#as a very unique opportunity to be able to try new things out for your own identity | Explore Tumblr Posts and Blogs

mixiury · 6 months

Text

Always remembering you - Genshin x GN reader

Characters: Wanderer, Itto, Kaveh, Neuvillette

Summary: You have to leave for a long period of time. What do they do after it? (Basically them missing you)

A/N: I am alive!! Sorry for not posting in a while. Honestly I haven't been very motivated to write but I randomly got this idea so I hope yall like it! (I edited some parts and typos I noticed so hopefully now it is better :)

Wanderer has no need for things as transitory and insignificant as the attention of others— specially if it comes from an human being— so what makes you believe that you would be an exception?

It's been decades since he last sought companionship after all. The only reason why he asked you to accompany him is to complete the tasks Nahida assigned him. It is just easier for you to do all the hard work instead of him. Don't try to read between the lines.

Yes. Of course it was necessary to stop in the middle of Sumeru's forest to contemplate the surroundings for the past hour. It is part of his job to ensure that there are no potential dangers near the city.

Actually, the fact that the path you were taking was blocked by a tree that mysteriously collapsed in front of you due to a strong blown of wind has nothing to do with him. Why would you think he did that in the first place? You're imagining things.

The only reason he's holding your hand right now is so you don't get lost or delay him by this absurdly long new path he's chosen. Yes, it's clearly the only option you two have, so don't complain and keep walking.

But if you need a moment to rest he won't refuse. And if at any point you decide to lean your head on his shoulder, he won't push you away either. Just don't get used to this, he only allows it because he knows how fragile human bodies are and he prefers to avoid Nahida's scolding for leaving you in the middle of nowhere.

And if you still have doubts, that's right, the fact that all these things happen after not being able to talk to you all week is totally a coincidence.

Itto, on the other hand, doesn't seem to know the word discretion.

What do you mean you have another important commission to do? But didn't you just finished one yesterday? How about you join him in a beetle tournament instead? Or maybe you can spend time with the gang? Come on, he knows you can't refuse this unique opportunity!

Hmm? That you always spend time with them..? But this time is different! This time they will do something so different and so incredible that you just can't loose! Trust him. Arataki Itto always keep his word!

And it is just that it seems like the entire universe is sending you signals to spend time with him. From Itto posters that mysteriously appear on paper airplanes to his name in the alphabet soup you eat.

But if all that is not enough to convince you that it is the destiny the one putting you together, somehow you both end up meeting multiple times a day. No matter where you look, he will be there.

Do you have to collect different flowers from Inazuma for your commission? It turns out that floristry is one of his hidden talents! Do you have to give them to someone? How curious! He was just talking to that same person! Are you saying he is brothering them? Of course not! He would never do that... On purpose.

There's no point in questioning him, somehow he always has an excuse- (although it doesn't mean they make sense). It's only until you look up at the sky and see fireworks with Itto's face, his signature, and the words "I miss you" that he finally tells you the truth behind all the coincidences that has happened during the day.

However, the moment does not last long, because shortly afterwards different guards come running to capture Itto for alleged harassment and "illegal use" of fireworks without authorization. Complete defamation if you ask him.

At the end, you and Kuki have to visit him in jail and take care of all the paperwork for the damage him and the gang caused. But hey, at least that means his plan worked?

Kaveh directly doesn't seems able to function properly.

Don't get him wrong, he knows better than anyone how hard it must be for you to be so busy. After all, he has found himself in the same situation as you multiple times in the past.

It's just that he had never noticed the influence you have on his life until that moment, where instead of having breakfast together at the same place as always he finds himself eating preheated noodles from the microwave.

For the first time in a long time he's having trouble concentrating on his work, unable to finish the commission he's been putting off for the last week— not so surprisingly— the same amount of time since you traveled to Fontaine.

Because every time he looks at the paper on the desk he can't stop his hand from drawing sketches of you, his mind clouded with questions about your safety and how you are doing.

Kaveh doesn't really know how to control that feeling so he does the only thing he knows in situations like this; Overwork himself. Going from basically doing nothing all week to creating almost a month's worth of work in a few days.

Of course, it doesn't take much for his friends to notice, trying to reason with him more than once. However, if there is something to recognize from Kaveh it is his stubbornness, reassuring them that everything is completely under control.

It's only until he ends up falling asleep during a conversation with Tighnari that he decides to take action into his own hands, sending you a letter telling you about the situation because your boyfriend can barely stay awake during the day and has been living of coffee.

And despite his reproaches towards Tighnari, he can't help but feel glad the moment you return to Sumeru a few days earlier than anticipated, updating you on every little detail that happened while you were gone and sleeping for almost a full day no long after. He may thank Tighnari later.

Unlike the others, Neuvillette feels totally fine after you left.

Of course he notice your absence and perhaps your name has appeared in his mind more than three times in the day but that's all. There is no need to worry about it, Take all the time you need.

He continues with his routine as always. He is also a very busy person so he doesn't think a lot of it. He's just walking around in the same place where you met because he's taking a short break. Nothing more than that.

In fact, you might even be able to see him ordering at the same coffee shop where you had your first date, sitting at the same table he sat at back then. But that isn't related to this situation, so please continue what you are doing.

But if you notice how Fontaine has fallen into heavy rain this last month, he will just reassure you that it's completely normal. Probably is just the weather that hasn't been stable lately. Nothing to worry about. Everything is under control as it always has been.

Yet, even if he manages to fool himself, all the melusines notice the way his gaze wanders from the documents on his desk to the empty seat next to him. His eyes shining every moment he hears the door of his office open just to met with the disappointment in them when he realizes it's not you on the other side.

Because despite his attempts to distract himself, it's simply impossible when every place he goes has some memory of you. He knows you won't be away for long so why does he feel like something is missing when you're not around?

Melusines try to talk with him, even requesting help to Furina, but it doesn't seems to be an end of the countless rains that has been occurring since you left.

He will just continue denying his feelings over and over, completely oblivious of them and the attempts of others to cheer him up.

It's hard for Neuvillette to understand the reason for his the emptiness he feels, but when he sees you once again he can't help but notice the great sense of relief that comes with you, immediately asking you how you are doing and making sure you feel welcome.

Maybe with the pass of the time he will be able to come in terms with his feelings but for now all he wants to do is to spend more time with you.

#genshin impact x reader #genshin x reader #wanderer x reader #scaramouche x reader #itto x reader #kaveh x reader #neuvillette x reader #not proofread #Sorry xD #Genshin Impact #genshin impact x you #genshin x you

276 notes · View notes

yandere-paramour · 12 days

Text

First Time with Vivien - Part 1

When you first tell Vivien that you think you're ready to be intimate with him, he's already unbuckling his pants. He thinks you mean RIGHT NOW and he's a little disappointed when you tell him that you meant like, this weekend.

A little embarrassed, he pulls his pants back up and he's like "Oh."

But late that night, after you've left for your own apartment and he's emptied himself twice thinking about you, he gets to thinking. It's actually a good thing that you both didn't rush into anything today.

It's Tuesday night, and you're coming over Friday. He has three full days to prepare. He only has three days to prepare.

In between work, sleep, and stalking you, Vivien searches through every Reddit post, every internet forum, every advice column he can to try and get a wide range of information. Most of it is useless and he disregards it, but some of it is very useful.

The first thing he does is head straight to the store to buy new, soft sheets. His usual sheets are covered in... stains, and it would be embarrassing for you, his angel, to see that.

He didn't know this, but Patchouli can be used as an aphrodisiac. He makes a special blend of essential oils just for this occasion. If he sets up the diffuser right, he'll be able to help you relax and ease into everything.

Thursday night and Friday morning, he's too excited to sleep, so he gets to work making a platter of snacks for the both of you to share. He wants you both to be full, but not so full that it makes you both sleepy and knocks you out of the mood, so he guesses an aphrodisiac girl-dinner would work best.

He pairs slices of fresh baguette with some honey cinnamon butter, bakes heart-shaped brownies sprinkled with powdered sugar, and chills strawberry and banana slices with a white chocolate drizzle. He takes a little bit of money from his savings and splurges on a nice bottle of red wine for the both of you. For the finishing touch, he bakes brie with herbs and honey, setting it right in the middle of the charcuterie board.

With another thought, he adds some pineapple on there as well.

He looks around. The room is softly lit and quiet, smelling pleasantly of patchouli and lavender. The food is ready and waiting. The only thing left to prepare is himself.

He scrubs himself in the shower, wanting to make sure he is extra clean for you. He also takes the initiative to brush his hair and try and make sure the unruly strands stay flat.

When he answers the door, he is struck by how lovely you look. You both eat while you watch a romantic movie, and Vivien is fear-sweating. He looks at you whenever there is a sex scene, but looks away when you look at him. But throughout this, he pulls you closer and closer to him, his hand inching up your skirt.

When he kisses you, he can taste the sweets he made, and another perfect flavor that is uniquely you. Despite his extroverted personality, he feels meek and nervous today. He asks if you are ready, and when you say yes, he leads you gently to the bedroom.

Once you both are in and the door is locked, Vivien's anxiety disappears and he becomes someone different. He finally has you, willing and wet and ready in his bedroom. He will not waste this opportunity. He is on you in seconds, kissing, sucking, biting, desperate to leave marks on you, to prove to the universe that he is alive and you are his.

Your clothes litter the floor, all the care he put into this evening thrown to the wind as he lays you gently on the soft blue sheets. He caresses his way down your body, whispering about how you're so beautiful and so good to him and that he's waited for this moment for so long and he finally has you right where you belong, spread wide for him to ravish you.

He takes you into his mouth, licking and sucking like a man starved. For a man so well-versed in herbs and flowers, understanding the intricate ways smells and flavors fit together, there is nothing he can compare to the taste that is you. His tongue is moderately long, but it is strong and skilled, teasing moans out of you until you are gripping the sheets in two tight fists. He hums as he devours you, the vibrations giving another level of stimulation to the coitus.

This part is about your pleasure, but that does not mean he neglects himself. He is kneeling on the floor, tongue and left hand focused on you, but his right hand is busy, wrapped around his cock. He desperately ruts into his hand, pumping himself. Watching you like this; it is better than any fantasy, any daydream, any wet dream his imagination can come up with, and he is close to spilling over right now, just from the divine pleasure of tasting you. But he is desperately trying to hold himself back for the main event.

His tasting and sucking are no match for you, and you explode into fireworks, the triumphant feeling rolling your eyes back into their sockets and curling your toes at the same time. Vivien doesn't overstimulate you, not this first time. He pulls back, your juices smeared around his face as he gives the biggest smile you've ever seen on him. He thanks you over and over again for the opportunity to take care of you, telling you how gorgeous, how ethereal, how reverent he feels about you.

Moving up beside you, he pulls you onto his chest. His cock twitches, desperately seeking the rampant stimulation it lost, but he tucks it between his legs. He needs to care for you before anything. He holds a bottle of water to your lips, asking if you are okay and did you enjoy it and do you need anything from him.

You assure him you are happy. Very, very happy in fact, and you want to move onto the real thing: the penetration. Vivien blushes immediately, wanting to mount you right then and there, but he asks again if you're sure. No matter how good it will feel or how pleasured he will be, he will not do this unless you are sure.

101 notes · View notes

soapoet · 8 months

Text

PJO pick-a-card reading

Annabeth Chase; Your ideal career

01.

You would do best with a career that allows you to add your own touch. You could feel drawn to the prospect of entrepreneurship for a reason, and that is your inate ability to understand, follow, and set trends. You may rarely inspire neutrality, as you are either adored or disliked. This can cause you some hesitation in approaching anything self-made. Nobody wants to be put on blast or have their name dragged through the dirt the second they make a mistake, especially under circumstances where you are left alone to take the blame without a team to lean on, but you do have the benefit of forethought and diplomacy to avoid the worst of it. So long as you stay true to yourself and stay genuine, you have little to fear.

