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lewkwoodnco · 3 months

Text

love to think you’ll never forget - lockwood x reader

bruised eyes. vacant smile. stitch through her gums like a promise.

a/n: decided to try a few new things to get out of my writing slump! this is a lil blurb set a little after the call w lucy in chap 3, the ntwdt chapter (so this is smth like ch 3.5) of my 1989 vault series. as you can tell by the slut! lyric from the title we're kind of backpedalling a lil to the vibe of the first chapter, but with more details and in kind of a flashback-y way

tropes/warnings: angst, yearning, tw blood, slight descriptions of injury/violence, reader bandaging lockwood up, mildly ooc lockwood (im SORRY blame taylor swift)

word count: 2.5k!

Ch 1 | Ch 2 | Ch 3 | Ch 3.5 | Ch 4 | Ch 5

TAGLIST | MASTERLIST

She was sitting at the ancient, tiny piano that had come with her apartment. It was mostly out of tune, and more than a few keys were quite piercing, but with little else to do outside of work, she enjoyed letting her fingers mender over it. This evening, however, she was feeling a little blue - a little fevered with the onslaught of memories.

A certain kind of desperation had taken hold of her, an indignation over everything that had happened when she had loved him so much for so long. Her fingers had a slight tremble, but it was barely noticeable in the sparsely played chords. There was a glass of water casting marbled images of light on the beige walls. The sun had set far too early, as always, and now the room's only source of light came from the worn brick fireplace.

It reminded her of this one night at Portland Row when the four of them were having a late-night supper, curled up together in the library. As the hours went by, Lucy and George eventually retired to their rooms, but the two of them stayed. In the flickering light, Lockwood had been more than easy on the eyes. She was feeling pleasantly warm, and it had been a sleepy night, but the both of them still refused to go to bed. A moment later, she decided that it was just chilly enough to share a blanket with Lockwood.

It made her giddy, the feel of his arm casually draped over her shoulders, the kind of feeling you got at a sleepover you never wanted to end. They talked about everything silly and mundane - anything to stretch the night a moment further. Despite her best efforts, her eyelids started to grow heavy. When she woke, she was wrapped up in the blanket, alone. And yet, her only regret was not staying awake for just a minute longer.

She didn’t known what she was doing then. She didn’t know what she was doing now. She’d always had the rather unfortunate habit of being tragically oblivious.

It had been simpler in the beginning. They may have shared a few lingering glances while on joint cases, but for a frustratingly long time, their time together began and ended with their jobs. That was, until one rainy afternoon when Lockwood ran into her waiting outside DEPRAC headquarters. He had just dropped off some long overdue paperwork and walked out to find her peering at the road from the edge of the building's awning.

"Terrible weather, isn't it?"

She jumped, but almost instantly relaxed when she saw who it was. His tone was exaggeratedly casual, and she pressed her lips together to stifle her smile. "S'pose."

"Waiting for a cab?"

She nodded glumly, looking up and down the empty street as the rain beat down even harder, threatening to crack the asphalt.

"Not having much luck?"

She pulled a face and shook her head. Lockwood's hand dove into his quote, and straightened his arm a moment later, pulling out an elegant, black umbrella.

"Live far?" He kept his voice light, turning his gaze to the road with a carefully rehearsed air of nonchalance. She knew she wasn't the easiest person to spend time with, given how tense the tabloids made her already flighty personality. So it was moments like these that tugged at her heart. It was moments like these that made her feel like he cared.

"I appreciate it, Lockwood, but I couldn't walk home with you."

"Why not? Don't want me knowing where you live?"

"Not if you're going to set my house on fire."

His lips twitched, and she smiled with a faux innocence.

"Sheen Road, tragedy that it was, was not my fault."

"That's not what Lucy says."

"Lucy says a lot of things."

"Something about missing equipment."

"...damn, she's got me there." He opened the umbrella with a flourish and raised it an inch above their heads. "Ready?"

She paused, looking at him expectantly, as if waiting for some divine intervention to tell her otherwise. When it didn't come, she stepped underneath the umbrella, and the fingers of his other hand slipped into hers, casual as ever. They walked with their clasp hands smothered between the folds of their coats, but they themselves were pressed impossibly close to each other. It made her butterfly heart beat impossibly fast.

They reached her home too quickly, even though it was a sizeable distance from the DEPRAC headquarters. She glanced at Lockwood's face apprehensively while she fitted the key into her door.

"I hope I haven't led you too far from home."

"It's no trouble."

"I'll bring my own umbrella next time."

"Or don't. I don't mind." What is wrong with you, she wanted to ask. She could feel the amused way he was looking at her, the mild yet firm edge to his gaze. That was the annoying thing about Lockwood - his presence demanded to be felt, not that he was the demanding type.

It had been easier to fall into him when they were comfortably distant when she wasn't so invested. It was downright beautiful, how romantic he could frame their endeavours. But then came a stronger, more forceful undercurrent to their relationship. It made him snippish, or deliberately obtuse, and it made her clam up while she internally unravelled pathetically. She kept wanting to stand up, to get her bearings, but wave after wave knocked her down until she felt herself giving in to the cruel whips of the unforgiving sea.

And yet, none of it stung as much as the thought of Lockwood feeling like he couldn't turn to her.

One night, she had needed to drop off some files at Portland Row for George, who had been helping them research for one of their cases. It was late, but she could see a dim light switched on in the front hallway, and she wouldn't be inconveniencing them long. She knocked thrice, watching the shadowy figure behind the frosted glass take an awfully long time to reach the door. It cracked open, and a worn face peered out.

"...Y/N?"

Lockwood's voice was hoarse, and something about it rubbed her the wrong way. Despite her growing unease, she tried to put it down to not having seen him the past few weeks.

"I don't mean to intrude, I just wanted to hand these to George. Is he - what is wrong with your face?!"

Lockwood had cracked the door open a little more to stick his hand out for the files, revealing a bruised eye and a badly scratched face. He winced at her raised voice, shushing her in alarm.

"Keep it down, you'll wake the rest. I'll pass these on to George, no worries. Good night, now."

"Did you get into a fight?"

"Uh, no. Is that all?"

She shoved the door open, catching him by surprise. He instinctively shielded his forearm, but not before she could see that it was bleeding. She was speechless. A few minutes later, she had him cornered at the kitchen table with their first aid kit, muttering furious threats under her breath.

"What happened?"

"You can't tell George or Lucy."

She swiped his sleeve to his elbow fiercely, leaving the small strip of unharmed skin stinging. She regretted it a moment later when she winced at the sight of the thin layer of flesh carved out of his forearm.

"I'm serious. You'd invoke a mutiny."

She clearly didn't take to his poor attempt at a joke, so the wry smile slipped off his face, his expression turning grim. "I haven't told them yet, but we received a case a few days back. Pays an insane amount."

"What's the catch?"

He grimaced. "Apparently, running around with the likes of Winkman's men."

"Lockwood!"

"In my defence, I was doing very well until I got whacked in the head. No, listen - you can't fault a guy for getting whacked in the head - "

"I'm going to whack you in the head myself in a minute -"

"I didn't think you'd be interested."

She was quiet, after that. The rest of the cleaning and dressing of the wound passed by in a blur, and the only thing she really remembered was how devastated she felt. Though she wouldn't be interested? Of course she was interested. He could drive her up the wall all day long and she would still be interested. How could he think she wouldn't? It was horrible - she was furiously blinking back tears, and she could tell Lockwood felt horrible for saying anything in the first place. It was an overall terribly unpleasant experience. Lockwood awkwardly tried to break the ice.

"I...I bruise easy. Ever since I was a kid. Drove my mum mad."

The edge to her movements softened a little at the mention of his mother, but she didn't respond.

"I got out alive, didn't I?"

"Barely."

"I'll be fine. You don't have to worry."

"Easy for you to say."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

He was so fragile in her hands. It ached her. She let out a strangled noise from her throat, her voice overcome with emotion.

"When I first saw - I just - terrified. I was so...terrified to see you like that. I'm scared all the time, Lockwood. I'm scared for you. I'm scared you'll die one day and I won't know until I get some stupid postcard from someone kind enough to keep me as an afterthought."

He covered her hand with his, and she held his face using the hand with ointment on the finger. Something to remind her that none of that had happened. He gently wrapped his fingers around her wrist. All of a sudden, she felt their dynamic shift, as if he was the one taking care of her now. Always a saviour, never a soldier.

"It's not going to be like that. This is...it's all in your head. You know that, right? It's not real. It's just all in your mind."

For a while, all that could be heard in the kitchen was the sound of her unravelling the coiled bandage and wrapping it around and around and around his forearm. It was the kind of repetitive task that was meditative but also caused her to further spiral in her scattered thoughts. When she finished, she held his wrist for a moment. She didn't quite know how to express the misery lodged in her throat. She didn't even understand it herself. Who was she to patch up his wounds, to sit by his fireplace, to hold his hand?

"If I find you keeping something like this from me again, I'll finish you off myself."

A few months later, she was standing at her bedroom window, sadly watching people walk up and down the street in front of her house. It was that peculiar time between afternoon and dusk, and from the outside, it looked as though she was completely oblivious to the birthday party raging on downstairs. Suddenly, she perked up at the sight of a figure stumbling along, trying to balance a cake box and a few other packages without tripping over his coat.

She heard the swell of laughter and noise coinciding with the figure's arrival, and a few moments later, there was a knock at her bedroom door. Lockwood stepped in, and she tilted her head only a fraction away from the window.

"There's the birthday girl!"

"Hey."

"I brought the cake."

"I saw."

"And your presents."

"Saw those too."

He shrugged his coat off, raking his fingers through his hair as he looked for a mirror. "Told you I'd get here in time for the cake cutting."

She finally turned from the window, unable to suppress her frustration any longer. "No, you said you'd get here in time for the party. As in, the start of the party."

There was a pause. "You don't seem to be enjoying the party much."

"Because you weren't here. Lockwood, you promised you wouldn't forget."

"I didn't! I was just...a little behind time."

"Maybe you should just go home after the party."

"Y/N. You're not going to make me sleep alone on your birthday, are you?" Silence. "I didn't want to be late, really, I didn't. It's just...the Investor's Party only happens once a year, and I don't have the connections everyone else does, so I've got to make my own if I want to stand a chance against them. You understand, don't you?"

By then, he had wandered into her bathroom, and the distant, echoey quality to his voice felt insultingly familiar. She sighed. He was never quite here, with her, was he? He just couldn't sit still. He was always going off on some new quest, forever propelled by ambitions yet unknown. With Lockwood, neither failure nor success was ever enough. It was always on to better, newer, shinier things.

"Yes, but...there aren't many people I want to celebrate my birthday with. But I wanted to celebrate it with you."

He must have heard something in her voice, because he finally slowed down. He stood in front of her with his bowtie draped around his neck and held her hands against his chest. "I know. And I'm sorry. I'm sorry I was late, and I'm sorry I upset you on your birthday."

Despite her better judgement, she relented, pulling her hands out of his and tying his bow tie. "I'm not upset." She fiddled with his bow, and he gave her a roguish smile before pressing a peck to her lips.

He went downstairs to join the others, but she stayed behind for a minute. She was suddenly feeling a little breathless, a little winded. She sat down for a moment, pressing a hand to her chest. Her heartbeat was a little erratic, but nothing out of the realm of normality. Maybe a little fast for someone only sitting. She closed her eyes, letting the sadness she was keeping at bay wash over her. Why was she so affected? It was only a birthday party. It didn't mean anything. He'd be there when it truly mattered. Oh Lord, she needed him to be there when it truly mattered.

She collected herself and joined Lockwood downstairs, where he was having a glass of champagne with the others. She joined him with a faint smile, looking only a little more flushed than usual. And he was laughing. He was laughing, and she wanted to peel her face off. Not that there was anything wrong with him having a laugh. She could have a laugh too. She could be downright hilarious. Egg on her face, idiot that she was.

But she couldn't really blame him. Not when there were better things and shinier people.

