#i didn't expect it to be this exciting and nervewracking

[kaizoku-musume]

Mayday Hayday Gift Exchange

I had the absolute pleasure of participating in this years' Ikeseries gift exchange hosted by @olivermorningstar and @lorei-writes, and I got the wonderful @tulipsaisle for my giftee. She has a wonderful OC that was fun to write about and I hope I did her justice. Thank you all for the opportunity to join in on this amazing experience!

Fox Fashion

Shiloh scratched the tabby cat’s back, taking a break from running her stall at the day’s slow peak. It was so heartwarming for her attention to be rewarded with purring delight and affectionate head bumps.

Paying attention to the cat also had the added benefit of Shiloh being able to ignore Nokto Klein.

“Shi-loooooh,” Nokto sing-songed as though he’d not been yapping for the past five minutes about his latest conquest at some ball he just attended. Couldn’t he have picked a more interesting topic? It’s not like Nokto wasn’t a great storyteller: the way he could draw in a crowd as he utilized his honey-smooth voice and descriptive embellishments was near unparalleled, but he so often wasted his talents by telling tales no one wanted to hear, least of all Shiloh.

“Did you hear something, Minou?” Shiloh cooed at the cat, “All I heard was the wind. If only it would blow its hot air somewhere else, huh?”

“Come now, I’m sure there are better ways for me to put my mouth to use than just blowing air, hmmm?” Nokto purred. Shiloh clucked her tongue and turned her face away so he couldn’t see her red cheeks. She always struggled to think up a good comeback when he toed the line of vulgarity like that.

“Be honest, dear,” Nokto said, angling his body to try and catch a peek of her face, “is a cat you see every day really more interesting than a prince specifically stopping by to visit you?”

“Oh, of course not,” Shiloh waved Nokto off. She took a small toy mouse out of the pocket of her dress (it was worth  making friends with the best seamstress in town) and tossed it on the ground for Minou to play with. “If Licht were to stop by, I’d be happy to sit him down for some tea and snacks.”

“Just Licht?” Nokto prompted.

“Well, there’s also Leon, Jin, Yves,” Shiloh counted on her fingers as she listed everyone aside from Nokto, “I heard Prince Keith is a good conversationalist and knows a lot about flowers, I wouldn’t mind picking his brain about them, and there’s-”

“I think I get it,” Nokto said dryly, “so foxes rank pretty low under cats with you.” He reached out to boop Minou’s nose, causing the cat to scrunch her face adorably. “What am I going to have to do to make you change your mind?”

Shiloh raised an eyebrow at him in disbelief. “Do you really think you can compare with Minou’s gentle sweetness? Her precious curled feetsies?”

“I don’t think any human can compare to that,” Nokto admitted. That was suspicious. Usually he didn’t give up so-

“But I can show you a different kind of pleasure that’s just as delightful.”

-soon. “Unless you’re talking about the pleasure of silence, I’m not interested,” Shiloh said, dusting her dress as she stood up, ready to refocus on her shop.

Nokto laughed and said, “I’ll get you to admit my charms one day, Miss Hayes.”

* * *

“Ugh!” Shiloh groaned as she fanned herself with her hand, “Why can’t spring last longer?” Maybe she should upgrade from an outdoor stall to a shopfront-then she’d have more than just shade to protect herself.

At least she wasn’t suffering alone. Nokto had shown up minutes ago, having heard the same thing from Celine, the seamstress, about a surprise showing up around now. And Nokto wasn’t any better in the heat than she was. “I can easily say this isn’t my preferred method of working up a sweat,” he agreed, asking for the second time, “Are you sure you don’t want to close up and go to a cafe? I’d never imply you were anything other than a delight to look at, but you’re turning a shade of red that even I normally can’t get out of you.”

“No thanks,” Shiloh stood her ground, though there was a part of her that couldn’t deny being tempted, “but if you can’t handle it, I won’t think less of you for needing to escape to safety.”

“Such a kind offer. But I’m not callous enough to leave you out here all by yourself. Why, what if you were to feel faint under the-” Nokto sputtered a bit when Shiloh frantically shushed at him to be quiet, flapping her hands in his face. She’d just spotted Celine’s surprise trot around the corner.

“Oh. My. God!!!” she shrieked, taking in the sight of Minou in the most adorable little getup Shiloh had ever seen. Never in a million years would Shiloh ever imagine she’d see Minou in a dress, but here she was, watching the tabby proudly prance over to her, wearing a tiny, flowery-there were roses! And junipers!-green sundress, perfectly sized and aimed at making Shiloh lose her mind with cuteness overload.

“Well, that’s certainly something,” Nokto observed over Shiloh’s gushing, “That must have been a struggle, to wrangle a cat into that outfit.”

“It’s worth it,” Shiloh declared in awe, “she’s the most precious thing I’ve ever seen. And such a good idea! How many people would jump on the idea of outfits for their pets? Celine could start a whole line of clothing for pets-the fabric and labour costs would be much lower, too. Oh, she’s brilliant!” 

Nokto watched on as Shiloh began muttering about the process of the fashion industry and how it can accommodate Celine’s project. “This is what gets you going, is it?” he chuckled in amusement, “Regular clothes just aren’t enough for you anymore so now you need a tiny version to get excited over?”

Shiloh cut off her rambling, a hand on her hip as she addressed Nokto, “When a new line drops, I’ll be all too happy to talk your ear off about it. Don’t for one second think I’ve given up one of my big loves in life. But come on!” she gestured toward Minou, who was in the middle of grooming herself, “I challenge you to find anything cuter than a cat in a dress.”

“Sounds like a tough challenge,” Nokto said, a sudden gleam in his eyes, “what do I get if I win?”

That didn’t sound good at all. Shiloh eyed Nokto warily, wondering what the tricky fox was up to. But it wasn’t like she could take it back-withdrawing now would just make it look like she thought Nokto could actually do it. She would have to face this head on. “If you can succeed, I’ll take you up on one of your non-sexual! invitations.”

Nokto’s grin made her immediately regret her words. “Sounds like a deal. I hope you keep to your word.”

Ah, great. Shiloh blamed her poor decision on the awful heat.

* * *

Well, today was the day. Nokto had messaged Shiloh to let her know he was ready to show her something cuter, and Shiloh could only hope that he came up with something perverted; it would be a pain to deal with, but at least she lose and be dragged along on whatever plan he had up his sleeves. All Shiloh could do was count down the minutes until the time Nokto promised to arrive, her eyes boring holes at the street corner he should come down.

She’d wracked her brain, trying to think of every possibility available, but when Nokto finally rounded that corner, she realized nothing could prepare her. Shiloh slapped her palm over her mouth to stop herself from bursting out laughing at the sight before her.

“Well?” Nokto twirled for her, the hem of the dress he wore flaring out with the motion, “What do you think?”

“Wh-why?” Shiloh wheezed behind her hand, still struggling not to laugh despite the realization that the dress actually looked good on Nokto. He’d gotten it tailored to his measurements and picked a colour that went well with his skin tone, so he was clearly taking it seriously . . . kinda. Nokto hadn’t passed up the opportunity to be as, well, slutty as possible: the dress was a slinky little number, the neckline was cut as low as physically possible, and there was a slit along his right thigh nearly to the waist, revealing pantyhose of all things! Why was he like this?!

Nokto struck a couple of unnecessarily sexy poses, “Because it’s clear that the only thing cuter than a cat in a dress is a fox in a dress, wouldn’t you say?”

Shiloh had a lot she wanted to say, such as “but you’re not an actual fox” and “then why didn’t you wear a cute dress?”, but none of that mattered more than telling him, “There’s no way this counts.” Nokto just smirked, like he was prepared to debate this all day if he had to, and Shiloh knew, with a dawning sort of horror, that she’d sealed her fate the moment she set up that condition.

Maybe she could still get something out of it if she convinced Nokto to wear a dress to whatever party he wanted to drag her to-at least that would give her something positive to look forward to in the face of her crushing defeat.

#ikepri #ocexchange2024 #mayday heyday #my fics #first time i've written something for someone else #i didn't expect it to be this exciting and nervewracking #nokto klein

[rageprufrock]

hello, I hope you're doing well. I was wondering if you could answer a career-related question of mine. I'm a young woman (21) in an extremely male-dominated field. I want to go into project management, but I am not prepared to deal with the insane male egos/fragile masculinity I had to experience during my internships. it doesn't help that I've been a passive person my whole life. how do I overcome my passiveness? how do I even begin to learn leadership and project/people management? 1/

I'm going to be honest, you're catching me at a disadvantage because I'm allergic to project management. Like if I'm sharing an area code with that shit I'm itchy. I'm joking, a little, sort of, because the unfortunate truth is about 50% of my job on any given day at this point is project managements but I still hate it. The point is, I'm not your best point of contact for it, because while I can do it for my specific area of expertise, the practice by itself is not my ministry, if you get my drift. Project managers are lunatics who you will find snorting crushed up Excel spreadsheets in truck stop bathrooms, and for that I fear and respect them.

For the passivity, maybe have some thoughts that might be helpful.

So like, you're probably not going to like hearing this: but oh my God, you're--so young. Like I refer to someone on my team who is 30 this year as the resident fetus. You have nine years before you hit fetus status. So much of you're feeling is only going to be remedied with time and experience, and your fearfulness of speaking or standing out right now in a professional environment isn't a mark of failure in yourself, it's a natural part of your growth and progression.