You inspire others, and thus you would do well in showcasing yourself and your lifestyle, your interests and your ideas for others. You would do well in business and in sales, as well as communications. You do well with people and are able to meet others with authenticity and really hear people. You could use your skills to promote important causes or rally people towards necessary changes. A career which allows you to travel and explore the world and write home about it would be very fitting. You can easily embrace different cultures and aren't afraid of trying new things, and your desire and willingness to learn new things is quite endearing and soften up your edges, inviting more warmth to how people perceive you. A chance to provide new solutions to problems or rework how things are done by inventing or designing something new could be really successful for you.

02.

Your best bet career wise would be to turn your passion projects into more than a thing you do on the side. You're creative and may really struggle when you feel unable to extend past limitations set by others. You enjoy variety and are drawn to more unusual concepts or ways of doing things. This creativity could lend itself to many things, but to name a few you would find yourself at ease within art and music, various online endeavours, writing and design. Though you may very well be introverted or simply a little, perhaps consider yourself a little socially awkward, you would do very well when involved with people. In any job, your clientele is met with a friendly and genuine demeanour as you try to meet people as unique individuals with their own stories and needs. You could be drawn to working with animals too, as your compassionate nature lends itself well to helping not just other humans, but animals, and the planet at large.

You could dread the thought of being in the spotlight, but the kind of following you would attract would feel quite familiar to you and rather easy for you to intract with when necessary. If you were to publish a book as an example, your readers would be drawn to your work out of the inherent mutual interest in its themes and thus make interactions fluid rather than awkward. You could even consider some anonymity to protect yourself. Fun will matter a lot in whether a career fits you or not. Work will always be work, but ideally it isn't all work and no play. Having a team of kindred spirits working towards a goal helps in this regard. Even if you wish to fly solo, you're collaborative and would benefit from teamwork and helping others, as well as allowing others to help you in return.

03.

Career wise you may want a little bit of a challenge, and plenty of opportunities for advancement and change. You're ambitious and cunning, and would do well in structured environments. To name a few, you could find it fitting to pursue academia, medicine, science, law, journalism, or anything else which allows you to use your wits and ability to learn and internalize new information. You are organised and steadfast, and a phenomenal problem solver. You could invest yourself in things that leave an impact on society, such as pursuing changes in the juridical sector, pedagogy and education, health care, or politics. Dissertations, articles, or other written works of you could prove very successful and provide objectivity in a world which is ever-increasingly divisive.

You're prone to stress, however, so creating a proper work-life balance is of upmost importance. Knowing when to step away and take a break is a skill that once mastered, you'll be able to wield it in favour of your productivity and take greater leaps in your career. Remember that you work best when you're not ill, aching, and burnt out. Due to your ability to multitask and see many things through, you could work on passion projects on the side. Ex. criminologist moonlighting as a poet or a songwriter. This duality would benefit you as a side hustle which aligns with what you may consider a mere hobby could end up providing you with extra income, which you can use to take good care of yourself and make sure you get to play too.

#pac reading #pick a card reading #annabeth chase #pjo #energy reading #intuitive reading #pick a card #pick a picture #pick a pile #percy jackson and the olympians #tarotblr #pac #soapy.post

306 notes · View notes

forever-rogue · 1 year

Note

Hello beautiful! Huge fan of your work! I have an interesting request. Don't know if you know or remember that tik tok trend where the women got those leggings, the ones that enhanced the ~booty~ and I immediately thought of frankie morales. 👀 could you do an x reader fic about that? Can be smutty too iykyk 🫠🥰 xo

AN | Oh, trust me. I do know 😏

Pairing | Frankie Morales x Fem!Reader

Warnings | Language

Word Count | 2.2k

Masterlist | Frankie, Main

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────

You weren’t sure if you were more amused or embarrassed by your latest little impulse purchase. Perhaps it wasn’t so much an impulse considering you’d gone back and forth on whether or not to buy damn the thing.

Those silly leggings that everyone was talking about. The very ones that proclaimed to enhance your butt and make it look incredibly enticing.

And, as you laid in bed one evening unable to sleep, you came to the decision to buy them. What was the worst that could happen? You’d have a new pair of leggings. Which wouldn’t be too bad. At best you’d have an extremely luscious booty. You considered that a win-win.

And now they’d arrived, your little package just sitting on the front porch until you were able to get home from work.

Frankie had beaten you home and had grabbed the package and set it on the table in the kitchen, sending you a quick text to let you know you’d received a package. If only he knew what was in store. Maybe. The jury was still out on that one.

Once you’d gotten home, you were ready to grab the package and all but ran upstairs.

“Hey baby,” Frankie’s voice cut through your internal monologue and stopped you with a sweet smile. Your face flushed with warmth as you smiled back at him. Your husband, ever so observant, noticed that something was on your mind, “what’s up?”

“Hey my love,” you stepped over to him and let him wrap his arms around you, pulling you into a warm hug. His arms might have been your favorite place in the entire world, strong and soft at the same time, holding you just perfectly. You buried your face in his chest, taking his familiar scent, all uniquely him, “missed you today.”

“I missed you too,” you could feel his chuckle reverberating throughout his chest, the sound familiar and always welcome. You looked up at him, finding those big, brown eyes watching you reverently. You couldn’t stop yourself from leaning up and pressing a kiss to his lips…and then you stole a few more, “alright, what’s up with you?”

“Can’t I just kiss my husband without any ulterior motives?” you teased, wishing that for once he couldn’t read you so easily, “nothing’s up, Francisco. You’re just really handsome and I am really lucky.”

“Mhmm,” he hummed in content as you carded a hand through his dark locks, lightly scratching at his scalp, “whatever you say, Abejita.”

“Exactly,” you grinned, “whatever I say goes. What do you wanna do for dinner?”

“How about we order in Thai?” he suggested and you perked up, stomach already growling. He heard it and laughed, a sound that went straight to your heart, “I’ll take that as a yes. I’ll order if you want to go and change.”

“Perfect,” oh yes. This would give you the opportunity to try the leggings without him being too nosy, “just the usual please! I’ll be back in a few minutes!”

“You’re up to something!”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about!” you shouted as you bounded up the stairs taking them two at a time.

Once you made it to your bedroom, you ducked into the en suite bathroom and ripped open the package. You were almost giddy as you ran your hands over the soft, buttery fabric. You undid your pants and almost kicked them off in excitement before pulling on the leggings.

They did feel nice on your skin, and you turned to study yourself in the mirror. You posed a few times, trying to take in all angles to see if the leggings did what they proclaimed to do. After a few moments of intense scrutiny you realized that you couldn’t quite tell. You like the way your butt looked, but honestly you liked it in most things, so you weren’t sure if the leggings actually did anything. That would be up to Frankie to decide when you wore them.

You pulled them back off and stuck them in the laundry basket to be washed soon. You doubted that Frankie would notice anything new, especially an unassuming pair of black leggings. You pulled off the rest of your clothes and slipped some comfy loungewear before heading back downstairs.

Frankie’s face lit up at the sight of you; he was practically the physical manifestation of heart eyes.

“Stop looking at me like that,” you whispered shyly, “you’re gonna make me fall even more in love with you.”

“You’re so beautiful,” he grinned happily as you waved him off, “I mean it.”

“Even in my lazy, comfy clothes?”

“Even in your lazy comfy clothes,” he agreed, “always and in anything you could ever put on or without anything on.”

“You’re a fool, Morales.”

“A fool for you, Morales,” and you almost knocked him over with the sheer intensity of your hug. You really, really, loved this man.

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────

It was a few days before you managed to do laundry, and even longer until you finally grabbed the leggings. You’d almost forgotten about them at this point, but you had a day off and planned to do some stuff around the house, so you threw them on along with a t-shirt. Definitely not anything sexy or over the top, but comfortable. That’s what you were going for if you were going to be moving around.

It wasn’t until that evening when you were making dinner that things got a little…interesting. Frankie had gotten home and had gone upstairs to clean up first, dirty and greasy (and very sexy in your humble opinion) and ever the gentleman with not wanting to get you dirty either. You were standing at the counter, chopping some vegetables for a salad when you heard him make his way back downstairs.

“Hey honey,” you didn’t turn around just yet, instead focusing on the task at hand. When you heard nothing but silence, you assumed something was wrong. After wiping your hands on the tea towel you turned around to find him standing there with an expression of awe on his face, “Francisco? Is everything alright?”

“Y-yeah,” he managed to choke out, nodding slightly, “you look…umm. Wow.”

“Just so you know wow can mean a multitude of things, and not always good,” you crossed your arms over your chest and watched his face flush a pretty shade of rose, “care to elaborate?”

“You’re so fucking hot,” was all he managed to choke, which caused you to break into a fit of giggles. Normally so eloquent but suddenly rendered speechless, “I-I mean, you’re beautiful. You’re always beautiful but today you also just look so…hot.”

“Ahh, well thank you,” you bounced over to him and pressed a kiss to his stubbled cheek, “you look very hot yourself.”

“Are those new leggings?” he finally asked, eyes skimming down your body as he swallowed thickly, “they look nice.”

“Oh,” you looked down at yourself when it suddenly hit you that you were indeed wearing those leggings, “oh. Yeah, I am. You like them, Frankie?”

“I do,” he confessed, almost nervously as he tried to make sure he wasn’t saying the wrong thing. When he saw the coquettish grin on your face he knew that he’d said the right thing, “I really do.”

“Do they make my butt look good?” you turned around and lifted your t-shirt just enough to make sure he could get a full, long look at everything.

“They sure do,” he rasped and before you could say or do anything else, you felt his hands on your hips and he pulled you into his body, “so good, you minx. You planned this didn’t you?”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” you replied innocently, a small gasp escaping your lips as he slid his hands down to grab at your butt, “maybe you just really like my ass.”

“Hmm,” he wrapped his arms around your waist, pulling you into his warm, soft frame. You felt him drag his lips against your shoulder and up the side of your neck which caused you to sigh happily, “you’re so gorgeous.”

“Francisco,” you reached up and gently touched his cheek as he rested his chin on your shoulder. You loved him, you loved this, but you decided that you were going to mess with him just a little bit longer, “but I’m in the middle of making dinner so can you please control yourself for a bit?”

“Fuck,” he groaned as you slipped out of his grasp, moving to lean against the other side of the counter. You put the most innocent look you could muster up before turning back to the cutting board, “you’re killin’ me here, baby.”

“Aww, my love,” you pretended to give him a pout and he playfully held up his middle before putting on a puppy dog face of his own, “can’t control your own horniness for a few minutes?”

“One - it’s going to be longer than a few minutes and two - can you blame me? Have you seen yourself?” he tried to reach over to touch you and shimmied out of his grasp as you held up the knife, “you’re brutal.”

“I love you too,” you grabbed a piece of cucumber and gently shoved it in his mouth with a giggle before he could argue any further, “you know, if you help me finish dinner, we can eat sooner and that means we can-”

“Whatever you need,” he nodded eagerly, “I’ll help.”

─── ･｡ﾟ☆: *.☽ .* :☆ﾟ. ────

You made it a point to drop things or bend over as much as possible while the two of you made dinner. You could practically hear the small groans and sharp inhales that escaped his lips. Perhaps it was a little cruel, to taunt your poor husband like this, but you’d made it up to him later.

You also weren’t immune to the way he made it a point to siddle around you as much as possible, his hands just grazing over your body. You’d let him get away with it for now, just a little taste for what was to come.

“You’re eating so slowly,” Frankie pointed out as you chewed your bite a little bit longer before swallowing. Maybe you were, “I can’t believe you’re doing this.”

“It’s important to thoroughly chew your food before swallowing,” you shrugged innocently, “it can really help your digestion.”

“You. Are. A. Menace,” he insisted, scowling at his broccoli like it had wronged him in a manner most foul, “can’t believe you tricked me into marrying you.”

“That’s because you know I’m worth it.”

“Not right now,” he mumbled as you started laughing. You knew he was just playing but it was a little fun to get him all riled up. That was just one of the many wonderful parts of your relationship. You raised an eyebrow and he sighed dramatically, “fine! Even right now.”

