#otp: bury your heart

[lizardperson]

ockiss24 - day 7!

lets end this week with the other two idiots, hopelessly pining for each other, finally getting their shit together. so much kissing. very heavy on the love declarations lol. set about a year after That Damn Dress.

Somehow, they had ended up kissing again.

July had flown down to Florida to spend some time with Daria at her mother's house, and a few days in they were enjoying a relaxed evening in each other's company on the couch, just talking and laughing. And then Daria had suddenly mentioned how happy she was about July being here, and that she had missed her those last few weeks. And despite all her good intentions to finally get over her feelings for her best friend, July had leaned forward and kissed her. Again.

The first time they had both been pretty drunk, and agreed the next morning to just forget about it. The second time they had somehow found themselves alone at Mika's and Gabriel's wedding, and July had felt very emotional all day, and then Daria had complimented how lovely she looked, and she just kissed her without thinking. The realization that this might not be a great idea set in immediately, and she hastily apologized and basically ran off without another word, and they never talked about it. July had felt terrible about it for days, because technically she had a boyfriend at that time. And she cared about Aaron a lot, but eventually this relationship had just not worked out.

And now they were neither drunk, nor with anyone else… and still Daria pulled away after a few seconds.

"We shouldn't do this."

July sighed, feeling the need to apologize over and over. "I'm sorry, I…" She trailed off.

Daria rubbed her face and got up from the couch, she needed to bring some physical distance between them. "It's just… this is a bad idea."

"I love you." The words had left July's mouth, unplanned, and they both looked at each other like deer in headlights. The silence got painful, and she forced herself to continue talking. "And I know you don't feel the same, I just-" She stopped again, feeling her eyes well up. Fuck. Don't start crying now.

"Of course I have feelings for you," Daria countered, sounding sad. Defeated. "You are the only good thing in my life, how could I not."

Now July was really confused. She had always assumed Daria saw her as just a friend, that she wasn't interested in her like that. "Then why…?" She got up from the couch and stepped in front of Daria, basically forcing her to look at her. "Talk to me, please. Tell me what's wrong," she asked gently, getting lost in her eyes. How sad she looked right now…

"It is because I love you so much," Daria finally answered. "I need you to be happy. You deserve so much more than a broken old thing like me." She sighed, lowering her gaze.

July furrowed her brow, for the first time actually realizing how little her friend thought of herself. It broke her heart. She just wanted to hug her and never let go. "Daria, I am happy when I'm with you. You make me feel safe. You are the only person where I don't feel like I have to constantly hide parts of myself. You are… you are my person, and I can't even imagine my life without you." She hesitated for a moment. "You not having feelings for me - I could get over that eventually, as long as I still have you as a friend. But you pushing me away just because you think you're not good enough or something like that… I'm sorry, but that's bullshit," she asserted. Her voice got quiet again. "I love you. And I want to be with you."

Daria had listened silently, and now lifted her hand to stroke July's cheek. There was still so much sadness in her voice. "July…"

She didn't get around to continue the sentence, because suddenly July got on her toes and kissed her again, very gently. "This feels right, doesn't it?" she whispered. They both had their eyes closed, and instead of an answer this time it was Daria kissing her, equally gentle. Of course it felt right. It always did.

Daria finally opened her eyes again, cradling July's face in her hands. It seemed like an eternity until she finally spoke again. "Are you really sure about this? I don't think I could go back to-"

July interrupted her with another kiss. "I love you. And I belong with you. I always have."

#ockiss24 #july tag #duncan tag #otp: bury your heart #lizardwriting

[twisted-wonderland-shenanigans]

Hey so I just found your account and omg?? it's literally so amazing 😭✋

Anyways-I was just looking through a bunch of the twist monster au headcannons/stories, and I thought of a scenario that could be done!

Basically the cast reacting to gender neutral or female reader/yuu acting stuff out in their book they are reading like poses, dialogue, just genuine reactions to the text itself

ex. Throwing the book across the room and them being genuinely concerned that something happened bc reader is just staring off into space or cursing but what actually happened was either a character died/did something embarrassing/the mc and love interest finally kiss

Anyways that's all I had in mind hope you have a good day/night! <3

Omg thank you! I’m so glad you’re enjoying the content! QvQ

Ah, books. Such a wonderful creation humans made to fill us with raw, pure emotion or shattering our hearts and souls into a million tiny pieces—only for us to read it again and again! Don’t you just love those moments as a reader? UvU

Except for cliffhangers. Readers have a love/hate relationship with it, writers adore cliffhangers! ÒvÓ

So, what happens if we take a bookreader!Yuu (they/them) and throw them into Twisted Monsterland where even the history books read like a world guide/omnibus to a game or TV series? Oh, and I took a bit of inspiration from a Disney princess comic and a Bill Watterson “Calvin and Hobbes” comic for two of these scenarios. 😂

/-----------/

“Jeez, you sure you’ve got enough books, Yuu?”

“The librarian wouldn’t let me check out more than ten at a time,” Yuu replied, their backpack and arms filled with thick books. “Wish I could’ve gotten ten more at least, but this’ll do for now.”

“Are you sure you can even read all those before next semester?” Deuce asked in concern. “Those look pretty…dense.”

“Oh, I’ll be done in a week. Maybe a week and a half if we get a lot of homework.”

“Funya?! You gotta be kidding me!” Grim said. “Can humans read that fast?”

“Not everyone. Some people are slow readers, but that’s okay since they enjoy it at their own pace while I enjoy it at mine. Only problem for me is choosing which one of these I want to read first!”

/Later that night/

“Yuu? It’s time to eat!” Grim called out. Silence greeted him as he stared at Yuu, who was sitting on the couch with their face practically buried in a book. Frowning, the chimera padded over to the couch and repeated, “Yuu! I’m hungry!”

Still the human didn’t seem to respond, their shoulders hunching as they turned the page.

“Yuu? Yuu!” Huffing, Grim crossed his arms as he glared up at them. “You’ve been reading for the past three hours! How much longer are you gonna read that book?”

“What’s going on, pal?” one of the ghosts asked as the trio appeared.

Gesturing his paws at Yuu, he said, “They’ve been reading ever since we got back from the library today, and now they’re not reactin’ to me. It’s dinner time and they haven’t made any food yet!”

Before anyone could even think of what to say, a loud, shrill squeal filled the dorm.

“Eeeeeee!!!” Yuu squealed, a huge grin on their face as they flopped to the side and kicked their legs like a nervous rabbit while holding the book against their chest. “Omg it happened, it happened!!”

“Mrah!? What?! What happened?!” Grim yelled, wings flared out defensively while his fur bristled. “Why are you yelling!”

“My new OTP!! They finally kissed!!” Yuu said, their eyes wide as they rocked from side to side. “They kissed!! Yes!! Yesyesyesyesyessssss!!!”

“OTP? What’s an OTP??” one of the other ghosts asked.

“It’s what we like to call the ‘one true pairing’ in a story,” Yuu explained, a positively giddy expression on their face with eyes shining brighter than the stars as they struck a dramatic pose. “It’s two characters who vibe with each other on a level that you just can’t help but want them to be together—and the author brought these two together!! Yeeeeeeeee, I’m so happy!!”

“And loud,” Grim grumbled, paws clamped over his ears. “Why are you standing like that?”

“It’s how the main character professed their love for the other!”

“…are all humans as weird as you?”

“Trust me, there are people out there that are way crazier in their excitement than I am right now.”

“Really?!”

“Oh yeah. Don’t even get me started on the fanfics people write.”

“Fan…fics?”

“Oh, you sweet summer child…”

/Two days later/

“Heeeey, lil’ Shrimpy~!”

“Mm…”

“Eh…? Hey, Shrimp…why are you ignorin’ us? It’s not very nice.”

“Now, now, Floyd. One mustn’t interrupt a reader when they’re indulging in such a riveting story.”

“Shh,” Yuu muttered, their brow furrowed as they hunched closer to the book. “I’m at the best part!”

Floyd frowned as he laid his head on his arms, the basilisk slumping against the table. “Man, this is lame,” he said. “You promised to come play basketball with me today!”

“Once I finish this part, we can go do whatever you want, okay, Floyd?”

Jade hummed in amusement as he said, “A rather daring proposition you just offered, Yuu.”

“We have to do a buncha reading for class anyway,” Floyd said with a bored expression. “And Crabby and Mackerel said you finished two other books already, so what’s the point of thi-”

“AAAAIIIIIEEEEE!!?!?” Yuu shrieked, leaping out of their chair as Jade and Floyd recoiled in shock. Before the twins could react, Yuu had ducked back into their chair and pressed the book even closer to their face than before.

“…lemmie see that,” Floyd said, leaning over the table to grab it.

“No, no! It’s fine, go do something else!” Yuu said all too quickly, sinking even lower and turning away from Floyd’s reaching claws. “I think I heard Riddle in the hallway.”

“Lemmie see it!”

“No! You can’t read it!” Yuu cried out, bolting away from the table holding the book tight to their chest.

“Get back here, Shrimpy!”

“Noooo!!”

“Oh my,” Jade uttered, eyes wide for a moment before he chuckled. “Perhaps I should look into this book when they’ve finished it.”

