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noarotic · 4 months

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howdy ho neighbors it's ya boy kip here back with another muse. i have a whole lot of free time coming up and i thought i'd finally bring my boy i've been holding onto for the better half of a year so have my BIG ol' rich softie. you can find his profile and pinterest linked (it was so weird not making a kprofile) but please love him.

—— welcome to infinite entertainment! it's CHO 'NOAH' SUNWOO, who is the MANAGER of SOLOIST 4. i’ve heard whispers that the 29 year old is pretty GOODHEARTED but lowkey SHALLOW. also, doesn’t he remind you of SON HYUNWOO (SHOWNU)?

pre-entertainment industry

noah was born into a wealth most can’t imagine. kind of sorta. while his grandparents on his fathers side: his grand father being global tech conglomerate and academic and his grandmother a socialite and chaebol having a pretty hefty family name (think the kennedys), were wealthy, his mother not so much.

paulina han was from a long line of…street oriented people. her father was into some deep seedy nightlife. her mother was an exotic dancer and it didn’t take long for lina to follow suit. lina, princess in her fathers empire, met noah’s father in the same club her parents met on his graduation trip abroad.

paulina’s life was fast paced and exciting for hyunsik and it didn’t take long for his naivety to have him falling into the same lifestyle paulina was used to living. and the unsafe road she traveled on included her getting pregnant with their first son at 20.

at first noah’s grandparents, though disapproving simply let hyunsik go off on his little “post grad” slender even when he brought it back to korea, until noah was born, and when their son refused to leave the depths of the street they took to the courts to bring the now young child away from their fuckery and raised by themselves

this proved quite beneficial to noah, as he began a life of nothing but luxury. going to the best schools and being pampered by his elding new guardians. and when they were ready for noah to branch out, instead of moving him to states on his own, they couple picked up and moved to new york state, starting their new chapter with their grandson.

growing up in upstate had noah falling into the easy niceties of the billionaire boys club. birthday parties at his grandparents estate, the best tutors the us could provide, yacht parties and stuffy private school uniforms. and access to these things were perfect for a closed off, intellectual prodigy like himself.

noah excelled in school, math and reading being his strong points. he fell in love with literature, often hiding in his grandparents vast library, almost completing every book in its collection. and by graduation he was valedictorian, taking a full ride to columbia university even though they could have paid for his and many of his friends.

in university, noah began to branch out a bit more. he joined sigma chi a notorious fraternity and began a college career of exceptional grades and falling deeper into the crowd of young adults with more money than they could handle and zero responsibility. sure he worked hard in school, but not many places outside of that. all he felt he could offer was his intellect.

his grandparents began to notice too, and upon noah’s graduation from columbia he was sent back to korea and simply handed a job pack mulling around another family member's entertainment company.

in the industry

at golden media noah was no more than an extra body…at first. he had a nice office that he spent most of his time neatly dressed in doing a lot of really nothing, unless his uncle or cousin were wanting him to fetch coffee or go pick something up for the idols. but as long as such a prestigious job was on payroll, no one batted an eye.

but his bliss as a paper weight was cut short when new management was needed for a boy group that was going through the ringer, and towards the end of their short lived career, noah was thrown into being a manager (see: glorified babysitter) for just one of their more promising members.

9/10s my boy probably wasnt involved with anything much while seok was "officially" in elixir? maybe he was around as his position in the company but thats just about it. as far as his spot as manager? maybe he was told to look after seok for the promotional period? and he didn't exactly do a bad job so they kind of made (see: forced him) to keep the gig full time? and noah being the good guy he is, he probably said yes after seeing how CRAZY a promotional period for an idol could be and didn't want him to keep doing that alone at least thats what he told himself but in reality he got attached fast watching this little lost boy just kind of get bullied into doing what he's told which is what he went through as a child.

when minseok’s solo career took off, noah spent the first year or so fumbling around. he was now in charge of an entire human, torn from their family and full of spontaneous energy. he had to keep his nose clean while making sure he was where he needed doing what he needed when he needed to be there

even now he still finds himself struggling to truly be the manger he thinks he has to be.

infinite entertainment and tour

while infinite was on tour, noah spent the majority of the first year keeping up with his client that he’d come to love like a son and navigating his first tour on this grand of a scale.

he made a couple of connections and tried his best to get in some sort of grace with the other staff during it.

it was around this time he began his foodie/cooking tik tok, starting it by reviewing little restaurants at each stop. his love of food and cooking began when he was around ten years old and he felt like he needed to do something with it.

when the first tour ended and the merger was initiated noah was offered a spot in another part of the company. it was back at a desk job doing nothing but having his name plastered in random spots while his cousin and uncle praised him for just showing up. it would have been a higher rank and higher pay, but he’d gotten so close to the soloist at this point that he hadn’t wanted to leave his spot as their manager.

turning it down left a bit of a rift between him and the family involved but he decided he hadn’t minded it.

at first he was a little against the merger, but when told it would be better for the soloist he signed right on even though he was apprehensive.

post-tour

now that they're back in seoul, he began adding cooking to his tik toks. and we’ll all be honest it took off because he’s hot but he tells himself its because his dishes are great, and his original recipes were easy to follow.

he’s working on getting to know the rest of the company and trying to pull out of his shell a little bit. he’s constantly being asked to move up and put his intellect and mind to good use but he’s perfectly content being a pseudo dad to minseok and his cats

he’s entered some culinary classes to learn some more technical skill and i’m teetering on his long term goal of opening his own restaurant, the boy has such a knack for it and is good with numbers it might be a cute little cozy thing for him to do.

canons/personality tidbits & quirks

labrador boy/gentle giant

himbo qualities

has a lot of book smarts but it took a long time for that common sense to come around

has 2 cats and a pup a balinese named senku , a smoke grey korat named topanga and a silver sable german shepard puppy named daenerys

cho nari is his cousin on his dad's side

slightly cocky in the sense his grandparents raised him as a “you’re good at everything” so he is truly stunned when reality hits his rich ass some times

has a temper he’s good at controlling mostly in fear of it

9/10s would be a raven law huffle puff cusp but probably would kill for someone he loved with his bare hands.

def not a leader boy, likes to blend in the crowd and not be noticed unless he’s recognized for his talents

blushes at compliments but def has a words of affirmation as a love language as well as gift giving.

protective and jealous but trusting, has a “what’s mine is mine” complex including with people on his life but isn’t outwardly like insecure

has a secret love of ggs

he likes a good routine but only because thats all he knows

has a knack for the finer things in life

goofy and truly kind hearted almost to a fault

really good at advice

when he’s passionate about your well being will get stern

gordan ramsey is his idol

is in an outdoors guy but in a hiking, snow boarding, ski trips to sweden, kayaking in the carribean type of outdoors guy.

☼ : taurus

☾ : cancer

↑ : libra

illnesses (if any): minor ptsd from the incident that led to him living with his grandparents

tattoos: his birthday in roman numerals on his ribcage, his mothers korean name in hangul down the side of his neck behind his ear, small ‘sigma’ and ‘chi’ on the back of his neck, usually covered by hair or collar.

over all he's a good boy with a good heart and food settled in the center of it. he's got a bit of an angry beast, that he keeps sedated with his positivity and optimism, inside of him. he can be on the shallow side which means he hardly thinks anyone around him want much more than what's on the surface. he operates that way, not thinking too deeply into peoples actions and words thinking everyone is as fake or as shallow as the world he grew up in. seriously lacks street smarts but is the best damned golden retriever you ever did meet. love him dearly he's a genius boy with a book as a comfort item.

interests: cooking, reading, poetry, going to museums, visiting cool libraries, binge watching cooking shows.

aesthetic: an upstate estate, ravenclaw flags, circle rimmed glasses, black coffee, light academia, a little boy looking up at the stars, late night phone conversations, arm veins, early runs in the rain, museum dates, yacht dinners, polished loafers, cuffed dress shirts, greek statues

socials:

instagram: @noahscho

tik tok: noahscho94

wanted connections and plots

new york, new york: a comfort place beneath the burning lights of the city, bouncing between manhattan, upstate, the bronx, jersey however far the subway would take you. noah could shed the stuffy neck tie and pleated khakis and just live just a little bit. sure back then you were the reason he was constantly in trouble for curfew but the times together could never be replicated. (taken by song eden)

ol’ man river: of course in an idol company those who ventured out into stardom always seem to start young. teen stars and starlettes with their eyes shining and wide ready to show the world what they’re made of. but noah was late in the game and even more so not even on the stage side, and it’s hard for him to find a space next to bright eyes and bushy tails. you’re apart of the gentlemen’s club of his that are more refined with his….age and he likes that. he can find you comfortable, chatting about life and indulging in things that don’t make him feel so….old. (taken by choi haneul)

some enchanted evening: oops, kind of. there was too many reasons why it shouldn’t have happened, but the after effects proved that it wasn’t terrible. sure he can’t look you in the eye, and maaaaaybe the flash backs plague him everytime he sees you but that aside, the fact that your friendship has decayed with others close to him, leaves the recent enchanting evening together seeming a little too seedy for the light of day. (taken by

#ftour:intro #PLEASE LOVE MY BOY I LOVE HIM SO MUCH I'VE WORKED ON HIM FOR A YEAR

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drill-teeth-art · 2 years

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What are your headcanons about each of the constructicons? If you have any!

I have...a lot actually! Thank you for asking :D I sort of just write them in my own way, so here's a summary of how I think of them. I wrote a LOT, so it's under the cut XD

Feel free to ask for more headcanon stuff. It's fun to write it out.

Scrapper: The tired leader of the group, Scrapper has zero tolerance for passive aggression and drama amongst the group. They also don't have the energy for much mediation, often telling the others to cut out the petty nonsense and actually sort things out. An effective and simple strategy!

Bonecrusher: The lazy powerhouse of the team, Bonecrusher can kick some serious aft but after a good nap. He's most fond of Scavenger who is a nice weight to lay on his back during naps and fun to chat with.

Scavenger: The spunky speedster of their squad, Scavenger is faster on her wheels than any of them and loves to look for materials to use with her handy shovel. Her vocal processors can only make beeps, so she often communicates through gestures. She likes all her teammates very much and gets in the fewest arguments.

Long Haul: The largest of the group and the most soft spoken. She is punctual, hard working, and often shy around the other Decepticons, preferring to stick to the Constructicon quarters. She does like to fight and has aspirations for glory. But her shyness makes it hard to work up the nerve to ask Megatron to be sent into battle more often. She likes to hang out with Scrapper the most, but she is happy to spend time with the other teammates too.

Hook: The grumpiest member on the team, Hook can climb and swing from nearby structures with his hook. He is often in a bad mood, especially when the others mess up his things. Even accidents don't escape his scorn. He is their stealthiest member but not their most agreeable. He only really gets along with Scavenger, but he has a soft spot for Mixmaster despite the mixer's messy lifestyle.

Mixmaster: The most unpredictable member of the squad, Mixmaster is often experimenting in many aspects. He's chatty with just about anyone who will listen, often talking the other Decepticons' audio processors off. He will even chat with humans if they don't run first. He also loves to mix up the best bad chemicals he can. The more destructive, the better! But he'll make repair substances as needed. No liquid is beyond his genius to mix! He also tends to make a mess of their living quarters which irritates Hook to no end, but the crane still hangs around him. Weird.

Devastator: Devastator is their strength combined and is as powerful as their bond. Devastator loves architecture and construction more than the demolition they are most known for. They are really pretty quiet and reserved but sometimes they will hang out with the Cassetticon twins and build things with their help.

#ask #tf headcanons #constructicons #scrapper #scavenger #hook #mixmaster #bonecrusher #long haul #decepticons #transformers

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heximagines · 2 years

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These are mostly just ideas so dont hold me to these headcanons forever but this ks a pee into what I think the Hookers lives were like before they were turned

Mae

Mae was just graduating high school when Homer turned her. She had been well liked in school but she wasn't exactly popular. She spent a lot of time in middle school getting picked on while she went through an awkward and dorky stage. However over the summer before starting high school she really blossomed, cutting her long hair off and ditching the bright neons her mom would dress her in. She never fully outgrew her awkwardness but Mae really started to find her own identity and it showed. While she mostly kept to a tight knit friend group she expanded her social circle by joining marching band where she played the flute. She grew up with 5 older brothers who were all very proud of her and attended all her concerts.

Caleb

Caleb's mom was a super down to earth hippie type but she was also stubborn as a bull. This lead to her and Loy butting heads over even the littlest of things. Caleb grew up with their constant arguments in the background. Eventually they divorced and his mom left in a middle of the night. Caleb who'd adored his mom was crushed but he felt like he had to be strong for his dad and Sarah so he took on half the household responsibilities right away. Loy respected his son a lot for stepping up how he did and thankfully they were able to pick up the pieces of their home life. Caleb initially had zero interest in the family vet business until one night while his dad was out on a date one of the cows in their care went into labor. He helped birth the calf on his own. In a small town like Fix it ended up in the paper. His dad framed the article and hung it on their wall.

Jesse

Jess was a notorious womanizer before he met Diamondback. He frequented all manner of brothels and in most cases was one of their best customers. Mostly because he got all of his money by grifting. Identity theft, grave robbing, lying, cheating, stealing, you name it and Jesse had done it a dozen times over and better than most. The law eventually caught up with him when he was illegaly exhuming a body to sell to a medical school. They gave him 2 choices, go to jail or fight in the war. Jesse decided hed rather die on his feet than rot in a cell. When the war ended and he returned home, more serious than he had been before, he beelined for his favorite brothel. However he was stopped by a beautiful woman just outside and he went with her instead. The next morning he woke to find her gone and the sunlight though his curtains searing his skin.

Diamondback

Born Florence Schechter, she was a free spirit raised by strict but well educated parents. They held her to a high standard but she wasnt interesting in scholastic endevors. She wanted to get away and see the world and she did all manner of things to make her wishes a reality. Florence abandoned home and ran off to Chicago in 1923. She frequented speakeasies and was quickly noticed for her looks and sharp wit. Specifically by a singer named Frida. Frida and Florence carried on a secret relationship afraid of the backlash. But when a well respected rumrunner caught on he blackmailed them both. Florence agreed to work for him and after making her first successful run she earned the nickname Diamondback. On one of her runs she stopped to pick up a hitch hiker named Jesse.