“That’s what I thought,” you took one more bite before pushing away your plate and leaning back in your arm. Frankie’s eyes were quick to shoot over to you as he drank you up, “you know, I think I’m done eating.”

“Oh?”

“Mhmm,” you grabbed your glass of wine and finished off before looking at him in what you hoped was a seductive look. Either way, it was your husband, he was a goner for you either way, “but…I’m still hungry.”

“Oh,” his pretty brown eyes widened.

“Wanna help me out?” you stood up and held your hand out towards him. He watched you in silent awe before nodding eagerly and taking your outstretched hand. Before you could lead to him towards the stairs, he pulled you towards him, crashing his lips on yours hungrily. He kissed you like his life depended on it, refusing to part from you until you were both dizzy and out of breath “I see you do wanna help me out.”

“As if that was ever a question,” he stole a few more kisses, making sure to get a good feel of your ass before dragging you towards the living room.

“Frankie! Upstairs - bedroom,” you snickered but he shook his head, messy curls bouncing roguishly.

“No time,” he insisted, his hands already dancing under the hem of your shirt, “need you now, baby.”

“You’re too much!” but you were putty in his hands anyway.

“But you love me.”

“But I love you,” you shrieked happily as he gently pushed you onto the couch, pinning you underneath him. His eyes were as hungry as you felt, “Frankie.”

“As much as I love you in these leggings,” he tugged on the waistband, his voice low and raspy, “they need to come off.”

“Yes, please.”

#frankie morales #frankie morales x you #frankie morales x reader #frankie morales x fem!reader #frankie morales imagine #frankie morales one shot #pedro pascal #pedro pascal x you #pedro pascal x reader

586 notes · View notes

devsgames · 2 months

Text

Dragon's Dogma Primer + Tips

I've been spending tons of time with Dragon's Dogma 2. I loved the first game and was shocked they chose to make a sequel. Legitimately Dragon's Dogma is like, the only franchise that actually has the power to make me genuinely enjoy video games again like when I was a kid.

I also noticed that a lot of people new to the franchise have picked it up this time around and are bumping their heads against it, which is great! Now I'll actually have people to talk to about Dragon's Dogma :')

I wanted to write a little primer and 'beginners tips' to help people learn how to approach the series. Here's some pointers:

Dragon's Dogma gets a lot of comparisons to Dark Souls. I wouldn't say it's because it's a hard game, but it does expect you to approach it on its own terms and won't make many concessions to you if you try to fight it.

DD is a management game masquerading as an open-world RPG. What it expects of you is to move slowly and take your time. It wants you to plan your journey, anticipate challenges, pace yourself, and prepare accordingly. You'll find much less friction if you keep this in mind.

'Fast Travel' as a concept is hard to come by in DD, and you will find yourself walking most places. The ability to instantly teleport yourself anywhere is limited to Ferrystones and Portcrystals, which are both in very limited supply. DD2 has Oxcarts from major settlements, but these are also imperfect by-design as they are time-dependent and prone to attacks, which may leave you stranded. Remember: DD is by and large about preparation and long journeys. Try shortening your routes by exploring for shortcuts, or treating every trip like an opportunity to explore a new area on the way.

DD LOVES rare and consumable items. Some of the best and most useful items in the game are often unique and can only be used once or in a limited capacity. This helps make the items feel more exclusive, while also encouraging you to be doubly sure of your intention before using them. If an item seems like it could be rare, it probably is.

Explore everywhere. In my opinion, DD's level design is unmatched in terms of open-world games. There are things hidden absolutely everywhere in every nook and cranny. If you comb every location you will constantly find new things, and it goes out of its way to ensure exploration is rewarded. I don't think any video game does open world exploration quite as good as DD does.

The quest design is cryptic (and often questionable) and likes to challenge you. The game will say 'find [x] item' and not tell you where it is. Sometimes pawn knowledge may help, but expect to find it through exploring the world and digging around hidden corners. While some quests let you know where to go, don't always expect it.

Some side quests are gated by story progression and will become locked off when advancing the story. Make sure you finish all your side quests before advancing the story!

Don't jump in and accept every quest you see, as some quests are timed and some quests require a lot of preparation. For example, in DD1 escort quests involved escorting someone across the whole world. Read a quest carefully and know the terms before accepting it.

Timed quests are a thing, and usually act as a way to keep you on your toes and force you to prove your ability to adapt to changing circumstances. Expect to receive timed quests at any given moment, and adapt accordingly. They can be stressful.

New Game + is a major part of the game in the DD franchise. Things will happen in the game that will block you out of content. You will fail quests, make choices that block future content, consume items you didn't mean to, etc. NG+ is where you get to experience these all again, so don't worry too much if you weren't able to do it the first time around.

Per above, I personally avoid Googling stuff about the game or quests before doing them. Usually there are things you are going to miss, and reading about them sometimes feels worse than just discovering them later does!

There are two types of saves: "Hard" saves which occur when sleeping at an inn, and "Soft" saves done manually or via auto-save. Sometimes it's prudent to rest at an Inn before attempting major quest beats in case something goes awry.

DD loves consequences for your actions, and while every NPC in the game can be killed it is rarely ever worth it. In DD1, killing an NPC means they're gone forever, which can lock you out of new quests or progression and rewards related to that character. In DD2 there are resources costs to resurrect someone, which mitigates it slightly but still makes it not worth it.

'Forgeries' are a very cool mechanic that allow you to pay an NPC to make a copy of an item. The copy usually just looks identical, but this often allows you to keep quest items for yourself and turn in the forgery to a quest NPC. As with anything else, sometimes this may have future consequences!

Without spoiling anything: DD loves to radically change the open world. Watch out!

The Vocation system is worth exploring. For a cheap fee you can try out every class and find what works best for you, so if you start as a Fighter and hate being a Fighter you're never locked into it.

Levelling a vocation allows you to unlock passive abilities called 'augments' that can carry over between classes, and can help build your favourite vocation further.

Some Vocations have mobility skills (Levitate and Double-Vault). If you like exploring everywhere these are absolutely essential because they let you reach places some classes cannot.

Combining materials makes new items. Experiment to find new recipes.

In DD1 combining items often makes them heavier. In DD2 combining items often makes them lighter.

Every character in the game has an 'affinity' towards you, that changes with how you treat them. This has implications.

Anyway I'm just glad people are finally playing and talking about the franchise. Hope you have fun! :)

#dragon's dogma #dragon's dogma 2 #dd #dd2 #video game #video games #blog #tips #capcom #thoughts

43 notes · View notes

pb-n-j · 1 year

Text

✨️ Jupiter in the Houses (1-6) ✨️ (Planet of Luck and expansion)

Jupiter. . .

In First House: Luck is natural and you're blessed with beauty or natural charm. People are attracted to you as you are very gravitational, but this aspect allows for gluttony and the possibility of gaining weight easier as Jupiter is of expansion. Life seems to open up opportunities for you and you need to learn how to work for them when they do.

In Second House: You may have a liking for expensive things, money is easy for you and isn't much of a stress and you're known to bounce back from financial downfall either ease. Promotions and larger monetary positions come easier to you than with others, but avoid cockiness in your bank account and impulsive spending.

In Third House: You could be a motivational speaker, you have luck in short travel and technology, you could be a good hacker or technician and you are blessed with a creative and 5-stsr intellect that let's you find your way out of any situation. You have a great memory and find it easy to open yourself up to different perspectives and ideas. Don't be afraid to try new things.

In Fourth House: You could have a large family either born into or you'll have one. Family is very important to you and you'll find that when you find yourself feeling at home is when you will be the luckiest. Stay-at-home jobs and taking care or those you love will be very fortunate for you. Working as a family worker as well or dealing with family issues will bring healing and fortune too. Don't sacrifice yourself so much for your family.

In Fifth House: You're very Creative and you find yourself the most fortunate when you express yourself unashamedly and through art. Taking any creative field or hobby will allow you to excell quickly and naturally at it, you could even gain some fame from your performance arts or other artistic pursuits. You also find yourself able to easily understand and fit in with unique people so you'll have a very interesting friend group. Don't be too critical of your work and embrace your passion and creative desires.

In Sixth House: You will find medical fields and other fields related to helping others to be very fortunate for you. You're good at helping other people, and if you aren't, working for others or doing acts of service for the community will bring good karma. People seem to notice you the most when you put yourself out there to help others, and you'll find that helping other people will make them return the favor and other fortunate opportunities will open up for you. Be kind and beware of isolation and apathy.

- Red <3

#astrology #jupiter #astrology houses #jupiter in the 4th #jupiter in houses #jupiter in the 1st house #jupiter in the 2nd house #jupter in the 3rd house #jupiter in the 5th house #jupiter in the 6th house #horoscope #birth chart

126 notes · View notes

blackstarchanx3new · 9 months

Note

I LOVE YOUR RED DESIGN SO MUCH

He is SO OOOUUUUUUUUUHHHHGGGGG

all your designs for the fsr cast are so so so tasty i love them all ooouwwwaahhhwhwhhwhwhwaahaewawawaaa

Thanks! XD

There's no competition, I love the new one SO MUCH.

Trying to make them all look different while still having that Link flare is a challenge but fun.

His pink hair is such an improvement over the bright red that blended WAAAY to much into his hat.

Trying to draw his eyes more similar to how Akira does as well.

I made him slightly paler and Blue slightly less pale to give them some skin variation.

Red's hair and skin were blending too much imo before I made him paler. Working with various shades of red and pinks is so hard agh.

Gave him a more cherry red tunic too + a red for his belt and hat rim.

I'm taking this as an opportunity to talk about things I love about drawing/designing them.

Blue's super long side burns are a favorite design choice tho. XDDDD

Blue also has a more unique nose shape being inspired by the noses in Soul Eater.

Him having no tights I think shows his wreck-less nature. XD

Thicc eyebrows are visually tasty and don't let anyone say otherwise-

Vio's face + hair is a favorite of mine. He has such a draw-able face.

Him wearing twilight princess Link's outfit is very fitting for him I think.

Him always having his sword visible is annoying to draw but also shows he perpetually has it there is kinda off-putting.

It's also SUCH a stark contrast when in the head space he has no armor and is in way less clothes. I wouldn't call them "revealing" because they're not, but they are compared to his 100% head to toe covered look in the real world. No armor, no long sleeve shirt no long tights. Just a baggy t shirt and shorts lol.

His tunic having a chainmail layer underneath is fun, Vio is the most armored up Link out of the four atm with his arm guards PLUS chainmail.

Vaati is literally color-picked from minish cap and his design is taken right from that too, but playing around with him reverting back to Wind demon mode is super fun art wise.

His colored Akira art is so desaturated agh. XD

I'd love to give Vaati a new outfit at some point tho.

Dark's blank slate design is a favorite of mine. He's so dang cute but I'm very excited to draw him in new things when he gets a new outfit. I think atm tho it draws attention to his creepy chest eyeball, changing hair and his expressions more since his outfit IS so bland.

I just love Link. He is so precious to me. Trying to work in all the colors from the four of them was a challenge but also really satisfying in the final design I think.

I just love how Green is tiered and his hair is similar to Link's but with a cap on. Also he makes me like the color green I typically don't like working with green. XDDDD

His hair is a MESS and inspired by Oracle of ages manga Link's hair. Specifically how it tilts down instead of sticking upward like in FS.

Him wearing Ocarina of Time Link's outfit is fun but I think it works better on Shadow. XDDDD

I'm really happy people liked Gannondorf because I struggled hah. My art style is more simple than Akira's but I'm glad I could capture the essence of Gannondorf. UwU

Like, he was mostly inspired by Twilight Princess Gannon with Wind Waker and Ocarina Gannon flare.

Ngl I love how OOT Link's outfit looks on Shadow Link. He looks so edgy.

The hot topic boots and different toned brown for his chest belt and actual belt are just the cherry on top. XD

I try to keep his hair in line with how it's drawn in FS because it gives him a unique silhouette when he's a shadow.

Though I'd love to design him more Gannondorf inspired attire like his desert cloak.