It is absolutely normal and completely fine that when you were in an intern (or honestly, even early career!) situation, presumably surrounded by people who were more experienced than you and have significant seniority to you, you felt were feeling at sea with the egos and politics.

Here's a dirty little secret, especially re: internships:

Many interns get brought in on projects that are far, far, far beyond their actual scope of capability.

That is because we have no actual expectation that you will deliver any work or usable outputs on it, but we want interns to get excited about what we do, to feel like their work could be important, for them to get a taste of the what it will be like when you actually get your feet wet and have more professional seasoning.

For example, people who summer at law firms get a red carpet experience rolled out to them, and they get to sit in on really exciting high profile client meetings! These are not things that will happen for them again for a long, long, long fucking time once they become associates! Once they've got you in their claws, they no longer care about giving you enjoyable stimulus, now you gotta start billing.

In organizations I've worked at in the past, I was fully happy to welcome interns with like 4 minutes of "experience" into very sensitive high level meetings--with the understanding that (a) everybody there knew they were the intern (b) the objective was to show them what the work could be like and (c) that nobody would actually ask them to throw themselves into the demented fray of the actual work.

The goal isn't to scare you off. We know that the stuff you're seeing a lot of times as an intern is really terrifying, for a lot of reasons. If you're in a room of people with 10 or 20 years of experience on you, then...yeah, it's going to feel awkward. You're not even a full time employee! Of course it's going to be weird and nervewracking! If you didn't feel weird and nervewracked about it, I would ask you to bottle whatever it is you're taking and sell it to become a billionaire.

Beyond that, the rest of it will come with time--truly.

When I think back to the person I was at 21, at 22, I feel such a strange tenderness toward her. I feel so protective. She had no idea what she was doing, and she was doing her best to do her best every day. She failed a lot. She was a mess. The people around her knew it. She knew it. She wasn't the greatest at what she did, or a very good friend, but she was trying so desperately to keep her head above water and only sometimes succeeding.

So much of the vulnerability you're feeling will be remedied in tiny, unnoticed ways. With every day and week and hour, you'll gain some new insight or capability, and some afternoon or month far from today--but closer than you think--you're going to look back and realize you've built yourself an entire suit of professional armor, and have no idea where it came from. You feel passive and ill equipped right now--but that's only because you are ill equipped right now, you just tumbled out onto this strange new world.

It's going to take a while to get your sea legs--just try to be kind to yourself as you do it.

You're going to crush it. I just know it.

#professional advice #advice

[itsgrimeytime]

Home is Where the Heart is (Part Two) || Farmer!Rick Grimes (TWD) x Teacher!GN!reader AU

Part 1...

rick grimes taglist: @golden-hoax

AVAILABLE ON AO3

Inspiration: Like Real People Do by Hozier.

Summary: Your life was spinning out of control, you knew that. After a string of particularly shattering events, you decided it was time to start anew. With a little help from one of your Grandma's rentals, you found yourself in the small town of Alexandria. The last thing you expected was your neighbor, Rick Grimes.

TWS: starting over, swearing, and identity crisis.

[[A/N: pretty is used gender neutrally here, so if you don't like that I'm sorry!!!Thanks for reading !!! For that anon, ly <3, enjoy :))) ]]

You were staring at your computer screen, the empty word document not quite intimidating you but it was definitely... something. The flickering little line that showed where you were typing was starting to get annoying though.

It was a lesson plan, one of the first ones actually, but one you had put off until further notice. Just something about the circulum hadn't sat right with you that day so you pushed it off. And then you pushed it off again, and again, and again-

Needless to say, you were now about two weeks away from your first-ever semester. Solo semester. You'd been a teacher's aide before, but never... never on your own. Just 'a lack of positions where you lived, and you weren't willing to relocate' problem, really. It was exciting and nervewracking and a lot-

Your life couldn't have been upturned at a worse time, honestly. Especially with so little experience on your own, but you told yourself you'd own it. You'd-

Just as you were getting into the groove of your writing process, your laptop flickered off. And then, you noticed the lights were off too. Your power was out.

"Fuck," you groaned out, half tempted to through your head down onto the table.

It wasn't a surprise, really. You knew that the internet wasn't exactly the best out here, and you'd bet that the electricity would be a little spotty too. But just because it made sense, didn't make it any less shitty.

You roamed outside, hoping to possibly get some cell service -to call the electricity company, or maybe your Grandma? Actually, now that you thought of it, you weren't sure that you knew who did the electricity of the house-

"Funny seein' you 'ere," the deep drawl lured you out of your thoughts -southern beyond belief.

You shifted, shading your eyes from the sun but just enough in his direction to see him. He stood tall, the morning looked good on him, his curls freshly washed and shirt unstained. The breeze of the morning tussled him slightly, and despite the warmth, he didn't look bothered by it. Out on the front porch in a set of pajama pants and coffee held gently in his hands -it looked warm, was Rick Grimes.

"Hey," you responded, dumbfounded -your brain had all but flatlined at the man... again.

He looked at you questioning, the slightest raise of an eyebrow -a sort of small smile brushing across the brim of his mug (almost teasing), "You're up early."

"Too early," you groaned, taking a seat on your porch in a delicately colored rocking chair -your Grandma's doing if you had to guess, "-working on some lesson plans I should've done months ago."

"Lesson plans? You the new teacher?"

You laughed, slightly, nervous, "Word spreads fast around here, then?"

"Always," he grinned, "-you'd be lucky to do anythin' out here without commentary."

You smiled, looking out into your yard -the billowing grass and trees were unfamiliar but peaceful. It was nice to just exist for a moment with someone else, even if you hardly knew them, it was nice. Freeing, even.

"What's the lead theory as to why I'm here?"

"Not sure," Rick paused, tilting his head towards you, attentive, "-why you got a good reason?"

"A super mysterious one," you answered back -playfully, "-what do you think I should go with? Spy overseas, or undercover royalty under witness protection?"

He chuckled, lightly, and something in your chest fluttered -the deep timber swimming into your head. He has a nice laugh, you noted somewhere far away in your head. It was just a thought, you'd let your brain get away with it this once.

"You lookin' for better stories or more intrigue?"

"Intrigue," you answered -doing a dramatic gesture with your hands, almost theatrical, "-no one should truly know me."

"Royalty," he responded -unflinchingly, "-ya look the part too."

You gasped, faux-offended, "What's that supposed to mean?"

"You're pretty," he answered, fluidly -as if the words out of his mouth were nothing but the truth, "-too pretty to be 'ere. Makes more sense."

"Oh," your mouth clicked shut -blush rising on your cheeks (chanting in your head, probably married, probably married, proba-), "-thank you. Good to know what I could get away with."

"Just the truth," he responded, one hand brushing over his beard as his coffee was set down on the top of the fence -a bit precariously.

You laughed, tilting your head back and rocking further from the motion -the buzz in your stomach was a teeny-tiny little thing. It wasn't anything to worry about, you knew better. You knew better than to walk right back into it again, believe and ignore and love-

It wasn't the time.

"Still," you added -smiley and with an accent you couldn't quite name, "-you'll back me up on my backstory? Death threats from my home kingdom ran away for safety."

He grinned -something big and bright, and it made you falter for a moment, "Sure, I'll tell 'em myself if I 'ave to."

You stilled, ever so slightly -eyes heavily focused on the world in front of you, intent like once you looked away it would disappear. Or maybe you would, back in that apartment, back with...

"Everythin' okay?" Rick interrupted, blue eyes intently on you -he must've noticed.

"What? Yeah-" you cleared your throat, blinking away some of the fog in your eyes -hoping he didn't see, "-Sorry, just got lost in my thoughts. I... I really need to get back to my lesson plans actually."

"Well-"

You interrupted, standing to your feet, "How long does a power outage usual last out here?"

He merely furrowed his eyebrows at you, somewhat understanding that something was bothering you but he didn't push, "Just a few minutes at most, maybe an hour if the weather's bad."

"Okay, good," you sighed in relief, before straightening and turning back to him -schooling your face into something more normal, neutral, "-It was nice talking to you, Rick. I'll... I'll see you around, yeah?"

"Yeah," he nodded, a sort of low grumble that seemed almost slurred in the morning, timber that shook your bones, "-and Y/N?"

"Yes?"

"If you ever... need anythin'," he started -carefully, blue eyes flickering over you with a concern you hadn't felt in a bit, "-I'm just a door down. Anythin'."

"Okay," you responded, quietly, genuinely, "-I'll be sure to take you up on that, Grimes."

#rick grimes #rick grimes x reader #its griming time #stuff n' thangs #rick grimes x you #rick grimes x y/n #ricky dicky doo dah grimes #twd #twd rick #rick grimes x y/n fanfiction #rick grimes oneshot #home is where the heart is #rick grimes x gn!reader

[larcenywrites]

hcs with young tony and female reader and accidental pregnancy 👀 but everyone is overjoyed with the pregnancy, the couple, his parents and her parents, everybody really happy!! I can't stop imagining young tony being a father and the baby needs to be born with a cute nose like his 🥹🥹🥹

omg omg omg I was thinking about this so long ago but wasn't sure what I wanted to do with it aaah ❤ it starts off not very excited but it gets better I swear lol

Warnings: mild sexual references | pregnancy stuff obviously

Surprise Pregnancy

💠It was bound to happen, honestly. One day you let him get away with finishing inside you, and suddenly he didn't know what a condom was anymore! Not to mention this man can't pull out to save his life 😒 Not that you mind all that much in the moment... but you're pretty sure he doesn't think twice about the actual probability of getting you pregnant 🙄 So as soon as your period is late, you're pretty sure you know why.

