#(I am no longer with the people I have been watching with and that makes me sad)

[centrally-unplanned]

I am of the opinion that Brotherhood essentially "fucked up" its first ~1/3rd because of exactly this problem. It clearly made itself to be a "spiritual sequel" to the original, with its first episodes being incredibly rushed if you don't already know the story. It assumed you would have seen the 2003 anime but felt like it couldn't just skip the first part so did this truncated adaptation to not bore you and get to the new stuff (plus set up a few plot changes). This was a decision made in the constraints of the time it aired.

Those decisions though age horribly once you are no longer in that window of time, because the show is 64 episodes long! It is not a "season 2", it is an absolute chonker and no one wants to watch "both" of these huge anime out the gate. True fans, maybe, but it isn't how you start your FMA journey. Everyone asks what they should want, and the typical answer is Brotherhood because it is the more complete, cohesive story. But then they start it and it is incredibly mid - the stories aren't great, you aren't attached to characters the show is assuming you are attached to, plot beats like Maes Hughes's death (in episode 10, lol) have minimal impact as they lack buildup. I bet a not-small number of people simply drop it.

You don't have a lot of options though - telling them to "watch FMA until episode 24" or w/e is a very weird ask and they don't hang together because they weren't made that way. And watching the whole thing of both shows is, again, a ton of work. The show could have been made to "pick up" FMA from the midpoint, a bold, weird, but functional choice. Better though would have been to simply make a new show that stands alone, and doesn't care about "wasting the time" of people who already saw the first one.

Okay but the weirdest thing about the whole "Brotherhood is better you should skip 03" discourse that's become commonplace now, it sort of forgets the world Brotherhood came out in and why you should watch the original Fullmetal Alchemist. When Brotherhood came out, the original Fullmetal Alchemist was one of the most beloved and most watched animes of all time. Brotherhood assumes you the audience have already seen it because of course you have, everyone has seen it, so it skips important information and speeds the story up because it doesn't want to bore you with things you already know. Have you ever wondered "hey why does the first episode of Brotherhood kind of suck, and why am I being introduced to like 50 new characters, and why are they acting like I know what the hell an alchemist is?" It's because Brotherhood thinks you've seen 03.

The first 7 or so episodes of Brotherhood constitute dozens of chapters in the manga, and the first 25 or so episodes of the original Fullmetal Alchemist. The Nina Tucker episode in Brotherhood, in FMA 03 takes up nearly three episodes. Yoki gets a backstory in 03 and it's genuinely one of the best episodes and taken directly from the manga and Brotherhood glosses over it because: duh, you've already seen it. And so if you skip the original you miss out on dozens of really great character building episodes like Ed and Al meeting Hughes for the first time and getting to spend a whole episode helping him free a train from terrorists, or Ed and Roy having a duel that expands on the relationship they have, or episodes where the brothers just help out random people in towns before the major story gets going.

The original also paces itself quite a bit better than Brotherhood and is more in line with the mangas storytelling. In the manga we don't find out about The Gate until nearly two dozen chapters in, and the same goes for the original anime. Like, that's a twist reveal in those stories, and it's weird that the most watched series is the one where they tell you all about The Gate in the first two episodes because they assume you've already seen the original show.

What's more, people don't know that Hiromu Arakawa helped write for the anime while she was still in the middle of writing the manga, and as a result was inspired to write scenes in Brotherhood that the anime did first. That scene of Edward getting impaled by a falling beam? Directly inspired by a similar scene in the original anime. There's a lot of little instances of that and they're great when you can recognize parallels and things in Brotherhood that are direct references to the original anime, but people don't notice any of that anymore. Because the original anime is just an automatic skip these days, and it's a bummer because people don't realize what a giant it was back before Brotherhood was released. They treat it as *bad,* not realizing it was one of the most beloved anime of its time and the problems people take issue with have a lot more to do with personal taste than any kind of actual flaw in the writing. Brotherhood was never meant to dethrone it, and the original anime was always supposed to be part of the viewing experience which is why those first few episodes of Brotherhood are so fast paced. So like, please stop telling people Fullmetal Alchemist 2003 is a skip, or it's bad, or you don't need it because Brotherhood is better. Regardless if you think Brotherhood is better or not, the original wrote Brotherhood's check. It was huge, it was beloved, and Brotherhood is *banking* on the knowledge you've seen all of it and loved it. And trust me when I say there is so much to love about the original series. It's still my favorite branch of the FMA franchise, and it's worth your time, I promise you.

[gyeomsweetgyeom]

⋆⭒˚.⋆ Self-On Kode with Jaemin ⋆⭒˚.⋆

idol!Jaemin x f!idol!reader

summary: you and your best friend are very close, so you'll know what it's like to text him, right?

(cw: f!reader, idol!reader)

a/n: I am not currently accepting any new self-on kode requests

"Wow," you breathe out in wonder as you look around the studio from your pink chair, "I have watched so many of these videos. I love them." You bow softly to the camera, "Oh yes, hello, today I will be known as bunny."

On the other side of the wall, Jaemin settles into his seat, smiling at the camera while introducing himself, "Hello, I am Jaemin fron NCT Dream, but today I will be rabbit."

You bop your head along to your music softly, typing out your first message before your eyes widen slightly with surprise, "there are so many heart emojis! Woah, 1, 2, 3, 4... 11 heart emojis."

"Is this how you text everyone?" Jaemin reads off his phone, he pouts softly before typing back, "Yes, of course. Do you not like to feel happy?"

You laugh incredulously, "of course I like feeling happy. Emojis don't equate to happiness, Rabbit."

You both manage to move on and make small talk while you ignore the gross amount of emojis being used. Your partner seems to be fairly nice and happy-go-lucky, but you're still not quite sure who your partner is.

You and Jaemin had been close friends since you both started training together. He was strangely outgoing and outspoken in a way that was overwhelming at first but you quickly grew to like. He was a comforting person to be around and a great listener. He quickly became one of the few people you grew close to and felt a genuine friendship with.

It took a few years for you to develop a crush. He had been in the awkward puberty stage when you first met and that shaggy hair wasn't doing him too many favors. Then he took a medical break and came back to Seoul looking like a whole new guy. A very handsome new guy. 7 years ago was when you saw him in a new light, no longer just your nerdy best friend. And about 2 years ago that new light had led you to see him romantically.

Who could blame you with the way you two acted? There were countless inside jokes, regular hang out sessions with just the two of you, gifts exchanged, and way too much affection between two people who should only be friends.

When you see the screenshot sent to you, a flash of recognition hits you, could it be Jaemin? No, it couldn't be. Looking at the screen you zoom in, looking at an order for a pink variety floral bouquet. Why is it familiar? Well, because at the beginning of the week you'd gotten a pink variety bouquet from your best friend. Jaemin couldn't be your partner though, right?

You bite your bottom lip while typing out your response, "oooh, flowers for your girlfriend or boyfriend?"

Jaemin's cheeks flush a soft pink, chuckling under his breath, "something like that." He quickly adds, "just someone special."

The staff lets the both of you chat before moving you both along to send screenshots of you YouTube history. You take your screenshot and look up from your phone to look at the staff around the cameras, "I told you I'm a big fan so don't be surprised."

Jaemin laughs to himself while he looks at the picture, "wow, I have a big fan in my midst. Looks like we're twins..."

You cover your mouth as you laugh, looking at your screen which shows an almost identical image. Your partner had been binging the very same series. Another weird coincidence since last night you'd been watching these videos on your TV and live texting Jaemin about them. It was too much of a coincidence, it was getting weird.

Then came the most recent picture, you sent a picture of the shade of lip gloss your makeup artist had used on you and on your phone is a picture of an arm flexed. A very beefy, muscular arm and no face. "Woah," you breathe out. You can't even bring yourself to look at the camera, too embarrassed to show your face after how you just sat and stared at the picture for a straight minute with the screen really close to your face.

"You work out I take it?" You type back, slapping your palm against your forehead with embarrassment. You can see you manager turn away from you with second-hand embarrassment and you want to run behind the set and hide.

Thankfully your partner doesn't dwell on that and soon enough the staff is asking both of you to give your guesses.

Jaemin rubs his chin, "could it be one of my staff members? The makeup, the video history. I'm not sure."

In front of the blue wall, you try not too look at the camera, embarrassed by your behavior, "could it be Jaemin?"