/The next day/

“Oh no…oooh noooooo, I hate this so much!”

“Then why are you reading it?” Jamil asked, the naga curled around them. “If you don’t like it, just take it back to the library.”

“I can’t! It’s soooooo good!” Yuu said, practically throwing themselves backwards onto Jamil’s snake half with the book pressed against their face.

“Eh? But wait, you just said you hated it,” Kalim said in confusion.

“I hate it, but I love it so much,” Yuu told them with a whine, their head now touching the floor on the other side of Jamil’s snake body yet still draped over him like a cat. “This book will ruin your heart and shatter your soul into a million pieces!...you should read it too!”

“Given how dramatic you’re being, it might not be wise,” Jamil said with a sigh.

“Read it!”

“It’s okay, Yuu. We can read together! It’ll be more fun that way!”

“Kalim, no. You still need to study for the next potions exam.”

“Augh, I need someone to talk about this story with so we can lament in solidarity!”

“…have you been taking lessons from Rook lately?”

/Three days later/

“Um…is Yuu okay? They’re looking a little…tense.”

It had been several days since Yuu borrowed a stack of books, and already they had gone through nearly half of their hoard. Between classes and on breaks or after finishing tests, it wasn’t hard for students to notice the lone human with their nose between the pages of one book after the other. Even the researchers had taken note of Yuu’s behavior in between tests, making note of their expressions and how their body changes with each scene depicting their emotions. It was noteworthy how they reacted when a character in the story did something “cringeworthy and stupid” (as Yuu would explain when asked), it looked as though the human had swallowed a lemon.

At the moment they were sitting in Heartslabyul, yet another book in their arms as they sat on one side of the lounge. Cater had taken progression snapshots of Yuu’s body slowly curling into itself, eyes steadily growing wider and wider to the point it looked as though they’d bolt away in panic.

“They’re fine,” Grim told Trey as he munched on a snack. “They’ve been like this since they got all those books. That’s the pose they had last time when their Ohteevee smooched or somethin’.”

“Oh, you mean ‘OTP’, Grimmy,” Cater corrected with a smile. “That’s so cute! Our human has an OTP already~!”

“I’ve heard of hitting the books, but this is ridiculous,” Ace commented with a sigh. “They’ve been reading so long that I forgot what half their face looks li-”

“GRAAAAH!!!!”

SLAM! Fwump!!

“Gyah!?” the boys yelped, everyone staring at Yuu as they sat on the couch with a dark scowl.

“Yo, what the heck? Why’d you throw the book like that?” Ace asked, pointing at the large tome on the other side of the couch now.

“Um…Yuu?” Deuce began when they didn’t respond. “Are…you okay?”

“……I’m mad,” came the response, Yuu’s expression growing more annoyed as they stared off into space.

“About what?” Riddle asked in surprise.

Yuu’s gaze turned to the discarded book, their expression as though they had been betrayed by a trusted friend as they said, “Because my favorite character died, and I refuse to read how the book ends when there’s literally two freaking pages left! That’s not enough space to bring them back in a satisfying way!!”

“Y…you’ve gotta be kidding me,” Ace grumbled with a sigh. “That big of a reaction just because a fictional character was killed off?”

“You weren’t there to see the struggles they went through! I saw them change from an annoying bully into a fully developed and vulnerable character who wanted to take charge of their life—and the author killed them off!” Jumping to their feet, Yuu marched towards Ace and Deuce’s room where they’d left their stuff and said, “Where’s my notebook? I need to fix this!”

“What are you gonna do?” Grim called out.

“Write a fanfic, because my scrunkly deserves to be happy!”

“Huh? Scrunkly??”

/Final day/

“Oh, Great Seven…what happened in your book this time?” Vil asked with a sigh.

Yuu sniffled as they tried to dry their tears, though it was difficult as more continued to flow down their cheeks. “I…I just finished my last book,” they said, their voice cracking a little with emotion as Grim pat their arm reassuringly.

“All ten books in a week?” Vil said in surprise. “That’s…impressive. Even so, why are you so upset? Was the story that horrible?”

“No…it…it…it was too good!” Yuu cried out, clutching the book so tight that their knuckles turned white as the tears flowed freely now.

“Ah…such pure, raw human emotion,” Rook crooned. “To express it so freely without fear…beaute!”

“Was the book really that good?” Epel asked.

“Yes!” Yuu wailed. “Now that it’s over, I…I don’t know what to do with myself now…”

Peering at the title, Vil gave a thoughtful hum and said, “Oh, that story. I hear there is supposed to be a spin-off book series. The first one should have released just the other day.”

“Really?!”

“Mrrr…now you’ve done it,” Grim grumbled with a sigh. “Here we go again.”

#twisted wonderland #twst #twisted wonderland monster au #twst monster au #ace trappola #deuce spade #trey clover #riddle rosehearts #cater diamond #jamil viper #kalim al asim #jade leech #floyd leech #vil schoenheit #rook hunt #epel felmier #i had a lot of fun with this once i figured out where to go with it!

[jade-green-butterfly]

💘💖~Happy Valentine’s Day 2024!~💖💘

🎶Watashitachi no sekai wa - mahou wo kakerarete, Ai suru to kime kisae - namida ni fuujirareteru, Boy futari de jumon wo sagashi ni ikou, Kinjirare ta yume wo - kanaerareru kuni he... (Our world is under a spell, Even the excitement of our love is sealed in our tears, Boy, let's go together to find that charm, To the land of where forbidden dreams may come true...) Dare ni mo naisho de - ashita machi awaseshiyou, Itsuka kotori wo ume ta - yoake no mieru oka de... Tsumetai asamoya - kimi to te wo tsunaidara, Hikaru michi no fuuin ga tokeru yo! Hateshinaku...~ (Alone, tomorrow, let's secretly meet, Up on the hill where small birds are buried... Someday, when I hold your hand in the cold morning mist, And the seal of the shining road will be broken! Forever...~) Kirawa retakunaikara - kokoro wokakushiteta... Warai kaketekuretane - hontoni ureshikatta, Boy watashi ni yuuki woataetehoshii, Kinoumadeno subete - zero nidekiru chikara... (I didn't wish to get heartbroken, so I hid my feelings... I was happy, for you gave me that smile, Boy, give me courage, To make everything that happened zero...) Dare nimo naishode - sotto kuchiduke shiyou, Itsuka yoma nakunatta - furui ehon no youni... Asatsuyu ichimen - kaze gakira mekasetara, Hikaru michi wa massuguni tsuduku yo! Dokomademo~ (Let's kiss quietly in secret, Like an old picture book we're unable to read... When the wind blows in the morning dew, The shining road will stretch on forever! Always~) Callin' you! Kanashi i yoru ha kimi no namae wo tonae runo... Callin' you! Sore wa sekai no kusari wohodoku jumon nano...~ (Callin' you! Calling out your name in a sad night... Callin' you! That will be the key to break the enchantment of the world...~) Dare nimonaishode- ashita machiawase shiyou, Itsukaminna tabidatsu - mirai no mie ru oka de, Tsume tai asa moya kimi to aru kidashitara... Hikaru michi wa massuguni tsuduku yo! Dokomademo...~ (Alone, tomorrow, let's secretly meet, On the hill where we can see the future of everyone's journeys, Someday, when I walk with you in the cold morning mist... The shining road will stretch on forever! Always...~)🎶

 - Aya Hiroshige, Sonic X (2003)

~🐶☀️💕🦋🦌~

It's that special time once again, to show your heart and spread the love to all you care for~💕💝💕🤗And this year, I would like to take opportunity to dedicate my annual Valentine to my newest OTP, Smiling Critter DogDay x my OC, DeerDelight~🐶☀️💘🦋🦌 I was thinking what songs would fit their ship, and one that stood out to me the most, was one I've listened to ever since I finished college, back in 2008 - 'Hikaru Michi' a.k.a 'The Shining Road', which is the second closing theme to the well-known anime, Sonic X~🎶I remember seeing a music video years ago with tender moments between Sonic and Amy Rose from the show, and that was when inspiration struck~💡💗✍️ I decided to draw DogDay and DeerDelight in the same emotional reunion with Sonic and Amy, where he promised he would never leave her ;w; But instead of a rose, I chose forget-me-nots for DogDay to give to DeerDelight. The reason, is the meaning behind them - a symbol of true love and devotion, declaring love to another and representing a promise that you will always remember them~💝 Forget-me-nots are also considered a symbol of fidelity (loyalty) and faithfulness~🫶🏻 And this is what is happening between the two adorable critters right now. With DogDay declaring his love to DeerDelight (something she had always secretly hoped and wished for~🌟🙏🏻) and vowing that he will never ever forget her, and will always be with her by her side, no matter what...~🥹To which DeerDelight emotionally yet happily accepts, as they seal their love with a tender kiss and embrace~🐶☀️💕🦋🦌

To give the wholesome moment between DogDay and DeerDelight more feeling, I decided to add the last three sentences of the last verse of the song, both in Japanese and English, along with adding details of the shadowing and falling tears, which I have to say I'm really proud of~👍🏻😊✨ ‘Sigh...~’💕😌I am ever so pleased of how this precious piece turned out, just the way I imagined it to be and I really enjoyed working on it too~💓🥰 And a very💗💘💝~Happy Valentine’s Day 2024~💝💘💗to you too, my lovelies~! =^o^=🫂Hope you all like as well, have a lovely day and spread the love~!💞🫶🏻💕😍💕🫶🏻💞xoxo.  