💠Maybe you're overreacting! Sometimes it's late and nothing ever comes of it! But when you wait two weeks and only wake up with nausea every morning instead of a period... well, hopefully the only one throwing up in the toilet will be Tony

💠It suddenly feels a bit weird walking into his house so normally. Walking by his parents as you always have and finding Tony nearly asleep in his bed. You hadn't exactly warned him that you were stopping by, and when the first words out of your mouth are a nervous "Can we talk?" , he's wide awake, and already knows he's done something

💠Luckily you don't let his mind race for long. "Tony, I think I'm pregnant."

💠Oh, so that's what he did...

💠"You-" he cuts himself off, still processing and slowly getting to his feet. "Okay, uh-" You've broken him. He doesn't know what to do, he doesn't know what to say first. He can't think and he hasn't decided what to feel yet but neither have you, so- "I can go get, like, a test? Or something?" He says it quietly, eyes wide and confused. At least he knows he's just as much a part of this as you are. He's trying to help, really. It probably feels like he's been gone for ages when he leaves. He probably has been! Maybe you shouldn't have trusted him to find a pregnancy test, but you'd rather not do any of this alone.

💠You're more than relived when he slinks back in, bag in hand, and you can only hope his parents didn't see anything suspicious. And thank god it's actually a pregnancy test in the bag- you never doubted him! He doesn't take his eyes off you as you rip the box open and take out that little stick, and he realizes that he never thought he'd be in this situation.

💠You're quietly cuddled up on the bed while you wait for however many minutes the box said. You're both stiff and unmoving, unsure what to feel or think because neither of you are communicating. But you're well aware of the strong arms wrapped around you so perfectly, right above your hips.

💠"Do you want me to go look at it?" He mumbles quietly. You nod. Again, it's not something you're willing to face alone, but he's already proven that you don't have to. And again, he keeps you waiting. Surely even he can figure out the difference between one line or two! Just when you sit up at the edge of the bed, ready to do it yourself, he finally emerges. He takes your hands in his, and you're pretty sure you already know the answer when you look up at him.

💠"It was positive," he whispers. "What do you wanna do?"

💠You can hardly whisper back. "What if I wanna keep it?" You weren't sure what to expect from him, but he nodded. His short sigh of relief and small smile released all the tension in your body, letting you smile for the first time since you found out. You had been happy about it, but not knowing what Tony would think was nervewracking.

💠After the initial shock wears off, you're both all smiles and kisses, and at some point he's trapped you against the bed in an engulfing hug, face buried in your neck.

💠You'll both agree that you might want to wait to tell anyone. At least to get an ultrasound first and prepare a game plan, but as soon as Tony sees that little blob on the screen and it has a heartbeat?? He's more than ready to tell his mom all about it 😍

💠But Tony will admit to you that he's a bit wary of his dad :( It's just... Howard was once smacking RC cars out of an eight-year-old Tony's hands and yelling at him to play with his toys somewhere else, and even now the two are still known for their altercations-- especially now that Tony has to very quickly learn how to actually grow up (and he doesn't even know about this yet). You can't really blame him, but you're pretty sure that his father wouldn't do that to his grandson. But it's not just that, he's pretty sure telling his dad that you're pregnant is going to end in very loud conversation between the two, and he doesn't want to stress you out :(

💠When you do finally decide you're ready, he's by your side and holding your hand. Honestly, he's probably the one that says it first!

💠Maria is probably squealing in delight and pulling you both in for a hug! Honestly she's always happy and excited for anything, so she'll be your biggest support through the pregnancy, and she'll probably be pulling out all of Tony's old pictures on the spot 🧡 If you ever have any questions or concerns, she's more than willing to hear you out- hell, if you think a doctor isn't listening to you but you're too passive to keep pushing the issue, just bring her along to your next appointment and she'll sort 'em out! And probably recommend someone else. The same midwives that delivered her son will most likely deliver her grandson, too 😅

💠Howard and Tony never see eye to eye anyway, and considering he's always on his ass about being irresponsible and lazy and childish, you can probably imagine exactly how not excited he is about this. He's not upset at you, but with Tony for knocking you up when you're both hardly 20, and his son isn't exactly ideal father material in a parent's eyes. While you and Maria are happily conversing in the living area, Howard manages to get Tony in the backyard for a stern but surprisingly respectful conversation, and a begrudging hand on his shoulder in place of a hug. Well, it still went better than he thought it would...

💠Don't worry, he'll will warm up to the idea of grandchildren (mostly with his wife's persistent excitement), but he may not really show it. Instead, Maria will let you know when it was actually Howard who picked out that little outfit or had the idea to have those quilts made 😌

💠Your parents might not be so excited at first, either. Tony's probably only just graduated college and hardly has a plan, but at least he comes from plenty of money? And with all that skill and name he can find a job anywhere if he just, ya know, actually tried 😅 It's obvious that he is taking responsibility and has always been by your side, so... they'll get past it! And poor Tony might have to get through yet another awkward conversation, but this time with your dad. Your dad is already a lot more supportive, at least, and just as you can turn to his mom for comfort and advice, Tony can turn to your dad 🥹

💠And we can't forget about Jarvis since he practically did the other half of Tony's raising 🥺 He won't really break the whole "calm butler" persona, but he's proudly smiling ear to ear when he says "Congratulations, sir." While he can rest assured that this time he won't have to chase down another Tony every day nor raise this one, he does miss having a little Stark around to wreak havoc 💛

💠There's suddenly a ton of things on his to-do list, but he's making a house his number one priority (with the help of that Stark money... What? His parents aren't gonna make you guys live just anywhere 💅). While someone's parents probably wouldn't mind, Tony really wants his own privacy for his own family, ya know? But he won't say no to his mom staying over for that first week or two to help you guys out 😮‍💨

💠He's like one of those cats that suddenly never leave their owner's side when they're pregnant. When you start showing, he can't keep his hands off of you! Well, he couldn't really keep his hands off you before (hence the situation you're in), but he just wants to be near you! Wherever you go, he wants to go too! Whatever you want, he wants to try really hard to get it for you! He also just really wants to make sure you know he's there for you, and can and will do anything! He's pretty worried that his dad is right and that he's not exactly an ideal candidate to be raising a kid, and worried that you might feel the same :( So he overcompensates by being overbearing. He even follows you into the shower! It will get annoying, but try not to snap at him too hard unless you want him to sulk around. His mom will probably notice and get on his ass about it before you do anyway 😅

💠You can already trust him to be a great dad, though! Already so protective and worried, and still so in love with you, if not more!

💠A hand is always on your tummy because he really really really wants to feel the baby kick! Everyone talks about how you can feel the baby kicking, so why isn't his little Stark kicking him yet?? Even you've talked about it, but it might be another week before he gets his chance 💔 He'll be so excited when he does feel those fluttering kicks! You always get to feel those signs of life, so it's the closest he can get to sharing that experience until your due date.

💠Besides, of course, getting to hear the heartbeat and getting those black and white ultrasounds! Speaking of which, he has to show off every photo the nurse takes of little Stark! Aaaand while your parents have the cuter ones of your son sucking his thumb or waving pinned to the fridge, Tony puts up the one where that little hand only has a middle finger raised 🫥

💠Okay it is kinda cute...

💠The closer you get to nine months and the more nervous he gets. He's also excited! But he realizes he barely ever learned how to take care of himself, and now he has to look after you and a baby?? He was so caught up in the excitement for so long, and now it feels like reality is crashing down very hard and he doesn't know what to do because he doesn't want to stress you out and he doesn't want to get yelled at and-

💠You're fast asleep in an array of pillows and half in-half out of the sheets. You don't seem so worried. He has to take a deep breath and remind himself that if you aren't worried, then he shouldn't be either. You're the one that's been putting all your love and trust into him, even before you got pregnant. He doesn't know if that makes him more or less stressed, but he knows you'll make him feel better with no questions asked ❤️‍🩹

💠You can't really be mad when he "accidentally" wakes you up on some nights because he's crawling his way under your arms and tucking himself under your chin. Or when you suddenly have him lying on your chest and tiny feet kicking your ribs. As much fun as it's been (and nervewracking), these nights will have you more than ready for your due date.

💠He doesn't really know what to expect in that delivery room, but he follows you in anyway and awkwardly switches between standing around and sitting. It's... boring. No one told him there would be so much waiting around! He was prepared for like, an instant nightmare, but instead you're just easing in and out of contractions or something? Ah, this doesn't seem so bad!

💠He's half-way through one of those kind of gross Jell-O cups and half asleep when you're suddenly very panicked and nurses are finally moving around. And now he has an oh shit moment as the nightmare part starts.

💠He should hold your hand! That's what they do in the movies, right? Well it sounds like a good idea, but ow you're really hurting him but he doesn't want you to know that, so he'll stand there like he's perfectly fine 😭 Thank god once it starts, it's over just as quick because he couldn't have taken any more of that

💠Ngl he's standing at your side and sulking into his Jell-O while the baby cries, and luckily you're too out of it to slap him for it 🤧

💠The spoon is still in his mouth when he's suddenly asked and ushered over to cut the cord and he probably gags a little, but it's fine, this is his son, and this is like- what everyone talks about and stuff sooo

💠Okay, now it's over. Baby is safe in your arms, and you don't seem to be in pain anymore, so now he can relax again with the quieter room, and now it's just the two of you again- well, three now ❤

💠This was the last thing he expected to happen ever, much less right now, but... he honestly can't believe it happened with you. He's glad it's with you. Maybe he's not so much of a fuck-up, after all, if you're still here, and holding his son, no less. He's more than a little nervous when you finally ask him if he wants to hold the baby in your arms. He looks really comfy and Tony would surely ruin that and- okay, he doesn't really get a choice here, does he? You're obviously very tired and deserve some rest without worrying about keeping a newborn in your arms, so it's time for dad to finally step in!