You stand nervously on your side of the set, refusing to move and panicking while waiting for your partner to show themselves. From around the corner you see a familiar head of hair, then a familiar set of eyes, then a whole face with a dazzling smile. "Jaemin!" You breathe out in relief as you rush toward him and embrace him.

"It's you!" Jaemin exclaims while he hugs you.

You pull away from the hug, letting Jaemin fix your hair as you ask, "so, did you know it was me?"

"No, did you know it was me?" He asks in response.

"I had an idea..."

The staff have you both sit at a high top table and you pick up the conversation from there. Jaemin pokes your arm with a teasing smile, "how did you know it was me?"

"Well, you sent me the flowers you had a screenshot of and we watched the videos at the same time last night," you explain.

"You didn't recognize my arm?" He asks with a playful wiggle of his brows.

"You don't flex for me!"

He holds an arm up, flexing his arm as he tugs his sleeve up his bicep, "well, here you go. Get a good look. You should be able to recognize your best friend by any part of his body."

You hide your face in your hands. You don't think he meant to make an innuendo, but that smile on his face has you second guessing. One of the staff members chimes in, changing the subject and asks about the 'someone special.'

Jaemin drops his arm, cocking his head to the side, "she is someone special to me. She's the most special person to me."

"You can't say that!" You whine, shoving his shoulder softly.

He catches your hand, holding it in his own hands with a pouty look, "but you are."

"You're annoying," you whisper with a glare that isn't malicious at all.

"You like it," Jaemin whispers back, booping your nose with a smile.

The screen fades to black with a selfie of you and Jaemin with matching playful pouts, cheeks pressed against each other's as the credits roll.

The next month when matching statements go out about the two of you dating, neither you or Jaemin will admit that it was this interview that did it, but you both (and almost a million other people) know the truth.

[hotchnersangel]

MISS POSSESSIVE

Aaron Hotchner

a/n: BEEN OBSESSED W TATE’s NEW ALBUM SO HEREEEEEEEEE. ilyilyily.

cw: jealous!reader, established but secret relationship, innuendos of sleeping round (slay x), supportive hotch.

———-

The new ‘member’ of the team, a temporary member filling in for JJ had some nerve on her. Since her arrival she had made her attraction to the Unit Chief, Aaron Hotchner very noticeable and despite your relationship being private and well… secret, you realised that she was bringing out a horrible side of yourself.

You were sat in the briefing room, debriefing a case you just got back from when you notice how she is eying Aaron. Her baby blue eyes undressing him with intent and fire as she burns a hole through his clothes from across the room.

You pretended you didn’t notice for a few weeks now but you couldn’t hold it any longer. You took it as a compliment that she wanted YOUR man, but it was getting too far now. She had already pronounced herself as a ‘player’ to the group when she delved into the topic of her love life on a night out with her, which you supported her actions verbally, telling her to ‘live her life to the fullest’ and ‘get that dick, girl!’ but soon you’d have to teach her which to stay away from. Immediately, seeing her obsession with Aaron made you see her as an enemy, not a friend. Yeah, no one exactly knew you were together but god damn was it frustrating for you to watch them interact. The sheer thought of her thinking about taking your man home makes you furious.

It was late, around one am by now, the case being extremely long and exhausting which meant you were feisty and snappy and would put up with no shit from her.

“Aaron you need a break after this, you’ve been working so hard.” She says ‘innocently’, fluttering her eyelashes at him with concern. You fight the urge to roll your eyes as you tighten your jaw.

“The team will be given two days rest, I’ll ensure it personally.” He nods and chooses to ignore the flirtatious innuendo by the stupid bimbo trying to take your man.

You need to calm down, you tell yourself, taking a deep breath.

“Maybe we should get dinner or something?” She offers, again… innocently and if she wasn’t closing in on your man, you’d applaud her. This gesture makes you livid. She has just asked him on a date and you are finding it hard to bite your tongue. Aaron looks towards you, giving you a reassuring look that he isn’t bothered by her moves and quickly he shuts it down.

“I’m going to head back home, I suggest you all do the same.” He nods to them as everyone stands up ready to go.

“Just one meal, you need a nutritious meal after that case Aaron- let me take care of you.” You snap at the sight of her hand on his arm. You clear your throat.

“Get off my man,” you say with humour, trying to keep the tone light. This causes a round of laughter also coming from her.

“You’re funny.” She grins at you and laughs but your smile then fades and you zone in on her.

“No, seriously… get your hands off my man.” You say with a sharp face and the room falls silent.

Her hand drops from his arm at the intensity of your tone, her eyebrows pulled together and a frown caressing her lips. You watch as she takes a step away from him and towards you.

The team surrounding you have a shared reaction of shock, confusion and a hint of amusement. They knew you to be loud and bubbly, but never in a way that cuts at people- so, this took them by surprise but overall, there was a round of smirks shared through looks between them. ‘I knew it’ was chucked through sound waves on a length that only they had frequencies to. Emily and Derek whistled lowly, sitting back down in their chairs to watch the interaction unfold.

Aaron was stood still, staring intently at you with a look of warning. Not because he liked what was going on, but because he could see how angry you were. It was a look full of concern, worry and almost a slice of fear. He crossed his arms and thanked anything and everything that he was not in her position right now, because if looks could kill, this ‘bimbo’ would be six feet past death.

“W-what?” She stumbled, looking at you.

“You heard me.” You stand tall, looking at her intently now. “Look at anybody you want, take home anybody you want… but keep those eyes of yours off of him.”

“I- why are you acting like it’s a problem now? I’ve been flirting with him since I got here.” She defends and steps closer to you and you smirk.

“And has it once been reciprocated?” You continue smirking as you now take a step closer to her, staring up at her intently. Though you may be shorter than her, you were a whole lot more intimidating.

“And if it has?”

“It hasn’t and it wouldn’t.” You shoot back, a cold expression kissing your face. “You’re a pretty girl honey, but you need to learn your lesson that men who show you nothing in return don’t deserve your attention.”

“How long have you even been together?” She inquires, testing the waters.

“Long enough to know that there’s some fights you’re never going to win.” You shoot back and she frowns.

“I- I’m sorry I didn’t know-“ she says, looking towards Hotch who shakes his head.

“I’m not the one to apologise to.” He says with a straight face, moving so he is standing beside you now. “My lady is who needs an apology.”

��I’m sorry- I- I didn’t mean to cross boundaries I just thought-“

“Wrong. You thought wrong. Now, I forgive you but i suggest you tone down the flirting with my boyfriend. Okay?” You shoot back, your tone still a bit snippy as she walks away and you’re left with the team gawking at you both.

“Okay- what the fuck.” Emily breaks the silence with a laugh which crashes the tension that had built up.

“Miss Possessive over here, hello.” Derek comes over and teases you, playfully poking you and you roll your eyes.

“I’m sorry but it was getting unbearable.” You laugh softly and shake your head, “I hardly went off on her.”

“Yet you scared the poor girl to death.” Rossi adds and the team nods.

You gasp playfully, “did not.”

“Oh honey, you definitely did.” Aaron grins and places a kiss to your forehead.

“Now can we talk about this-“ Garcia adds, pointing her finger between the two of you.

[trevuorzegras]

cowboy!quinn x reader | the only mistake .ᐟ

the way back — zach bryan 🧺

authors note | i am going to try, and be more active, i promise! a lot going on currently, i apologize for the lack of content.

also thank you for 400 followers!

@wnderify @star2fishmeg ♥︎

Quinn was sure of everything he did. From the way he carried himself, to how he preformed during shows. He was as confident as they came.

This though? This was the only thing he was unsure of. Quinn made no mistakes. None. Almost everyone he met saw him as this perfect man, the man people envisioned themselves with someday. Now, this had Quinn questioning everything he had once known.

౨ৎ

Y/N jumped as Quinn slammed his larger hands down against their kitchen table, “I don’t need you on my ass all the damn time!”

All she could do was stare at him, shocked, and scared. Quinn was the quiet type, even when he held his head high. Yes, he was confident. That was a fact, but he had never been the type to raise his voice, especially not at his Ol’ Lady.

Before Quinn can ever register what he had just done, Y/N was already muttering apologies as tears began to fall from her flushed cheeks.

His eyes snapped towards her, the anger that once filled him vanishing quickly. He took a step towards her, only for her to take a step back. In that moment, Quinn had realized just what he had done.