His TP manga Midna inspired look was mostly due to me wanting to find a way to show his expressions while ALSO showing he is an entirely black shadow.

Anyways yeah, FSR is very fun to work on visually XD

#four swords returns #four swords manga #four swords adventures #four swords #four swords returns au #loz fsr au #loz

57 notes · View notes

from-izzy · 7 months

Text

that's him, that's just who he is | tbz kevin moon

» PAIRING: tbz kevin moon x gn! reader (proofread but lmk if i missed anything!) » TROPE/AU: childhood friends 2 strangers, highschool and slight uni au!, non-idol au!, idol au! (just kevin towards the end) » GENRE: once again...angst, fluff and comfort from the flashbacks, kevin being an extremely supportive friend, you're also an extremely supportive friend!, platonic 'i love you's being said, you both met at church, choir and ensemble singing!, you both are shy introverts that are only chaotic with each other » WORD COUNT: 4179 (2k word limit who?) » ESTIMATED READING TIME: ~15 mins » WARNINGS (lmk if i missed anything!): mentions of Christianity (not sure if it's a 'warning' but i felt like it should be mentioned!), swearing (b-word), mentions stress relating to: academic (high school), music and performing » PLAYLIST: you never know - HSMTMTS, you better know - red velvet, reflection - christina aguilera, steal the show - lauv, try everything - shakira navi/masterlist!! 🤍 series introduction 🤍 series masterlist

my second story for my project! this may be my favourite story ever ❤️‍🩹

ahhhh this got so personal so quickly 🥹 performing has always been for leisure for me, and for the same reasons in this story, i got so burnt out last year. writing this really made me realise how much i miss the stage. going from about 7 performances a year to only about 1 is to put it simply, heartbreaking.

but i learnt that there are opportunities. i learnt that i'm satisfied with just getting my voice out to the world whether it be through choir, the internet or on the streets. i think things will work out; time does help sometimes 🫶

for those who may not know, kevin's representative number is 16 🌙 and the meaning of this number is explained in this video! i did some research and found that it's from 1 Peter 5:6.

to my readers who are followers of God: I pray that you will always be filled with hope and joy as you advance in your daily endeavours. Believe that God has the best plans for you and that He will never leave you behind, especially when you are at your lowest. Confide in Him and love Him as much as He loves you.

“Can I sing this part with Kevin?”

The question is new to everyone who heard it. Did you just ask to do a supposed solo with someone else? No, you were not a greedy performer though you understood why most people would think that. The choir conductor looks to the other side of the ensemble where the group of altos stood. Including the older woman, all the children including the said boy stood there surprised at the request you asked for.

You’ve been singing in the church youth choir since you were ten and you were incredibly gifted. For example, you landed most of the solos and smaller ensemble parts whenever there was a chance. At first, you didn’t want to be in this church because you were shy (incredibly shy) and you never made a lot of friends in school and most definitely, outside of school. Needless to say, your parents were pretty worried but at the very least, they found that when you were asked to go to church events, you were able to talk with people, smile, and laugh but then you would go back into your shell.

Your parents met at this church through singing and performing together as part of the choir and the band. The children were around your age but you found that your interests mainly conflicted with them and it was hard to keep up with their conversations.

So, when a certain Moon family moved into your area and started attending their local church, Kevin, who happens to be a boy who is incredibly gifted in music, joined the choir with that unique, radiant, excited smile on his face. With a simple and friendly “Hello everyone. My name is Kevin, I’m fifteen and am very excited to be here!” Contrasting to his introduction, you found that Kevin was just as introverted as you were and with your courage to finally approach someone, you made your first friend. School life became better as well when you found out that Kevin attended the same school as you.

Going back to the first dialogue though, the duet did happen and the church community knew that you both were the perfect musical partners for each other. Your softer soprano voice complimented Kevin’s deeper alto voice easily. You both found yourself auditioning, performing, and showcasing your team work together in a bunch of school, church, and even the larger community-based musical events.

Now, after eight years of joining the choir, three after meeting Kevin, you were both in a state of uncertainty, distress, and frustration with the piles of sheet music that scattered everywhere to the point where it was almost covering the surface of your room’s floor. Your hair strands were everywhere and you were sick with the school uniform that you’ve had on since seven in the morning. You both have been secluding yourselves in your room, going back and forth with the arrangement of your final high school piece that you are going to perform with Kevin within less than a week.

The current situation in one word: messy.

It’s all a mess. About a week ago out of nowhere, your voice decided to have its own mind and leave for about a week. Kevin had a sudden test that his teacher thought would be fun to assign at the last minute. You also had this assignment that you were going to do but you found a mistake in the written arrangement, a note that was about a tone and a half out of your range, and since Kevin was better at rhythm, arrangement, and using the composing software, you could only sit next to his left in the corner of your room as he groaned at how the app was not doing what you both wanted to do.

So yes…it’s a mess, and it’s been around three hours.

“This is impossible.” A few more of your tears manage to trickle down your already red, puffy cheeks, “Okay you know what, I’ll just sing it. It’s fine. It’s not even two tones above what I usually sing in AND I’ve done it befo—”

“Lost your voice and felt lightheaded after.” Kevin cuts off your panicked rambles. No doubt, he’s feeling all the things that you are feeling right now but the only reason why he’s still able to muster up a smile and just ‘inhale, exhale’ through it all is because at the very least, one of you should be able to stay grounded, “We’re not going to put out a performance that we’re not proud of, okay? Especially when this is our last high school performance together.”

“We also said that we wouldn’t do any performances that were out of our capabilities.” At these words, you were both reminded of the promise you made to each other in front of your melted ice creams. It was an ‘oath’ that was made when you both realised you would be standing on the same stage, at the same time more often:

We will finish every performance to the best of our capabilities. We will focus more on quality rather than quantity.

At the new educational path that you were about to embark on, automatically closing this one that you’ve been on for just about six years, you were both starting to get greedy, wanting more than anything now to be on stage. With you both turning eighteen, you both couldn’t sing with the youth choir anymore. Taking music as a subject in high school meant there was a certain prerequisite in terms of how many stages you would have to perform; you and Kevin always exceeded this regardless with solos, duets, or larger ensembles. With graduation, however, the granted opportunity to perform would be taken away from you both and you were getting restless.

You were both greedy, forgetting almost all the other priorities that you had set out, and raked the internet for any chances to perform on stage. For the last two months, both of you have been juggling between your heavy study load, auditioning, composing, arranging, practising, and bowing at the end of it all. To the untrained ear, they could have probably missed the way you were momentarily out of tune or the way that Kevin missed his entry due to his fatigue. The greed consumed you both and most of the stages that you performed were nowhere near satisfactory for any standards that you both set for yourself. After the first performance that you were bashing yourself over, you rationalised that you would need to do another one to make up for the ‘loss’ from the previous one. That you NEED to go to another stage to make up for the ‘loss’ from the previous one.

That cycle is deadly and it keeps going for a while.

“Kev…I’m tired.” It feels like after a whole three years of back-to-back, almost seemingly non-stop performances in addition to the sudden addition from the past two months, you have finally hit a wall that you never wanted to admit. Kevin didn’t need verbal words to know the reason behind the lack of enthusiasm and the way the lyrics sing are no longer as projected and emotionful as before; because it was the same way to him.

“I know…” Kevin sighs. He finally relieves the downward strain on his neck, pulling it back up to rest against the wall. Offering you both comfort, he wraps his arm around the back of your shoulder, his palm pulling your left forearm to get you closer to him, “I’m sorry, I can’t get this right.”

“No, don’t say that.” You finally give in, plopping your head on his left shoulder in defeat, “I’m sorry. You’re doing your best.”

You let most of the silence fill you both, the hints of the trackpad clicking and the way the note that Kevin clicked would play out of his laptop’s speaker to audibly confirm the note that he just readjusted on the musical lines. Kevin’s left hand is maneuvering on the trackpad while his hand pats on your head that rested on his left shoulder, humming comfortingly while you calm your racing thoughts.

“But hey.” Kevin finally speaks up, “I just wanted to say that I like how busy this is making me.” Nodding to his own words, “It makes me forget the other subjects for a while.”

You exhale, knowing how much Kevin has been having a hard time with the other core subjects but still wakes up every day and chooses to smile courageously, “But this isn’t the right way. To forget other things, I mean.”

“I know, I know.” The boy lets out a little ‘aha’ when he finally finds the rhythm that you both wanted, playing the bar again and again, tapping his index finger on his thigh as he follows the 4/4 count, “But hey, thanks for accepting this performance even with all the final year-end exams. Or else I would REALLY be overthinking that recent chemistry test.”

“Love you, bro.” Reminding him thoughtfully to calm the noise in his head, “I’m always here for you.”

“Love you too, sis.” Playfully, he makes a fist and gently taps your forehead with his knuckles, emitting a laugh from you, “Just take a rest, okay? I’ll just,” Kevin adjusts his slouching posture, straightening his back fully against the wall so that his shoulders are higher and more comfortable for you to lay on, “be on another war with this app. You would expect I know all the tricks after using it for a year but guess not.”

So yes, it was a bit of a mess but on the bright side, you are both extremely proud of that final stage together as high school students. It earned a huge round of applause from the audience and many thankful regards were given by all the teachers in the department of music. It was a bittersweet feeling to see the head of music cry at the realisation that he would never see his two best students attend his class anymore but he made you both promise to visit once in a while.

But the performance being an open event, neither of you realised the opportunities or the types of people that would attend the concert. And so here you both are in an educational setting but with casual clothing unlike the blazer, tie, and the one hundred percent cotton blouses that you were forced to wear.

“Gosh Kev, you’re so funny!” Kevin smiles nervously, biting on his bottom lip as he refuses to look at you at all. You continued to laugh a little bit more, the tears in your eyes and the stitch on your abdomen growing with each breath you took. It’s when Kevin doesn’t laugh along or show any indications of joining in that you raise your eyebrows, some sort of nervousness in your eyes, “Wait, you’re being serious?!”

“It’s crazy, I know!” You just stare at him in shock, your mouth hanging wide open at your best friend next to you, “I think I’ll take the chance and university can wait. People can apply to university anytime but this?” He is finally telling you his worries and thoughts that have been running endlessly after two months of keeping it in, “It’s kind of time crucial.”

"Yes,” You understood his worries, knowing that the life of being a celebrity or an idol is quite limited. It has never been said explicitly but at least for Korean companies, there is a reason why there is always a certain age limitation when auditioning, “I get that but Kevin, are you sure? I get that you've always been into music and you've always been good at it! Trust me, I know! But you've always wanted to be here as well! You never really wanted to be a musical artist."

"That's why life is crazy right?"

You just finished your last class of the day and surprisingly Kevin shows up, waiting for you, looking conflicted and stressed about a subject that you obviously did not know about. His tired smile told you everything, you being able to read him easily like an open book. Kevin realises this, his shoulder slumping in defeat with how you look at him in concern and he feels your hesitation to keep the conversation going.

“Your ‘passive-aggressive tiger parents’ are good with it?”

“Well,” Reminded of the day that Stella convinced their parents to let him go with his path and to support his desires, “I guess so? They let me do everything and introduced me to music so it ain't my fault!" He finally turns to you for the first time after the laughing fit, "You’ll support me right?"

"Of course I will!" You confirm incredulously, both your eyebrows raising and the volume of the sentence rising with each word, “Damn we only met a bit over three years ago but it really does feel like we’ve been friends since birth.”

Kevin shrugs, happy with your genuine response to his uncertainties, “I’m just cool in that way.”

A roll of your eyes is your only response to him, “So, when’s the last time that I’ll see your ‘slay’ful face?”

He grimaces at the way you worded the adjective, “Ew, what is that word?” But then the truth had to be dropped someday; that being right now, “Y-Yeah about that.”

“Kevin Moon.” You frown at the way he just whistles to avoid the subject, an obvious action to buy time, “Kevin.”

"Not too soon! Like…like five days…"

Comedically, the crows on the campus made their signature noise and you took in the information slowly.

"WHAT THE BLEEP DUDE?!"

