FORMER BAKKERS

“Trin: I think grandma's heart would break if she saw how quickly her successors went through the family's supplies and tore up contracts and agreements with other clans. And the idea to join Snake Nation? We might as well have asked Raffen Shiv to line us up on the dirt and execute us. What's the difference? That was the true end of the family. That's why I, Ossian, Lil Elam, Afshin, Persia and others decided to leave. S.W.: Do you still keep in touch? Trin: No.”

ft. (in order) Vera “V” De Soto, Ossian “Oz” Mercer, Cairo (pronounced kay-ro) Bohannon, Samara Keene, Trin Bakker, “Lil Elam” Stillwater, Afshin Madani, Persia Theler, Harlo Stroud, and Bodhi Heflin

Okay since we were talking about our beloved Lorcan earlier 😂

What about Lorcan falling in love with one of the newer fae in Aelin's court? Like a fae who took over for one of the Lord's after the war?

*smiles in evil fox* I had way too much fun...

Smartass

Lorcan always knew that he liked his females strong-minded. He liked the bickering. He liked the teasing it brought. A game of some sort. Chasing and catching. Charming. He wasn't picky about the looks. It's the brain that he valued. Had spent way too many nights in taverns, with ladies who only knew how to bounce their breasts but the words that came out of their mouths made him want to rip his hair out. He was sure his life was going to be doomed by careless messing around. One night adventures and fleeting the moment he was done.

But you just had to walk into his life. And turn his ancient world upside down. He was accompanying Aelin in one of her meetings regarding the reserved army she wanted to recruit. She said that she needed Lorcan as her formal army commander to run over the details with a commander of allay troops just in case.

Well, one thing Lorcan wasn't expecting was a female. Tight armor like a corset, pants that accompanied the high slits of your dress shirt. Lorcan had forgotten his name for a moment as he watched you walking towards them. "See something you like?", you smirked at the male, making Lorcan swallow thickly, your voice alone could send you to his knees yet all he said was, "No, but good to know that you're so full of yourself". You let out a chuckle as you walked past him. The scent of you made Lorcan growl slightly.

It was a torturous week. Watching you. Sensing you. Hearing you. You were a tough cookie. Every time Lorcan had tried to jab you. You had always come out on top. "There's no way to cross the mountain", he said in one of the last meetings of the day. You just turned to him, "Oh, really? You are now an expert in that too?", you chirped. Fenrys snorted across the table. That man had attended every single meeting now that Lorcan was being put in his place daily. "I've traveled through that area countless of times, sweetie", he swilled his drink in his glass, "You haven't even been born yet".

Crickets sounded across the room as you watched him for a moment. "Careful your old age is showing", you chirped, dabbling your nail on the map, "I can ask a healer to make you a tonic so you would not forget to button your pants in the morning".

Lorcan let out a warning growl, grip on his glass tightening. Even Gavriel let out a chuckle. You threw the male a sympathetic look, "Did I bruise your ego, baby boy?", "You're walking on thin ice, dove", he pointed a warning finger at you. You leaned over pretending to bite it, "I'm commander Y/N to you".

And this went on and on. As if you two were in a silent battle with one another. Leading one another on. Yet there was something about you. The way you laughed sent shivers down Lorcan's back. Even if you pissed him off, he still walked right beside you as you monitored the training of the soldiers. He listened as you spoke to his man. His gaze kept them all in line because, maker, help them if Lorcan sensed their thoughts going elsewhere.

When the time for you to go came, Lorcan found himself dreading the moment. His mood dropped then he saw you saddling your horse, humming under your breath. Yep, you were the prettiest, strong-minded female he had ever seen. "Came to wish me a smooth journey back?", you straightened your posture, and brushed your hair away from your face. Lorcan leaned against the wall of the barn. "Nah, wanted to cut your saddle's leather", he breathed, making you let out a laugh. Even Lorcan felt his lips curving upwards.

"And here I thought you genuinely liked me", you stepped closer to him, shaking your head. "I hate smartass females like you", Lorcan growled, predator eyes piercing at you. You nodded your head, before quickly pulling at the flaps of his shirt, yanking him closer to you. Your lips met his and Lorcan's hands instantly reached for you. It was desperate and messy. Your heart was beating so loudly in your ears that you couldn't hear anything else.

You pulled away breathlessly, "A parting gift of sorts", you muttered, brushing your finger over Lorcan's lips, trying to get the red tint off, "So you wouldn't forget just how much you hate me". Lorcan growled as you stepped out of his embrace, turning to walk towards your horse. "When I'll get my hands on you...", Lorcan called after you, voice deep. "Actions speak louder than words, commander", you chirped over your shoulder. So Lorcan stepped forward, more than happy to show you the power of his actions.

I'm seeing age differences in those relationship charts-

But are those Real age differences, or are they part of their "Character" and not when they were actually made.

I'm assuming the latter because of them "remembering" the cartoon as you've put it- but the idea that they actually had real childhoods (one not just written up on some script) and were kids is both adorable and also very depressing.

Thinking about it, realizing you're an artificial being that was made directly into an teen/adult with only fake memories and stories from a tv show is some prime existential dread. I mean that seem like it could be one of the few things that could truly break the critters- especially for Catnap who seem adamant that there is a world to go back to, only to be faced with "that world- those memories were never real".

That kind of angst seems ripe for picking!

Alright - Combining these together.

Let's start off with a height chart and ages for the Critters! (Plus Angel), and this would be in feet - and yes these are the heights I am trying to keep consistent.

Find the original here.

Okay, more under the cut!

So

Let's start with our Anon. You are so right. I really want to make these guys have varied bodies, just like I did whenever I draw the FNAF animatronics. So it makes it tricky for me to keep the cartoon proportions, as I just want to lean into anthro proportions. But I strongly agree with you!

Okay. Moving on.

The ages for the Critters are based off of two things. My preference for having some older style toons - and I imagine these are based on their creation and not their ages on the show. I imagine the show kept them ageless, but around the same year. DogDay is our oldest, because I believe whoever created them in universe first thought of him before the other critters. I think the creator of the show originally meant to just have a small show with just DogDay, Bubba, and Picky - for whatever reasons. (She just gives off older vibes to me). Over time, the others were added in for various reasons. Hoppy is our youngest, as I like to think she was a last minute addition to the team to balance them out.

These ages are just what I have listed, but I think none of the critters really view themselves having the same age. I think if you were to ask any of them, their first answer would be at least twenty five. Five years working in PlayCare, ten after the Hour of Joy, and they would simply shrug off the rest.

Then there's Angel, who started working for the company at the age of twenty three. Stayed for three years, then left.

As for childhoods? They have a false one written into each of their characters. Excuse me while I ramble on about what the backgrounds they were "programmed" with.

DogDay was an only child and rather lonely. He decided to take that loneliness and work that much harder to befriend others and create meaningful relationships. He approached each critter one-on-one, and after that? He'd try to hold on to anyone he clicked with. He has so many false memories of his family and his time with his friends before the show's "start". Though... If he actually thinks about it, he starts to question why he never had any pictures of these memories. However, once brought into the "real" world, he adjusted to this realization.

Bubba was the first to be approached, though he knew DogDay when they were children. They grew up together, and DogDay really helped him get past his awkward phase. He spent so much time trying to focus on learning, fascinated by everything he could read about. DogDay helped him come out of his shell and befriend others. He was the first to realize his memories were fake and adjusted incredibly well. As far as he saw it - yes. They weren't "real" creatures in the show, but existing in PlayCare? They were alive. Did the past really matter when the present was far more important?

Picky grew up with a massive family. She is the eldest of her siblings and had always taken on a caretaker kind of role. She happened to meet DogDay towards the end of their childhood, an was confused when this excited dog insisted on dragging her over to meet a rather shy elephant. She found them both to be weird, but she warmed up to them quickly. She struggled with the realization that her memories were fake. After all, this meant that the family she had, the siblings she loved so deeply and cared for... None of that existed. To cope, she ended up taking care of the kids that much more. She was going to heal her sorrows by making new memories.

CatNap happened to wander in to town on their own, deciding to make a life for themselves - despite their young age. They was probably three days into their solitude when DogDay discovered them in a tree. CatNap was confused and insisted that DogDay leave them be, but the pup wasn't backing down. Eventually, he convinced them to come down and join him and Bubba for a picnic. Though CatNap and Bubba didn't get along at first, CatNap and DogDay were inseparable after that day. They discovered their memories were false due to their recall. They poked their head around the councilor's office and discovered too much, and CatNap just couldn't handle it. They still don't believe all of those memories were fake, and they just want to cling to those nonexistent days.

Bobby moved into town with her family, a middle child with three older siblings and one younger adopted sibling. She happened to run into DogDay during a Valentine's Day celebration. She had taken charge of the decorating, and was impressed that DogDay not only wanted to help, but enlisted his friends to help too! This is how she met Bubba, Picky, Kickin and CatNap in their teen years. She couldn't thank them enough and was the first to suggest a weekly meetup for them. She still has not realized these memories are fake, but she is suspicious of some details and has her doubts.

Kickin is the youngest child in his family, adopting a cool persona to help his self esteem issues. He didn't meet the others until later on, in the end on their childhood and the start of their teen years. He met CatNap first on accident, catching the cat being cornered by some larger critters. Despite being so tiny, Kickin' jumped in to defend the cat, and though the two didn't fair well, they immediately bonded. CatNap soon introduced him to DogDay. Though they liked each other, Kickin' always felt the need to one-up him. A rival. He has not realized the memories are fake, but he has no idea.