Homer

Homer was a sickly child who grew up with very cold and distant parents. His mother was more worried about her own comforts and his father worked a lot to suppliment their lavish lifestyle and was rarely home. They left him with nannies who would frequently leave due to Homer's nasty temperament and violent outbursts. In 1953 he packed a small backpack and threatened to leave, slowly walking out the front door. No one noticed or stopped him. He wandered the streets for days hungry and unable to remember how to get back home, his ill condition only grew worse as time passed. One winter night Homer was sleeping in an alleyway, covered in newspaper to keep him warm when he was woken up by a bloodcurdling scream. When he peeked out from under the papers he saw Diamondback, feeding. She just knew she had to take him in.

Severen

Severen had grown up an absolute menace, terrorizing anyone in his path. His father was a pastor with a nasty drinking problem and his mother was extremely mentally unstable. So much so his father would strap her to a bed and confine to a room where he frequently performed exorcisms on her. His father would often threaten to do the same to him. Knowing he meant it Severen fled as far away from home as possible, to New Mexico. He made his money grifting and gambling at every bar along the way and curating a long list of enemies. Severen was content working solo and keeping all of his ill gotten winnings to himself, until one night a man named Jesse offered him a deal too good to refuse. A 50/50 split if Severen helped him rob a train carrying a payroll shipment. He jumped at the opportunity to up his criminal status and took Jesse up on the offer

#near dark #near dark 1987 #the hooker clan

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ihateoc · 2 months

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Break-In

(word count: 1,894) (shadow is attacked by an old colleague)

Shadow, known for being a light sleeper, awakens abruptly one morning, alerted by the faintest noise emanating from the other room. Something is off. A sense of foreboding washes over him as he narrows his eyes, only to find a knife aimed directly at his throat, halted just inches away.

"Nothing personal, Shadow," An oddly familiar voice spits out.

"Ember," Shadow acknowledges them by name, his face impassive, "You say it's not personal but ya came all this way just to stick a knife in me," His eyes meet Ember's with an uncanny calmness, even while at the brink of having his throat slit open.

"Tenchi wants you to come back. And he ordered me to kill you if you refuse," Ember explicates bluntly, their tone emotionless.

Of course, Tenchi would've sent someone after him now that he's out of their control. He wasn't surprised. No, he was slightly annoyed. Even more so that he sent Ember, a true professional. And they were smart enough to cut the lights so he couldn't take control of them through their shadow.

Shadow smirks, running his tongue over his lower lip. His voice echoes the mockery and disdain he harbors for Tenchi, "So, it's either go back to being someone's pet killer or die? Not much of a choice there."

"He thought you might say that," They hiss as the knife plunges towards his neck.

In a swift movement, Shadow manages to roll out of the way just in time. He hears the knife bury itself into the mattress where he was earlier, "Have you ever considered getting another job? You're too beautiful for this shit," He says, trying to buy himself some time as he scans his surroundings for something that could be utilized as a weapon.

"You're so damn insufferable but I guess domestic life hasn't changed you. How annoying," Ember retorts as they pull their knife free from the mattress, moving to swing at him again.

"Yeah, domestic life is annoying!" The dark-haired man counters. He doesn't miss a beat as he kicks out their leg, attempting to catch his assailant off guard and buy himself some more time. His eyes dart around the room once more, zeroing in on one of his discarded guitars.

'Looks like I'm gonna have to risk damaging one of my precious babies. Sorry, darling, it's either you or me right now,' He complains to himself, his eyes darting back to Ember when they speak up.

"How about this? Come with me or I'll kill your roommate," Ember taunts him apathetically, "I know you don't live alone."

Shadow's eyes darken at the mention of Bennett, "Lay one fucking finger on him and I'll make sure you regret it," He grits out, picking up his guitar and wielding it like a makeshift weapon.

"Shit-" Ember dodges his attack, bringing their knife down on the guitar and denting it, "Why are you wasting your time here? Tenchi took care of you."

Shadow grimaces at the damage inflicted on his instrument but doesn't lose focus. He gives a cynical laugh, eyeing Ember with murderous intent, "Taking care of me? Is that what you call it? I was his goddamn puppet."

"I knew the pay for this job wouldn't be worth it," They mutter to themself, dodging Shadow's oncoming assault, "You and I both know this lifestyle isn't for you. Just save us both some time and come with me."

"Sorry to disappoint you, Em," Shadow retorts with a sardonic grin, attempting to disarm Ember by hitting their wrist with the neck of his guitar.

They absorb the attack, groaning in discomfort but holding their knife steadily, "Ugh, this is just like that time with Rubi. If Tenchi hadn't put a stop to that, who knows where you'd be?"

"Rubi..." The dark-haired man's voice dies in his throat as a rush of memories comes flooding back. The taste of her lips and the sound of her laughter had all been replaced with a bitter sense of abandonment when she supposedly left him high and dry. He tears his gaze away from Ember to stare out the window, "You're saying Tenchi lied about Rubi?"

How many more lies had he based his life on? What else did they take away from him?

"Tenchi wanted to keep his favorite weapon all to himself," Ember snarls, "He had me steal your wallet and threatened Rubi's dad, telling him that he'd tell all of his friends that his daughter was fucking a murderer. So, he did. She went to a psych ward because of you, Shadow."

Shadow's grip on the guitar tightens until his knuckles turn white. A whirlwind of rage and betrayal consumes him, extinguishing any remnants of mercy he might have held for Tenchi.

"Enzo sent Rubi away?" He grits out through clenched teeth, "Because of me?"

"Yeah, I was there when Tenchi called him," Ember explains, narrowing their eyes accusatorily, "You're a monster. There's no way you don't see that. Come with me already."

Shadow growls, a dangerous glint in his maroon eyes, "No, I'll never go back to that life, and I sure as fuck don't plan on being your captive either."

She went to a psych ward because of him? Everything he thought he knew what nothing more than lies... All this time. But he won't let his past define him. He's not the monster they made him out to be.

"Don't you even feel sorry for what you did? That poor girl was sent away because of you. They probably treated her like she was insane because you couldn't just do your damn job, you fuckup. And all of us suffered from it."

"Of course, I feel sorry!" Shadow snaps back, nearly shaking with anger and guilt, "You think I wanted any of this?! You think I don't regret everything I did in my past every damn day?!"

"And now you're off your game, idiot," Ember kicks the guitar out of his hand and hurls the knife at him, "Emotions were never part of the job."

Dodging the knife with a hasty roll, Shadow retorts, "Yeah, well... People change."

He charges at Ember straight on. He had no idea how this confrontation would end but he was ready to fight until his last breath. Ember counters by delivering a knee to Shadow's stomach, causing him to gasp for air as the wind is knocked out of him. They swiftly remove their back-up dagger from their boot, thrusting towards him. Before their attack can land, a kick in the back sends them sprawling to the ground as Ren looms over them.

"I didn't realize you had guests," Ren bites out sarcastically as she moves to stand in front of Shadow defensively.

"Always got perfect timing, princess," Shadow manages to wheeze out between coughs, pushing himself onto his feet while giving her a sharp, appreciative nod, "Thanks for saving my ass... Again."

"Bennett came to get me, saying he saw that the door was open when he got home from breakfast," She explicates casually while unholstering her dual daggers, "Who's your friend?"

"Ah, just an old colleague... Ember," Shadow snarls out their name like a curse, "Seems like they came to 'invite' me back."

Great, now Ren is involved in his mess too. Why can't he ever keep her out of his problems?

Ren glowers at Ember with sharp, grey eyes, her tone dripping with venom, "Ember, I don't know how you found Shadow but I recommend leaving since there's no chance of you beating us both."

"Ugh, you're that girl, aren't you?" They grumble with annoyance evident in their voice, "The one that Shadow could never beat," Pausing for a beat, a sneer forms on their lips, "So what? Shadow just moved to a new owner like some kind of stray dog?"

"I ain't no one's dog," Shadow growls defensively, his blood beginning to boil as he shoots Ember a disgusted glare, "And Ren here, she saved my life more times than I can count."

"That's right. Shadow isn't anybody's tool anymore," Ren says sternly, before musing with a confident smirk, "I wonder what Tenchi will say about you being locked away."

"Wha-" Before Ember can even respond, the door bursts open as a pair of police officers rush into the room.

Ren's stalling was successful. She watches the officers drag Ember away in handcuffs while Bennett works on fixing the lights. Shadow sits on the bed, his fists clenched, thoughts racing as he considers everything Ember had told him.

Ren hovers over him, peering down at him with a look of concern, "Shadow, what's wrong? What did they say?"

"A lot of things, Ren. Things I thought were true weren't," Shadow drawls out slowly, still processing the information while clenching his fists tighter, "They said Rubi didn't betray me... That she was sent to a psych ward..." His voice trails off as he looks down at the ground with an expression of pure hatred.

"Who is Rubi?" Ren wonders thoughtfully, the bed dipping down beside him when she sits down.

"Rubi was... Is someone I cared for, once," Shadow starts, his voice a low rumble, "She treated me like nobody else ever did," His gaze hardens and he grits his teeth in anger, "But Tenchi lied about her leaving with another man when in reality it looks like she was sent to a psych ward by Enzo, her dad. Because she was seen with a killer like me."

A sigh escapes from Ren's lips upon hearing that man's name, "Tenchi's a huge dick. I'm sorry. That sounds rough."

"Well, your sympathy is surprising," The former mercenary retorts with a dry laugh, his eyes softening ever so slightly as he looks at Ren, "Thanks, beautiful. It's rough but I'll deal. Always do."

"What was Rubi like?"

"She was... Different. Kind-hearted. Rich girl, you know? But she had this thing about her, not looking down on others like her kind usually do," Shadow explains softly, "Every moment I spent with her felt real and honest for the first time in my life, even though I lied to her about who I was at first."

Ren nods in acknowledgement as she suggests, "Maybe we could do some research and see if we could meet up with her someday."

A look of surprise flashes across his face, followed by a hint of uncertainty as he asks with an incredulous smirk, "You... You'd do that for me?" When she nods, he looks away, trying to brush off his vulnerability while avoiding Ren's eyes, "We'll see if she even remembers a miserable guy like me."

"I'm sure she remembers. You're unforgettable, aren't you?" She remarks, a playful grin on her lips as she attempts to lighten the mood.

"Unforgettable, huh?" Shadow's smirk broadens into a grin, "That's one way to put it," Gaining back some of his usual sarcastic charm, he adds, "Thanks for the cheer-up attempt though, sweetheart. It was... Nice."

"We'll look into it, okay?" She reassures him, patting his knee before standing up and leaving the room.

When Ren pats his knee, an unexpected warmth spreads through him. His eyes linger on his old copy of Pride and Prejudice that sits on the table and for a moment, he's lost in his memories.

"Yeah..." He murmurs quietly once she's out of earshot, "We'll see."

#OC #my ocs #my characters #my writings #hxh oc #hunter x hunter oc #oc: shadow #oc: ren #oc: ember

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murielcook · 2 years

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the last couple weeks have made a couple things clear

the limitless pill may not be super effective as a longer term use item. or it may need to be titrated up further to see the same/continuous improvement. I didn't get too wild with it. But now that I'm adjusted to daily intake I could probably experiment more.

PMDD is a real bitch and a half. I'd had a run of semi-average cycle times, which limited the time period over which I could reasonably expect to experience pmdd, which in turn seems to lessen the severity. This go around I was 20 days late (according to my calendar's approximation). The last 2-3 weeks have been a mess of brain fog, exhaustion, mood swings, and exhausted brain fog mood swings. Plus full body pain, partial body pain, swelling, and a minor uti. I'm unclear how to proceed since I have zero insights on what made my period stable or not. What I need is a large number of screenings for reproductive diseases, hormone levels, potential cancer. What I have is just enough time on my hands to dick around with vitamins and lifestyle, you know, the things they try to make you do anyway for various Woman's Complaints ™.

I had a breakthru on my pursuit to gain relief from my 10-13lb breasts. (We just fooled around with the kitchen scale to get a check in. It hovered somewhere between 4.8 and 6.8 on the display for a single, it was hard to keep still and not over-lift or over-press.)

How I never looked into liposuction I'll never know. Minimally invasive, lower cost, back to regular activity sooner, doesn't involve having to argue with a surgeon about their ugly frankenstein work, and good for several pounds of relief. The prospect of wearing a compression bra day in and day out for weeks does have me a little anxious. My entire ribs, shoulders, and back area are sensitive like a fingertip that's been covered by a nail for a long time. Still it would be much less burdensome if I wasn't trying to lift and compress, again I can't stress this enough, 10-13lbs.

This would not be a permanent solution but I went from an H to an M over the course of about 10 years. I was E-F around the end of puberty, so went from F, to H, to M. Clearly lipo can't stop whatever is causing this. It's not all sag, they should have flattened if that was the case. The are quite full; it's unfortunate it's so wildly unhealthy for me, they're in relatively good shape, I'm sure someone with a non-negative perspective would appreciate either having or seeing them!

So lipo can't stop this progression, as I was saying, but it can knock at least 5lbs off my total. Depending on what I'm able to finance it may trim in some fat that's migrated along my sides, or trim a little lower arm flab that's accumulated since I have limited range of motion. Cutting my burden down by close to half would be a game changer and would absolutely free up my time and energy towards financing and seeking out a more permanent and aesthetically pleasing option also.

Genuinely a little hopeful and excited for the first time in a LONG time that I might be able to do something about this situation. It absolutely beats the extremely dark places my mind would wander that would technically solve the problem but also be different problems!