TAGLIST: @dangelnleif @elenianag080 @snoopyluver20 @ell0ra-br3kk3r @avdiobliss @yourleastfavoriteguyinthechair @mitskiswift99 @ahead-fullofdreams @neewtmas @mischivana @houseoftwistedspirits

#lockwood and co #lockwood & co #lockwood and co netflix #anthony lockwood #fanfiction #fanfic #anthony lockwood x reader #anthony lockwood imagine #1989 tv #1989 #taylor swift #1989 taylor's version #taylor swift 1989 #slut! taylor’s version

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windwheeler-aster · 2 years

Text

your bookworm

summary: for as long as you’ve known your partner, they’ve shown a huge interest in reading. in an attempt to bond, as well as to expand your own knowledge, you suggest going book shopping together. delighted, they bring you to their favorite book store.

masterlist

pairings (separate): diluc, albedo, jean, zhongli, and lisa x reader

reader info: uses gender neutral pronouns (they/them), reader is in an established relationship, reader doesn’t read often/that much. and reader is not traveler

word count: 3,784 words

genre: Modern AU, romance, fluff

format: headcanons and blurbs

warnings: usage of death in exaggeration/common expression, coupley/lovey dovey dialogue, public displays of affection (PDA), zhongli worrying about money, and brief descriptions of buying/browsing erotica

a/n: i’ve suggested no/little-lyric songs for background reading, to really stick to the theme. i hope you have a good time reading, folks💖(psst, if you like the songs linked here, i have a playlist on my spotify with similar music. it’s perfect for reading, studying, and writing. have a good day!!)

song recommendation: So This Is Love by Emile Pandolfi

diluc enjoys reading as a past time

he likes physical books better than their audio counterparts, mostly because he secretly enjoys the smell of a new book

if there’s a novel/series that diluc really liked reading, he’ll go out of his way to buy the hardcover version of the book

also, all of his favorite books take up one section of his large shelf. he can be very selective with what he likes

he enjoys a mixture of non-fiction and fiction books. from his favorite celebrities’ memoirs to small collections of short poems or/and stories that have no deeper meaning

diluc says it’s only a hobby to make the time go by faster, but it has evolved into something much greater

like, if you two have nothing else to do that night, diluc will shyly ask if you want to read together before bed

it’s really just you laying on his shoulder/chest as he reads aloud one of his favorite books, slowly bringing both of you to sleep

so if you suggest to go book browsing/shopping for a date, diluc is so excited and happy

he brings you to this big-name brand bookstore, mostly because they have all the newest best time sellers and a lot of his favorite authors

diluc doesn’t hold your hand, but holds the books you two are interested in and hovers by you instead

[more under the cut]

You knelt down to the floor, inspecting the books at the bottom shelf. One series stood out to you, admittedly because of the bright cover art. You grab one of the books, finding some difficulty pulling it out by its side. After some more effort, careful not to accidentally cut yourself on the fine paper, it was in your hands.

“That looks interesting,” Diluc murmured from above.

You stood. “Yeah, I’ve seen this book trending online recently.”

“Is it good?”

“Uh,” You flip the book over, trying to find an actual synopsis instead of the three word reviews, “I’ve heard good and bad things about it.”

Diluc grunted as an agreement. “From the cover, it looks like the main character is in a love triangle. Well, not a love triangle, but…y’know.”

“Yeah, it’s much different from other romances though,” You look on the inside sleeve for the synopsis. “At least, that’s what I’ve heard from some fans.”

The synopsis was basic, but gave you enough information to be interested. A boy has to choose between dating his best friend, a reliable and outgoing person, or the town’s local monster, an eight foot tall lizard person. Surprisingly, it is a very hard choice for this love struck boy.

Diluc watched with a mixture of surprise and interest as you move on from the synopsis to the first chapter. He couldn’t help but notice the way your eyes shined and your lips quirked upwards as you read on. He looked around and saw one of the staff members busy helping a customer, their eyes glancing over to the two of you.

Diluc would hate for you to get told off for just reading a little more into this book before buying it. He looked over to you and cleared his throat lightly, gaining your attention briefly.

“My dear, if you’re really interested in it, you can always read it at home.”

“Oh, I am definitely buying this,” You say after closing the book. “The first page is enough to get me hooked.”

Diluc quirked his brows. “Is it really that interesting?”

“You’re going to have to read it to find out,” you handed the book to him with a smile. “We can read it together, if you’re really that curious. I know romance books aren’t really your favorite, but it might be fun.”

A smile slowly crept onto his soft lips. “I’d like that.”

“Great,” You looked around, making sure that no one was looking, and then kissed him. “Now, let’s get you some new books.”

Diluc’s free hand brushed against his own lips, a swooning expression on his face. Slowly, he nods after a moment passes.

“Right… right. I believe the memoirs are over here,” He breathes out, absentmindedly finding your hand with his own. “This way, dear.”

song recommendation: The Flower Garden by Joe Hisaishi

albedo is a fast reader, going through lengthy work documents at a pace that scares everyone nearby

however he doesn’t enjoy all the wordy research papers that wait on his desk

but you know what albedo does enjoy reading? fantasy!!!

he likes to get lost in books, especially when the worldbuilding is so much different from reality

albedo usually reads the long fantasy series. the ones that have an average of 800 pages per book, with 12 books in one series

however, due to the book’s length, albedo usually does a mix of listening to the audiobook version and reading his paper copy

it just works for him, okay? don’t judge him!!!

reading with albedo might not be the best idea, as he’s usually really far into a series or book and he’d hate to spoil it for you

but if you ask about albedo’s favorite character, he will certainty talk about them for hours

he for sure has made fanart of some of his favs, but he mostly keeps them to himself

albedo will be so delighted if you ever suggest going book shopping with him! in fact, he’s already grabbing his to-read list and wallet

he would take you to a local bookstore, somewhere with a great reading atmosphere and affordable prices

albedo would have you trail around with him between the isles, elbows interlocked of course, whispering to you about the books he’s been dying to read

You leaned closer to Albedo, smirking as you tried to read over his shoulder. He was totally sucked into this book, carelessly flipping page after page as he loitered in the aisle. He didn’t even protest when you rested your chin on his shoulder. Albedo’s eyes only sparkled as he read on, making your heart flutter in the process.

“Is it good?” you whispered, catching his attention finally, “you just seem to be really enjoying it, that’s all.”

“I really like it, actually. The author has a really refreshing writing style, and they’ve really caught my interest in just a few pages—” Albedo’s voice trailed off as he glanced to you. “Sorry, um, I just really like it so far. This book has been on my reading list for ages and…”

You placed the book onto Albedo’s stack, holding it very securely against your chest. “No, no, please, tell me more. I like it when you talk about your things you’re passionate about,” you shyly glance away from him, diverting your attention to the spines of some fantasy comic books. “It’s, um… it’s really cute, honestly.”

“The way you’re looking away is pretty cute too,”

“I’m not looking away!” you retort, crouching down to the comic books’ shelf, “I just got really interested in this comic book, that’s all.”

Albedo crouched down with you, slowly looking away from your face and to the books. He watched you caress the book’s spine, moving your lips slightly and furrowing your brows. His lips twitched upwards when he saw you pull it out, intently reading the synopsis on the back.

“I’m pretty sure that’s called a graphic novel,” he whispered.

You hummed in response, too busy reading to give him a proper response. He frowned slightly and leaned over, now reading over your shoulder.

The book’s art looked pretty, but Albedo’s jaw relaxed slightly as he read the synopsis too. This graphic novel told the story of the out casted sorceress, ignored and bullied since she first showed signs of magical powers. But after suffering alone for so long, the sorceress finally accepts her role as the “bad guy.” Everyone else has already, except for this annoyingly persistent witch who swears she sees the good in the sorceress. The witch is determined to make the sorceress realize this, going above and beyond to prove— Oh, you’ve already turned to the first page. Fun.

“This looks really good,” he whispered, his breath tickling the shell of your ear.

You opened up to the first page, idly stroking the page with one finger as you marveled over the art. “Right? It’s so… so beautiful, I think I could stare at this all day.”

“I distinctly remember you saying something similar to me the other day,” he snickered. “Don’t tell me that I’ve already been replaced by a book.”

You turned away from the book and gave a quick peck to his left cheek, laughing into his porcelain skin. “First of all, it’s a beautiful book,” you leaned further over and kissed his lips, “and second, I’d never replace you, dear. Nothing and no one in this world could ever replace you.”

“Really?”

“Yes, really,” you chuckle, pulling both him and yourself up off the floor, “now let’s get the rest of your books before we get yelled at for reading in a bookstore.”

“Aw, really? I was just losing the feeling in my knees and legs,” he groaned as he stood up fully, “now I gotta wake ‘em up again.”

“I love you,” you breathed out, intertwining your elbow with his, “but if we keep using this bookstore as our own library, I don’t think we’ll be allowed back.”

He smiled. “I know. And… I love you, too, by the way.”

“Good. Now, you said something about a book of short stories complied together... something we both could read?”

“Right, right, I believe we passed it in the horror section,” he turned the two of you around, carefully guiding you to follow him, “come on, dear, this way!”

song recommendation: Menuet by Toshifumi Hinata

despite reading work papers at lightening speed, jean is a pretty slow reader

she just really likes taking her time reading books, savouring each chapter that she finishes... don't judge her please

secretly a big fan of romance & mystery, both as separate genres and when they’re put together

jean reads more stand alone novels than series, honestly

it’s only because she likes seeing her favorite characters get their happy ending and character arc in only one book it’s also because she has little to no patience to read a series longer than 3 books

jean doesn’t really like audiobooks. there’s no really big reason why... she just doesn’t like them

but jean wears earbuds whenever she reads at home. it’s easier for her to concentrate with background noise she can control

her music is at a low volume though, so she’ll hear you if you need anything

if you ever offer to read aloud for her when she’s really tired, jean just absolutely melts

congratulations, you now have a very lovesick jean who would do anything for you while you read to her

jean will blush pretty hard if you make eye contact with her while reading some lovey dovey dialogue

if you ever suggest going book shopping with jean, she’ll be incredibly happy

she would take you to local bookstore with a great cafe nearby, ordering you two something to drink while you shopped together

Wordlessly, Jean handed over your to-go cup. She smiled once her eyes met your own, letting a quiet chuckle escape. In one swift action, Jean intertwines her fingers into your own.

“Thank you so much for coming with me,” she murmurs, leading you further into the quaint bookshop. “I know that with our busy schedules it can make it quite difficult but… But I really do appreciate it.”

You took a sip of your drink, smiling into the cup’s opening. “No problem, sweet heart. Afterall, I’ve been dying to see the more bookish and nerdy side of you.”

“Oh, stop it you—” she said, her voice trailing off as Jean spots something interesting. “Oh, actually, hold onto that thought, honey.”

Jean drifted away from you, stopping in front of a table of best-selling romance books. Her fingers trailed over each cover, even if it was the elven couple or cyberpunk lovers. Jean gave each one a bored look, barely turning the books around to read the synopsis. Finally, you saw something that caught Jean’s eye.

You watched her reach down to a monochrome book, the two romantic leads posing suggestively on the cover. She inspected it for a moment, tilting her head and letting her ponytail fall onto her shoulder.

"Oh, she's pretty," you murmur, "not as pretty as you, though, sweetheart."

Jean tsked. “Oh, stop it you. You’re going to make me blush if you keep it up.”

“Isn’t that the point?”

She looked away from the cover, a light blush finding its way to her cheeks. Jean leaned into your side as she did so, trying her best to keep her adorable laughter to a low volume. You glanced around and saw some other customers and a staff member give her a curious look, which made you put a protective hand around her waist. Slowly pulling your eyes away from them, you looked back at your girlfriend with adoration.

“What’s the book about?” you asked, taking a sip from your drink. “It looks really interesting.”

“I think it’s about this…” Jean flips the book over, squinting slightly to read the synopsis, “this time traveling and reincarnated couple? Like, every few years they find each other but then they lose each other. It’s their thirteenth time meeting each other now, and… and they’ve finally found a clue to why this keeps happening,” she pauses for a moment, exhaling heavily. “Pretty interesting, right?”

“This looks so good, oh my goodness,” you say, peering at the same synopsis she was looking at. “Sweetie, we have to get this.”

“Really? You… you don’t think it’s a little too much or…” Jean trailed off, eyeing the price tag.

“If we buy it, we can read it as many times as we want,” you reminded her, tracing a light circle into her waist.