💠He's so small, head already full of dark hair and that nose is unmistakably Tony's. He accidentally stirs him awake when he brushes his thumb over that little nose and soft cheek. Tony goes into full panic mode, trying to quietly shush him and apologizing as if he'll understand. Suddenly he's met with big brown eyes curiously looking around and widely looking up at him. And if anyone is crying, it's Tony 🥹

💠Both your parents are probably waiting around outside, and have been for a while, but... you're finally asleep, and honestly he just wants a little more time for himself. No one will mind a few more minutes 😌

Family Man series: 1 2 3

#tony stark #tony stark x reader #tony stark one shot #tony stark imagine #tony stark fanfiction #tony stark fic #tony stark headcanon #tony stark drabble #iron man #iron man x reader #iron man fanfiction #iron man imagine #iron man drabble #iron man headcanons #marvel #marvel x reader #marvel headcanons #marvel fic

[celestie0]

Hello!! I wanted to ask some advice 😞 I have a fic idea but I've never posted any writing before and its like a very very specific band au and I'm scared no one will care to read it because of how much music context it requires 😭 I really admire your writing so like...what do you suggest...

(Also super excited for next kickoff ! I've never been this invested in a fic)

hii my love!! omg a band au sounds like so much funnn are you kiddinggg i would eat that UPPP. my advice would be to just go ahead n write it!!! it's super nervewracking to share work, especially if you've never shared before, so for the time being you can just write w the idea that no one else will read it except for yourself! that'll help you establish a healthy relationship w your writing & your hobby in general even before you post should you choose to post

as for the specificity n music context, i personally think thats SO FUCKIN RAD!!! i love a story where i can enjoy a romance but also have aspects outside of it that i can learn something new from or take something away from. i have read some pretty incredible fics & books, but the ones that have always had a lasting impact on me are the ones i went into knowing nothign ab a specific something, but then i leave it feeling like i've learned something i wouldn't have ever known before!!

it's a totally valid feeling though, esp in fanfiction where you might think readers want to read ab only their fave characters or specifically romance. i felt this way a lot with including the film major & photography aspect to kickoff, i feared readers would find it boring and would just want to read ab gojo x reader. i think in ch9, gojo only had like 40% of the chapter screentime and didn't even make his first appearance until like 5k words into the chapter, but i'm still really happy w the chapter and the response i got was great too. i see some of my writer mutuals break the norms n experiments w their stories all the time too, and honestly, i think that makes for some of the BEST and most MEMORABLE stories :)

as for fears that people may not see your story, i totally get that. keep in mind, i think the jjk fandom specifically doesn't really have too many long fics, at least compared to what i've seen in other fandoms, n tends to steer towards oneshot content (i could be wrong ab this but it's just what i've noticed! at least on tumblr. long fics always get lots of love on ao3 tho) so don't worry too much if you're not getting as many notes or reblogs etc as some other authors, bc if you choose to post series content, then you'll technically be in a niche category for this specific fandom. BUT i have noticed that the quality of interactions w longer stories is very amazing and totally worth being a part of this writing community for that reason!!

when i first started posting, i really didn't know what to expect since the last time i had a fanfic blog was for like two months when i was 12 on deviantart LOL. and now i'm just extremely blown away n humbled by the support. but that's the thing- you'll never ever know unless you try! again, just write and picture it that you're the only one that's going to read it, so put all that juicy music context in there n really write w that passion in mind!! (i'm assuming you're into music or bands n that's your inspiration? don't be afraid to let that interest show!!) and that's really the only thing you need to get started, after that it's just simply copy pasting n then posting :)

if you do get around to posting or sharing it then feel free to tag me bb!! i'd love to read it n support you. good luck to u n much love!! <33 i hope this helps in anyway

and thank you for looking forward to kickoff :)

ps. in case you want any specific writing advice i have some on my page here (sorry bb i just realized i wasn't sure if you were asking for actual concrete writing advice haha my bad if i misinterpreted)

#ellie's writing advice #kickoff #asks #anon

[blackjackkent]

OK. So, obviously that was a pretty upsetting experience for Hector, but it does finish up (as near as I can tell) everything we can do on the main floor of Moonrise Towers, so it's time to go upstairs and see what Z'rell wants to talk to us about.

This is a bit nervewracking because we overheard some of the Absolute guards talking about how Z'rell has been summoning a lot of True Souls up to her office lately, and none of them have come back down. So there's reason to believe this might be a dangerous prospect.

(Amusingly - mechanically, Hector still has a dislocated shoulder; from a story perspective I assumed Shadowheart probably healed it up already but I can't figure out how to make it go away in-game without a long rest so it's just kind of there for right now.)

Going upstairs, we find Z'rell setting guards around the door to the roof, where apparently General Thorm is doing some meditative shit or other.

"Excellent timing, True Soul."

She meets Hector's gaze with a casual smirk. There's an air of cool violence about her that is quite unsettling; even more than many of the cultists here, she seems as if she would be happy to lash out at him given half a chance.

"The goblins," she goes on eagerly. "Tell me how they suffered - or better yet, show me."

Narrator: Her mind enters yours abruptly, flickering across your memories in a blaze of excitement. She sees the goblins walking free, and a burning rage fans across your mind like wildfire.

Inwardly, Hector braces himself. He knew this was coming. The prisoners he released - he'll have to account for them somehow. He somehow didn't fully expect, though, quite the extent to which Z'rell's expression has hardened with pure fury at being denied the moment of sadism.

"Explain yourself!" she snaps.

Hector is very tired and really not in the mood to deal with someone who takes pleasure in others' pain to that degree - but the cover must be maintained. So with an effort of will, he remains perfectly still and resists the urge to fidget under her stare. [PERSUASION] "They won't get far," he says, affecting an air of casual disinterest. "Let the curse take them, and save us the job of cleaning up their innards."

A pause. The disciple sneers. "Very pragmatic. But very boring."

Hector starts to relax, seeing that his story has been accepted, but the ordeal is not yet over. "Let's see if there's *anything* interesting in that brain of yours."

Before Hector can fully register what she means, she is inside his mind.

Narrator: She parts the folds of your mind again, touching your wants and hopes. Tasting them. Every emotion soaks into her mind's palate, but there is purpose to her exploration - she is searching for proof of your faith.

Hector shudders at the feeling of her slipping through his thoughts. It's a tremendous violation that these people do so casually, but he cannot show his distaste without giving away the flimsy disguise that is all that keeps them safe here.

And proof of his faith...she will find plenty of proof there, but not the faith she wants. If she is allowed to explore too long, she will find his faith in Selune, as bright as the moonlight that still exists somewhere beyond this dark and awful place.

Focus. Show her only what you want her to see.

[MONK] Empty your mind. Show her a perfect, harmonious soul.

No sign of Selune within him. But not quite deception - no sign of the Absolute either. Balance. Serenity. Peace.

"When you are in harmony, you need fear nothing at all," one of the other monks told him once, early in his training. "For then your path will be unburdened by those who would see you unbalanced."

Narrator: You feel her grasp within your thoughts for familiar, roiling zealotry. It finds no purchase.

Z'rell blinks, drawing back; he feels her grip withdraw from within his mind and allows himself to tremble inwardly with relief. He feels dirty, marred by this contact, and wishes he could express the disgust that he feels.

"Simply...void," she murmurs, and she sounds legitimately perplexed, the sadistic glee for a moment gone in favor of simple confusion. "Why would you not embrace her? Worship her?"

A pause, and then she goes on, with renewed energy, "I have already been blessed to stand in Her presence. It was bliss." She stabs a finger towards his chest. "She gave me *everything* I wanted."

It's almost accusing, the way she looks at him. The calm and serenity that he showed her was not enough. She wants to see him caught in the web and does not understand the purpose of resistance.

"Everything?" Hector asks carefully. "What exactly do you want?" All the better to keep the conversation off of him and on her as much as possible - both for information and to avoid those questing fingers through his mind again.

Her eyes brighten with eager, hungry zealotry. "To take without asking, to feel without doubting, and to kill without consequence. In a word - freedom."

Hector swallows uncomfortably. He had expected at least a veneer of some more palatable assertion - unity or something like that. Not this unbridled cruelty without measure, completely unmasked.

"That's a little abstract," he says vaguely, trying to maintain his sense of calm with a little more effort now. "Show me something real."

Her eyes light as if she has never received a happier request.

"Oh, why not? What's the point in power if you don't get to have a little fun every now and again?" There is a brief moment in which Hector has time to realize that he made a grave mistake by phrasing his comment the way he did. Then she claps her hands together and a flash of light flickers between them.

"She gave me the power to cut the thread of life with a thought..." she murmurs, rapturous - and without warning, without even a sound, the ogre standing behind her throws her head back...and dies, blood spurting from every orifice of her face.

Hector stares down at the corpse, then back up at Z'rell wordlessly. He hopes his stunned silence will be taken for awe, rather than the fact that he is feeling suddenly sick to his stomach.

Thorm invulnerable. This woman killing with a snap of her fingers. How do we fight a force like this? How is it possible?

To his muted relief, Z'rell smiles.