Crafty was an only child, but incredibly gifted. She happened to find herself in town to study, though she had a small desire to follow her art. She often spent time alone, finding a quiet spot to occasionally doodle between her studies. It was during one of these days when she met DogDay - who had no concept of personal space and leaned on her, asking her what she was drawing. Of course, this scared the hell out of her. Afterwards, DogDay apologized and insisted that he make it up to her by inviting her to the group's weekly hang-out. When Crafty met the others, she was amazed by how welcoming the other Critters were. She then began to start coming up with ideas on friendship charms and was the one to propose the idea. Everyone voted on what type of charm best suited the others. She is deep in denial that her memories are false, but deep down? She thinks she's always known.

Hoppy was the last to join the group. She met DogDay during a sporting event - as he was there to root for Kickin' (and CatNap, though CatNap spent the game sleeping on the benches). He was impressed by her sportsmanship, and she found his sunshine behavior pretty funny. They clicked almost immediately, so he grabbed her hand and quite literally dragged her to the others. While Hoppy didn't get along with the others that quickly, she stuck around. Because Hoppy was a last minute addition to the show, her memories are the most fragmented. It stresses her out if she dwells on it, so she ignores it.

CatNap's insistence on returning to their cartoon is probably the one thing that deeply angers DogDay as well. In the cartoon, they didn't have freewill. They could not feel things outside of their script - at least, not to the same extent. In the "real" world, DogDay felt they could finally be themselves. That they could truly be alive, even though they were technically prisoners to Playtime Co. DogDay couldn't express his love for the others in the cartoon. His friends couldn't be as happy - like Bobby and Hoppy. They could never be together in that world.

So, hearing CatNap demand that they just give up their freedom? Yeah. This is probably one of the only things that they fought about.

i did my best boss o7 again almost not following the prompt

no beta we just die

“You know you can tell me anything la Mia preda?”

Donna sat next to you on the long and upscale couch. She sat close but out of arm's reach. Her body language attentively leaned in but open.

You looked deeply into her eyes, sparkling a beautiful brown in the dim artificial lighting of her house. You would love to have gotten lost in them but it would've been rude to ignore her.

“Yeah.” you trailed off into thought despite being aware the answer was not quite good enough.

You always got a sense of danger coming from Donna after she clearly caught wind of your affections. Although you'd thought that you were mostly past the point of being just a lay because well it's been a couple of weeks of hanging out with Donna and there had been none of the aforementioned “laying”. In fact this was the first time you were in Donna's house where you didn’t feel you were in ‘danger’ of being a one night stand. Even if in past times you only made it as far as the door.

Despite the big step you were much more comfortable that you were not just going to be eaten up.

You had the sense in the past people only came in to never come back, whatever reason that was. 

You were not letting yourself be one of those people.

You made sure to try to get to know the real Donna and not just her professor, but damn if she didn't keep you at arm's length.

“Something wrong? You put the smile back on your face.

“No, I'm fine just thinking about you.”

This caused a wry smile to crawl onto Donna's lips.

Ah. there was that sense of danger again.

“You know i don't wanna just sleep with you right?” you couldn't help but blurt out in the moment. While maybe not true to the initial impression you truly meant it. Feeling slight guilt for the initial lusting.

Donna's face shifted into an expression of slight melancholy and culpability.

“What if i told you that's what i wanted from you instead.:

“I wouldn't believe you.”

Despite all Donna tried there was a loneliness about her, big and apparent as an Olympic size swimming pool.

It wasn't immediately fathomable to the average person why she would be. She was quite the popular person on an opinion-al level and mostly kept to herself otherwise.

But to you it seems it was clear as day every one that comes leaves the way they came.

Donna was silent. She could say the opposite but a silent understanding was that it'd be a lie.

“And if you knew the real me, if I actually did want more, would you leave?”

“Never.” you didn't hesitate to answer back.

“ the most amazing part is that i somehow believe you [y/n]”

“Then let me make you more than believe.” you reached a warm hand towards hers. Gently lacing your warm fingers with her icy ones.

She stared at the contact with a shy smile. You've never seen you look so bare.

_________

It's been a couple weeks since you've gotten Donna to open up. You've learned many things about her. A couple of things being:

Donna's is actually shy and embarrassed often enough to see her face flush a bit. Especially when she receives compliments from you nowadays. It seems she really believes you now, and doesn't keep you at arms length.

The few times you had seen Donna eat it had been medium rare meat. You'd offered to cook for her but she insisted that you don't since she was a picky meatatarian. Which you'd tried to scold her about but she assured you that she was as healthy as could be.

She loves cats and she has one of them of her own named Angie: A ragdoll with unique markings.

She's slightly allergic to the sun, and that's why she mostly lives at night.

And while naturally shy she'd learned to be confident in her ‘many’ years alive. (although she barely look 30)

You've noticed that her ears twitch excitedly when she sees you for the first time that day.

And finally noticed that when open she truly loves people and things deeply.

______

You went to knock on Donna's door for the third time this week, and like all the others Donna seemed to have noticed you coming because before you had time to knock she had already opened the  door.

Donna seemed genuinely happy whenever you came over and you could say the same.

“Mi-” she coughed loudly 

“[y/n]- would you like some wine this very late evening?”

“No thank you, I know you don't personally drink.”

Hearing this Donna couldn't help but pull you close to her.

“That's true, I prefer to get drunk on your presenza.”

Wrapping her arms around your waist; Donna smiled at you dreamily.swaying gently while humming, savoring the moment between the two of you. Leaning into the moment you rest your head on her chest.

Making note of,, the lack of heartbeat…?]

Donna was truly enraptured by the moment to notice the worry going on in your head for your lover.

You slowly pulled away.

“Donna, are you feeling well?”

“Better than ever, why?”

“Your heart beats are very faint, I can't hear it.” you half lied.

“Ah, don't worry, that's not a problem.” she gave you an assuring smile.

“It's been like that for a long time.” she assured you. Holding on to your hand leading into the next area of the house. She really did seem ok so you pushed worry and that ever bleeding sense of danger away for the time being.

_____ Donna leads you around to a part of her house that you had seen but really explored before. The most noticeable feature was a slightly ornate door that clearly led to the backyard.

You had never been there but you could tell it was a special place for Donna.

Yet today, She let you in.

It was the most splendid beautiful garden the moonlight could provide.

All the flowers were heavily budding, the various smells of each mixed and perfumed the air in an enchanting way. 

You felt gifted to be shared with this.

“-[y/n]” again she almost called you something else and hesitated. Donna was clearly holding back. 

“I wanted you here specifically tonight because this moon the flowers will bloom, and i wanted it to share it with you [y/n]”

Just like a flower a smile blossomed across your face.

“Thank you, I know how special this place is to you.”

Donna bit her lip and wrapped her arms around your waist once again.

“Of course m-mi tesoro” she paused, not sure if you could understand what was being said “my darling..” 

You beamed in the moonlight as you returned the gesture. Resting your arms on her shoulder, lacing the fingers behind Donna's neck.

Finding yourselves intimately close once again you could feel her exhale against your skin. Her hands moving down to the small of your back. Both your gazes flickering between the others eyes and somewhere lower.

“Mi tesoro, may i kiss you.” you nodded as the distance closed between the two of you. Sharing the first of many kisses. Paying no mind to the now blossoming flowers you had come here for.

Karlach and Astarion were playing three Dragon ante, and Astarion mostly wasn't cheating.

He also wasn't winning. This was partially because he kept drawing the mortal card that flipped the win condition for a gambit, and he had trouble changing his strategy to account for that. But it was mostly because he was trying to figure out how to work something casually into the conversation. But the subject on his mind didn't have any natural place among their usual idle comments about combat and rules clarifications.

Eventually he despaired and just said: "Karlach."

"Mm?" she said. She was staring with great concentration at her hand, which was lined up in front of her, leaning against a tree branch that had been trimmed smooth and whittled a little groove that the cards could perch on.

"Have you ever been in love?"

"Shit. Uh," she looked up from her hand. She squinted off into the distance, as if checking her past. Then she shook her head. "No. No I haven't."

"Really?" Astarion felt a little surprised.

"Yeah, no." She shook her head again. "I was a kid back in Baldur's Gate. And then, you know, Hell."

"Right," Astarion said, reordering the cards in his hand. "Of course."

"You?" Karlach asked him as she pointed at the card she wanted to ante.

Astarion took the card and put it face down in front of her.

"I'm not sure," he said, playing his own ante, face down. "You know. Amnesia."

"Yeah," Karlach said sympathetically. "That's a thing."

As if it were a bad case of the flu, that some members of the party had caught.

-

Full text below.

Full Text On AO3

-

"Well," Karlach said bracingly. "Here's hoping?"

"Hoping," Astarion echoed. "Indeed."

He reached down to flip their antes.

-

When Astarion sat down on the deer pelt outside of Lae'zel's tent she stopped sharpening her spear and peered at him suspiciously.

"What do you want?" She asked.

"I was just wondering how things were going between you and Shadowheart," he said lightly.

The suspicious peering upgraded itself to a glower. He put his hands up.

"Not making fun," he said. "Just asking. Just curious."

"Why?" she put the spear she had been sharpening down and picked up a scimitar.

"Can't I be interested in the well-being of my companions?" he asked.

"No," Lae'zel said flatly, beginning to sharpen the scimitar.

"How predictably brutal," Astarion muttered. "Find then. Don't tell me."

But he didn't leave, even as Lae'zel worked on the scimitar and filled the air with grating noise. Astarion didn't leave because she hadn't told him to leave, which was almost an invitation when you were talking to Lae'zel. And also: she was looking at the sword in the way people in bars sometimes looked into their drinks. It was the way people looked when they had stories and wanted to tell them so much that they stopped being picky about whether the person listening was a friend or a stranger.

Lae'zel pulled the scimitar away from the wheel and checked its edge.

"She held a knife to my throat," Lae'zel said. "And then she followed me into the night. I have tasted her. I have made her sweat and ache and tremble."

None of that was in any way surprising. Astarion had been present for the first part. He made a vague noise that implied he was paying attention, but didn't interfere with words.

