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onlyangellucifer · 11 months

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Morning, Baby - Part 1

Summary: Y/N wakes up in a bed next to her dad's bestfriend, Harry one morning. Confused at where things lie, she wrestles with if the relationship is worth the risk.

Warnings: smut, angst, age gap (Harry is 30, reader is 23), alcohol consumption, unprotected sex (please wrap it before you do it!)

Authors Note: This part is 1268 words long, so sorta short. No smut involved this time yall, i'm so sorry. I'm a bit rusty at writing but any feedback is welcomed and encouraged! (please be kind). You can read the sneak peak here. There is a time jump, however, it's noted with a line!

dad's bestfriend!Harry

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The birds chirping while the sunlight made it’s appearance through her sheer curtains was what y/n woke up to every morning. She used to love the way it woke her up, but lately she’s grown irritated with it. Then again she wasn’t out until all hours of the night in the past like she is now. She wasn’t much of a partier, in fact she loathed being there. She hated how the room always reeked of weed, sweaty bodies, and booze. However, since she was in college now and had adult friends, she went. She was a shy person, never really talked to anyone and kept to herself. Her friends dubbed her the “mom friend” and it was fitting. She would nurse the same drink all night, if she even drank, or she’d fill a red solo cup with water and tell people it was vodka. She made sure everyone got home safe and had everything they needed for the hangover that was sure to follow. However, with it being summer time and college was on a break, that meant her friends wanted to go out more and she would be dragged with. Too nice to say no or tell them she wanted to have an early night.

That’s probably why she groaned, flopping a pillow over her head before looking over at the clock, 8am. She normally would sleep till noon, seeing as she got home at 4am. Her parents were trusting, never gave her a curfew due to the fact that she never really broke their trust or gave them a reason to. Today was her birthday, turning 23. Her parents insisted on throwing her party, she was an only child so her birthdays were always extravagant. Her dad was a CEO at a major law firm and her mom owned a flower shop in town, so they were pretty set on money and anything y/n wanted was what y/n got. Well, not anything per say. There was one thing or one person that she wanted but never had the balls to actually make a move on, Harry.

Harry was always around, for as long as she could remember. He was one of the most successful lawyers at her dad’s firm and thus her dad took a liking to him very early on. Despite being 10 years younger than her own father. Her dad was always inviting him out. Whether it be golfing, out on the lake on their family boat, or to family dinners, Harry was there. She wasn’t sure when she started to gain an attraction to Harry, she just knew she wasn’t crazy for feeling that way. All of her friends always gawked over him. His tan skin was complimented with the dark ink of his tattoos, the cross necklace dangled on his chest and his abs were toned perfectly. It was like he was a walking Greek statue and the god’s made him a sin walking. She does remember the first time she masturbated to the thought of him though, or the image of him more or less.

She was 17 at the time, she wasn’t a very sexually active teenager, which her parents were thankful for, but she still had needs like anyone else. It was Summertime, the sun was beating down on their backyard as people were gathered in groups or in the pool. Her dad had thrown a pool party to celebrate the first day of summer and the big win of the company, which of course was achieved by Harry. Harry showed up wearing patterned button down shirt, overtop laid a sweater vest, while his toned legs were hidden by plaid trousers, which hugged him in all the right places. His hair was styled perfectly, but also messily which lead her mind to think about how it would feel between her fingers as she tugged on it, his name rolling off her cherry red lips. The real torture came when he was eating watermelon and the juice dribbled down his chin, his ring clad hand wiped it away. She was trying not to gawk but all she could think of was her juices dripping down his chin. Her thighs rubbed together, trying her best not to drip on the chair, clad only in a red bikini.

Needless to say, she touched herself that night thinking of how his hands or more so his mouth would feel like on her.

He never flirted with her though, he always kept things innocent and polite, well at least while she was underage.

She sighed loudly into her empty room, deciding it’s time to get up before her mom came to drag her out of bed. While it was her 23rd birthday, she still had to help setup and these were the times she wished she had siblings to do that instead. She heard voices downstairs, footsteps rushing around and then she heard him. His accent echoed through the halls and a smile spread on her face.

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The night was filled with drinks, laughter, birthday gifts and a cake with her face on it. She tried to keep her eyes to herself, but how could she when Harry was dressed in only olive green swim shorts, the July air was still humid and the theme was pool party. She wore her olive green bikini, not meaning to match him but happy regardless. He had shown up wearing a white tanktop, backwards cap and navy blue shorts. So, there was no way to tell that they’d be matching. Y/N couldnt keep her eyes off Harry, and Harry couldn’t keep his eyes off her.

He’s had an attraction building since she turned 19 and lately it’s been harder to keep his eyes and hands to himself. He was unsure if she’d have any feelings back, but the vodka redbull her father handed him was clouding his mind. Y/N laid in that olive green bikini next to her two other friends, Mary and Char. She felt eyes on her and was pleased when her eyes caught Harry’s before he looked away. Her own alcoholic beverage was clouding her mind.

That’s probably how they ended up here. In her room, her back pressed against the door as his lips found her neck and her hands found his hair. The chocolate curls felt smooth and soft in her fingers as she tugged him back to her mouth. His lips tasted like orange chapstick and his breath smelled like mint and vodka, which was instantly her favorite smell. She cursed softly as he pulled away, both of them painting before he let out the first words since they entered the room;

“I hate to interrupt this, baby but.. I think we should get back to the party before they come looking for us and find us in a compromising position.. Continue this at my place?”

She wanted to whine, wanting this to continue but she knew he was right. They were only supposed to be gone to get extra towels and had been gone for a good 10 minutes. She nodded her head reluctantly before responding with a simple kiss to his lips before they pulled away from each other, straightening out their clothes and unlocking the door.

They grabbed the towels from the hall closet outside her room, both of them eagerly awaiting the end of the party to continue what just happened. Both of them were still unsure if it was the alcohol that was making this happen or that they both shared mutual feelings, but that was half the fun.

#harry styles #harry styles fanfiction #harry styles filth #harry styles smut #dads bestfriend!harry #harry smut #harry styles x reader #dbf!harry

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rist-ix · 7 months

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I have a question for you what do you think of the quote unquote age gap between Bloom and Valtor?

I had to do alot of research to understand Bloom age when I started to like this ship better than Mr cheater. So here's a brief information dump:

Bloom is 16 in the first episode and its confirm her bday is December 10 (we don't know the the exact year when each girl was born only the fact Stella is the oldest by that logic Bloom is the second youngest out of the group) when we get to season 3 it is confirmed that the girls is in their 3rd semester so that makes Bloom 19 at point. Valtor's age we do not know however I'm going to say at most early 20s from what we know Valtor working with a younger Griffin before he got Popsicled.

Here comes the tricky part. In s4 the girls just finished their semester and graduated making them 20-21. Up until s5 where Nicklodeon had to reboot their age making them 16 again. Flashforward to s8 and that makes Bloom age 19 if you are following the reboot or 23 if you do not follow the reboot. Since we don't know how long Valtor been frozen his mental age is up for debate.

For me personally I don't see Sparxshipping as an Edward and Bella situation as Edward was aging naturally during his years while Valtor was frozen and couldn't age naturally but only mentally.

Okay okay first of all! Your Bloom math checks out and I just realized that I for some reason always thought Bloom is 18 in s3. Which is still possible, I think, I just dont know why I assumed that. Actually no, it works, if she is 16 in s1 she is 17 in s2 and 18 in s3, but we dont know a lot about how the school years work in Magix so I'm gonna jot her down as 18-19 for the remainder of this post.

Still dont know how I passed math btw.

Anyway. Valtor's age is where the real mystery is at. We've got two possibilities in my opinion.

1. He's pulling the ageless immortal card.

My personal go-to for fics and discussions. Love me some 300 year old mommy issues. He has too much practice being a messy bitch, there's no fixing this man folks.

Evidence: There's a flashback showing him with Griffin as a tween: she looks MUCH younger, he looks exactly the same. Unless he also stole the secret magic of the world's most potent anti aging cream, or Griffin's proximity to Faragonda just aged her by three more decades, he does not age.

2. He is the age he looks.

Which, in my humble opinion, would not put him anywhere near twenty. That is a grown man. He's not college age, unless you count college professors under that word. Even if I were good at guessing ages the very stylized art style would throw me for a loop, but im gonna say 40s, give or take. Look at Avalon, look at Codatorta, look at King Radius if u must. That is the age range we're looking at.

Evidence: I dont have any. We're ballin'. I guess it's never explicitly stated he's immortal, which you'd think would be big enough of a deal to mention. If u got something feel free to let me know.

That being said, the Winx Club Wiki page for the canon timeline (ha, good one) puts the time of Valtor's creation in a rough time frame from "Over 17 years before season 1" to "Under 100 years before season 6". So he could technically be anywhere from 17-97, though I'm not sure the upper limit is as reliable as the lower one, given the check-list format of the website. So make of that what you will.

Now that we've got the question of age out of the way, lets get to the age gap. I have no idea what the situation in twilight was to be honest, so I cant compare that.

Realistically, there's at least a decade between Bloom and Valtor. Possibly two decades and change. And that is just from visible age, we can add a few centuries on top of that if we're sticking with the immortal bit. I'm gonna be gonest, I dont think being frozen for 17 years will make a whole lot of difference here.

If you find that icky, which is fair, you can always change that for fics tho! Either turn him into a twenty year old or put Bloom in her milf-era, the options are endless. Personally, I think the age difference is half the fun though, and also the least of their issues. When you're off making out with the objectively worst person in history, wether he's too old for her isnt gonna rank very high on people's list of concerns.

#asks #sparxshipping #winx bloom #winx valtor #i think their very obvious gap in knowledge and experience is very intrinsic to their canon dynamic #Bloom being the underdog while Valtor is VERY convinced of his superiority kind of defines the ship for me #and it makes it so much more satisfying when Bloom does put him on his ass

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illyrian-dreamer · 1 year

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Changing Shadows (Part 23)

Azriel x Reader

Summary: After the birth of Nyx, you celebrate with lots of family time. With everyone watching, you and Azriel keep your distance – that is until you're left alone in the House of Wind...

Family time followed by smut!! 🌶️ 🌶️ 🌶️ 18+ (Minor DNI)

Warnings: SMUT, p in v, swearing, 18+ only (Minors DNI)

Word count: 2,172

The celebration of Nyx’s birth lasted a full week.

The whole of Velaris came together to rejoice with a festival, during which you made many public appearances alongside your family. There was music, food, gifts and of course drinks, and it was deemed an annual celebration of his life.

Your heart was full of gratitude and immense relief that Rhys and Feyre had survived. You and Azriel exchanged smiles from a distance – with all eyes on you, it was not a time to risk getting caught.

And of course, you spent almost all of your free time at the River House, dotting over your nephew. You coddled and rocked him when he stirred, admiring his tiny wings. You couldn't wait to teach him to fly.

When he was tired, you sang him a melody your mother used to sing to you.

“I haven’t heard that song in many years,” Rhys smiled from behind you, leaning against the doorway of Nyx’s nursery.

“Ah well, I hear it in my dreams sometimes,” you admitted, not meeting his eyes.

Rhys walked over and watched as you settled Nyx into his cot, his blue eyes now blinking with sleep.

“Sister,” Rhys said, placing a hand on your shoulder.

“Brother?” you replied, waiting for what he really wanted to say. You turned and faced him.

“I wanted to apologise again for the promise I made to Feyre. We never intended for anyone to be hurt by it, especially you. I’m sorry.”

“I know you are,” you smiled tightly back at your brother, placing your hand atop of his.

“But we should perhaps discuss the reality of the situation at hand,” Rhys continued. “Should we… find ourselves in danger again.”

You swallowed as your gut lurched. “We will always be in danger, Rhys.”

Rhys nodded, agreeing with your statement. “Should anything happen to us before Nyx is of age, you are next in line to lead the Night Court until he is an adult.”

You frowned. “Even as a female?”

“Yes, of course.”

You shook your head, not wanting to think about what he was saying. You couldn’t imagine stepping up as High Lady of the Night Court, especially not while mourning Rhys and Feyre. “I suppose we’ll have to be particularly cautious from here on.”