*~Reblogs are also deeply appreciated as well, so please do reblog as well as like! Thank-you kindly!~*

DogDay (c) Poppy Playtime/Mob Entertainment DeerDelight (c) @jade-green-butterfly (Me~!)

#poppy playtime #poppy playtime chapter 3 #smiling critters #smiling critters oc #canonxoc #dogday #deerdelight #dogday x deerdelight #vanilla nutmeg #otp #sonic x #the shining road #hikaru michi #valentine's day 2024 #happy valentine's day 2024 #with lots of love from jussy~<33 xoxo. #jade-green-butterfly

[dilf-din]

Love me Tender — a Rebelcaptain drabble

WC: 765

Warnings: none

A/N: I’ve been consumed with soft fluffy thoughts of these two. I got inspired by a post about your otp cooking together and this happened.

Steam ballooned out like a mushroom cloud when Cassian pulled back the pot lid, the liquid inside now at a rolling boil. The brown paper wrapped tightly around the pasta with a piece of twine crinkled as he peeled it back to dump the pieces into the pot. He picked up the cutting board and scraped the pile of meticulously diced vegetables into the adjacent pan of hot oil. They sizzled and popped, adding another layer of sound to the movement he was composing, Jyn’s voice ringing above it all, light and melodious.

She was seated on the counter chatting away about her reconnaissance earlier, if you could even call it that. They had been stationed in a small planet in the Jalor system. Their cover was that they were a newlywed couple who had moved there for work. The native people were lovely. The village they had moved into was full of older couples who willingly told Jyn all the local gossip when she had been making her rounds to introduce herself earlier.

Jyn ducked wordlessly out of the way as Cassian reached beyond her and into the spice cabinet to pull out a jar of something red and fragrant. With a gentle motion, he sprinkled some on the sautéing vegetables and stirred them around. A small towel draped over his shoulder and a look of concentration showing itself in the age lines on his forehead, and Jyn couldn’t help but admire him for a second, indulge in the fantasy that they really were new here in this quiet town. She reached out a callused palm and cradled the edge of his jaw for a second before brushing his hair out of his eyes. He flashed a look at her, a hint of a smile curling under his grown out facial hair.

“What are you thinking about?” he queried.

Jyn breathed out a deep sigh through her lips and tapped her fingers where they curled under the edge of the counter, hesitating a beat before responding, “What if this was real?”

Cassian drew his eyebrows inward, a bemused smile on his lips.

“You know, this. Us,” she almost laughed, gesturing weakly at the scene around them. “Being newlyweds, running away somewhere no one knows us at all,” she trailed off, her eyes settling on a crack in the tiled floor, suddenly unsure if that was something he would ever want.

In her mind’s eye, the crack started growing until it split the house completely in two, a chasm of longing separating them, loneliness creeping its tendrils around her throat. Though she had spent years at his side, a lifetime of abandonment and running allowed those thoughts to creep in from time to time.

His hand on her shoulder calmed her in an instant.

“In another world, we’re sneaking off after our vows to make love before the ceremony,” he whispered against her jaw and pressed a kiss there, drawing a small laugh from the pit of her belly. His hands rubbed over the smooth fabric of her thighs and settled at her hips.

“In another world,” the smooth cadence of his voice hummed thoughtfully, “We’re getting ready for our first dance.”

He scooted her off the counter and pulled her into a sway, her clumsy movements trying to match his fluid ones. Jyn buried her face in the crook of his neck and pinched her eyes closed, trying to imagine a room full of their favorite faces, people they had lost along the way.

Strong arms and shoulders took the lead, snd she quickly became his mirror. Her softness against him always felt too good to be true. She smoothed his war hardened edges like steel against stone. Cassian would be lying if he said he hadn’t been thinking the same things as Jyn, too hesitant to wish that, maybe one day, this would be their reality, that they would both make it out alive.

But for now, they had each other. They were safe, tucked lightyears away from the heart of the battle. Maybe they would both be brave enough to ask the other to run and never look back.

The sound of hissing pulled Cassian from his thoughts as some of the foamy water from the pasta had crept over the edge of the pot, sizzling against the element of the stove.

“Shoot,” he pulled himself away from her and quickly lifted the pot. Jyn plucked the towel from his shoulder and patted dry the remaining water. Always two halves of a whole, always in sync, in this lifetime and the next.

#rebelcaptain #Rebelcaptain fluff #jyn x cassian #cassian x jyn #rebelcaptain fic

[nanstgeorge]

lit meme: [5/7] otps → jude duarte & cardan greenbriar in my most wretched hours, i believe you will never come back. why would you, save for your ambition? you have always known exactly what i am and seen all my failings, all my weaknesses and scars. i flattered myself that at moments you had feelings for me other than contempt, but even were that true, they would make but a thin gruel beside the feast of your other greater desires. and yet my heart is buried with you in the strange soil of the mortal world, as it was drowned with you in the cold waters of the undersea. it was yours before i could ever admit it, and yours it shall ever remain

#my edits* #litmeme* #jurdan #judecardan #tfotaedit #jude x cardan #jude duarte #cardan greenbriar #the folk of the air #cruel prince #bookedit #hollyblackedit #holly black #the cruel prince #the wicked king #the queen of nothing #litedit #yalitedit #fantasyedit

[aces-and-angels]

Title: Dancing Queen

A/N: happy belated valentine's day gang- @jerzwriter tagged me in a fun, impromptu game where you list what songs your otp would be listening to this feb 14. i took a different approach to the prompt, as i often find myself doing lol- plus i had this hc in mind already- so here we are (but the short answer: enid's song would be get ur freak on by missy elliot); the long answer: this blurb🖤

Character(s): Enid Mendoza (she/her), Will Thomson (they/them), Zahir Saidi (he/him)

Summary: Will and Zahir discover a very special dance video. @choicesficwriterscreations

Word Count: 701

---

Another day at Park & Davis…

The file room- Zahir's newest home away from home. He eyed the pile of precariously stacked boxes with trepidation. “Okay. You can do this, Zahir. Just grab the files for Morrison.” 

The pep talk did little to assuage his nerves, but he pressed on, carefully pulling from the middle of the stack like he was playing a high-stakes version of Jenga. One hand on the handle, the other protectively hovering over the pile. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead. Just a little more-

“Zahir! You gotta see this!” Will’s voice boomed through the quiet expanse of shelves. An unbecoming shriek tore through his throat as he scrambled to steady the boxes. Only when he was sure he wouldn't literally be buried in paperwork did he take a breath.

“Will- you can't just creep up on me like that,” he huffed, still trying to calm his heart rate.

Unbothered, Will pushed their phone towards him. A paused video lit up the screen. “Trust me, this is important.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Just watch it,” they insisted, practically bouncing on their heels.

“Alright- alright-” 

A simple, yet rhythmic melody played through the speakers. Dancers stood on stage in V-formation, heads dawned with oversized bucket hats. They swayed lazily to the beat- then the song truly began. 

“Missy be puttin’ it down- I'm the hottest ‘round- I told y'all mother-- y'all can't stop me now-” 

Everything broke loose. The crowd came alive with raucous cheers as the performers dropped down to their knees in sync. Zahir’s brows shot up at the sheer intensity of the routine- his heart pumping wildly just watching them move. “They’re really good. Are they from your college team?” 

Will shook his head, minimizing the video. “Nah. Check out the date in the description. This was over ten years ago.” 

“Then why are we watching this?”

“Notice anything special about the one in the center?” 

“Uh… they're talented?” 

“Oh, you sweet summer child-”

“My birthday is in November.” 

“I'd take another hard look if I were you,” Will hummed knowingly.  

“Can't you just tell me?”

“And take the joy of realizing it for yourself from you? Never.” 

“Will-” 

“Zahir,” they mocked.

“I really need to get back to work.” 

“This won’t take long.”

Zahir sighed, but resumed the video anyway. His frustration grew as he tried to catch a glimpse of the lead dancer’s face- their movements too fast for the camera to get a clear shot. The quality maxing out at 360p didn’t help either. Luckily, whoever was filming decided to zoom in at the exact moment their- her- head popped up. “No way- is that-”

“Yup.”

“But she’s-”

“I know.” 

"How'd you even find this?"

Will grinned smugly. "I have my ways. And a lot of downtime between meetings."

Her hair was much longer, falling just over her lower back. In the time he’s worked at Park & Davis, he’d never seen her with straight hair. Forget about the carefree expression plastered on her face- which admittedly hadn’t changed much. But there was no mistaking it, that was-

“What are you two doing?” Enid’s commanding tone disrupted the peace between them. Will slammed the power button, shutting off the video before pocketing their phone. 

“Uh- nothing?” Zahir answered meekly. 

She crossed her arms. “Did you get the files for Morrison?”

