yours, that strawhat brat. Are you gonna sit back and watch him die too?!"

"Don't you bring Luffy into this!" Garp growled, his voice dropping even more.

Clenching his fists he sensed his sons coming up behind him. "Take Y/n back home." he spoke in a deep voice, never ceasing his intense stare down with Garp.

Having stayed behind him the whole time you felt your heart hammering as Ed and the man you had just met who you had heard Ed call Garp argued. You had never seen him so angry looking other than the time he had saved you from that man. There seemed to be this intense aroura coming off both men and it made you nervous. Hearing Marco and the others come up behind you and then Ed tell them to take you back home you furrowed your brows. Tightening your grip on his arm that had been holding you behind his bulk frame you swallowed hard and looked up to the back to his head. "Ed..."

Seeing Garp's eyes glance to the woman behind him he felt his lip lift into a snarl. Giving her hip a small squeeze he rose his chin, "Jozu." he called, knowing the man was bigger than her.

Being pulled away from him by Jozu no doubt you tried holding onto his arm but he let your hands slip away. Watching as Izo moved to grab the bags left by his father's feet you looked between the two men. "N..."

"It's best to stay out of it Y/n." Marco told her, taking hold of her other hand while Jozu held her arm to pull her back towards the safety of their father's home.

Getting past the waterfall you heard a loud slam and then a smack, the ground shaking a bit and making you gasp. "B...but will he be okay?" you asked trying to stop and look back towards the man you loved. Yes the other man was smaller but you still didn't want your Ed to get hurt.

Laughing along with the rest of his brothers Vista pat her arm, "Oh don't you worry about pops Y/n. He didn't get the title of strongest man in the world for nothing."

"Yea and pops never backs down from a fight." Jozu huffed.

Blinking you looked to Vista with wide eyes. "Strongest man in the world?" surely he had to be exaggerating. Seeing them all nod proudly though you could only open and close your mouth, turning your head back to see a cloud of dust flying up here and there, the loud noises still echoing from where you had left. Just who and the hell were you going to marry? You knew Edward but maybe it was time to learn who Whitebeard was.

#Whitebeard #whitebeard one piece #one piece whitebeard #whitebeard x reader #edward newgate #edward newgate x reader #feedback would be appreciated #soulmate au #fluff #so much fluff #big daddy whitebeard

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dracoignisworld · 4 years

Text

A little white (wine) lie

As Jon entered the shop, he caught sight of a small, silver-haired woman carefully studying a bottle of Merlot. Whilst she twisted and turned the wine between her hands, he casually walked up behind her, pretended to read the label, and drawled:

“Oh, that one - that’s an excellent one.”

A pair of violet eyes gazed back at him curiously. “Is that so?” she replied, smacking her apricot lips with a pop. “And what can you tell me about it?”

That it’s red, Jon thought though he retained a brilliant smile as he lied: “Whatever you want to know.”

Corked was perfectly placed in between two student accommodations. The owners knew how to make the best of their situation; though barely more than a narrow room, they’d managed to cover every wallspace with shelves stocked full of £5 bottles of chardonnay and prosecco, tinned gin and tonic, local ale sold by the litre, and, naturally, a barrel full of tequila.

Like the students, Jon had dragged his arse out of bed that Tuesday afternoon for some bargain booze. Having spent the last three years freelancing, he considered himself a bit of a connoisseur when it came to cheap alcohol - mostly because it was all he could afford. All the more reason he found his smile faltering a little when the woman popped the bottle back on the shelf and he noticed the price displayed below.

Who the fuck pays fifty-eight pounds for wine? Jon thought before sneaking another peek at the woman and, with a resigned sigh, realising: Someone like her.

Whoever she was, she was stunning; her hair was brightly silver and tied back into several elaborate braids which cascaded down her narrow shoulders like streams of water. Her small body was wrapped in a pale pink dress, the pleated hemline teasing just above her knees which were perfectly tanned from the sun. Yet it was the intense colour of her eyes which kept drawing Jon’s gaze back to her face.

Like a lavender field, Jon thought, and he felt an immediate urge to write it down in case he was to forget. At once, he sensed it was something he could use for his work. Some day, at least.

“Do you know a lot about wine?” the woman asked and cocked her head. Her braids slipped to her right shoulder, the movement causing the many golden beads in her locks to glimmer.

Jon licked his lips and sensed how dry they were. “I know something,” he said with confidence.

“I like a man who knows something,” she replied, but before Jon could tell whether she was mocking him or not, she continued: “I’m Daenerys.” She offered him her hand. Her nails were delicately manicured. Pale tangerine gel. Of course.

Jon shook it with his own rough hand, suddenly aware of how sweaty his palm was. “I’m Jon,” he said.

“Well, Jon,” Daenerys spoke, “perhaps you can help me. I am looking for a wine that will go well with my dinner.”

“Merlot goes well with everything,” Jon said.

“Maybe if it doesn’t have a lot of acidity, I am inclined to agree,” Daenerys said, and Jon found himself wondering:

Is wine acidic? - but he couldn’t linger on the thought because she spoke with cool haste:

“However, I am planning on serving a salmon dish, and I’m sure you’d agree that a full-bodied white wine would be more appropriate in this instance.”

“Of course,” Jon said without thinking, feeling a tad flushed. He pushed his fingertips into the collar of his shirt to let in some air. Despite the aircon whirring above them, he sensed the shop was heating up. Perhaps I’m finally feeling the sun, he decided.

Daenerys rested her hands on her lower back as she slowly walked alongside the back-shelf, her eyes scanning the many bottles on display. Jon found himself mimicking her posture as he too strolled alongside the wines, his eyes desperately searching for something he could recognise. Everything seemed to melt into one. From a distance, he could scarcely make out the small flag signalling ‘country of origin’.

“Now, I haven’t decided on how I’m going to prepare the salmon, and I know this will definitely have an impact on my choice.”

“Definitely,” Jon repeated.

“I thought of making glazed salmon, which naturally makes me keen on a dry Riesling.”

“Naturally,” Jon said. He was starting to feel like a parrot.

Daenerys was undeterred. “But,” she said, turning on her heels in the same and almost colliding with Jon on her way back toward the beginning of the shelf. She sent him a small apologetic smile as she brushed past him, the soft skin of her bare arms brushing to his knuckles and making him shiver. “But, I do also like a simple, plain salmon, because I enjoy a white Burgundy.”

Jon touched his knuckles where a warm feeling had started to spread and muttered: “Who doesn’t,” as it was the only reply he could come up with.

Daenerys turned on her heels again, and Jon paused as he waited for her to walk past him once more, sharing names of wines he’d never known to exist. But she remained standing, cocking her head to the other side as she said: “So, what do you suggest?”

Jon slowly dragged his tongue around his mouth, trying to wetten it, but he found himself completely parched. He wasn’t sure why, but the way she was looking at him made his heart skip a beat. He felt like he was back in school, and the teacher had just called on him, and he didn’t know the answer though he desperately wanted to impress. So he did the only thing he could - he avoided the question.

“Do you live around here?” he asked, and he felt smug when she blinked. He could tell he caught her off-guard.

“I do,” Daenerys replied. She narrowed her eyes as if she was trying to read him. “I moved back recently.”

“Where from?”

“I was living in Spain for a bit,” she said.

“Studying?” Jon asked. He popped his hands into the pockets of his jeans as he waited for her reply, but if he’d felt relief at moving away from the subject of wine, that sensation was soon squashed as she hummed:

“You ask a lot of questions and say little.” Daenerys’ eyes twinkled as she twirled a braided lock around her hand and rested her other arm over her waist. “Your turn - do you live around here, Jon?”

Jon liked the way his name sounded on her lips. She spoke it in the same way she referred to the wines - with confidence, as if she already knew everything it entailed. “I live down the road,” he said.

“Student?”

“Those discounts are sadly long gone,” he replied with a wry smile. “No, I graduated a while back. Been freelancing since.”

“Doing what?” she asked.

“My turn,” Jon deflected the question, and he enjoyed the pout that shaped on her lips. “Did you study in Spain?”

“I visited family, mostly. Ate and drank,” she said this with a light laugh, “what else would you do in Spain! Lived life, really.”

“Must do well for yourself to just travel,” Jon pointed out.

“Must do well for yourself,” Daenerys retorted, “being a freelancer and knowing so much about wine.” This time, he could definitely sense the mocking in her tone, so he stuck his nose up a little and said:

“You asked me what I’d suggest.”

“I did,” she agreed and raised her brows. “Have you decided?”

“I suggest eating out and letting the waiter choose the wine pairing. In that way, if it’s right, you feel smug, and if it’s wrong, you can blame it on bad service.”

Daenerys let go of a short laugh before covering her mouth. Her violet eyes sparkled. “You’re such a bad liar,” she spoke through her fingers, but even her hand could not hide her large smile. “You know nothing about wine, do you?”

“I’m actually a blogger,” Jon said with a slight blush to his cheeks. Before she could say else, he quickly clarified: “Not like a popular read-my-essay-to-see-my-stew-recipe kind of blogger. I blog for companies.”

Daenerys lowered her hand and looked amused. “What kind of companies?”

“Any that pay me,” he shrugged. “Right now, I’m helping a florist get off their feet, so I’m reading all about wedding bouquets. It is the season for marriage after all,” he said and gestured toward the windows at front. Outside, the sun shone sharply. Heat seemed to rise off the asphalt in waves. “I’m also doing some work for an IT start-up, and some hand-soap seller.”

“And it pays well?”

“Let me put it this way - I don’t normally shop here,” he gestured at the shelving unit beside them where the cheapest bottle he could spot was priced at thirty-five, “but there,” he pointed toward a barrel at front. It was full of plastic-flasks with store-branded whiskey.

Daenerys tapped her manicured nails to her lips as she looked the way he’d gestured. Her face was folded in thought, and Jon took the pause to take in the plump shape of her lips, her rounded chin, her slim neck.

When she looked back, he hurriedly looked down at his sneakers. “Well, anyway,” he said, “sorry for barging in on your shopping.”

“You said I must do well for myself,” Daenerys spoke, seemingly not hearing him, “and it’s true. I actually own a business.”

Jon stopped himself from gawking. “Oh,” he said, trying to remain cool, “that’s nice.”

“I used to do it on the side, but I want to really focus my attention on it and make it something great. That’s why I moved back from Spain. I need to be more involved.” As she spoke, her eyes narrowed and her fingers dragged from her lips to rest beneath her chin in thought. “I could actually need some help on the media front.”

“Oh, that’s nice,” Jon said again, though her words were slowly dawning on him.

“You know, I think you’re right,” she said at once.

Jon blinked. “About what?”

“The whole wine-pairing thing. Asking the waiter and all that? Not a bad idea.”

Jon chuckled: “It was a joke.” Still, when he met her gaze, he found her staring back at him mischievously.

“Would you like dinner? Purely business, of course. Then we can see if you’d be any help for me.”

Jon felt his ears redden. Is she asking me out? he wondered as he stared back at her, gleaming eyes and all. He popped his fingers back into the collar of his shirt. “Just business?” he said, before stuttering: “I mean, sure. Of course. Just business. Is all.”

“Is all,” Daenerys agreed. She grabbed a bottle off the shelf, to Jon seemingly at random, and handed it to him. “Take this,” she said as he eyed the label, “it’s a beautiful wine from Chile. Taste it, and then meet me outside this shop tonight and let me know what food will go well with it.”

“That’s nice,” Jon said, looking at the price out of the corners of his eyes. Fucking sixty-five pounds! “But I can’t afford it.”

“My gift,” Daenerys said and gestured for him to follow. They slowly walked through the room toward the till at the front. “To help you understand my business.”