"But I can caress as well as cut," she murmurs with a horrible sort of sweetness. "That's why you should stay on my good side." She reaches out, taps a clawed finger against his cheek. "And the best way to do that is to serve General Thorm. I have a mission for you."

All Hector wants to do is run from the room and never see this woman, or Thorm, or any of these people ever again. But that choice is not on the table. He focuses for a moment on Karlach's presence at his side, his other companions behind him. The dream guardian whispers in his mind, "That's it - play along. The closer you can get to the General, the closer you'll be to the answers you seek."

Calm. Find the center, two beats to the breath. He inhales slowly, lets it out heavily. "I live to serve," he says evenly. "What do I need to do?"

"There is a relic that General Thorm requires," Z'rell says briskly, all business now. "He sent his most trusted advisor, Disciple Balthazar, to retrieve it. The relic is beneath the Thorm family mausoleum. That is where you will find Balthazar. But we have lost contact with him - go there, aid Balthazar if you can, and bring the relic home."

Ah. He feels on slightly firmer ground now; they know of Balthazar already - and, in fact, already agreed to help him. "What exactly was this relic he was sent to retrieve?" Hector asks curiously, hoping to draw from her some of the answers he was not able to get from the necromancer.

"It is something that General Thorm desires, and that he ordered us to retrieve," she says curtly. "That is all you need know."

Narrator: [INSIGHT] She's suddenly nervous - on edge. Talking about the relic makes her anxious.

Hector hesitates - then presses. There will never be a better time than this to ask. [PERSUASION] "Talking of this relic makes you anxious," he says carefully. "Why is that?"

She too hesitates - and when she speaks again it is with more sincerity than he has seen from her thus far. "I am in awe of the power the relic must hold to be of such importance," she admits. "General Thorm will not leave Moonrise without it."

Hector senses a stir of unease through his companions. He shares it. What lies unsaid in Z'rell's words is that when the relic is found, Thorm will have no reason to stay at Moonrise. And the only possible reason for that...is that he will be ready to move on Baldur's Gate.

"I already met Balthazar," Hector says.

Her eyes flash. "Then he must have failed to make the urgency of his mission clear. I do not want to see you again until the relic is secure at Moonrise."

Well, thinks Hector, I don't want to see you again ever, so we're at least agreed on that.

#bjk plays baldur's gate 3 #hector carlisle #whoo boy these are some unpleasant people #can't wait until we get to smack them dramatically somehow

[notreallysorryxx]

Hi! May I request fluff fanfic with Mysta Rias? Thank you so much! If you don't want, you can ignore this, I'm completely fine :D

❝𝙃𝙚𝙧𝙚'𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙥𝙩... 𝙢𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙.❞ ‧₊˚ Mysta suddenly suggests something shocking, but not unwelcome.

The sun was shining brightly above you and Mysta, your boyfriend of four years, as you both lay on the grass in each other's arms. You and Mysta were currently on a date, a picnic date to be more specific. The weather had recently gotten cooler as autumn drew nearer. A soft humming coming from Mysta lulled you into a light slumber. "Babe?" A whisper woke you from your light sleep. "Hmm," you hummed quietly. Mysta chuckled, amused at your sleepy state. "You comfortable, babe?" Mysta asked, squeezing his arm that was around you. You sighed, snuggling into Mysta's chest as he grinned down at you. "I'll take that as a 'yes'." "Yes, I could stay like this forever," you sighed again. As you said that, Mysta had an idea. It was a bit of a nervewracking idea, considering that it might just end your long relationship with the detective. But he put his idea into action nevertheless. "So," Mysta began, gulping nervously. "Here's a concept... me and you married." The words fell out of his mouth shockingly easy and he couldn't help but feel like they were right. You shot up as you listened to Mysta, "H-Huh?! Really?!" Excitement and anticipation shown on your face; you were grinning ear to ear. Mysta nodded, laughing at your reaction. "Yes!" you exclaimed, dropping yourself down on his chest as he let out a loud 'oof''. Mysta hugged you, rubbing your back and smiling like an idiot. He couldn't be any happier. "I didn't buy a ring though. I never expected to propose today," he whispered. "It's fine, we don't need a ring to symbolize our relationship. The only thing we need is love, right?" you asked expectantly. Mysta nodded, "Of course." You both went silent, enjoying the embrace.

"When do we tell the others?" "Later. Right now I just want to enjoy this moment with you." And you couldn't agree more.

Thank you for the request! I hope this wasn't too bad of writing, it was done fairly quickly. Requests are still open!

#mysta rias #luxiem x reader #luxiem #nijisanji en #nijien #nijisanji #mysta rias x reader

[zahrowl]

A Critique of Good Omens Season 2 by 4 Random Girls (+ for fun, a rewrite of S2's outline)

Did you feel after watching GOmens S2 with your friends that this season could have been… better?

I was excited for S2 and I had some high expectations due to spoilers (yes, I am the kind of person to seek out spoilers to raise my personal excitement for the show). But after a watch party with some friends that had me gaslighting myself into denying the letdowns of this season (I was going through the first stage of grief okay), I’ve come around a few days later to bring a list of problems, gripes, and some suggestions for improvement for Season 2.

(EDIT: I reposted this bc I originally tagged Mr Gaiman according to my friend's suggestion. That was insensitive of me, I'm sorry. Thanks to the person who commented and knocked some sense into me, even if I did get a severe increase in heart rate and my hands were literally trembling after seeing your comment)

Mr. Gaiman, if you're reading this somehow, please don’t take any of this criticism as a personal attack. Like, you’re a prolific writer, we’re just 4 girls with opinions, so I don't think you'd really need to take much of these words to heart. I know I wouldn't.

And to the fandom, well, if you enjoyed S2, good for you! I enjoyed it too! If you enjoyed it in a way you understood but I didn't, that's fine too! This is just the perspective of like 4 girls on some writing decisions we found kinda weird. We all have opinions, we can express those opinions as long as we're not attacking anyone.

Also, spoilers for S2 of course.

Anyway, let’s get to it shall we, starting with the most controversial of decisions in episode 6!

Controversial reveals in episode 6:

Halo Ex Machina

Like for god’s sake if you wanna pull that out last-minute, at least show it being used in an earlier episode in a flashback from the war

Ineffable Bureaucracy

Aziraphale agreeing to be the Head Archangel to change heaven with Crowley

Ineffable Divorce

More annoying things in S2:

The purpose of the body swap in S1 feels undermined in S2. Like, that was to scare Heaven and Hell into thinking that they’ve grown so powerful that they’ve made their own side. Shouldn’t Heaven and Hell be like, a little more cautious with these two after agreeing to leave them alone?

The Divorce really feels like it’s written solely for the purpose of milking a certain reaction from the audience rather than a natural development for Azicrow’s relationship. Also, with the amount of times these two ‘break up’, it gets boring, okay

Nina and Maggie were just kinda,, there. I’m not quite sure what themes they’re here for, I was lowkey bored anytime they got on screen. Maybe Nina’s abusive relationship mirrors Aziraphale’s relationship with Heaven, but like, idk it’s really not the best mirror. I don’t care about them, okay, they didn’t need to be here and if they did, at least cut down a bit of their time please? The part at the end where they stayed to help was kinda ehhh, the part where they had to tell Crowley about his feelings was even more eh. I’m not sure why they cared so much to tell Crowley about it. I don't hate them, I just wish they could have been written better.

Crowley just waltzing into heaven. In S1 they were undercover and it’s so nervewracking. This time a bunch of demons just see him go up into heaven and don’t even question it. And then a bunch of archangels just come down the lift with him. Like what???

The miracle that hid Gabriel was kinda handwaved away? What was up with that

What was Bee’s plan with storming the bookshop. Wouldn’t that attract a lot of unnecessary attention from the demons and angels? Is discretion not a thing?

They never really explained what was up with Az’s bookshop and the vampire entering rules like???

Angels and demons really do feel like much less of a threat this season somehow

Guess who had “I’ll Follow You Into The Dark” on their playlist? Guess who didn’t follow someone into the dark.

So, I challenged myself to rewrite S2 to make the reveals a little less jarring than them all coming at you one after the other in episode 6 like Voltaire tormenting Candide.

Things we’re building up to:

Aziraphale’s desire to change the way Heaven is run, thus accepting Metatron’s offer

I know the Job episode was a thing, but again, that was only one scenario and not a consistent running theme throughout the season. The Victorian doctors do not count — that’s Aziraphale learning to become more flexible with his morality like Crowley. It doesn’t have anything to do with changing Heaven except maybe showing how much better Crowley is than everyone/j. The magic show definitely doesn’t count.

Also to all those ppl who say that Aziraphale has religious guilt or is going through religious trauma or smth along those lines… idk it feels more like they’re projecting than that being an actual thing shown by the show. If that was the intention, it doesn’t come across like it well enough

It might be believable that Az’s indoctrination by Heaven might cause him to think that being in charge would improve things, but like,, that needs to be actually shown in the show. Show us his doubts after the end of the world. Give us better foreshadowing of his concerns over the past 6000 years, how he’s seen Crowley struggle with being a demon/how he imagines being a demon is like/how heaven has indoctrinated him. Otherwise it’s like he’s learnt nothing over these past 6000 years!

Gabe and Bee’s relationship

This really suffers by being revealed only at the end because the way they act seems suddenly out of character of how we expect them to. We’re all left kinda unsure if they’re actually in love or even know what love is.