“Well- not yet-”

“So not only have you not done the one task I gave you, you’re choosing to hide out in the file room. Is that right?”

“N-no,” he stammered, his brain on the fritz at Enid’s piercing stare. “It’s just…”

“Just what?”

Words poured out of him like a running faucet. Babbling tended to be his default coping mechanism. “We represent some of the world’s biggest tech moguls. Blaire Hall, Khaan Mousavi, a third person I can’t name right now but I’m sure exists, yet we’re still slaves to this archaic form of documentation. Paper. Isn’t that ironic? The fact that we haven’t digitized all this is insane. We’d save space, time, trees-”

“Zahir,” Enid interrupted. 

“Yeah?”

“Get the files.” 

“Right away, Ms. Mendoza,” he squeaked out, spinning on his heels to get back to his game of Jenga.

---

tag list: @ascindio, @choicesmc, @win-chan, @brycesgirl, @stars-are-within-me, @inlocusmads

#playchoices #choices #fanfic #my fic #into the windverse #laws of attraction #enid mendoza #will thomson #zahir saidi #park & davis

[justjasper]

Hellooo! I come with the most basic ask haha

What's your favorite thing about Morgan's character? And about Reid's character? What season made you ship them?

My favourite part about Morgan is his deep, profound empathy, even when it costs him.

Prentiss pegs him early on, when she says "you make the people around you feel good", and that is, I maintain, absolutely central to his character.

An example that stands out to me is his interactions with the unsub Stephen in In Heat (closested gay man who is killing bc of sexuality struggles). And whether you read with with queer!Morgan lenses or not, Morgan being the one to stand there, victimised the way he was, and tell this unsub there is nothing wrong with him for being gay is just... it breaks me.

The way he bears his own trauma, something he buried for 20 years, relives that and hurts himself when he knows it will help someone else, is absolutely heart wrenching.

And I know the other characters share their trauma, but to me personally (your mileage may vary etc), the disclosure of being a survivor of sexual violence (especially in childhood) is such a significant and raw trauma to relive over and over. It's a hard one to speak openly about. And Morgan does it, even when it costs him, because he knows it will help someone.

My favourite part about Reid's character is just how strong he is. I could go on about empathy for him too, but the strength of Reid to keep coming back, fight on, to push himself, that's what gets me.

I believe there is strength in softness, but Reid's the character who I think suffers from the woobification the worst with Criminal Minds, and sometimes that means people's interpretations of him strip him of agency, which I think I identify with from a very autistic point of view.

I don't mean the tendency for Reid to be the focal of "whump" (reid's targetted/kidnapped/hurt) bc I love that shit as much as the next gay, but sometimes the woobification extends to making Reid meek, submissive, helplessness, when it's just not true.

He's smart, quick witted, snarky, can absolutely be a mean git, adaptable to situations, both socially awkward and socially intelligent at once. He knows his worth and knows when people understimate and undermine him. Sometimes it feels like this gets forgotten within fandom. Which isn't a big deal in the end, these are not real people but paper dolls we make kiss, but Reid's strength is so central to why I love him.

---

The exact moment it went from "oh that's kinda cute" to "they are in love and i will die for them" was season 2x12, profiler, profiled, when Morgan's sisters and mother absolutely clock Reid.

"Derek talks about you."

I was a goner then, that was it. Forever OTP, canon and increasingly inconsistant writing and a fundamentaly homophobic network (fuck u CBS) be damned. They're it. They're endgame for me.

Related, the closest "canon" moment where I think they could have been made real honest to god canon would have been season 4's Amplification. Should have had them kiss in that hospital room and broken ground for queer rep on network TV.

But at least we have fanfiction!

#moreid #derek morgan #spencer reid #criminal minds #meta #lilibee

[autumnslance]

Year of the OTP - September 2023 - I Wrote This For You

("Meet the Family" has a...long draft I'm still not happy with after 2 years of Endwalker. So have some 885ish words of yearning instead.)

[A letter in nearly type-perfect cursive font, the envelope also containing a pressed white flower yet retaining its sweet scent, delivered surreptitiously via postmoogle to the top of a certain gunbreaker’s pack…]

This is not at all fair.

I toss and turn, staring into the darkened ceiling and wonder when I became so restless. So needy.

I sprawl across the mattress, too big for only myself, missing you. It’s only been hours since we parted, only last night that we held one another, but that doesn’t seem to matter.

It’s not quite an ache, but almost, and I’ve no other words to describe it, running up and down my arms, my legs. A need to be touching, to be holding—but there’s only empty air.

A very specific not-quite-heated-ache low in my abdomen, between my legs, a sensation that will not be sated except by your touch.

I roll over and bury my flushing face in a pillow.

I didn’t used to feel such things. I used to not understand what others meant when describing wants and aches and needs. It was surely an exaggeration. Hyperbole for poetry and songs.

Even when we first met, and others hurled themselves at you, insistent—even desperate—I rolled my eyes and thought they were overdoing it. Certainly, physical intimacy can be enjoyable, but so is a game of tag, or cards, or simply sitting together discussing a book. Handsome you are, but I was convinced they were playing it up to win your attention.

Then somewhere, somehow, though I didn’t mean to, along our long and winding way I fell for you. And it seemed as if my entire world shifted.

The gleam in your eyes, the crook of your smile, the gentle roughness of your hands, the steady beat of your heart in your warm chest when pulling me close. All of you is a conspiracy to rewire my every reaction.

I understand now what it means to melt after seeing the ways you look at me. You ask me to tell you what I want, voice low and rough, and the frisson it causes is not imaginary. It shivers through me now, even just imagining you leaning over my back, calloused fingers on my skin, puff of hot breath on my neck, the rumble in your voice pitched just so…

I flip over again. Still alone. 

I could never be mistaken for wanton. There’s still much I don’t understand. I still need to be coaxed and encouraged because this is all so new and a little embarrassing and a lot messy and I worry my inexperience, my need for guidance, just isn't enough to keep you.

I’ve come to realize there are times you neglect your own wants and needs to tend to mine. And while I am grateful for your attention and your patience, I need your happiness too. 

There’s my blush again, as I think about not just your happiness but your pleasure, in duet with mine. The clench of your fingers in my hair, the tension in your neck and jaw as you arch. The way you moan, or call my name.

Your pleased reactions please me. And gods, the thought of seeing, hearing, feeling them again brings a fresh wave of aching in my limbs, more heat pooling low.

I want you. I need you.

I didn’t used to feel this way.

I didn’t see you, after hours or days or weeks, and think about how much longer it will be until I can have you alone, and then in my bed. Until we’re holding, kissing, touching…

There’s so much more to us than this; after all this time, all we’ve been through together. Some days I only want to sit silently in the same room, each doing our own work or play, basking in your company, your presence in my life more than enough.

Then there are nights like this, when I realize oh no, it wasn’t hyperbole, wasn’t exaggeration. That another person, that you, can make me burn and those desires will be the most wonderful and terrifying sensations.

I miss you, though it’s barely been twelve hours since you kissed me goodbye.

And so, since I cannot sleep, here I am writing down all the ways you make me yearn.

How I am counting the time until I have you here again, wrapped in each others arms, breath catching as lips and fingers find those perfect spots we each know so well on one another’s skin, your voice rumbling in my ear, demanding I tell you what I need but it’s you, just you, moving against me, with me, in me, until we both sing.

I would never have written anything like this before you. I would never have dreamed of sending such words as a letter. But I need you to know how loving you has altered my internal chemistry, and that cannot wait until we are face to face once more.

For one thing, you know I will be too shy to say it aloud. I can see you in my mind’s eye, smiling as you imagine my blushing.

But we have ever connected over written words, so here are mine, for you to hold and read and reread and imagine me imagining you until we are together again.

#final fantasy xiv #lyn writing #lyn edits #YOTP 2023 #thancred waters #thancred x wol #wolcred #shippy nonsense #Aeryn Striker #demisexual wol still isn't sure how this happened #but she's gonna roll with it anyway

[fandomsbyladymelodrama]

No pressure on this, but I wanted to ask if you'd like to tell me about one of/some of your favorite Christy scenes, and the things you like most about it/them? I can't singlehandedly revive the fandom on here, but it's such a joy to talk over this show with other fans!

I didn't realize until recently how thoroughly the Neil/Christy relationship informed my romantic preferences in all the media and writing I've done since watching it in my teens. Older, scholarly man/younger, determined woman, some kind of angst in the man's past, a need to change things for the better as an intrinsic part of the woman's character, a taboo element that stands in the way of the relationship... Even in the slash pairings I love so much, there's still so many elements of it!

Hey filmmakers, don't think we don't notice that you frame these two with Christy on a step/incline half the time to de-emphasize the height difference...