“Right - what is it, anyway?” Jon asked, but he felt the words die on his lips. Because instead of waiting with him by the till, she slipped behind it, typed something into the laptop, and then handed him a receipt which stated the name of the wine and the final price of £0.

“This,” she said with a brilliant smile as she gestured around the shop.

Jon felt his heart drop. “You own the shop?” he mumbled and watched as Daenerys leaned in over the counter with a smirk. He felt his face go completely red. “Did I just-”

“-mansplain wine to me? Sure tried,” Daenerys laughed. She reached out, her fingertips brushing a curly black lock out of his face.

Jon looked down as he murmured: “Sorry.”

“Eight o’clock tonight okay?” Daenerys asked and, when Jon nodded, she sent him a customer-service smile and chirped: “Thanks for shopping at Corked!”

As soon as Jon had bowed out of the shop and back into the sunshine, his fingers grasped tightly around the bottle of wine, he walked with steady steps across the road, straight into the bookshop across from Corked, and requested: “Any and all books you have on wine, please.” It was going to be a long afternoon.

#jonerys #jonerys fanfic #writing #writings #just a small silly thing #trying to get back into writing again

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moonlight-breeze-44 · 4 years

Text

Always With You

Summary: Magnus and Alec have a ‘date night’ and talk about becoming Inquisitor and the High Warlock of Alicante. Fluffy fluff fluff.

Read on AO3

"Magnus, you didn't have to do all of this for me," Alec objected, a rosy blush colouring his pale cheeks. He was chewing his lip, clearly conflicted over the candlelit dinner Magnus had set up. It was their only day off for quite some time, and Magnus had spared no expense. The tablecloth was fine Italian silk, and the wine was a lavish brand Alec recognised only from Jace's 'guilty pleasure' magazines. The overhead lights had been transformed into soft white lighting that cast an almost enchanting glow over their table. Dinner was steak and potatoes with buttery rolls on the side. Alec was used to Magnus's insistence that they have only the best on their date nights, but he was still a little overwhelmed by the grand gesture.

"Nonsense, darling," Magnus replied, pulling Alec out of his own thoughts and back into their conversation. "I wanted it to be a special night."

"Well, thank you," Alec said, looking down shyly. "I love it."

"Good," Magnus chirped, and he reached over to pull the chair out for Alec. Alec sat, and they began to eat. Chairman Meow wandered over and rubbed himself against Alec's legs, purring. Alec smiled softly. The cat was the last piece of the puzzle needed for him to relax and simply enjoy the dinner with his husband. Magnus, who was even better than Alec himself at picking up on subtle changes in his behaviour, gave Alec a bright smile and locked their ankles together under the table.

"How's the campaign coming?" Magnus inquired. "I asked Isabelle yesterday, but she just said it was 'top-secret'."

Alec smirked. "Good for her."

"Why all the secrecy?" Magnus whined. "I'm your husband. I deserve to know these things, Alexander."

"Well, I have something to show you after dinner," Alec promised. He took a deep breath and reached over the table to squeeze Magnus's hand. "It's going to change a lot of things, Mags."

Magnus raised their interwoven hands and kissed Alec's knuckles. "It won't change my love for you, and that's what's important. Anything else, we can deal with."

Alec felt suddenly and violently grateful for Magnus Lightwood-Bane. His throat closed with emotion, and he roughly shook his head, embarrassed at himself.

Magnus smiled and changed the subject. "Did you feed Chairman today? He looks hungry."

Alec rolled his eyes. "Don't be fooled by his act, Magnus. He does this every day. Haven't you noticed?"

Magnus appeared taken aback. "He's not like that!"

"Not like what, exactly?" Alec raised an eyebrow.

"He's not dishonest!"

Alec chuckled. "Magnus, he's a cat."

"Yes, well, he's not a dishonest cat!"

Alec shook his head. A small smile turned the corners of his mouth up, and he took a bite of steak before answering. "I don't think cats know what honesty is."

"That's ridiculous!" Magnus sputtered. "You know, people are quick to assume that animals are nothing like us because they can't communicate the way we do. But I've had cats for over 200 years, Alexander. They know what honesty is. They're honorable."

"I think that's open for debate," Alec countered. "At least in the case of the Chairman."

Magnus sputtered indignantly but chose not to respond. Instead, he took a roll, tore it in half, and fed half of it to the cat, who was waiting underneath the table with a confident, self-satisfied gleam to his eyes.

Alec rolled his eyes. "You need to stop feeding him human food, Magnus. He's obese."

"No, he's not. He's just fluffy."

Alec shook his head in exasperation, chuckling. "You're blind when it comes to those that you love, Mags."

"Mm, how true that is, Alexander." Magnus rose a few feet from his chair to press a light kiss to Alec's lips.

Alec hummed in gratitude when Magnus pulled away, popping the last piece of steak into his mouth. "I'll clean the dishes," Alec offered, standing up. "Since you made dinner."

"I didn't make dinner, darling. I borrowed dinner from a restaurant in New Hampshire. And I'm too eager to see this surprise of yours to wait for you to clean up all the soap you'll get on my counter in the process of washing the dishes." He snapped his fingers and the plates and utensils disappeared, along with the leftover steak.

Alec pointed to the half-full platter of potatoes. "What are you going to do with those?"

"...give them to the cats."

"Magnus."

"They're hungry! Look at them!" He pointed to the double doors leading to the balcony, where several other cats that Magnus fed had congregated, meowing pitifully and looking at Chairman Meow with something akin to jealousy.

"They're deceiving you, Magnus. You gave them cream this morning, remember?"

Magnus did remember. "That doesn't mean anything. We have three meals a day, and they're only supposed to live on one?"

Alec sighed, inserting every bit of overdramatic Lightwood flair he could muster up into the sound. Magnus smiled and pecked him on the cheek. "Go wait for me in the living room, darling. And get that surprise ready, would you?" He threw his husband a glittery wink before disappearing onto the balcony.

When Magnus returned, Alec had settled himself on the sofa and pulled up the email. His hands shook and his thick black hair clung to his perspiration-dotted forehead. This was it. Time to tell Magnus what was going on.

For better or for worse.

"So what is this?" Magnus asked, gesturing to the email on Alec's phone screen.

"Here. Read." Alec thrust the phone into Magnus's hands.

When Magnus got to the end of the email, to Alec's surprise, he was beaming.

"Oh, Alexander, this is wonderful! Congratulations!" Magnus pulled Alec into a tight hug. "I knew you would be appointed Inquisitor. I'm so happy for you, sweetheart."

"Y-You're not upset?"

"Upset? Darling, why would I be upset?"

"Because the Inquisitor position is in Alicante," Alec mumbled. "It's - I mean - I couldn't possibly portal back home to New York every night."

"Alec, look at me." Magnus cupped Alec's cheek in his palm and tilted his chin up, forcing him to meet Magnus's eyes. "Distance means nothing to me. While it is, of course, preferable to have you close, I will love you no matter where you are in the world. Distance can do nothing against our bond." He raised his hand, on which the Lightwood family ring stood out proudly, for emphasis.

Alec felt tears rise to his eyes, but he quickly blinked them away. "Magnus, I - you have no idea how much that means to me. I just - I just thought the distance might be too much for you. Alicante is a long way from home." He bit his lip and focused his gaze on his lap once more.

"Well, though I stand by my original point, I have a surprise for you, as well," Magnus said. He raised his hand and, a few seconds later, a scroll flew into his hand from their bedroom. He handed it over to Alec, smiling. "Read it."

Dear Mr. Lightwood-Bane, Due to your unique skill set, we would like to request your presence in Alicante. The Head of the New York Institute, Mr. Alexander Lightwood-Bane, and his Downworld Cabinet have brought to our attention the need for a more open, welcoming environment here in the city. We would like to ask you to be the first High Warlock of Alicante. Should you choose to accept this offer, please send a return message with your confirmation and we will arrange a date to discuss further details, including your salary and the hours you will be expected to be available for work. Thank you very much. Please reply at your earliest convenience. Sincerely, Consul Penhallow & staff

Alec peered up at Magnus from beneath his lashes, blinking incredulously. "Mags, how long have you known about this?"

"About as long as you've known you won the race for Inquisitor," Magnus replied. He smirked at Alec's dumbfounded expression. "Of course I could tell, darling," he said, reading his husband's mind. "You were giddy with joy from the moment they emailed you." Alec chuckled. After all, Magnus wasn't wrong. Despite his misgivings about how it would affect his future with his husband, Alec had been overjoyed to learn he was to be the new Inquisitor. “I wanted to tell you sooner, but then there was that mishap with one of the werewolf packs and the vampire clan, and then you had that nest of Drevak demons to deal with - " Magnus cut himself off with a smile. "Anyway, it just never seemed like the right time."

"And you want to? Accept the offer, I mean."

"I do," Magnus replied steadily. "I've thought about it, and New York is my home. It's where I found my place after nearly a century of wandering the Earth, not quite fitting in anywhere I went. It's where I've lived for the past 200 years and it's where I want to be when I die. But Alicante is a new opportunity, and I want to embrace it. I can very easily see myself being quite happy there. The fact that I am allowed in at all to a city that was once warded against all Downworlders is sign enough that things are changing, and I have you to thank for that. Being the first of my kind to take the leap and change old prejudices is something I dream about. Besides, I can take the best of New York with me." He gestured to his apartment, sweeping over the cats, still huddled around the plate of mashed potatoes, and the framed picture of Catarina that hung on the wall, before turning to Alec and placing a sound kiss on his lips. "Wherever you go, Alexander, I'm right there with you."

Alec rested his forehead against Magnus's and exhaled a sigh of relief. "I'm so glad you want to go." He looked up to meet Magnus's eyes. "I agree with everything you were saying earlier, about distance not being able to diminish what we feel, but I think I need to see you." He huffed a breath of a laugh. "If I didn't have you there with me, I think I'd go insane from all of the Clave's politics."

Alec, now fully relaxed with the knowledge that he was not going to be leaving his husband behind to further his career in Alicante, slumped into Magnus's side, resting his head on Magnus's shoulder. Magnus kissed it absentmindedly, reaching down to run his fingers through Alec's hair. Alec purred in delight when Magnus's nails scratched over his scalp, and buried his face into the bright purple vest Magnus was wearing in order to give him more access.

"I wouldn't blame you, sweetheart. The Clave can be quite intolerable." Alec hummed in response.

"Are you tired?"

"No," Alec said, suppressing a yawn.

Magnus chuckled. "Sure you aren't. Come on, darling, let's go to bed."

"But it's only eight!"

"And numbers mean nothing," Magnus said firmly. "We can go to bed whenever we'd like to. Come on, get up."

"I'm pretty comfy right here."

Magnus rolled his eyes. "We are not sleeping on the couch again, Alexander."

"You go on ahead. I'll join you in a minute."

"No, you won't," Magnus said knowingly. "You'll fall asleep here and wake up with a sore neck and a bad attitude. Come on, darling, just a few steps."

"Can't you just use magic?" Alec whined. "You're warm. I don't want to move."

"Alright, alright," Magnus relented. A wisp of cool blue floated from his fingertips and surrounded Alec, levitating him into the bedroom while maintaining the comfortable warmth from the couch. Magnus followed shortly afterwards, magicking himself and Alec into suitable sleepwear.

Alec curled up on his side of the bed and called out for Magnus impatiently. Magnus chuckled and slid underneath the red silk sheets, pressing himself to his husband’s side. He dropped a light kiss to Alec's forehead and pulled him close.