౨ৎ

When Quinn had gotten home from work later that night, Y/N was nowhere to be found. No matter what he did, he couldn’t stop replaying their fight in his head. It was like a record stuck on repeat, and he had no idea how to stop it.

He shouldn’t have left her. He knew that, but he wanted to give her space. He had never raised his voice at her before, and he knew she’d need time.

Quinn was raised to be respectful to everyone, especially to those you love. God he was such an idiot. Y/N was the woman he loved most, and he was pushing her away like a dumbass.

౨ৎ

Quinn couldn’t think straight for the days following their fight. Y/N had been gone for three days now, and he genuinely started to think he was going insane.

Though, eventually, she turned up. He wasn’t sure where she had been, and hell he didn’t care. He just wanted her safe, he needed her to be safe.

His eyes followed her from his place on the small brown sofa as she opened the front door. She seemed to be looking around, checking to see if he was home, making his heart ache. He watched as she let out a shaky breath when their eyes met, his heart breaking from the sight alone.

౨ৎ

Y/N ended it that night, though he couldn’t blame her. She had put her faith in him, and he ruined it. To some, yelling isn’t a huge deal, but to her? It was the biggest deal. Growing up with a family like hers was not easy, but allowing yourself to love again? even harder. Yet she loved him. Loved. He wasn’t sure if she could look at him the same, let alone love him.

His performance began slipping, rapidly. He wasn’t riding as good as he should. He just overall was not focused on anything - though how could he be? He lost her. He lost the person he loved most in life.

No one had ever seen Quinn so distracted before, he had been doing shows since he was 14, and had never been so distant from reality. His mind was somewhere else, that was clear to anyone.

His mother, Ellen, had been the first to notice it. His smile no longer reached his eyes, his smile no longer seemed to be genuine. Everything that once came so natural had become a chore to him. The sport he loved seemed to become a chore right before his eyes.

That’s when she learned just why he was acting the way he was. Quinn was fully convinced he was going to marry Y/N. Except now, one simple mistake ruined every chance at his perfect future, his perfect wife.

Now she had just been a distant memory. A constant reminder of just how easy it was to lose everything.

[hauntedjellyfishwitch-blog]

Your writing is excellent 👌 Could you please write some more about daryl and reader getting into fights cause he doesn’t feel like he deserves her and he’s trynna push her away because he thinks she should go get someone better

Insufferable

Pairing: Daryl Dixon x Reader (No use of Y/N)

TW: Angst. Fluff. Angry declarations of love. Daryl is kind of an ass, but we love him. Alexandria Era.

A/N: Well, I took my sweet ass time with this, didn't I? In what I hope is adequate penance, I am finishing up a smutty, romantic part 2 for this.

-

It’s not that he’s avoiding her. It’s that he’s been really busy, with things he’s actively volunteered for and made up to get away and okay so maybe he’s avoiding her. They’ve not been in Alexandria long, but she thought when he finally settled between the walls, stopped being so alert that he’d settle into some kind of routine like they had before. It had lasted a few days, maybe a week; He’d roll over in an honest to god bed, kiss her awake just as the sun started peeking through. Maybe its that this was more than they’d had before, maybe it’s the change; maybe it’s the goddamn comment someone made about ‘how that animal got a woman like that’, but whatever it is that set him off made him go into recluse mode quicker than his bolts fly.

He's been sleeping on the couch, pretending the plush bed makes his back ache. She believed him, of course, he’d never had a bed so soft in his whole life, not even when he was a kid. He pretends to have a cold so she can’t kiss him, and why would she think he was lying to her? But now? Two weeks of grunts and nods in place of words. Two weeks of flinching out of her touch like her fingertips are made of flames. She feels like they’re back at the prison when she first arrived and where he’d barely speak to her. He’d only just started being vulnerable with her before the place fell, nothing like the apocalypse to set things back ad-nauseum.

She can ignore most of it. The end of the damn world teaches you to ignore a lot of things, and she’s just scared enough of losing him that she doesn’t want to push it, but she can’t ignore the way his eyes look sunken, or the way his hand has started to shake a little at dinner when he sits far away from her and pretends he’s not close to dropping his fork. She can’t ignore the way he’s losing weight because he’s barely using the fucking fork to feed himself and he’s barely drinking and the tell-tale signs of stress that are weighing him down.

“Do we need to talk about this?”

He snaps his head up in surprise, leaning away from the tree he’d just sagged against after losing a bit of his footing. She’d followed him, naturally; watched the way his gait is off just slightly, as he tracks footprints. The fact he didn’t hear her following, being who he is and all, makes her panic.

“Nah” He dismisses, waving a hand as he pushes himself off the decaying sycamore. Even the trees look fucked these days.

“You’ve been ignoring me”

“Jus’ busy”

“I saw on the news last night that everything’s going back to normal”

It takes him longer than it should to respond.

“What?”

“Oh I thought we were playing the lying to each other game since you’re spouting such bullshit”

It takes all of his willpower to keep his lip from quirking upwards in a smile. He’s in a terrible fucking mood and his body feels like its made of lead but she’s always been funny in an acerbic way that speaks straight to his soul. It was the first thing that drew them together, she met every one of his sarcastic barbs with one of her own until they became inside jokes and affection. She’d never been afraid of him, of his temper or his quips; but today he wishes she were, just a little, so it would make this easier.

“Why ya out here buggin’ me?”

“You didn’t want to spend time together?”

“Plenty of other people ya could be spendin’ time with”

“You want me to have a girls night or something?” She asks with a quirk of a brow, crossing her arms over her chest as she rolls her eyes.

“Whole lot of available men at home ya could be botherin’ with”

She feels physically the way the word ‘home’ warms her from the inside before being stamped out like a boot covered in ice. He’s infuriating sometimes, has been the whole time she’s known him; he gets inside of his own head and goes quiet more than she’d like, but this is new, uncharted territory.

“Tobin, Scott, that tall one with the hair, whiney voice”

“Descriptive, but you mean Carter” she retorts, because carter does have a distinctly whiney voice and he is alarmingly tall and because she can’t bring herself to work out what he’s actually saying. She’s never felt unstable with Daryl before.

“Yeah”

The anger than runs through her almost makes her shake. Head shaking in disbelief she tilts her head up to meet his eyes, lets him see the fire that he’s lit behind them, the ire he’s seen but that has never been aimed at him before. He swallows around nothing, but nothing feels like shards of glass, mirroring her stance but entirely devoid of fury, replaced instead with a heavy stone of guilt in his stomach.

“You want to write me a list of these men you want me to fuck or are you happy just telling me?” She laughs sardonically through tears that threaten to spill over. Daryl has always been complicated but he’s never made her feel like a piece of meat before. “Lucky me, I’ve got my very own apocalypse pimp!”

He breathes heavily, fingers clenched so hard the muscles in his arms bulge, jealousy flaring in his nostrils like this ridiculous line of conversation isn’t his own damn fault. He is Daryl Dixon, though, predictable to a fault, so instead of apologising like he should, grovelling like he wants to, admitting he’s been a damn fool, he snaps.

“The fuck ya with me for when ya could have anyone?”

“Because I love you, you insufferable fucking asshole! I love you and you keep breaking my fucking heart my insisting I can’t!”

He takes a step back as if she’s slapped him. Of course it would be her saying she loves him for the first time that shocks him, makes him flinch, not the frustration she’d levied at him since she’d followed. He never thought she could; he’s not a stupid man, he knows there must be some feelings on her end, she’s made that clear. He’s been stone in love with her since day three of knowing her, but he’s always been too wrapped up in his own shit to say it. It should have been obvious, shouldn’t it? He’s certainly felt loved.

“Ain’t ever meant to hurt ya”

“I’m not an accessory you get to trade off to another man when you get bored of me”

He’s silent for a beat that feels ten times longer than it is. He’s horrified at himself for both implications. He loves her so much it hurts, loves her so much he doesn’t think he deserves it.

“I didn’t mean it like tha-”

“If you don’t want me that’s fine, but you don’t get to decide that I don’t want you”

“I do want-“

“And you definitely don’t get to decide to mistreat yourself, okay?”