Rhys kept his eyes on you as you turned back to Nyx, stroking the baby’s dark hair gently.

“You would make an incredible High Lady,” Rhys said to you.

You flicked your eyes over to him, and saw his face was one of pride.

“Those are kind words brother, but I’ll be doing everything in my power to make sure that doesn’t happen.”

“What do you mean?”

“I mean,�� you sighed, turning to face him fully. “What I mean is, you’re a father now Rhys. And for every risk you take, the consequence is tripled.”

Rhys frowned at you, his expression serious.

“You need to lean on me brother,” you continued. “The dangerous missions, the selflessness and ongoing sacrifices, you need to trust me to make them, instead of yourself. Velaris needs you, and I will not let Nyx grow up without his parents.”

Rhys nodded slowly. “I appreciate your offer sister, but–“

“It’s not an offer,” you cut him off. “It’s not an offer, nor is it a suggestion. I will be the one who makes those sacrifices from here on. I will keep you safe.”

Rhys sighed, looking down at his son as he took in your words. He smiled softly as his violet eyes found yours again.

“My brave, selfless sister,” he said. “You have grown into such an admirable female.”

You rolled your eyes on instinct. “Well, I am your best sister.”

Rhys laughed, swatting you with a gentle hand.

“I love you, Y/N,” Rhys said, his arm encompassing you as you both admired Nyx who was now fast asleep.

“I love you too, brother,” you said, savouring the relief that your brother was safe and alive, and standing next to you – for now.

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The next night was your first back at the House of Wind. And after a long day of paper work, you were searching the corridors for some company to join you for dinner.

“Hello?” you called out to an empty house, padding through the hallways. You knew Mor was away on business, but where were the others?

You reached one of the sitting rooms with large windows that faced the city, windows frosted slightly from the cold. The fireplace lit up, and you whispered a thank you to the house before making your way to the windows to admire the view.

Something in you told you that you weren’t alone.

“Beautiful view, isn’t it?” you asked out loud, knowing who would answer.

“It is,” Azriel replied.

You turned to look at him, and his eyes were already fixed on you. You wondered if he was talking about the view at all.

Azriel wore blank slacks and a tunic with the sleeves rolled up. You smiled, it was nice to see him relaxed and out of his leathers.

“Staying in tonight?” you asked.

“I think I will.” Azriel was more stiff than usual. You guessed it had to do with the weeks you had spent ignoring your affair. “And yourself?”

“I’m too cold to go anywhere,” you chuckled, pulling your sweater higher on your neck.

Azriel nodded, hands behind his back. You heart stirred at his handsomeness, the way his broad figure filled the room, his wings tucked in while his hazel eyes bored into yours.

You both stayed silent, neither of you moving.

There was a perfectly good lounge set, a plush rug on the floor, and a fireplace to keep you warm. You cursed the part of your brain that noted that detail.

You saw Azriel eye the lounge too. More silence. You cleared your throat.

“We… shouldn’t. Right?” you dared to ask, hoping he knew what you meant. Your insides throbbed at the idea.

“No, we shouldn’t.”

“Not in the middle of the house,” you nodded.

“Where anyone could walk in,’ he agreed.

“Especially when we shouldn’t be doing… what it is that we do,” you waved your hand between the two of you.

Azriel went quiet. Did he not agree?

“What you’re saying, Y/N, is that I shouldn't take you right now, up against the glass, entering you from behind and pushing into you again and again until you cum?” he asked, eyes lighting up with lust.

Your cheeks flooded with pink at the vision.

You gulped. “No, you shouldn’t.”

Azriel took a few steps closer. “And I shouldn’t lay you down here on this rug, filling you slowly before fucking you so hard you scream my name?”

Oh gods. You couldn’t help the wetness that leaked from you, and you knew your scent was filling the room. Azriel’s eyes darkened as he caught it.

“No, you shouldn’t.” Your voice was a mere whisper, completely unconvincing.

“Alright then,” Azriel said, cocking an eyebrow at you. You looked down, noticing the outline of his cock in his pants, your knees weakening at the sight.

Azriel turned to leave without saying another word.

Stop him! Your heart said. One more time, your brain countered. This would be your last, you willed, before calling his name.

“Azriel.”

He stopped in his tracks, turning his head over his shoulder.

“Please, fuck me.”

He turned, a cocky smirk already planted on his beautiful face. “Well get over here.”

You ran at him, leaping into his arms and wrapping your legs around his waist.

He gripped you from your ass, his not mouth on yours in animalistic heat as your ground against him.

Azriel walked you over to the glass, setting you down before ripping off your sweater. You worked just as fast to unbutton his tunic, looking up at him through your lashes with desire.

With your chest now bare, Azriel stopped and admired you, eyebrows scrunching as if in pain. He bought his mouth down to your chest, his mouth enveloping your beast as he sucked, before moving to the next one.

“You are delicious,” he growled.

You bought his mouth back up to yours, one hand around his neck as you palmed him through his pants.

Grunting from your touch, Azriel spun you around as he gently pushed you against the glass. The cold hit your nipples, making you whimper at the sensation.

“I told you I would take you against the glass, sweetheart.”

You quivered at his filthy words. “You’ve always been true to your word,” you said cheekily. Azriel chuckled as he kissed the back on your neck, before pulling your leggings down.

He ran his hands down your arms lovingly, before pushing your palms again the glass. “You’re going to want to brace yourself, baby girl.”

You felt Azriel cup your sex from behind, your body jolting in pleasure. It had been weeks since you had sex, and you were beyond needy.

“Always so wet for me,” Azriel murmured as you felt him rub his hard tip along your slit.

Your breasts and face were pressed further into the glass as he slowly entered you, your moan creating a fog against the cold window.

“That’s it, take my cock,” Azriel growled, lost in his own lust.

He had only just got the head in when he pulled out of you and pushed back in, building a rhythm and entering you a little deeper each time. He ground his hips against your backside, stretching you and you writhed and moaned against the glass.

Azriel gripped your shoulders while he picked up his speed, thrusting into you again and again.

“I want the whole of Velaris to see how I fuck you,” he grunted. You could only in response.

You reached back, desperate to touch his face as his mouth met yours, tongues swirling together while you fucked. The room was filled with the slapping sounds of your bodies.

The weeks without sex meant it only took you a few minutes to reach your climax, your clutch on Azriel tightening as he continued to rock you at a steady speed.

“That’s it sweetheart, let go for me.” It was all you needed to hear as you contracted, falling back against his chest as he held and coached you through your pleasure.

Azriel withdrew from you, snaking one arm under your knees as he picked you up against his chest, walking you over to the fireplace.

“A man of my word, did you say?” he teased with a male smile, laying you down gently on the rug. The plush fibres filled between your fingers as Azriel spread your legs and re-entered you.

You whimpered at how much he filled you, still sensitive from your orgasm not moments before. Azriel kissed you through your sounds.

“Oh baby, you take me so well. Look at how I fuck you.”

You looked down, watching Azriel enter you over and over, filling your depths. He placed a hand against your lower stomach, pushing down to feel himself in you. You jerked at the sensation, the extra pressure sending your mind into a sensual frenzy.

You began to rock back, desperate for more friction, more of him. Azriel chuckled at your panting before giving in and fucking you fast, his head buried in your neck.

“Yes, Y/N, that’s it, take me,” he grunted, his voice deep and breathy.

“Yes Az, please, harder, fuck me harder!” you moaned, unable to control the volume of your voice. You didn't care if anyone came home, didn't care if they heard. You just needed Azriel deep within you.

Azriel did not disappoint, bringing his knees up to create a new angle, reaching even further in your depths. You twitched at the feeling of him hitting your hilt, your second release not moments away.

“Gods, Y/N, I’m going to finish deep in you sweetheart,” Azriel panted, his strong movements rocking you both back and forth.

You were unmade at those words. A cry ripped from you as you screamed his name, rippling around his shaft as you milked him deep into your sex.

Azriel cursed, teeth gritting as he thrusted a few more times before tilting his head back in a lust-filled roar. He jutted inside you, filling you up as you felt his seed seep from you, spreading to the insides of his thighs.

“Oh Gods, Az,” you moaned, coming down from your high as you cradled his face.

Azriel kissed you between his pants, unable to find his words as he softened.

You laid together for a while, the fire crackling as you shared the warmth between your naked bodies.

But the time came when laying about naked turned from sensually stupid to risky, and the gnawing feeling of guilt and regret returned to you again.

You lifted yourself off the rug and found your clothes, preparing for what you needed to say to Azriel.

This was your last time.

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Part 24 >>>

AN: Ah it's good to be back!! I hope you liked this chapter, we've got just 2 more until the series wraps up 😭Thank you for all your support so far – each like, reply and reblog means so much 💕

Tags: @slvtherinseeker@judig92@kennedy-brooke@hyacinthoideshispanica@brekkershadowsinger@its-me-meg@acotar-thirst@5moremin@honeyrydernot@azzydaddy @lucyysthings@highladyofillyria@paasrin@starswholistenanddreamsanswered@littleshopofwhoress@blurredlamplight@hanasakr@bookish-dream@fall-myriad@aistheamazing@jazmin2211 @xenlynn @iangelofmusic @hades4life@solossweater @whatupmydudes01 @mybbyfeyre @mysticaldeanvoidhorse @georgiastars13 @psychobookaholic @theravenphoenix26 @juiceboxreads @itscaitymoore @norse-witch24 @mis-lil-red

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hide-in-imagination · 10 months

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"Roads That Cross... even when you don't want them to"

You can read the previous chapters here: (1),(2), (3), (4), (5), (6), (7), (8), (9), (10), (11), (12), (13), (14), (15), (16), (17), (18), (19), (20), (21), (22), (23), (24), (25), (26), (27), (28)

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“Don’t you think it’s suspicious that we always excuse ourselves from the dinner table at the same time?”

Ámbar’s voice didn’t sound at all worried while asking him that, merely curious, with a little tint of amused mischief. Then again, Simón thought to himself, her voice always had that ring to it.

Ámbar turn on the lights as they walked into her bedroom, and Simón shut the door behind them. “Everyone knows we’re together; I don’t think it looks weird.” He took some steps and wrapped his arms loosely around Ámbar’s waist. He smiled. “They probably think I just say goodnight to you and go to my room.”

“If they knew,” Ámbar said, and then tilted her head up to kiss him, cupping his jaw. “Do you think I’m a bad influence?” She asked next. “For making you break the rules?”

Simón held her hand against his cheek. “I would break them a thousand times over in order to see you,” he said with a fond smile. “But I don’t think that’s a bad thing. I love how you make me feel.”

Ámbar gifted him with one of those rare smiles, the kind she only ever showed to him— Warm and sweet, softening all of her features into a face of adoration. “I love it too.”

She placed a soft kiss on his lips and then a short peck on the tip of his nose before pulling away.

“Would you help me?” She asked, crossing her room over to the closet. “I bought some new bedsheets and a bed cover online and they arrived today. I thought we could put them on now since we gotta make the bed anyway.”

“Yeah, of course.” Simón had already grown used to the mundane activity of making the bed with Ámbar. He started by grabbing the pillows and moving them out of the way. Then he pulled the current bed cover and tossed it to the floor too.

Ámbar came back from her closet with the new bed linen in her arms. Everything was almost completely white as far as Simón could see. The new bed cover was the only thing with a design, although it was very minimalistic, just some grey lines along the borders. This surprised him a little, not really because of the color but because it all looked very… plain, not a word he would associate with Ámbar.

“So… no more black bedsheets?” He commented. If she liked the new ones better, he had no issue with it, of course. Well, except one, maybe. “You looked good tangled in them. It contrasted with your skin.”

Ámbar looked at him, eyebrows slightly raised. “You’re in a good mood, huh?” She said amusedly, bumping him with her hip as she passed him to leave the linen on her center table. Simón laughed. “Does that mean it went well with Luna? You talked things out?”