By the time Magnus had buried his face in Alec's hair, ripe with the scent of sandalwood and citrus, and whispered, "Goodnight," Alec was already asleep, snoring quietly next to the man he loved.

Centuries' worth of heartbreak seemed like nothing at all when Magnus was with Alec.

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elizabeth-234 · 5 years

Text

The Supplejack

Chapter Five: The Beginning

Previous - Chapter Four: They aren’t There Yet

Warnings: none

Summary: Peter Parker has been alone his whole freshman year but finds hope when Stark Industries announces a science competition. The prize? An internship with Tony Stark.

Hi friends! I hope you are doing well. Thank you for sticking with the story. Updates should be more regular from now on :) For those of you who are reading my other story I am working on a chapter of Someone to Care now and it should be up soon. Thanks again! This one is more a transition chapter but I hope you enjoy.

The alarm on his phone blared loud, interrupting a sleepless dream. Peter groaned as the bones in his neck popped under his stretch. Today was the day. The papers were signed, his schedule was cleared, and he was ready. As ready as he ever was going to be.

Once he dragged himself out of bed, Peter stared into the mirror attempting to comb his hair into place. The tool ran through one curl, taming it into place, when another would appear somewhere else. It was infuriating. He sighed giving up and threw the comb back into the drawer. There was a worn out hole in his sleeve right where his thumb rested. He kept pulling it down and unconsciously sticking his finger through the opening as he ran through the checklist in his head again. Not trusting his earlier preparations he hefted his backpack down on the bed and went through the folders again.

There would be enough time to make his way there and be a little early. He stuffed the folder back in his bag and left his room. The dishes covered in remnants were stacked in the sink and Peter glanced at his watch. There was enough time.

Quickly he soaped and dried the dishes. Once they were away he turned off the lights and left the apartment skipping down the stairs. He raised his hand in salute to the man lounging on his front porch, beer in hand. The subway was running on time today but Peter stopped to listen to his favorite saxophone street player. The coins that were in the bottom of one of his backpack pockets clinked together as they fell into the empty case in front of the player. Peter briefly glanced up and she nodded while continuing to play on the platform.

Looking at his watch again he realized he would be exactly on time if everything went smoothly. He elongated his pace and started power walking up the stairs. His breath came out in short puffs when he spotted a lady carrying one to many bags on her way out of a store.

His feet skidded to a halt as he spied her look both ways, head bending around the bags, before venturing out into the busy sidewalk. The woman wobbled between the people as they bumped her packages without a second glance.

He glanced at his watch again. Then back at the lady.

She was heading in the right direction after all. He bounced on the heels of his feet before plunging into motion. Navigating through the people he caught up with her just as one of the brown bags piled on top was about to teeter off. It fell forward and he reached to catch it. He didn’t know if a touch on her shoulder would be welcome and he asked loudly so that she could hear if she needed further help. Her white hair peeped out from the bottom of her hat as she turned her head around the bags to look at him. A smile graced her lips and he could feel the tips of his ears heat.

“Yes, please. If it’s not too much trouble.” The bags weighed down his arms but he sealed a breath in and nodded.

“No trouble at all, Miss.”

“Miss? I haven’t been called that since I was a bit younger. Aren’t you a polite thing?”

Peter could feel his cheeks ripen and they continued on to her apartment. Sweat gathered under his arms as small tremors traveled down to his fingers from the weight. A sigh of relief escaped him when the bags were finally in a cart located in the front lobby. She thanked Peter and pinched his cheek. He rubbed his hand across the sore spot and tried to ignore the clenching in his stomach at her contact. The woman’s smile didn’t fade as he mumbled that he needed to go. She just turned the little cart around.

The position of the arms on his watch alarmed him and once she was safely in the elevator he ran from the building. Down the street, dodging people as he went, he shuddered when he stepped into a puddle. He was breathing hard when he made it to the front desk. A ring of condensation formed under his fists resting on the desk and he could feel the water slushing in the soles of his shoes. The man working at the front desk glanced up and his eyes widened at the state of Peter.

“I’m sorry,” he said in between wheezes. “I’m... ”

“Peter Parker. Here’s your badge. Just go straight up to lab five.” He tempered the continued tremor in his hands and took the badge. Covertly wiping away the condensation with his sleeve he mumbled a thanks and walked up.

The outline of his face was visible in the elevator. He wiped his hand across his forehead and wiped the moisture on his pants. Peter’s foot tapped against the wall and he checked to make sure his breath didn’t smell. His head popped up to make sure there were no cameras watching his preening. When the gleam of the small screen caught his eye the blush erupted across his face and neck.

“Friday?” He asked hesitantly.

“Hello, Peter. How are you today?” Her voice was pleasant and immediately calmed him.

“I’m, uh, okay. How are you?”

“Today is a pleasant day. I’m happy to hear you are well. You seem to be overheated.”

“Yeah, I’ve been running and late this morning.”

“Here, let me help.” A blast of cool air hit him and his bangs dried in a matter of seconds. He sighed as the tips of his hair curled around some invisible rod.

“Thanks, Friday! That’s great.”

“That’s what I’m here for, Peter. Here you are. Lab five is down the hall to the right.”

“Thanks again. I, I hope you have a nice day.”

“And you as well.” Peter smiled up into the air, unsure of where to look before scrabbling through the closing doors. The weight on his shoulders hadn’t lessened but he felt, for a moment, that he was more able to carry it. He glanced at his watch and cringed. Twenty minutes late for his first day. Would they fire him?

He stopped in front of the doors and let his eyes loose focus. He could do this. Mr. Stark said they chose him. He had to do this. His eyes lifted and the doors slid open on their own.

The breath caught in his throat when he spied a dozen eyes glancing back at him. His palms and forehead cold from Friday’s help now were drenched. Peter mumbled an apology and slipped into the first open seat he saw. Flash was seated in the front and the butterflies in his stomach swarmed. He was happy Flash had made it but the nerves the boy evoked were still there.

The woman in front started talking again, not calling attention to his interruption.

“As I was saying you were all chosen for a reason and now represent the Stark brand. Therefore ….” She went on to talk about the rules for the interns and expectations. Peter zoned out and concentrated on minimizing the sweat he was rapidly accumulating.

“Now, since there are eight of you, for the majority of the project you will be spilt into two groups of four. That way you can get to know each other more but it will be more coherent group work.”

The butterflies lessened when he found out he was in a different group then Flash. Instead he was with an older boy named Frank, Monica, and the last was young like him. Her name was Julia. She gave him a smile before looking down when they met eyes. Frank took charge and had them all introduce themselves to the group.

Frank was a senior in high school and couldn’t wait to go to college. He seemed levelheaded and encouraged the others to talk. Monica went next. She was practical and already had more than one internship. There was a steel glint to her eye that made Peter nervous but overall was professional. Peter liked Julia the best. She was younger than him and almost as nervous. Julia stammered a little with her introduction but managed to smile at the end.

Frank was sure they would work well together and didn’t seem put off by Peter’s quiet demeanor. Peter found out that the head intern’s name was Lee and everyone seemed to like her. They would be working on a project together and have smaller weekly check-ins with the group leader. Frank elected himself and he would be in charge of the monthly updates to Lee. They plotted out a schedule so some days they would be working together and others they would be able to work on their separate piece they were responsible for.

Pages of Peter’s notebook were filled with notes by the time they were done. He had just got his teammates numbers when Lee called him over. He flinched down; sure she was going to reprimand him for coming late. Her voice was soft and he looked up under his eyelashes.

“You’ve been asked to stay after today. There were some papers of yours that needed fixing. After your done with your group head on up to lab two.”

He walked away on unsteady legs and cursed himself for not paying enough attention. Mentally he went through the list of papers and couldn’t think of one he missed. He had checked and rechecked to make sure he had everything.

“What was that all about?” Monica asked as she looked up from her notebook, the words were meticulous in their neatness.

“Oh, uh, just more paperwork, I guess.” She snorted in sympathy and went back to note taking.

“Alright. This looks good. Glad you dudes are ready to work. I’ve got to get to work but I look forward to working with each other.” Frank nodded at them before leaving with Monica.

Julia sat there staring down at her notebook reading when Peter noticed it was blank.

“Hey, uh, Julia right?” She looked up startled and nodded before looking down again.

“I really like your pen.” He cringed at the bad segue but was surprised when her expression brightened.

“Thanks! This is actually the prototype of what I did on my audition. It memorizes what you write and plugs it into an app I programmed. The newer model is way cooler but I’m afraid I might break it if I use it all the time… Sorry you didn’t ask for that whole explanation.”

“No, that sounds cool. I wish I had something like that in class. It would be easier to keep track of everything.” She looked up to him and blushed.

“If you want I could make you one?”

“You, you don’t have to at all.”

“I have a bunch at home so it’s no problem.” They came to the elevators and he stopped.

“Thanks, Julia. It was good meeting you. I have more paperwork to fill out so I’m heading up.”

Her smile remained in place and Peter hoped that he got to know her better. He felt a kind of kindred with her and recognized many of his own traits in her. They waved goodbye and Peter made his way up. Friday directed him to lab two. The doors were shut but as Peter reached to knock they opened on their own. He really had to get used to that.

Peter stopped for a moment when he saw Mr. Stark facing away from him, scrolling through a screen in midair.

“Uh, Mr. Stark?”

“Come on back, kid.” Peter made his way past the different tables piled with materials, forcing himself forward so he wouldn’t be caught staring. The man didn’t turn around but patted a seat next to him.

“How was the first day?” Peter fidgeted to get comfortable but gave up because it was causing too much noise. Uncomfortably, he crossed his legs so he would stay balanced.

“Oh, it was great Mr. Stark. Thank you again.”

“Give me something more than just the word great.” Peter was silent, not sure what to say, how he would describe the day. The man swirled to look at Peter.

“Let’s start with who’s in your group?” The man asked, his eyebrows rose in curiosity. Peter ran his fingers along the edge of the table while he answered.

“There’s Frank, who seems nice. He’s been a good leader so far. Monica is intimating but again seems nice and Julia is really sweet. She’s even younger than me!” He looked up to find Mr. Stark smiling at him. The man’s eyes softened.

“That’s probably the longest sentence you’ve ever said to me, kid. Thank you.” That made Peter’s heart clench for some reason but he couldn’t bring himself to say anything in response. “Anyway, I have a proposition for you. I know you will be busy with the stuff downstairs but I didn’t know if you wanted to come help me out sometimes on another side project?”

“Yes!” He spoke without thinking. He didn’t have to think about it, was more than willing to help out Mr. Stark.

“Hold on, you don’t even know what it is for.”  

“It’s okay, I want to help.”

“Have it your way but you should ask your aunt’s permission before you commit. I’ll expect a definite answer next time you come.” Peter nodded already knowing May would be fine with it.

“You are free to stay for a bit or can go if you have somewhere to be.”

“I’ll stay if you’re sure I’m not in the way.”

“I’m just tinkering.” Mr. Stark swung back around to look at the images hovering. They were parts of some design Peter never had seen before and he hesitantly asked the man. He answered politely. Mr. Stark seemed content to answer but Peter didn’t want to mess with his thinking process and just sat quickly next to him.

Mr. Stark got absorbed in his work and Peter quietly pulled out his Austen. He was working on Sense and Sensibility now. He was sucked into his own world and it wasn’t until someone’s back popped that he was brought back. Mr. Stark rubbed his eyes and looked around. They widened when they saw Peter sitting, still there.

“Peter? Have you been there for the whole time?”

Peter hunched his back into himself. “I’m sorry Mr. Stark! I just thought…”

“No don’t apologize. It’s my fault it’s so late. Let’s get you some food and I’ll have someone take you home.”