"We have drunk wine together," Lae'zel continued, more slowly.

Then Lae'zel clicked her tongue and hissed in disapproval. But it wasn't at Astarion or what she was saying--she was apparently unsatisfied with the scimitar. And more interested in fixing that than talking. So she set it against the grindstone again. More irritating noises, because apparently some people were too good for whetstones. By the time she paused again Astarion was fidgeting with his sleeve.

Lae'zel checked the scimitar's edge, grunted in satisfaction, and set it aside.

"We spoke," she said. "At length."

Gods, that was a very long wait for very few words.

"About?" Astarion asked.

"Nothing," said Lae'zel. "Many things."

Lae'zel deliberated over what weapon to pick up next. She seemed to be having some difficulty choosing. Eventually she decided not to pick up any weapon at all. She put her hand on the edge of the grindstone, drawing her thumb up and down the rough surface of it.

"I don't want to hurt her," she said, curiously. A little wonderingly. As if she were just realizing this.

"Ah," said Astarion.

Lae'zel's eyes snapped up to him, as if she had forgotten he was there and was only now reminded.

"Leave," she decided sharply. "Now."

"Going. Going," Astarion said, standing hastily. -

He was not going to ask Wyll. That would be useless and mortifying. And the men were such gossips.

-

Astarion came up with a way that he didn't have to ask Gale directly. He volunteered to be the one to distribute food one night. Tav gave him an odd look, but didn't go so far as to actually comment.

Astarion included a bottle of Ithbank with the wizard's portion. Then a half hour later he approached Gale with the thought that Conjuration and Transmutation were really the same thing, weren't they? Just fiddling with objects. Shouldn't they be the same school of magic?

Tipsiness muted any suspicion Gale might have about Astarion's sudden academic interest. And once Gale started talking the only thing you needed to do to direct him was ask questions. Classifying the strict differences between the schools of magic led fairly naturally to talking about how he had learned about those schools. And from whom.

"Divination began with star-charting, of course," Gale was sitting between his telescope and the replacement crystal ball Tav had found for him after his first one had vanished. "Charting the celestial spheres is a complicated process, but everything is made easier by the presence of a learned companion."

"Stargazing together," Astarion said with only the faintest touch of interest. "That sounds pleasant?"

Astarion was a sitting couple of feet away, leaning against one of the white trees with red leaves. Close enough to speak easily, but positioned in such a way that Gale didn't have to look directly at him. Because while Gale would ramble happily to Tav or Wyll for guileless hours, he tended to cautiously censor himself when he remembered he was talking to Astarion.

But apparently the wine or the placement was working as intended, because Gale answered with thoughtless ease.

"Oh, exceptionally pleasant," Gale said. "It's really just magnificent to have someone who understands. Who understands the complexity of the universe, and also is of a mind with you in the importance of learning its intricacies."

It felt like there was something true and useful in those words. Astarion stayed quiet and listened.

"Celestial divination was an enlightening collaboration," Gale continued. "But call us old-fashioned, because we both preferred that old convention of mystical research. A quiet evening and an esoteric tome. Open between us, ink glinting in the firelight. Pouring over paragraphs and comparing notes. Companionship so comfortable that it almost felt like solitude."

"But isn't," Astarion said quietly.

"Precisely," Gale said, responding to Astarion but eyes still fixed on the point he was making. "A true antidote to loneliness. Though of course it isn't always easy. Being close to someone never is. But I know she will always care for me. And I will always be able to make her purr."

That was a surprisingly lascivious thing to say, after all the soft poetry. And also, it didn't sound like the sort of thing Gale would say about the woman who had broken his heart and then told him to kill himself. Astarion realized he might've been operating, for the last few minutes, under a misapprehension.

"Are you..." said Astarion. "Are you talking about your cat?"

Gale turned to look at Astarion directly, frowning.

"Tara is not a cat," Gale told him, emphatic and scolding. "She is a tressym."

Astarion's head hit the trunk of the tree he was leaning against with a faint 'thunk'.

"Of course," he said.

***

This is part of a series. The rest of the story is on AO3.

***

Styles/swift daughter reader and maybe she’s with Harry and they have an angsty fight?

pairing: harry styles x daughter!reader

genre: angst

warnings: arguing with parent, name calling, taylor being the best mom ever, harry's a bit of a shitty dad for a little while tho

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

You had just finished unpacking your stuff after making it to your dads house a few hours earlier, so you decided that you would go spend some time with your dad since you haven't seen him in a while. As you started the walk down the hall to his office, you heard his voice from outside the room just when you were about to knock.

"I just never know what to do while she's here, she's always so picky and it makes my life so much harder"

At the sound of the awful words coming out of his mouth, you froze in your place. That was the last thing you expected to hear while you were simply trying to hang out with your dad for heavens sake!

You knew better, you should've just kept on walking and mind your own business. I mean, it would save you from an inevitable mental breakdown.

But nonetheless, you kept listening.

"she's just such a handful, I have no clue how Taylor is able to deal with her for such long periods at a time"

As you heard this, you swear you could hear your heart break in your chest. You made the (not so smart) decision to start recording what you were hearing so you could use it to possibly go back to your moms house. There was no way you could continue to live here if that's how he was going to talk about you.

"I'm so behind on all my work, the last thing i need is another burden to add to the list of things i need to worry about"

You continued to catch everything he said about you on video, and in the meantime, you realized that you had started crying.

Once you had decided that enough was enough, you walked back to your room and sent the video to your mom in hopes that she would let you go back to her house.

You put your phone down and started crying. You muffled the sound with your pillow because the last thing you needed was for Harry to hear you crying. That would just make him despise you more.

•••••••••

You woke up to the sound of your phone ringing, which confused you since you didn't even remember ever falling asleep. As you check the screen, you're met with your moms contact picture proving that it was her that was calling you.

"hello?" your voice was incredibly weak and scratchy from both the crying and the fact that you had just woken up.

"Oh y/n/n, I'm so sorry about what he said. I've already sent him a text telling him off for what he said" Taylor responded, sounding as upset as you were, if not more.

"Thanks mom, I just wanna come back to your house" a small sob broke out as the words left your mouth.

"i know baby. I'll tell you what, if he doesn't fix what he did and take you on a daddy daughter date then we can try to work something out. Does that sound okay?" she was furious about what Harry had said and with how it had affected you she was more than willing to do anything to help you out.

You sniffled and wiped off some of your tears, "okay mom, love you."

"Love you too, so much. Let me know if you need anything" Taylor responded. "I'll talk to you later"

You just nodded before hanging up. You decided that sleep was the best thing you could do at the moment to help you forget about what he said, but sleep requires peace which you definitely did not have, so you ended up just laying in bed alone with your thoughts.

Unaware of how long it had been, you heard a knock at your door which you could only assume was your dad coming to apologize after your mom yelled at him.

However, he had different plans.

"Y/N Y/M/N Styles-Swift!" He yelled your full name at you so this couldn't be good.

You just rolled over in your bed to face him, and once he had seen your tear stained face, he somehow seemed to become even angrier.

"Care to explain why I just got a call from your mother saying that you told her that I said something that wasn't even your business to hear in the first place?" he practically screamed at you.

"Im sorry dad, I just didn't know what else to do" your voice was barely above a whisper.

"But if you weren't such a crybaby and you had a brain then you would've known what to do"

There's no way this was actually him. This was not the Harry you knew. Your dad would never treat you like this, or so you thought.

You decided not to respond to him, as he would probably use anything you say against you at this point, and would ultimately make the situation worst. You resulted to just staying quiet and nodding.

Once Harry decided he was done yelling at you, he stomped out of your room and left with a slam of your door.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ A/N I'm so sorry to do this to y'all but lemme know if you want a part 2

Wow, look at me.

I'm about to be a dork and explain my whole toby playlist to you guys. Yay!

Also it's not a very big playlist of I'm PICKY with the songs I pick (lyrics, beat, voice,) of one thing is off it makes me unhappy because I'm like, "oh this is perfect- I hate the beat, so nevermind"

ANYWAYS onto the songs :]

BLACK STAR BY RADIOHEAD

"I get home from work And you're still standing in your dressing gown Well, what am I to do? I know all the things around your head And what they do to you" After toby got home from the hospital, he saw his dad standing outside the house. He didn't end up going to the hospital to see Lyra before she died because he was drunk. He's filled with rage and doesn't know what to do. "What are we coming to?

What are we gonna do?" What are we coming to, tobys dad started drinking and started getting abusive. What are we gonna do is what tobys mom was thinking, she didn't know what to do to help her or her children.

"Blame it on the black star Blame it on the falling sky" blame it on TOBY because lyra ended up more normal then him. He's different so his dad thinks everything is tobys fault, he did all this and that if he wasn't born everything would be fine. "Troubled words of a troubled mind

I try to understand what is eating you

I try to stay awake, but it's 58 hours" tobys mental health DROPPED when Lyra died, he had to start going to therapy, that didn't work out well. He kept hallucinating, he felt on autopilot. He couldn't sleep and when he did it was because Slenderman made him black out. He screamed and cried into his pillow because of what happened to Lyra. His mom tried to help but she didn't understand what was going on, she really did try to help but nothing was working, everything was getting worse. "I keep falling over, I keep passing out

When I see a face like you" he keeps hallucinating his sister and she was absolutely destroyed in that crash, her jaw was ripped off practically just hanging off, her forehead was cut up and her legs were bent in impossible ways. He would scream and fall to the ground. His hallucinations of her would scream and cry the way he heard her after the crash when they were still in the car. He would pass out and wake up in bed as if nothing happened.

"What am I coming to?

I'm gonna melt down" him killing his dad and burning the town down

PETAL BY HOLE

"She's the angel on top of the tree" "She's the grace of this world She's too pure" Lyra, he thinks so highly of Lyra and sees her much more human than he sees himself.

