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beardedjoel · 10 months

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closer | part two

joel x f!reader. non-apocalypse au

series masterlist | main masterlist | ao3

chapter summary: a few flirty run-ins and near-intimate moments with joel lead you to make a decision to progress things to the next level with him. 5.6k words.

warnings: 18+ MDNI, age difference (joel is 42 and reader is 25), porn with some plot, mostly just flirtin’ together this chapter and ONE (1) KISS, reader is described as having hair that can be brushed back or wrung out, reader wears a bikini

a/n: i think i’m going to post one chapter here per day until i’m caught up with my ao3 posts so expect more on the way! <333

You head outside into the warm afternoon, taking a break from unpacking around your parents’ house to go swimming in their pool. You have just a longer t-shirt covering up your bathing suit, and you plop down on the edge of the pool, dipping your feet in and feeling the cool water lapping against your lower legs. You turn your head and casually scan Joel’s yard, not seeing him around. He’s likely at work, you decide, considering it’s a weekday. Although he’d been home yesterday during the day, so maybe he had a varied schedule? You start cursing yourself for going so deep in thought about the man’s work schedule for fuck’s sake. You have got to stop obsessing. You decide to try and think about something else, picking up your book from next to you on the ground and reading for a bit, kicking your legs absentmindedly through the water

When it finally gets too hot to focus on the words on the page, you pull off your shirt, discarding it onto the lounge chair nearby. You slide yourself into the pool, feeling the immediate, pleasant relief of the water over your hot skin. You lazily swim a few laps, cooling off, dunking your head under the water. You push back up to the surface, smoothing your hair back and clearing the water from your eyes. When you open them and blink a few times, you see Joel outside in his backyard again. He’s got a gray shirt and basketball shorts on, and you quirk an eyebrow as you’re reminded how fucking good he looks in active wear. You immediately feel a fluttering panic in your stomach, unsure if he’s seen you or if you should address him first. After your conversation yesterday you’re not sure where you two stand, if it’s okay to chat whenever you see him. You don’t have to wait long before he looks in your direction, and you know he’s spotted you once you lock eyes from afar. He walks towards his side of the fence and gives you another one of those gorgeous, lopsided grins.

“Well hello again,” Joel calls to you. You swim up to the edge of the pool closest to him and place your arms out onto the concrete to anchor yourself up a bit out of the water.

“Hi,” you call back, nervously paddling your legs in the water. “Er, how are you?” you ask awkwardly.

“Doin just fine, darlin’, yourself?” he replies, leaning a hand on the fence now. You sort of hate how he’s just cool as can be when he speaks to you, and meanwhile you feel like your insides are churning, barely able to get a word out.

“Um, good, I’m good.” You want to die from embarrassment - how are you so incapable of holding a conversation with this guy? You’re fun, you’re charismatic, and you’re friendly god damn it, you remind yourself silently. You also remind yourself that you’re currently in a bikini, and a rather skimpy one at that, something you could use to your advantage. You pull yourself out of the pool, sending water dripping all over the ground below you and wring some of the water from your hair. Joel’s expression changes noticeably from what you can see at this distance, his eyebrows raising as it looks like he’s fighting to keep his eyes on your face. Maybe you’re able to break his cool facade after all.

“What’re you up to?” you ask, approaching a bit closer, then settling yourself on one of the lounge chairs nearest to his yard. You see his eyes dip down to your chest, then back up to your face. Does he think he’s being sneaky, or know you can see and just doesn’t care?

“Just lookin’ to take care of the yard, water some plants, got off work early today,” he replies, and you nod.

“What do you do… for work?” You wring your hands together a bit, a nervous habit.

“I’m a contractor, so we take care of buildin’ what needs to get built, stuff like that,” he explains.

“It’s all coming together - the gate latch, the cabinet, the random work hours,” you reply, giving him a small smirk. He returns it and cocks his head, seeming to realize you’ve been noticing his schedule. “Do you… want any help? With the yard?” you ask, finding it easier and easier to embolden yourself around him since the ice was finally broken yesterday.

“Nah, sweetheart, you just enjoy your time over there,” he says pragmatically.

“I could just… keep you company then? If you don’t want me working too hard,” you smile sweetly at him. The smile undoes him and he chuckles, shaking his head a little, finally figuring out that you’re not taking no for an answer right now.

“Alright then, come on over.”

Joel knows this is a bad idea, but he finds himself saying those words anyways, inviting you to spend time with him. He groans internally seeing you stand up from the lounge chair, your body on full display in that tiny fucking bikini, simple and black with a high cut bottom, revealing more of your legs and hips than he’s sure he can handle. He steps away from the fence and awaits your arrival, seeing you put back on your long t-shirt and wishing you wouldn’t, wanting to get a closer eyeful of that swimsuit. It’s probably for the best though, if he’s going to get any work done - he can’t be distracted ogling a young girl like you anyways.

Unfortunately for him, when you walk along the side of his house and into view again, the t-shirt just skimming the very tops of your thighs, it’s almost worse - such a tease to be so close to revealing your ass to him. He sighs quietly, resigning himself since he was the one who agreed to you coming over in such an absurd outfit. As you walk past him to grab a chair to sit on, your sweet scent drifts by, something floral with a hint of chlorine and sunscreen - you smell like summer personified. Shit, he thinks, lingering on it a little too long, wishing he could bury his face into your neck and breathe it in, the thought eliciting a twinge from inside his shorts.

Joel continues trying to get some work done, pulling the hose from where it’s coiled near the house and watering the garden. You grab a chair from his patio set nearby and sit down, perched on the edge of it, anxiously watching for a few moments. Joel can feel your eyes on him again, and he tries to focus on the flowers he’s surely overwatering by having his mind scrambled by you, trying not to peer over at your thighs looking so inviting.

“You’ve lived in Austin long?” you suddenly blurt out, not sure where to begin the conversation now that you’re here.

“Mhm, my whole life,” Joel replies.

“Family here?” you ask, hoping you’re not being too invasive.

“Yeah. Mostly just see my brother, Tommy, though.”

“I’m an only child… always wished I had a brother,” you muse in reply.

“Sometimes you’d wish you didn’t,” Joel chuckles, and you crack a smile. He looks over as it’s happening and he loves the sight, seeing you grin at something he said. Your heart skips a beat as his eyes lock with yours for that split second before he diverts his attention back to his garden.

“You’re the oldest then, huh?”

“You guessed it,” he says. “That obvious?”

“All my friends with younger siblings have that same tone when they talk about them,” you say with a little laugh. Now that you’re easing into conversation and it feels more natural, you feel your body loosen a bit from the stiff posture you’d been sitting in. You pull your legs up and sit cross legged on the chair now, leaning back a bit more to get comfortable. Joel feels his body have the opposite reaction, stiffening next to you. He sees you sliding your legs into this new position, the t-shirt riding up further on your hips, revealing the black bikini bottoms below it. He clutches the spray gun of the hose a little tighter to try and get out some of the building tension.

You both chat casually, keeping it strictly friendly as you learn a little bit about each other. He asks about college, seeming impressed that you have your Master’s degree and a “fancy” job offer lined up, as he put it. You find out that he loves his job, but it was more out of necessity to get into construction, as he didn’t have the funds or motivation to attend college at the time, and now he feels it’s too late to go back. He wants to know more about Chicago, since he’s never been, and you want to know all the places he’s traveled to, which are far and few between. You feel an ache inside of you to take him anywhere he wants to go, and explore those new places together. You learn he really likes football like any typical Texan man, and is surprised when you admit you don’t really understand the rules much to this day. It’s just not really your thing, you tell him, and he replies that you’ll have to watch a game with him sometime and see if you still don’t enjoy it after that. The way he so casually says it stops you for a moment, thinking about how he’s basically trying to make plans with you right now, and you feel your stomach flutter at the thought of being alone in his house with him, watching football, even if you couldn’t care less about the sport.

It’s easy and fun, talking to Joel, and you suddenly realize you don’t know what you were so afraid of before, aside from him still being the most devastatingly attractive man you’ve ever laid eyes on. Once and a while, you still find yourself getting tripped up on your words when he looks at you for a little too long, or you catch his gaze climbing up your legs once again.

You realize you two have been talking for over an hour, and a thick layer of clouds are rolling in. You glance up at the sky, pointing it out to Joel.

“Looks like it should blow right over,” he comments, squinting upwards, and as if the sky was listening with perfect comedic timing, you feel several raindrops start to hit your face. You arch an eyebrow at him and giggle as the sky starts to unleash on you two, rain suddenly pouring down. Joel laughs and throws his gardening tools on the ground, then quickly jogs in your direction, grabbing your hand and pulling you out of the chair. He doesn’t let go of it, dragging you along as he heads for his covered patio. You’re giggling the whole way, feeling like you’re living in some kind of dream, the touch of his warm, rough hand on yours sending a fuzzy feeling into your core. Once you two are under the awning, he drops your hand, but you can still feel your skin buzzing from his touch.

“Oh my god,” you say, trying to catch your breath as you laugh, doubled over.

“So much for all the work I just did, huh?” Joel says, hands on his hips as he stares out at the rain soaking his already watered garden. You can’t help but linger your eyes on him a little longer than feels appropriate, seeing his t-shirt stuck close to his body from the rain, and the way he’s pushing his dark waves of wet hair off his forehead, slicking them back. You shiver at the sudden change in temperature from the rainstorm combined with your lack of clothing, and Joel notices, turning towards you.

“Hang on darlin’, let me grab you a towel,” he says, before retreating inside of his house. You hoped he might invite you in to dry off, but know that might be a stretch to think he’d offer. As he walks back over to you, despite your crossed arms trying to warm your body, he can see your nipples, hard and pushing against your white shirt, soaked and sticking to every curve of you. The outline of the black bikini underneath the wet shirt almost does him in completely, and he sucks in a breath to try and calm himself. He’s holding a striped beach towel as he walks up next to you, and to your surprise, he wraps it around your shoulders for you. You give him a wavering smile as his hands brush along your shoulders, sending what feels like an electric current down your spine. The towel smells fresh and clean, but also kind of like you’d imagine him smelling, the scent of his home lingering on the fabric. You try to breathe it in without being too obvious.

“Thanks,” you mumble as you wrap the towel around yourself a little tighter, trying not to look at the ground. Suddenly, you’re back to being terrified of speaking to him - the way he looks when he’s wet from the rain, the unreadable gaze in his brooding eyes that you don’t want to mistake for desire, the distance between the two of you being so small right now. You so desperately wish you could read his mind - if he just thinks of you as a friendly girl next door, or anything more? Could an older guy like him even find anything of merit in someone like you? Someone inexperienced and painfully shy around him? You think you just might be able to gather the courage to move a little closer, test the boundaries, when a loud boom of thunder rumbles through the sky, causing you to jump, sending your body shivering even more.

“Jesus,” you breathe, clutching your chest. Joel has instinctively put a hand on your upper arm, and he chuckles.