Peter jumped up.   “Its okay! I can get home myself.”

“Listen, I insist. I can tell you’ve got a protective one in May I am sure she wouldn’t want me to send a starving child back to her.”  Peters face burned in embarrassment. Mr. Stark clapped him on the shoulder and led them up a set of stairs Peter hadn’t seen before. There were surprisingly little options and Mr. Stark pulled out a frozen pizza from the freezer. It was heating and they sat in silence.

Peter looked around in awe what looked like some type of apartment. All of the counters were immaculate and the furniture was beautiful but it was missing something. He glanced back at Mr. Stark whose back was turned toward the stove before looking around again. There were no pictures on the walls. In his apartment May made sure that all their family photos were hanging on the walls. It was one of the things he hated after Ben left because every time he walked in their naïve smiling faces loomed in front of him.

Here, though, the room was sparse. There was art hanging on the wall, large books on a coffee table but nothing that spoke of the person who lived here. It looked more like a museum or spread in an architecture magazine than a home.

Peter played with the hole in his shirt trying to gather the nerve to speak to the man. For once Mr. Stark seemed to feel Peter’s own awkward nature and it was rubbing off on him. They ate in silence and not for the first time Peter wished that he could interact like a normal human. Mr. Stark made sure he had thirds of pizza, which left Peter with a warm feeling.

When they finished Mr. Stark offered to drive him home or have someone drive him but Peter resisted fully this time. He thanked Mr. Stark who stared at him hard when he refused to let someone drive him home again.

“Thank you for the pizza and everything. Have a good night, Mr. Stark.” Peter could feel the man’s eyes trained on him as he got into the elevator. As the doors were closing he looked up to meet those eyes and gave a small wave. It might have been the distance between them but he thought he saw Mr. Stark’s eyes soften for a moment.

Peter breathed a sigh when the doors shut and the elevator moved.  He thanked Friday for all her help that day and she wished him a good night.

The air was cool and the city sounds cocooned him in familiar comfort. Peter cringed at his dismal conversation skills and wondered why Mr. Stark invited him to stay. Why the man was even paying attention to him at all.

Thank you!!

Chapter Six: Not so Empty Classrooms

#The Supplejack #spiderman #spiderman fanfiction #fanfiction #peter parker #iron man #tony stark #AO3 fic #marvel fanfiction #mcu #intern peter #eliza writes #my writing #writing #new chapter #irondad #spiderson

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fly-pow-bye · 5 years

Text

Powerpuff Girls 2016 - “Checkin’ Out”

Written by: Jake Goldman, Haley Mancini

Written & Storyboarded by: Benjamin P. Carow, Caitlin Vanarsdale

Directed by: Nick Jennings, Bob Boyle

A special night time version of Fly Pow Bye this week! Thankfully, this store is open 24/7.

Our episode begins with Townsville under attack by a nameless alien invasion, as led by an evil alien that bears a striking resemblance to Vilgax from Ben 10. First Logan from Never Been Blissed, and now this. Wonder when Dollar General Gwen will show up. He has come to destroy this world unless they give him something he really wants: a nice dinner.

Earth has a ton of great chefs that can easily fulfill that request for that nice dinner, and they probably would accept. I'm sure there's at least one guy on the planet that will drive him in his yellow Chevy in his quest to go to the fabled "Flavortown." However, Dollar Store Vilgax seemingly only wants meals from people that look like bug-eyed aliens, and the Reboot Puffs take it upon themselves to satisfy his hunger. This sounds like a start of a commercial for Powerpuff Girls Macaroni and Cheese.

Wow, that mac and cheese has really gone bad! No, this is actually a dish called Plat de Fantise de Gelee de Cereales. In English, a fancy jelly cereal dish, and that's assuming they meant to say "fantaisie." I should not knock them on their French, because I'll admit that I used Google Translate for that. This is what Blossom decides this alien would really like, mostly because the site said it was "out of this world". Certainly doesn't look like anything of this world, so it's probably fitting!

Bubbles looks at this dish and says that this dish is so fancy, that they have to go to the fanciest supermarket in town...

...Savings Pig! See, the joke is that this store doesn't seem like a delicatessen, and the "savings" implies that it's a discount store. That seems to be a running theme in the reboot; they went to discount superhero clothing stores on quite a few occasions. I would have preferred Malph's, but I guess it wouldn't be as funny if that was said by a redneck impression.

They manage to get all but two of the ingredients...at least, that's what Blossom claims. Did the recipe really call for an unwrapped chicken drumstick and a sausage? Also, even if this is the Savings Pig, how can the Reboot Puffs afford all of what's in that cart on a 6-year-old's allowance? It might be hard to convince the cashier that the fate of the world should be payment enough. Chances are, we may not even get that far.

Blossom tasks Bubbles and Buttercup for cereal and jelly, deciding to get the two items that the dish is named after last. The dish's name is in French, but they do have someone who can speak French on the team, along with every other language. This episode...kind of uses that later in the episode? Bubbles asks what kind of cereal, and Blossom says that the recipe doesn't say. I would think that would be important, but I guess they couldn't spin a plot like this on us if it was specific:

Blossom: I don't want to sound over-dramatic, but the fate of the world rests on what cereal you pick.

(dramatic thump)

Yeah, Bubbles, calm down, it's only the end of the world.

Buttercup is tasked to find the jelly. The recipe isn't clear on this one, either, but I could see Buttercup just assuming what flavor it is. She is an uncaring rascal, after all. Moving past the jelly sauce and the jelly mayo, she finds that the regular, plain jelly has been moved. Buttercup scoffs at this sabotage against the world, which may be a little more literal considering the world is in peril, and she's on the case!

Literally, as the scene goes into this black-and-white film-noir-esque comic style, as Detective Buttercup, PI starts to investigate the disappearance of this rare ordinary jelly.

If you haven't guessed yet, this is a three shorts episode, where each Powerpuff Girl gets their own story that combines their supermarket sweep and their imagination. I must say, this visual choice for Buttercup is a highlight of the episode, and it is really disappointing that Buttercup's part in this is the only part that really does this. It would have been interesting to see this reboot's version of The Bare Facts. They do borrow one thing from that episode, and really don't do it as well.

We suddenly cut to Bubbles trying to decide which cereal would be the best to add to this dish. There's Rainbow Raspberries, Marshmallow Majorettes, Count Von Sugar, and Leprechaun Lingonuts. It's made by leprechauns, for leprechauns, as proven by an actual leprechaun that happened to be shopping. By that name, I hope it's not made with leprechauns. Unfortunately, none of these cereals jump out to Bubbles as something that would appeal to aliens! If only Quisp still existed!

It's not that they don't jump out, period, as, suddenly, the mascots for all of those cereals hop out of the boxes, ready to advertise themselves to this impressionable youth. Surprisingly, Bubbles doesn't start screaming and flying out of the store in horror like that one Sprite ad. Instead, she starts a dance party with them!

Thankfully before Bubbles gets to twerk again, we immediately cut to Blossom getting in line, knowing fully well that Bubbles and Buttercup can find jelly and cereal in time. Thankfully, she never heard about the Bubbles getting the mail situation, and it's probably for the best that nobody does. She uses the express line, with a rule against having more than 115 items.

However, she notices the line is taking too long, and notices the elderly woman in front of the line has 116 items in her cart, one more than the limit. Shocked at this crime, she goes up to a clerk and demands that she takes her away, and she gets ignored. But how, this misdemeanor might cost Blossom a whole 3 seconds of the poor cashier scanning that one extra item before she can save the world!

Suddenly, Blossom gets into an imagination spot of her own, where this old lady is the Witch of 116 Items, sitting on a pile of them on top of the only bridge to town, preventing everyone from going home! She imagines herself as Lady Blossom of the Savings Pig, giving a little more meaning to the store's name by making Blossom look even more ridiculous.

That's all we get out of that plot before they cut back to the Buttercup plot, where she terrorizes a hapless clerk who was just stocking some Soup Soap. She demands to know where the jelly went, or she'll give him a jawbreaker! This is a set up for a joke about the candy, but it feels a little forced. If someone is holding me against a wall, threatening me with something called a jawbreaker, that candy would be the last thing I'd think about.

He obliges when offered said jawbreaker for that info, saying it's in Aisle 64, and Buttercup just leaves. The clerk then demands his jawbreaker, and Buttercup, ever so thankful of this clerk who gave her all the information she needed, throws it at him with enough force to actually break his jaws. Oh, that rascal!

We don't get to see what happened to that clerk as this transitions to...the Blossom plot? In the span of 3 minutes, they changed the focus 5 times, and they couldn't even be bothered to take turns. This episode just rapidly changes between these three plots randomly, as if a baby just decided to start teething on a remote control. We get one joke, and then the scene changes, and then another joke, and then the scene changes, rarely can the plot actually breathe. It gets kind of annoying.

A partial thing that might be causing more harm to this kind of editing, also seen in episodes like Splitsville, is that Blossom's part is lackluster by comparison. Bubbles and Buttercup get pretty relatable situations, letting their imaginations fly with being indecisive and finding relocated items. Blossom, on the other hand, is getting angry over something most people would just brush off. Seems to be a general problem with Blossom, actually.

Anyway, she gets pelted by witchcraft-propelled groceries. That's all we get from this cut; it might as well have been tacked on to the earlier scene.

We smash cut to Bubbles, even if there was a very good opportunity to use those groceries as a transition, who is now in a cereal wonderland. This land is filled with cereal, their mascots, and some pretty shameless copyright infringement! Along with the other characters that are certainly on the side of parody, we have what is clearly Toucan Sam and Tony the Tiger just dancing along. Tony does look a little bit different with his yellow shirt, but that's clearly just Toucan Sam. They didn't even try to make him look different; he even has the same nose colors.

There's a possibility that they owed Kellogg's some product placement for making that Powerpuff Girls cereal from decades ago. I doubt it.

Everyone, except for Tony and Toucan Sam, the latter of which only appearing in that one shot, asks Bubbles to choose them, even telling her to take them all if she can't decide on one. Just like the Buttercup plot, this is relatable, though in a different way. Anyone had those times where they couldn't decide between one thing or another, even something as minor as cereal choice, and this is a decent metaphor for that mental state.

But we don't have time to think about that, because we already switched to the Buttercup plot. Buttercup manages to find Aisle 64, represented in her imagination as this secret warehouse with a little peephole. It's a nice touch. Eventually, the perpetrator of the jelly scandal smacks her with the door, and runs off with the last jelly jar in the store. Buttercup chases after him, and we get another smash cut to Bubbles.

The episode switching the channel yet again, we see that Bubbles finally decided on giving the aliens some Cherry Chimpanzees with their jelly. The other mascots don't take it too well. Again, a good sight into this kind of mental state; no matter which option you choose, you always get the feeling that the other choices were better. By the way:

Leprechaun Lingonuts mascot: When we're done with her, she'll be seeing stars...and rainbows, and...

That joke was funny. Maybe it's funny compared to the "it's not even made of real chimpanzees" joke that Not Count Chocula says, but still. Both FoodFight and this episode have obvious Count Chocula clones; I guess it's far less risky to skirt that copyright when he's already a parody.

Meanwhile, Blossom is cutting up all of those groceries, ending with Blossom making a cheese board, a fruit bowl, and a ham sandwich. The joke is...she's cutting up food? After effortlessly slicing and dicing like a Slap Chop, the Witch says this completely original line:

Witch of 116 Items: You fared well against the appetizers...but how will you do against the main course?!

Yeah, you're no Broccoloid, lady.