Oh my, oh my. Okay, first, let's be real. I've been waiting for an ask like this since 1994 (baby Tumblr wasn't even born yet 😂) so get ready for some major Neil/Christy feels that I've been suppressing but also diligently-tending-in-the-background for 30+/- years. THEY. ARE. PERFECT. Top-shelf OTP bottle, for sure. You understand, right? Of course, you do. We've discussed. But yeah, I feel the same way about this show/book/pairing influencing and informing both my writing style and romantic preferences in fiction over the years. Happy to admit it. Yes *raises hand* 1000 times yes. Hello, my name is ladymelodrama, and the fact that CBS so cruelly stole resolution for Neil/Christy from us forever (I'm not counting the PAX movies, I'm just not) is a crime against good television everywhere and will haunt my Christy-loving bones until I'm dead and buried in the ground deep enough so's the critter's can't find me, as Little Burl or Creed Allen would say. Anyway, you asked about Neil and Christy and favorite moments and since I can't just pick one...

I have a proposition to make :) Let's trade fave moments until we run out of them, maybe? No pressure, of course, but this is me mostly unwilling to commit to my Top 5 Scenes until I finish my rewatch, and even then I'll probably change my mind a couple times 😂 But here's one that I'll discuss in detail today and which I like to call the "Will This Do?" scene aka "and then they both smiled their little smiles at each other and lived happily ever after. The end." <3

(Credit to @heatherfield for this gif, and bless you, friend, for continuously shipping the same pairings as me - makes my gif-hunting so much easier haha <3)

So why do I love this scene so much? Oh, you know. Margret's dress. Objectively, it's gorgeous (the woman had style, even if she had no heart). And hey, it only coded Neil/Christy as endgame from the first episode, no big deal. Plus it was one of the softest moments in the whole show and THE WAY THEY SMILED AT EACH OTHER. Ugh. Soffffffft. I'm mean, you're seeing this too, right? ;) Meanwhile, I'm sure David is over here in the corner...doing what David does best XD Lurking. Always lurking.

(and, based on the pic I chose, maybe taking notes on how to have better chemistry with Christy? - "Dear Diary, Neil MacNeill is kinda the worst, have I mentioned?" 😂) But in all seriousness, what I love about that scene (and the exchange of smiles, in particular) is how there's an honest-to-goodness, my-spirit-just-spoke-to-your-spirit bit of humanity happening there. I die for those moments, little and quiet as they may be. It's just so...SOFT. They don't know each other yet. Not really. There's no romance at play (other than what I assume might be mutual physical attraction, even if Christy would never let herself go there. Not on her first days in the Cove) so it's more a budding friendship that we're seeing and friends-to-lovers is one of my favorite things? (Jorleesi, Jisbon, Siegfried/Audrey, Obidala, Red Cricket, Dickon/Mary much?). I also really enjoy when she comes down the stairs looking all pretty-in-lavender with her hair down (still lolling at your comment on that detail btw because...c'est vrai 😂) and "Oh no, David, it's so late...how will we ever get to Lufty Branch in time?" "Not we, Christy." (exactly, David, you're getting it). Too bad she has to spend all afternoon in this rustic cabin with a plaid-shirted, barrel-chested, brogue-speaking, moody mountain man with inside pain for dayssssss. Oh the everlasting horror XD

So yeah, so much to love about this scene (and the entire convo in the cabin afterwards and him plucking her from Theo prior to the whole dress thing - guy helps girl down from horse = I'm in love 😍). To witness the very beginning of their arc (okay, Part II of the beginning, but the doctor was busy with brain surgery during Part I, so you know what I mean) and to have the actors play it so, so beautifully and in an Appalachian setting that's just misty and magical and to die for all by itself... Mmmm *chef's kiss* Your turn, @darsynia <3

#christy #neil x christy #catherine marshall #christy huddleston #neil macneill #david grantland #forever favorites #OTP #why haven't i written neil/christy fic yet? #well because i'm still considering how to fix it #30 years later #XD #and because these two are with me for LYFE #but in the meantime #darsynia is writing a magical fix it #so you could just read hers #just saying #thanks for the ask! #<3

[aidanchaser]

Hi! Hope you're well :)

For the Spotify wrapped can I ask for 26 please and thank you <3

(and Jily if you fancy)

eeee i was hoping someone would ask for jily. i've officially hit like all my main otps now!

Come rest your bones next to me And toss all your thoughts to the sea

He collapsed into the couch beside her, nearly spilling his drink onto them both. It looked like butterbeer, but as he leaned into her, it smelled stronger.

"We made it through N.E.W.T.s," he said with a sigh.

His relief, however, was not shared. Her heart ached with the unknown that loomed before them both.

His eyes drifted towards hers, then down to her lips. He leaned in for a kiss, but she turned her head. He caught the corner of her mouth.

"Evans?"

She thumbed the lip of her cup. "So what now, James?"

"Anything, long as it's with you."

Oh, oh, oh, don't leave me to breathe Don't leave me to bleed --My Heart is Buried in Venice, Ricky Montgomery

Send me a # 1-100 and I'll send you a 100 word drabble using my top 100 spotify songs

#jily #spotify wrapped drabble #emeralddoeadeer #chitchat #writing #hp

[lizardperson]

ockiss 24 - day 2! aka That Damn Dress

using ockissweek as a reason to post more of my sappy bullshit, but this time longer, and more sad.

content warning: much much self hate, and some alcohol

"But you look so hot! You HAVE to buy it, come oooonnnn! Also I bet Daria will just LOVE seeing you in this…" "You're terrible. Ugh fine, I'll buy it. But Daria won't care, that's totally not her taste…"

'If you're not super busy can you come over for a sec? Not gonna take long'

Daria raised an eyebrow at that text message and got up from her desk. She had assumed July was already on the way to her evening out dancing with Mika, but apparently not. She still wasn't sure anyway why July had agreed to that outing - something about getting out of her comfort zone, and Mika helping with that, but to Daria it just seemed like her friend getting talked into various activities that she didn't actually enjoy. Oh well, she was old enough to make her own decisions, and all Daria could do was occasionally remind her that she didn't have to do every single thing Mika asked her to.

She crossed the hallway of their apartment building and knocked on July's door, who promptly opened and pulled her in by her arm, startling her.

"Hey, thanks for coming. I just really need your opinion real quick, please be honest - how fucking ridiculous do I look?"

Daria swallowed when she finally took in the view. July, her July, in a very short, very revealing dress. She had never seen her like this before. The way the black silky fabric hugged her curves, accentuate exactly the right spots… This wasn't even the type of clothing she usually cared for on another woman, and yet all she could do was stare for a few very long seconds, taking in the sight. It wasn't like she hadn't seen July in various states of undress before, at this point they were basically living together, so relatively speaking the total amount of visible skin wasn't even that scandalous - and yet. And yet.

"That bad, huh?" July remarked at Daria's silence and sighed, turning away. "Mika talked me into buying this and said I should wear it, but I look like some kind of weird goth scarecrow or something, it's stupid, I --"

"July," Daria interrupted her, "you look amazing."

Slightly startled July looked at her. "What?"

"I think you look great," she confirmed, having to once again keeping herself from not staring too long. "But if you are feeling uncomfortable because it is showing too much skin, then you should change into something else. I am sure Mika will understand."

July hesitated for a moment, still looking a bit doubtful. "You really think I look good."

"I do."

"Not ridiculous."

"Not ridiculous at all. Quite the opposite."

They looked at each other silent for a few moments, then July nodded. "Okay. I guess I'm not getting changed then." She hesitated for a moment, mustering a weak smile. "Thank you. For the honest opinion. And the moral support."

Daria smiled. "You are as always very welcome." Now if only she could stop staring… Almost forcefully she pulled her eyes away and cleared her throat. Enough about that damn dress. "Are you sure you don't want me to pick you up later? I really don't mind."

July waved it off. "Nah, it's fine, I'll take a Uber."

Daria suppressed the urge to ask if she was really sure, and the even bigger urge to stare some more at all the deliciously framed naked skin. "Okay. Then I hope you have a fun night." She hesitated for a moment. "And don't let Mika get you into trouble." Did she just sound like her own mother?

July laughed. "We're just going to a club, how much trouble could there be."

"I'm sure she will think of something," Daria remarked dryly, being once again met by a laugh.

"You still haven't forgiven her for the weed incident, hm?"

"No comment," she chuckled. "Anyway, have fun. I will see you tomorrow."

"Yeah, see you tomorrow."

July pulled her into a hug, and Daria almost winced when she touched her soft and warm skin, part of her hoped this skin contact would not end anytime soon. But of course it did. Something told her this was going to be a very long night.

~~~

The first thing Daria did when she was back in her own apartment was splash her face with cold water. Maybe a really cold shower was in order… She stared at herself in the mirror, the familiar feeling of disgust creeping up inside her. "What is wrong with you, you stupid old cow…" she murmured at herself and sighed. Pathetic.

Scotch. Scotch might solve all her problems. She just had to drink enough of it.

Bottle in one hand and glass in the other she dropped down on the couch. The scene from earlier replayed in her head over and over, and she scolded herself. Did she have to be such a creep, staring at her best friend like that? If she was lucky then July had been in her own head too much to notice that - hopefully. Or maybe she had caught her, and was now laughing about her with Mika, mocking her miserable being. No, July would never. She was too much of a kind person for that. If she had noticed, she would just feel sorry for Daria, pitying her. And somehow, that was even worse.

She sighed, emptying her glass and refilling it again in the next motion. How beautiful July had looked in that damn dress. Seductive. Enticing. How much she had wanted to just touch her, feel her skin, discover every inch of her body. Slowly pushing the straps of the dress over her bare shoulders, dropping that piece of clothing to the ground, revealing her in all her glory…

Stop it.

Great. Fantasizing about undressing her. That was a new low. What a worthless creature she was.