“Easy now,” Joel purrs, smirking down at you. “Lookin’ a little tense, there.”

“S-sorry, guess I’m feeling jumpy. Just the storm.”

“You’re shakin’ like a leaf,” Joel comments, and his hand, still on your arm, rubs it through the towel, attempting to relax you and warm you. Your eyes widen slightly, this is the most you’ve ever been touched by him, and despite the chill wracking your body, your core begins to heat up, stomach turning slightly in anticipation. That look in his eye that you’ve been trying to read is back, looking down at you, scrutinizing you, turning you on.

“I-I’m okay,” you say, teeth chattering.

“Oh, look at you, why don’t you come inside, warm up?” he offers, and while it’s music to your ears, for some reason you hesitate, the back of your mind pulling at you for some reason. Shit, you think, remembering what your brain was trying to remind you of. It’s getting close to when you’re supposed to pick your dad up from work. Your parents have been carpooling with his broken leg leaving him unable to drive, but you’d offered to help out today so your mom could run some errands. You quickly debate just throwing that out the window and going inside with Joel, knowing that’s just not the type of person you are.

“T-that’s awfully nice, I really want to, b-believe me,” you say between still chattering teeth, hoping to plant a little seed in his mind with the words, “But I’m sorry, I s-should probably head out. I have to go pick my dad up, with the broken leg and all that, he can’t drive,” you tell him reluctantly, trying to make sure he can see the disappointment on your face.

“Sure thing,” he says, getting slightly closer to you, setting your nerves even more on edge. “That’s a real shame, but thanks for comin’ by today.”

His tone has a million suggestions behind it as he closes the gap between you, and you nod, feeling your breath coming out more nervously now. You’re close enough to breathe his scent in, full of sweat and rain and dirt, so fucking sexy, and you feel a tingling pull at your core traveling downwards. Joel can see your chest heaving slightly under your shirt, and it takes everything in him not to tear it off of you, carry you inside of his house, and unleash all the dirty thoughts he’d been having about you. Instead, he settles on a little smirk, stepping the tiniest bit closer, and when you don’t back away, but instead seem to lean into it, he lifts his hand and thumbs your chin, holding it tenderly for a few seconds with a stroke of his fingers.

“Stop by anytime, okay?” he says, and you stare wide eyed, trying to will your voice to come back to you as your lips sit parted in surprise.

“Y-yes, okay,” you finally manage to say, and Joel backs up a few steps. “Sounds good.”

You wave to Joel and then rush off, taking a deep breath to settle your sudden nerves at the encounter you just had with him. The rain has mostly let up, but you’re still soaked, so you decide to change before leaving. When you go into your apartment, you peer out the window that overlooks his backyard and see he’s still outside. There’s a small chance he’d notice, but you decide on a whim to undress in front of the window, untying your bikini top with your back turned to Joel’s view and letting it fall. You bend down to pull off your bottoms, trying to turn your head just enough to see out the window without being obvious, and sure enough you think you see him looking in your direction out of the corner of your eye. You smile deviously to yourself, giving an unnaturally long few seconds with your body on display before putting on a top, underwear, and shorts and leaving the room. The entire drive to pick up your dad, you commend yourself on your bold move, despite your cheeks burning at the thought of it.

You spend the rest of that evening in your own space, not feeling up for interacting with anyone, especially your parents. The encounter with Joel from today has you feeling wired, stressed, and most of all, exhausted. You can’t tell if he’s just playing around with you like his little toy, or maybe he just touches people’s faces to be nice? The thought sounds stupid to even you, and you half laugh to yourself before sighing, your frustration growing. You barely want to consider the other possibility, the risk of being disappointed feels too high, but maybe… just maybe he’s actually interested in you? No other reason or motivation or intention behind it, maybe he really is interested. You try not to think too hard about it, but end up lying awake in that half dozing state most of the night, your stomach in knots, wishing you had the guts to ask what he’s feeling and simply be bold for once in your life. The sun begins to come up, shining golden early morning rays of light through your window, and you groan into your pillow at the sight of it, feeling defeated.

Your brain is fried, having barely gotten a few hours of actual sleep last night, and you’ve finally decided to get up and get on with your day. Your parents left you with the task of taking Benny on his quick early morning walk so they can spend more time getting your dad ready for work, which is a bigger production than usual with his leg cast. You yawn, opening the front door, still in a pair of soft sleep shorts and a cropped t-shirt - you figure it’s just a quick jaunt around the block at an early hour, so who cares what you look like?

Once you open the door, Benny jolts forward, something he’s never done before, and the leash slips from your hand in your sleep deprived haze. “Shit,” you mutter, starting to call after him. He’s immediately dashing over towards Joel’s house, and you chase behind him, trying to catch up. Caught up in the panic of the moment you don’t even see that Joel is outside, rolled underneath his truck doing some work on it, jeans and boots sticking out of the side. Benny is rushing over to greet his new friend, and in his over-excitement he jumps onto Joel’s leg, startling him. You’re just a few feet away when you see it all happen, and cringe when you hear Joel holler curse words after his whole body jumps underneath his car. He’s starting to push himself out from under the truck when you finish running up, breathless. You snatch Benny’s leash, finally getting a hold on him again.

“Oh, god, shit, are you okay?” you cry out, looking down at Joel, your eyes wide and scanning over him. He groans slightly, putting a hand to his head and sitting up. When he catches sight of you, standing above him, his expression changes, your favorite lopsided grin coming to his face.

“So you’re the culprit,” he says upon seeing you, and you can’t help but roll your eyes a little, despite feeling a flutter inside at hearing his gorgeous southern drawl.

“I’m sorry,” you say sincerely, “He doesn’t usually do that, I think he just likes you,” you gesture at Benny, unable to help cracking a smile at his unbothered demeanor right now.

“S’alright, buddy, I’m happy to see you too,” Joel says, scratching Benny’s side while he pants in Joel’s face, tail wagging wildly. Joel’s other hand comes off of where it was holding his forehead, and you can see that there’s a gash actively bleeding onto his face.

“Shit, Joel. You’re really hurt, you’re bleeding,” you say, your mouth open in shock. “Let me help you.”

“Nah, that’s okay, I can take care of it,” he replies, trying to wave you off.

“No, come on, it’s my fault anyways. I know my parents have a first aid kit.” You offer him your free hand, and mutter a quick “please,” to him accompanied by pleading eyes. He caves, taking your hand and letting you help him up with a grunt. He follows you back to your parents’ place, and you’re too deep in helper mode to even really think about the fact that you’d just stayed up half the night thinking about the man you were now inviting into the empty house with you.

You offer Joel a seat in the living room, and rush off to grab the first aid kit. He’s leaned back, legs spread wide on the couch, and for the first time today, you’re noticing him in that way again. You have a brief desire to climb onto that lap and straddle him before you force yourself to just fucking focus.

“Okay, okay, where is it,” you mutter to yourself, digging through the first aid kit while you stand in front of Joel.

“Still in your pajamas?” he says, an eyebrow arched as he studies you closer, taking in your very tiny sleep shorts. Joel feels a satisfaction at seeing the blush color your cheeks as you see him inspecting the length of your legs stretching down from your shorts. Despite his head pounding, he finds he’s feeling a stirring in his middle, traveling downwards to his crotch at just how close your ass is to hanging out of the fabric. He fights internally to not let his thoughts begin to run away with him, but when he catches sight of the sliver of your stomach poking out from under your t-shirt as well, he knows he’s entering dangerous territory.

“I’ll have you know, it’s only seven thirty in the morning,” you quip back, before pausing. “Hey, wait, stop distracting me - this is a medical emergency,” you chide with a hint of humor in your tone, furrowing your brows, and Joel chuckles in response. You’re moving around anxiously, pulling out supplies from the first aid kit, feeling guilty that he’s hurt because of you and wanting to fix it as quickly as possible.

“Slow down, darlin’, you’re the only one havin’ an emergency,” he jokes, low and gruff, and you crack a shy grin, leaning forward to inspect the gash on his face. Now that you’re stopping to look more closely, you see the sheen of sweat still remaining on his forehead, the smudge of oil on his cheek from working on his car, how scruffy his hair looks. The sight of that alone is enough to make you slow down and soak it in, carefully pressing a piece of gauze to the wound and cleaning it.

“Is that okay?” you ask gently, catching Joel’s eyes and softening your gaze. You almost falter, being this close to his face and looking into his eyes at the same time, butterflies popping up in your stomach again. Now that the adrenaline of the incident is fading, you’re nervous as hell, and your hands are shaking a little bit. Joel’s whole body is right there, practically underneath you, looking perfectly rugged…and sexy and… manly. Fuck. Focus.

“Just fine,” he smiles, as if he can read your exact thoughts right now.

You pull out a hydrogen peroxide wipe and begin dabbing around the cut with it. “Sorry,” you practically whisper as Joel sucks in a breath at the stinging sensation. You gently hold his head still by the jaw with one hand while placing a small butterfly bandage over the cut. The feel of his jawline and beard under your fingers is hard to ignore, and you fight the urge to sink your fingers further, cupping his whole cheek.

“Okay, looks good,” you say quietly, moving to take your fingertips off of where they were resting. Joel’s hand reaches up, touching yours, a gentle request to leave it in place.

“Thank you,” he says softly, his eyes now full of kindness and appreciation, studying your face. “Such a sweet girl,” he adds, throwing a little smile your way. You feel yourself flush warmer, finding you like the pet names he gives you more and more every time, the way they make you feel weak in the knees, make your heart rate pick up a little bit. You breathe out slowly, realizing just how close your faces are now, and Joel’s hand covers yours a little more aggressively, wrapping his fingers around the back of your hand to your palm. The sensation causes your breath to hitch, and you can’t be sure, but you feel like Joel is leaning closer now.

Your head is buzzing, you want this so badly, but you feel like your heart is going to leap out of your throat. You move without thinking, without reason, and place your lips onto Joel’s, fluttering your eyes shut. A shaky breath comes out of your nose as you kiss him, your whole body trembling. It’s a rather chaste kiss, but you try to deepen it despite your nerves and feel Joel beginning to reciprocate. His lips feel warm and inviting and perfect, just as you’d imagined dozens of times. You dare to open your mouth a little more, sliding your tongue along his. He groans a little, returning the movement with more urgency. His hand is still holding yours, but his other one reaches forward, brushing your ass. You’re so strung out, so anxious and wound up that the touch surprises you, causing you to yelp and pull back.

“I- I’m so sorry. I’m s-sorry,” you blurt out, putting a hand over your mouth. Joel’s hand drops from yours and you step back slightly, just enough that the tension between you two evaporates quickly. “Oh my god. Sorry, Joel, I just -“ you’re full on panicking, trying to explain yourself while Joel stands up to meet you in your tizzy.

“Hey, hey, don’t worry, it’s alright,” he says soothingly, putting a hand on your shoulder. You feel tears wanting to prickle behind your eyes and quickly blink them away, cursing yourself for being so stupid. “Maybe too much, huh? Sorry if I overstepped, I wasn’t sure… maybe I read ya wrong,” he says kindly, his head cocked a little bit, and it couldn’t be the furthest thing from the truth.