"Sugar, honey, here she comes She's going to fall on me" she died in a car accident that crushed his whole life.

"Innocence was our fire. We told the truth, I miss the sweet boys in The summer of their youth" Tobys dad used to be normal and toby used to be happy, til tobys dad started drinking, ruining the whole family dynamic, he's no longer a 'sweet boy' because of all the trauma he was put through. "Tear the petals off of you, make you tell the truth" everyone fucking him up so bad they are tearing him apart and making him act out how he's really feeling

PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE LET ME GET WHAT I WANT 'BY' DEFTONES

"please please please let me get what I want by Deftones" he has had a horrible hard life and nothing has ever seen to end up how it should. Him being bullied all his life, his dad being an alcoholic abusive person who hurt the two people he cared about most his mom and his sister. His sister dying. And him being taken over by slenderman and killing his dad and burning the town down. He just needs something to go through way he wants. LYRICS. "so please please please let me get what I want. Lord knows it would be the first(last) time"

Okay! That's not all of them but I'm done for today! And its totally okay if you don't agree with me but don't burn me at the stake because of this

Top 10 BL Shows of 2022

I posted a lil mini review of all of the 2022 BLs I watched this year but I wanted to infodump about my favorites more. I'm counting shows that started airing in 2021 but ended airing in 2022 as 2022 shows (sorry I need to talk about Not Me & Bad Buddy).

First, though, I wanted to highlight some (dis)honorable mentions, aka shows that are objectively mediocre but I love anyway. Love Mechanics has a wild soap opera plot, but YinWar really make you feel for their characters with their incredible acting and chemistry. Also, I'm in love with War sorry he's just too beautiful. Coffee Melody was watched by 7 people and those that did watch it tend to call it boring. I had no idea this show existed until my recent obsession with the actor Benz led me to watching every show he has starred in (speaking of which... Call It What You Want 😨). The main leads had zero sexual chemistry but the romantic chemistry was SO GOOD. Some of the best flirting I've seen in a BL. The side couple was also amazing. The script was great at one moment and mindboggling at another; I actually skipped most of the C plot stuff about the music company. It's not high art but it's cute and sometimes that is enough. Secret Crush On You was a mess but it was my mess okay. Cringe culture is dead and this show is fucking fun. The mere existence of Daisy as a character puts this show leagues ahead of many others in terms of queer rep. More femme queers in BL please !! The writing is... not the best but BillySeng did the best they could with what they were given. I'm glad they have been getting more work.

10: The Eclipse

I am very picky with shows set in high school but this is a high school set BL that acts as an allegory for political protest in Thailand as a whole. Obviously I fucking loved it. I'm honestly surprised its not higher on my list but I felt myself losing interest towards the end of the show. It just didn't stick with me like I thought it would. I still appreciate it what it had to say as a social commentary, though. It was interesting how it showed the different ways in which people cope with their marginalization. First and Kaotung did great in their roles I love them (though I feel bad because I will always prefer First as Yok).

9: My Only 12%

I have always loved Cooheart but Santa really impressed me in this show. The story itself was a bit slow but SantaEarth kept it from being boring because they really sold the relationship with their chemistry. Looking back on the show though it doesn't really feel like a romance but more of Eiw's coming of age story. The ending also had some issues; they decided to turn the show into an anti-smoking psa at the end so thats fun. Some story threads were dropped and some were completely unnecessary (the siblings). Overall, still very good though.

8: Ghost Host Ghost House

This show was tragic and heartwarming. Such a charming story about grief and love and the effect we have on one another. Seenam and her story fucking broke me. Like I was in pieces, tears and snot running down my face. On a lighter note, congrats to Pluem and Kawin for winning the award for best intimate scene of the year (yes better than cutie pie and lita and kp). They had absolutely fantastic chemistry. Also I wasn't mad at the time skip at the end, you could tell how much they had matured in their time apart.

This show was delightful and I loved it but it is lower on the list because there were so many filming issues. Also I got very annoyed with the script sometimes because very important scenes would happen off screen and the we would just be told about it. Most of the problems I had with it were probably due to budget issues which is really unfortunate.

7: To My Star 2

This. Show. I actually wasn't a super big fan of To My Star. I liked it but I wasn't obsessed with it like some people. It was just lacking a little something. And apparently the thing it was lacking was angst because I absolutely loved the second season. The emotions, the drama, the intimacy, the longing. UGH so good. The loneliness was so visceral I cried twice. Everything about it was just so well done and I felt like I finally understand these characters.

6: Bad Buddy

From here on every show is a 10/10.

The love story of the ages. There's really not much more I can say that basically sums it up. Ohm and Nanon are absolute legends. Also, I will always love this show for giving us milklove. This show occupied my every waking moment while it was airing, like it was an issue. I love how we can already see new shows taking influence from Bad Buddy, its what she deserves.

5: Blueming

Oh Blueming. Oh this darling show. Its so pretty and so painful. The mom scene makes me cry every time, it just hits too close to home. Siwon my darling child. Daun was at risk of being a manic pixie dream boy but the ending came in clutch and showed he actually had flaws and complex feelings we love that. The show itself had the same vibes of the queer indie films I would watch as a baby gay back in the day. The back-lit love scene was just gorgeous the way they just flowed back and forth from one another. Such a beautiful physicality.

4: 180 Degree Longitude Passes Through Us

This is not a romance. Yet it has some of the best romantic and sexual chemistry of the year. Between two people who never even allowed themselves to touch each other. LIKE WHAT !!!??!!! This show is a literal masterpiece. The way it is written and shot is breathtaking; it feels like more of a stage play than a tv show. I just had a constant stream of tears for the entirety of the last episode. I still get so mad when people misinterpret this show or get mad that they don't kiss or it doesn't have a "happy" ending. Wang's actor was absolutely phenomenal I can't wait to see what he does in the future. This could honestly be even higher on my list but its not a romance so I don't really classify it as a BL.

3: Semantic Error

Sometimes you watch an autistic person and a person with adhd fall in love and it is one of the best things you've ever seen.

This is the definition of a well crafted show. I noticed this especially on my second watch; the script is just so tight. Well written, well shot, well acted. It was such a moment, like it literally singlehandedly saved the music career of Jaechan and his bandmates. I prefer my shows with a bit more grit, which is why it doesn't get the top slot but it is just so well done that it just had to be in the top 3.

2: Not Me

In contrast, this show is not perfect but has the grit I love. You could tell there were story threads that were dropped in the middle of the show and narrative threads that weren't followed through with. Yet this show is still god tier. I'm sorry but a show about a gang of gay anti-capitalists deserves all of my praise, even if the script is shaky at times.

Yok is my one true love, the light of my life, my favorite character of all time. First was so good as this character but Gun was definitely the standout actor in this series. Gun is an absolute powerhouse and he really showed his chops in Not Me.

I doubt this is the first time gay marriage is brought up in a BL but I feel like Not Me is really a turning point in allowing BL to be more explicitly political and queer. This show literally changed the game.

1: Triage !!!

Its a medical drama, its a time travel sci-fi, its an (almost) tragic romance. What more could you want. I try not to expect much from BLs with high concepts like this but damn this show blew me away. It takes a lot for me to have a strong emotional reaction to a show and yet I violently sobbed at least three separate times while watching this. Never has a show destroyed me so much emotionally. And it pains me every day that more people have not seen this show, though its understandable bc its so hard to watch for international fans (god bless dramacool). I highly HIGHLY recommend everyone try to get their hands on this show.

I am not feeling well at all. Which sucks because it is for nothing! I just feel so bad!! I don't know why and so I don't know what to do about it. Very frustrated. Looking forward to going to sleep.

We got home last night within the hour. I was a little miserable when we got back and desperately wanted to sleep. We would bring everything inside. James brushed their teeth while I took a shower. And pretty quickly we were in bed. I fell asleep pretty quickly. And I slept well.

I don't remember James leaving for work. And I slept until around 9. When I woke up I just laid there for a while. Not even looking at my phone yet. Just being there.

James said that we were just a little zonked. This is the best way to describe it. Just creaky and tired but mostly fine. I would wash my face and get dressed and felt alright.

I would focus on some cleaning this morning. I vacuumed. I moved the couch and shifted our rug. I changed the kitty litter. I was really happy with myself. Accomplishing something.

I would empty the dishwasher. And make some outfits for the week. And then decided it was time to go for a drive.

I would head over to Glen Burnie to go to value village. I haven't been in a thrift store in like forever. And I had a lot of fun. I had some excellent finds today!

I found two dear america books. Which is always great. I would loop the store a few times. I found a plaid soft dress and a sweater dress and I think both will be great for the winter. I also found a striped shirt for James that I think makes them look like a masc lesbian and that's all they ever really want so it's perfect.

I found a beautiful pearl frame. And some fun goofy wall pieces. One is a really neat piece that's made of silk flowers.

I would head down the road and decided on five guys for lunch. Me and another woman were both trying to do pull through parking and it was totally fine but when we both got out of our cars she apologized and I was like nah we're good we were like ships passing. She told me to have a nice day and I told her it was beautiful out so I will and she got a big smile on her face. It was a nice interaction.

I enjoyed my lunch. I was listing to last podcast on the left which I haven't been for a while. So it's nice to have a backlog to listen to.

I kept going down the road to go to goodwill. I don't really like that goodwill much but I had two excellent finds. First I found the perfect snoopy plush. This felt so serendipitous because I have been looking online for a few weeks for a plush textured snoopy with almond eyes. And this one is exactly that?m incredible. I had a snoopy plush when I was a kid who has been lost to time and I am very pleased to have a new one. I have always really loved snoopy but I'm also very picky about him.

I also found an incredible fleece with a silk lining. But the best thing is it has a built in scarf! I literally was just looking at a jacket like that last week and thought it was so smart and now I have one! And I love it. It feels so elegant but not fussy.

