#got a couple asks about writing advice lately so I wanted to start here first hi hello :)

[the-cat-and-the-birdie]

Spidersonas are the perfect exercise and I recommend everyone try -

Quick-Spidersona Exercises

How I use new Spidersonas as Artistic Practice

[A MEDIUM length post where I share ideas and exercises to create Spidersonas quicker and easier, while practicing your writing/art]

Spidersonas can be a great tool for any artist!

If you're a writer looking for a way to get better at character creation, research, and world-building - Or an artist looking for a way to get better at character design:

Consider trying out Quick Spidersona exercises as a fun way to do that! I use them all the time, because seriously, who says you can only have ONE Spidersona?

(I think I have at least 15-20 now - counting the eight named kids I gave Miguel & Moche)

I usual end up making at least one a week - and I find they're amazing for learning how to make characters quickly and in a really fun way.

Everything can be canon in the Spider-verse, including a sentient piece of Lego-Plastic and a Pre-historic Spider-saur.

Plus, with the Spider-Society being full formed, and canon events at your choosing, you have a loose template for a background - making it easier to throw them into the story.

I use a couple different exercises on making Fast-Sonas, and I thought I'd share some.

Here's a couple of my favorites! If you find this helpful, let me know!

1 - Hour Sona Challenge

Ever have a half-baked Spidersona Idea or come up with a funny crack Spider?

Give yourself an hour (or two) and go at it.

[This challenge is good for quick practice, Character Creation & Design]

Design them a suit as quick as you can, coming up with abilities and a rough personality.

You don't need to go into backstory if you don't feel like it, and it's a great way to get started

This is something you can do routinely - I do, I usually do this once or twice a week; And soon you'll have a full cast of sonas that can interact with each other!

It's great practice, and the more you do it, the easier it gets.

When you're doing it on the fly, or know it's just one hour - it can produce characters that are more natural, because you don't have time to second guess. Plus, since it's only an hour, you can get as silly as you want!

Stoner-Spider is an example of a 2-hour Sona Challenge.

Adapt-A-Spider

This challenge is good for Character Design

Make your own cross over!

For something a bit easier - Take a Non-Spider character and make them a Spider-person.

This could be anyone, from other Marvel characters, to Disney Princesses, Celebrities, and characters from your other fandoms. You can even make some of your old OCs into Spider-people!

For Artists - this can be a real fun challenge - try and blend the characters original outfit and design into a suit suitable for swinging.

For Writers - try to adapt their current background, and shift it around so they have 'canon events'. If the character you like has lost someone, the person they lost could stand in for their Uncle Ben or Aunt May.

Example: If you're looking to adapt Ellie from The Last of Us, losing Joel could be her Uncle Ben canon event.

This works for every character (basically). What if Black Widow ACTUALLY got bit by a black widow? Now Nat Romanoff is on campus. (Every Peter thinks she's an MJ cause the red hair at first).

No matter how ridiculous, you can stretch it. In Spiderverse, everyone is Canon.

If they can write a SpiderCar - you can write ANYTHING.

Some ideas are:

Celebrities, Animals (like SpiderCat or the Dinosaur), Princesses, Greek Gods, Historical Figures, Fandom Characters,

Mundane Spider

This challenge is good for: Character Building & Design

Not everyone is extraordinary. SOMEONE has to flip those McMiguel burgers goddamn it.

If making a huge story and traumatic canon events send daunting - just... Don't do it. Challenge yourself to make a Spidersona that's literally just a person.

Like a Target employee who got bit by a spider that came out a shipment. And now they have to work at the Society AND target. They wear the Target polo over their suit.

Pick a normal type of person, and challenge yourself to make them super.

Maybe a stay at home mom that got bit by a house spider, or a college student that got bit at the library. Any one could be a Spider-person! So don't worry that they're 'boring'.

Ideas for this:

A person based on your town/city, Random Professions, Teachers, Therapists, People based on hobbies you like to do (ex: Margo is eSports. SpiderCanada is hockey based),

History Spider

[This is good for Research]

History Buffs WHERE U AT?????

If you love a period of history - GO ALL IN.

Take the SpiderNoir and Hobie route.

If your Spidersona was from Ancient Egypt, what would they wear? If you really like the Medieval Era, would their city want to burn them at the stake?

For Artists - What would they wear? And how would the fashion trends of their time period effect their suits?

For Writers - What would be their real name, if it were time period accurate? How would they act and speak? Consider how they would adjust to things like 2099, and how their time period would effect their fighting style.

Culture Spider

If you're from a interesting culture or place, make a Sona for that!

[This is another great one for Research, as well as Character Design too]

I've seen it all, from my own IncaSpider, to Korean Spider-people and Romanian Spider-people.

For Artists - It's REALLY fun adapting traditional dress and colors into a Spider-suit, and you may even find yourself falling down a research hole.

For Writers - This can go DEEP. You can pick any time period of your culture and home. Things like their accent, their behaviors and traditions, and their backstory can all be reflections of your culture.

With HUNDREDS of years is material to pull from, using Culture as a back drop for a Spider can help them seem deep and natural. Plus, you can just Google clothing and use that as suit inspo

Ben Reilly - Mary Sue Spider

Arguably my FAVORITE. Not for the faint of heart.

[This is the best for everything - Literal SELF CARE I MEAN THAT]

BE CRINGE. DO IT ON PURPOSE.

Write a character that's super strong and effortless about it. Pavi is. And he's still a great character.

Write a character who ALWAYS looks kick ass and rides a cool motorcycle or plays a rad guitar - Jess and Hobie are literally THAT.

Want your character to be big and super smart with deep trauma that haunts them? - Ben Reilly and Miguel. The three of them can be a trio.

Challenge yourself to make the COOLEST MOST FLAWLESS DRAMATIC SONA YOU CAN.

Every time you draw something or write something that makes you cringe, or feels to OP or too much.

Good. Leave it in. Turn it up to 11.

Go all out. Draw your Instagram dream outfit. If you want your Sona in 12 inch heels - have at it!

'Oh but that's impractical and stup-'

They're literally a Super-Human. If Gwen can catch a helicopter like that, I think a Spidersona can manage stripper heels or Final Fantasy Hair.

What's the worst that can happen? You're doing it on purpose.

At the best, you'll make someone REALLY REALLY rad - like Hobie.

At the least, you'll make someone REALLY REALLY funny - like Ben Reilly.

Disco-Spider Diane is an example of this. She was probably supposed to be a completely self-indulgent, unhinged Sona.

So much so that she thinks she's perfect, even though she's a little bit naive, lazy, and in her own world. But because she doesn't care.. it's all good :)

No Logic Whatsoever Spider

[This one is just funny. Great one for Character Design and getting out of your comfort zone.]

Spider-Ham, Spider-Car, Spider Cat, LegoSpider, Spiderplush and SpiderPopsicle all have a club. The No Logic Whatsoever Club.

Challenge yourself to make a new member.

Break all the laws of logic. If something can be Spiderman, then it is or duty to make it so.

What's your favorite animal? Make that.

Can they put on the suit themselves? No? Who cares they're a Spiderperson-thing now.

Is there a funny art style you like - make a Bendy's style 1930's black and white silent cartoon.

For Artists - This is a great one. It can be as simple as drawing Spider-man merch and making it sentient. Or as bizarre as drawing a Dinosaur in a Spider-man costume.

For Writers - HARD MODE. For pure crack fanatics. Enjoy trying to make logic of this. Or don't. They are what they are.

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

So here are just some exercises and ideas for those looking to strengthen their writing/art skills with Spidersonas.

They can be really quick to make, and you can always build on them over time, do a '1hr Sona Update' Challenge, run them through canon events and see them change.

Having multiple spidersonas can be fun, make writing easier, and it's great practice that translates everywhere - into world building, character design, research, and a lot of other creative skills.

Literally theres no need for just one! The Spiderverse is open to any Sona, no matter how bizarre, mundane, or self-indulgent!!

If this gave you and ideas or inspiration, let me know. If you try a challenge, I'd love to see too!

And as per usual if you've read this far: Here take this as a token of my gratitude

Go forth, create, and kill cringe with your bare hands. Smash it into a moving train. That usually does the trick.

Bye.

#got a couple asks about writing advice lately so I wanted to start here first hi hello :) #nooo proofread lol #spiderman #spider man #atsv #across the spiderverse #spidersonas #spidersona #ocs #spiderman oc #writing practice #marvel #across the spider verse #spider society #spiderman atsv

[meanbossart]

Another much overdue ask compilation! Some short-ish lore asks (Gale, Gort, DU drow relationships and pet-companion preferences) and a couple of art/advice ones sprinkled in. THIS IS BY NO MEANS ALL OF MY ASKS so as usual I appreciate everyone's patience!

I actually think he'd give them a pass entirely as soon as he noticed. Correct me if I'm mistaken but half-drow get No love from underdark drow and are usually surface babies right? So that fruit is miles away from the tree lol. I think he generally has a bit of a soft spot for mixed kinds since he himself feels like an amalgamation of sorts.

Thank you! They're kind of a pain in the ass to draw at times for that very reason but man I do like the look 😩if other people like it too then that makes it all worth it!

THAT'S TRICKY TO ANSWER BECAUSE OFTEN TIMES I'M NOT... REALLY TRYING. I've draw a ton of horror comics for mine and my partner's series' SAD SACK and SORTIE, so I think it just comes naturally to me 😅 also I do genuinely find expressive and, uh, rugged faces more attractive? (I think they look rugged, again that's what people tell me at least.)

I think the secret might be adding bits of realism in there. I get a lot of comments about the wrinkles and eyelashes I add to my art, as well as the way I draw individual teeth (though I've lately been making an effort to simplify my style in favor of drawing faster, so I haven't done that as much or in as much detail.)

Both symmetry and the lack of it can also add to that effect. I have employed both facial unevenness and almost point-perfect symmetry to achieve something a little frightening or otherworldly in my work. [MORE UNDER THE CUT]

Thank you so much!!! The contrast is very much intentional, that's what DU drow's character is all about ;)

Hahah well I somewhat doubt Bhaal would care that his spawn gets named, but either way he stripped himself of his name as soon as he killed his foster parents and abandoned the Underdark. He had a drow name that I jotted down somewhere but it's completely irrelevant because nobody has used it since he was a child, and he doesn't remember it (even pre-tadpole/having his brain scrambled.) Here's a little write up about his origins that might shed some more light on that: https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/739688837431836672/did-drow-ever-have-a-childhood-before-the-temple

And about his original drow-given name and the reason behind it: https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/741350986692591616/drow-had-to-have-been-given-a-name-by-his-adoptive

Everyone just referred to him as his supposed race, or as Bhaalspawn or Bhaal's child, and any other similar titles. Orin called him "kin" and "brother" and Gortash likely called him his associate. Post-tadpole the camp grows entirely used to calling him "the drow" and he has no desire to change that or to choose a proper name.

THANK YOU BOTH SO MUCH😭 no reason to be intimidated, I'm just some rando drawing BG3 fan art LOL I've been drawing since I was a child, and started taking it semi-seriously when I was 16 years old, so twelve years ago! That's around the time where I got my first non-display tabled and used that well into my twenties, prior to that I only did stuff on paper and liked to do inks color with pencils. I never really ventured into traditional painting at all except for a little bit of water-coloring in college.

Traditional and Digital art are very much different beasts. Which one you want to start with is, in my opinion, just dependent on what you want to do. Digital art gives you a lot of tools that makes learning easier, but you might find yourself having much steeper of a learning curve if you ever decide to do traditional art instead. If you want to be good at both, you need to practice both, since the skill doesn't entirely translate from one medium to the other.

Naturally you will be able to draw well on either, it's just... Different. I will say though, that I think if you're still learning you should use whatever allows you to look directly at what your hand is doing, so either traditional or display tablet/Ipad. I have no idea what a non-display tablet would do to a beginner, but remembering my experience with it I feel like it might be a huge detriment to developing the skill (feel free to share your experiences in the replies if you disagree, as I would definitely be curious to read them!)

YOU KNOW ME BABY IT WAS MESSY AND COMPLICATED the tldr.: is that they were "buddies", absolutely no romance intended there on either mine or DU drow's part, but due to his nature the friendship was extremely weird.

Here's a couple of replies where I go into more detail about it: https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/739191190871818240/i-dont-have-a-particular-question-in-mind-sorry

https://meanbossart.tumblr.com/post/744952815768764416/so-not-sure-if-youve-covered-this-but-i-thought

That's definitely reserved for the vamp LOL DU drow very much enjoys when Astarion teases and fusses over him, and while Astarion probably got a kick out of acting that way around such a big and scary looking guy at first, I think by "now" (later and post-game) he's pretty much immune to DU drow's looks and just enjoys doing it in earnest.

He's not at all averse to being touched (even rather intimately) by close friends, but he wouldn't be quite THAT vulnerable with anyone else.

HE REALLY DISLIKED GALE... He irked him out by seemingly fostering a rather persistent romantic interest in him for at least half the time they spent together (very much based on my interpretation of their in-game interactions at the time, though my Gale might have been a little bugged.)

But also they had a... Fairly in depth relationship still? Gale was a staple in my party, and even though I antagonized him constantly by the end of the game it still felt like they had so much weight in each other's lives, if that makes sense. I might need to do a bit of an "update" on the DU Drow/Gale lore sometime, I feel like I've had some thoughts since that warrant more exploration of their dynamic (you can find a lot of old asks about it if you just search the Gale Dekarios tag in my blog though).

The gist of it is that DU drow found him arrogant and duplicitous, his constant optimist irritated him to no end and felt like it veiled a stream of self-pity (two things DU drow despises) Gale's attempts to get through to him only added insult to injury. By the end of the game he decided to pursue the crown of Karsus and this only lost him even more respect in Drow's eyes, seeing as he doesn't value godly power at all.

I was pretty overwhelmed by the game at the start so I actually missed a lot LOL including Scratch. I did get the owlbear cub though, which DU drow gladly welcomed into camp since it was injured - but I think he would have wished for it to remain a wild animal and to return back to it's home after it had grown up a bit. He didn't really make a "pet" out of it more than he just looked after the little guy in the way it's mother might have, probably with Shadowheart's help.

He wouldn't be opposed to proper pets though if one were to stumble into his life. He'd definitely be more of a cat guy because of their independence and strong little attitudes.

It is very hard to build proper rapport with him. He will be "friendly" to most people who have a good sense of humor about them, but friendSHIP is another thing entirely.

I think it's kind of circumstantial. He's very economical in his relationships and doesn't really seek them out at all - so a situation where he's forced to be in someone's company might be the only way to develop a bond with him, as he doesn't appreciate insistence either and that's more likely to push him away. He doesn't value status or titles either (kind of looks down on them really) so that won't help.

I think he just likes people who are true to themselves and their nature, sometimes even if the nature is one he disagrees with at it's core. This is why he liked Gortash, why he and Shadowheart got along so well, and why him and Astarion fit together so seamlessly despite seeming so different. Likewise I think it's why he didn't jive with people like Gale or Wyll, because they seemed to be rather... Dishonest with themselves and their own end-goals.

#ask compilation #DU drow lore #ask

[harrysfolklore]

Someone throwing something onstage and it hits bandmate yn and he gets all upset??

here it is! this was previously posted on patreon, if you want access to my work earlier and exclusive writings, SUBSCRIBE HERE

BANDMATE!YN MASTERLIST

ask me anything | masterlist | likes and reblogs are appreciated !

Harry loved performing, and now that he gets to do that alongside with his girlfriend, he loves it even more.

His shows are known for being a safe space for everyone, a place where they can be whoever they want to be, dance the night away, meet new people and if they’re lucky enough, get some advice from their favorite singer or get him to catch something they throw on stage for him.

All kinds of stuff were thrown on stage for him and his band: flags, stuffed animals, crocheted flowers, signs and sometimes even phones, but lately his fans were fond on throwing water on stage, with the purpose of starting a water fight with Harry.

Harry didn’t have a problem with his fans throwing stuff his way, in fact, he quite enjoyed seeing what they come up with, but he surely wasn’t fond of them throwing water on stage because it made the space all slippery and easy for him or anyone on his band to fall. Some fans caught up that he didn’t like when they did that, being able to tell it by the serious face he makes when he notices it, but some decide to turn a blind eye and do it anyway, and that was tonight’s case.

The band was on stage halfway through their 8th of 15 shows in Los Angeles, adrenaline running through their veins as they performed Medicine, Harry and YN had a tradition of singing the second verse together so she always moved towards where his mic stand was set to share the microphone with him, and every single time the action made the fans go nuts. Tonight wasn’t the exception, as the second verse approached, YN moved to where Harry was already waiting for her, but she failed to notice the wet surface that made her slip and fall, landing on her elbow and cutting it open since she was wearing a tank top for the night.

“Shit,” Harry let out on the microphone as he hurried towards his girlfriend, not caring about the fact that he stopped mid song and everyone in the arena was looking, “Baby, are you okay?” he grabbed her face looking for an answer before he noticed her bleeding elbow “Of course you’re not, fucking wet floors, they should know by now throwing water is not the goddamn thing to do.” he spoke again, fans on the barricade could faintly hear him and the anger on his voice was evident, along with his sour expression and furrowed brows.

"I'm okay H, I just need a quick bandage and I'll be good to go," YN said as she got up from the floor with Harry's help, looking at her elbow for the first time and noticing that her injure was worse than she thought.

"Nonsense, I need to take you to the hospital, this show is over," his face was as serious as the tone of his voice, proper upset that his girlfriend got injured because of some careless fans.

“You're being irrational now, we're not ditching the show when there's just two songs left, let me get bandaged up so I can keep playing, and go back to singing or everyone will be upset," YN scolded him as she walked to the stairs to get off the stage, a medical crew was already waiting for her for a quick check up

"Fuck everyone."

And regardless of a crowd of more than 20,000 people waiting for him, he followed his girlfriend off the stage, stood next to her as the medical crew cleaned and bind up her elbow, luckily the injury was pretty superficial and no stitches were needed, however, Harry was still pretty much upset and worried.

"Once we get up that stage again you're going to wipe that angry face off and we're going to play the last two songs as if nothing happened, okay?" YN scolded him again, she was bummed about getting hurt too but she wasn't going to let him take it out on his fans just because a couple of them were the reason she got injured.