“No, Joel, it was - it was fine, I just - ” You stammer and search for words, wanting him to understand that you want him so badly it hurts. You ache for him day and fucking night, and now you messed up and he’s got the wrong idea, thinking he took advantage of you or something. All those thoughts rush through your head lightning quick, but you’re unable to verbalize it to him, your mouth giving up on making complete sentences right now.

“Relax.” He looks into your eyes sincerely, trying to catch your gaze, but you’re barely able to reciprocate, feeling so embarrassed. Your cheeks must be the most red hot they’ve been since you met him, and you feel the sting of the tears threatening again. “I’m not worried about it, promise.”

“Okay,” you say, finally looking up at him, defeated.

“Listen, I gotta get to work, already a little late as it is, but don’t you dwell on this, pretty girl, okay?” Joel says, squeezing your shoulder before removing his hand from it.

You nod and swallow the lump in your throat. “Okay, I’ll try.”

“I’ll still be ‘round, don’t worry,” he says, and you feel a glimmer of hope rush through you. Maybe all is not lost, you think as Joel shuts the door behind him.

Fuck. That’s the only word running through Joel’s head as he barrels down the road in his truck, already worked up because he’s about to be over twenty minutes late to work.

Fuck, fuck, fuck.

He has no idea what to make of that encounter with you, his mind reeling from the roller coaster of emotions you both experienced. He knew he shouldn’t test it, test those boundaries, with someone so much younger than him. What did he expect, that you would want to be with some old guy like him? He couldn’t really even read exactly what had happened in your living room - was it just a moment of shyness, or something more? Had he really read you that wrong the last two weeks - all the staring, the looks you gave, maybe it was nothing. Maybe he’d been so desperate when he saw your pretty smile that he made it all up.

Joel tries to shake off those thoughts, knowing they aren’t helpful right now. There was no way he’d imagined all of it, every stolen glance you’d given him, the way it felt like you’d been the one to initiate the kiss today. Maybe he would just back off, let you come to him - he certainly couldn’t be the creep who kept pursuing a relationship with a younger girl if she didn’t want it. You could be so shy that he wasn’t sure if you’d even push him away if it wasn’t what you wanted. As he pulls onto the job site, rushing to grab his things out of the car to start his day, he makes up his mind. It’ll be on you, he will give you some time to cool off, think things over, and you could both go from there. Joel swipes a hand down his face as he walks up to the half built new clothing store they’ve been working on, stepping over the frame and spotting Tommy.

“Hey man, where the hell have you been?” Tommy rushes up to Joel, looking concerned. He knew it was very unlike Joel to be late for work, let alone without a call.

“Sorry, got caught up,” Joel replies gruffly, pointing to the cut on his head. He’s grateful he had an actual excuse, not just that he was delayed due to pining after and kissing his neighbor’s daughter at 8:00 in the morning.

“Sheesh, brother, that looks like something got you good. What happened there?” Tommy chuckles, peering closer at Joel’s forehead.

Joel grunts, not willing to share every detail of the story. Maybe his brother would understand, but he didn’t feel so sure about opening up to him about it yet, the creeping fear of judgment coming in. He still hasn’t figured out your exact age yet, but he knows it isn’t anywhere close to his.

“Just somethin’ dumb. Workin on my car. Damn neighbor dog scared me and I hit my head,” Joel says, settling on this condensed version of the story.

Tommy cracked a smile. “That all that’s got you in such a lovely mood?” he teases.

Joel frowns back at his brother, warning him. “I’m fine,” he replies curtly, brushing past Tommy, getting a raised eyebrow and shake of the head from his brother. Joel feels the much needed urge to focus on getting to work, not on the way your lips felt, or that tiny bit of your thigh he’d gotten to feel, or the memory of you changing in your window the other day, none of that. Work, Joel reminds himself, only work, trying to banish you from his mind for a while. Unsurprisingly to him, he lasts about ten minutes before all hell breaks loose in his mind again.

#thank you sm for all the love on the first chapter wow!!!!#fic: closer #joel miller fanfiction #joel miller smut #joel miller x reader #joel miller x f!reader #joel miller x female reader #the last of us fanfiction #tlou fanficiton #pedro pascal character fanfiction #pedro pascal x reader

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ashura-arcana · 10 months

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The Emperor’s Type - Part 2

Emperor Mugiwara: You mean, my Pirate Queen? That person is smart! Very good-looking. Tall. Black hair. Gold earrings. Always looks angry, but has gold heart!

Few days after the article was published, Trafalgar Law found himself cornered by Worst Generation in the middle of the sea.

"This you, Trafalgar?" Bonney directly pointed to the newspaper on her hands.

"Not me." Law straight away denied.

"Are you sure? That description eerily matched you." Apoo looked sceptical, not one bit believed Law.

"It's Empress-ya. Why are you guys here, crowding around my submarine?" Law asked in exasperation. He looked around and spotted Kid standing some distance away. But that red-haired captain seemed off. Looking like his soul had left his body.

Like a... Broken-hearted man?

Killer beside him patted his shoulder, offering him some sort of consolation.

"We came here as soon as we heard it. Thought maybe you need some relationship & courting advice." Urouge added cheerily.

"I don't need any. And definitely not from you." Law hissed.

"You two have been in alliance long enough. People won't oppose too much by now." As the only married member, Bege supported his generation friends venturing into next step in life.

"I said, it's not me."

"The cards are telling me..." Hawkins trailed off. His cards neatly placed in front of him. "The possibility of you as Mugiwara's Pirate Queen is 98.9%."

"I don't usually believe this creep and his cards, but today I do." Apoo pressed.

"Trafalgar, are you..." Drake looked like he wanted to say something, but the words died down. He hesitated, and after few seconds whispered. "...I wish you happiness."

"Not you too, Drake-ya!"

The little rendezvous did not escape the prying eyes of Morgan's eager journalists. Soon, it was reported on newspaper's front page.

The Worst Generation - Meeting in the Middle of the Sea?

The news evoked social panic. "What were they meeting for?!" "Secret planning to overthrow the world?!"

Meanwhile, at two different locations in New World.

"Why I didn't get invited?!" Both Luffy and Teach yelled aboard their respective ships.

"You're Yonkou!" Their crew hollered back at them.

Teach felt offended for been left out. He was in this generation too; he wanted to be included in their activities!

Luffy looked pissed off. Everyone knew he was a party lover and always invited himself to big gatherings. Worst Generation convened; a big party must had happened. Right?

"What were they doing with my Torao?"

It was low growl. But his crew heard it.

"Luffy! What's with that jealousy glint in your eyes?!"

(What's more interesting than Worst Generation trolling checking up on their member concernedly)

Part 1 here:

#The Emperor's Type #lulaw #lawlu #law is having the time of his life #law is princess in this family #kurohige that one outcast kid in class #mugiwara your jealousy is showing #press F for kid & drake #one-sided kidlaw #worst generation #one piece #one piece drabble #one piece prompt #luffy x law #law x luffy #trafalgar law #trafalgar d. water law

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cherryrainn · 3 months

Note

eric carr x fem! reader he met in a bar?? he just thought she was super pretty so he goes up to her and they end up really liking eachother. she's pretty shy and quiet.

QUIET .

; pairing ; eric carr x fem! reader

; note ; i miss him i miss my pookie guys

; warnings ; none

you sat alone at a corner table, nursing your drink and enjoying the anonymity of the crowded venue. your shy and quiet nature kept you content observing rather than actively engaging in the lively atmosphere.

meanwhile, across the room, eric carr, the drummer of kiss, found himself captivated by your presence.

his eyes were drawn to your subtle beauty, and he couldn't resist the urge to approach you. with a confident stride, he made his way to your table, a charming smile on his face.

"hey there," he greeted, his voice warm and inviting. "mind if i join you? i couldn't help but notice you from across the room."

you looked up, surprised by the attention. a faint blush colored your cheeks as you nodded, and eric took a seat opposite you.

"i'm eric," he introduced himself, extending a hand.

"y/n," you replied, shaking his hand with a shy smile.

you both sat in comfortable silence for a few moments, absorbing each other's energy. eric flashed a mischievous grin and leaned forward in his chair. "so what brings you here today?" he asked, a twinkle of curiosity in his eyes.

you shifted nervously in your seat and explained, "i came here to listen to the music and get away for a bit. it's been a rough week at work, and i could use a break."

"i get it," eric responded, leaning back in his chair. "work can be tough sometimes. it's good to have an escape once in awhile." he paused, taking in your beauty. "you look like a fun girl."

his comments made you blush, and you felt flattered by his attention. "thanks, i try," you replied, smiling shyly.

eric's laughter filled the air, the sound blending seamlessly with the background music. "i like that. a girl who knows how to have fun is my kind of company!"

his easygoing nature put you at ease, and you found yourself opening up more than usual. you guys talked and talked, and you were being a lot less quiet than usual.

"you know," eric said, his eyes sparkling with mischief, "i think we make a pretty good team, you and i."

you couldn't help but smile at his words. "i think so too, eric."

eric's grin widened, and he gently squeezed your hand in acknowledgment. "good to know we're on the same page,"

as the night progressed, eric shared stories of life on tour.

eric looked at you, his eyes softening, "i don't get to meet a lotta people like you. someone who's just genuine and down-to-earth. It's nice."

"i can imagine," you replied, your voice tinged with empathy. "i bet most people are just thirsty for your attention, huh?"

eric chuckled, appreciating your understanding. "you have no idea. but tonight... tonight feels different, you know?"

your lips curved into a smile, feeling a sense of pride that you could provide him with a reprieve from the usual chaos. "i'm glad i could give you a break, eric."

as the night approached its end, eric reluctantly stood up, his charismatic grin still in place. "hate to cut this short, y/n, but i've got an early morning. can we do this again? maybe somewhere a bit quieter, where we can actually hear each other talk?"

your heart skipped a beat at the prospect of meeting again. "i'd like that, eric. just let me know when and where."

he nodded. "how about dinner tomorrow? that place that's like.. down the street from here, not too crowded."

a warmth spread through you at the invitation. "sounds perfect. i'll be there."

he shot you one last charming grin before heading towards the exit. "looking forward to it, beautiful. goodnight for now."

#ERIC CARR #eric carr #kiss #kiss band #kissband #kissblr #kiss band x reader #eric carr x reader #y/n #reader insert #x reader #ask

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crystalsword · 1 year

Text

Considering how Buddy Daddies appears at first glance as just a cute comedy, I really can’t get over the amazing character development! Rei began as someone who felt trapped by his life and like there was no other way for him, and he almost didn’t even care anymore. He was made just to follow more orders, and to be a passive witness to what happens to him, rather than trying to influence it for himself. But now Rei wants something and, even though he has been shown how hard his life will be if he reaches for it, he wants to take action and be different. And, most importantly, he believes that this is possible!