"OKAY IN MY DEFENCE I REALLY DIDN'T KNOW WHAT TO DO! YOU KNOW HOW INDECISIVE I AM!"

"OKAY BUT YOU NEVER BOTHERED TO TELL ME?!"

"I'M SORRY!"

Smiling at the obvious decrease in the stack of papers that needed to be marked, you decide to stretch your limbs and take a breath of fresh air before your energetic third graders arrive at school. You really left it to the last minute and you can’t wait to finish the last day of the week so that you can chill until another week starts. The weather was strangely gloomy, possibly due to the rainfall and the colder wind. You kind of regretted coming out, especially since the steam from your coffee no longer had that hypnotising white swirl in the air.

But you didn’t leave.

Instead, you even lean over the balcony’s metal railing. Even with the long sleeve covering your elbows, you enjoyed the contrast between your still-healthy body temperature and the icy surface. You weren’t sure why either but you just wanted to bask in the cold air and you can only pray that you weren’t going to get sick. The weather causes your shoulders to tense, bringing them towards the centre of your body to try and conserve some heat. It didn’t work that well but you were still feeling some sort of comfort with the morning weather.

You didn’t realise the time that passed by faster when you were practically doing nothing. The driveway, parking lots, and walkways eventually fill themselves with the diverse colours of school bags, shoes, and hair accessories. Mentally preparing yourself for the day ahead, you prepared your ‘teacher smile’, trying your best to hide your fatigue from the seemingly long week.

"Teacher, teacher!"

You finally lean away from the railing, giving a slight nod to the parent of your most energetic student, and the gesture is returned straight away. Crouching down to match his eye level, you put your palm out to him and he slaps his palm on yours, "Wow. Looks like someone had too much sugar."

"Teacher! Do you know K-Pop?" Your body froze just like the raindrops that didn’t make it to the floor, hanging solid on the rooftop’s overhang, "It's a huge thing right now!"

Oh, if only he knew…

"I can hear your rumbling thoughts like an open book." After his flustered state and a string of apologies that led you to put him in a joking headlock, Kevin grew quiet once again, letting his thoughts fill in the atmosphere between you both, "What's up? And don't lie because you know you suck at it."

The boy attempts to change the subject again, "If it's a book then wouldn't it be read instead of heard?"

"...ok smartass." You stare at him unimpressed with his attempt, "But no seriously, what's up? You know that it's okay not to be okay."

"It's just that…" He ponders, a sad smile on his face as he thinks about his current life situation, "My life is fine as it is right now. It's all great: I'm going to a good university, studying the course I want and I'm looking forward to being a teacher." An eyebrow slowly raised on your side, prompting him to continue, "Why is this happening now? Why is this happening when everything is going fine?" Kevin's facade finally breaks, his eyes pooling with tears with the many unanswered questions, "Why didn't this opportunity come earlier? Maybe when I wasn't in university? I can't even get a refund now…"

"Hey…" Kevin rarely cries in public. For one, you've only seen him cry twice and both times were because he dived in too deep with his plans, making him depressed and lost. You realised once again, with the tears that fell on his jeans that Kevin is not the happy-go-lucky guy who he displays himself to be most of the time. He's human above everything else and even though he always tries to see the best in every situation, it's moments like these that you see your best friend in a different light than the rest of the world, "Money is not all to life, you know? What's the point of stacking up money when you can't even do what you want?"

"But then why would people be so money-crazed then? People work for money…"

"To use it on what they love and need. Some people don't even feel like work is for money." Even though Kevin just stares down at the floor, swinging his legs in the air, you know that he's taking in everything you're saying, "But that's beside the point right now, okay? If making the stage your usual routine will lead you to happiness, then I want you to take it."

"But…why?" The clause can never be fully answered and Kevin knew that despite his multiple endeavours to rake for answers, "Why me? When everything is going well?"

"Because God has different plans for you." Inhaling the colder air, you told yourself to remember this moment between you and him, "I'm not saying you're pretending to be someone you're not. But the moment that you stop pretending, the moment you accept that something out there is better for you, I think will be the moment when you finally accept yourself."

"Are you positive that it'll come?" His voice decreased, along with the final bits of his self-confidence, "The journey of self-acceptance, I mean."

You both have been talking in hushed whispers, as gentle as the whistling wind. But you decide to finally add confidence into the conversation.

"Hey Kevin." The said boy looks up to you, "Humble yourselves, therefore, under God's mighty hand…"

"...that he may lift you in due time." He finishes the biblical passage that he has been fascinated with for the longest time.

Satisfied, you nod, proud of him, "I can't answer your 'whys', Kevin. To be honest, I don’t think anyone can." You finally voice your opinion, knowing now that your time with him is limited, "But just know that even though you would have strived here in university, one of God's greatest gifts for you is your musicality."

Your words relieve Kevin of his headache, heartache, and the shirt that he has been clamping since the start of the day. You chuckle when Kevin asks for a hug, opening your arms wide to offer him the best comfort that he will forever cherish and be thankful for. Soothingly, you sway your body side to side, humming the melody to the latest (and last) song that you performed together. Kevin joins in with his harmony which has always left people in awe and starstruck.

"Maybe you're just meant to be up there and twerk in front of the camera and not just to our friends." You comment when the song comes to an end.

"Wow, alright." His sniffles didn't cease even when he dragged the final 'w' and 't'.

"You'll be okay, Kevin." The light but secure taps on his back prove your reassuring words, "I know you will."

"Surely…right?" It's the final question that he would ever ask you about this subject, "As we know, not everything we see on the screen is real. I just feel like I'll lose myself because the idol world wants us to be a certain way."

"No, I don't think you will." You pull Kevin away, pouting at his flushed cheeks and tired face, "I know it's stressful to keep up with society but I hope you know that there will be people that will love and support you. And if you make a mistake? If you lose yourself in shape, way, or form? Then you fight. You fight for your rights and fight for them righteously. You’ll fight because like you always say: learn from relationships. You learn the do's and not do's and still keep the relationship genuine."

“You have that much faith in me?”

“I do.” You tilt your chin high in the air, confidence finally reaching him in the form of a bright smile, "And for those who don’t,” You shake your head, flipping your hair back sassily, “those bitches can walk out the door."

You remember the memory somewhat fondly. To be honest, you found it a bit funny because you lost your best friend over music. You would learn after his departure that you would never find a friend like him ever again. Ironically, it was music that brought you two together—yet it was the same thing that drifted you both apart.

It took a while for you to bounce back. You grew bitter about doing music especially when Kevin no longer answered any of your messages anymore out of nowhere. When you bumped into Stella while grocery shopping, you found out that it was because of his phone ban as a trainee. You remember going home that day, feeling guilty that you blamed him, not considering his external situation; especially when you knew that Kevin would never cut someone off without an explanation. Yes, it’s been lonely; you did lose your best friend after all. At first, you regretted letting him go, you resented him for not texting you back and you avoided the stage because it reminded you of him.

But God had a different plan for you too. Because when you accidentally clicked on one of the recommended videos on your page, the satisfied smile, the happy tears and the relieved exhale showed your real feelings that you were merely in a phase of confusion. All the hate, all the resentment, all faded as soon as you heard the slightly changed vocal timbre that you unfortunately are no longer used to. You found peace with the person who dances happily underneath the flashing, colourful lights with ten other boys.

“Teacher?” The boy’s innocent head tilt pulls you back to the present time and he seems pleased with the way you nod to his question, “I like K-Pop too! I found this group! They’re called THE BOYZ!”

You were amazed at the stars that the topic put to your student’s eyes and you nodded intently to his excited story. It’s not long after when the mother pushes her child in, sitting him down so that you can get on with your priorities. You straighten your knees, standing back up, pushing your hips out side to side to stretch from the unexpectedly long conversation.

“Damn, Kev…” Your shoulders and chest rise at the deep breath and your hands find their place on your hips, “And after all these years…you’re still able to make me smile?”

The starting bell rang just in time for your last student to arrive just before you closed the glass door to block out the outside background noise. With the final student ready and set up, you stand in front of the electronic board that displays the first class of the day. Your mind begins to wonder again, particularly about the boy that you once shared a dream with. Routinely, you rhythmically clap to grab everyone’s attention, and surely enough, the conversations between the students die down, and you give back the fond look that your students gave you.

“Shall we start music class?”

The enthusiastic response answers your wondering thoughts and the question you asked yourself outside the classroom.

“Guess that’s just you, Kevin. That’s just who you are, Kev.”

navi/masterlist!! 🤍 series introduction 🤍 series masterlist tags (send a dm/ask if you would like to be here!): @deoboyznet 📢❤️ @k-labels 💙🤍 @k-films 🤎🎞️ @kflixnet 📺🍿

40 notes · View notes

acupofqueercoffee · 2 years

Text

“Love thrives on coffee, dark and creamy”

Request by @varnos-kavine

Hello! I love your writing style and I was wondering if you could maybe write a fic where Lesso and the reader aren't together yet, but have mutual crushes and when the reader gets sick Lesso panics a bit and takes care of reader and when they are better they give Lesso a kiss as a thank you for taking care of them. Then maybe at the end them cuddling together in readers bed, just tooth rotting fluff :Dd

i’m dishing out fluff fics like there is no tomorrow. not trying to sound hifalutin or anything but i should seriously be appointed the president of lesso fluff club xD and my goodness, thank you so much! ^^

────────────────────

Is there anything more exhilarating than returning to your alma mater?

Setting foot once again in the sacred grounds not as a student but a teacher. Walking through the hallways, that have magically remained the same after all these years, with an air of nostalgia cocooning you. Working along immensely gifted people who have nurtured you into what you are today, who are the very architects of this newly appointed teacher standing here right in front of them.

Only by virtue of their teachings are you now able to share, the knowledge that you have reaped and the lessons that you have learnt through your professors once upon a time, with your very own students.

You have a vast array of characters in your classroom, every single one of them uniquely interesting in their own way, now that the two schools have become one. They have since your year. In fact, it is during the middle of your first year that the school master has decided to introduce the new system.

The road has been bumpy at best at first, for both the professors and the students, but it gets significantly smoother as time goes by. Now, even though there emerge occasional kerfuffles over some things and topics as is common in general society, the school runs seamlessly otherwise.

The students are respectful towards their teachers, and the teachers, too, work together to ensure equal opportunities, and offer the best education for their students.

It is early in the morning, and you have been marking papers at your desk in the teachers’ common room, before a hand enters your vision as a steaming mug is placed in front of you.

Looking up is not necessary for you to determine who it is. The ring-adorned lithe fingers, with long nails neatly polished in sterling silver is an instant giveaway.

In fact, yes. Yes, there is one thing more exhilarating than returning to your alma mater. Returning to your alma mater that also happens to have the woman whom you are positively, perpetually enamoured of.

“Dovey says you like coffee with cream, yes?” So, she has questioned, and your doe-eyed gaze has moved from admiring her lovely, long fingers to her exquisitely sculpted face, as she continues. “I accidentally spilled cream into my coffee. You can have it.”

It takes you a while to really register what she has just said, only realising that she is awaiting your response when you notice the slight tilt in her eyebrow.

“Oh!” You replace the quill with the mug, cradling it in your hands. “Uhm- thank you, Lady Lesso.”

“Lesso will do just fine now that we’re part-” She hesitates, then cooly recovers. “-colleagues.”

“Alright.” You give her a small smile, take a sip of the creamy goodness.

“Mmm, just how I like it. Thanks, Lesso.”

She acknowledges you with a nod. You have only just diverted your gaze towards the entrance at the sound of Professor Dovey and Anemone, but the dean in front of you has already left by the time your gaze returns.

The next morning, it is you setting the steaming mug of coffee atop the dean’s desk.

“Professor Dovey and Anemone must have forgotten to let me know that we’re out of cream. I can’t really take my coffee dark, but I know you like yours dark.”

It is then that you notice another mug, sitting empty on the mahogany tabletop.