“I wasn’t-“

“You were”

“Dammit woman let me finish a sentence”

“Sorry, I just assumed since you’ve been not using sentences at all near me you might want to keep pretending I don’t exist”

“I didn’t-yeah I did, ‘m sorry” He huffs under his breath, almost a laugh if he trusted the situation enough. He’s aware of how painfully ridiculous he’s being, how painfully unfair but she’s still looking at him with hope he hasn’t squashed out of her yet so he braves forward steps until he can touch her; palm up on her shoulder to bring her in for a hug. “I love ya too, ya know?”

She burrows her head into his chest, nodding despite the left over annoyance. She knows, has always know, he’s spent their entire time together showing it so plainly he’d be a fool to deny it.

“I’m sorry I called you an insufferable asshole”

He grunts against the top of her head, peppering a small kiss into her hair.

“I am”

“Well, yeah, but we don’t name call”

[m4iya]

⋆⭒˚.⋆𝜗𝜚 Order up! Apple green tea, 50% sugar, 100% ice with black pearls and basil seeds for @sunnyskiezzzz!

Rekindled Suna Rintaro (fluff, drama, mutual pining, post high school)

Looking in the mirror one more time before leaving home, you applied an extra layer of lip gloss. Volleyball wasn't exactly your thing anymore, but seeing as some friends from your college days had invited you to a game, you figured you'd at least go and hang out with them.

Though one thing had been worrying you lately; one of the boys in your social circle had been a pretty clingy for a while now. You'd dropped hints multiple times that you weren't interested, but it didn't seem that he was getting the memo. The same boy had insisted that he should come as well, since it was a 'group' type of thing, or whatever he meant. You tried to give your friends an excuse so they'd understand that you were uncomfortable, but they didn't seem to get the memo either. You could hardly call them friends, but without them, you knew you'd be alone.

As you caught a train to the venue, you couldn't shake the sense of nostalgia that overcame you.

When you think of volleyball, your thoughts drift to a particular time in your life where you were somewhat involved with it. A close friend that you had in high school was on the volleyball team, and you'd watch his games sometimes. You learnt the rules, positions and local teams all so you could have something to talk to him about. He was somebody who didn't leave your side for the span of those three short years, and you often wonder why that was.

Though, things never progressed further than that. It seemed that sports took up a lot of his time, and you drifted apart after graduating high school. At times like these, you think of him and wonder if he ever does the same.

The venue was completely packed. You found your friends standing near the entrance, waving at you. Next to them were the guys, with the clingy boy standing out like a sore thumb. Ignoring him as he tried to catch your attention, you greeted your friends and walked inside. They led you to the stands where you were frustratingly seated right next to the person you least wanted to be around.

Ignoring him as he spoke incessantly, you watched the players walk onto the court and warm up for the match, barely being able to focus on the introductions of each team due to the irritating voice beside you. Looking over at your friend, you attempted to catch her attention to ask her to swap seats, but she was too occupied with recording the players on her phone, squealing each time they glanced ever so slightly in her direction.

So you sat there through the entirety of the two hour game, wondering if someone would spike the ball far enough and temporarily silence the guy next to you.

As soon as the match ended, you stood up to take your leave, wondering why you showed up in the first place. Though you underestimated how congested the crowds would be, as it took you much longer to leave the stands than you expected.

However, it seemed that you disassociated a little too much, as by the time the sound died down, you were met with a shocking sight.

"Phew, took us a while to get some alone time, am I right?"

Why on earth was he following you? And what makes him think you'd want to be anywhere near him? Whats worse was that he was inching closer to you, looking as though he was trying to tell you something that you definitely didn't want to hear.

"Hey, listen.. I.."

"I'm actually really busy, I've got tons of exams coming up and I need to get home." You blurted, chuckling nervously as you power walked through the hallway. The amount of people around was becoming scarcer, and he didn't seem to be backing away - panic took over.

"Where are you going!?" His voice suddenly grew louder, his hand locking around your wrist.

"Let go of me!" Before you knew it, you were shoved up against the wall, his puckered lips moving closer towards your face. You pushed his shoulders back with all the force you could muster, yet he wouldn't budge.

Just when his sweaty face was mere inches from yours, an obviously forced cough sounded from behind him.

The boy froze in place immediately, whipping his head around to see who it was. To his horror, one of the players from the earlier match had his phone held out, camera pointed towards him.

"Do you know her?" He bluntly asked, his phone still recording. You couldn't shake the feeling that the voice seemed familiar.

"Y-yes! Yes I do! We're college friends!" Stumbling on his words, he stood in front of you in an attempt to hide your face from his view.

"Isn't it weird for a friend to scream 'let go of me'?"

Having been caught out, he murmured a few things before fleeing the scene without even attempting to clear his case.

It seemed that wasn't the last shock you'd be met with today. You caught your breath, only to feel it hitch again as you saw the face of the boy standing in front of you.

"Suna..?" His name left your mouth immediately, zero unfamiliarity with it's pronunciation as though you'd been calling it every day since you'd met.

You weren't the only person who was utterly shocked. His eyes widened as you spoke his name, taking slow steps towards you to confirm.

"Hold on.. You look completely different." He spoke, a light chuckle trailing beside his words.

"I could say the same for you.." Nervously replying, you were suddenly overly conscious of your appearance, fiddling with the fabric of your skirt and adjusting the strap of your handbag.

"How long has it been?"

"..Around seven years."

He sighed, sliding his phone into the pocket of his uniform jacket. "It's seriously been that long?" He paused for a moment, a smile appearing on his face. "I still remember how much we'd talk. You weren't actually ever into Volleyball, were you?"

"You caught me." Embarrassed, you felt your cheeks warm up. Things didn't seem as tense as you'd imagined they might've been.

"So you did that for me?"

You always wondered how he was able to say such embarrassing things with a straight face. You never recalled a moment where he stumbled on his words or even blushed a little - always so straight forward. It made you wonder what stopped him from telling you more about himself - about what he thought of you.

Nodding your head, your eyes struggled to meet his. He didn't reply, though you felt him slump onto the wall beside you.

You were way less reserved now than you were back in high school. Seeing him today was the last thing you imagined would happen. Now that you had him beside you again, you wondered what it'd be like if you were the blunt one this time around.

"Hey.." Speaking up, your voice shaky. "Did you ever, you know.." You struggled to say the words, to ask how he really felt about you after all these years. Memories paced through your mind, recalling the days you spent together, seemingly growing closer over time only for it to come to a halt after graduation. Or so you thought.

"Yeah, I did." His voice was smaller than usual, seemingly being cautious of his tone. Your head tilted towards him, wondering if he realised what he had said.

"And I still do." He added, affirming that he understood what it implied. He chuckled, rubbing his neck - uncharacteristically embarrassed. "Only took me seven years, right?"

You couldn't help giggle, holding your stomach as it shifted into laughter. "I never would've pictured you of all people - acting all shy!"

"Cut it out.." He joked, eventually laughing alongside you. The two of you moved to sit down on a bench nearby, catching up on various things that you'd missed over the years.

"So, how was I on the court?"

Chuckling nervously, you were too embarrassed to admit that you, 1, didn't notice he was there, and 2, was preoccupied with zoning out the annoying chatter from the boy clinging to you. "Um, I'm assuming you, uh.."

"Did you even watch the match?"

"Not really.."

Sighing, he leaned his head against the wall. "Thats fine. I get a few free tickets anyways. You wouldn't miss my games, right?"

"Not again." You weren't really into volleyball, you knew that for sure. But being able to keep your eyes on him for the entirety of the match, watching him do something he'd been into since high school..

You could get used to that.

extra:

One after the other, you’d attend his matches as a regular spectator from the stands. No one else knew about you, and he decided to keep it that way.

After a particular match, you made your way to the sidelines where he and his teammates were signing merchandise for the attendees. As soon as he noticed you, he turned his head down to the jersey he was signing in embarrassment of what you might say. Noticing this, his teammates tapped his shoulder; you were waiting after all!

“How long are you going to keep her waiting?” They teased.

He sighed, finishing off what he was doing and looking towards you.

“Can I get a picture?” You ‘timidly’ asked, holding your phone out to him.

“Fine.”

He held the phone upwards and slung his arm around your waist. You could feel the gazes of onlookers as he snapped the picture, wondering who you were. Once you left, other people came forward, asking for photos as well, but he had already slipped away into the changing rooms. The two of you had plans after all.

[karinamay]

pathos - the wrap up post

If you see this and you haven't read chapter 23 AKA the epilogue, I highly advice doing that first (here) and returning later if you are interested ♥️

Pathos at times felt almost like an elaborate art project rather than just a story. It consumed my mind for the past three months, and it will stay like that a while longer most likely.