Jean sucked on her bottom lip, freeing it once she made her decision. “Alright, as long as we get to read it together.”

song recommendation: (forever?????????) by glass beach

whenever he can, zhongli reads

whether that be in between rides to and from work, while waiting for clients, or when he’s alone with some free time

he’s a big fan of angsty and deep stories, something with a huge twist at the end

zhongli reads an unhealthy amount of angst

his favorite tropes are probably one-sided love, something about that makes him feel so much

also when one of them dies, or both of them

zhongli doesn’t really cry whenever he reads, he mostly just sighs in sympathy for what the characters are going through

he doesn’t understand audio books really well, and it’s odd to hear someone who talks like him read it back

so he would much rather just read it on his own, thank you

although...zhongli is a sucker for you. so if you ever ask for him to read to you, it’s an almost always guaranteed

he genuinely smiles when he notices that he’s put you to sleep, pressing a sweet kiss onto your forehead

so, imagine the smile on zhongli’s face when you show him this bookstore you found

and when your offer to pay for them? there are literal hearts in his eyes as he guides you around

Zhongli handed you another book while his eyes scanned the spines of each book on this shelf. Before accepting the book, you stare at him for a moment. You quietly admire the way his brows furrow slightly, how his amber eyes narrowed as he read book titles. The way his gloved hands skimmed each book made you envious of the books.

Eventually, you accepted the book and placed it on top of the others. Once you adjusted yourself, balancing the six books in your arms flawlessly, you looked back down to your lover.

“You seem to be picking a lot of science fiction books today,” you commented, raising yourself on the ball of your heels, “that’s a little out of the ordinary for you, isn’t it?”

He hummed, pulling out another book. This one was slimmer than the others, with a blue flower encased in ice on the cover. Another soon to be Young Adult classic, you thought.

“I think I picked out a few horrors too,” Zhongli responded. “I’m going to try and branch out in other genres.”

You tilted your head back up when he began to rise from the ground. “Y’know it’s nice to read some uplifting and happy stuff too, right?”

He shook his head, chuckling. “To you, perhaps, but I find satisfaction in even the saddest of—” Zhongli stopped himself from placing the book onto your pile, slowly sucking in a breath as he eyed it. “Oh, dear. I’m so sorry, I didn’t even think to limit myself—”

“It’s fine, Zhongli,” you assure him, adjusting your hands’ placement on the books, “really, I don’t mind.”

“Dear, we can leave a few of these behind. Really, I don’t mind at all. I don’t want to empty your wallet over me—”

“Please don’t worry about it,” you say, “I like doing these types of things for you. It makes me happy to see you happy, darling.”

Zhongli hesitated for a moment. He looked at the books in your arms again, guilt weighing him down. He didn’t even look at the price tags, this outing was sure to put a dent into your savings. But then Zhongli looked at your eyes and those worries disappeared.

“I love you so much,” he breathed out suddenly.

You smiled at him. “Well, I love you too. Now, you want to go shopping some more or call it a day?”

“We can stop here,”

“You’re sure?”

Zhongli inched closer to you and gave you a simple kiss on the cheek, not caring if someone spotted you two. “Positive.”

song recommendation: By Your Side. by Omori

lisa is a literally a librarian. she reads day and night, as though her life depends on it

you’d think she would be sick of reading, but lisa usually finds something interesting to pass the time

if you ask lisa, you’ll discover that’s she tediously working her way through all of the library books. yes, she is slowly going insane at the process

doesn’t listen to audio books because she doesn’t want her life to be totally overtaken with books

lisa for sure is a booktuber. no doubts about it.

she has a decent subscribers to viewers ratio, but lisa doesn’t care too much about the income it brings

it really is just a youtube channel where she can be passionate about some of her favorite authors and series

you have accidently become a beloved member of the channel, with hundreds of comments gushing about you

lisa makes sure to read each one to you, ignoring any of the odd hate comments of course

also exclusively reads books from the library, rarely ever buying books

until you suggest going to this quaint local secondhand bookstore, promising to treat her to any of the books she wanted

before you could say another word, lisa is excitedly asking you for the bookstore’s address and stuffing things into a spare tote bag

You and Lisa snuck through the aisle, despite the store being advertised as filming friendly. You lowered her go pro as you passed other customers, getting some filler footage of your shoes and the hem of Lisa’s skirt. Once you had successfully dodged them, offering them a polite “good afternoon” before walking onwards,you turned on the go pro.

“You wanna get some filler footage first?” you asked, eyeing the books to your right. “Something you can speak over when you edit?”

“Actually,” Lisa said, inching closer to you, “I’d really like to just spend some one on one time with you. Without the cameras.”

“Oh, yeah, I’d really like that too,” you stammer, quickly shutting off the go pro.

She giggled, placing the go pro into her bag. “You know, you’re pretty cute when you get flustered.”

“Lisa, I swear,” you trail off, trying your best to ignore the growing heat in your cheeks. “So, you said on the way here you wanted to find some… trashy erotica?”

“Oh my god, thank you so much for reminding me,” She grasped onto your wrist, pulling you along as she tried to navigate through the aisles. “I feel like we passed that aisle— Oh! Right there!”

Before you knew it, Lisa had pulled you into the aisle. Some of the books on the shelves had simple cover art, nothing really risque. But then they were placed right next to the extremely suggestive titles, with somehow even more suggestive covers. As Lisa fawned over each book, pulling you along eagerly, you suddenly found the floor to be much more interesting.

“Hm, it seems the owner put their donated romance books here too,” She murmured, gently pulling you over to another side of the shelf. “Oh, dear! Look at this, I think you’d really like it!”

Carefully, you peeled your eyes away from the floor and looked at Lisa. Then your eyes drifted away from her mischievous ones, finally settling on the book she held in her hand.

It was actually a pretty cute book. The cover art was bright and colorful, depicting two people working hard in a kitchen. You felt a smile grace your lips as you opened the book up, reading the small message scribbled into the book’s first pages. Then you turned to the first chapter, a little eager for a taste of what this book had in store.

“You’re not even going to read the synopsis?”

You looked up from the book. “Wait, am I supposed to?”

“No, no, it’s alright,” Lisa reassured. “I was just so surprised that you started reading it immediately.”

“Well, of course!” You beamed. “You suggested it, and I just assumed that with all your reading history… you really did know what you were talking about.”

She smiled at you, her eyes crinkling at the very edges. She grabbed the edge of the book you held, lowering it away from your face. Lisa gave you a gentle kiss, smiling into it as your cheeks burned. When she pulled away, Lisa had the cockiest grin equipped.

“You have no idea how much it means to hear that from you, my love,” she whispered. “Now, let’s go head over to the horror section before I just start sounding like a love interest in one of these books.”

thank you for reading 💖 all forms of interaction to my posts are appreciated 💖

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writefightandflightclub · 1 year

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AHHHHHH THE SANTI SOCCER PLAYER FIC!!! It was so good!! One of my favorite fics ive read in a while, thank you very much 💙💙

Imagine playing soccer with santi and the boys and absolutely kicking their asses. I feel like santi might feel a certain way 👀 just food for thought

Ah thank you so much! I’m super happy you enjoyed it 😊

Since I’m now so into this pairing I HAD to write a little blurb with your idea! Here you go! It’s set prior to the last one, earlier in their relationship.

Kick around: Santiago “Pope” Garcia x Masc!Soccer Player!Reader

Summary: Santi watches you run circles around his squad, and it makes him feel some kinda way.

Genre: fluff but Santi is a horny bastard (no smut, not explicit.) He soff! He dopey in love!

Reader: masc!reader, he/him pronouns. No anatomical / physical descriptions. Reader takes shirt off on pitch.

Author’s note: I ship these two so hard 🥹

Gif by @thewaythisis

You’re the hottest person to have ever existed.

Santi is sure of it.

He’d invited the whole squad along to your traditional Sunday morning kick-around. They’d been pestering him to meet you and this -you’d agreed- seemed like a fun and low pressure way to get to know them a little. While you’re in your element.

But, watching you run circles around every single one of them, is making him feel some kind of way.

It’s basically 5-a-side (well, four of them) versus you, and you are a fucking machine.

The breath saws in and out of his lungs as he watches Frankie attempt to pass the ball to Will as though he’s never met a soccer ball in his life, the shot clearly jarring his leg - a fact Frankie quickly attempts to gloss over.

He watches you dance around Will, basically teasing him far more than you need to with you fancy footwork. Will’s chest is heaving, his body lurching all over the place. You make every one of his highly trained operatives look cumbersome and tired, and meanwhile you’re not even out of breath. Haven’t broken a sweat. Have a gorgeous shit-eating grin on your face.

Santi is fit enough to keep up for a while longer at least, even if his soccer skills are lacklustre. He’s fine with that, honestly. He knows he has plenty of other skills - but the boys are actually competing with you as though it’s a matter of personal pride. As through they stand a chance.

Santi dips off to the side of the pitch to refuel with water and to calm his shaky legs, but in truth he’s just enjoying watching you. He enjoys showing you off. He enjoys the fact that you’re completely kicking their asses. He very much enjoys how hot you look as you do it too. How in control you look. How poised. You’re so fucking competent. The way your body looks as you run circles around them. Your 100-watt smile which he can see shining from all the way over here.

And finally, he watches you approach Benny, the last line of defence between you and the goal.

Benny is the only one that maybe has any kind of shot at besting you. He’s in shape. He’s spry. He’s an athlete.

No wait. He’s… calling a time-out? He’s grabbing some water. He’s taking his shirt off and… damn, you follow suit, and as Santi continues to sip on his water he has to be careful it doesn’t drool from the corner of his mouth at the sight of you.

Still, when Benny is ready, you resume, and he puts in a good effort but he has no hope in hell. You run rings around him. Leave him in the dust. His only hope is a completely dirty tackle, and Santi had already warned him what the consequences of that would be.

Still, the bastard does it anyway. Tries to grab you and swipe the ball from out under you. You stop dead still, putting your arms in the air and scolding the man. “This isn’t MMA, Benjamin.” Santi chuckles to himself. God, he loves that you fit right in. Like you’ve always been here. Like he’s always known you.

Then, you let Benny retake his position and you fleet straight past him, socking a sweet shot right into the top corner of the net with precision.

The boys all congregate now, Frankie folded in half and looking like he’s begging for an end to this torment. You pat him on the back and run to get him a towel and an isotonic drink, and Santi’s eyes crease with fondness as he watches you take care of and banter with his squad as though they are your own.

It’s one of the many things that can make him imagine you being in his life for a very long time, and the thought causes a sort of tranquility to wash over him.

Eventually, you peel of, nodding your head in the direction of Santi and beelining over towards where he casually leans up against a tree, doing that little footballer run to get over to him.

“Hiiiii,” he says dreamily, his pupils replaced by hearts, he’s sure, as he melts into a puddle.

You look amused. “Having fun, baby?”

Santi simply blinks, batting his long-lashes at you.

“Hiiiii,” he repeats, giving you the once-over with his eyes and evidently liking what he sees.

“Hi,” you laugh bashfully, the rich sound bobbing in your throat, and meanwhile Santi pushes up off the tree and shimmies closer. He places his hands at your hips, where shorts meet bare skin, and you have the good sense to clamp your hands over his, as though he’d be ballsy enough to strip you right here. “Do you think the guys are having fun?”

“I don’t know,” Santi purrs. “I’ve forgotten all their names. Faces. There’s only you.” A blatant heat is brewing in his eyes, and his gaze trails like fire over you.

You drop your voice lower in your throat. “Oh, you liked that did you? Watching me run circles around your friends? Showing me off?”

Santi smiles dopily at you. He’s got nothing.“Hiiiii,” he repeats, and you slide your hands from where they rest and loop them around his neck.

“Well. You can show me how much I impressed you later. For now, we have brunch.”

“Skip brunch,” Santi grunts, like a Neanderthal.

“Baby!” you eyes search his for sense. “I promised to get to know your friends. It’s important for us, right?”

The fact you’d do that for him? The fact you said us? It’s just one of the many things that makes Santiago want you in his life for a very, very long time.

One of the things; but there are so many more.