#medical stuff

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starshipsofstarlord · 3 years

Note

Could I request a Bucky Barnes x reader smut? Basically she and Bucky have been together for some time and maybe it’d be a little angst where the two are talking about the future and Bucky not thinking he can ever have a normal future? Which would result in soft smut and later reader being revealed as pregnant so Bucky finally gets his family

I’m Home

Pairing | Bucky Barnes x reader

Summary | based on the request ^^

Warnings | angst, smut, oral sex (m receiving), fluff, pregnancy, mentions of death

Quick link to my masterlist, if you’re interested in reading more of my crap 😬

The Wilson’s boat rocked sturdily upon the water, swaying as the boats worked aboard. Your hand held the weight of a silver spanner, twirling it in your fist as though it were a knife, thinking of the long road ahead of you. Sam had the shield now, that was a good start, but still, there was a ways to go until the world recognised him as the captain that he was meant to be.

There was so much destruction ongoing in the world, what with the flag smashers, and whomever the power broker was, and surely, you knew on the shallow surface, that there would be masses more problems to arise. It was exhausting, to know that there was no end to the war on earth, and that you were surely going to be fighting the threats until you could no more.

Bucky felt the same; he had just gone from one war to another, losing everyone that he cared about along the way. Steve had given everything up to finally find peace, and yet, the two did not share the same opportunity. An escape was never laid at your feet, instead, the pair of you were trapped in the cycle of cruelty, being blended around in a shredder by reality.

“Hey.” A voice confiscated you from the lonesome containment of your thoughts; it was Sam’s hosting sister, Sarah. I’m her own way, though you doubted that she would never admit such a thing, she was a hero. She had become a widow, and not to mention she remained a stable mother to keep her boys afloat, as well as nurturing half the kids that lived within close proximity.

“Hi Sarah.” You put the tool down, giving her your ample attention as you stood, tugging your fingers into the loops of your jeans as you stepped out of the boat, and onto the dock. “Anything I can help with?” It hadn’t passed your attention that Sam and Bucky had disappeared, but not into ash like last time. Instead, they had walked off in the direction of the house, most likely meddling about with a ball, in the back yard with Jim and Jody.

“I just came to let you know I’ve made the sofa up for you and Bucky. Are you sure you’ll be all good, I could always kick Sam outta his bed and make him sleep on the living room floor?” The two of you had nightmares, if you were to be separated from him for even a night, it was certain that the pair of you would greatly suffer. That was something you didn’t want to burden any of the Wilson’s with, screaming in the middle of the night because flashes from your past struck an unconscious nerve.

“All good, and thank you Sarah. You didn’t have to let us stay here, we both appreciate it, a hell of a lot.” One thing that you had learnt throughout your years was to show gratitude. The smallest amount shared had the ability to spring up moods, and had even set you on a much more heroic path than the one that you had been originally been placed upon.

“You’ve earned your stay.” Sam’s sister shrugged with modesty, acknowledging the help that you and Bucky had not only given to Sam, but to her family’s legacy. The two of you had aided with fixing the old wreckage that had now returned to the form of a boat, keeping it afloat rather than permitting it to sink from the quarrels that Sam had with himself regarding fixing the damned yet meaningful port of transport.

“This life you have, it’s great. I get it’s not easy, but it’s beautiful. You have two wonderful kids, that you’ve done such a great job raising, and not to mention, these community that you have is so loving and kind, even to us outsiders.” The pair of you had paused outside of her front door, speaking. “Sam is lucky to have you, he truly is.”

“Well, maybe one day this life could be something similar to what you’ll have.” The sister of your friend smiled, though your mirroring expression retracted. In a stumble of thought, you shook your head, not believing that possibility. This all was... perfect. That was something that you had never had, nor would you think that you’d ever be permitted such a peaceful lifestyle.

“I don’t think that would work out.” You sincerely mumbled, feeling the sad swelling in your chest at the prospect of all the luxuries that life had denied both you and Bucky of. It wasn’t fair all the same, but the two of you were used to being denied human rights, let alone the simplicity of nothing more than a life together. “As nice as it sounds, me and Buck aren’t really cut out for all this I suppose.”

“The world does not choose who can and cannot have a family, there’s always a way. Just because you haven’t had the most ideal line of story does not at all mean that you can’t make it work, from as much as i know, you two deserve a life together, that doesn’t include being shot at, or shooting at other people. Sometimes, you’ve just gotta go for it, and hope for the best.” She gave you a final nod, before heading inside, and you trailed after her into her her residency.

The two of you went your separate ways, and there, you saw Bucky, sat up on the sofa, his hands clasped together as his eyes stared towards the tan bag, that concealed not the shape, but the Stars and Stripes of the infamous shield. It was much a relief that it was no longer in Walker’s toxic clutch, however its presence, among other things, were taking a clear toll on your boyfriend.

“You ever feel like we’re stuck?” The air was tense around you both as he spoke solemnly, it diverting to match the mood of his question. “Like we’re us, and I love us, but it makes me think that it’s it. Just me and you, on this path for the rest of our lives, never getting a compensated break, nor an average person’s future. I want this, what these people here have, not the combat that is aided by this metal arm, or the associations that stick to us like life lines.”

“All the time, it’s on my mind James.” With a sigh, you came to sit beside him on the couch, resting your head against his bionic shoulder. “I ever wonder if there’s a timeline of you and me where there’s none of this ruckus, we just have a nice little house in a quiet and accepting place, and maybe a kid or two in the future.”

“I’d give anything up for that.” He looked at you, almost wide eyed, as his hand slithered down onto your knee cap, rubbing small circles as he wore a blunt and endearing smile upon his infatuating lips. “I mean that Buck, that sounds...”

“Perfect?” He asked, leaning closer as he grabs your chin with his wondrous fingers, his nose brushing alongside your own as his puckered lips fell upon yours, earning a small hun of content from within you. “Because you’re perfect to me, and no matter what life we are encased in, I want to share it with you. I want stare at the night sky and watch the moonlight illuminate the side of your face, and the stars reflect in your entrapping eyes, that I want to look into like a medium’s orbs forever, because that is how I will see the future that I ever so hope for.”

“How long have you been working on that one Barnes, because you are usually not that smooth?” A small laugh erupted from your mouth, but you were quickly silenced as you felt a cold metal hand slither up and beneath the back of your tank top, rubbing along the seam of your spine, as his lips ran down the column of your throat, evoking small and delicate whimpers out of you.

“Shut up doll, because I really want to fuck you now, and those words leaving your mouth are making it kinda hard to concentrate.” A furrow imbedded between his brows, as you tilted your head at him, a smirk proclaiming your expression as you pulled the material over your head, and reached behind yourself to unclip the back of your bra.

“Kinda hard to concentrate, hun?” You asked nonchalantly as his gaze zeroed in on your bare breasts, his hands smoothing along your ribcage as he adjusted his grip of you so that he was palming at your breasts, and squeezing the nipples. “I want you in me baby, I’ve practically gone days without you inside of me.” Licking your lips, you reached down to palm your beloved through his layers, earning a positive groan from the former assassin.

“Hours, you mean. I fingered you on the road trip here.” Yes, that was true, however, it was only his fingers, not even the metal ones, and whilst you loved what they alone could do, he had to be discreet as you were sat on the back of the truck, which had carried the primary parts for the Wilson’s family boat. If you were to scream out, they’d have surely thought that you’d fallen off the back of the truck and pull over, or if they had much sense, they’d have noticed that there was more going on than two passengers sat side by side on the journey to their small neighbourhood by the docks,

“You heard me Barnes, otherwise I’m sure Sam wouldn’t have any problem if I came to his room in this state of undress that I am currently portraying.” Growling was never Bucky’s fortes, however the sound aggressively ripped through the tunnel of his throat, as he threw off his grey top, quickly unfastening his belt, as he awaited for you to strip the rest of your clothing before him.

But rather than doing so, as he stood before you, your hand had trouble resisting the sight of his cock that had bobbed to attention, and thus, you wrapped it around his toned flesh, giving it a couple jerks that had his head reeling back, before you tongued his tip, moaning to yourself at the taste of him invading your sensitive taste buds. “Love your cock.”

As soon as you said that, Bucky gently gathered your head in a ponytail so that it was free from bombarding your face, and groaned as quiet as he could as you sucked him in your mouth, running your tongue up the side of his shaft. “Is that a part of your dream world baby doll, the sight of my cock throbbing to be inching down that perfect little throat of yours?”

To answer him, you pressed your head down deeper, humming around him as your eyes ogled up at the sight of your super soldier, who was trying his hardest to keep his eyes open, and attuned to the sight of you. He held his bottom lip between his teeth, as you lightly gagged around him, pulling off him, and squeezing his balls, before running your hungry tongue along the middle of his sack.

“Always. It would be a dream if you made love to me right here and now though, I’m not sure I can wait any longer James.” Bucky took a long inhale, before ravishingly pulling down your jeans and panties in one go, and tossing you so that he was below your form, and you hovered over him, toying with his erect cock. “I love you so much Bucky, and I’m scared of what’s to come. I have a feeling that there’s gonna be a fight.”

“There’s always a fight doll face.” He rubbed his thumb soothingly across your jaw, pulling your hips down closer so that you were rubbing your slick folds against his standing cock. “But this is what we’re fighting for, the rest of our lives together. I’d be damned, one day after this, and if I were to die, I’d be a happy man. There’d be the memory of you to keep me forever happy in the afterlife, and not to mention, there’d be no more wars for me to participate in.”

“I’m not going to let you die Buck, even hypothetically. We saw how your little hypothetical synopsis went last time.” Tapping his cock against your clit, a breathy sound evicted from your lips, as you stared down at the two of you intimately touching, the sight alone making you more turned on and impatient. “No one is allowed to kill you, otherwise I’ll unleash hell on all their flag smashing asses.”

Giving him one last stroke, you guided his tip towards your entrance, removing your hand once you had him situated, so that you could rest it upon his sturdy shoulder, and sink down on him, the feeling of him stretching you being the most euphoric sensation that you had ever endured. Hushed moans ceased from the both of you, as Bucky’s hands gripped your ass cheeks, only adding to all of the pleasure that was erupting within you.

“Think your pussy is gonna kill me before anyone else does; your so tight.” His pitch had rose, as your fingertips danced along the left side of his handsome face, invisibly connecting the dots of his beauty marks. You allowed the pair of you to adjust for a simple moment, before you began to raise your hips, sliding up his super soldier rod, only to slide down it again.

The actions were repeated, as your own hands trailed down his warm skin, to drag down the golden lines of his vibranium arm, only to bring the weapon to your mouth, and kiss every black finger up, as you tried your best to muffle the moans that were hoping to reap free. “So fucking big, I love you and your cock.” You muttered, your sight turning blurry as Bucky realised that it was his turn to do the work, and thus, he thrusted up into you, making echoing sounds of your skin slapping together reverberate around the room.

“Love you more.” He gritted his teeth, pulling his metallic hand away from your numb lips, so that he could swirl the elegant digits around your clit, the action provoking whimpers to rapidly surpass your exterior, as you bit harshly onto your own lip, and screwed your eyes shut. “Cum for me doll, want you to cover my hard cock in everything you have. Come on baby, you can do it.”

Without much thought, as your mind was too scrambled to do so, you reached for Bucky’s spare hand, pulling it to your mouth as you sucked on his fingers as though you were blowing him. A low moan that was dialled down from the presence of his flesh digits, ran from your mouth, as you began to bounce your hips, chasing and eventually reaching your high. You came around him, pushing him too over the edge, his seed filling your walls, as you collapsed atop of him, huffing from exhaustion as you removed his salivated hand from the realms of your mouth, resting your head against his panting chest.

Stringed sighs fell from Bucky’s breath as he tried to catch his own breath. His hands rubbed your back, not only to comfort you, but also to subconsciously pull you closer against him, and his softening cock that was still inside you, and was keeping his cum plugged within your tender and pulsating walls. If life was easier, there’d be more time for this, and that, but for now, it was just every now and then. Maybe you’d win this fight and survive until the next one, but maybe, you’d lose and never battle again.

Life was precious, that was something that you had not only learned as an avenger, but also something that had been told to you by Isiah. That man thought that you deserved a normal life, no fighting, no super soldiers. He himself was the biggest yet silent critic of those with additional strength, but his opinion was never going to sway you, not as you stared out into Sarah’s backyard, and watched the man that you loved play with the boys.

They had the shield, and were whisking it through the air like a frisbee; dangerous, yes, but again, life could only amount to so much without an ounce of pain. A content and satisfied smile absorbed any pain on your face, you were enraptured with the sight of Bucky like this, he was like an uncle to these two kids. He was no captain America, that was for sure, but you didn’t want a man in Stars and Stripes, all you wanted was him to be at peace, and it was a fact unbeknownst to him, that you had made such an alternative to that.

“Still want all this?” Sarah emerged, a cheap yet formidable bottle of wine pursed in her hand, as she held two clear and tall glasses in her hand. You hummed, watching as she poured the thin red consistency into one glass, but as she went to fill the other, you held out your hand, shaking your head. The woman was confused, last time you had visited, and were entangled on her sofa with the limbs of your boyfriend and a shaggy old blanket, you had kindly accepted her offer.

“Sure do.” You sighed, staring out into the green abyss where Jim was hanging from Bucky’s arm like it were a branch. “How do you do this, this whole mother thing? I’ve never been able to wrap my head around how you make it look so easy, it’s just, you do such a good job.” Your palms rested flat on your thighs as you laughed at Sam ordering Jody to jump on Bucky’s back, as he fell down in faux defeat.

“It never is easy y/n.” She placed the open bottle down, along with the mismatched glasses, that were asymmetrical considering one was half filled and the other wallowed in emptiness. “But every step of difficulty is worth it. There’s not a day that goes by that I don’t miss their father, but they’re my priority. For Jim and Jody, there’s nothing I wouldn’t do, and you’d understand that if you ever opened yourself up to giving your life of heroism up to have all this.”

“I might have to.” Twiddling with your fingers, glancing up at your boyfriend, realising that he was in fact not looking over, you clasped your intwined hands over your stomach, smiling softly to yourself. “And maybe not having another option is the best option for me and Buck, because we don’t have to fight with ourselves over being included in our duties, we have new ones.”

“You’re pregnant, aren’t you?” Sarah asked, resting her nurturing hand upon the tile of your shoulder, prompting you to turn your face towards her. There was a conflict in your eyes, it was something that she recognised her younger self having once worn. It was the idea of putting everything aside, all for a child, everything that she had ever known, so that she could put her baby boy first. “Does Bucky know?”