Meanwhile, Kazuki’s experiences in the storyline had caused him to lose the belief that their lives could be anything different. So he ends up believing that really loving Miri means they have to give her up, and that he would actively hurt her if he kept on reaching for that dream of a family. Rei actually gained hope over the series, but nearly the opposite happened to Kazuki! And yet, the turn around with Rei is strong enough to pull Kazuki out of that fear, and now they’re both finally on the same page!

They are both now people who truly want to cherish and take care of their found family! And now they’re at a point that they can actually make that commitment. Because, for arguably the first time, they truly understand what it means and will actively work and fight to keep it! What incredible character growth!

#buddy daddies #rei suwa #kazuki kurusu #miri unasaka #fandom thoughts #character analysis #character growth #amazing story #found family #they deserve their happy ending #hoping for the best

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rockmiyabideusexmachina · 8 months

Text

2023 Megaman Summer Fanart Contest Results!

I have no time to whip up a new results post image, but oddly enough I have a dorky 16-year-old drawing I can crop, that somewhat technically covers both themes, in some respect. Go figure.

Thank you to everyone for your patience waiting for this post! Sorry, just have felt a little lacking in focus and energy to finish this until now. As usual, the top 3 who placed will be announced first, followed by the remaining entries in alphabetical order by alias. As an added surprise, I'm also throwing in a bonus runner up mystery winner position, since there were no raffle prizes or anything extra I threw in this summer. They will get the same cash prize as our third place winners. Winners will be contacted soon!

Without further ado, after the break, here are your winners and galleries full of art!

CATEGORY 1: The Sand-ly Cup Playoffs (Talent)

For the talent category this year, participants were to draw a sand-themed Megaman character taking part in or ruining a beach sport event.

After each entrant’s name, there will be a link to the entry, too, just in case the inserted images don’t load for you. In the interest of not breaking your browser with the usual super-scrollingly-long post, entries consisting of more than 2 images will only have 1 embedded into this post, with links to each page separately.

[Full Cat. 1 gallery]

1.) Daidairo (@aurantia-ignis): [Entry] ($150 USD prize)

Beautifully drawn, with so much going on to draw my eye towards! You've got Desertman not only helping his own teammate out by giving him a boost to spike the Met volleyball, but also firmly gripping Blues from moving with his legs covered in sand. Love all the other cameos in the background, with everyone being so active and enjoying the summer day.

2.) Kaitlin.EXE: [Entry] ($75 USD prize)

In a summer full of surprises, it was a joy to see your art for the first time in a long while! If X DiVE had sadly not been phased out this summer, this would have been a set of skins/new summer characters I know a lot of people surely wanted, with a fun new boss alt design. Finding treasures buried at the beach definitely fit's Scaravich's profile, and his little striped swimsuit armor and diving attire gave me a good laugh, plus looks just perfect for him. The boys all have unique swimwear that fits them great, individually!

3.) @nightopianfoxgirl: [Entry] ($50 USD prize)

Wait...Higsby died? This news ticker sure did take a dark turn at the end! Unless Anubis can use his nanomachines to bring him back and all. Amusing twist turning Anubis' staff into a microphone as he roleplays as Ribbita here. Meanwhile, Iceman, Bubbleman and Aquaman are drowning in the larger size uniforms somewhere. A little humor and a little fanservice mixed in to an overall crisply-drawn & colored piece!

*Bonus mystery runner up random prize!*

Tori: [Entry] ($50 USD prize)

Those pair of Sasoreenu may have spikey drill tails, but Roll and Kalinka are strong enough to power through them! In fact, I think Roll is the one who is going to spike first, and it will be game-set-match for those scorpion bots! Great job, Tori!

Another surprise this year was this being an entry from the youngest participant I've ever had submit something, to go along with being the first ever time a parent and their child have both submitted an entry into the same contest! Good to know the current generation is being brought up as Megaman fans!

And the remaining wonderful entries, in alphabetical order by alias:

@dahlia-the-nurd: [Entry]

Solar frisbee versus sawblade frisbee, who's better at chuckin' those things the farthest? I'll go with the guy who sticks his finger up claiming to be #1. Until a time stopping duo decides to mess with them both a little bit, and neither fly very far... XD

Dr. Fresh: [Entry]

Doc Cossack and all his children enjoying some family fun on the sand. Love the variety having something different that they are all involved in. Bright Man's bulb having it's own 'sunglass' essentially is something clever and creative that I can't say I've seen anyone think of before!

@eulogysinger: [Entry]

Love the concept of the digital touchscreen photos sent for Megaman to browse through, and how you incorporated all the Secret Area Navis into enjoying a beach break. It's funny seeing Yamato's shogun helmet changed into a beachwear sun hat, but still fitting his design so well. Also loved his little foot soldiers getting in on the fun with Desertman; honestly all the scenes are cute and amusing!

@ingopotato: [Entry]

Looks like that sedimentary rock-themed Robot Master is about to be turned into... ...Sandstone.

*ahem* Sorry. Ground Man mucking things up and the look on Stoney's face amused me. Very crisp art, and good job at really making it look like the sand is blowing and kicking up behind both of the main sandsurfing RMs!

Mattasaurs: [Entry]

Mummira head is the perfect volleyball! Unfortunately, just as a decoy here, because bumping that one back over is not going to get you any points, Aile. That was certainly a very well-thought out creative choice in the composition, and I absolutely loved it. The proportions and angle really give a kind of neat fish-eye lens perspective in this piece, in some respects.

@pstart: [Entry]

Well, if the net is out of commission, maybe Volnutt can stake up a defeated Nakel on two poles and hit the Reaverbot eye over it! I can feel the heat with the main sunny yellow background, but also thought keeping the two background characters in a shaded grey was an interesting style choice that also makes them seem like they are in the shade.

__________________________________

CATEGORY 2: Bae-liawatch (Humor)

For the humor category this year, participants were to draw their fave characters with at least one as a lifeguard, in iconic red swuimsuits/trunks, as an ode to the series Baywatch. Despite my category title, nobody took the bait and drew Alia as a lifeguard, however, rendering it moot.

[Full Cat. 2 gallery]

1.) @grammars-doodles : [Page 1] [Page 2] [Page 3] [Page 4] [Page 5] ($150 USD prize)

For main pun alone, your comic made me laugh the most! Baysquawks just works perfectly for this. XD Cute, fun, with a bunch of nice visual gags. Zack may have lived, but at the cost of poor Quacky Lacky lifeguard #3...

2.) @sylviidaee: [Entry] ($75 USD prize)

The contrast in art style between these two versions is amazing! From the painterly shading, proportions, to what is happening in the scene, the "Expectation" (emphasis on PEC, while looking at Gutsy's chest!) panel is just wonderfully drawn! I don't think I will ever be able to unsee Gutsman as a grinning John Cena muscleman. XD

3.) VCampan: [Entry] ($50 USD prize)

Points for the most literal pure parody of the theme, enabling the rare buddy comedy teamup of Sigma and X. Overall, characters and look matches up really well to the 2017 Baywatch movie poster, with plenty of little Megaman-themed tweaks, although I'm laughing at Zero in the CJ swimsuit/position. He looks thrilled to be put in that there! XD

*Bonus mystery runner up random prize!*

dmr: [Entry] ($50 USD prize)

So, viewer, you are saying, "If Ace is the lifeguard, why isn't he in red trunks like it says in the rules?" Well, obviously Kelvin is the actual lifeguard, but he got too distracted flirting with that hot babe to bother to pay attention to any issues going on in the water. Isn't that another thing lifeguards are known for, anyhow? So Ace is just pitching in. Wonderfully drawn, with a lot of movement and interaction through their poses. Great job on the water and splashy effects!

And the remaining wonderful entries, in alphabetical order by alias:

AbilityField: [Entry]

Good thing Blues always wears multiple pairs of shades on his head that he never truly has to worry about losing them. I don't know if the same can be said for swim trunks, though...

@aw-colorcat: [Entry]

Ice Man in the ocean would probably make the water cold, but I think the water's even colder when Miss Splashy is inhabiting it, after that frigid reply to Bubs. XD Goes to show how just a simple short retort can bring a good laugh. Cute, and loved Ice Man's meme-worthy expression!

miralie: [Entry]

Miralie requested her entry to be censored a bit (as seen in the link above), to shield everyone from a glimpse at Sigma packin' his *ahem* um...Gunner Sigma. As a compromise, (with permission to post) I decided to edit in Zero spinwaving his way in front of the potentially offending bits and pieces. Or...ya know, maybe Sigma can spin Zero with his Junk-O. You be the judge. Granted, I didn't think your eyes needed to be shielded like Colonel is doing to Iris here, but sometimes it's OK to be like an overprotective older brother. Forgive her, Zero! She just wants to peek a little at the beach commander between Colonel's fingers. Because Miralie did draw him with quite the impressive physique, is all.

_______________________________

Once again, congrats to all the winners, and I will be contacting you about your prizes shortly. And thank you all so much for continuing to participate year after year, both regulars and newcomers! ‘Til next time!

#Rockman #Megaman #Mega Man #Rock Miyabi's 2023 Megaman Summer Fanart Contest #Fanart Contest

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riddle-me-ri · 1 year

Note

hi if its fine with you id like to request riddler with an artsy s/o and like theyre suffering artblock so they do a painting of him (he finds it sweet)

can be any riddler of ur choice and i also prefer gender neutral but if u end up writing fem i dont mind!

have a good night/day

-anon

A/N: aahhh that’s meee…this request resonates with me so well as an artist that suffers from art block or a chronic victim of endless reference scrolling to where I get lost saving references for everything but what I was looking for rip…only for me to settle and just draw Eddie from different media lol. And I'm so sorry ahead of time this got ridiculously long, I got really carried away and was having so much fun with the idea rip. So sorry for the length!

Riddlers React to Reader’s Art of Him:

Arkhamverse Riddler:

Edward always appreciated your capability to occupy yourself. While he was busy plotting, building, and scheming…you were sketching, collaging, and painting.

Of course, until one unfortunate day. Nothing was coming to you. You’ve just about drawn and sketched every riddlebot, every henchmen, and you even started scribbling question marks all over the pages…wait…what? Ugh.

You needed to find a new muse. Anything…anyone…well there was one person you haven’t painted yet.

However, you knew you wouldn’t be caught dead with your supplies in his workspace. The minute the paint spilled on the floor or god forbid you put your eraser down and it disappeared among the chaos.

You grabbed your phone and began scrolling through your phone. You’ve taken enough candid photos of him, surely one of them would spark your interests. Your artistic eye landed on one such photo. Edward was smiling in this one, it was when he first got one of his riddlebots to work. Quickly you took to sketching the thumbnail for the portrait.

There was knocking on the door.

“What is it, Y/N! I’ll have you know I am very busy!” Edward was already raving and ranting before he even opened the door.

“I-I know, Ed! This’ll only take a minute, please?” You begged, grinning your teeth into a smile as if you were trying to coax him and he was in front of you.