The nice man at the cash register let me know there were more Snoopy's if I was looking for them but I was good with just this one. And then it was time to go home.

It was a pretty okay drive until right before I turned on our street. When someone who was clearly nodding off something drifted into my lane and almost slammed into me and I was so angry. They looked up with me with like no recognition that something had happened and then they were basically diagonal on the road. It was crazy. I was so heated. He was so lucky I did not come after him because he shouldn't have been on the road. It was insane and I was so mad I had to take deep breaths as I got home.

When I got back I put my new things away. I hung up my two frames items. I decided I would play a game. I haven't done that in forever.

Dad called me and we talked for a little bit. About visit next week. About some other small things. It was mostly just really nice to what both my parents for a little while. I love them both very much.

After I got off the phone I sat down with a lemonade and played animal crossing. I built a curry restaurant with the owners living upstairs with their baby. It was fun. But by the end I just desperately wanted to lay down. My head was starting to hurt. Sweetp has been sitting with me the whole time and while that was nice, my allergies were staring to kick off.

I took some medicine and laid down. I would watch a video but eventually would fall asleep. I woke up at 530 when I heard James. James says they kissed my forehead like 6 times but I never knew!! I texted them hello but didn't move or anything until after 6. I felt horrible.

James would try to make me feel better. They made us spaghetti for dinner. Which did help a little but I still was doing very bad.

I took a long bath. And the hot water was very nice. I kept joking to James I wish I was able to bath in warm gel. Like hair gel. I think that would fix me.

I still didn't feel great after the bath. James pulled out another blanket for our bed, per my request. And now we are in bed. I think I would like a snack. I wish we had cereal but that's okay.

Tomorrow we have a nice day tomorrow. Maybe well go get a pumpkin. I have my rhumatologist appointment for the month. I am going to tell them my neck and lower back are still hurting me a lot. See if they have something else they can give me besides the muscle relaxer that I did not like.

Sleep well everyone. I hope you are feeling well.

FFXIV Write2023, Prompt 23: Suit.

[New AU]

Senri hardly ever felt like he fit anywhere, much less when stuffed into a borrowed, expensive suit that was just that side of unpleasantly tight in strategic places. He fought not to let any of his inner anxiety show in his expression as he let his pale eyes drift across the massive, beautifully decorated interior of the lobby while avoiding looking at the assistant - or whomever the blonde female was in this building - that seemed bent to expose her cleavage at him whenever his eyes landed anywhere in her vicinity. 

Normally he would simply shoot her down with short but to the point, 'Don't bother, I'm gay,' but he was quite interested in the vacancy that brought him here, so he kept his trap shut, hoping she would get a clue on her own... eventually. 

The job offer seemed perfect for him, considering it asked for nothing more than for the candidate to be 'well-built' and experienced in combat, so his best friend, Alisaie, who shoved it in his face after he wailed at being fired again, was convinced he could pull it off. The company - Allag Corp - was reputable and well-respected in the city, and she apparently knew the guy who was offering that gig, so she was convinced he wouldn't be faced with his usual... issues. 

The company was famous for developing ultra-advanced technologies based on the use of aether, and Alisaie’s buddy, who looked for security due to some ridiculous threats, she assured Senri, was a nice, meek guy who wouldn't fire him because so his miserable mug. Or, to be more precise: the miserable effect his stupid face had on people around him. 

Ever since he was a little kit, his stupid face brought him nothing but trouble. He was only lucky that his older brother shared his affliction, so as soon as Senri grew big enough, Ares made sure to teach him how to protect himself. Both of his older brothers were extremely protective of him - the baby of the family - but they could only do so much, too. 

Alisaie was his first and only real friend, and by the time they met - in college - he was beyond burned on anyone who paid too much attention to his face. 

Especially women, because a scary number of those believed that his sexuality was too much of a loss and they could cure him of it... and some wouldn't take no for an answer, either. 

He got some crushes over the years, obviously,  but it never went anywhere because who would want to deal with the bullshit his appearance brought about? Ares was single, too, for the same reason, despite having a tad more leeway with being bisexual - and cynical as fuck. 

In college, he heard his classmates countless times say how much would love to change with him - and he used to react to that with nothing more than a wry smirk, knowing that if they knew the truth of it, perhaps they wouldn't be so kin to do that. 

His work record was another example of his rotten luck, too - because apparently, when you look like him, you're somehow obliged to put up with constant sexual harassment. Because people laughed when he complained or thought he should be happy about horny bitches pawing at him whenever in arm's reach. 

And he tried to put up with it, he did... until his last boss, an older and married woman, downright threw herself at him and then fired his ass when he balked. 

That was a month ago, and looking at his thinning savings, he was getting a tad desperate and much less picky - if still refusing to go anywhere where women were in charge. He was far too sick of that bullshit!

"Mister Mallory will see you now, sir," the blonde chirped, and Senri blinked, getting back to reality. He sighed and stood up, then fixed the lapels of the borrowed, black suit and sent her a weak, strained smile on the way to the door of the office. She beamed, exposing her breasts even more obviously, but he ignored it, knocking briefly and heading inside while steeling his back and pushing his chest forward. Usually, he strived to keep his massive height and build as non-threatening as possible, but considering the nature of this gig and the pay Alisaie mentioned? 

Hell, he wanted it bad!

"...sir?" He said gruffly toward a surprisingly small figure slouched over a pile of papers covering a massive desk below the floor-to-ceiling windows showing the panorama of the city below. Despite Senri being invited in, the redheaded figure flinched as if surprised, and then a pair of shockingly ruby eyes shot toward him with an adorably owlish look at a handsome if quite as surprisingly young face. 

If that man was older than him, it couldn’t be by much. And again, he wondered how Alisaie knew someone in charge of this company. 

"Ah..." A Seeker, like him, blinked those ruby eyes at him, gave him a quick once-over, and then leaned back, clearing his throat. "...Senri?" He fixed glasses on his nose, their frames somehow, even more, accenting that baffling... cuteness if his expression remained curiously unreadable when he pointed toward one of the chairs set on the opposite side of his desk. "Please, sit down?" His voice was calm if carrying this interesting, soothing quality that sounded like silk for Senri’s ears. 

"Um, yeah..." he complied, though trying to keep his nerves at bay when the redhead folded his hands together atop the papers in front of him, still watching him with that impassive expression. 

Alisaie said that she 'vouched' for him, but he wasn't sure if he had already somehow screwed up... or something, because as much as he disliked the usual reaction to his appearance, its seemingly complete lack here... unnerved him a bit. 

"Alisaie assured me that she thoroughly explained what this... gig would require?" The man said calmly, and Senri nodded, clearing his throat a bit nervously.

"Y-Yeah, she did," he fought himself not to tug at his tie, as suddenly it somehow seemed much warmed inside the spacious, beautifully decorated room. "If I still don’t exactly understand, why wouldn't you hire a professional... sir?" it felt weird to address like that someone who looked very much his age, but... he really needed this job if he didn’t plan to make it too obvious... unless forced to. "She told me it's about some... gala?" 

"Professional?" The redhead blinked twice, then tilted his head with a slightly suspicious smirk. "There seems to be some misunderstanding... Considering the situation, it's of utmost importance - for me - for the whole thing to be... discreet," he accentuated, then sighed at the sight of lack of understanding on Senri’s face. "Let me guess... Alisaie failed to mention that if you would be interested in this... job, I would need you to pretend to be my boyfriend?" He drawled with amusement and thinned his plush lips when Senri's jaw dropped. "...I guess not."

"...huh?" He finally gasped in thought swearing he would wrangle his best friend’s scrawny neck the next time he saw her. "B-Boyfriend? She made it sound... I mean, I thought it was about... protection. Like bodyguard type of thing?"

The redhead blinked again, slowly, and his smirk turned into a sort of comforting smile that had Senri relax involuntarily, leaning back in the impossibly comfortable seat. 

"It is, however..." the man's expression appeared somewhat sheepish with his next words as the hands in front of him seemed to tighten their grip. Was he nervous? "...it's very important for me that my family - who will be present at the said gala - does not realize that I felt the need to seek out this sort of... arrangement. My older brother, whom this occasion is to celebrate, can be quite... overprotective - to the extremes - and I rather avoid gaining his attention. Hence, when Alisaie assured me she knows someone perfect for the job..." he trailed off meaningfully, raising his dark-red eyebrows, and Senri exhaled slowly. 

Well, if nothing else, he could definitely understand the issues of overprotective brothers! Hell, if either Ares or Hades heard he'd been threatened... there would be literally hell to pay, not to mention they would fucking smother him in the process! 

"Think I get that," he said with a slow nod if keeping his expression carefully neutral. "If I feel pressed to mention that Alisaie likely had more than one motive on mind suggesting... me," he hedged, trying to read the redhead's face, but it appeared impossible when he tilted his head slightly, freeing one hand to motion for him to continue. "I'm not sure how you know each other... but you’re aware she's quite a stubborn matchmaker?" 

"Oh?" He frowned, perhaps in habit biting his lower lip... and suddenly the room grew even hotter, while Senri forced himself to keep his gaze on ruby eyes behind the glasses. 

"Listen...?"

"Raha," the man offered easily, smiling again if it looked a bit uncertain.

"Okay, listen, Raha..." he took a deep breath and straightened in his seat. His family taught him never to be ashamed of his sexuality, and with how obvious was this ploy on Alisaie's part...? Not to mention how fucking cute was this redhead? "...I'm gay, so I don’t know how comfortable you would feel with me..." he stopped, pointing at himself, then at him." ...playing your boyfriend."

Raha blinked again, and his whole expression seemed to close off completely. 

"What that has to do with anything?" He finally said calmly, almost infuriatingly so. 

Really, what does it...? Only, he was so freaking cute, and those lips... were downright fuckable!

Senri felt that if shoved into the role of this man's boyfriend, well... it might be hard to resist the idea of using it to turn that play into reality!