"Okay, but everyone can expect a lecture about throwing water tomorrow, that's for sure" he kissed her lips quickly before they went back to the stage, and even with an injured elbow YN still delivered a great performance like the rock star she is.

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[zepskies]

Assistant Hottie

Pairing: Jason Teague x F. Reader (implied Jason T. x Lana Lang)

Summary: Jason Teague, Assistant Football Coach, meets you in the faculty break lounge at Smallville High. He tries to kick you out, thinking you’re a student. Technically, you are. Turns out, you both go to the same university. 

AN: So I know it’s about 20 years late, but I’ve been wanting to write some Jason Teague for a while now. There’s a very dated reference to iPods (remember this show was circa early 2000s).

Word Count: 2,600 Tags/Warnings: Implied love triangle (quadrangle?), fluff, tinge of angst, and a meet cute.

“Hey, Coach T!”

Jason turns his head, shooting Clark Kent a smile that’s just a little bit forced. He slows down in the busy hallway so the younger man can catch up.

Clark’s friends, Chloe Sullivan and Lana Lang keep walking, though the brunette glances his way. Her hazel eyes catch his.

But Jason focuses on Clark, who’s coming at him with all six feet and three inches of farm boy earnestness.

Jason has City Boy Charm in his arsenal.

“What’s up, man?”

Clark smiles. “Real quick, just wanted to ask you about the drills we’re running today…”

Eighth period is about to start, meaning just another hour until school ends, and another day of practice begins on the football field. Clark takes all five minutes between classes to ask his questions about how he can better move the ball, his throwing technique, how to better communicate on plays with the rest of the guys.

As always, Jason gives Clark the best advice he has to offer. Even a few months into this job, he’s still feeling a bit of imposter syndrome. He’s only a couple of years older than the guys he’s coaching, and Clark is looking at him like he’s got all the answers.

Newsflash, champ. I don’t. Jason smiles though. 

Because Clark is something else. He’s a starting quarterback of a game he’s never played before in his life. Head Coach Quigley thought it was steroids at first, but Jason had a gut feeling about the guy.

“He’s not a cheater,” he’d told Quigley. The other man had scoffed, rubbing his chin.

“Okay, Teague. If you think so,” he said. “…Make him piss in a cup anyway.”

Since then, Clark hasn’t given Jason a reason to doubt him, at least on the field.

No, his reasons for still being wary of Clark are more…personal.

“All right, we’ll workshop the rest later on the field,” Jason says, as the starting bell rings. “You’re gonna be late for class.”

“Okay, see ya later.” Clark nods and holds up a hand in goodbye. To tell the truth, Jason is a little relieved to see him go.

Instead of heading to his office, he makes a pitstop at the faculty break lounge for a cup of coffee. He could use a little pick-me-up, even if it is from a watery K-cup.

When he pushes open the door, he’s greeted by the familiar smell of stale roasted hazelnut and microwaved fish. Along with the wall-to-wall countertop and refrigerator down the end, there’s a small round table fitted with just three chairs.

Uh oh, he thinks.

You’re sitting there with a pair of earbuds in, nodding to your music while you make notes with a red pen. The contents of your messenger bag are half-strewn across the table, displaying a couple of notebooks and binders, different colored highlighters, pens, and a post-it pad.

Your back is facing him, so he has to walk around the table to get your attention. He hesitates, before he taps your shoulder. He’s never had to do this before, and he’s actually a bit nervous.

“Hey there,” he says. His lips quirk when you jolt a little. You stare up at him with wide eyes and the top of your pen resting against your lower lip. 

“Uh…” You remove your ear buds and hit pause on your iPod.

“Did you get lost on the way to study hall, or you just here for the coffee?” Jason gestures to the Keurig machine on the counter. “Hate to break it to you, but that stuff’s not exactly quality joe.”

You blinked at him. “What? Um…I mean yeah, the coffee’s ass. But it is free, I guess.”

Jason tries to reign in his smile. He cards a hand through his blonde hair and taps his free hand on the table.

“Uh, are you ditching class or something?” he asks. “If it’s history, I get it. Snooze fest.”

He makes a flatlining motion with his hand. Your brows knit together in confusion…but then you brighten.

“Oh, I’m not a student,” you laugh. “But good on you for trying to lay down the law, Coach Teague.”

Now it’s Jason’s turn to be confused. “How did you know—”

You point with your red pen, over to the yellow patch emblazoned on his red polo that says: Crows Football and Assistant Coach.

“Pretty sure you’re the one the cheerleaders are calling Assistant Hottie,” you say. Your gaze is wry and a hint playful.

He lets himself smile, albeit with some embarrassment. He points at you.

“And you’re…”

“Part-time teacher’s aid,” you reply. Your hands make a frame around the stack of papers in front of you, that Jason now realizes you’re grading.

Great. His face warms a bit.

“Sorry,” he chuckles, and points to the coffee maker. “Let me just mind my business.”

He doesn’t know it, but you subtly watch him with a small smile while he goes about said business. The Keurig eventually spits out more roasted hazelnut into his Styrofoam cup.

With his prize in hand, he means to leave you in peace to head for his office, but your voice stops him.

“You can sit if you want. I need a break anyway.”

Jason can admit, at least to himself, that he’s curious. (About you.) He goes over to the table and sits down across from you. His eyes unconsciously dart over the splayed contents of your bag, and you don’t miss it.

“Sorry,” you say, as you try to reign in the mess and corral things back into your bag. “I’m kind of an organized chaos kind of girl.”

“No worries. I dabble in that philosophy myself,” he says with a grin. “I’m Jason, by the way.”

“Nice to meet you,” you reply, giving him your name in return.

You like his smile. His long fingers are wrapped around the steaming cup. Meanwhile, the afternoon sun is pouring in from the windows behind him. It shines golden on his hair and broad shoulders, and makes his green eyes look warm.

Those eyes glance down and focus on a familiar badge sticking out of your bag. His brows furrow.

“No way. You go to Kansas A&M?” he asks. “So do I.”

You blink at him. “What, you’re still in college?”

He laughs and leans back in his chair, blowing out a breath.

“Okay, wow! A bit rude," he says. "Just how old do you think I am?”

You bite your lip in embarrassment.

“Second thought, don’t answer that,” he quips.

“I’m sorry,” you say, through a bit of laughter. “I guess we’re both reading each other wrong today.”

Jason shakes his head and crosses his arms.

“No, no. It’s fine,” he says airily. “Lest I be any more presumptuous, can I ask what year you’re in? Major?”

You concede with a nod, but you’re still smiling too hard.

“Secondary Education. Junior year,” you say. Jason’s brows raise with his grin still in place.

“Okay, a future teacher on our hands.” He leans forward. “As it turns out, I’m actually a sophomore.”

A year below you. You bury your reddened face in your hands, though a giggle still bubbles up.

He doesn’t let you stew in your misery for long though.

“Eh, it’s okay. Don’t feel too bad,” he says. You hear the smile in his voice, and you peek out at him from between your fingers. “I’m technically a year behind. Transferred from another school so I could take this job.”

Once again, your eyes widen as your hands fall away from your face.

“Oh, yeah? I assume you play football, but I’ve never seen you on the team…”

Jason’s smile turns playfully cocky.

“I don’t play anymore, but I’ll have you know, I was on track for the NFL.”

Yeah, for about a minute, comes a dull reminder in his brain.

You rest your chin in your hand as you meet his smile. “Okay. You definitely have the face of a guy who almost went pro.”

Your voice lowers at the end there, impersonating every “dude bro” you’ve ever met who thought he could throw a ball across a field.

“I’m serious.” Jason laughs, but then his eyes dim a bit. “I played for Metropolis U. Tore my rotator cuff, and uh…that’s it. Scrubbed. Had to start over.”

You dim along with him. “That sucks ass. I’m sorry.”

He snorts, almost spilling his coffee. “You’ve certainly got a way with words.”

“But you feel better for me calling you old, don’t you?” Your pen taps on your lip, and his eyes are drawn to the gesture.

He also notices your eyes, the shape of your face, the shade of your hair, the black Fleetwood Mac shirt (with a ripped V hinting at cleavage). It doesn’t exactly scream T.A., but you’re pretty.

Beautiful, really.

He tries not to notice that too much.

“Maybe a little,” he allows. He smiles behind a sip of his drink. It’s getting cold, as he forgets to actually drink it.

“My parents sent me to college to be a lawyer,” you confess. It perks his interest with raised brows. “Like my mom, and my uncle, and his father before him, and so on.”

Jason’s smile is back. You consider that a small triumph.

“I sat in one class. Intro to Business Law.” You shudder at the memory. “Jason, I wanted to bludgeon myself with the textbook. And it wouldn’t have taken long. That thing was the size of a Dostoyevsky novel.”

Jason laughs, even though he doesn’t know who Dostoyevsky is. It does unearth a distant memory of his 12th grade English class (he barely passed that one).

“So, I decided to disappoint them,” you say ruefully.

That, he understands all too well. He raises a finger at you. “Hey, a teacher’s respectable. But I happen to be an expert at disappointed parents, so you’re in good company.”

You smile, small but genuine. Jason counts that as a win.

“What’s your major now?” you ask.

“Sports medicine,” he replies, but you both hear the lack of enthusiasm in his voice.

Your head tilts, and your eyes soften. Not with pity, he thinks. Maybe with understanding.

“You could find something else you’re actually passionate about,” you say.

Jason bites the inside of his lip, sets his cup back on the table.

“Sure,” he says.

His lackluster answer is telling, and he can’t even think of a joke to inject into this moment to lighten the mood. (He even disappoints himself there.)

“Look, I get it,” you say at last. “You probably ate, slept, breathed that game. Like that’s what you were put on this earth to do. And I know you must’ve been good. Because the fact that this school hired you while you’re still in college is amazing.”

He meets your gaze steadily. 

Your smile brightens. “But I’m sure football’s not all there is to you.” 

That touches him. Warms him even, though he’s reluctant to let it. 

“We just met, and you’re already sure about that?” he remarks. 

You shrug, gesturing at his cup. “Well, I’m sure that you probably have crappy taste in coffee. I’m broke as hell, and even I don’t drink from a Keurig.” 

Jason laughs. If you only knew that he’d spent his summer in Paris, sampling some of the best restaurants and cafés in the world without even looking at the bill…until his dad cut him off. Needless to say, he’s had to refine his tastes.

“What kind of teacher do you want to be?” he asks, instead of getting to all that.

Your brow arches. “You mean what subject?”

“Yeah. What, like physics or something?”

“Ew. God, no!” 

“What’s wrong with physics?”

“Too much math. I’m shit at that shit,” you reply. 

“Okay. No to the sciences.” He laughs and rubs his chin, squinting at you. “Let me see if I can guess.”

You gesture widely. Go ahead.

“Not economics, I’m thinking. Too close to business,” he teases.

“Business law,” you correct. “But you’re actually right about that.”

“Hmm, history?”

“It's interesting, but it’s also rigged,” you say. “Only the victors in society get to dictate what gets remembered. Just look at Columbus Day. What a sham that is.”

Jason allows that with a nod and a smile. “All right, what then? Algebra? Geometry?”

“That’s math, remember?” you reply, with furrowed brows. “Besides, I don’t like mixing letters and numbers. It’s not sanitary.” 

He chortles at that. You’re a little ridiculous, but he kind of likes that.

“Okay, how about English?” he says.

Your gaze flicks up to his. A small, growing smile. 

“What makes you say that?” you ask. 

“Process of elimination?” he says. His smile curves. He saw your little reaction. “But I don’t know. I get the feeling you’re a hell of a lot smarter than me. The way you’re talking, all quick as a whip… Like I said, you’ve got a way with words.”

You laugh a little. “Oh, do I?” 

Jason’s brows raise expectantly as he leans back in his seat again.

Well, then? that move says. “Am I right?”

Your head tilts, and you answer the unspoken challenge in his eyes. You raise a finger and pull out one of your notebooks and you take up your red pen. You tap the top of it on your lip, in what seems to be your habit, and you begin to write on a clean piece of paper.

Your hand moves with purpose on each word. Jason watches you in curiosity. Though when you realize he’s staring hard at your paper, your free hand forms a wall against his probing eyes.

“No cheating,” you reproach.

He scoffs, but he waits for you to finish.

Finally, you tear off the piece of notebook paper, fold it up neatly, and you slide it over to him.

“What, are we passing notes now?” Jason can’t help but joke, even as he opens the little gift. “I thought we weren’t in class, Professor.”

You shake your head. “Just read it.”

He starts to, and his smile grows. He glances back up at you. “You wrote me a poem?”

“Just a little haiku.” You gesture at him to keep reading while you start to pack up your things. The alarm bell just tolled for the end of class, and you have another job to get to.

Jason’s eyes lower back down to the looping scrawl of your handwriting. His smile deepens into a smirk.

Assistant Hottie

You flatter me, see through me

Smarter than he thinks.

He stares at your words for a while. He rereads the last line a few times.

By the time he looks back up, your bag is packed and you’re standing, ready to go. You smile at him.

“See you on campus,” you say. “I also work at the Writing Center, if you ever need a spruce up on your essays.”

“Can I get you to rewrite my history paper?” he teases.

“Make an appointment,” you counter, still with that smile. “And we’ll see.”

You leave the faculty lounge, and Jason feels a suspicious jolt in his heart.

Something he immediately feels guilty about. 

Because the real reason he came back to Kansas is to continue his summer fling with Lana Lang, a senior at Smallville High. 

Well, to him, it’s not a fling. He used to think it was as close to love as he’s ever been. Recently though, he’s been getting the sense that she’s still hung up on her not quite ex, Clark Kent.

That’s not even the most complicated part.

She’s 18, and Jason’s barely 20, but their relationship could still one day be the reason he loses his job…

And maybe, any chance he might have of being friends with someone like you.

AN: Lol no shade to my sciences, history, and math people! Just creating a character. Let me know what you think! 😉

And if you liked this...

Read the Sequel!

Check out "Miss Professor" to continue reading. ❤️

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@sleepyqueerenergy @kazsrm67 @letheatheodore @agothwithheavysetmakeup @jacklesbrainworms @foxyjwls007 @wincastifer @ades106 @iamsapphine @simpforbuckyb @vanillawhiskeyflavoredkisses @roseblue373 @brianochka @branj19 @hazel-eye-coffee-shop-girl-blog @globetrotter28

@charmed-asylum @waywardxwords @deanwinchestersgirl87 @this-is-me19 @emily-winchester @mrsjenniferwinchester @jc-winchester @fromcaintodean @deanbrainrotwritings @jackles010378 @akshi8278 @rachiem4-blog @waters-2567 @jessjad @sweettimelady @iprobablyshipit91 @leigh70 @clinicallydepresso @lokigirl666 @xiphoidbones

#Assistant Hottie #Jason Teague #jason teague x reader #jason teague x female reader #jason teague x you #jason teague fics #smallville #jensen ackles characters #jensen ackles #lana lang #smallville clark kent #clark kent #zepskies writes

[lukeywritesstuff]

Reader has a pregnancy scare over the summer at the lake house and dosent tell Jack at first so he gets mad. He doesn’t really want a child rn but ends up accepting that they will have a baby. But it’s just a scare so their are not going to actually be parents

baby? no baby.

jack hughes x reader

warning: angst, yelling, pregnancy scare, mentions of abortion, punching (m on m), vomit, swearing and suggestive sexual content (no actual smut)

note: i’m not from the states so all timing for drives and flights and stuff are made up because i’ve been trying to research how far detroit airport is from bloomington AND NO BLOOMINGTON IS COMING UP ON MAPS. i actually went a bit crazy writing this because of that. ALSO this is the first fic i’ve written in a couple years that isn’t a joke so please bear with me because it’s not perfect at all.

lowercase intended

this past week has been a nightmare, from waking up at 6:30 in the morning to throw up, to dealing with motion sickness on an airplane and dealing with my boyfriends absolute bullshit.

let’s start from the beginning: wednesday july 12th, the day i started feeling ill. it was around 5:30 in the morning the first time i threw up. that day i thought it was a bug so i didn’t think much of it. but it kept happening all week, and this freaked me out because i knew i was leaving for michigan on monday to visit my boyfriend jack and his family.

monday couldn’t have come any slower, knowing i needed to talk to ellen before anyone else, i was hoping for the day to come faster. she’d be the only one i can ask about what’s going on with me as i haven’t seen my own family since august of last year since i moved to jersey for college.

the flight was terrible but short, it didn’t help my nausea at all, specially with the turbulence, jack was late to pick me up because he left his phone at the house when he went boating with his brothers so i had to sit around the airport for a few hours. i’m not even gonna think about uber either cuz i’d rather get crushed by a plane than sit for hours in an uber with a complete stranger.

ok getting off topic here, we’ll we got to the lake house after a very uneventful and quiet drive from the airport. ellen was finishing up dinner and luke, quinn and jim were playing basketball in the driveway, which quickly came to a stop as jack pulled up smashing the horn causing quinn to (jokingly) throw the ball at the car. (it did not break at all.)

i settled in to jacks room and we ate dinner, we talked about the boys hockey and training and my school and what i’m doing after i graduate next year. jokes were cracked and it was fun, i actually forgot about jack being a bit of a dick for a good hour and a half. after i stayed in the kitchen with ellen to help clean up, jack and luke ran to the x-box in the other room probably to play fortnite.

‘el, this past week i’ve been feeling quite nauseous this past week and i was wondering if i should worry about it. knowing you’ve been pregnant a few times, i felt it was best to ask you for advice on the situation.’ i said to my boyfriends mother.

‘well if it goes on for a few more days i’d consider going to a doctor, but for now you can go to the pharmacy just down the street and try a rest or 2 if you wanna have an idea quicker.’ she said and i nodded.

‘wait you’re pregnant?’ i hear from by the counter. quinn. he heard.

‘i’m not sure. i was just about to go to the pharmacy to get a test’ i told him.

‘i’ll drive i want some gato and fuckass jack frank the last one.’ he said and i nodded.

we went to the pharmacy and got 2 tests (and a shit ton of blue gato for quinn) and we went back to the house. i went to the bathroom in ellen’s room to take them since she wants to be there for me and honestly i’m glad i did. she’s been so supportive even if it might just be a scare.

the tests came out positive. i broke down in tears and went out to ellen.