#santiago garcia x m!reader #santiago garcia x reader #santiago pope garcia x reader #mlm #triple frontier

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moderngroupieanonymous · 6 months

Text

Backstage Blues

Confessions of a Modern Day Gr*upie: A Blurb

Description: This is a blurb, a non-chronological piece of my story that I think is relevant to share regarding what happens when you're scouted to go backstage to drink with the band and when to trust your gut when things go sour.

Warnings: Topics involving alcohol and sex will be mentioned. Definitely recommended for those 18+.

✯

I wasn't even planning to go to this show. But of course, it's those last minute decisions, those completely spontaneous tickets you buy at the door that end up leading to the most... interesting nights.

I had some friends from out of town visiting my city and they wanted to go to a show at a small venue down the street from me. Personally, I never say no to a show, so I agreed. It would be fun. What's hilarious about this show was that we actually went to see the opener, because we discovered them through a separate band we had seen quite a few times. In fact, I had never heard of the main band before. Last time I checked their instagram they had around 100k followers. We were seeing them for their North American tour.

Misconception about being invited backstage is you have to put hours into your appearance. This is fully false. This night actually I had so much going on that day that I barely had time to get ready at all. In 20 minutes I quickly ate a few bites of pad thai, touched up my makeup and added liner, and threw together an outfit consisting of an old black skirt, black flowing top, and knee high boots. My hair was fully just tossed into one of those messy buns (I'm cringing at this fanfic term bye) because I didn't have enough time to style it.

Getting to the venue that I arrived late to, I bought my ticket at the door and scanned the crowd to meet my friends who were already there for some time. I had been to the venue before, it was one of those old timey ones that have been around for years and years, which gave it a lot of character. Once inside, I began looking for my friends, taking in my surroundings while making my way through the small venue. While I counted the lingering stares from people as I walked by I immediately noted I was probably a little over dressed for the crowd/ fanbase (again, we were there to see the opener, so I had no clue what the crowd would be like for the main act). I didn't mind it though. I'm a firm believer in wearing whatever you feel good in. If you feel good, your energy is right, and your energy is what attracts others to you. It makes you magnetic.

Another misconception about being invited backstage is that you have to be front row. It's funny because my experiences have been quite the opposite. And once I tell you it makes a lot of sense. When a band is on stage they have no way of keeping track of you, they have other things to worry about, obviously. On their end, they don't have the opportunity to be the ones to invite you backstage. In a case like this, it's all up to you, aka being at the stage doors or waiting by the tour bus to catch the artists while they're not working (more of this type of story to come in my other writings). But no, this is not what I'm talking about. I'm talking about being scouted to go backstage. Completely different. And much more... spontaneous? Much less... effort? Much... different, to say the least.

So, no. I was not front row for this show. Once I finally met my friends we stayed in the wayyy back of the venue the duration of the show (after we pushed our way to a decent spot to see the opening band). We actually were by the merch table, close to the bar where we were able to get a few drinks. I was honestly vibing to the music and we all were dancing and just having a good time. It was nice to experience a show with low stress since we genuinely were experiencing this band the first time.

As the night went on, I became distracted by this man who kept brushing past me and running around throughout the venue, tending to the merch table behind us, etc. I honestly at first thought he was a roadie, but I'd soon find out later in the night that he was the band's manager, the main act. I tried not to be too concerned by him as we listened on to the show. He, however, also noticed me, probably from the amount of times he may or may not have purposely brushed by me in his mysterious haste.

"Here, put this on, we love free advertising," I hear a voice from behind me, the manager, offering me a beer sleeve with the band's logo on it for me to slip my White Claw into. I laugh and thank him, accepting the sleeve and putting my now almost-empty White Claw into. I didn't think much of it at the time, my friends and I laughed at it and continued on with enjoying the music. He probably had it lying around and noticed my group having a good time in the back and just handed it out. It was 5 bucks after all, I checked the merch stand.

Not 20 minutes later I get another feeling that his eyes were on me again. Out of the corner of my eye I see him approach me the second time and I'm curious to find out what he'll come up with next. More free merch?

"You finished your drink?" he shouts over his band's music, noting I'm no longer holding onto the logo decorated beer sleeve I had slipped into my bag after downing the rest of my seltzer. I laughed and told him I did.

"Want me to get you another drink?" He says to me. Is this guy hitting on me now? I push this thought away for the moment because, obviously I will never say no to a drink. The bar was right behind us anyways, so what's the harm?

"I'd love that," I reply.

"Great, come with me backstage we'll get you a shot. You can bring your friends," he instructs me as he already takes off towards the back of the venue, expecting me to follow. Why was this dude always in such a damn rush for fucks sake?

I barely had time to grab my friends, tell them what was going on over my shoulder, and drag them with me as we weave through the crowd following Manager Man towards the restricted areas. It had become official. We were going backstage. Like I said before, half the time you're scouted to go backstage, it happens when you least expect it. Let's review so far though, what I've learned:

Wear what you feel most confident in, because you'll feel your best.

Being front row for this specific situation does not matter.

Enjoy yourself and your energy will attract others around you.

Manager Man lead us through a series of restricted areas, moving security ropes, and breezing quickly by signs screaming AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY, until we finally made it to the green room where the sounds from the stage all became a dull muffle. Taking in my surroundings it was as I expected any green room would appear. Instrument cases were haphazardly stacked in the corner of the room, clothing garments strewn on the floor, and every inch of tabletop space of the vanities were covered in half-eaten sandwiches, cracker boxes, water bottles, and various handles of alcohol. Super glamorous.

He poured us each a shot of Jameson served in red solo cups which I happily accepted, letting the brown liquor warm me from the inside out. My friends were chatting over the opening band's performance as Manager Man pulled me aside.

"So, you have any plans after this?" he muses. I told him not as of now (since literally 3 hours ago I wasn't even going to this show in the first place).

"Well, you can come out with us after. Hang on the bus with the guys and drink with the band," he says to me before taking a sip of his beer and allowing me to mull over his offer. I knew exactly where this was going at this point. I guess managers are in charge of much more than bookings and merchandise... they're even in charge of recruiting women to entertain the band after the show. This was where my first yellow flag came up, because truthfully, I didn't even know this band existed a week ago. Prior to this, all times I've hung out with bands I had spoken to them before, or we had at least followed each other on social media.

But, at this point, Manager Man needed me more than I needed him. He wanted dive bar recommendations for us to all go to after, and, it being my city, I knew every place they could be interested in. So for now, I thought we'd entertain the idea. After we said we were down for the after show, Manager Man gathered up our passes to wear so security wouldn't harass us when we stayed after the show.

We chatted a bit more. He told me he liked my name. He told me I reminded him of someone he knew. He handed my friends and I our passes and as he walked us out he again said my name a few more times to himself like he liked the way it rolled off his tongue.

After being lead back to the crowd, before we knew it, the band had finished up their encore and the concert goers began to clear out. We watched the roadies scurry about the stage, packing up the equipment as we chatted amongst each other while the venue cleared out. Security took note of our passes and looked between us and Manager Man, silently putting the pieces together. As the crowd thinned, I took note of other girls lingering with passes as well. Damn, more recruits? Manager Man definitely was a busy man. I had to give him props.

It was only when we were ushered outside by Manager Man and corralled to stand by the tour bus parked outside the venue where I really started to see what was going on. We really were there for the band members to pick and choose to join them on the tour bus. Other fans without passes who had gathered outside the venue in hopes of seeing the band too were also taking notice. It was at this point my friends and I really were getting turned off by the entire thing. Manager Man kept coming up to me in between his runs back and forth between the venue and loading the bus to check in with me, asking if we needed anything, and making sure he knew the bar I recommended to him from earlier in the night. He sure did cover his bases this dude. And one by one, I watched each of the band members load onto the bus.

That's when I saw him. One of the guitarists from the band, who was chatting with two guy fans about their set next to the bus. He was hot. I honestly was staring a little longer than I should have, and right when I was about to look away was when he noticed. He locked eyes with me as the fans continued to chat to him, and he also didn't look away. I then watched as his eyes slowly scan the length of my body and was almost shocked by how bold he was with it. My friends even took notice at this interaction.

That's when another girl, bolder than me, went right up to him and within 5 minutes they both went onto the bus together to join the rest of the band. Could I have done the exact same thing and have gotten onto the bus, leaving the rest of my friends behind? Yes. Would it have been worth it? No. Because clearly in this case, it doesn't fucking matter to these guys. In the case of living up to a certain image of being surrounded by women as the expectation of men in successful bands, clearly these guys were... dare I say... desperate. I saw right through it. And I know my worth.

I knew where they were going on their tour bus. I was the one who told them which bar to go to. Could we have gone to the bar anyways and have met up with the guys then? Sure, if I really wanted to see things through with the guitarist. I think it's okay to go to certain lengths to get the things we want from this scene, but I also think it's more important to value ourselves as individuals and the morals we have. And this situation just felt ultimately gross to me at the end of the day. So, my friends and I ended up leaving. I wished Manager Man a wonderful night with his guys as they head of to the bar I sent them to, and we want our separate ways.

Oh, and the guitarist followed me on Instagram a week after the show.

✯

AN: Hellooooo babies! This was a longer one... Not quite how you expected it to end, right? Well, don't worry, my success stories are well on their way. I think these side stories/blurbs are important to share because they're more or less lessons I've learned along the way of things that I've experienced in this scene. I want you all to be as informed and prepared as you can. Much more to come! xx

As always, my asks and messages are always open! <3

#70s rock #groupie #groupies #penny lane #rock music #rocknroll #rock and roll #rockstar gf #indie rock #classic rock

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streets-in-paradise · 11 months

Text

Chucky scenario : Showing Andy that you believe him ( headcanons + blurb)

Special thanks to @losersclubisms, I'm posting this mostly because she wants to see it :)

For this one I'm trying to keep descriptions as gender neutral as possible. I'm practicing that because i write explicitly fem readers most of the time.

Note: I'm using an old pic of Alex as header because i am slowly running out of Andy pics due to the very little screentime he has and the amount of fic i have been posting about him.

Headcanons:

- He met you online, as one of the very few people who reacted positively to the video of Chucky. The amount of insistent interest on your part was quite new for a guy used to being taken as crazy, but you let him know that you weren’t some internet weirdo neither believed him to be one.

- You are a paranormal researcher with genuine intentions on the case who had wanted to contact him for years and you found your only shot through the posting of that video. For so, you did as much efforts as possible to get an interview with him.

- It took a while, but that meant the chatting had to extend more than expected because you had to create some level of trust with him for it to work out. Andy was very surprised to find out you weren’t just interested in the content of the video, you seemed willing to take his side.

- From what he understood from those conversations, you had serious reasons found through different means of research to consider his theory. You commented with him some of the inconsistencies found in the evidence of the Pierce case and linked those with other alternative interpretations in some of the previous murders. As well, you shared some of the in lore research pointing to a twisted turn for the famous link between voodoo and the ritualistic use of dolls.

- By the time he agreed to meet for the interview you were almost like online friends and that made him quite nervous. He enjoyed chatting with you and you seemed so passionate, never pushing any boundaries but always willing to share stuff showing him that you had no intentions of making fun of him.

- He also happened to find you very cute through your posted pictures and that didn’t help at all. The initial arrangement to see you was meeting somewhere else and only if being completely sure about it he would show you later the Chucky head hidden in his cabin.

- Although he didn’t have to, he wanted so badly to impress you with his answers. It wasn’t a date, but Andy felt like that because he liked you.

Blurb:

“ I had no idea that there were universities for this stuff.” He shyly commented after the initial salutes. “ So, from all the mysteries out there, you have chosen Chucky as the one you want to solve.”

“ Possessed dolls are a fascinating phenomena. I have personally met some of the most worldwide famous ones.” You calmly explained to him. “ I even traveled to Japan and visited Okiku. She truly grows real hair!”

He was smiling out of pure amazement, realizing that it was most likely you were going to believe him for real.

“ Does she?”

“ Absolutely! And she is completely harmless, just a sweet little girl receiving visitors. Of course, not all of them are so lovely. There is Annabelle, said to be the artifact mediating an attempt of demonic possession… and I believe your Chucky shares a similar nature.”

You made a brief pause and he catched a glimpse of nervously on your part as well.

“ To be honest, the fact that Chucky is still treated like a joke even in the researching circles investigating other dolls like him is extremely unfair. I want to change that and I believe I can open the way for an entire new field of investigation. I dream of creating a commission entirely dedicated to him.”