“Oh, you seem to have made a cup for yourself already. It’s okay. I can give it to Professor Anemone. She usually takes-”

No sooner have your fingers wrapped around the warm mug to take it away than gracefully long digits are locking around your wrist.

“Who said I was drinking coffee? It was just water. Leave it here. I’ll have it.”

In fact, it has not been just water. After ingesting two cups of unadulterated, black coffee, not only have her nerves been hyperactive the whole day, she also has to lie awake in bed until dawn.

Earlier today, as the dean is heading towards another classroom after finishing one, a student has approached her, saying that you have addressed a message to her.

And now, she awaits your arrival in a secluded area of the garden.

According to what you have said to her through your student, you should have been meeting her here almost thirty minutes ago. Suddenly feeling foolish and frustrated at both you for going against your words and herself for acting like a naive schoolgirl, she leaves the garden, teeth gritted, and grip, white-knuckled tight on her cane as it meets the floor with more force than is necessary.

It is on her way back to the common room that she comes across a commotion right in the middle of a hallway. At first, she dismisses it just another case of the students getting a little too excited, but when she senses that something is wrong, she quickly begins making her way through the crowd.

And what she finds immediately chases away all the bitterness that has been bubbling inside, replaced entirely by concern.

With her heart in her mouth, she rushes towards your side, but a small crumpled heap on the ground, asking around as she does so. “What happened?”

“When we found her, she had already collapsed.”

Your silky white gown is sullied, beads of scarlet fixed into the soft fabric like a sickening version of tiny rubies.

“Why is there blood?”

“We don’t know, Lady Lesso.”

She has to physically release a deep shuddering breath to calm herself. Without wasting another second, she effortlessly gathers you into her arm, and it is then that Anemone and Dovey subsequently arrives, gasping upon seeing your state but then, clearing the way for Lesso to swiftly carry you out of here. Dovey grabs her cane from its forgotten place on the floor as she marches towards your chamber.

Upon getting you into bed and out of your attire, she is partially relieved to find upon your body no injuries. However, your body is lacking colour, and evidenced by the encrusted blood around your nostrils which had already been wiped clean, you must have bled as well. Even though both Dovey and Anemone proposes to take shifts looking after you, she refuses to leave your side, taking it entirely upon herself to care for you, and just sitting by your bed to keep an eye on you.

You wake up when night falls, feeling better than you have in the afternoon, finding upon awakening a head full of strawberry strands atop your creamy sheets. You try to be as subtle as you can, but even the slightest shift of your body is more than enough to bring her out of her slumber.

“You’re awake. Are you feeling better?”

“Much.”

“Do you want to eat something?”

“Perhaps later. I’m not very hungry.”

“Do you need anything?”

“Can you…?” You let it hang, instead patting the empty space beside you with a hand.

Silently, surprisingly, she obliges, slipping under the duvet, and adjusting herself until she is facing towards you.

“I was worried.” A thumb has unexpectedly found home on your cheek, caressing along your cheekbone with feather-soft tenderness. “You scared me.”

“I’m sorry.” You shift closer to her, and kiss her sweetly on the very tip of her lovely, little nose. When you part, she holds you close, keeping you from moving away with an arm around your back. “Thank you so much Lesso, for taking care of me.”

A hum along with a kiss atop your forehead has been her response. When the arm around your back tightens, and you are pulled deeper into her, you press your face against her throat. She smells divine, like her favourite cup of freshly brewed coffee, with just the faintest notes of a petrichor. You bury your nose in the little dip, inhale heartily.

“I missed my evening classes.”

“I asked Dovey and Anemone to fill in for us, and promised to take their shifts tomorrow.”

“We can share the classes between the two of us.”

“Sorry to break it to you, sweetheart, but you are to rest in bed tomorrow. The schoolmaster’s order.”

“But Lesso,-” You whine, seek her face. “-your schedule is already packed as it is. If you’re going to take-”

She gazes down at you, eyes teeming with mirth at your little pout, as she shushes you with a finger on your lips.

“Fret not, darling. Starting from tomorrow, you’ll be giving me kisses everyday as compensations.” While her forehead parks on yours, your cheek is gingerly pinched between her thumb and forefinger. “In the meantime, I want you to just rest and recover. Alright?”

You steal a quick kiss from her, keeping your lips in close proximity even when you part, and from there, you murmur. “Why tomorrow when I can start right away.”

You dive in to press another kiss to her lips, lingering there this time as she gathers you in her arms, keeping your dainty frame pressed against her body.

And that is how you fall asleep, cocooned in each other’s embrace.

────────────────────

you know what the student coming up to lesso to deliver your message is actually dovey and anemone’s doing. they sent another student to you as well with the message that the dean would like to have a word with you privately. lmao they were fed up with the two of you chickening out and tiptoeing around each other that they decided to play cupids. although it did not go as planned, the outcome was favourable all the same. so mission accomplished i guess.

321 notes · View notes

polybiusplayer · 7 months

Note

i am once again thinking about ninejuice (for the first time in a whole month wow)

thats all! have a nice rest of your day

ME TOO OML!!

Oh boy I’m gonna take this opportunity to rant about them.

Nine Juice rant below, read at your own risk.

I’m thinking about them so often…. ITS LIKE!!! I can totally understand people seeing them as only platonic!! And I’ve always actually felt kinda nervous to ship them for some reason… the 17776 enjoyers haven’t been much to do shipping, especially since romance is not really the point of the story, at all. but I just really believe they have a bond that just, is a lot.

There is a level of understanding and compassion that Juice shows to Nine in his own ways, he knows exactly how to help Nine cope after the intermission, he knows what they’re thinking when their communications fuck up. (Nine was indeed cussing him out, they said “fuck you.”) He is teasing as always, but not hesitant to reassure them afterwards.

Nine is very observant. They make note of Juices usage of grammar, how he capitalizes thing that are important to him. I can’t remember exactly which chapter that’s in, but I’m like 100% sure Nine pointed this out. Obviously, Nines name is almost always capitalized . This is a notable exception

Has he EVER used this many exclamation points?!

I also love the way the infodump to each other. Ten by this point has heard Juices rants a billion times before, she loves him, but is sick of them! Of course he sees no problem in that. But then suddenly there’s a new listener who is intensely eager and interested in what he has to say! It feels special, because Nine never seems to get bored of it. They love to hear him talk, about anything really, but especially what he’s passionate about. -

Which is mostly football. Football is how he processes the world. With sports and all the things that come with it he was able to come to terms with reality. He looks at it through such a unique lense in order to make sense of it all. Even his own football game is not just insane rules strung together all willy nilly, it’s truly a work of art with a deeper meaning. It’s like he’s painting with the fields, you know?

Nine understands this, and if they don’t, they WANT to. In my mind, Juices voice and rambles about lunchables or whatever start off confusing to them, but once they understand where it comes from and why and what Juice is trying to attempt with all this, they understand a lot.

Nine copes with history, they look into the past for comfort and familiarity. they feel so intensely behind, at first it started as a way to catch up and feel up to date with their friends, but then they discovered that the history of this world was just sort of a safe space for them. Juice loves to hear Nine talk about stuff even he never knew about. Nine is quite the researcher, and is always able to pull up SOMETHING. He is too, but not to this level. They share facts and information back and forth, intently listening to each other and trying to understand. Always.

Juice knows what Nines going through, it’s quite obvious with what he says here.

They ground each other in this reality, they give each other a person to talk about football with. Someone to try and not think about things too hard with. And then when things DO get hard? And the thoughts are too much? They’ll always be there for each other to help.

An underrated aspect about Juices character is how intelligent he is. SURE, he spends a lot of time joking around, that’s just his thing!!! But he is by no means stupid, he’s a little silly, but so so much more than that. He also cares, a lot! He is lonely, he loves his friends so dearly although he doesn’t express it nearly as much as Nine.

Nine is also a lot more than their troubles. A lot of their arc has to do with coming to terms with the state of existence, but they’re also incredibly compassionate and loving. SO SO loving. They’re blindly trusting, showing no hesitation with their love for everyone. They’re observant, and also a bit of a jokerster! They got that from Juice.

I don’t know where I’m going with this, I just really like the two of them, I love their dynamic. I feel like if they could, they would hug for a real long time. Unfortunately they’re way too far apart and made of nuts and bolts. But they still love each other, nothing changes that, not in a billion years

#polybius talks #17776

19 notes · View notes

blueboyluca · 5 months

Note

hi, i'm coming to you with a question, if that's alright. do you have any tips on reading a dogs body language? i'm trying new enrichment ideas, but i feel like it's hard to know whether my dog likes them or not. (i just dont force her to do things so if she really disliked something i guess she could.. walk away? idk) i'm a complete begginer at taking care of dogs more than "feed, cuddle, let out into the yard so they can poop and run around" so this is super new for me and even the most obvious things will probably help. i want to make sure she's having a lot of fun and her having a fun time is my priority:) (she's a half foxterrier half mutt if that helps!) thank you so much and hope you and all your companions have a wonderful day!!<3

Hello! I find it very flattering that you've come to me for advice, but I want to preface that I am not a professional or an expert in any way!

However, I think I can guide you to some great resources.

The first part of your question about dog body language – I highly recommend three books. The first is probably the most accessible, Doggie Language by Lili Chin. It's very beginner friendly! It has lots of cute illustrations and is a very easy read. The second is On Talking Terms with Dogs by Turid Rugaas, which is also an easy read but takes a little more effort to think about while you are reading. The last is Canine Body Language by Brenda Aloff, which is great for if you want to really deep dive with lots and lots of photos to analyse.

Learning dog body language is always beneficial! But what you are also asking about is, how to tell if enrichment is working. I think one of the biggest misunderstandings people have about enrichment is that it's just about providing activities for pets. That's not actually the case. Enrichment is about meeting an animal's needs by providing opportunities for them to carry out species-typical behaviour. What you are looking for is the areas where you can provide for your animal's needs, and then you observe if there were positive effects on the animal's overall behaviour. "Positive effects" is very broad, but some common examples would be that your animal has a wide and varied repertoire of behaviour, that it is able to rest regularly, and that it engages with its environment with minimal fear or anxiety.

If you feel a bit lost and overwhelmed, I love Pet Harmony as a resource. They are an animal behaviour consultant business, but they provide tons of free and paid resources for people. Two of their blog entries that might help are 'Enrichment Isn't About the Activity' and 'Creating Your Enrichment Plan'. They also have a great podcast called Enrichment for the Real World, and the business owners Allie Bender and Emily Strong have a book called Canine Enrichment for the Real World, which has all their information in book form.

I applaud you for moving beyond the basic approach to pet care. It's awesome that you are thinking about providing more enrichment for your dog. This shows you are thinking about your dog as an individual with unique needs and desires, which is a hugely important step on the path to improving dog welfare across the board.

#dogblr #enrichment #asks

17 notes · View notes

swanhurrem · 1 year

Text

Chapter 6:

Embry Call x FemReader (no use of y/n).

Sumary: You were best friends with Embry, Jacob and Quil. And you saw how each one of them walked away from you. What will happen when out of nowhere they try to fix their relationship?

Disclaimer: The photo is not mine, I took it from pinterest. Credits to the author.

Twilight Masterlist.

Imprint Masterlist (this serie).

Seattle was incredible. Considering that you had spent your entire life in La Push, Seattle was magnificent in your eyes. Chris was right and Pike Place Market had been the most interesting place for you; you bought a lot of beautiful crafts at very affordable prices along with several books that you couldn't find in Forks. And the Big Wheel was now your favorite attraction, Christopher waited until Friday night to take you there, claiming it would be a "wonderful" sight and even though you had complained about it countless times, you proved him right by being there.

When you finally put aside your distrust of the attraction, you were able to delight in the thousands of stars shining above you, the beautiful glow of the city and how the lights of the Big Wheel reflected perfectly in the water next to the dock. Chris laughed at you every time you looked at him in amazement, looking at you in a unique way with his green eyes.