Edward opened the door and looked at you. “Well? What was so pressing, you had to–”

You pulled the canvas out from behind your back. Edward was stunned when familiar green eyes met his own.

“Y-Y/N…w-when?” He reaches out to grab it, but you quickly snatch it back.

“Uh-uh, not with those filthy gloves. Take them off!” You ordered.

Edward groaned annoyingly, but took them off whilst rolling his eyes. His eyes came back to the painting however as you let him hold it.

Ed allowed the smallest grin lopsided along his face. He looked surprised, almost mesmerized…he was happy.

Of course, that window of vulnerability smacked close the instant it let just the tiniest bits of light in.

“Well, I wouldn’t expect anything less considering you had the most ideal subject to work off from.”

Now it was your turn to roll your eyes, well the moment was sweet while it was there.

Reevesverse/Dano Riddler:

Edward was practically the perfect subject for a life drawing. He had his usual comfort positions whenever he was enthralled in any of his usual activities. Which made him sit stable in one position. Whether that was playing games online, reading the paper and doing the crosswords, or endlessly scribbling away at his ledgers.

You both mutually respected each other’s creative spaces. Not allowing one or the other to look unless invited. You rarely saw what was in his ledgers (you doubt you’d ever get the chance to) and you equally rarely show him your sketchbooks.

It couldn’t be helped though. He was just too adorable. His small little smirks, his round cheeks, and pretty eyes. He was the best subject…not to mention he was always so still.

You caught yourself staring glances of him at that moment. He was writing and typing away about something. Probably jotting down some riddles or puzzles of his own. Meanwhile you were steady sketching and erasing away.

Both of you lost in your own little worlds.

You didn’t even realize how much time has gone by or how Edward was all of a sudden in front of you.

You jumped back in shock, curling your arms around your sketchbook to shield its contents.

“Oh…sorry…I-I didn’t mean to make you jump.”

You sighed. “It’s okay, just lost in the zone for a minute.”

There was a moment of silence as Edward decided to take a seat next to you. You were pondering your next move, but maybe it would be a good step towards moving your relationship forward.

“W-Wanna see what I’ve been working on?” You offered.

Ed’s head immediately picked up. “O-Oh…uh…y-you don’t have too if you’re not comfortable.”

“I wouldn’t offer if I wasn’t.” You handed your sketchbook to him.

He glanced his eyes back and forth between you and the sketchpad. He slowly gripped it with a soft excited smile on his face. You shrugged in on yourself, hoping you made the right call.

“W-Wait…” He gasped. “T-That’s me? You drew me? Just now?”

“Ehh…more like the past hour and a half.” You chuckled nervously.

“I-It’s great…I-I’m f-flattered even. Is this how you see me?” Edward was beside himself. He usually can’t stay looking at himself in the mirror. Seeing his inner self-loathing grow and spread from the inside out, but…but he liked this Edward, the one drawn by you.

You nodded. “Yeah. It is.” You put your hand on his shoulder and wrapped the other around his waist. You gave him a small side hug and a kiss on his cheek.

Gotham Riddler:

You were probably the only one in the whole precinct that actually enjoyed his ramblings and absurd amount of info-dumping. He was too animated to ignore and he made for the perfect drawing subject when you found yourself stuck on what to draw. Thankfully, he’s usually too lost in his thoughts and verbal vomit to pay you any mind to you doodling away.

Until today anyway.

“What’re you doing?”

“Huh?”

“I’ve noticed that while you are actively listening to me talking, and I do appreciate you actually paying attention…I’m curious to what you’re also doing while I’m talking…” He stammered.

Well, you weren’t prepared for that discussion.

“Oh, uh…well…I-I’m actually drawing you..” You answered.

The room was silent. Edward was prepared for every answer…but yet not that one.

“I-uh-oh...um…wasn’t expecting that.”

“Did you think I was taking notes?” You giggled.

“Err…actually I thought you were just keeping yourself busy cause…I thought I was boring you.” Edward admitted.

“What? I don’t find you boring at all. Look!” You quickly handed him your sketchpad before any other negating thoughts came to his head. “I love listening to you, and watching you speak. You’re so animated and brilliant and I want to capture it...or try to anyways.”

Ed’s eyes lit up at you mentioning him, in a positive light. No one’s ever referred to his ramblings as…animated and brilliant before. “C-Can you show me? T-The drawings of me?”

“Oh, uh…” You seized up, the amount you’ve actually drawn finally dawning on you as probably reading on borderline creepy. However, he wasn’t going to believe you unless you showed him the proof.

You quickly handed him the medium sketchpad before you had time to refuse.

Ed’s eyebrows raised as his eyes widened. He immediately recognized himself, he could almost recall the conversations. He found himself softly chuckling at the small footnotes to what he was saying beside the sketches.

“D-Do you like them?” It seemed silly to ask, but you needed vocal affirmation to the silly grin on his face.

He looked up at you, completely bewildered but extremely giddy. His smile was stretched across his face, no doubt the biggest smile you’ve seen from him.

“I-I-I love them…they’re great! Y-You’re incredibly talented Y/N…”

“Nah, I’ve just got a great subject.” You nudged your shoulder with his. He returned the sketchbook to you.

There was another moment of comfortable silence until Ed stole glances between you and the sketchpad.

“What is it, Ed?”

“Well, I don’t want to start sharing until you’re ready!” He grinned.

You smiled back but quickly plop down on your seat and grab your graphite pencil. “Okay, I’m ready.”

BTAS Riddler:

You were way too focused. After months, almost years of drawing Eddie, you were confident enough to pull off this decent sized portrait of him. He’s been your whole world for so long, he occupied a lot mroe of your thoughts than you cared to admit. Although, there was nothing wrong with showing that appreciation.

You were too excited to wait for his birthday or Christmas or Valentine’s Day. You just wanted to give him something, plus drawing and painting him help broke you from your art block the past few weeks. Seeing his adorable face slowly come to life on the canvas, you even amazed yourself at a moment or two.

It was the hardest secret to keep until you finally were ready to reveal it to him. You two just had a fun date night. Everything was perfect, and the mood was just right. Love, passion, and tenderness flowing between the two of you.

You’re reminded yet again, just how much you love and adore this man. He leaned down to kiss you when all of a sudden you remember your portrait drying in your studio. You gasp which shocks Ed but you tap his nose and tell him to wait in the living room.

He quirks a curious eyebrow at you but stays put.

He’s shocked when he sees you carrying something almost as tall and wide as you behind your back. You pull it out from behind your back, a thin protective sheet of paper still covering the art.

“I-I made this for you, Eddie.” You said softly, handing him the canvas.

“D-Darling..you…you didn-” When he pulls the protective back, he’s in complete awe. He finds himself breathlessly chuckling. “I-It’s me?”

“Of course it’s you, there’s no one else more handsome!” You went up and kissed his cheek. “Do you like it, Eddie?”

“I-I-I’m in awe, I love it…You’re so talented, my dear…thank you.” He kissed your temple in return. You grabbed his chin and leaned him down to properly kiss you like he tried to do before.

Zero Year/Capullo Riddler:

Now, this asshole…he’s surprised you weren’t already drawing him. Like what better muse do you need, Y/N? He’s right there! He knows how much you love his face, the way he grins, his expressive eyes, and even more intricate and expressive hand gestures. You don’t say it but he can see it in your eyes, you don’t hide your obvious attraction to him well.

However, you still sketch away even while rolling your eyes. As much as you hated to admit it (and as much I, too, hate to admit it) the smug bastard was fun as hell to draw. His face was so pudgy and he was able to do certain expressions you haven’t seen before.

“Why don’t you ever ask me to pose for you?” He teased you.

“Because quite frankly thinking of painting you like…uh…French girl, doesn’t sound amusing to me.”

Edward blinked at you in disbelief. You found yourself succumbing to your chuckles at his displeased expression.

“Now, you and I BOTH very well know, that’s a lie!” He crossed his arms defensively.

“Is it?” You challenged.

Edward nodded. “You may not think it, but I’ve seen you draw me before, and even I have to admit, you capture my essence pretty well.”

“Does that essence portray a conceited dickhead?” You asked.

He narrowed his eyes at you.

“I’ll take that as a no…damnit guess I’ll have to fix those..”

“C’mon, Y/N! Just this once!”

“Are you paying me?”

“What? NO!” He laid down in front of you on his side on top of the thankfully empty coffee table. “I should be offering payment for my services, but this will be a freebie.”

You found yourself reeling your eyeballs back into your sockets. After more minutes of bickering you conceded and painted the egomaniac. You tried to stay focused no matter how often he kept teasing you with winks and kissy faces.

When you flipped the canvas around to show him the final product. You made sure to steady look at his face. He may be a conniving manipulator, but if he was pleased or surprised he couldn’t hide it. You found yourself grinning, as his mouth opened to a soft “oh” shape and his eyes were widened.

“Well, what do you think?”

Somehow hearing your voice snapped him out of whatever thoughts he was having. Gone went the wide eyes and speechlessness.

“Well, I mean..it is amazing, but then again your subject matter is pretty incredible…”

You snatched your supplies and started storming off.

“Hey! Come back! It looks good! You even got my eyes right this time!”

“Oh fuck off! I never screw up your eyes!”

“So you do stare at me?”

“Ugh!”

Twojar Riddler:

Just call him the David to your Michelangelo. You would never outright admit it but it was pretty clear to the two of you that you had a mutual appreciation for the other as muse and artist. Whenever you had a slow art day or when you weren’t getting any ideas, Edward was usually always free to stand in as your art subject.

Almost too willing some times, even suggested it on days you were doing well enough on your own. Although it never hurt to practice more life and anatomy practice. Edward would very much prefer it was HIS anatomy as opposed to anyone else’s.

One day, you realized that you never actually truly painted him. It was usually just quick thirty minute or sometimes an hour long sketching sessions. He was always pleased with whatever you drew, sometimes teasing you where you tend to mostly put your focus on when drawing him. Whether it was his face, his hands, or chest.

Regardless you wanted to wow him at least once with your skill. Lately you’ve been pulling out the paints again. Ed noticed but never mentioned them. You were thankful for, you wanted to be able to get better at the medium before putting your favorite subject to the test. When you felt like you painted everything under the moon and began running out of ideas to practice on…you felt like it was time.

“You want to paint me this time?” Ed asked, wearing a white dress shirt with barely one bottom button barely buttoned. He also wore some dark green slacks.

“Yeah, thought I’d change it up a bit. I’ve been practicing with the paints for a minute.” You explained as you set up your easel and paints.

“I’ve noticed, you’ve picked up on it rather quickly, not that I’m surprised.” He grinned.

“Well, hopefully, I can impress you instead.” You chuckled as you finally took a seat.

“You always impress me, dear. I always admire you and your craft.”

You smiled softly at that. You shook your head to get rid of the blushes coming to warm your cheek as you began to focus.