An earlier reveal of their relationship and maybe some Bee/Jim interactions in earlier episodes would help with a more gradual acceptance of expectations vs reality

Also, would it kill to have one close-up of the fly? Or even like, Aziraphale swatting the fly away as it flies into his face when he opens the box? That thing is so tiny it’s no wonder it’s so easily missed. Please, I’m myopic

Divorce

I want Crowley to snap so bad at Aziraphale. And with better dialogue than “no nightingales”. I know it’s a reference, but surely we can do better than this!

Aziraphale really caught the idiot ball this season in the most narratively unsatisfying way, and if it weren’t for Michael Sheen playing him it would be even more annoying.

What can we cut from S2?

A lot of the coffeeshop/recordshop AU

The whole storming the bookshop thing. What was Bee’s plan really

The angel-demon miracle. The damn thing was what attracted heaven’s attention anyway and in the end it was just handwaved away? Let’s toss it out, and by extension, we’ll have to toss out… (checks notes) the Archangels’ visit to the bookshop, lying about getting Nina and Maggie together and the further matchmaking attempts for them, Constable Muriel, Shax’s storming of the bookshop, and god knows what else.

[geekyvox]

CVAP Week 4. The last but definitely not the least. My thoughts! Here we go!

Sadly, we reached the final point of the program. Well, final point of the academic part of the program I guess. There's still a lot of work to be done especially with our batch recital. Anyway lot of the topics left were very business-centric. Because it talks about service agreements, NDA's, resumes, legalese. All of which are very daunting and intimidating but no less essential. I keep forgetting that we as voice artists are running a business. You're basically selling a service. The service of which is your voice. And if you want to navigate yourself into the minefield that entrepreneurship, branding and marketing, you have to learn these things. I find myself actually interested in listening to it, despite at first glance it being something uninteresting to most people I think. Working in a corporate setting, I'm familiar with some aspects of it. And call me weird, it really was interesting. I guess the thought of having to encounter something like this as a voice artist is an indication that you're on your way to making it. The prospect makes me giddy.

The thing that was most exciting though, was the afternoon session. The live Q&A. I was called first! Oh boy… It's nervewracking to be in the spotlight while they're playing what you think was your magnum opus. My magnum opus so far. Well I thought that was the best of my work. Despite being a nervous wreck, I was excited as well. I was excited to be grilled and dissected and studied. But it was all worth it. I got all the feedback. It was not bad. I think they were mostly good. But I did deserve their common critique. They wanted variety and I should have given that. I was playing it safe. I was playing characters that I was comfortable and confident of doing. I should have picked characters that were outside my range. Tried and played around with it. I'm pretty sure I could have pulled it off but I was really playing safe. More the fool, me! After I was done though, I was sitting back and just enjoyed watching other voicemates and their work. Man, they're good! One or two I didn't expect to shine out adn that was a pleasant surprise.

Which comes to the final part of it all, I am going to miss these people. The four Saturdays spent with them I will remember for the rest of my life. I wish there were more but it has to end. Like all good things. I will keep this page up. And continue to create more content, whatever happens. I'm planning to reach out to my voicemates and maybe do collaborations with some of them. Maybe… Hopefully! And we'll see. More content in the future.

With that, this ends my CVAP Vlog. I'll see if I can do more vlog formats but I really don't know when. But I'll see you guys again. Count on it. Until then, this is JoeFox the GeekyVox telling you to: "Keep on gaming on, gamers!"

#bastabosescreativoices #certifiedvoiceartistprogram #cvap #cvapbatch21 #letyourvoicebeheard #tatakcvap

[tojasosbigmek]

Really hard to sort out thoughts, but I try.

Life became interesting, littlebit fuller of happenings. Well, I'm graduating, which itself is pretty exciting if we don't say nervewracking. Attention is on a lotta people and I enjoy it. Which makes this period of time less anxious, more colorful and happy. So far, I've been doing a way better job than expected. I still don't wanna hype myself up for high hopes. I am actually not deserving it in a sense that I haven't been working for it too much. Okay, I have gone through these 4 years and I studied, I have had the best grades actually. But this year I was lazy regarding this, cuz I haven't been caring about academics. So I didn't prepare for these exams. Well, I will be doing more for the oral exam.

I have got so many nice people in my life right now. I don't know if it's just my approach towards others, or legit I found so many very worthy people. Regardless, my best friend is still a fucking worthy person. I realized so many things since. If you care less (if you're a very anxious person), you won't suffer and will enjoy stuff. If you give trust and effort, there is a possibility you have someone that worth all of this. If you didn't do that, you are more protected but are likely to lose the worthy ones too.

So I kinda started to care less, this is what I see. I have been nice, they have been nice and it's pretty cool now. My best friend is a forever friend tho, I know this for sure and she is amazing. I have ones who push away spirituality which is a pretty big part of me, that kinda kills me but there is my bestie who is 100% spiritual and makes me flourish and happy. There are things she cannot provide for me but someone else can and that also makes me happy. I think I can't find all the things I want in one person, but in separate beings. And also I don't think that someone can provide happiness for me. Someone can add up to my happiness but cannot make it from scratch for me. I can only make myself happy in that sense. So I can not wait for someone who makes me happy, I cannot want such big things from others.

I feel exhausted and sad and confused, but I'm happy now.

Though, there is this dude who is my love potential or whatever but he kills me inside by denying a part of me (denying spirituality) and it kinda confuses me too cuz I can't dive deep in this way and this makes me feel like I lose myself and makes me sad. This is why I'm sad I think. Also I feel like he has bad energy and he feeds off of mine. I feel energetically exhausted, while also happy and hopeful and joyful. I feel free as I get rid of all my responsibilities regarding high school. I lose my old self, old fears, and everything becomes a memory. But these memories make me sad too, because they feel beautiful for me and I will miss them. This part of my life is ending and something new will come.

Things get off of my shoulder but also I'mma miss all of this. I can let go of what holds me back and start something new. I also have grown and learnt so much about relationships. I feel abundant not only in my relationships, but moneywise and academicly too which I haven't done too much to deserve it but I still get it, maybe a gift from the universe. Because, I tried so hard at other aspects.

I feel like I have reached a level in my growth where all of this pays off. I'm still very scared of losing all of it. Because, nothing is for forever. Tho, this might be something permanent very likely, I hope so. I don't want this to be something that passes and then I come back to where I was before. Though, growth cannot happen backwards. And life is about contantly growing. This is something I have been thinking. Also what if now the people I love, are up to something I don't know and which if I found out, I would get hurt of? Now I might think I finally found people I can trust and that are good and treating me right, but they can actually stab me in the back

[superlunarypining]

me: ohohoho wouldn’t it be fun if i asked my crush out to the next school dance, let’s see when it is!

the schedule: TWO WEEKS

me: *surprised pikachu*

#UHOH! #its not really an invite-a-partner type deal so i probs wont have to worry about it #(i think) (i didn't go last year) #but oh that is a nice fantasy #but also a nervewracking one haha #i do maybe want to ask them out to prom When That Comes (if i haven't by then) but that's far off #and also makes me BIG NERVOUS #in related news #i have my elective with them tomorrow!! #i wasn't expecting any classes with them since we're a year apart but THEN I WALKED IN TO MY ELECTIVE #AND THEY! WERE! THERE! #so im. excited for tomorrow #but also very nervous #thats my curse: i really want to talk to them more and spend time with them and Progress Our Relationship but i also get so fuckin worried #literally my stomach is flipping out at the thought #im a wreck asdfghjkl

[corysmiles]

Sup! I'm back from Barcelona! Hope you're doing well!

Remember that sbi rust prompt you gave me a month or 2 ago? It is done (not readproff tho so there may be some mistakes) anyway enjoy my grand return!

Edit: did you know 250 paragraphs is the limit lenght to an ask? On an unrelated note I will have to cut this into multiple parts so enjoy this first chapter!

-----

"Whaaat the-"

Wilbur took a step back, mouth agape and watched the figure inside of the dome. A human, identical in the looks, if not for the size of it.

When he went to explore the looming monument that rose from near his house, he expected food or scientific papers, perhaps some gas masks and equipment, not a... giant.

Weren't those things a myth?? Just a silly fictional creature to scare children away, not... not real and THERE, sleeping right in front of him??

The thing was curled up on himself, unable to fit in the 30ft wide sphere if going to its full lenght.

Wilbur was trapped in the walls of flesh.

And to his dismay, he was just in time to witness the creature wake up.

Lazily, they opened their eyes, squinting. They looked at their surroundings, the roof, the walls, the floor.

And the man was able to pinpoint the exact moment their eyes landed on him.

They gasped softly, almost mute. Their eyes widened, and they stood here, studying the punny intrudor for a too long moment. Only after, they spoke, barely above a whisper.

"Uhm... hello."

Wilbur expected the giant to speak, seeing how akin to a human he was, but he didn't expect such a young voice to be held by the.... boy?

"Hey." Wilbur waved, hand as shaking and hesitant as his voice.

"... What's your name?" They spoke.

Wilbur gulped, more on instinct. "Uuh, Wilbur. Who are you? What are you doing here?" He pointed.

They nodded in a hum before looking at the floor below, eyes a bit blurry.

"I...my name is Tommy. And uh... this is where I sleep."

The stare the human kept on the boy was intense, full of disbelief and curiosity. It was uncomfortable.

He shifted a bit. And Wilbur's eyes darted towards the small movements. Ah, right. Humans were hyperaware.

"It's been a while since I met someone around here."