After a sword slice transition, something this episode needed more of, we see that Buttercup catches up to the jelly-thieving crook. She decides to reveal who he really is: Big Peanut Butter! Sort of like Big Tobacco and Big Pharma, Big Peanut Butter was in a conspiracy to make him more desirable for the recipe. He snaps his fingers, and his goons show up, ready to take her on, crunchy-style. Buttercup, undeterred, says this one liner:

Buttercup: I always know how to get out of a jam!

I'll give them this: it's better than "let's strawberry jam out of here."

Unlike Bubbles, who runs away at the sight, Buttercup isn't afraid to punch out all of the goons in a slideshow beatdown. And then Buttercup realizes she's now surrounded by four heavily bruised customers, plus a poor clerk with a broken jaw. Okay, that actually didn't happen...as far as this episode is concerned, anyway.

She asks the monkey what she can do about this. Gasp, Bubbles talking to animals that can't talk back?! One minor bit of disappointment is that she just talks to it in English just like Lassie. All the pieces were set for another animal impression; it's an animal, Bubbles can supposedly still talk to animals, and, even though he's a cereal mascot, that monkey can't even talk!

This monkey's plan is to melting them all with milk. Can't say it's not a fitting end for this part, though she should thank the shooting stars and four leaf clovers that Captain Roofofyourmouthkiller wasn't one of the options.

We quickly go through everyone else's ending in the same haphazard way the rest of the episode goes through, which fits a lot better since this is what leads to the conclusion. Buttercup, even with her ability to fly super fast, even keeping her green contrail that doesn't make sense with the part's style, she couldn't stop the Jelly from crashing into the ground.

As for Blossom, the Witch just ends up running out of items. Seeing an opportunity to attack, she takes out some baguettes and starts to slideshow beat down her into submission with them. Why baguettes?

Because that's what she was holding outside of their imagination. Okay, I slightly lied about lying about Buttercup, though we never get to see who or what she beat up outside of her imagination. The Reboot Puffs get banned from the Savings Pig, leaving them with no other option but to serve the aliens a casserole made of whatever they had in the cupboard. To make this long story short, they get away with it. They even say they got away with it.

Buttercup: Uh, did we just get away with this?

Blossom: Yup.

Yeah, in your universe, maybe. Oh, and thanks for forgetting the lesson you learned in Imagine That, girls. That is how the episode ends. Once again, the day isn't saved thanks to the Powerpuff Girls. They just get away with it, don't they?

Does the title fit?

Perfectly describes one of the plots in this episode, at least.

How does it stack up?

While the way I ended this review made it seem like I was going to give this a Disgusted, I couldn't really give it one in the end. I can't really knock this episode's creativity. The Buttercup part is a good send-up of the usual film noir tropes, the Bubbles part has a few decent jokes, and the Blossom part participated.

In the end, it's not okay enough for a Happy, nor is it offensive enough for a Disgusted. In the immortal words of Fake Tony the Tiger, this episode is grrrr-medio-grrrr.

Next, this show lays another bomb.

← Brainlord ☆ Drama Bomb →

#ppg 2016 #powerpuff girls #cartoon network #fpb ppg 2016 #fpb reviews

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nalufever · 5 years

Text

For the Best

Chapter two of On Camera

Fandom: The Flash

Snowells, Caitlin Snow x Harry Wells

Rated: mature (future lemon)

Caitlin held her pillow in a death grip, a thin line of saliva connecting her to it as she crooned softly in her sleep. Her smartphone chirped with the tone from an incoming text which she was able to ignore. Mere seconds later, Caitlin's alarm blared rock music and she rolled and bolted upright, bleary eyes and clumsy hands searching for her phone to quell the source of the disturbance.

Get up. Your ride is here.

Swinging her legs over the edge of the bed and onto the floor, Caitlin detached her phone from her charger and started typing a response. Is there coffee?

Her phone pinged and a picture popped up on screen - two large steaming coffee confections. Caitlin tapped furiously. Gimme ten minutes!

New music blared and Caitlin swiped to answer the phone, closing her eyes. "Yes?"

"Hey. Do you want me to wither waiting in the car or come on in so you can take longer getting ready?"

"Harry, you already know." Caitlin giggled and then tapped the 'hang up' icon. Life was funny. They'd immediately clicked as friends from day one of the movie shoot, bonding over lunch and shared scenes. They were written as good friends and that had naturally morphed over into their real lives. It wasn't hard after all - Harry treated everyone with enormous respect and kindness.

When her car had developed an unholy rattle (and her garage mechanic was booked for several weeks), Harry had volunteered to drive her, saying he was sure Caitlin would do the same for him.

Harry knocked on the front door, waited a minute and then let himself in with the key Caitlin had insisted on giving him. Caitlin had a nasty habit of falling back asleep. Having another person making noise helped keep her awake - most of the time. He wandered into the kitchen and popped the muffins he'd brought into the microwave, looking for the butter where he'd left it last - having to take the butter out of the fridge. He sighed. Rock hard. He'd have to nuke that too or risk turning the pastries into crumbs.

The two coffees he set on the kitchen island and moved to the sink. Dirty plates and take-out containers scattered on the countertop. Harry grinned; time to make some noise. He ran the hot water, dumped in a healthy amount of soap and began to clean the dishes, making sure to drop the silverware into the sink of bubbles and then into the other side, piece by clean piece.

"Can you not make such a racket?" Caitlin trudged over to her drink and took a sip, sighing with contentment. "God, this is soooo good."

"You don't have to call me God."

"I wasn't. Should I call you the butter police?" Caitlin took the butter off the counter and moved it into the fridge. "Can you please stop doing that?"

"What?" Harry turned his smile to maximum wattage. "Making it easily usable?"

"I keep it cold for portion control if you must know. The harder it is to spread, the less I use."

"…" Harry shook his head and restrained himself from looking at Caitlin's fit body. "You don't need to diet."

"Tell that to my agent and most of the directors I've worked with." Caitlin noticed the pair of buttered muffins gently steaming on a plate. "At least you'll be gaining weight with me."

"Then let's eat." Harry started the sink draining, wiping his hands on a towel and slouched on his favourite barstool. "You're gonna need energy for today's shoot - they've got you scheduled for that running scene."

"Oh yeah," -Caitlin snagged a piece of muffin right out of Harry's hand-"might as well carb up then." She smirked, breaking into a giggle at Harry's look of outrage. "You're the one who told me I don't have to diet, you've got no one to blame but yourself."

He smiled. "I'm my own worst enemy."

Director Tina flipped pages on her script and frowned. "This scene is right before 'Tom' makes his big discovery - but you're supposed to be angry at his distrust of you, 'Danielle.' I need your running to be angry."

"Sorry, I'll do better." Caitlin apologized, lips pressed in a tight line. "I won't let you down." Her eyes were drawn to Harry who approached Iris and whispered into her ear. Caitlin scowled.

"Perfect!" Tina clapped her hands. "That expression - perfect."

Caitlin allowed the wardrobe workers to tidy her appearance for the hopefully last take she'd need to do running in stupidly high heels. The clapperboard was held in front of the camera, clapped - and Caitlin started acting.

"Drop me off at Trevelyan's Tavern?" asked Caitlin. "I accepted a last minute date and it was just easier to meet right after work. So glad they don't need me for the weekend."

"Of course." Harry glanced at his passenger. "Mind giving me directions?"

Caitlin fumbled with her phone, tapping away and giving up with a frown. "I'm out of juice - hand me yours?"

"I'd love to, but I'm sitting on it." Harry stole another look at Caitlin, his expression unreadable. "Don't get weird about this, but-"

"I'm not about to reach in there and grab it!"

"Y'know when you assume, you make an ass out of you and me?" Harry pointed at the glove box. "As I was about to say, don't get weird about this, but I picked up a charging cable for your brand of phone."

"Oh." Caitlin knew her cheeks were radiating heat and colour. "Sorry."

"Heh, as if I'd hit on someone young enough to be my daughter."

"I know. You have too much class for that, but you can't be my dad's age," exclaimed Caitlin. "He's seventy." She grinned. "I'm not as young as I look either."

"Most people would just reassure me I'm not old." Stopped at a traffic light, Harry gave Caitlin a mock glare. "You know us actors are sensitive about our ages."

"You're many things, but you're not age obsessed." Caitlin withdrew the cord from the glove box and connected her phone. "Thanks."

"Don't be too happy. I didn't want you using all my data."

Caitlin rolled her eyes. "Whatever you say, old man."

Home had never called so strongly to Harry before; the weather was beautiful - a brightly blazing sun and endless blue sky - the grass and flowers were out in full glory. Harry removed his shoes and took his book out into the courtyard so he could enjoy the fresh air, turning on his favourite music before settling down on an Adirondack chair.

Realizing he'd read the same paragraph several times without making sense of it, he shut the book and sighed. Something felt…off. Not quite right. Work on the movie was going good - most of his scenes were in the can and he was enjoying his co-workers - well, most of them. He still hadn't warmed up very much to Julian, but the man had made an effort to be more friendly.

Stomach rumbling, Harry decided to fix that problem, but upon surveying the contents of his fridge decided a trip to the grocery store was first. Or should he dine out? Thoughts of Trevelyan's Tavern flitted into his brain and he immediately squashed them. Caitlin and her date were there, and it was already weird enough that they were carpooling, if he showed up and Caitlin noticed, she would definitely think he was creepin'. Did young people call it that anymore? Eh.

Harry pulled into the closest supermarket and parked - but before he could exit the car, his phone rang. "Yello?"

"I need a favour! Can you pick me up?"

"I'm fine, how're you?"

Harry regretted his flippancy at Caitlin's next words. "My date is not going well - he's got a restraining order against him-" her voice grew louder, "-and he's proud of that!"

"I can be there in under ten minutes." Harry grimaced. "Has he threatened you?"

"No, but he's creeping me out something fierce." Her voice faltered, and in the background, Harry could hear a staccato knocking. "Ugh - he's pounding on the ladies' room door. Come in and tell him I've got a family emergency?"

"Hang in there, I'm on my way."

Caitlin saw Harry first and bolted from her chair so fast it almost toppled. "Harry!"

"What's going on?" asked Caitlin's date, "You know this guy? That ain't your dad, is it?"

Life pivots on a fulcrum - choices, opportunity, and serendipity wreak havoc on the best-laid plans and intentions.

"I'm her -"

"Previous boyfriend!" Caitlin lunged over to take hold of Harry's hand and started babbling. "Just seeing you has stirred up memories! I realize now I can't move forward because I'm still stuck on you." She flung her purse over her shoulder and gave her ill-fated date a stilted smile. "It wouldn't be fair to you to lead you on, I'm sorry, Tony."

Confusion was replaced by arrogance on Tony's reddening face. "You're out with me, he musta dumped you and you think he'd take you back like that?" Tony snapped his fingers to emphasize his point. "I don't think so."

"Regardless of what you think, the lady has ended her date with you - and we'll be leaving." Harry had to admit he liked how tight Caitlin was twined around his arm, but this was a performance and he loathed how her fear of this guy, Tony, was making her act.

"Not before she pays her share. I don't like not gettin' something for something." Tony rose out of his seat and glared. "This place ain't cheap, and-"

Harry held out his hand and cut off Tony. "Allow me." Harry took out his wallet as best he could one-handed and tossed several twenties onto the table. "We'll be going." He patted Caitlin on the shoulder and smiled.

Caitlin gave a jerky nod and if her smile wasn't happy at least it was relieved. "I think this is for the best."

"Whatever." Tony picked up the money and shoved it into a pocket. "What a waste of my valuable time."