Oh, right. Earlier, during pillow talk, Simón had mentioned to Ámbar that he was thinking about maybe having a talk with Luna. It all started with Ámbar telling him about her conversation with Emilia and how it saddened her a little because she could relate to her, and, although it hadn’t lasted very long, they used to be kind of friends. From there, Simón had told her about his own worries about his friendship with Luna, and Ámbar had supported his idea of talking to her to try and clear things up.

“Yeah, it went well,” he told her. “We talked about things that maybe we should’ve talked about a long time ago.” He reached over to the bed again and pulled out the blanket they had added to their arsenal once the weather started getting cold. “I think it was good for both of us. Actually,” he laughed a little to himself, “some things came up that I had no idea about. I wasn’t expecting that at all.”

Ámbar was working on taking all the bed linen out of their plastic bags. She looked at him curiously. “How so?”

Simón hesitated.

Could he tell her what Luna had told him? Should he? Would Luna get mad at him if he did? But it was just a past thing now, it didn’t matter anymore— Anyone with functioning eyes could see how Luna and Matteo looked at each other. And it didn’t sit right with Simón to hide things from Ámbar.

Plus, hadn’t Luna told Nina back in the day that he was in love with Ámbar? And then even Jazmín found out and made a video about it.

Ámbar was starting to look at him weird for taking so long to answer.

Alright, whatever, she owes me one.

“Okay, I’ll tell you, but don’t tell Luna I told you,” Simón asked of her. “Don’t tell anyone, actually.”

Ámbar’s lips quirked up. There was that mischief in her eyes again. “Oooh, I’m liking this already.”

“So,” Simón balled up the blanket and tossed it to the side, “basically, Luna told me she had feelings for me at some point.” He moved around the bed to pull out the old sheets and leave the mattress bare. “Weird, right? I had no idea. I guess things are kinda even between us now,” he said, amused.

Ámbar was standing perfectly still. If Simón hadn’t been busy with the bedsheets, he would’ve noticed the way her eyes zeroed in on him with the laser focus of a hunter.

“At some point when?” She asked.

“The beginning of this year—”

“I KNEW IT!”

Simón startled. He turned around to find Ámbar gesticulating wildly with her hands.

“I knew it! She was always all over you and staring at you longingly— I knew she was getting ideas! Ugh, how I hate being right sometimes.”

Simón blinked, wrinkling his brows a little. “Okay but, that’s over, she’s way past it now,” he tried to reason.

Ámbar whipped around in his direction. “Well, she better be! She had her chance and she didn’t appreciate it, so she better not start regretting it now because you are with me— With. Me. She can go cry me a river somewhere else.”

She stood with her arms crossed, looking away in the purest image of a tantrum Simón had ever seen. She must have felt his stare because she looked back at him after a while, her mouth pressed in a sulking way. “What?”

Simón couldn’t help it— He was smiling. “You’re adorable when you get jealous.”

Ámbar glared at him. “Don’t you dare start trying to make me jealous on purpose or things are going to get pretty ugly.”

Simón went to her and wrapped his arms around her. “I would never,” he said, dropping a small a kiss on her forehead.

“Mhm,” Ámbar acted skeptical, but the smile on the edge of her mouth was evident. She detached herself from him. “Just help me make the bed.”

They worked in relative silence for the next few minutes, only interrupted by little phrases like “You grab that side and I’ll grab this one” and “Do you think if I paid Maggie enough she’d make this bed again? Because I miss the days when I didn’t have to deal with these things.”

“Oh, come on, it’s not so bad. Look.” Simón put the pillows back against the headboard as the final touch. “Voilà. A total piece of art. We could even do this for a living.”

“My dream job,” Ámbar deadpanned.

“And you know what the best part is?” He said with a smile.

“What?”

“Not a single blanket fell on my head this time.” Ámbar’s face changed immediately. “I was a little worried at first, you know? I mean, I learned the hard way that you and blankets seriously don’t mix,” Ámbar rolled her eyes, “but I said to myself: Simón, you have to do this. You gotta face your fears. You can’t—”

Ámbar threw the old blanket on his head.

“…I guess I spoke too soon.”

Ámbar started laughing.

“Welp, nothing to do now,” Simón kept up the act, putting his hands on his hips. “Guess I’m stuck like this forever. Unless some very generous and very beautiful girl was willing to help me—” Ámbar pulled the blanket off him, allowing Simón to see her pretty smiling face. “Ah, here she is.”

Ámbar shook her head. “How can you be so silly and so cute at the same time?”

“I have a gift.”

His lips vibrated with Ámbar’s laughter when he kissed her. Simón pulled back and held her hands, interlocking their fingers, and they stayed just like that for a moment, staring into each other’s eyes.

Simón’s thumb ran over the back of her hand. “Do you remember that day when the whole blanket thing happened?” He asked her.

“Obviously,” she said, and it warmed his heart that that memory stuck with her as well after all these months.

It was the first time Simón saw her with her whole black getup and her ‘I don’t care about anything or anyone’ attitude. She’d been so determined to hide herself behind cynicism and hostility, swore that was all she had to offer to the world. Simón knew otherwise, but he also knew, from the scars he bore, that he had to stay away lest he got new ones. That day was a confirmation of his fears… and also of the fact that staying away from Ámbar was the last thing he wanted to do.

It was a contradiction and an internal battle, and it all started right then when that blanket fell on him, when Ámbar inched her face a breath from his own and taunted him to admit he couldn’t stop thinking about her.

Now here they were, months later. Being this close to Ámbar no longer brought a sense of danger, and knowing everything he knew now, he couldn’t help but wish they’d gotten here sooner.

He let go of her hands in order to hold her lower back. “You know what I wanted to do back then?”

Simón didn’t wait for her to answer— He knew that Ámbar could see it in his gaze. He pressed his lips against hers, with more feeling than before, with the craving of someone that finally got what they’d been needing. Ámbar curled her hand around his nape, wrapped her arms around him tightly as she returned every bit of passion he infused into her mouth. Simón slid one hand into her hair and pulled her closer, securing one arm around her frame. I can do this now, ran through his mind. I can kiss her now, as much as I want, and she loves me, and we’re together.

It was at moments like this that it hit him just how lucky he was.

They pulled apart slightly to catch their breaths. Ámbar’s eyes had darkened, and in them, Simón could see his own reflection. I wish it could always be like this, he thought. If he could engrave Ámbar into his retinas, he would.

She lowered her gaze to his lips. “You know what I wanted to do back then?”

Ámbar put both hands on his chest and pushed him onto the bed, promptly climbing on top of him. A bright laugh bubbled out of Simón. He responded to her enthusiastic kisses until his cheer melted into desire, for he could never not want this breathtaking girl.

Her hands delved under his t-shirt, feeling up his body as her lips left his to devour his neck.

Simón closed his eyes, stretching his neck and letting out a soft groan. “I wouldn’t have complained, you know?”

Ámbar stopped her ministrations and sat up, giving him a look with an eyebrow raised.

“…Fine, I would’ve,” he conceded. Damn his stupid moral compass.

Ámbar smiled and leaned down to kiss him again. Simón held the back of her head and wrapped an arm around her, keeping her against his body as he rolled and switched their positions, bringing her underneath him. Ámbar chuckled against his lips, and it was his turn to exchange these sounds for sighs and moans. Simón wondered if this euphoria would ever fade, if there would come a point in the relationship where they would stop wanting each other all the time. Most probably so. In the meantime, Simón would enjoy the moment.

He prided himself in the fact that Ámbar only seemed able to form a thought when both their torsos were bare.

“Wait,” her hands went to his shoulders, his own currently busy with the buttons of her pants, “the bed cover is new.”

“It’ll get dirty anyway,” Simón mumbled against her skin, not interrupting his kisses down to her navel.

“Simón…”

He groaned, dropping his face on her stomach. He knew separating from her for five seconds wasn’t an agony but sometimes it felt like it. “Fine.” He rose on his hands and pecked her lips. “I’ll bring a towel.”

The bed cover might end up getting soiled anyway if he did his job right, but at least she couldn’t say he didn’t try.

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

Afterglow was a luxury Ámbar had only really gotten to experience with Simón. Before, the handful of times she was with Matteo, they hugged a little after the deed was done, but he always wanted a shower immediately, or something to eat, and it wasn’t like Ámbar wanted to stay there covered in sweat either, so they usually parted ways relatively quickly and got dressed.

Ámbar was lying next to Simón now with her head on his chest, and she felt no desire to move any time soon. There was something so relaxing about listening to his heartbeat. She couldn’t explain it, but with him, she didn’t care about the sweat or about food or about anything really. Apart from the obvious clean up, that Simón always took care of because he was sweet like that, Ámbar was more than happy to stay under the sheets with him snuggling like this. To feel his arms around her, to bask in his body heat and his scent. Sometimes, one of his hands would slide up and play with her hair, just like now, and Ámbar would think— This is what total peace must look like.

“I think I’m gonna repaint my room,” she said after a while, not because she needed to fill the silence, just because she’d been toying with the idea for some time and she wanted to share it with him. Maybe it was her greedy nature that, not content with being physically connected with him from head to toe, wanted to connect with words as well.

“Really?” Simón said, curious. “I thought you were joking the other day.”

“I was, but now I really think a change is due here.”

“Mmm.” Ámbar felt the vibration of his voice against her cheek. “I was starting to get used to the punk rock.”

That made her smile. “I think I went too overboard with it all,” she lamented nonetheless. “Minor changes would’ve been better. Now there’s no way to take off all the black, so I’ll have to repaint the whole thing.”

“You’re going back to pink?”

“No, that’d just be the same as before.” She didn’t have a clear image of what she wanted exactly, but what she did know was that she didn’t want to go back to how it all was. “What about grey?” She said, tilting her head up to look at Simón. “That’d be like middle ground with the black.”

He made a face.

“Yeah, you’re right, grey’s too sad.” She laid her cheek on his chest again. “Maybe if it was silver—No, ugh, forget I ever said that. Red? No, orange with golden hues. Lime green?”

“You know, it’d probably be easier if you just paint each wall a different color. Otherwise, you’re gonna be deciding until next year,” he told her, earning a playful swat from her. His laugh shook her head.

“You’re terrible,” she complained fondly. “Also, in that case, I’d have to figure out how to make them all match and, trust me, that would be a hassle. So, stop teasing me and help me.” She sat up, holding the sheets over her chest. “Keep in mind that light colors make the room look bigger.”

Simón also sat up, leaning against the headrest, and thought it over. “Um… what about light blue?” He proposed. “It’d bring out your eyes,” he told her with a smile, and wrapped an arm around her shoulders to tuck her to his side again. “But I’m biased because I like blue.”

“It would bring out my eyes…” Ámbar looked around assessingly, imagining it. “But I don’t know…”

“Orange sounded good.”

She gave him a look. “Let me guess, you also like orange?”

“Busted.” He laughed. “But it also looks good on you. Well, everything looks good on you.”

Ámbar smiled and started playing with his necklaces. She loved doing that, running her hands over his chest and curling her fingers around his guitar picks.

Suddenly an idea came to mind.

“What about purple?”

Simón looked down to where she was holding his purple guitar pick and back to her eyes.

“Purple?”

“Yeah, like a very light purple. Just like…” She turned the guitar pick between her fingers to make it shine, “just like this when it catches the light. It’d be different from the old pink but not too much. But also different enough that one could notice the difference.”

She looked up, curious to see what he thought. Simón’s eyes were already on her face, looking at her with that glistening mix of fondness and disbelief that Ámbar still couldn’t comprehend how it could be directed at her, as if she were so utterly wonderful he couldn’t believe she was real.

“I like purple,” he said softly, with a small smile, warm as the chocolate of his eyes.

It was her who couldn’t believe he was real. Who thanked God for being alive every time she saw him smile.

They kissed softly, reveling in the simplicity and marvel of the contact, and parted with a short peck, like a see you soon of their lips, the send button on an I love you text. They stayed closed together, eyelids shut, just feeling the warmth shared between their bodies and the serene little world that only existed right here, with them, for them, and no one else.

Ámbar ran her thumb over his cheekbone. A little bit of beard grazed her palm. She wondered if he would let her shave him someday, just because.

Delicately, Simón nuzzled her nose with his. “I love you with my life, you know that?”

Ámbar smiled big and inhibited like a little kid. “Me too. To the stars and back.”