"Yeah, I can imagine that... ever since the nuclear incident, it's been quite the task to find someone." Wilbur explained. What did this being knew exactly?

"Oh... I see." He lowered his head, before letting it rest on the floor, and holy shit he was even bigger than he thought.

He swallowed the lump back down his throat, and sat legs crossed.

The giant, which looked like a teenager now that he got to see his face up close, kept looking at him, expression almost bored.

Then, without much a warning, he lifted his hand and moved it towards the human, who instantly scrumbled away as fast as he could.

"wowowwoowowo- what-"

The hand froze, and when he looked at Tommy, the expression was sad, almost hurt.

Silence filled the room for a minute.

"Sorry" the giant apologized. "I must be quite scary, huh?"

Without much thinking, wilbur nodded. "Um, yeah"

"It's okay, I'm not gonna hurt you." He reassured, his voice pathetic. "Can I come closer?"

Wilbur looked at the hand, then at the teen. He took a deep breath before nodding, earning a pleased smile from the blond.

More careful, a hand thrice his size came to him, fingers slowly wrapping themselves around the human. He tensed, unwilling to move an inch despite his mind begging him to get out of here.

He closed his eyes in anticipation, but after a minute of stillness, he felt a rough pressure on his head, ruffling his hairs.

"Wha- what are you doing?" He asked, refusing to open his eyes yet.

Before he got an answer, the mass, which he recognized as a thumb, moved from playing with the hair to caress his skin as gently as possible.

With much hesitation, the human opened his eyes and met the face of the teen, who beared an expression of pure shock and wonder.

As the thumb rubbed against his cheek, he inhaled, shivered.

"You're so small... so fragile..."

His face was washed with a wave of sadness, while Wilbur drew his hand closer to the gun hidden in his jacket.

"How do you feel, wilbur? Do you feel fragile?" His voice was as sad as unreadable.

And at the moment, Wilbur did feel as powerless as a bug stuck in a web. A tall, wide web. Not that he would tell Tommy.

"... Is that a threat?" He asked instead.

"No, I'm just curious." A sort of melancholy couldn't leave the giant's face. "If I were to threaten someone, it would be because they acted like a bitch. You're not a bitch as far as I know."

The curse took Wilbur off guard, and he found himself giggling at the vocabulary. The blong smiled as well.

Then, the thumb moved from the face and slowly descended to cover his chest (entirely)

And....

It felt... like a hug?

How long has it been since Wilbur has been hugged.

The gesture was confusing.

"... why?" He voiced.

"I don't know. I know people like hugs. Makes them feel safe."

He eyed the fingers around him before focusing, wary, on the face.

"What are you planning to do to me?"

"Huh?!" He raised eyebrow and his hands left Wilbur's surrounding in a too quick motion, gesturing in defense. "Nothing!! I just want you to be comfortable. Been a while since I talked to anyone." Without the giant controling his volume, Wilbur had to cover his ear at the sudden booming sound.

He nodded nontheless, still unsure, and the silence drawn out.

"...why did you want to explore the dome?"

For some reason, the echoing voice was quite soothing to the human's ears, now that it was bearable. He took a few steps and put his hand on the part of the dome not blocked by an enormous mass. His finger carressed the copper walls until he was sat.

"I wanted to explore. I don't live very far, and this structure intrigued me. I expected to find some researches, not.... uh..."

Tommy smiled and understood the man without him having to finish. "Yeah. I'm not really something to be expected."

He nodded. "And you've been here for a while?"

"Not so much." The giant responded, "I usually travel from place to place trying to survive, pretty much like everyone else."

"I see..."

"I can try and look out for any paper or stuff if you want, so next time you come, I can hand them over."

Wilbur paused. The idea of returning to the giant made him frown, but the blond did seem to hold no grudges against him.

".... Maybe." He landed on.

And visibly, the teen was elated at the news, his grin growing to his ear and his hands joining in a clap. (As gentle as he could to not make the small man deaf.)

"Welp." He got up, before he got a sugar overdose from seeing that excitment. "I think I'm gonna head back."

"Do you want me to help you get back home?" The other proposed, enthusiast.

"No."

It was quiet for a moment, silence only disturbed by the giant shifting position. It was... unusual. But the enormous teen didn't seem hostile, and if Wilbur could get himself such an ally, he wouldn't take it down.

And so he returned home.

---

2 days later, he returned.

He was surprised as well, but curiosity guided his steps much more than his fears ever since the giant teen revealed himself a potential ally.

He inhaled deeply before climbing the stairs, his feet landing on the metalic ground.

The smile on the teenager's face when he turned around and met the tiny man was as heartwarming as nervewracking.

"YOU'RE BACK!!!" He cheered, and already the human had to cover his ears, the joyous scream deafening. He realized his mistake pretty soon though as he covered his mouth and mumbled, much quieter "Sorry. Hi Wilbur."

"Hello, Tommy." He replied, cautiously removing his hands from his ear. "How have you been?" He started. Usual politeness shouldn't be too awkward.

It took all the self control of the blond to keep his voice quiet enough when he said "I've been fine, thank you." The energy bubbling from him only made Wilbur chuckle.

"Good, good." Wilbur took a few steps towards the blond (or rather his face, since the teen was kind of all around the room) "You seem happy to see me."

Tommy nodded way too quickly and strongly as he confirmed. "Yep! I-" he pained keeping his voice low "-I wasn't sure if you'd really come back. I'm very very very glad you didn't lie. Especially since I have..... THIS!!"

He didn't even bother whispering as his hand came to view, previously hidden behind his back, and coming towards Wilbur in a fist at a racing pace. The brunette couldn't help but flinch back.

Tommy stopped mid-way, realizing his carelessness once more. He whispered an apology and the hand came, much slower this time. (Almost comically slow, but Wilbur wouldn't really complain)

Then, when only at about 6ft away from the man, the hand opened, revealing several piles of papers.

Wilbur's eyes widened. He looked at the blond, confused.

"You said you wanted to look for researches and stuff, sooo I tried finding some. And you were right! There are papers everywhere in here!"

Wilbur looked at the floor which he now realized was almost white from sheets, as well as the several seemingly blank pages stuck on the giant's body, and nodded, repressing a chuckle.

"Yep. Everywhere."

Tommy held back a laugh as well, and Wilbur tried visualizing how this.... god knows how tall being could try opening drawers with his nails barely thin enough to hold the handler, and reading papers the size of a pins on his hands, all while trying to manœuver his body so he wasn't blocking the rest of the building.

He would lie if he said the thought wasn't amusing.

He went for the paper, and without much thinking hopped onto the hand, since the papers were mostly at the center of his palm.

He grabbed a few and sat down, begining reading when he felt a shaky inhale. He looked up to meet the amused eyes of the blond.

"... Seat's comfortable?" He teased, as playful as baffled.

Wilbur frowned, then looked below him and his eyes widened as he registered. He shot straight up.

"Oh-oh oh I'm so sorry- I- I sincerely apologize I-"

He didn't get to finish his sentence as he covered his ears, a wheezed laugh echoing through the entire thing and sending Wilbur shaking from the vibrations.

He found himself laughing as well, barely able to keep up his balance as he stepped out of the hand, a good chunk of paper held between his chest and arms.

The laughs finally died down, the blond disforming his face with his hand trying hard to muffle the sounds. He looked back at the human with what could only be described as adoration. The hand left his face and he chuckled still as he talked.

"Ahh, don't worry about it. I expected you to just take the papers and go, but this? This was funny. Definitely the first time someone sits on my hand like that."

"I-... is it a bad thing?" Wilbur asked, taking slow steps backward while he kept a smile. The last thing he wanted was to upset a giant he was trapped with. Sure, the kid was nice, even though overwhelming, but a wrong gesture could change that first part pretty quickly.

"Nah, I don't mind. If the floor is too cold for your liking, you can sit here."

Wilbur sighed in relief and gave the blond a smile. "Alright. Thanks."

He still chose to sat on the floor, and started reading again. His intuition was right, there was tons of information in here.

He read in silence, only disturbed every once in a while when Tommy asked what was in the sheets. Wilbur explained as easily as possible and kept the details for himself. Tommy was satisfied with the answer he was given, though, so that wasn't a problem.

He was only a quarter through the first pile of paper when he felt something approaching. He froze when a mass, probably a finger, found itself on top of Wilbur's head.

There was a beat of silence when neither moved, and the finger ruffled ever so slightly his hair.

It was a bit awkward, but it wasn't uncomfortable, so he didn't protest.

A soft voice pierced through the silence.

"If I press on your head too hard or hurt you, warn me. You're small so I don't know how much pressure I can apply on you."

"Alright." Wilbur nodded. "You're doing fine right now, I'll tell you if that changes."

The rest of the reading was done with Tommy gently playing with Wilbur's hair or tapping his back in an attempt at a 'massage' (as Tommy called it). It was distracting, but not uncomfortable. At times, even soothing.

It was almost night when Wilbur read most of the first pile. He got up with the paper he read already and looked for an empty drawer.

Fortunately, since Tommy spent 2 days scrambling to get every possible paper out, it wasn't much of a challenge. Below Tommy's angled leg was a furniture. He went and deposited it.

"That should be good." He said as he closed it. He then turned around to meet the blond. "Well, I think it's time for me to go home. I'll be back soon though, this place is VERY interesting."

He forced himself not to fake a gag at Tommy's smile. Urg. So genuine.

"Yeaaayyy" the giant stage-whispered while clapping his hands as softly and quickly as possible. "It's nice having you around. Can I do anything to help you?"