Andy was in absolute disbelief and he couldn’t hide it.

“ No way! Why would anyone want to do that? Nobody in thirty years has believed a single word I said.”

“ If I can prove that the doll head is authentic, it should be in a paranormal museum with all kinds of experts doing testing on it. “ You insisted, with excitement. “ What I am about to say is going to sound weird, but I think it needs to be said anyways. “

He chuckled and you couldn’t help smiling although you knew that you were going to be awkward.

“ Andy, I am your biggest fan… but not in the typical meaning of fanaticism. “ You shyly commented. “ Just as historians develop an intense bond with certain historical personalities, being in this field makes you relate to urban legends. I’m fascinated with your story and I want to help you get truly heard. Hell, I'm convinced that you are a hero! I can’t offer the kind of credibility that would be accepted in courts, but if we get attention in the researching community we may accomplish something in circles of people who believe in the paranormal. “

His mind went blank for a brief instant, making his answer get delayed while blush was becoming visible in his sweet looking face.

“... A hero, you said?”

#chucky #chucky fanfiction #andy barclay #alex vincent #andy barclay x reader #alex vincent x reader #cult of chucky

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florencemtrash · 4 months

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i love love love your work and reading it has gotten me back into my love for acotar (and azriel shhh). im so inspired/tempted to start writing my own fics on here but i have no idea where to start or how to maneuver anything lol .do you have any tips?!

WRITING FANFICTION - my thoughts on how to get started (and others please feel free to chime in in the comments)

AHHHHHHHH YOU SHOULD TOTALLY DO IT!!! I encourage everyone who is interested to write fanfiction, even if you don't want to post things online, because I feel like fanfiction is the perfect avenue to a) have fun and b) practice any and all aspects of writing in a low stress way.

*cracks fingers* get ready for a brief rant about the glories of fanfiction writing

Fanfiction is such a beautiful way to get invested in a story. We already have our own interpretations of how characters look/act/their inner turmoils and struggles that might not get a lot of page time in the canonical works, AND for me personally, I'm always trying to find ways to insert myself into any media I read so fanfiction just feels like a natural extension of that and it honestly has improved my daydreaming skills for better or for worse.

It helps me escape my own thoughts and any troubles I have and I feel like I can grow as a person through the characters I read and write about.

Fanfiction is also great because you can pick and choose what aspects of writing you want to focus on improving. For me personally, I've always had issues with writing dialogue, but if I were to write something from scratch I would have to go through the efforts of creating a whole universe/characters/plot etc. etc so I would always get overwhelmed and just not write at all.

BUT! With fanfiction writing I can just take existing plots/characters etc. etc. and only write the dialogue for a scene I could make up in universe. AND because I'm writing existing characters that I "know", I have a framework for how they speak and can better gauge whether what I am writing sounds natural/realistic. Sometimes if I'm getting stuck on the dialogue I'll just write the lines for each character so I don't lose momentum and then later on I'll go back in and add the setting descriptions, dialogue tags, actions.

More concrete tips/steps you could take

So, I suppose if you're looking for a place to start and have a specific aspect of writing you have trouble with, you could always write short blurbs focusing on that skillset.

If you have issues with dialogue, just write dialogue. No descriptions/scenery. Nothing. If you have issues with describing settings you can always take the dialogue/actions from a scene of a book verbatim and then write around them. OR maybe if you have issues with characterization you could also take a scene from a book and then write from a different character's perspective. I just think it's a neat way to practice and something I've done in the past.

2. Write shameless self inserts. You know yourself better than anyone else and if you're interested in writing fanfiction, you're probably already a chronic daydreamer who's imagining what you would do in a fictional universe. May as well just write it down for the practice.

3. Start with short oneshots - I only started posting online about 7-ish months ago but I've been writing fanfiction since I was in middle school (so about 10 years now) and that's how I got into writing... and also I started out by handwriting the beginnings of trilogies but never getting past page 10 because I realized I was just copying the Hunger Games.

4. Don't be precious with your writing (see #3) and especially in the beginning I think people should prioritize quantity over quality. I think my writing has drastically improved since graduating college because I now consistently have time in the evenings to just write, even if it's "bad" writing. I also have a document titled "Dump it into the fires of Mordor" for my shittiest ideas and bits that I've cut out from other writing projects.

Other Tumblr-specific tidbits

Keep a google sheets to organize fics/taglists. I like to organize this way because unless you have a masterlist (which most people don't in the beginning), tumblr just has everything on one long scroll. So to get around this I have a google sheets where each column is one writing project with one row dedicated to links to the tumblr page, one row to commonly used tags, and the rest of the rows in the column are a list of anyone on my taglist for that project

Include more paragraph cuts than you think you'll need. This is a personal preference of mine, but because I read fanfics on Tumblr predominately on my phone where the width is narrower, extra paragraph cuts a) help me keep track of where I am in the story better and b) look more visually appealing - at least in my opinion

I'm still getting used to Tumblr myself and everyone approaches writing and using the platform differently.

BUT PLEASE DO WRITE IF YOU FEEL INSPIRED TO! Writing and posting fanfiction, and generally getting to interact with people, has been so much fun and I highly encourage anyone and everyone to do it.

Hmmmm, this ended up being a lot longer than I thought it would be. Whoops. Hope it was helpful though!

Love,

Florence B.

#writer community #creative writing #fanfiction #fanfiction writing #fanfiction writing tips

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slashingdisneypasta · 9 months

Note

Hey! You've been leaving a lot of amazing stuff in my inbox! You know what I gotta do now? R e t a l i a t e

Hmmm... How shall I do this... How about a sequal to that Human!Wheezy blurb you did where he and Y/N are getting freaky in the car?

(I have no clue how the physics of car sex work, so hopefully I don't screw up writing this XD)

Wheezy wasn't kidding when he said he wanted to touch you himself. Usually, you were the one who had to put in all the work- and you still had to put in plenty of effort here, having to balance yourself on his lap in the cramped space of the now parked car. But damn, he must have been feeling very pent up today.

You couldn't help the needy moan slip out as you felt his mouth press into your shoulder and neck again. One rough, nicotine stained hand keeping a leg propped up for you, and the other wrapped around your waist and working on unbuttoning your shirt. Wheezy was rarely like this; he was perfectly fine with taking things slow with you. Partially because he was lazy, and because he knew that slow and steady wins the race. But here? He seemed almost as desperate to touch you (feel you. Taste you. Need you) as Greasy.

And in the car of all places too! On the highway! Everybody was driving too fast to get a clear view of you two, yes. But if anybody decided to slow down- or god forbid, pull over along this side of the road, they'd be able to see everything.

Though right now, you couldn't bring yourself to give a fuck. Not with your boyfriends perfect cock stretching you out and hitting all the right places right now, "Wheezyyy~!"

His voice was gruff, making his groans come out rougher than intended(?), and his wheezing breathes in your ear were heavy with lust. Your back was pressed against his chest, so you couldn't see his face. But you didn't have to. The hard, purposeful way his hips pistoned into you, his (for once) cigarette-free lips on your skin, and his strong hold on you told you just how badly he had been needing you today.

(I couldn't figure out how to end it, so I'll just leave it up to the imagination 😏 I also hope I didn't make Wheezy too much like Greasy here. He just seemed to be in a particular mood in your blurb, and I tried to go with what i picked up. I hope this was enjoyable either way ^^)

OH MY GOODNESS. Thank you so much, this is amazing!! And omg, 'R e t a l i a t e', I can't XD , thank you XDDD

Ahhhhhhh jeez XD This is excellent, I cant even XDD This is a work of artt XDD Really, the way you worded everything and the highlights and the descriptions!! Theirs a VIBE. Theirs a car-on-the-side-of-the-highway, just-couldnt-help-yourself vibe XD You definitely didn't make him too Greasy at all, I feel like this was allll Wheezy XD In a very frustrated mood XDD

Again, thank you so much for this, this is so good!! XDD

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dogmomwrites · 1 year

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Camp Nano

Directory template here

Camp Nano Directory: dogmomwrites

— Share a bit about yourself — I forgot I was gonna take part in this and have made zero effort to prepare myself 👌 ~~ call me Yav ~~ I'm bi, ace, in my 20s, and I live in southern America ~~ I love metal music, bones, and I'm addicted to soda (😔) ~~ I have two dogs and one cat ~~ I write mainly fantasy, but I like to dabble in p much whatever ~~ I'm more of a longfic writer and struggle to keep anything short

— What kind of stories do you like to read? — my go-to genres are fantasy and sci-fi, but I like character-driven stories the most. Bonus if there's an animal involved or if there are non-humans (elf, alien, demon, monster, ect)

— Goal(s) — I'm gonna hesitantly aim for 25k words from April 1 to April 30

— Camp Project Title — (tentatively titled) Castle at War

— Project Description — the fourth book in my fantasy series. I'm not gonna go into the description much because it's book four, but here's the draft blurb for the first book of the series:

When an avalanche causes Aero to accidentally break into an ancient castle buried under ice, he has no idea what he might find. He certainly doesn’t expect to find himself caught up in a war. Wolvins, like massive wolves, are attacking the castle.

Led by their esteemed captain, a team sets out to a cursed labyrinth of caves in nearby mountains to try and find the cause of the attacks. It may be their only chance to save Telenar, the castle in the ice.

— WIP-related Art — N/A

— Camp Project Title — What Lies in the Shadows

— Project Description — Patrick's wife believes he has a normal job. But he doesn't work in an office, he works in the shadows, protecting humans from the things that go bump in the night.

This one is intended to be a standalone; I only have the first couple chapters done and have hit a motivation wall so I'm hoping the camp helps with that

— WIP-related Art — N/A

#ms: campers of 04 2023 #camp nanowrimo #camp nano 2023 #camp nano april 2023

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in-my-feels-probably · 7 months

Note

Hiii congrats on 1.5k! ♡♡♡

I'm requesting for an option one:

✨so to participate for this one, all you have to do is give me a character from a fandom and why you picked them, and any information about yourself you want to give me, and i’ll write you a blurb and tell you why i think your chosen character would like you.✨

And I'm choosing James Potter simply bc his characterization on both fanon and canon is interesting in general. I love his sunshine personality, the sheer arrogantconfident attitude and the love and adoration he has for his friends (the man became an animagus for his bsf and died for his wife and child ffs),, and honestly the description "it was james who had an ego the size of a lake but a heart to match it" that sold it to me. I also kinda have a thing for cute confident guys in glasses and messy curls maybe but let's ignore that

About me,, so I consider myself a stem girly (studied bio and I'm working in a lab atm), I'm sorta a black cat person, an introvert, and I have this tendency of keeping to myself most times, I'm consider the weird, chubby, quiet art kid bc i love arts (like doodling and sketching) and I also like singing along to songs when I'm working on things,,, I had like a phase where I kept changing hair colors monthly and my current style is a bit modernized vintage 70s outfits and casual corporate wear bc sometimes I like exuding the energy of a strong independent woman who can do great things bc I consider myself as one!!

I think that's all for me,, thanks so much and congrats again!! ♡

hi!

thanks for participating :)

(first of all, that’s one of my favorite quotes from atyd omg)

i think james would be drawn to you just because you’re a lot different than he is. he’d find you fascinating, and he’d make it a point to get to know you. he’s a very social and easygoing person, and i don’t think he does very well on his own. one of his main love languages is definitely quality time. but while i think he’s a social person, i do think he also gets a little burnt out. everyone relies on him to be the positive one, and it would be hard on him always being that person for everyone else when no one would be it for him. with you, he’d never feel like he had to put on a front. you’d be easy to calmly talk to and open up to, and he wouldn’t feel like he needed to entertain you or keep the conversation going. you’d be content to have a quiet day with him if he wanted one, and he would never say no to getting to spend time with you.

he would find your interest in art really endearing. whether that be in the way you expressed yourself through clothes, the songs he’d catch you singing to yourself, or your sketches you’d show him. james is a very talented person, but i don’t think he’s a very artistic person. so he’d think it was really cool that you were, and he’d always be up for hearing about it. he’d also think your interest in science is cool. he’s smart in a certain sense and gets passable grades, but being a top performing student isn’t really that high on his list of priorities. your education being important to you would show him that you’re really driven and hardworking, and he’d be really proud of all the effort you put into things.