Simón shifted and Ámbar instinctively knew to lay her head on his shoulder, where it belonged. They cuddled up together. Simón kissed the top of her head, right before letting his body sag comfortably against her, relaxing completely.

“Wanna take a bath with me?” Ámbar asked after a few breaths.

“Mmm tomorrow,” Simón mumbled.

“We won’t have enough time tomorrow; or do you want to get up at 6 am?” She joked.

Simón whined. “Okay.” He started getting up, every movement slow and heavy. “Wake me up if I fall asleep.”

Ámbar rose on her hands and leaned in to kiss him shortly. “Always.”

--------------------------

If Ámbar were to envision her perfect day, it would go something exactly like this.

She woke up next to Simón and they got ready for the day together, all while he tried to make it absolutely impossible for her, hugging her from behind at random intervals and smothering her with kisses.

They had breakfast together, talking about whatever came to mind— old stories they hadn't told each other yet, how they preferred their tea, their favorite foods to have breakfast with, opinions about a TV show Ámbar hadn’t watched but Simón seemed very passionate about, or a song Simón hadn’t heard yet she thought he might like.

On Ámbar’s perfect day, the sun was out even if it was June, and while it was still kind of cold, Simón's hand in hers kept it warm as they walked to the Roller.

Today really was shaping up to be that perfect day. The next box to check on her list would be to have lunch together with her boyfriend, but she told Simón she wasn’t sure when she'd be free for that.

"I have a meeting with the accountant today and I don't know how long it'll take."

Of course, Simón understood. “Oh, right, you told me about that.” He glanced at one of the tables where some customers were calling him over and lifted one hand in their direction, signaling he’d be there in a second. “Well, I’m gonna be around here, so just, let me know when you have the time.”

“You don’t have to wait for me, you know?” She said, feeling a little bad. “You can eat with the guys every now and then.”

“Sure,” Simón said, shrugging. Then he leaned forward with a smirk, placing his hands on the table between them. “But why would I do that when I can have much prettier company?”

“Hey!” Pedro exclaimed from the bar. “I resent that!”

The couple laughed and Simón parted from her table. “Good luck with everything today.”

“You too,” Ámbar told him. “If there’s any problem just let me know.”

Nothing of notice happened during the next few hours though, so morning turned into afternoon with tranquility and Ámbar managed to maintain her good mood, even despite the fact she’d been doing so much planning and math this day she feared she would see Excel spreadsheets in her sleep.

It was a fortunate thing she’d always been good with numbers. Throughout high school, she thought it would come in handy when she studied Business and followed her godmother’s footsteps until she inherited the Benson fortune and everything that came with it. Now though… she could explore other options. Luna would inherit everything anyway. Sure, she could still study Business and, hell, maybe even run the Roller one day while actually knowing what she was doing. But possibilities were endless. Maybe she could become a full-on event planner— She had some experience already and she enjoyed it. Or maybe she should go for a more traditional career, like medicine. She’d always been good at science too.

Then again, she was good at many things because she was smart and worked hard, but it didn’t particularly mean she liked them. She liked being good at something, but would that be enough motivation to build a whole career around?

Thankfully, she didn’t have to think about those things now. And her current job was going well, thanks to the invention of calculators, Microsoft Office, and soon, too, the help of Ana’s accountant friend. Having some of her guidance would make everything much easier.

Footsteps approached her from the left.

“Hello, Ámbar.”

Speaking of which— Right on time.

Ámbar smiled and rose from her seat to greet the woman.

Thump

Wait.

Thump Thump

This is not—

Thump Thump

Nono, she is—

Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump Thump

Surely, somewhere out there the will of the universe cackled.

She should've known there were no perfect days for someone like her.

“What are you doing here?”

It was really a testament to Ámbar’s lifelong experience in hiding her emotions that neither her mouth nor her voice trembled when she spoke.

“Ana called me,” Silvana said. “She said you needed help, so I came here to help you.”

She had a tentative smile on her face. Just like that day. Just like that day when she told her—

Ámbar blocked the memory. “You are the accountant?”

Her luck couldn’t be this bad. This had to be a mistake, or a joke, or a nightmare—

“Yes, that’s my profession,” Silvana replied simply, demurely, like a disgusting goody-two-shoes. “Actually, that’s how Ana and I met a couple of years back. I didn’t know her daughter went to your same school. I was so surprised when I found out.” She was holding her bag in front of her, her grip tight on the handle. She was nervous and trying to hide it. “She told me you’re the manager of this place now.” A smile. “I’m very proud of you, Ámbar.”

‘Proud’?

It took all of Ámbar’s self-control not to scrunch up her face.

Proud of what? You don’t know me. You didn’t want to know me!

This was sick. This was seriously, tremendously fucked up— She was going to barf.

‘I’m very proud of you, Ámbar.’

When was the last time her godmother told her that?

How dare she say this?

She didn’t know all that Ámbar had done, how hard she’d fought to get to hear those words from Sharon, all she’d suffered, cried, hidden, and destroyed, and now she wanted to come here and say that as if it was nothing?

Ámbar straightened her spine and looked her in the eye. “Yes, I am the manager,” she said, cold. “And as the manager, I’m going to have to ask you to leave.”

This woman’s words meant nothing. She was nothing, and Ámbar wanted her out of her sight.

Finally, the hopeful, calm mask of Silvana faltered. Her brows furrowed. Her smile died. “But Ana said you needed help with the finances. I can help you, let me—”

“I don’t want anything from you, I thought I had made that perfectly clear,” Ámbar said, short and sharply. This woman didn’t deserve to get a reaction out of her but she didn’t deserve her kindness either. “The only thing I want is for you to stay the hell out of my life. If I had known you were who Ana meant, rest assured that I would’ve never asked her to call you. I have enough problems already for you to come and give me more.”

A shadow of misery befell Silvana. Sadness, guilt— Both emotions covered her face, and Ámbar thought, good. She should feel bad, she should feel guilty. But it didn’t make Ámbar feel any better. Nothing about this woman would ever make her feel anything positive, that she was sure of.

Silvana’s pleading eyes looked into hers. “It was never my intention to cause you any trouble, Ámbar,” she said gently. “I know you’re angry. You’re hurt. I understand perfectly but, if you could just give me a chance— I just want to get to know you and for you to know me.”

She took a step forward, a minuscule one.

Alarm bells blasted through Ámbar. Composure abandoned her.

“I want nothing to do with you! Can’t you understand that?!”

“Hey.”

Simón’s voice.

Simón’s voice cut through the sirens and reached her ears as he came to stand by her side.

“What’s going on?” He asked with worry. His hand came around her waist, a gesture so familiar Ámbar wouldn’t have even noticed it normally, but she did now.

She noticed because all of her senses were on high alert. She noticed because, suddenly, that point of contact seemed to be an island in a sea of turmoil. More than that, she noticed because Silvana noticed.

The woman looked from Simón and back to Ámbar again with something brewing in her eyes— Something knowing. Understanding.

A lightning of rage struck Ámbar. This woman didn’t deserve to know about Simón. She didn’t deserve to meet him, didn’t deserve to even know he existed.

So when Simón looked at Silvana and asked, “Who is she?” Ámbar was quick to clarify.

“No one,” she spat out. “She’s leaving.”

Silvana’s face fell. “Would you at least take my number?” She begged desperately. “E-mail? I could help you from afar, you don’t have to see me.”

“No, thanks, I can handle it on my own,” Ámbar said flatly. “That’s how I learned to do things; I’m used to it.”

Silvana grabbed the strap of her purse harder. Her eyes were shining now, coated in unshed sadness, but she swallowed any more pleas and nodded, resigned.

“I understand,” she said, and Ámbar hated, hated, detested, how the devastation in her voice affected her even in the slightest. “I’ll be going then.” Her mouth opened as if she were going to say more, but she seemed to think better of it and caught the words before they could leave her. Silvana pressed her lips together. She turned to Simón instead.

“Take care of her, alright?” Her small, brittle voice asked him.

Ámbar saw red. A storm of rage and other indecipherable emotions broke out inside of her and her hands balled into fists as she tried to contain it, to not scream at the woman every insult she’d ever known. Her whole body was tense. It was a good thing that Silvana left immediately because she couldn’t take this anymore. Even after she could no longer see her Ámbar felt like she was shaking.

“Are you okay?”

It was Simón’s voice again, gentle as the hands he brought to her arms. He stood in front of her, searching her face with features contorted in worry, eyes trying to catch her gaze.

Ámbar had a hard time looking at him right now, or at anything, really. No, she wanted to say. No, I’m not okay. She wasn’t even sure what she felt. She didn’t know if she wanted to scream or break down crying.

She parted from him and sat back at her table. Simón followed, grabbing a chair to sit in front of her. “Who was that woman? Why did you kick her out like that?”

Ámbar breathed deeply. A weird numbness was taking over her body. She couldn’t tell him it was her biological mother. Her mind felt mixed up but whatever part of her brain was in charge of avoiding danger was working in overdrive because she knew that if she told him, then he’d ask how she knew, and if she said Silvana had approached her last year the day of the Vidia competition finals, then he’d know she learned back then that she wasn’t Sol Benson.

Of course, she could lie and make up some other situation in which they had met, but if she lied to Simón now after lying to him what felt like every single day lately, she was going to suffocate and be seriously ill all over the Roller’s floor.

She joined her hands on top of the table, trying to center herself. “She’s an old associate of Sharon,” she said— a half-truth. “They go way back but I only met her last year.”

Simón’s concern only seemed to grow upon hearing Sharon’s name. “And what was she doing here? Did she come on Sharon’s behalf? Did Sharon send her to talk to you?”

“No.” She doesn’t need to send anyone to talk to me, she does it directly. “It turns out that she is Ana’s accountant friend.” Ámbar could spare a brief humorless smile for the irony. “If I had known, I would’ve never told her to contact her.”

Simón frowned. “I’m sorry, I don’t understand— Is she that bad?” He asked, confused. “She looked… very sad. Maybe she regrets working with Sharon. I mean, you say she was associated with her but, what exactly did she do for her? ‘Cause if she was just her consulting accountant, maybe she didn’t even know what Sharon was doi—”

“I just don’t want her near me, okay?!” Ámbar snapped. Out of all things in this world, the last one she wanted right now was to listen to arguments about that woman’s presumed innocence. “I have reasons to want her far away from my life, so if you ever see her around here again, I want you to get her out. I say that as your boss,” she ordered curtly.

Simón looked taken aback, either by her outburst or the content of it. It could’ve been both or neither, Ámbar didn’t much care right now. She maintained her fiery stare on him until he recovered and uttered a reply. “Okay,” he said in a quiet voice. “Okay, I’ll do that.”

Ámbar nodded. “Good.” She brought her laptop closer to herself and focused on the screen. “You can go back to work now, I’ll get back to this.”

Different tabs filled her vision again, but she was too aware of Simón’s presence still in front of her. There was a tentative air upon the table. Ámbar could feel his eyes on her and it rubbed her the wrong way.

She looked up sharply. “Work, Simón,” she kicked him away. “I don’t pay you to sit here with me, I pay you to work.”

Whatever had been on Simón’s face turned sour, harsher. “You don’t need to talk to me like that.”

“And how do you want me to talk to you?” Ámbar responded.

Simón stared at her. Ámbar got ready for a counter, a rightful reproach at her tone of voice, an offended complaint. She wanted to fight. She wanted to break something.

Simón’s flare of indignation extinguished in front of her eyes, leaving him with an exhale.

“Doesn’t matter,” he said tiredly.

He got off the chair and walked away.

Ámbar was left a little disoriented, recalibrating.

It took a moment for the guilt to hit.

She cradled the feeling with sick satisfaction. Dug every cutting edge of it into her palms and then added the bloody fragments to her ever-growing collection.

Ámbar drowned herself in her work. She forced her foggy brain to read, calculate, organize, until her head started pounding, and she was relieved, because the physical pain was distracting enough to almost forget the last hour of her life.

She told Pedro she wasn’t feeling well and took her work home.

She didn’t have lunch with Simón that day.

…

-----------------------------

So. That happened.