Wilbur brought a hand to his chin and thought for a moment. "If you find an empty book, you can give it to me next time. I'll bring one myself though so you don't have to tear this place upside down to find one." That made Tommy chuckle.

And so, Wilbur returned home once more.

THIS IS SO GOOD MEL OMG!!!

Pls read this it’s amazing and so well done, I love the rust server and this is so good :D

#mcyt gt community #mcyt g/t #t!wilbur #g!tommy #rust server #melissas writing #ITS SO GOOD #READ THIS NOW #THIS IS A THREAT #>:D

[onmyo-jin]

Answer with 3 random facts about yourself. Let’s get to know the person behind the blog!

I was tagged by the lovely @danhoemei for this 💜 (technically you tagged me over on @silver-colour but I need to rant about cdrama so I'm replying here 💕)

1) once upon a time I taught myself English because someone gifted me an English book (the third part of the Bartimaeus trilogy) which never got translated into my language- so what I did was read part 1 in English, which I knew entirely by heart in my own, and then continue to read part 3 because? Don't give me books and expect to wait years to read them??? And! Now I'm trying the same thing, with the same series of books, for Japanese!

2) I'm currently working on the LONGEST FIC IVE EVER WRITTEN and I'm super excited about it?? It's a warlord AU :3c Its for qyj/yin yang master: Dream of Eternity, and I'm writing with a friend and its just 🥺 so fun?? So motivating??? 🥺 also yes this is a plug please watch qyj it's on Netflix everywhere and it's so SO good ducky I would tag u but idk your tumblr?

3) I recently wrote and posted my first n*s*fw fic and its nervewracking but at the same time it made me feel really really powerful? 10/10 would recommend trying weird things you didn't know you could, very good vibes

Tagging @irrlich @veertjed @sharkbeneaththelotus (also ducky srsly what's your tumblr) and anyone who feels like doing this 💙

#jin talks #qyj #qingyaji #danhoemei #tag game

[21stcenturycyclops]

21st Century Cyclops - Pilot

Author’s Note: I decided to begin writing Helle’s story. I hope you all enjoy the first chapter! If you like shows like Darling in the Franxx, Tokyo Ghoul, My Hero Academia, or Fairytail, I think you’ll enjoy where 21st Century Cyclops is headed!

There's three harsh, short raps on the door. Helle wakes up groggily, and clicks her phone next to her bed.

3:37 AM....what could anyone possibly want right now? Maybe I dreamt it?

Helle begins to lay her head back onto her pillow, but 3 more aggressive knocks sound against the door. Helle gets up with the lights still off, and throws on the pair of shorts next to her bed. She looks into the peephole to see who's knocking. There's 3 men in suits with dark, black sunglasses.

That's weird. Is it someone from the school?

Helle opens the door reluctantly, the cold of the handle startling against her fingers.

"Can I help you?" She surveys the men carefully, although her head is still groggy from just rolling out of bed - A troll, an elf, and a half-giant.

What could they want with me?

"Are you Helle Brand?" The troll asked sternly.

Helle shifted from foot to foot uncomfortably, "Yeah."

"We're from the Mil Government Secret Military Units." The troll explained, "And we'd like to have a word with you."

Helle's eye widened, and she looked at the men dumbfounded. "The what?"

"Please, come with us." The troll gestured towards the hallway. Helle wasn't sure if she should go. They hadn't shown any identification, and how could she even verify something like "Mil Government Secret Military Unit" IDs as legit? Helle felt wide awake now.

"Can I see some ID or something?" Helle asked, still very skeptical of the men. They each pulled out IDs, which sure enough said what they claimed to be. She examined one of the IDs closely. She found the official seal of the president. It was only used on a handful of documents, and it looked shockingly real.

"Let me grab my coat." Helle shut the door and turned her light on. She grabbed a jacket and put her keys that had a pink canister of pepper spray on it. She turned and opened the door, and flicked her light off.

"Ready to go, Ms. Brand?" The troll, still the only one to talk up to this point, asked.

"Yeah." Helle followed them out, still weary of the situation, but worried about what would happen if she evaded the government. She got in a very nice, very new looking black SUV, along with the three men. She didn't really know where they were taking her, and they were relatively silent. After about 5 minutes, Helle spoke up.

"Can I know what's going on now?"

This time, the half-giant answered. "An unknown entity has touched base on Mil. We have reason to believe they are hostile, and we are building a team to combat them."

Helle scoffed, "This is some sort of joke, that's ridiculous!"

"It's not," The half-giant pulled out a tablet, and went to a folder of documents, then proceeded to pull up a video, "Here, take a look for yourself."

The video showed a weird, pod-like vehicle. A door opened, and strange, shadowy beings stepped out. They said something, but it was in an indiscernible language. Still, it seemed to insane to be true.

"Okay, why would you even want me? I'm just a college student." Helle handed the tablet back, and had her other hand firmly in her pocket, gripped to her pepper spray.

"Cyclops are rare nowadays," the Half-Giant stated, "And your natural athletic abilities, as well as heightened strength and resilience make you a much needed component for this team."

"But I don't fight! Just because my species has some natural tendencies, doesn't mean I'm cut out for a job like this!"

"You'll learn. You were specifically chosen." The half-giant said, rather finally.

They drove for maybe an hour, and finally pulled up to a building hidden in the woods. It was more of a facility, and not so much a building. Somehow, such a facility made Helle more sure that these guys were legitimate. They led her inside, swiping a key card at the door. They sat her down in a sterile, white room, with a couple other people her age. She looked around. They all looked as scared and confused as she felt. She scanned each of them - two half-giants, a girl and a guy, a fairy, and an elf. Helle sat down among them.

"So, do you guys know what's going on?" Helle asked, as the silence was too nervewracking.

"Probably nothing more than you." The female Half-Giant said.

The half-giants were the only two as tall as Helle in the group. They were probably both around 7'5" - 7'8", and Helle was about 6'8". The elf was probably around 5'7", and the fairy couldn't be anymore than 5'0".

"What're your names?" The fairy looked around at everyone.

"Miles." The male half-giant answered.

"Connie." The female half-giant said.

"I'm Orion." The elf gave a weak half-smile.

"Helle. And what about you?"

"Hina." The fairy responded.

The group just sat in silence, waiting for the men in black to return and give them more information. Helle yawned, and then the elf yawned as well. The adrenaline was probably wearing off for everyone. It had to be around 5 AM. Luckily, it was a Friday night, so at least Helle didn't have to wake up for classes in the morning.

Can "The Different" really be real? Helle thought. Am I really being recruited into a military squad to try and defeat some mysterious enemy?

A woman in a commander's uniform opened the door, and looked at the group before her.

"I'm General Sakura Marshall. I'm sure you're all very confused right now." She said. The group just looked up at her with wide eyes. She didn't wait for any verbal responses, and continued speaking, "An entity has touched base, not far from here. We have dubbed them "The Different" for organizational purposes. We hope that the general population will never know of these beings, and that's where you five come in. Each of you was selected based on a variety of merits. Intelligence, athletic ability, strength, speed, and magical capability. Based on our calculations, and excluding any training you've ever had, we have concluded that you five are the most physically capable to take on the enemy, and to yield the Trinkets, weapons with extraordinary power that we are tailoring to each of you. You will begin training tomorrow morning, so you're welcome to sleep here tonight. You-"

"I'm sorry, General Marshall, but, I have a life. I'm in college. I want to have a career." Helle said, irritation in her voice.

"Are you expecting us to just quit our lives?" Miles asked.

"No, no, of course not." General Marshall waved her hand dismissively, "This mission's success relies on secrecy. You will begin with training in the evenings on Tuesdays and Thursdays, and remain here from Friday evening to Sunday morning every other weekend. Other than that, you'll carry on life as usual. The Different has been completely dormant, so until they begin showing signs of activity, your presence isn't constantly needed. However, it's possible we will find ourselves in an all out war. If that happens, we expect your full dedication. Until then, we need you to live your lives as normal. We will provide training garments for you, and set up rooms here for you, since you'll be spending nights here every once in awhile."

"None of us have agreed to this!" Orion furrowed their brows. "What makes you think we will?"

"Our hope is that you will see why we are in need of the five of you, Orion." General Marshall handed folders to everyone, "Please, look through these folders. We need you. This is an official plea for your aid."

The group read through them carefully, and there was the sound of nothing but shifting papers for several minutes.

Connie sighed, "I'm in."

"Me too." Orion followed.

"Something tells me our lives are about to drastically change." Miles laughed, although it came out as hollow.

Hina and Helle glanced at one another, still unsure of the situation. It still all seemed so impossible, like they would wake up any moment.

"Let's do this." Helle said, but instead of sounding inspiring and excited, it only sounded defeated.

"Yeah." Hina said meekly.

"We thank you." General Marshall bowed her head, "Please, let us show you to your rooms. Because we picked you up so late in the night, we won't wake you until around 10 AM. After that, be ready to begin your training."

Men in black showed the group to their rooms. Helle was surprised by how large the room was. There was a large, king-sized bed, with white bedding. If Helle turned off the lights, she could pretend she was sleeping in a hotel, and not a government facility. She slipped on the pajamas the facility provided, and climbed into the giant white bed.

My life is never going to be the same. Was the last thing Helle thought before drifting off to sleep.

#anime #anime girl #boku no hero academia #my hero academia #art #death note #no game no life #seven deadly sins #tokyo ghoul #comics #anime inspo #anime inspired #original story #science fantasy #darling in the franxx #fairy tail #original character