“He will.” You shifted your head down, unsure of yourself. This had been what you had wanted, and whilst you still envied Sarah for the role she had, you were hurt. A part of you wanted to be an avenger until you were nothing but a soul drifting in the abyss of non existence, another didn’t want to let the knowledge of being a carrier for a new future crumble you. “I just need a moment to tell him.”

“I’ve got it.” She sent you a wink, picking up the items she had brought out, before she called on Sam and the kids to come inside. Sarah had gifted you the opportunity of revealing the truth to your partner with no one else around; you appreciated that. As he stalked closer, you met him halfway, sinking into his arms as he hugged you.

“Looked like you were having fun with the boys.” You verbally noted, loving the feeling of him running his fingers through your hair. “You’re amazing Bucky Barnes, to me and to everyone. I just, don’t want you to freak out on me, I have something big, really big, to tell you, and-“

“Baby, I know.” He smiled, pulling back so that he could look you in the face. “I have super human senses, I heard their little heart beat for the first time yesterday. We’re having a baby, and I couldn’t be happier about it. In fact, I want to ask you if you’ll accept my question of making Sam the godfather.” You nodded, tears standing in your eyes, as you brought the man down for a kiss.

“Yes. But I’m not sure that he’ll be praising us for making a baby when we technically created him or her on the couch inside.” Bucky shook his head at you, kissing your forehead before walking inside with you, preparing to tell the Wilson family, that had along the way became your own, the good news- well, not the sofa bit.

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samwisethewitch · 4 years

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Earth-Friendly Witchcraft

Whatever religious or spiritual tradition they identify with, most witches agree that there is something sacred about the natural world. We draw our power from the earth beneath our feet, the sky over our heads, and the air in our lungs.

And yet, many of us live in societies that are actively contributing to the destruction of the natural world. Most developed nations have a linear economy, which means resources are extracted and then sent on a one-way trip to consumers who will use them and then throw them away. This leads to overflowing landfills, air and water pollution, and quickly disappearing resources. The World Economic Forum predicts that, if our habits don’t change, there will be more plastic than fish in the ocean by 2050. And I dearly hope that by now we’re all familiar with the reality of climate change and its devastating impact on global ecosystems.

I’m not trying to scare you, but I do want to point out the hypocrisy of drawing power from the Earth in our magic while simultaneously contributing to her destruction. If we truly want to consider ourselves spiritual allies of the planet, we need to make an effort to live our lives — and practice our magic — in ways that are less harmful to her.

You don’t have to become an environmentalist or switch to a zero waste lifestyle, but we can all make little changes for a more sustainable life. There’s lots of information out there about how to live a more Earth-friendly lifestyle, so in this post I’ll be focusing on how to apply that same philosophy to your witchcraft.

Steps to a more Earth-Friendly Practice:

Limiting your consumption will automatically lower your negative impact on the planet. Follow my previous guidelines for avoiding consumerism to start shrinking your carbon footprint.

Avoid plastic as much as possible. According to the WEF, 70% of our plastic ends up in a landfill or in the world’s waterways, and according to Julia Watkins, author of Simply Living Well, only 9% of household plastics get recycled. Plastic (unlike glass and metal) cannot be recycled indefinitely — it can only be recycled a handful of times before it becomes too degraded to be repurposed any further. There really is no way to make plastic safer for the planet, so it’s best to just avoid it altogether. Look for tools made of metal, wood, or glass instead of plastics, and try to order things shipped in paper and cardboard when possible.

Create spells that won’t leave leftovers. One of the big contributing factors to our current environmental crisis is that we just produce too much waste. You can avoid this in your magical practice by crafting spells that won’t leave you throwing away a big ball of candle wax, herbs, and paper. Kitchen magic is a no-brainer for this, since kitchen spells are meant to be eaten. If you want to do a candle spell, use small candles that will burn up completely — I find larger candles are more likely to leave leftover wax. Making magical bath salts is another great option for leftover-free spells — just make sure everything you include is safe to go down the drain and won’t contribute to water pollution!

Forage for your own spell materials. One of the best ways to avoid plastic packaging and cut down on emissions from shipping is to use materials from your backyard! Learn about the plants, animals, and minerals native to your area, and take regular nature walks where you can gather what you need. Remember to only take as much as you need and to be careful never to damage the plants you harvest from. Make sure to carefully disinfect any animals bits you pick up — you can do this by burying them in salt for a full moon cycle and/or setting them in the sun/under a UV light for several days. If you find a dead animal and want to strip and clean its bones for use in ritual, this is a much more involved process and will require special research, equipment, and lots of time. And, of course, never eat anything you have foraged unless you happen to have an advanced degree in botany.

Keep a magical garden. Another great way to connect with the planet and shrink your carbon footprint is to grow your own herbs, vegetables, and fruits. You can, of course, grow food for your kitchen if you have space, but even if you live in a tiny apartment you can grow a handful of magical herbs in pots. For a list of common houseplants and their magical associations, check out this post.

Shop for spell materials at a local farmer’s market. Buying local is a great way to avoid the environmental impact of shipping produce, and it allows you to support small farms. Farmer’s markets also typically carry seasonal produce, which can help you align your magical practice with the cycles of nature. Farmer’s markets are a great way to find seasonal fruits and vegetables for kitchen magic, but you can use the produce you find there for other types of spells as well.

Trade paraffin wax candles for beeswax or soy wax. Paraffin, the material used for most cheap candles, is a by-product of crude oil, which is not only highly unsustainable but contains carcinogens (chemicals that may cause cancer). Beeswax is a sustainable alternative, and beeswax candles produce a “clean” burn, meaning it does not negatively affect air quality. Soy wax is a slightly pricier, vegan-friendly sustainable option that also produces a clean burn.

Use undyed, unbleached paper for your written spells. The bleaches and dyes used in most commercially available paper have a toxic effect on the environment. Colored paper cannot be recycled or composted because it will contaminate everything it touches. Use plain, unbleached paper for your written spells, especially if you plan to bury them in the ground or dispose of them outside.

Make sure your essential oils are ethically harvested. Essential oils are tricky — although they are marketed as natural, many of them are produced through unsustainable methods. Because essential oils are concentrated, it may take thousands of pounds of plants to produce a single pound of oil. This can have a devastating impact, especially for endangered plants like white sage or palo santo. Look for ethically-sourced, wild-harvested essential oils — these are oils that are gathered from the wild in ways that don’t hurt the local ecosystem. Mountain Rose Herbs and Eden’s Garden are two brands that are committed to sustainable essential oil production.

Instead of burying a spell in a jar, bury it in a hollowed-out fruit or vegetable. Many traditions call for spells to be buried in the ground. Items like jar spells and witch bottles are traditionally buried on the witch’s property. The problem with this is that plastic and glass bottles do not biodegrade, and will remain in the ground for years. Instead of putting these materials in the ground, bury your spells in a hollowed-out fruit or vegetable. As a bonus, you can choose this item to support your intention. For example, you might use an apple for a love spell or a spicy pepper for protection. Just make sure everything inside the spell is also biodegradable!

Keep a compost pile as an offering to your local land spirits. Compost is an easy way to reduce food waste, and it gives your garden a boost! Even if you don’t have your own garden, you can give your compost to a fiend who does or look into donating it to a community garden. When composting, it’s important to maintain a balance between carbon-rich “brown” ingredients (leaves, undyed paper, cardboard, etc.) and nitrogen-rich “greens” (fruit and veggie scraps, coffee grounds, egg shells, etc.) — you want about four times as much brown as green in your compost. Start your compost with a layer of brown — preferably twigs or straw to allow good airflow. Alternate layers of green and brown materials as you add to the pile. Every time you add to your compost, verbally express your gratitude to the land spirits. Your compost should be moist, but not soggy — you’ll know it’s ready when it’s dark and crumbly and smells like soil.

Make your own tea blends with loose herbs and a reusable tea strainer instead of buying teabags. Witches and tea go together like peanut butter and chocolate, but the individual wrappers on teabags create a lot of waste. On top of that, since many of these wrappers are dyed, they may not even be recyclable. Keep your teas earth-friendly by buying dried herbs in bulk and blending your own teas. Making your own blends is not only better for the planet, but also allows you to choose each ingredient for a specific magical intention.

Find ways to use your trash in your craft. This one is pretty self-explanatory. Instead of throwing things away, find ways to use them in your magic! Use food scraps from cooking, like carrot greens and potato peels, in spells. Turn an old shoe box into a travel altar. Add your coffee grounds to spells to ground them and manifest results in the physical world. You get the idea. Be creative!

Research different models for Earth-friendly living, like the zero waste/low waste lifestyle, sustainability, and the solarpunk movement. This will give you more ideas for a sustainable lifestyle, as well as a sustainable magical practice.

The funny thing about Earth-friendly living is that, the more time you spend taking care of the planet, the more connected you feel to it. I encourage you to try some of the ideas on this list — you’ll be amazed by how quickly you develop a deeper relationship with the Earth and all her creatures.

Resources:

Of Blood and Bones by Kate Freuler

Simply Living Well by Julia Watkins

“By 2050, there will be more plastic than fish in the world’s oceans, study says” from The Washington Post

A Sustainable Mind podcast

Practical(ly) Zero Waste podcast

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thecairomuse · 3 years

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How I live a healthy lifestyle - Part 1: Nutrition and Diet

''In this mini series I'll be detailing everything I do and plan to do to maintain a healthy lifestyle. I'll only be discussing nutrition and physical activity although there is a lot more to health than that, but they tend to be the most important aspects.

Disclaimer: I am not a professional/ a dietitian I just love sharing what works for me. Not all things mentioned in this post will be applicable to you. Use this post as a starting point/ for ideas; Please do your own research.

There's so much more to nutrition than the amount of calories you eat. Lately I have been very mindful of what foods I put into my body and if they actually nourish my body and make me feel good. But this is not to say I don't enjoy the occasional treat. After all I am human.

Fasting

I could go on and on about the many benefits of fasting, but I'll keep it short and sweet: it's a miracle. There are so many different ways of fasting and for different intervals of time. I'll discuss the ones I do.

Intermittent fasting: every day I eat for 8 hours and fast for 16, the window of time I choose will remain somewhat constant but may move around to accommodate events/ schedule. During my 16 hour fast I mostly drink water, I'll also have zero calorie drinks like black coffee and matcha green tea or any other tea (without sugar!!)

Weekly 24 hour water fasts: One day of the week I'll fast for 24 hours, even though it's called a water fast I also include zero calorie drinks as well as they don't break your fast.

Monthly 48/72 hour water fast: I'll do one extended fast per month, very similar to the 24 hour water fast but just for an extended period of time, I also include zero calories drinks in this fast. I might occasionally skip this one depending on how I feel/ my schedule

I have been fasting for years, for religious reasons, so I am quite used to it, but if you are new I would definitely recommend going slow and working your way up.

I don't do fasts longer than 72 hours because things can get complicated and I don't really feel the need to.

It's very important to break your fast with a liquid (especially extended fasts), I drink ACV and celery juice (see below) first thing and then some fruits and work my way up to actual meals.

Mediterranean Diet

Considering I am from the Mediterranean, I tend to eat a lot of the foods found in the Mediterranean 'diet'. It's not so much of a diet but more of a lifestyle; I have always eaten this way.

I find the Mediterranean diet really enjoyable, the food is delicious and there are many healthy benefits.

I love eggplant dishes (there are SO many), Egyptian fava beans, Couscous, Hummus, Baba Ganoush (my absolute favorite Lebanese dip) and of course ALOT of seafood.

No snacking in between meals

I would much rather eat filling meals than have to mindlessly snack thought the day. If you HAVE to snack, it's a good sign you are under-eating or you are not eating filling foods.

Snacking spikes your insulin and raises your blood pressure and blood glucose levels, which makes you feel hungry all the time and increases your appetite and the calories from snacking add up very easily. Plus it's way more convenient to skip snacking and instead eat filling meals.

Please note, if you have low blood pressure then of course snacking can be helpful. But for me, my blood pressure really doesn't need to be any higher.

No restriction of Food groups

I have not cut out protein/ carbs/ fats. I eat all three in moderation and I believe that all three are essential for a healthy diet; they all provide the body with different things that it needs. I have also not cut out dairy. I will always seek out 'healthier' alternatives when possible (eg. lettuce as a substitute for bread in a sandwich or coconut milk as opposed to regular milk, although I don't do this too often)

I do however restrict sugar. Which brings me to my next point.

Sugar free, No junk food, No fizzy drinks, No candy/ processed snacks

The four mentioned above have little to no benefits to your health and can be quite detrimental, so I have decided to cut them out. They tend to be very un-filling and can mess with your blood glucose levels.

I have also never had much of a sweet tooth, most of the times i crave something savory, but there is sugar in pretty much everything nowadays and that's what I mostly focus on, for example do we really need sugar in Ceaser salad dressing? yet in some sauces the amount of sugar per serving is way more than the recommended daily amount of sugar intake.

With that being said I definitely do break the rules a bit because I still do enjoy life. But I am mindful about it, for example I can't resist fries from Mcdonalds or a macaron form Laudree but I'll be fine if I don't have a granola bar packed with sugar.

Added/ refined sugar is so bad for your body and your organs (especially your liver) and there are much healthier alternatives. I have mostly cut out sugar/ junk food/ candy/ fizzy drinks and processed snacks. I don't drink Diet coke or any other diet drinks of the sort (they contain an artificial sweetener that is worse than sugar). I drink my tea unsweetened (I love the taste of tea) and I'll either have an americano with no sugar or an (iced) black coffee, and if i feel like having an iced latte I'll ask for coconut milk and no sugar. Every once in a while I'll make sugar free cookies/ brownies/ cake etc. there are so many recipes online. You can use Stevia, Xylitol, Erythritol and Monk fruit. I do eat a good amount of fruits as well as pure honey (with no added sugar).

High Beta-carotene diet

What is Beta-carotene you ask? It's a magic elixir. Okay seriously, it's a pigment that gives plants their color.