‘positive, i’m pregnant. and i’m only 21’ i said.

‘oh sweetie. it’s all gonna be okay. you’re gonna be a great mom and jacks gonna be a great dad.’ ellen said embracing me.

‘so she’s pregnant?’ quinn asked from the door. i just nod my head at him.

suddenly i hear from the hallway ‘who’s pregnant?’ and ‘is it mom? i think i’m a bit too old to be an older brother’ and then a little ‘ow’ after.

then quinn had to open his big ass mouth and say ‘no. it’s y/n. she’s pregnant.’

‘what?!’ jack yelled. ‘and you fucker knew before me? you fucking asshole!’ i heard before i see jack coke into the room angrily to punch his older brother in the face.

‘jack get off!’ i yelled pulling him.

‘i cant believe you told quinn before me! have him father your fucking kid. i don’t want it. i don’t want kids at all. specially right now. i’m at my prime right now! i don’t need a fucking baby ruining it all for me! get out of my house that’s not my kid! and if it is fucking abort it!’ he yelled while crying making me cry even more.

right after luke dragged him to his room and i can hear yelling between them as quinn and ellen comforted me in the master bedroom. todays been a lot for me so i eventually pass out in my boyfriend(?)’s parents room with his mother stroking my hair.

on wednesday, exactly a week after i started having my nausea i decided to visit a doctor to get the baby and i checked out. i haven’t talked to jack since he yelled at me so i go with ellen.

‘okay so it seems like you’re not actually pregnant and the test you took was wrong.‘ the doctor said to me.

honestly i have no idea if i’m relieved or sad. i was honestly quite happy to potentially be having a baby, even if jack was being a huge JACKass about it.

we got home and i saw jack sitting on the porch with a bouquet of flowers.

‘baby, i’ve thought everything over these past few days, and i’m actually excited to have a baby! with you! i apologize for everything i said, but it just hurt knowing quinn found out before me, because i am the dad. but now i am excited for this baby and this new chapter of our lives!’ he said smiling at the end.

‘jack, it was a scare. there’s no pregnancy. i’ve just been having a stomach bug the doctor told me. the tests were wrong too. i’m sorry.’ i said frowning.

‘oh. well i guess that means we just go upstairs and start actually making a baby, because i kinda want one now!’ jack said before pulling me in the house.

once we got up to the bedroom i hear ellen ushering everyone out, probably to spare themselves from having to hear whatever we’re getting up to upstairs.

#jack hughes #jack hughes x reader #jack hughes angst #jack hughes fanfiction #jack hughes imagine #luke hughes #quinn hughes

[lavendermunson]

songs about you | rockstar!eddie munson x fem!reader

summary eddie left town to chase his dreams, writing songs about you is killing him so he goes back to Hawkins to get you back.

warning break up mentioned (not with eddie), no use of y/n. just pure fluff so so fluffy.

a/n first fic after my break, sorry if it's messy. got the inspo from a scene from empire records ? kind of.

wc 1.5k

inspired on this moodboard i made

Eddie left town after he met Chase, a guy who worked at a recording studio in LA. When Chase met Eddie and his band Corroded Coffin he promised they had potential, since then they’ve been making songs and becoming a bigger band. You on the other hand, decided to go to the community college and started to teach music to children, it was a good job and not so tiring and left plenty of space to do homework and have a lot of fun with your friends.

When Eddie came back to Hawkins last week for a break, he promised to spend time with you and your friends. Movie nights with Robin, Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan, playing d&d with the kids and teaching Max and Mike how to play guitar.

It has been a couple of fun days until yesterday, your relationship with your boyfriend has been a nightmare since he cheated on you, and you decided to forgive him and give him a second chance but after the fight last night you wanted to be as far away from him as possible and luckily for you, Eddie accepted you to stay in his trailer, just like in the old days. You had plenty of sleep, and Eddie kept his distance from you not knowing you had broken up with your ex-boyfriend, still the bed was warm and you didn't feel alone anymore.

Eddie missed you like crazy, writing and singing songs about you was ripping his heart apart. He wanted to stay back in Hawkins with you but he had to take your advice "go, be a rock star. iʼll be here supporting you as always" After you slept in his bed last night, he had a feeling that he could win you back, he hated your boyfriend for keeping you apart from him but it was a sacrifice he had to make.

—

You wake up late in the morning, patting down the space beside you, it was empty. Eddie woke up earlier but he left a note.

"Hey sweetheart, I have practice and soundcheck all day but I hope you can come and watch us at 8:00. Here's your ticket, please eat well… you can stay here as long as you want. — Eddie"

You sigh leaving the note in its place after tracing the words with your fingers, knowing there is not much to do on a free Saturday. You decided to go home after picking your breakfast from a cafeteria nearby, take a shower, relax and get ready for Eddieʼs concert.

—

It was 8:00 pm, the hideout was full of people who loved Corroded Coffin. The show was starting, you found a place close to Robin and Steve keeping your eyes glued to Eddie and the way he performed every song. It was hypnotizing, the way the blue glow of the lights made his face look angelic, the shiny rings on his fingers while he played guitar, and the emotion in his voice from every lyric of his songs. He was a very talented songwriter, the way he played the guitar so easily and the way his jaw moved as he sang and his curls moved as he was shaking his head at the rhythm.

Your heart couldn't resist it anymore, all the feelings from the start flowered up, you loved Eddie, and you have always been in love with him. Every night you wondered what he was doing, writing, performing, recording, signing autographs. You were beyond proud of him for chasing his dreams and he was absolutely crushing it.

The set ended after a few songs, it was an awesome show, mostly when Eddie looked right at you as he pronounced some of the most heart-wrenching lyrics. You didn't know those songs were for you, but he made your heart race anyway.

Robin and Steve made their way to the bar, they asked you to come with them but you just wanted to see Eddie. Pushing some bodies away from you as you made your way to the side of the stage, Eddie followed you with his eyes to catch up with you at the top of the stairs.

"Hey, you" he reached out for your hand, helping you get on stage and walking you backstage where the rest of the band relaxed "Did you like the show?"

"Like it? I loved it, Eds" your smile got bigger as you locked eyes with him "you are so talented, you all are"

He laughed at your words, Gareth screamed a ‘thank you’ and the rest of the band laughed too.

"C’mon there is something I have to show you" he squeezed your hand, and you followed him to a couple of stairs and walked with him. The stairs lead you to a rooftop, the neon sign of the hideout was the only source of light aside from the moon.

"Wow, this is awesome" The view from the rooftop was breathtaking, you were able to see some of the houses from the town, and the other side filled up with trees, the night was cold and you shivered. Eddie noticed, he placed his hands on your biceps in an attempt to warm you up.

"I- I hope you noticed that... When I looked at you, I sang those words to you. I guess I wasnʼt performing for everyone but you, I wrote them for you I, I feel that way I really do"

His bottom lip quivered, not much but you noticed. You took a deep breath parting your lips to talk, but he interrupted.

"I know you have a relationship, I get it if you donʼt want to go back in time to when we were so close but god, do I miss you" he rubbed your arms, his hands tightening up on them so they stopped shaking.

"I broke up with him," you said, in a whisper "he cheated on me, we got into a fight... Itʼs over"

"He is an idiot, you know?" he sighs.

"yeah, believe me, I know" You close your eyes for a moment, trying to process everything that was happening "but it also felt like I was cheating on hi, if someone gave me a penny anytime you crossed my mind iʼd be a millionaire by now" you giggled, Eddie did too.

You looked at him, he looked at you. Both of you had a warm pink tint on your cheeks, your heart was pounding and so was his. His hands slid down from your arms to your hands, he gave them a gentle squeeze before letting them go. He placed his hands on your waist, pushing your body towards his and making your chest bump with his. One of his hands rested on your back, the other traveled all the way up to your chin, lifting your face up.

"Now that I have you in my arms, I don't want you to go anywhere else" his soft puppy eyes were glossy as he got closer to your face.

"I only want to be with you, you have me now Iʼm all yours"

Before you could say another word, he leaned in to kiss your lips. You curled your arms around him as he pressed your back with his hand trying to pull you closer, the blood rushed through his veins like ocean waves as his heart beat with so much intensity he was scared you could hear it.

Your stomach filled up with a warm sensation, there weren't any butterflies or an anxious feeling, instead, it was peaceful and safe. You felt safe around him.

It was a tender kiss, gentle, delicate, and filled with love, the love you had for each other bottled up in your bodies was finally put to good use. Your lips melted with his, he moved his head to the side and slides his tongue into your mouth, exploring, tasting, enjoying it. After a few minutes, both of you pulled your heads back, catching the air you needed and giggling.

He took a look at you, your glossy eyes, your puffy lips, your body. "Shit, you are perfect" he muttered, making you blush.

"You are too, come back here" You push him back to you, tangling your arms around his neck. He does the same gripping your waist and lifting you up, he leaves a few pecks on your neck making you giggle.

"You just broke up with that asshole, I feel like I need to give you time or space to mourn but know that after you feel okay again iʼm going to be glued to you"

"I donʼt need time, I want you." You shake your head slightly, wrapping his waist with your legs. "You were gone for a long time, I will follow you everywhere from now on"

“I’m so writing a song about this moment” he says, earning a giggle from you.

He smiled at you, and you imitated his actions. He feels like a new man, a happy man and you feel comfortable, happy, secure. The love you deserve has finally been given to you.

i hey im back guys ♡ sorry for the inactivity, i’ve had this scenario in my mind for so long i had to write it. reblog & comment if you like it, im open to more requests about rockstar Eddie!!!!!

#leia writes ⊹ ꒱ #eddie munson angst #eddie munson fluff #eddie munson x best friend reader #eddie munson x female reader #eddie x y/n #eddie munson x you #eddie munson x reader #eddie munson x fem!reader #eddie munson blurb #eddie x reader #eddie munson imagine #eddie munson x y/n #eddie munson x best friend #eddie munson rockstar au #rockstar!eddie munson #꒰ leia's eddie ⊹ ㅤ꒱

[dduane]

Hi there! I'm not sure if this is something you've talked about before in another post, but I just finished the first draft of my first novel, and I was wondering if you could talk about what your experience was like getting your first novel edited and published. I have this story that I'm excited about but no idea what to do with it now that I've reached "The End," do you have any advice on what my next step ought to be towards eventually getting it published? Thanks in advance!

First of all: thanks for asking. ...And now I have to warn you that I am possibly one of the worst possible people to ask about what their first novel's publication looked like... as it was completely atypical.

Not that that's going to stop me, mind you. (And you know what? I'm inserting a cut here, because this goes on a bit. Warning: contains [calculated] dissing by old friends, pulp non-fiction, unexpurgated language, unexpected awards nominations, and advice that's worth just what you're paying for it.)

What happened with me and my first book goes like this:...

In the late 1970s I was starting to burn out on psychiatric nursing, and was offered a job as assistant to the novelist and Star Trek ["The Trouble with Tribbles"] writer David Gerrold. I took it happily, as I was in a place in my life where I really needed some kind of change. The work with David was part-time; I also occasionally did special duty nursing shifts to help make ends meet.

Now during this period, I was writing for my own amusement (as I'd been doing all my life from about age eight onward). Right then I was working on a project I'd been tinkering with from my late high school years right through college, nursing school, and my first couple/few years of practice as an RN. This was the background worldbuilding for a vaguely Tolkienesque, somewhere-between-late-Medieval-and-early Renaissance fantasy scenario featuring a couple of moderately unusual magic systems, a sexually diverse culture, and a pair of "These Two Idiots"-style protagonists with complex interleaving problems.

While I was working for David, I had a lot of opportunity to observe, close up, what the life and workflow of a career writer looked like. Slowly, over a year or so, the realization crept up on me that what David was doing, I could do too. And it was at this point that I finally admitted to him that I thought I might want to write as well.

David's (as I later discovered, extremely calculated) eyeroll could probably have been seen from space. "Oy, not another one," he moaned. After which I went away from the abortive conversation pretty much resolved never to speak to him about this again... but also with a single thought filling my brain: You fucking supercilious sonofabitch, I'm going to show you that I'm not just another one.

...I'll never be able to thank him enough for that. Fury can be so motivating. :)

In the aftermath I got busy pulling together my background material with much more focused intent, and beating the most significant parts of it into something that started looking like a plot. It came together with surprising speed and unnerving insistence—one of the very few times in my career when a project, once begun, has simply flung me into the writing chair and insisted that it was the most important thing in my life and needed handling now. And when in the fullness of time David went on vacation, leaving me to house-sit at his place in LA, I immediately started using his very early computer to transcribe my novel's so-far-only-handwritten draft material.

I took what I thought was considerable care to cover my tracks... but not quite enough. On his return from vacation, when he was putting out the trash, David found some of my discarded draft pages, read them, and confronted me (with a certain amount of friendly teasing) about what had been going on. Then he said to me, "What I've seen of this thing doesn't look too bad. Let me see it when you're finished, and if it looks good enough, I'll ask one of my publishers if they want to take a look at it."

So that's what happened. I finished my first draft and a polish of it in about six weeks, and passed it to David. He read it and immediately handed it on to his editors at Dell, who were just starting a fantasy line for which they needed product. Two weeks later, they said they liked the novel and made an offer, which I accepted. Not a vast amount, but respectable enough. So there it was, my first sale: this book. Which then got me nominated two years running for the Astounding Award, and opened the door for the sale and publication of So You Want To Be A Wizard, as well as my earliest Star Trek work and my entry into the animation world.

I remember very little about the editing process, except that it was painless. What was not exactly painless was the book's cover, about which...well, the less said here the better. But the book came out to generally good reviews. So, with this series of events behind it, you can see why as regards first-publication stories, I'm a first-class outlier and should definitely not be counted. (Also to be avoided by new writers if at all possible: the experience of having half their strongly-selling first novel's initial print run pulped in the warehouse* because it was taking up room needed by a new book by a world-famous novelist.) (Whom I have long since forgiven, since it wasn't his fault, and...well, what can you do? Shit happens.)

...Anyway, that's more than enough about me. Now let's talk about you.

My first advice about what to do with the novel you've just finished? Stick it in a drawer (literally or figuratively speaking, whichever suits your case better) and don't look at it for at least a month. Two would be better. You can spend those two months thinking about your next moves... because you need to give those some consideration before you do anything else.

The question that you first need to answer is going to at least partially shape what you do next. And it's this:

Are you seriously considering making a career out of writing?

It's not that it can't be done! Of course it can. But it won't be easy... not at all. Anyone who tells you it will is either just outright lying through their teeth, or trying to sell you something. ...Or both.

Be honest with yourself as you consider this. If you aren't, you may be letting yourself in for considerable pain over a prolonged period... and I'd sooner you were spared that, if you can be. In particular, be clear about the difference between the statements "I want to write" and "I want to be a writer." Often enough people like the sound of the lifestyle and what they see as going with it—the signings, the book tours (physical or virtual), the interviews, the best-seller lists—without any real concept of the grueling, day-to-day, weekends-are-for-other-people, why-am-I-making-less-than-minimum-wage-most-of-the-time labor that underpins it.

If you simply want to write and be published—without the concept of a career necessarily being involved, or the lovely shimmering dreamlike vision of Giving Up The Day Job—you now have work pathways available to you that would've been unimaginable in the previous century. Self-publishing makes it possible for you to get your work in front of many, many eyes without necessarily having to submit yourself to the specific set of trials that go with achieving the initial stages of an intended career. Selfpubbing still has significant unique challenges of its own, of course, which have to be evaluated so that you can tell (as the commercials say) if they're right for you.

But if you're thinking of a career in what's usually being referred to these days as "traditional publishing", then you face a number of challenges that don't necessarily come with the self-publishing end of things. In particular: many publishing houses no longer consider manuscripts that come to them un-agented. So you're going to need to find an agent who's willing to represent your work... and this is a task that no longer looks anything like what it did when I found mine. (Or rather, when he found me, having been recommended to me by one of my editors. I've been with him for even longer than I've been with @petermorwood... and that's saying something. But this is yet another way in which my career's been wildly atypical.)

There is so much that could be said about this subject alone—the business of researching agencies to see which one seems like a good fit for you, the art of writing the perfect query letter to get their attention focused on a given book, and so much more—that I could hardly begin to even skim the surface of it here. There are whole websites devoted to shopping for agents, not to mention how to pitch yourself and your work to a given literary agency.

Let me leave this whole subject here for the moment. We can come back to it another time, because right now you need to be thinking this through. ...This I'll say, however. For the past six to nine months I've been pulling together links to various online resources that can be beneficial to new writers just getting started. These will be available as posts over at the FicFoundry.com site that I'm going to be bringing online before summer. I'm hoping to build that into kind of a compendium site or clearing house for online resources on this subject. We'll see how it goes.

Meanwhile, thanks for inquiring about this. You're standing at the first branching of what I'm hoping will be, for you at least, a fascinating variant of the Choose Your Own Adventure genre. :)

More on this later.

("Wait. Did she just call us idiots??")

*Now that we live in the era of just-in-time warehousing, this is something that fortunately doesn't happen much any more... as far as I know. But once upon a time, if somebody's new best-seller was going to the warehouse in its many thousands of copies, and your relatively-less-well-selling book was taking up space that could be used by the other author's "more valuable"/higher-priced titles, your books (5-10K of them, in my case) were simply thrown into a machine and turned into papery mush. And these go on your sales record as "unsold copies". (sigh) Some discussion of this phenomenon can be found over here.

#advice #writing advice #career stories

[minjeonghi]

Kim Minjeong is the poster girl for what you’d call a social outcast. She’s never been one to have a lot of people around and always preferred having a small amount of friends. She’s always been just fine with that too, she didn’t need a lot of friends or social validation to be happy. Nope, absolutely not. Minjeong was simply happy being alone most of the time, focusing on her studies and herself. Having movie nights with her two (only) best friends Sooyoung and Jiwoo was also a healthy routine.

Normally, she never really complained about her life. She had loving parents and they were pretty well off, so she never went without anything she needed as a child. She made perfect marks all throughout high school and got accepted into a good university, her future looking to be set in stone. Yet, for some reason, Kim Minjeong found herself in a slump for the first time in her life. Here she was, a twenty-three year old college student who’s never even had a relationship. Oh, and she’s also a virgin.