"I mean..." he started, then trailed off, feeling the way his face heated up. 

"I just need a proper company for one evening, Senri," that comforting smile again, and he found himself nodding, despite his whole body going hotter for no reason. "Marvelous. The gala is this weekend, Saturday evening. If you write here your address..." now he seemed like a flurry of movement, pushing a piece of paper and pen toward him. "...I'll have a car pick you up."

"Y-Yeah, sure..." he sighed, then leaned in and hastily scribbled down the address of his apartment. Normally he resented giving it to anyone, especially a stranger, after some issues with stalkers, but... fuck, he needed cash, and for just one evening of pretending this dude's boyfriend, the pay Alisaie promised was beyond nice. He could stay being picky about his next job for quite a bit longer, if nothing else... "That’s all?"

"Yes, of course," the redhead announced with a smile, taking the paper back from him but holding his gaze still with that unreadable look in his unique eyes. "If you leave your measurements with my assistant, I'll have a tuxedo delivered a day before, then after that party, you can keep it alongside the agreed upon payment. Is that alright?" 

He didn’t really need a tux... but hell... Senri nodded, standing up when the redhead did and accepted a handshake above the papers spread over the table... trying to ignore the jolt it sent up his arm. He pulled his hand back quickly, nodded again, then turned and headed toward the door. 

"Nice meeting you, Raha..." he tossed a tad awkwardly over his shoulder, then, without waiting for an answer, left the office, heading toward the desk of the blonde assistant. 

Well, he might not strangle Alisaie after all... maybe. 

*_*_*

When the door closed, Raha exhaled loudly and fell back in his seat, then pressed his hand over his insanely pounding heart.

"Idiot," he hissed at himself under his breath, praying to any gods who would listen that Senri didn’t notice any of his usual awkwardness. 

He thought himself well prepared for it. He rehearsed every word so many times it should have been easy... but they all seemingly fled his head the moment the love of his life set foot inside the room! 

Alisaie trained him well, and he thought that he managed not to show any hint of his attraction toward the impossibly beautiful male. She warned that her best friend reacted badly to that, and considering he scarcely managed to convince her to help him in the first place...? 

They were friends mostly due to their parents being one, and since he was little, they met constantly at various gatherings. Alisaie liked him well enough, he supposed, but she loved Senri like a brother and was fiercely protective of him. He knew because it took him literally months of whining before she caved, agreeing to play her part. 

Mostly after he admitted that he's been in love with him for-fucking-ever, but was too chicken shit to do anything about it other than watch him from afar. He wasn’t at all surprised that Senri didn't remember him at all, as the last time they met face to face, they were barely kids. 

...when Senri saved him, and he fell madly in love with his adorable grin. With his kindness and the way, the other boy dried his tears without a hint of judgment. Stayed and played with him despite the other kids laughing at his freaky eyes. 

Then, the next day he was gone, and it took years before he found him again. By accident, no less. 

Or, perhaps... fate. 

He didn’t mind one way or another but simply wanted one chance... to see if it could work. One evening to convince Senri that he could be everything he wanted, as he was everything Raha wanted. 

He sighed, then ran his fingers through his hair, still watching the closed door. He had four days to prepare to - somehow - sweep him off his feet. 

...if you dream, dream big, right?

[Continues in the next one o.~]

Congrats!! I couldn’t send this from my secondary, oh well, but I’d still like to take part in the matchup event!

Overall personality:

Really depends on who you ask. People upon meeting me for the first time tend to say I give off a serious, mature, and responsible vibe whereas those who have known me longer say that I am quirky, passionate, but assertive. I have multiple faces that I put on: one for work/professional settings, one around family, one for friends (and even so that can be split into multiple categories depending on how close I am with you). So multi-faceted is a good term to describe me, as I ‘m always adapting and changing to meet my surroundings. That also means not alot of people tend to know me, but I’m ok with that as I like distance and privacy in my personal life.

Hobbies:

Video games—otomes, gacha games, visual novels, JRPGS, and life simulators like Animal Crossing are my jam, tabletop games, musical theater, cosplay, ice skating, horseback riding, reading (historical fiction, fantasy, or gothic horror especially), listening to J-rock or alternative music.

Likes:

Spending money on gacha games, Italian food, traveling, ancient mythology and medieval history, horses, scrolling social media

Dislikes:

A lot of food as I’m a picky eater—in particular, mushrooms, bananas, seafood, and olives are big on my no list.

Cold or rainy weather. I have low cold tolerance.

***I’m also absolutely touch repulsed, so I’d like someone who isn’t too handsy or openly affectionate.

Preferences:

Someone introverted works best with me, although extroverts (to a degree) are ok too—what’s important is that they respect my need for personal space and alone time.

I don’t care about height too much.

Ideally, they can share some of my hobbies or are open to learning. They can’t be too pushy or demanding, as I tend to do things at my own pace. They may have to take the reins and be the more ‘mature’ one in the relationship at times or be able to scold or guide me in the right direction if needed.

ALSO they absolutely will have to deal with me:

Being a childish picky eater, my frequent forgetfulness and messiness, me holding grudges for the most petty of things.

Love language:

Receiving/giving gifts

I can hoard almost anything that my s/o gives me, ranging from notes to presents and basically any object given to me with good intention. It’s nice to be reminded of someone this way when they aren’t around, so I guess I’m kind of sentimental.

Thanks for doing this!

Thank you dear anon!

"Ah, the first anon matchup! I had a pretty good idea of a few people I wanted to give you, but as I kept reading, I feel I was able to narrow it down pretty well until I had two candidates to choose from. But in the end, I feel I made the right choice for you.

I'm putting you with my dear friend Ruggie!"

I was torn between Trey and Ruggie for you, but in the end I settled on Ruggie because I liked the relationship dynamics a lot more than Trey's

Ruggie loves you sooo much

for starters, he may not have very much money, but he loves to spoil you with gifts!

he sometimes works extra hard and takes an extra job or two just to get you something special

and he absolutely adores and treasures anything you get him!

Ruggie is a very respectful boi too and would absolutely only give affection that you've stated that you're comfortable with

he would never want to do something to make you uncomfortable or that you didn't like

he also has a great memory (and is kinda petty himself) so he'll totally help you remember things when you need

he loves to spend time with you while you're playing games too and he likes to listen to what you tell him about history or your games

there are times when the both of you get to act childish together, but if need be, Ruggie can be the mature one

just don't expect it to be all the time and he won't expect the same from you

generally with Ruggie, he has your back with however you're feeling that day and adjusts accordingly

pls do give him any food you don't like tho he will eat it in a heartbeat

Hello friends! It's that time again, time for your old pal Soft to send in some anonymous degeneracy. I am glad you liked my review, spitdrunken! I do tend to ramble, so to see someone happy to get my text walls is nice. But it did make me realize that it caused everyone else to have to do a lot of scrolling, so I apologize for that. Sorry guys! This submission will be done in sets. I'll number them so it's easy to keep track, let me know if Tumblr eats one. I'll keep it all in a text document so I don't lose anything. That's kinda why I was sending everything in one big ask, but I'm willing to put in the extra effort to keep everyone's dash smaller. 1

notes: incest

So! First things first: RIP Ingo, did not realize that he wouldn't have any lube. See this is why you're the one getting paid to write things around here. But the idea of Ingo trying to line up their orgasms is just *chefs kiss* beautiful. Lovely! And the idea of having multiple takes of Emmet getting the strap, wanting to get the perfect one, because his big brother deserves only the best! Ah, very nice. 2

And then you come in with the absolute genius idea of a video focusing on Reader-chan! I completely adore it! I hadn't MEANT to have so little focus on the reader, tbh I think I got lost in the incest sauce. But I got another idea to add onto it:Ingo gets another video, only this time it's from Emmet. Again, it opens up to a scene of smut. 

Only this time, his brother is taking Reader-chan from behind. Emphasis on BEHIND. Reader-chan's pussy is wet but empty. And then Emmet speaks up.

"Hi big brother! Our darling wanted to make another video for you. And they're being verrrrry picky tonight. Do you want to tell him why?"

Reader-chan, short of breath, squeaks out "Because I need you! I want you! M-me too Ingo!" because of course they need Ingo, this is a three car train! 3

Ingo watches, enraptured, as his little brother takes their shared lover from behind. Occasionally a touch to their clit is given, but Emmet's hands are more focused on their chest."So what are you going to do for him?" Emmet asks, though he obviously already knows. "I-I'm...! Ah, my, my pussy!" Reader-chan is trying to speak, but a horny Emmet is a beast, Ingo knows. 

"Your cute little pussy? What about it?" he teases, leaving marks on their darling's neck.

"I'm saving it! Until y-you get back...please come back! I need you too! Need to be full!"

It's about companionship! Both of them need their holes to be filled by Ingo's cock! (Which gets rubbed raw all over again lol. Maybe the sentiment behind it will help him? Love always finds a way!) 4

So then we come to the main event and spitdrunken how did you KNOW I was going to write about Emmet wearing a plug for Ingo but forgot about it?! We really are on the same page omg.

For your consideration: Ingo comes home to Emmet, face down, ass up and plugged up, cock already leaking precum because FINALLY his brother is HOME and he's going to be FULL!

And Reader-chan just looks up at him and says "He's ready for you." 5

Ingo is ready for him too. Emmet doesn't get a warning, the plug is out and his cock is inside in one thrust. And his little brother goes wild! This is what he needed!

"You kept that inside of you all day? Were you that desperate for me? Wasn't our darling enough?" Ingo asks, his voice even and his pace rough.

"No! Not enough! Need you Ingo! I-AH, CUMMING!

"But Ingo doesn't stop. He fucks him through his orgasm because, like you said, he's going to push him even further past his limit! (And god bless you for saying that the image is delectable.) 6

Reader-chan, of course, is watching all this with glee, because who wouldn't? It's hot as fuck, it's plenty of material for them to get themselves off too!But that's not enough for Ingo. 