Beta-carotene is converted into retinol (vitamin A) in the body and can help you get a natural 'tan' or more accurately a sun-kissed glow.

All you have to do to achieve the beta-carotene glow is to eat 5-7 portions of fruits/ vegetables for one to two months.

The fruits and vegetables high in beta-carotene are:

CARROTS!!

Kale

Celery

Cantaloupe

Broccoli

Most dark colored/ vibrant fruits/ vegetables, especially those that are orange

The way that I make sure to get the beta-carotene I need is, I drink celery juice, kale juice/ smoothie and eat fruits during breakfast if i can (Acai bowl/ oatmeal with fruits/ etc.) and then a salad with my lunch/ dinner and I find that is enough.

Even if you aren't looking to get a natural 'tan' I would still recommend eating a diet high in beta-carotene because it improves your health and prevents diseases. After incorporating more fruits and vegetables I definitely felt my skin looked healthier and was more glowy.

Please do your own research once again; eating TOO much beta-carotene can make your skin look VERY yellow so be careful with that.

Matcha Green tea

I have a matcha green tea every morning during my fast (since it's zero calories). Matcha is vey high in anti-oxidants and has less caffeine than coffee. Matcha in general is very good for your health and I look forward to having it every morning.

Celery/Kale Juice

I absolutely love celery juice. I have one before breakfast. Celery has numerous health benefits and I am a huge fan of drinking it everyday (I'll definitely be posting how I like to make it soon)

I usually drink a kale juice or smoothie around lunch/ dinner time before I start my fast. I don't have this everyday and some days I'll have a different type of juice depending on how I feel and the ingredients I have at home.

Apple Cider Vinegar

I drink ACV to break my fast. I will say it doesn't work for everyone but I have found, through trial and error, that ACV makes me feel much much better. I will usually add some ACV, lemon and cinnamon to some water and drink it to break my fast.

via doseofraw.com and others

It's important to eat nutritious foods that nourish your body, improve your focus and overall make you feel and look good. Food really is a source of medicine and wellness. Every once in a while I will break some of the rules, because life is meant to be enjoyed at the end of the day, and what's good for your soul is good for you. I never feel like I am depriving myself of the foods I love; I always find healthier alternatives. I no longer crave 'unhealthy foods' and I don't feel like I am restricting when I turn down a slice of cake or anything of the like.

Your diet matters!

Serena

#healthy lifestyle #nutrition #level up #glow up #you should too <3

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cyoc49 · 3 years

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HIMBO Magazine: The New Hire

23 year-old Barry Allen looked across the street at the office building of HIMBO, a lifestyle & fashion magazine targeted at gay men, and the site of his job interview. After graduating last May, Barry has tried for months to find a communications job with no luck, until he saw HIMBO’s advertisement for an entry-level social media position. The pay was unbelievably good, and they reached out to him about applying which made the whole situation seem very promising. He was a little uncomfortable about the idea of working at a gay magazine. I don’t have any issue with gay people, Barry thought, I just don’t understand a lot of the culture and I’m not really trying to. Still, the job was too good to pass up without at least interviewing.

Barry walked into the lobby of the building and was directed on how to reach the HIMBO’s offices. Stepping into the elevator, Barry thought about how sharply dressed everyone in the building was. It made him feel a little unprofessional, in his blazer, checkered shirt, and jeans. But the email had told him to dress “Appropriately for his position,” so he dressed the way he knew modern social media teams did.

As the elevator opened, Barry was greeted by the bright offices of HIMBO. The personnel working there (all male, he noticed) were dressed in a mixture of ridiculously eccentric business wear, speedos and harnesses, club outfits, other other bizarre fashions. “I’m guessing those are models?” Barry wondered, before walking over to a desk attended by a swishy receptionist.

The twinkish secretary looked up at Barry, and his eyes widened in excitement. “You must be the new applicant!” He exclaimed, jumping up out of his seat. “Oh, you’re perfect! He always knows the right people to pick. Well knock on wood, but I’m excited to work with you!” Then in a swift motion, the man darted around the desk and grabbed Barry by the hand. “Here, I can take you to him! He’s been waiting for you. I’m James, by the way! I work the desk!” And with that, Barry found himself being dragged along through the HIMBO offices.

“Uh, I have a question. Who is ‘he’?” Barry called along as he tried to keep pace with the fast-paced James.

“Christian Le Maître, the Editor in Chief! He’s brilliant. He does all the interviews and hiring himself. He’s the one who reached out to you.”

Wow, he picked me out himself, Barry thought, I must really be promising.

Barry spoke up “That’s pretty cool, to have a boss that cares that much.”

James nodded enthusiastically “Oh yes, he cares for us all so much! We’re all his boys here.”

Looking past the odd use of “boys”, Barry continued “I’m, uh, applying for a social media position.”

“Oh okay, interesting,” James said with less enthusiasm than usual, “He’ll sometimes try to figure out a different position for you during the interview. Just go along with what he says. I promise he has your best interests at heart.”

Before Barry could ask what that meant, James came to a sudden stop in front of a large heavy door. He knocked on it several times, before a deep muffled voice called out “Send him in” from behind the door.

James turned around, grinning ear to ear “Okay, best of luck! Remember: you’re gonna fit in here.” With that, he pranced back down the hallway, leaving Barry alone in front of the door.

He took a deep breath. “Well, here goes nothing,” he thought, and opened the door.

Walking into the office, Barry looked behind the desk and saw one of the most beautiful men he had ever seen.

His face was rugged and handsome, with insatiably curious eyes, perfect white teeth, and a beard that was just the right amount of stubble. His hair was parted with gel into a professional, clean, and gorgeous haircut. His toned muscles perfectly filled out his expensive looking business clothes: a light blue silk dress shirt, grey pinstripe pants, suspenders hung over his shoulders and pressed out by his chest, gorgeous-smelling black leather dress shoes, and a sterling silver watch. He was an absolute alpha male, so perfectly handsome and successful that Barry couldn’t help but feel awe, jealousy, and a hint of... lust?

The man looked at Barry and smiled a perfect smile. “Barry, is it? I’m Christian La Maître, but everyone around here just calls me Mr. M.” The man stood up, revealing his daunting 6’4 frame, and extended a muscular hand to Barry

Jesus, his voice is intoxicating, Barry swooned. It was so smoothly deep and inviting. With just the few words Barry already felt like he could listen to the man for hours. He reached out and took hold of Mr. M’s hand for an extremely firm handshake. As their hand touched, Barry felt a jolt, and found himself unable to take his eyes off the powerful man before him. And more importantly, he had no desire to move his eyes away.

Mr. M sat back down again. “So Barry, tell me about yourself. College graduate?”

“Uh, yes. Digital Communications maj-“

“Have you ever read HIMBO before?” Mr. M cut Barry off.

“No, sir” Barry said, neither objecting to being interrupted, nor noticing the “sir” he just said.

“Are you gay?” Mr. M examined Barry’s body up and down, never making eye contact.

“No, sir. I’m straight.” He paused “Is that okay?”

Mr. M let out a hearty laugh, and Barry found himself laughing along with the man too. It just felt right. This brilliant, perfect businessman that Barry was lucky enough to be in the presence of, anything he did had to be right.

“Ahhh, Barry. You’re a fun kid. Now unfortunately, that social media position was filled earlier this morning by another applicant. But I would be a fool not to bring you into the HIMBO team, Barry!” This filled Barry with joy. The approval of Mr. M felt so good.

“Now if I think about it...” Mr. M paused for a few moments, giving Barry another thorough looking over, “I think we have an opening in the accounting department.”

“Yes! I accept!” Barry shouted out. He didn’t even care that it was a totally different position than he had come here for, nor did he care that he had zero accounting experience. If Mr. M said he would be a good accountant, then Barry had to be the best accountant for his boss.

The man chuckled again. “There’s just a little on boarding we’d have to do to get you ready for the position. Beginning with dress code, for starters.”

“What’s wrong with my clothes, sir?” Barry asked eagerly. He would do anything for this man, who was offering him a coveted job at HIMBO magazine. Barry would change anything about himself.

“Well, you just dress so... cool. I mean look at that outfit! You are a hip young man who is ready for a good night out. And I love that for you, but I think a good accountant would dress a bit... sharper.”

The “sharper” bounced around in Barry’s head. Visions of men in suits and ties flooded his mind. He began to feel attracted to the idea of being a finely dressed man. In fact, he couldn’t imagine ever dressing down, not even in his free time. As Barry listened to Mr. M’s words, his plaid shirt rippled into a crisp white dress shirt. It tucked itself into his jeans.

“A good smart accountant would look his best at all times.”

Barry’s jeans turned into tight fitting grey dress pants, and a brown leather belt cinched itself firmly around his waist. His casual wool blazer morphed into a clean grey suit jacket matching his pants. Underneath, a gray sweater materialized and hugged itself to Barry’s slimming build.

“A good, clean-cut accountant.”

Barry felt his feet shift as his shoes changed into well-polished brown leather dress shoes, with wing tips. His socked changed to clean white socks, and inside his pants he felt briefs take form around his shrinking manhood.

“A good, nerdy accountant.”

A red bow tie wrapped itself around Barry’s neck and tied itself into a perfect knot. Large round glasses popped up on Barry’s face, which he knew he needed to wear every day. Barry’s hair ruffled as if wind was blowing through it, before settling in a clean side part, well-combed and maintained.

Barry stood before the incredibly powerful man before him looking totally different. Just 10 minutes ago Barry had dressed like any college graduate, but now looked as if he wore a suit every day of the week. But as for Barry himself, he had never felt better. As his clothes changed, Barry’s thoughts realized how right this felt. Barry now perfectly remembered his 2 hour morning dress routine. He knew exactly how much pomade to use to achieve the perfect side part, he remembered tying bow ties for six years now. His home wardrobe, all of it, had been replaced with suits, sweaters, shirts, dress shoes, and bow ties of every material, pattern, and color imagineable. This was the way he had dressed ever since he got to college and felt he could express himself truly. The truth was Barry loved the feel of a suit. The cleanness and dignity were an intoxicating feeling, and he couldn’t imagine himself in anything else.

Mr. M smiled a big smile. “There we go, an absolute perfect fit for our accountant opening. Welcome to the HIMBO team, Barry. Or should I say Bartholomew.”

That was right. Bartholomew Pippin, and he couldn’t be happier. He was a timid, nerdy kind of guy, sure, but he felt on top of the world. Bartholomew was an avid HIMBO reader for its good guides on men’s formalwear (and also so he could jerk off to the photos of shirtless guys), so to work at the magazine he loved, doing the job he loved (accounting) was a dream come true.

Mr. M stood up and walked over to Bartholomew, getting extremely close to him. “There’s just one last step in the hiring process...”

Barty shook a bit as he looked up at the domineering man before him. Mr. M was a tall man to begin with, but at his new height Bartholomew was 5’9, and the taller man encompassed him.

“I seal all my contracts... with a kiss.”

Barry’s knees quivered. He had realized he was gay at a young age, but aside from a few “almosts” in college, he had never gone farther than holding hands. Bartholomew had always reasoned that he would meet the right one eventually... and looking up at this man, Barty knew he had found it. Mr. M was all Barty would ever need. This man would control his work life and his sex life, dictating when Barty could pleasure himself, when he could come, and when he got the ultimate privilege of spending the night with Mr. M.

Bartholomew wrinkled his note and nodded eagerly “Of course, sir. I would be honored to kiss you.

As Barty stood on his tip toes to kiss his new boss - god, his lips were smooth and perfect - Barty felt all his changes lock into place. This is who he was. Bartholomew Pippin, mild-mannered accountant of HIMBO magazine, and one of Christian La Maître’s very good boys.

The two parted, and Mr. M gave Bartholomew another killer smile. “Bartholomew, I can already tell you’re gonna fit in here perfectly. And as a signing bonus, how about you stop by my place tonight. 7 PM sharp.”

“Oh thank you so much, Mr. M! I’ll be there at 6:45, I promise.”

“That’s a good boy, Barty. Now get settled in, your desk is at the end of the hall.” He gave Barty a spank on his bubble butt, and sent him on his way, to his new job and new life.

#gaytf #preppy #gay #preppy tf #preppytf #stepfordization #nerd #suittf #bowtie #the flash #barry allen #the flash tf #grant gustin

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honeytae · 3 years

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Are you getting sleepy, baby?

hey bubs! i’m gonna be honest..this has like next to zero plot. it’s just super fluffy, idk. lately i’ve just been feeling like indulging myself in these little scenarios, so here we are. hopefully you guys like it :) tags: @ahgasearmyfan, @hoseokayy genre: fluff

word count: 1.3k

It was Friday.

Friday; the day you were finally released from your weekly duties and rewarded with some free time. One of the only evenings where you could do whatever you wanted with whoever you wanted.

Which was exactly why Fridays, by default, meant that Hoseok would be coming over for your weekly movie night. Which also meant that he would inevitably be sleeping over when your little film marathon finished in the early hours of the morning.

Not that you minded at all. You always slept best whenever Hoseok was in your bed. Whether it was the feeling of his arm thrown over your torso to secure you to him or the way his legs intertwined with yours, you didn’t know.

You would never get over the vision of him in the morning; skin glowing beneath the light peeking in through the curtains, gentle breaths puffing out of his nostrils as he dreamed beside you.

You, ever the early riser, would often lay there admiring his resting features, astounded by the simply beauty the man held when he was merely sleeping.

And these things were all you thought about all week, finally being able to absorb the presence you’d been craving for the past four days.

With weekends being some of your only free time, you spent nearly all of it with your boyfriend, fully taking advantage of the opportunity to sleep and wake up with the man.

The feeling of his chest rising and falling underneath your head while the movie played was one of your favorites, your brain barely registering any of the scenes on the television as you nuzzled your cheek against the soft material of his t-shirt.

“Are you even watching?” Hoseok chuckled as he danced his fingers across your spine, laughing a bit more when you honestly shook your head against him.

“How am I supposed to pay attention to this when you’re so much more interesting?” You mumbled, grinning when you felt his chest shake with giggles at your upfrontness.