“Urgh!” Minjeong, who was sitting crosslegged on her bed and trying to focus on writing an essay assignment, pushed her laptop out of her lap in frustration. She couldn’t focus. Since when can’t she focus on school? Exasperated and flustered, she blew a strand short brown hair out of her face in frustration.

“What is wrong with me...” she muttered to herself bitterly under her breath. The reason she was frustrated was completely out of character for her and it was driving her absolutely insane. She’s unable to stop thinking about it and it’s been causing her to lose focus on anything productive for the last week.

To put it simply — Minjeong had been horny lately. It’s not that she’d never experienced it before, discreetly slipping her hand inside her panties and relieving herself late at night. But honestly, she only ever did it as a chore to get her body to shut up. She found little to no pleasure in touching herself and only did it a handful amount of times. There was never any neediness in her so this feeling of need and want that’s been overwhelming her for the past week was a pain in the ass, to say the least. She couldn’t even study!

A relationship had always been the last thing on her mind. Since she liked being alone and had basically no sex drive, she never pursued another person and since she didn’t get out of the house save for school or getting food, no one pursued her either. It didn’t bother her at all until now. She kept having these intense urges and for some reason, they led to her rethinking her entire life.

For the first time, Minjeong felt like she was an absolute loser. A twenty-three year old virgin? Maybe her friends were right, she did need to expand her horizons and start thinking about a relationship.

Okay, okay... she sighed in defeat at her realization. How was she going to get rid of these urges if she doesn’t even know the first thing about relationships or talking to girls?

She closed her laptop and put it away, her mind way too far in the gutter to be able to focus on anything anymore. Phone in hand, she decided she’d call up her two best friends and ask for advice. She never asked for any kind of advice so she knew Jiwoo in particular would eat it up.

Ring, ring, ring. “Minjeong?” an enthusiastic and very cheery voice answered after only a couple of seconds, as if she were staring at the cell waiting for a call to come in. It was typical behavior for one of her best friends, Jiwoo — who just happened to be dating and living with her other best friend, Sooyoung.

Before she could reply Jiwoo continued. “Why are you calling on a Monday night? You’re always busy studying during the week. You strictly told us not to bother you-“

“I know, I know, but...” Minjeong cut her off, stopping her before she could ramble on. “Is Sooyoung there with you?”

“Yo,” she heard Sooyoung’s voice in the background. Good. She needed both of them for this.

“What’s wrong, Minjeongie? You sound all frustrated.. I don’t like that.” came Jiwoo’s sweet voice from through the speaker.

Closing her eyes, she took a deep breath and sighed as she tried to gather her thoughts. She trusted her best friends with her life but the subject was still a bit awkward to her, being so inexperienced. And she didn’t know why, but she also had a half fear that she’d be laughed at.

“Yeah, what’s bothering you all of the sudden? Did something happen?” it was Sooyoung’s sharp and concerned voice now. Her friends knew her too well. Minjeong was always put together and stable so hearing her sound so unsettled must have surprised them.

Fuck it. She decided to let it all out. With a shaky breath, she started to rant. “I’m so frustrated, you guys. I can’t concentrate on anything, I can’t even study! I can’t shower, I can’t sleep, I can’t eat, I can’t do anything without getting horny! HA! There. I said it. I’m horny. I’m so fucking horny and I don’t know what to do about it because I’m an inexperienced virgin who hates touching myself!”

Having said all of this in a rush, she was a bit delirious at this point. Jiwoo and Sooyoung were frozen on the other end of the line, and all you could hear for a moment was Jinsoul’s exasperated laugh until it stopped.

“Well, have you tried a vibrator?” came Sooyoung’s deadpan voice after the long pause.

“SOOYOUNG! She’s having a real problem, be serious!” Jiwoo gasped, and Minjeong rolled her eyes as she could practically visualize in her head what the two looked like right now. Complete opposites, yet they fit so well. Sooyoung would say something without a filter and Jiwoo would act shocked as if she’s not used to her girlfriend already. They would bicker, make up, and Sooyoung would flirt with Jiwoo until she’s blushing deep red and they make an excuse to leave to go do God knows what. For the first time ever she was kind of jealous.

Sooyoung’s voice brought her out of her thought. “I am being serious. You know what a good toy does to you…”

Jiwoo gasped again. Minjeong gulped. This kind of banter was completely normal for the pair and in any normal circumstance she was used to it and it never bothered her. Now, however, hearing the sexual reference and the low tone of her friend’s voice made something stir inside of her... Good god, pull it together, Minjeong! This can’t be happening. She shouldn’t be picturing her two best friends having sex right now...

She called to get their advice, not to get hot and bothered at the sound of their sexy banter that never used to be sexy to her until now. This was a disaster.

“Maybe I should go. Thanks for the advice, Sooyoung, I’ll look into that-“

Sooyoung interrupted. “Hold on, there’s no way you know anything about buying a vibrator. I thought you called us for help? We’d need to assist you, of course.”

“She’s right, Jeongie. You’d need our help. Why are you rushing off? We’re your best friends, you don’t have to be embarrassed about anything with us!” Jiwoo chimes in, voice suddenly perky and upbeat again. “Sex is a normal thing. You know we’ve been telling you forever that you need a girlfriend. Oooh, let’s help you get one!”

Minjeong could feel the heat rising in her cheeks now. She knew the pair could probably hear the agony in her voice when she spoke again, the embarrassment of her outburst settling in. “Uh.. you mean.. help buying a vibrator, or help getting a girlfriend?”

Both options pained her to think about. She physically flinched at the mere thought of either one. A vibrator, really? She had never in her life entertained the thought of a sex toy. What would it even feel like, and how could it possibly be pleasurable to put something that vibrates down there?

Minjeong concluded that she was definitely a fucking loser. Not understanding the concept of a vibrator at her big age? She just couldn’t wrap her head around it. The few times she’d touched herself with her own fingers, she barely got anything out of it. And the thought of talking to girls in the context of hooking up? Oh, she was hopeless for sure.

#should i continue? #im new here hi #jiminjeong #aespa #aespa winter #aespa karina #kim minjeong #yu jimin #aespa fanfic #aespa smut #jiminjeong smut #chuu #yves #kim jiwoo #ha sooyoung #really should i continue? help

[broadstbroskis]

choosing you | william nylander

a/n: rolling in late (as usual) for @antoineroussel winter fic exchange! demi, thank you for running such a wonderful fic exchange, as always! you are an angel among us for organizing this!

i had the absolute pleasure of writing for @nylwnder. i was so so SO excited to write this for you darling! i hope you enjoy!

-----

“I’m going to be alone forever!” 

Nobody even turns to look when Will throws himself in the booth. At one end, Auston and Morgan are talking about their plans for the Raptors game this weekend while Tessa tries to shove her way to Morgan’s other side to join a more interesting conversation. 

Jordan and Mikey and Marissa and Alex are next to them, comparing cute stories about their dogs. Occasionally, they’ll catch Mitch’s attention and he’ll sneak a peek at whatever picture or video has been pulled up and then throw a comment in about how Zeus is the best dog ever, before jumping right back into the debate that he’s having with you, Steph, Justin, and Audrey about which would win in a fight, a gorilla or a grizzly bear. 

“I don’t know how you don’t choose bear!” Justin repeats, even as Audrey is shaking her head at him.

“Hello?” Will whines, leaning against you. “ Did anyone hear me?”

“Being overdramatic?” You pat your hand against his, kind of patronizingly, but this type of behavior from Will isn’t really anything new. “We heard. We just don’t believe it.” You pivot right back into the debate. “Let that gorilla take a swing at ya, buddy. That’s how you don’t choose bear.”

“Thank you!” Audrey cries.

“I got people 6ft tall coming at me everyday! Bring it!” Justin throws his hands up in a challenge.

“You’re both crazy!” Steph looks at you and Audrey and shakes her head.

“People survive bear attacks!” You argue.

Mitch nods. “Gorillas are fucking savage!”

“Oh you know this from all your personal experience hanging out with gorillas?” Steph asks.

“How-how did we get here?” Will frowns, still draped over you and begging for attention.

“Well we somehow started with whether you’d rather fight the one horse sized duck or one hundred duck sized horses.” Justin explains. “But obviously, that’s-”

“-the horse sized duck.” You all chime in together.

“Oh, of course.” Will says, like your obvious conclusion was the one everyone would have reached (it should be).

“And it spiraled from there.” Audrey says.

“I, too, am spiraling.” Will tells her and she immediately fights back a laugh. “Because I’m going to die alone.”

“I guess we have to do this, then?” Justin sighs. 

“You are the married couple who’s supposed to like, have your shit together and offer good advice.” Mitch says.

“Hold up, we did not sign up for that!” Audrey says, as you and Steph laugh. “We’re like, the fun older siblings that you still get in trouble with. John and Aryne are your stable adults.”

“Can we get back to me?” Will jumps in quickly, probably worried that’s about to start another tangent.

“What’s to get back to?” You ask him. “Break ups suck. Get yourself a drink, and then a lot more, and you’ll feel worse in the morning at first, but then a little better.”

Audrey laughs at what’s become your time honored method for getting over breakups. “It just takes time, babe.” She tells him, which just makes Will look murderous. “You’ll find the right girl eventually.”

“I saw a meme the other day that everyone meets their soulmate by the time they’re like 22.” Alex turns and adds in. “So maybe you already have.”

“That was a meme?” Marissa frowns at him.

“Well nah, the meme was about like, not wanting to dive down that hole again or something.” Marissa gives Alex another look that has you all laughing. “It was funnier when you saw it, okay!” Alex protests.

“Mhmm.” She says, entirely unimpressed and Alex pulls his phone back from Mikey to start scrolling through instagram for it. 

“Finally, something helpful.” Will says, finally pulling back from you.

“What?” You ask, looking over to him, sure you heard him wrong. “What’d you just say?”

“That’s it. I’m going to go back and date all the girls I’ve already dated.”

“What?” You repeat, sure that your face is doing...something.

“That’s what Kerf just said!”

“I don’t-I don’t think that’s what he said at all.” Steph says, looking around her, like she’s waiting for confirmation from the rest of you.

“How did you get that from what he just said?” Justin asks. 

Will doesn’t even look phased at either of those comments, barreling on. “It’s genius. I’ve already found the right girl. I just have to figure out which girl I’ve dated is the right girl.”

Audrey bites her lip to fight back a laugh, but when she speaks, she’s looking directly at you. “Maybe the right girl is closer than you think.”

You send a glare at her across the table, but thankfully, Will seems too focused on figuring out what he wants to drink to try and figure out any cryptic clues she might have been trying to drop to him.

-----

“Audrey was right!” He announces to you the next afternoon, when he lets himself in your apartment after practice.

“About what?” You frown, barely looking up from your laptop and the spreadsheet you’re trying to fix.

“The right girl being closer than I think!”

Your heart stops and your head flies up. Will’s grinning back at you. He looks soft and rumpled after practice, arriving to your place in sweats and a hat, wearing his glasses, and looking like he’s ready to crash on your couch and stay there (you’d let him- you’d let him do that and more, ugh these feelings were the worst), but this? Him coming here and saying this so suddenly? It’s-

“I just ran into Jess at Starbucks!”

You close your mouth. Of course, it wasn’t you. Of course Jess was the first of the girls to re-return, and that he managed to casually run into her no less. 

“That’s awesome!” You manage. “Did you-did you grab coffee with her?”

He nods, then moves his hand back and forth. “Well, kinda. For a few minutes. She had to run to a meeting. But we’re going out later this week for real.”

It’s kind of nice to still be able to duck into your laptop and pretend the reason for the lack of smile on your face is because of work, not Will’s tall, beautiful, smart, could-be-a-supermodel ex-girlfriend. “That’s great.” You tell him and he smiles back at you, before going to make himself comfy on your couch until you’re ready to do something for dinner-a routine that’s as old as your friendship since he came to Toronto. 

It’s begun. You text Steph and Audrey.

Please live text us this disaster. Steph texts back and Audrey immediately follows it with a flaming dumpster gif. 

Jess. Is all you send back and they simultaneously text back a string of gasping emojis, which is pretty much on par for how you think this is going to go.

-----

Will throws himself on your couch dramatically hours after his date with Jess, which would be funny if you couldn’t tell he was upset. 

“What happened?” You ask, fighting back a smile. It’s not that you wanted him to have a bad time. It’s just… you’ve seen this film before. You can guess the ending.

“I don’t know.” He sighs. “It started off fine, I thought, and then she started saying how happy she was that I finally realized I was better than the rest of my friends, and that we could make this work now because of that.”

“Hm.” You say noncommittally, because none of what’s coming out of his mouth from Jess is a surprise.

He sits up at that, looking at you, kind of shocked and kind of mad, and that does surprise you. “You knew?”

“Will!” You shake your head. “Everyone knew. She didn’t make it much of a secret how much she disliked us.”

His jaw drops. “Was I the only one who didn’t know?” You nod. “And you all didn’t tell me?”

You shrug. “Well. We really didn’t think she’d last as long as she did.”

“That’s not really an excuse.” He frowns.

“You’re right,” You acknowledge, because it’s true and you and Steph and Mitch and Auston had all talked about it since. “But it took us a while to realize how different she was around you and us and by the time we did…” You trail off. “You guys had broken up. We didn’t think it’d be an issue again. We never held back after that.”

“Oh you certainly didn’t.” Will mutters, and you know he’s thinking about Abigail and everything that had been said when he’d brought her to meet you all for the first time.

“We’ve found our center!” You cry. “We’re better now!”

Will lies back down, resting his head against your leg and your hand goes to rest in his hair. Will loves having his hair played with and this is the least you can do for him. “You tell yourselves that.”

You brush some hair back from his face, smiling at how content he looks with his eyes closed and the small smile on his face. “I don’t have to, the group chat will do it for me.”

One of his eyes pops open. “There’s a group chat?”

You scratch your nails through his hair, which is probably dirty pool, because he loves that. “Shh, don’t worry about it.”

-----

Steph invites you and Audrey over for a bridal party planning session one evening and Mitch is absolutely gleeful when you walk in the door. 

“Do you know, did you hear?”

“Ugh.” Is all you have to say, reaching for the wine Steph’s already pouring you.

“Come on, man, read the room.” Audrey lectures.

“You do!” He cries, ignoring her completely. “Come on, tell me.”

“I’ve been sworn to secrecy.” You tell him, enjoying the look on his face at that.

He scowls. “We’ve been trying to get it out of him all week. He won’t say shit.” You cackle and he flips you off, grinning as he makes his goodbyes, off to Auston’s with Zeus for the dogs to have a “brodate.”

“Can you really not say?” Audrey whispers, once he’s left, as if that’s not just something you’d said to fuck with Mitch.

You nod. “It’s Alex.”

“Shut up!” Steph cries immediately. 

You raise your eyebrows as you take a sip of wine.

“Is he there now?” Audrey asks. “Like with her? Or at hers?”

You nod.

“Why didn’t we turn this into a reality show?” Audrey wonders aloud. “Forget Leaf to Leaf, the production team has a better purpose this year.”

You crack up, promising to keep them posted when you hear from Will, and with that Steph pulls a book of color samples out.

-----

“Is it me?” Will stares at you expectantly, watching you make yourself coffee the next morning, so you pour a second mug and pass it over to him.

“No.” You assure him. “Well, maybe.” He glares at you. “But really only in this case.”

He huffs. “Why didn’t this one work then?”

You burst into laughter. “Because she’s basically your brother!”

The sight he makes at that- frozen, with his mug halfway to his mouth, jaw dropped just a little- is incredible. It’s so rare that moments like that happen and you have a camera ready to capture them.

Luckily for you, you’ve got your phone in hand already and somehow, have the wherewithal to drop into the camera app and snap a picture.

“Delete that!” He says immediately.

“Never.” You stick your tongue out at him, already texting it to your group with Steph and Audrey. Caption this. 

No thoughts head empty. Steph comes back immediately. 

Audrey’s just as quick. When you can’t remember if you turned the straightener off before you left home.

SO close. You send back, even as Will tries to steal the phone from you. But it’s actually “when your best friend had to be the one to tell you that your ex and your brother are the same person down to their NAME”

Will’s stopped trying to make a play for your phone by the time you get a response back (Steph’s laugh and Audrey, queen of the gif as usual) but he’s looking at you like he’s thinking. “You-you-”

“Yes?” You ask patiently, sipping your coffee.

But there’s not a lot to say on that, you think. Even when Will and Alex had first broken up, he hadn’t been able to give you all much of a reason why at the time, just that for all they had really gotten along in so many ways, something had just seemed off about it-and she had agreed, he’d said- so they’d mutually parted ways. The parallels between her and his brother had been obvious, you thought, and you know it wasn’t just you who saw them.

“You just ruined that whole relationship.” Will says.

Apparently not obvious to Will, though.

“You were already broken up!” You protest.

“No, you ruined my memory of it.” He says with a completely straight face, which he somehow manages to keep for another minute before you realize that he’s fucking with you entirely. 

-----

Brooke arrives back into Will’s life the same way she left it last time- in a whirlwind of drama.

“She did what!” Audrey gasps and you turn the volume down quickly, eyes scanning over the waiting room around you.

“She hit him with her car!” You repeat, looking down at the FaceTime call. “I’m literally at the hospital now, waiting to hear from the doctor.”

“Jesus Christ.” Audrey’s shaking her head in disbelief. “That boy.”

“I mean,” You defend, the need to stick up for Will bubbling up inside you. “It’s not, like, his fault.”

“Not at all, but you’ve got to admit, he does get himself into some wild situations.” She hums. “Auston’s dated some real winners but even he’s never been hit by a car.”

“I-“ You don’t have much of a response to that. “He didn’t get like hit by her car; she just clipped him.”

She gives you a flat look. “That’s what you’re going with?”

“There’s the doctor.” You say lamely, and even though it’s not a lie, you can tell she can see right through you and that you’re thankful for the excuse by the knowing look on her face. “Gotta go.”

“Mmm.” She gives you another look. “Alright babe, you go make sure Will’s okay. I’ll be ready for you with the wine later.”