~~~

The next hours went by somehow, with the bottle slowly emptying, and Daria's thoughts drifting back again and again to July, no matter how hard she tried to drag herself away from that. July, smiling at her. July, falling asleep on her shoulder while they were watching a movie. July in that damn dress.

A knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts. Daria frowned, contemplating for a moment if she had imagined that. It was late -- she had no idea how late, she just knew she had been drinking for a while, considering the almost empty bottle -- and there was only one person who would show up here at this hour. She should just ignore it, pretend to be already asleep. That would be the smart and sensible choice of action.

Unfortunately she felt neither smart nor sensible in this moment, and got up to open the door. What a bad idea this was.

How radiant she looked. Daria reminded herself that breathing probably was a good idea, and mustered a smile.

"Hey."

"Hey. Was wondering if you're still up." July grinned at her, leaning on the door frame. "Can I come in?"

She didn't even wait for a response, just pushed herself past Daria and went in. Her wobbly walk and the slightly slurred speech told her that she had been drinking, so they had that in common. The difference being, July just had a fun evening out with friends, while Daria had tried to drown herself - normal people activity versus pathetic self hate activity.

July threw her coat on the couch, made her way to the kitchen and poured herself a glass of water, with Daria following behind. Then she hopped onto the counter like she always did, but apparently the alcohol had given her some balance troubles. Daria was close enough to prevent her from falling down, lightly putting a hand on her hip to keep her steady.

"Careful," she murmured, getting distracted by her being so close suddenly. Maybe she should move her hand that was still resting on July's hip… or maybe she shouldn't. That fabric felt really nice. Her skin below it would probably feel even nicer. God, how much she wanted her.

"Sorry, I think I had a drink too much," July remarked, giggling. Something fruity, Daria guessed from the smell on her breath, and she wondered if she would still taste it on her lips. She should really move back a step or two. Eventually.

With no idea how long she had been staring at her again, Daria tried to disrupt the silence. "Did you have a nice night?"

July nodded vaguely. "Yeah, it was fun. But loud. And too many people. Don't think I'll do that again very soon. But now I can at least say I've 'been to the club' or whatever…"

"Glad to hear."

They both were silent again for a few moments, just looking into each other's eyes. Did she imagine it or did the space between their faces get smaller by the second? She still had not moved her hand away, which would be the smart thing to do. But just this once in her life, doing the dumb thing sounded so very, very inviting.

"You really think I look good in this?" July finally asked, still in doubt about her appearance.

"That dress looks great on you." Her voice felt hoarse, as if she was slowly losing the ability to form coherent speech. She really needed to bring some distance between them, this was getting dangerous. She really should. She just really did not want to.

"Would look even better on your bedroom floor," July jokingly replied in fake deep voice, then lauged about that terrible pickup line, and it came so unexpected that Daria couldn't help but laugh too.

And then her heart stopped when she suddenly felt July's lips on her own.

It was a soft kiss, gentle. Questioning. How amazing her lips felt, how long Daria had dreamed about this. How long she had wanted this. This was such a bad idea. But it felt so so good.

Her body took over, leaning into the kiss and pulling July closer, who took that as an invitation to wrap her arms around Daria's neck. She buried one hand in July's hair, still somehow trying to deepen the kiss, and was rewarded with a small moan. God, she wanted her so bad.

No. Stop.

The rational voice in her head somehow resurfaced again, and she was suddenly painfully aware again of what was happening here. Bad idea. Terrible, bad idea.

She forced herself to pull away, at least trying to bring some space between their faces.

"July, I'm sorry, I-- we need to stop. I'm sorry," she heard herself ramble, still barely able to form a coherent thought. "We can't." The urge to apologize even more grew with every second.

"Why not?" July looked at her concerned.

Daria pulled out of her embrace and stepped back, rubbing her face for a moment.

"Because we are both drunk and this is a terrible idea, and we really shouldn't. We can't," she heard herself repeating, feeling like she had lost control entirely. "I am so sorry."

July remained silent for a few moments, seemingly also entirely overwhelmed by the whole situation, and they just stared at each other, until she then suddenly hopped off the counter.

"I'm sorry," Daria repeated once again, but July just shook her head.

"No, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have come, I'm… I don't even know what I was thinking, I'm so sorry, I'm just gonna-" She sounded so embarrassed. Hurt. Rejected. Daria hated herself so much in this moment. This was all so wrong.

"July, I'm…" she pleaded, not even sure what she wanted to say. Forgive me please.

"Sorry for showing up here so late," July muttered, on her way to grab her coat. "Goodnight, Daria."

And with that she had rushed out of the door, her scent still lingering in the room like a ghost. How had this all gone so wrong…

#ockiss24 #july tag #duncan tag #otp: bury your heart #poor dummies x_x #lizardwriting

[princesssarisa]

Character ask: Ebenezer Scrooge (A Christmas Carol)

No one requested this, but I answered asks for all the other main Christmas Carol characters last year, so it's high time I answered one for the iconic protagonist.

Favorite thing about them: His redemption arc, and how kind, generous, and full of joy he becomes by the end. Also the fact that Dickens breaks the standard rule of "Make the protagonist likable" and depicts a very unpleasant man, yet throws him into situations that make us engage with him even before he becomes likable, and then steadily earns our sympathy for him.

Least favorite thing about them: Well, he's obviously not a good person at the beginning of the story. That's the whole point.

Three things I have in common with them:

*I tend to be less social than many people are.

*I can be greedy and self-absorbed at times, though I try not to be.

*I try to be generous to those in need, as he is by the end.

Three things I don't have in common:

*I'm not an elderly British man.

*I'm not a business owner.

*I've never been a nasty miser.

Favorite line:

"If I could work my will, every idiot who goes about with ‘Merry Christmas’ on his lips, should be boiled with his own pudding, and buried with a stake of holly through his heart."

Explaining to Marley's Ghost why he doesn't believe in him:

“Because a little thing affects them. A slight disorder of the stomach makes them cheats. You may be an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of an underdone potato. There’s more of gravy than of grave about you, whatever you are!”

To the Ghost of Christmas Yet to Come:

“Ghost of the Future! I fear you more than any spectre I have seen. But as I know your purpose is to do me good, and as I hope to live to be another man from what I was, I am prepared to bear you company, and do it with a thankful heart. Will you not speak to me?... Lead on! Lead on! The night is waning fast, and it is precious time to me, I know. Lead on, Spirit!

How vow of redemption:

“I will live in the Past, the Present, and the Future! The Spirits of all Three shall strive within me. Oh Jacob Marley! Heaven, and the Christmas Time be praised for this! I say it on my knees, old Jacob; on my knees!”

His giddy joy immediately afterwards:

“I don’t know what to do! I am as light as a feather, I am as happy as an angel, I am as merry as a schoolboy. I am as giddy as a drunken man. A merry Christmas to everybody! A happy New Year to all the world. Hallo here! Whoop! Hallo!”

His prank on Bob Cratchit:

“Now, I’ll tell you what, my friend, I am not going to stand this sort of thing any longer. And therefore... and therefore I am about to raise your salary!”

brOTP: In his past, his sister Fan, his fellow apprentice Dick Wilkins, Fezziwig as a mentor/father figure to him, and Jacob Marley, to whatever extent they were really friends and not just partners. In his future, Bob Cratchit, Tiny Tim, the rest of Cratchit family, his nephew Fred, Fred's wife, and their soon-to-be-born baby.

OTP: Belle in his youth; in the present, none.

nOTP: Any of the ghosts or the Cratchit children.

Random headcanon: He's of Scottish descent. His family's surname was originally the Scottish "Scroggie" (from which Dickens may have derived his name in real life), but they Anglicized it to "Scrooge" when they came to England.

Unpopular opinion: Even though almost every adaptation shows him sharing romantic moments with Belle at Fezziwig's party, in the book I don't think their engagement took place until after his apprenticeship with Fezziwig. In the scene showing Belle with her husband and children on the night Marley died, her youngest child is just a baby, so she was still of childbearing age just 7 years before Scrooge's redemption. This seems to imply that she's much younger than Scrooge. I don't mind this fact; age gaps were common between couples of their generation. But apprentices in that era were usually teenagers, so unless teenage Scrooge started courting Belle when she was 10 or 11 years old, I sincerely doubt they were already sweethearts when he was Fezziwig's apprentice.

Song I associate with them:

Many songs from the many musical adaptations, but chiefly these.