“You’re such a flirt.” He blushed, loosening his arms around your frame when you shifted on his body, bringing yourself up his torso to be face to face with the man.

“Am I?” You smirked, Hoseok’s smile warming your heart as he displayed his teeth to you.

“You are.” He confirmed, making you hum in response before leaning in to press a chaste kiss to his lips, your arms securing behind his neck with the action.

“What’s the film about?” You wondered, the man pondering the question for a moment as his eyes flicked back to the screen behind you.

“Uh, well this girl goes away to school and figures out what her parents haven’t been telling her about their lifestyle, and she gets wrapped up in it somehow? There was a fight scene between her and her teacher because he’s actually on the opposite side of things.”

Your lips twitched slightly at his explanation, tilting your head as your eyebrows scrunched at him.

“Wasn’t that fight scene just a dream, though?” You asked, the man staring blankly at you as he fumbled for a response, you cutting him off with a sudden bout of giggles.

“What?” He whined, cheeks flushing as you continued laughing at him.

“Baby, I’ve seen this before and that is not how it goes.” You got out through your laughter, the man’s cheeks flaming as he was quite literally caught red handed in his lie.

“Stop laughing.” He whined, his words only making you laugh harder as you tipped your head back.

Wiping tears from your cheeks, your giggles slowly faded into nothing, the man’s eyes glittering with fondness at you as he smiled gently.

“Maybe it’s a little hard for me to pay attention, too.” He admitted, scrunching his nose up when you cooed at him, squishing his cheeks in your palms and sprinkling kisses over his forehead, trailing them down the bridge of his nose with a grin.

“You’re cute.” You pinched at his heated cheeks, the man swatting your hands away with a giggle of his own.

“Cut it out.” He chuckled, placing his hand on the crown of your head to push your face into the crook of his neck, causing you to instinctively nuzzle into his warm skin as you wrapped your arms around his neck, hugging him to you as he held you tighter to him.

“You love me.” You sang into his skin, pressing a kiss to his throat as he hummed in agreement.

“I do. Very much.” He added softly, his fingers beginning to thread through your hair, making you sigh in relaxation as your body began to melt under his gentle touch.

“Are you getting sleepy, baby?” He wondered, feeling your shift in energy from just a few minutes ago as he tried to peek at your face. His attempt did not work, since you were currently hiding underneath his chin with no intention of lifting your face any time soon.

“No.” You mumbled in response, hearing him chuckle before feeling his lips press against the side of your head.

He retreated his face a mere couple of millimeters as his fingers pushed your hair back behind your ear, shaking his head at the evidence you simply could not hide.

“Your ears are red, you liar.”

You knew that fact was true without the use of a mirror, feeling the signature burn of the top of your ears that indicated that it was maybe time for some sleep.

“I just wanna spend time with you, Hobi.” You pouted, looking at him with puppy eyes as his sparkled in amusement back at you.

“You’re more than welcome to spend time with me. Sleeping.” He smirked at your groan, tapping the tip of your nose with his index finger before dropping a kiss to the spot, as well.

“No.” You said simply, resting your head back against his chest and settling back down into his warm body.

“Hm. Really?” He teased, tucking his fingers underneath the hem of your shirt to brush against the sensitive skin of your hip, causing you to squirm a bit in his lap.

“Yes, really.” You mumbled, silence ensuing afterwards, heavy eyelids sliding shut as your breath began to steadily even out-

“Hobi!” You yelled out when he suddenly scooped you up in his arms, gripping onto him tighter when he stood and opening your eyes at the sound of his laugh bouncing off the walls of your living space.

“Sorry, baby. You’ve given me no choice.” He shrugged, smiling at your whine as you buried your face back in the crook of his neck, letting yourself be carried down the hall to your bedroom.

Landing with his back to the mattress and you latched onto his chest, he grabbed ahold of the blankets beside him, tossing them over your body to ensure your warmth and comfort before locking his arms around your back to secure you to him.

He could’ve sworn you were asleep when your breaths slowed, the feeling of your soft puffs of air hitting his skin making him smile contentedly before he let his eyes slip shut as well, peeking one of them open when you stirred atop his body.

“Hobi?” You mumbled, the man tiredly humming in response as he awaited your next words.

“I love you.” You said, the phrase causing his heart to stutter a bit in his chest as he opened his other eye to the dark room.

It’s not that you hadn’t said it before. God, he’d probably heard it hundreds of times from you, but he could confidently say now that there was no way he would ever be accustomed to hearing it.

It could be months, years, decades; he would never not have that instant reaction upon hearing those three little but huge words.

“I love you too, angel.”

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ohthehypocrisy · 2 years

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Quagsire for Pokemon Unite!

Prev: Miltank - Crobat - Heracross - Parasect - Ninjask (& Shedinja) - Sudowoodo - Swalot - Beedrill

What is there to say about Quagsire? There’s a lot to like about this guy, from its mellow temperament, to its poker face, its secret knowledge of horrible things yet to come, and its carefree lifestyle. A lot of us would like to be Quagsire, go by one day of our lives with nothing to care for in the world, free of worries. Unfortunately, the closest we’ll ever get to achieving this is by taking inspiration from this gentle mud ball and emulate a lax lifestyle, free of rage and sadness.

The second closest thing we can do to achieve living like a Quagsire is to play as one in Pokemon Unite. Let’s get on that, shall we?

When you sit on your bum all day, you tend to accrue a little weight, shall we say. Now, by all accounts, Quagsire’s stats are just plain bad, and they would never hold up on any other pokemon. However, it has a resilient type combo and set of abilities that render it consistently relevant no matter which tier it’s in. From the little leagues to the arena of gods, Quagsire goes where it pleases and makes it home just about anywhere. For this reason, Quagsire is the premier example of what it means to be a...

Defender

Basic Attack - Melee/Attack

Swings its tail around and deals damage to enemies nearby. Each hit stuns the enemy for 0.5 seconds. The range of this attack increases when in the area of effect of its moves.

-Not having a boosted attack might be a bad thing, but Quagsire simply doesn’t have the ability to work itself up over its attacks to throw out a big hit. Instead, Quagsire uses its moves to establish a territory and then starts swinging, and it swings hard. By itself, the big hefty tail is like getting blindsided by a sock stuff with sand, but when its in the area of effect of its own moves, its reach increases. The attack is slow, however, as it takes a full seconds for the attack to swing around. Against faster ranged attackers, this move doesn’t cut it, so you’ll need back up in case a Cinderace or a Ninetales shows up.

Ability: Damp

The pokemon constantly gains a shield when in the area of effect of its moves. Reduces the scoring speed of enemies while in the goal zone.

-First off, while I know Unaware is a better ability for Quagsire usually, it is also one of the very few users of the Damp ability as well. Unaware is also lacking in distribution, but it’s also a hidden ability. I know Dragonite has Multiscale, which is also a hidden ability, but I feel like I could make Damp a better ability for it in Pokemon Unite. I dunno, if I make a Bibarel for Pokemon Unite post, it will definitely have that ability (follow for this!!)

I digress. Damp has two different effects, to account for the different ways a battle can go. First, if you are in the area of effect of any of your moves, Damp will be constantly giving you a shield. While it starts from zero and it generates slowly, shields will still protect you from all sorts of damage such as status and passive damage. To put the numbers in, you gain 5% of your HP in shield for as long as Damp is active, which is for as long as the move lasts. Shields expire on their own, so it’s not like you can bathe in your own mud to farm shield. Also, even if you do get a head start in generating shields, getting hyperfocused by the enemy can tear the shield to shreds (as they’ve no doubt happened before in other games, I’m guessing). The point of Damp is to win the war of attrition, as having a reliable source of shields can help outlast an enemy’s onslaught just in time for backup to arrive.

As for the second effect, it has the ability to slow down an enemy’s scoring speed. By how much? It’s enough to neutralize the effects of Goal Getter. That’s how strong it is. It scales with the number of points an enemy is trying to score, and it needs to have such a strong effect to compensate for Quagsire’s slow basic attack speed. Yes, it’s crazy how good it is at defending a goal zone, which is why Quagsire is a Defender, but if Quagsire is left vulnerable, it won’t be able to defend a zone by itself. Also, it’s not as effective if you run out of goal zones to defend. Unfortunately this ability doesn’t prevent Rotom or Zapdos from hitting your zones with defenselessness, so do your part in those important team fights.

At the start of the game, Quagsire will start out as Wooper. You can choose between either Water Gun or Mist as your first move. By Level 3, it will have learned both.

Move 1: Water Gun

Creates a puddle at the designated area that lingers for 4.5 seconds. The splash shoves enemies and the puddle drastically reduces their basic attack speed while they are within its effect. 6s cooldown.

-A pretty decent starting move, too bad the size of the attack isn’t all that great. Having a shove effect is good, but it also reduces the speed of your enemy’s basic attacks, making this a fine move against melee or ranged attackers. However, as stated, the move is small in range, which means enemies can jsut walk away from the puddle to continue their attack. The puddle boosts your basic attack when you’re within its area of effect, so its better as a move to use within a goal zone.

Move 2: Mist

A blast of mist that lingers in the spot you used it in for 4.5 seconds. While in the mist, you and your teammates are unaffected by debuffs and enemy basic attacks are more likely to miss. 7s cooldown.

-A good move to have and abuse with your teammates. If you ever get hit with a Slow Smoke or Eevee’s Baby Doll Eyes or Cramorant’s Feather Dance, Mist is handy for simply ignoring the debuffs applied by those moves. The effect of ignoring debuffs only apply if the victims are within the area of effect, so if you leave the mist and the debuff hasn’t worn off yet, it will kick back in again as soon as you do. Although, why would you ever want to leave? Thanks to its secondary effect, your enemy’s basic attacks are more likely to miss while within the Mist. Now, your teammates need to be in the Mist to gain this evasion boost, and it’s not unrealistic that they will be shoved out by certain moves. The move doesn’t last all that long anyway, so it’s best to use when defending a goal zone, or covering your retreat from the enemy’s goal zone.

At Level 4, Wooper evolves into Quagsire. At Level 6, Water Gun becomes either Muddy Water or Mud Bomb.

Move 1a: Muddy Water

Summons a torrent of filthy water in the area directly in front of you. Enemies caught in the water will be pushed away and have their basic attacks more likely to miss for 4 seconds. Afterwards, a large puddle of mud water is left behind that lingers for 6 seconds. Enemies will be unable to charge their basic attacks while standing within the mud puddle and basic attacks will deal reduced damage. 8.5s cooldown.

At Level 11, Muddy Water becomes Muddy Water+.

Expands the area of effect. Further decreases the damage of enemy basic attacks.

-Here, Quagsire makes a big muddy mess everywhere and then decides to splash around in it. The enemies don’t appreciate it, as the mud water drastically reduces their ability to use basic attacks. Starting off, a direct hit from the mud water pushes them aside and reduces their accuracy. Combined with Mist, this will make it nearly impossible for the enemy to deal damage with their basic attacks, but the accuracy reduction effect only lasts for 4 seconds whereas Mist lingers for 4.5 seconds before going on cooldown. Basically, there’s a time and place for everything. Anyway, the mud arena is wide, which is good for your basic attack and bad for the enemy. By ‘being unable to charge their basic attack’, it means that enemies will not gain boost with each attack and it will go away as if they aren’t attacking. If the enemy enters with a boosted attack ready to go, they can still throw it out, but afterwards it won’t gain any power. Imagine, if you will, an enemy Mr. Mime stuck throwing out right hooks or a Cramorant incapable of grabbing for prey. If that weren’t bad enough, basic attacks deal reduced damage, so even if they do manage to throw out a boosted basic attack, it won’t deal much damage. As great as this move is, it only lingers for 6 seconds and has a pretty lengthy cooldown, even if it were upgraded. This just means you have to be smart with where you dump this filthy water.

Move 1b: Mud Bomb

Launch a large soppy ball of mud at the designated location. The explosion of mud causes a blind effect for 5 seconds to any enemy caught in the attack. Afterwards, a pile of mud lingers at the spot for 8 seconds. If an enemy is in the area of effect, they will have their movement speed reduced while within the mud pile, be unable to use basic attacks, and any move they use will gain 1.5x more cooldown. 10s cooldown.

At Level 11, Mud Bomb becomes Mud Bomb+.

Expands the area of effect and the speed reduction effect lingers for 3 seconds after leaving the mud pile.

-As a ranged move, it reaches a little far, but not too far. It’s hard to explain. Imagine Venusaur’s Sludge Bomb. There. Anyway, slinging mud is one of the worst things you can do at a playground, even moreso as an adult. Catching an enemy with the blast effect will cause blindness just like Greninja’s Smokescreen, but with a slightly longer status time. The area of effect is a little smaller than Venusaur’s Sludge Bomb, but it’s much stronger. On top of a speed reduction effect, enemies cannot use basic attacks while within the mud pile. This is a great counter to ranged attackers that Defenders normally have trouble with. It also penalizes enemies throwing out their long ranged moves from within, adding more cooldown to their moves by 1.5x. The long cooldown is a bit brutal, but the effect lingers for 8 seconds, which is a fair trade off. This move may seem better than Muddy Water in every way, but in fact, this move is better suited at keeping one or two targets at bay whereas Muddy Water is better suited for handling multiple enemies at once.

At Level 7, Mist becomes either Haze or Rain Dance.

Move 2a: Haze

Creates a haze of obscuring mist that covers a wide area for 6 seconds. Enemy basic attacks are more likely to miss. You and your teammates will have any debuffs cured whereas any enemy that enters the Haze will have their buffs cleared. 8.5s cooldown.

At Level 12, Haze becomes Haze+.

You and your teammates ignore any boosted damage from the enemy’s moves. Increases the duration of the haze by 1.5 seconds. Expands the area of effect.