A nurse brings you back, smiling and chatting politely with you until you reach the area that Will’s been waiting in for a few more tests. At first, you think the bay is empty, but then you realize there are actually two people in the room.

That they’re just sitting that close.

Brooke’s hands are laced with Will’s and there are tracks of mascara running down her face. She doesn’t acknowledge you at all, even as you check in with Will and how he’s feeling, as the doctor gives him a clean bill of health and tells him to follow up with the team doctors tomorrow.

“You ready to go?” You ask Will, and somehow, someway, you already know what’s going to happen next, before Brooke even speaks.

“Actually, Will and I are going to go grab lunch.” She says smoothly. 

Your face freezes, hopefully in somewhat of a smile, but you couldn’t say at all what it was actually doing. Will untangles one hand from Brooke’s to squeeze your shoulder gently, reassuringly, as he passes, and he gives you a smile. “I’ll come see you tomorrow.” He promises, as she pulls him out of the room before you’ve even realized what’s happened.

Definitely going to need that wine. You send Audrey once you manage to collect some thoughts and realize that you’re left alone in an emergency room that wasn’t even for you.

That bad?? You can practically hear the shock in her voice.

Arguably worse. You send back.

Man. She sends. There is something about Brooke.

You don’t respond to that. There’s just something about Brooke, is right 

-----

When it’s been about a week since you’ve seen Will in person, you text him. 

Everything okay?

Everything is great! Why? Wait are you okay? He sends back right away.

Just haven’t seen you in a while! I’m good!

He likes that message and even though he’s sure to text you more frequently after that, you still don’t actually get to see him.

You end up on Audrey Holl’s couch one day when the boys are away, head in Steph’s lap as she openly laughs at you.

“You’re a mess.” Audrey says.

“That’s not news!” You pout at her. “Can you tell me how to get my best friend back, please?”

“Have you just...asked him?” Steph asks. “You sound a lot like Will right now.”

“You take that back!” You poke her leg. She’s sitting far too close to you to be saying things like that.

Steph and Audrey both laugh at that though, but it’s Steph that replies. “Again. Have you asked him to hang out with you recently?”

Your silence answers that.

“Maybe,” Audrey pours another serving of wine in your glass. “You start there.”

They only laugh at you for another few minutes before helping you draft a text to Will, asking if he’s free to hang out when he gets back from his road trip. 

It doesn’t take Will long to respond at all, confirming plans with you the day after they get back, and you settle into girls’ day feeling better than you have since Brooke came back into your lives.

-----

“I’m sorry!” Will hastens to say, but he’s balancing two coffees in hand as he kicks your door shut behind him, so you’re inclined to forgive his lateness. “My-well, it was a whole thing.”

“I was going to give you five more minutes before I sent out a search party.” You laugh, accepting the cup he offers. “Is everything okay?”

He nods. “Yeah.” Then he sighs. “I’m just happy to be here, I’ll say that.”

“Me too.” You blurt out, before you can stop yourself. “I’ve missed you!”

Will just grins. “Me too.” He says, as his phone buzzes. He looks at it, makes a face, and slides it back into his pocket. “Ready to go?”

“For breakfast still?” You throw your hand over your heart dramatically, smiling wider when he grins. “A man after my heart.”

“I know better than to let you go hungry.” Will teases. “This is really for my safety, you see.”

“Mmm.” You nod. “Yeah, uh huh. Nothing to do at all with the pancakes voted best in Toronto only last month.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Will feigns innocence and opens the door to your Uber, ignoring his phone buzzing again. “I would never make a list ranking all those places in order of menu and aesthetic to try them all and see if they’re appropriately rated.”

You’re still cackling as he climbs in beside you, confirming the restaurant for the driver. “You are absurd.”

He shrugs. “You love me anyway.”

You fight back a smile and just shake your head at him, mostly to stop yourself from blurting out that yeah, you do.

Will’s phone starts buzzing again though, and then curiosity stops you from saying anything stupid. You watch as he barely glances at it before ignoring the call and then shoves it back in his jacket pocket and then he changes the subject so quickly you don’t even have time to ask him about it.

It keeps happening though, all throughout breakfast-Will’s phone buzzing with calls and texts and him ignoring it with subject changes or funny quips. You have your suspicions by the fifth or so time it rings, but you don’t get a chance to confirm them until Will gets up to go to the bathroom and leaves his phone behind. 

Brooke’s face has appeared on his screen three times by the time he comes back and it’s ringing again when sits back down. Once again, Will barely looks at it as he ignores the call, but this time you frown. “Do you need to go?”

“Nope.” He says, and you can hear the annoyance in his voice. “I’m exactly where I want to be.”

“It doesn’t sound like someone else wants you here.” You say coolly.

“Well, she doesn’t want me to do a lot of things.” Will mutters.

“Then why are you with her?” It comes out before you can stop it and from the look on his face, the outburst surprises Will as much as it does you. “I didn’t-”

“No, go on.” He says and the silence that follows is the most awkward the two of you have ever sat through.

“I just don’t want you to be unhappy.” You say, finally. “If Brooke is who makes you happy, then great! It’s just- whenever you’re with her, you don’t seem like yourself.”

“I’m fine.” He smiles, but it doesn’t quite as bright as usual, and it feels like prime evidence that something isn’t right.

—--

It’s barely a few hours later when you hear the pounding on your door and you begrudgingly pause your twentieth rewatch of New Girl to go answer it.

“Hi?” You step back to let Will in. “Did we have plans again?”

“No.” Will shuts the door behind him. “I just-”

“Oh.” Your face falls. “Oh no. Brooke?”

“Yeah, but-”

You cut him off. “Aw, Will, I’m so sorry!” You loop your arms around him in a hug, which he quickly returns, squeezing tight. 

“You’re not.” He mutters into your hair.

“Well.” You fight back a smile into his shoulder. “I mean, I’m not sorry it wasn’t Brooke, but I am sorry it didn’t work out. I know how hard you’ve been trying.” You start to pull back, but he keeps his arm around you.

“She asked me to choose.” He says into your hair and you’re pretty sure you heard correctly, but still, you have to ask him to repeat it. “She asked me to choose. Her or you.”

“Oh.” You bite your lip and try to bury your face in his shoulder again. “Um, how-what did you-.”

Will lifts your chin up with his fingers, carefully looking you in the eye and stopping you from looking away. “There’s no choice, okay? I choose you.”

“What?” You breathe.

“I choose you.” Will repeats. “I choose you. I’ve been choosing you this whole time and I’ve been too dumb to see it. I’ll always choose you.”

“Will.” You breathe out, and for the first time, you actually see him look nervous. 

“And I hope, maybe, you’ll choose me too.” Will adds softly, so softly that if you weren’t as close as you are, you aren’t sure you would have heard him.

“Always.” You smile, and that’s all you get to say before Will kisses you.

#william nylander #hockey fanfiction #nhl fanfiction #nhl fanfic #hockey fanfic #my hockey fics

[rtubtub]

Duvet

Part 1

This is my first post ever and i don’t know how to use this site well so ill add the warnings here and since billy is in this story i am in no way shape or form romanticizing abuse, alcohol addiction, toxic families. This is a story I’ve been wanting to write and by all means give me advice! Thank you

“Shit shit shit shit!” were the first words out of your mouth trying to rush and slap on clothes. You weren’t late to school if anything you still had enough time to eat breakfast and take the bus but you of all people knew how impatient Billy can be. You took one last look at yourself in the mirror checking your outfit mom jeans, blue tank too over a white shirt and Billy’s jean jacket on top and if you were to sniff hard enough you can smell his cologne Davidoff Cool Water.

“Y/N!!” You rolled your eyes as you put on your butterfly necklace “WHAT?!” It was too early in the morning to deal with your mom especially when she’s sober. Your door slams open and your mom starts barging in with furious face

“Why did i get a call from officer Hopper telling me he picked you up drunk from a party?!” Snitch….he promised he wouldn’t tell her

“Mom your acting like something bad happened. Besides shouldn’t you be happy i made it in one piece?”. You sat on the edge of the bed to put on your white shoes she didn’t care you came home drunk last night she wouldn’t even care if you came home at all to be honest she is just upset that Hopper called. The more she talked the more she started fuming “You know that i don’t like cops involved with anything Y/N you know that!” You started looking around for your backpack

“And you think i don’t know that? I keep telling him to buzz off and to mind his own business but OBVIOUSLY-“ a honk interrupts you as you find your backpack and finally get to escape this conversation “I got to go bye!”. You rush out the room to not keep Billy waiting “Y/N may that be the last time i hear from him again! Do i-“ you slam the front door a smile spreads on your face as your eyes spot Billy white shirt button up half way with those blue denim jeans that make every girls head turn leaning on his blue chevrolet camaro. You run up and jump in his arms “Hey baby you that excited to see me?” He leans down to kiss you “Yes! Now come on lets go my mom is throwing a tantrum over last night.” He opened the passenger door for you as you buckled your seatbelt in he gets in and starts the car “Why does he even care if you were drinking? Damn perv must have a thing for you.” You pushed his arm while giggling “Ew no! Ever since he arrested my dad his been trying to look after me it’s annoying”. Last night Billy and a couple of friends from the basketball team went to a bar to see if we can get some drinks that won’t ID us and low and behold Billy got hammered and started to pick a fight with one of the bar patrons which got the cops involved. Hopper ended up being called and once he saw u were there he sent everyone home for the night and forced asked to give you a ride home seeing Billy intoxicated. “The whole car ride he was lecturing me until i had to throw up” you laughed at the memory “Yea about last night” you got nervous remembering the whole reason Billy got into a fight at the bar. “You know i was just trying to protect you and that fucking idiot had it coming right” he was throwing side glances at you while you looked down and nervously messing with his jean jacket buttons “Yea i know Billy” last night one of the bar patrons was just having a normal conversation with you but Billy didn’t like that he thought the guy was being to touchy feely so he hit him and a fight broke out. “Look at me” he grabbed your chin to meet his face “Good girl” he kissed your lips and lets you go “Come on move your ass before we’re fuckin late”

As you enter your first class you notice people stopped talking and started whispering as you walk over to your friend Valerie. Ah yes Valerie Cairns. If words can describe her ill say she is the personification of that small voice in your head that tells you to “don’t do it” when your doing something stupid or if “I told you so” was a person. She is always judging observing people picking them apart with her clear brown eyes and if that wasn’t enough miss princess comes from money so she is always prim and polished. She can’t leave her house without her hair done, black jean skirt must be knee length WITH leggings (her fathers rules), and today a pink and black stripped polo. Why she hangs out with someone like me? Who knows she won’t even tell me.

“What the fuck is that about?” You look over your shoulder putting your stuff down “You mean you haven’t heard?” Valerie looked shocked but you didn’t notice that trying to sit down “No I don’t keep up with ‘guess which cheerleader got knocked up’ series” huh good one y/n “You shouldn’t worry about it just some stupid rumor going around about someone getting caught smoking in the restroom” if you payed attention to Valerie you would have noticed she said that too quickly like she was covering up something, but you didn’t because all you could think of was about last night.

Before the bell can ring the loony toons Gossamer busts in with his hellfire club shirt, denim vest over his leather jacket, and a dark brown mane you secretly envied. You never really talked to ‘Super Super SUPER Senior’ Eddie Munson not because you cared for your reputation ,Being labeled as Billy Hargrove’s gf ruins that already, but rather you had nothing in common plus his stupid speeches during lunch are annoying. Mrs Williamson comes in when the bell rings taking attendance “Mr. Munson you finally decided to show up? I hope you know that if you skip 3 more times you will fail this class.” The whole class snickered “And good morning to you too Mrs. Williamson” his smile drops once she turns around “bitch” he said it below a whisper. You snorted but cover your face when Mrs. Williamson turns back around “Something funny Miss Y/l/n” someone is in irritable mood today, who pissed in her coffee this morning? “Nothing Mrs. Williamson i just sneezed” you throw in a innocent smile to make it believable. bitch. She has a stern face then looks at the rest of the class “Listen class today we will be working on a anecdote of famous leaders that i will assign you. This project will be for a major grade and you will be in a partners of 2 only do i make myself clear.” The whole class drags a yes. Just as you turn to Valerie to get started “No Y/n you will not be working with Miss.Cairns” you quickly looked at her confused “Why not?” Both you and Valerie say in the same time “So Cairns can do all the work meanwhile you talk her ear off? No i don’t think so” she gives you a smile and you don’t know if you should be heated or creeped out. “You will work with Munson so that way you two HAVE to actually do some work” you and Eddie make eye contact…..fuck im failing this project.

#eddie munson #eddie munson x reader #billy hargrove #billy hargrove x reader #stranger things #eddie munson x female character #billy hargrove x female reader #warning

[katiescancerjourney]

Scares, July+ 2022

I initially was going to write about each scare in detail, but I have been rather overwhelmed lately and do not want to feel like keep up with my blog is homework, which frankly, it kind of does right now. Homework I gave to myself! lol. Maybe one day I'll lay each one out in their own post, but for now, this is a condensed version.

The last couple of months have been difficult, to put it lightly. Starting with anaphylactic shock which was horrifying, then my sacrum pain increasing to the point where radiation was an absolutely necessary next step. There are lost of side effects connected to radiation but the standout one I learned about was the potential of going into menopause… at the age of 34… putting the nail in the coffin for child birth. I was gutted. Luckily after many fights with my insurance, I was approved for proton radiation which lowers those chances. But still, well, fuck you sacrum tumor.

Due to the pain, I had to go on a 24/7 opioid regiment that has introduced many unwanted side effects, the most awful being, often not feeling like myself. I had emergency scans, procedures and exams due to extreme bloating in my abdomen, an ultrasound for swelling in my foot and a blood transfusion because of low hemoglobin levels. Next I needed a pelvic scan and exam for the extreme nerve pain that has taken over my rectum and genitals, which could be referred pain from my sacrum tumor, or could be a whole new issue to add to the pile. I’ve needed to change and increase my meds 3 times to keep up with the relentless increasing pain, making my daily pill count to almost 40. All the while, my liver enzymes have been shooting up week after week, excluding me from chemo and resulting in the need for liver duct stents.

And after going through all of that, not having 1 full week of peace for months, now, when I look in the mirror and see yellow eyes staring back at me, and I see dark urine every time I pee, and it’s impossible not to go there, to not think, for maybe the first time since this all began, that I might not make it.

After my last appointment with my main oncologist, I came out of her office, sat down in the waiting room and leaned back against the wall. I started to tear up as I fidgeted on hemorrhoid pillow, which I literally cannot sit without anymore. My dad asked if I wanted to go lay down on the couch that was free and I said yes. I walked over to the couch, curled up in the fetal position, brought my arms up over my face and sobbed. Not 30 seconds later I felt him sit down next to me and he started rubbing my head. I sobbed and calmed down and sobbed and calmed down, over and over. When I finally brought my arms down and looked up, Dad and Kim's eyes looked like mine, tired and sad. So yeah, I think that's where we're all at right now.

I got some pretty incredible advice from my support group last night which was to stop and look around at everything I have. To see that I’m at one of the best hospitals in the world, my doctor is a fucking legend, I’m getting an amazing type of radiation that is very difficult to get approved and I’m already set up for the liver duct procedure. I’m as ready as anyone could be. They said I need to go on autopilot for a little while. It’s time to trust the doctors, trust the plan, take a deep breath, and let it all go. Autopilot here I come.

#cancersucks #katiesmithsfightclub #katiesfightclub #coloncancer #stage4cancer #coloncancerawareness #livercancer #liver cancer #colon cancer #fuck cancer

[jadeee]

Hi honey for the writer Ask if its still on 😅🎢✨⛔🙋🍆❌🎯🎨🤗💞🧠(Howie)🤩😬📚🤯💔🤭 please? -sarah

i love that you put practically every emoji, hahaha! tysm for spamming me with these asks

😅 what's a story or scene you've created that you're a smidge embarrassed exists?

the first thing that comes to mind would be "hot & bothered". the teasing scene at the table during the meeting is very bold. i can see teasing between nicky and mc but in front of others who don't know them all that well is questionable. close 2nd would prob be the find the cannoli scene in vendetta but i'm not even embarrassed. it just makes me laugh or smile every time.

🎢which of your fics would you call your wildest ride?

it should be "vendetta" bc there's drama, violence, action, and romance but i automatically thought of "let's get out of here". i wrote that before "vendetta" and it was challenging bc i had to make sure the movements were described accurately since it was in a moving car.

✨give you and your writing a compliment. go on now. you know you deserve it. 😉

aww! well, when i reread my work i love the emotion it evokes. i feel tied to the characters and like i'm watching it unfold before my eyes.

⛔do you have a fic you started, but scrapped?

yeahhhh ... so a few months ago i had an idea for a nanami story {lemme just say that i truly was done writing fanfiction except for "vendetta" which was, and is, still unfinished as a series. i wanted to focus on ocs and original plots but i got swept away by nanami kento and just had to write smthn about him. i had severe brain rot}

i was inspired by this post i saw of men on their knees in front of women/their lovers and thought of nanami on his knees for his s/o, wtv the reason may be. the premise was that he was late for a special dinner at a fancy restaurant that they made reservations for months ago. he got held up at work and was going to meet mc there, but then told them to go on without him anyway. so he ends up meeting mc at their shared home and they're livid, just ready to lay it on him. they don't get the chance to bc as soon as he sees them sitting in the loveseat in their living room he's apologizing like crazy. mc doesn't have the heart to go off so they just do some light teasing instead. i imagine it would've went smthn like

"i don't believe you."

"how can i prove it to you?"

"you can beg."

he took a deep breath and walked toward you. he placed his hands over yours which were on the armrest then sank down to his knees. then he rested his face in your lap and brought your hands to his cheeks, "is this better?"

🙋‍♀️ do any irl people know you write fanfic?

yes. i've told a handful of ppl and surprisingly it's become smthn a few of my coworkers and i bond over.

🍆do you write the spicy stuffs? if so, what's your most popular nsfw fic?

i do, or at least i have. my most popular is a hc about nicky treating mc, if y'know what i mean {i know the policy changed with mature content on here so i'm treading very carefully lol}.