Under the cut you can basically find a collection of playlists, moodboards, parts of my planning. A look into the making of the story, really. Also a tiny sneak peak into some bonus content I have planned? Maybe?

First things first: ✨the playlists✨

This is the playlist with all the program music: pathos programs This is a playlist for Luchiara vibes: you and me (me and you) This is a (cursed) playlist for Zallario vibes: it's all he has This is a playlist made by @queen-of-seventeen for Lillario in pathos specifically: Promise? I Promise

The breakdown of which program music goes with which person/pair can be found in the monster file below.

Click here for the✨Art Gallery✨ (This is still insane guys I can't thank you enough.)

As a treat: ✨Bonus content sneak peak✨

I have three oneshots lined up as bonus content, but there may be more. I have at this point turned pathos into the first part of a series on Ao3 so if you're interested you can subscribe to the series for when I write more "crows on ice". With that, titles of oneshots coming up:

when you came home with me

what a difference a year makes

earn it

That day I spent making everyone's ✨imaginary instagrams✨ instead of writing a single word:

(No, Viago would not have an instagram, I will die on that hill.)

Speaking of ✨Livia Arainai✨

The absolutely outstanding Livia Arainai is a character who belongs to @queen-of-seventeen, who was kind enough to trust me with her (and Illario) for the purpose of this fic. If you want to read more about "Lillario" I highly encourage giving I’ll show you every version of yourself tonight a read.

Finally, for ✨a dive into my psyche✨

This "document" includes the details of the program music, and a little peak at part of my planning process for the competition in pathos, as some of you have noted you'd find that interesting to so. (Definitely not all of it. You don't need to see my 20 page planning doc.)

Anyway, that's all for now, I guess. I never expected pathos to have more than three readers when I started it. It was just a super niche little modern AU that excited me and two friends. Watching it grow into something people were just as excited (and maybe a bit insane) about as I still am myself, was incredibly special. Seeing art and music being created inspired by my writing is something I can still barely wrap my head around. So if you're still reading this all the way to the end with me, know that you are part of what makes this story so special for me. It's been an absolute pleasure.

[yj-polycule]

Batgirl, devastated after breaking up with Superboy, sees Wonder Girl and starts having ideas?

Dear requester, I adore you greatly for giving me that good CassCassie / CassCass concept because I stumbled upon that ship my accident and now I am fully invested.

- - - - - -

Cass was familiar with the concept of pain. She had to be. Every moment of her childhood was dedicated to mastering the art of inflicting as much pain as possible as effectively as possible. So no, pain wasn't anything new in Cass's world.

She just wasn't aware that a broken heart was such an effective means of causing it.

It wasn't that a broken heart was a new concept to her either. She had become quite familiar with it upon watching shows with Barbara or talking with Tim about his relationships of the past, yet she was blissfully unaware of how painful that single concept could truly be.

Maybe it was because it was her first heartbreak. The first real relationship she has had, and the first ending to one she has come across. Maybe it was because it wasn't a messy situation that brought them apart, that it was civil and a clean break that made her heart contract in on itself as they agreed that they were better off just remaining friends.

Didn't mean it hurt any less.

Tim helped. Despite him having known Kon for longer, the Robin still opted to spend him time with Cass, keeping her company, distracting her from the pain constricting in her chest, and just letting her know that it was normal. The playful jabs at the Kryptonian made laughter come much easier, knowing they were coming from a place of knowledge, rather than blind insults she had heard people commonly spew when addressing someone's ex. It was reassuring. Comforting, having her new friend be there for her.

It was in one of those moments of peace when the request came.

"Wanna join me for movie night this week?" The two were occupying the couch in the middle of the clock tower, Tim sprawled across the sofa with his legs resting on Cass's lap as she was staring blankly at the TV running across from them, not really taking in anything from the show that was playing. She felt her expression pinch, knowing who typically attended his weekly movie nights.

"Kon-el?" She forced the name out, feeling her chest tighten ever so slightly as it slipped between her lips.

"Can't make it this week. Something about Clark needing his help with something at the fortress of solitude or something like that."

"Ah. Filler then." Tension leaked out of Cass's shoulder at the confirmation Kon wasn't going to be there and cast her attention toward Tim, who had his face pinched in a soured expression.

"No... but kinda? As much as I know Cassie loves us, I doubt she could survive both Bart and I rambling for who knows how many hours without actually loosing her sanity." A small hum came from Cass at the explanation, a small smirk coming to her face.

"Sacrifice, then." Cass shifted her weight to avoid the pillow being half heartedly thrown her direction, smirk splitting into a true smile as Tim sat up, glaring at her with no real heat.

"I have other reason! Bart and Cassie have been wanting to meet you, and considering Kon won't be there I thought this would be a good an easy way for you guys to meet. Ya know, without the world ending and shit." Cass laughed softly, finally shoving the younger's legs off her lap. It honestly didn't sound like a bad time, plus she had been wanting to meet the rest of Young Justice, considering she has heard plenty about them from both Kon and Tim.

"Sounds fun. You'll pick me up?" Tim nodded at the question, a smile across his face before shifting himself to lean more fully against Cass, clearly satisfied with his work. Brown eyes rolled fondly as she pushed her weight against his, the two falling back into silence, gazes locked on the TV ahead.

-----

Saturday afternoon rolled around with no real fanfare, just Tim leading Cass to a small house in the suburbs of Gateway City. The younger was rambling about anything and everything while Cass just nodded along, happy to just listen as they approached the unassuming front door. A moment later the door slid open, revealing an older woman with brown hair, who's gaze skimmed over the two before falling into a welcoming smile.

"Tim, glad to see you could make it. And who is this?"

"Hey Ms. Sandsmark, this is Cass my..." Tim paused, turning his attention to Cass with a pinched expression as the two made eye contact. "Sister?" Cass gave a short nod. "Sister. Cassie and Bart wanted to meet her so I invited her, hope that isn't a problem."

Ms. Sandsmark's face warmed up as she looked at Cass, opening the door fully and signaling the two to come inside. "Not an issue at all. It's great to meet you Cass. The others are upstairs, but Bart might be in the middle of emptying my kitchen. I'm sure you know the way." Tim gave a nod toward the brunette before looping arms with Cass and pulling her deeper into the house and up a single flight of stairs. Cass let her eyes bounce around the space, taking in as much of it as she could.

It was a stereotypical suburban house, or as much as one as Cass could figure out from the media she's consumed. Pictures of a young girl with blond hair were scattered among the walls, awards and certificates hanging among them, addressed to both a Helena and Cassandra. The house as a whole had a warm, pleasant feeling to it that put Cass at ease as they finally stopped in front of a bedroom door, Tim throwing it open without abandon.

"Cassandra, meet Cassandra. Cassandra, Cassandra." Tim strut into the room, signaling toward Cass before shifting his hand toward a blonde teenager sitting in the middle of a twin bed against a wall. Cass watched as hazel eyes rolled in amusement before the other teenager pushed herself to her feet and walked over to the two bats, shoving Tim playfully toward the bed before turning her attention to the older of the Bats.

"Helpful as always Rob. I'm Cassie, nice to finally put a face to the name," The blonde, Cassie, extends a hand toward Cass, who stares at it for a moment, taking in the other's body language. Relaxed, unguarded, powerful, welcoming... pretty.

Cass paused, her mind replaying that last observation over and over again as she just stared at Cassie's hand. Cassie's face fell slightly as she glanced over at Tim, clearly trying to decipher if she did something wrong. Hesitance, worry. Almost instantly, Cass reached out and took Cassie's hand, giving the other a reassuring squeeze and smile.

"You too. Tim talks... highly of you." Cass tries to put as much reassurance in her voice, hoping to get across to the blonde that she was being genuine. The hurt melted away instantly, replaced with a smug look as hazel eyes glanced over toward Tim, who has already written off their introduction in favor of paying attention to his phone.

"Does he now? I didn't know he knew how to give out compliments." The teasing was rich in the demi-goddess' tone as Tim instantly shot up a middle finger in their direction, startling a laugh out of both of them. Cass found any hesitation melting off her at the sound of Cassie's laughter in the small bedroom. A warm feeling settled in her stomach as the blonde's attention was turned back to Cass.