Some of you might not know this, but back when season 3 was airing, many people in the fandom were theorizing that Silvana could be Ana’s accountant friend, because we were Delusional™, and in the end she wasn’t and we never saw her again, which I believe is horrendous. So, one of the things I decided early on while writing this fic was that I would make that fandom theory come true and bring Silvana back a bit because I feel like that storyline deserved a little more development, at least.

(Don’t except to see her much though.)

With that being said, I’m happy to announce we’ve officially reached the ‘decline’ part of this story— the ‘everything goes to hell’ arc, if you will. But there’ll be good moments sprinkled in between to balance it out, don’t worry.

Fun fact: the original title of this was “With an accountant” but I figured that made it too obvious what was going to happen so I changed it.

Another fun fact: The only time Simón has seen Ámbar in orange was this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=14GYSCGOu-w )

Finally, I noticed something very funny happens here that I wanted to clarify. Simón says “I thought you were joking the other day” while talking about Ámbar’s room, because for them it’s only been a few days, but chronologically, in the time that has taken me to write this fic, it’s been 3 years since that happened SKDJNFKS 🤣😂 So, if any of you RIGHTFULLY don’t remember, he’s referring to chapter 15, the last conversation they have in there.

As always, thank you all so much for your patience, I can’t believe it’s been five years! I’ll try to finish this in no longer than 2 more years because 7 is my favorite and lucky number. See ya around and thank you for reading <3

#simbar #simbar fic #simbar fanfic #soy luna #soy luna fanfiction #My Writing #roads that cross

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gaymer-hag-stan · 6 months

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Inspired by fistsofcarnage's post found here:

I decided to share my own opinion on the Tekken 8 base roster while we wait for its release!

A more detailed ranking:

Favourites

1. Nina Williams - My Queen since c. 2005

2. Jun Kazama - I really really missed her

3. Lili - Crazy rich girl? Love it

4. Zafina - Weird spider / scarecrow / praying mantis Egyptian lady? Of course I love her

5. Azucena Milagros Ortiz Castillo - La Reina del cafe is looking GREAT

6. Jin Kazama - Him and Hwoarang have been my main "men allowed on the upper tiers" for a while now

7. Ling Xiaoyu - My love for Xiao is a relatively more recent development but she's a queen alright

8. Hwoarang - Angery kick boi. You love to see it

Love (?) Is a strong word to describe my feelings for the following but I like them alright and maybe even played as them in past Tekken games

9. King - I mean it's king

10. Shaheen - A huge downgrade over his Tekken 7 design, still cool

11. Asuka Kazama - Asuka had tons of potential for me but her one-sided rivalry with Lili and them being positioned as the main female rivalry of the series for a while now (I wonder if it has anything to do with them being teenagers~) has kinda damaged her characterisation a bit for me. She's kinda there for Lili to have something to play with nowadays rather than being her own character. I still like her but nowhere near the amount I liked her in her Tekken 5 era.

12. Steve Fox - Steve is cool. He's okay.

13. Lee Chaolan - This is such a weird redesign... Lee is so extra and fun but I can't stand the new look.

14. Yoshimitsu - Yoshimitsu is Yoshimitsu

15. Reina - Kinda basic but cute

16. Leo Kliesen - Kinda basic but cute

17. Lars - Kinda basic

Neutral / Dislike - My phone and also Tumblr only had an orange-y yellow marker so I merged these two together

18. Victor Chevalier - French James Bond Ninja Noctis Samurai looks kinda cool

19. Raven - I liked Master Raven more

20. Claudio Serafino - I liked him back when he was revealed but he ultimately became too forgettable for me

21. Devil Jin - Edgier Jin. Whatevs

22. Alisa Bosconovitch - Sex slave robot modelled after an old man's dead teenage daughter that a middle-aged man has the hots for will never not be creepy

23. Leroy Smith - Meh

24. Kuma - Even bigger meh, and I'm also still mad that both him and the other fucking bear keep taking up TWO slots but Christie being playable alongside Eddy in Tekken 7 was such a ludicrous idea for Namco

25. Marshall Law - I liked his Tekken 4 / 5 moustached look more. Him gulping all the fucking steroids in the world between Tekken 7 and 8 was not a wise choice

Hate

26. Panda - Read Kuma's entry. She's lower than him because she looks weirder now and I think both look weird when they put clothes on them but she looks weirder this time

27. Kazuya Mishima - Too boring

28. Bryan Fury - Too ugly, boring and loud

29. Paul Phoenix - Too ugly and boring, and also he looks his worst in this redesign

30. Sergei Dragunov - Too boring and ugly but at least he's fun to play with

31. Feng Wei - Too ugly and loud

32. Jack-8 - It's a JACK unit... All these redesigns and upgraded models and Jane still hasn't figured out how to not make him look fucking ridiculous

I'm still missing Anna Williams, Christie Montero and (mum) Kunimitsu. I hope Anna at least fucking makes it as Christie is probably gonna be left out in favour of Eddy again and since they introduced a younger, cutesier and more boring version of Kunimitsu in the form of her daughter I don't think we're ever seeing her again.

I wouldn't mind seeing Katarina return either, Miguel's chest is always nice to look at and I'm DEFINITELY on the Lucky Chloe did nothing wrong camp! I also think that over the years I've grown more fond of Forest than Marshall but unless his dad's liver stops working from all the extra steroids he took I don't see him making it back until the next Tag Tournament

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mouse-fantoms · 7 months

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Questions for fic writers!

I saw @gay-flyboys do this and I wanted to join so- here I am

1. How many works do you have on Ao3?

19! I just have ✨ideas✨

2. What’s your total Ao3 word count?

Apparently just over 69, 800 words.

3. What fandoms do you write for?

So on my Ao3 is Jatp and then I have a Wattpad (my user on there is Mouse0415) (I’ve had it since I was 13 it’s just grown up with me as I write) where I write for Miraculous Ladybug

4. What are your top 5 fics by kudos?

(These are linked in my master list that’s pinned on my blog)

1. Easier Than Speaking (What if Flynn didn’t find out about Nick asking out Julie until after school? What if she came into Julie’s room just started going on and on about it? Julie is just trying to get her to be quiet because there happens to be a certain ghost present in the room. Luke also finds out about Perfect Harmony?)

2. Improvise (Essentially Luke asks Reggie for help to learn piano bc he hears Julie humming Perfect Harmony)

3. Right Where I Need To Be (Jatp Camp Rock AU)

4. Reggie’s Magic (Julie has a crisis bc Reggie styles Luke hair and it just so happens to look like his perfect harmony hair)

5. The Discovery (A way Ray finds out about the boys)

5. Do you respond to comments? Why or why not?

I try to! I’m normally active right away when I first publish a fic bc I wanna see reactions to it 👀 I just imagine the person who writes the comment is like “I bet they’ll never see this” but responding to them I’m saying “yes! I see and appreciate your comment that you left 🥺”

6. What is the fic you wrote with the angstiest ending?

I don’t write a lot of angst endings but I guess the one that comes closest is “An Opening Scene” (which is my version of how an opening scene to a new Jatp season would be)

7. What’s the fic you wrote with the happiest ending?

Basically like all the fics I’ve wrote 😂

8. Do you get hate on fics?

Luckily no one has! People have just always been genuinely kind and positive with their comments and kudos/votes with what I write 🥺

9. Do you write smut ? If so, what kind?

Personally I don’t, I may imply things but I only ever leave it at I just leave those to your imagination if you will 💀

10. Do you write crossovers? What’s the craziest one who’ve written?

I’ve done a few fics that have songs incorporated in them that’s the most like “crossovers” I’ve done

11. Have you had a fic stolen?

Not to my knowledge

12. Have you ever had a fic translated?

Once again not to my knowledge

13. Have you ever co-written a fic before?

I have not but the idea is exciting to think about!

14. What’s your all time favorite ship?

Out of the ones I write for 👀 (if this was an overall list of my ships we’d be here forever)

Juke & Ladynoir they’re just so 😭🤌 you can do so much with them it’s just beautiful

15. What’s a WIP you want to finish but doubt you ever will?

The WIP I’ve had for the LONGEST TIME is one where I had this idea for like a Willex date but it turns into like Juke date too so it’s double date kind of thing, this is the lil note I have in the document for it that’s to myself so I don’t forget what it’s about,

It’s just been a WIP for so long at this point 😭

16. What are your writing strengths?

I like to say that “I think in dialogue” when it comes to writing bc whenever I’m writing anything in my head, the dialogue is more prominent than the imagery in my brain. To me, it’s easier to hear how characters interact with one another in my head compared to what’s happening visually.

17. What are your writing weaknesses?

To me, it’s hard to do description and not just make it a giant wall of text bc in books when I see that I find it distracting at times if it’s just like description over and over again, it does depend on the wording and if it’s “boring” or not. I just don’t want to make scenes that feel boring, I want to keep the reader invested.

It’s hard for me to fully translate what’s in my head into visual words

18. Thoughts on writing dialogue in another language in fic?

I’m not against it I just haven’t done it all too often

19. First fandom you wrote for?

I was in 7th grade, became obsessed with Miraculous Ladybug, had already written like 3 fics on paper (most during class) but I decided that wasn’t enough and sought out like fics online and discovered wattpad which is when I had the thought “I wonder if someone has already written this thing that I want to read?” And no one had in the specific way I wanted to read about so I wrote it myself… …when I was like 13… …so it’s not great and I cringe a lot when I look back at it but I still maintain that book to this day :) it’s a nice lil time capsule of like how my writing has involved and I continue to have ideas for it

20. Favorite fic you’ve written?

“Right Where I Need To Be” (my Jatp Camp Rock AU) has a special place in my heart bc it basically was the first multi-chapter fic I’ve ever done especially for Jatp. I just had such a fun time with the AU and all the dynamics there were to be made. The comment reactions were so fun to get and I looked forward to reading them whenever I published a new part! (it do still be on hiatus 💀 I haven’t forgotten about it! It’s just life gets in the way but I have some parts written for the like “part 2” of it I just want them to be more put together before I release them)

I do also have a couple one shots I made for Miraculous that I look back on and I’m like “oh that’s a good one 🥰”

#tag game that I didn’t get tagged in but wanted to do bc it sounded fun #jatp #miraculous ladybug #fanfic writers #writing #fanfic writing #julie and the phantoms

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mulberrytea · 2 years

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Anonymous asked: what's it like being 23?

ryebreadgf answered: you still feel 18 just like you felt 15 when you were 18 and just like you felt 9 when you were 15 and just like you feel 6 always

gaycommunist: actually, growing up is feeling like i turned sixteen two days ago. i've been eighteen for years. fifteen year olds seem so young. wasn't i fifteen just a few weeks ago? all my friends and i are still twelve. i'm closer to thirty then to being a baby. i never got to be a kid. i never grew past eight. i can't talk to my mom. i want to sit in her lap forever. the week is going by so slow. an entire year has passed. i want to decide everything for myself. i need someone to tell me exactly what to do.

"Be softer with you. You are a breathing thing. A memory to someone. A home to a life.” — Nayyirah Waheed

So when you met the new you Were you scared? Were you cold Were you kind? Yeah when you met the new you Did someone die inside?

Looks like it's time to decide Are you here? Are you now? Is this it? All of those selves that you tried Wasn't one of 'em good enough?

And I was so young

When I behaved

Twenty five

Yet now I find

I've grown into

A tall child

“The trees you planted in childhood have grown too heavy. You cannot bring them along. Give yourselves to the air, to what you cannot hold.” — Rainer Maria Rilke, “Part One IV,” from Sonnets to Orpheus

“Above all else, it is about leaving a mark that I existed: I was here. I was hungry. I was defeated. I was happy. I was sad. I was in love. I was afraid. I was hopeful. I had an idea and I had a good purpose” — Felix Gonzalez-Torres

It is not the fear of moving on that scares me it is the fear of never going back. They never told us just how much it would cost to choose in life.

"In the end, everyone is aware of this: nobody keeps any of what he has, and life is only a borrowing of bones."

— Pablo Neruda

Remember: You will never Have these days Again.