❌what's a trope you will never write?

i can't really think of one atm. the ones that i know of are --- OH WAIT i have one, so anything to do with age gaps and minors getting involved with older characters, like lolita-type stuff 🙅🏾‍♀️🙅🏾‍♀️🙅🏾‍♀️ idk if it's a trope but it won't be happening here.

🎯have any of your readers accurately guessed major plot points? care to share which?

i'm not sure i've ever had anyone guess what will happen in a story or chapter {i'm referring to "vendetta" here}.

🎨how do you feel about fan art of your stories?

oh i love it! i remember a couple people made something based off of vendetta and it really took me by surprise. i couldn't believe they were influenced to the point of creating smthn.

🤗 what advice would you give to new fanfic writers that are just getting started?

do it for yourself and not for others. don't worry about who will and won't see it. just write, don't think too much about how or when bc it'll come together in the end, and enjoy it.

💞 who's your comfort character?

i don't have one rn but since this is focused on fanfiction, i would say nicky and nanami. nicky just feels so familiar at this point and with nanami, he's so relatable. from my pov, he wants a simple life. he doesn't wanna work at an office and he doesn't really wanna work as a sorcerer. if anything, cooking at home and going to get bread from the bakery is all he wants to do most days {and travel from time to time} and that's very relatable.

🧠pick a character (howie) and i'll tell you my favorite headcanon for them.

my favorite hc about howie is prob the boyfriend hc bc it's so wholesome. he'd really be the sweet and thoughtful boyfriend. the thought of mc being swallowed whole by his shirts and him wearing their shirt which is a smidge too tight 🥹

🤩who is your favorite character to write?

nicky! his personality really allows for this nice mix of playfulness and seriousness/melancholy. i admire his charm and wit as well. i loved writing the more hidden sides of his character too, like in "midnight" or "what are you hiding?" overall, he has this nice balance that gives me a lot of room to play with as a writer.

😬which of your fics would you be most horrified for friends, family, or coworkers to stumble upon?

definitely any of my nsfw works bc i'm reserved for the most part at work. it takes a while for me to open up completely so i think ppl would be like 'idk she was into that' or the complete opposite 'it makes since bc she's so quiet'. my friends wouldn't really care tbh, they'd prob make jokes or gimme ideas. my family?! 💀 i'd prob be doused in holy oil.

📚would you ever want to turn writing into a career?

yes! when i was younger i often thought it was a bad idea to pursue your passion as a career or major in college bc then you'd have deadlines and guidelines; and i saw that as a sorta crutch on my creative freedom as an artist but now i believe the complete opposite.

🤯what's a genre you struggle with as a writer (ex. romance, action, etc.)?

i would say fantasy. in terms of fanfiction, i've mainly written romance with a bit of drama and some action. i've tried writing fantasy before and it requires a bit more artistry - there's world building, figuring out the land, if there are animals, what kinda powers characters have, how magic works, and sm more.

💔is there a fic of yours that broke your heart?

if mc died before their wedding night. there's smthn about seeing a good-hearted person get what they deserve only to lose it in the end. i don't take joy in it, there's just some sort of unspeakable pain there where you can't look away.

🤭do you have a favorite tag to use when posting your works?

#madebyjade bc it's like my signature in a way and it's smthn i made and stuffed bits and pieces of myself inside.

#ask games #jade has mail #ask jade #fictif nicky #jjk nanami #fictif howie #sarah anon 💌

[aliypop]

Often  Mob Frank X POC F OC

Wordcount: 6,384

Warning: Language slight violence

A/N : So one this was supposed to be based off of Often by the Weekend and two this was inspired by @mrsswaino so I hope you  all enjoy it, it took me 3 days to write ! and It’s a DC Marvel Crossover

"Loving any of us is a death sentence, isn't it..." Ezra sighed, "Who was it this time..." Yonah asked. She could never stand her sister when she had to kill a "loved" one. "Sabella...Yonah .."

"Finally..." Yonah mumbled under her breath, looking at her nails, dried-up blood from an interrogation gone left, "Anyways, how's your day been." Ezra asked, "Well. If you must know, it was shit..." Yonah laughed, "Which is usual when you're an underboss..." walking through the mansion, Ezra looked over everyone and everything, from Damian's training to the family portrait on the wall. They were the Wayne family mob notorious for Wayne Tech and the first crime family in Gotham, New Jersey. "Well, we can't all do what you do." Ezra chuckled, 

"We can't all kiss dad's ass and handle his business for him..."

"Says his assassin." Yonah playfully pushed her, "Who's also what a Capos..." 

"I don't know what you mean..." Ezra mumbled,

"Sure ... so it wasn't the Alphabet Mafia that burned down Fisk's restaurant in Hell's kitchen..." she asked as Ezra blushed from embarrassment, "I..." 

"Word of advice, if you wanna get to where I am, be more discreet..." she whispered, walking away. 

"Aye, Tim!" Tim Drake was the consigliere to Bruce,

"He wants to see you..." 

"Tell him I'll-"

"Now it's important..." 

Bruce sat in his office, a glass of Scotch on his desk. Yazela, his wife, was on his lap. She was a dangerous little thing. If anyone crossed Bruce, they dealt with her, and when you crossed her, you disappeared. "Wilson, glad you could make it." Bruce sighed. He always hated these things the older he got,

 "It's been a while, old friend..." Fisk smirked,

"Why are you here..." Yazela rolled her eyes. She was getting bored, and when she got bored, she got antsy. "The Falcones left this on my doorstep..." setting a gift box on the desk, with a note attached, 

"What is it..." Yonah stepped in,

"A vendetta... And you're late..."

"I was handling business," she straightened her tie, standing next to her parents, "Fisk..." she deadpanned. Yonah wasn't fond of him or his rascal mini mob, especially his little hitman playing executioner. " A Vendetta... does he want out..." Yonah asked, sitting at the desk. Fisk laughed, "He wants a war... and it's because of what you did..." Yonah took a shaky breath. She knew what he was talking about,

 "Anything else we should know..." Yazela asked,

"Just one thing..." 

"What's that..." 

"The Falcones are hosting a little party if you want your vengeance..." Fisk looked at Yonah, "I'd start there..." 

"Then why aren't you going, Wilson..." Bruce asked, getting him to focus back on him.

 "Vanessa's out of town..." he said in a mopping tone,

"What's that got to do with me..." Yonah asked, reaching for her father's Scotch,  

"It's a couples-only party..."

"Lucky me, I can't go. I'm single, and I-"

"We'll see to it she's there." Yazela nodded.

Yonah sighed, flopping on her mattress, "Alfred, I'm gonna burn this fucking house down if he makes me go to that party, I swear..." she screamed into her pillow, 

"I assure you if you burn this house down, your father will get rid of you." he laughed. Alfred knew Yonah was dramatic since she was little. It was one of her entertaining traits. 

"I don't like parties, not since..." 

"Silk or lace."

"Silk, please. Not since h-"

"Tea or wine."

"Both. Not since the-"

"Anything else I can-"

"NOT SINCE THE FAILED ENGAGEMENT!" Alfred sighed. As much as he loved Yonah, and he did, he hated what parties did to her, which was usually bring up the memories of her failed engagement. He'd heard the story so much he could quote it. 

"I know,"

"Rough night Frankie..." Billy asked. Billy Russo, the underboss to Fisk and the leader of his small mob. Frank only grunted, covered in blood in his new Armani suit. He'd just come back from a hit gone challenging. "Always a rough night with Frank..." Matt laughed. Matthew Murdock, a catholic boy, went astray and turned to the mob much like his father did, "Shut up Red..." Frank glared at him, 

"Oh, and Frank, before you go..." 

"What..." Frank turned to face Billy,

"The boss wants to see you, says it's important."

"Of course he does..." 

"And where do you think you're going..." Yonah peered over the balcony, "Shit..." Ezra grumbled, 

"Get ya ass back to bed..." 

"But I was..." 

"Ah... You too, Cas..." the two groaned as they walked back to their rooms. She could feel a shift coming soon, a change she didn't want to face, but she'd do anything for her family. It was her job to protect them. But the Falcone family, she wasn't sure if she could face them again, 

"Something troubling you..." 

"I'm fine, Grayson..."

"That cup says you're not... you only mix your tea with wine and whiskey when you're upset or-," Dick Grayson adopted into the family business and her confidant.

"I'm fine..."

"Yonnie..." he sighed, "You can talk to me..." 

"I don't want to let the family down again, okay..." she took a deep breath, 

"You won't..." 

"How do you know that..."

"Have you failed us yet..." he asked as she shook her head, "Alright, then get some sleep, Ms. Boss..." he nudged her. 

Yonah stared in her mirror. She was nervous about what her father wanted to announce so early in the morning. Straightening out her three-piece suit, she took to the stairs as she then saw, "Him..." the insufferable bastard of a hitman. Why was he even here when Bruce knew that she hated his guts, his tactics were so annoying, and he always got in the way when they did a hit together. "Why on earth would you let him..." 

"Aye, look what the cat drug in..." 

"Says the one who looked like a cat fucked up his face..." she spat back at him, her words oozing like venom. Pushing him, Yonah walked towards the dining room table,

"Excuse her. She's not herself..." Bruce sighed, ushering him to where the rest of the family was. 

"That's not her bein herself..." Frank asked rhetorically. 

"Sorry I'm late, I'd like everyone to welcome our guest, and I mean everyone..." Bruce glanced at Yonah as her siblings let out a chuckle. Sitting across from her was Frank noticing the way she clutched onto her butterknife. 

"What're you gonna do with that sweetheart..." 

"Stab you with it if you call me sweetheart again..." she whispered, "Good luck with dat..." he shook his head, "Sweetheart..." he winked, the shitty smirk on his face made her want to jump over the table and strangle him until he couldn't do that shitty smirk again. Staring at him, all she could think about was the different ways she could kill this man and enjoy it. 

"You think I'm cute, don'tcha..." 

"I think you're a pain in my ass!" she nearly jumped across the table.

"And that's why Frank is here... Yonah and Frank will infiltrate the party as a newly wedded couple." Bruce glared at the two. The two froze as they then looked at each other,

"This is hell..." Frank mumbled,

"You think I'd marry him," she laughed, "You're joking, you gotta be joking-" she looked at her father's face. 

"I figured since you two had your personal conversation over there, you both could lead the mission together..." he glared as they both sat down,

"But!"

"Busted..." Duke mouthed as Yonah turned red in embarrassment. 

"You two will be staying in Coast City Los Angeles..."

"I can handle that..." Yazela chuckled at her daughter, "Tell them what else." 

"You two will leave after this morning. The party isn't until this upcoming Saturday, which should give you two enough time to perfect your disguise. " Bruce smirked.

"I would rather shoot myself with Jason's gun." she rolled her eyes. 

"Feelings mutual," Frank mumbled.

"What so ya not gonna talk to me, sweetheart." Frank taunted. the two sitting in the Wayne Family Private jet. Yonah sipped her spiked lemonade from her crystal champagne glass. "Ya wanna know something, Castle..." she glared at him, 

"What, Wayne..." 

"Do you ever think about how awesome it would've been If your father? Oh, I don't know, just pulled outta your mother," she asked as Frank laughed,

 "Good one. Hey Wayne, were you always this much of a jerk as a child..." he asked, "Worse, actually." she took another sip. This trip was going to be her last reason why, and she knew it. If the two couldn't get along on this flight, then they knew their fake marriage would be a failure. 

"Welcome to Coast City..."

She heard the pilot say, "Finally, I can get off this plane, we can go to our separate hotels and-" 

"Key to the penthouse..." the pilot handed Frank the key.

"Shit..." she groaned. Of course, her father would do that. After all, she would do that.

 "Thanks, uh..." 

"Hal Jordan." he winked. 

Sunday Night 

Sunday night in Coast City was busy with luxurious cars, nightclubs, and the most beautiful view from the balcony. Yonah wanted to explore a little after all. She hadn't gotten much vacation time in a while, and it could do her some good to get out of this penthouse with Frank Castle, her annoyance, and her fake husband. 

"Beautiful, ain't it..." Frank said, taking her concentration off the city. His suit was a bit tight. His pitch-black hair slicked back as her eyes focused on his disgusting muscles. 

"Where are you going, Castle..." 

"None of ya business Wayne..." 

"As your wife, it is..." she smirked, ah, the smirk, the type that made him want to shoot himself over and over again, "I'm going out." he stated, "I'm going out, too." she walked into the closet, rows, and rows of her mothers dress to choose. 

"Can you get out..." 

"Make me sweet-"

A red bottom shoe flew near his head, 

Hours later, she was ready, a low-cut pink club dress and the perfect clear diamond shoes to match. The color pink had always complimented her brown skin. It was like her signature color. 

"Are you ready..." Frank popped his head into the bedroom, "You look..."

"Beautiful radiant..." 

"Better in three-piece suits," he grumbled, his heart beating out of his chest. Yonah stood up and nodded, ignoring his comment. 

"So where are we going..." 

"I'm going to an old friend of mines club." she sassed, "You can find your own club." 

"I'm coming with you," he smirked,

"Do that again, and I'll shoot you." 

Lux night club was the hot spot for every desire, known to anyone wanting a good time, at least it was what she heard. "Yonnie, is that you..." a blush rising to her cheeks, "Luci baby." she got giddy as something deep in Frank became furious. "Who's your cute friend?" he asked as Yonah rolled her eyes, "He's an associate..." she mumbled as he took her hand, "It's nice when my little angel visits." he kissed her nose, spinning her into his arms. Frank's face was heating up the closer the other man was dancing with her in the middle of his own nightclub. But he didn't care. She was just Yonah, the annoying underboss that he couldn't stand. 

"Can I offer you a drink..." 

"Rosé..."

"I'm Maze..."

"Frank." he nodded. 

"So do I still have a chance with you, my angel..." Lucifer asked as Yonah chuckled, "Mmm... lets see how the night goes." she pressed against him. She could feel Frank's eyes on her. It was the perfect time to give that nuisance a show. Hands in his hair as she swayed her hips against him. She was a menace, and Frank knew it, but he knew he shouldn't care. After all, this was a mission, not an actual life-changing experience, but why did he feel this way looking at her dance with him. 

"Stop flirting with him." a gentle touch on her wrist, the wine on his breath giving her a chill,

"The acquaintance."

"Her husband, actually." Frank laughed. Lucifer had let her go, "I didn't know you were married..." he watched the other man walk off. 

"Paybacks a bitch sweetheart." 

"Is that so..." Yonah growled,

"It is... and you're sleeping on the couch..."

Monday

"Morning, father... " Yonah sighed, cooking breakfast, her phone standing in the corner of the counter, "How was your first night together." he asked as she groaned, "Well, I woke up on the couch..." Bruce chuckled, "Getting along I see." Yonah laughed, "Oh, not in that way, never in that way that's disgustin that you'd even think that..."

"Think what..." Frank said, standing behind her, shirtless and only in his sweatpants, skull tattoo on his bicep. The most disgusting view she'd ever seen in his life, "Yonah...Yonah, can you hear me."

"I got distracted looking at an idiot." she rolled her eyes.

"Well, Sionis is coming over with Natasha to drop off your next mission..." Yonah nearly choked when he said Sionis, as in Roman Sionis, as in the man who left her heartbroken on Valentine eating bonbons. 

"Why would you send him-" 

*Call Ended*

"Fuck!" Yonah shouted as Frank looked down at her, 

"What's wrong now. You burn somethin or..."

"Roman Sionis is coming over with his Assasin friend and my sister's ex Natasha..." she laughed, "What's so funny..." flipping over her sizzling pancake. 

"Well, he and I ended up rocky and... He broke up with me and-" she began to hyperventilate and pace; Frank grabbed her by the arms, "Breathe, shower... get dressed." Yonah nodded. As Yonah stepped out of the shower, on the bed was a pastel pink jumpsuit and the red bottom shoes he had caught the night before, he knew with working amongst Fisk that things had to be perfect appearances meant just as much as the deal itself. 

"Castle, long time no see..." Natasha winked as he laughed,

"Still killing people Nat." 

"Of course..." she smirked, clinging onto Roman's arm,

"Nice place you got here, all by your-"

"Sorry to keep you all waiting, sweetie." eck sweetie, she internally gagged if the random feeling in her stomach would calm down. "It's okay, baby girl." Frank kissed her knuckles, the knuckles of the self-observed arrogant woman that he couldn't stand. Roman looked between the two as Natasha smiled, 

"Dating?" 

"Married." Frank winked,

"Newly married." a forced smile, "My father said you wanted to see us... "

"Yeah... there's a client stealin from me..."

"What building, when, and Who?" Yonah sighed. The interrogation was her specialty. She got to get her hands dirty and create nightmares. 

"Agatha Harkness... Anaheim ." 

"I'll be-"

"We'll be there." Frank nodded, shaking his hand. Sure he didn't care for Yonah, but it was burning him up inside how Sionis would steal glances at her as if he wanted her back. As the two left, Frank's hand never left her side, "Let go of me..." 

"You're shakin..."

"I-I'm fine..."

"Did that jerk do something to ya?" 

"Frank, drop it." she walked off, the arrogant, pompous woman who wouldn't show her emotions. 

Guns strapped to her waist, garters full of knives in case the interrogation went south, "You know how to use that..." he teased as she rolled her eyes, "Trained in these weapons since I could hold a cup. She sighed, "If you need me to play the bad guy-"

"I got it, Castle..." 

Harkness Studios, A cover if you will, and the oldest in the business, she hadn't been paying Sionis his half of shares of her films, and he was pissed, pissed enough to hire Yonah and Frank to handle this. " So, you know I have nothing to apologize for." Agatha smirked as Yonah sat on the table, "The one you're looking for is Wanda..."

"Give us the money, and no one gets hurt," Frank said. 

"Or what..." 

"I'll shoot your brains out, send what's left to Sionis... and have no fucking remorse." she was emotionless solid Teflon, and it was doing something to Frank, "I'd like to see you try..." Agatha spat as Yonah lunged forward. Frank held her back, 

"Look, I try not to fight broads... but she won't hesitate to God Damn kill you." holding the short gremlin woman close to him, "So either pay or she stays." 

"Alright! Alright!" 

"Didn't think you had that in ya, Wayne..."