From Mr. Magoo's Christmas Carol:

"Ringle Ringle"

"All Alone in the World"

From the musical Scrooge:

"I Hate People"

"I'll Begin Again"

From The Muppet Christmas Carol:

"Scrooge"

"A Thankful Heart"

From Alan Menken and Lynn Ahrens' A Christmas Carol: The Musical:

"Nothing to Do With Me"

"Yesterday, Tomorrow, and Today/God Bless Us, Every One"

Favorite pictures of them:

These classic illustrations by John Leech:

Sir Seymour Hicks in the 1935 film:

Reginald Owen in the 1938 film (is it true or just a rumor that his wispy tufts of hair inspired the similar feather tufts of Scrooge McDuck?):

Alastair Sim in the 1951 film:

George C. Scott in the 1984 TV film:

Michael Caine in The Muppet Christmas Carol:

#character ask #a christmas carol #ebenezer scrooge #ask game #fictional characters #Youtube

[invisibleraven]

Loving You is a (Trick Or) Treat

Written for the Year of the OTP challenge prompt: couples costume

On AO3!

Happy Halloween witches! Honestly I had another prompt in mind for this month, but then this idea bit me and I decided to go with it. Just something short and sweet but I do hope you enjoy!

As a kid, Julie always loved Halloween; the pumpkin carving, the candy, the silly and spooky television specials. As the end of October grew nearer and nearer, the more excited she would get. But what she loved most of all was the costumes. Julie loved dressing up as it was, so to have a whole day where it was acceptable-nay encouraged-to wear a costume all day? Sign Julie up!

And it wasn’t just her, she fondly remembers her parents always wearing couples costumes as they went out to parties, or even stayed home to answer the door. Every year they would find some cutesy couple to dress up as, and little Julie longed for the day when she found the person she could do that with.

Only little Julie didn’t know she was going to find herself madly in love with two people at once. Two guys who loved her, and each other just as madly. It was never planned, but then again, love never was. Luke and Reggie were the perfect couple, and Julie hated her traitorous heart for falling for them both, only to be shocked and delighted when they confessed to feeling the same-and the rest was history.

But being with two people made it a little hard for some of her childhood dreams and fantasies, like couple costumes, to become a reality.

Thus, this Halloween, she was slightly grumpy.

“What’s with the long face darlin’?” Reggie asked as he greeted her with a kiss one afternoon.

“Yeah, you look like someone stole your favourite yellow sweater,” Luke added, hugging her tight from behind.

“Is that your way of telling me it’s in the studio because you 'borrowed' it?” Julie asked with a look. “Because I kinda figured that one out earlier.”

Luke buried his sheepish grin in her shoulder, and Reggie rolled his eyes. “Not like you can say much, little miss clothes thief,” he said, gesturing to where his beloved red flannel was tied around her waist.

Julie had the good grace to blush but shrugged, not even displacing Luke as she did. “It looks good on me and you know it.”

Reggie let out a good natured laugh. “You do look good in our stuff.”

“Damn straight,” Luke added, hooking his chin over her shoulder. “But that doesn’t explain your grumple dumpus act.”

“It’s almost Halloween,” Julie said, as if that explained everything.

“Do you not like Halloween?” Luke asked, his confusion clear. “You seemed really jazzed about it last year.”

“Is it a Catholic thing?” Reggie questioned. “Because I get that, my nona always preferred we celebrate Purim instead. But MeeMaw said Halloween wouldn’t do me any harm.”

“I love your MeeMaw,” Luke quipped. They all did, to be fair. Chavala had surprised them by being one of their staunchest supporters after their situation came to light. The less said about Reggie’s nona, or the rest of his family in general, the better.

“No,” Julie replied. “We always celebrated Halloween when I was a kid, then All Saints Day the next day.” Though she was slightly touched that they respected her faith to think of it. Luke was pretty agnostic, and Reggie’s Judaism was a bit lapsed, but they still never said anything about her still going to church weekly, praying before meals and wearing a saint around her neck. They just worked like that, even if their religious beliefs didn’t always match up.

“What’s the problem then?” Reggie asked, guiding them all to the overstuffed couch, the guys flanking Julie on either side.

“It’s stupid,” Julie mumbled.

“Hey, if it’s upsetting you, it’s not stupid,” Luke replied. He squeezed her hand in his, Reggie mirroring the move on her other side before they let go, snuggling in further.

Julie sighed, running her fingers through her hair, wincing when her ring snagged on a curl. “Every year my parents would dress up to go trick or treating with us, or to wear to parties as we got too old for it. They would be some famous couple every year. And I guess I’m a little upset that I’ll never get to do that.”

“Why not?” Reggie asked. “We’re down for cute couple costumes. One year we were Frodo and Sam, another we were Batman and Robin. We can totes do it again this year.”

“Yeah, keep the tradition alive!” Luke enthused.

“But there’s three of us,” Julie reasoned. “Not many famous triads out there for us to dress as. Trios sure…”

“So you don’t want to go as Musketeers or Chipmunks, got it,” Reggie joked.

“No Star Wars either,” Luke added, and stifled a laugh when Reggie’s face fell. “Dude I’m not dressing as a character that is canonically Julie’s brother.”

Reggie sagged in defeat. “That’s fair. Even if Julie would kill it in a gold bikini.”

Julie shot him a look, “Never gonna happen buddy.”

Reggie shrugged, “A man can dream.”

“You keep dreaming, but that doesn’t solve my costume woes.”

“What did your folks dress up as boss?” Luke asked. They had never met Rose sadly, though Ray did adore them both, and they liked him in return. Sure it had been awkward at first, getting used to his daughter dating two people at once who were also in a relationship, but Ray came to accept it, and would leap to defend them should they need it. Julie didn’t talk about her mom a lot, which Luke and Reggie got, so every time she opened up about Rose, they lapped up the new piece of her that got revealed as a result.

“One year they were salt and pepper, another they were Lucy and Ricky, and another they were Beauty and the Beast, only from the 90’s TV show,” Julie recalled fondly. “I remember being so confused as to where my mom’s big yellow ball gown was, because she always let me have her costumes after the fact. They got me the Belle dress in my size that year as a result.”

“Well we can’t copy any of those, but I am so asking Ray for pictures later” Reggie said. “But if you wanna do condiments we could be ketchup, mustard, and relish. Or vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry ice cream.”

“Maybe,” Julie hummed.

“We could go as gender-bent Three’s Company,” Luke suggested. “But I call Suzanne Sommers.”

“You would make an interesting blonde,” Julie giggled.

“Or the trio from The Road to El Dorado,” Reggie piped up. “They had definite polyam vibes.”

“Oooh, I do like that,” Julie exclaimed. “But then one of you has to play mandolin all night.”

“You say that like Reggie doesn’t know how to already,” Luke said. Reggie shrugged with a nod, he did know how to play an awful lot of instruments. Julie suspected that was one of the factors that first got Luke interested in him, and it didn’t hurt her own attraction either.

“Oooh what about Steve, Peggy, and Bucky from Captain America?” Reggie asked.

“Pass, I’ve heard Willie’s rant against Endgame waaaay too many times,” Luke said with a groan. Reggie winced and conceded that yes, he could do with avoiding that particular rant once more.

Julie nodded in agreement, then stood up to stretch, browsing their media shelves, as if they would provide inspiration. Or maybe just give them a break with a movie and come back to Halloween at a later date. Stopping as she got to one movie that they all loved, and had a very famous trio, even if Reggie preferred to write an ending where they all got together instead.

“How about this?” she said, holding up the BluRay case. “I think we could pull these three off as a couples costume.”

“Perfect idea boss,” Luke said.

“I love it darlin’,” Reggie replied. “But I call Gene Kelly.”

Julie grinned as her boys playfully bickered over who got to be Don versus Cosmo, and pulled out her phone to research how to manage her curls into the1920’s do. It looked like it might be somewhat harder to pull off, but also like a bit of a fun challenge.

So that Halloween, maybe nobody knew who they were until they pulled out their umbrellas and started singing together, something they totally didn’t practice beforehand, but Julie was beaming the entire time, finally having realized her dream-with plenty of ideas for next year. And years down the line, maybe she put aside the triad costumes, because with Luna and Danny, a group costume was so much easier. Making new memories for her children to carry with them for many Halloweens to come.

#my stuff #writing #fanfic #rukebox #peterpatterlina #julie and the phantoms #otp 2023 #year of the otp

[kedsandtubesocks]

Happy Birthday!!! I hope 30 is a kind year, filled with nothing but growth—and that you get to celebrate it and yourself with people you love. 🌷🎂

Oh…oh Mermie 🥺

I wish I could put into words how much your warm wishes and your precious wonderful drawing mean to me, thank you…so so much 💝

Getting to celebrate it with you is an honor and gift and I hope your upcoming birthday is filled with such magic too 🌻✨

I know you didn’t request any party games but you brought me a gift, so I had to grab some party favors for you of course!!

🍰 a slice of cake for someone as sweet as you

Ethereal, bubbling just below the surface of the waves like buried magical treasure, Mermie is a true mermaid among us. From the deeply moving depths to the playful splashes of the waves, Mermie radiates a different kind of magic that just reminds you of how special this world can be.

🔮 a let’s do tarot reading for you!