#On Camera #the flash #chapter 2 #For the Best #mature #future lemon #snowells #Caitlin Snow #Harry Wells #Snow x Wells #nalufever

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malodorousmalcontent · 5 years

Text

Solstice Scents Review

Man, finally getting around to writing my thoughts on my First Ever Solstice Scents Order (or two, actually.) I've had all of these for around a month now, and just because of all the other smells i've had going on, haven't really gotten around to them. But i'm taking the time now. Checkin' 'em off my LIST.

I'll be going over my experience ordering from Solstice Scents, as well as the scents Foxcroft, Snowshoe Pass, Violet Mallow, Lace Draped Spectre, Riverside Hayride, Nightgown, White Fox, and Winter Dove. Let's do it to it.

ORDERING FROM SOLSTICE SCENTS

So, not gonna lie, I put off ordering from this house mostly because of their website. I'm a graphic designer, and a bit of a branding snob, and the look of the website, not even considering the purposefully rustic theme, just the way it's built, is a little bit... Dated. Not the worst crime imaginable, but actually navigating the site made it worse: having multiple pages for the different sizes of one scent would clutter pages, not having an easily findeable scent list for their seasonal collections (if it exists, I STILL haven't found it), not knowing what was Just Seasonal and what was GC because of how they'll do limited seasonal releases of GC scents in normally unavailable sizes or formats... It was all very confusing. Their photography is nice, though, I'll give them that. Goes with the general look of the brand well. (And that's not like, subtle shade - I know the difference between a purposefully down-to-earth design, and something lookin' dated. Their purposeful branding, in a general sense, is not dated.)

Placed my order. The drop-down list for available free samples was handy. I wish they mentioned that, if it's your first order, you can ask for an additional free sample - I only knew about that practice from a different review.

TAT was pretty dang fast - a couple days and it was coming my way. The greatest delight, aside from the scents themselves, was their packaging: It's fantastic. A far cry from my complaints about their website. Their designs look good, the cards that came with the order were lovely, I love the little CD-case-type thing that the samples come in, and when I later placed a second order for a 5ml of Winter Dove, I loved the box it came in, too. Love the scent names in that snappy handwriting... It was just, good. Was nice getting actual designed packaging, rather than just bottles wrapped in bubble wrap or in a plain box. Very professional. No leaks. No issues. A good, clean-cut order.

(Additionally, when I did my second order and Lace Draped Spectre was still available on their free sample dropdown, even though it was sold out and wasn't going to be restocked anymore for the season, they still honored it. Which. Hell yeah.)

Overall, very positive experiences! Onto the scents.

FOXCROFT (PERFUME OIL) || Decaying Leaves, Rich Black Soil, Dry Leaves, Fall Air, Woods, Chimney Smoke.

I put this on, and the very first note I get hit with, without even looking at the notes, is sweet smoke. The first time I ever tried this, that smoke straight-up went BBQ-y for the first five minutes of wear, but it doesn't do that anymore - it's just... Very strong woodsmoke with a hint of sweetness. The smoke fades after just a few minutes, and I start getting the other atmospheric notes: A woody note that smells fresh and sap-sticky, like a newly splintered evergreen branch; dry fall leaves that smell so realistic that I can picture picking them up and crunching them in my hand; the emptiness of cool fall air; and damp earth from a rainstorm that happened the other day. The smoke's still there, kind of encompassing everything, but it's much lighter now.

And... Looking at the notes, I guess that's literally everything that's in it! Dang. Talk about a scent being dead-on. On the dry-down, this takes on a warm, almost... Maple-y quality? Like slightly burnt maple leaves. I like it. It's really cozy.

This wears a bit close to the skin on me without actually being light, but lasts for a pretty long time - a few hours in and even after scrubbing it from my wrist with dish soap, i'm still smelling earth and decaying leaves.

tl;dr: a very realistic fall atmospheric with woody, dry leaf, and damp earth nuances and a nice swirl of smoke. Dries down to a maple-like sweetness.

RATING: 5/5. A really beautiful atmospheric. I'm not really interested in smelling like it, but it's objectively very well made.

SNOWSHOE PASS (PERFUME OIL) || White Amber, White Musk, Vanilla Accord, Peppermint Cream, Cold Winds.

Mmmm. Mmmm. This smells absolutely tasty. The vanilla accord is rich and exceptionally creamy, with a super true-to-life vanilla extract smell. The peppermint cream blends well with it - it's hard to detect, but gives a slight minty edge to the vanilla. My roommate, from a distance, says it smells like cooked brownies. I don't necessarily agree--it doesn't strike me as chocolatey in the least--but I could see how someone might think that. It might be thanks to the amber - i've noticed some ambers can read a bit chocolate-like.

Admittedly, the cold winds note is kinda gone at this point - it was very present when I first got the sample, but now, I don't really get anything that hits my nose as particularly chilly.

This wears pretty strongly on my wrist, doesn't fade quickly, and obviously has some good sillage if my roommate is smelling it from like, 3-4 feet away.

tl;dr: True to life foody, creamy, rich vanilla with a hint of mintiness.

RATING: 4/5. I wish the white amber and white musk were a bit more detectable to me, and that the cold wind note hadn't vanished. Even so, this is a really delicious, rich vanilla scent.

VIOLET MALLOW (PERFUME OIL) || Marshmallow Cream, Violet Flowers, Vanilla Bean, White Musk.

This one's easy. It smells ex act ly like a cabbage patch doll's face - that floral-vanilla slightly rubbery scent. Sometimes Solstice Scents' vanilla note will have a bit of that rubbery quality for me, and the violets in this, rather than just living on their own in their signature Purple Burp smell, blends well and amps up the cabbage patch kids smell. Which is great for me, because i've been dying for a perfume that smells like it - I actually asked for this one as my free sample because people had been saying it smells like that. And it does. Spot on.

Wears strong on my wrist, with sillage of like a foot or two when wet, then maybe 6 inches or so when dry.

tl;dr: Cabbage Patch doll!

RATING: 4/5. Kinda simple, but fills a very specific desire in me. I don't even know if i'll wear it that much, but I loooove just having this smell on hand whenever I wanna whiff it. Plus, even if the vanilla/marshmallow is a bit rubbery, I love a violet scent where the violets don't smell bad.

LACE DRAPED SPECTRE - REFORMULATED (PERFUME OIL) || Vanilla Musk, Spicy Pink Carnation, Pink Pepper, Rose, White Musk.

This... This grew on me so fast, and is now one of my favorite perfumes. Holy shit. This is just so, so good.

When I first tried it out, I took one whiff and went, 'oh! So THAT'S what a carnation smells like!' I was familiar with the smell of carnations, but had never really matched the smell to the flower, but this was so dead-on that there's really just no mistaking it. The connection was made instantly. It's a green, dewy, velvety, heady, smooth, non-powdery, lush-smelling flower, with just a hint of a spicy kick to it - which i'm sure is amped up by the pink pepper. The vanilla musk amps up that delicious carnation and makes the scent a bit humid and sweet. That's about all I can really, for-sure detect in this... But, god, I don't think it NEEDS anything else. It's SO GOOD.

Got HELLA sillage and HELLA longevity - I put this on and can smell it all day. God. I have two 1mls of it and I hope they last me 'til fall. Seriously, it's so good.

tl;dr: A fantastic, realistic carnation note, amped by vanilla musk and with a kick of pink pepper.

RATING: 6/5. This is a holy grail scent, bay-bee. I've had some good florals since, but this was the first good floral. This is the one that changed my mind about florals.

RIVERSIDE HAYRIDE (PERFUME OIL) || Moist Dirt, White Carnations, Fallen Leaves, Bare Branches, Hay & a Hint of Pressed Apples Carried on the Breeze from Corvin's Apple Orchard.

I put this on, and before I can even close the sample vial, I get hit with this wave of spiced, dried, tart apples - but that gets subtler after only 10, 15 minutes of wear. What I smell at the top at that point is a very subtle, velvety carnation - not nearly as lush as the carnation note in lace-draped, it's more like... If a bed of carnations was a few feet away. It also smells pretty wet, with a notable cool air note, and some damp green-ness. At this point, the apples are so subtle that they're at the bottom of the scent, just a soft sweetness with an edge of tart, very realistic for a dried apple scent, and I can't smell the spices anymore.

Sometimes I also pick up a weird sourness that isn't the apples, and almost smells... Milky? Like milk that's kinda nearing its expiry date and you're not really sure if it's bad or not. I don't get it all the time, and it's not bad enough to ruin the scent, but it's there. Looking at the notes, I think that sour smell is actually the hay.

On the dry-down, that hay gets stronger, and basically all i'm getting is the hay and maybe a hint of the apple. If you like hay, this would be good for you. The last note I can detect before it disappears is tart green apple. Despite not having a lot of sillage, apart from that first wave of apple, this wears VERY strongly on my wrist.

tl;dr: A velvety floral atmospheric with touches of cool air, green-ness, and an ample helping of dried apples, that dries down to strong hay and faint apple.

RATING: 3.5/5. Well made, but I could do without that strong hay note. I say. About a scent with 'hayride' in the name. Guess that's what I get.

NIGHTGOWN (PERFUME OIL) || Vanilla, White Chocolate, Tuberose & Tiare Flowers.

This is lovely - I actually like it more than I thought I would, since i'm really not into chocolate notes, even white chocolate, and white florals generally aren't my thing. But this blends beautifully: the tuberose and tiare are soft and delicate without smelling soapy or indolic like so many white florals can, and the white chocolate and vanilla round it out, balance the floral qualities, and give the scent some depth. It's really lovely - i've worn it to bed a couple times, so I guess the name 'nightgown' fits.

Dries down to stronger vanilla and realistic white chocolate with a light floral edge. Very elegant and creamy. Wears close to the skin for a few hours before it begins to fade.

tl;dr: Soft, delicate white flowers balanced by gentle, creamy sweet notes of white chocolate and vanilla, the latter taking over on the dry-down.

RATING: 5/5. Another one I probably won't wear a lot, but it's objectively beautiful. Solstice Scents REALLY can do no wrong with florals, i'm beginning to feel like.

WHITE FOX (PERFUME OIL) || Vanilla Musk, White Fur, Woods, Snow Laced With a Vein of Dirt.

So, reading reviews of White Fox, it seemed to be pretty hit or miss. Half the time, it was a beautiful vanilla scent with atmospheric notes; the other half, burning plastic. I wasn't sure what I would get, but I was willing to take the risk.

What I ultimately get is plasticky vanilla. Not the worst, but, uh, not the best, either. I get something very minty, too, even though peppermint isn't a note in this (maybe it's the woods note, some evergreens), and it makes that plasticky vanilla almost... Burning. Chemical-y. It mellows out some with wear, though: the burniness goes away, and the vanilla becomes less plastic (but not totally un-plastic) and more soft and fuzzy, so, decently wearable. The fur and dirt are distinguishable in this, too, and round out the sweet notes well.

Dries down to a subtle vanilla musk sitting underneath some really notable dirt, and finally, before it fades, become simply dirt and fur. Lasts for a good handful of hours, and has some good sillage while wet.

tl;dr: Burning plastic kinda medicinal smelling vanilla that mellows out to a softer, fuzzier vanilla, rounded out by dirt and fur.

RATING: 3/5. I'm honestly debating rating this a bit lower, because it starts out so bleh, but with wear it's okay. ...But just okay.

WINTER DOVE (PERFUME OIL) || Vanilla Crystals, Spicy Carnation, Nutmeg, Cream.

Man, this is such good shit. It's not LDS, but by god, it'll do.