“Everything is more beautiful because we are doomed. You will never be lovelier than you are now. We will never be here again.”

— Homer, The Iliad

i don't pay attention to the world ending. it has ended for me many times and began again in the morning.

Everywhere you look there's beauty, and it's rimed with death. If you find injustice you'll find humans, and this means that if you listen, you'll find love. The substance of the world is light, is water: here, clear even when it's dying; even when the dying seems unbearable, it runs.

“I am awfully sentimental. Of books, belongings, people, places. It matters very little how positive or negative the experience was. If it shared some meaningful time in my life, I’ll have trouble letting go.” ― Beau Taplin, Buried Light

your lover gives you his copy of ovid. inside is a note that reads, change has always been tragically beautiful. your dreams and nightmares both are haunted with transformation

But a woman is a changeling

Always shifting shape

Just when you think you have it figured out

Something new begins to take

What strange claws are these

Scratching at my skin?

I never knew my killer would be coming from within

“People confuse past With present. They think you are Still who you used to be, When that person has Long since died Their death.”― David Jones, Love and Space Dust

just another birthday

1/2

1. Madeline L'Engle 2. @/ryebreadgf 3. @/gaycommunist 4. Nayyirah Waheed 5. upside down and inside out by OK Go 6. The Pride By Alexi Kaye Campbell 7. @/chacoco 8. War of the Foxes by Richard Siken 9. Daphne du Maurier 10. @/ryebreadgf 11. First Love / Late Spring by Mitski 12. Sonnets to Orpheus, Part One, IV by Rainer Maria Rilke 13. The Heart Remembers: A Memoir of Personal Growth by J. Lei 14. When Things Fall Apart: Heart Advice for Difficult Times by Pema Chödrön 15. Rachel Wolchin 16. Adonis, from “Persons”, Selected Poems via (@/weltenwellen) 17. @/grendel-menz 18. Breasts and Eggs by Mieko Kawakami 19. Kevin Lucbert 20. David Jones 20. @/sharksandpoems 21. thoughts of a stray iii 22. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson 23. Love Letters or Suicide Notes by Doc Luben 24. The Empty Book by Josefina Vicens 25. Felix Gonzalez-Torres 26. we're not really strangers 27. Pablo Neruda 28. unknown/attributed to multiple sources 29: Homer, The Iliad 30. Nayyirah Waheed 31. Forge by Jan Zwicky 32. Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami 33. @/hel7l7 34. Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson 35. The Black Unicorn: Poems by Audre Lorde 36. Welcome to Night Vale by Joseph Fink & Jeffrey Cranor 37. Lesley Imgart 38. Hello World by tfb 39. @/hel7l7 40. Buried Light by Beau Taplin 41. @/hel7l7 42. Little Weirds by Jenny Slate 43. Eternal City by Kathleen Graber 44. Hans Vandekerckhove —The Road Never Ends 45. unknown/attributed to multiple sources 46. GOD GAVE THE DESERT TOO MANY TEETH (R. Wright) 47. Fallen Angel by Keaton St. James 48. Flowers on the Grave by The Maine 49. @/grendel-menz 50. Questions for Ada by Ijeoma Umebinyuo 51. @EmilyRCWilson (twitter) 52. Ribs by Lorde 53. Overwhelmed by Valeria Duca 54. The Beer by Kimya Dawson 55. King by Florence + The Machine 56. White Nights by Fyodor Dostoevsky 57. Dialogue Between an AI and a Poet @/demasc 58. @/hel7l7 59. @/azraqed 60. Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery 61. Love and Space Dust by David Jones 62. Octavio Paz, tr. by Eliot Weinberger, from “Sunstone”, The Poems of Octavio Paz (via @/weltenwellen) 63. Blue Iris: Poems and Essays by Mary Oliver 64. sketch 28/12/17. by @/holly-warbs 65. The Glass Essay by Anne Carson 66. Dear Boy by Emily Berry

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construingseacats · 7 months

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Umireread: Legend of the Golden Witch - Chapter 8: Legend of the Gold

Sat, Oct 4 1986 - 10:00PM

The following contains spoilers for the entirety of Umineko. Please do not read if you are yet to finish it.

Taking a quick second here to say that I’m kind of disappointed that the Steam Version doesn’t play the OP every time you boot it up. I really loved booting it up every day during my initial read and watching it to get myself hyped again. Like yeah, I suppose nowadays I can just watch it on youtube whenever I want, but it’s just not the same, you know?

It’s almost like having the fantasy they’d constructed of their parents shattered by the grim truth of reality is a negative thing or something. Someone should write a 1.1 million word visual novel about that idea

23 year old talking down to a 17 year old moment. It’s always funny how young adults see themselves as full fledged adults rather than kids.

Yeah wow this scene is really going all in on the theme, huh. At first glance, it’s a pretty normal scene of kids being upset that their parents are mad. But really it’s just another proxy of the horrors of truth without kindness.

Saving this as a reaction image for whenever Battler says something perverted.

And so our great countdown begins! Honestly one of the coolest parts of the overall mystery of Umineko is going through the motions of there being a potential 19th person on the island, to there only being the known 18, to Kinzo being dead, to Shannon and Kanon being a single person. So, so good.

Another one of those lines where Ryukishi definitely smiled to himself while writing it. Yeah, there sure aren’t a full 18 people on the island!

Oh, and here’s our first Devil’s Proof - it’s interesting that Battler is the one to bring it up. I wonder if this is a concept that he discovered on his own, or whether it’s another hand-me-down from Kyrie that he’s grown accustomed to.

And hey, Chessboard Thinking! I guess this chapter is just “THEY SAID THE THING” central. I suppose that makes sense given this chapter is basically named after the episode title.

I’m not so fond of it when Ryukishi has a character do something and then immediately use the narrator to talk about them doing it, but this kind of line is really good in my opinion. We picked up on Battler using this type of thinking on the boat in Chapter 1, and now we’re getting confirmation here (several hours later) that it’s something that he picked up from Kyrie. If nothing else, I’m glad that Ryukishi isn’t the kind of writer who’d say this without justifying it elsewhere with an example.

Kyrie caps off this section by saying that her logic is full of holes, but honestly, she lays out a pretty solid deduction. It’s funny how many times someone will get something right and then go “nah that can’t be it”.

Man, my heart really breaks for Maria here. REALLY liking her more than I did first time round. I kind of want to say that she’s even more upset here than she was at Rosa’s mother of the year moment in the rose garden, which is an interesting look into her psyche if so.

God, the cut back to Kyrie here is stark. A 9 year old is all by herself in the hall, practically traumatised, and here’s Kyrie going “hey she can give us the answers!”

What makes this one interesting, however, is that it’s framed as Kyrie trying to cheer Battler up. I’m… not entirely sure I agree with this being portrayed as a good thing? Like, it’s not a conversation Maria will learn about, so it’s not going to hurt her, but being so lackadaisical to someone else’s suffering doesn’t sit well with me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m the world’s biggest advocate for “Don’t set yourself on fire to make others feel warm”, but I kind of wish there was a little more here about care for Maria’s wellbeing from at least Battler (if not Kyrie). I don’t know, this one just feels a little off.

So this is probably going to be my hottest take for the entire reread - but I don’t like this line.

When you read it the first time, it’s a HUGE point of intrigue, and honestly one that causes a lot of readers to perk up and start paying attention. After all, murder mystery, Epitaph talks about sacrifices, and now someone says they’re going to be killed? That’s got to be important.

But the thing is, I feel it’s a little… unwarranted? Like, in hindsight, this line feels way too dramatic. I’d argue it’s unearned, honestly. I’m not dismissing Rudolf’s sentiment behind this line, but given what he’s alluding to - a confession about Battler’s true lineage - it definitely feels like it’s being written unrealistically to make the story seem more mysterious. I just can’t see anyone actually saying this in this specific manner for the given topic.

Of course, a facetious “You’re probably gonna kill me” doesn’t carry the same weight, so trying to find something that keeps the mystery without sounding needlessly obtuse is kind of a have-your-cake-and-eat-it-too situation. I guess I’d opt for something like “There’s something that’s been building up for a while… And it’s gonna come to a head tonight. …Honestly, it’ll be a miracle if I’m still here in the morning.” That’s still a bit needlessly obtuse, but it feels way more natural given the circumstances.

After the earlier observation of “Episode 1 is written with an intent by Yasu to make Natsuhi suffer”, I can’t help but notice it showing up over and over again.

Once again we’re literally telling it as it is. I do wonder how different people would be treating this if it hadn’t first been introduced as Genji dressed up as Beatrice to discredit it.

Yeah Yasu is REALLY going in on Natsuhi here. It’s uncanny.

LIKE FOR REAL, ALL IN

You know, I was about to comment about how tense this scene is, getting everyone into position for the first twilight. Making a point to separate the different groups. And then Battler just has to go and say this, huh.

Another scene where both Shannon and Kanon are being addressed independently by Genji. Kind of interesting to think of it as the final meeting for how the night is going to go.

A special case indeed.

Another win for self indulgent self insert Yasu writing her to be sleeping in the same place as her crush. Next you’ll tell me there was only one bed.

It’s EXCEPTIONALLY funny to have Shannon gushing over Battler, and then the plot IMMEDIATELY misguiding you to George. I legit don’t think there is any way you could even notice this on a first time read unless you were approaching Umineko from an uncannily adversarial approach. Like, I think it’s reasonable to pick up on Kanon potentially liking Battler from the big bulging muscles scene earlier, but unless you’d somehow figured out them both being the same person, I don’t think you’d really be able to pick up on this detail from what you’d already seen from Shannon.

Ah, and here’s the Fukuin name drop. Very funny that the latter part of it is the “on” Kanji once again. I wonder how many more examples of Kanji wordplay we’ll see as hints to the Epitaph?

I made a note back in Chapter 3 where I’d forgot about this detail and thought the other “on” servants were additional identities of Yasu. I actually edited that post to respond to a reply about that and address it, in case anyone missed that.

You know, it’s very telling that George’s response to Shannon saying “I would have to obey that request if it was an order, since I’m furniture” isn’t “you’re not furniture”, it’s “that’s an order”. Very romantic.

George’s relationship skills in this scene overall are just pretty creepy. The impression I’m getting is that Yasu is writing this from a space of heteronormativity - by all sensible metrics, George looks like an atrocious partner for her here, but this is the kind of relationship that society wants you to have, right? He’s a rich disney prince here to whisk her away for a happily ever after. She should want this, right? She doesn’t believe that in her heart, but she feels like she should want it, so it’s written out of a place of obligation rather than love.

For some reason I remember Thank you for Being Born playing here, and man, it really isn’t. Pass isn’t a bad song, but man, I do not care for it. Another one that feels overly generic - funnily enough, it kind of reflects the forced heteronormativity by sounding like what “heartfelt confession” music should be without really saying anything special, but I’m almost certain that isn’t intentional.

Yeah George? You sure understand the meaning? Not even a hint that there’s something more going on under the surface here?

Really, the most realistic part of Umineko is that I’d also want to kill everyone in my immediate vicinity if George proposed to me.

Oh the glass shattering here is phenomenal. Perfect mood setting.

#umireread #umineko #umineko spoilers

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ravencincaide · 4 months

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Sweetober 2023

Chuuya Nakahara:

Sweetober prompt 2: Ear cleaning -> A little favor

Summary: You had a particular way of talking when you wanted something from him, and usually it wasn’t something Chuuya was a fan of. This time included. Or the time you asked Chuuya to shoot you.

Sweetober prompt 9: Deep kissing -> Every little girl dreams

Summary: No one dreams of this type of wedding, let alone wants one like it, and yet that’s the only one you’re getting. Or when you and Chuuya make the decision to stick to your original plan, even if it's the opposite from perfect.

Sweetober prompt 10: Shining shoes -> Make it up to you

Summary: Chuuya fucked up. You knew it. He knew it. The question was could you recover from it? Or the time you put Chuuya between a rock and a hard place.

Sweetober prompt 11: Shopping -> This little thing

Summary: Not every woman wants their boyfriend to buy them everything they lay their eyes on. It was just excessive. Unfortunately for you, that’s something that Chuuya still struggles with. Or the time Chuuya got you one meaningful gift instead of 50 just-because ones.