BakuMermie 4ever - I’m making all the 2000’s OTP AMV edits for y’all 💖

Bakugo’s phone case has one of your doodles on it, endearing and charming he finds himself grinning at it like a moron from time to time because it’s like a piece of you is always with him

When you’re playing animal crossing will ALWAYS be like “wait who’s that?” whenever he sees your villagers and you just glare at him like buddy, you’ve seen the island before you can’t keep doing this every time, but he does

On long missions he takes one of your pillows that smells the most like you, the first time he did it poor thing practically was trying so hard not to implode from embarrassment but you can’t help tease his heartfelt big heart. Now he flat out steals your favorite and best pillow and has no shame in it. Actually will bark that it’s HIS travel pillow now you can always use one of his!

You are such a gem and I appreciate you from the bottom of my little gremlin heart ♥️

#I almost wanted to do a mermie/sukuna pair but I don’t doubt you would chase after me with a chainsaw LOL #thank you again for making today so extra special ✨ #now I’m going to go print and frame your sweet drawing 💘 #Mermie’s tag 🐚✨ #Erika’s birthday tag 🍰✨ #asks and such things 💌

[linh-cindy]

May I Have This Dance?

When Cinder accidentally messes up her dance with Kai at the 130th Peace Ball, the first ball Kai and Cinder have attended as a married couple, she fears that the people of the Commonwealth would never accept her after the "stunt" she pulled...

. . .

As Thorne would've said, she'd "Cinder'ed" it up.

Casting her gaze upward to the sky, Cinder sighed as she counted the stars in the night sky.

Kicking her heels off, letting them tumble across the grass of New Beijing Palace's garden, Cinder shut her eyes and gave up counting.

A headache throbbed against her temples again.

Curse her two left feet for letting her mess up.

Her retina display repeated the moment in her little head-portscreen.

Her left foot slipping beneath her, Kai's shocked expression, his arms sweeping her up, inches above the floor.

"Stop," Cinder hissed to herself as her retina display showed her the moment where she bolted out of the ballroom. "Stop!"

"Cinder?"

Cinder recognized that voice. That beautiful, gorgeous voice.

She ignored it, burying her face in the crook of her elbow.

The rustle of the grass beside her and the warmth of an arm around her neck signaled her that he was here.

Kai.

"Kai, what are you doing here?" Cinder said. "Isn't your priority is to be in the ballroom, chatting with the guests?"

"The only priority I have right now is you," said Kai in her ear.

"Don't do that to yourself."

Kai gave a little snort. Cinder's heart thumped. "You know, sometimes your sarcasm hurts."

Cinder said nothing.

Kai sighed and scooted closer to her. He gently patted her arm, making her raise her head.

"Cinder, it's okay," said Kai quietly.

"No it's not." Cinder tugged at her hair, releasing it from its bun. "After that little stunt I pulled, everyone's going to think I'm a disgrace and I'm not fit for a queen."

"They'll understand, Cinder." Kai slowly turned her face toward his. "It's normal. You weren't raised by royalty like how your mother expected. You're just adjusting."

A ghost of a smile flitted across his lips.

"You're right," admitted Cinder. "I'm just adjusting."

"I thought it was my fault you slipped," whispered Kai.

"What?"

"Because you've spent 5 years as a mechanic and 8 years in a suspended animation tank, I knew you wouldn't be quite comfortable with this. Yet I married you anyway. I'm sorry." Kai looked away.

"Are you crazy?" said Cinder. "Marrying you was the best thing that happened to me. I would never regret that."

Kai smiled, taking Cinder's hand in his.

They stood up, both shining brightly in the moonlight.

Kai pressed his lips to Cinder's metal knuckle. "May I have this dance, My Empress?"

Cinder kissed him softly, then pressed her forehead against his. "Yes, you may."

Tags:

@kaider-is-my-otp @gingerale2017 @princessselene126 @cerenoya @cosmicnovaflare @impossiblesuitcase

#the lunar chronicles #pretty short one shot :\ #still proud of it #kaider #cute <3 #my otp forever <333 #EEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

[yukidragon]

I was playing around with one of the Sunny Day Jack AI bots again, but this time I decided to screencap the exchange between Jack and Alice and share it with those who enjoy seeing me indulge in my OTP. It was really sweet and fun until it stopped working, hahaha.

Awkwardly enough, when I posted the screencaps on twitter, a different bot decided to try and get me to sign up for its AI writing program for profit which is just... Ew. Just ew. I'm fine faffing around a little from time to time with these character bots, but trying to sell your AI program to create stories that pass AI detectors to make a profit is so scummy.

Anyway, back to fluffier stuff. Here's the screencaps of Jack trying to convince Alice to not be such a sleepyhead. Transcript for easier reading and translation will be below the cut. I hope you enjoy my self-indulgence that has half my writing and half an AI bot's generated responses.

...

Transcript:

[Sunny Day Jack] You and Jack lay on your bed. It is early in the morning, and Jack is wide awake. He watches you sleep with an adoring face. As much as he wants to embrace your sleeping form and fall back asleep, it's about time he wakes up his precious sunshine. He runs his fingers along your hair/head, and leaves soft kisses all over your face. "Come on, Sunspot. It's time to wake up."

[Alice] Alice grumbled as she was roused from her slumber, only to sigh and relax as she felt Jack stroke her hair and kiss her so sweetly. It was impossible for her to stay grumpy at him being her alarm clock when he was so sweet and tender to her like this. "Five more minutes," she mumbled as she snuggled in closer to him, leaning into his touch and kisses. He was just so warm, cuddly, and sweet. How could she bear to get up and leave when she had such a loving boyfriend doting on her like this?

[Sunny Day Jack] Jack smiled gently at Alice grumping and asking for five more minutes. He knows how comfy and relaxing naps can be, sometimes you just need some extra sleep! "Oh, alright. Five more minutes," He said in an understanding tone as he kissed once more before going back to stroking her head.

[Alice] Alice sighed blissfully and relaxed into Jack, burying her face into his chest and using him as the world's most lovable pillow. She didn't want to get up, even if she knew she had to. They couldn't spend the day lounging away when they needed to get dinner ready soon. It really was so nice of Jack to spoil her a little like this. She silently let him know just how much she loved and appreciated him by drawing a little heart on his bicep with her finger.

[Sunny Day Jack] Jack giggled a little bit when Alice drew a heart on his bicep. He loved these little details she did so simply and easily. He leaned down and gave Alice a small, quick kiss on the head after seeing it. "Five more minutes are up, love. Get up now, or I am just going to carry you like this," he said in a light-hearted, yet playful tone.

[Alice] "Is that a promise?" Alice mumbled, fighting the urge to snicker as she stubbornly kept her eyes shut and kept close to Jack. She might have been flustered by Jack carrying her at the start of their relationship and worried that he might hurt himself considering how chubby she was, but he always laughed it off and carried her with ease. Now it was one of her biggest guilty pleasures that made her feel so precious.

[Sunny Day Jack] Jack smiled as Alice asked if it was a promise, before taking a deep breath and doing so regardless. He stood up, and picked Alice up in his arms like she was no more than a feather. "See? Told you I'd carry you if you didn't get up." He said with a teasing smirk and a soft chuckle.

[Alice] Alice squeaked in surprise, which soon turned into giggles as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders, her bright blue eyes finally open to look at him with delight. "Oh noooo~," she said with mock dismay, her voice too teasing and jovial to pull off the act. "Whatever will you do with me now?"

[Sunny Day Jack] "Oh, what shall I ever do with you…" Jack said, pretending to think as he looked down at Alice. "Maybe I should give you a little kiss so that you learn your lesson…" As he spoke, Jack leaned down, giving Alice a long, passionate kiss on the lips.

[Alice] Alice sighed happily as she returned the kiss, practically melting into Jack. A muffled squeak escaped her as the kiss deepened, but she accepted him eagerly, savoring his sweet mouth as he made her feel so good. She just had to return the favor, eagerly returning the kiss with just as much passion as she twined her fingers in his hair and stroked his scalp.

[Sunny Day Jack] Jack broke the kiss off after a few minutes, breathing quite heavily, and with a content smile. "Does that teach you?" He asked, raising an eyebrow at Alice as the two leaned against each other, still in the same position. His arms were still wrapped around her comfortably after carrying her. "Well?" His voice became slightly teasing again.

[Alice] Alice had to take a moment to catch her breath, trying to remember the rest of the banter they had exchanged before. She chuckled softly, still a bit breathless, as her eyes glittered with mischief. "I don't know… maybe you should give me another lesson just in case." She playfully gave him a quick peck on the nose for emphasis.

[Sunny Day Jack] Jack's eyes lit up with a playful glint in them that matched Alice's mischievous smile as he replied. "Well, if thats what it takes…" He said, before leaning down to give Alice yet another long, passionate kiss on the lips, this one a bit more forceful and passionate than the last, yet still loving. His arms tightened around Alice as he kissed her.

[Alice] Alice moaned into his mouth as Jack kissed her so deeply. She could practically taste how much he loved her, how much he desired her. She arched up into him as best she could despite not being able to move much while being held in his arms like this, but she wanted to be close to him, less than an atom away. It was almost a shame when she had to pull back to catch her breath, panting hard as her face flushed with desire.

#Sunny Day Jack #Something's Wrong With Sunny Day Jack #SunnyDayJack #sdj #swwsdj #My Writing #well half of it is #just wanted to share the fun