For the first, like, 5 minutes, I get straight eggnog from the nutmeg and cream, and then it just becomes this beautiful, rich, creamy carnation note. The carnation's pretty spicy, but more than that, it's velvety, softly floral and green and fresh as hell. Smells real, as SS' carnation note tends to. The sugar crystals give this just a touch of sweetness, and honestly, I don't get the nutmeg as much after those first 5 minutes. It's a soft, rich, delicate scent - definitely would call this LDS' more feminine cousin. On the dry-down, the carnation fades, and the scent becomes much more creamy and foody-sweet without necessarily going back to eggnog.

Has a lot of sillage - i've gotten reports of other people smelling it real well when I walk past. (Notably, my sister said it smelled like a headshop, which kinda surprised me. I think it must'a been the spice in the carnation.) Lasts for a good handful of hours, too.

tl;dr: Eggnog, briefly, and then a sweet and creamy lush carnation scent, and then, on the drydown, creamy sweetness.

RATING: 5/5. Blind bought a 5ml for this because I didn't think I could live without Solstice Scents' carnation note, and I have no regrets.

So, final thoughts: I really, really love this house. Their florals are killer, their scents are rich and long-lasting, and at the very worst, they might go a little rubbery or maybe a little potpourri-ish, but there's nothing in this that was out-and-out awful or came across poorly made. Gonna be buying from them again, most definitely.

#perfumes #perfume reviews #solstice scents #foxcroft #snowshoe pass #violet mallow #lace draped spectre #riverside hayride #nightgown #white fox #winter dove

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el-dibidibidorado1 · 6 years

Text

Untamed Pt.4

A/n: long chapter! Enjoy

Five. Five days in a row that sleep didn't come. It was driving me insane. The same dream kept of repeating, it was the bite and the pain that lingered there afterwards. Sadly the mark is still fresh, once in a while I would pick at the scabs when I shower; which was about four times a day. My poor mother had to buy almost six new soaps. Six! That is a lot for one damn week, even a month! Now that she has been buying all the soaps on the fuckin planet and our little incident in the kitchen, she knows something is up.

Another thing is that i also can't stop thinking about Bucky. He saved me. How was I going to say thank you to him? I have no clue! Bake him a cake? No i'm its going to make me look like a fat ass, I mean I already am so that is out. Take him out to dinner? But what if he laughs at me and say no, there is another thing out. Fuck me, I have no idea what to give him to thank him.

"Y/n?" I opened my door and looked at Ed standing there with my clean, uneven folded clothes. Did he fold them? He did, didn't he. I felt my heart turn into jelly as he placed him on my bed, but the shakiness of his hand caught my attention. Then my heart began to awith sadness and joy, he was off the drug, but i hope he stays sober. When anything unfortunate happens he has a relapse. Maybe this is good and over for once.

"Thank you" I sincerely say.

"You going to work today?"

"Yep. I just used all of my vacation days in one week" Jesus, I only got so little days for vacation.

"Man, that blows" He lit up a cigarette.

"Yeah it does" I mumbled as I put my scarf around my neck. I turn and look at him as he lets out smoke and offered me. I take it and put it out, and he gives me a weird stare.

"We gotta stop" he nods his head and grabs my stuff to go downstairs.

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

"Ed?"

"Hmmm?" he stops in front of the diner.

"Can you pick me up at 2?"

"Umm i might knock out. but i can try" i give him a small grin and get out.

"Careful. A bunch of weirdos are out there" Yep I found that out a week ago. Just wave and go inside, I turned and he literally waited until I went in.

"Y/N welcome back!" Tom grabbed my shoulder and i quickly jump away.

"Thanks Tom" I normally try to say and put my coat and Bucky's sweater on the coat hanger. My mom washed it thinking it was Ed's.

Anxiety washed over me as i thought of Bucky. How in the world do you say 'thank you' to the man who saved your life? I nervously walked to the back to get my apron and found him reading with his earbuds in, I could slightly hear music leave the ear piece. He looked so concentrated it was kinda cute, it took me a few minutes to rip my eyes away from him and to check the coffee maker, to make a new batch.

"Hey Y/n" I looked at our famous customers Bill and Bill.

"Remember those two jerks hitting your machine?" Bill H said.

"yeah why?" i quickly say. Where they looking for me? Did they come and threatened the Diner?

" Why don't you tell her Tom?"

"Ya know how my cousin had that thing with her neck?" i nod my head and began gripping the mug tightly.

"Well I went to the hospital and found them two all beat up and shit. One had some broken ribs and the other had a huge swollen back eye and a broken nose. Someone beat them ugly" that's when Bucky came out to do his job. He still had his ear buds in so calling him would not do.

"Excuse me" I say and walk over to him. I catch his attention and takes off his ear buds, but my mouth became dry that word's didn't come out. He begins to rub his hands nervously and uncomfortable.

"Follow me" I managed to get out and walk back to the dish washer.

" Thank you" I say quivering. Some how I ended up with my arms around his firm waist. Oh God he's not hugging me back, I should let go. removing my arms around him I look up at his ocean eyes to find him already looking at me.

"I was late" he mumbles.

"It was better to be late than to never be there"

"I'm sorry"

"You have no reason to be. You saved me"

His left hand slowly took off my scarf making me flinch, his eyes widen with the sight of the marks. Where they that bad? The sound of his arm distracted me. Now it is my turn, I take hold of his hand and take off the glove, he has a panic in his eyes but something tells me to continue. Taking hold of his metal fingers I enjoyed the cold smoothness of them. He removes his hand away from mine only to move my hair to the side, to feel the bruised bite on my neck. When his fingers crossed the mark I feel myself relieved of fear and shiver because of the coolness of them. Slowly he brings his hand to the back of my neck and brings me into a warm hug. Tears began pouring out as he hold me. I was still scared and I couldn't tell anyone. I couldn't! Also I couldn't let go of him, his touch was warm that i knew if i let go I would whine from the loss.

"Bucky!" I let him go and wipe away the tears.

"Duty calls" he said and gave me a small smile, I just nodded and he walked off. Duty does call, huh. Well got to get back to work.

12:53

"Hey come help me out" Caroline nudged my elbow. I look at what she is carrying and its a bunch of salt shakers. I guess bitch ass Rosie didn't refill them, always leaving the work for us.

"What is in your mind Y/n?"

"Nothing much" i grabbed a new container of salt and noticed Caroline looking at me with a suspicious look.

“What?" i lean back slowly grabbing the next salt shaker.

"You and Mr. Barnes got something going on or what?" her smile was big and bright.

"Me and Bucky are friends"

"Sure about that?" i nod my head without knowing the smile on my face.

"Whatcha smiling about?" great the queen of sass has arrived.

"Nothing!" i put my hands up as if i did a crime.

"Lair!"

"okay okay." I chuckle and glance at Bucky.

"what do you think about Bucky?"

"Bucky!"she whispered and looked at Caroline.

"hmmm well" she began checking him out and i felt a bothering feeling in my chest

"He's a mute." Bitch please he has a impeccable voice.

"He's dumb" HOe i just saw him read a book. When has she read a book? Never I bet.

"He's not dumb" thank you Caroline.

“Oh my God, look at his hair! It's all dirty and long. UH NO" His hair is more Fabulous than yours.

"I'll still fuck him. He has a fuckable body" i just raised my hand to shut her up.

"What?" she asked

"This conversation is making me uncomfortable, i'm just going to walk away and forget what you said." as i was about to leave she grabbed my arm, pulled me back, grabbed my face and made me look at him.

"No no no no. Y/n, babe, am i right? i mean look at him" my eyes scan over his body and damn! Rosie is right. His muscular form is very meticulous and intimidating. I never took the time to actually look at him and now that I am, I want to punch myself. I didn't even realised that Rosie let go until I got teased by Caroline.

"Stop drooling" Caroline whispers in my ear.

"I'm not!"

2:14

I've been waiting for Ed but I guess he did fall asleep. Letting out a annoyed sigh I get my stuff and look out the window. What if they come back? I just wanna go home to my comfortable bed, with some hot coffee and some Christmas sweets.

"Bye babe I gotta go!" Caroline ran out of the kitchen and kisses my cheek. Maybe she can take me home, I quickly grab her hoodie and she stumbles.

"What's a matter?" She questioned.

"Can you tak-" a car outside honked and she hugs me while running out. Well there goes my ride home.

I give up and make my way to the front door, Tom is still here so I don't have to close. My breath is noticeable that I feel like if I am calling for help like the Native Americans (go Tiguas!) did with the bonfire. It's getting colder and colder each day that I am putting on many layers of clothes that make me look fatter. As I was getting ready to run to my house the door from the diner opened. My heart began to race like if I was a NASCAR.

"Hey" I heard the familiar deep voice. Bucky.

"Oh hey" I softly said. He began walking with me and now my heart was still racing because he's next to me. The warmth of his arms around me came to mind, I began wanting to feel the warmth again. Just one more time.

"Woah" he muttered. My thoughts where interrupted and I hummed at him.

"The sky is beautiful. I never noticed it" looking up I see the beautiful sparks of light.

"It is" I say. A cold breeze hits me and I began snuggle with the scarf that my grandma knit me.

"You cold?"

"A bit"

"Come" come? Come where?

"Where?"

"Just come" he chuckled. He lead me to a apartment building and lead me to the back to a door.

"Its small, but Its warm." He opened the door and it was like a small studio. He let me in and my big wondering eyes scanned the room.

"Would you like some chocolate milk?"

"Chocolate milk?" He nodded his head as he scratched the back of his head. He offered me some chocolate milk? I felt my face heat up, that is the most innocent thing someone has offered me. Others offer me some beer or a cigarette something other than chocolate milk!

"You can sit down" he said as he took out some cups.

I thanked him once more and I looked around again. The place was little and he had all the simple stuff that you need to live. A bed, table, couch, etc. It was a comfortable place to stay.

"Here" he hands me the cup and sits on his bed taking off his thin sweater. Wasn't he cold?

"Sorry about the cups. Childish."

"I don't mind"

"They where the cheapest ones when I first got here." I gave him a chuckle and took a sip. It brought a smile to my face, It was my chocolate milk favorite as a kid.

"What?"

"I actually drank this brand of chocolate milk as a child. Thank you." He hummed and took a sip of his drink. I sneeked a glance when his lips touched the childish cup and I wondered how his lips felt.

"Want more?" I nod my head and get up to put my cup in the sink to wash it.

"I got it" he stopped me.

"I should get home."

I grabbed my bag and walked to the front door. He put on his sweater again and follows me. He was walking me home. How sweet! I can't believe this is happening to me?!

We walked quietly until i noticed that he was still looking at my neck. I felt uncomfortable. I don't want to feel like this with him.

"Bucky." he hummed.

"Please don't look at it."

"Sorry" he mumbles.

"Its an eye catcher, but Its uncomfortable" he gives me an apologetic stare. He continued walking in silence until we reached home.

"Bucky. It's my day off tomorrow and Christmas is in a week, so I was wondering if you wanted to go Christmas shopping with me, 10?" He nodded and bid him goodbye and walked inside to get ready for bed.

Tags: @tnupsweetpie. Masterlist

#bucky barnes #bucky barns x reader #bucky x plus size reader #bucky x reader #winter solder #white wolf #untamed

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camigani · 6 years

Text

Update: My Trip to China

Hi, all, it’s been an insane couple of months! Where have I been and why haven’t I been updating? Well, I’ve finally moved in a completely new place all by myself with a new job and lots of pleasant isolation in a tiny town by the sea. Right before that, my family took me overseas to China for a final family trip. I only got food poisoning twice. Oh, and I caught a cold. -v-

LONG POST UNDER THE CUT!!