—

he’d also definitely pick you as his partner in potions because of your skill in the lab.

he’d watch over your shoulder as you mixed ingredients into the cauldron, slightly bewildered at how nonchalantly you were reading through your textbook and brewing the potion with ease. every once in a while you’d look up and ask him to help you, or you’d explain what you were doing as you worked.

sirius would gripe from the adjacent table where he was sitting on his stool, in a temporary timeout from remus because he’d somehow already managed to fuck up their potion.

“it’s no fair! how come you get the good partner and im stuck with moony? he won’t even let me touch the cauldron.”

you’d chuckle, continuing to read through the instructions. “i wouldn’t either. i’m barely letting james help.”

“hey!” james would say, feigning offense as he threw an arm around your shoulder. “i’ll have you know i’m very helpful. one of us has to carry the ingredients all the way over from the shelf and back. what would my mum say if i let you do all the heavy lifting?”

“yes, how very chivalrous of you,” you’d tease, leaning into his side.

he’s grin down at you, passing you another jar of ingredients as he read the textbook over your shoulder. “i know. that’s just the kind of guy i am. i’m all about teamwork, love. a joint effort and all that.”

“sure you are, potter.”

you’d playfully roll your eyes, taking the jar from his hand. he’d continue watching in silence as you worked, resting his chin on your shoulder.

—

thanks again for participating! sorry this is a little short, i hope you enjoyed it :)

#harry potter #followers celebration #marauders #james potter #1.5k followers #1.5k followers celebration #1500 followers

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theterrorreversebang · 1 year

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The Terror Reverse Bang 🔄💥 Event FAQs

FAQs under the cut. If you have a question and we haven't answered it, let us know!

Twitter | Tumblr | Discord

Can I submit more than one concept?

If you feel confident you can invest the time and effort to create artwork for two concepts then yeah, absolutely. There will be an option in the concept submission form to submit a 2nd concept.

We’re expecting the number of writers to be slightly higher than the number of artists so two concepts is not at all a problem - so long as you have the time and energy to invest in supporting two writing partners!

During the claims period we will pair off everyone’s 1st concept first and then dip into 2nd concepts if we have additional writers.

I’m not sure what you mean by concept?

Two weeks isn’t a lot of time to produce artwork (you speed demons aside!) but it should be enough time for you to come up with some early sketches that will help your writer understand the story you want to tell. Any references you’re using or a moodboard is also helpful. All we need at the end of the concept phase is enough content for the writers to be able to know which ideas they’re interested in writing for. If this still doesn’t make sense, feel free to ping the mods and we’ll figure it out together.

What should go in the blurb for my concept?

Imagine you’re describing your idea to a friend in their DMs. That’s what the blurb should be. It can be short and very vague, or hyper-detailed and specific. But there will be a 300 word cap, so the writers can read through all the available concepts in a reasonable amount of time.

With the art "leading" in a reverse bang, do I need to come up with a fully fleshed out storyline?

We're leaving it open to whatever the artists want to bring to the table. If you have a fully-fleshed AU in your WIPs that you've always wanted a fic for, that works. But if you have just a vague idea, or prompt, or setting and generic plot point (Hickey and Gibson beach holiday or some such thing), that's okay too! Your writer should be able to work with you to figure out how to create a fic from your art.

How will the writers know what I'm after?

When you submit your concept, you'll do so via a form that will ask for information like characters, ships, rating, etc. This information will help the writers pick the concept they feel best able to write for.

What if I don’t know all the ships or characters who will show up in the story?

That’s ok! Stories evolve as they go. But you should know who the main characters are, that way the writers can make sure they’re choosing concepts they know they can write for.

What if I don’t know what content or trigger warnings my story will have?

That’s ok too! But if you’re anticipating including content that falls under the standard AO3 content warnings (non-con, graphic violence, character death) or content that you suspect might be worth a content warning, call it out here. Again, this is just to make sure that writers choose the concepts that they’re best able to write for!

What if I don’t know what rating my story will be?

Mark down if you know your concept will involve NSFW content or not. Not all writers are comfortable writing explicit content - though some are and that’s absolutely what they’re looking for. Here’s a link to the rating descriptions on AO3.

Is there a threshold for what is expected for the finished artworks?

The idea of "finished" is subjective when it comes to art. We don't have any requirements for your artworks in terms of backgrounds, shading, etc. We only ask that it be of an equal level of polish and quality as other artworks you've posted online before.

What counts as "art" for this event?

Generally speaking, traditional or digital art (illustrative, sequential, etc). If you have an idea for something off the beat path, let the mods know!

Images created with a generator or manipulation of work that is not your own won't count as artwork for this event.

Will the Reverse Bang overlap with the regular Big Bang?

The Reverse Bang and the Big Bang are meant to offset each other and we do our best to make sure there's no overlap.

Can artists request certain dnw / do not wants (that aren't major archive warnings, but just things the artist doesn't enjoy) within the context of their pitches?

Yes. Absolutely. The form the artists fill out to submit their concepts will have things like rating, content warnings, etc, but there will also be a place for them to tell their potential writer what they're looking for in their story - including, content that they don't want included in the fic.

This way both partners get a chance to communicate before the claims! The artist can be clear about what they want and don't want, and the writers also have a chance to pick the concepts that best fit what they want to write for. And of course, the mod team is here to work to support all the participants however we can.

By "explicit content allowed and encouraged" does that mean artists can submit concepts and sketches that are straight-up porn?

You sure can! The Terror Reverse Bang is fully in support of cold boys keeping it hot. It gets a little tricky when it comes to posting explicit content on Tumblr, due to the content restrictions. But Twitter and other platforms still allow pornographic content, and AO3 as we all know is wholly welcoming to smut.

#the terror #amc the terror #the terror amc #the terror reverse bang

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cathygeha · 4 months

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REVIEW

Blind Dog Canyon by Brett Cogburn

A Widowmaker Jones Western #5

I don’t usually come into a series on book five and did not see in the book description that this was not a standalone story but part of a series. That said, I had no trouble following the story. I am curious about what Newt did in the previous books and when he met Mr. Smith but otherwise was fully invested in the story and how it would turn out.

What I liked: * Newt: survivor, pugilist in the past, has his own set of ethics, good friend, generous, cares for the weak, does what is required, a survivor, scarred, steady, an interesting man

* Mr. Smith: Mohave Indian, travels with Newt, has seen the world, educated, wears a suit, tattooed, wise, older, multilingual, quiet, believes in clan and family

* Zuri: young, daughter of shepherd killed early in the book, survives the wilderness and evil men and bitter cold, goes on a quest at the end of the book, curious about how her life will unfold

* Rufus: Happy Jack’s rescue dog, old, has cataracts, might be deaf, really wondered if he made it through the winter

* The plot, pacing, setting, and writing

* That I was invested in the characters and hoped the ones I cared about would make it to the end alive

* That the bad guys were exposed and that most were handily dealt with

* Thinking about good vs evil and the shades of gray in between – men are men and not always easy to classify as one or the other

What I didn’t like: * Who and what I was meant not to like

* Thinking about how difficult life must have been in the time period of this story and how much effort must have been needed to survive

Did I enjoy this book? Yes

Would I read more by this author? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington-Pinnacle for the ARC – This is my honest review.

5 Stars

BLURB

Two-time Spur Award winner Brett Cogburn revives the true grit and glory of the Old West with a hero as glorious as the author’s real-life ancestor Rooster Cogburn — master gunman Newt “Widowmaker” Jones. But when the Widowmaker agrees to guard a mountain of silver against an outlaw out for revenge and a cold-blooded hired gun, has he signed his own death warrant? They call him “The Cutter”… Famous for his fancy bowler hat, striped shirts, and double-holstered revolvers, Kirby Cutter is no ordinary gun-for-hire. He’s a cold-blooded professional. The best of the best—and the deadliest of the deadly. Which is why one of the nation’s biggest silver companies hired him. His latest job: To locate a silver claim in the Colorado mountains—and eliminate the competition. His biggest obstacle: The silver is guarded by Newt “The Widowmaker” Jones, a legend in his own right. But Cutter has a wild card up his fancy striped sleeve. His hatchet man is the outlaw Johnny Dial, who’s itching to slaughter Jones for killing his brother. It’s not the only showdown Widowmaker Jones has to deal with. A crazed grizzly is prowling the area, too—and it’s developed a taste for human flesh… One way or another, someone is going to meet their maker. But it sure as hell won’t be the Widowmaker…

#Brett Cogburn #A Widowmaker Jones Western 5 #Western #Fiction

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teachablemomentsblog · 1 year

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Heart Map: The IHOP Story (Part One)

“Just write about your life.” Ugh.

Every school year, when I taught freshmen, I began with personal narrative writing. I started students with a relatable writing unit, to generate confidence and stamina, hopefully to ease the transition when we moved onto other types of writing, like expository and persuasive essays. Already sounds fun, right?

The last year I taught freshmen, while we discussed personal narrative topics, we created an idea generator which consisted of a crude coloring sheet heart with gobs of white space in the middle. This was meant to help students “open up” and encourage stories that resonated “close to the heart.” I called this our Heart Map. Sadly, most of the time, produced erratic results. A lot of them felt too cool for school to write down anything remotely resembling emotions. Either that, or it didn’t phase them at all and they obliterated my heart map ideas, making me feel like an idiot for opening up about ex-girlfriends while they wrote about family members passing, absentee parents, or other somber events from their lives. From that point forward, I focused on turning their negatives into positives. I have had soul-crushing, beaten-down moments, just like everyone else. But, looking back, at least I can say I learned something! What else can I do besides try to evolve from each and every experience?

Before my students began their (apparently) perilous journey through their emotions, I showed them my Heart Map. Without trying (although secretly trying), it quickly overwhelmed them. I expected this to happen. Every year, when I showed my model, I watched for reactions. After multiple years and attempts to perfect my Heart Map, I’ve had time to refine my example. It’s an explosion of ideas with singular heartfelt moments squishing against others as I cram them into the tiny, white blob in the middle of my paper. As I posted mine this year, the kids automatically looked down at their own hearts with skepticism.

“Now, I know what you’re thinking. ‘Mr. Rust, there is no way my Heart Map is going to look like that. My life is boring.’ (At least I assume that’s what they were thinking. If they weren’t, then I’m terribly rude.) I promise you, it doesn’t have to fill the entire thing at all. Use it as an idea generator! If you think of something later, you can add it! Just try to think about it for now and use the map as your guide!”

The students continued gazing into the purgatory of their heart-shaped coloring sheet.

“Okay, how about this. If you give me a sincere effort, I’ll tell you one of the stories I’ve written up here on my Heart Map.”

Instantly, everyone’s eyes lit up. At this point, I knew which one-liner blurbs tantalized and which didn’t, so everything I had written down led towards curiosity and engagement.

An outspoken student named Katie piped up. “Ooo...mister! Leaving a girl at IHOP! You have to tell that one, mister!”

Something I failed to mention, for this lesson, besides writing out intimate moments from their lives, I also asked them to add one or two emotion words that best expressed how they felt during this time. My students pulled these from a basic Emotion Wheel I had pulled off the internet. (So, between the heart map coloring sheet and the internet emotion wheel, clearly I had pulled out all the stops for this teaching unit.) Beneath the IHOP description I had written a single word: SATISFIED. A flurry of questions quickly followed once Katie had broken the seal.

“You left her, mister?”

“What did she do?”

“You didn’t feel bad?”

I let them vomit questions for a few more seconds before I brought them back together. I had them exactly where I wanted.

“Let’s get to work first, before we get into the story. Give it your best effort and really think about the emotions attached to those events! Oh, and no. I didn’t feel bad. She deserved it. Now, work!”

The motivation that came from getting to hear how their English teacher ditched a girl at a diner chain felt unlike anything I had ever experienced before. Collectively, the class locked in, chewing on the backs of erasers, quietly discussing with one another, creating their own Heart Maps. This continued for the bulk of the class. Magic.