It took an extra hour and a half than you liked. Edward occasionally talking to make conversation. You two never sat well in silence and oddly enough, these were the few intimate moments you got to catch up with one another.

“Well, darling?”

“I-I…well…”

“I won’t move until you’re certain.”

Your heart swelled at his commitment. “You can see it, Eddie…”

It was eternity for him to go from his sitting spot to your side. You didn’t miss the small intake of air and the wide smile on his face.

“Well?”

“I-It’s outstanding…y-you’ve outdone yourself my dear.” He complimented.

You couldn’t resist the squeals of excitement that came out as you wrapped your arms around his neck in an embrace. “Thank you, Eddie! That means a lot!”

Gotham City Sirens Riddler:

It wasn’t unheard of that there were slow days at the office. Much like this one dull and dragging Wednesday evening. After all your spring cleaning and organizing your office space was done, you figured it wouldn’t hurt to pull out your sketchbook.

Usually Ed had the door to his office closed, but since he likely was not expecting any new cases today he decided to leave it open.

After scribbling some random faces and various shapes to get the drawing muscles warmed up, you took a glance into Edward’s office.

You haven’t drawn him yet. Sometimes you’ve caught Harley or Selina waiting and got to draw their faces. Every now and again you got to draw the clients that came in. Better still, there were a couple cases Edward required your artistic skill to draw a possible person of interest or whatever descriptors a client may have to help him go off of.

You liked those cases best, they made you feel good like you were actually helping Ed and not just his book keep.

You started sketching out your basic shape and guidelines. Stealing the glances of Edward like a kid stealing cookies from a jar. Just to make sure Ed didn’t have the slightest clue to your creative activity.

“Well, Y/N. I guess it’s time to call it a day, I suppose it was a good day to–Y/N?”

“Yes, sir?” You looked up and almost jumped from your seat when he was in front of you and not in his office.

“What were you doing with your spare time?” Ed smirked. He looped around the edge of your desk to where he was beside you.

You didn’t have a chance to explain it before he saw the drawing of himself.

“I-I’m sorry, Eddie…I-I don’t mean to freak you out, I was just…didn’t know what to draw and I’ve never drawn you before…”

Ed scoffed. “Could’ve fooled me, this looks amazing, Y/N. And dare I say, extremely flattering too.” He winked at you.

You gulped the slowly suffocating and growing lump in your throat. “I-I uh..t-thanks, Eddie.”

“Thank you…come on, let’s get out of here. Perhaps we can discuss future art projects for you in the future with yours truly.”

Young Justice Riddler:

If you could say you had a number one fan of your art, it was Edward. You could doodle a tiny smiley face any child could draw and he’d absolutely adore it. He adored your sketches of the teammates, or your landscape studies of different places you guys travel too for the Light.

One day on such a trip, you found yourself at a complete loss. You didn’t feel inspired to draw anything, and you wanted to draw. It always helped pass the time on these trips.

You looked over and saw Eddie busy typing away on his PC. No doubt doing research for this upcoming mission. A lightbulb went off in your head. You quickly started sketching him, your heart every now and then skipping a beat whenever he smiled at his screen. You were thrilled he hasn’t spotted you yet, it gave you all the motivation to get it done as quickly but accurately as possible.

“Y/N? I didn’t know you were in here!”

You looked up and your eyes met warm brown ones. You quickly glance back down at your pad and back at him just to see if they are any more details you needed to add.

“Oh hey, Eddie! Yeah...I-I’ve been in here for a minute.” You chuckled.

“Why didn’t you say anything?” He took a seat next to you.

“Well, because I wanted the chance to draw you!”

“D-Draw me?” He even pointed to himself with his thumb to get double affirmation.

“Yeah! Look!”

Edward took the sketchbook in his hands and his breath was immediately taken away. He saw himself in black and white on the paper, yet…it was how you saw him. You somehow drew the confidence he struggled to find in himself…onto him.

“Is, is this how you picture me?” He asked softly.

“Yes, babe…that’s you.” You smiled. “I’m kind of impressed with myself. I captured your sweet smile I love. I got your eyes just how I like…it’s all you, and everything I adore about you.”

Edward found himself chuckling. "I-I…I love it, you make me look…how I want to look like.."

You put your head on his shoulder. "You already look that way to me."

You kissed his cheek, giggling as his face started to blush.

Telltale Riddler:

God, it was so damn difficult and intimidating to impress him in any and every possible way.

However, you knew Edward had an appreciation for the arts. Thankfully you were artistic, and he seemed to enjoy the little still lives you drew. Giving you the smallest nod or the lowest of satisfied hums.

Well, what was driving you anxious now was how he’d react to this portrait of him you did. You had a major art block and wanted to paint human figures for once. It made sense to paint Edward considering how long you’ve been with him…however predicting his reaction was nerve-wracking.

Would he like it? Would he just give you pity comments but totally roll his eyes at it? He’d probably comment about how you had better things to do with your spare time.

However, you knew he would have questions to what has kept you so busy the past couple of weeks. While he was tinkering away in his hideout. You occasionally reached out periodically but mostly stayed in your apartment. You invited him over for dinner so you can unveil your painting to him.

“So, what was it you wanted to show me?” As soon as dinner was over, Edward didn’t beat around anymore bushes.

“Well, you were asking what was keeping me so busy. I was working on a little project, to surprise you with…” You tried to swallow down the lump of nervousness in your throat and slow down the anxious pacing of your heart.

“F-follow me.” He followed you down the hallway and to your little studio in the room right across from your bedroom.

The painting was covered with a protective thin sheet over it. You went to the side of it and with a quick breath your snatched it off.

It was a mid-waist portrait. He was in his Riddler get-up, the hood was down, but his eye mask was still on. He held his staff in his hand and leaned it against his shoulder.

Edward was speechless. He was hardly ever speechless…so you weren’t sure if that was exactly a good or bad reaction. Eventually the quiet was eating away at you.

“Edward?” You asked, slowly dropping the sheet from your hands.

“I-I-I…” He finds himself flabbergasted. No one’s ever done anything like this for him. The only pictures of him are either from mugshots or wanted posters. Pictures of him were usually videos or images of him in mid-heist.

“This…this is very impressive, Y/N. Is this what kept you busy these past few days?” He was steady staring at his portrait.

“Y-Yes…I wanted to surprise you with something, and I’ve always wanted to try my hand at figures.”

He looked over at you and grinned. “You certainly did that, you surprised me and impressed me. If you ever wish to…draw from real life…feel free to bring your supplies to the hideout. Just as long as you clean up and keep up with them.” He winked.

Hush (DCAU) Riddler:

Hmm…just one more little line here…erase that guideline that was still there.

"Hey, Y/N! What're you drawing this time?"

You had your supplies all lined out on the living room table. You had your artboard in your lap with your sheet of paper. You were drawing while waiting for Edward to come home.

"Oh…just this really handsome person I know. I see him every day and yet I never thought to draw him. It was the perfect way to break out of my art block!"

He was hanging up his suit jacket, hat, and mask while he took in everything you said. Yet it just now registered to him as he started walking towards your makeshift work station.

"W-wait what? You drew me?

"Well I'm glad to know you know it's you." You chuckled.

Edward leaned over the back of the couch and looked over your shoulder.

“Whoa…you weren’t kidding.” He mumbled.

“Why would I kid you? Do you like it?” You leaned your head next to his. You could feel his smile stretch to scrunch his cheeks.

“I-I love it…I look amazing! W-Well I mean..you drew me amazing..I’m still just me..” He chuckled.

You giggled back, turning his head to the side, you leaned in and met his lips with yours. “I love you, and I drew you as I see you. You’re always amazing to me, Eddie.”

He smiled back at you, with the most loving eyes imaginable.

“I can keep drawing you, if you wish. If that’ll make you believe!” You nudged his shoulder with yours.

He laughed. “I don’t know about that but I do know I like the idea of being your “go-to” muse.”

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seraphtrevs · 1 year

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@jarmes - I think it's finally time for me to figure out once and for all Hector's timeline, particularly concerning his prison sentence, because that has a huge impact on Hector's involvement in their lives.

(Math and sad Salamanca children under the cut)

I had worked out their ages previously here, but I think I've changed my mind on Tuco and the twins. The BrBa wiki is kind of all over the place with their ages (like the timeline sometimes lists different birth years than the character pages) and people edit the characters' pages every so often to change their birth dates - like Lalo was at 1957 for awhile, but now his page says 1960. (I am possibly the only person who cares enough other than the wiki editors to notice this akdsfj;sdljf) It's all just guess work based on scant canon clues and the actor's ages, so assume +/- a few years.

So. The wiki has Hector's birth year as somewhere between 1936 and 1939. Let's go with 1939 because that's the birth year on his character page.

Max was killed in 1989, which makes Hector 50 years old at the time. That seems to track. We know the twins were about 8 - 10 years old in 1988 because of the flashback in BrBa 3x07. (Here they are btw right after Hector nearly drowned Marco in case you feel like having your heart broken)

So that puts the twins' birth year at around 1980, which is what's on the wiki.

The wiki has Lalo's birth year as 1960 - I prefer 1957 because I want Lalo to be pushing 50 in BCS for reasons (old man enjoyer), but we'll use 1960. That makes him 28 at the time of Marco's near-drowning.

Tuco's age is all over the place, but the wiki has him born in 1972. That's a bigger gap between Lalo and Tuco than I like (I originally put him at 1961)...but I think 1972 probably makes more sense for reasons I will get into. So he's 17 in 1988.

All right, ages established. Now comes the hard part - when the fuck did Hector get sent to San Quentin? We know he was there for 17 years. He was a founding member of the cartel and probably active within it for a few years. So let's say he was about 30 when he was sentenced. 1939+30 = 1969 for the year he went to jail. 1969 + 17 = 1986 for the year he got out. That seems about right because in the 3x07 flashback, he seems to be up to speed in cartel business, so he's probably been out for a few years.

SO. What does this mean for his relationship with his nephews? It means Lalo was 9 when Hector went to jail. The twins and Tuco were not even born yet. When Hector got out of jail, the twins were 6 and Tuco was 14. Lalo was 26 - a grown man. I think that the murder of the professor that Lalo so fondly remembers probably occurred shortly after Hector was released from prison and itching to exercise some power again.

So Lalo was old enough to have fond childhood memories of his tio before he went to prison...but probably not quite old enough to start cartel conditioning. When we see the twins in the flashback, they are normal children, not dead-eyed killing machines.

Assuming Hector didn't start ramping up the abuse until he felt they were "old enough" to learn, Lalo was spared Hector's abuse because Hector was in jail during his formative years. Meanwhile, Tuco and the twins were impressionable minors who were nonetheless "old enough" in Hector's eyes to start "learning."