Things I noticed that generally happen in China:

1) There are a lot of couples! Compared to Japan and Taiwan, I noticed the people here are more open about traveling and showing affection (and discourse) publicly. Where are the lonesome ones? Well, my brother deduced that because Chinese has so many people, the single people stay at home. TvT

2) Women like to cling onto arms or hold hands with their friends or lovers. My Shanghainese housemate was like this, too. I guess it’s a cultural thing.

3) Men tend to smoke, not women. You find women smoking sometimes, but it’s usually associated with being dirty and shameless. The men tend to cough and spit a lot. Everyone openly coughs and sneezes. There are no common words for “Excuse me” and “Bless you/Salud/Gesundheit/etc” in the Chinese language. It feels rude, but that’s how they are.

4) The subways are hi-tech. The navigation is better than Japan and Taiwan. The maps are friendly and easy to read for Chinese and English-literate people. Similar to an airport, however, you have to pass your bags and luggages through a scanning system and have your liquid containers examined before security allows you to board trains. The rides are cleaner.

5) In modern areas, everyone is very well-dressed. They have a fashion style evolved to incorporating modern and slightly retro looks. Unlike Taiwan and Japan, you don’t see people wearing traditional clothing unless it’s for shows or homely occasions.

6) There are cameras everywhere. It’s like London crosses the Patriot Act. Cameras on the highways, cameras on the streets, cameras in the subways. They use facial recognition and license plate recognition. A price of freedom to pay, but because of this system, we were able to track down one of our luggages that we left in a taxi cab. (Haha.) Security checked where my parents got off onto the subway, found the license plate of the taxi cab, and phoned the taxi driver to tell him to meet my parents at XX station to drop off their luggage.

7) They, uh, don’t like Japanese things in China. There are very few Japanese cars, buildings, and brands, going as far as vandalizing Japanese chain stores and boycotting products despite being safer and better. You can say it’s attributed to history and culture. Chinese people view self-humiliation in a different light. They can be quite envious.

8) Infrastructure is king. Not being political; from an objective outlook, the US spends a hefty amount of tax money on military. China invests in infrastructure. There are a lot of building projects going into apartments, museums, preserving historical sites, and parks and recreation. It’s at the point where national parks are completely paved and tiled. (Kinda defeats the purpose of national parks, but at least you don’t have to worry about muddy shoes.)

9) Local vendors that don’t belong to companies or corporations may sometimes be unsanitary, but the food quality is generally cheaper and tastier. Otherwise, if it wasn’t tasty, how would they sell?

10) Hype isn’t always a good thing. Just about every restaurant we’ve gone to where it was packed with people was just okay. Quiet hole-in-the-walls have a personable charm, quicker service, and equally if not better food. Real talk, the original ma po tofu shop serves tofu that is extremely spicy and bitter. Not worth it.

11) Public facilities like museums and libraries are taken quite seriously. The government believes when things are free, people are more civilized. Go figure, yet in my experiences, people were. Not sure about the museums since there’s a lot of Chinese history and culture to go through, anyway, but the public libraries are utilized to the fullest. You need identification to get inside, and every then, you’re only allowed to bring certain material into the library after going through a baggage and metal scan. There are lockers for your things. It was school time next to a university when I visited, so every seat was occupied with a busy Chinese scholar with a stack of books reviewing notes and practicing words or formulas. It was pretty surreal. I didn’t take pictures, but I’ll let you know there were very few fictional books where I visited.

12) Chinese people don’t listen to signs or tourist warning information. Seriously, as someone who’s part Chinese, myself, the tourists can be extremely disrespectful, and it’s super embarrassing. It’s usually the older generation because...well, if you know your history, you might know why they’re like this. But if it says no cellphones and pictures, you’ll find cellphones and pictures. Lower your sound? Someone’s yelling on their phone about the most trivial thing like what they ate for dinner. Stay on the path? Let me just hop this fence and proceed to head towards this dangerous slippery waterfall to take a mediocre selfie. Yeah, it wasn’t a great time. Someone like Germany would blow their brains out.

13) BRING YOUR OWN TOILET PAPER

I cannot stress enough how precious soft butt paper is. The kind they sell in China are sandpaper scrolls on your tender cheeks. Bring your own tp from home if you are to survive the plight of the outdoor public restroom. And soap or sanitizer. There is normally running water in bathrooms, but no soap! What’s the point if the bacteria is going to spread through the water?! Be prepared for squatting, turds, smells, and wet rims. Unless you stake out in your western hotel all day, you WILL find a squat toilet, and there is a high chance it WILL smell or be mysteriously slippery.

Anyway, here are some pictures I lazily took. The descriptions are all on the top of the photos.

We went to Shanghai first. The people are meh at best. But the architecture is interesting because of the heavy western influences. (Missing obligatory picture of The Bund because I exported it somewhere else.)

Beef noodle soup! My favorite! I like it with a little spiciness. They made the noddles with a knee paddle. Only $2 USD!

I’m not sure how to explain it correctly, nor do I know what the exact name of the method used to make the noodles is. I tried to explain it in the crude drawing I made below.

...

This is KFC.

The majority of the trip was spent in Chengdu in Sichuan Province. It’s hot and humid in the summer, but it was just right when we went.

There are a lot of open markets. Look at all the meat and produce! They even had morel mushrooms. Too bad we didn’t have a stove or butter in our hotel.

We visited Kuanzhai Street, a historical alley consisting of wide and narrow paths with historical buildings. Its initial intent is to let tourists experience some of the old culture of China, but nowadays, there are a bunch of vendors who try to capitalize on how many people go there. It gets very crowded.

A most mysterious wall of memes.

Not bad.

Sugar-blown rooster! It tastes like those rainbow lollipops you sometimes see at fairs or candy shops. You get to blow up the sugar, yourself. An interactive show. :)

Burnt sugar rooster! It tastes like the top of a creme brûlée.

Went on a tour to a panda rehabilitation center. Chengdu is a popular spot for earthquakes, and the one in 2017 left pandas injured and traumatized. This place helps them recuperate until they’re well enough to go back to the public zoos. Outside to greet us was a 5-some of panda statues. The one that stood out was the one on the far right with one leg. I thought he was just leaning his leg behind him, but it turns out, his leg is missing! Affirmative action?

(Missing black and white panda because my good captures were all videos.) The red panda tails are so fluffy and gravity-defying. The tails are like a foot long and stay straight in the air.

A Tibetan-like feast! You eat with your hands, and they give you gloves. Everything was fresh and tasty. They served us yak milk. It tastes like if you mix 1 part milk, 2 parts water, so it’s not bad if you don’t mind the watery taste. Over here, your wealth is measured by the number of white yaks you own.

I’m missing pictures, but there was a good number of performances with singing, dancing, and conga lines at our table. My dad got really into it. Because some Chinese cultures are normally reserved, they weren’t used to his disco dancing. Later, they called him Uncle Buddha. And they said he looked high.

Jiuzhaigou. It was closed since the 2008 earthquake due to high levels of mountain and road collapses. It opened recently, so the locals were surprised to hear that it was open again. You can even take pictures wearing local minority Chinese garb. I think it was around $3 USD, but we needed to haul butt.

WATCH THE PICKLE!! We stayed at a decent hotel, but a popular breakfast dish in China is porridge with various kinds of pickled vegetables. I figured I needed vegetables to help me “go” easier during our travels, so I ate a little of everything. So did my dad. My brother and surprisingly my mom, who eats more veggies than anyone in our family, skipped out. Two hours of a bus ride later, I threw up on the street. My dad threw up minutes after I did. We’re pretty sure the old used for the spicy pickle was stale.

Eh, what can you do?

A clear limestone lake. Surprisingly not many people here. It was also very quiet and clean.

We went to Leshan to see the giant Buddha. It’s not too bad of a walk, maybe because it’s at sea level. (Two days prior, Jiuzhaigou was at 7000ft/2100m, so it was really hard to hike without getting tired.) This thing is HUGE. You might be able to see tiny people in the upper right-hand corner for scale. Only take pictures on the Buddha’s right side!

By the way, there are a lot of little statues and tiny Buddha carvings littered on the hike up there. Per Chinese superstition, you are not supposed to take pictures of them. Some either house evil spirits that you can take home with you or you might trap good spirits from spreading fortune.

Very pretty architecture behind the statue. You can drink tea here for about $5, however, it’s a tourist trap! Don’t waste your money and time. See how these pictures don’t have tourists in them? It’s because they were all caught up drinking tea and sitting on their butts.

Aw, the picture rotated. Anyway, here’s a fly modern monk with Nike’s and a smartphone.

Kinda mad I can’t remember this place, but there were many elephant themes in this tourist town we visited. My brother (listed in the picture below with the ONLY pair of long pants and jacket he stupidly packed for the 12-day trip) found a mantou shop that sells these long buns for only 1 YUAN. That’s like $0.17 USD. As a bun advocate, he said they were tasty.

DPRAUNNDKA (Someone was drunk, alright.)

Hot pot! Taiwan was better, and the Guangdong guys were too afraid to try to spicy broth. (Like Hong Kong, haha. Because Cantonese people don’t like spicy food, according to Himaruya.) It was okay, but we only had 30 minutes to eat before catching a show. I don’t have pictures, but the sets and performances were really cool!

Gelatins! Sketchy at best but tasty-looking!

A pleasant view of the hike up Umeishan. Right past this chasm are monkeys! If I panned my phone down, you would’ve seen trash. This is from the monkeys eating tourists’ food. You have to watch your pockets and bags because they’ll go through them for kicks, usually not even for food. And don’t wear red because it intimidates them.

You can hire rickshaw(?) carriers to take you up the mountain. Great for elderly or lazy people. I think it’s about $32 per way.

Famous Emeishan statue thing. You are supposed to take pictures relevant to your zodiac sign, so there are twelve positions like a clock. It’s COLD up there. But the hike makes you warm! And there’s a cable cart that takes you up most of the way.

Zoomed-in luna month friend. It was behind a temple door. The wings looked so soft.

I forgot what this trail was called. The whole hike was about 7 km. Supposed to be 10, but it started to rain, so we skipped the end. Lots of tourists in places, but very nice scenery. Walk fast to avoid smokers. Why do they smoke while walking? :/

Beer Garden in Chengdu City. It’s a strip of bars and clubs where foreigners can sing American pop songs and drink beer. Lots of “trashy” women with rich drunk men. It’s an insane atmosphere with rich-looking people and every bar being full. Seriously. I’d show more pictures, but you really need a video to get an idea of the vibe. Here’s one of Goose Island, whatever that means. Next to it were two hedge sheep. Look at this shit, there’s a picture of the White House on the poster! Ahhh! XD

Chengdu Global Center Mall

Cheese and rice, I thought Tokyo’s AEON Laketown mall was huge. This place has a hotel and a water theme park built into it with a grocery store and food court in the basement. At this point, my family’s feet hurt from all the walking. -.-’

Boo. We came too late. All the boba was sold out. Hey, cat poop coffee on the top.

Just why?

Last full day in Chengdu. Here’s the outside of the museum. You have to wait in line to get screened before going in, however, it’s free.

An underground strip mall. Okay here me out, we tried very hard to look for bootleg Chinglish shirts, but we could NOT find any. The Chinese locals seemed to either snatch them up or we weren’t looking in the right places.

lol and that’s it. We went back to Shanghai for a full day after that, but I caught major food poisoning from something I ate. It was bad. My bowels felt all twisty and uncomfortable. So I spent the entire day in the hotel while my family had a blast eating food and looking at architecture. My brother found a slew of funny Chinglish menus. I wish I had the pictures. If I find them, I’ll pass them along.

Thanks for reading and I’ll try to update stuff when I get settled down in my new place. :3

#china #not hetalia

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