"I think you should show them how much you appreciate their patience."

"Yes! Yes yes thank you thank you darling thank you-AH!"

Ingo grabs Emmet by the hair and lifts his head up.

"Put that mouth of yours to work on their pussy until I'm finished with you." 7

And Emmet, well, tries. His tongue is wet and sloppy on Reader-chan's clit, and that's all well and good. But it's hard for him to focus when he's being fucked within an inch of his life. This doesn't mean that Reader-chan doesn't get off, oh no! The whole situation, the fact that Emmet simply CAN'T focus on using his mouth, his cute little whimpers and moans, watching Ingo and how sexy he looks as he fucks his brother silly, it's more than enough to make them cum! 

And if all else fails, Reader-chan can just grind against Emmet's nose. A perfect little human clit bump!So then, when Reader-chan is nice and sated but Ingo is STILL pumping load after load of cum into his brother, that's when the camera comes back into play. 8

"Emmet looks good like this, don't you think? I want to save this expression of his."

Emmet doesn't protest, making desperate, happy little noises. "See? He's close. Will you take the picture, dear?"

Obviously, they will. Reader-chan holds Emmet's head up for the shot. His expression is deliciously whorish: flushed cheeks, tears in his half lidded eyes, tongue lolling out, and a big smile.Reader-chan, being cheeky, decides to add one more thing to the photo. 

"Give us a double peace sign! Say cheese!"And he does! The money shot is taken right when Emmet cums, shaky peace signs and all. It's a picture perfect ahegao! 9

So then at last "When Emmet is a crumpled, twitching mess on the bed, ass leaking cum" (unchanged because oh my GOD how could I?!) Reader-chan finally their pussy stuffed with Ingo's cock. Both of them sigh at the relief, because nothing else they've done can compare to this.

"Thank you so much for your patience." Imgo groans out. "We took tomorrow off. I plan to take care of you properly then."

"Ingo! Oh god, it's so good!" Reader-chan shouts because it is! It's good! The wait is over and their pussy is filled! Stuffed with cock and cum, leaving them a mess too. But of course, they're going to get the same treatment as Emmet tomorrow. 

Aaaaaand that's it! Hope everything goes through and that you enjoyed the work. I've got a bunch more scenarios to give once this is posted. Specifically, the next one is about obliterating those twinks! Well, one twink to start with. Have a great day! 10/10

HI Soft!!! I personally really enjoy your rambling, so never worry about it <333!!! I'm pretty sure I got all of your asks!! (A first for Tumblr LMAO) But I think it's great you're so considerate of everyone <33!!

I'm glad you liked all of my additions so much :')!!! You don't have to incorporate EVERYTHING I say but I'm always happy to hear what you do enjoy <3

BUT OH MY GOD. YOUR BRAIN IS SO HUGE. READER WAITING FOR INGO TO BREAK IN THEIR PUSSY AAA... IN LOVE WITH THIS. If they're going to get it off, they're going to do it through their tits and ass- They can't cum from touches to their pussy, or it wouldn't be saving it </3!! I like to think that maybe Reader doesn't do anal a lot and Emmet really enjoyed working them open on his fingers and cock <33!!

SAME BRAIN <33 When Ingo gets home, he's a bit disappointed to only find Reader happily welcoming him back!! He loves them tons, definitely, but he loves his brother too!!! Reader winks at him and tells him Emmet has his own way of celebrating his return <33 He's waiting for him in the bedroom! It's such a thick plug that Ingo can fuck him immediately!!

INGO GRABBING EMMET BY THE HAIR TO MAKE THEM LAP AT THEIR PUSSY IS SOOOOOO <3333 absolutely top tier. legendary. ESPECIALLY how clumsy he is! Maybe eventually that Reader tells him to just stick out his tongue and let them do all the work, since he's so busy getting fucked <333 they just grind down against him because it's all he's good for right now!!

THE IMAGE. it gets put in the poly groupchat later HAHAHAH BUT HELP I LOVED YOUR DESCRIPTION OF IT... emmet is the perfect ahegao character he just would do it perfectly I can feel it.... Maybe by the time Ingo is fucking Reader he's already quite spent, so he doesn't cum as much inside their pussy as he did in Emmet, but that doesn't take away from his pace!!! No matter how sensitive he is!!

I hope you liked my additions and responses too and i look forward to whatever you wanna send next :')!!! have a good one!

This is gonna be a whole ass rant I'm so sorry but....

WHAT THE FUCK IS UP WITH PEOPLE COMFORTABLY DEAD NAMING ME LATELY!

Story time...

Yesterday a regular of mine (that I've actually complained about on here before) came in and said "Hi I'm here for my appointment with 'dead name.'" ALL of my stylists have only EVER known me as Cal, NEVER my dead name. So Christina (who transferred from the other salon with me) was like "Oh you mean Cal!" At this point I was walking up front to pull her back and she was like,

"Ooooh yeaaa I don't call her that." Now I'm USUALLY really REALLY chill about my pronouns and whatever as long as people call me by my preferred name. Even with my name, with my clients, I've been a bit lax on but when I heard her say that it irritated me to no end. So I said,

"No one here knows me by that name, they aren't gonna know who you're talking about unless you call me Cal." And she was like,

"Ohhh I just can't." Now I was trying to be professional and polite AND stand my ground so I used my #1 argument when I'm in this situation, which is,

"Well my mom named me and she calls me Cal so I think if she can you can also." Then she says,

"You know I'm not good with change." Still I'm TRYING to be polite, I've done this woman's hair for like 10 years and have considered her a friend for a long time. I said,

"You could try." And she just smiled and said,

"Luckily you love meee." ALL I could think was 'I don't love anyone enough to let them disrespect me' but instead I just dropped it and pulled her back. The whole haircut was awkward and tense and she kept trying to conversate and called me 'dead name' a couple more times in my chair. I didn't really say anything and just let her talk. When we were done I checked her out and USUALLY I'd walk around and give her a hug goodbye. I DID NOT. After she left I walked in the back and Christina was there. I said,

"I am..." and Christina immediately was like,

"I know I couldn't believe her just now!" So for someone that doesn't like change she's going to be really upset when I stop taking her calls and texts and she has to find someone else to do her hair because I will NOT ANYMORE after that. She could have dealt with little change and called me Cal now she deals with BIG change and finds a new stylist. She also has hella hard hair to work with and is stupid picky so good luck to her on her new journey.

Then today another regular who's hair I've done for like 10 years came in.

"I'm here for 'dead name'." My assistant manager had heard about the incident the day before so she said,

"Oh! You mean Cal!" And he went.

"Oh yea Cal." No problem a slip, it happens, no harm no foul, thank you for correcting yourself. But then he accidently called me tonight instead of his ex mother inlaw because he still has me saved as 'dead name' in his phone after almost 3 years of going by Cal. He went on a whole schpeal about a family situation before he realized it was me on the phone. So he asked my opinion about the issue anyway and I gave it to him. (Big shocker he was the one wrong!) Then he proceeded to go on about an email he got from someone at work (he's a cop🙄) and how it had pronouns at the bottom so I was like,

"Yea, lots of people put their pronouns in their bio on socials or at the bottom of emails..." He cuts me off and goes,

"Well they didn't 2 years ago." So I went to finish my sentence.

"Yea probably not but a lot of businesses are trying to be more inclus-" Cuts me off again.

"Well they didn't do that before." Again I tried to say,

"Yes but business are trying to be more inclusive for trans and non-binary-" Again.

"Well no one used to." It was like talking to a fucking wall. I was like,

"You KNOW I wrote my pronouns on my mirror at the other salon." And he groaned and was like,

"Yeaaa I know, I don't get it. Binary I thought that meant book. I don't know." Fucking FACE. PALM. I was so pissed by the time I finally got off the phone with him. I just can't with this shit. I'm TOO easy going about it for people to be so blatantly disrespectful. I'm over it.

2 and 7 for the writer asks?

2. Is there a trope you’ve yet to try your hand at, but really want to?

Hmm I'm really bad at remembering and identifying tropes - I'm the worst litteral piece of shit ever - so idk... I think maybe I'd like to give a go at ennemy-to-lovers but really I'm not sure I could pull off the ennemy part. Also I'd love to write an actual case fic but I can't plot for the hell of me so I'm just looking for good ones to read (and boy am I picky. I wish I wasn't).

7. Share a snippet from one of your favorite pieces of prose you’ve written and explain why you’re proud of it.

Okay so first I don't... Like my writing that much. I find it efficient, I'm proud I manage to write in relatively good English, but really literary speaking it's not that good. And that's okay, I want to tell stories, and I don't know shit about style and all, I just write what sounds good to my inner ear. So I have favourite stories of mine but I don't have favourite bits, if that makes sense ?

And since I need a long time to mull stuff over, I don't know what I think of my last writings. So I went to look for OOOOOOOLLLLLD stuff and found this.

When Emily, ready to sleep, walked past him, he caught her gently with his right arm. Her long, black hair down and braided for the night; her gown barely hiding her body. He couldn’t resist. He wanted to hold her, and craved her touch. It had been so long. They hardly talked nowadays, let alone had any intimate moments. He just wanted to feel her skin against his… maybe make love to her, if he was lucky. He would kill for that, actually. But Emily…

He kissed her on the cheek, lightly, and when she didn’t react, he kissed her on the lips. Passion taking him over, he pulled her against him, the kiss drawing longer, betraying his thoughts.

Emily pushed him back, her hand on his chest. She looked distressed, which had the effect of cold ice on him.

“Edmund… please.”

“I just want a kiss.”

He saw Emily’s eyes drift to his scar, and close. He knew it was not the right thing to say, but he had to. His words came out in a low, husky voice, his face close to her, nearly buried in her neck.