Lalo is nuts, but I think he was born with a screw loose rather than it being beaten into him. I agree with Tony Dalton's headcanon that his mother was a gringa and he was sent to school in the States, so the cartel wasn't his entire life as a child/young adult. He's much more well-rounded and functional than his cousins. Tuco and the twins, on the other hand, seem the kind of violent and unstable that sometimes comes with severe childhood abuse and are completely creatures of the cartel. And I think that was in large part due to Hector, who was perhaps the main father figure for them depending on when their fathers died. Hector didn't mold Lalo, but he did mold Tuco and the twins. Poor kids. :(

#lmao this reads like a logic problem #but i think i cracked the case!#keeping up with the salamancas #hector salamanca #tuco salamanca #marco salamanca #leonel salamanca #better call saul #breaking bad

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takendruid · 5 months

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Saw some art by @calware (I link the post at the end of the read more section) and wanted to draw a few of my ocs in a style similar (in all honesty, it’s my style adapted to the style of the post) 👁️👁️ top - Gery Joanes (Knight of Doom, alpha kids), bottom left - Jimy Weasle (Page of Light, alpha kid), bottom right - Jaid Weasle (Thief of Void, beta kid, also I swear she isn’t called Jaid because of Jade, she’s based on a really old oc I have called Jaiden… who is named after JaidenAnimations. I actually tried to avoid calling her Jaid originally because of Jade Harley, but gave up in the end).

Jaid and Jimy aren’t a Jade and Jake situation, Jimy is literally just trans ftm. There are three alpha boys and one alpha girl. Meanwhile there are two boys and two girls in the beta kids. The oc he’s based on isn’t trans? He’s a cis guy called James… who wasn’t named after theodd1sout, that was a coincidence. There are a lot of unintentional parallels in my kids that line up with the OG kids because I make the decisions before realising it’s similar or parallel to the OG kids. Like Jimy and Jaid’s whole name and gender situation as well as Jimy being a page. Gery is a knight meanwhile his son is a prince (of time), and Gery is the post-scratch version of his son’s abusive dad… his son, who is a time player. One of my kids is a rogue of heart, and he’s an oc based on an oc based on me. The other oc based on an oc based on me is a seer of hope. And I kin Roxy and Dirk… and I classpected myself as knight of hope… so…

also!

- Having page of light and seer of hope! That was unintentional as fuck! Jimy was originally going to be page of breath before I changed him to light (same with my shirt of blood troll btw, originally heir of breath) because I don’t know how to write breath players.

- Jaid being a beta kid propsit thief of void, which directly going parallel to Roxy’s alpha kid derse rogue of void classpect.

- Having the prince and knight be switched between the parent and kid roles, as well as just… Prince of Time.

- Also having an heir of blood in my post-scratch trolls, and my gold blood is a mage like Sollux.

- Also my spider-obsessed teal blood being thief of light was a decision I made prior to even knowing who the fuck vriska was btw.

- Also my opposing aspects sharing the same class but different lunar sways (derse light and prospit void, derse doom and prospit life).

- Having a human derse witch of rage and troll prospit mage of hope, which are opposing all four ways.

- My troll time and space players are both passive classes.

- okay one that was fully intentionally unintentional are my troll light and rage players. Pre-scratch, they’re prince of rage and bard of light. Post-scratch, they’re thief of light and rogue of rage.

- my violet blood is a bard, just like Cronus

- my jade blooded and olive blooded matepsrits have opposing classes…/pos

Now for my alpha trolls:

- I have a derse maid of mind while the mind player of the OG Alpha trolls was a propsit knight of mind

- I have a prince of rage

- players that remain active classes: heart, mind, and void

- players that remain passive classes: time, space, life, and hope

- players that switch: light, rage, and blood

Also I accidentally created a loop that I didn’t even intend to make

Okay maybe I just wanted an excuse to talk about my characters

The post I saw: https://www.tumblr.com/calware/733027758923563008/here-all-are-the-icons-in-the-relationship-chart

#homestuck #oc #fan kids #homestuck oc #homestuck original character #homestuck kids #takendruid art

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lumiereandcogsworth · 2 months

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sometimes my brain sends me asks, because i truly love nothing more than to answer special interest questions, and today on the walk home from work i thought “who reads more, adam or belle?” so now i’m gonna answer this question in great detail, after pondering it the entire walk.

when they were children, i think adam was reading a bit more, only because he had more books to read. but in terms of time spent reading? it was probably pretty even. adam was hyperlexic, reading way above his reading level, and belle just didn’t really have much else to do. once she learned how to read, it became her favorite activity ever. and of course, they were both drawn to reading for the same reason: escape. they had very different worlds to want to escape from, but at the end of the day they were just lonely little kids hoping there was more out there.

adam especially started reading more when he went off to boarding school (ages 10-12), then university (13-15). he LOVED studying literature, even as his mental health declined from losing his mother, books were really all he had left. belle was still reading a LOT at this age though, so once again, adam probably only had her beat in terms of number of books. but belle probably won in terms of hours read, considering adam was starting to get into… well, other vices.

in the teen/young adult years, belle definitely read more. adam was really losing sight of himself, especially upon the death of his father just before he turned 16. reading wasn’t fun or interesting to any of his “friends” so he masked that part of himself pretty quickly, having much more a need to be liked and accepted, rather than being “true to himself.” meanwhile, belle was still reading so much! she still hardly had any books to read, but she somehow managed to find every possible book tucked away in that village and she read the HECK out of it. she was of course growing up and getting more involved in both her inventor aspirations as well as helping maurice with the farming. (which, i’m sure she’s helped him since she was little, but obviously as a teen she could Actually help.)

during the curse, adam wasn’t reading at all. i can see him trying to, once. some point early in the curse, he’s incredibly depressed and his mind wanders to childhood, to his mother, to those brief shining moments where he knew what real joy felt like. he’s drawn to the library. he finds a book that he remembers loving. but he’s still not entirely used to his claws, so he accidentally rips a chunk of pages. suddenly enraged, he rips the entire book in half. he probably starts pulling books off the shelf in anger, making a huge mess and ripping a few more in half before growling and leaving, back to hide away from the world. after that, he doesn’t bother to try reading again. honestly i feel like he spent most of his time under the curse just sleeping and not taking care of himself. just… very depressed and angry. the staff tried to keep up routines, always making meals for him, but i think he struggled to eat (and has for many years) - which is why maurice’s finds that unattended feast when he visits the castle.

when belle comes, everything changes, of course. belle rekindles that love of reading within adam, the same way she rekindles his entire being. slowly but surely, he remembers how much he loved it, how much it cleansed his soul and filled his heart every time. it’s similar to what he says to her after they dance: “i haven’t danced in years. i’d almost forgotten the feeling.” he still worries about ripping the pages, but he’s more patient with himself now, as belle’s presence calms him so much. and for a while, they’re both reading all the time! especially together. they take turns reading aloud to each other. i think, even years and years down the road, this is still how they signal to the other that they need comfort. “will you read to me?” and even after the curse when they’re still courting, they just read and read. i mean you KNOW belle just wants to DEVOUR that library !!!!

when they’re first married, they’re traveling quite a bit. adam is so excited to show her everything and take her everywhere and BELLE IS SO EXCITED TO DO THAT!!!!!!!!! so they travel a lot. and are still, of course, reading on their travels. but it’s definitely less than usual. and i think belle was writing more than reading, because she really tries to keep a log of every place they go.

once they’re back settled at home though, doing their king and queen thing, i think they DO still read a lot, but for belle it’s harder because she just DIVES into all her queen ideas and plans. she’s SOOOOO !!!!! AMBITIOUS!!!! so she’s really busy. and she still reads a ridiculous amount, leaving adam baffled. like WHERE does she find the time?!? but she’s not just reading for fun now!! she’s also studying at the university of paris. they’re not always IN paris, so i guess you could say she was the first zoom university student?? she’s like always in correspondence with the headmaster as well as other professors of the university, just always Studyingggg gosh she loves it so much. she CRAVES learning.

after hearing about adam’s silly little literature degree, she obviously knew she needed to get her hands on that. AND MORE!!! she also definitely gets like multiple degrees over the course of her life. probably gets another in mathematics and another in like, biological/natural science or something. “just for fun.” (again, adam is baffled by her. but also very in love!!!!!! he loves his girlboss wife!!!!!!!) she probably qualifies for masters degrees but at that point in time, you really didn’t get a masters unless you were becoming a professor. which she was like 👀 about but then her husband had to remind her that she is already The Queen and does QUITE ENOUGH during the day. whatever 🙄 she DOES do a lot within the education system though, that’s always her biggest job as queen, her entire reign. reforming and expanding !!!!!!!!!!! it’s what she cares about The Most 🤧🤧 so she may as well be honorary headmaster of EVERYTHING, thank you very much.

and during this time, adam reads very regularly. i think he and belle also like to read books “together” in the sense that they both have a copy of a book and they basically have a tiny little book club with each other. just having to read some chapters and then discuss it after a week, or whatever. they’re so very nerdy, you guys. i can’t make this up. anyway, my point here is that i think during this period early in their marriage, adam is a lot better about staying on top of their book club plans. just because belle is doing a thousand million things at all times and she has adhd so it’s nearly impossible for anything to stay on track. meanwhile adam like, simply does what is required of him as king, and then goes and does hobby stuff (belle helps him find hobbies!!!! so proud) and one of those things will be reading some of their book.

so ANYWAY, it happens pretty regularly where adam will say to belle, “good morning! are you ready to discuss chapters 10-20 this evening?” and she’s like OGHDKFJS YES OF COURSE???? I DIDNT FORGET?????????? WHATS THAT!!! (and then she runs away when he turns around). but she’s thankful for those morning reminders because 9 times out of 10 she finds the pocket of time to speed read the chapters. so they still have their cute little discussion in the evening <3

and lastly, of course, comes the children!!! a lot of this stuff i’ve been saying (belle studying at university, adam & belle having their little book club) still happens when they have kiddos, but of COURSE an added bonus is STORY TIME!!!!!!!!!!!!!! which is a sacred practice in the beaumont family. like pretty much every night, the children gather in the master chambers (often cozy in the big bed!!!!!) and either belle or adam (they take turns) reads a story to them. of course, life sometimes gets in the way, and as the kids are varying in age, different bedtimes and such, so they don’t do this EVERY night. but they do it a lot. this family is alwaaayyss reading. adam and belle get SO excited when each of them learn how to read (especially belle getting to see her DAUGHTERS learn how to read, of course!!!)

reading is just truly one of THE love languages of this family, and sometimes it makes me weep thinking about how it all started with two lonely children who never should have met, both finding themselves with their noses stuck in books, longing for the adventures and other worlds that the pages contained. and now they get to share all those adventures with the ones they love the most… it truly is the most beautiful of tales 🥹

#i literally thought all this on the walk home. it’s incredibly that i wrote it down so well afterwards #i’ve definitely been spiffing it up for the last hour though >:)#but anyway!!! golly i love them!!!!!!#batb 2017 #beauty and the beast (2017)#beauty and the beast 2017 #batb headcanons #adam #belle #adelle

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pluckyredhead · 10 months

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Red Hood and the Outlaws #4 (2011)

Back on Lobdell's bullshit!