But not everything was so happy, the days were also very strange. You did not stop feeling different gazes on you, some of them made you feel a strong headache, as if the person who was looking at you was full of hostility. While other looks produced great comfort in you, although it was still intimidating. Every time Chris asked you if something was wrong, you just told him it was nerves from being in a new place, he smiled back and you both went on your way.

But sooner than you would have liked, it was already Sunday afternoon. Your boyfriend had agreed to take you for the last time to the Big Wheel, because at night you would start the trip back to Forks.

The journey to the attraction was short, considering that you had stayed not far from there. Getting off the Jepp you could already see all the children around you laughing with a lot of sweets in their hands, their parents behind them apologizing to people every time their children bumped into them.

Your arm was wrapped around Chris's and you couldn't help but see as he was absorbed in the calm that surrounded him. You didn't know it, but these days had been a kind of rebirth for him; Being with you in a place so far from his home and his problems had given him the opportunity, after a few long months, to immerse himself in a relaxation that he had been needing for a long time.

"What do you want, a cotton candy or popcorn?" he asked turning his head towards you "What do you see?" he caught you right in the act, blushing like those caramel apples he kept eating.

"I only see you" you smiled at him "these days with you were incredible, I really enjoyed them" you said softly.

He looked down at his shoes before taking your hand, leaving a small kiss there and placing it on his chest, over his heart. You had no idea what you had done to have him in your life but surely you are always grateful.

"I'll go buy the things" he said as he went to line up, there were several people in front of him, so you sat on a bench. You saw him for a few seconds while he talked to the people around him, that's how he was; he had a bubbly personality and couldn't go a few minutes without sharing his energy with other people.

You soon turned around looking for something interesting to look at when you saw a woman looking at you from afar. Some people passed in front of her and she suddenly disappeared. You turned to see your boyfriend and you were glad to see that he was still waiting, taking advantage of that moment to look for that mysterious woman you had seen.

Was it a bad idea? Yes, completely and absolutely, but you could swear that the gaze of that mysterious woman was the one you had been feeling since you arrived in Seattle and against your better judgment, you headed towards the most desolate part of the entire fair.

Taglist:

@ xmysec0ndself

@ ravenclaw-hoe

@ b-tchymoon

@ poopietomutch

@ rosebud1510

Let me know if you want to be added or removed from the tag list. And thank you for all the support, it's very important and precious to me💗

_________

Buy me a coffee.

#embry call #embry call x reader #twilight #Twilight wolf pack #wolfpack #Quil Ateara #jacob black

87 notes · View notes

lastontheboat · 9 months

Note

Fandom creators self rec game! Choose five favourites from your own creations (and tell me why, if you like!), then pass on to at least five other people. I'd love to hear what you're proudest of.

Thank you @tackytigerfic for providing me an opportunity for navel-gazing! I enjoyed reading about your own favourites; I find it super interesting to see what other creators value about their works.

Per my last letter (I hope you choke on it)

This is my favourite completed fic for a number of reasons:

1. I had always wanted to try writing an epistolary

2. I had always wanted to try collaborating on a fic with a friend

3. The writing process was an absolute joy

It feels like a distillation of many of my favourite things, but unlike many fics the creation process didn't involve tearing my hair out trying to make it do what I wanted. Whenever I'd get stuck, I'd just close the document and go to bed, then when I woke up the next morning @fluxweeed would have added several new scenes that set my brain on fire. It was an absolutely magical experience for me, and I'm extremely fond of the end result. This is probably the fic of mine that I've re-read the most, and it delights me every time!

Podfic of Stop All The Clocks, by firethesound

I've got a lot of podfics to choose from, but this is one that I'm particularly proud of. The original fic is imprinted on my soul, but the thing that sticks with me more than the actual plot is the sensation of reading it and feeling my heart break over and over.

Making podfics is a very personal craft for me. It's an investment of my time, and I generally choose ones to record that I strongly associate with a particular first-time reading experience. This was my sixth large podfic project, and I really wanted my reading to amplify the heartbreak that's already present in the text. It was a much more emotional recording and editing process than most of my podfics, but it's also the only one I've listened to entirely after releasing it.

I'm extremely fond of every listener who has taken the plunge and commented about their experience of it, and completely understand everyone who has been like "I don't fuck with that fic. You couldn't pay me to listen it."

body electric

This is the first fic I can recall writing that was entirely driven by a feeling. I remember being consumed by the idea of that spark between Harry and Draco, of them needing to feed it and hold it but being unable to act upon it. I was between jobs and had a lot of time to myself, and I wrote this fic in a fugue state over the space of two days. I had never experienced a writing process so feverish before, and I don't know if I will again.

I also need to shout out the beta feedback I got from @zaharya on this one, whose very insightful comments about the passage of time in the second chapter led to me adding a bunch of my favourite lines to it:

“I want to bend you over this table,” he says, panting now. “I want you under me, here in my workshop. You’ll leave here and every time you smell wood shavings you’ll think of me.” “I already do,” Malfoy says, his voice cracking.

Podfic of If The Fates Allow, by saras_girl

I spend a lot of time listening to audiobooks these days, and I really appreciate being able to consume so many stories while driving or cooking. For me, recording a podfic is about giving others the opportunity to experience some of my favourite fics, and trying to capture some of what they mean to me in my voicing.

saras_girls fics hold a very special place in my heart, and this one is my absolute favourite of hers. As a podfic, the biggest challenge here was dealing with the ensemble cast—it stretched the limits of unique voices I could do without them sounding forced, but it was also exciting trying to keep the voices consistent across 25 chapters.

the spirit is willing (the flesh is weak)

This is the newest fic that I finished (the only one so far in 2023), but I haven't made too much noise about it on here because it's attached to my alt account. This one started out as a concept that wouldn't leave me alone (Bill/Ginny fuck or die), but it's also another data point in my exploration of what it's like to write smut.

I still don't think it comes naturally to me, whatever that means—I'm much more comfortable keeping my writing to Teen, but I'm very satisfied with how this fic achieves what I set out to do with it. It was a stretch, but a good stretch!

#my works #navel-gazing #i've always wanted to put together some behind the scenes posts about my creations #thank you helping that process along!

22 notes · View notes

ppoppokari · 3 months

Text

💜💜…idol life ship…💜💜

@niohoon

well i'm so excited to say this is finally done! i had so much fun doing this ship. i speed wrote this like heck since i was so looking forward to having this one done for you!

also side note i didn't proofread this and i'm definitely forgetting how to english after studying chinese 😀

~your company~ cube entertainment 💜💜

~group name~ nixve

~members~ 5

~debut date~ 9th of September, 2019

~pre debut days~

in many ways you were the wildcard who turned out to be the ace. yet you don't really perceive it that way at all. unlike yeonjun who loves to have playful, smug jab at how perfect he was back as a trainee, you seem to have some kind of disconnect.

at the time you never felt like an idol, you were just a teen going through life, while simultaneously trying to be one of the top trainees.

you never liked to admit just how competitive you were, yet you couldn't prevent the way it seemed to leak out of you. you didn't have to express your true intentions for it to be apparent that you had a dangerous side to you. while most trainees were intimidated by you there was a soft part in the hearts of the staff members. even so there was this sense of tough love where the knew you would absolutely thrive in an environment where you were really put to work.

all things considered there was extremely soft side that came through where your peers could tell that you meant well, though you seemed so far removed from them you actually did appreciate and admire a few of the other trainees. once you let that be known you were actually pleased to find that the admiration was mutual.

once your cold demeanour shifted it was easier for them to see your intentions and just how brilliant your mind was when it came to performing, you just knew how to be an idol.

this was why you were chosen as the first member of nixve, which was quite surprising considering you were the 2nd youngest trainee at the time. in any other circumstance this would have inflated ones ego, however, you were just relieved that you managed to take a step in the right direction.

the idol life was more of a sentiment rather than a victory. back then you didn't see yourself as more than a girl with dream, an idea that you still kept to this day. fame or money was worthless in comparison to having the opportunity to truly express yourself.

~about you~

nixve's concept is quite unique, it was quite literally an amalgamation of the most abstract modern concepts. nixve stands for many things as a group, the groups lore is actually very complex but thanks to overall talent that nixve possesses you're able to create music that always feels like it's from another plane of existence.

as you can probably guess this group was supposed to be the experimental alternative to blackpink though this wasn't explicitly pushed. it's more that they wanted to combine the blatant girlboss badassery with something extra, which actually relates to your very specific debut date. 999 as an angel number signifies completion and new beginnings, so the 9/9/19 tends to refer to the time when nixve met their one true loves- their fans.

additionally, nixve also leans into a modern, grunge, cyberpunk, type of genre while still maintaining the charm of a cool girl crush group.

moving on from all that lore, you are actually one of the members who suits this concept the best and while you aren't the official face of the group, you are still one of the members who is at the forefront over everyone's minds when they hear the word 'nixve'.

to this day you presume the role of the enigma, forget 4d or 5d personalities you have at least a 17d. just when people thought they truly understood you a vlog comes out where you pull out some new interest or personality trait. this results in a phenomenon completely unique to you where fans feel like they are meeting you for the first time every single day.

even though you a primarily reserved nature you're still the much beloved golden false leader of the group. your silence when the other girls are the definition of chaos is what leads people to believe that you are the most mature member.

this is random but you're also just known to be the most fashionable or visually aesthetic member. your preference for street/grunge clothing as well as your natural visuals results in you being a refreshing sight for kpop stans who wish to bias a new member.

despite your habit of being quite organised and mature you're also kind of dangerous... your hot temper is known to burn the other members. for the most part fans see this as a playful gag, however, your members know all too well how volatile you can be. in short the calmer they can keep you the better.

regardless of that you're also one of the more precious members as in, they truly came to love each and every part of your personality, some of this is directed at your passion for music and how talented you are as a rapper but the rest of that love is because of your sweet attitude. they actually feel so honoured that they know you well enough to receive such kindness from you.

~your position/s~ maknae, visual & main rapper

~debut song~ chorus (rising) in the style of slay- everglow

~other songs include~

that girl is trouble in the style of wannabe- hyoyeon ft. san e

my temptation in the style of unpredictable- victon

system breakdown in the style of soñar (breaker)- nmixx

~debut album~ with all your ♡

~stage outfits~

~relationships~

~best friend~ sinb (viviz) 💜💜

you know that feeling where the universe and the stars seem to align and you meet that one person who you can't seem to get out of your mind? you were drowning in it when you met sinb.

even though your friendship with her is very platonic people ship you so so sooooo hard, i mean yeah it can get annoying but you have to understand they only ship you because it is clear that you make each other so happy. both of you like to put a healthy wall in front of your true emotions, it's so rare that your fans even see what's truly going on. and you know what? the rare moments where they see you messing up and seeming like smiling teens only happen when you're together.

behind the scenes your friendship happened so naturally, neither of you ever had to over exert yourself. it's not like the communication dropped out or you held extremely high standards for one another. you are actually very similar in style, personality and attitude which gave you a valuable insight into each other, so there was never any judgement between the two of you, even if you started saying the most random shit.

did someone say siren friends? like both of you have such an alluring nature and visuals, everyone seems to stop and stare in awe when they see you two together, even other idols are guilty of this.

adding to the concept of you being two ethereal beings ruling this entire universe, nothing ever seems to top your collaborations with each other. during the span of your friendship you have collaborated so many times. music is your love language, you always take the time to communicate your deepest feelings with each other through the songs you write. but you don't even stop at just composing songs together, you would gladly delay any of your comebacks if it meant you could release a song together. you really are a perfect pair, her amazing dancing and vocals combined with your powerful stage presence= art.