-Haze retains the evasion boost that Mist grants and features an upgraded version of the whole ignoring debuffs thing. While Mist has the ability to ignore debuffs while you are within its area of effect, Haze clears any debuff on you as soon as you enter it. Not only that, Haze will also clear the buffs of any enemy that wander into Haze. This sounds like a nightmare for opposing Melee attackers, since the Haze clears away buffs from moves and items such as Crustle’s Shell Smash and X Attack. When Haze gets upgraded, it helps you and your teammates even more by ignoring the conditional boosts of enemy moves. For example, while an enemy Absol will still teleport to a teammate within Haze+ with the move Pursuit, landing a clean hit on the backside will not result in extra damage. This goes for all moves that gain extra damage on bonus conditions such as positioning and status effects. That’s great and all, but keep in mind that Haze can only protect you if you’re within it, and it’s just as possible to be shoved out of the area as it would be with Mist. Another thing to note is that Haze won’t clear the boosts provided by Unite Moves, as nothing can actually beat those out, usually.

Move 2b: Rain Dance

Summons rainfall in the area for 7 seconds. While the rain is falling, you and your teammates with any shield will take reduced damage from enemy attacks. Enemies in the area without shields take increased damage from attacks. If used within or near your own Goal Zone, increases the healing you gain from standing within the Goal Zone. 9s cooldown.

At Level 12, Rain Dance becomes Rain Dance+.

Boosts the healing of Goal Zones even further. Expands the area of effect.

-Don’t get caught in the rain without an umbrella. Even a dainty little shield will do. As if shields aren’t annoying enough, Rain Dance provides a powerful defensive bonus for having one. Not all pokemon are able to make their own shields, especially if they forgo Buddy Barrier, for some reason. However, the shields provided by your own goal zone do count, which makes protecting them all the more important. Because of Quagsire’s Damp ability, it will always have a super powerful shield, even if it does build slowly and start out weak. As a great defensive tool, it’s also a great offensive boon as well, helping your team deal more damage to enemies without shields. Even if the enemy consistently has a strong shield on them, Rain Dance will also help you out even more by boosting the healing you get from goal zones. Please do not leave the goal zones vulnerable, as Rotom or Zapdos will render Rain Dance ineffective in your own goal zones should they get to them.

Unite Move: Swamp Romp

Transforms the area into marshy wetlands for 8 seconds. While the marshlands are active, all enemies within will have the cooldown of their moves paused or unable to be reduced. If any enemy was within the area of effect when Swamp Romp appeared, adds 3 seconds of cooldown to all of their moves, even if the move wasn’t on cooldown yet.

-Remember when I said Quagsire can make its home just about anywhere? I was being literal, and I TOTALLY didn’t just go back and write that bit in while writing this sentence. Anyway, the harshness of the marsh is unleashed on your enemies with this Unite Move. If you manage to hit an enemy with this Unite Move as it comes out, you’ll ‘turn off’ any move they haven’t used yet and throw it into a 3 second cooldown. Worse still, any moves that go on cooldown will have their cooldown timer paused while they’re stuck in the marsh. This has no effect on Unite Moves or the Unite Move charge rate, so it’s better to use in the middle of the fight than at the start of the engagement. The swamp area is also pretty big, not big enough to cover the entire central area, but big enough to claim a pretty big part of it. Also, don’t overlook that it prevents the enemy from cutting down their own cooldown with other moves. Absol’s Pursuit and Gengar’s Hex will not have their cooldown reduced or reset, even if they land the attack successfully. Getting caught in the swamp unprepared is an easy way to get overwhelmed, woe to those who disturb the territorial Quagsire.

Holowear

Quagsire has no fashion sense to speak of, so it’ll wear anything you give it. Even though you could dress it up as a clown, we’re trying to sell these holowear, so let’s come up with something good. Right away, Quagsire can go with the Fishing Style holowear, with a fishing vest, outdoorsy hat, and a tackle box strapped to its belt. Quagsire can also wear the Groovy style holowear, wearing a groovy green vest and shirt, and a fancy little necklace that resembles the peace sign but with the pokeball sign instead. Maybe it can wear a Noble Guard style holowear, giving it a fancy hat, fancy overcoat, and a toy popgun strapped to its back (with an oversized cork to show that it’s a pop gun, not a real gun). Finally, it can go with the Lounging Style, with an oversized shirt and Whiscash slippers to show how it lounges about in style.

Strategy

Before we get into this, I just want to point out how late Quagsire learns its moves. This is my first go at balance and here’s my reasoning. The moves Quagsire can use are very good, good enough that you don’t need to rush to upgrade them until the power level of the enemy team becomes too much. This is because Quagsire’s playstyle is critically tied to defending the goal zones, and its ability and moves are engineered for that. If Quagsire can get to the optimal level to play defense, that’s great, but if you fall behind, you’ll have to shift your playstyle and adapt. That said, you shouldn’t give up so easily if you start losing goal zones, as your moves and abilities are good enough to use without the camping style.

When the game begins, Water Gun should be your first move. Wooper/Quagsire should NEVER claim center, since they’re better for defending the goal zones on either lane. You’ll have both Water Gun and Mist learned by the time you reach the middle of the lanes and you’ll be well equipped to play defense against the opposing team. By yourself, you should be able to fend off at least two enemies. If it becomes a 2v3, call for backup because you will be overwhelmed, especially against high powered attackers.

When it comes to Muddy Water or Mud Bomb, try to gauge the enemies’ game plan. Muddy Water is much more effective if the enemy team is attacking often as a collective. If the enemies are more into hit and run tactics, Mud Bomb might be better. It takes a bit to figure out this game plan of theirs, which is why Muddy Water and Mud Bomb are learned so late. If there’s no clear plan of attack, stick with the moves that better deal with physical or ranged attackers. Muddy Water makes it difficult for melee attackers to break through your defenses whereas Mud Bomb makes it more difficult for ranged attackers to poke safely.

As for Haze and Rain Dance, it really depends more on your own team’s battle plan. If your team is doing well at defending the goal zones, Rain Dance can be a big help. If you have lost most if not all of your goal zones throughout the game, Haze is the best option, since you will have to get your act together and fight as a team. Even if you have no goals left to defend, Rain Dance can still be a big help if you’ve got teammates that can make shields such as Tsareena and Lucario, especially if you know they’re running Buddy Barrier.

Speaking of Buddy Barrier, your Unite Move, Swamp Romp, is a wide ranged area of effect that effectively forces the enemy into cooldown limbo. The best kind of play to make is to get as deep into the opposing crowd as you can and pop the move, then retreat with your life. Any enemy that sticks around risk being KOd by your teammates while the retreating enemies will be unable to make long distance plays safely. You won’t be able to get the entire enemy team in one move and it’s more likely that one will sneak off and return to counterattack later, but that’s just how it is being a Defender, the reality that you have to rely on your teammates.

And that’s Quagsire for Pokemon Unite! I actually got a request for this in my box, but it came when I was in the middle of writing the post for Beedrill. Now that Beedrill is done, I got to work right away on Quagsire. I appreciate that there are readers who enjoy this content, so I’ll keep at this for as long as I want to.

Next time, we’ve got a very fashionable pokemon coming up. A fancy little one that is well dressed for any occasion. Who’s it gonna be? Stick around and find out!

#Wooper #Quagsire #Pokemon Unite

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ramblingguy54 · 3 years

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“Everything’s changed, since you came here...Being around you makes me do stupid things and I wish it didn’t!”

This moment really surprised me in showing not just Amity Blight’s vulnerability, but especially Luz’s emotional sensitivity, too. Amity has a lot on her plate, in terms of baggage, from many regretful acts growing up underneath the abusive environment of her parents. However, that isn’t to say Luz isn’t without any kind of grief either, considering this kid is going through quite a lot currently, as well. Luz isn’t sure when she’ll see her mother again, felt seriously guilty at first about Eda’s curse overtaking her at Season 1′s end, and still doesn’t know how to exactly go about confessing the truth of her real whereabouts, which was the entire conflict of Grom Night’s plot surrounding Luz’s dramatic internal conflict. Luz’s greatest fear was her mother not understanding and being greatly hurt by her lying about summer camp, where she stayed in a more dangerous reality.

What seriously crushed me about this line of dialogue above from Amity is how she wishes Luz didn’t bring out this kind of inspiration to do super impulsive things from herself. This obviously isn’t so much a matter of Amity saying, “I hate you, Luz.”, rather I took it as Amity inflicting loathing sentiment upon her own self esteem. Amity has done a lot of things she’s not proud of whatsoever, which can definitely be seen through her treatment of Willow and how it was ripped to shreds by her parents demands for a great period of time, until Luz came along. Amity isn’t used to feeling so free to have a sense of self, let alone having some definition of happiness. Before Luz appeared, a good chunk of Amity’s life was ruled by manipulative, uncaring, and toxic parenting on how she should live. She was never allowed to have an actual carefree childhood, due to her being born a Blight getting saddled with unfairly high expectations of deemed “perfection”.

Luz is the complete polar opposite of how she has lived in contrast to Amity’s lifestyle. Luz wasn’t expected to become anything spectacular by any means necessary. Granted, her mother was gonna send her away to a summer camp as an attempt to try getting Luz’s more wackier nature under control, but to be fair it was also another way for her to try getting the kid to make actual friends. Regardless, my point is, Luz was able to live an all around normal life, whereas Amity had to immediately follow shallow standards set from the get go in a society full of unfair ideologies surrounding magical abilities. Amity meeting Luz, this kid who was so optimistic, endearing, and Hell bent on becoming a Witch, was such an alien concept to her, overall. Amity has been so used to living a life of obedience where, like her parents constantly beat into her mind, that a Blight must never show weakness to anyone on the Boiling Isles, so for awhile this was the mantra this kid followed at the expense of having genuine friends.

Every time Amity saw Luz in public it reminded her of the person she truly is buried underneath all the bullshit her parents threw onto her. A kid who simply wanted to become a Witch through hard work, determination, and have loving companionship, too. It’s why Amity was so terrified of Luz rejecting her in Grom Night because after everything that has happened she feels, “Do I deserve to be happy or loved? I’ve hurt people in the past and brutally cut off my best friend, Willow. Who would ever want to be with a person like me?”, which was plaguing her thinking throughout that entire day, until Luz helped pick her back up to take on the dark shape shifting blob of nightmares turned real.

“It’s okay I-I-I do stupid things around you too, Amity...”

There’s a lot of poetic truth to Luz’s statement here on her connection to Amity. After all, in Grom Night she willingly took on the ceremony upon herself in Amity’s place because she wanted to help her out that badly, despite having next to zero knowledge about how dangerous this tradition actually is in their world. Even after being filled in on the deadly details of how important it is to defeat the creature, Luz still didn’t waver in her determination to combat the nasty creature. Luz has unintentionally caused Amity so much trouble in the past, where she wanted to help with something very serious for a change because she knows there’s real compassionate kindness inside of her. Luz may have started to run away when her worst fears became manifested from the creature about her mother, but Amity rushing to help her out made them both inspired to defeat it together. It was the best way to explore their blossoming respect and love.

Luz did all that for Amity because she wanted to and not outta some obligation from an unfair code of Blight honor. Amity isn’t used to seeing someone go this far out of their way to help her this passionately, given she’s most likely accustomed to other peers at Hexside either fearing her, or outright being bitter about that ranking as a top student. Amity didn’t know what to make of Luz’s intentions for awhile in Season 1, due to this super self conscious behavior of conflicted inadequacy. She had a set path on her way to becoming a Witch suddenly interrupted by someone who reminded her of something Amity thought was out of reach, her happiness. While Amity felt so oddly happy about someone wanting to be there for her, it also tore the kid up inside emotionally because those regrets gnawed away at her. One could say Amity was “content” in living life of solitude away from those, like Willow, who actually care for her well being.

Luz, however, completely threw a wrench into those plans for Amity breaking her free of the mental shackles set by undermining parents. It drove Amity up a wall in the best and worst ways. On one hand, she’s deeply thankful for what Luz has helped her through in confronting bigger emotional issues, yet is still greatly confused on what it all means in the long run. Does she get a second shot at having real friends through her own decisions? Is she worthy of being loved? Is it not too late to change for the better at last? Can Amity live a life that isn’t ruled by her parents? Yes, of course she can. It just boggles Amity’s mind still that there’s someone who’s willing to go so far for her happiness this drudges up insecurities of guilt for past mistakes. Some part of Amity still thinks those moments define her, so to see Luz try to apologize wanting to make amends for the library incident in this episode’s story makes her feel, “Why are you apologizing to me? I’m not worth giving the time of day to, Luz.”. All of that gets undermined with an act of love by Luz to help get Amity her job back, by taking on deadly trials to accomplish this goal.

This moment between them carries so much layered weight.

#toh season 2 spoilers #toh spoilers #toh season 2 #through the looking glass ruins #the owl house #amity blight #luz noceda

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notathingjustthere · 3 years

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Not This Time

A/N: Honestly this feels incomplete and dry but I got frustrated arguing with myself lol. I wanted to post something today, because if I keep pushing it off I will never post anything so here it is. I’m trying.

Pairing: Ransom Drysdale x Reader

Word Count: 3525

Summary: Ransom oversteps a boundary and cannot seem to accept the consequence of you ignoring him permanently.

The rude interruption that graced your morning, would leave drained for the rest of your day. Your blurred eyes slowly zeroed in on the small scraps of confetti that would eventually cover the floors of your bedroom. The popping sound had woken you up in alarm, and the frown that graced your face said enough.

The evil faces that turned up in your bedroom were painted in glee, whiles they wished you a happy birthday in unison. “And who’s cleaning that up?” you groaned, naturally reaching for the phone on your bedside table and squinting when the brightness assaults your eyes.

It was only 9:23 in the morning, the alarm was usually set for 11:30 on your weekdays, but you tended to snooze till 12:15. You weren't a morning person and your friend Lizzie knew this when she pleaded on your behalf, arguing that 10:00 was a far more reasonable time to wake you up. Mila, your other friend had disregarded the input of course.

As of late your weekends were more often than not reserved for sleep, this one being no different. Monday would be a holiday so the next 72 hours were intended to be spent alone in your house, at least that had been the plan. You had been feeling more dull than usual, and even your restocked liquor cabinet failed to excite you.

The brunch set up in your backyard was very much up to par with your tastes. It felt pointless to change so you still wore your pajamas, after washing your face and complaining about the time. Your friends had gone all out for the small gathering, hiring quite the eye candy of servers. Each one waited at the table, ready to help you girls to your seats.