There had been vague references to Roy being a "screwup" in the first three issues of the book, but this issue confirms that he is, as he was pre-Flashpoint, an addict in recovery. There are two major differences, though: one, his sobriety seems a lot shakier than it was pre-Flashpoint (at least, before Lian's death), and two, he is now an alcoholic, rather than a narcotics addict. Pre-Flashpoint, Roy was regularly shown drinking casually and sometimes even actively drunk (Ollie's bachelor party), and it was never depicted as a problem for him, though Kyle at one point gently teases him about staying away from booze. (Interestingly, Ollie is occasionally depicted as having an unhealthy relationship with alcohol himself, but no line is ever drawn between his potential addiction and Roy's, in any continuity.)

I'm of two minds about the change. On the one hand, though I have a strong attachment to the original "Snowbirds Don't Fly," it was very much commenting on a specific cultural moment, as well as being very deliberately designed to open up conversation about drugs and drug addiction in comic books (prior to "Snowbirds," the depiction of drug use was banned by the Comics Code Authority). There's no reason to stick specifically to heroin, other than tradition. I hate to praise Tom King, and I have quibbles with him giving Roy an addiction to prescription drugs in Heroes in Crisis (if injuries in the field led to Roy's reliance on and then addiction to prescription painkillers, why is he the only superhero to develop an addiction? it should be like a third of them!), but it's a choice that feels very current, the way that heroin felt very current in 1971. (People obviously still do heroin, but you know what I mean.)

Making Roy an alcoholic instead of a heroin addict provides an interesting opportunity to compare the two addictions. Alcoholism is much more culturally accepted (and, you know, legal), easier to hide, and carries far less stigma, both when using and when in recovery. And yet RHATO depicts a Roy who appears to be in greater disgrace with the superhero community than pre-Flashpoint Roy ever was. It would have been interesting to explore the difference in how the two addictions are received, in getting and staying sober, in the dangers of using any substance to excess, even legal and widely accepted ones. A thoughtful writer could have told a really moving story with this change.

Of course, we're talking about Lobdell here, so the change feels completely arbitrary and downright lazy, especially since Lobdell (and King) has a habit of doing zero research and changing things at random. Both the alcoholism and the prescription drug addiction wind up coming across like all addictions are interchangeable, which is...shitty.

But, you know. It could have been good.

On the other hand, here we have the debut of the single best thing about all of RHATO: the Jaybird nickname. Drink it in, friends.

Meanwhile, Kori gets attacked by this guy, Crux:

She's TAMARANEAN. In fact, the word "Tamaranean" is used later on the same page. What a shitshow.

Crux is a human whose parents were killed when a random Tamaranean spaceship hit their car (why were Tamaraneans just cruising by Earth? no idea), so he devoted his life to destroying aliens in general and Tamaraneans in particular, including using alien DNA so he can turn himself into a giant bat-lizard at will.

Meanwhile, the hot lady sheriff turns out to be an Untitled, and she and Jason frisk each other sexily before she turns into a monster and attacks. It's boring.

The issue ends with Roy going to help Kori, who is losing her fight, and Jason facing off against the Untitled. So to sum of the events of the issue, two fights start and Roy calls Jason "Jaybird" for the first time. It's amazing how little story you can tell in when you average like two panels per page!

#jason todd #red hood #roy harper #arsenal #starfire #red hood and the outlaws #rhato reread

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thesurrendertender · 1 year

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Why Jesus is a Seer of Life: an essay about the Homestuck Class and Aspect of the Son of God.

(Disclaimer: I do not, and I repeat DO NOT, intend to disrespect religion in any way. This is just my analysis based on what we know about Jesus and how it can be applied in the context of the classification of Homestuck classpects. If you think I’ve said something disrespectful, or factually wrong, please let me know!!! Also, this essay contains spoilers for all of Homestuck, and I’m assuming you already know at least the general story)

Hello :3 my name is Valery and right now I’m very into Homestuck!!! I really like this webcomic. Specifically, I’m very fixated on classpects because I find them incredibly amusing so I like to mix and match them and try to classpect certain characters.

If you don’t know what a classpect is, is basically a title given for a character in Homestuck. This title is based on a Class and an Aspect, like an rpg. There are a total of twelve Classes and Aspects, and every combination explains something about the characters. If you are interested in finding out your Aspect, you can take the quiz on the official test of the Extended Zodiac. I recommend it!!!

Now, I’ve seen some people talk about the classpect of Jesus, and I actually thought about it for a while. After a discussion with some other people in the official Homestuck discord, I came to the conclusion that Jesus is a hero of Life, specifically a Seer. Here’s why I think so.

Some fans tried to cite the canon context, by saying Jesus is a Prince of Life, an adjective canonically used in the Bible to refer to him. I haven’t read the Bible so I’m absolutely open to corrections, but I do not agree on this: firstly because in the context of the Bible, the title of Prince is far different from the meaning it has on Homestuck.

I cite: “Jesus Christ is the Prince of Life. This is true because Jesus has life like no one else; no one could take His life from Him – He had to give up His life (John 10:17-18). This is true because Jesus won life for His people on their behalf – He didn’t just win life for Himself, but for His people. This is true because Jesus gives life abundantly – the Prince of Life can give life. This is true because Jesus sustains our life, and He rules over life. In every sense, Jesus is the Prince of Life!” (Source: https://enduringword.com/prince-of-life/)

In this context the title of Prince is considered someone who gives life for others. But I feel like I need to give more context of how Classes and Aspects work in the comic.

In Homestuck, the Class of the Prince is a destructive Class, counterpart to the passive Class of the Bard. The Prince is someone who destroys Aspect, or destroy through Aspect.

an Aspect will always opposite of another Aspect: Space is opposite of Time, Mind is opposite of Heart, Rage is opposite of Hope, Breath is opposite of Blood, Light is opposite of Void and Doom is opposite of Life. In Homestuck, based on your Class, it may happen that you mirror your opposite Aspect, and this applies particularly to the Classes of exploitation like the Knight and the Page, and the destructive Classes like the Bard and the Prince.

All the Princes we saw canonically in Homestuck mirrored their opposite Aspect, even acting like they were devoid of their Aspect: Dirk Strider, the Prince of Heart, was schematic and rational like a Mind player, even defining himself as Heartless. Eridan Ampora, the Prince of Hope, was stubborn and bringer of Chaos like a Rage player, and stated to his friends that they were all Hopeless. Not only that, but he also actively destroys the Matriorb, the thing that would restart the troll race in a new universe, quite literally destroying any Hope his race had.

As stated before, the Life Aspect is opposite to the Doom Aspect: Life is described as the Aspect of healing, providing and empathy in the sense of searching for a way to help. Meanwhile, the Doom is the Aspect of fate, rules and empathy in the sense of listening to you and letting you vent. So, a Prince of Life would mirror a Doom player, in the sense that they start out as fatalistic and Lifeless, and as someone who destroys Life or destroys through Life.

Again, I have not read the Bible, but I think that even those who have can see that this description of Jesus simply doesn’t suit him. It’s way too negative and destructive for someone like him, someone who went ahead and said to love and respect. So I did my researches, and in the end I came to the conclusion that the Seer of Life is the best title for the Son of God. My conclusion is motivated by may things:

First off, the definition: the Seer Class is described as a passive knowledge Class, counterpart to the Mage, and is one who sees and sees through their Aspect. Contrary to the Mage Class that already has experience, Seers starts out not knowing much about their Aspect, and have to learn about it as they progress.

An example of this is my favourite Beta Kid and the canonical Seer of Light, Rose Lalonde: Light is the Aspect of fortune and knowledge, so Rose was able to see best incomes and paths on how to win the game she was playing with her friends. In order to fulfil their Aspect, a Seer has to search a way where their Knowledge can get to others, and we can also see this in Terezi, the Seer of Mind, when she gave clear instructions on what John had to do to fix the main timeline.

It’s shown that Seers starts off not having much of their Aspect in their life and/or are surrounded in an ambient that reflects their opposite Aspect, so that is why they must search and learn as much as they can. Also, it’s canon in the webcomic that Seers are able to see the past and the future, regardless of their Aspect.

This is why I believe this Class fits for Jesus: Jesus was able to see a peaceful life, where people could just love and respect each other. He was a preacher who talked to his followers, in an ambient where everything seemed doomed. He was able to see a better future.

And this is not all, because I also want to mention the biggest reason why I believe he is a Seer: the character of Kankri and the Singless.

The Singless was a troll who was able to see his pre-scratch self, Kankri, in a world where trolls lived in harmony and free of violence. He had followers who listened to him, and gave his final sermon as he was executed. His preachings were saved by his most devoted follower and lover, the Disciple, so that his memory could live on.

In a sense, Kankri and the Singless are the same person, and I believe the pre and post scratch trolls share the same Classpect. The Classpect of Kankri is the Seer of Blood, and it’s implied he was able to see the events of his post scratch version. Kankri also has the habits of speaking in very long speeches, and actively seeks to find the best outcomes and ways to make sure everyone is united and safe. This connection is also a reason why I believe Jesus is a Seer.

Now, for the Aspect of Life, I cite: “Those bound to the aspect of Life are the universe's healers. They are concerned with the betterment of themselves and those around them, as well as the onward march of positive progress. Deeply empathetic, they have an intuitive understanding of other's suffering and the best way of righting those wrongs. This applies to both physical and mental suffering, though it might not be a cure you'll like. They also have the tendency to put other's needs before their own.“ (Source: http://hs.hiveswap.com/ezodiac/aboutaspects.php)

I think this description explains itself on why I picked this Aspect: Jesus wanted the idea of a better world to live on, and many people rejected his message because his ideals weren’t liked or understood. He forgive all of humanity and put our sins before him, taking the responsibility of them.

That’s it!!! Let me know what you think. I conclude by saying I also believe Judah was a Thief of Doom and God a Lord of Space. I might explain why in another post, because this one is already long enough :3.

P.S: just to make sure people don’t need to ask me the same questions:

“Are you okay?”

yes I am!!! This took like, forty minutes and it’s all from memory expect the sources so it wasn’t that tiring.

“Why did you do this?“

I seriously don’t know why but the classification of classpect has switched something into my brain, I don’t think I’ve ever put so much energy in researching and analysis. I think I got fixated.

“Homestuck sounds crazy! Should I read it?”

I genuinely believe that it’s worth reading at least once in life, especially if you’re around the age of 13-18. It has one of the best characters I’ve ever read, amazing dialogues, music and animation, and i believe it really gets you if you’re able to read it all.

“Too Long Didn’t Read”

Jesus is a Seer of Life because he sees Life and shares knowledge of Life. He has connections with the character Kankri/The Singless, a Seer of Blood.

“What is your Classpect?”

While I’m convinced I’m a Hero of Heart, I’m quite unsure on the Class, because I relate to all the passive classes lmao. Right now I’m settling to the Muse of Heart :3

#homestuck #homestuck classpect #classpect #homestuck analysis #I should do my French homework right now

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