Sweetober prompt 13: Playing with hair -> You pitiful little thing (Kitsune reader)

Summary: Feeling a little lonely, Chuuya gave into the temptation of saving a stray puppy hiding in a cardboard box. Unfortunately for him, the thing he thought was a puppy, was something much less innocent. OR the time a mere mortal mistook a great kitsune for an abandoned stray.

Sweetober prompt 15: Massage -> A beauty in his eyes

Summary: You were extremely self conscious about your appearance and your body, making beauty treatments, including massage, a luxury you could not afford. OR the time Chuuya asked you to join him on his massage day and you did not have the heart to tell him no.

Sweetober prompt 16: Familiar Scents -> Someone else to blame

Summary: Different people deal with grief differently. Some accept it and move on while others suppress the memories. For Chuuya however, an existence without you is simply not an option.

Sweetober prompt 17: Cooking/sharing food -> Your work has nothing on me

Summary: A fight on a stressed, hungry stomach can lead to snappy remarks which turn into something good; OR the time Chuuya forgot about your very important pre-planned date.

Sweetober prompt 20: Showering -> First Time is the Hardest (murderer!reader)

Summary: You got yourself in the biggest shit in your life and didn’t know where to go or who to turn to. Luckily Chuuya’s door was always open for you, no matter the time or the state you were in. Or the time you find out your innocent boyfriend may not be so innocent after all.

Sweetober Prompt 21: Bathing -> Blurred lines (Best friends! reader)

Summary: Having grown up together there were few lines you and Chuuya hadn’t crossed. But maybe that was a naive way of thinking OR the time your familiar banter was replaced with a ‘caring’ threat, which hid an almost carnal need.

Sweetober prompt 24: Getting dressed -> Try again tomorrow (Depressed!reader)

Summary: You could feel it was going to be a low day for you even before you opened your eyes and all you wanted to do was disappear. OR when you need it the most Chuuya can and will be be the most gentle.

Sweetober Prompt

Dazai Osamu:

Sweetober prompt 1: Handholding -> If only you'd hold my hand (Preg!reader)

Summary: A year ago you would have cried from joy seeing the positive sign on the pregnancy test, now you are torn. If only Dazai was there, holding your hands, as you were making the most important decisions of your lives.

Sweetober prompt 6: First Kiss -> Your smile, Your tears and Your fears

Summary: When an innocent kiss can have devastating consequences. OR What does it take to get Dazai to promise he’ll save you- even if it means he’ll destroy you and everything you’ve known in the process?

Sweetober prompt 14: Back scratching -> Oh sweet memory of mine (Memory degerenation!reader)

Summary: Dazai basks in your bright smile even if tomorrow you won’t remember a thing. OR a walking red flag will always be a walking red flag- even when he tries to be sweet.

Sweetober prompt 19: Brushing Teeth -> When the dead talk (Necromancer!reader)

Summary: Sometimes you wonder whether Dazai seeks you out because of your ability or if there is an obsessive element to your encounters. Either way as long as he keeps his part of the deal, you’ll make the dead talk for him. OR the real reason Dazai is always dirt poor.

Sweetober prompt

Soukoku x reader

Sweetober prompt 3: Lap pillow -> Moving is never easy (Student!reader)

Summary: You had a million things to do; put your new apartment in order, build the furniture, unpack and study. Of course Dazai and Chuuya were there as the best help and worst distraction. Or the time you got a hint at the kind of study buddies Dazai and Chuuya would be.

Sweetober prompt 4: Non sexual age play -> Live a little (coming-of-age-ceremony!reader)

Summary: Dazai and Chuuya were dead set on attending your coming of age ceremony, even if they had to drag you there personally. Or the time you were forced to play your age.

Sweetober prompt 5: Embrace -> When you assume you make an 'ass' out of me and you (preg!reader)

Summary: Finding out you’re pregnant, you decide to end things over text. Too bad Chuuya and Dazai were NOT buying your poor excuses. Or the time you made them very happy.

Sweetober prompt 7: Clothes sharing -> Surprise you son of a- (Dazai x reader x (Dark Chuuya)

Summary: You acquired a stalker. A man who harmed those around you, but never touched or approached you. The plan was for you to play bait, lure him and mace him. Then Dazai would take care of the rest. Unfortunately there was just one thing you did not calculate with…

Sweetober prompt 8: Napping together -> Desperate times call for deperate measures ( New parents!)

Summary: You leave your small twins with Dazai and Chuuya and hope the two of them can manage their fatherly-duties while you take an hour of much needed ‘me time’. Scratch that, you just needed long enough to take a shower in order to feel human again before going back to being a mom.

Sweetober prompt 12: Chase kiss -> Happy Unhappy home! ( Angsty! Part two of Desperate times call for desperate measures)

Summar: Soukou think you may be suffering from postpartum depression. Something you strongly disagree with. How dare they suggest you’re an incompetent mother and a threat to your children when they haven’t been around for months! Surely, they must have a different agenda behind their accusation?

Sweetober prompt 18: Sick -> Responsibility to love (Parents!)

Summary: After witnessing a difficult birth Dazai struggles with himself and his emotions over becoming a new parent- a distant dream that his mind denied up until now OR men react differently to seeing their babies for the first time; some are natural parents while others…

#Raven Cincaide sweetober #Raven's SFW #raven cincade's works

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xxblackballoonxx · 2 years

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The Heart Underneath: Chapter 30

***This fic is being posted simultaneously on FanFiction.net and Ao3. I originally began it in 2016, and then life was life, and now I’m bringing it back because it deserves to be finished! Rating M as of Chapter 10 ***

Thank you for your patience! You know I always love coming back to John and Martha.

Chapter 29 THU Masterlist

The Heart Underneath

Chapter 30: J&M Letters 8 (21 and 22)

June 10, 1917

Dear John,

Our son Eamon Michael Shelby was born at approximately three this afternoon, healthy and screaming his little head off. Will was absolutely terrified and Katie seemed more intrigued than anything else, though I’m not sure how she’ll feel once she realizes she’s not the baby of the family anymore.

It’s late evening now, I insisted that Ada bring me a pen and paper to write to you as soon as I was up to it. Polly’s acting as if I’ve never given birth before, fretting over me to the point of aggravation. I know she means well, but it’s nice to have some space to myself, with the baby.

I’m not sure yet what color his eyes will be, but they seem so blue right now. Shelby blue. The blue that I can’t ever forget, the blue that I see when I think of you, love. I wish you could have been here. To see Eamon born, to sit with Will, to make Katie laugh in the way only you can. They miss you, John, we all miss you.

Stay safe for all of us. I’m holding on to the day you can see Eamon for the first time, the day you can hold him. The day we can be together as a family again.

We love you forever,

Mar, Will, Katie, and Eamon

John wiped his eyes as he read Martha’s letter, a combination of sweat and tears running down his face. He could tell how hurriedly she’d written him, making sure the letter would go out first thing in the morning. His heart felt heavy having missed Eamon’s birth, but there was nothing to be done. The war raged on, and thousands, maybe millions, of fathers sat behind the battle lines, wanting to go home.

“Good news, John?” Tommy asked tentatively, seeing the look on his brother’s face.

“Good news, yeah. Martha had the baby, it’s a boy. We named him Eamon Michael.” John said with a smile.

Tommy pulled his brother into a tight hug, whispering his congratulations, hand to the back of John’s head. Tommy thought back to the conversation with Martha, the night he warned her that John may not make it back. It had killed him to say that to her, but he needed her to know. Still, Arthur and Tommy’s resolve had only grown stronger and they rarely left John’s side. They’d get him home, even if it neither of them made it.

“Oy, John boy, did I just hear I have a new nephew?!” Arthur shouted over the din of the soldiers around them.

“You did, Uncle Arthur. Eamon Michael. Martha said it looks like he’s got the Shelby eyes.”

Arthur laughed as he hugged John, clapping his shoulder. He looked at Tommy, who stood behind John, and the look that passed between them was very clear. John had another reason to make it home alive. Arthur felt like he was on high alert all the time now, watching over John. Watching over Tommy, even though Tommy protested. He was the oldest and it was his duty. He could never live with himself if one of his brothers was lost in this muddy hell.

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

June 17, 1917

Dear Mar,

I’m so happy to hear that Eamon came into the world safely and that you are both doing well. I don’t remember Ada being born, but I do remember my mother speaking of how I ignored Ada for a solid month before coming around to the idea of having a younger sibling. I’m sure Will and Katie will adjust soon enough.

How is Will handling sleeping in his new room? He seemed to be adjusting when I left, but I wonder if he’ll be jealous now of the baby and kick up a fuss. If that happens, tell him I said to be a good boy and be kind to his new brother. I’m sure he’ll come around eventually. As much as Ada and I bicker, we’ve always been close, probably to some degree because we are the closest in age.

It’s hotter than hell must be here, it seems like we can never win with the weather. Freezing cold in the winter, blazing hot in the summer. We all seek shade as much as possible, and the mud does help to keep us from burning in the sun. As much as we all hate it.

Tommy and Arthur both pass on their congratulations, they are looking forward to meeting Eamon as well. Give Will and my Kit Kat a hug and a kiss for me. A special hug and kiss to Eamon, please tell me about me. How much I love him already. How I love them all so much.

I look forward to the next time I see you all, and especially you, my love. I’ve been thinking about the last time we were at the fair a lot lately. How you look in those white summer dresses you make. The way your hair seems to be even more gold, the freckles across your face. They make your eyes look even more green. You’re always beautiful, but you’re so beautiful in the summer, I find it hard to breathe sometimes.

I love you always. All of you.

John/Daddy

Martha sat in the late afternoon sunlight, bedroom window open, Eamon sleeping in her arms. The house was quiet, with Will and Katie napping, Finn out with friends. Ada and Polly doing the weekly shopping. Martha took advantage of the quiet to read John’s letter again, wiping tears away as she ran her finger over his handwriting.

She could imagine him, sitting miserably in the heat, face pink from the sun, his eyes squinting. He’d never done well in high temperatures, always joking that he was made for winter, with the suit styles he loved. And it was true, he looked so handsome fully suited up, layers adding to his frame, collar stays peeking out from underneath his overcoat. His peaky cap tilted to the side, looking down at her. It always took her breath away.

“Your daddy wrote us a letter, darling. He loves you very much, I promise. There’s a war going on, and your daddy and your uncles are in France, fighting … for who knows what, really, now, but it’s a very brave thing they are doing.”

Martha looked down as Eamon opened his eyes to the sound of her voice. The Shelby blue cutting through her soul like it always did. She hooked her finger into his little hand and talked about John, his eyes focused on the sound of her voice and her hair that was swept over her shoulder.

All of England swirled with the news that the Americans were on their way. Just that morning the local headlines announced in large print that the first American troops had landed in France, with more on the way. The country collectively held their breath now, waiting to see if the giant from across the Atlantic could put a stop to the destruction of Europe. To the loss of so many young men.

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

WWI Historical Context:

On April 6, 1917, the United States officially declared war on Germany, with President Woodrow Wilson stating “the world must be made safe for democracy”. While the US had not officially engaged in the war prior to April 1917, US banks had given massive loans to the Allied Powers (France, United Kingdom, Russia, Italy, Japan, and eventually the US) which in turn were used to buy food, materials, munitions and other goods, largely from the US itself.

Germany had engaged in brutal and cruel unrestricted submarine warfare, sinking passenger and merchant ships in the Atlantic, much to the horror of the rest of the world. This included the sinking of the passenger ocean liner Lusitania in 1915. This was seen as well outside the rules of warfare, and became a driving force of the decision for the US to enter the war, on the basis of moral obligation. Additionally, the fear that Germany would win was well supported, and many politicians felt that if Germany won the war, Europe would fall completely. This in itself was a threat to the US and the North American continent, particularly if South America fell under German control later on.

4.7 million Americans served in World War I, with 116, 516 lost, which pales in comparison to the losses from the other major power countries. However, it is considered fact the Allies would not have lasted as long as they did without American assistance of supplies and food. It is also considered fact that the war would have ended either in a potential negotiated armistice or in Germany victory if the US had not officially entering “the war to end war” and provided military support and governmental power.