"Come on, let's get settled somewhere before Bart comes back and throws himself on top of all of us," Cassie grabbed Cass's hand lightly before dragging the older teen toward the bed. It was almost too easy how Cass followed the pull, letting herself be directed by the other into a comfortable position between her both and the demigoddess.

The trio all settled into their place, Tim leaning against Cass, unintentionally pushing her into Cassie's side. The two made brief eye contract, Cassie simply smiling at the other and pushing her weight equally back. Cass didn't even notice her face heating up with a slight blush at the action.

She also didn't notice, that for the first time since the break up, her heart wasn't in pain. Instead, it was replaced with a soft feeling of comfort and worth.

That was probably something she could address later.

[gildedneon]

That Which I Cannot See - Part 3 (Final) - Missing Pieces

Respectfully, you may not use my work, but you are welcome to share it. My work is only intended for those 18 and older as it contains explicit adult themes.

Summary: In this conclusion to our story, things take a more intimate turn and masks may finally come off.

Pairing: Vessel x Fem!Reader 

Tags: Mask play, concealed identity play, exhibitionism (sorta), PDA in public spaces, the shock of this being far more vanilla yet still as spicy as the others.

Word Count: 3.1k

A/N: I ran out of steam with this one. It took a lot of exploration as a writer to find a way to end it and it was a lot of positive growth for me. It might be a little rough around the edges because I really just needed to get it done and not be a perfectionist. Thank you to the concept of Vessel for being such a fun inspiration. Thank you to my real life Kallie for the beta reads and support. Thank you to everyone who has read this, to everyone who has left feedback, it's been so fun.

Part 1 Part 2 Part 2.5 (Bonus Scene) - Complete

Read on Ao3

Another masquerade ball and this time I am not dressed in gold. My dress is velvet, with a simple mask to match. We are at a New Year’s Eve ball, not an avant garde costume party. It’s for charity, I think. Not sure of the specifics. It was much closer to my home than our last excursion. Of course I accepted his invitation. Kallie went on her “casual” rant again. I know she’s probably right, but I'll burn that bridge when I get to it.

He was waiting for me in the hotel lobby, wearing a simple venetian mask, pale skin, no paint, sleek suit, no cloak. Our eyes met for the first time and I… I thought I would be more nervous. Calm washed over me, as he took my hand in his and led me to the waiting car. Just two regular people going to a party. Without games, without pretenses. And wasn’t that a little frightening. That maybe this has turned into something more than just temporary fun. 

Maybe it’s been that way from the start.

I stare out over the railing, looking down at the dance floor below. Vessel returns to my side, stirring me from my thoughts, as he passes me a drink. We gently tap our glasses and I turn to face him. I take a sip. Staring. At everything I haven’t seen before. Like his hair, how weird is it that I didn’t realize I had never seen it? It wasn’t quite what I expected but not in an undesirable way. Just picturing running my hands through it, grabbing it, turns me on. His eyes. There’s a spark of constant curiosity. The planes of his face are no longer hidden. For once he looks… human.

“I’m not used to seeing this much of you. The top of your head to be specific. It’s a good thing… I like it.” He cracks a grin, eyes twinkling.

“Also eye contact. That’s new.” Heat creeps up into my face. His head tilts, his body shifting towards mine.

“Having my eyes bared to you is that arousing?” He teases.

“That’s not it.” I say, rolling my eyes. “It makes me realize everything you’ve seen. The different ways you’ve seen… me.” I try to put it politely, taking a nervous sip. 

“I have seen you many ways.” He rumbles and my face grows hotter. 

“I know you were obviously there with me but it sort of felt like no one was watching and now…”

“Now you can clearly see just who else was watching?”

I nod and take another sip, my mouth suddenly dry. 

“I’ll remind you I did a lot more than just watch.” My eyes widen and I smack at his arm. Laughing, he catches my hand, holding it in his.

“But I understand. It feels different.” His eyes rake down my gown before returning to meet my gaze. Our fingers twine without a thought. 

“There is something now that wasn’t there before.” He says softly. I inhale, forcing the tightness in my chest to loosen. Taking a bigger sip of what is definitely just lemonade with far too much sugar in it, I break our stare to look down at the people dancing. 

“Would you like to dance?” I nod and he leads the way. 

Time flies by as we dance to typical party songs. Never imagined I would be doing the Cha Cha Slide with Vessel. That was not on my bingo card. But boy was it fun to just be normal. The music slows and he pulls me in. With my arms around his neck, we sway along to the song. The tension in my chest returns as his stare turns serious. The way he’s looking at me is… too scary to fully acknowledge. 

Just enjoy the moment.

Turning my head, I rest it against him. But the knot in my chest grows until I can no longer ignore it.

What did he mean by things being different? Why am I so afraid that this isn’t real? Maybe resisting the way I’m feeling is the real thing to be scared of. Maybe talking to myself in my head is the problem and I could just talk to him?

”I believe I am all danced out for the night.” Our swaying comes to a stop.

”Shall we see if we can find someplace quieter?” He asks and I untwine my arms from around his neck. Curling my hand around his offered arm, we set out to explore.

—-----------

He has me giggling like a schoolgirl when we finally turn down an empty hallway. The laughter trails off and his voice takes a more serious tone.

“I enjoy our time together.” His words elicit a little thrill through my chest that I do my best to ignore.

“We’ve certainly had some memorable adventures.” Flashes of me running through a dark garden flit through my memory.

“We have indeed.” I swear I can see his eyebrows wiggle from under his mask. “But it’s more than that. This started as a simple conversation online. It’s grown. I truly enjoy talking with you. Getting to know you. Spending time with you. I’d like to do more of that.”

Holy fuck this is exactly what Kallie was trying to prepare me for. 

“Well I enjoy getting to know you as well. But what do you have in mind exactly?”

”What I have in mind is to make my intentions clear. I would like for our relationship to not just continue, but grow.” Oh okay that’s not so bad. “I would like to pursue something more serious. What are your thoughts?” Shit.

My thoughts freeze along with my body. Focusing on my breathing, I stare at our reflection in the floor length mirror before us. He is looking at me so intently and I am just… standing, silent. 

“Is this not something you would want?” His head tilts expectantly, I can tell his brow is furrowed behind his mask. But I can’t even begin to get my thoughts to form words to respond to him. I’m still just staring. Say something. Start somewhere. Just be honest.

“No I would. I would want it.” I manage to get out.

“Would?”

“I do. I do want it… it’s not that I don’t I just… I’m scared.” I admit. The words come easier when I’m not searching for the perfect way to say something. What a concept. I should try this more often.

“Of what?” He asks in a soft voice. 

“Of admitting that I want this. But what I am more terrified of is losing the opportunity.”

“So what will you choose?”

“Both. I would like that very much and I don’t want to miss the opportunity with you” He presses a kiss to the top of my head and all of the fluttering in my stomach settles into something much more pleasant. “I can do scary things.”

”Well I’m certainly living proof of that.” He says with a wink. “This will just be another form of doing.” That gets a nice laugh out of me. Without the usual getup, he is still an imposing figure  against my smaller frame.

“I did wish we had more time to enjoy that mirror in your hotel bathroom when I last saw you.” His words get my mind turning.

“Well we have this one now…”

“That we do.”

I watch the reflection as his hands run down the sides of my velvet gown, catching at my hips. His nose nudges my ear.

“Are you looking?” Through the mirror, my eyes flicker to his, before darting to where his hands are slowly running down my thighs. The smooth velvet easing his movement. Hooking his fingers, he applies a slight pressure as he drags his hands back up toward the apex of my thighs. The sounds of the distant party sends a thrill running through me, as I am mesmerized, watching and feeling his touch. My body thrums at the sensation, heat pooling in his trail. 

Weary of his slow teasing, I place a hand over his, dragging it up to my breast. His hand flexes under my hold, and my lips part as his touch grows bolder. The cool nose of his mask scrapes against my neck as his lips trail gentle kisses. It’s just the two of us and I want more of it. 

“What do you desire this evening?” My question stops his movement.

“To ensure you have a wonderful time.” 

“Hmm” I can tell his brow is raised from behind his mask as he stares at me intently in the mirror. “You know what sounds like a wonderful time? What if we get out of here? Go back to the hotel. Just us.” A smile graces his face.

“Is that what you would like?” I nod in answer.