"There's a lot in me you don't..." she heard footsteps. "Know.. get down!" taking her pistol out, as she shot a few of her members. It was a setup between her and Sionis. She should've known, bullets blasting around as she reloaded her gun, Frank next to her as he shot his multiple guns. Where on earth was he keeping those. She thought to herself. Throwing a dagger, Yonah had a few of her women pinned up against the wall as Frank broke a few necks.

"He's good at this..."

"She's good at this..."

"That oughtta do it..." she grumbled, looking down at her leg, "Aw, there's blood of my Versace sui-"

"Aye, watch out!"

POW!

Tuesday

A gentle hand pressed against his forehead. It was soft, nurturing, and tender, and now landing on his cheek, he'd been out like a like since she'd carried him home last night, "Maria..." he rasped, "Not Maria, just the pain in ya ass named Yonah." she laughed, tracing her fingertips over his sweat-covered hair. "Though I'm sure you were a pain to Maria..." she mumbled as Frank chuckled. "Everyday..." he tried to position himself up. Yonah helped him readjust, "If you fuck up my stitchin, I'm gonna let you bleed out..." she growled as Frank rolled his eyes, 

"Not bad for someone like yourself."

"Shut up and take your meds." 

"Meds?"

"Yeah, meds, you got shot last night, asshole," she growled as he pointed a seat next to him on the bed. "You got a way with taking care of people, sweetheart," he mentioned. It was something he noticed. She'd always take care of others but never herself. 

"Yeah, my father wanted me to be a doctor..." she laughed, 

"I wanted to be a Lawyer...but..."

"But what..." Frank turned his head to face her. He'd never realized how pretty her eyes or soft her face was. Frank couldn't think about that. He hated her guts the way she, "I wanted to be an actress..." she smiled, "Being on Broadway, but instead I got a degree in medicine..." she sighed, "Oh uh your bandages..."

"Mmm... " Frank laughed, watching her. She was careful and kind, the things he didn't think she could be. Yonah's eyes began to wander a bit,

DING!

"Oh, dinners ready..." she began to move as Frank pulled her back down, 

"You cook?"

"And I bake, now if you excuse me..." she walked off. Something about Frank made her not want to leave his side, but she needed to get out of there. They were getting too close and-

"Hey, sis," Dick said on the other end of the phone, 

"Dickie, hey, I need advice..."

"Okay, shoot..."

Yonah took the lasagna out of the oven as she sighed, 

"It's Frank..."

"Oh, God..."

"He's so annoying like on Sunday we went to Lux, and he embarrasses me in front of Luci ... and then Monday we did an interrogation, and he thought I couldn't do it, and then he got shot saving me and-" 

"You're taking care of him, and you have feelings for him?"

"No," she lied, "I think he's annoying. and, lately, I want to punch his lips with my lips!"

"That's called kissing..." he chuckled,

"Yeah, and then she's takin care of me and..." 

"You like her..." Billy and Matt teased, 

"I don't like her." Frank rolled his eyes, "She's sweet, kind, doesn't know when enough is enough, considerate-"

"Those sound like you like her," Matt responded.

"Obsessed,"

"Infatuated." 

"In lo-"

"Don't say it..." Frank sighed, "Look, I'll be back Sunday." he hung up. Sitting on a serving tray was lasagna, a glass of wine, and a cheesecake. "All made from scratch," she added, watching him take a bite. His eyes went wide, "Why don'tcha open a restaurant..." he asked as she shrugged, "Kinda basic, mobsters and restaurants..." 

"Well, tomorrow I'll take ya somewhere nice, my treat."

"I must be dying..." 

"Oh, shut up..."

"Make me..." he watched her walk out, a dopey grin on his face.

Wednesday

Yonah sighed, "This isn't a date. It's just two enemies going out to appreciate each other for a mission gone right." she repeated to herself, pink diamond choker on her neck, a form-fitting black dress on her body. She had just finished her makeup. "Are you ready yet-" he walked in as she stood up, "Only dressed like this for the free food. " she smirked, taking her purse, "Are you coming or what, Frank." she turned to look at him, "Wait up for me." he turned to face her, "Yonah..." she held back a gasp, he never said her name, "Of course..." 

The restaurant had been nothing but high-class treatment, chandeliers, high-in staff, and the best pink lemonade she'd ever tasted. 

"Do you take all your girls to places like this..." she asked, enjoying her steak, 

"Last woman I took here was Maria. It was her favorite spot." he smiled, his face was melancholy now, and she felt as though she had shifted the mood, 

"I'm sorry about..."

"You wanna dance?"

"You dance?" Yonah snorted,

"Yeah, I do."

"Prove it..." 

"May I," Frank asked for her gloved hand. The two were in the middle of the dance floor, swaying themselves into a Waltz. He was good, graceful even. Not once had he stepped on her toes. But he could say the same for her, perfect form, elegant, light like a feather. 

"Everyone's staring at us..." 

"Keep your eyes on me..." he twirled her back into his arms, her eyes never leaving Frank's. Frank flashed a smile as her heart nearly leaped out of her chest. He was beautiful. He was perfect-

"I-I'll be right back," she picked up the dress from the skirt, running off like Cinderella. 

Yonah sat in the bathroom stall recalculating the past events, his smile, his smirk, the way that Frank looked at her, ever so softly. The way she suddenly wanted to kiss him more, or be near him, or the less they teased each other through the years.

"Oh fuck..." she groaned, "I'm in love with him..." 

Now she was between accepting this fact or completely letting this boil-over and dying out. Or perhaps she could use her new emotions for the mission. After all, they had to act as if they were in love anyways. 

"Are you okay?" his hand on her back,

 "Yeah, I'm fine... Sleeping on the couch is uh getting to me." she rubbed the back of her neck, 

"I told em to uh bring the car around if you wanna rest." 

"I'd like that..." 

"I could even sleep on the couch." he suggested, "We're adults... we can share the bed," she stated, "Unless, of course, women in lingerie bug you or you don't wanna share a California King." she teased,

 "Sharin a bed with you psh." he laughed, "Is that a challenge." 

"Depends on you, Frankie." 

Frank got under the covers, Yonah lying on top. the two had been in a deep conversation for the past couple of hours. "So why'd ya sound like that." Frank questioned, her voice had this proper sound to it like she was a part of the Carter Cartel, "Like what." she asked, "Like halow..." he tried to mock her accent as she snorted, "I raised by a British Butler dumbass." she playfully shoved his leg, "I don't actually tawk like that all da time." she hissed at him, "No sweetheart the word is tawlk." he teased, "That's what I said tawk..." she glared at him, "See ya missin the L, Jersey people..." he scoffed shaking his head, "Jersey people... whatta about you New Yorka's aye I'm walkin ere!" she poked,

 "I don't talk like dat..." 

"Yeah, you do. And ya pizza's and, and, look at me, I'm from Brooklyn !"

"I'm actually from Brooklyn." he shoved her a little as she fell off the bed. Frank looked over the bed. Yonah had been on the side of the bed crying. Did he shove too hard, did he break her, did he-

WHAM!

"Gotcha!"

"Real mature, Wayne, real mature."

WHAM!

"Oh, it's Castle," she leaped into his lap, looking into her eyes he couldn't hide from his emotions. He wanted to. Frank didn't think he deserved her at all. But she could take a hit and a joke. He could see a future with her in her eyes. Frank pulled her close, his breath feathering against her lips, leaning closer towards her. He was close. He was so -

Call From Dad

"Is that the GodFather theme..." 

Thursday

birds chirped, the shower was running, they had only three days left until the big mission, things were going smoothly, and they'd be believable enough to pretend to be married. "Morning, Yonah." Frank winked, "When's the last time you relaxed,"

"Why..." she asked, "We're going to see a musical." he smiled, he hated musicals, but he remembered she wanted to be on Broadway. "How'd ya get tickets..." she asked, "I knew a guy who knew a guy..."

"The truth..."

"I heard it on the radio when I went out to get more bandages and won tickets..." 

"Oh Frank, I could kiss you... Wait, what show is it..." 

"Some show named Wicked..."

"Oh, I could kiss you, but that would be gross." she laughed.

"Just shut up and get dressed." he laughed, shaking his head.

Sitting in the cold theatre, Frank had wanted this to be over. It had been going on for too long. But the look of pure joy on her face, if he could capture it in his memory all day, he would. He could see her beautiful smile if it was that one every day. 

Friday

"Where did you propose..." Yonah asked. They had one more day for this party. They had to be unbeatable in their details, " Ya parent's anniversary party in the rose garden." he smirked, "Under the full moon." he watched Yonah pace. They had just come back from doing a few hits for her father, the sweat still clinging to her brow. "Alright, good..." he pulled her into his lap. Frank had been flirty since they returned, pulling her close to him. Or holding onto her hand, 

"What's gotten into you, Castle." 

"You." he mumbled for only him to hear it, blood mixed in his sweat as she looked down at his lips, fingers digging in her sides, "Frank... I'm gonna take a bath..."

Ezra groaned, sitting in her room as she looked at Bruce, "I don't think your plan is going to work." sharping her sword. "I don't think you're gonna get those bickering idiots to confess to liking each other." she kept talking as Bruce checked his phone. Yonah hadn't called him all night. She was supposed to run a few simple errands for Bruce and send him to prove she completed the missions. "She isn't answering my calls..." Barbra groaned, 

"Did you track her?" 

"Did I track her... Duh!"

"What could she be doing." 

Yonah giggled, "Then what happened..." she asked, Frank's hands massaging her scalp with shampoo, "Ya sister joined the hit fucked it up, and we caught her with Russo..." 

"No!" she gasped, "She's been sneakin off to see him?" he nodded as she groaned, "Don't take this personal, but I despise him more than I despise you." she smirked, "Princess, you're in the bathtub with me..." he kissed her forehead. She looked up at him, 

"Princess, huh, no quippy comments or... An argument. Or-" 

"Can't remember what we were fighting about all this time, really..." he shrugged. No, this wasn't happening. Yonah wasn't in the tub with her enemy for several years letting Frank call her princess. 

It wasn't like her. She once shot Peter Quil in the leg for calling her babe and Bucky for calling her doll. Of course, he did try to steal the family diamond, but that wasn't the point. 

"I think tonight we should slow it down and prepare for tomorrow..."

"You afraid or something..."

"Terrified..." she got out of the tub,

"Shit... she isn't answerin..." Jason sighed, "If he hurt her, I can..." he made a throat-cutting motion. Damian only rolled his eyes, "You just want to a slit a throat Todd..." he groaned, watching Jason nod. 

"I say we all attend. We can protect our own."

" What about Fisk's guy..." Stephanie asked,

"He's a hitman. He can fend for himself..." Ezra shrugged, the rest of the family looking down at her, "What, I despise him... But his boss Billy." she winked, 

"Not now ..." 

Yonah sighed, sitting in the guest bedroom, knees pressed to her chest, taking in deep breaths. She wasn't ready for the Falcone family. Not after what happened last time. Not after what he did. She could feel the pressure of the blade coming to her neck, the blood they had spilled together. Her hands were shaking, much like when she had seen Sionis the other day. She couldn't face him alone. She wouldn't. 

"Made ya some dinner and..." 

Yonah looked at him. If Yonah hadn't been in the dark room, he would have sworn he saw tears coming down her face, 

"I'm not hungry..." she turned away from him. 

"Yonah..."

"LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Saturday The Final Day

"Remember Castle... we go in there, infiltrate the office, get what we need, and go..." her pink mermaid gown hugging her curves, "And keep your hands where I can see them." She had been cold towards him since this morning, really since last night, but Frank had let it slide. He knew that if she trusted him enough, she'd tell him what was wrong. "Of course," he pulled her close to him. The party was grand but not as massive as the Cobblepots or the Maroneees. 

"Yonah, good to see you. You've grown up to look like your mother." Oswald smiled, his husband Edward next to him. "Oh, and is this the husband of yours Bruce told me about."  

Shit, Bruce told everyone. Yonah thought to herself with a "fake" smile on her face. She had to keep her eyes out for Carmine. She had to focus, "Frank Castle." he shook Oswald's hand, and the lingering smell of his cologne flooded her senses. Yonah froze. She didn't hear much else from their conversation. She felt eyes on her, icy blue ones at that, ripping, tearing, and- 

"Babygirl, some uh drinks."

"Hmm..." Yonah snapped back into reality, 

"Thirsty?" 

"A little..." her mouth was dry, a bitter taste left from the anxiety medicine that she had from earlier, 

"Wine." 

"Can't..."

"Why can't you, You never turned down wine..." Yonah turned to face Selina and Felicia Hardy. They'd been a thing for a while, dealing in imported diamonds. "I..."  come on. Yonnie, think of something quick. "My husband and I are trying to start a family..." she nodded, "Speaking of which, I need to find ..." walking away from the conversation, she lost eyesight of Frank but not eyesight of, " You should tell him to stop touching you." a firm grasp on her waist, she knew those rings too well, "Carlo... you're..."

"Hurting you... bullshit, you hurt me, you know that la mia Piccola Stella." he squeezed harder, tilting her chin up. He stole a kiss from her, harsh horrid, and fast he could feel the other man's eyes on him, the jealousy, the rage. "I know why you're here." squeezing her cheeks.

"Vaffanculo Carlo..." she pushed him away from her. He'd take his vengeance. 

"Castle..." 

"Falcone..." he snarled at the guy.

"You seemed busy over there..."

"That wasn't..." Yonah rasped out.

"I can see he's into you..." he looked at her as if he didn't even see her in front of him, 

"Frank...Please..."

"If dats what you want then-" yanking Frank's arm, she took him into the office. She'd been in here many times. Fond memories and cursed ones, 

"Why are we in here..."

"Too many eyes for me to say what I need to say." she froze. In the corner was the knife and under it were the fraudulent papers Carlo made to rob the Waynes of their money. "What do you need to say, sweetheart... you're shaking." he pulled her close, 

"I'm scared this won't work out. It could end badly..."

"What could end badly..."

"This... us..." she placed her hand on his chest,

"What are you saying..." 

 she pulled him by his tie. She could taste the whiskey on his lips, the dried blood from earlier on his tongue, "I lo..." her hand on his cheek, foreheads pressed together, 

BANG!

"Fuck me..." Yonah growled, pulling her gun out, "Frank, you get the papers, meet me downstairs." as she walked off, he grabbed her by the wrist, "We're doing this together..." Yonah nodded, tearing away her dress, "Then let's go."

"Wayne..."

"Falcone..." Bruce eyed down Carmine. He had been a problem since his parents were alive. 

"You came to die, I see..." 

"More or less you did..." his gun pointed at his grandson.

"Shoot him, and I'll kill your family..." 

"Like you killed my parents... or like they've already killed your guards..." 

"Oh, excuse us... We're just a little..." Yonah giggled as Frank held her, "Drunk!" a high-heeled kick to the nose, "Didn't think that would work." 

"Watch and learn..." running towards the ballroom. Yonah saw two familiar faces, 

"Ez..."

"Russo..." 

"Give up..." Carlo had his foot on Bruce's head. He was bloodied and bruised with a few broken ribs. "I don't see that jewel of yours coming to save ya..." he bent down to Bruce's level, "She'll be -"

BANG!

Carmine was lying on the floor, lifeless. Blood seeping into the marble, "You're not a bad shot..." Yonah mumbled.

"You save him, I'll handle..."

Carlo had Yonah pinned up against him, the dagger she knew all too well at her neck,

 "Frankie boy, thank you for returning her to me..." 

"Let her go..."

"Mmm... See, I can't. Yonah has something I want..." The dagger was placed at her heart, "And if I don't get it. He dies..." adding pressure to Bruce's head, he felt Yonah jerk towards her father as he pushed her down. 

"My brothers won't let you kill him..." 

"You mean them..." he snapped his fingers as Jason, Dick, Tim, and Duke had been beaten and bloody, 

"Yeah, try again, sweetie..." he cut down the middle of her dress, 

"Who you gonna save Castiligone..." he asked, "This bitch here... the bastard by my foot, yourself..." he pulled his gun out to shoot, finger on the trigger. As he pulled, Carlo stabbed. As Carlo stabbed, Yonah shot. 

"Are you..."

"I'm fine, Castle..." Bruce stood up, straightening his suit, "Get her out of here before the gas system breaks." Frank ran towards her.

 She was bleeding out fast. Frank couldn't lose her, not as he lost Maria and his kids. She was all he'd have. His hand was pressed against her forehead, removing the loose strands of hair from her face. 

"Just stay with me..."

Sunday

"Here to see my daughter..." Yazela asked, escorting Frank towards the steps, "Something like that..." pink roses under his arm, "She's been asking for you." she glanced at him, "Which is odd..." Yazela laughed, her long robe trailing behind her, "Whys that..." he asked, 

"She hasn't liked anyone in years..." 

"What about that guy from the party... seemed pretty obsessed ..." 

"Carlo, her ex..." she sighed, "He's the reason she cut herself off from love until she met you." 

"Me?" he asked as Yazela covered her mouth, "Oh would you look at that... it's her bedroom" she smiled, "Alfred did you call?" 

Frank stood there as he opened the door. He had expected to see pink and the frilliest room known to man. Instead, it was more victorian, with velvet drapes, silk sheets, and extravagant paintings. 

Sitting on her mattress, he placed his hand on her forehead, feverish from the blood loss. She was beautiful, at peace, and was enjoying her much-needed rest. Kissing her forehead Yonah grabbed him by the arm. 

"Hey, it's just me..."

" Frank..." she tried to reposition herself. Je helped her up. "You know that guy I met last night... he's no good for you, hell, I'd been a better boyfriend, and I'm your enemy."

"You're not my enemy..." she cleared her throat, voice groggy from the sleep and pain meds,

 "Yeah, I am clearly you..."

"Frank shut the hell up for one minute!" she flenched from her own pain. He was shocked, appalled even. 

"Last night I was trying to tell you I'm in lo-" he pulled her close kissing her, hand on the side of her cheek the other on her back, it was needy loving, and soft, 

"I've known since we first met."

"You're an asshole..." she stuck her tongue out.

"Mmm, but I'm your asshole." he kissed her again. 

"Oh Fuck!"

            "More!"

"Don't stop."

Bruce took a deep sigh eating his pancake Yazela smirked, "This is your fault, you know..." 

"I thought it was your idea..." he held her close,

"It was how we Often met..." 