No one could’ve predicted at the time how massive of a role the United States would play just 24 years later. Least of all Germany, many historians say.

#john shelby #john shelby fanfic #john shelby imagine #joe cole #martha shelby #john shelby fanfiction #peaky blinders fanfic #martha shelby fanfic #peaky blinders imagine #peaky blinders fanfiction #peaky blinders #the heart underneath

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reynie-muldoons · 2 years

Text

'A Perilous Journey' liveblog!!!!

GOOD MORNINGGGG its season two timeee!!!

I decided I'm watching episode 1 now, and episode 2 in a few hours. My shift starts weirdly late in the day so it works out.

As always, spoilers below the cut!!

Before I even get started I love how this episode is called a perilous journey. It's not quite the book title but damn near close 😂

0:10 ITS A RECAP BAYBEEE

1:27 dad!Milligan will never not make me cry

1:29 AND MOM!MISS PERUMAL RIGHT AFTER

2:12 HERE WE GOOOOOO

2:19 BLEASE tell me Kate is training rats

2:23 just kidding its Sticky

2:36 STOP MADGE STOLE THE RAT LMAOOO

2:41 oh. She left a letter. That's not conspicuous at all 😂

2:59 Mystic is so tall now 🥺

3:13 WETHERALL FARM??????

3:17 I SEE A BARN THIS IS NOT A DRILL. Also that was fucking creative Kate but how strong is that boomerang to knock multiple full-grown apples off of the tree

3:24 MILLIGAAAANNNNNN

3:34 MADGE NAME DROP!!! I have a confession to make related to Madge that I think is the funniest fucking thing ever. Remind me to tell y'all at some point

3:46 omfg are we about to watch the kidnapping??? how telling is it that I thought of Gert immediately LMAOOOO

3:55 they look adorable. Matching umbrellas, cute long coats... icons

3:58 THEYRE FAMILY BITCHES

4:06 is that supposed to be a time magazine dupe

4:06 I also think its hilarious that Curtain's original plan was to take credit for solving the emergency by just. mass brainwashing. good plan there bud, very sustainable

4:06 but like isnt he wanted now??? Isnt that a thing? In the books the government was actively looking for him so tf is this

4:14 THE OPENING IS BAAAACK

4:14 "skip opening" how insulting. No

4:42 THE SHORTCUT!!!!!

4:50 who decided to make Constance's screen an arctic clown ship 😂😂

5:12 here's that unhinged interview from the trailer. I didnt think it would come this quickly

5:28 Constance just fucking staring at the TV as if she can intimidate him into stopping LMAO

5:39 WHAT??? So in S1 when he said he'd "share the spotlight" THIS is what he meant?? What a curveball. He's going to regret countering her

5:50 fucking god complex strikes again

6:01 he looks like he's wearing a straight jacket on that back cover. Probably appropriate considering he's uhhhh Like That

6:20 god I hate him. Stop being manipulative challenge (impossible)

6:26 YES ABSOLUTELY sadness, anger, frustration, anxiety, all of the shit makes happiness stand out. Without the struggle our lives would be shaded of grey because happiness wouldnt be distinguishable

6:43 why does this sound like homeopathic medicine

7:03 is this like a weird TV hypnosis thing. Is he doing the fake happiness thing on her without her consent

7:09 ohhhh I did NOT like the shift from looking at her to looking at the camera. Creepy

7:15 RHONDA YOU SHOULDVE LET HER DO IT

7:15 Rhonda as usually you look fucking fire

7:26 Dutch baby?? First of all, presentation is 10/10. Second of all it makes me very sad that they're the only two in the house because Mr. B and Number Two are already gone.

7:38 why the fuck did she answer in French 😂😂

7:44 THEYRE SISTERS YOUR HONOR

8:03 HAHHA THIS IS THE LOG-CUTTING THING??? I LOVE THEM SO MUCH

8:13 that scream sounded like a fucking bird of prey HAHA

8:29 literally describing how it feels to travel with parents over a long period. I swear they are literally a fucking family

8:36 "just as much for him as it is the kids" oh absolutely it is, he's a mess when it comes to Nathaniel

9:01 DOES HE JUST GO TO SYMPOSIUMS AND GET UP AND SPEAK 😂😂😂 what the fuck guy

9:24 "who's mocking me?" "Doesnt matter." They're banter is UNCHALLENGED. also his face is fucking funny HOLD UP

9:24 GRUMPY MAN IS GRUMPY

9:37 calling Nathaniel "some guru with all this influence" REALLY makes him sound like he tries on makeup products and does skincare routines on youtube 😂

9:41 "we seem pretty safe" oh babygirl if that's not the nail in the coffin

10:05 they really nailed the "local man does something weird" vibes in this scene

10:17 dont tell me it already happened. Oh no

10:27 OH SHIT THERE IT IS

10:39 oh my gosh he's such a DADDD.

10:45 "a tiny go bag or gorp". I love him so much

10:54 HE WITTLED IT FOR THE BUCKET STOOOOP

11:03 AND THE DEPENDENCY ARC CONTINUESSSSS

11:10 "it's my job to take care of you also. Additionally." He understands she's been on her own up until this point and acknowledges that she can handle herself, but also that she's a kid who needs help just like anyone else. CRYING.

11:15 she didn't even put it in the bucket, just her pocket 😂😂 she's so reluctant to accept

11:25 MILLIGAN PLEASE GET A BUCKET HAHAHA

11:30 okay that truck is incredible LOL

11:40 .....why would you do that to a grapefruit. What did the grapefruit do to you huh

12:08 HERE'S THE LETTERS ANGST. REYNIE WROTE THEM SO MANY LETTERS

12:16 can I just say Miss Perumal is the queen of pastels

12:43 the reality of long-distance friends. My best friends from high school and college live SO far away and it's like this sometimes

12:50 acknowledging his feelings, giving him comfort, AND indulging him?? If the adoption papers arent signed already they really should be

12:57 HAHA IS SHE PRACTICING TO SEE THEM??? LMAO KID

13:19 stooooppp she's so cute

13:26 LMAO EVERYONE GOT THERE AT THE SAME TIME

13:44 Reynie and Sticky had the sense to bring a suitcase, Kate

13:51 she's not wrong, they are taller 😂

13:58 THAT LOOK BETWEEN CONNIE AND KATE LMAOOOO

14:01 this is a funny moment and all but Reynie desperately looking for affirmation anywhere he can find it makes me so sad for him

14:07 THE HIGH FIVES!!!! Cue everyone wincing

14:15 HAHA HAVE THEY JUST NOT TALKED ABOUT THE WHISPERER SINCE THEN

14:27 ohhhh Milligan looks nice

14:38 STOP THEYRE SO FUNNY

14:45 it looks like a minecraft golem, or the pokemon golett 😂

15:01 oh lord the news broke, that has to be it

15:15 dun dun DUNNNN

15:34 it's so cool that they planned check-ins like that. How smart

16:15 okay both of them switching between languages was fucking sick

16:18 and here it is, the kids have been told no, so they will find their own way

16:41 oh shit, they have a short timeframe then

16:47 I cant tell if this is manipulative or Constance not being able to contain herself. Like I doubt she would do this in front of the others but she's already shown she trusts everyone more than she lets on, soooo

17:09 is this Constance's room??

17:16 HAHA I KNEW IT she DID hug Rhonda to get something out of it

17:31 he sounded so offended 😂😂😂

18:09 she kills me. The line delivery is just on point

18:59 is this from the book? It's a dictionary, right?

19:14 HAHA he just fucking LEAVES

19:22 OH SHIT HELLO????

19:43 RAGE GIRL, RAGE

19:46 HAHAHAHA HER FACE WHEN THE SNACKS POP OUT

19:46 IM CRYING HER EYES BUGGED OUT SO MUCH

20:13 "many sociopaths are unfailingly polite" that describes Nathaniel so fucking well

20:25 casual destruction of property

20:25 HOLD ON LMAOO how much did they have to pull on that thing for it to come out of the door at such a small tug???? Oh no I'm sad

20:33 AYYYY there it is, it's a dictionary

20:52 "last...time I checked" oh buddy hahahahah

21:14 "there is no system" the system is the organized chaos that every person with ADHD understands- it's a mess but a very specific mess

21:19 awwwww. He's trying to reach across 🥺

21:29 VERY SMOOTH REYNIE

22:00 okay the nothingness club sounds like a cult

22:13 awwww there it issss. The dam is breaking

22:30 AND NOW ITS THE SAME WITH THE GIRLS. I love that they're ramping up the similarities between Reynie and Constance

22:45 awwww loneliness. They're so sad

22:59 "not dad. Roommate" okay girl you tell yourself that

23:14 THE BOOK CHAIR. THATS INCREDIBLE

23:23 "You LIKE me." LMAO KATE CALL HER OUT

23:40 needy dad is needy

23:54 hagagaga why does he keep looking at Constance like that

24:35 good job Kate!!!!

24:46 YES THEY GOT THE JOURNAL FUCK YEAH

25:16 TAKE THE SHORTCUT BABY

25:47 "does anyone feel like they've entered a trance" Constance 😂😂😂😂

26:12 "I feel uncleen" HAHAHAH

26:25 THERE IT ISSSS TAKE THE SHORTCUT BAYBEEEE

26:42 MARITIME MONTHLY LMAOOOO

27:15 yeah Kate, everybody knows that. Gosh.

27:44 YES Reynie get the group's consent before doing something stupid

28:02 she's writing a fucking newsletter apparently

28:10 very subtle guys

28:19 okay the fact that Kate is left makes me think Milligan is going to come

28:24 okay, just kidding. Also I love the shoes

28:27 ayyy public transit

28:34 OKAY WHO TF WAS THAT

28:48 wow they didnt get any kind of head start, Rhonda's going to see they're gone immediately

28:58 SHIT SHE SCREAMED FOR HIM

28:58 KATE LEFT HIM A NOOOOOTE 😭😭😭

29:11 MISS PERUMAL NOOOO

29:12 ayyyyyy it's the Shortcut!!!

29:37 oh shit the adults have the tickets??? So what I'm hearing is the kids are sneaking on and the adults are using tickets

30:14 oh shit Sticky 😂 or should I say "oh ship"

30:20 HAHHAHA KATE "ha. stern" CRYING

30:34 PETTY CRIME BAYBYYYYY

30:42 NOOOOO its Boston tea party but without the tea

30:56 oh God why is he like that

31:03 he looks like he's about to star in a 80's dance video

31:07 NOOO HE ACTUALLY STARTED DANCING

31:15 WHAT THE FUCK IS THIS

31:18 PLEASE STOP HAHAHAHA

31:27 please dear god let SQ walk in on this

31:30 not SQ but someone else

31:46 what the fuck just happened

31:49 ITS GOLF CART TIME BITCHES

32:16 I'm so glad he looks that stupid in his little cart thing. I cant wait to make fun of him

32:32 who are you calling "Associate" bitch

32:46 CULT

32:52 "elated" OH GOD OH NO OH FUCK

32:59 Milligan holding his hat like that is just too fucking endearing.

33:06 so are their tickets just. Null and void now 😂

33:12 did they really just ditch their shit 😂😂😂😂😂 the bags are just there in the open

33:18 parents. PARENTS. Also this kind of is like Reynie although Miss Perumal has never seen him in an active life and death situation like this

33:23 Rhonda is once again the voice of reason

33:27 "they believed us" AWWWWWW

33:45 shit is it already over??? Damn those are some long credits then

Wow, that was really good. The kids met back up, they had an awkward start but fell into that familiarity almost immediately. The parents were very parental. Although in hindsight, Sticky's were pretty much absent. What the fuck's up with that??

And the biggest tragedy is that there was no "roll credits" moment. They didn't namedrop the episode title 🙃 please bring that back in the test of the season I loved that so much

This took a lot longer to do than I thought, so I'm waiting to watch episode 2 until later tonight. I cant wait to talk about it with y'all!!!

#the mysterious benedict society #mbs liveblog #mbs disney+ s2 #a perilous journey #charity's talkies

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