(Note: When I do this, I will admit, a little voice always tells me their motivation should stem from more than getting to hear a mildly inappropriate backstory from their teacher. I don’t have to do this for all my kids, but some of my students’ lack of exposure to independent thinking and learning makes some form of extrinsic motivation necessary. What better motivation than Mr. Rust leaving a girl at IHOP?)

With ten minutes to go, and my pedometer racking up the steps helping students around the class, I asked everyone to put their composition books away and had my Folder Buddy pick up folders. Katie quickly chimed in.

“Okay, mister! Quit stalling! Tell us the story! We only have ten minutes!”

I stroked my chin, pretending to think. “Hmm...yeah, you’re right. I’m not sure I can get through this story in ten minutes. I’m sure we can find some time on another da-”

“Ugh! Come on, mister! Just tell us! (I have also clarified my name to my students multiple times by this point in the year. I also have it posted on my door. But, get them nice and worked up and...poof! It disappears and I’m simplified to “Mister! Hey! Mister!” A common occurrence throughout this book.)

I pulled my stool to the middle of the room and began. (For the sake of this book, I have extended these versions of the stories. Had I told this version in class, I WOULD NOT have made my ten-minute mark.)

…

All of this happened in the summer of 2006, the year I graduated high school. At the time, I stayed in an efficiency house in my mom’s backyard and hadn’t moved to Huntsville yet, for my first semester at Sam Houston State University. It hadn’t sunk in that high school was really over, which all seniors have to come to terms with at some point. I had grown bored and secretly a little scared about my lack of direction. I graduated and expected some giant banner over my head validating what a great job I did sleeping through classes and flirting with classmates to get my high school diploma. Way to go! (Maybe that wasn’t everyone’s experience.) Even though I had a piece of paper that told me I had accomplished something, it didn’t feel that way. So, rather than facing this emotional crossroads head on, just like any other underwhelming eighteen-year-old, I put my time and energy into finding a distraction!

I started by posting on MySpace to see if any other similarly aimless friends wanted to go to the IHOP across Highway 105 and drink coffee to commemorate our newly-found adulthood. (Also, this IHOP is not THE IHOP from the story’s title. Apparently I can’t NOT eat at IHOP.) After a series of monotonous, late-night visits to the restaurant with friends who miraculously responded to my plea, I still could not shake my malaise. Although, I will admit, it did make me feel better to know others felt lost with me.

Since, coffee hadn’t met my need for a distraction from the aimless void of my future, back to MySpace I went! And this time, I planned, if you wanted to call it a plan, to meet new people and strike up conversations. And by people, I meant attractive girls. Feels like a constructive use of my time, right?

I met a couple of interesting girls through MySpace, some of whom I still keep in vague contact with even to this day. But it was Alexa who really caught my attention. She was a couple years younger than me and lived in The Woodlands, a fancy community north of Houston, roughly 30-40 minutes away from my mom’s house in Montgomery. At the time, I found her pictures unbelievable. Her less-than-stimulating conversation and less-than-intriguing responses, not so much. (I say this jokingly, but I truly mean this not as a condescending remark towards her at all. It’s more of a shot at me. I roll my eyes now at my cringeworthy motivations when it came to these chats.)

Coming straight out of high school, and her with a couple of years left, our conversations didn’t progress much further than not-so-subtle flirting and talk that circled back to her attractiveness. For example:

Me: So, what do you like to do? What are your interests?

Alexa: Well, not much. I do gymnastics twice a week after school.

Me: Oh, yeah? I can tell.

Alexa: Lol. How can you tell?

Me: You look like you’re in damn good shape. Gymnastic shape.

Alexa: Lol.

Shameless.

Anyways, as our friendship progressed, we exchanged numbers so we didn’t need the computer to communicate. This all happened before we had the ability to access everyone from 5-6 different platforms on our phone. Having a girl’s phone number still meant something.

One afternoon while texting, I officially asked her on a date to the movies. “Ok, lol.” she replied. (Note: When I’m talking to a girl and she lol’s everything I say, that’s a good sign, right? Because she lol’d me ALL THE TIME. Even when I texted something serious. That’s still a good sign, right? Lol?)

We went out to “X-Men: The Last Stand”, a subpar movie she didn’t care about and, the more I watched, I didn’t care about either. But my stifling insecurities prevented me from making a move, especially with a random MySpace girl. Sadly, prior to this, my MySpace endeavors had never manifested into an actual date. Most of the time we flirted via MySpace or text message for a week or two before everything turned cyclical and we ran out of nonsense to talk about. I could make things entertaining up to a point. But when I needed to put myself out there, I mean REALLY put myself out there, I just couldn’t do it. At least not yet.

To compound my crippling insecurity, Alexa also felt the need to text for practically the entirety of our date. In the car going to the theater. Getting snacks. DURING THE MOVIE. She never stopped. I could only gawk in disbelief between our jilted conversation fragments. I remember thinking about how special (special?) it made me feel when she responded to my texts so quickly and how it made her such a great catch and blah blah blah...all while I watched her pretty face light up by her tiny screen time and time again while Kelsey Grammar talked mutant politics on the big screen. It did not make for a very memorable date. But, my boredom and lack of direction won out. Plus, I found her so damn hot. I could let her lack of attention and interest slide, right? (I clearly deserved what happens in this story.)

Even though our only official date went terribly, along with a handful of other terrrrrrrrrible encounters, my shallow post-graduation attitude kept giving her excuses. So we continued our back and forth through text and MySpace.

TERRRRRRRRRIBLE ENCOUNTER ALERT!

Alexa Meeting My Best Friend

Bryce and I made our way to her cul-de-sac in my Honda Accord. We had made plans for the three of us to go see a movie, since he heard how much fun we had the time before. As I assured him that our X-Men date was a fluke, we pulled up to Alexa ruthlessly screaming at her mom. In her hand she held a knife. I quickly bolted out of the car (Bryce, shockingly, stayed put) and did my best to calm everyone down. The two of us sat on the curb and talked for close to an hour. All the while Bryce stayed in the car. Once we finally left, sans Alexa, and way past our scheduled movie time, Bryce and I had the inevitable weighty silence as we pulled out of her subdivision. I finally turned to him. “Dude! So what’d you think?”

As I finish this portion of the anecdote, I tell them about one of my biggest regrets during this time, which ultimately alludes to my teachable moment. During my teenage years, I had a hard time valuing myself. I wish I had learned to stand up for myself, grown a spine and had the confidence to cut ties with people that didn’t deserve my attention, like Alexa, instead of ignoring how I really felt and, more importantly, how they made me feel. With Alexa, deep down I knew we didn’t work. She stressed me out. I knew I needed to end it. But I didn’t. Well, at least I have a good story.

So Alexa and I continued talking and texting. The further our “relationship” went, I also started to notice she had a lot of other guy friends, which partially explained why she stayed glued to her phone 24/7. Naturally, I thought about how she handled herself with me. No wonder she had a lot of guys who were “just friends”. We all kept coming back for the same, sad reasons.

One “friend” in particular irked me more than anyone else, even though nothing “official” ever happened between her and I. Honestly, and I tell my students this same thing, I don’t remember his name. For some reason, it feels like it should be Robbie or Ronnie. Robbie annoys me a little more so...Robbie it is!

Robbie made it a point that anytime he and Alexa hung out, he took as many photos as possible of him draped all over her while the two of them laughed. Trip to the gas station? Draped and laughing. Having lunch together? All over her while eating the most hilarious food. He then posted these fun-filled photos to MySpace. I never let her know how much these bothered me, but somewhere, deep down, I felt like she knew. From time to time, very casually I questioned these photos, but she assured me they were “just friends”. In the back of my head, like a lot of other insecure guys, this didn’t really satisfy anything. So, they kept laughing, Robbie kept draping, and I continued to brood over Alexa and Robbie’s “friendship”.

It all came to a head one weekend when we had planned to hang out, or go out on another date. (I’m not sure which poison I picked) She canceled at the last minute, using some lame excuse about needing to help her mom with (fill in the blank here with noble reason). I also noticed, for the first time ever, she didn’t immediately respond to any of my texts or messages. I tried giving Alexa reasonable explanations for her lack of communication. “Oh, she must be helping her mom!” Yeah, right. Based on the short time I had known Alexa, I had never known her to NOT TEXT BACK in a timely, immediate fashion. Hell, even if on a date, I knew (from experience) she would respond. I finally gave up and threw on a mindless movie in my tiny efficiency house in my mom’s backyard. Deep down I knew I didn’t have a right to be annoyed. Maybe about other things. But not this. She was ignoring me so she could help her mom. Anything else came solely from my imagination and insecurity. Then the photos popped up.

*Still no IHOP? Don't worry, we are getting there! Stay tuned for Part Two coming out on Friday!*

#education #teaching #students #school #mindset #lifelessons #covidー19 #covid pandemic #bad dates #myspace #cringe #awkward #funny

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lorei-writes · 1 year

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Hello! For the Fanfic Writers Wrapped Ask: 1, 7, 23

Ahh, hello, hello! Thanks for playing with me! >:3

1.What fic did you work on the most this year?

Hmm... It's honestly hard to tell. Earlier this year something switched inside of my head, and gradually I stopped worrying about how my works get received. Ever since then writing one-shots became much easier? So most times it felt like pure fun, with the effort being put into it not even registering. (I suppose it's usual for a hobby?)

However, there were times I had expectations set out for myself, and those instances surely registered. It felt like an eternity.

For Lex Memoriae (Asra x OC) series, I first figured out the plot, and then sat down to write it. I played myself -- no words seemed to appropriately mirror the feelings I had already felt... and DAMN IT, I wanted for others to experience it too! So I took my time with it. I'm not sure whether the results are quite there, though.

Second place could probably be Masamune Week (Spots & Stripes, Worthwhile...?, HC: Family AU pt. 2 + iPad Wallpaper). Inflammatory bowel diseases tend to flare up in spring and autumn, or the pre-existing flare up may get worse... I wrapped it up rather fast, but looking back at things, my condition was already in decline. It was much harder to focus then, everything took longer than expected, some things didn't go according to the initial plan, but well. I REALLY wanted to complete it. REALLY. So you could call it a minor crunch period, haha. Sheesh. It felt like an eternity.

7. Favourite POV? (or rather what POV did you use the most this year?)

3rd person POV, with narrator swaying closer to one character (at a time, switching between characters may occur), perhaps "reading their thoughts aloud". The narrator that is all-knowing, but willingly chooses to voice what others think instead, or allows for others' opinions to sway their judgement, thus stopping them from being truly impartial.

For example, the narrator in Guilty in Spe // Brother (Theo, gen fic).

23. Is there anything you want to write or try to explore in your writing next year?

Horror, poetic prose, perhaps lyric poetry. I'm looking forward to writing more descriptions for The Wondrous Trail series.

I think I will also write more things that just... may never get posted anywhere? Original stories, short blurbs, things which may never be finished, etc. Just the fun little things. I think I also want to write less than in the previous years (looking at the times where my health was mostly normal, not at enforced hiatus periods). My other hobbies are screaming for me to notice them.

#answered #krys-loves-otome #ask game

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differentkettleoffishalltogether · 3 years

Text

Insecure

Summary: Spencer and Reader are both a little uncomfortable with the idea of having sex

A/N: I firmly believe that dry humping shouldn’t just be for horny teens <3

Pairing: Virgin!Spencer Reid x Virgin!Fem!Reader

Category: Smut, Fluff

Warnings/Includes: cursing, smut, graphic descriptions of sexual acts, grinding, dry humping, please let me know if there’s anything I’ve missed!

Word count: 1.9k

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Requests Filled:

“I may have asked you this before but I’m not actually too sure if I just thought about it or if I actually sent it so I’ll resend to be safe (I have Dory’s memory I promise I’m not trying to be pushy) But could you write a blurb about riding sub!spencer’s thigh bc he’s not sure if he’s ready to lose his virginity and he gets so worked up he cums in his underwear (idk if you’re comfortable with that so please ignore this if you aren’t no pressure at all just lots of love) xx

Hi Ellie! I'm a new anon to your blog and I have a blurb request about the grinding on spencer gif you recently reposted. Maybe y/n and spencer are "in the mood" but y/n has never done "it" before but she still wants to get spencer and herself off so they dry hump in their underwear because that's as far as she's comfortable with going. I'm sorry if this is worded weird I've never requested smut before. Also can I please be the 💜 anon?”