Your eyes lingered on one of the men a bit longer than intended, and the unexpected wink sent your way forced your eyes to look elsewhere. Mila jerked at your elbow, before wiggling her eyebrows suggestively at you. You had rolled your eyes before bursting out in laughter, enjoying the rest of your late morning meal with your two best girlies. It had been a while since you saw your friends, so you were glad, to say the least

Unlike you, Lizzie and Mila grew up accustomed to a lifestyle that only old money could provide. They didn't work as often as you did, which made it harder to fit into each other's schedules during the week. You did not grow up poor per se, but when compared to your friends, you could have been perceived that way. Your mother was a professor at Brown University, a fairly successful woman you thought.

You had found your own definition for success, living comfortably and content with yourself, as you often described it. Working in a high-level position for a growing green energy company, you took pride in your resilience. Many of your years were filled with uncertainties but finally, you had made something of yourself. The full ride to Harvard was where you met Lizzie and Mila, never expecting to develop a long-lasting relationship.

The cell you kept for personal use remained ignored after Lizzie dragged you out of bed that morning. The ringer was often placed on silent, resulting in poor communication habits with your friends. It was noon before you thought to check your device, the notification centre being flooded with messages and alerts.

Most you assumed were birthday wishes from people you hardly talked to anymore and some that you were only associated with because of status. They meant very little to you, but the sham thankful replies you sent were only to keep face.

A particular contact had occupied your thoughts for the past two weeks. The spam of messages you left open yet unread grew steadily. You were intent on ignoring him for as long as you felt necessary. He was not important enough to ruin your mood this weekend, or so you thought.

The last bits of sparkling wine settled nicely in your stomach, your chest feeling warm and tingly. You appreciated the quality time spent with your friends but it was time to resume back to your initial plan for the weekend. Lizzie and Mila had their own plans and intended to make your day as lively as possible. On any other day, you’d be down for a good time, but as of late you felt out the mix.

For gifts, Mila had opted for this beautiful emerald green bag from Bulgar. The serpent’s head-shaped clasp suited your corporate persona, which she admired. Lizzie gifted you a pair of Prada boots that she felt were suitable to your tastes.

It was 6 pm when the two informed you of the private room they reserved at a club. Lizzie’s boyfriend would attend, including two other guests, you were well acquainted with. You weren’t interested at first but eventually caved in at the last minute thought of letting loose and having some fun.

Your ringer silenced another phone call, it was his 86th one since last Friday. You were impressed with his persistence, figuring he would have given up by now. Newer messages had poured in, none of which you spared a glance until the last message he sent in.

“Fine, if this is how you wanna play it” you read.

The spat you had gotten into with Ransom, had been your last straw. He was quite the specimen, but a prick at that. The trust fund baby had been spoiled his whole life, and couldn’t seem to handle not having his way for once.

The relationship that brewed between you both could only be described as complicated. It had taken a lot to manage and handle the baggage he brought with him, but you both had balanced each other for a period of time. Now, you were bent on moving on, trying to convince yourself that you were over him, as he also tried to.

It was at Mila’s charity event that you would officially meet the douche, having only heard of him before. The free champagne helped soothe your nerves that night, as you often would be riddled in anxiety. It was an art exhibition, and you’d gotten roped into a conversation with the famous Harlan Thrombey, discussing a painting you knew a thing or two about.

That was when Ransom had walked in, interrupting the conversation. You had turned away, fiddling with your glass as you patiently waited for them to finish whatever it was they were briefly discussing. Harlan turned to you, and introduced Ransom, before announcing that he would have to leave you shortly to give a speech.

At the time Ransom didn't really catch your eye, you avoided making eye contact as you usually would with new people and had missed the way he looked at you. He wanted you in his bed for the night, and you had indulged him likewise. You were gone by morning that day, never being one to wait for the usual awkward boot out.

Maybe you didn't notice it at first, but his face had begun popping up at your usual spots more and more. You’d run into him at a coffee shop where you often scheduled meetings with prospective clients. There were a couple more hookups here and there before he asked you out to dinner five months down the line. That was almost three years ago.

Neither one of you talked about making the relationship official until you initiated the conversation. You had been on multiple dates, including the occasional family dinners his family hosted. You never did like attending them, but Ransom had wanted you at his side. You both spent a lot of time at each other's homes, and soon enough it wasn't just for the sex.

He’d thought of you as his home and maybe you did too. On most days you preferred to have your space, but as of late you missed his not-so-subtle touches whenever he’d pass by you in the kitchen.

That didn't seem to matter now, because you would never admit it out loud or to yourself. Ransom on the other hand loved being in close contact most of the time. As much as he denied the fact, you’d let him pretend the cuddling sessions during movie nights were due to the lack of space on the couch.

You never got accustomed to Ransom’s lavish tastes. He’d been quite the spender on gifts and more times than not you insisted that he return most of his purchases. You could appreciate expensive things, but much rather make those purchases yourself.

He only ever did demand that you keep a particular gift, one you’d almost given back after learning of its monetary value. The personalised bracelet with his and your initials on it had been your favourite. Not once did you ever take it off, and even now you still wore it after two weeks of ignoring him.

It all started when your boss confronted you about an offer he didn’t expect you to decline so quickly. He insisted that you take your time to reconsider, and you had been confused, having never heard anything about it. You were suspicious of Ransom, almost immediately, but thought to give him the benefit of the doubt.

At times he could be controlling, something you’d catch once in a while when you paid attention. There would be discussions about it, but oftentimes things got brushed aside as petty jealousy or mindless over-protectiveness. This time, you couldn’t and wouldn't let it slide.

It was at dinner time when you decided to break out your thoughts and bring something up. You wanted to avoid confrontation, knowing he’d probably try to lie to your face or react in a way you were not ready to handle. He asked about your day as he usually would, and you took the chance to talk about what your boss mentioned, unaccusing of course.

He played along with your confusion for a while, looking unimpressed as you went on. The contract would require your stay in China for two years, assisting in project management at the company’s main plant. Two years seemed long, and you could understand why the news was not exactly exciting. You had merely mentioned that you were considering the offer when he cut you off.

“Well that's stupid, is this some kind of joke?” Ransom's response was expected but you had hoped he would show remorse more if anything. You frowned, arms folded when asking him to elaborate on how he was feeling

“I mean, you're gonna leave me for two years? What am I supposed to do, just wait for you?”

“I would hope so, considering all that we have been through to make this work?”

“Come on, really?” he chuckled darkly, “You think I would wait?”

“Why are you acting like this? I thought at the very least you'd pretend to be happy for me before reacting this way” you moved your hands in a way that emphasised your point.

“Oh like you don't know that I declined the offer.”

The sigh you let out was deep. There it was, the confession you wanted out of him. You hated being lied to more than anything and were very disappointed he played along with your little act for even just a little bit.

“I mean, but what did you expect? That I wouldn't find out about something as important to me as this?”

“So what, I’m not as important?” he tried changing the topic.

“You know that's not what I mean, and you don't get to play the victim here. I-i don't get it with you, I’m always understanding, so why can't you return the favour”

He turned silent, which you thought was disappointing considering he had so much to say before. The anger you were trying so hard to settle down began to rear its ugly head. It was a couple more minutes of silence before he opened his mouth to say something.

“You didn't think I’d find it suspicious that your boss was transferring with you?”

Your brows furrowed in confusion at that. Jonathan had not mentioned anything like that and you knew Ransom didn't like him, especially after a particular encounter at your office.

He had shown up at your job unannounced a year ago to surprise you for your birthday when he saw the arrangements of flowers that decorated your office. Ransom did not look impressed at the scene, and knowing he would never partake in such a gesture you ruled him out. It wasn't until you noticed the card attached to one of the flowers that read out your boss's name.

“Great Job closing that deal, and a happy birthday! - Jonathan.”

As if on queue the head of the department walked in with smiles, asking if you enjoyed his gifts. He rambled on about not knowing what you would like, so figured he’d get a little bit of everything.

“She hates flowers,” Ransom had cut in without hesitation, your eyes widening at his remark. Leave it to him to make the inappropriate gesture from your boss even more awkward.

“He’s not wrong, but I really do appreciate the sentiment. Thank you” you had given him a kind smile, trying to save face. You couldn't remember what happened after that except Jonathan leaving and your boyfriend silently fuming as he walked over to your window.

You turned your attention to him, raising an eyebrow as if to question his behaviour. You were not angry with him, this was a rare moment where you actually appreciated his blunt tongue. Hopefully, your boss would now relent in his not-so-subtle advances.

But that was a long time ago, and frankly, it didn't matter because he was focused on the wrong thing at hand. He had invaded your privacy then lied about it by not saying anything.

“First of all I got this promotion because I worked my fucking ass off, I don't know what Johnathan has to do with anything.” you decided to defend yourself. Whatever it was that he was insinuating didn't matter because you weren't having it.

“Yeah, you fucking worked your ass off alright. You've got him so whipped that he even gets you flowers”

You gasped, and it wasn't so much that the words hurt you, but rather the fact that he’d been clearly harbouring this since that day. There was not much you could do about unsolicited gifts that you never accepted in the first place. Besides, after Ransom’s visit, your boss had ceased all efforts.

“Do you actually hear how insane that sounds? What the fuck was I supposed to do about that?” You reasoned, the calmness in your voice was long gone.

“Quit” he was so arrogant and entitled.

You scoffed, “Well I’m sorry, but some of us actually have to work, to earn a living” the tone you took to, spoke well for you.

“I can take care of you, you know that”

“That sounds nice and all, but I can’t depend on a man who’s never worked a day in his life.” There it was again, the silence.

“You don't even seem sorry, and you've yet to apologize” the disappointment was evident on your face.

He rubbed his hands over his face, his nose flaring up in annoyance, “I did what was best for us”

“No, you did what was best for you” you started but had lost your train of thought.

“You still don't fucking get it, do you? It's one thing to not want me to leave, but it's completely different when you think that you get to make decisions for me.” the words spewed out.

“I'm tired of trying to reason with you Ransom, okay? We are done”

It wasn't even a second after, before he grabbed your arm, tightening his hold on you and yanking you towards him. “We are not done until I say we are”

For a moment there he scared you, he had never put his hands on you like that, at least not outside the bedroom. Your stance did not falter when you yanked your arm away from him “Don't you ever put your hands on me again.”

The initial shock had long subsided when you decided to speak for the last time. “Let me remind you, that you're that one that begs me back every single time! But not this time, I'm tired of you. T-tired of your shit, the jealousy, childishness, everything!” Those were your last words before your tearducts gave up.

It was the first time he had ever seen you actually cry. Occasionally he would witness you shed a tear or two, like when you’d receive a wrong order of what you wanted, or something equally as petty.

He tried to come closer in an attempt to comfort you, but you pushed him aside then turned away. He decided to walk out then and there, leaving you to deal with your own sorrows.

You remember that day so vividly, and each time the memory replayed you did something to distract yourself. Much like you were doing right now at the club with your friends. The boost that alcohol gave you, left you chatty but numb.

The buzz had you going for a while, completely indulged in a game of pool with Mila who was effortlessly schooling you. She could not let you win, not even on your birthday. It was the commotion at the door that drew your attention to Ransom arguing with the security guard and Lizzie's boyfriend, Dan.

“Look dude, she doesn't want you here. Come on don't make this difficult” you didn't realise it but you had made your way towards Dan’s voice, not really processing what was going on. It was the sound of Ransom's knuckles punching Dan in his nose that woke you up from your little daze.

“I said get out of my way” Ransom tried to push his way through.

“Ransom” you yelled out.

His head turned towards you rushing to Dan who held his nose up in pain. You apologised profusely as you checked his injury, thankful that nothing was broken or bleeding. You turned to your ex-boyfriend annoyed, ready to talk his ear off until you remembered you didn't care anymore.

“If you think this is how to get me to talk to you in good grace, then I don't know what to tell you,” you said, pointing behind you at Dan and Lizzie.

“What do you want? ”You sighed frustrated, after signalling the security guard off. He really wasn't making this easy for you. His hands had twitched before when you held Dan’s face to inspect his nose. He knew better than to make things any worse than it already was.

“Look, so maybe, I have stuff to work on, and maybe we can both work on this”

“Mmm, you think so?” you asked rhetorically. It took him two weeks to come to this conclusion, and you noted how he did not start with apologies. He wanted to skip out on the guilt, but you wouldn't let him.

He tried to get closer to you, wanting to feel you against him and to reminisce in the sweet warmth he missed so much. You allowed him to, and for a moment you revelled in his familiar body heat as well, ignoring everything else around you. You let go of him after a while, distancing yourself to make it easier on you.

It took a lot to keep your composure, a part of you wanting him back but knew much wouldn’t change if you did. You took a deep breath, mentally preparing yourself to relay whatever decision you had made. You were right about one thing, Ransom would always beg you back. Never-ending the cycle of broken boundaries, possessiveness, and jealousy.

“Look Ransom, I couldn’t give you another chance even if I wanted to” you sighed loudly. “I-it goes against my principles, and that's all I have right now. So please, just leave.” you pleaded.

Ransom’s eyes hardened, he wouldn’t back down. This time you noticed the speck of regret in his eyes, but to damn with his jealousy. He didn't want this to end, and he hadn’t meant for it to.

“Come on, don't be so stubborn, Y/N. I love you, is that what you want me to say? I’ll do anything just say the word”

You smiled with hurt in your eyes as you looked at him. The words didn't mean much to you when his actions suggested otherwise. It was the insincere note in his tone that made it easier, but maybe he had meant it. His eyes were much more expressive than his words could be, not that it changed anything.

You simply shook your head no, looking down at your hands and playing with your fingers.

“No, you don't”

The cheap trick at making amends, would not coax your forgiveness, not this time.

Thank you for reading :)

A/N: My sister requested that I put her in the credits for her lil two cents in some of the dialogue, so here she goes.

#ransom thrombey x reader #ransome drysdale x reader #ransom drysdale #Knives Out #ransom x y/n #ransom thrombrey #ransom thrombey fanfic #angst #breakup

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