#mob au #frank castle #frank castle x oc #new fic #dc / marvel cross over fic #marvel characters #dc characters #yonah shanel wayne #dc fanfic #marvel fanfiction #poc ocs

[havnblog]

My Ergonomics Voyage: Part 1

Lenke til norsk versjon

Prolog, and the first steps

I’ve been a nerd my entire 34-year-long life. So naturally, much of it has been spent in front of computers using keyboards, and I’ve never experienced any discomfort related to this.1

I don’t know if it’s due to my age, or just the fact that I’ve worked even more than usual on keyboards, but lately, I’ve started to notice discomfort. Especially in my left hand, but a bit in my right as well. Luckily, there’s nothing anywhere else, and it’s not that bad. But I want to take action to try to stay ahead of it.

A bit about my current situation

The last couple of years, I’ve been working mostly in my small home office, which was OK, but not great. Just a couple of weeks ago, I finally got my own (external) office, so the situation has improved. However, I’ve been stupid, and also worked quite a bit on my laptop on our kitchen table lately.

Here’s my current office setup:

Not visible in the photo, is my Herman Miller Aeron chair, foot rest, and standing pad.

Good things about my setup

A standing desk makes it easy to dial in the proper 90° elbow angle.

I can also switch between standing and sitting.

Since my keyboard isn’t as wide as those with a numpad, my trackpad isn’t too far to the right.

The wrist rests are high enough so I don’t tilt my hands up (or down).

The screen can adjust its height and tilting, so I can dial in a good angle.

However, there is a weakness with my beloved custom keyboard

Laneware Macro-1 and LW-67. Boba U4 switches.

Me and some of my friends bought custom keyboards at the same time. They bought split keyboards, like this:

I thought they were cool, but I wanted a keyboard that others could use as well. Furthermore, since I hadn’t had any discomfort, it didn’t feel worth it.

However, there are four main problems with regular keyboards

When you put your index fingers on  f  and  j , your hands are too narrow. Instead of being shoulder width, you have to force them inwards.

Since the keyboards are completely flat, the back of your hand is flat and parallell to the ceiling. To get there, you have to twist them a bit inwards.

Your strongest fingers (thumbs) are under utilised. Also, since the spacebar is so large, you have to move them pretty far to hit the buttons next to it (cmd for Mac).

The staggered placement of the switches isn’t the best (same with, you know, QWERTY).

Most split keyboards, like the ZSA Moonlander, solves all of these (to an extent).

You can have your hands far enough from each other, it can be tilted to the side, there’s more thumb buttons, and the layout is columnar.

But I don’t want to go there quite yet

They are expensive, and I’ve already spent a lot on my current keyboards (which I love!). But I have to, I have to… So, Part 1 of this journey, is things I can do that’s not getting a new keyboard.

I asked my split friends — and they actually had some advice that wasn’t «Get a split keyboard!». So some of these ideas are from them!

Put tilting legs on my trackpad

Even though my left hand is the one with most pain, I should still see if I can make things better for my right hand. And while I can’t tilt my keyboard like I need to, I can do it with my trackpad.

Just be a bit more conscious about how I use my keyboard

I’ve noticed, since I got the pain, that just being a bit more aware also helps. When writing, I twist my hands in a more comfortable degree, and pay more attention when using modifiers. For instance, I’ve started hitting Option + Command with just my left thumb.

But I can up this, with the next step:

Program home row modifiers

How often do you hold letters to write many of them? 2 Really, the only keys we hold, are the modifier keys. So, some people have taken the genius step of modding the home row ( A S D F — J K L Ø ) 3to be modifier keys if you hold them.

Image from the link above.

So, for instance, you can put Command under  f  and  j . So if you want to do cmd + c, you can hold  f  and then click  c . If you would like to do cmd + f, you just hold  j  and click  f .

Do specific exercise

There are exercises designed to help with the problems I’m experiencing, that I should do. 4 But I should also consider the last idea:

Get A Life™

I have plenty of things I like to do, that doesn’t involve typing on keyboards. So I should prioritise those things more! Now that I’m done with the 1.0 of this website, that’ll be easier!

We’ll see if I have to embark on a Part 2. And my friend has been nice enough to allow me to try out his (second) ZSA Moonlander.

ZSA also makes the Voyager, which looks nice.

But I think something like a version of the Lily58 (image) or Boardsource Lulu is most tempting at the moment. I like that they’re small, but with some more thumb buttons, and that they can be made with rotary encoders. Also, I like the DIY!

Do you have any more advice for me? Please comment here or email me.

This is what’s called «foreshadowing». ↩︎

Zzzzzzzz ↩︎

Norwegian layout, baby! ↩︎

Not that I’ve found them yet! ↩︎

[goldengoddess]

dating kaz brekker headcanons

request(s): Hi!! I loveee your matthias head cannons!!! If requests are open, can we get some hc’s of dating Kaz? / Dating Kaz headcanons? 🙏🏻🙏🏻🙏🏻

a/n: i’ve been scared of writing this because i dont think i can do kaz justice but i shall do my best 

warnings: cursing, teasing threats, kaz’s trauma 

kaz brekker is the definition of ‘touch her and i’ll kill you’ bf 

he's really protective 

even though he knows you could kick ass if you needed 

for a long time he couldn’t admit how much he needed you 

so instead of saying it 

he’d threaten anyone who looked at you wrong 

or he’d leave your favorite cake on your desk 

he never said it was him, but who else knew about your love for red velvet 

or he’d nudge you with his cane if he could tell you were having a hard day

he’d do everything but tell you he loved you 

so one day you sat him down 

all business 

you know 

speaking his language 

and told him that you cared about him and you wanted more 

you’d never seen kaz brekker smile so much 

after that things were different between the two of you 

but kaz insisted on keeping your relationship a secret 

because he knew his enemies could use you against him 

people who’d hurt you to hurt him 

you were his weakness 

and for your safety, he would admit it

but your friends obviously knew 

it was hard to keep the longing glances across the room hidden from a bunch of trained criminals 

“jesus fuck we know already, just sit next to each other i can’t take anymore of this”

jesper’s comment caused kaz brekker himself to blush 

but all of your friends loved the two of you together

they loved seeing kaz happy

and of course they loved teasing kaz 

“so brekker, have you gone soft now?”

“nina zenik i will bury you where you stand if you don’t shut up”

he’d only gone a little soft 

but all of this hiding was not good for a man like kaz brekker 

a man who got jealous like kaz brekker 

he’d stare bullets into the man talking to you at the crow club 

growling about how stupid he looked to jesper all night 

you could practically feel kaz’s glare 

you’d excuse yourself from the man trying to flirt with you 

striding across the club’s floor 

smug and smirking 

he’d roll his eyes at you 

“c’mon dirtyhands, admit it. you were jealous.”

he saved his most vulnerable moments for you 

laying his head in your lap as you both talked strategy

usually he fell asleep with your fingers in his hair 

he’d wake up embarrassed and a little shaky

some days were better than other with kaz 

communication felt like an obstacle the two of you never managed to overcome 

“saints kaz, just talk to me” you’d plead as turned away from you 

“get out.” he’d all but growl 

there were days he could touch you 

and days he couldn’t 

you knew he hated himself for it 

thought you deserved better 

better than this on and off panic he couldn’t control 

but you didn’t love him less

you didn’t need him to kiss you for you to know he loved you 

he’d rip a mans eyeball out for you if you needed it 

those bad days usually ended with the two of you sat on the floor together 

“i’m sorry” 

the first time he’d whispered it, you’d cried

because kaz brekker did not say sorry 

then you’d force him to stay up late

so you could remind him over and over 

that you loved him despite this 

loved the parts of him that couldn’t handle big crowds or touching 

he loved reading to you 

and you loved hearing him speak 

it woke you up and lulled you to sleep at the same time 

you liked sitting on his bed while he counted kruge at his desk 

he’s ask for your advice while planning heists

letting you in on his own underlying schemes 

if you ever got hurt while on a job 

his whole demeanor would change

and as much as you reassured him you were okay 

he would insist on cleaning you up himself 

every time he saw you flinch in pain 

his anger towards whoever hurt you would grow 

and that person would pay 

“i’ll kill them” he would mutter, wrapping the cut on your arm 

he called you angel 

it started as a joke 

a teasing remark as he gave your pointers on your fighting 

“put your arms up, i know you can do better than that angel”

it shouldn’t have stuck 

but it did 

slipping from his lips as he invited you to lay with him 

“come here angel”

it made your stomach flutter 

and from then on you were dubbed angel 

to him and him only obviously 

he’d keep everything you ever gave him in a box 

the letter from when you went away a couple of weeks

or the ticket from the bakery that served your favorite sweet rolls

even the scarf you left in his room one night 

the two of you were so glued to the hip 

that you started copying some of his mannerisms 

even his faces 

“holy shit, they’re both using the scheming face”

the bastard of the barrell surprisingly makes a good boyfriend 

#kaz brekker #six of crows #inej gahfa #kaz x inej #shadow and bone #kaz brekker x you #kaz brekker x reader #six of crows imagine #jesper fahey x reader #nina zenik #jesper fahey #the dregs #crow club #kaz brekker imagine #kaz brekker fic #Grishaverse #grisha

[look-at-the-soul]

Meet me at The MET- Robert Fischer

Robert Fischer x YN- one shot

A/N: There’s a little real-life-note at the end of the story.  Note: It is really interesting to learn what’s behind a painting, it speaks not only about the purpose of the artist, but also what it tells you, what you make out of it.

Robert came out of the walk-in closet, perfect blue deep suit, the purple tie hanging from his neck, he was about to make the knot, when he noticed the bed, it was already made. He couldn’t avoid the thoughts running through his mind about the quiet moans and sounds she had made last night, asking for more. She was insatiable and who was he to say no and please her?

It was early and she was already gone. 

Seating on the bed to put on his shoes, he found a note under his watch.

Meet me at The MET 4:00 pm they close at 5. Ps. Thank you for last night. Love, your favorite wife.

Robert smiled and looked at the wedding picture on his nightstand table, a private, small ceremony, about just ten people, the closest to their hearts, signed the papers and went to have dinner at their favorite Greek restaurant. It was perfect, just what they both wanted, no big social party, just what they needed.

He had a busy day ahead, meetings, budget, forecasts, the usual. Walking through the penthouse he came across Tiki the scariest Yorkshire terrier in town, she was small but had the spirit of a Rottweiler, as if knowing he was in a rush, the dog trotted towards him. He didn’t like dogs, but he did liked Tiki, at the beginning he imagined the apartment full of dog hair, but he was wrong, and the pup had won his heart. Tiki only wanted love and attention.

“Good morning beauty.” He said smiling at the dog like an idiot. “Will see you later, okay? Be a good girl.” He petted the dogs back and headed outside.

“Good morning Sir.” His driver greeted him.

“Morning Wilson.”

“Mrs. Fischer asked me to strictly collect you from your last meeting today.”

“Mrs. Fischer used the word strictly? I’m surprised.” He smiled at the thought of his wife.

Wilson grinned. “I’m only following orders, happy wife, happy life.”

“I’m more than ready to please her this time don’t worry.”

As they drove, Robert took a meeting via phone call. His cell already ringing from all the messages he was getting.

An alarm appeared on his screen.

“Wilson? After dropping me at the office, would you mind picking up some white tulips for Mrs. Fischer, she will be at the Gallery until 1:00 pm. And get her a vanilla eclair from the café around the corner, she loves that.”

“What do you want me to write on the card?”

“From your favorite husband.” He said grinning before getting out of the car. “Thank you, Wilson.”

He was eating his salmon alone in his office when his phone started vibrating on his desk.

“Mr. Husband you are earning big points today.” She smiled at him through the screen.

“Your favorite.”

“My only and favorite husband.” She joked taking a bite of the Eclair. She was so simple, so easy.

“Thank you for lunch.” He winked her way.

“I’m glad you liked it, got you your greens too.” YN said and he showed his fork with a piece of asparagus. “You should be a chef.”

“C’mon.” Shaking her head, she sent him a kiss. “Sophie is here, can you finish your meetings early?”

“Will try my best, say hi to Sophie from me.”

“Okay.”

After saying their ‘I love yous’, they hang up and he knew he only had a couple of more minutes before his next meeting.

She looked beautiful, YN had lit up his life the moment she walked in. His treadmill had failed so he decided to run outside, it was the first time he went out in a very long time, it was late and he had a day of hell in the office, so the fresh air was doing good to him. He was done with the run, just walking some more to help his body stretch and there she was picking her dog’s poo up in bag with bones printed. Saw her talking to the dog as if the animal understood a word she said, she was asking for advice, trying to decide if it was a good time to sell her apartment and buy another one. 

As he walked past her and the dog, Robert turned around and suggested she should keep her apartment, since the market was going through some rough times. He joked something like ‘but the puppy gets the final decision.’ And that made her smile first, then laugh.

From that moment they never spent a day away from each other, they learned they lived in the same complex, just different buildings, and after one homemade dinner she offered, things got serious between them. 

She brought stability into his rushed life, calmness, made him laugh, understood his business and wasn’t impressed by his name. She made it seem it was easy to love him.

And he hoped he showed YN the same way around. Because truth was, she made it so easy to love her.

“You two are the only one that understand your jokes.”

“It’s an inside joke we have from the beginning, he is my favorite husband and I’m his favorite wife, the joke is dead when you have to explain it.” YN tried to make her point.

“But you don’t have another husband.”

“Exactly.”

“Anyways, we are having the kids from the arts school next week. It’s sold out.”

“That is a fantastic news Sophie! I’m so excited, I sent the program to get it printed, the materials arrived this morning and we have the room in the back ready.”

They walked out of the office, to one of the many open spaces of the Gallery.

“I want you to check the new security system, the glass has some sensitive sensors…”

“Worth every penny.”

“And the cameras you got, the CCTV has Face ID recognition, the moment someone puts a step in we have a clear picture of their face.”

“Rob will be happy with that, he’s been very persistent with the idea.”

“Tell him to relax a little bit.” She smiled at YN while looking at the new sculpture they recently got at an auction, three buyers were already interested. “I’m going to have dinner at a new restaurant, it’s opening night, if you and Robert want to come.”

“Thank you, I would like to, but we have plans already.” YN smiled at the thought of her husband.

Sophie laughed. “And what is that? Walk the dog and stay in bed?”

YN’s face blushed. “You know me so well. But next week, I promise.”

  She made her way to the Museum, greeting Dianne as she entered the building.

“Visiting your favorite painting Mrs. Fischer?”

“Anything is a good excuse to see it, and I have a special guest this time.” A familiar tingle ran through her body.

“How good is that, he is also into the art world?”

“Not really, but we are having a date.”

Dianne frowned. “A date you say Mrs. Fischer? Here?”

A contagious laughter came out from YN’s lips. “A museum date counts as a date Dianne.” And with that she walked around to find her favorite painting.

She lost the track of time while starring at the Water Lilies. Her favorite Monet’s painting.

Seating on the bench in front of it, she was simply contemplating the magnificent art.

People passed by, taking pictures, selfies with the painting. She just stared at it, drinking in the colors, the brush’ strokes, the frame. Imagining the artist while creating it.

Maybe Rob couldn’t make it on time, he was always busy, always thinking about business, working hard for them, for her, for their baby due in a couple of weeks.

She understood that, she just wanted a simple museum date with him.

Robert had been watching his wife for a while, from the back, he could see her hands rubbing and caressing her belly, explaining out loud to their baby girl the story behind the painting, as well as explaining Monet’s techniques and other important details of his work. Telling her how much she loved it, and how there are around 250 different set of the series, she kept explaining the fantastic job the artist did to reflect in the water the color of the sky and how he had set a precedent for the upcoming artists. By now, he already knew the painting was made in 1919, and it was one of the most relevant work in the Impressionism era.

The Museum was empty by now, so she collected her jacket but when she opened her purse, she found a handwritten note inside.

In a room full of art, I’d still stare at you. Turn around.

“How long have you been there? When did you put this in my purse?”

Robert smiled at his confused but adorable wife. “I saw you walking from there.” He pointed to his left. “So, you probably stopped at the Greek room first.” His hands found her belly, gently he touched his baby. “And you are an easy target, you don’t notice anything around you when you are watching that painting.”

YN kissed him softly on the lips. He was right. “Let’s go, they are about to close.” Taking his hand, she tried to walk, but he didn’t follow her.

“We can stay here for another hour, I made a phone call and we have the whole museum to ourselves.”

He fell in love with the beautiful smile that formed on her lips. “You made a phone call?” Her eyes widening.

“That’s what I said.” He kissed her again. “And you know what? I think I finally have a name to suggest.”

He had been struggling with that since the day they found out they would be having a girl, YN had been trying to convince Robert his opinion was very important to her, he always tried to please everybody else, he adapted easily to anyone else ideas and regularly left his own behind. 

Holding his hand, she walked back to the bench in front of the painting, she was getting tired of being up.

“So? What’s the name you been thinking?” Brushing her fingers over his cheek, he looked at the painting for the first time.

“What if we name her Monet?”

He was so worried about the suggestion, thinking of the possibility of his wife not wanting that for their girl… but as soon as he saw the brightest smile on her face, and the spark of her mesmerizing eyes, he knew he made the right choice.

YN moved his hands to her belly, so he could feel her. The baby was dancing and kicking around. “I think she likes it. And I love it.”

“You do?” He asked still unsure.

“Rob it’s perfect, perfect for her.” She held her hands tight around his, enjoying the feeling of the life they had created together. 

She wanted to bottle up the smile on his face.

“Monet.” She repeated, the idea growing slowly in her heart, it felt right, very fitting, and she loved the idea of one day, when their daughter asked, they would explain to her the story behind her name.

“I can’t wait to meet her.” He admitted.

After all, the secret of art is love.

******

I love museums and the world of art, it’s really intersting and it’s kind of true.

Tag list: @alreadybroken-ts @gretelshelby @cloudofdisney @datewithgianni

#That’s what Cill said #Robert Fischer #Robert Fischer imagine #Robert Fischer fanfic #Robert Fischer inception #robert fischer x reader #Robert Fischer x you #Cillian Murphy #Cillian Murphy Imagine #cillian murphy x reader #Robert Fischer x fem reader #Robert Fischer x Y/N #cillian murphy x y/n