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It wasn’t like they’d done nothing. But there was something about sex that felt like such a bold step. He knew she was inexperienced too, which sort of helped ease his nerves whenever he thought about it for too long. He just hoped that the whole thing freaked her out as much as it freaked him out really, but he still just found himself a little too shy to say anything about it. Instead opting for awkward and abrupt ends to make-out sessions, or cuddles, or dates, for fear that it would spiral into something he wasn’t exactly ready for.

That didn’t mean he didn’t want to. In some paradoxical way it still turned him on, and whenever he’d leave and make a break for the bathroom in the middle of a make-out session on his couch he’d more often than not find himself with his hand around his cock, pumping himself to the thought of her. He wasn’t sure what was so intimidating about it to be honest.

But she never seemed to say anything about it, so he sort of thought he might be in the clear about the whole thing. Even though deep down he knew that’s not how relationships or communication worked. So he’s both surprised and unsurprised when he shows up at her front door with take out and she’s wearing a robe with what looks like little else underneath. A far cry from her usual comfy clothes that he’d grown so fond of.

“Hey Spence” she says with a nervous smile, and he just stands there dumbfounded, staring at her like he’s never seen her before.

“Oh— I— um, hi!” he mumbles out, forcing himself back to reality as she steps aside to let him into her apartment. “I brought food” he says, leaving it down on the coffee table and all of a sudden having no idea what he’s supposed to do with his hands.

“Spence, I wanted to talk to you about something” she says, looking almost as nervous as he does, bracing herself as she sits down on the couch and beckons him to sit beside her.

“What is it?” he gulps down the lump in his throat before he speaks, preparing himself for the conversation he’s been dreading.

“I don’t really know how to phrase this but, um, I don’t think I’m ready to have sex yet” she blurts out, her arms crossing over her chest, defending and comforting herself as she speaks, her eyes looking anywhere but his.

“That’s alright” he smiles, reaching out a hand and placing it on the side of her face, gently tilting so that she has to look at him, “Me neither”

Saying it out loud feels like a huge weight has been lifted from his chest, he feels lighter than he ever thought possible as she looks in his eyes and they’re filled with a similar ease.

“You’re not just saying that?” she asks, hopeful, and he shakes his head.

“No, god no! I’ve been so worried that you were going to get annoyed, or impatient, or freaked out by me. I just didn’t know how to tell you that I wasn’t ready for that yet. And don’t get me wrong, I do want to… eventually, and I think you’re so pretty, just not, now.”

“You have no idea how good it feels to hear that Spence” she lunges forward and pulls him into a tight hug, and his hands pull her in instinctively, spreading out against her back. As he feels the smooth satin beneath his fingertips he has a thought.

“If that’s what you wanted to tell me, then what’s this about?” he asks, pulling back so that he can cast his gaze over her robe again, lingering a little longer this time, letting his eyes trail along her bare legs that stretch out beneath it.

“I don’t know if this was a stupid plan or not. But I wanted to prove to you that I do still want to be with you. And just because I’m not comfortable with sex yet doesn’t mean I’m not comfortable doing other things with you?”

“Oh” his breath catches in his throat, maybe it’s nerves, or just anticipation but he can feel the heat rising in his face, “Like, um, like what… things?”

“You’re not allowed laugh” she says, taking her bottom lip between her teeth for a moment, and he smiles at her.

“Never”

“I know it’s a real ‘teenage’ activity but I thought we could both get off together if we dry humped?” his eyes go wide at her suggestion, because it’s perfect and he’s nodding before his lips can even think about forming words.

“Yes, yeah! That’s a great idea” and then she’s grinning at him and he’s grinning back before they’ve even really touched each other. “How do we start?”

She takes a moment to consider before speaking, “You don’t have to if you don’t want to, but maybe if you took off your clothes so we’re both in our underwear?”

“But you’re not—” before he can finish his sentence her hands have pulled at the tie keeping her robe together and it drapes open on either side, revealing the rest of her body clad in nothing but a white lingerie set. He has to force himself to start breathing again before he can do anything else. But once he does he’s standing up and making his way out of his clothes in an uncoordinated rush.

When he sits back down on the couch in only his boxers she wastes no time climbing into his lap, one leg either side of his thigh, her knee nestled in against his crotch. The pressure is immediate and he can’t stifle the moan that falls from his lips.

“Take this off baby” he moans, his hands coming up to push her robe off of her shoulders until she can shrug out of it, discarding it on the floor. “Fuck” he whispers at the unobstructed view, his hands ghosting along her sides with almost ticklish amounts of pressure.

While his hands are occupied and he's just a little distracted, she dives in to kiss him. Her lips a little rough against his from the excitement but he doesn’t seem to mind, opening his mouth in response to let her tongue in. They stay like that for a few moments, hands roaming over bare skin, tugging gently at hair, moaning against each others mouths.

It takes an embarrassingly little amount of time before they’re both desperate and aching, and she can’t help the way she grinds down against his thigh, resting her hands on either one of his shoulders for support.

“Does that feel good baby?” he asks when her lips break apart from his own to let out a gasp.

“Uh huh” she moans, her lips hanging open, soft and swollen from kissing his own.

“Why don’t you come a little closer?” he whispers, tightening his grip on her waist and pulling her in tighter so that her knee is pressed up against his bulge, pushing closer with each soft rock of her hips.

“Fuck” he whimpers, his head falling backwards to land on the back of couch, giving in to the overwhelming sensation. If it was ever possible for something to feel too good, this was it, he cursed himself for knowing it wasn’t going to last long. And then she started to kiss his exposed throat and he knew he was fucked.

His hands began to dig in tighter against her waist, both guiding her movements and letting out some tension. “You’re gonna kill me” he forces out as she begins to gasp and moan between the soft kisses she leaves along his neck.

“Sorry, it just feels so good” she chuckles a little as he tries to bring his head back up so he can look at her, admire her. She was always so beautiful, but somehow even more so like this. With her hair just a little messy, her eyes full of lust, her face and chest lightly coated with sweat in a way that made her look like she was glowing. It was all so perfect that he couldn’t be more thankful for his memory in that moment.

“Are you close baby?” he asks and she can only nod, her breath coming out in harsh pants as she tries to move her hips with some sort of rhythm. So he decides to concentrate his efforts on her in an attempt to slow himself down.

Holding her still with his grip he starts to move his thigh, alternating between shaking it so that it vibrates, and pushing it up in a very harsh and deliberate grid against her now soaking wet panties.

“Oh fuck, Spencer!” she whimpers, trying to steadying herself against his shoulders without much success. “I’m so close—uh—”

“Cum for me baby” he soothes while keeping his movements forceful until she’s almost doubled over on top of him, collapsing against his chest with a loud and desperate moan of his name. And he can feel the soaking fabric against his thigh and the idea that he’s the one that’s responsible for it has him throbbing.

But he waits. he waits for her to regain her breath and sit back up from her resting position against his chest. But she’s way ahead of him, and he can feel a hand pressing up against the fabric of his boxers, squeezing gently, but it’s more than enough stimulation to have him squirming.

“Shit Spence, you’re so hard” she groans, sitting up finally so that she can look at his blush covered face and neck.

“It’s ‘cause of you” he manages to mumble out as her hand begins to move, squeezing and pressing against his bulge, spurred on by each desperate little whine.

“Are you gonna cum baby?” she asks, her other hand coming up to knot in his hair, tilting his face so that he’s looking up at her, just in time to nod. And then he’s cumming, warm and messy inside of his boxers. Something about the feeling against her hand has her almost good to go again.

Spencer’s eyes close as he turns a brighter shade of red, his mouth hanging open in a little ‘o’ shape as he comes down from his high. When he finally returns to Earth to find her still perched in his lap he can hardly believe any of what’s just happened is real.

“So that’s what I was missing out on in high school?” he chuckles, his hands coming back up to graze her sides softly again as she smiles down at him.

“We’ll make up for plenty of lost time together. And we can take as long as we need.” she leans in and presses her lips softly to his. And even though he still didn’t feel comfortable with sex, he knew he felt comfortable with her.

-- -- --

Thank you so much for reading, any feedback is always appreciated, love you! <3

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helaintoloki · 3 years

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hi ❤️ my friend group and i rlly love your writing ! they volunteered me to send this request haha

maybe a fic with sparrow!ben where the umbrella academy are there and the reader is usually quite shy but shes warmed up to diego and is friendly with him but ben is jealous and overprotective??

thank youuuu we love yoo ❤️

a/n: you guys are so sweet omg sorry this took a while but I hope you enjoy ! also I wasn’t sure if Diego’s relationship with the reader should be platonic or romantic so I left it up to your interpretation :)

warnings: subtle angst, sparrow!ben is kind of a jerk, fluff if you squint, blurb piece, a most likely inaccurate description of knife throwing

summary: Ben isn’t too fond of your new friend and has no problem showing it

The metal knife feels foreign in your palm, light and smooth and dangerous, but you like the feeling— when was the last time you’d ever been allowed to wield something so elegantly deadly without a certain Sparrow breathing down your neck? You loved Ben, and you adored his fierce need to protect you with every fiber of his being, but you also just wanted some space to prove that you could handle your own without your boyfriend immediately coming to the rescue. And that’s where Diego comes in.

“Think you can handle it?” He asks with a playful quirk of his lips.

“I guess we’ll just have to see,” you quip back before relaxing your shoulders and allowing your eyes to flutter shut in time with a concentrated inhale. When they open again you find yourself stepping forward and throwing the knife with a precise flick of your wrist, a subtle grunt of effort leaving your lips as the blade lodges itself into the wood of an old oak tree. The sound of impact reverberates through the empty courtyard and sends tingles down your spine, a rush of adrenaline coursing through your veins as you turn to Diego with wide eyes and a disbelieving smile on your face.

“Fast learner,” he compliments with a wink, “you’re better than I thought.”

“Can I try again?” You eagerly asks, and as much as he’d love to show you all the tricks and tips he could think of, Diego could no longer ignore the pair of eyes staring daggers at him from across the way.

“Maybe some other time. Pretty boy over there looks like he’s about to have a heart attack.”

The chuckle that leaves the man is devoid of all humor; he figures making jokes will lessen the pain that comes with being around this new version of Ben, but nothing he does seems to dull the ache of having a brother who not only has no idea who he is, but also seems to hate him with every fiber of his being— all because he’d gotten a little too friendly with the shy Sparrow.

“I better go check on him,” you say with a resigned sigh. “He’s still getting used to you guys being here.”

“No, I get it. I think we’re all on the same page there.”

“Thank you, Diego,” you utter with a faint smile, giving his arm a comforting squeeze before sauntering off to greet your pouty boyfriend.

“I don’t trust him,” is the phrase Ben uses to acknowledge your presence. His eyes never leave Diego, and you both watch as the man removes your knife from the trunk with ease.

“Well, he is kind of your brother, so I don’t think he has any ill will towards you.”

“I don’t care what those freaks say, they’re not my family,” he says coldly.

“Ben...”

“And they’re not yours either, so don’t get too comfortable having them around.”

You want to be upset with him, you want to argue that he’s being unnecessarily cruel, but you know that you could never understand the complications that come with a such a unique situation. A group of strangers showing up out of nowhere claiming to know you, to have loved you and mourned you? You can’t even begin to imagine what Ben must be feeling about having the Umbrella Academy around— not that he’d ever tell you what he was feeling. Despite being his girlfriend, even you had a hard time getting him to open up.

“I just think you should give them a chance is all,” you murmur gently, your tone prompting the Sparrow to soften just the tiniest bit.

“Come on,” he says with a sigh, pressing a quick kiss to the crown of your head and effectively changing the subject, “it’s cold out here, I don’t want you getting sick.”

You won’t make him say it, but you know he’s sorry for his sour mood. You’re all he cares about, and keeping you safe is his own personal mission in life, though he can be a bit overbearing with his execution. But you love him all the same.

#a ben blurb for your troubles #ben hargreeves #sparrow!ben #ben hargreeves x reader #ben hargreeves imagine #sparrow!ben x reader #sparrow!ben imagine #diego hargreeves #diego hargreeves x reader #diego imagine #the umbrella academy #the sparrow academy #tua #tua x reader #tua imagine #request #blurb

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