“I just want you. I need you…”

Emily stepped away from him, and he let his arm fall at his side.

“I cannot, Edmund.” She tucked herself in bed, turning away. He could feel her tension when he settled next to her. He tried to keep his voice even, and soft.

“Can I hold you, at least?”

“Please, put your clothes back on, Edmund.”

Half frustrated, half abashed, he got out of bed. But he didn’t resent her for it - it was understandable. He just felt sad. Just a little more hollow. He had kept on his long johns, but had to pull his shirt back on, triggering a jolt of pain in his shoulder. He suppressed his groan and wince. But he couldn’t suppress his impulse to say:

“I miss you.

“I miss our daughter.” Emily’s reply was dry, her voice almost shaking.

He stopped as he was walking back to bed. That was the last step of all conversations. Always. He could never answer her. There was nothing to say.

Context and why I like it : this is a Ripper Street fic, and it's a prequel - so all of this tries to be the closest possible from canon, and just tries to fill the blanks as to what the MC, Edmund, has been through before the events of the first episode. We know, but we're not shown. So I wanted to show those, and this chapter delves on him slowly estranging himself from his wife as they grieve their daughter's loss - her being convinced she's dead, him convinced she's alive and intent on finding her (and unbeknownst to Emily, feeling all the guilt for losing her because it was his fault she was there)(that's not really a spoiler btw. But what is a spoiler is IS SHE ALIVE OR NOT?). They love each other, still, but this is setting them apart. I think I got the right feeling there, the weight, the fact that Edmund still tries (very clumsily and stupidly) to reach for Emily, and she just won't let him because come on Edmund are you dumb? (Yes he is) Also while using the scar on his shoulder - he got burnt during the accident where their daughter was lost - as a physical reminder of it. It's engraved in his flesh, the loss, the guilt, and it drives Emily yet further away. I think it's one of the good stuff I wrote (and incidentally a piece that is not TOO long and it's already TOO LONG I AM SORRY).

Prompt Compilation

I have waaaay too many different pages of prompts, so I'm putting them all here so for future reference, if you request a prompt, this is the number system I'll be referencing.

Sorry for the inconvenience, I'm figuring it out as I go!

1)“My hair is better than yours.”

2)“All I need is a kitten and a glass of warm milk.” “For the kitten?” “No, for me you dipstick.”

3)“Did you just kiss me?”

4)“Did you see that?” “Um…” “The correct answer is no, you didn’t.”

5)“Why are you so red? All I said was “I love you” in Portuguese.”

6)“How come we always end up calling each other when we can’t sleep?”

7)“Bite me.” “Kiss me.”

8)“I vote to make today a pyjama day!”

9)“The day you make me/him/her laugh is the day whales walk on land.”

10)“Stop stealing my clothes.” “No.”

11)“Is that the best you can do?”

12)“You have no idea who I am do you?”

13)“You’re built like the love child of mount Everest and a silverback gorilla, and I’m the weird one?!”

14)“Stop it, your face is doing that thing again.”

15)“I’m gonna do the thing.” “Don’t do the thing. Please don’t do the thing.”

16) "I know I said "Dude" was gender neutral, but that doesn't mean you get to call me dude five minutes after your dick was down my throat."

17)"You're the first one who's ever kept up with me." "Hell of a way to call me horny."

18)"Have you no shame?" "Nope, none. Now get over here and fuck me. Or let me fuck you, I'm not picky."

19)"You've gotta choose one or the other!" "Why? Both are awesome!"

20)"He'll hear us!" "Let him."

21)"Sharing is caring."

22)"I said, sit."

23)"I don't need to be jealous. He's/She's/Your mine."

24) "I'll teach him how to make you feel good."

25) "Goddamn you're good at that."

26) "Now this, this is a view I could get used to."

27) "Don't look at me like that, you'll bite off more than you can chew."

28) "Oh baby, you might just be more than I can handle... I like it."

29) "Try me, lil'lady/pretty boy."

30) "Want me to do that again?"

31)‘I reject your reality and substitute my own!’ ‘I don’t think that’s how reality works.’

32)‘why isn’t there a welcome mat on your doorstep?’ ‘Because I’m not a liar.’

33)‘I am neither caffeinated nor drunk, do you really want to have this conversation right now?’ ‘No ma’am/sir.’

34)‘You need sleep.’ ‘Why? We all die anyway!’

35)‘I’ll be damned, shit went wrong and it wasn’t even slightly my fault!’ ‘The day is young.’

36)‘You can be a real ass sometimes you know that?’ ‘You should hear the things I don’t say.’

37) ‘Fuck you.’

‘Mmm, fuck me.’

‘What?’

‘What?’

38)‘I got you, I always got you.’ ‘But who’s got you?’

39) ‘I love you!’ ‘You have terrible taste.

40) ‘Don’t treat the person I love like that! You rip yourself apart and expect me to watch?! I’ll put you back together as many times as you need me too, but you need to stop being the one ripping out the stitches.’

41) Watcha doin’? ‘Did you know all three of the e’s in “Mercedez” are pronounced differently?’

42) I love you too much to protect you from this.

43) What's your least favourite animal? 'People.' (Based on an actual conversation with a student)

44) Even if you’re faking it, even if it’s a lie, just this once, kiss me like you mean it. 

45) Sit still and let me fix you, you gorgeous mess. 

46) You’ve got to have a guardian angel. Yeah? Well, that bitch drinks. 

47) A thought has occurred to me: fuck this. 

48) Ey, why do we give the important jobs to the guy who’s only brain cell is competing for second place? 

49) For someone who claims not to like guys, you care an awful lot about where other people put their dicks.  

50) You are going to let me go. I'm not asking any more.

51) I want to go home! No amount of begging is going to get you back to a place that doesn't exist anymore!

Earning a living doing what you love is a luxury not everyone can enjoy. More often than not, we end up working jobs that have nothing to do with our passion while building the career of our dreams. Sometimes even when you build these dreams, you can find your passion waning, and it can be challenging to stay excited about your work. Mary Jane Cole is an artist, so she knows all too well the importance of passion in her work. It is what helps her create vivid and authentic art. On paper, her career began six years ago when she moved to Ventura, California, to pursue her photography career, but she has been making art ever since she was a toddler. It’s been more than 20 years since Cole discovered her passion for art, but she is still just as, if not more excited, at the thought of creating. She says, “I could never get bored.” I had to know what kept her going, what fueled her passion, so I asked her to share her secret. She told me that it all boiled down to a couple of things she discovered throughout her years creating. Be Picky When you start fresh In any field, you can't be too picky about the jobs you choose, and most of the work you do will be for the experience and not necessarily because you're passionate about it. The problem, however, is not knowing when to start screening out some of these jobs. Whether it’s the fear of losing a client or an opportunity, many people are hesitant to turn down jobs even though they are not passionate about it. The result is that they get burnt out pretty quickly, and the quality of their work suffers. It also hurts the few jobs you are passionate about because you can't devote as many resources as you would like to them. Cole faced the same challenge when she started Mary Jane Cole Photography. She didn’t want to turn down jobs because of the potential financial implications. Still, she also realized that her time and energy were limited and that her other projects were suffering because she was trying to do it all. In the end, she decided that something had to change. She said, “I’ve had to learn to say no to projects  I'm not passionate about to leave space for things that fit my vision and clients that value my work.” Set Goals and Make plans Goals are targets that you aim for, and they can help improve your productivity and get things done. But they can also help you maintain your passion. Nothing is more rewarding than ticking a task off your to-do list. Setting goals helps to remind you of the progress you’ve made and keep you excited about your plans. Cole realized the importance of goal setting early in her career and has developed a method that worked best for her. “I list everything I need to get done and then number the top 3 that I need to get done first. She says. “It helps me stay on the most important tasks instead of getting overwhelmed and  lost in a long to-do list.” Start on a high note. How you begin your day sets the tone for the rest of it. Start your day doing something you love or something you’re passionate about, and you’ll find that for the rest of the day,  that passion will bleed into everything you do. Take every opportunity to Pursue your passion. There will never be a perfect time to learn that language or to make that change you’ve been putting off. Do it now. Cole learned this during the pandemic. When Covid-19 hit, Cole suddenly found herself free to do whatever she wanted. She decided to spend that time pursuing a passion that had been on her mind for quite a while. Tattooing. Taking that bold step turned out to be a great idea. Cole says, “every time I tattoo, I become a better painter and vice versa. Finding my style in one discipline carries over into the next, and I love being able to jump between mediums to express different ideas.” Don’t Lose Your Streak. “Do something every single day to bring you closer to your goal,” Cole tells me. It is the most critical piece of advice she has for anyone thinking of getting in

to photography. Being consistent builds momentum, and momentum helps you get much farther much quicker. It also keeps your passion alive. If passion is a fire, that constant effort you put in is the fuel. Stay Organized When Cole started Mary Jane Cole Photography, she realized there was a lot more to running a photography business on her own than she initially thought. There were a lot of administrative tasks that left little time for actual shooting and editing. “Whenever I get close to someone, they're shocked at how much time and effort does go on behind the scenes between bookkeeping and marketing and communicating with clients and updating social media sites and planning, shooting and editing.” These other tasks can become clutter that makes doing what you love difficult. Cole took drastic steps to solve this problem. She tells me, “I'm learning my limits time-wise and energy-wise and becoming more organized to help streamline the parts of the process I can.” Bonus Tip The key to staying passionate is finding ways to keep loving what you do. And by simply applying these tips, Cole has nurtured a lifelong passion for the arts. When asked about her love for art, she said, “ I can't imagine doing anything else. It combines everything I love into one career and every day is something new. New settings, new people, new challenges, and things to learn. I could never get bored.” Read more at: https://hustleinformer.com/mary-jane-cole-passion-photography/?feed_id=54&_unique_id=647ce34f84d90