~friends~ yeji (itzy), wonbin (riize), ningning (aespa), lisa (blackpink), hongjoong (ateez), renjun (nct), changmin (the boyz) and chani (sf9)

~boyfriend~ minghao (svt) 💜💜

this was so unexpected, but it felt right. though you had been in the idol game for a while you honestly weren't counting on, or knew that you would even end up dating someone. you had a one track mind that was fully set on performing, you didn't think you would ever be swayed and thrown off by cupid. but then you met minghao.

you had known of seventeen but you never really had anything to do with them. they were just another group in the grand scheme of things, even when you met them you felt very reserved. it's not like a specific person ever caught your eye until one fateful day.

it was like any other day, besides the fact that you nixve had made it to the mama stage and were set to perform that night. once you had arrived it was hectic, the hallways bustling with what was practically multiple conga lines of idols trying to get god knows where. that's probably why you didn't notice the most extreme sign of flirting coming from minghao of all people.

to your credit you weren't paying attention to seventeen or minghao, but you had seen his hand in a cast on some of their recent performances so it was safe to assume he still had a hand injury. you were already in a rush and you were starting to overthink the performance you had ahead of you. you were so self-absorbed at this moment that you didn't realise anything odd about what happened.

you looked down for a split second, which was enough time for you to collide with someone. looking up you were eye to eye with minghao. muttering a quick sorry you were about to walk away before you were stopped again "ah, i was looking for you could you please help me?" expecting joshua or jun to magically pop up behind you you waited.

it took about a minute or so to realise that minghao was speaking to you. "pardon?" "i was wondering if you could help me out, i can't tie my robe." one of his hands was still nestled in the satin pocket of the robe so you couldn't see that his hand was actually fine. again acting on the knowledge that he had hurt his hand you gripped the robe, pulling him closer as you tied it for him. you intended to say goodbye and part for the night, that was until you looked up and were met with minghao looking down at you, an odd look plastered onto his face, you couldn't believe it, he couldn't be admiring you right?

once you finally pulled away you awkwardly said goodbye and scurried off. later that night you were backstage staring at the lcd screen murmuring something like "that asshole" as you saw him pull his hand, his perfectly healed hand out of his pocket when it was his line.

maybe it was deceit, but despite being embarrassed you were also enamoured by this strange guy who finessed you into giving him the time of day. ever since then whenever you saw him around you always spoke to him, this silent mastermind won your heart over, made you go absolutely crazy for him. so much so that you were the one to ask him out after a few months.

with a knowing grin minghao looked down at you, with that look of admiration that he wore during mama, his melodious voice charming you even more "I've been waiting for you to ask me out, I just thought you were too scared to do it." ~crushing on you~ beomgyu (txt) 💜💜

okay strap in for this one, would you believe this wasn't just a senseless crush? your relationship with beomgyu is complex and there are still blurred lines between you so you can't blame him for still harbouring a huge crush on you despite you dating minghao.

the chaos that ensued started with something so incredibly simple: a dance challenge. in the more recent days of nixve's career nixve had become quite popular, their concepts were great and their dances were perfect for dance challenges. now, you didn't really like the idea of pumping out dance challenges like your other members so you never had a long list of idols you would regularly dance with. and since the content including you was sparse your company organised a dance challenge video with a member from a group who had a comeback a couple of weeks after yours. as you can guess that member was beomgyu.

it was supposed to be an easy in and out job, you dance to his song, he dances to your song and you all go home. what you didn't know was that while you were focused on meeting your content quota you had caught the attention of the cheeky guy.

now lets be completely honest, that first day he was checking you out, you looked so good in a crop top and baggy jeans. he really was out here appreciating how good you looked, but ever since your first dance challenge both cube and big hit seemed to shove the two of you together whenever comeback season came.

each comeback you were hotter, he really thought you were the sexiest person he had ever seen. he was a slave to the fantasy of having a grunge girlfriend, his inner emo boy was screaming for this to happen. but it didn't. while he had the confidence he also didn't know how to ask you on a date, somehow his attempt at getting you to both hangout morphed into a very eventful fwb relationship.

this arrangement was actually very long-lived until the circumstances started to change, you both became way more busy due to the success of both groups and before he knew it you stopped meeting up with him which was followed by him discovering that you were in a happy relationship with minghao.

this obviously stung like hell since he knew minghao quite well, but what's done is done. even though what happened between you was messy, confusing and a moment of pure sexual passion he still has a real crush on you. he just wishes he would have expressed himself better when he asked for you two to hang out.

~other idols crushing on you~ taeyong (nct), baekseung (epex), riwoo (boynextdoor), seoho (oneus), wonjun (e'last) and sanha (astro).

~extra info~

you were the first member of nixve to have a solo debut where you were able to fully show just how immaculate your rap verses were.

despite the public not knowing that you are dating minghao, you're often credited with co-writing some of seventeens songs.

~scandals~

you received huge backlash after people dug up proof of you and beomgyu being very close in the past which included photos and videos of you two hanging out and supposed text messages between the two of you where you were alluding to a sexual relationship of sorts.

this one didn't turn into full blown scandal but you were accused of putting an act on for the camera and the reality of it was that you were a huge conceited bitch and difficult to work with- side note you definitely weren't.

#kpop ships #kpop matchups #idol life ships #cyber aesthetic #purple heart edition

9 notes · View notes

entropy-game-dev · 4 months

Text

A Postmortem for Phylogenesia Automatorum

It's finally time for the retrospective on my 2 week roguelite/incremental cellular automata game jam hybrid!

It all started when, in late December, I saw a post on Reddit about the New Years Incremental Game Jam. I was both excited and hesitant to participate - excited because I had, for a long time, wanted to try my hand at an incremental-style game, and hesitant because I had already spent a few months working only very sporadically on my main game, Stellar Terminus. Nevertheless I thought it was a good opportunity to learn some more about Gamemaker Studio 2, and also to get back into regular programming.

What went right

There were a few defining moments when it came to developing this game. My favourite types of incrementals were ones that had awesome visuals that evolve over the course of the game, in the forefront of my mind as I had recently played and enjoyed (the) Gnorp Apalogue. With that in mind, I chose to base my game on Conway's Game of Life - a dynamic, interesting interface that could directly present and represent the choices you make in the game. When I streamed my first programming session to Z, which was just a 1:1 implementation of the Game of Life, he suggested a roguelite direction for this game, and that immediately resonated with me - I could absolutely see randomised upgrades (styled as genetic mutations) being a way to shape your simulation, while keeping things fresh and interesting over the course of the game.

I am a sucker for music in videogames that dynamically changes. When I asked @weaponizedslob for another (who's doing a similar thing for the music for Stellar Terminus), he suggested that each unique plant would have their own looping instrument, and I fell in love with the idea. Having a song that you personally build up depending on your choices and combination of plants was very appealing, and he worked in the background to provide this while I kept on programming.

The next key moment in the game's development was adding all 10 plants, but specifically the 0range. What started as just a dumb pun (all of its values were set to 0 (except point values) so it had 0% chance to spawn and generate points) turned into one of the defining characteristics of the game whereby you had to manage buying it not so early that it would impact your points, but not so late that you'd need to spend a ton of points fishing for the right mutations to make it produce points.

And the final moment was something I have already previously talked about - Lucinius suggested the player be given 5 free resets at the start of each game. This solved so many problems at once: the fact that point gain was probabilitic and variable, that some plants were more tempramental than others, mitigation of bad luck when it came to upgrades, etc. It also provided a metric in which I could balance each plant such that on average, they would yield at least 1 and at most 2 upgrades within those 5 resets, more than enough in most runs to get a foothold.

Other positive aspects:

It was my first true solo game that I had completed and released! I had previously done some gamejams with the help of Lucinius and Maza, of course, but relying only on yourself is a feeling I enjoy.

I was able to stick to a timeline and scope. While there was a bit of scope creep, I had accounted for it and had the majority of the planned features done by week 1, allowing time for polish and balance.

Testing commenced early and often, although I have a bad habit of not playtesting things myself, which I need to do more of!

Porting the aesthetics and some generic UI code from Stellar Terminus saved me a heap of time and headache

The logo for the game, despite me doing it 1 hour before submission, turned out really well and I always discount how a little bit of effort presentation-wise can have a huge impact on people's perception of things.

So what could have been improved upon?

The biggest issues people have raised through both playtesting and comments on the game, were that the game could use more work on its balance. I completely agree with this assessment, and I touched on this in my previous blog. I think incrementals in general are incredibly hard to balance as humans do not have a very good sense for exponentially increasing numbers. Without completely reworking some systems, I tended towards an easier game. Making the game brutally hard would have stifled creativity, experimentation, and different builds, as players would have to tend towards an optimal strategy every game. There is definitely a balance to be struck, but considering the appeal of a lot of roguelites is "popping off" with a certain build, I was not too dissatisfied with how things turned out. Plus, players could always compete with others or themselves for the least amount of simulation resets to victory.

The simulation and overall concept of the game was also quite difficult to understand. This was something I really should have realised earlier, as given an initial configuration of the Game of Life, it is almost impossible to predict how it will evolve. When you throw in multiple plants with different rulesets, a random starting configuration, and probabilistic spawning and dying, a player has no real chance to understand the ins and outs of the system. Of course, I had designed it with a vision that you wouldn't need to, rather, the aim was to just get a sense of the overall vibe (for lack of a better word) of the simulation, and nudge it in the direction you want it to go. Given more time, I would have had a before/after demo play when you're hovering over each upgrade to help players' understanding.

My biggest technical misstep was definitely not having a web version of the game on release. The incremental genre is largely played in a browser, and while previously we had always submitted downloadables for gamejams, I really neglected to think about the audience for this one. I ended up rectifying this about a week later, but the web version is not at parity with the downloadable version, with its performance being worse, and its lack of music. And in the end, the most amount of votes came in the initial rush, and so I definitely missed the boat there!

Other negative aspects:

Some plants definitely could have felt/behaved in more unique ways. However, that would have required adding more parameters into the database, which would further muddy the underestanding of the entire simulation, so I decided against it for this version of the game.

UI is still an ongoing struggle for me. Everything here had buttons and mouseover text which was great, but low-res pixel art and my lack of artistic talent doesn't lend itself well to UI-heavy games.

The spaghetti code was REAL, especially within the button object. There was quite a bit of technical debt I had to overcome implementing new features, but at the same time some features were implemented blazing fast by disregarding encapsulisation and robust coding principles.

The name. Argh! It's not bad, but it doesn't really tell the average player what the game's about, and, confession time, every time you've seen me write it, I've just copy-pasted it from the itch.io page because I'm afraid I'm going to spell it wrong. At least it ranks well on Google (when it stops trying to auto-correct it)!

BONUS: Stuff I learned about Gamemaker Studio 2!

They reverted back to a 1-time payment model, a huge step in the right direction from their previous monthly subscription model. Not only that but now, you can export your game for any platform (except consoles) for free, and you pay a $100 1-time fee if you want to then make money from your game.

Having CSV files open doesn't result in compilation errors, unlike GMS1. This saved so much time as I was able to tweak plant values on the fly. Also, GMS2 now has a native CSV import function, which is nice.

Its code flagging features were really nice. I honestly hated Feather, which is their smart code comprehension system, but just simple things like "hey you haven't used this variable name yet", and color-coding for local vs instance variables were awesome when it came to intercepting bugs early.

There were some weird editor behaviours that I noticed - from the sometimes blurry rendering of text, having multiple of the same code window open, and inconsisten behaviour when it came to tabbing/highlighting text, it was definitely something I had to get used to, and felt like a step backward from GMS1. The way the windows were arranged were a lot nicer though which partially makes up for it.

My .exe files don't get flagged by windows! I think GMS1 is just too old at this point but sending files to friends for testing was a lot smoother here.

And that wraps up the postmortem… well, almost. I'm going to make another small post later because this one is already getting to be a monster, regarding future directions and wishes for the game. But in terms of positives and negatives, that pretty much everything I wanted to say. On the whole? Super happy with how this turned out and the wonderful comments from everyone wherever I posted about the game. I felt it was a nice, self-contained project that was able to nicely achieve the very specific vision I had for it upon conception, and it even resonated with some of my playtesters who were either indifferent to, or actively disliked, incrementals, which is a huge plus in my book!

Here are some bonus stats from itch.io regarding how it has gone over the past week and a bit:

Thanks for reading as always!

#gamedev #videogame #gamemaker #devblog #programming #pixel art #indiedev #codeblr #postmortem #roguelite #roguelike #indiegame #incremental

14 notes · View notes