“Back to the hotel it is”

With one last kiss pressed against my skin, he wraps an arm around me, pulling me tight against him. His free hand taps against his phone. I feel like I’m floating, and only slightly panicking, as we make our way to the lobby. My best friend Kallie’s voice rings through my head telling me to just fucking let yourself enjoy something for once and I focus on that. Dismissing the ‘what if’s’ as he sits on a plush loveseat, and I sit myself right on his lap. He seems slightly surprised by my choice, but his arms come around me and I melt into his embrace. I enjoy being close to him, maybe that’s something I should share instead of keeping it like some weird secret. God forbid this man knows that I enjoy him. Mentally rolling my eyes at my own convoluted patterns, I pull at the thread, unraveling this habit.

“I like being close to you.” My eyes widen at my honesty as I stare out into the lobby, for just a moment fear of rejection flashes through my chest.

His face comes beside mine. “Being with you is like stepping into sunlight after spending far too long in the shadows.” Hearing the smile in his voice immediately soothes my nerves.

We both turn, making eye contact. Giving in to my whims, I close the distance between us, skating my lips over his. But he doesn’t let me retreat, he follows, chasing my lips in a gentle claim.

—---

We can’t keep our hands off each other on the ride back to the hotel. But to our credit, we did keep our mouths to ourselves. For the most part. 

Hand in hand, we hasten through the lobby, to the elevators. 

Ding!

His arm hooks around my waist, dragging me into the small space. The second the doors close, he takes my face in his hands. Our eyes meet and hold in a heated stare. Brushing through my hair, his fingers find the ribbon of my mask, pulling it free. His eyes track across my face. Here it is. The final piece of my facade, stripped away. And it feels like acceptance as his mouth finds mine again. Exhilarated, I take hold of his lapels and press him back against the elevator wall. There’s a soft clank of my mask hitting the floor. My legs part as he grabs my leg and hitches it across his thigh. He rocks my hips against him. My mind flutters to the hallway at the Halloween ball. The memory causes a flare of heat through my body. Every inch of myself that is pressed against him is begging for friction. His slow, tender kisses are in time with the way he is rocking me against his thigh. But just as that familiar tension builds in my belly, the car comes to a stop. 

Ding!

The doors slide open and I feel like I’m walking on air as he leads me by the hand to his hotel room. Wow this room is a bit of an upgrade from mine. 

“Please no big light!” I plead just as he reaches for the light switch. 

“As you wish.” He laughs. Taking a page from my book, he flips on the bathroom light and cracks the door. I wander over to turn on a lamp in the sitting area. Tossing his suit coat onto a chair, he closes the distance between us and clasps my face in his hands. 

I can hear my heart beating as he stares, taking in my bare face. My heart flutters and the corners of my lips turn up. How did we get here? It feels so right to be sharing myself with him finally. 

“Hi.” I say with a smile.

“Hi” he smiles back, placing a light kiss on my lips. Taking my hand, he leads me to stand in front of large mirrored closet doors. The way he towers over me sends a bolt of arousal through my core. 

Reverently, he strips me of my dress. Left in my lingerie, he sits on the bed, legs splayed. Patting his lap, he then begins to undo the buttons on his dress shirt. Nestled between his legs, I am mesmerized by our reflection in the mirror. Myself in my heels and lacey underwear and him full dressed, mask and all. I decide to put on another show for him. I cup my breasts through the fabric and tease myself. His eyes watch my every move even as his shirt falls open and is thrown to the floor. I remove my shoes and then struggle to reach around him to remove my bra.

“A little help?” A pause and then his hands make quick work of the clasp, my bra falling free to join his shirt. 

Feeling bold I stand, moving to kneel in front of him. Undoing the laces of his shoes, I slip them off. The fabric of his pants is a little scratchy as I run my hands up his legs. Working together we remove those until all that remains is his mask. Standing, I hook the sides of my thong with my thumbs, and make a show of removing them. I settle onto his lap, straddling him. Reaching up, I pause as I grasp the tie for his mask. Our gazes catch and hold with an intensity that tightens my chest.  The nod he gives me is almost imperceivable. But it’s there. Taking a deep breath, I pull the ribbon, discarding the last thing that lies between us. 

Nothing surprises me as I look upon his face. I’ve never seen it before, but it feels like remembering something I once knew. Like Another piece of a puzzle falling into place. 

I cradle his face in my hands and place a kiss on his forehead. His eyes flutter shut. I place another on his nose, and then his lips. The hand on my neck drags me back down. Our mouths clash together in a kiss full of need. His hands slide down to my ass, pulling me flush against him. He swallows my moan at the feel of him hard against me. In a feat of strength, he slides us back on the bed. Pulling me down on top of him as he falls back on his elbows. My body feels like it’s on fire and he is the only salvation. Reaching down I grip his hardness and waste no time lining him up with my entrance. His hand wraps around my wrist, halting my movement. 

“While I cannot wait to be inside you again, I’m afraid I need you to sit on my face.”

“What?”

“Yes you see I’ve always had a mask in the way and now I simply cannot pass on the opportunity.” I’m still somewhat stunned in my lustful haze as his arms hook under my legs and slide me forward. I yelp and throw my arms out, catching myself on the bed. His hands wrap up around my thighs, pulling me down onto him as his tongue swipes against me. At that I am lost. He devours me so slowly that I’m trembling by the time his tongue finally delves inside of me. My moan comes out like a sob. Teaching under me, I tangle my hand in his hair, gripping for leverage as I rock against him. As mind blowing as he’s making me feel, there’s a frustration building inside of me. A want for more. So that is what I ask for. 

“More. Ves please! More!” My prayers are immediately answered. 

Maneuvering me like I’m light as a feather he slides me down his body. He’s propped up on his elbows. Face to face with his cock is pressing into me, teasing. Seizing the opportunity, I rock down against him, taking him until I am fully seated. Our moans mingle in the limited space between our lips. I grab the back of his neck and his chest for purchase as I begin to move. His hands on my hips flex and squeeze before assisting me with my movement. But my slow and steady rocking builds into a greedy pace. With every thrust, he’s striking a spot inside of me that has me chasing bliss. Though it seems as if we’ve just gotten started, I’m racing closer to the edge. I slip my hand between us, giving myself the additional stimulation I so desperately need. His hand slides into my hair, tilting my head until I’m staring into his eyes. The frenzied pleasure is making my head swim and this added eye contact amplifies those feelings. My thighs tremble around his and my pace falters. The tightness built inside of me starts to slip and as if he senses it, he takes control.

Shifting his body, he turns us at an angle. The hand in my hair turns my head to face the mirror that’s now alongside us. 

Where I now watch his hips lift, sliding himself inside of me. God if that image doesn’t make me weak. I practically collapse on top of him and he is more than willing to support me. His arm hooks under my knee, lifting the leg closest to the mirror, hitting a new spot inside of me as he thrusts inside me. It takes everything in me to stay upright as I quiver from the pleasure. My moans are outside of my control. 

“Fuck this is my favorite song. I could hear you sing it all day.” The grit in his voice winds me tighter.

“Ves!” His lips are quick to whisper a different name in my ear. So I oblige, crying out his true name instead. 

My head swims with dizzying pleasure as I come down from my climax. His pace picks up and it’s too much. My body is torn between begging for mercy and begging for more. But his hips thrust once, twice, and then a third time as he shudders his release. Even with my head still dizzy from the pleasure, I can feel that something new has just begun.

[campbyler]

i really admire how u stand up for urselves with the release dates and headcanons and shit. so many people think they can walk all over writers who are putting in so much work for them

thank you for saying this! i will say that we have received far more support than we have anything to the contrary, and we certainly haven't handled every situation that's fallen into our laps completely perfectly, but i do think there has been some mind boggling behavior we've been presented with and it's not something we were really anticipating having to react to. i'm beating a dead horse at this point, but we never imagined just how much attention this fic would get, and while it is so cool and fun and rewarding 99% of the time, there is that 1% that is unfortunately very loud sometimes. suni and i are sensitive people at best, and while we are good at ignoring when things get too rowdy, there are times that we have to put our foot down -- namely, when people are a) trying to stake a claim in ownership over this universe and dictate things about characters they had no hand in developing and b) putting us on a pedestal and turning our relationship with our readers into something corporate (not the band). to be dogpiled on after disagreeing with a headcanon (that was phrased as a question, mind you, and became a big deal when they didn't get the answer they wanted) or sent rude asks because life is making it hard to get an upload out are things that we think are hostile in a way that we haven't been. which again, is not to say we are perfect -- we get sassy, we can be really reactive -- but we both definitely believe in matching energy, and when things escalate we will rise to it. lol. we are so glad that we have this community of people who share the same passion for this universe that we do, and even more glad that the majority of that community is so respectful of us and our choices and give us space to be human, whether that mean standing up for ourselves or taking 6 months between uploads. it's been so reassuring to know that the work we put into this fic and this universe is not transactional 💗

[icewindandboringhorror]

I've referenced before how I have a big google document to keep track of every media I've ever seen in my entire life (just for reference because I like to track everything possible lol… I am the Data Collector), but recently as I was updating it, I thought of actually evaluating them to find out random percentages (like for example, out of Total Shows Watched, what percentage did I finish vs. stop watching, what percentage did I like or dislike, etc.)...

Evaluating these things is made easier by the fact that I already place everything on each subsection of the list into 6 broad ranking categories, so I don't have to go back and guess to figure out how I feel about them or anything. The categories are: Ranking 5 - overall best* (despite some criticisms of course because I'm too much of an Analyzer to ever find anything Perfect lol) Ranking 4 - more positive than neutral, but not good enough to be 5 Ranking 3 - either the good + bad negate each other, OR it's just not memorable/interesting in any way enough to be ranked higher or lower (this is the Default category ALL things are placed in if no other rank applies) Ranking 2 - maybe a few redeemable elements but largely more negatives than positives Ranking 1 - So bad that it circles around to being fascinating to observe in some way (not necessarily Funny, or Good, but just interesting somehow) Ranking 0 - Bad in a genuinely frustrating or obnoxious manner

*("best" primarily defined here as most interesting, rather than most good in a technical sense, or some other measure. I tend to value more highly whether there's something novel or thoughtful about the worldbuilding, tone, writing, base premise, etc - than about whether it's actually executed perfectly.)

And here's the amount of shows that have so far been placed into each category -

TV shows ~ Rank 5 (highest) - 20 shows ~ Rank 4 (mid-high) - 28 shows ~ Rank 3 (neutral/default/meh) - 114 shows ~ Rank 2 (mid low) -33 shows ~ Rank 1 (low low but intriguingly so) - 14 shows ~ Rank 0 (iredeemably low) - 2 shows

This would make for a total of 211 TV shows overall. However, there are 57 shows within these list marked as "didn't finish" (typically meaning I quit on the very first or second episode - but log them still to keep a record that I at least had a brief view of them).

So my total of genuinely fully watched shows would be more 154. 211 Total, but a More Accurate Total of 154.

Counting them all and using the Total Number Of The List (211) -- that means roughly 9.5% of all total shows I have ever watched (or at least attempted to watch) have been Mostly Good, 13% have been Moderately Okay, 54% have been either entirely Forgettable or some mix of good + bad that lands them right in the Neutral Middle, 15.6% have been Mostly Bad, 6.6% have been Bad (but in an interesting way), and 0.9% have been Terribly Bad.

Additionally, I didn't even get past the first two episodes of about 27% of the total.

Sooo, discounting ones I didn't finish, my total TV shows ever watched in my life would be about 154 (maybe give or take a few, assuming I might have forgotten some from very long ago).

But instead of entire life, let's just say this is the total for 'About 20 Years' (so, not counting very early childhood when I likely wouldn't remember things I saw/have no detailed recollection of them (like for example, I'm sure at some point when I was like 4yrs old I must have seen an episode of Spongebob or something, but I have zero distinct memories of it, can't quote anything of it, and barely recall the premise - so I don't count it on the list, etc.)).

In that case, 154 divided by 20 would be roughly 7.7 shows a year.

Which is actually surprisingly low considering that I often have stuff on in the background for hours whilst I make sculptures and do costumes and stuff (maybe I should have also marked some distinction between 'things I fully paid attention to' and 'things I kind of half listened to whilst sculpting', but that would further split the categories too much probably lol), but I guess a lot of that is youtube videos or random documentaries, so .. eh.. maybe I get it being lower.

Now, doing the same thing for movies-

Movies ~ Rank 5 (highest) - 4 movies (3.4% of total) ~ Rank 4 (mid-high) - 12 movies (10.3% of total) ~ Rank 3 (neutral/default/meh) - 91 movies (78.4% of total) ~ Rank 2 (mid low) - 8 movies (6.8% of total) ~ Rank 1 (low but interesting) - 1 movie (0.8% of total) ~ Rank 0 (irredeemably low) - none in this category (0%)

That makes 116 for a Total (Actually Remembered) Movies Watched In Lifetime (Or At Least In 20 Years).

116 divided by 20 is roughly 5 or 6 movies a year (I feel this has probably been skewed though by adding everything since like elementary school onwards, as I remember a lot more movies from child/teen years.. Whereas, the past 3 years I feel like I've barely seen maybe even 5 movies?? lol). I also have "Didn't Finish" marked on 18 of them. Which means I quit halfway through about 15% of the total movies.

So, a for broader summary stuff..

I seem to be less forgiving to movies than tv shows, by far. Which makes sense to me, I guess, because I love elaboration and details, so "short form" things that only last an hour or two are often lost on me a bit. My biggest complaint with movies is indeed usually walking away just wishing there had been more exposition, more scenes where characters are doing nothing, more "mindless bantering" conversations, more Quiet Downtime and Lore Elaboration and so on lol, so... of course most 1-2hr films end up feeling a bit Not Enough To Draw My Interest/Nothingy to me.

If you count 5 and 4 as "like" and rankings 2 to 0 as "dislike", then for TV shows I at least somewhat liked 48 of them, and at least somewhat disliked 47 of them.. So it's almost exactly the same lol. I'm just about equally as likely to find something bad as I am to find something redeeming about it. But overall, the largest chance is that I just won't really care much for it at all and it will be tossed into the 'neutral' pile, forgotten forever. Movies have a bit better of a balance, "liking" 16 of them, and "disliking" only 9 of them. So I'm slightly more likely to enjoy a movie than to find it annoying - though still VASTLY more likely to just not find it anything in particular, possibly not even finishing it.

ANYWAY.. this is vague and literally pointless, but like I said, I just really find information fun. Like my document where I've rated every apple flavor I've ever tried (like 40 of them now?), or reviewed every oreo flavor (32?), or ranking data from my entire 10 years of Trying To Make Friends process (out of 100 people, roughly 8% chance of a moderate compatibility, 3% chance of high), or etc. etc.. I love to have random pointless things to analyze I suppose lol.

I doubt anyone tracks things in their life in this same exact way, but I'd be interested in hearing any at least somewhat similar data !!! (like, how many TV shows you watch a year on average, and what percentage of those you like vs. dislike (if you keep track of that sort of thing), etc.)). I guess it might be easier with movies, since I think some people use those websites where you curate a list of movies you've seen and you can rate them or something, so maybe the numbers are already available on those places. :0

[outlying-hyppocrate]

i really, truly, terrifyingly am unaware of who i am as a person. obviously, interests don't make up an entire personality. but what am i without them? the labels i use to describe myself no longer fit me. i have these swathes of names in my head that i don't want to belong to me and they do nonetheless. i am rotting. i am dying on the inside. one day i will fit to my own ideals and i will be happy and healthy and see beautiful sunlight stream through my windows again.

[rubber-glovs]

Oooohhh the urge to yap about my ocs and the world they live in......

[herefortheships]

I have a long af post in my drafts, a rambling essay I haven't finished writing about Beetlebabes and purity culture now vs the 80s, 90s, and 2000s.

I also have another post where I'm putting together all the romance beats in Beetlejuice Beetlejuice (following the Romancing the Beat romance structure beat sheet).

And finally I also have two more Beetlejuice posts I haven't finished, one about Betelgeuse's role in the first film vs the second, and one is just a response to another post I never finished typing because I started it days ago in the morning and I had to leave so I couldn't finish it, and then I lost my thread of thoughts, so maybe I won't finish that one. Maybe lol. It was an interesting post about Lydia I wanted to add my thoughts to.

[wild-at-mind]

When you tell people they should be sending every spare penny to their chosen Gaza fundraiser or they are Bad. But then it all gets a bit too stressful so you have to leave tumblr. :(

[enhanced-operatives-division]

One day I'll draw the ieytd cast with all the flower imagery i want